The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Wednesday, June 6 – 10:30h- 12:00h and Thursday, June 7 – 11:30h-13:00h.
The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Wednesday, June 6 – 09:30h-11:00h and Thursday, June 7 – 10:30h- 12:00h.
Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily
High
Low
ension is rife at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) after People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Commissioners walked out of a meeting on
disputed Commissioner Benn’s claim without offering any evidence to substantiate his position. What happened next to Benn, a former Public Works Minister, would result in the PPP/C’s walkout.
“The Chairman prevented Commissioner Benn from defending his position and when challenged, adjourned the meeting for over half an hour,” the Commissioners related. “Upon resumption, the Chairman announced that Commissioner Benn would not be recognised and, therefore, prevented from participating in the remainder of the meeting. We were, therefore, forced to walk out of the meeting.”
“We view this as a blatant attempt to censure and muzzle discussion on critical and important issues at the Commission in general; and
Tuesday over complaints of Chairman James Patterson using his post to muzzle them.
The Opposition is represented at GECOM by Sase Gunraj, Robeson Benn, and Bibi Shaddick. They had already indicated that complaints would be filed with the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) over biases in employment practices.
But tensions were high on Tuesday during a meeting with the Commissioners and Patterson. In a statement issued by these Commissioners, they complained about being gagged by the Chairman himself from seeking answers about the matter.
“At the statutory meeting of June 5…Patterson raised the issue of a public statement made by Commissioner Benn regarding the ethnic composition of the workforce of the Secretariat of GECOM,” the Commissioners related in a statement.
“In responding to the Chairman, Commissioner Benn attempted to justify his assertion and in doing so, pointed out that the perception was that the vast majority of the staff of the Commission was persons of one ethnic descent.”
According to the PPP/C Commissioners, Patterson
in particular contributions on issues regarding ethnic diversity in hiring practices at the Commission. We hope that this is not an attempt to alter the delicate
balance contemplated by the Constitution in the composition of the Commission.”
The Commissioners stressed that they have a constitutional mandate to execute and “do not serve at
the pleasure of the Chairman of the Commission”.
Patterson’s appointment is already under a cloud, as it was challenged at the level of the High Court last year by the PPP/C. In the PPP/C’s affidavit, one of the contentions had been Patterson’s perceived affiliation with the People’s National Congress (PNC).
Govt Commissioners Mere minutes after the PPP’s statement on the statutory meeting walkout, the GECOM Commissioners on the Government side themselves rushed to call a press conference. At that conference, which was held outdoors at GECOM’s High Street office, Commissioner Vincent Alexander addressed current vacancies.
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As the failure of the neo-Liberal economic paradigm collapsed around the ears of its sponsors up North, the economic profession as a whole has been trying to think outside the collapsed box. We return to this People’s National Congress-led coalition insisting on the in-the-box populist clichéd insistence on governmental giveaways. Their economic spokespersons have made no critique of the macro-economic fundamentals that undergird the budgets even as economic growth plummets. By avoiding comment on the present model, they unavoidably end up with intractable contradictions – such as cutting taxes while simultaneously increasing spending and are surprised our reserves and the real economy shrinks.
For instance, they might at least consider a programme of development based on some premises of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), which is receiving serious attention abroad. MMTers assert that government budgets should not be subject to any sort of arbitrary balancing constraint. Instead, the MMTers advocate that the government budget balance should be conceived of strictly from the point-of-view of real economic variables. Thus, if there is unemployment – as has been exacerbated in Guyana after the Guyana Sugar Corporation firings – there should be excess spending making the budget unbalanced. If, on the other hand, there is high inflation due to output capacity being outpaced by demand, the budget should be moved closer to balance or even, in certain cases, into surplus. A leading light of MMT referred to this approach as ‘functional finance’.
The reason that MMTers feel confident in making this case is because they hold that a Government that issues its own currency and allows their exchange rate to float is not subject to any budgetary constraints. They can essentially issue new money – together with Government bonds, if they so wish – until they begin to see inflation. Inflation, then, is the only real constraint to a Government that issues its own currency and maintains a floating exchange rate.
However, if a developing country tries to spend up to the point of full employment while maintaining a floating exchange rate, as stated above, they are likely to experience, devaluation and inflation as the weakened currency chases more and more imported goods that the country’s own domestic industry cannot produce. As incomes rise through Government spending programmes (and potential rises in real wages) people will be more inclined to seek out goods and services that were previously thought of as only available to a small stratum of the population. Devaluation and inflation are then almost inevitable. Luckily for us, with the expected huge inflows of oil funds after 2020, denominated in US dollars these are no longer threats.
We can actually use Government fiscal policy to guide domestic investment decisions and ensure that the some of the goods and services people desire as their incomes rise are produced at home rather than abroad. Then we need be less concerned with currency devaluation and inflation as these goods and services will be denominated in the domestic currency. And we can kill two birds with one stone – by also exporting.
Let’s say people are buying more top-end furniture. We have an abundance of high quality woods in Guyana – but our manufacturing capabilities are substandard. The Government can establish public-private partnerships to fund one or more industrial furniture manufacturing centres to international standards. Kilns, designing and marketing expertise can be shared. Jobs are created; more money is spent domestically and the export market can be opened up.
This governmental intervention (dirigisme) is a workable method of economic governance. It allows markets to continue to function but at the same time channels investment into needed channels quickly and effectively. It does all this without the need for complex bureaucracies. All that is needed is good researchers and planners and a government willing to incentivise investment that serves the public purpose. Coupled with the functional finance approach as laid out by the MMTers, the possibilities for fostering growth are endless.
But in Guyana, sadly, the Government seems only concerned entrepreneurs will be making money; not that there will be a virtuous circle created.
Dear Editor,
What is corruption? What are the consequences of unethical and corrupt behaviour committed by law enforcement officials? In Guyana, these are good topical issues to start a conversation with or even an argument. Please permit me to join in the confabulation.
Rothlein (2000) posits, “Corruption is a corrosive element that will spread like rust if it is not contained and eliminated. Addressing unethical behaviour and corruption has become a top priority and major challenge for Police administration. The causes of corruption are complex. Many factors can contribute to corruption, including greed; personal motivators such as ego, sex, or the exercise of power; tolerance of the behaviour by the community; socialisation from peers and/or the organisation; inadequate supervision and monitoring of behaviour; lack of clear accountability of employees’ behaviour and no real threat to discipline or sanctions.”
The real elements of corrupt behaviour are that the conduct (1) is prohibited by law or rule; (2) involves misuse of position and (3) involves
a reward or personal gain for the officer.
The average Police recruit or beat duty cop is expected to conduct his or her private and professional life with more integrity and decorum than most other citizens, however difficult and unrealistic that may seem at times. One area in which the Police’s conduct may be called into question is whether or not they accept gratuities. A gratuity is defined as a favour or gift, usually in the form of money, given in return for service; for example, a tip given to a waiter at a restaurant.
Many contend that accepting gratuities is often the launching pad in officers engaging in unethical behaviour and from there plunge quickly into actual corruption. Many persons provide ‘freebies’ because they expect preferential treatment from the recipient officers. Experience has shown that at times when the ‘freebies’ are not forthcoming, officers will make demands – even demand by menace. These may include simple things like money to buy drinks for the birthday party of the boss, tickets to attend a show at the National
Stadium, a fish fry or a barbecue. Research indicates that most scandals start with one employee doing relatively small unethical acts that grow to whatever level the leadership allows.
Strandberg (2000) notes, “Corruption takes on many forms, and some things seemingly insignificant can put an officer on a slippery slope, leading to major crimes.”
All is not lost. A good starting point to promoting ethical behaviour and integrity is to eliminate the code of silence. The code of silence encourages ranks not to speak up when they see another officer doing something wrong. McCarthy (2000) recommends seven steps to help prevent unethical behaviour and corruption: “ (1) Recruit with great care. (2) Establish appropriate policies and put them in writing. (3) Adopt a good employee evaluation process. (4) Make sure your sergeants share management’s values and philosophies. (5) Develop operational control. (6) Perform regular anti-corruption inspections and audits. (7) Implement ethics and integrity training into every training activity.”
Ethical behaviour is that which is ‘moral’ and ‘right’. Integrity refers to steadfast adherence to an ethical code. Therefore, the Police must inculcate ethical, integrity and anti-corruption training for all members of the Force, more so paying special attention to the subordinate officers and junior officers. The subordinate officers will not be able to change the department, but they can change their squads. The junior officers may not be able to change the department, but they can change the large number of ranks under their control. Fast forward, in time to come, these corporals and sergeants; inspectors, cadet officers, and assistant superintendents will be the divisional and branch commanders, the senior superintendents and assistant commissioners upwards, where they will be able to foster an environment of excellent ethical behaviour and integrity, thereby enhancing greater public confidence in the GPF.
Yours faithfully, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)
Dear Editor,
The PNC/APNU have proven themselves that horrible state in politics because they cannot fight a fair fight in clean, fair political combat without violence and intimidation being their main strategy. Whenever they are backed into a corner, they lash out like wounded animals. It started with their founder leader Burnham and was perpetuated by Desmond Hoyte and now David Granger; this is their modus operandi and mantra. Burnham, helped by the external powerhouses at the time, brought Guyana to its knees with those burning of political
opponents’ properties, while mercilessly beating and looting their business places.
Insecurity made them more repressive and evil in all that they did, so to hold on to that usurper power they set out on a task of massively rigging every election thereafter.
We are all too familiar with Hoyte’s “slow fiah, mo fiah” and his “kith and kin” jargon as Georgetown and its environs became a towering inferno with those “channa bombs.” The first is a signature statement of the party, while the second solidified their claim to the armed forces that they should not keep the
peace, but allow thugs and vile persons to decimate the capital. Drive fear and intimidation into the hearts and minds of the people.
So, fast forward to the Granger era and his own version of PNC repression. He is using force as well as an admixture of what I would call “legal proceedings” to the latest witch-hunting vendetta. It has come in the form of the old with some new tactics, I make mention of SOCU and SARA; these are the newest undercover tools this Granger Government is using to good advantage.
