Guyana Times Daily

Gouveia flew plane that spirited Smith away

AFC readying no-confidence motion against Govt

... APNU “may” support

One day after President Donald Ramotar dared the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against his Government, the Alliance For Change (AFC) said it was getting ready to go into campaign mode as it would table the motion soon.

This is according to AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, who spoke to Guyana Times on Thursday, and said the party is preparing to table the motion in the coming weeks. He said presently, the leadership of the AFC is currently engaging its stakeholders and constituents after which it will be approaching the National Assembly with

the motion of noconfidence against the present Government.

Recently, AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo was quoted

as saying that his party’s intention is to move the no-confidence motion against the Donald Ramotar Administration. Nagamootoo said the Government had a serious accountability problem, as he alluded to the $4.5 billion spent to finance a series of controversial projects that did not manage to acquire the support of the Opposition parties at the Committee of Supply deliberations.

APNU to support

Meanwhile, the main Opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has signalled its intention to support the AFC, should the minority Opposition party make good on its stated intentions.

Speaking with Guyana Times from Congress Place Sophia, on Thursday, APNU’s Chief Whip, Amna Ally said: “The APNU has no confidence in this Government... if the AFC

takes a motion to the Parliament of no confidence, I have no doubt that the APNU may support such a motion.”

Previously, the APNU had tabled a motion of noconfidence in Clement Rohee.

While refusing to state decisively whether the APNU plans to table a no-confidence motion, the Chief Whip told Guyana Times that the main Opposition party has always held a fervent position of no confidence in the Government.

“Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh believes he has the prerogative to do whatever he feels like doing. Government spent $4.5 billion without the approval of the National Assembly. Now that is most unbecoming, that is recklessness, that

is lawlessness, you cannot govern a country like that... we need accountability... you can’t just spend it and then come to the Parliament, the Parliament is no rubber stamp” said Ally.

“Why then do you have a Parliament? Why then do you have a budget presentation to the Parliament? Why then do you debate in Parliament on the budget...?” questioned Ally.

President Ramotar emphatically declared that he was up for the challenge of a no-confidence motion. He said:

“We do not take threats, if the Opposition wants to pass a no-confidence motion, let them pass it and we will be ready to deal with the consequences of that.”

WPA Office burglarised

Bandits have launched another attack on the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Office, carting off computers and other electronic equipping totalling more than $500,000.

WPA’s Administrator Desmond Trotman told Guyana Times that he was left in a state of shock when he discovered that the New Garden Street, Queenstown Office was ransacked and electronics missing. The discovery was made around 08:30h on Thursday when Trotman went to open the office.

Three computer systems, two printers, one public address system, microphones and a DVD player are among the items that were stolen.

Investigators have reportedly confirmed that the bandits gained access to the office through a window, located in close to the stairway at the front of the building.

“There was a big padlock on the door, so what they did, they broke the glass window and that’s where they entered and that’s where they left. The Police have confirmed that the items were pushed through the window,” Trotman said.

According to the Administrator, who is an Executive Member of the party and a sitting member in the National Assembly, the Police on their arrival thoroughly screened the scene for fingerprints and any other trace of evidence.

“They did some dusting and the forensic experts

test for fingerprints, but what they found [was] that the bandits were wearing gloves.” Based on reports reaching Guyana Times, no one has been arrested thus far.

However, this newspaper was told by Trotman that bandits have attempted to break into the party’s office three times within less than two years. He recalled that during the first attempt, a neighbour alerted the Police after he saw bandits attempting to gain access to the office via the back of the building. He said two other attempts were also made at the back of the building, but it was the neighbour who scared them off by calling the Police.

He is now of the opinion, that the bandits might have resorted to the front of the building this time around because of fear of being seen by the neighbour at the back.

DEA Office finally being set up

… US says AML/CFT legislation crucial to its work

By Gomatie GanGadin

AWind: North Easterly between 3.12

and 3.57

High Tide: 04:10h and 16:37h reaching maximum heights of 2.58 metres and 2.47 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:12h and 22:23h reaching minimum heights of 0.63 metre and 0.74 metre respectively.

mid growing concern about Guyana being a transshipment point for narcotics, outgoing US Ambassador D Brent Hardt on Thursday announced that the Barack Obama Administration has authorised its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to establish an office here. But Washington is also warning the authorities here that proper Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legislation is crucial to the agency’s work.

Hardt made the announcement during a joint press conference with President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the President. Only last week, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee had called on the US to set up the office to help fight rampant drug trafficking here.

“I have advised President Ramotar that the DEA has approved and the United States Congress has authorised the establishment of a DEA Office in Guyana. The President welcomed this news and affirmed his Government’s willingness to work closely with our Embassy and the DEA to facilitate their presence in Guyana and their close operational coordination with Guyanese law enforcement authorities. I am pleased to announce that a DEA Country Office [is] at the Embassy here in Georgetown,” Hardt declared.

He disclosed that this was not a sudden development but was expected,

since he had been facilitating discussions on the matter since his tenure began.

“From the time of my arrival here, I conveyed to the President that the US priorities were to work in partnership with Guyana to build a Guyana that is prosperous, safe and secure, democratic and healthy. Everything our mission has worked on these past three years has been towards those broad and shared goals. One of the goals I pursued was to expand and strengthen close law-enforcement cooperation, particularly in the combating of illicit trafficking… it is vital to be able to build on that capacity for closer operational engagement between our law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Hardt noted that although the authorisation was given only two days ago, the agency has already begun shipping its equipment to Guyana and has identified the specialised personnel

to operate in Guyana while training is being planned for the local enforcement officers. While he could not give a definite timeline in which the Office will be established, he assured that the process will be expedited. “There is no definite time span to the establishment of the office, but the equipment have begun to come into the country, plans are on stream to further train and build the capacity of the Police Force here to work with the DEA office. There will be a gradual movement, but for the fact that the US

Congress has given its permission means that the process will move along quickly,” Hardt said.

Questioned as to why a DEA Office was necessary here, given that there was one in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, the Ambassador related that “the frequency of being here, to be on the ground will prove more effective. More investigations can be done and more arrests can be made”.

The Ambassador also said that a greater sharing of information can take place which can lead to strong cases being built so that prosecutions can take place. He emphasised the need for the passage of the AML/CFT Bill, noting that it is crucial if the agency’s mandate is to be fulfilled.

“A good money laundering legislation will have to be put in place for this. It is going to be critical not only in the fight locally, but also the agency’s work,” Hardt declared. The DEA Office will be conducting investigations, and intelligence and evidence-gathering to build cases after which the information will be communicated to the local enforcement agencies for the necessary action to be taken.

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

Editorial

Manufactured controversies

Guyana’s future and its current developmental thrust are being sacrificed at the altar of political expediency due to the deliberate actions of the country’s two main Opposition parties.

It is clear from the utterances of the principals of the combined Opposition that they understand their role to be limited to ensuring that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration is accountable and transparent in all of its transactions on behalf of the electorate, from which it derives legitimacy to govern.

The problem arises when one examines the methodology that the Opposition has employed since the 2011 elections to execute its role in this regard. The inescapable truth is that the Opposition has utilised the Legislature, where it has a combined one-seat majority, to manufacture controversies to withhold funding for projects that could see greater socio-economic development.

Strangely, it appears that APNU and the AFC have adopted the ideology, that if the country progresses and the standard of living of its people improve significantly, then the PPP/C would get the credit.

Perhaps, these parties also believe that their chances of regaining the reins of Government would be jeopardised, if not diminished, were they to work genuinely with the Government to tackle the vices that are retarding Guyana’s development in the areas of crime and security, law and order, and local governance.

As a result, the David Granger led-Opposition here has now resorted to manufactured controversies to create the impression that there is widespread corruption in Guyana and they are on a campaign to rid the State of this disease.

Remarkably, some media houses have signed up willingly to publish stories and broadcast and promote these controversies because of their grouses with the Government and their own political perspectives as to who should govern Guyana.

A careful examination of the news agenda of these media entities would see that every single day, the source of the information in spurious, scandalous and misleading; news articles and columns are either Opposition politicians or selfproclaimed independent analysts with very evident links to the Opposition parties.

For instance, an analysis of one of the mudracking dailies in Guyana would prove that the Opposition was the source of every single national controversy that was created and reported over the last two years therein.

Surely, are they trying to suggest that it is only the Opposition that has eyes for corruption, and all other independent national, regional and international agencies are either inept or blind to the transgressions of the PPP/C Government?

Every six months, a new controversy is manufactured, once the aim of blaming the Government and bringing it into further disrepute is accomplished either in the press or the Parliament.

In the end, this new breed of Opposition politicians could care less about the public’s interest or the image of the country or its future.

The aim is to bring the country to its knees so that the electorate would be duped into crippling the ruling Government by withholding their consent for the PPP to continue to exercise governance and authority over Guyana.

On the other hand, the Government has spared no effort in exposing the true nature of these controversies.

But no amount of clarity and facts offered will clear up the controversies that the Opposition has created, because the damage to the country’s future is already done. Perhaps, Mr Granger in the future will see the need to offer a blanket apology for crippling the CJIA Expansion project, Specialty Hospital and the Amaila Falls Hydro Projects.

Perhaps, if a Commission of Inquiry is established to look into the role of the media in aiding and abetting the Opposition’s anti-development drive through manufactured controversies over a specific period, Mr Granger will cooperate and appear to set the record straight.

The Government is duty bound to set the record straight regardless and must continue to do so or history will tell a story of its fiddling during the period when Rome burned.

“My Guyana, El Dorado…”

Goolsarran is a known associate of the AFC

Dear Editor,

I am amazed by the extensive coverage the antigovernment media has been giving to Anand Goolsarran.

Any logical, right thinking individual with an iota of intelligence can deduce that Goolsarran has a political agenda and an axe to grind with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

I am sure many other citizens have biases and political ambitions as well, and given the democratic nature of the current administration, I have no doubt that all and sundry have the opportunity to pursue such.

