thursday, july 31, 2014|
Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh on Wednesday announced that the Government has in substance, concluded with the US an inter-governmental agreement for implementation of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
As a result of the achievement of this important milestone, Guyana is now listed by the US Department of the Treasury as one of the jurisdictions treated as having an inter-governmental agreement in effect.
The conclusion of the agreement, in substance, comes after several months of review and negotiation between the US and Guyana authorities on the text of the agreement, and will see the two countries concluding a Model One reciprocal agreement within the coming months.
FATCA provisions of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010 (HIRE Act) were enacted in the US on March 18, 2010, in order to address concerns over offshore tax evasion. FATCA generally requires a Foreign Financial Institution (FFI) to enter into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to report information
about certain accounts held by US persons or foreign entities owned by US persons. An FFI that does not enter into an agreement with the IRS will be subject to a 30 per cent withholding tax on certain payments, including US source interest and dividends, and gross proceeds from sales of US securities.
Congress enacted FATCA to target non-compliance by US taxpayers using foreign accounts, and the provision has since become the global standard for promoting tax transparency. It requires US financial institutions to withhold a portion of certain payments made to FFIs that do not agree to identify and report information on US account holders. Governments
have two options for complying with FATCA: they can either permit their FFIs to enter into agreements with the IRS or they can, themselves, enter into IGAs with the US. In Guyana’s case, the latter option was adopted, and an inter-governmental agreement has been entered into with the US.
On April 4, the US Department of the Treasury and the IRS announced that jurisdictions that have reached agreements in substance with the US on the terms of inter-governmental agreements under the FATCA can be treated as having agreements in effect until the end of 2014.
Minister Singh indicated that, as of June 24, Guyana attained the status of having an agreement in substance. This development represents a significant achievement in cooperation between Guyana and the US, Minister Singh said as he applauded the efforts made by both countries to ensure timely advancement of the discussions. The Minister further indicated that Guyana’s authorities will continue to collaborate with their US counterparts through the final signing of the agreement and its implementation.
Former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh has been appointed by President Donald Ramotar to be the Legal Adviser for the Guyana Police Force.
This was announced by Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, on Wednesday. According to Dr Luncheon, while the Director of Public Prosecutions is currently responsible for legally advising the Police, there are some daily issues that would need the attention of a legal adviser.
He explained that Justice Singh will be able to efficient-
ly offer her legal advice on these issues.
“There continues to be a significant element of Police work, Police investigations, Police prosecutions that warrants almost the physical dayto-day access of their own legal adviser. And what former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh offers the Guyana Police Force is access to quality legal advice right at their door step, 24 hours seven days a week,” the Cabinet Secretary
Dr Luncheon noted that Justice Singh is a welcome addition to the assets of the law enforcement agency as it continues its struggle to fight crime in the country.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Secretary was asked whether the appointment of a legal adviser for the Police Force was linked to the fact that the Alliance For Change (AFC) has filed a case against Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh for allegedly illegally spending some $4.5 billion of the $37.4 billion that was cut from the $220 billion 2014 National Budget.
In response, Dr Luncheon dismissed the notion, stating that the process to appoint a legal adviser began long be-
fore the AFC had raised the issue regarding Dr Singh’s spending.
“Well, I guess one would have to look at the chronology. The advertisements for the appointment of a legal adviser I suspect were in the media long before this move by the AFC… so I don’t see a link between her (Justice Singh) and the charge against Dr Singh,” the Cabinet Secretary stated.
Justice Claudette Singh is a former judge of the Appeal Court and Supreme Court of Judicature. She also has been in legal practice for several years. Following her resignation, Justice Singh joined the Chambers of the Attorney General, where she spearheaded an Inter-American Development Bank project aimed at improving the local justice system.
She also sat on the panel of commissioners at the Linden Commission of Inquiry, which ran from September 2012 to February 2013.
The Cabinet Secretary further stated that President Ramotar also substantively appointed the acting Director of Prisons, Welton Trotz, and acting Deputy Director, Carl Graham, to the respective posts.
Police of C Division (East Coast Demerara) are hunting for two bandits who carried out a brazen attack on a La Bonne Intention (LBI) business on Tuesday evening, shooting the 60-year-old owner, Narad Ramkissoon, in the process.
According to information received, two armed men entered the “A & R” Supermarket around 21:00h at LBI, East Coast Demerara and held up Ramkissoon; the security guard, Ibrahim Kalamadeen; and the cashier.
During the commotion, Ramkissoon was shot to his left thigh by the men who took away an undisclosed sum of cash and escaped in a waiting motor vehicle. The supermarket proprietor
has been admitted to a private medical facility.
Police confirmed that based on reports, the perpetrators are known characters and as such, a team of ranks went to a Georgetown residence of the two men but they were not there. The source explained that Police would continue to search for the men.
Kalamadeen, on Tuesday evening, related his ordeal at the hands of the bandits. He said he was in front of the supermarket when he saw a grey Toyota Premio pulled up and two men, dressed in dark clothing, bulletproof vests and toques, exited the vehicle, carrying machine guns.
They then made their way to the entrance of the supermar-
ket, where he was standing at the time and slammed him into a glass door, causing him to fall to the ground; they then assisted him up and took him inside.
The cashier at that point became aware of the robbery and attempted to escape, but was stopped by one of the men who promised to shoot her and the guard. But Kalamadeen took his chances and managed to escape, finding refuge at the back of a container.
The guard said he could not identify the men, but they were more than six feet tall, medium built, and of African descent. Attempts to make contact with the businessman proved futile, but in reference to his condition, staff said that he was “coming around”.
BY ALEXIS RODNEY
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is now being accused of allegedly tampering with the investigation into the death of Dr Walter Rodney, in an effort to hide pertinent information which could corroborate allegations that it had a hand in aiding former member and accused assassin William “Gregory” Smith, out of the jurisdiction on June 14, 1980.
Like evidence given on Tuesday by Officer-in-Charge of the GDF Personnel Department, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick West, day two of the inquiry swung into full mode on Wednesday, this time with former Commander of the Air Corps Limited.
Colonel Cargill Kyte, informed the Commission that the records requested could not be found. He said too that searches were carried out at the Air Corps for documents relating to the flights carried out on June 14, 1980, but again none was found.
The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, probing the circumstances surrounding the death of the Working People’s Alliance Leader, Dr Walter Anthony Rodney, had requested from the military information that would assist it in determining whether or not Smith was whisked away to Kwakwani in one of its aircraft, a few hours after Dr Rodney was assassinated.
Levelling the allegation was lawyer for the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Christopher Ram, who, during the crossexamination, put it to Kyte that the disappearance of the records is not “an act of God” or an accident, but a well orchestrated plan by the hierarchy of the Guyana Defence force to conduct a massive cover up into Dr Rodney’s death.
The tribunal had learnt from an earlier witness, that William “Gregory” Smith, soon after Dr Rodney’s death, was flown to Kwakwani. Reports reaching the Commission revealed too that then Army Officer Captain Gerald Gouveia had facilitated that flight.
During his testimony to the Commission, Gouveia admitted that he had flown “a man with a woman and children to Kwakwani on the very day, however, he had not been aware of the man’s identity until a few days later when his photograph was published in a local newspaper.
Gouveia’s testimony came under
scrutiny as lawyers sought to ascertain whether he had checked the flight manifest to verify if the person he saw was indeed Smith. He responded in the negative. The Commission had requested from the army that they supply records of the flight manifest (which shows a record of the passengers including their names and gender), the flight request, the flight plan, logbook and load sheet for that period. However, these could not be provided.
Colonel Kyte, who is currently stationed at the Force’s headquarters, Camp Ayanganna and who had functioned as the Commanding officer of the Air Corps between 1999 and 2012, said checks made at the relevant areas did not locate the forms.
Led into evidence by Attorney for the Commission Latchmie Rahamat, Kyte informed the Commission that usually, a copy of the load sheet is kept on the aircraft while another is given to the flight operations office. He said the flight manifest is prepared by the flight operations staff and prepared in duplicate. After the completion of the flight, it is returned to the flight operation’s office.
Describing the procedures applied
when transporting passengers out of Guyana, the former Commanding Officer said a flight request form would first have to be filled, once approval has been granted through the necessary chain of command.
The preparation of the flight begins where the Chief Pilot rosters the pilots for that flight based on the pilot’s experience and the Operations Department would carry out the processes of passengers with respect to that flight.
He said a request could be made to the air liaison office if it is an external application, while one would be made to the Colonel General Staff’s Office if the request comes from within. But questions were raised about accountability of flight records. Kyte explained that as far as he knows, documents are usually “kept on current” for 30 days, stored on file for an additional 30 days, then stored in the archives for three years. After that he said, the files are allowed to be destroyed.
Kyte, asked about inquiries about aircraft owned by the GDF during that period, said his investigations revealed that the army had a total of 12 aircraft with several of unknown airworthy status. The 8RGER highlander, which was reportedly used by Gouveia to transport Smith, he noted was one of the main aircraft used to land on rough strips and to take soldiers to far- flung areas. That particular aircraft, he informed had been bartered to the Air Services Limited. Curiosity peeked when this information was disclosed, the Commission’s Counsel sought to ascertain the logbook of this aircraft.
Captain Gerry Gouveia during his testimony had informed the Commission that the pilot was allowed to have only his personal logbook, while the Commanding Officer would take possession of the logbook for the aircraft. But according to the former Commanding Officer, the aircraft logbook is usually kept at the facility of the owner of the aircraft. Gouveia had told the Commission that the decision to fly Smith to Kwakwani had been sanctioned by the army; however, he was unable to identify the source of the instruction.
Lieutenant Colonel Patrick West told the Commission that he too could not locate William Gregory Smith’s file. The GDF has been tasked with locating files which could determine whether the now dead Smith had been in its employ during the time Dr Rodney was killed.
Editor: Nigel Williams
Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134
Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown
Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com, letters@guyanatimesgy.com
The recent attacks on fishermen on the high seas by pirates is another stark reminder of the dangers of the fishing business and the risks being taken by our artisanal fishers to earn a livelihood and bring prosperity to this nation.
There have been numerous reported attacks already this year, none more dreadful than the one where four fishermen were beaten and thrown overboard during a pirate attack on their vessel. The vessel was later found drifting in the Mahaica area. Another attack on the Corentyne, Berbice was recently reported.
Apart from the suffering this incident brings to relatives and friends of these fishermen, it also exposes the frailties of our maritime capabilities and even that of our neighbour, Suriname, where the attack occurred. Over the years, high seas piracy in Guyana has graduated from routine seizure of engines and the fishermen’s catch to the use of violence and this is because pirates are moving up the value-added ladder.
As is the case internationally, a few years ago, they attacked fishing trawlers just off the coast. Now they take on oil tankers and container ships far out at sea. Ransom money is buying property, luxury goods, and power.
Profits are also being used to buy satellite phones, GPS, more powerful weapons and faster boats, or to bribe officials and collaborators. Profits of piracy are also spreading corruption, perverting local economies, and empowering criminal groups.
This poses a major threat to state security and also the fishing industry which is big business in Guyana, both for commerce as well as increasingly for sport. Guyana’s Hijacking and Piracy Act 2008 was defined as “any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation committed for private ends by any person on board, including the crew or passengers of a private vessel and directed on the rivers, internal waters or territorial sea of Guyana against another vessel, or persons or property on board such vessel.”
Such acts of piracy have occurred as the result of lax law enforcement practices especially on the Corentyne where the other maritime crimes of backtracking and smuggling thrive. Another issue at hand is that many of the pirates are rogue fishermen who are familiar with the maritime environment, know the routine of their colleagues, and also are aware of the inefficiencies of our lawmen.
This must be seriously addressed and tougher regulations to screen fisherfolk should be implemented to preserve the integrity of the industry and protect those who are legitimate operatives within the sector.
With 459 kilometres of Atlantic coastline and much of the interior punctuated by rivers, Guyana has the perfect conditions for a healthy and prosperous fisheries sector. Guyana’s shrimp and prawn exports are major cash cows, contributing 5.6 per cent of total export revenues, with the United States as the largest export market. The fisheries sector, which grew 15.5 per cent in recent years and employs over 15,000 people, contributes some six per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), similar to rice production.
This to us is worth safeguarding and no efforts should be spared in protecting fishermen from the threats of piracy and other dangers on the high seas. It, therefore, means that our Government must work more aggressively in strengthening maritime security, which is very essential to protect not only small artisan craft, but larger vessels and ships that come to our ports.
Greater collaboration with countries such as Suriname and Venezuela should become priority. Until such time, pirates will continue to be encouraged by the absence of enforcement, their raids will intensify, fishermen’s losses will increase, and the number of killings will soar.
Modern maritime security requires a new way of thinking and a new system of enforcement and regulation such as the country has never had before. And if this is not done now, instead of bringing home boats of fishes, our fishermen will be bringing back bodies on their boats.
Dear Editor,
Again, through the media, I am advised that my Party Leader, Mr David Granger had lifted the suspension he imposed on me on June 24 for 12 hours to allow me to participate in Congress. This is no longer a suspension, this has become a detention. I take personal offence to this new development.
In addition to not being told of this decision by the party, I am not a juvenile nor is the PNCR a correctional institution. This is not the 18th Century when women had to know their place and decisions were made for them without their involvement or knowledge.
The last correspondence I received on the suspension issue was from Mr Allan Munroe on July 20 informing about my non-submission of a statement and that his committee will proceed with hearings on July 22 on my non-appearance.
I was most surprised to learn from the media that in a press briefing last Sunday evening, my party leader said the suspension was lifted for 12 hours to enable me to attend Congress. Congress was a three-day event and I was present every day.
My attendance at Congress was consistent with Rule 15 of the party constitution and under which I was accordingly accredited. It was not a concession granted. Ms Kissoon needs no concession; Ms Kissoon needs her rights respected consistent with the party rules. Ms Kissoon wants no favours or concessions. If party members follow the party constitution and govern consistent with the constitution, there will be no need to grant concessions.
While the leader seems willing to execute discipline, he must be just as willing to do it in an even-handed manner. Mr Aubrey Norton has complained that Mr Granger’s driver had abused one of his supporters during the Congress. Mr Granger told the media he will inves-
tigate the matter then act accordingly. I have not been given similar rights and respect. As a woman of the 21st Century, I am beginning to believe sexism and favouritism are at work here.
The leadership of my party is asking that members keep and settle their disagreements in-house. But the very leadership that is demanding compliance from the ordinary members is not prepared to adhere to the same directive. I continued to be kept abreast with the moving parts of my matter, from the leader, through the media.
There are mechanisms in the party for members to discuss concerns and objections in-house and when these avenues are closed off, two choices are left: stay silent or be heard from outside of the party.
I am a disciplined party member and by this, I mean I am committed to obeying the party’s rules. The rules of my party protect and allow me the right to expression, due process, and involvement in anything that affects me in the organisation.