No wonder SOCU and SARA are out in force to in-
carcerate “all” political opposition they can lay hold of. They are looking hither, thither and yon hauling persons before the courts on trumpedup charges, hoping that one of these charges would stick. But charges are not convictions, and this is a major headache for the administration: how to convict those they have forced the courts to charge. As the situation worsens in Guyana, we are going to experience more of these coarse, cruel and stupid acts of a desperate regime.
Respectfully, Neil Adams
Instead of a deficit, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is claiming that based on the last actuarial report done on their Guyana Sugar and Trading Enterprises Pension Scheme (GSTEPS), the fund reflects a surplus.
This is according to the entity’s Corporate Communications Manager, Audreyanna Thomas, who in a statement on Tuesday noted that the last full actuarial valuation of the scheme was done in 2015. That was three years ago.
“Due to the restructuring of the Corporation and the reduction of the number of employees in the scheme, the full valuation has been brought forward one year to 2017,” Thomas also related.
“The actuaries will also be evaluating different models/scenarios of operation to determine the best way forward for the successful continuation of the scheme. It should be noted that the actuarial report will be completed by July 2018.”
According to Thomas, the GSTEPS fund is funded by pension contributions from both GuySuCo and the returns on any investments made using the contributions. She noted that employees are paid a defined amount based on their salaries and years of service.
“The contributions are held in trustee administered funds, which are separate from the Corporation’s finances and the pensioners are paid from the trustee administered funds,” she related. “Employees who have retired and are not members of the pension scheme, these include employees below junior staff level, are paid ex-gratia pensions.”
“(This) used to be partially recoverable from the Sugar Industry Price Stabilisation Fund (SIPSF); this is no longer the case and these pensions are fully funded by the Corporation from its own cash resources. These employees are not required to make any contributions to a pension fund as in the case of the employees who are members of the GSTEPS scheme.”
Thomas noted that current ex-gratia pensioners at the vested estates in Wales, Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon, continue to receive their pension from the Corporation. She added that severed employees who are eligible for ex-gratia pensions will also being paid by the Corporation.
GuySuCo’s statement, however, runs counter to what is contained in the en-
tity’s own 2016 audited financial accounts. According to that financial statement, there is a defined benefit obligation of $44 billion, contrasted with a value of assets of only $11.2 billion. This means that there is a net deficit of $32.8 billion. The audit opinion shows that GuySuCo does not have the resources to fund its liabilities including that of the pension. And since the statement does not quantify this ‘surplus’, questions remain over how this deficit will be funded.
Pension
Workers have been questioning the future of their pension benefits and whether they would be treated like the bauxite workers, in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice). A senior manager who is part of the fund
told this publication that, in 2002, the then Government had signed an agreement with the two large bauxite unions, providing six weeks’ severance pay for every year of service, with a cap of 104 weeks.
Additionally, the Government committed to pay the pension plan deficit and bring up to date outstanding payments for NIS and PAYE. The manager said that almost $3 billion was paid out by Government to fulfil these obligations.
This newspaper was also told that separate from the pay out, the Bauxite Industry Pension Plan (BIPP) was wound up and the full benefits were paid to all members of the bauxite industry pension plan.
This is a major concern for another beneficiary of the GSTEPS pension plan, which is the largest pension plan in the country. Its officials have said there seems to be no focus on protecting the workers’ benefits and ensuring fair treatment of sugar workers.
Just over 5400 sugar workers were dismissed as Government closed four sugar estates and vested their assets into the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) since the end of 2017.
There is major fear that Government would shortchange the workers, a former employee told this pub-
lication on Saturday.
“Instead of the workers being paid both their contribution and that of GuySuCo, workers are concerned that they may end up with far less than the same treatment enjoyed by the bauxite industry,” a former senior staff stated.
The STEPS fund has a history of negative figures, but several persons have opined that with the closure of several estates and the downsizing of the industry, there will be an influx of persons into the pension system.
Reports are that the Employees Retirement Benefits are in negative territory by $1.1 billion, as opposed to $2.4 billion in 2014, according to the 2015 financial statements produced by GuySuCo. And according to well-placed sources, the state of the fund has not improved.
A former employee of the Corporation had told this newspaper that Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) pulling out from the fund has added pressure to the fund.
The employee had expressed the view that Government had to be aware of the dilemma. He said this on the basis that there was no likelihood that foreign investors would have joined the fund, as the Financial Act currently prohibits certain levels of offshore investment.
Barbados must prepare for a long and painful journey back to financial and economic health, after announcing a radical plan to tackle the fourth-biggest debt burden in the world, according to the country’s new premier.
The Caribbean island is still reeling from Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s revelation last Friday, that it had discovered previously undisclosed financial liabilities, which lifted the country’s overall debt from 137 per cent of gross domestic product to more than 175 per cent. This is the fourth-highest debt-toGDP ratio in the world after Japan, Greece and Sudan.
Given the precarious fiscal situation — the central bank’s reserves are down to just Bds$220M, or seven weeks worth of imports — looming debt payments due this month and the upcoming hurricane season, Ms Mottley said she had no choice but to act quickly by calling in the International Monetary Fund and putting in place a debt restructuring.
“We needed to stabilise the country and stop the bleeding,” the new prime minister said in her first interview
with international media. Mottley, a former lawyer, became the country’s first female premier last month, when her Barbados Labour Party won a thumping victory to claim all 30 seats in the lower house of parliament.
Barbados is the latest Caribbean statelet to stumble into financial distress. Since 2010 St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada and Jamaica — twice — have had to default on and restructure their debts, in what Moody’s in 2016 called a “silent debt crisis” for the region. Its slide into sovereign insolvency has been a long time coming. Barbados was long one of the better-run countries in the region, helping its GDP per capita grow to about Bds$17,000 in 2016. But fiscal discipline started eroding after the global financial crisis, when the economy was hit hard by the resulting tourism drought.
The country’s annual economic output is about $5bn, which means its overall bonds, loans and other financial liabilities currently stand at nearly $9bn. Over two-thirds is domestic debt owed to local investors and banks, which raises concerns that a tough restructuring could imperil the solvency of the domestic financial system.
But the prime minister promising to exercise “a careful touch” to avoid bankrupting its local banking sector in the process.
“We are going to look at each creditor carefully, and make sure that the integrity of the local banking sector will not be impaired,” Ms Mottley said. “They will be hurt, but they will not be made bankrupt. We don’t want to bankrupt anyone.”
(Excerpt from Financial Times)
By Jon Lasser
There's simply not enough time to go through the mountains of parenting books that have been written, and many of them offer contradictory advice (eg, pick up your baby when she cries vs don't pick up your baby when she cries). Add to these resources all of the blogs and websites that offer parenting tips (including this one) and one can see why many parents feel overwhelmed. Though I'm not sure anyone has bothered to collect data on the matter, I suspect that today's parents of young children are exposed to far more parenting educational resources than past generations, though the parenting outcomes don't seem to be any better.
As a professor and psychologist, I have the opportunity to review a lot of the parenting books that are published and observe the themes that emerge. Some offer a behaviourist approach that's driven largely by rewards and
children's inner certainty of our interest, encouragement, and support." This kind of parenting advice certainly for those who are looking for a quick fix for behavioural challenges, or for those who want to have a new kid by Friday (yes, there's a book called Have a New Kid by Friday). Rather, Barish is advocating for something that takes time to cultivate, as well as authenticity. One can't pretend to be supportive and interested, at least not in a way that will ring true with kids. One must be deeply interested and invested such that a child is certain of it.
The what is always easier than the how. In other words, it's much easier to tell parents what they should do rather than telling them how to do it. In the case of communicating interest and support, parent-child relationships are most effective when we avoid criticism, sarcasm, negativity, punitive language, and scolding. Our relationships are enriched when we allow our genuine curiosity to drive authen
Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practise every day! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Don't leave home without it
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!
Once is not enough
Encourage your child to reread favourite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story
Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford
did that?"
Take control of the television It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.
Be patient
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
I read to you, you read to me
Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.
Gently correct your young reader When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first let-ter.
Pick books that are at the right level
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
Play word games
Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.
Talk, talk, talk!
Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.
Write, write, write!
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.
A22-year-old vendor died at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) on Monday after he was stabbed during a confrontation in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market.
Dead is Richard Noel, a vendor of Lot 39 William Street, Kitty, Georgetown. He was stabbed at about 13:30h on Monday at the Route 41 bus park.
Guyana Times understands that Noel and the suspect, a resident of Barr Street, Kitty, had a heated argument during which the stabbing occurred. Noel had reportedly confronted the suspect for assaulting his sister.
Initial Police reports revealed that Noel was stabbed once to the left side of his chest. However, relatives of the now dead man claimed that he was stabbed twice. The dead man’s brother, Tremaine Mc Curdy, told this newspaper that sometime after the incident occurred, someone went to their home and related the news to Noel’s mother, who has been devastated by the loss of her son.
“We heard Richard Noel
get stabbed twice to his heart. We hear from eyewitnesses that he and one of his friends had a lil talking but he didn’t had no time with the friend and he turn away. The friend rush to he and when he turn around, the friend give he two premeditated jook to he heart and he fall down,” the brother related.
According to McCurdy, they were told that his brother was left on the scene, bleeding out for about over 30 minutes before he was finally picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the GPHC, where he died sometime
around 21:00h while receiving medical attention.
Mc Curdy further related what he knew of the argument that ensued between his brother and the suspect.
“There was a conflict some days ago between Richard’s sister and the [suspect], who confronted the sister on the street a day and they had a talking, and like he hit the girl. So Richard go to confront [the suspect] about what’s the problem between he and his sister, and like they had a hard talking,” the young man explained.
He went on to note, however, that he is not sure if that was the reason behind Monday’s confrontation. “I don’t know if it’s why they had the scuffle over or a past scene because the two of them were in jail before so I don’t know if it’s a problem in jail or whatsoever make it happen,” Mc Curdy said.
Since the incident, the suspect has reportedly gone into hiding. This publication was told that the Police searched his residence but came up empty-handed. Nevertheless, investigations are ongoing.
Several persons employed at SOL Guyana Inc are being questioned as Police investigate the theft of some $8 million in diesel over the weekend.
The incident took place at the company’s Lot BB Rome, Greater Georgetown head office.