My concern and disgust are directed at the media houses that allow this individual to continue to misinform the public about issues such as the Integrated

It

is time

Dear Editor,

I am appalled that Mayor Hamilton Green is still with a voice, pen and face. He was utterly exposed and humiliated during one session of the Rodney Commission of Inquiry and had to walk out, feigning an excuse.

Now it is the same, as regards the massive clean-up exercise that is about to begin in Georgetown. And by the way, Georgetown’s present state is exclusively the work and legacy of Green. Let me quickly make a comment on how the Opposition parties have been most biased. They love to talk about how repulsive Georgetown has become, but

Financial Management and Accounting System (IFMAS), the revision of wages and salaries for public service employees and the use of the Contingencies Fund.

Is there no code of ethics that is used to ensure fairness, fact checking and credibility of sources before it is published and disseminated to the public?

I recall when a local newspaper was running its smear campaign some time ago, it accused a former President of trying to manipulate the citizens of Guyana.

In the same vein, isn’t that newspaper’s editorial board guilty of the very act they claim to condemn? Are they not being hypocritical by using Goolsarran to be featured in their publication?

Goolsarran’s ambition is to take political office before he dies. It appears to be on his bucket list. Certain local newspapers are facilitating Goolsarran’s need for attention and relevance at the expense of their own credibility.

Goolsarran is a known associate of public characters such as the Leader of Alliance For Change (AFC) Kemraj Ramjattan, and Nigel Hughes. In addition, Goolsarran is known for his past support of certain practices when he was Deputy Auditor General and Auditor General under the People’s National Congress (PNC) regime.

He reportedly published a book by a vanity press, which means he is believed to have paid all or most of the costs to publish the book

rather than have the academic community critique his work and have an established publishing house pay for its publication, like most credible books and authors.

Goolsarran is not an authority on financing in government, legal or otherwise. Hence, my concern that the media is intentionally facilitating the dissemination of mis-information by providing the platform for him.

I hope that the media will act responsibly and recognise that it has a duty to provide accurate, necessary information to the public via credible and authoritative sources. Goolsarran only seeks to use his years in the Auditor General’s Office for self-promotion and self-gain.

Sincerely, Concerned citizen

for an IMC in Georgetown

I never hear them calling on Green to get his act together.

I think especially of Moses Nagamootoo and how he personally suffered at the hands of Green, during his PNC days. Yet Nagamootoo is talking about “no confidence” against this Government. Shame on him!

I know for decades that there was no transparency/accountability with the Mayor and City Council, so I can see where Green’s anger is coming from. That is why I am not surprised, at what he desperately attempted, during the 2014 Easter Day mayhem. He and his ‘henchmen’ tried bullyism, to take

control.

We must never ever forget the kind of character Hamilton Green is and what he was immersed in for all of his life, both with the PNC and up to recent, as the Mayor of Georgetown.

He sees a last minute opportunity to capitalise, where the massive billiondollar, clean up exercise is concerned; especially the Georgetown leg, that has half of the budgeted amount.

This is why he is walking out of meetings, complaining about a proposed Interim Management Committee, and trying so hard to get the funds into his hands.

I have to laugh when a

man like Green is talking about constitutional rule, law and order, etc. He never was a follower of the things that he is now seeking to champion.

Also, since he has been such a failure as Mayor, then he should allow for a different form of administration, even if only for this clean-up exercise.

I call on the two Opposition parties to speak out against what is happening, where Green and his cohorts are concerned. Both AFC and APNU are silent supporters of this man.

Yours truly, Baldeo Mathura

Global drug use prevalence stable – World Drug Report

Drug use prevalence is stable around the world, according to the 2014 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with around 243 million individuals, or five per cent of the world’s population aged 15-64 having used an illicit drug in 2012.

Problem drug users meanwhile numbered about 27 million, roughly 0.6 per cent of the world’s adult population, or one in every 200 people. Launching the report in Vienna Thursday, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov appealed for a stronger focus on the health and human rights of all drug users, but particularly those who inject drugs and are living with HIV. “There remain serious gaps in service provision. In recent years, only one in six drug users globally has had access to or received drug dependence treatment services each year,” he said, stressing that some 200,000 drug-related deaths had occurred in 2012.

Social rehabilitation

The UNODC Chief said sustainable success in drug control required firm international commitment. A balanced and comprehensive approach addressing both supply and demand should be backed up by evidencebased responses focusing on prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation, and integration. “This is particularly important as we move towards the Special Session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem in 2016,” Fedotov stated. He also stressed that controlled substances should be made more widely available for medical purposes, including for ensuring access to pain medication, while preventing their misuse and diversion for illicit ends.

The surge in opium production in Afghanistan represented a setback, Fedotov said, since the world’s largest opium-poppy grower had increased the area under cul-

tivation by 36 per cent from 154,000 hectares in 2012 to 209,000 hectares in 2013. With a crop yield of some 5500 tonnes, Afghanistan accounted for up to 80 per cent of global opium production. In Myanmar, the area under opium poppy cultivation covered 57,800 hectares, continuing the increase in cultivation begun after 2006. In 2013, the global production of heroin also rebounded to the high levels witnessed in 2008 and 2011.

The US, Oceania and some European and Asian countries have seen users switching between heroin and pharmaceutical opioids, a trend largely dictated by low prices and accessibility; but whereas dependent opioid users in the US are switching from pharmaceutical opioids to heroin, users in some European countries are replacing heroin with synthetic opioids.

The global availability of cocaine fell as production declined from 2007 to 2012. Cocaine use remained high in North America, though decreasing since 2006. Whereas cocaine consumption and trafficking appear to be increasing in South America, Africa has already witnessed emerging cocaine use due to the rise in trafficking through that continent, while greater spending power has made some Asian countries vulnerable to cocaine use.

Globally, cannabis use

seems to be down but a perception of lower health risks has led to more consumption in North America. Although it is too early to understand the effects of new regulatory frameworks making the recreational use of cannabis legal in some states of the US and Uruguay under certain conditions, more people are seeking treatment for cannabis-related disorders in most regions in the world, including North America.

New unregulated psychoactive substances

Seizures of methamphetamine more than doubled globally between 2010 and 2012. Methamphetamine manufacture expanded once again in North America, with a large increase in the number of meth laboratories dismantled in the US and Mexico. Of the 144 tonnes of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) seized globally, half were intercepted in North America and a quarter in East and South-East Asia. The number of unregulated new psychoactive substances on the global market more than doubled to 348 from 2009 to 2013.

The globalisation of the chemical trade has made it easier to divert chemicals from legal to illegal uses. However, the control of precursors, the chemicals needed to manufacture plantbased or synthetic drugs, has tangibly curbed such diversion.

Between 2007 and 2012, 15 per cent of diverted acetic anhydride, used to manufacture heroin, and 15 per cent of potassium permanganate, used to produce cocaine, were intercepted. During that period, seizures of amphetamine and methamphetamine precursors were more than twice as high as seizures of the drugs themselves.

Declines in the use of substances such as LSD and ecstasy in recent years can also be partly attributed to improvements in precursor control, which keeps the price of diverted chemicals high and raises the production costs of drugs.

In Afghanistan, acetic anhydride commanded up to US$430 per litre in 2011, up from US$8 in 2002, but it cost US$1.50 per litre in the world’s licit markets.

As progress has been made in tracking down precursors, criminals have turned to new tactics, such as creating front companies and diverting precursors within countries to circumvent international controls. New unregulated “preprecursors” have rapidly emerged as substitutes for the controlled precursors.

The UNODC Executive Director urged utmost vigilance: “Monitoring global chemical flows is especially important with the rising manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, which cannot be controlled with traditional supply reduction approaches such as crop eradication,” he said. “A robust international control system must remain a key supply control strategy”.

IT technician charged for fradulent conversion

An IT technician appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennon at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday after he was charged for fraudulent conversion.

The charge read that on March 24, William Renford, 25, was entrusted to personally deliver some gadgets to Sigmund Husband on behalf of Tonnette Grevesnor who is an employee of I Freedom Enterprise. Renford however converted these gadgets to his own use. These gadgets included an 11.2m dish, modems worth $394,050 and $90,000, SIMS valued $8000, sac SIMS valued $16,000 and four VTech phones valued $20,000; a total value of $560,000.

William was represented by an attorney who told the court that I Freedom Enterprise would normally give his client the items and that he would pay for it either on a monthly or weekly basis. He also stated that for the record, Renford had paid for the items previously and that it was a $10,000 transaction. Contrary to the defendant’s attorney’s statement, I Freedom Enterprise’s attorney claimed that no payment was made by Renford and that the items were not recovered. He was assigned to deliver the gadgets but did not. He also claimed that it was all Renford’s planning. The defendant was placed on $300,000 bail and will make his next court appearance on July 21.

Beharry salesman critical after being shot during robbery

Mahindra Persaud, 49, a senior salesman attached to Edward B Beharry and Company Limited was on Thursday shot to his knee and twice to his head during a robbery. His perpetrator managed to escape with $100,000.

According to information received by Guyana Times, around 09:30h on Thursday, Persaud made a stop at a shop located in Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, to deliver chowmein when an unidentified man ran into the shop behind him shooting at the ground.

The shooter then turned to Persaud and shot him to his knee. Despite being injured, Persaud tried to make his way back to the delivery bus, but was pursued by the shooter who then shot him to his head. The shooter then made his escape on a bicycle.

Persaud was in the com-

pany of a porter who ran away after hearing gunshots. The man is currently listed as critical at a city hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the bullets.

Relatives told Guyana Times that Persaud was previously robbed, however he did not receive any major injuries from that incident.

One relative related that Persaud was featured in a Sunday paper for being one of Beharry’s top salesmen and posited that this could have been the reason for the robbery.

