Guyana chronicle 08 12 13 by Chronicle

SUNDAY No. 103674

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 2013

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

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Guyana Shop hosts fantastic exhibition of pineapple-based products Page 2

--under auspices of Agriculture Ministry & IICA

At four-day meet here…

CXC charts interesting, innovative course Page 3

--to give impetus to Caribbean education

Godspeed, Madiba!

Crab-catcher in close encounter with deadly diamond-head snake Page 14

President Donald Ramotar signs the Book of Condolence for the late anti-apartheid leader, icon and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela at State House yesterday shortly before leaving for South Africa where he will join other world leaders in paying their final respect to the fallen Statesman.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Guyana Shop hosts fantastic exhibition of pineapple-based products --under auspices of Agriculture Ministry & IICA

By Shirley Thomas THE Agriculture Ministry, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the New Guyana Shop, hosted yet another agro-processing and marketing initiative last Friday at New Guyana Shop, conveniently located at the corner of Robb and Alexander streets, in the hub of the city’s commerce. This initiative, highlighting the very versatile ‘pineapple’, showcased a wide variety of value-added products for export and local consumption. The promotion brought together several producers, who were able to share with consumers valuable insights into the product: its cultivation culture, primary uses, information on growing pineapples in Guyana, post-harvesting and marketing preparation, pests and diseases of pineapples in Guyana, as well as information on the amazing benefits of consuming pineapples. Additionally, there was a range of attractively displayed valuable-added products for which there is lucrative marketing potential in the Caribbean. Products showcased included canned and bottled pineapple juices, jams, jellies and yogurt manufactured by both Tandy’s and Sterling Products. The Carnegie School of Home Economics also introduced five exciting versions of pineapple products, namely: pineapple cheese; spicy pineapple sauce; pine tart filling; fruit-in-syrup, and pineapple jam. Moreover, a mouth-watering variety of ready-to-eat pineapple-based cocktails was

not just to show-off the different products, but to address these concerns. We are helping our agro-processors in determining the nutritional content, but our product itself is as good as anything else you will get anywhere,” he said. Licences

IICA’s Representative, Mr. Wilmot Garnett, shares information on the varieties of pineapples with Dr. Leslie Ramsammy (at centre) prepared and showcased by students of that institution, including pineapple chicken salad, pineapple pudding, and pineapple crumble. Other producers who were present at the occasion included the Health Food Store on Middle Street, Georgetown and the Amazon Caribbean Guyana Inc. Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and IICA’s Representative Mr.Wilmot Garnett also visited the exhibition and spoke with journalists. Dr. Ramsammy outlined that this third exhibition for the quarter was intended to be a monthly feature hosted at the Guyana Shop and aimed at promoting our local products. He said: “Guyana’s agriculture is more than rice and sugar. Guyana’s agriculture is also about growing foods such

as pineapples, corn, pak choy, bora, to feed our people.” He said that one of the things Guyana wants to do with her agriculture is diversify, so that we can provide for people, not only our food security, but nutrition security – healthy foods to help feed the Caribbean, thereby achieving our destiny, which is to become the ‘bread basket of the Caribbean’. And while fulfilling our mandate of providing fresh food, he said, there’s a growing emphasis on producing value-added through our agro-processing sector. “So what we do at this site every month is to highlight the fact that we grow high-quality, nutritious fruits and vegetables. We also show people that we can make a diversity of products from these fruits and vegetables in our kitchen, and we provide the recipe for those.”

Dr. Ramsammy, however, said that work is being done to improve on the labelling and packaging in some cases. “This is something we are working on, and the reason for coming here once a month is

D r. R a m s a m m y said the authorities are ensuring the agro-processors produce in facilities that are licensed and meet FDA standards, hence the practice of b o t t o m - h o u s e p ro cessing is being discouraged. He warned that unlicensed entities will not be allowed to sell their products to the Guyana Shop. “So there are dual functions for holding the exhibitions: to show people that we produce a wide variety, and to promote our produce while showing our fellow Guyanese how our quality is improving over time. So I think this is a time for us to celebrate. We are expanding and modernizing the

agro-processing initiative,” Dr Ramsammy concluded. ICCA’s Representative, Mr. Wilmot Garnett, said IICA remains committed to the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners in development, to continue modernization of the agriculture sector in Guyana. “Over the years, we have been focusing on value-added products because we need to maximize our profit for farmers. Next year, we will also be concentrating on our cost-of-production exercise, and we will be working not only at the University level, but at the ground level as well. We will work with the farmers, being very clear and letting them know the details that they can consider so as to make a profit,” he said. And commenting on sanitary conditions, Garnett said that, in agriculture, IICA works with what is referred to as ‘Agriculture Health and Food Safety’ – all the aspects alluded to by Minister Ramsammy, to get our products ‘export ready.’ “This also applies for the quality at home. It must also be in compliance with what we have for the standards internationally. So IICA remains committed,” he said.

Students of the Carnegie School of Home Economics showcase their pineapple cocktails IICA is also working with groups, he said, and undertakes a lot of training in the communities, working at the farm levels.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

At four-day meet here…

CXC charts interesting, innovative course By Jimmy Roos

LANS are afoot at the Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to chart a new and innovative course in the interest of moving education forward in the Caribbean. That’s according to CXC Registrar, Dr. Didacus Jules, who told a press conference Friday at the end of a four-day meet here, that besides being “very productive,” the caucus produced very interesting and innovative plans to move education forward. He further told reporters that as far as he was concerned, those changes of which he spoke, which followed a review of what had been done in the last five years, would positively impact education in the region. Besides Dr Jules, among those present at the press conference, which was held in the Savannah Suite of the Pegasus Hotel, were CXC Chairman, Professor Nigel Harris; its Pro-Registrar, Mr. Glenroy Cumberbatch; and its Assistant Registrar, Mr. Cleveland Sam. Present also were Permanent Secretary in Guyana’s Ministry of Education, Ms. Delma Nedd; and Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam. Looking towards the 2014/2020 strategic plan, Dr. Jules noted that the Council will concentrate on three strategic objectives: Strengthening the CXC business model, securing financial stability, and delivering an enhanced stakeholder experience. Describing the CXC as an IT intelligence organization that has begun to embrace technology, Dr. Jules painted a rosy picture of the future vision: Soon, students will be able to login to the CXC website to check their results. The registration process will be streamlined, and will be available Online. By 2020, education will be totally shaped by students’ lifestyles. They will be able to access timetables, get tips for studying, upload their resumes