According to Police reports, some 34,000 litres of diesel went missing some time between Friday evening and Monday morning.
The discovery was made about 07:30h by an operator attached to the company on Monday when he turned up for work.
Investigators were told that the vault to the diesel tank was secured and sealed about 18:30h on Friday. However, on Monday morning, upon checking the diesel tank, the operator discovered that the chain lock, which was used to secure the vault and the seal, was
broken and on the ground. This prompted the staffers to measure the diesel in the tank and it was discovered that 34,000 litres were missing.
The Police were called in and have since questioned several employees, including the security guards from a private firm, who were on duty over the weekend when the theft is suspected to have occurred.
“At this point in time, there will be two kinds of vacancies. We do have vacancies for permanent staff and Elections Day staff. In the case of the permanent staff, the positions have been advertised, interviews have commenced.
“Three of the eight officers have so far been identified and if I’m not mistaken, one of them is already on the job. That would be the Public Relations, Legal and IT officers,” Alexander stated, adding that the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer is still being processed. Vishnu Persaud, who is acting in that posi-
tion, is one of the applicants for the substantive post.
Asked directly about the ethnic composition of the current senior staff of GECOM, Alexander stressed that the ethnic makeup remained the same as previous election years. However, he could not provide figures to support that information. In fact, Alexander said that the burden of proof lay with the Opposition Commissioners.
“I think one should note we’re doing interviews now. But prior to now the composition of that staff has been relatively stable over two to three elections… elections that were won by the PPP,
elections that were lost by the PPP.
“I do not have those figures at hand … I would even have a difficulty with those figures, because we do not require of our staff a declaration of their ethnicity. So that is not formal information,” Alexander said. When it comes to a potential investigation of GECOM’s hiring practices, Alexander affirmed that the Commission had no jurisdiction over the ERC. As such, he promised that they would cooperate with an investigation from the body, if such is determined necessary.
…screwing of GuySuCo employees
GuySuCo was the inheritor of the institution that introduced the rigid hierarchical structure of Guyanese society. In the beginning was the owner and property. You can’t get more hierarchical than that!! Whatever followed – like the owners having overseers and managers and slavery succeeded by indentureship and then “free-labour” represented by unions and all that –were simply variations of that theme.
But this PNC Government is demonstrating that – as far as they’re concerned – THEY’RE the new Massa, and ALL of GuySuCo’s employees are grunts who can be treated like chattel property. Up to now, the focus has been on the PNC firing almost 7000 employees from the field and factory of the Corporation and casting them into the canals. Sink or swim, was the advice – they were on their own.
But it’s now clear the senior staff haven’t been spared the spite and bile of the Government – in fact, the PNC seems determined to bring their most vulnerable members – their retirees – down on their knees and then kick them while they’re down. After working all their life for GuySuCo – many of them going back to the days of Bookers when they saved the country with the sugar levy Burnham extracted – they were left to eke out their living from their pensions.
But right after the PNC took over in 2015, they decided this pension had to go. At that point, according to the actuarial projections, GuySuCo owned $31 billion to those pensioners. Now obviously all of this doesn’t have to be paid out at once – and the moneys could be invested to deliver a return. But to keep it viable the Government was supposed to make a one per cent contribution annually –which they immediately stopped.
So with this combo of no dividend from investments and no Government contributions – it doesn’t take a genius to understand the pension fund’s in deep trouble. Especially after firing hundreds of senior staff, whose pensions are now due! In fact, in 2015, the fund already had more than a $1 billion current deficit… which God knows must have mushroomed like an atomic bomb by now. But who cares? Not the Minister who says he don’t know nothing – which of course is an endemic condition for him!! Nor the CEO of GuySuCo who promised answers six months ago but has been mum ever since.
But there will be no answer that makes sense save the one your Eyewitness made at the beginning. That to this PNC Government, the ENTIRE sugar industry is a red flag that drives them into fire-red rage. Sugar, and all that kept it going for the last 28+23 years, must be destroyed!!
…not Guyanese criminals!
Your Eyewitness is still trying to wrap his head around this decision of our “JUSTICE SYSTEM” to free two girls who arranged for one of their boyfriends to murder their pensioner father. Why? Well, because the boyfriend admitted he killed the man after the girls lured him to the kitchen of his house where the boyfriend was waiting to smash his head in. So the boyfriend gets 14 years and the girls gets new lives in Canada!!
Now what happened to the legal doctrine of jointenterprise in the killing – exemplified most recently in RV Jogee?? The girls, as far as the facts in the public domain show, aided, abetted and in fact PLANNED the killing!! The requisite intent demanded by case law is there for any jury to see!! So how come the charges were discontinued??
Your Eyewitness is convinced, unless shown otherwise, that the girls got off scotch free because the Canadian Embassy got involved for their citizens.
So the Guyanese boy becomes the patsy!! Some justice!!
…employment at GECOM?
Roger Luncheon of the PPP claims GECOM is discriminating against Indian applicants for jobs in the agency.
So if his assessment of the lack of a suitable African candidate for the Foreign Service became the “Bible” for the PNC, what say they now??
Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com
After intense pressure from the parliamentary Opposition –People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – and its leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, to release the names of ExxonMobil’s sub-contractors, Government on Tuesday decided to issue the full list through the Department of Public Information (DPI), naming the local companies that the oil giant has utilised or done business with.
According to the report, some 227 Guyanese-owned companies have been benefiting from ExxonMobil’s operation here. These companies have been providing a wide range of products and services. Some of the services provided included, but were not limited to, transportation and accommodation, among others.
The Government also noted that in addition, there are 27 Caribbean Communityowned companies; 15 of which are registered in Guyana and are also engaged in providing services to ExxonMobil. Another 42 foreign-owned companies –20 of which are registered in Guyana, also do business with ExxonMobil.
PPP pressure Jagdeo on Monday had referenced the reluctance of the ruling Administration to come clean, given that ExxonMobil had given the Government information on the company’s local content commitments. He said now that it is known that Government has the names of these local companies Exxon used, they should disclose it in its entirety.
The Opposition Leader had also reiterated his call for the Government to release the list of 309 local companies used by ExxonMobil in 2017, as well as the 227 used during the first quarter of 2018.
Meanwhile, in noting the release of the list, the Opposition PPP said in a statement on Tuesday evening that while Trotman and his colleague Ministers may actually believe that they are keeping Guyanese
updated and aware of developments in the sector, this may not be so.
The PPP pointed to the incident where calls for the release of the ExxonMobil contract were met with several excuses – first Guyanese were told about “national security considerations” and then that the former PPP Government changed the law to prevent disclosure.
“These were exposed as lies and public pressure saw the release of the contract, finally,” the Opposition said while noting that they have also sought to hide their perceived “underhand dealings” with the remaining oil blocks, when they claimed there was “nothing left” because Jagdeo gave them out.
The Opposition also stat-
ed that despite the fact that there are several remaining oil blocks, Guyanese are none the wiser about how these will be treated. “Why has Government failed to pay attention to its own advisor, after he recommended that the remaining oil blocks be auctioned off?” the Party questioned.
Further, the PPP said on the issue of a signing bonus, the Government claimed that it never requested, nor received a signing bonus. They recalled this too was the lie told to Guyanese people for over a year. This lie was eventually exposed and only then did the Government admit that it received a US$18 million signing bonus, which it hid in an account outside of the Consolidated Fund, they added.
Another point raised by the Opposition is the fact that for three years, Guyanese were told about legislation coming to the National Assembly that included the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF). This was supposed to come before the end of 2016, but it is now 2018 and it is still nowhere closer to finishing.
The Party said the same goes for the promised Local Content Policy, but the shift
of responsibility for this from one Minister’s desk to another, has been noted by the Opposition. “What is happening
now is that Government is name-dropping titles of international agencies to somehow lend believability to the notion that they are addressing the matter diligently. Guyanese are still unaware about what the final drafts of these documents will look like and when they will be ready.”
The PPP did not stop there. In fact, they also reminded that Guyanese were told that the oil and gas sector will be treated in an apolitical manner, but were met with a Petroleum Commission Bill, which vests obscene levels of control in the hands of the Minster responsible for oil.
“The Bill allows the Minister to become the Board where he does not ap-
point one and perform the functions of the CEO if one is not appointed. The Bill also states that the Minister can give direction to the Commission regarding, size of the establishment, the employment of staff and the terms and conditions of employment, the disposal of capital assets; the application of the proceeds of such disposals.”
References were also made the promises of building a US$500 million onshore supply base that was supposed to be erected at Crab Island, in the Berbice River, in 2017. Additionally, the Opposition said Government has not named the village earmarked for the gas project as though it is a State secret.
With thousands of former sugar workers continuing to face challenges to find consistent employment, another sector will see some 300 employees without employment as the BEV Enterprises shrimp facility is shutting down operations next month. According to reports, which surfaced on Tuesday, over 100 of the workers could be absorbed into other seafood operations but many of BEV staff remain unsure as to how such an arrangement would be executed.
The majority of the workers are women and they are worried for their future as well as that of their children.
However, when this Guyana Times approached them for official comment on Tuesday afternoon, many declined to speak.
Sources told this publication that proprietor and head of BEV Processors Inc, Bruce Vieira, held a recent meeting where he assured workers that they would receive benefits for their years of service.
They were also informed that operations will close by July 15 and the reactions were varied ranging from sheer shock to passive in nature.
“We cannot do nothing more, life goes on,” one woman with 11 years of service told this newspaper.
She said while she was
saddened by the “shocking” announcement, the company is a private one and the owner must decide what he wants to do with his business.
Another worker described the situation as “hopeless” but stressed that they have no choice other than to seek alternative employment.
Further, a female worker said she had expected to see more involvement from the union representative to advocate on their behalf to bargain for their termination benefits. This newspaper was told that workers are part of Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).
Vieira was quoted in other sections of the media as saying that he is hopeful if Noble House Seafoods can purchase BEV’s plant and garner shrimp suppliers which can provide employment.
Vieira denied that his decision to leave the industry was due to a deal he has with an oil company, which needs a sea front property.
When Guyana Times approached the businessman’s office for comment on Tuesday, he declined to speak on the matter.