Police ranks collected statements from several persons and will be carrying out further investigations.

Rodney CoI hears… Gouveia flew plane that spirited Smith away

By Tajeram mohaBir

Captain Gerry Gouveia on Thursday admitted to have flown Sergeant Gregory Smith to Kwakwani, facilitating his safe escape from Guyana after allegedly murdering Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Leader, Dr Walter Rodney, but pointed out that he was unaware at the time that Smith was a fugitive.

Testifying before the Commission, Gouveia, who was peppered with questions from the Commission Chair, Sir Richard Cheltenham and the attorneys representing members of the Rodney family, said as a 22-year-old Commissioned Officer in the military at the time, he was following the instructions handed down to him by his superiors.

Gouveia, who scored six promotions in eight years while in the Army, said as

an officer, he discharged his duties with pride and honour, pointing that it was not established protocol for a junior officer to question the instructions of his superior. In his case, he said it could only have been done if there was a grave concern of safety. He was in the Army for three years at the time.

Though Smith was a serving Army officer at the time, Gouveia, now a businessman, said he never met Smith and only learnt about him a few days after the death Dr Rodney when his photograph was published in a local newspaper, which he could not remember.

In fact, the retired Army Captain who was stationed at Camp Stephenson, told the Commission that he learnt of Dr Rodney’s death on June 14, the day after he was killed, via a radio report when he had retired to

his barracks. Following a lengthy pause, he told the Commission that on June 14, 1980, when he reported to the GDF operations centre at the Timehri International Airport, now the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA); he was given a flight programme, and flew three flights on that day.

The first was the flight to Kwakwani, which comprised of a man, a woman and children, none of whom he knew or conversed with.

Did not report

The plane, Gouveia said was flown without a co-pilot and on landing, the passengers disembarked, but he did not know who picked them up in what type of vehicle(s) or in what direction they went. At the time, he said he saw no anomaly in the passengers, but a few days after the death of Dr Rodney and on seeing the photograph of Smith in a publication of the Catholic Standard newspaper, it dawned on him that he was the man, who was with the woman and children, whom he had flown to Kwakwani.

But he said he did not report the matter to his superiors, as he saw no need to do so, as there was no inves-

tigation for him to come forward, and reported what he saw. He said the investigation of Dr Rodney’s death was a matter for the State and pointed out that the Government had engaged some British and other foreign investigators, but nothing came out of the matter.

The retired Army Captain said too that he did not check the flight manifest to verify if the person he saw was indeed Smith and had no interest to do such. Gouveia pointed out too that the state media at the time was tightly controlled by the Government and it did not portray Smith as a murderer, but more as a fugitive.

The information provided was also scanty, he said, recalling that he heard a more detailed report on the Caribbean News Agency (CANA), from an interview given by Dr Rodney’s brother, Donald Rodney. He related that he was extremely unimpressed by the report, and has questions in his mind, even today, on why an intelligent man like Dr Rodney would go test a walkie-talkie on a “back street”, at 20:15h in the night.

Census report to be ready by year-end –Finance Minister

Work on the 2012 National Population Census is in its final stages and will be released by year-end, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said.

Dr Singh said the process is ongoing and a more detailed investigation is now being done on a number of variables, contending: “I expect a full census report before the end of this year.”

The Minister, questioned on whether the field work has been completed, responded in the affirmative, pointing out that tabulations are now being done.

“It’s more data analysis now. Data extracted from the surveys conducted in villages across the country is now being processed,” he added.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is the agency mandated to carry out this exercise. The Bureau began work on September 15, 2012 and was scheduled to complete a preliminary report in early 2013. However, as a result of several hiccups, the deadline was extended to September last, which was also missed.

According to a Bureau official, during September last, staffers were going back into the field to conduct verifications since they wanted to ensure that it publishes accurate information.

However, this did not excuse the fact that the exercise was way behind schedule.

There were concerns raised about completing the exercise efficiently, especially in the interior locations. A traditional population and housing census is among one of the most complex and massive exercises a nation undertakes as it requires mapping of the entire country and mobilising and training of enumerators, among others.

The census is a critical tool in helping policy-makers to plan for the future in terms of schools, clinics, hospitals, roads and urban infrastructure to name a few. It can measure fertility, mortality and spatial distribution, so as to predict and plan for demographic trends. It can uncover gender disparities in employment, literacy, age of marriage and assets. A census also reveal the number of people with disabilities, orphans and can map out dwelling types, drinking water sources, telecommunications access, and patterns of energy consumption.

Guyana’s last census survey was conducted in 2002 when a population of 751,023 was recorded. Censuses are conducted every 10 years.

Miners flay ‘passive’ GGDMA over gold fallout

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) headquarters was on Wednesday filled to capacity as scores of miners turned out at a consultation to discuss the challenges and way forward for the sector.

The gathering of mostly small and medium-scale miners were very vocal in sharing their views, with most of them blaming the Government, Natural Resource Minister Robert Persaud, corrupt practices and the GGMDA for the problems bedeviling the industry.

They noted that the gold industry will soon become dead at the hands of the Government and the Association.

One miner, who seemed to be representing the majority, but declined to give his name, told GGMDA Chairman Patrick Harding and his executives that the organisation has failed to address the needs of its members and they no longer have confidence in any of them .

The man accused Minister Persaud of making promise upon promise, but seen unable to fulfil any.

“There are too many promises being made. Every time we have a meeting, they make promises. A lot of it is being made at these forums and years pass, challenged increase but yet we cannot see a sign of the things which were promised,” the man said.

At this point, murmurs were heard from the miners, with some saying that the Minister should be held accountable for the promises which he continuously

A miner making a point at the consultation

makes and the conveniently forgets.

The miner also criticised Harding, saying that the Association has a laid-back approach in addressing the challenges confronting them. He told the men at the headtable that if they wanted the support of the miners, they will have to become more proactive, since they were fed up of having an Association which could not give them proper representation.

The man stated that had the GGMDA’s executives pushed for the Minister to live up to his promises, many of the issues affecting them would have been solved.

“What we need is an Association which can represent the interests of its members. Who can hold the Minister and the Government accountable for the

promises they continually make. What I propose you do, if you wish to have the continued support of the miners is to implement a system whereby if someone makes a promise, you document it and ask them how long it is going to take,” he said.

He also mentioned that the miners, particularly small miners, will soon be forced to close their operations, warning that if this happens, it will negatively affect the country.

The miner said too: “We need access roads, we need duty-free concessions, we need cheaper spare parts and machineries, we need land to mine on because this is a major issue, we need our gun applications to be approved because there is a high level of crime in the hinterland.”

WPA fought for a just cause – Gouveia

Captain Gerry Gouveia told the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry on Thursday that considering the political atmosphere at the time, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) was fighting for a just cause.

Under the political circumstances of the country at the time, Captain Gouveia, then a young man, said the political party, which was always considered a thorn in the flesh of the then Government, had been working diligently to seek a retreat of the sociopolitical condition.

Gouveia said the party’s strategies may not have always been correct, but

the objectives were most welcome by Guyanese.

He told the tribunal of the restriction on the smooth flow of information and the downright control of the economy by the State during that time. He recalled that there were two radio stations and one newspaper, properties of the State.

It may be because of the censorship of the media that he was unable to make a report about flying the “wanted man” to the rural community of Kwakwani. Because of the level of information forthcoming, Gouveia said he

was made to believe that there was simply a mere allegation against Smith.

He said the Private Sector Commission was stifled and finally extinguished during that time and those were some of the things the WPA was fighting against.

Established in the late 1970s, the WPA had the aim of registering political legitimacy in a country that was tainted by autocratic manipulation. With its collective leadership, the party later emerged into an electoral body in 1980; the year its founding leader, Dr Walter Rodney was killed.

Gouveia flew plane...

This, he said happened at a time when public threats were issued to the party, referring to the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government. For these and other reasons, Gouveia said he never drew a conclusion on the incident.

Asked by Commissioner Seenath Jairam, if he had any regrets after he knew that he flew Smith to safety, the retired Army Captain said as a young officer at the time, he did not, but now his views have changed.

Questioned by Sir Richard on whether he believes he aided the escape of a fugitive, Gouveia, who said he had command only over the aircraft he flies, replied “no” with a tense look in the face. He also said he did not believe that the flight was illegal, pointing out that he was following a legal command, and disobedience would have had repercussions.

“Red man”

Asked by Commissioner Jairam to describe Smith, Gouveia said “he was a red man”. Following up, Jairam asked how tall he was, and at this point, Gouveia, who had just come off a heated cross-examination by Attorney Andrew Pilgrim, who is representing the Rodney family, pointed to Pilgrim.

The gesture caused Pilgrim, who fits the Guyanese description of a “red man” to quickly snap: “I am not Gregory Smith,” evoking healthy laughter from the gathering. However, Gouveia admitted that the decision to fly Smith to Kwakwani was sanctioned by the Army, but he was unable to pinpoint the source of the instruction.

Norman McLean was the GDF Chief-of-Staff at the time, and according to former Police Constable Robert Gates, Mclean used to report directly to President Forbes Burnham. On the face of it, Attorney for

Donald Rodney Keith Scotland, suggested that the transportation of Smith was a priority, to which Gouveia replied in the affirmative.

He also told the Commission that though Dr Rodney was loved by many, he was also disliked by many and even though today he believes that the WPA was fighting a just fight, he believes that their methodology was flawed.

According to him, the party chose to confront a mightier force openly, suggesting that it could have used a smarter approach in engaging the oppressive PNC Government.

He also said that during his time in the army, he never bore a party card, and was unaware of any officers who did, but would not doubt that some would have had close association with the PNC Government and were card-bearing members.

Scholarship

Gouveia noted that whatever was their affiliation, they acted and performed their duties professionally. He also said that he was not gifted a scholarship to study aviation by the PNC, but competed and won in a competitive process, where the final approval was given by McLean.