--to give impetus to Caribbean education

CXC officials sit with Ministry of Education officials addressing the press conference and be linked with employers in a totally integrated system, write their exams online, and get the results on their mobile phones. A process called e-marking will be introduced in the May/June 2014 sitting, when eleven papers in seven CSEC subjects will be e-marked. In the CESC January 2015 sitting, 22 papers will be e-marked, while 24 papers will be e-marked in the MayJune 2016 sitting. The quality of the e-marking will be monitored utilizing the same process as table marking, which includes chief examiners, table leaders and examiners. Mr. Cumberbatch said the new envisaged education system will eliminate the present problem of graduates not being able to get work, as they will be able to create their own employment. They will be able to go

from education to work, and create wealth for themselves and their families. For example, students will be able to blog about specific topics right from their school laptops, and will be interacting with, and building relationships with, potential buyers, allowing them to learn about the business environment while they’re at school. This will later create a seamless transition from school to work, allowing them to create wealth for themselves and their families. The priority is no longer as it was in the past: to look at producing the highest marks; but rather, to raise the number of students who gain the required competencies that will allow them to make a successful living once they graduate. Responding to a question from a reporter on why Maths and English results

have still not improved, despite their being recognized as a problem for a number of years, Dr. Jules said that results in education are not seen immediately. He explained that some students’ problems start at preschool, and because they are not dealt with there, the problems continue into high school and college. Despite this, the registrar noted, more students passed English and Maths, although top marks may not necessarily reflect it. He added that the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC)

assessments found that foundational competencies showed upward trends in mastering Maths and English. According to Mr. Cumberbatch, an accelerated effort is required by all, parents and media, including newspapers and radio, when it comes to helping students improve their English, by making sure that they use proper grammar. It was also revealed at the press conference that the council approved a budget of 50.5 million Barbadian dollars, and a total expenditure of 50.3 Barbadian dollars to provide for key areas, including syllabus development and

maintenance, examinations preparation and administration, business development, technology renewal, human resource management, research, development and marketing, and stakeholder relationship. The CXC officials further revealed that they had paid courtesy calls to various government officials as well as to members of the Parliamentary opposition, where they had been warmly welcomed. T h e y e x p re s s e d t h e i r gratitude to the Government, the opposition, and to the people of Guyana for extending them that facility.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Nelson Mandela life story:

The prophet of tolerance By Archbishop Desmond Tutu M ADIBA’S o wn pa ssi on for equality and democracy as well as the enjoyment of inalienable rights for all must, to a very considerable extent, have been lit by

the Biblical teaching of the infinite worth of everyone because of being created in the image of God It had nothing to do with extrinsic attributes or circumstances as ethnicity, skin colour or social standing. It was a universal phenomenon,

and this dignity, freedom and equality of all were things that he was wanting to fight and live for, but if necessary, he would be prepared to die for. His opposition to injustice, racism and oppression were thus not just political and ideological but in a very real sense deeply religious as well. The obverse to this was a passion for freedom, nonracialism and righteousness that would come to be enshrined in our magnificent constitution that ensures that that legacy will live forever. He was tempered in the fire of adversity. All that he endured in the times when he was the elusive Black Pimpernel with hardly a family life to speak of, and the 27 years of incarceration, were important in the making of the man. It gave him a new depth, helped him to be more understanding of the foibles of

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others, to be more generous, more tolerant, more magnanimous and it gave him an unassailable credibility and integrity, and so he could be as he was when he emerged from prison, willing to extend a hand of friendship to his former adversaries and be generous when they were vanquished. He lived out the understanding that an enemy is a friend waiting to be made, and so could have his white former hailer attend his Presidential inauguration as a VIP guest; and have Dr Percy Yutar, who was the prosecutor in the Rivonia trial when he was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Dr Yutar who had wanted the death sentence, come to lunch with him at the Presidency; and could visit the widow of Dr Verwoerd, the high priest and architect of apartheid, for tea when she was not able the come to the

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Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu photographed on 29 October 1998 Presidency. President on 9May 1994, The former terrorist could on the Friday he went to a have those who used to think mosque and on the following of him as Public Enemy No 1 day he attended a synagogue eating out of his hand. and on the Sunday attended a He awed everyone as a larger inter-denominational spectacular embodiment of service at the FNB Stadium magnanimity and forgiveness, in Soweto. At his inauguraand he saved our land from tion, prayers were offered by the bloodbath that most had Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and predicted would be our lot Christian ministers. in resolving the problem, of The spirit of tolerance is apartheid’s vicious oppression now enshrined in the custom of the vast majority of our that Parliament starts each motherland’s population. Sufday with a period of quiet to fering can embitter, but it can allow each person to use as also ennoble, and God blessed is consistent with his or her us richly when the latter hapfaith, or lack of it. It replaces pened in Madiba’s case. the way things were done in He grew in morale stature the old, all-white Parliament as he grew in attributes of when Christian prayers were tolerance. He would try to the order of the day, despite see the other person’s point the fact that a few members of view and so would be were Jewish. ready to make concessions The respect for the things others hold dear is a and be on the lookout for the precious part of the legacy compromise that could often that this great man leaves us help to pull the chestnuts out and is a tremendous contriof the fire. bution to the kind of future He had been scrupulous we want to see, particularly to ensure that he demonat a time when religious strated a profound respect fundamentalism of all kinds for all the faiths to be found threatens global peace. in our country. After he was ( A rc h b i s h o p D e s m o n d elected by Parliament as our Tutu is primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa) first democratically elected