In 2016 and 2017, over 4000 workers in the sugar industry were retrenched by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo)
which affected many of the village economies and family members of workers that were dependent on the sugar industry. Many observers have been warning Guyana against placing too much emphasis in the oil sector whilst neglecting other industries, otherwise called the Dutch Disease.
There have been many local companies which are making moves to capitalise on the oil industry. With regards to equipment that was required for trawlers, monitoring equipment is one the safety measures Government has recommended for operators to utilise to guard against piracy.
Satiricus was grumpy as he trudged over to the Back Street Bar. He was tired of these “race” disputes exploding all over the place. Satiricus was one man who felt he was the real deal Guyanese. And anyone who looked at his face could see he had a bit of every one of Guyana’s six races in him. Why couldn’t people practice the “one love” his KFC leaders Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat had unleashed when they paired up with the Pee an’ See?
“And now we have some PPCEE Commissioners bringing race into GE-CON!” he exploded after he sat down and pulled a beer.
“Sato, all de man seh ah ev’ry bady GE-CON ah hiya a fram waan race,” said Cappo. “De race waa support Pee an’ See.”
“But what race got to do with doing your job?” asked Satiricus, exasperatedly.
“Sato, yuh schupit or yuh jus’ a play schupit?” asked Bungi. “People does vote dem race in Guyana.”
“And Sato, if everybody from one race is running GECON, don’t you think they might favour the party they generally vote for?” asked Hari in his quiet manner.
“That’s stereotyping!” exclaimed Satiricus.
“Suh wha’ mek Grain Ja courtin’ Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat fuh jine up an’ bring dem Indian supporta?” asked Cappo.
“Well he wanted to show the Guyanese people the Government would be fair, since everybody was represented,” answered Satiricus.
“But wha mek ‘e t’ink ‘e Pee an’ See supporta dem na woulda run Guyana fair?” asked Bungi.
“Well, he wanted to make things LOOK right,” Satiricus conceded.
“And that’s the point with GECOM, isn’t it, Sato?” said Hari. “They DETERMINE the elections results!”
“At leas’ dem shoulda tek in SOME Indian people, like Grain Ja tek in Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat fuh mek t’ing look right,” said Cappo.
“Me always a tell yuh Sato,” said Bungi. “All cassava get same skin but all nah taste same way. Yuh gat fuh mix dem fuh get wan good metemgee!”
Dara Singh, 41, a contracted linesman attached to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company , who suffered an electric shock on May 15, 2018 outside Demico House (opposite the Stabroek Square), is pleading with the power company for proper compensation, since it was while executing the company’s duties he was injured.
According to the man, who is now a paraplegic after the incident, officials from the power company have indicated that they may not be obligated to compensate him for his injuries since he was working for a contractor.
The linesman, who was injured when he and his colleagues were replacing some old power poles, told this newspaper from his hospital bed that the company only signed an agreement to give his wife transportation costs to travel from their Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home to the hospital. In total, he said she received $30,000.
“Week before the last they give my wife $30,000 only; it’s almost four weeks, since I’m in the hospital and I’m not hearing from any of them. It seems like I become invisible, or is because I’m a contract worker, they treating me like this?” Singh questioned as he sat helplessly in a wheelchair.
The father of three related that he was the soul breadwinner for his family and was currently unable to send his children to school following the incident.
“I don’t know what will happen to me now; please
his manager (name withheld) did not even state whether the company would be assisting his family at this time.
Katow-Singh related that her husband was unable to walk and was slowly recovering. The woman said doctors told her that the linesman would have to undergo yet another surgery, since he received first-degree burns to the skull and almost 80 per cent of his body.
“Doctors say he might have another month or two in there; because of how bad he was burn, he have to do more surgery, and I don’t know where I am getting money from?” the worried woman related.
“Every day I have to travel and come to the hospital, since two persons come from the workplace when the accident happen, I ain’t see nobody come back to visit; all I know is they give me $30,000, but that cannot compensate me and my chil-
dren.”
Guyana Times’ efforts to get a comment from GPL on the matter proved futile.
Singh, who had been
to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The GPL team – about two dozen members – had started working some time
“Week before the last, they give my wife $30,000 only; it’s almost four weeks since I’m in the hospital and I’m not hearing from any of them. It seems like I become invisible” – injured man
working as a linesman for the past 12 years, was at the time of the incident holding wires which suddenly became live with electricity, throwing him a few feet backwards. He reportedly landed on his back with the wires `across his stomach.
Singh’s colleagues were able to get the wires off his body, and he was rushed
about 10:00h on the day of the incident to replace the poles that were beginning to rot.
Power had been cut from the wires that were lying on the ground for some time prior to the incident. One crew member said they reportedly came into contact with a live wire, thus injuring Singh.
Afarm attendant was on Monday found dead with gunshot wounds at a ranch situated along the Canje River, Berbice.
Dead is Harrinarine Samaroo, 51, a labourer of Betsy Ground, East Canje.
The incident occurred sometime between 18:30h on Sunday and 13:30h on Monday. Police have detained one man for questioning.
Reports are that Samaroo and Frederick Bascom, a 25-year-old man, were at a
cattle ranch situated at New Forest along the Canje River when the incident occurred.
Bascom is said to have been in a hammock on the upper flat of the camp house, which is a small zinc building while Samaroo was in the yard when Bascom reportedly felt a lash to his hand causing him to receive injuries. As a result, he jumped through a window and ran away.
There are also reports that at the same time Bascom received that lash, there was the sound of what appeared to be a gunshot.
Bascom reportedly left the area and used the cane fields to get to the road and subsequently the Reliance Police Station where the matter was reported.
According to Bascom’s mother, Roshnie Bascom, her son said they were attacked and he managed to escape. She said he was of the opinion that he was shot and ran into the bushes and hid. After a while, he made his way out to the road at
New Forest and had to walk two miles in thick mud.
At that stage, he was still four miles away from the Police station.
When the Police arrived at the area, they discovered Samaroo lying on his right side in a foetal position. The body appeared to have a gunshot injury on the right side of his neck and left ear; there also seemed to be an exit wound at the back of his head.
According to Roshnie Bascom, who is in charge
of the 500-acre ranch, the camp is very dangerous.
The woman recalled two instances where Samaroo was attacked on the farm, including once when he was stabbed.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s sister told Guyana Times that the family has a suspect in mind after listening to the bits and pieces of information they were able to pick up.
The mother of the dead man, Chanderdai Punya, said this is the second of her six children to have died
tragically within the past six months.
The woman, who is now confined to a bed, related to this publication some of the hardships she endured to raise her six children as a single parent. In tears she explained that her eldest son died late last year.
Divisional Commander, Assistant Commander Lindon Alves said an investigation has been launched into the incident.
He said that there was no one in custody for the murder. However, Roshnie Bascom said her son was detained at the Reliance Police Station in relation to the incident.
She related that when she he spoke with one of the investigators on Tuesday morning about his release, she was told that 72 hours had not expired since his detention.
“The officer told me that they could keep him for more than 72 hours.” Samaroo and his brother had been working in the backdam for more than a decade. He leaves to mourn four sisters and a mother. (Andrew Carmichael)
Thousands of University of Guyana students will soon benefit from the creation of a modern language laboratory at the University’s Turkeyen Campus through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Embassy of The People’s Republic of China and the University.
This MoU provides for a grant valued at $4.6 million, which will be used to fund the acquisition of furniture, computers, headsets and other items to create a more effective and interac-
tive learning environment conducive to language learning.
This new laboratory will create a more efficient environment than traditional classrooms and will include virtual classroom, newspapers, books, a large library of videos and resources for the students.
Signing on behalf of UG was Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr Barbara Reynolds with responsibility for Planning and International Engagement at the University of Guyana, while Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission Chen Xilai
signed on behalf of the Chinese Embassy.
Dr Reynolds told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the new laboratory will allow Guyanese students to communicate better with international teachers, students, tourists and other persons in their professional lives.
“The foreign languages programme is critical. We’re looking to reanimate the languages the University has offered. Having a fully functional language lab so that students can go there… and engage, it is a lab to
satisfy a particular need,” Dr Reynolds is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.
The University of Guyana Currently offers several courses, and up to a Bachelor’s Degree, in Spanish, French, Portuguese and Mandarin.
The creation of this designated lab forms part of a larger strategy by the University for developing, revising, and revamping the language programmes. The lab is slated to be opened in time for the 2018-2019 Academic Year.
After days of public outrage over the treatment of a pupil, who was shamed after he turned up to school in Indigenous attire for Culture Day, Mae’s administration has agreed to apologise to the nine-year-old boy.
This was during a meeting held on Monday afternoon at the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) Head Office, which saw APA Executive Director Jean La Rose; GIS Specialist & Forest Policy Officer Michael Mc Garrell; Communications & Visibility Officer Nicholas Peters; Mae’s Schools Director Stacey French and Administrator Lucinda Mc Curdy; and the boy’s parents, Jason Chacon and Karen Small, as well as other stakeholders sitting down to discuss the incident.
According to a statement from the APA, French agreed to apologise to the boy and his parents, but made no commitments on a public apology.
“After some back and forth on the matter, and with the APA stressing on what culture really means to Indigenous peoples in Guyana, the school’s director agreed that she would apologise to the young man on the turn the incident took and the trauma that he experienced shortly after,” the missive from the APA detailed.
However, the Association pointed out that a public apology was necessary, since
not only the boy and his family but the Indigenous people were hurt by this incident, which has been denounced across the country.
Monday’s meeting, which was organised by the APA, was the first time the boy’s parents had come face to face with the school’s administration since the incident and Small, the mother of the child, was able to recount directly to the school’s top administration how the incident took place and to ex-
press her concerns about its impact on the nine-year-old. She also took the opportunity to highlight some inaccuracies contained in a statement released by the school on the incident.
Meanwhile, the school‘s representative also said that she too was not happy about inaccurate media reporting that the child was not allowed to enter the school. However, the APA pointed out that the issue was bigger than whether the child was allowed entry or not, it was a matter much larger that deemed a people’s culture as “inappropriate” which in
turn resulted in the child feeling that he should dislike his culture after being made to feel uncomfortable in his ethnic dress.