On the issue of professional conduct, he related that he did recall a practice where members of the Presidential Guard, which was a separate agency from the army, used to empty the ammunition from the guns of soldiers on parade.

This instruction, he said would have most likely come from President Burnham, noting that it was strongly abhorred by senior army officers. Based on the testimonies presented to the Commission thus far, Burnham was aware that the GDF was being infiltrated.

The cross-examination of Gouveia continues today.

TravelSpan Flight Attendants complete training

The group of 14 Guyanese individuals selected by TravelSpan to become Flight Attendants arrived home on Thursday after successfully completing three weeks of intense training in Las Vegas, Nevada and Denver, Colorado in the United States.

According to a press release from the company, the Flight Attendants are now certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and will be working on the TravelSpan flights operated by Vision Airlines to New York, USA; Port of Spain, Trinidad; and the Dominican Republic.

Before their return to Guyana, on Wednesday evening, the graduates were feted by TravelSpan’s manage-

DEA Office...

President Ramotar told the media that he was pleased at this development. He noted that as President, he had the best interest of the country at heart and the establishment of a DEA Office here will definitely ensure this. “I welcome this initiative very much. All of you would know that from the beginning of my tenure, I expressed the view that narco- trafficking was an international problem and for us

ment and staff in New York and introduced to some media and travel partners. The newly-minted Flight Attendants enthusiastically thanked TravelSpan for the great opportunity to serve their fellow Guyanese travellers and shared their excitement to begin work and bring a personal experience to all on board the company’s flights.

TravelSpan President and Chief Executive Officer Nohar Singh reflected on the company celebrating 19 years in business, and congratulated all on a job well done over the years to put the company in the position to provide unsurpassed quality service to the Guyanese market.

from page 3

to combat that, there is need for us to have international cooperation. I was pushing for something like this to happen, because I would like to make our country totally inhospitable towards those who try and those who use our country for their selfish gains, to traffic drugs,” the Guyanese Leader asserted.

He also noted that this new development was in keeping with the regulations of the AML/CFT Bill,

Passengers can look forward to being greeted on board by Yannick December, Collis Campbell, Christine Camacho, Lauristan Choy, Ruqayyah Boyer, Roselyn Sewcharran, Candasy Layne, Tondicka Austin, Vanetta Forsythe, Kathrina Fung-A-Fat, Christina Perreira, Sandra Saccoor, Kimberly Bisnauth, and Shivanie Latchman very soon.

TravelSpan, in collaboration with Vision Airlines, currently offers a Wide-Body 767/200 and 767/300 aircraft for its nonstop service between Georgetown and New York. The company reiterates that its commitment to Guyana is clearly demonstrated by its investment in the training and development of the Flight Attendants.

while taking a jibe at the Opposition for not supporting the legislation. “This is one of the essences of the AML/CFT to fight the financing of terrorism .This will block all of the loopholes for illegal and illicit gains. Anyone who is against narco-trafficking and the financing of terrorism should and would support this Bill,” Ramotar said.

The new development comes even as Presidential Adviser on Governance, Gail

Teixeira is in France, negotiating with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the country not to be blacklisted after it failed to meet the deadlines which were given by the financial watchdog for the passage of the AML/ CFT Bill.

It is expected that the US Government will be bearing all costs attached to the establishment of the local office at the US Embassy in Georgetown.

Eyew tness Innovations...

...with carilla

Your Eyewitness was first arrested by the headline in his very own GTimes that paid his salary – “Corilla cancer research prospects good – Dr Cummings”. He did a double take: “Gorilla cancer research” in Guyana. Where the heck would Guyana be getting the Gorillas?? But after reading the story, he realised the writer was talking about “Carilla” – that very bitter vegetable his mother insisted he ate when he was a kid. “It’s good for your blood, son.”

So why call the thing “Corilla”??? Your Eyewitness realised that the newspaper is put together by the same people who changed “Dhaal” to “Dholl”. The former is too “broad” and uncultured...you’re supposed to curl your mouth around your words if you want to appear “sophisticated”. So “Dholl” it is and “corilla” it’s to become. The folks over in Trinidad call it “Carilli” – which is the Hindi feminine inflection of “Carilla”. “Corilla” is the neuter, upscale inflection?

When you think about it, the fact that humans eat stuff like Carilla is a sign we’re different from other mammals –it’s a sign of our humanity. Which other mammal would eat something so bitter? In fact, the bitterness of Carilla is probably an evolutionary development to protect that species from mammals! That we CHOOSE to eat it in spite of its bitterness betrays a higher level of consciousness: it’s good for you.

But back to the story. Seems that UG received a US$239,000 (G$47,800,000) grant to check out the folk wisdom and conduct research into the possibility of using Carilla to cure cancer. The old folks also vouch for Carilla’s ability to deal with diabetes – but that’s awaiting another funding grant.

What struck us about the story was that the entire research is being done at the University of Central Lancashire in Britain....in their labs and all that. Two Guyanese – the said Dr Cummings and a “young lecturer” in pharmacy will participate. The question we have is: How much of this $47 million will be spent in Guyana? After all, we were told that the grant was an appendage to a LOAN of US$10 million from the World Bank to upgrade UG’s facilities. We pay. Couldn’t some of that money have been spent to bring in the necessary equipment to UG and do the experiments here? Exactly how will Guyana benefit from this project?

We’ll be shipping the Carillas up to England, under the “non-traditional agricultural products” programme?

...in traffic

We’ve given the Guyana Traffic Police a lot of stick in this column for the predilection of some members to shake down the public. It’s gotten so bad that even when there’s an innovation to streamline things, it’s seen as just another opportunity to bilk the public. Like with the issuing of tickets. This was supposed to take care of the indignity of being hauled off to the Police station for speeding or some such. Or being threatened with such a hauling unless you paid up.

But with the ticket, it’s the same threat – without the Traffic fellas needing to actually give up some fleecing because they have to take you to the station. But recently, your Eyewitness had reason to drive up to Georgetown on the East Bank Highway in the morning rush hour. My, was he surprised!!! From the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the Traffic Cops had converted one of the eastern lanes into Georgetown-bound traffic. With three lanes going in this direction, driving was literally “a breeze”!

Until, that is, your Eyewitness hit Lombard Street blocks from the Big Market. The Traffic Cops have allowed Sand Trucks to park on both sides of the Street – forcing traffic into a single, snarling, stuck lane!!

...in relationships

Little St Kitts and Nevis just opened up an Embassy in Cuba. Gradually, even the minnows of the Caribbean are learning to accept their own, experienced truth: Cuba is a positive Caribbean neighbour.

PPP heartened by reversal of budget cuts

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) said it was heartened by the decision taken by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh to restore cuts made by the combined parliamentary Opposition from the 2014 Budget Estimates.

According to the Finance Minister, the restoration of budgetary appropriations will be done within the framework of the law and the rulings made by the Chief Justice which indicated that the Opposition had no authority in law to cut the budget in the manner it has been doing over the past few years. This is indeed welcome news for all Guyanese, especially the Amerindian peoples who are mostly affected by the budget cuts and the scores of public servants whose salaries were not paid as a consequence of the Opposition cuts. These are funds that were intended to implement the work programmes of the Government in critical areas of development. The funds, which amounted to $37.4 billion, was cut from an original 2014 Budget of $220 billion and was intended to fund the

construction of the Specialty Hospital, the upgrading of regional and district hospitals, the procurement of ambulances and surgical instruments, the procurement of TVs and boats for hinterland development, and the American Development Fund, which is so vital for American development, and other items.

Other projects affected by the Opposition cuts are the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Modernisation Project, Civil Aviation and hinterland airstrips.

Political spite

“It seems that the intention of the APNU/AFC [A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change] cuts is to inflict harm on our indigenous peoples, the vast majority of whom are supporters of the ruling PPP/ C[ivic] Administration and who are the major beneficiaries of the several hinterland projects earmarked for funding in the budget,” the Party said.

And in what can only be described as an act of political spite, the PPP said, the combined parliamentary

Opposition refused to lend support to allocations for the Office of the President, which included monies for the Presidential Guard Services, provision for developmental and humanitarian services, allocation for the Office of the First Lady and other Government agencies including the Guyana Energy Agency and the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest).

The PPP said it viewed the actions of the parliamentary Opposition as intended to frustrate the development agenda as an act of spite against the PPP/C Government and for that matter, the people as a whole. Guyana is perhaps the only country in the world

where the Government has been successful in mobilising resources for development and the Opposition parties are not only opposing funds earmarked for development but are also using their majority status in Parliament to blackmail the country internationally as in the case of their refusal to give parliamentary support to the Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering of Financing of Terrorism Bill, the Party added.

“The PPP is fully in support of the measures announced by the Administration to restore the cuts and press ahead with the developmental agenda of the ruling PPP/C Administration. The country cannot and must not be held hostage by a minority cabal that claims to represent the interests of its political constituencies, but, in fact, are doing everything to harm their individual and by extension, the collective interests of the nation as a whole.

The PPP takes this opportunity to commend the Finance Minister and his staff for the prudent management of the economy, which has resulted in sustained growth rates beyond the regional average despite the destabilising efforts of the Opposition parties.”

De Prezzi can do it

De Nagga Man wanna do some ting. At least he seh he wanna do it. Is a long time now he wanna do some ting. De last time he try to do some ting, he get a kick. That was a kick out. He get kick staight out de party. And he couldn’t do nutten since then.