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

T&T Government moving to tighten conditions for bail PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – The coalition People’s Partnership government is moving to tighten the conditions under which bail would be provided to persons with Attorney General Anand Ramlogan saying the new measures would result in bail being denied for 120 days to anyone accused and charged with a violent crime. The government said the amendment to the Bail Act would also seek to deny bail to persons charged with sexual offences involving a child or young person. “One strike and you are out. No bail,” Ramlogan told legislators on Friday as he piloted the new measures that would require a three-fifths majority vote for passage. But Opposition Legislator, Colm Imbert has signaled that the opposition would not support the move. “This bill is going to incarcerate a person who is accused of a crime,” he said, reminding

the Parliament that “when you are charged you are still presumed to be innocent”. Moreover, Imbert said that Ramlogan was not prepared to present the legislation and recalled the recent statement by a senior official of the prison service here that in the remand yard built to accommodate 655 people now housed 1,156 people. Ramlogan said Parliament had been slow to react to the crime situation and unresponsive to the cries of frustration from citizens. He said if one gang penetrated a community it became difficult for police to get information, as the gang would be secreted in the bosom of the community. “That’s a reality we must face,” he said, adding that the new legislation replaces the “three-strikes” and “twostrikes” rule in the existing bill. “Three strikes is (are) for baseball; we (in the Caribbean) play cricket and in cricket,

after one strike, you are out,” Ramlogan told legislators, adding that he does not accept that poverty was an excuse for the type of violent crime in the country. “This is not a case of a man stealing a hops bread.... The man who rapes a young child in her dying moments, don’t come and tell me poverty is an excuse for that kind of crime.... That is a different kind of evil, sinister and ominous.” He said the bill, among other things, would mean any person “convicted in the past 10 years of any offence under the Children’s Act would get no bail when he is charged. “Recent events have demonstrated that there is a clear and present danger to the welfare of our children and Parliament and the law must send the strongest possible signal,” said Ramlogan, an apparent reference to the brutal death of a six-year-old school girl, whose decomposing body ws found

stuffed in a barrel at her home and the death of a one-year-old child allegedly at the hands of his father. Ramlogan said that statistics compiled by the Crime and Problem Analysis Branch of the Police Service showed many persons on bail consistently committed crimes and were granted bail repeatedly by the courts. He told Parliament that one person was first convicted in March 1991 for robbery with aggravation. He was convicted and sentenced. After completing his sentence, the man, whom he named “Mr S” was then charged with receiving stolen goods. He got bail. While on bail, he commits a further crime, shop-breaking and larceny in May 1999. “While on bail, he was also charged with factory-breaking and larceny. In June 2000, he is convicted of trying to obtain TT$86,000 (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) by false pre-

UNHCR urges Dominican Republic to reverse Constitutional Court ruling UNITED NATIONS, (CMC) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is urging The Dominican Republic to rapidly restore the nationality of people who have been affected by the recent Constitutional Court ruling rendering thousands of people stateless. UNHCR, which mounted a mission to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country last week, said that it was “deeply concerned that two months after the ruling, the situation of stateless population has not yet been adequately addressed by the authorities”. Moreover, UNHCR noted that The Dominican Republic government announced its intention this week to submit to its Congress a bill allowing the affected population to apply for

naturalization, “which will make those already considered citizens apply for naturalization”. The September 23 ruling of the Constitutional Court introduced new criteria for acquisition of Dominican nationality with regard to children of irregular migrants born in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country. Retroactively to 1929, the new criteria indicated that several generations of Dominicans of Haitian decent, including those officially registered as Dominican Republic citizens at birth, no longer meet the standard for Dominican Republic nationality. UNHCR stressed that those affected by the judgment are not migrants and that they have deep roots in the country. The agency also urged the government to “take immediate

action to resolve this human rights problem”. UNHCR said that by virtue of being stateless,”a person can be denied many of the rights and privileges taken for granted as a national of a country, including the right to vote, the right to travel outside of one’s country and even the right to access basic services”. Late last month, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) deferred The Dominican Republic’s application for membership of the regional body over the country’s Constitutional Court ruling. CARICOM made the decision at a Bureau meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, comprising current chairperson Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Persad Bissessar; her St. Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, Dr.

Ralph Gonsalves; and the President of Haiti, Michel Martelly. CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque also attended the meeting. “In the circumstances and in the light of the values and the principles, which have been underpinned in the revised treaty of Chaguaramas, CARICOM has determined that it will defer consideration of the application by The Dominican Republic for membership of CARICOM,” said Persad-Bissessar afterwards.

tences. He completes this sentence and then he is charged for

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, twice in December 2002 and in December 2003. He gets bail again.” Ramlogan said that the man continued carrying out criminal acts including charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Eleven different charges...and the man

continues to get bail, over and over and over. He gets bail and reoffends and you give him more bail. That happens repeatedly, the Attorney General stated. Ramlogan said the imposition of the one-strike rule would see the number of persons being denied bail for possession of firearm increase from 255 to 472; for robbery, from 37 to 286; for larceny of a motor vehicle, from eight to 27; and for possession of a dangerous drug for trafficking, from 35 to 232. “The new legislation would have kept an additional 217 possible gunmen off the street, an additional 249 robbers and a further 197 potential drug dealers,” he added. The debate is continuing.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

EDITORIAL

GUYANA

Saluting Nelson Mandela AS is to be expected, President Donald Ramotar will be in South Africa to join world leaders in celebrating the life of the legendary international icon for freedom, justice and morality in public affairs, Nelson Mandela. The first democratically-elected President of South Africa and a former leader of the African National Congress (ANC), whose heroic struggles were embraced by countries and liberation movements across the world, passed away at his private home Thursday, after battling for months a prolonged lung ailment. As part of its own remembrance activities for the iconic freedom fighter of oppressed peoples everywhere, Cuba -- one of the first countries chosen by Mandela to visit following his freedom from a South African prison after 27 years of ruthless incarceration -- chose to release this past week, the complete text of the late President’s memorable address in Havana in February 1991 to mark the 38th Anniversary of the Fidel Castro-led revolution. Of related significance, Cuba, consistent with its own admirable commitment to the promotion of meaningful friendship with nations of the world which continue to demonstrate solidarity with its courageous people for defying the United States economic blockade for more than half-a-century, has also recalled the historic

importance of today as ‘CARICOM-Cuba Day’. It was by the “Havana Accord” of December 8, 2002 that this “CARICOM-Cuba Day” was established to mark the historic decision by four founding states of our Caribbean Community -Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago -- to jointly establish diplomatic relations with Cuba that subsequently triggered political initiatives beyond this hemisphere to bring Cuba out of the so-called “diplomatic cold”. All other independent member states of CARICOM were to later establish diplomatic economic and cultural relations with Cuba. It is now the norm for member states of the United Nations, with the exception of no more than three, including Israel, to vote with the USA to maintain its shameful economic blockade against Cuba that was designed to derail is historic revolution. In his meetings with Caribbean and Latin American leaders, and during the occasional visits, President Mandela was consistent in his praise for the tremendous sacrificial support given by Cuba to the people of South Africa to defeat the degrading, heinous politics of apartheid, as well as providing valuable human and other resources for the success of liberation movements elsewhere in Africa. No wonder that Caribbean leader, governments and people of

this and other regions of the global community are simply anxious to praise and embrace the struggles for freedom and commitment to peoples everywhere by Nelson Mandela. Guyanese of all walks of life, irrespective of political persuasion or attachment, would readily salute this great gift to humanity: Nelson Mandela. He is gone, but will never be forgotten for the fine examples he has bequeathed — whether in or out of power.