Moreover, the organisation posited that the incident should be used both as a teaching and learning opportunity for the students and faculty of the school. To this end, the APA offered to help the school in sensitising students and others on larger issues affecting Indigenous peoples and their role in society.
The school has agreed to host a session in collaboration with the Association to
inform students and faculty of Indigenous culture and overcoming the negative stereotypes which continue to exist.
Nevertheless, the APA sees the outcome of the meeting as a step in the right direction towards not only resolving this particular incident, but also addressing cultural prejudices that may persist today.
Apart from this meeting, the school’s officials also met with representatives from the Ministries of Education, Social Cohesion, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs on Monday.
President David Granger, in his World Environment Day message, said now was the time for Guyanese to act and help beat plastic pollution by curtailing their use of single-use plastics.
This year, World Environment Day (June 5) was observed under the theme “Beating Plastic Pollution” and, according to the President, it reminds us that the indiscriminate and insanitary dumping of single-use plastics and other non-biodegradable substances threatens the
health of citizens and the food they consume.
“Plastic pollution represents a serious challenge to Guyana’s environmental security. Plastic pollution is dangerous. It has contributed to congested drainage system; resulted in flooding and insanitary conditions; depleted aquatic life and contaminated creeks, rivers, freshwater supplies and waters used for drinking, bathing, fishing and washing. Guyana is on the way to becoming a ‘Green State’. It is developing policies aimed at protecting the
President David Granger
environment by reducing, and, eventually eliminating, plastic pollution,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, United Nations General Secretary António Guterres said a healthy planet was essential for a prosperous and peaceful future, noting that we all have a role to play in protecting our only home.
“It can be difficult to know what to do or where to start. That’s why this
World Environment Day has just one request: beat plastic pollution. Our world is swamped by harmful plastic waste. Every year, more than eight million tonnes end up in the oceans. Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy. From remote islands to the Artic, nowhere is untouched. If present trends continue, by 2050, our oceans will have more plastic than fish. On
World Environment Day, the message is simple: reject single-use plastic,” the SG noted.
World Environment Day is the most important day in the UN’s calendar of events dealing with the environment. It is an opportunity for nations and peoples around the world to recommit to practical policies and sustained action to promote global environmental security.
Workers attached to the High Court were on Tuesday seen working judiciously to restore the historic Queen Victoria statue, which was the subject of recent vandalism. When Guyana Times visited the monument located in the compound of the Supreme Court, which was renamed the Victoria Law Courts under the former Head of State’s rule, a red liquid substance (suspected to be paint) had been thrown over the marble statue.
The statue was sculpted by Henry Richard HopePinker and commissioned
in 1887. However, it was not until 1894 that it was unveiled outside the law courts in Georgetown.
After Guyana gained Independence in 1966 and became a Cooperative Republic in 1970, the statue of Victoria was removed to the Botanical Gardens. However, in 1990, the statue was restored and re-erected in front of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Georgetown. Many have condemned the act of vandalism, but some anti-colonial activists are calling for the statue to be removed.
Efforts to contact senior ranks in A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) were unsuccessful, but Guyana Times learnt than a probe will soon be underway to determine the authors of the act. The vandalism to the statue is illegal under the laws of Guyana. According to Chapter 8:02 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act, anyone who unlawfully or maliciously destroys or damages a statue, bust or monument or its surrounding railing or fence is liable to a fine between $10,000 and $20,000 or imprisonment for 12 months.
There are over 44,000 Guyanese receiving monthly “oldage” pension, which most of them depend on. Yet the way the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) treats pensioners is painful, deplorable, insensitive and uncaring. APNU/AFC’s treatment of pensioners is a full-screen display of the cold-hearted, cruel, inhumane character of the Government. Recent proposals of implementing fixed-rate water bills for senior citizens and the treatment of GuySuCo pensioners are cruel examples of how uncaring APNU/AFC is. Rubbing salt into the injury, the Minister Agriculture on Tuesday admitted he has no idea of the status of the GuySuCo pension fund.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy
This past week, the head of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr Richard Van West-Charles announced that GWI is considering charging a fixed-fee ($741 per month) for water, for senior citizens. He announced it gleefully as a favour to senior citizens. No one from the Government has repudiated this announcement and I do not expect that they will respond. Far from being a favour to senior citizens, as the GWI boss insists, GWI and the APNU/AFC are ignoring that before 2015 these senior citizens were exempted from water bills. The fixed-fee arrangement, therefore, no matter how much it is, is punitive.
The Finance Minister and other senior Government officials have argued that, while they had eliminated the exemption of senior citizens from paying water bills, they made up for this by increasing the monthly “old-age” pension. But this is spinning the facts to misinform, misdirect and deceive people. The annual increase in “old-age” pension has been in place since 1992.
For 23 years, pensioners received an annual increase in their monthly payment under successive People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Governments. APNU/AFC has maintained this increase and the annual increases since 2015 under APNU/ AFC are not meaningfully different and better in comparison to the rate of increase from 2010 to 2015. These increases in the monthly payment to seniors cannot make up for the elimination of the water rate exemption. Between APNU/AFC and the GWI, the fixed rate proposal is, therefore, a sledge hammer on the heads of pensioners.
APNU/AFC did not only eliminate payment of water bills for senior citizens, they also eliminated the subsidy that the PPP Government had provided for senior citizens to reduce their electricity bills. Both the water and electricity subsidies were additional entitlements senior citizens received up to 2015, in addition to the monthly “old-age” pension increases.
The elimination of these subsidies essentially means that the increases in the monthly payments to senior citizens that APNU/AFC has boasted about are artificial. The sum total is that what the senior citizens were receiving in 2018 each month is not meaningfully different from what they were receiving in 2015. It is a zero-sum scam. When we add the fact that senior citizens are now paying 14 per cent VAT on their water and electricity bills and for a larger number of items they procure every month, senior citizens monthly “old-age” pension has depreciated since 2015.
In 1992, the PPP widened “old-age” pension by eliminating the “MEANS” Test. Before 1992, “old-age” pension was only provided to one member of a household and only for households that met certain requirements, such as not being a home owner and not having any money in the bank. From then on, the only requirement was that a person reached the age of 65 and every member of a household aged 65 and over was eligible. Every year since then, the “old-age” pension has increased. Recognising these increases in monthly payments are not enough, the PPP Government provided further safety nets that meaningfully added to the monthly payments. These included the subsidies such as the exemption of water bills and subsidies for payment of electricity bills. By eliminating the additional safety nets, APNU/AFC essentially has pursued a policy of shrinking benefits that the State extended to senior citizens.
Even as safety nets for senior citizens are under assault by this Government, GuySuCo pensioners face the possibility that they may not benefit from a pension they have earned. Their pension is a property they own and cannot be taken from them. GuySuCo and the Government would be guilty of a crime if they fail to pay the pensioners their monthly payments. With the closure of estates and the continued mismanagement of GuySuCo, sugar workers are facing the real possibility that their pension fund might go broke. The Government is ignoring this possibility and acting with an insensitivity and coldness that is a disgrace and the admission by the Agriculture Minister that he is unaware of the status of the fund is misconduct. One wonders why APNU/AFC’s attitude to GuySuCo pensioners is different from their attitude to bauxite pensioners.
The Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) man who was slapped with eight fraud charges only days ago, found himself before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts slapped with a ninth charge.
Thirty-two-year-old Jason Aaron, of Lot 232 Block ‘X’ Section ‘D’ Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, stood before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and denied that on January 17, 2018, at Georgetown, and with intent to defraud, he obtained the sum of $250,000 from Durant Boston issuing him a cheque to the Bank of Baroda to honour payments to Boston.
The father of two, who was out on bail for the previous charges, reportedly borrowed the money from Boston, who is known to him for the past five years.
He reportedly told Boston that he was given a contract to clean several parts of Georgetown and would be paid a large sum of money, as such; he borrowed the $250,000 from the Virtual Complainant (VC).
However, on January 17, 2018, Aaron reportedly wrote a cheque for the said sum which he gave to the VC. When Boston visited the Bank of Baroda to cash the cheque, he was told that there was insufficient funds
in Aaron’s account to honour the cheque.
As such, the matter was reported to the Police and the defendant was arrested and charged.
He was released on $300,000 bail. The case will continue on June 12.
On June 1, Aaron denied the charge against him which stated that on May 16, 2018, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud; he forged one Irrevocable Power of Attorney, property of Raymond Austin when he appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.
It was further alleged that between October 8 and October 28, 2017, at Eccles, EBD, with intent to defraud, he obtained the sum of $230,000 from Keron Kasaiwan by pretending that he had the money in his account at the Bank of Baroda, knowing that he did not have the said sum in his account to satisfy the amount. In that incident, he reportedly issued eight bounced cheques to Kasaiwan.
He was placed on a total of $800,000 for those charges.
AQueens, New York City, couple has been charged for stealing nearly US$92,000 in welfare food stamps and healthcare benefits by concealing income the couple earned through employment.
The arrest of the husband and wife was announced by New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott and Queens County District Attorney Richard A Brown.
Dhaneshwar Sukhdeo, 42; and Samantha Sukhdeo, 46; of Lefferts Boulevard, were each arrested and charged with grand larceny in the second degree, welfare fraud in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree and 12 counts each of falsifying business records in the first degree and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, all felonies.
The charges alleged that the couple falsified applications for public assistance benefits enabling them to receive $16,132 in food stamp benefits and $75,864 in Medicaid coverage to which they were not entitled.
“Through a brazen fraud, these defendants concealed their employment income so they could steal taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled,” Inspector General Leahy Scott said in a release to the media.
“I will continue to use all of the resources at my disposal to protect the integrity of the public benefits system for those who are truly in the most need of financial assistance,” she added.
Meanwhile, District Attorney Brown pointed out that, “Food stamps and Medicaid benefits are intend-
ed to help the truly needy. The defendants in this case, however, are alleged to have taken advantage of the system by downplaying their income to collect assistance –making all taxpayers victims of their con.”
According to reports, investigations by Inspector General Leahy Scott found that between 2009 to 2016, the Sukhdeos fraudulently obtained $91,996 in welfare benefits to which they were not entitled by repeatedly sub-
mitting documents falsifying and concealing their household income when applying for food stamps (also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, or SNAP) and Medicaid coverage.