That kick was different from dem other kicks whah he does get when he reach home after a certain time. Or whah he does get when he fall down wid a bottle in he hand by de shop near to wheh he live. Nagga Man still wanna do some ting now, but he still ain’t able till now. De other day he tell Rum Jhaat he gon do it. But Nagga Man need Rum Jhaat help to do it, because Nagga can’t do it alone. De problem is that Rum Jhaat he self can’t do it either. Not alone, nor wid Nagga Man. Nor wid any body else. Now, de whole of Parliament know that both Rum Jhaat and Nagga Man need No Gel Hughly help to do it. And No Gel know that he bigger than both of dem put together and dem friken if he do it. After all, dem can’t do it wid out No Gel. And No Gel does do it any way wid people just like he, wid out Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat.

But this is wheh de next problem come in. None of dem – from No Gel to Rum Jhaat to Nagga Man – can’t really do it properly wid out Green Jah and Green Bridge. And if any body know these two Greens, both of dem old, but one short and one tall, so that is more problems fuh all of dem to do it together.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Well, de Prezzi hear bout all of these plans to do it. But Prezzi been doin it a long time now and he know dem can’t do it. So he tell dem if dem wanna do it, just do it. Is now Bell Crier know, none of dem can’t do it!

Sections of Public Sector support

UG’s proposed fees increase

Members of the Public Sector have signalled their intentions to support the University of Guyana on its proposed increase in tuition fees, because they believe higher fees will prove beneficial to the institution, the staff, and the students.

At a public sector consultation held on Wednesday afternoon at the Education Lecture Theatre (ELT) at the Turkeyen Campus, several ministries and public agencies were invited to listen to the proposal of the University’s administration and to share their concerns, opinions and ideas on possible alternatives to the said proposal.

Leading the way in explaining what the tertiary institution’s turnaround plan entailed, to the gathering of mostly public servants, was Vice Chancellor Jacob Opadeyi. Dr Opadeyi first explained that the current financial crisis at the institution was one which stemmed from bad management and the failure of previous administrations to implement systems of gradual increases in tuition fees to offset always increasing expenditure.

The Vice Chancellor told the public servants that over the years the student population and, consequently, the institution’s operating costs had dramatically risen, but nothing had been done to comfortably cover that.

Detrimental

He noted that had the administration from the beginning of 1994 taken such action, the University would have been a better functioning institution today, on par with every other university in the Region.

“It took us 20 years to get out of the slumber and if we do not have the increase now, it will be detrimental to the University, to our students, to everybody,” Opadeyi said.

It was disclosed that in the years 2007-2008, the University’s income was

some $1.4 billion while its expenditure was $1.5 billion. In 2013, both the income and expenditure increased, to $1.7 billion and $2 billion respectively, a deficit of some $300 million.

This situation has left the University financially crippled, since it has no surplus, no reserve funding, and insufficient funds to pay gross salaries to staff and facilitate needed repairs and amenities for some faculties.

“If we do increase our tuition, I do not think we can survive. You cannot get a good education; high-quality education with $127, 000,” he told the public servants.

Return to glory days

He stressed that under his administration and with the proposed increase in tuition, the University can once again return to and even surpass its glory days.

He explained that with the increases, the University will be looking to not only facilitate repairs to all faculties, but have medical insurance for students, provide Internet access to all faculties, upgrade all laboratories, and rehabilitate dormitories on campus so that additional revenue can be earned and the institution can be on par with other universities in the Region so that it can attract more regional and even international students.

He related that as a re-

sult of the increased tuition fees, the salaries of lecturers can and will be increased so that they can better function and give of their best.

“Everyone knows that you need motivation to do everything. If the lecturers are not being motivated to teach, the students will not get quality education and so this is very important. Some may cry at the increase, but you tell me what the cost of a good-quality education is? Can you get a quality education from anywhere, anybody for $127,000? No way,” he lamented.

Opadeyi also explained that the University was working with the Education Ministry to develop a system which can assist the students who are financially challenged. Additionally, he mentioned that the administration is in discussion with the Finance Ministry of for the student loans to be extended but under a system where the money can be recovered.

“What we have proposed and are working on is for the programme to be handed over or managed by a bank, because we all know that the bank is good at recovery; they always find a way of recovering their monies and if this is done, then we can have the loan system up and running again, but this time, it will be a successfully run one,” Opadeyi told the attentive gathering.

Gardener charged for possession of narcotics

Twenty-eight-yearold Recardo Bailey of Lot 150 GuyHoc Park, Georgetown, on Thursday appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after he was charged with possession of narcotics.

The charge alleged that on June 21 at Wellington Street, Georgetown, he had in his possession 28 grams of cannabis.

According to the facts read by Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru, on the day in question, Police ranks were patrolling the area when the defendant saw them and threw a black plastic bag on the ground. Police ranks checked the bag and found it to be filled with cannabis.

Bailey was represented by Attorney Paul Fung-AFat who told the court that

the bag was found 50 yards away from his client and no evidence was given to show that it belonged to his client. The attorney also asked for bail to be granted in a reasonable amount.

However, the prosecution objected to this on the grounds of no special reason being put forward by the defence. Bail was refused and the defendant will make his second appearance on July 4.

All the plans that were outlined, the Vice Chancellor explained, will only be possible if the increase is implemented.

The plans were greeted with much approval from the gathering who believed it was a solid plan for the University to return to its

glory days. They noted that they had no issues nor did they wish for the plans to be altered once they are as outlined.

$60M for short-term upgrade of East Bank Berbice Road

Around $60 million will be spent to repair the East Bank Berbice Main Access Road, Design Engineer attached to the Public Works Ministry, Kelvin Clark has said.

He was at the time speaking at a stakeholders’ consultation on the new East Bank Berbice Main

Access Road on Wednesday. The meeting was held at the Edinburgh Primary School.

The money will come from Central Government, and will be used to maintain the road between July and October of this year when it is expected that the bigger project would come on stream. The interim contract has not yet been awarded and will not be un-

til after a public tender is held.

Clark told Guyana Times that the money is intended for the maintenance of the road up to the time that the larger project would commence. However, he could not say what sections of the road would be repaired with the $60 million.

The last maintenance contract, which totalled in excess of $35 million, was for work to be done repeatedly at the GlasgowEverton area. “Because at that time, that was the critical area; there was a lot of depressions there. We sat down with some of the residents, because it was a

small budget and we wanted to know where we could have spent that money and have some impact and that was chosen, so more than likely it would be a similar [situation] where we consult with the residents and let them decide.”

Disqualification

During the consultation which was attended by hundreds, stakeholders gave their views on some of the issues that should be taken into consideration before designing a new East Bank Berbice Road.

After the announcement was made, stakeholders including East Bank Berbice

Pandits Council to host medical outreach on Sunday

The Guyana Pandits Council/Radha Krishna Mandir will be hosting their fifth Medical Outreach for the year 2014 on Sunday, June 29 from 11:00h at the Shree Krishna Mandir in Helena Number Two Village, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.

A team of doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians, nurses and members of the Radha Krishna Mandir will be there to carry out FREE

medical checkups, distribute food hampers and engage the youths in the area in various discussions pertaining to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and suicide just to name a few topics. This exercise spearheaded by Pandit Rudra Sharma has been ongoing for months now. The groups all residents of the Mahaica area to come at and make full use of this opportunity, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

GBCHA trains more peer educators

Fresidents, vehicle operators, the East Bank Berbice Hire Car Association and persons who have businesses along the East Bank of Berbice expressed concern over the possibility of the interim contract being awarded to H Nauth & Sons Civil Engineering Contractors.

They asked for the company to be disqualified as a bidder. H Nauth & Sons Civil Engineering Contractors had been awarded a contract to maintain the road as measures had been put in place to make the road useable, as efforts had been made to construct a new East Bank Berbice Road.

The construction company had issued a statement to the Public Works Ministry earlier this year that it was a waste of money to continue repairing and trying to maintain the road, because it was beyond repair and accepting another such contract would not do well for the image of the company.

ifteen more employees joined the network of trained peer educators following the conclusion of the Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBCHA) second training of workplace peer educators last week Wednesday.

In a statement, the GBCHA said the employees who participated in this second training session for 2014 by the GBCHA came from Farfan and Mendes Limited, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association, the Guyana National Shipping Corporation, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Hand-in-Hand Group of Companies and Scotiabank.

The training, held over a three-day period, sensitised participants on health and wellness issues as well as equipped them with skills to share information with their peers. Topics included HIV and gender-based violence prevention. The training also stressed the importance of mental health and awareness of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD).

Coordinators from the Men’s and Women’s Affairs Bureau of the Human Services and Social Security Ministry discussed issues of

changing gender roles and norms, while outlining the services available for people affected by partner violence. Participants were also exposed to current information from the Health Ministry’s Vector Control Services.

GBCHA is a membership organisation which supports the business sector in promoting healthy lifestyles in the workplace and community. The Coalition assists members in the development of programmes, workplace policies and also distributes resource materials.

The GBCHA recently elected a new Board of Directors to serve for the fiscal year 2014-2015. The Chairperson is Ruth Autar of Edward B Beharry and Co Ltd. She is supported by Troy Peters of Banks DIH, Jennifer Cipriani of Scotiabank, Andrew Astwood of Guyana National Shipping Corporation, Chaitnairine Brijnandan of Continental Group of Companies, Donna Roberts-Benjamin of John Fernandes Limited, Yvette Fiedtkou of Sterling Products Limited, and Parvesh Bhola of National Milling Company.

Govt launches Hinterland Education Improvement Project

The Education Ministry on Monday launched its Hinterland Education Improvement Project (HEIP) at the St Ignatius Benab, Lethem, Region Nine.

More than 300 parents, teachers and students from Kumu, Kaicumbay, Arapaima, Moco Moco, Quarrie, Yupukari, Fly Hill, Katoka, Hiawa, St Ignatius, Quatata, Nappi, and Parishara attended the launch, the Ministry said in a release.

The event commenced a series of public consultations to be held throughout the hinterland region designed to assist the Ministry to gather information that will serve to inform a five-year action plan for HEIP.

During the three-day visit, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, along with senior officers from the Ministry, visited the St Ignatius, Sand Creek, Macushi, Toka, Massara, Aranaputa, Annai and

Wowetta communities in Region Nine.