The party rules do not allow for a person to be placed on detention, the detention lifted for a period, then reinforced. Not even the 14-year-old GYSM member is this disrespected. The PNCR is a civilian organisation guided by its own rules and these rules must be used to unite and position the party as the country’s best political alternative. Every man, woman, and child must feel that they will be treated equally and protected by the party. As a member of the PNCR, I continue to give and expect no less.
The reports that Linden protested against the Congress are inaccurate. The placards Lindeners carried illustrated photographs and quotes of the three former leaders which resonated with us. This expression was an act of making known that the visions of our former leaders are still relevant.
None of the placards was anti-par-
ty. Contrary to the views of some, the red, black and white attire and green armbands worn by Lindeners during the three-day event were done to display the party and national flags.
Lindeners chose to use these colours to help persons to re-identify with the party colours and heroes since these are observed to be undermined in the party. No organisation can grow and develop without solid foundation. The current leaders and members of the PNCR are here because of the foundation built by previous leaders and members and we saw it fitting to make acknowledgement. Linden party members are offended that in their continued fight for their rights from the Government and within the party, they are being accused of being PPP/C redcoats.
In the meantime, Mark Archer of the PNCR/APNU Public Relations Department has taken to social media to demonise Lindeners and their leaders and mischaracterise events surrounding Linden, as Ronald Bulkan and Volda Lawrence have called us names.
If Mark Archer, as the public relations person, is speaking for or on behalf of the leadership of the party, this is unacceptable. If Bulkan and Lawrence think calling us names is OK, we’d like them to know this too is unacceptable; Lindeners will not accept this treatment. As leaders, better is expected and an end should be put to the silly season.
Members of the PNCR have a party to strengthen and national elections to win. All members are equally important and as the Founder Leader Mr Forbes Burnham said “there is no better way to lead than by example”. This was on one of the placards Lindeners carried during the Congress.
Sincerely, Vanessa Kissoon
Dear Editor,
I have been a member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) for the past 22 years and I can say without fear of successful contradiction that the last two Congresses –2012 and 2014 – were the most vulgar and despicable events in the party’s 57-year history.
Congresses are nostalgic moments for party members. They create an environment for building camaraderie with comrades from across the country, sharing experiences of working in the field, sharing best practices in political work, recommitting and rededicating ourselves to the party, and, most of all, making critical decisions to charter the political course of the party for the next two years.
Unfortunately, these virtues eluded the planners
and leaders of our great party on the last two occasions.
However, some phenomenal things occurred prior, during, and immediately after the just-concluded Congress, but have escaped the attention of the media and political analysts. In my respectful view, there is still hope for the future of the party.
These phenomenal events commenced with the diligent and tireless pursuit by the Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon and team up to the ninth hour, to get the party leadership to create an even playing field and to stick to the rules of the party as a means of bolstering the party’s image.
These efforts clearly demonstrated that no longer young people are prepared to sit with their hands folded and a finger on their lips and accept mediocrity and
blatant disregard for the rules.
Then despite the impending disenfranchisement, a group of energetic, creative, and passionate young people from Linden initiated the creation of posters capturing relevant quotations from speeches of former leaders of the party to illustrate the point that the party, the PNC, was built on the shoulders of great men and women whose adumbrations are still relevant and can be used as a point of reference and guide for the party in resolving the present challenges it faces.
One such quotation was from the late President Hugh Desmond Hoyte, in his 13th Biennial Congress Address in 2002, when he said: “Change is as necessary a part of politics, as it is of life. Those who do not change become dinosaurs,
irrelevant and eventually extinct. If we do not adapt to new circumstances, new challenges, and new responsibilities, we cannot survive, much less overcome.”
The extension of a hand of comradeship by Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon to General Secretary Oscar Clarke clearly signalled that it was not a case of her holding no brief for her colleague and that she saw the issue as her expressing her view. They disagreed on those issues and she has moved on with no animosity between them.
The final phenomenon that attracted my attention was how the appointed leaders of the new executive of the party, at a post-Congress press conference, were busy digging in their heels, establishing authority, dismissing credible claims by party members and passing
the buck for the causes of the occurrences at Congress with spurious and puerile claims.
Solomon, on the other hand, rose to the occasion and outlined a way forward for the party, emphasising the need for resolving the present challenges, strengthening the party, preparing it for the next general and regional elections, the giving of the required leadership, and most important of all, uniting the party.
These occurrences clearly illustrate that a bright future for the PNC is still assured, despite the desperate and vulgar attempts by some in the present leadership to suppress opposing views, to marginalise young leaders, to cling to control of the party at all costs, and to manipulate processes.
There is a group of vision-
ary and pragmatic young leaders who are still prepared to put their shoulders to the wheel, swim against the tide, defy all odds and work in the best interest of the party, its membership and people of Guyana.
Interestingly, Solomon, who is the eldest of this youthful cadre mentioned, is 35 – 26 and 45 years junior, age wise, to Granger, Basil Williams and Clarke, respectively. Thus he has youth, energy, a committed constituency, and a fertile political brain that will be an asset to the party long after these leaders.
The resolve by these emerging leaders should not and must not go unnoticed, and they should be assured of our support.
Sincerely,
Bevon Currie
Dear Editor,
Hundreds of books on history and emotion have been written about the abominable slave trade and its consequences on millions of people rooted out of their ancestral continent –their families, their culture and legacy, which led to the devastation of their continent by conquistadores and slave traders, who blighted their continent with wars and capitalistic devouring of their enormous wealth.
Even to this day, this blight, this curse, this scourge of thievery of human flesh, sold in the slave markets is evident.
Africa was bled of the best of their sons and daughters of the tribes, nations, and countries that make up the continent of the great contributor to human civilisation, education, and wisdom.
It was the European’s eye-pass to wish to enrich their countries and persons, and build their own civilisations and great cities; their great railroads and subway systems; their bridges and dams by stolen; beaten; broken; raped; hanged by the neck, feet and ribs; starved black flesh, at times hanged in public for display in the most ruthless and sickening manner to create fear and terror in the hearts of those who might rebel.
Every people, as now evident in Palestine, will rebel once they are subjected to the whims and fancies of others, makers of evil and seekers of personal aggrandisement. So rebel they did, and escape they did, and the terror unleashed at times was so reprehensible of those who were the masters
and who considered themselves better, that they descended to the worst of bestialities to maintain control and build more wealth for themselves and their countries.
The strength and power of their economies, the ability to make bombs and nuclear warheads, guns that fire hundreds of rounds per minute, and cannons and tanks that can demolish countries with fierce ferocity; Apache helicopters that stand in the clouds and target villages; navy ships that stand hundreds and maybe thousands of miles away, with their satellite commodores in the stars for precise targeting of individuals and buildings, villages and countries. Their great universities; their institutes of law and academia; their laboratories that create viruses to wipe out humanity, the same that experiment on humans in countries in Africa; and their nuclear bombs that can destroy humanity and the earth 15 times over, are all possible because of the abuse of black human flesh in bondage for hundreds of years.
Even modern-day Africa is manipulated, used and abused by the so-called developed world for its oil, uranium, diamonds, gold, amazing animals, and other minerals and resources.
Ladies and gentlemen of Guyana, Government of Guyana, the Embassies of nations which enriched themselves from the blood, sweat and tears of Africans, and the world, it is time for compensation.
The black descendants of the African Diaspora must be compensated. Pay up and
free your minds, your souls, descendants of the European slave-masters. The monies and wealth wasted in military campaigns, the manufacture of viruses to wipe out humanity; the monies for manufacture of mass killing machines can be best utilised to rid yourselves of the atrocious memory and guilt, that what you live, eat, inherit and enjoy, are the fruits of sin, the great abomination of theft of human flesh, European banditry and mass theft of lives, and destruction of nations.
Black people, descendants of slaves, you can never be truly free, unless you agitate, demand, fight, and take it to the highest courts of the world, that you be compensated for the worst bondage of humans, your forefathers, known to man in history.
Please use this day of yours for goodness, for great reflection and prayers for your ancestors, please be careful, and do not consume the obnoxious spirits that were created by the slave masters in the form of rum or alcohol to control your people.
Educate your children; be moral so that your children and even ours could be inspired as my ancestors were of your ancestors when they came to Guyana. Your ancestors were our first teachers and guides to this wilderness for my people when they came, and they became friends, midwives, and taught them survival in the new land.
The Indians of Guyana owe the Africans for being the teachers and counsels, and for the representation when our ancestors were being abused by the
Europeans accustomed to slavery, though slavery was abolished.
The greatest drummers in the world are Indians and Africans; put them together and the legacy in music is historical and alluring, even mystical. Together, our peoples, all peoples in this great and beautiful country of ours called Guyana – all the peoples, I emphasise –
must work in national cohesion to transform this fertile and “opportunised’ land into glory, and an example for humanity, as we must strive to live in constant harmony, peace and goodwill.
We need each other in Guyana; we have learned that we cannot live without each other, brother unto brother and sister unto sister. As we used to sing
in the Guyana National Service, “Let’s build this land, Guyana free!” Praise to the stoic African ancestors, and blessed be their descendants. Thank you, God.
Respectfully, Roshan Khan Chairman, Electric Mosque Teachings of Islam
BY AMY MORIN
Children need to learn how to solve problems on their own.
Problem-solving is one of the six most important life skills that parents should be teaching their children. Start helping your children learn problem-solving skills when they are preschoolers and work with them up through the teenage years on how to solve problems and make healthy decisions for themselves.
However, many adults aren’t even sure exactly how to solve problems. For most of us, it is just something we do, without ever thinking about the process we use. It can be helpful to teach children a more formal strategy to solve their problems.
Children face a variety of problems every day. Problems ranging from academic difficulties, peer issues, problems on the sports fields, difficulty completing a task, or even deciding what outfit to wear can benefit from a formal solving process. When children learn problem-solving
skills they gain confidence in their ability to make good decisions for themselves.
When children lack problem-solving skills they may avoid doing anything to try and resolve the issue. For example, if a child is being teased by peers and isn’t sure how to respond, he may not address it. Instead, he may grow to dislike school,
as stomach aches or headaches.
Other children who lack problem-solving skills may not recognise they even have choices in solving problems. These children may react impulsively without thinking through their choices. For example, a child who doesn’t recognise his options when his friend
his toy back. Helping children learn how to identify their options can help them ensure they are making healthy decisions for themselves.
Teach children how to evaluate problems
Talk to your children about how to identify the problem. Sometimes just
his grades may decline, and he may complain of physical health problems such
takes his toy may lash out by hitting because he thinks this is the only way to get
stating the problem can make a big difference. For example, a child who can
say to his mother, “Children are picking on me at recess,” may begin to feel some instant relief.
Once children identify the problem, teach them to develop several possible solutions before springing into action. Try to brainstorm at least four possible ways to solve the problem. Then discuss the pros and cons of each approach. It is important that children learn to recognise the possible positive and negative consequences of their behaviours.
Once a child recognises several options and the possible consequences of each, decide which choice is best. Teach children that if they choose a course of action and it doesn’t resolve the problem, they can always try something else. Encourage them to keep trying to solve a problem until it is resolved.
Actively discuss problems together
When problems arise, don’t rush to solve your
child’s problems for him. If you see your child struggling with something, allow your child an opportunity to figure it out before helping.
For example, if your child is arguing with his sibling over a toy, allow them an opportunity to try and reach a solution themselves first. If they aren’t able to do so, try to help them find a solution. Of course, if there is a safety concern, it is important to step in immediately.
Role model problemsolving skills to help your child learn what to do in real life situations. For example, if you receive a note from your child’s teacher stating he is not doing well in math, don’t rush to take away his privileges. Instead, sit down with him to discuss the problem using the problem-solving process. He may have lots of good ideas about what he needs to do differently or how he can gain extra help to improve his grade. Try to work together on reaching a mutually agreed upon solution. Provide plenty of praise when your child is able to find a solution to a problem. Discuss progress and re-visit the issue periodically to see if any further changes are necessary.
Allow
When children are allowed to experience natural consequences, it can be an effective discipline strategy that teaches problem-solving skills. Allowing for natural consequences means that you allow your child to make a choice and then face the negative consequences. It’s important, however, to make sure that there are not any safety concerns. However, letting a teenager spend his money on the first thing she sees at the mall and then refusing to give her any more money, means she will experience a natural consequence of not being able to afford other things she wants. This can lead to a discussion about problem-solving to help her make a better choice next time. Consider these natural consequences as a teachable moment to help work together on problem-solving. (About.com)
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, is calling on ANSA McAL Trading to publish the documents which would support claims that the Trinidadian conglomerate has passed the Health Ministry’s pre-qualification process to supply medical drugs.
Last week, Dr Luncheon had announced that Cabinet had given its no-objection for NEW GPC INC to be prequalified along with an international group of pre-qualified providers. These include the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Under the new process implemented by the Ministry, NEW GPC was pre-qualified for the period 2014-2016.
However, ANSA McAL, one of seven companies that tendered for the bid, is claiming that it passed the pre-qualification process, and signalled its intention to write the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to enquire where they had gone wrong in their bid.
According to Managing Director of ANSA McAL, Beverly Harper, ANSA McAL was sure it had met all the criteria required for pre-qualification, hence they were awaiting the five-day rule of the board before they submit a formal complaint to the NPTAB.
At this week’s post Cabinet briefing, Dr Roger
Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon
Luncheon told media operatives that if ANSA McAL is sure that they have passed the pre-qualification stage, then they should publish the documents they tendered.
According to the evaluators report which this newspaper has seen, ANSA McAL was disqualified from
The Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday announced that it was scrapping the policy for new applicants for passports to have new Birth Certificates following intense pressure from members of the public.
The Ministry; however, said that because of the need to do extensive background checks on applicants, the usual five-day processing time might be extended.
In a release, the Ministry said with the introduction of the machine-readable passport system, there was a requirement by the Ministry that the Guyana Police Force would implement an arrangement where members of the public applying for passports for the first time would present to the Immigration Department birth certificates that were issued, not more than six months prior to the date of the application.
The intention was to guarantee the integrity of the newly-implemented machine-readable passport system. Unfortunately, this arrangement was not implemented by the Guyana Police Force, as required by the Home Affairs Ministry.
The Ministry added that cognisant of the concerns of members of the public, the Guyana Police Force has reviewed the entire system pertaining to the issuance of
passports and has now put in place a system to address this matter.
Persons applying for passports are asked to submit the following: passport application form; Birth Certificate; one passportsize photograph and a fee of $4000.
In relation to lost/damaged passport, the processing fee is $15,000 and additional conditionalities are required to be satisfied to facilitate issuance.
The release stated that the Guyana Police Force through its Immigration Department will make all reasonable efforts to expedite the processing of the applications, but the five-day processing time guaranteed by the Force is not likely to be honoured because of the need for a more robust verification process to accompany the production of the travel document.
West Ruimveldt, Georgetown resident Leon Giles who is accused of assaulting a friend was released on his own recognisance after paying $100,000 in compensation to his victim on Wednesday.
Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry read the charge which stated that on July 26 at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, Giles unlawfully wounded Frank Fraser.