Medicaid is a joint federal-state programme that provides health coverage for low-income and at-risk individuals. In repeated applications and recertifications for the benefits, the Sukhdeos listed no employment income
for Dhaneshwar Sukhdeo, who was indeed receiving income as an electrical contractor.
Altogether, the Sukhdeos received $75,864.74 in Medicaid and $16,132 in food stamps to which they were not entitled.
The Sukhdeos were both arraigned on the charges in Queens Criminal Court last month and released on their own recognisance pending their reappearance in court on June 12.
Back in May 2017, Ramraj along with former GRDB General Manager, Jagnarine Singh, were jointly charged with 17 counts of omitting to enter true entries of over $4.2 million into the company’s ledger, knowing that it was con-
igh Court Judge, Justice Navindra Singh on Tuesday ordered the State to hand over a copy of the Forensic Audit report within five days, otherwise a permanent stay of prosecution will be granted against former Deputy General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Madanlall Ramraj.
trary to standard operating procedures between 2011 and 2012, at the company’s Lot 16-17 Cowan Street, Kingston head office.
However last month, Ramraj moved to the High Court to get “an order for a permanent stay of proceedings, or an order quashing, vacating or setting aside
the charges of Fraudulent Omission [case] pend ing before Georgetown Magistrates’ Court 2 in the Georgetown Magisterial District.”
The application details that the impetus for the stay stems from the “failure of the prosecution to disclose a copy of the Forensic Audit
After months of judicial delays which followed a decade since businessman Kumar “Mango Man” Singh was shot and killed during an invasion of his Cove and John, East Coast Demerara home, two accused – Mark Royden Williams, called “Smallie”, and Sherwin Nero, known as “Catty” – will go on trial at the High Court for the businessman’s murder. Their names were listed to be called up before a Judge on the current panel of the June Criminal Session at the Demerara Assizes.
During this month, Justices Sandhill Kissoon, JoAnn Barlow and James BovellDrakes will hear the 111 listed cases while Justices Priya Beharry and Brassington Reynolds will replace Barlow and Bovell-Drakes in July.
Justice Beharry will be the
third Judge to hear sexual offences matters, after Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall heard such cases when the specialised court was implemented last year.
The current session has 40 sexual offences matters, including rape and carnal knowledge, while there are 71 criminal offences cases including murder, manslaughter, wounding with intent and robbery under arms. Should anyone be found guilty of murder by a 12-member jury, they can be sentenced to death as Guyana retains capital punishment. However, there is a moratorium on hanging for over 20 years as no one has faced the hangman’s noose since 1997.
Mark Royden Williams is currently on death row in relation to the Bartica Massacre.
However, the matter for which he is jointly charged with Sherwin Nero is a separate indictment. The “Mango Man” trial was delayed due to constitutional challenges that were made in court last year by attorney Nigel Hughes. Williams will still remain incarcerated whether or not he is absolved of the killing of Kumar “Mango Man” Singh, since he was sentenced to death by hanging in February 2017 for his involvement in the 2008 Bartica Massacre whereby 12 persons, including three Policemen, were slaughtered. However, in 2013, he was absolved of the Lusignan Massacre by jury which was enshrined by a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling in May 2018. Williams’ brushes with the law did not end with his death sentence as he escaped prison in July 2017.
sides, found that the failure by the Prosecution to produce the Forensic Audit report violates the applicant’s rights under Article 144 of the Constitution, that is to say, that an accused person must be afforded adequate facilities for the preparation of his defence.
During his escape, prison officer Odinga Wickham was killed and the Camp Street Prison was reduced to ashes. No one was formally charged for those crimes. Williams was recaptured on October 9, 2017, on his way to Suriname. He was a passenger in a minibus, which was intercepted at Weldaad, West Coast Berbice.
The “Mango Man” murder case came up for High Court trial in June 2014 before another Judge, but was prevented from continuing owing to an objection by one of the accused. On August 30, 2007, four gunmen stormed Singh’s home where he was shot dead. In July 2008, the two suspects were initially charged for the capital offence. The matter is expected to be called up in the High Court in the next few weeks.
on the Guyana Rice Development Board prepared by Nigel Hinds, Forensic Auditor, which formed the basis for certain investigations launched by the Special Organised Crime Unite (SOCU), as a result of which the Applicant was charged for the offence of Fraudulent Omission… to the Applicant or to the legal representative of the Applicant, constitutes a violation of Article 144 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, more particularly, the right of the Applicant to be afforded facilities for the preparation of his defence and other protections of the law secured under and guaranteed by the said Article 144.”
During Tuesday’s hearing of the fixed date application, Justice Singh after reading all the Affidavits and hearing arguments from the lawyers on both
To this end, the High Court Judge ordered that unless the Forensic Audit Report done by Nigel Hinds is produced by the prosecution to either Ramraj or his legal representatives within five days, a permanent stay will be granted quashing, vacating and setting aside the charges of Fraudulent Omission, contrary to Section 104 of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Chapter 8, for which the Applicant is charged on case jackets numbered 6976, 6977, 6978, 6979, 6980 and 6981 of 2017, pending before Georgetown Magistrates’ Court 2 in the Georgetown Magisterial District.
Ramraj was represented by Attorneys Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Manoj Narayan and Rajendra Jaigobin while the Attorney General was represented by State Counsel Oneka ArcherCaulder.
The matter has been adjourned to June 8.
Ten witnesses are slated to testify in the trial related to the December 26, 2014 murder of 39-year-old miner Sunil Ramsundar, which is set to commence at the Demerara High Court. A 12-member jury was on Tuesday empanelled before Justice Sandhill Kissoon at the opening of the June Criminal Assizes in Demerara.
The accused, Vishawantie Ragnauth and Nyron Thakurdyal both denied the murder indictment presented by State Prosecutors Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt. On that fateful Boxing Night, at Patentia, West Bank Demerara, Ramsundar was killed after he allegedly attempted to settle a dispute between his sister, niece and his niece’s reputed husband.
According to Police re-
ports in 2014, the incident occurred at about 22:00h where it was alleged that Sunil Ramsundar’s sister was reportedly being assaulted by her daughter Vishawantie and Vishawantie’s reputed husband Thakurdyal.
At that time, reports stated that the now deceased man enquired from his sister why she was crying, and upon learning that the couple had physically assaulted her, the man approached his niece for an explanation. However, this reportedly turned into a heated argument, during which Ramsundar was stabbed about his body. He collapsed on the spot and was pronounced dead on arrival to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. The duo is being represented by Attorney Nigel Hughes.
ASoesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD) businesswoman was on Tuesday slapped with three charges and appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Shanaz Mohammed, 38, of Lot 315 Back Road, Soesdyke, EBD, denied the charges of narcotics possession, the sale of alcohol without a licence and escaping from the Timehri Police Station.
The mother of four denied that on May 6, at Soesdyke, she sold or offered for sale rum while not being licenced for same.
She also denied having 487 grams of cannabis in her possession for the purpose of trafficking on the same day at the said location.
Mohammed, who was also charged for escaping while being in custody at the Timehri Police Station Enquires Office on May 8 denied the charge.
Mohammed’s place of business was searched by Police ranks who were acting on information when the alleged narcotics, along with the alcohol, were discovered
hidden behind a fridge in her living room.
The woman, who could not produce an alcohol licence for the rum, was taken into Police custody while the cannabis was weighed and amounted to 487 grams.
She was arrested and later charged for the offences. However, while in Police custody, the woman reportedly escaped and was recaptured on June 3, hiding in a house close to her residence.
Her Attorney, Stanley Moore, told ranks that his client did not escape but was however allowed to leave the Police Station.
In a bail application, Moore informed Magistrate Isaac-Marcus that the house in which the narcotic was found is being occupied by several persons.
However, bail was denied and Mohammed was remanded on a trafficking in narcotics charge.
She was released on $70,000 for being unlicensed to sell alcohol and a further $100,000 for escaping Police custody. The case will continue at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on June 19.
Avendor, who reportedly attacked his girlfriend with a pair of scissors while allegedly threatening to kill her on Tuesday, was hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for the offence.
Shawn Glasgow, 47, of Regent and Cummings Streets, Georgetown appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman where he denied the charge.
The charge alleged that on June 3, 2018, at Hadfield Street, Georgetown, he assaulted Renetta Small. Glasgow also denied using threatening behaviour towards Small on the same day at the said location.
It is being reported that
Small, who has been in a three-year relationship with Glasgow, was walking along Hadfield Street on June 3 when she was attacked from behind by him.
Glasgow reportedly dealt the woman several slaps after which he pulled out a pair of scissors and threatened to kill her.
Small, who managed to escape, went to the Brickdam Police Station where she filed a report. The defendant was later picked up by Police, arrested and charged. He was released on $50,000 bail. However, he indicated to the court that he was unable to pay the sum as he has no family living in Guyana.
(March 21April 19)
Expeditions, lectures and research will lead you in a new direction. If you listen, question and fact-check, you’ll choose the right path. Don’t let anyone discourage you.
TAURUS Don’t jump to conclusions. Let whatever is going on around you play out before you decide to take action. Making a move prematurely will cost you.
(May 21June 20)
CANCER (June 21July 22)
LEO (July 23Aug. 22)
VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)
LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23) (April 20May 20)
SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)
(Nov. 23Dec. 21)
(Dec. 22Jan. 19)
(Jan. 20Feb. 19)
(Feb. 20March 20) PISCES
Make changes because they feel right and are realistic, not because someone else is pushing you. Bureaucratic problems will escalate if not handled properly. Take care of matters yourself.
Show everyone what you can do. Don’t be afraid to be unique or approach situations in your own way. Your insight will guide you to victory. Personal improvements are favored.
Take one step at a time. If you try to rush things, you will end up having to backtrack. Use your connections and intelligence to ward off any foreseeable problems.
Tread carefully and listen to what others have to say. Relationships will be tested, and responding properly to what transpires will be instrumental to effectively navigating a sticky situation.
Get out and about. Enjoy interacting with people who challenge and stimulate you mentally. You’ll learn a lot from someone if you are observant. Don’t underestimate a peer or your employer.