Attorney-General plugs finding social solutions to social problems --at opening of counselling centre in Essequibo “THE PPP/C Government is of the strong belief that people must remain at the forefront of the political, social and economic processes of the country,” said Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney-General Anil Nandlall recently. “And that is why one-third of all the annual budgets, since 1993 to present, goes towards the social sector,” he told attendees at the opening of a counselling centre at Maria’s Lodge, on the Essequibo Coast, Region 2, adding: “Everything must be designed to achieve the ultimate objective of improving the lives and livelihood of the people of Guyana, or else we are failing abysmally… People are the raison d’etre of development; our vision is people-driven.” The Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) officially

opened the centre, with the hope that by offering a safe, confidential environment, some of the everyday social issues that plague citizens at the family and individual levels can be addressed. “The legal sector, for example, received $2B in this year’s budget, while education received $28B. Why? Because we believe that placing emphasis on the education of our young people is our priority and it is the impetus that will drive our country’s developmental trajectory,” Minister Nandlall said. He further reminded his audience that social problems require social solutions, and as such, while many laws have been passed, they are not the solution, but merely part of the solution. As he explained, the laws at reference might see persons convicted and sent to

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, General Secretary of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) Indra Chandarpal (third and second left, respectively) and representatives of Region 2 at the opening of the Counselling Centre

The building that now houses Essequibo’s first counselling centre at Maria’s Lodge

prison, but the problem will continue to exist unless there are social solutions such as this counselling centre. “This institution is intended to provide a social solution; it is filling a void that exists within our country,” the AG said. General Secretary of the WPO, Indra Chandarpal, who is one of the driving forces behind the project, said that as far back as 1992, when the PPP/C took office, the prevalence of social ills (especially in rural communities) and the need to tackle them frontally

were recognised. It is against this background that the Administration passed several pieces of legislation to ensure the protection of women and children. These include the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and the Domestic Violence Act. Over the years, the government, particularly through its social services ministry and NGOs, focused tremendously on raising awareness on these issues and has even expanded legal aid services to particularly cater to the needs of women. Chandarpal said that the

WPO, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, has been working continuously over the years, often behind the scenes and without any media fanfare, to bring about substantial changes in communities. “This is not a PR exercise; this is about helping people… We would like the centre to be open every day and serve the purpose for which it was created,” she said. The WPO plans to establish similar facilities in other regions. It will be manned by trained individuals and even offer pre-marital counselling. (GINA)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Surprising ministerial ‘tantrum’ over promising Jamaica/T&T meeting

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

--The case of two Cabinet colleagues

Analysis by Rickey Singh

to discourage any initiative for an organised trade boycott, conscious as they are of the inter-dependence of their national economies, and the burden of legal implications for violating the CARICOM treaty that guarantees free trade in commodities clearly identified as originating from a partner state. Required commitment

N SHARP contrast to media reports and images of the public relations choreography between the Foreign Ministers of Jamaica (Arnold Nicholson) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Winston Dookeran over two days of meetings and a shared press conference in Kingston last week, political problems appeared to be brewing in Port-of-Spain as this column was being written, with a likely casualty being that country’s Minister of National Arnold Nicholson Security, Gary Griffith. Betraying a surprising lack of political maturity as a cabinet minister with impressive academic qualifications, who had previously served as personal security adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Senator Griffith went public last Wednesday with a sharp rebuke of Foreign Minister Dookeran for an engagement with his Jamaican counterpart “without first consulting me…” According to Senator Griffith, the circumstances that resulted in the hurriedly arranged meeting between Foreign Ministers Nicholson and Dookeran in Kingston -- at the invitation of the former -- had much more to do with matters pertaining to national/regional security than a threatened trade war between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Hence, his undisguised displeasure that Dookeran had failed to have prior consultation with HIM before flying off to meet with Jamaica’s Nicholson. Seemingly angry at not being personally involved in the Kingston meeting, Minister Griffith opted to make his media intervention -- via the ‘Trinidad Guardian’ -- without bothering to wait for Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s regular Cabinet meeting on Thursday; or without seeking to benefit from the “agreed minutes” of the Nicholson/Dookeran meeting that, according to reliable reports, could prove quite productive, with new initiatives to avoid conflict over bilateral trade, as well as recurring immigration problems for CARICOM nationals

Gary Griffith Winston Dookeran seeking entry into T&T. It is the informed understanding of this columnist that the minutes reflect a mutual desire to ensure arrangements are in place, including frequent consultations, at ministerial and technical levels, on pertinent trade, economic, immigration, labour-related and security matters, consistent with the pursuit of serious efforts to improve and strengthen relations between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Issues addressed Among the specific issues addressed were hassle-free movement of Jamaicans into Trinidad and Tobago, and, relatedly, implications of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling involving Barbados and the Jamaican national, Shanique Myrie. In this context, the meeting reportedly benefited from a November 29 meeting of CARICOM’s Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) in relation to the implications of the CCJ’s judgment. Recognition was also given to the appeals process, as raised by the CCJ, involving aggrieved CARICOM nationals, in general, who are denied entry by any member state of the Community. Improved cooperation between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago immigration authorities were also discussed, with a commitment for direct involvement, as necessary, with relevant ministries of National Security, Foreign Affairs, as well as diplomatic missions. Mutual satisfaction with the outcome of their meeting -described by Minister Dookeran at a media briefing as “quite extraordinary” -- was to result in an agreement to have a similar second round of consultations, this time in Port-of-Spain, during the first quarter of next year. Both Nicholson and Dookeran had moved with alacrity