According to the facts
of the case, the defendant and the virtual complainant are friends and on the day in question at Vlissengen Road, they had a misunderstanding. The defendant then dealt several cuffs to the virtual complainant’s head and other parts of his body. Fraser was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where his wounds were examined and he was treated. The matter was reported to the Police and the defendant was later caught and charged.
The virtual complainant subsequently accepted $150,000 in compensation from the defendant, $100,000 of which was handed over on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts during the court proceedings. Giles then asked for more time to pay the remaining $50,000 and was given the maximum two months. He is said to return to court on September 30.
the onset after failing to provide manufacturer’s authorisation of the drugs – a key criterion in the bidding exercise. This was a threshold issue that was not satisfied, so that there was no need for the evaluation panel to investigate further.
The company is one of two that have raised objections after failing to qualify during the exercise – the other being the International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA), which although meeting all the administrative requirements of the examination, failed miserably with its storage facilities.
As regards IPA’s storage facility at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, the evaluators said the building is a recently built two-flat steel structure with the upper level only partially constructed. According to the evaluators, the total floor space is more than 30,000 square feet, but it is not a developed, functioning warehouse.
“It is currently used for the purposes of manufacturing and storage of bottled water, and has equipment installed and strewn around the ground level,” the evaluators said in their report. The evaluators said too that there is a concreted driveway from the road leading
to the building and a “purpose-built” fence around the premises.
Regarding another facility on Camp Street, Georgetown, this proposed space, the evaluators said, consists of five discreet storage areas located in the upper floors of the company’s head office that are currently used as storage for drugs.
The space allocation, the report continued, is “stingy and the ambience sub-standard”.
The evaluators also observed that there is inadequate space for the movement of personnel within and into the storage area, no signage to provide guidance generally, boxes with materials thrown about and not properly stored, poor ventilation and poor housekeeping in the general store area, and the floors were not clean.
Responding to ANSA McAl’s claim, Dr Luncheon said that if the company had indeed produced all the required documents, but the procedure was not followed, then it is indeed a failure of the evaluators.
He explained that there are three main categories that were focused on when evaluating the pre-qualifying applicants. One of these
has to do with the routine documents such as Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compliance, bank statements, among other documents. He said that most of the bidders would have passed this stage.
Another entails the specifics of the sector and industry. Dr Luncheon noted that the issue of safety is of utmost concern, particularly with counterfeit drugs, and it is important for Government to have access to all documents regarding the origin of the drugs from each of the bidders.
“If you want to sell drugs to the Government of Guyana, if you don’t produce a piece of paper telling me where those drugs come from and that the manufacturer authorised you to sell it to me, you ain’t talking. Don’t come talk to me,” he stated.
He went on to say that the other category has to do with the pharmaceuticals themselves regarding their procurement, handling and storage. “Those are the areas where the evaluators would be examining your submission and determined if indeed you are suitable for prequalification,” he stated.
The two teen boys found with a highpowered assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition in a haversack on Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt back in January were each jailed for three years and fined $200,000.
Kevin George, 18, and Samuel Johnson, 17, were convicted when they made their third court appearance on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
The two teenagers
first appeared in court on January 22, charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition after they were arrested on January 21 with the M-16 rifle and 60 .23 rounds in their possession. George, of Lot 99 Haley Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown and Johnson, of Lot 158 Curtis Street, Albouystown, Georgetown pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the teenagers’ first trial, Police Prosecutor Michael Grant told the court that ranks on mo-
bile patrol saw them on Aubrey Barker Road acting in a suspicious manner. The number one accused, George, was carrying a haversack on his back, and as the Police approached, the haversack was passed between the two defendants until George finally discarded it.
As a result, the Police officers carried out a search on the young men. A subsequent search of the haversack revealed the items mentioned. The teens then were arrested, and charges laid against them.
George was represented by Attorney Peter Hugh, who told the court that indeed the firearm that his client possessed was a serious one; nevertheless, he requested that the Chief Magistrate be lenient with his client. Johnson was represented in court by Attorney Clive Forde, who also requested leniency for his client. The Magistrate sentenced the defendants to three years imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 for each of the two charges. The sentences will run concurrently.
Aman accused of robbing a vendor who turned down his request for $20 and drawing a cutlass on Police subsequently was remanded to prison on Wednesday.
Kwame Bruce appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts be-
fore Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after being charged for larceny and possession of offensive weapon.
It is alleged that on July 29 at the Stabroek Market, the defendant stole a bag containing $24,000 and four Suriname dollars, property
of Dhanraji Singh, and on the said date, was also found with a cutlass.
The facts of the case are that Singh was selling items at a stall when Bruce asked her for $20 and she refused. The defendant then picked up Singh’s bag, which was on the stand and ran away. Singh
raised an alarm and the Police in the area responded which was when Bruce drew the cutlass. Other persons assisted in subduing Bruce and taking the said object away from him.
Bruce pleaded not guilty to both of the charges laid against him.
AMon Repos, East Coast Demerara joiner was fined $39,000, with an alternative of three months in jail, on Wednesday after he was convicted of one count of passport fraud.
Michael Mendonza, 38, of Lot 134 Mon Repos, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded guilty to the charge.
The charge, which was read by the Chief Magistrate, stated that on August 7, 1998 at
Georgetown, the defendant signed a written declaration for the purpose of securing a new Guyanese passport in the name of “Robert Mendonza”. The name that the defendant had used happened to be his brother’s name. In addition to knowing that the infor-
mation was false, the defendant had signed for a passport before.
He admitted that it was a mistake and said that he is sorry. He was represented by Attorney Paul FungA-Fat who requested leniency from the court.
A33-year-old goldsmith appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on
Wednesday after he was charged for assault.
Rajendra Ramdeen, who resides in Bel Air Village, Greater Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge
which stated that on July 26 at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted Lisa Sanchar to cause actually bodily harm.
There was no objection
to bail by Police Prosecutor Michael Grant and Ramdeen was released on his own recognisance and ordered to attend counselling at Help and Shelter.
The original “gang of eight” was a bunch of old fogies who once ruled China from behind the scenes. They were so lacking in energy, they could only meet once a week. And if a subject came up for discussion that they couldn’t agree on, it was immediately dropped. They just couldn’t muster the stamina to debate. Obviously, they had to go if China was going to ever get ahead.
So they were thrown out – and look where China is today. Fast forward to Guyana after 2000, and Joey Jagan discerned a “gang of eight” in Guyana – with his mother, Ralph Ramkarran, Moses Nagamootoo, and Khemraj Ramjattan as some of the big wigs. Well, that gang’s no more – and Guyana’s doing quite well, thank you...and would do even better if the Opposition weren’t determined to “bruk up” the country – if they can’t have the government.
Well, the PNC was never one to be left behind – and at their just-concluded scandalous Congress, their own “gang of eight” took over the party. By hook or crook. If longtime stalwarts Norton and Greenidge and a host of others are to be believed, it was mostly “by crook”. But the dust hasn’t even settled from that sirocco and we’re already hearing sounds of cooing and sweet nothings. Seems the fellas who were rigged out of their democratic rights still want in.
Reminds this Eyewitness of that oldie from the Stylistics, “Break up to make up”. The lyrics go like this:
“Yo, why should we break up if we keep makin’ up? Yo, I mean let’s just stay together
So won’t ya pull up to my window? I’ma take your order Anythin’ you want girl you know I get it for ya.”
But the question is whether Granger’s gonna tell Norton, “Anythin’ you want boy, you know I get it for ya”. Frankly, we don’t think so. One of the gang of eight, Basil Williams, was rather outraged that Greenidge would have the nerve to demand that PNC’s internal election be free and fair. “What the (expletive deleted), he thinks this is?? GECOM? This is a (expletive deleted) party.”
The PNC gang of eight, contrary to the protestations of some apologists before the Congress, feels “different strokes for different folks” is the guiding principle when it comes to “democracy”.
So we ask the new gang of eight the question originally posed by Donna Summers: “Who do you think you’re foolin’?” And her wise advice: “You’re halfway up the ladder?/or are you really halfway down?/you never know in this town.”
We think it’s halfway down.
There’s this lawyer who pops up ever so often with some crackpot scheme. Makes you certain the “continuing education” programme by the Bar had to have lapsed. Looking at the present impasse in politics, he’s come up with the solution. No... not the Mike Persaud one to place a person from “the other race” to lead the two major parties.
This fella suggests that since it takes “ONLY a twothirds majority of the votes in Parliament” to change the Constitution, why don’t the parties in that big house change the rule on forming the government?? More specifically that 51 per cent of the votes should be needed to win the elections – and not just the “largest” party as it is right now. The hick lawyer should’ve asked himself why the change wasn’t made up to now. We won’t even answer it for him.
But we’ll suggest another question that should help. Why don’t the two Opposition parties form a coalition BEFORE the election??? Isn’t that easier???
...through the barrel of a gun
Word is that the fella featured prominently with a gun in his hand – and nabbed fleeing the jurisdiction – is an exarmy man with a long-standing relationship with Granger. He might not be in the “official” bodyguard squad, but....
Agroup of science students from Guyana got to witness the launch of an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into space of an Ariane 5 ES rocket from Europe’s Spaceport, Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana.
Historically, what they witnessed was the last of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ATV project, with the launch of ATV- 5 on Tuesday en route to the International Space Station.
Named after the Belgian scientist who formulated the Big Bang Theory, ATV
Georges Lemaître is the fifth ATV built and launched by ESA as part of Europe’s contribution to cover the operational costs for using the International Space Station (ISS).
The rocket lifted off precisely at 23:47 GMT on July 29 (01:47 CEST July 30, 20:47 local time July 29), and carried a number of spare parts for the ISS, along with ration, oxygen and air for the crew on board the ISS.
This trip was planned and organised by the Public Works and Communication
Ministry, and facilitated by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority in conjunction with the Education Ministry.
This collaborative effort saw each student, who brought first in his or her respective region during the Education Ministry’s National Science and Technology Fair 2014, being selected to be part of this historic event.
Team leader and Trip Coordinator, Senior Air Traffic Control Officer (Guyana Civil Aviation Authority) Courtney
Frank said that the Public Works and Communication Ministry through subject Minister Robeson Benn commenced a series of initiatives designed to engage Guyanese students in various scientific experiences to further stimulate their interests in the sciences.
“Our Ministry covers quite a lot of technological ground in Guyana, particularly, in the areas of engineering, meteorology and aviation. Being able to expose some of our science students to the experience of witnessing the launch of a
rocket into space is but the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship we expect to have with the Ministry of Education, as we continue to collaborate on other projects,” Frank said.
Attendance
Top students, who represented their region at the National Science and Technology Fair 2014, were thrilled by the experience of seeing a rocket launched into space, before their very eyes. Making the trip to the European Spaceport, Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, in French Guiana were students from across Guyana: Vivian Henry (Region One – Santa Rosa Secondary); Devindra Persaud (Region Two – Abrams Zuil Secondary); Laksman Ramdat (Region Three –Zeeburg Secondary); Kenya Maynard (Region Four –President’s College); Jeremy Baran (Region Six – Berbice High School); Shonetta Tyrell (Region Seven –Three Miles Secondary); Travis Warner (Region Eight – Mahdia Secondary); Leana Lindie (Region Nine – St Ignatius Secondary); Jahni Williamson (Region 10 – Mackenzie High School); Nicolas Elliot (Georgetown – Queen’s College); and Dwight Ferguson (Georgetown – St Joseph High).
Students were ac-
companied by Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary), Leslyn Charles, along with two teachers, Colin Moses (St Stanislaus College) and Kamini Ramrattan (Richard Ishmael Secondary).
Awestruck
“This is just amazing. I am lost for words. I will always remember this moment,” said Vivian Henry. “This was a thrilling experience for me. Witnessing this live is momentous. I am really happy to be a part of this experience,” Laksman Ramdat said, while Leana Lindie contended, “I am shocked. I never dreamed I would have witnessed this. I am very happy to be here to share this experience with other students from Guyana.”
Those are just some of the comments made by students immediately after they witnessed the launch of ATV – 5 Georges Lemaître, as it was launched into space. The experience captivated the students immensely and it is expected to remain with them for quite a long time.
ATV Georges Lemaître is due to dock with the station on August 12 and will remain attached for up to six months before leaving with waste material for destruction, along with the spaceship during atmospheric reentry.
BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM
The Youth Empowerment and Inclusion along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Region Two Administration on Wednesday re-commissioned an ICT hub at Cotton Field Village, Essequibo Coast.
The UNDP provided the hub with two computers and the Region Two Administration refurbished the facility. The hub will be used to train persons in the field of Information Technology.
The computers were donated through UNDP in collaboration with the Local Government Ministry.
Giving the feature address at the commissioning, Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker said the Government under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic) Administration has always advocated for a computer literate population.
Whittaker said what is happening in Region Two is happening across Guyana, pointing out that the computers were provided under the One Laptop Per Family Programme.
He said through the OLPF Programme, persons are also being trained in Information Technology. Persons will also be trained under the OLPF at the centre.
Whittaker said the challenge remains to optimise the resources available. He called on the youth to utilise the facility for their own development.
“Everything we do has a
cost, as such, we need to care and maintain, we need to make optimum use of what is provided, so in reflection we can say the investment was worthy, investment in humans are always worthwhile,” Whittaker said.
Meanwhile, UNDP Programme Analyst Trevor Benn giving an overview of the project said it started two years ago, and drew youths from across Guyana to undergo a series of training.
He said upon completion of training, the youths were able to design sustainable projects. The projects are youth driven with the support of the Government of Guyana. He said despite the challenges, the partnership established was a solid one.
Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud said the structure that housed the ICT hub was constructed in 2008 and some 250
youths were trained.
He said the building was supported by many funding agencies and many persons were trained in the past in the field of Information Technology.
Persaud pledged the Region’s support in maintaining the building for the purpose of IT training. He said it is his desire for the structure to continue to provide IT training for persons.
The Regional Chairman said the compound of the hub will also be used as a resource centre with a library, and thanked the UNDP and the Local Government Ministry for selecting his region for the projects.
Meanwhile, UNDP resident representative Chisa Mikami said the organisation is very pleased to support the Government of Guyana with the implementation of the project that will benefit the youth.
As part of the project, she said the UNDP was responsible to set up the IT hub in Region Two, noting that the intention is to provide hightech skills. The projects will also be aimed at overcoming the barriers of communication and urged youths to make full use of the facility.
Participant Gangadai Persaud said she is happy with the training she received from the UNDP.
Persaud said she was involved in training programmes and was taught in seven different areas.
She said one of the areas included the execution of projects, and at the end of the course, she was tasked to plan and complete projects within Region Two.
The two projects she selected were construction of the waiting area at Supenaam and the commissioning of the ICT hub at Cotton Field.
Green Jah does mek he mark every where he go and wid every ting he do. Since he days in de Harmy, he been mekkin he mark.Tings just gotta way of happening once Green Jah deh bout. Yet some people in Green Jah own party does seh he too easy. Old people seh easy snake does bite hot, and old people always right.