The Ministry said it had recognised that more emphasis needed to be placed on the quality of education delivered in the hinterland as a whole, with specific attention being paid to learning outcomes.

As such, the HEIP was formulated to determine the gaps that exist in providing

Canada reaffirms commitment to human rights

...

at Alice Munro lecture

The High Commission of Canada on Wednesday hosted a lecture on Nobel Prize for Literature winner Alice Monro delivered by Professor of Literature at the University of Calgary and former chief judge of the Guyana Prize for Literature, Dr Victor Ramraj, entitled “Fantastic Portrayer of Human Beings”.

In delivering synopses of several of Munro’s short stories, Dr Ramraj compared Munro and Margaret Atwood in terms of their engagement in feminism. Dr Ramraj conceded his preference for the work of Munro, who has been described as a “master of the contemporary short story, and opined that she did not write with an agenda but with a story uppermost in mind.

“Man-woman relationships are the central concern of her stories, but she focuses more on the complexities and intricacies of love and passion that transcend though informed by gender politics,” the Professor said.

Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles, stated that Munro was an exceptional woman and a more outstanding writer.

Dr Giles said what she most appreciates about Monro’s work is the relatable way she records the dayto-day struggles, be it financial, moral or emotional, that women and girls worldwide face, whether they are in Canada or Guyana.

The High Commissioner noted that the Government of Canada is committed to improving the socio-economic status and protection of the rights of women and children, particularly girls, as it is cognisant of the challenges they face.

Dr Victor Ramraj

“What’s more, Alice Munro’s female protagonists are not stock characters. They have depth and range. They are strong and resilient. They are based in small town environments, but they are recognisable, no matter where we live, in persons we know and even ourselves. This is no small feat in a world that often still privileges the lives and thoughts of men and boys over those of women and girls,” Dr Giles noted.

She added that “Munro’s female characters understand women’s rights as human rights. They are strong, resilient and fight for autonomy and equality in conditions that, unfortunately, mirror real life”.

In addition to her Nobel Prize, the Canadian writer has won three Canadian Governor-General’s awards, and two Scotia Bank Giller Prizes.

She is also credited with the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement, as well as the CanadaAustralia Literary Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and America’s O Henry Award.

quality education and good learning outcomes.

Delivering remarks at the launch of HEIP, Manickchand observed that during the past 20 years, the Government has grappled with ways to reduce the disparity that existed between the hinterland and the coastal regions as it relates to education.

She pointed out that

through support from Government and international organisations, a number of programmes were launched, all of which had components that targeted hinterland regions, largely focusing on improving access and participation. Some of the projects mentioned were as follows:

Primary Education Improvement Project (PEIP);

Secondary School Reform Programme (SSRP), for which St Ignatius Secondary was a pilot; Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training Programme (GBETT); Basic Education Access Management Support (BEAMS) Programme; and Education for All-Fast Track Initiatives (EFA-FTI).

Significantly improvement

The Minister further highlighted that as a result of the continuous efforts of the Government of Guyana, a number of key areas within the hinterland education establishment have significantly improved.

“In 1994, there were 131 schools across the levels in the hinterland regions. Today, there are approximately 250 schools in the hinterland across the levels. The MoE, through the Government of Guyana and international support, constructed over 50 schools across all levels; approximately half of which are in the hinterland regions. This

translates to at least two schools being built in a given hinterland region per year,” the Minister stated.

The HEIP consists of five components which are as follows: Improving the Quality of Teacher Education in the Hinterland; Aligning Teaching-Learning Resources to Improve Students’ Outcomes; Improving Physical Facilities; Fostering Community Alliances; and Strengthening Management and Supervision in the Hinterland.

Minister Manickchand and her team heard from the villagers, teachers, parents, and students about how the delivery of education can be improved with a view to improving learning outcomes.

The Ministry will be visiting Regions One, Seven, and Eight in the coming months to continue these public consultations in an effort to formulate a comprehensive action plan geared at addressing the areas earmarked.

Atwell announces retirement

By ReuBen stoBy

Clive Atwell, who recently unsuccessfully challenged for a world title, has announced his retirement from boxing, noting that he was uncomfortable with the way he was being managed and that he couldn’t afford to pay the $5 million he was allegedly asked to get out of his contract.

The young boxer’s management, Dog Pound Inc, expressed surprise by their fighter’s decision, while noting that the boxer has not informed them of his decision. They also refuted the allegation that $5 million was being demanded in order to release the boxer from his contract.

One of the frustrations with management, Atwell said, was that management never seemed to be in any urgency regarding his queries on matters affecting his career as he often had to wait days to get a proper response as management would allegedly indicate they were busy.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sport from Dominica, Atwell said “I am where I

Schools will look to etch their names in schools basketball history by topping their zones when the final of the inaugural Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Conference finals are held on July 4 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

The finalists of the five zones will also do battle to gain a high seed to begin the National Schools Basketball

am because of the grace of God and he blessed me with many good people also because I am a thinker, a believer, a dreamer and a doer. I don’t pretend, but if I have to deal with people who don’t understand my vision and don’t have enough time then it will make the job hard.”

Atwell’s management was heavily criticised for accepting a meagre US$14,000 to fight against Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez for the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title in May.

The talented boxer said he wasn’t making enough money to cover all his expenses for supplements and training and taking care of his family and that added to his frustration.

Ronald Burch-Smith of Dog Pound Inc said he was surprised by the news because prior to Atwell leaving Guyana for Dominica recently, there was a very fruitful discussion between him and management where he (Atwell) expressed that he wanted more say in his career and better communication with management and he was told that

Festival set to begin on July 6. Covent Garden Secondary will meet East Bank Combined in the final of the Diamond East Bank Conference, while JC Chandersingh will face off against New Amsterdam Multilateral in the Berbice Conference.

The East Coast Conference will likely see a big collision between old foes

his recommendations would be taken on board.

“Yes, I had enough of fruitful discussion. I am an action man bro. I said set me free and I was told five million or I am not walking away.”

But Burch-Smith said there was never such a demand but rather Atwell had queried about expenses management had incurred on him over various periods and it was asked how much money it had spent on him for the year and that the reply was five million. “And then he walked away so he never told us he wanted out of the contract,” BurchSmith told Guyana Times Sport.

Asked if he would continue to fight if management was to release him without a financial burden, Atwell said “I will not say yes or no but what I know is I don’t normally go back on my decision. This was in my mind for months as I consider how my boxing life is.”

Atwell had a very successful amateur career and represented Guyana on many occasions before turning professional.

President’s College and the University of Guyana, while the Region 10 final will see Kwakwani Secondary and Mackenzie High School doing battle.

Meanwhile, the Georgetown zone will see a hungry Bishop’s High School facing Marian Academy in their encounter.

Conference action tips off from 16:00h on July 4 at CASH.

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), in association with sponsor Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) Guyana Incorporated, unveiled its third Cricket Academy at TCL’s 2-9 Lombard Street Head Office on Thursday.

The academy will be conducted at the Area ‘H’ Ground from July 14–26 with emphasis being placed not only on the core of the game but topics such as drug abuse, personal hygiene, education and other essential aspects of life.

Plant Manager Mark Bender and Marketing Representative Eric Whaul joined RHTY&SC CEO/ Secretary Hilbert Foster in revealing details for this year’s activity which will target 100 youths between 8 and 18-years-old.

Bender said he was impressed by last year’s acad-

Due to the current inclement weather, the organisers of the Rising Sun Turf Club’s oneday horse race meet scheduled for Sunday at the club’s race track at Arima Park, West Coast Berbice, have decided to postpone the activity until a later date.

Persistent rainfall on the West Coast of Berbice has left the venue in a soggy state, giving the authorities no alternative but to reschedule the event.

According to Fazil Habibulla, organisers will seek further guidance from the Guyana Horse Racing

emy's impact and decided to respond to the request for this year’s sponsorship. “We are impressed with the rounded programme offered during the academy.”

The Plant Manager added that he was satisfied with the effect the programme had on the younger generation, especially with them facing the challenges they faced socially.

“Cricket is the catalyst they are using to help them get useful counselling because they would not willingly take such independent steps,” he opined while wishing the RHTY&SC another successful year with the programme.

Secretary of the RHTY&SC Hilbert Foster, before receiving the sponsorship cheque worth $200, 000 from Bender, said the club since its formation, has always believed that proper preparation is the best path to success.

“We are confident that

at the end of the two-week academy that the youths would not only be better cricketers but would understand what it takes to be successful on and off the cricket field. Last year’s academy produced a total of 14 young cricketers for Berbice at the junior level, both male and female, and it is our hope to remain on the same path,” Foster stressed. Foster added: “We would like to reassure TCL that this sponsorship would be used for its intended purpose, that as usual the cricket academy would be well-organised and would achieve all of its objectives.”

He concluded by extending invitations to other clubs in Berbice to send some of their members to be a part of this year’s cricket academy. Coaches Renwick Boston, Winston Smith and Delbert Hicks will be facilitating the sessions scheduled to run from 09:00h to 14:00h.

Authority (GHRA) for a new date which will be announced shortly.

Meanwhile, Habibulla assured horse owners that the original programme will remain the same.

Eight highly anticipated races make up the programme with the feature event, being the D1 and Lower, fetching the highest first prize of $1 million and covering a distance of 1500m.

The main supporting race is for Three-year-old Guyana and West Indian animals competing at 1400m for a top prize of $600,000.

The winner of the F1 and Lower event to be run over a distance of 1400m is guaranteed $500,000 while the Two-year-old Guyana and West Indian-bred cash prize is set at $300,000 at a distance of 600m.