Get involved in something creative or take part in an event that requires skill, ingenuity and strength. Don’t let anger take control when strategy is what’s required.
Take a moment to observe what others do and say. Someone will take advantage of you if you are gullible, nonchalant or evasive. Stick to the truth and be direct.
Be ready to take advantage of an opportunity that can improve your current living standard. Don’t trust someone else to take care of your responsibilities. If you want something done, do it yourself.
You are best off speaking up if someone is overbearing. Anger will not solve anything, but offering simple alternatives will. Do what’s best for you and let others do as they please.
Get involved in something you enjoy doing. Expand your ideas or creative objectives, and look for an outlet to market your talents, skills or experience. Romance is highlighted.
After teaming up with Rashid Khan to limit Bangladesh to 134 for 8, Mohammad Nabi smashed an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls to guide Afghanistan to their first T20I series win over a Test side other than Zimbabwe. Seventeen-year-old mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman also contributed to the win with 15 dots in a four-over spell.
Rashid, Nabi and Mujeeb claimed combined figures of 6 for 46 in 12 overs to run through Bangladesh's batting line-up. Rashid did the bulk of the damage, taking 4 for 12, including the vital wickets of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mosaddek Hossain in one over, the 16th of the innings. Nabi, meanwhile, dismissed Sabbir Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim.
Bangladesh, though, had a positive start, moving to 81 for 3 in 10 overs, with
opener Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah setting up for a late burst. However, two overs later, Karim Janat removed Mahmudullah to set Bangladesh up for a collapse. Rashid first had Shakib holing out to long-on before
getting Tamim and Mosaddek off successive deliveries. In his next over, Rashid had Soumya Sarkar holing out to cap an outstanding spell. Abu Hider then launched some late blows with Nazmul Islam in a 26-run partnership for the
ninth wicket off 13 balls to boost the total. Bangladesh's highest stand was 45 between Tamim and Mushfiq, but the pair could not find a tempo
high enough to hurt Afghanistan.
Afghanistan also started slowly in their
Bangladesh Innings (20 overs maximum)
Liton Das c Rashid Khan
b Shapoor Zadra 1
Tamim Iqbal b Rashid Khan 43
Sabbir Rahman c Samiullah
Shenwari b Mohammad Nabi 13
Mushfiqur Rahim † st
†Mohammad Shahzad
b Mohammad Nabi 22
Mahmudullah b Karim Janat 14
Shakib Al Hasan (c) c Najibullah
Zadran b Rashid Khan 3
Soumya Sarkar c Asghar
Stanikzai b Rashid Khan 3
Mosaddek Hossain lbw
b Rashid Kha 0
Abu Hider not out 21
Nazmul Islam not out 6
Extras:(b 4, lb 2, w 2) 8
TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 6.7) 134/8
Did not bat: Rubel Hossain
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Liton Das, 1.1 ov), 2-30 (Sabbir Rahman, 4.3 ov), 3-75 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 9.5 ov), 4-93 (Mahmudullah, 11.6 ov), 5-101 (Shakib Al Hasan, 15.1 ov), 6-103 (Tamim Iqbal, 15.4 ov), 7-103 (Mosaddek Hossain, 15.5 ov), 8-108 (Soumya Sarkar, 17.5 ov)
BOWLING: Ur Rahman
4-0-15-0, Zadran 4-0-421, Nabi 4-0-19, Janat 4-040-1, Khan 4-0-12-4
Afghanistan Innings (target: 135 runs from 20 overs) Mohammad Shahzad † lbw b Abu Hider 24 Usman Ghani c Soumya Sarkar b Rubel Hossain 21 Samiullah Shenwari b Mosaddek Hossain 49 Asghar Stanikzai (c) st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Hossain 4 Mohammad Nabi not out 31 Shafiqullah not out 0
Extras: (lb 2, w 4) 6
TOTAL (18.5 Overs, RR: 7.16) 135/4
Did not bat: Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran
Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Mohammad Shahzad, 5.4 ov), 2-57 (Usman Ghani, 10.3 ov), 3-79 (Asghar Stanikzai, 13.4 ov), 4-115 (Samiullah Shenwari, 17.6 ov)
BOWLING: Islam 4-2-14-0, Al Hasan 4-0-37-0, Hossain 3.5-0-38-1, Hider 3-0-141, Mahmudullah 1-0-9-0, Hossain 3-0-21-2
chase and lost Mohammad Shahzad inside the Powerplay, but Samiullah Shenwari repaired the innings with 49 off 41 balls and took his side to within 20 runs of a series victory. With Afghanistan needing 20 off the last two overs, Nabi clobbered four boundaries in five balls off fast bowler Rubel Hossain to seal it in style. Bangladesh might rue not holding onto their chances. When Shahzad was scoreless in the first over, wicketkeeper Mushfiqur dropped a thick edge to reprieve him. The opener went on to hit four fours and a six in his 18-ball 24 to set the tone for the chase. Following Shahzad's dismissal, Afghanistan went 30 balls without a boundary before Shenwari disdainfully pulled Rubel to the midwicket fence in the 11th over. He then hammered three sixes off spinners Mahmudullah and Mosaddek.
Mosaddek bowled Shenwari in the 18th over to give Bangladesh hope, but Nabi dashed it with a breathtaking late assault that ticked off another landmark for Afghanistan. (ESPNCricinfo)
Manchester United announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to sign Brazilian international midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk as Jose Mourinho seeks the magic formula to topple Premier League Champions Manchester City.
The 25-year-old will cost the English giants a reported fee of more than £50 million (US$67 million) and give Mourinho a powerful-looking midfield, with the Brazilian set to slot in alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
United announced the deal in a brief statement on their official website, which read: "Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for the transfer of Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos (Fred). A further announcement will be made in due course."
Fred becomes the major signing by boss Mourinho, also reportedly on a deal for Porto defender Diogo Dalot.
United finished second in the
were often made to look ponderous in comparison to stylish City's commitment to And beating City to the signature of Fred, who was a target for the English champions in January, could prove to be a significant first step. Fred caught the eye in Shakhtar's run to the last 16 of the Champions League, where the Ukrainians only lost out on away goals to Roma. A stunning free-kick in the first leg of that tie was a glimpse of what Fred's talented left foot can produce. However, he is far more of a creator than goalscorer as his record of just 15 goals in five years at Shakhtar
Fred will hope to make the same impact on the Premier League as Brazilian international teammates Willian and Fernandinho, who also arrived in England via spells with United fans are unlikely to get much of a glimpse of Fred at the World Cup in Russia, though, as he is yet to start an international match under current coach Tite.
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By Clifton Ross
Ahead of the first of three Tests, West Indies will be aiming to get their campaign at home underway in the best vein, as the Sri Lankans enter the match with more momentum.
The visitors channelled their momentum from the 3-Day practice games which ended last Friday, where they score over 500 runs in their two batting innings against the Windies President’s XI side; a match which ended in a draw.
Fast-forward to the eve of the first Test, both sides will be seeking to make the first impression count as they both had some good individual perfromances. The last time West Indies and Sri Lanka met for Test cricket in the Caribbean was
While the Asians have been doing fairly okay in Tests recently, the West Indies have won only one series in their last 11 and that was against Zimbabwe.
Some of the Windies players who will be in the spotlight include 21-yearold Guyanese, Shimron Hetmyer.
In New Zealand last December, he hit 66 to light up the Basin Reserve against a good Kiwi attack but returned scores of 13, 28 and 15 but should fancy himself against the Sri
wicketkeeper-batsman
Jahmar Hamilton are the two fresh faces in the unit.
From the visitor’s perspective, Dinesh Chandimal recently announced himself with a ton while Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis warmed up with fifties in the practice game last week.
Chandimal averages 48.5 across his 10 Tests as captain, against an average of 42.33 when he is not leading. Off-spinner Akila Dananjaya and all-rounder Dilruwan Perera will play key roles in the slower department along with the class of Ragana Herath and seamer Suranga Lakmal. West Indies will rely on pacers Miguel Cummins, Kumar Roach and Shannon Gabriel for some fire off the Queen’s Park Oval surface as Guyanese Devendra Bishoo will fill the specialist spinner role.
Sri Lanka has played only six Tests in the Caribbean, winning only one of those games back in ries before this one had been ed to two Tests only while West Indies have won only two of their last 12 Tests at
Guyanese all-rounder Royston Crandon piloted the Vikings Cricket Club to a 68-run win over arch-rivals Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club on June 2 in Toronto.
Action in the 2018 Toronto and District Cricket Association (T&DCA) Super9 50-over competition commenced with the former Guyana and West Indies all-rounder hitting seven fours and three sixes in his stylish 90 which took the Vikings to 224 all out off 49.3 overs.
In reply, the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club were kept to 156 in 43.4 overs after some collective bowling from Crandon, who returned with tidy offbreak to pick up 3-27 while his fellow Guyanese bowlers – fast-bowler Jeremy Gordon
along with left-arm orthodox spinners Eugene Lafleur and Raj Nanan – chipped in a wicket each.
Nitesh Kumar top-scored for the losers with 35 while Choghtai proved his all-round capability by making a fighting 24 and national Canadian opening batsman Hiral Patel chipped in with 23. Crandon, who also led the
side, won the toss and opted to take first strike. He was however forced to the middle when his side was reduced to 33-4. Akash Shah also showed good form with the bat and usefully contributed 38 runs laced with four fours, as medium pacers Hassan Choghtai and Daniyal Fahim grabbing 3-25 and 3-39 (7) respectively; for the losing side.
The Super9 50-over competition was introduced in 2016 with the top teams advancing to the final. Vikings will be back in action on Saturday against Victoria Park and then the next day against bitter-rivals JB Masters. Both preliminary round matches are scheduled for Maple Leaf venue in King City, Toronto.
After teasing at the possibility of taking care of Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) sponsorship troubles by stepping in to offer assistance with the Hurricane relief match held at Lord’s Stadium last week, Sandals resort has confirmed their long-term sponsorship for the Caribbean team.
The contract between the premiere luxury resort and travel entity and the CWI is effective immediately and will see Sandals taking responsibility of WINDIES teams from U-15s through to the senior WINDIES Men’s and Women’s teams.