Green Jah so hot he does mek tings melt and disappear. Green Jah been in de Harmy when Rodney disappear. As soon as Rodney disappear, Gregory disappear. Now that de Rodney COI in progress, Gregory file disappear.
It look like some people can mek tings disappear even when dem not around. After all, Green Jah leff de Harmy a long time now, but tings still does disappear.
A lotta tings (and people) also disappear when de PeeN-Cee was in power. That was because de Pee-N-Cee had de power to mek tings disappear. Green Jah was de man around since then. In fact, in de Pee-N-Cee days, even de money from de Guvament Treasury used to disappear.
Burnt Ham had every body in de dark and dem never used to see when tings disappear. But now it gotta lotta tings comin to light. So tings disappearin in front of people eye and nose. That is whah happen at de Con Gress.
De other day, Green Jah mek people votes and memberhsip cards disappear at Con Gress. Then he mek dem disappear too. De Linden people had to disappear in Linden, and de Plaisance man had to disappear wheh ever he come from. Even de Youth man had to disappear.
But one person Green Jah can’t mek disappear is de Kiss woman. He wish he could kiss she good bye and call it George. But no matter whah Green Jah do, de woman gon re-appear. Oscar de bite man try, but de Kiss woman ain’t no Rodney.
Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! In fact, it look like Green Jah and Oscar might disappear from the party long before de Kiss woman disappear!
Caribbean success stories on advocacy and human rights formed part of the Region’s presentation to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Australia last week.
Dereck Springer, Coordinating Unit Director of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) was among those who attended to represent PANCAP and the Region.
Springer had two opportunities to present on behalf of PANCAP. In keeping with the importance of advocacy to the work of PANCAP, he participated in a dialogue on success stories on advocacy and human rights. Secondly, he attended a panel discussion convened by the Caribbean to assess the impact of Intellectual Property Legislation on the future
availability of antiretroviral drugs in the Caribbean.
The week started under a cloud of tragedy when flight MH17, which carried many delegates en route to the conference was shot down. However, in the spirit of overcoming adversity, the conference carried on honouring and remembering the fallen colleagues.
The aim of the session at which Springer presented was to open a dialogue among drug user communities, other key affected populations and donors on access to sexual health services and resources.
He explained that PANCAP, in collaboration with UNAIDS, is mounting a programme of activities under the theme, Justice for All. The aim of the programme is to promote activities consistent with the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to achieve one of the goals of the United Nations High Level Meeting Political Declaration (2011): to eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV by 2015.
Springer observed that the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) contributes to the regional and global human rights agenda, and pledged that PANCAP will document and share SASOD’s work as a model for civil society organisations working in advocacy and human rights in the Caribbean Region.
Commendation
National AIDS Programme Manager, Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony commended SASOD for its work in Guyana, and
National AIDS Programme Manager, Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony
shared some of their successes in reaching policy makers, implementers and the wider community. She noted that SASOD’s work contributes significantly to the national response.
St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and
PANCAP Chair, Dr Denzil Douglas also made a statement commending SASOD for its work. He further supported Springer’s commitment to documenting and sharing SASOD’s work as a model for other countries in the Region.
SASOD is one of the winners of the 2014 Red Ribbon Award in the area of advocacy and human rights.
Springer and Dr Edward Greene, UN Special Envoy on HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean, attended a panel discussion at which Maurice Tomlinson of LGBTI Aware Caribbean and others explored the impact of Intellectual Property Legislation on the future availability of antiretroviral drugs in the Caribbean. The session was moderated by Dr John Waters of the Centre
of Integral Orientation and Investigation (COIN). Presenters noted that shifts in funding patterns, free trade agreements and intellectual property legislation in the Caribbean Region are likely to have a negative impact on the cost, accessibility and coverage of antiretroviral drugs. The panel of experts mapped the context of this issue and its human rights implications, and identified strategies to address the threat.
Springer shared that the conference provided an opportunity to reflect, renew, refresh, reconnect and recommit to ending AIDS. It also provided a forum for solidarity in the response.
More information on the conference can be found at the official conference web site: http://www.aids2014. org.
Region 10 Health Committee
Chairman Maurice Butters has claimed that the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) Board is illegitimate, saying it was never legally established and calling its operations a concern.
He said the 13-member Board, which was derived from an Interim Management Committee (IMC), is currently finding it difficult to manage the affairs of the institution, owing to its illegality.
“I enquired why is it that the management (of the LHC) do not carry out instructions of the Board, only to discover, based on legal advice, that the body which exists has no legality. I was informed that for a board to be legal, there must be an instrument establishing that board. That instrument was not done by Parliament nor by any legal procedure,” Butters stated.
According to the concerned Region 10 Health Committee Chairman, an act or motion of Parliament is necessary to legitimise
the Board, and such must have a legal framework attached to it.
In light of this, he said it was disturbing that the IMC has now taken on the outlook of a board and is viewed as such, with instances of letters being addressed to persons in their capacity of ‘Member of the LHC Board’. He stressed that, while the IMC is adopting the mantle of a board, it is not legal.
“Further enquiries showed that the Minister (Health) said that Cabinet gave their ‘no objection’ to the establishment of the Board. Now I am not so sure, even though Cabinet has a lot of power, whether it has the power to establish a legal body. Cabinet, to my mind, would give the ‘no objection’ for a body to be established, but the relevant agency must go through the legal proceeding to have that body established. Even though Cabinet may have given its ‘no objection’, it must have its legal implications to be established,” Butters stated.
He further claims that
when questions surrounding the LHC becoming incorporated are asked at Board meetings and other forums, the answer he usually receives is that the
hospital should be treated as a Department of the Health Ministry. Butters said this is quite confusing since it is currently being
governed by a ‘board’.
“That is something which we would like to have cleared up. We are calling on the Ministry of Health or the Government to give legality to the Linden Hospital Complex as a Corporation. In that way, we would be able to provide better health services to the people of the region,” he said.
The Region 10 Health Committee Chairman further related that some years ago, the Committee had prepared draft documents to establish the LHC as a corporation, which were provided to the Health Ministry. According to Butters, this took place before the incorporation of the Georgetown
Public Hospital.
“We were further told that they were going to experiment with the Health Authority. Similar draft legislation were prepared by the LHC and submitted to the Ministry of Health; yet again, instead of establishing the Health Authority in Region 10, it was not done.”
He noted that in both cases, the groundwork would have been prepared for the establishment of a Health Authority or a Corporation in Region 10. Butters said the issues are causing considerable uneasiness at the health institution and he was, therefore, calling for clarification and closure on the matters.
Just over two months after the Lucky Dollar Furniture Store at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara was invaded and robbed by armed bandits who carted off close to $2 million, it was again robbed on Wednesday morning.
The amount of money stolen during this robbery was not immediately revealed to the media. Staff members’ mobile phones and personal items were also taken.
According to reports, two men entered the business place under the pretext of paying their hire purchase instalment about 10:30h, and one of them reportedly said: “Relax and be quiet… it’s just like the last time.”
Staff members were then forced at gunpoint into a room where they were locked in. The two men subsequently went to the upper flat of the building to the cashier, held her at gunpoint, emptied the cash canister, and then pushed $10,000 into the woman’s pocket, telling her that she “can keep that” before relieving her
of her mobile phone.
They also relieved the manager, Xavier Fraser, of his Samsung Galaxy smartphone, two tablets, one laptop, a camera, and an undisclosed sum of money before walking out of the store. Police ranks who visited the scene took statements from the employees who confirmed that they could identify the men. The gunmen were reportedly not wearing any masks at the time of the robbery.
In the latter part of May, two men stormed the store, and in a similar fashion, forced the staff into a room after which they relieved the cashier of almost $2 million.
The Police, to date, have not arrested anyone in connection with that robbery. The similarities of the robberies have led Police in C Division (East Coast Demerara) to believe that the recent robberies might have been orchestrated by some staff members.
Police have launched an investigation into Wednesday’s robbery and are hunting for the two men.
Moments before boarding a Travelspan Flight destined for John F Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday, the perpetrator who discharged a round during the last day of the People’s National Congress/Reform Congress was nabbed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Ever since the shooting incident, the Police have been hunting for Linden Primo, but he disappeared until his arrest on Tuesday evening.
Members of the Criminal Investigations
Department have launched an investigation into the shooting incident and have since confirmed that no firearm licence was issued to the said individual.
One source confirmed that the man is being grilled by CID ranks at Police Headquarters and he is expected to be slapped with two charges – discharging a loaded firearm in a public place and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Hours after the shooting incident at Congress Place, party leader David Granger told media operatives that the internal security of PNCR has launched an investigation surrounding the incident.
Party Chairman Basil Williams is on record saying that the shot was fired in the air after there was a “situation” at one of the polling stations. He said someone was in “danger” of being trampled; hence, the unknown individual fired a shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
Williams told reporters that the shooter was no way connected to the PNCR Administration. Guyana Times understands that the man was a member of the Returning Officer Team. In responding to the outcries, the man reportedly fired a single shot into the air.
Former General Secretary Aubrey Norton moments after pulled out of the leadership race, but not before condemning the shooting incident, saying that there were other ways in addressing the issue.
Norton said he cannot recall during his tenure with the party that a gun had to be used to restore law and order.
“A gun should not have been used… not at all, you’re trying to say to me you need to shoot a gun to restore order,” questioned Norton, adding that “there should be no shooting at congress place”.
Former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Clarissa Riehl has also criticised Granger, contending that he is too “aloof”, while nothing that he should have been able to calm the crowd down.
She said while the pandemonium was ongoing at Congress Place, Granger was having refreshments with another senior member and a security official.
The single gunshot caused the delegates attending the conference to scamper for cover.
The Essequibo African Association will be hosting a candlelight parade proceeding from Damon’s Cross, La Belle Alliance Square to Anna Regina Car Park (Damon’s Monument) on Thursday night. This will be followed by a cultural show and libation ceremony.
According to a release from the Association, the candlelight parade is expected to attract a large crowd and persons are expected to walk along the Public Road with lighted candles and bottle lamps to the car park.
The parade will begin at 20:30h and will be accompanied by drumming.
At the Anna Regina Car Park, a grand cultural show featuring African dances, songs and poems will be held. The occasion will be attended and addressed by
several Governmental officials.
According to a release, at midnight, a libation ceremony will be held around the Damon’s Monument to usher in Emancipation Day celebration on August 1. At 08:00h, members of the Association, along with residents will attend a church service at the African Culture and Education building at Henrietta, while at 10:30h; senior citizens will be served with lunch at the Queenstown Community Centre.
The Association will also hold an Emancipation fair at the Anna Regina Car Park from 16:00h that will conclude Emancipation Day celebrations.
According to the release, on August 2, a concert will be held at the Queenstown Community Centre ground while on the next day, a Fun
BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM
Commuters traversing from Supenaam and Parika will now be accommodated under a comfortable waiting area at Supenaam, rather than standing in the sun for hours until a boat is loaded.
This was made possible through the commissioning of a $1 million, spanking new bus shed, compliments of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The structure was funded by the UNDP in collaboration with the Local Government Ministry, Youth Empowerment Programme. The structure was constructed by Mohamed Ramjohn Constructing Service.
Speaking to Charity residents, member of the
and Supenaam will be the main beneficiaries. He called on residents and operators to be part owners of the bus shed, and make sure that the facility does not become the property of vagrants.
The Minister said a recent survey conducted showed that youths makeup 60 per cent of the composition of Guyana. On this note, he said the future development of Guyana lies on the shoulders of youth.
Young people
He said the Regional Democratic Council should fully utilise the skills of young people within the various communities. He commended the efforts of Gangadai Persaud, of the Youth Empowerment Programme, who participated in the UNDP train-
the waiting area. He noted that the construction of the waiting structure was monitored by the community.
He pledged the Region Two Administration’s support in refurbishing the male and female washroom facility located aback the waiting shed, and said meetings will also be held with hire cars operators to also construct a car park area.
“We can’t fund all the projects, we need assistance and am thankful to UNDP,” Persaud noted. He also noted that approval was granted to the Supenaam Speed Boat Association by the Public Works Ministry for the construction of their own wharf.
Other projects
Day will be held at the same venue.
The celebrations will continue on August 11 with a Damon Road Race from Capoey to La Belle Alliance on the Public Road. On the same day, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Damon’s Monument, followed by a camp fire along with a bar-b-que at West Bury Square near Dartmouth Village.
The celebrations will continue at Dartmouth on August 12 with a cultural evening at the 8th of May Secondary School. This will be followed by an African Symposium the next day.
Senior citizens will be treated to a special lunch on August 15 at the Flora Nursery School from 11:00h while on August 15, a Miss Dartmouth Pageant will be held at the 8th of May Secondary School.
Speed Boat Association and other Governmental officials, Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker said the building is the product of a partnership arrangement.
The Minister said it is the impact of the project that is important, noting that “passengers must be able to make maximum use always of Government facility”.
Whittaker said commuters’ in-transiting at Parika
ing and was part of the team that put together the bus shed project.
Meanwhile, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud speaking at the occasion, said prior to the construction of the shed, passengers utilising the service had to wait in the sun for a boat to load.
Persaud said the region, along with the youth involvement, decided to use the $1 million to construct
UNDP Deputy Representative Chisa Mikami said the commissioning of the bus shed is the first out of six regional projects under the Youth Empowerment Project, which was launched in 2013. Mikami said the UNDP is pleased to be associated with the project and working with youths. She said the UNDP recognised that most youths are unemployed, and as such, projects must be implemented to keep them occupied.
The UNDP official said the project aims at improving youth capability as well as building social relationship with community members. She said the project will have tremendous benefits to residents and commuters.
The bus shed is a 20X15 passenger shed and will facilitate approximately 25 passengers. She called on the Regional Democratic Council and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council to maintain and upkeep the facility. Attending the commissioning ceremony of the bus shed were Regional Vice Chairman Vishnu Samaroo, Permanent Secretary Collin Croal and UNDP Analyst Trevor Benn.
Argentina’s Economy Minister Axel Kicillof has returned to the negotiating table in a lastditch attempt to prevent the country defaulting on its bonds.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner calls them vultures, accusing them of taking advantage of Argentina’s debt problems to make a big profit.
What makes the problem worse is that if the “holdouts” get their way, other bondholders who agreed to take cuts of up to 70 per cent in what they are owed may also demand full repayment.
Kicillof’s talks with “holdout” investors ended late on Tuesday night in New York without agreement. They are demanding a full pay-out of US$1.3 billion on the bonds they hold.
sceptical that there can be any agreement.
The Government’s rhetoric has been clear.
A United States judge has ruled that the “hold-outs” must be paid by Wednesday night if no deal is agreed. But thousands of miles away in Buenos Aires, many are
The “hold-outs” are US hedge funds that bought debt on the cheap during Argentina’s darkest hours and never agreed to restructuring.
Ask people on the street about their view on Argentina’s debt troubles and most admit they are too complicated for them to understand.
But the two words they do know are “fondos buitres” – “vulture funds” in Spanish.
Despite the defiant tone of the Government, many people seem resigned: Argentina has defaulted before and it will do it again.