Question of relevance is whether not only Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, but ALL member countries of CARICOM would now better demonstrate the required commitment to protect not just treaty-based rights to free trade and services, but also reveal firm commitment to upholding the fundamental rights of Community citizens to hassle-free intra-regional travel and, consequently, curb the awful, distressing experiences of nationals from partner states being humiliated and deported from ports of entry. In relation to the likely political fallout over National Security Minister Griffith’s public disagreement with his Foreign Affairs colleague for not “consulting” him prior to travelling to Jamaica, he should perhaps reflect on a few basic points and temper his grievance. First, following apparent private consultations at the Prime Ministerial level between Jamaica’s Portia Simpson-Miller and T&T’s Persad-Bissessar, Foreign Minister Nicholson formally invited his Trinidadian counterpart, Dookeran, to an urgent meeting in Kingston. Amid then prevailing emotional calls for a boycott of trade with T&T, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar advised her Foreign Minister to accept Nicholson’s invitation and prepare for serious dialogue, since the issues involved could, and should, be sensibly resolved in the interest of strengthened relations. Surely, Minister Griffith would have been aware of these developments and shared anxieties by administrations and corporate entities in Kingston and Port-of-Spain to diffuse conflicts in favour of sensible, mutually satisfactory relations between these two major partners of CARICOM. And why go public with his surprising verbal swipe at his ministerial colleague, one of the more experienced and influential ministers of the People Partnership administration, without, it seems, first communicating with his Prime Minister? Interestingly, by Friday (Dec.6), Mr. Griffith was revealing an apparent political u-turn in an interview, this time with the Trinidad Express, claiming that his comments should not be viewed as a personal conflict with his Foreign Minister colleague. Having earlier boastfully told the ‘Guardian’ about “sending my Chief Immigration Officer” (note the personal pronoun) to accompany Dookeran to Jamaica, Griffith was telling the Express on Friday that both he and his Foreign Minister colleague had their respective responsibilities. “One must not in any way water down the other… Any changes in operational procedure at the Immigration Department must come from the Minister of National Security, or through the National Security Council…” And, apparently obsessed with his powers as Minister See page 9

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Nelson Mandela: The quiet dignity of the man

Perspectives BY DR. PREM MISIR

pmperspectives@aol.com; themisirpost.wordpress.com Nelson Mandela By Dr. Prem Misir

HEN we think of Mandela, we think of the quiet dignity of the man that no current politician can match, but from whom they can learn much!! In his 1963 trial, Nelson Mandela forcefully defended the African National Congress (ANC)’ actions against apartheid in South Africa, and bluntly spoke about a democratic and non-racial South Africa as an “ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Notwithstanding losing the best years of his life, Mandela, at age 75, took on the mantle of becoming the first democratically-elected President of South Africa, and showed the White racial minority in South Africa and the international community that peace is better than killing fellow humans; that a win-win situation is better than a winlose situation, a major strategy his ANC Government used in the governance process. In his political report as President of the ANC in 1997, Mandela outlined eight (8) principal issues facing South Africa. They were as follow`s: Displacement of the apartheid political order by the democratic system; national perception of ANC as the national liberation movement to guide reconstruction and development; subjection of all sectors of society to reconstruction and development; reconstruction and development to include all religions, moral renewal, and a new patriotism;

reconstruction and development relying on an African renaissance; consideration of reconstruction and development within the setting of rapid globalization that is linking people around the world, controlling national sovereignty, and increasing the gap between the rich and the poor;

construction and development process, certainly a transformation that is no longer in the initiation years, as 16 years have elapsed since Mandela presented this political report, and now a weakened economy, the counter-forces may feel morally rejuvenated, and psychologically strengthened

‘Mandela, at age 75, took on the mantle of becoming the first democratically-elected President of South Africa, and showed the White racial minority in South Africa, and the international community that peace is better than killing fellow humans; that a win-win situation is better than a win-lose situation, a major strategy his ANC Government used in the governance process’ international relations to be in sync with reconstruction and development and to embrace a vision of global democracy, peace, prosperity, and social progress for everyone; and the full acceptance of reconstruction and development by the ANC and other progressive movements. The much-talked-about positive impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not negate the active workings of the anti-democratic forces of the counter-revolution in 1997, when Mandela presented this political report to the ANC. And even today, as Mandela is no more, it would not be surprising to see, on the part of these counter-forces, an increased motivation to restore the privileges of the White minority. As Mandela noted in his political report to the ANC in 1997, the progressive democratic movement has not as yet been tested by the counter-forces, because the transformation taking place in South Africa was still in the early years. But today, in 2013, with the death of Mandela amid a deepening impact of the re-

to restore their lost pride. But today in 2013, too, South Africa also has a new breed of South Africans, and a new generation with new institutions that seek to be people-centered in a Mandelian way. This new South Africa today may even be stronger, vowing and guaranteeing the sustainability of Mandela’s eight (8) principles for reconstructing and developing South Africa. But counter-activities did happen in those early years of reconstruction and development, as noted in this political report.The report gave these examples: The three White parties in parliament, aided and abetted by the media, mounted spirited opposition whenever the Mandela Government introduced measures to end racial disparities; and the transformation of the public service became problematic, as the Mandela Government could hardly remove anyone in a dominant position who was from the apartheid order. Mandela himself pointed out in that political report to the ANC in 1997 that the opponents of fundamental change attempted to separate the goal

of national reconciliation from the critical goal of social transformation, by putting the goals against each other. In so doing, they gave greater importance to national reconciliation, in order to redefine national reconciliation. Their redefinition of national reconciliation would have meant, and possibly still means, compensating the White minority for the loss of its monopolistic power through guaranteeing the restoration of its privileges. But as he left political office after his first term as President, Mandela noted in this political report to the ANC only two years earlier that racial disparities persisted in the South African society. But he believed in dialogue, as dialogue brought successes, as shown through these examples: His dialogue with the Afrikaans prison warders; his dialogue and recruitment of Soweto Uprising prisoners into the ANC; and while still a prisoner, his negotiations without the ANC’s consent with former Presidents of South Africa, P.W. Botha and F.W. De Klerk, for a better South Africa. These discourses were significant dialogic moments for a man of quiet dignity, who believed that all can win, and all have a place in South Africa. Lieberfeld, in his “Peace Profile: Nelson Mandela” (2004) cited Mandela’s lesson, thusly: “one of our strongest weapons is dialogue: Sit down with a man [and] if you have prepared your case very well, that man … will never be the same again.” Mandela, indeed, was a man of quiet dignity, and it is this dignity that eventually brought persisting success to his dialogue.