Other races on the agenda are the G3 and Lower (1000m/$400,000 first prize), I1 and Lower (1000m/$250,000 first prize), J and Lower (1000m/$200,000 first prize) and H1 and Lower (1000m/$400,000 first prize). (Rajiv Bisnauth)

Today’s games: Portugal vs Ghana (12:00h), USA vs Germany (12:00h), Algeria vs Russia (16:00h), South Korea vs Belgium (16:00h)

Portugal out despite beating Ghana

Cristiano Ronaldo’s second-half winner gave Portugal a 2-1 victory over Ghana, but the result means that neither team progress to the World Cup’s last 16.

Ghana defender John Boye gifted Portugal the lead when he turned a cross into his own net, but

Asamoah Gyan headed in an equaliser. Ronaldo capitalised on a poor clearance to sweep home and give Portugal hope.

But they could not find the three more goals they needed to prevent the United States advancing on goal difference.

The USA lost to Group

G

winners Germany 1-0 in the section’s other game.

Ronaldo’s goal was his first in what was ultimately a disappointing tournament for a player who had scored 51 times in 47 appearances for Real Madrid last season.

The 29-year-old, who has suffered from knee

and thigh injuries, failed to replicate the influence he had at club level as Portugal lost heavily in their opening group game against Germany, before a draw with USA left them needing to win by a large scoreline against Ghana to progress.

USA and Germany both through

The 24-year-old Thomas Muller is now just six goals behind the all-time World Cup scoring record

Thomas Muller once again made the difference as Germany qualified as winners of Group G with a 1-0 victory over the United States, who also reached the last 16 at the World Cup.

The Bayern Munich forward scored his ninth World Cup goal in as many games to give Germany a routine win at a rain-soaked Arena

Pernambuco in Recife. The rate at which Muller is scoring in World Cup games is matched only by Brazil legend Pele, who also found the net nine times in his first nine matches in the tournament.

The 24-year-old German is now just six goals behind the all-time scoring record, which is jointly held by Muller’s team-mate Miroslav Klose and former Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

This was a frustrating afternoon for the United States and their travelling army of fans. They failed to force Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to make a save of note but their qualification was assured by Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Ghana in Brasilia.

The US will now travel to Salvador to take on the much-fancied Belgians on Tuesday. Germany will play the runners up of Group H in Porto Alegre on Monday.

Vertonghen nets 10-man Belgium winner

Belgium are unbeaten in their last nine World Cup group stage matches

Ten-man Belgium beat

South Korea to top their World Cup group and set up a last-16 tie against the United States.

South Korea needed a win so the onus was on them to attack and they were helped when Steven Defour was sent off for a reckless tackle on Kim Shin-wook. A Son HeungMin cross struck the face of the Belgium crossbar but the Asian side struggled to create chances.

And Jan Vertonghen scored the Red Devils’ win-

ner when he slotted in after a Divock Origi shot was parried. Belgium have been criticised for a lack of flair so far in the tournament, but there is little question about their resilience as they have let in just one goal in three games and are unbeaten in their last 13 competitive matches. Their victory - the first time the Red Devils have won three group games at a World Cup - eliminated a South Korea side who lacked a cutting edge to go with their endeavour.

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neesham, Benn star...

From back page

Before lunch, he had worked on camping on his back foot unless the bowler was too generous with his flight. However, as his confidence grew he eased down the track to unsettle the status quo. There was turn and bounce available as early as one and a half hours into the Test. But Neesham’s intent matched his execution, as 10 fours and a six would suggest. Neesham’s crispness ensured the run-rate hovered around the four-per-over mark and orchestrated a slump in West Indies’ body language. They weren’t helped by a recalled Shane Shillingford looking off his best. The offspinner struggled to elicit the same kind of help as Benn and was often guilty of bowling too short or too full. West Indies had conceded 122 runs between lunch and tea, but ripped out most of the middle order. The hosts should have been buoyant, when play resumed but sloppy fielding crept into their play. They waited for the tail to roll over and Craig and Neesham

exploited that dip in intensity. The duo cultivated 64 runs from 17.2 overs to force some respect to New Zealand’s total.

There seems to be a jinx on the opening partnership for New Zealand. Three different combinations have been attempted in the past 15 months, discounting Brendon McCullum’s forced promotion in at Port-of-Spain, and only once has the 100-run mark been crossed. A revival was not on the cards, as Kemar Roach hit an excellent length. Hamish

Rutherford chipped to midon and Tom Latham was worked over intelligentlya few balls darting across him and then a full, fast one swerved into his back pad plumb in front of middle. Roach finished with 4 for 61.

Taylor and Williamson were cautious early on, but they were not indifferent towards scoring opportunities. Sixteen fours were hit in the morning session, with the above two contributing 13 of them. Jerome Taylor was the leak - he floated a half-volley that was caressed to the boundary to kick the match off and conceded eight further fours and a six. The discipline that has him at the top of the wicket-taker’s chart for the series was absent as he flitted between short and wide and full and on the pads. It was this kind of inconsistency that helped New Zealand to reach so close to 300 and West Indies would want to offset that with the bat tomorrow. (espncricinfo)

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Algeria through as Russia knocked out

Algeria came from behind to draw with Russia and reach the last 16 of the Fifa World Cup for the first time.

Ex-England boss Fabio Capello saw his Russia side take an early lead when an unmarked Aleksandr Kokorin headed in from Dmitri Kombarov’s leftwing cross. But Algeria grabbed an equaliser in the second half as Islam Slimani converted from Yacine Brahimi’s free-kick. Russia could not score

a winning goal as Algeria held on to secure a tie with Germany in the second round on Monday. However, the north Africans’ equaliser was a controversial one as television pictures showed a laser from the crowd had been shone in the face of Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev moments before the goal.

Nevertheless, the CSKA Moscow custodian will be unhappy with the concession as he came

off his line to try to intercept Brahimi’s delivery but failed to get there ahead of Slimani. The goalkeeper had also made a costly error in his side’s opening 1-1 draw with South Korea as he let a shot from Lee Keun-Ho slip through his fingers and into the net. Those dropped points proved decisive as Algeria, who failed to advance past the first phase in 1982, 1986 and 2010, joined Group H winners Belgium in the next round.

GABA launches DDL Under-16 Boxing Tournament

The third edition of the Under-16 schools boxing tournament will get under way next month.The tournament was launched on Thursday by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) in conjunction with Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) under the Pepsi and Gatorade brands at DDL’s head office.

The two previous stagings of the event attracted more than 60 boxers in each series.

President of the GABA, Steve Ninvalle, thanked DDL for its support and elaborated on the importance of the tournament.

“We are very heartened to continue to have the support of DDL, because we have always said that our nursery is important and with DDL on board we have seen significant improvement in that department.

“More often than not, people like to jump on the bandwagon when the motor is running; but DDL gave us the necessary push start

when we were trying to get the motor running and that speaks of their interest in development,” Ninvalle pointed out.

Representative of DDL, Larry Wills, noted that DDL continues to show interest in the sport of boxing, because DDL is always looking for ways to develop youth. “We like giving back to sport and youth and it is likely this will continue for years to come,” Wills stated at the press conference.

With the event taking on a three-part series format and the last two years attracting more than 60 boxers in each series, DDL preferred not to disclose the sum of money being spent on the tournament until the total number of boxers is known.

In addition, Technical Director of the GABA, Terrence Poole, spoke about what the Under-16 programme does for boxing. “This is where our future champions are born and the tournament has produced some of our top

boxers. Some of those boxers who have represented Guyana came through this tournament, so we are happy that DDL sees it fit to continue with us,” Poole said.

Meanwhile, Ninvalle was quick to note that “only” boxers attending school will be allowed to enter the tournament.

“This tournament is going to comply with all the rules we set out because we think it’s important for our boxers that academics and sport go hand in hand,” Ninvalle mentioned.

Ninvalle also shared future expectations of the tournament: “We are hoping to engage some of the hinterland regions, also Barbados is interested in being a part of this and in the near future we might see it take on an international feeling,” Ninvalle revealed.

Schools are invited to sign up their interested students for the July tournament.

MCY&S, NSC complete successful cricket session

With the aim of providing better recreational activities and exposing youngsters to a healthier lifestyle, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCY&S), in collaboration with the National Sport Commission (NSC), on Wednesday hosted a cricket session for schoolchildren between the Haslington and Golden Grove areas.

The three-hour session was held at the Haslington tarmac, East Coast Demerara.

Facilitator of the MCYS cricket development programme, Daniel Richmond, conducted the session which attracted 28 youngsters (25 males and three females).

In an invited comment after the session, Richmond said the fundamental aim of the session

was to educate the students on the rudiments of cricket and to aid their development in the game.

Meanwhile, similar sessions are lined up for next month throughout Region Four. The cricket session is part of the Ministry’s and NSC’s mandate to promote the game by giving the youngsters a better understanding of an outlook on the sport. (Rajiv Bisnauth)

BCB still not in receipt of official correspondence from GCB

By Rajiv Bisnauth

President of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), Keith Foster, on Thursday said the board had not received any official correspondence from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) on the GCB’s reported intention to initiate some form of disciplinary action against the BCB for the staging of the unapproved Independence T20 Cup in May.

“As we speak, the Board has not received any official notification in any form from the GCB. We received an email, but that email does not have a letterhead so we cannot take that seriously,” Foster said.

To this end, Foster had indicated that provided the Board receives an official correspondence, the email sent previously on the issue would be ignored. Further, Foster indicated that once the Board is in receipt of an official correspondence, legal advice would definitely be an option the Board may pursue.

Meanwhile, when this publication made an attempt on Thursday to get a comment on the issue from the GCB, it’s Administrator Savitri Persaud indicated that she was not in a position to disclose any information and referred this publication to the Secretary, Anand Sanasie.

“I would not be able to comment, you have to talk to the Secretary on that,” Persaud told this publication. However, phone calls made to Sanasie’s cell number proved futile.

The Independence T20 Cup was played on May 25 with neither the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) nor the GCB giving permission for the tournament to be staged.