(Excerpt from BBC News)
Authorities in the Colombian city of Buenaventura, on the Pacific coast, have temporarily banned the sale of alcohol and the carrying of arms.
The measure comes after an electricity tower was blown up on Monday, leaving 450,000 residents without power.
President Juan Manuel Santos blamed the attack on left-wing FARC rebels and said recent attacks such as
that on the port city were threatening ongoing peace talks with the guerrillas.
He said FARC “were playing with fire”.
Buenaventura is Colombia’s most important port on the Pacific coast, and a city already wracked by gang violence. Hospitals, health centres, schools and the homes of almost half a million people were affected.
Residents reported conditions quickly becoming un-
bearable in the hot and humid climate.
At first, the authorities thought the power station had been attacked, but after flying over the rural area surrounding Buenaventura, the military said at least one key pylon had been blown up.
Locals reported hearing an explosion just before the power went out.
Buenaventura Mayor Bartolo Valencia asked the military to secure the area to
allow workers to re-establish the cut-off lines as soon as possible, but the energy company says it could take up to three days.
Buenaventura was left without power for three days once before in 2012 after a similar rebel attack.
Hospitals and the offices of the port authority have generators, but residents say they have no way of keeping their basic foodstuff refrigerated. (Excerpt from BBC News)
The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) has launched its revamped Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme aimed at protecting the country’s borders and revenue.
Part of the World Customs Organisation’s framework of standards to secure and facilitate global trade, the AEO is designed to encourage compliance and reduce security risks by certifying all relevant personnel within the importation and exportation chain.
The system rewards compliant economic operators and focuses resources on potentially unsafe and high-risk entities and individuals. The implementation of this system will allow for operators to have a working partnership with Customs, which will improve Customs-to-client relationship, customer service and the business processes of the JCA.
Industry, Investment and
Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton said the system will serve as a catalyst for improving the ease and speed of doing business and for moving goods or services across borders; therefore, boosting the country’s competitiveness.
“The ease and speed of doing business has always been one of the greatest inhibitors to international trade. The AEO programme removes that barrier by operating a system of mutual trust and streamlined Customs procedures to accelerate the flow of goods and services across borders,” he said during the official launch held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.
The Minister noted that the programme also ensures the integrity of Jamaica’s supply and value chain model, which is at the core of the country’s economic growth agenda.
(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)
Israeli shelling killed at least 15 Palestinians sheltering in a United Nations-run school and another 17 near a street market on Wednesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, with no ceasefire in sight after more than three weeks of fighting.
Israel’s Security Cabinet convened to discuss a revamped Egyptian proposal for a truce, but it was unclear whether any decision was imminent that could halt a 23-day conflict in which nearly 1400 people, mostly civilians, have died.
Some 3300 Palestinians, including many women and children, were taking refuge in the school in Jabalya
refugee camp when it came under fire around dawn, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said.
“Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school,” UNRWA Chief Pierre Krahenbuhl said in a statement after representatives of the agency visited the scene and examined fragments, craters, and other damage.
Blood splattered floors and mattresses were evident inside classrooms at the Jabalya Girls Elementary School and survivors picked through shattered glass and debris for body parts to bury.
“I call on the international community to take delib-
erate international political action to put an immediate end to the continuing carnage,” Krahenbuhl said.
The Gaza Health Ministry put the number of dead in the school attack at 15 with more than 100 wounded.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said militants had fired mortar bombs from the vicinity of the school and troops shot back in response. The incident was still being reviewed.
Krahenbuhl said the Jabalya School’s precise location and the fact that it was sheltering thousands of displaced people had been communicated to the Israeli military 17 times, with the last notification just hours before the fatal shelling.
In a separate incident, Israeli shelling killed at least 17 people and wounded about 160 others near a fruit and vegetable market in Shejaia, a heavily bombarded neighbourhood on the eastern outskirts of the city of Gaza, the Health Ministry said.
Witnesses said the crowd had gathered to watch a petrol station, hit earlier, burn in the distance. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)
Global medical charity Doctors Without Borders has given warning that the Ebola crisis in West Africa is “unprecedented, absolutely out of control”, as states across the world have taken steps to prevent its spread.
Bart Janssens, the charity’s Director of Operations, warned there was no overarching vision of how to tackle the outbreak, in an interview with Belgium’s La Libre Belgique newspaper.
“This epidemic ... can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,” Janssens said.
“We are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic. If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected.
“That is certainly not ruled out, but it is difficult to predict, because we have never known such an epidemic.”
More than 650 people have died of Ebola in the outbreak, the largest on record since the disease was detected in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organisation has met global health officials to discuss measures to stop the disease crossing borders. The pan-African airline ASKY suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone. The European Union allocated an extra US$2.7 million to
fight the outbreak, bringing total funding to US$5.2 million.
“The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost,” said the EU’s Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva. (Excerpt from
Russia fought back on Wednesday over new United States and European Union sanctions imposed over Ukraine, where fighting between Moscow-backed rebels and Government troops has in-
tensified since a Malaysian airliner was shot down.
The confrontation between Moscow and the West entered a new phase this week, with the US and EU taking by far the strongest international steps yet
Indian landslide: Dozens trapped in Pune village of Malin
At least 17 people are confirmed dead after a landslide buried some 40 houses and trapped about 150 people in a village in west India, officials say.
Teams of emergency workers have so far rescued six people in Malin village, near the city of Pune in Maharashtra state, where the disaster happened.
Rescuers trying to reach survivors caught under the debris are being hampered by bad weather.
The landslide hit the village early in the morning while people were sleeping.
against Moscow over its support for Ukraine’s rebels.
The new sanctions unveiled on Tuesday restrict sales of arms and equipment for the oil industry, while Russian state banks are barred from raising money in Western capital markets.
Moscow said the sanc-
tions were “destructive and short-sighted” and would lead to higher energy prices in Europe and damaged cooperation with Washington on international affairs.
On Wednesday, it banned imports of Polish fruit and vegetables and said it might expand the ban to the entire EU. On the ground in Ukraine, heavy fighting between Government forces and the separatists has been taking place near the site where Malaysian flight MH17 crashed into wheat and sunflower fields on July 17, shot down by what
Washington and Brussels believe was a missile supplied by Russia.
Kiev accused the pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday of fortifying the area, including with land mines, to prevent the site from being properly investigated. (Excerpt from Reuters)
The whole village except its school has been washed away or buried.
Landslides are common in some parts of India during the monsoon rains, which run from June to September.
An official from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said hilly terrain was making rescue work difficult.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the loss of lives in the landslide as “saddening”. He said Home Minister Rajnath Singh would travel to Pune to assess the situation.
BBC Hindi’s Devidas Deshpande, who is at the scene, says it took hours to raise the alarm. A local bus driver alerted officials on discovering that Malin and the road leading to it were no longer to be seen.
The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Wednesday said that the elections for leaders at its Congress on Sunday were transparent, even with a mountain of evidence of confusion.
At a news conference on Wednesday, the party said the Linden, Region 10 Group that stormed out of Congress Place following the disenfranchisement of several of delegates was “wellfinanced”.
“On Day One of the Congress – it was evident that a handful of party members had convinced a segment of the Region 10 community, including non-members, to travel to Georgetown to disrupt what was otherwise orderly and successful opening ceremony.”
Calculated
She added: “This was followed by several calculated and well-planned acts of disorder. This group was wellorganised, well-financed and dressed in a ‘uniform’ manner and abused the spirit of our party and the sanctity of our Congress.”
The PNCR had even claimed that the Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had infiltrated the Congress and that an investigation would be conducted to confirm or negate the claim.
During the opening ceremony of the 18th Biennial Congress, the Linden, Region 10 Group led by Solomon and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Vanessa Kissoon was dressed in black and white and red and black.
But the three bus loads of people were dressed mostly
in red and black.
Nevertheless, in a quest to strengthen her argument, Lawrence alluded to the process of accreditation.
It was claimed that on July 12, Solomon submitted the Region 10 List of Groups and Nominations for accreditation as delegates but contained several persons who were not qualified.
“Many of these persons were qualified to be observers but not delegates,” the Vice Chairperson claimed.
During the period July 12 to July 25, the General Secretary and Solomon ex-
changed a series of letters in their pursuit to have an ideal delegates’ list for Region 10, but they were unable to address the problem.
According to Lawrence, the Region 10 Chairman included persons who he claimed to be automatic delegates, but who were not qualified to be automatic delegates.
She said on Saturday, July 26, at a meeting of the Accreditation Committee, Solomon was again informed of the corrections that needed to be made, but no further steps were taken.
Allegations that the party’s Secretariat had deliberately disenfranchised the Region 10 delegates were rejected by Lawrence, who told reporters that Congress Elections were delayed to facilitate an emergency meeting to resolve issues placed on the table by Solomon and former General Secretary Aubrey Norton, who were initially challenging Granger for the leadership post.
But after arriving at an amicable solution, Solomon reportedly did not collect his Delegate Card from the registration desk.
“It was becoming increasingly clear that Mr Norton and Mr Solomon had no interest in seeking a solution to the issues they had raised. Instead, they were obviously intent on embarrassing the PNCR,” Lawrence said.
She reiterated that the group’s objectives were clear, that they intended to cause maximum disruption of the elections process.
“Persons who were neither delegates nor observers were encouraged to crash the barriers to gain entry
into the auditorium,” she said.
The PNCR maintained that the Congress Elections were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner in keeping with the party’s Constitution.
“The 18th Biennial Delegates Congress and the elections for party officers were conducted in accordance with the Party Constitution, in an open and transparent manner. All posts were freely and fairly contested with full participation of the delegates present.”
From a membership base of 837 persons, 794 were accredited delegates to the 18th Biennial Congress from the 10 Administrative Regions, in addition to those from the North American and the UK region.
Region 10, however, was entitled to 119 delegates, but some 55 persons did not uplift their delegate cards. From the remainder, 22 voted while approximately 30 stormed out the Congress with their Regional Chairman on Sunday.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on Wednesday presented cheques amounting to $8.125M to 89 African cultural groups to assist them to effectively carry out their various activities for Emancipation celebrations to be observed on August 1.
Since 2005 Government has been supporting Emancipation activities, starting with just three groups, and has been encouraging persons from various backgrounds to become involved in preserving their cultural activities, the Government Information
Agency (GINA) reported. Emancipation day is marked as an important day, not only in the Guyanese calendar, but also the global perspective. The inhumane system of slavery was abolished on August 1, 1834 in all British colonies including British Guiananow Guyana.
Pernicious system
It brought an end to the pernicious system of slavery which for centuries had brought pain, suffering and bitterness.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank
Anthony prior to handing over the cheques, pointed out that as Guyanese celebrate another Emancipation anniversary, they reflect on the country’s history.
He reminded the audience that the village of Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara was named after Thomas Buxton, who had advocated the Emancipation Acts of 1833 in the British House of Commons.
Sacrifice
“When we think about sacrifice, when we think about what people had to endure, the conditions under which they were living, I think that it is important that we read some of the documents of that time,” Minister Anthony urged.
“When we talk about slavery as a people we must understand the horrific system it was,” he stated.
Highlighting some of the difficulties the slaves endured on the sugar planta-
tios, including women and children, he said that “we need to understand the difficulties of slavery so that when we talk about it we must understand what a horrific system it was.
"It’s not just about understanding, it’s about knowing that we don’t have things like these being repeated anywhere in the world because it’s about dehumanising us, and we must use these bad examples to make sure they never recur,” Minister Anthony emphasised.
According to the Minister, one of the things that persons must understand around the Caribbean is that there has been a call for reparations and there is a Caribbean Commission that has been established and has been working to talk to the colonial powers of the past and present.
The Museum of African Heritage has also been ar-
chiving documents and artifacts of the country’s history which will be showcased to other countries whose people were also victims of slavery.
Minister Anthony further noted that Guyana has been having numerous informative lectures from time to time on its history, which were all aimed towards educating the Guyanese public.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Alfred King said that the Ministry is happy to be supporting the Emancipation celebrations, noting that it’s more than just the celebrations.
“While we ponder on our rich heritage and the sacrifices made by our ancestors, what we should be doing now is pooling our resources to nurture the next generation, so that they too can first of all appreciate, help and preserve this rich culture that adds to our rich landscape which is our Guyanese culture,” he said.
Several Muslim organisations on Wednesday held a march around the United States Embassy in Kingston, urging Washington to intervene immediately to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have been at war for weeks now in Gaza, resulting in hundreds being killed and massive destruction to public infrastructure.
“We, the Muslims of Guyana, represented by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG); the Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT), and other Muslim organisations and groups, as well as the Friends of Palestine and peace-loving Guyanese, are gathered here today for a peaceful show of concern and sympathy for the innocent people suffering in Gaza, Palestine, in the latest round of violence that is currently elapsing in the Gaza Strip.”
According to the groups, the situation is worsening in Gaza as its people are made to live more and more in sub-
human conditions. “In three weeks of the deadly Israeli war, over 1200 Palestinians have been killed and countless injured and maimed; 1200 persons, mostly, if not all, civilians – mainly women and children. Hospitals and schools were targeted and bombed, which was perhaps the only exercise of discrimination amidst the indiscriminate shelling of entire Palestinian villages.”
According to the groups, Gaza’s only power plant was uncompassionately bombed, leaving its people without electricity for days. “Now, they may only get electricity for a few hours every two days. Without electricity, hospitals cannot deliver basic care for the thousands of injured people, meat and other foods cannot be preserved, and, in general, life becomes incredibly difficult. There is perhaps a reality to the phrase, “bomb them back to the stone age”.”
The only working flour mill was also bombed as were chicken farms and oth-
er food sources. It is as if the intention was: who didn’t die in the bombing must die by starvation and strangulation.”
According to the groups, nowhere and no one is safe in the giant prison that Gaza is now made to be… not schools, not mosques, not hospitals, not the United Nations, or other humanitarian organisations’ sanctuaries…not the old, not the young, not doctors. Even
children were bombed while playing in a football field on what was supposed to be the most festive day of their year, the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. After fleeing from the indiscriminate shelling of their entire village, the residents of Shajayah (and other neighbourhoods) returned only to find that not only were their homes shelled by missiles, but they were also bulldozed and flattened.
“We are hopeful that this
collective expression of woe over the ever-devolving situation prompts the international community and responsible bodies to take stronger actions to bring about an end to the current wave of violence, the illegal blockade of Gaza, the illegal expansion of Israeli settlement in the occupied territories, and eventually a peaceful solution to this long and bloody conflict. We call for an enforcement
of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) campaign by the international community, for stronger coercive diplomacy, and stronger humanitarian intervention.
Special relationship
"We especially call upon the United States of America to take a stronger and fairer position in the conflict, since it perhaps has, due to its special relationship with the State of Israel, the greatest influence over the occupying State, and, therefore, has a greater power and ability to bring about a just resolution….”