Surprising ministerial ‘tantrum’ ... From page 8

of National Security, and passion for use of the personal pronoun, Minister Griffith spoke with defiance: “At this time,” he declared, “I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of taking down the operational procedure that we presently have in Immigration… Entry by CARICOM nationals into Trinidad and Tobago is not automatic…” Whatever may be the problems or difficulties confronting him as Minister of National Security, Mr Griffith should at least

sensitise himself to, among other relevant documents, the landmark judgment of the CCJ in the case involving Shanique Myrie and Barbados’ immigration authorities; the revised CARICOM treaty governing the single market and economy arrangements (CSME); as well as the Treaty that established the CCJ as a court of last resort for participating member states that include Trinidad and Tobago. In all of this, there lurks the teasing question for Minister Griffith: Is there more in the mortar than the proverbial pestle? Readers should stay tuned.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Mixed reaction as…

Christmas shopping gets off to slow but spirited start

By Tash Van Doimen

WITH Christmas just 17 days away, the holiday season is truly upon us; and early shoppers can be seen crowding the streets, haggling with vendors and filing in and out of convenience stores in a bid to get the best bargains for the festive season. The Guyana Chronicle caught up with some of those shoppers on Regent Street late yesterday to find out how the holiday preparations were coming along.

“Jesus is the reason for the season!” Denise told the Guyana Chronicle as she busied herself getting an early start on her pepper-pot at a local butcher’s at the Bourda Market. “I expect that around the 15th, we will see most of the Christmas shoppers. There is no increase as yet in sales, but I expect Christmas this year to be bright and nice as usual. We just need to keep the city clean,” said Mahendra, one of several butchers at Robin’s Halaal Meat Centre in Bourda Market.

“Christmas shopping isn’t coming so good for me, since I have been subjected to salary deductions,” said Samantha Abrams, who hails from Mahaicony, on the East Coast Demerara. She is however confident that “…things are going to pick up in due course…” “I find Christmas shopping very exciting, but also very expensive. A lot of people are out shopping, but it is probably being funded by their relatives overseas,” said Richard, a young father from East Ruimveldt, here in the city, out doing a bit of early shopping with his son on Regent Street.

“For me, the Christmas excitement has not started as yet, so I haven’t done any Christmas shopping; I am a last-minute person. Nonetheless, I started my house cleaning already,” said Camille Alleyne of Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara.

Talliah Morgan, a nurse at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), had this to say: “I’m just picking up a few small items to beautify the house. Payday is still not here as yet, but I’m hoping that we will be granted a 25% increase.”

“I have not been doing much shopping; I am that kind of person who buys what I NEED, and I prefer quality over quantity,” said Jennifer Watts, who hails from the East Bank Demerara. “I am purchasing these curtains for my d a u g h t e r, a s I a m t h e more experienced shopper between us,” said Jennifer Joseph. “I do not celebrate Christmas;I usually fast for the holidays with my husband as part of our religion.” (Photos by Sonell Nelson)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Opening of ‘American Stores’ transforms busy city intersection By Tash Van Doimen THE Trinidad-based, family-owned American Stores Limited situated at the corner of Regent Road and Cummings Street, Bourda opened its doors to serve the Guyanese people for the very first time yesterday. The major promotion it held as part of its opening ceremony resulted in the names of 10 lucky winners being drawn from the more than 50,000 entries submitted via completed coupons countrywide in a bid to gain awesome prizes, which included a three-piece Santiago living room set, a SantinaDako refrigerator, two LED Magnum 32” television sets, and a four-burner Sapphire gas stove

among other very attractive prizes. “The coupons were distributed freely to any person who wanted to enter the promotion, and this was done without any requirement; no purchases were required,” explained General Manager of the American Stores, Mr Austill Ogle. He continued, “These coupons were distributed at several high profile areas around the city, included the City Mall, Nigel and Bounty Supermarkets, Republic Bank Guyana Ltd, and so on.” The store opening became an event of entertainment and excitement, as several local artistes were invited to perform on a makeshift stage in front of the store, and that usually very busy corner was blocked

Local Group Times 2 perform for the crowd at opening of the American Stores (Photos by Sonell Nelson)

by a large crowd that spilled over onto Regent Street, obstructing traffic for most of the afternoon. The crowd cheered and screamed as the new store’s name was unveiled, as the names of the winners were announced, and as the lineup of local artistes delivered classic entertainment. Several local artistes performed at the opening ceremony including George Anthony Abrams, aka ‘Chiney’, famous for his song “Lime, Tomato, Celery, Seasoning’; Big Red; Prince JP; Brandon Harding, GT&T Jingle competition winner 2012; Granny Ivelaw, and the show stoppers, Times 2. General Manager Austill Ogle said, “The Guyanese economy sparked an interest in the American Stores, so we saw this as a great investment opportunity. We would like Guyana to become one of our manufacturing hubs.” He explained what benefits the presence of the American Stores would bring to Guyana when he said, “By making Guyana one of our manufacturing hubs, we will be creating jobs for the Guyanese population. With the two branches opened in Guyana alone, we have so far employed approximately 40 persons.” Sharon Dwarka of Better Hope, East Coast Demerara won the first prize in the promotional opening – a three-piece Santiago living room set worth $180,000; while Asadie Swan of

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene cuts the ribbon to signify the official opening of the American Stores yesterday afternoon Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo won the second prize, and Brian Griffith of Bent Street, Georgetown won the third prize. So far, two branches of the American Stores have been established in Guyana, one on the corner of Regent Road and

Cummings Street, and the other on Durban Street in Lodge. Guyana is the first country to have established a branch of the American Store as part of its regional expansion drive. The American Stores has been in existence since 1950,

meeting the needs of customers for quality furniture and appliances for over 60 years. The stores will be opened from Sunday to Sunday, operating at the regular hours of business to accommodate the holiday season.

Judge calls on murder accused to lead defence

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013 By George Barclay AT the close of the prosecution’s case in the Troy Smith murder trial Friday, defence counsel Mr. George Thomas elected to make a no-case submission in the absence of the jury. Justice Diana Insanally, who sent the jury members out of sight and out of hearing in order to hear the legal submissions in their absence, did not agree with the defence submissions. Hearing has been adjourned to tomorrow, when, according to the judge, Kissoon would give his defence. Kissoon is indicted with having, in the County of Demerara, between July 30 and 31, 2010, murdered Troy Smith. Shawn Smith, the star witness for the prosecution and brother of the deceased, gave evidence to the effect that he was an eyewitness to the crime; but under cross-examination, defence counsel sought to point out that there were inconsistencies in the witness’s evidence as given in the magistrate’s court at the P.I. and the High Court before the judge and jury. Defence Counsel also referred to what he called poor identification in the matter. While Defence Counsel was of the view that there was no case for his client to answer, Prosecutrix, Miss Danika Singh was confident that a prima facie case had been made out by the prosecution. Justice Insanally told the jury that the accused would give his defence tomorrow morning. After Kissoon has led his defence, lawyers for both the prosecution and the defence would address the jury. If all goes well, the judge would sum up the evidence on Wednesday, after which she would hand over the case to the jury members for their consideration and verdict.