The local governing body deemed the tournament “unauthorised and unapproved”, and is also claiming that the tournament does not fall on the list of “approved cricket for Guyana” as endorsed by the WICB.

The GCB, in a release last month, contended that authority for approving cricket not on the pre-approved list rests with the WICB who may delegate such authority to the GCB.

The release had further stated that the BCB was not authorised to approve cricket not on the WICB’s list of approved cricket.

However, the BCB went ahead to stage the one-day tournament at the Albion Community Centre ground, with proceeds from the event going towards organisations, such as cricket clubs, orphanages, schools and also towards health-related activities, among other things.

It is unclear what disci-

plinary action may be taken, but this newspaper was reliably informed by a source close to the GCB that the BCB, players, clubs, associations and officials who took part in the unofficial competition could all face sanctions.

The BCB and the GCB have been at loggerheads ever since the Annual General Meeting and elections on July 10, 2011.

The BCB had pulled out of those elections, citing financial mismanagement among other irregularities by the GCB. However, the then Vice-President, David Black went against the BCB’s decision and voted alongside the nine other delegates from the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB).

As a result of the way the elections were conducted, many observers had labelled them unconstitutional and illegal, especially since only one county board had voted. This resulted in Angela Haniff, Secretary of the BCB, filing an injunction against the GCB, claiming that the executives were elected unconstitutionally.

Moreso, the BCB has not been receiving its due subventions for over four years, while other boards, the Demerara and Essequibo Cricket Boards, have been receiving theirs.

Keen competition expected in Wartsila golf tourney this weekend

President of Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), David Mohamad, expects keen competition this weekend as more than 40 golfers will tee-off at 12:30h when the Wartsila sponsored competition gets underway at the Lusignan Golf Course.

Wartsila has a history of great prizes and incentives for players, and a great happy-hour session at the end of play. But it is the desire to win that produces the excitement as the players eagerly

tee-off.

Both Vijay Deo and Archbishop Dr Philbert London, the winners of the two previous Wartsila tournaments, are registered to compete in this Saturday’s tournament.

Wartsila sponsored two previous tournaments – on June 15 and November 16, 2013. In addition to all the other golfers who are striving for the champion’s cup, the two previous winners are looking forward to even better

play than they produced then. These days it seems the competition is so keen that inclement weather hardly discourages the golfers.

“The course is in good condition. The ground staff are working assiduously to ensure that despite the days of rain, the ground would be in a condition that makes play still refreshing,” Mohamed said.

Wartsila representative Arron Fraser cited that “Wartsila is pleased to be associated with and to support the LGC, especially because we recognise the golf programme in Guyana is one of the better organised and properly run sports.”

In addition, Wesslin Mattie of Wartsila, who is an ardent golfer and who introduced Wartsila to sponsoring a tournament for the LGC, had, at the start, expressed his appreciation for Wartsila being called upon to contribute to the sport in Guyana.

Limacol CPL’s #getmetothegame petition

Digicel first on board

Just three days after the Limacol CPL team launched the #getmetothegame Twitter petition calling on businesses and Government departments to allow their staff to leave work early to attend the opening CPL games in each country, Digicel has answered the call.

As presenting sponsor of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League and the

largest supporter of cricket in the Region, Digicel bosses in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis have happily agreed to let staff wanting to attend the opening match of the “Biggest Party in Sport” in their country to leave work early.

James Wynne, Head of Marketing for CPL, comments; “Digicel staff always bring with them the

Digicel Schools Football...

excitement and the party vibes, so we’re delighted that the Digicel bosses came out in support of our #getmetothegame twitition so quickly. We’re looking forward to other companies following Digicel’s lead and joining our #getmetothegame movement.”

Under the banner and Twitter hashtag of “#getmetothegame”, the Twitter petition is a rallying cry to cricket fans and party peo-

Hat-trick for Adonis as Brickdam

Secondary crush Central High

By TreisTon Joseph

Brickdam Secondary School made easy work of Central High School 7-0 in soggy conditions at the Ministry of Education Ground on Thursday.

Central High School looked like a haphazard side, unable to keep possession of the ball to mount any sort of meaningful attack on their opponents. Brickdam, however, wasted no time in opening their account as Dominic Barier beat the keeper in the 13th minute.

While the teams struggled to make smooth passes due to the damp outfield, Brickdam turned to utilising a lot of lob passes that pushed their strikers forward. Such was the case when Malachi Adonis received a pass and made a move towards goal to finish with a fabulous rightfooted strike in the back of the

net in the 20th minute.

Adonis would later dazzle the defence with his footwork, ending the play with another strike down the middle of the field just inside the 18-yard box in the 36th minute to give Brickdam Secondary a 3-0 lead at the half.

Shortly after the resumption, Denilson Rose received a cross from the right wing and hammered his shot past the hapless Brickdam custodian for the team’s fourth goal.

Adding insult to injury, Central High conceded in the 57th minute as a corner kick from Brickdam deflected off their own defender. Adonis would then make a run on a counter attack to slot in his third goal for a hat-trick in the 75th minute, before Darren Marks hammered in the final goal of the game in the 79th minute to finish off an already lifeless Central High School team.

Over in Skeldon, Berbice High School defeated Skeldon Secondary 3-0 in another onesided encounter. The first half of the encounter was spent with both teams exchanging possession of the ball as the half ended 0-0 with both teams searching for the game’s opener.

Much of the same continued in the early minutes of the second half as both teams found it hard to break through the defence to gain any advantage. However, Mustafa Dolson would notch the game’s first goal for Berbice in the 52nd minute before doubling in the 60th to give his team a major late advantage.

Eight minutes later, Kevin Sandy solidified Berbice’s lead with a scorcher of a strike in the 68th minute.

Games will continue in the tournament today at various grounds across Guyana.

ple alike to fight for their right to enjoy the “Biggest Party in Sport”. Fans are being encouraged to join

the petition by clicking on http://bit.ly/TocX7p and clicking ‘sign’. Select fans who join the twitition will also be in with a chance to win tickets for themselves and four friends to a CPL game in their home country as well as a chance to win a trip and tickets to the finals in St Kitts and Nevis.

Limacol CPL is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramat-

ic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere. The inaugural CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sport” featured six teams competing throughout the region in August 2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs, The Red Steel, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Lucia Zouks, Antigua Hawksbills. The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle, emerged champions.

CPL 2014 will take place from July 11 to August 16 2014.

Joann Deo wins Stableford golf competition

Improving player Joann Deo, handicap 17 and daughter of Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) Captain, Chatterpaul Deo, emerged overall champion of the wellcontested LGC Stableford system Club tournament last Saturday.

Joann, who placed second among the female golfers in the Crown Miningsponsored tournament on June 7, continued her winning streak by capturing the coveted Club Tournament trophy.

She won from a field of 32 golfers, including last year’s winner Christine Sukhram, who has won the female segment of the Guyana Open Golf for an unprecedented eight consecutive years.

Joann produced a final

score of 39 points, some four points clear of the secondplace finisher. She also won the Nearest to the Pin prize.

Joann, very pleased at her success, commented, “It feels good winning this tournament. This has been my best play so far for the year, returning a gross 45 on the front nine, and 39 on the back nine to give me a total of 84 over the 18 holes.”

Other top performers were: Haresh Tewari, handicap 14 − second place with 35 points; Ian Gouveia, handicap 11 − third place with 35 points; Sam Harry, handicap eight − fourth with 34 points.

Last year’s winner Sukhram also scored 34 points but could not be placed because of her handi-

cap of -7.

The peculiarity of the Stableford system is that the winner is the one who scores the highest total points and not the lowest total strokes as in the normal competition.

In this system, points are awarded for the play at each hole and not for the strokes to sink the ball. If strokes exceed a limit, no point is awarded; if strokes are less than the limit, points are awarded – the fewer the strokes, the more points. The golfer’s final score is the total points earned for the scores on each hole. As a format for club tournaments, Stableford is popular in Europe, the UK, and South Africa, among other locations.

Neesham, Benn star on see-saw day

Jimmy Neesham occupies the No.6 position for New Zealand. Judging from the evidence in Barbados, he has the potential to bat much higher. The composure he showed while the rest of the middleorder was prised out was remarkable and more importantly much needed to push New Zealand to 293.

Hometown boy Sulieman Benn coaxed a dry pitch to lend him turn and bounce in exchange for his steadfast accuracy, but his 5 for 93 lost a little of its shine as the day wound down. Mark Craig proved a thorn again, contributing an unbeaten 46 to remedy a situation that had been 172 for 7.

Chris Gayle and Kraigg Brathwaite survived nine overs till time, but they will be wary of being a batsman short. They had opted for a five-man attack, handing a debut to Jason Holder, and would be pleased with their openers’ positive display.

West Indies ended a trend of five losses since the start of the year in Port-ofSpain and their new-look

side could do with a series win. Benn epitomised that desperation and accounted for a set Kane Williamson, an aggressive Brendon

McCullum, BJ Watling whose doggedness is not to be underestimated and Tim Southee, whose penchant for six-hitting could have

hurt West Indies.

Benn forced the batsman to play more often than not, a ploy that usually provides dividends when the deck offers a little grip. His higharm action and strong pivot of the hip helped the ball grip into the pitch. He troubled both Williamson and Ross Taylor despite them looking quite comfortable against the rest of the attack during a smart 74-run partnership for the third wicket. Benn bowled unchanged from lunch until the last over before tea and also contributed in the field with a stunning grab, diving to his right at gully to cut a fluent Taylor short.

Yet for all the threat Benn posed, the other end could not keep up. Neesham was aware of that. His resolve indicated he may have also known New Zealand haven’t won a series against a top-eight nation away from home in a decade.

He targeted the seamers - a wayward Jerome Taylor was whipped for 21 off 13 balls. His comfort was no less against spin...

Seestory on page19