The groups also called upon the international community and responsible bodies represented by the UN to use whatever means they have available to bring about a peaceful and just end to “this long horrid conflict, for with great power comes great responsibility”. And “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
The Government has extended congratulatory greetings to the newly-elected and re-elected executives and office bearers of the recently concluded biennial congress of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly postCabinet press briefing at the Office of the President said as a majority voice in A Partnership for National
Unity (APNU), the PNCR leadership is complex, particularly in terms of addressing the highly visible rift among the party’s members.
The party has to also reexamine the basis of its engagement with the Executive as to whether it will stand alone as the voice of the APNU or in conjunction with its junior partner, the Alliance For Change (AFC).
The Head of the Presidential Secretariat said that the PNCR’s contribu-
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Lucnheon on Wednesday corrected a statement made last week that Government had approved funds for the construction of the Zeeburg Secondary School in Region Three.
At the last post-Cabinet briefing, Dr Luncheon disclosed that Cabinet had approved some $204.5 million for the project. However, at this week’s post- Cabinet briefing, Dr Luncheon explained that the information was inaccurate as the award of the contract was not granted by Cabinet.
“Cabinet withheld granting its no-objection to the award of the contract for the construction of the Zeeburg Secondary School,” he stated.
According to Dr Luncheon, it was brought to Cabinet’s attention that the Evaluation Committee was not properly constituted according to the laws that governors the composition of such committees.
“It would seem that Evaluation Committee that considered the bids of the ten-
derers wasn’t properly constituted,” he explained.
Some $32.3 billion was allotted to education sector in this year’s budget for infrastructural and other works. Funds were also budgeted for the implementation of the new Education Strategic Plan.
As part of the plan, $2.9 billion is expected to be used for the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of education facilities, including a new and expanded Zeeburg Secondary School and the Kato Secondary complex.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Presidential Secretariat disclosed that Cabinet has approved contracts in two sectors.
Some $29.3 million was to the education sector for the supply and delivery of computers and accessories for the networking of Information Technology Laboratories in secondary schools. This project will be done in two lots, costing $26.3 million and $2.9 million respectively.
The contracts were granted to the security sector.
Some $29.8 million was approved for the procurement of field material and supplies for the Guyana Fire Service, while an additional $34.5 million was granted for purchasing arms and ammunition for the Guyana Police Force.
Still in the security sector, monies were approved for the procurement of uniform items for the Guyana Police Force at the cost of £300,000. Additionally, corrosion repairs on the Guyana Defence Force’s aircraft amounted to US$240,000.
tion, either alone or as part of the joint parliamentary Opposition, has been historically since 2011, one which Cabinet has described as confrontational, anti-national, anti-development and unpatriotic.
“It is Cabinet’s contention
that these areas remain ripe for the re-assessment and a review at least by new leadership of the PNCR impacting on APNU,” he said.
The PNCR’s 18th Biennial Congress opened on July 24 and ended amid chaos and claims of a “flawed election process” much to the disappointment of supporters of the Region 10 district, many of whom were disenfranchised. In the end, the incumbent office holders retained their position with leader David Granger at the helm.
After a three-day break, the exciting second edition of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will resume today with two games at separate venues.
The first game will take place at Sabina Park in Jamaica at 15:00h (Guyana time) with defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs facing a hapless Antigua Hawksbills line-up.
The two teams have had mixed fortunes this season with the Tallawahs slipping from the top spot to number three, while the Hawksbills share the bottom of the table with the St Lucia Zouks without a point.
The game would be the Tallawahs’ first at home this season and skipper Chris Gayle, who started the tournament with a century, will be keen to give the Jamaican fans something to cheer about.
With three victories and a loss from four games, the Tallawahs are still among the favourites to cart off the title this year, after capturing top honours in the inaugural tournament in 2013 when they defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Hawksbills, on the other hand, will look for a turnaround in fortunes after losing all five of their games to date. They must win all their remaining matches to have at least a mathematical
chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
They have virtually been a one-man show with skipper Marlon Samuels being the only consistent performer with the bat. They would hope for internationals David Hussey and Ben Dunk to come to the party, as well as the out-of-form Danza Hyatt and Devon Thomas.
The bowling will hinge on Sheldon Cotterell, Brad Hogg, Miguel Cummings and Gavin Tonge, with support from Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite.
Gayle apart, the Tallawahs batting will revolve around England’s Owais Shah, Andre Russell, Adam Voges, Chadwick Walton, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner and David Bernard Jr.
Ace New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori leads the bowling attack, which includes Jerome Taylor, Rusty Theron, Nikita Miller, Russell, Bernard Jr., Andrew Richardson and Odean Brown.
During their head-to-head clash this year, the Tallawahs won by eight wickets with 33 balls to spare.
In the other game, the St Lucia Zouks will have home advantage against Barbados Tridents, with action starting at 20:00h at the Beausejour Stadium. Like the Hawksbills, the Zouks are languishing at the bottom of the table with four defeats from as many games. The Tridents have three wins and two losses from five games and would look to use this match to move up from the number four position they currently hold.
The last time these two teams met, things got ugly with an on-field squabble involving Zouks’ fast bowler Tino Best and Tridents’ batsman Shoaib Malik. Tridents won that game by 29 runs on the back of a Dwayne Smith 100.
The Tridents have been dependent on Smith, the leading runscorer with 248 runs and two centuries, and Malik with the bat all season, but have the likes of skipper Kieron Pollard, Jeevan Mendis, Jonathon Carter, Neil McKenzie and Kirk Edwards who are all eager to get among the runs.
Ravi Rampaul, the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 11 victims, has been the Tridents’ go-to bowler, with Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Akeal Hosein, Reyad Emrit, Malik and Mendis forming the attack.
Zouks have struggled in all aspects of the game and will hope skipper Darren Sammy and the likes of Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Sohail Tanvir, Roelof van der Merwe and Shane Shillingford can bring their ‘A’ game and turn around an ailing campaign.
Live coverage of the matches will be streamed on TVG Channel 28 and Radio Guyana Inc., 89.3 FM (Essequibo), 89.5 FM (Georgetown and environs) and 89.7 FM (Berbice).
The Jamaica Tallawahs are home and have three decisive encounters in front of them at Sabina Park this week – but while their first opponent, the Antigua Hawksbills, are at the foot of the table without registering a win, Jamaica Tallawahs Captain, Chris Gayle, says this does not mean it will be an easy game on Thursday.
He said, “Cricket is such a funny sport. When teams are back against the wall they can produce their best cricket in a tournament so we must be on our guard and be ready for whatever they have to throw at us.
“Our aim is to win all three home matches and to add some momentum going into St. Kitts. Last year the support was fantastic and I am anticipating similar on display this time around.”
Jamaica Tallawah’s Coach, Mickey Arthur, also gave his views and stressed the need to get more wins.
“We are quite pleased with where we are right now. If you told me before the tournament that we would win three games out of four on the road before coming to Jamaica, I would take that in a heartbeat. So for now, we have to ensure we get the wins at home.
“The winner of the group stage automatically qualifies for the final and we would like to be in that position, so it is important the intensity remains the same, and we keep working
hard like we have done since we started in Grenada.”
Antigua Hawksbills Coach, Tim Nielsen, also shared some insight saying, “Having a cluster of Jamaican-born players in my team is a huge asset as they are familiar with the surface and the conditions. We have not lost heart by any means.
“We still have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals and we are going to press hard to get there.
“Who knows - a win in Jamaica may be the momentum and drive that kicks off our season. With St. Lucia in a few days’ time as well, this week is make or break for us.”
Summing up Hawksbills Captain, Marlon Samuels, said, “Results have not gone the way we wanted, however we have to back ourselves to get the result on the day.
“We have match winners in our team and I believe if we can have a good start tomorrow then things should fall into place for us.”
Jamaica Tallawahs presenting sponsor, Appleton Estate Jamaica, is cranking up the excitement ahead of the first Limacol Caribbean Premier League home game on July 31 by offering a massive JA$1 million in prize money to the first Tallawahs batsman to hit its 25 foot high Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum inflatable bottle.
With the stakes high in terms of a big cash prize and bragging rights, all eyes will be firmly fixed on the “million dollar” Appleton Estate Bottle which will be located on the roof of the main viewing deck in the Appleton Estate Party Stand
Cecil Smith, Group Brand Manager for Rums, J Wray & Nephew Ltd said, “Appleton Estate is proud to Stand Tall
Jamie Stewart, Commercial Director for the Limacol Caribbean Premier League
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England moved closer to levelling the series against India with another dominant display on day four of the third Test in Southampton.
Chasing a notional 445 to win, the tourists were reduced to 112-4 at the close, with Moeen Ali taking two wickets and Joe Root one.
And England could have ended the day in an even stronger position had James Anderson clung on to a difficult return chance off Rohit Sharma, who remains on six, alongside Ajinkya Rahane (15).
Earlier, Anderson took two wickets in the morning session to finish with 5-53 as India were bowled out for 330, a first-innings deficit of 239.
England opted not to enforce the follow-on, coasting to 205-4 declared as Root smashed 56 from 41 balls and captain Alastair Cook confirmed his return to form with an unbeaten 70.
That left 42 overs remaining in the day - plus 90 on Thursday - for England to wipe out the 1-0 deficit established by their defeat in the second Test at Lord’s.
And on a pitch increasingly showing signs of turn, England tore through the India top order with Moeen coming to the fore.
India had appeared to be successfully resisting the threat of the new ball when they presented a breakthrough to the home side.
Shikhar Dhawan called Murali Vijay through for a single and, with Vijay slow to set off, Stuart Broad swooped on the leg side to hit the stumps at the striker’s end direct and leave Vijay just short of his ground.
In the next over, Moeenwho should have had Dhawan given out lbw - deceived Cheteshwar Pujara into edging towards slip, where Chris Jordan took an excellent onehanded catch, diving to his right.
Beautifully as Moeen was bowling, Cook’s instinct was to call on part-time off-spinner Root, a decision that paid dividends when he turned one to
take Dhawan’s edge, Jordan holding another catch.
Another Cook bowling change was rewarded when Moeen returned to the attack and enticed Virat Kohli to poke through to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
The successful shuffling of his bowlers rounded off another good day for the England skipper, who, buoyed by his first-innings 95, batted with great freedom to anchor his side’s second innings.
He had earlier decided not to enforce the follow-on, despite wrapping up India’s first innings inside 20 minutes.
The tourists, resuming on 323-8, added only seven more runs as Anderson, on his 32nd birthday, produced two bouncers that Mahendra Dhoni and Mohammed Shami in turn gloved to Buttler, giving the paceman his 16th five-wicket haul in Tests.
If there were concerns among onlookers that England might linger over their second innings and delay their declaration too long, they were soon allayed by a scoring rate that
rattled along at more than five an over.
Only Sam Robson, who edged a wonderful delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to first slip, failed to contribute as Gary Ballance, Ian Bell and Root played lively cameos around Cook.
Ballance was fluent for his 38 before wrongly been given out caught at short leg off Ravindra Jadeja, the second poor decision the left-hander has received in the match.
Bell busily reached 23 from 21 balls before being bowled sweeping Jadeja, while Root thrilled with his invention on the way to the fastest half-century of his Test career.
All the while, Cook repeatedly swept the spinners as he posted a second fifty in a single Test match for the first time in three years.
If Cook’s poor form and a winless run of 10 Tests were the two major problems facing England before this match, one has been addressed and the other is six wickets away from being ended (BBC Sport)
England 1st innings
569-7 declared
India 1st Innings
Vijay b Broad 35
Dhawan c Cook b Anderson 6
Pujara c Buttler b Broad 24
Kohli c Cook b Anderson 39
Rahane c Sub b Moeen 54
Ro Sharma c Broad b Moeen 28
Dhoni c Buttler b Anderson 50
Jadeja lbw b Anderson 31
B Kumar c Ballance b Broad 19
Shami c Buttler b Anderson 5
Singh not out 1
Extras (8-w, 16-b, 14-lb) 38
Total (all out; 106.1 overs) 330
Bowling: Anderson 26.1-1053-5, Broad 25-7-66-3, Jordan 17-4-59-0, Woakes 20-860-0, Moeen 18-0-62-2 Fall of wickets: 17 (Dhawan), 56 (Pujara), 88 (Vijay), 136 (Kohli), 210 (Ro Sharma), 217 (Rahane), 275 (Jadeja), 313 (B Kumar), 329 (Dhoni), 330 (Shami)
England 2nd Innings
Robson c Dhawan b B Kumar 13 Cook not out 70
Ballance c Pujara b Jadeja 38
Bell b Jadeja 23
Root b Jadeja 56
Extras (1-w, 4-b) 5
Total (for 4 wickets; 40.4 overs) 205
Bowling: B Kumar 10-0-59-1, Singh 10-4-33-0, Shami 4-0-240, Ro Sharma 5-0-32-0, Jadeja
10.4-1-52-3, Vijay 1-0-1-0
Fall of wickets: 22 (Robson), 80 (Balance), 106 (Bell), 205 (Root)
India 2nd Innings
Vijay run out (Broad) 12
Dhawan c Jordan b Root 37
Pujara c Jordan b Moeen 2
Kohli c Buttler b Moeen 28
Rahane not out 18
Ro Sharma not out 6
Extras (4-b, 5-lb) 9
Total (for 4 wickets; 42.0 overs) 112
Bowling: Anderson 8-3-13-0, Broad 9-4-18-0, Woakes 5-2-7-0, Moeen 12-2-33-2, Jordan 5-0-220, Root 2-0-5-1, Ballance 1-0-5-0 Fall of wickets: 26 (Vijay), 29 (Pujara), 80 (Dhawan), 89 (Kohli)
India have been allowed to appeal the guilty verdict against Ravindra Jadeja for his alleged role in the confrontation involving James Anderson on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test*. The ICC confirmed on Wednesday that it had accepted the request “after receiving legal submissions from the BCCI”.
Jadeja, who was charged by England under a Level 2 offence but found guilty by match referee David Boon of a lesser Level 1 offence, had originally not been allowed an appeal.
The BCCI involved its lawyers, though, and Jadeja’s appeal will now be heard alongside Anderson’s Level 3 hearing on Friday August 1 - the day after the completion of the third Investec Test. Cricinfo understands one pos-
sible legal submission might have been that India have appealed against the original Level 2 charge and not the Level 1 sentence.
The judicial commissioner listening to Anderson’s case, Gordon Lewis, will also oversee Jadeja’s appeal via videoconference. India will have Jadeja, MS Dhoni, their physiotherapist Evan Speechly and their coach Duncan Fletcher at the hearing, along with their lawyers.
On July 25, Jadeja was fined 50% of his match fee after being found guilty by Boon. The BCCI immediately made public its dissatisfaction with the verdict and said it reserved the right to appeal. Dhoni also passionately defended his team-mate.
According to the ICC’s appeals process, penalties for a
claims are “nonsense”
Usain Bolt has described claims he made disparaging comments about the Commonwealth Games as “nonsense.”
The Times newspaper quoted the Olympic 100m champion as saying he was “not really” having fun in Glasgow.
Bolt said on Twitter: “I’m waking up to this nonsense… journalist please don’t create lies to make headlines.”
He later told reporters he thought the Games were “awesome”, but the Times said it was standing by its story.