Acting Chief Justice grants 14 petitioners a total of $4.3M bail By George Barclay

ACTING Chief Justice Ian Chang, S.C., on Friday granted bail in the sum of $4,350,000 to 14 petitioners, pending the hearing of their cases. Particulars follow: For possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, Christopher Joseph was granted $450,000 bail; Shawn Adolphus, $300,000 bail; Osmain Lawson, $150,000 bail, and Lennox Stanley, $175,000 bail. For causing death by dangerous driving, Nicholas Samaroo was granted $600,000 bail. For robbery under arms, Ryan Lewis was granted $100,000 bail, and John Sampson was granted $150,000 bail. For receiving stolen property, Adrian De Souza was granted $200,000 bail, while Randy Carett was granted $500,000 bail. For rape, John Sampson was granted $150,000 bail, and Sherin Trotman was granted $250,000 bail. For simple larceny, Tricia Persaud was granted $175,000 bail. For unlawful wounding, Lennox Cort was granted $150,000 bail; and for fraudulent conversion, Daniel Persaud was granted $1,000,000 bail.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

John Lewis Styles promises something for everyone

--with opening of children’s department

By Jimmy Roos JOHN Lewis Styles yesterday morning opened a children’s department at its new multi-storey edifice at 186 Waterloo Street, Georgetown, after offering only men’s and women’s clothing and accessories for over 10 years. The children’s department is located on the second floor, alongside the women’s department. In a press release, management of the store said the original plan was to delay opening the children’s department until the third floor of the building had been completed; but public demand for earlier opening of that department led to yesterday’s opening, which turned out to be a good business decision as well, since the women’s department, which is not as popular as the men’s department, has the same operational expenses. The newly-opened children’s department offers children’s clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers, as well as older children and teenagers. This includes casual wear, sleepwear, swimwear, underwear, shoes, bags, watches, and even fragrances. Brands that will be stocked include

Misses Victoria and Sarah Lewis cut the ribbon to open the children’s department as their parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis, look on

A section of the new children’s department at John Lewis Styles

Kids land, Bongo, Bon Blues, Max Steel, Peanuts, and many others which will be directly sourced from the manufacturers. Prices are reportedly very competitive, and the quality is what one would expect from John Lewis. Yesterday’s launch also included entertainment for children, with free games, face painting, a Balloon Station and ice-cream to enhance the Christmas spirit. The cutting of the ribbon to officially declare the department open was done by the three children of Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis: Victoria, Sarah and John Lewis Jr. The senior John Lewis used the occasion to wish all Guyanese a wonderful Christmas and to invite all to patronise the store, as there will definitely be something for everyone at John Lewis Styles.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Crab catcher in close encounter with deadly diamond-head snake

--still thanking his lucky star By Rajendra Prabhulall A HUGE diamond-head, brown-striped snake measuring more than seven feet was killed on Wednesday at Somerset and Berks sea dam embankment, some two miles from the public road. A young woman, Patrina Stephen, whose family lives near the sea dam embankment, said the huge and dangerous snake was spotted in an old freezer near her home. The standing member of the Voice of Faith Miracle Ministries church said her brother, Collin Junior, was searching for a bag to put crabs in when he pushed his hand in the freezer without looking. She said when he pulled back his hand and looked into the freezer, he was astonished to see the huge snake already poised to strike at him. Junior said it was God who saved his life, because if the poisonous diamond-head snake had bitten him, it would have been fatal. His sister Patrina is thanking the Lord Jesus for saving her brother. Junior said his father, mother and siblings quickly surrounded the freezer and killed the snake. He said the snake was eating a bird in the freezer, and probably became angry after it had been disturbed from its meal. The family is involved in farming, and lives alone in the area close to the bushy sea-dam.

Diamond Head Snake

For Sunday December 08,2013 -09:00hrs For Monday December 09,2013 -10:00hrs For Tuesday December 10,2013 -11:00hrs

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

CPA hosts spirited Appreciation Ceremony for foster parents

By Shirley Thomas

THE Foster Care Department within the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) of the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security yesterday hosted an Appreciation Ceremony for foster parents, during which all foster parents were presented with Certificates of Appreciation, and five outstanding ones were specially honoured. The occasion, the first of its kind which signalled the hosting of many more to come, was celebrated on the lawns of the National Park (east of the Burrowes School of Art), and saw hundreds of foster parents and children in their care being colourfully and dandily dressed and coming together for the momentous but spirited occasion. Long after the formal programme had concluded, the families and CPA officers remained under tents on the lawns, having lunch, interacting, and generally having a good time. Human Services and Social Security Minister, Ms. Jennifer Webster, who addressed the gathering, considered it a distinct pleasure to be able to recognize the outstanding contribution made by foster parents within our society, who have provided support to many of the nation’s children in terms of fulfilling the need for closer kinship with families. She extended her sincere appreciation to all those persons who have been foster parenting children through the years. “To all of you I say, ‘Give the gift of love and protection’,” she declared. Minister Webster remarked

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms Jennifer Webster that our children are innocent, vulnerable and dependent, and that their time should be spent in joy and peace, playtime and learning. Basically, she said, they should be able to enjoy their childhood, and this prepares them for adulthood; but pathetically, many of them at an early stage are denied this opportunity, and this is where the Childcare and Protection Agency, with its Foster Care Programme, has been able to fill a vital niche. Noting that adults are all responsible for the welfare and wellbeing of our children, Minister Webster said that, pathetically, many adults do not accept this responsibility, nor do they, unfortunately, see the need to embrace it. She said that, ideally, families should nurture, and love and provide care for, their children; but for many children, the reality is far from the ideal, resulting in too many being abandoned, neglected, vulnerable, and at risk, many times because of situations where adults have