The agreement was confirmed earlier on Tuesday by Chief Executive Officer of CWI, Johnny Grave stating, “WINDIES cricket is the heartbeat of the Caribbean and we’re thrilled to partner with such a prestigious international brand as Sandals which is also synonymous with promoting the
best of the Caribbean to the world. Sandals shares our determination to strengthen and grow cricket across the region, as well as harnessing cricket’s power to drive economic investment and tourism.”
Additionally, the sponsorship agreement will cater to the Sandals logo being inscribed on all WINDIES clothing and equipment and they are now able to benefit
from activating WINDIES cricket in their marketing and social responsibility programmes. The vacationing giant will also enjoy stadium branding at all home matches and broadcast sponsor-
The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) and El Dorado Rums recently joined forces to launch their inaugural invitational tourney set to tee off on June 16, at the Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara.
On Monday, the two entities confirmed their commitment at the conference held at the DSL Store, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, where LGC President Aleem Hussain received the sponsorship cheque from DDL’s El Dorado Brand Manager, Maria Munroe.
Munroe said Demerara Distillers Limited and their El Dorado Rums Brand were elated to partner with the Club as they prepare to host their inaugural invitational in a few weeks.
“The prestigious tournament will see both male and female players competing at a very high level over the course of a day to become the El Dorado Champion. We are excited to witness some really great sportsmanship from the players and excellent execution from the organisers of the Lusignan Golf Committee,” she added.
The Brand Manager said El Dorado Rums has
always been a big contributor towards sport in Guyana and is committed to the development and promotion of sport as a healthy form of entertainment.
Munroe further stated that DDL will continue to support sport in Guyana and wished the LGC and players a competitive and successful tournament.
Meanwhile, Hussain said while the tournament is the first of its kind, he nevertheless thanked DDL for supporting golf in general for over 20 years.
Tournament day will see numerous prizes being awarded to fans and players alike, while El Dorado products will be on exhibition.
ship of all WINDIES matches shown on Sky Sports.
“This announcement comes at an exciting time for CWI, as we have just embarked on an ambitious new five-year strategic plan. Sandals Resorts’ investment will not only help fuel the game at all levels within the Caribbean but will enable us to achieve our strategic objectives. We are thrilled that Sandals have agreed to partner us once again and that they are re-invigorating their support of cricket within the region,” Grave added.
In a statement from the company, Chairman of Sandals, Gordon “Butch” Stewart OJ, CD, LLD said “Our relationship with West Indies cricket is not a new one, having sponsored tours to the UK in 1995, 2000 and 2004, and we have now deepened our support for the WINDIES with this sponsorship which will cover all upcoming tours including the World Cup until the
end of 2020. We have absolutely loved our association with West Indies Cricket over the years, and we look forward with great enthusiasm to this latest partnership, which started with a win against the ICC World XI in the hurricane relief fundraising match at Lord’s on May 31. We look forward to the WINDIES continuing its winning ways in the series against Sri Lanka, and the others to come.”
Sandals came to CWI’s rescue last week after telecommunications giant Digicel prematurely ended their contract with the cricketing entity. Sandals’ sponsorship has come in a timely manner since the senior men’s team will kick off their three-Test series against Sri Lanka; at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad today. The partnership is set to run until December 31, 2020.
As a part of its initiative to restore the glory of cricket to the ancient county of Berbice, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) kicked of their Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh countywide coaching clinic for young cricketers. The sters ranging from ages 12-19 Upper Corentyne were afforded the opportunity to gain knowledge on batting, fast bowling, fielding, spin bowling and wicket keeping over the two-day course which was at the Skeldon Community Centre Ground.
The camp, which was at tended by droves of young cricket enthusiasts, was su pervised by head tutor Winston Smith, and coaches Balram Samaroo and Andre Percival. They were assisted by three Pre Level One Upper Corentyne coaches, including Lakeram Latchman and Junior Blair.
The two-day course focused pri marily on detecting and correcting faults that young players may have in order to refine their style of play
from a young age. They were also briefed on roles of every player and how to improve on their potential. Approximately $516,000 was injected into the programme by Texasbased Guyanese born medical doctor, Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh and the BCB and will travel to Lower/Central Corentyne, New Amsterdam/Canje and West Berbice. Upon conclusion of the two-day course, Berbice Under-15 Player Vittori Latchman was named best Cricketer of the Camp and received a trophy and a collection of educational materials. Additionally, Shamar Blair, Christopher Clark and Anthony Hussain were highlighted as players with great potential by a panel of six coaches. President of the BCB Hilbert Foster also took time out of his schedule to visit the camp and interact with the stu-
The training camp will make its next stop at the Albion Community Centre in the lower Corentyne area.
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2018 fixtures have been announced as the Caribbean and the rest of the world prepare for summer’s biggest Party in Sport.
The mouth-watering 34-match season will bowl off on August 8 with the finals set for September 16, 2018. For the third successive year, the tournament will return to the USA, with three matches taking place at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.
This edition’s opening match will see last year’s winners, Trinbago Knight Riders, squaring off against the St Lucia Stars while fan favourites Guyana Amazon Warriors will commence their campaign versus the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
Game five will see a repeat of last year’s final with the Knight Riders taking on the Patriots, with this year’s semi-final and final set for Trinidad with the venue for the first two knockout matches yet to be confirmed.
Speaking on the CPL festivities, Windies Test and
ODI Captain Jason Holder said he was looking forward to returning to the Hero CPL and getting stuck into the tournament.
“It feels great! To come back home to play for the Barbados Tridents, it's a pleasing feeling for me. And it’ll be my first time leading in T20 cricket and I’m really looking forward to it; I think it’s something that will help improve my captaincy on a whole.
“So, it will be good to mingle with guys like Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill. We’ve got overseas stars that will lend their experience and help me along the way as well, so I’m really looking forward to that and, hopefully, Barbados Tridents could again be very, very successful in the CPL,” said Holder.
This year will also see the return of Andre Russell to the Jamaica Tallawahs, and the most explosive T20 cricketer in the world is excited about being back at this innovative T20 tournament.
"I cannot wait to be back playing for Jamaica
Tallawahs at the Hero CPL. It will be great to link up with all the players at the Tallawahs and, hopefully, we can play some exciting cricket again this year and bring the CPL trophy back to Jamaica in 2018.”
Hero CPL’s CEO, Damien O’Donohoe is excited about the upcoming season. “We are delighted with how Hero CPL continues to grow. Last season, we saw almost 200 million viewers watch the tournament and Hero CPL also made a huge impact on the economies of the countries we visited. We are certain that this year, we will see those numbers grow once again.”
Meanwhile, regarding the major announcement of the tournament fixtures, Hero CPL’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Pete Russell said: “It is very pleasing to get the fixture list agreed for this year. Moving the tournament between seven nation states always represents a huge logistical challenge, and I would like to thank our operations team for pulling it all together for another year.”
Wednesday 8 Aug
Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Stars, Trinidad
Thursday 9 Aug
Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Venue TBC
Friday 10 Aug
Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs, Trinidad
Saturday 11 Aug
Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Stars, Venue TBC
Saturday 11 Aug
Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Trinidad
Sunday 12 Aug
Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Tridents, Venue TBC
Tuesday 14 Aug
Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Stars, Jamaica
Wednesday 15 Aug
Jamaica Tallawahs v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Jamaica
Thursday 16 Aug
St Lucia Stars v Trinbago Knight Riders, St Lucia
Friday 17 Aug
Riders, USA
Tuesday 21 Aug
St Lucia Stars v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St Lucia
Wednesday 22 Aug
Jamaica Tallawahs v Barbados Tridents, USA
Friday 24 Aug
St Lucia Stars v Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Lucia
Saturday 25 Aug
Barbados Tridents v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Barbados
Saturday 25 Aug
St Lucia Stars v Jamaica Tallawahs, St Lucia
Sunday 26 Aug
Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados
Tuesday 28 Aug
St Kitts & Nevis
Patriots v Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Kitts
Wednesday 29 Aug
Barbados Tridents v Jamaica Tallawahs, Barbados
Thursday 30 Aug
St Kitts & Nevis
Patriots v St Lucia Stars, St Kitts
St Lucia Stars, Barbados
Sunday 2 Sept
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts
Tuesday 4 Sept
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Barbados Tridents, St Kitts
Wednesday 5 Sept
St Lucia Stars v Barbados Tridents, St Lucia
Saturday 18 Aug
Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors, USA
Sunday 19 Aug
Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight
Friday 31 Aug
Barbados Tridents v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Barbados
Saturday 1 Sept
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Trinbago Knight Riders, St Kitts
Sunday 2 Sept Barbados Tridents v
Trinbago Knight Riders v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinidad
Friday 7 Sept Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Tridents, Trinidad
Saturday 8 Sept
Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs, Venue TBC
Sunday 9 Sept
Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders, Venue TBC
PLAYOFFS
Tuesday 11 Sept
Playoff 1 – 1st v 2nd, Venue
*TBC: To Be Confirmed
Mahendra Bhagwandin was crowned champion of last Sunday’s Grand Coastal Golf Classic Tournament played at the Lusignan Golf Course (LGC), on the East Coast of Demerara.
Bhagwandin narrowly edged past fellow pro Richard Haniff to emerge champion, as winners from previous tournaments sought to reclaim some glory. In the end, it was Haniff and Lusignan Golf Club’s Aleem Hussain who were among those offering Bhagwandin competition.
Longest Drive was won by Roy Cummings; Best Gross was won by Haniff, while the Best Net winners were: 4th – Miguel Oviedo 70/28; 3rd – Hussain 70/11; 2nd – Haniff 66/13; and 1st – Bhagwandin 65/20.
Bhagwandin and Haniff were in the clear lead with the latter doing better up to the final four holes. Following the match, the champ humorously noted “He (Haniff) pushed me to up my game when he told me how well he had done so far”.
At the ceremony, the prizes was distributed by CEO of Grand Coastal, Kevin Daby, who in congratulating the winners thanked the Club for the opportunity to be of support and expressed Grand Coastal’s willingness to continue to support golfing in Guyana.
In responding on behalf of the LGC, Club President Hussain thanked Grand Coastal sincerely and showed the Club’s appreciation by extending the position of honorary member to Daby.