The newspaper’s Scottish Editor, Angus Macleod, said: “We stand by this story 100 percent. We have utter confidence in this story.”
Not happy
It is understood the reporter who wrote the story has “verbatim notes” of her conversation with Bolt.
Bolt did not comment when asked about the Times article as he arrived at the SECC to watch Jamaica play New Zealand at netball.
The 27-year-old athlete appeared relaxed, posing for photographs and signing autographs before joining in with a Mexican wave.
As he left the venue, he shouted “awesome” to reporters who asked how he felt about the Games.
His manager, Ricky Simms, earlier told the BBC the newspaper allegations were “utter rubbish.”
Level 1 offence were non-appealable, unless it was a second such penalty levied on the player within a 12-month period. Jadeja had been docked 10 per cent of his match fee for using offensive language against Shane Watson in an ODI in November 2013, but that was under section 2.1.4 of the code, while this is a level 2.1.8 offence, meaning that an appeal was initially ruled as invalid.
The incident involving Anderson and Jadeja is reported to have taken place as the players were leaving the field for lunch on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test. India alleged Anderson abused and pushed Jadeja, while England countered by claiming that Jadeja turned and approached Anderson in a threatening manner. (Cricinfo)
Mr Simms added: “The atmosphere in and around the stadiums has been absolutely fantastic and I have absolutely no idea where these quotes have come from.”
The Times claimed Bolt had been waiting in the rain for his car to arrive shortly after meeting members of the royal family at the athletes’ village in the east end of Glasgow on Tuesday.
It quoted the world 100m record holder as saying the Glasgow Games were “a bit shit” and that he thought “the Olympics were better.”
Bolt, who has been staying in the athletes’ village, then left “to do some business”, according to the newspaper report.
Speaking after winning his 200m heat on Wednesday morning, Jamaican sprinter
Jason Livermore appeared to suggest he was not entirely happy with life in the athletes’ village.
He told the BBC that the Scottish weather conditions were “tough” for Jamaican athletes, but added “we are enjoying the Games” and “honestly we can’t complain.”
When asked what he was making of life in the village and life in general, Livermore responded: “Well it can be better - things can be a little bit better for us. Can be better in a lot of sense. We have to just enjoy and give god thanks.”
However, Livermore declined to reveal what specifically he was unhappy with, adding: “I won’t say. I won’t say”.
The Jamaican team’s press attache, Laurel Smith, told BBC Sport that he believed Bolt may have become frustrated at not being able to “roam about.”
He added: “But it was like that at London 2012. He basically goes to training and comes back.
“You can only play so many video games in your room. He’s a free spirit, but it requires security organisation when he wants to roam.
“He even gets a bagman to get his food from the canteen, because it would create too much of a stir if he was there.
Not a priority
“But one thing is for sure, he is enjoying himself in Glasgow.”
Bolt, who has never before competed in the Commonwealth Games, will not participate in any individual events in Glasgow 2014.
However, he has agreed to run in the heats of the sprint relay on Friday. The final will be held at Hampden Park on Saturday.
Five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave said he did not believe the Games were a priority for Bolt, whose season has been hampered by a foot injury.
He said: “When you’re a world megastar as he is, the Olympics is his platform, the world platform that he’s looking for.
“I don’t think the Commonwealth Games has captured his imagination or
he’d have been trying to compete in all the events that he normally competes in instead of just the relay, so that’s a little bit disappointing.”
The arrival of Bolt, a sixtime Olympic champion, in Glasgow at the weekend sparked a media frenzy, with Bolt facing a barrage of questions on subjects ranging from the respective political situations in Scotland and Gaza (no comment on either) to whether he wanted to play football for Manchester United (yes).
Responding to the Times article, a spokesman for the Commonwealth Games Federation said: “The Glasgow Games have so far been fantastic and everyone there, including the competing athletes, seems to be having a brilliant time.
“Usain Bolt must just be having an off day.”
The federation later said it was “pleased” with Bolt’s response to the newspaper report.
Chief executive Mike Hooper said: “We take Mr Bolt at his word. We’re very pleased with how he’s responded and that’s our position.”
Reactions Fans reacted to reports that Usain Bolt criticised Glasgow and the Commonwealth Games.
Referring to Bolt’s press conference appearance on Saturday, Mr Hooper added: “He’s very upbeat, very positive, very focused on delivering for his fellow countrymen in the relay events.
“He has said what he’s said and I don’t wish to comment on the journalistic work of The Times.
“We’re not trying to be the Olympic Games. We’re about the celebration of the Commonwealth, sport and culture within the Commonwealth, and what a fantastic event we are seeing here in Glasgow.
“These Games continue to go from strength to strength.”
Glasgow 2014 spokeswoman Jackie Brock-Doyle added: “I think he (Bolt) woke up to the story like everyone else.
“His tweet says it all. He has woken up to something he didn’t believe he said yesterday.” (BBC Sport)
GCC and the Pepsi Hikers battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the senior division of the annual Noble House Goals Galore Indoor Hockey Championships on Tuesday evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
National striker Jamarj Assanah showed his class in just the second minute of the game with an opening goal for the Hikers. Upon launching a swift counterattack, Assanah outwitted the trailing GCC defenders before sliding his shot through the narrowest of spaces past goalkeeper Medroy Scotland. Assanah was the creator of the Hikers second goal just one minute later as he executed a pinpoint accurate pass to a sliding Captain Robert France for the deflection goal.
GCC, enjoying a three-goal handicap at the start, took a while to settle and the match levelled off in opportunities for the rest of the half, but not before Colonel Heywood capitalised on sloppy passing by the GCC defence to evade an advancing Scotland and roll a delicate reverse push into the open goal.
Scores even
With scores even at the half, the Hikers were the more effective side after the break and would have pulled off the victory but for some fine goalkeeping from Scotland, who appeared a different man in the nets. The draw leaves both teams unbeaten and still vying for the top spot in the senior division.
Kingston Hockey (+10) surprised Saints (+6) by securing a shutout, while scoring five goals of their own. Captain Dwight McCalman led the score sheet with a double for Kingston, while teammates Richard Heyliger, Wayne Warrick and Michael Hawke each scored one.
The final score read 15-6 in favour of Kingston. The Vikings (+5) versus Blue Steel
Jamarj Assanah
(+7) clash that followed turned out to be an anti-climax and did not live up to expectations. With Old Fort clearly hurting from the absence of Aderemi Simon and goalkeeper Tony Cole, the Vikings could not keep pace with the youthful legs of the Blue Steel.
Kareem McKenzie was lead marksman for the Blue Steel with five goals to his tally. The Steel was further bolstered by a hat-trick from Eric Hing, doubles from Keon McKenzie and Michael Craig and a single from Marcus Fiedtkou. The score at full time remained 20-6 in favour of Blue Steel with Chris Low being the lone marksman for the Vikings with a single goal.
Surprise
The surprise of the night in the junior division came when the Old Fort Shooting Stars (+15) managed to hold off the GCC Tigers (0) to a 15-13 victory. Although the Tigers tore into the Stars defence, scoring 13 unanswered goals, the youthful Stars managed to hold on until full time
to defend their 15 goal handicap. Ashley DeGroot slammed home six goals, while fellow Tigers mates Ulrica Sutherland, Tiffany Solomon and Trisha Woodroffe scored a hat-trick and a pair of doubles respectively.
Revelations (+8) managed to get the better of Saints (+6) in their match-up 11-10. Maria Munroe scored a double for Revelations, while Kenisha Wills added a single. The Saints’ goals came through S. Boston with a double and M. Williams and E. Chinian with a single each.
The final junior division match of the evening saw the Under-19 Mix (+7) upstage the Pitbulls (+6) 12-9. Deheron
Wilkinson was the top scorer for the Under-19s with a four-goal haul, while a single was added by Robert Brumell. Rosario Ramsammy, Eon Burke and Samuel Woodroffe each scored one for the Pitbulls.
The tournament will continue each night until Sunday when the category finals would be contested.
Director of Sport within the National Sports Commission (NSC) Neil Kumar has extended congratulations to the Bhaskar Yadram-led National Under-15 team, who yesterday claimed their inaugural West Indies Cricket Board Regional Under-15 title.
“I wish to say on behalf of the Diaspora, heartfelt congratulations to the national Under-15 cricket team for winning the West Indies championships. I believe that they were one of the better teams to leave these shores and compete and they certainly vindicated my thoughts with the win,” said Kumar.
He added, “They have certainly confirmed with-
in the cricketing public in Guyana, that the nursery of Guyana’s cricket is filled with talent, and I am looking forward to seeing the Under-19 team emulate their Under-15 counterparts and take the Regional UInder-19 championships as well.
“We at the NSC are very pleased with the work that is being done by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and we wish to say that this win can serve with the continued development of Guyana’s cricket, even as I call on the administrators of the game to build upon this win.”
According to Kumar, Guyana’s Under-15 team has also demonstrated to the cricketing world, the strength of the West Indies
By TreisTon Joseph
The NBA’s first Guyanaborn player, Rawle Marshall, who was captain of Guyana’s national basketball team, claims he is disgusted by what is being said by members of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABF) as it concerns the 2014 Guyanese national basketball team.
“(The GABF) has made every attempt to annihilate our image, and assassinate our character by telling boldface loes and fabricated stories,” said Marshall, who released an email on the heels of the GABF fining him $80,000 and suspending him for one year for refusing to hand in the team uniforms.
Ring leader
He was seen as the ring leader in off-court misconduct during the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships that was held earlier this month in the British Virgin Islands . Marshall said the uniforms had the names of the players on them and saw no reason to give back the uniforms that had their names.
In addition, he pointed out the cause of the entire situation:
“We had issues with guys who were told they could play and then when we arrived in the British Virgin Islands they were told they could not play.
“I was told I had to pick between two of my teammates.
“I spoke with my team and we all made a decision and it was approved; then minutes before the game the Team Manager was instruct by GABF to let Andre Deflorimonte know he could not play.
“The entire team was very upset and confused and this is what caused the huge commotion on our bench right before tipoff of first game.
“So what looked like a fight between players and coaches on television was actually us standing together as we had done since I arrived,” Marshall said via the email.
Further, a few emails indicated that he had been physically and verbally assaulted, while one part of the an email suggested that
police as well as the CIA had been called to look into threat allegations towards Patrick Haynes by the players.
“There was never any kind of verbal or physical assault towards (anyone).
“There were never any police called, no one was arrested or questioned; this was a lie, a fabricated story. A fairytale put together by the GABF, nothing happened.
No one banned
“There were no CIA, no one was searched or prevented from leaving and returning home. No one was banned from playing in any tournament or returning to the British Virgin Islands.
“The entire story was made up by GABF. The only thing I can’t seem to understand is why they would make up such a story,” Marshall stated via email.
Meanwhile, maybe the most chilling statement that Marshall mentioned while writing the emailwas: “The GABF has no place in Guyana basketball. The entire Federation needs to be dismembered from Guyana.”
Jacques Kallis has announced his retirement from international cricket, across all three formats. The South Africa batsman had quit Tests late last year and decided to call time on his limited-overs career after the recent poor one-day tour of Sri Lanka.
sponsors, the fans and all the people who have been involved in my career. It has been an amazing journey.
“I am not retiring from all cricket as I have a two-year contract with the Sydney Thunder and, if possible, to help the Kolkata Knight Riders defend the IPL title we won earlier this year.”
Kallis’ ODI future was in the balance last year when he went on a ODI hiatus for a year and nine months. He had opted out of the 2013 Champions Trophy for personal reasons and did not join the team for a limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in August and the Pakistan series in the UAE. He used the winter break to reassess his future and spoke to coach Russell Domingo about playing one more global tournament. He thus made a return for the home ODIs against Pakistan and India towards the end of 2013. However, he was well below his best since his return, scoring just one fifty in seven games.
nursery and he wished the team all success in the future and a safe journey home as champions.
Batting first yesterday in the game that was contested at the Melbourne ground in Jamaica, Guyana scored 248 for 7 from their 50 overs with Steve Deonarine hitting an unbeaten 60, backed by 54 from Kris Ramnarine, 37 from Alphius Bookie and an unbeaten 26 from Colin Barlow.
Despite Raewin Senior’s 113, Guyana, through the bolwing of Yadram (3 for 46) and Kevin Sinclair and Stephen Kamaladeen who took two wickets each for 31 and 41 runs respectively, bowled out Jamaica for 237 to come away with a 11 runs victory.
Kallis will, however, continue to play T20 franchise cricket for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and for Sydney Thunder in the BBL. He ends his ODI career with 11579 runs in 328 matches with 17 centuries and 86 fifties at an average of 44.36. He played 25 T20s, scoring 666 runs with five fifties.
He is the only South African batsman with over 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs. Kallis had played his final Test in December 2013 against India in Durban, finishing with 13,289 runs in 166 matches with 45 centuries, 58 fifties at an average of 55.37. His last T20 was in October 2012.
Plans
Kallis, 38, had plans to play the 2015 World Cup and was part of South Africa’s ODI plans in the build-up. However, he managed scores of just 0,1 and 4 in the three ODIs in Sri Lanka recently.
“I realised in Sri Lanka that my dream of playing in a World Cup was a bridge too far,” Kallis said in a statement. “Ï just knew on that tour that I was done. The squad that was in Sri Lanka is an amazing one and I believe they have a good chance of bringing the trophy home in March.
“I would like to thank Cricket South Africa, the team, the team sponsors, my
The national selectors were planning to rest a few players for the upcoming threematch bilateral ODI series in Zimbabwe, but send a full-strength squad for the tri-series to follow. The challenge for the selectors was to build the team around Kallis and in the past, Faf du Plessis was left out to accommodate him.
“South Africa has been blessed with one of the world’s greatest cricketing talents in Jacques Kallis,” said CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat. “He is undeniably one of the greatest players ever to have graced our wonderful game and he has certainly been the Proteas standard-bearer of excellence for nearly two decades.
“He has played a huge part in making cricket a truly national sport of winners and, in doing so, contributed so much to the important process of nation building. He is a true professional and it has been an absolute privilege to have worked with him both as Convener of selectors and now as chief executive.”
“To say that we will miss him on the playing field is stating the obvious. Each one of us from this day on will treasure the many fond memories of his awesome career.”
Though he had an illustrious career as a batsman, spanning close to 19 years, he was never a full-time captain. He led the side in two Tests, both at home against Australia, and 13 ODIs as a stop-gap. (Cricinfo)
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The 16th annual Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) cricket academy sponsored by Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) ended on a successful note on Thursday with dozens of youths graduating during a simple presentation at the St Francis Community Developers Training Centre. Berbice Under-15 Captain Kevelon Anderson was named Cricketer of the academy, while the other major awardees were Most Disciplined Player –Brent Lee Fraser; Most Committed – Sequan Cox; Best Batsman – Junior Sinclair; Best Bowler – Keith Simpson; Best Female – S. Grimmond; and Most Promising Player –Sampson Lewis.
Success
Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, giving a comprehensive report on the 2014 academy, hailed it as a major success and even predicted that more national cricketers would be produced by the club in the near future.
The large batch of cricketers was under the supervision of coaches Winston Smith and Delbert Hicks and Berbice Senior Intercounty player Eon Hooper. Foster stated that the players received special coaching to improve their bowling, batting, wicket-keeping
and fielding skills, while special emphasis was placed on improving physical fitness.
The cricketers, both male and female, were also involved in several Power Point presentations on topics such as HIV/AIDS, peer pressure, bio-mechanics, importance of discipline, importance of education, role of a sport ambassador and the history of cricket.
Foster, the veteran cricket administrator, speaking directly to the young cricketers, urged them to develop a love of the game and to nurture a formula of discipline, dedication, hard work and faith in the god they serve.
Success, on the cricket field, Foster stated, can only be achieved by total dedication and discipline and he challenged the attentive cricketers to listen to advice from former players and positive role models.
Impressed
Head Coach Winston
Smith stated that he was quite impressed with the rich pool of talent at the academy and urged the cricketers to put into practice on a daily basis what they have learnt over the past two weeks. He challenged them to practise hard and to widen their knowledge of the game by doing a lot of research.
Office Manager and Head of the Club’s Cricket
Development Committee, Moonish Singh, stated that the RHTY&SC would be using most of the new talents to form its Under-15 team for 2015 and to develop a nursery for the future.
Marketing Manager of TCL (Guyana) Limited, Eric Whaul, praised the RHTY&SC for hosting another successful cricket academy under his company’s brand and stated that TCL was satisfied that its investment was worthwhile.
Role models Whaul, who described himself as a strong cricket fan, urged the young cricketers to follow in the footsteps of his role models, Alvin Kallicharran and Roy Fredericks. He also issued a challenge to cricket administrators in Guyana to make sure that there is an improvement in the standard of local cricket pitches as it was affecting the quality of the game. Whaul disclosed that TCL was open to continuing sponsorship of the academy, as it strongly believes in the development of youths.
The eight top awardees received a collection of educational materials, while every member of the cricket academy received a school bag under the RHTY&SC pro-education programme, which seeks to assist students to stay in school and obtain an education.
The Inter Guiana Games (IGG) is set for Guyana this weekend with action beginning on Friday at various venues in Guyana.
Both teams from French Guiana and Suriname are set to arrive in Guyana today with action set to start on Friday with Swimming at the National Aquatic Centre from 09:00h.
The opening ceremony is set for Friday as well from 15:00h at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) with basketball action set to begin soon
after from 17:00h at the CASH with French Guiana taking on Suriname in female action while the male Guyana team will battle French Guiana after.
On Saturday, Swimming will begin from 09:00h with another day of exciting action, while the beginning of the athletics component will begin from 10:00h at the Camp Ayanganna Sports Ground.
Basketball action is also scheduled to continue Saturday with Guyana taking on Suriname in a
female encounter, while Suriname and French Guiana will match up in the male segment.
On Sunday, action will intensify in track and field for its final day between the three countries while Sunday night will also spell the last night for basketball action with Guyana taking on French Guiana in female action, while on the male side Guyana will battle Suriname.
Meanwhile, the closing ceremony for the event will be held on Sunday evening from 20:00h at the CASH.
By Rajiv Bisnauth
Half-centuries from first-class openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shimron Hetmyer propelled host Guyana to 228-5 at the close of day one of the third and final round game against Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Under-19, Three-day tournament.
Chanderpaul stroked an attractive, unbeaten 79 and Hetmyer, 63. Chanderpaul has so far batted for 346 minutes, faced 289 balls, inclusive of nine boundaries.
When stumps were drawn after 97 overs, at the Georgetown Cricket Club, ground, Kemo Paul was the other not out batsman on 13.
Brilliant start
Asked to take first strike, Chanderpaul and Hetmyer give the Guyanese a brilliant start with Hetmyer going on the rampage from the outset as he punished both the seamers and spinners.
The Guyanese, after omitting Niall Smith, Daniel Basdeo and Akel Wallace, reached 50 off 15.5 overs, after which Hetmyer recorded his half-century from just 64 balls.
The swashbuckling lefthander hit seven boundaries in his 80-ball knock and was at his punishing best as the tourists’ bowlers toiled hard on a pitch that provided them little assistance at the start.
Guyana 1st Innings
S. Hetmyer Seetahal b Roopnarine 63
T. Chanderpaul not out 79
* B. Sattuar b Roopnarine 21
A. Homraj b Joseph 22
B. Baldeo run out (Carimbocas) 03
S. Ramcharran b Seetal 20
K. Paul not out 13
Extras (nb2, w3, lb4, b6) 15
TOTAL (for 5 wickets; off 97 overs) 228
Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-130, 3-158, 4-166, 5-203
Bowling: Seetal 9-1-32-1 (w1) Phillip 12-1-38-0 Joseph 24-10-59-1 Roopnarine 30-8-44-2 Bothan 18-646-0 Christmas 4-2-3-0
Hetmyer, however, with one first-class match to his credit, was the only casualty of a satisfactory session, when he was dismissed with off-spinner Samuel Roopnarine inducing a catch to Akil Seetal at point.
Captain Brian Sattaur and Chanderpaul guided the hosts to 101-1 at lunch with Chanderpaul on 29 and Sattaur on three.
The pair then added 42 for the second wicket, but Sattaur’s impetuosity cost him dearly as he tried to be over-aggressive against Roopnarine.
He once again flattered to deceive and could not put up a significant contribution which would have given him requisite confidence. There was nothing much in the 22-yard strip, but poor shot selection is something that Sattaur could be espe-
cially worried about.
Sattaur, in fact, got a reprieve on three when Seetal dropped him at mid-off, off Brian Christmas’s delivery but did not cash in on the opportunity. Sattuar hit three boundaries in his 21 runs and lasted 53 balls.
On the other hand, the 17-year-old Chanderpaul was particularly fluent, timing the ball sweetly and at the same time was more content on grafting and capitalising on the ‘bad balls.’
Askay Homraj joined Chanderpaul and the pair grew in confidence with each passing over before left-arm spinner Justin Joseph bowled Homraj for 22. The left-hander Chanderpaul, looking relatively untroubled, registered his half-century off 173 balls inclusive of six boundaries.
Soon after, Balchan Baldeo was run out for three at 166-4 and by the tea interval the Guyanese were 170-4. Chanderpaul on 53 and Sharaz Ramcharran on two.
The pair combined and took the total past the 200-run mark before Ramcharran became the only victim in the session, when he was bowled by seamer Akil Seetal (1-32) for 20.
Roopnarine ended the day with figures of 2-42, while Joseph (1-59) was the other successful bowler.
Play resumes today from 10:00h and admission to the venue is free.
“It is very important that we honour heroes in their lifetime, so that they would know that their service was appreciated.” Those were the words of long-serving Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), Hilbert Foster, as the club hosted the presentation ceremony for the ANSA McALAward of Excellence.
The award, which was first hosted in 2013, was organised by the cricket teams of the RHTY&SC and honours outstanding Berbicians for their contribution to the Ancient County in the fields of sport, education and community development.
Contributions
Foster, who has served as Secretary/CEO of the country’s leading youth and sports organisation since 2001, stated that the main aims of the ANSA McALAward of Excellence are to honour Berbicians for their outstanding contributions and to provide role models to youths so that they can strive to emulate them.
Foster stressed the importance of honouring the heroes among us and expressed disappointment that the national awards
programme seems to have ceased. He noted that the three awardees – Pastor Karmanand Ramash, Levi Nedd and Jacqueline Johnson – all worked beyond the call of duty to make a positive difference in the lives of youths, the elderly and less fortunate.
He specially mentioned Pastor Ramash, who despite being blind, has been an inspirational teacher and mentor to thousands of students at the Sheet Anchor Primary school for decades and noted that heroes like him must be recognised and honoured.
Ramash received the ANSA McAL Award of Excellence for Education; National Volleyball Coach Levi Nedd received the Award of Excellence for Sport, while President of the Mibikuri Community Developers, Jacqueline Johnson, received the Award of Excellence for Community Development.
Nedd, who is the Berbice and National Volleyball Coach, was honoured for his outstanding role in promoting the game in Berbice, while Johnson was honoured for her community work in the Black Bush Polder area, where she has touched and changed the lives of numerous youths and less fortunate.
Foster urged the awardees to continue their outstanding work and to share their vast experience with the younger generation, so that they can be inspired to follow in their footsteps.
Marketing Assistant of Ansa McAl- Berbice, Alicia Anderson, stated that ANSA McALwas delighted to be associated with the Award of Excellence programme and also the RHTY&SC, which has always represented the company’s brand well.
Congratulations She offered congratulations to the three awardees and noted that her company understands its corporate responsibility and has in the past, invested heavily in sport, culture, youth development and education.
The awardees all expressed gratitude to the RHTY&SC and ANSA McALfor recognising their contributions to the development of Berbice and congratulated the RHTY&SC for its outstanding work among youths, the elderly and less fortunate.
Each of the awardees received an Award of Excellence trophy, medal and plaque along with a special ANSA McALhamper.
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has named a 27-member team to participate in the 2014 edition of the InterGuiana Games scheduled for Guyana from August 1.
The tri-nation event featuring Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana will feature some of Guyana’s top talent competing at the event as 14 males and 13 females will make up the entirety of the squad.
The male contigent will comprise Jason Yaw, Kevin Abbensetts, Tevin Garraway, Kade Pearce, Clarence Greene, Ornesto Thomas, Grivon Grant, Jabari Joseph, Quacy Simpson, Samuel Gray, Matthew Mackenzie, Tremaine Beckles, Jamal Joseph and Timothy Fullington.
On the distaff side, Cassey George, Jevina Sampson, Natricia Hooper, Avon Samuels, Andrea Foster, Shoquane Daniels, Shannin Griffith, Claudrice McKoy, Chantoba Bright, Trystal McAllister, Stephanie Frank, Shontel Hinds, Irie Cadogan and Khadidja Ba.
Julian Edmonds and Raymond Daw have been named as the two coaches of the team with Alisha Fortune being named as an official representative.
Meanwhile, the athletics component of the IGG is scheduled to begin on Saturday at the Camp Ayanganna Sports Ground from 10:00h.
Powerlifter Vijai Rahim and West Indies female cricketer Shemaine Campbell were named Berbice Male and Female Sportpersons when the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) hosted its second annual Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Award at the St Francis Training Centre recently.
The Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) received the Sports Association-ofthe-Year award, while popular Berbice cycling coach, Randolph Roberts, copped the prestigious Sport Personalityof-the-Year prize.
Outstanding
Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster, stated that the main aims of the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Award were to recognise and honour outstanding Berbicians who performed well in sports during the calendar year, to promote sports as a safe avenue for youths and to identify positive role models for youths to emulate.
Foster, the 2011 National Sport Personality awardee, urged the awardees to maintain the high standard they have set themselves and to be positive role models to every youth in Berbice as the Ancient County needs its youths to be moulded properly. He expressed gratitude to Noreen Gaskin and the Management of Sentinel Security for their sponsorship
of the award.
Chris Thompson, Sentinel Director of Operations, informed the large gathering that his company was pleased to be associated with the highly successful RHTY&SC to honour the late Gregory Gaskin, who was the CEO of Cops Security Limited.
Gaskin, the son of late West Indies Test player Berkley Gaskin, and the late Minister of Education Winifred Gaskin, was a strong believer in sports and a practising motor biker.
Believer Thompson stated that Noreen Gaskin, widow of the late Gregory, is a strong believer in sports as an avenue to keep youths off the streets and expressed the hope that the Berbice Sports Award would become the top award in Guyana.
Rahim in 2013 copped Bronze, Silver and Gold medals while representing Guyana overseas and was named best lifter at the National Powerlifting Championship held in November 2013. Campbell in 2013 became the first Guyanese female cricketer to score an international century and was also named National Sportswoman for 2013 by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Flying Ace cycling coach Randolph Roberts organised numerous cycling events in 2013 and also coached most of the county’s leading cyclists. The Berbice Volleyball
Rafael Nadal has suffered a wrist injury less than a month before the start of the US Open in New York.
The Spaniard, the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows, will be out of action for two to three weeks after hurting his right wrist in training on Tuesday.
Nadal, 28, has pulled out of defending his titles in Toronto and Cincinnati as he targets a return to fitness in time for the US Open, starting on August 25.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I am unable to defend my titles,” he said.
Nadal has not competed since his shock defeat by Australian teenager Nick
Kyrgios in the fourth round at Wimbledon on 1 July.
The defence of his crowns in Toronto and Cincinnati were key hard-court season warm-ups ahead of the US Open, where Nadal will go in search of a 15th career Grand Slam crown.
“Unfortunately I injured my right wrist on Tuesday during practice,” the world number two confirmed.
“After the tests I have undergone in Spain, including an MRI and checking with my doctors, I will have to stay out of competition for at least two to three weeks.”
The Toronto Masters starts on Monday with the Cincinnati event getting under way the following week. (BBC Sport)
Association had a highly successful 2013 with the hosting of several volleyball tournaments at all levels and they also organised numerous developmental programmes to promote the game in the county.
President of the BVA, Gregory Rambarran, praised the RHTY&SC for its foresight in hosting the awards and pledged on behalf of the awardees that they will uphold their standards and keep the flag of Berbice flying high in the future.
Each of the awardees received a plaque, medal and trophy along with a collection of gifts from the club. The award programme was organised by the cricket teams of the RHTY&SC namely Farfan and Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female and Gizmos and Gadgets Under-21 and First Division.
Local cyclists will hit the West Demerara roadways on Sunday when the 10th annual Regan Rodrigues memorial road race is staged from 08:00h.
Organised by National Cycling Coach, Hassan Mohamed, the event will pedal off in front of the Wales Police Station, proceed to Bushy Park, Parika, before returning to the Schoonord for the finish, covering a distance of 50 miles.
While the Senior and Junior riders will cover
that course, the Veterans, Mountain Bikers and Females will start with the bunch at Wales, but will turn at the Uitvlugt Community Centre on the upward journey and return to Schoonord for the finish.
The top six to the line in the Senior division will be rewarded, while the top three in the Junior, Veteran and Mountain Bike categories will also receive prizes. Eight prime prizes will also be at stake.
Robin Persaud won last year’s event in a time of one hour, 57 minutes, 27 seconds (01: 57m: 27s) and would be a favourite to repeat the effort, given the fact that most of the top riders are at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Alanzo Greaves, Raynauth Jeffrey, Geron Williams and Marlon Williams are competing at the Games, making Persaud the man to beat on Sunday.
The other reigning champions are Hamzah Eastman (Junior), Talim Shaw (Veteran), Julio Melville
(Mountain Bike) and Hazina Barrett (Female).
The day’s activities will be sponsored by Ricks and Sari Agro Industries, whose representatives will be on hand to assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion.
Rodrigues, who died on August 4, 2004, of a heart attack, was a former national cyclist, former president of the Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club and the Guyana Cycling Federation, and a former champion driver at motor-racing.