failed. To this end, she reiterated the need for increased goodwill towards our children, noting that foster care can be very important in filling the gap that exists. And even though foster care can, at times, be challenging, she admitted that, over time, it is rewarding to see how love, stability and routine can be behind the success stories in nurturing these children and assist them in their continued development. Albeit, foster care should not be the first option, the minister cautioned, adding: “We believe that each child should be cared for by his or her biological family.” She said that while Government is committed to supporting foster care –- holding the little hands of our children during difficult periods -- the success of each child is dependent upon all of us. “It is ultimately both our collective and individual responsibility,” she told the hundreds gathered. Ms. Webster stressed the need for parents to be physically present to nurture their children to realize their full potential; to prepare them to become productive adults; and to respond to the need for them to be cared for, educated and loved. She expressed the view that, together, parents, families and Government; religious organizations, the private sector, NGOs; civil society and individuals can work to improve the lives of our children by “doing our utmost” to strengthen families. The minister outlined that, at the national level, Government has created the requisite legislative environment; and as a country, Guyana is a signatory

to a number of international human rights conventions. The minister declared that funding provided in the national budget for the social sector has increased, to better support programmes and interventions for children within the society. She expressed concern that there are too many children who live in institutions managed by the state, and said there are now 800 of them. Imploring all Guyanese to join in efforts to improve the lives of all children across Guyana, and support the foster care programme, Minister Webster declared: “The issue of child protection is everybody’s business…. Let’s give our children a better chance.” And Ms. Ann Greene, Head of the Childcare and

Protection Agency (CPA), said the forum was hosted to show appreciation for the foster care parents. “It (the responsibility) is something, I say, that is priceless. We cannot pay people to provide the kind of care and support and attention that (are) need for a vulnerable child. And so, this morning, what we seek to do is provide a little token of appreciation to let (foster parents) know how we value what they’re doing for us, and that we place a high premium on foster care,” Ms Greene said. She sees every foster care parent as being special, and would like to make that known to them. “We’re sorry that we are not in a position to give everybody bouquets,” Greene said. She had kudos for those par-

ents who had taken in children at ‘really critical phases’ of their lives, such as their being abandoned before even being able to walk; and their having to be taken to therapy sessions and the like. Greene said the Foster Care Programme was introduced by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security in 2010. At the end of that year, there were 64 children (27 boys and 37 girls) in foster care. And those numbers have increased exponentially to 206 children, with 121 foster parents in 2013. One hundred and eighteen of these children receive financial assistance through the programme, which targets children across the length and breadth of Guyana, but at this time is concentrated more on Regions Three, Four and Six.

A section on the gathering at the Foster Care Appreciation Exercise held at the National Park yesterday (Photos by Shirley Thomas)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

108 ways to uplift, heal and transform the mind

By Jimmy Roos

Cover of 108 messages book

“108 Daily Messages” is the title of a new inspirational book that has just been released. The book contains 108 positive messages which are tailored towards teaching, uplifting and strengthening a person’s mind; because, as the author of the book, R. Janet John-Dorie, remarked, “When the mind is transformed, a person is in a better position to be in control of their senses.” She also says that a person is better able to perform and

act without regret when the mind is transformed. How many of us have made decisions that we regretted afterwards? Ms. John-Dorie, who has been spreading inspiring and enlightening messages since 1986, says she realized the role of the mind in her own life. When her mind was not transformed, she was not in control of her senses, and was thus an unstable person. However, since she transformed her mind, she is more in control of her senses, and is able to take better and wellthought-out decisions. She says she was inspired

to write the book because, when she looks at so many people, she can see her old self in them. And because she knows what it took for her to transform her life, she is offering an easy way for others to also reap the same benefits. So, how does one use the book? Using the book is simple, according to Ms John-Dorie. Since there is a daily message for the next 108 days, a person simply has to read the message for a particular day and contemplate on the meaning of each word, and how one can apply it in one’s life. The next step is to apply the message whenever one

comes across situations that are suitable. Once the 180 days are over, one simply starts over. Ms. John-Dorie says she decided on 180 days because it has special significance in many religions. For example, in Christianity, the rosary has 108 beads, which are called Taspi in Islam and Mala in Hinduism. Ms John-Dorie encourages people to buy the book as a Christmas gift for their loved ones. The book costs just $500., and those who are interested in its purchase can contact the author on telephone number 680-7047.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Viv: Meeting Mandela my greatest moment

MUMBAI, India - Cricket legend Sir Viv Richards accomplished whatever there was to achieve in the game – playing for West Indies, the No 1 team in the world in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, being part of two World Cup-winning teams and not losing a Test series as captain from 1985-86 to 1991. However, when it came to matters off the field, Nelson Mandela, who passed away in Johannesburg on Thursday, provided him with his greatest moment. Richards told MiD DAY from Antigua yesterday that meeting Mandela in Monaco during the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000 was his greatest moment. “That meeting will stay in my memory for a long time. He knew about my decision to not go to SA (in the apartheid years). He said, ‘Thank you’ and those words meant so much. I was extremely happy. To hear this from a person, who is revered by almost everyone around the world was very special. When he said ‘Thank you’, I knew where he was coming from. He did say to me that he knew exactly what was happening then as well as the people, who helped make a difference (in dismantling apartheid),” said Richards. In the film Fire in Babylon, Richards revealed that he was offered an “open cheque” to play in South Africa, but refused to bite the bait because touring South Africa during the apartheid era went against his principles. Also, he felt that there would have been an exodus in West Indies cricket had he agreed to go. “You felt seriously embodied with the folks who were suffering in South Africa. Human injustice was taking place for so many years,” he said. The proud Antiguan first heard that Mandela appreciated his decision to stay away from rebel tours to South Africa from Bishop Desmond Tutu. That was before he met Mandela in 2000. “Tutu told us that they listened to the radio when West Indies played against England and Australia. They were frequent listeners. He also said that they took satisfaction from the success we had at that time. For me to hear that was a privilege,” said Richards. Tutu told Richards: “Thank you so much for helping dismantle the apartheid regime; for helping in the upliftment of our struggling brothers and sisters.” “When I heard that,” said Richards in Fire in Babylon, “I was moved. Wow, they knew exactly the part you played. You felt very appreciated.” (First Published Mid Day).

ENGLISH Kelso 08:25 hrs Muharrer 08:55 hrs Little Glenshee 09:25 hrs Dhaular Dhar 09:55 hrs Royale Knight 10:25 hrs Rossini’s Dancer 10:55 hrs Tonvadosa 11:25 hrs Snuker WARWICK 08:40 hrs Duroble Man 09:10 hrs Mr Mole 09:40 hrs Batu Ferringhi 10:10 hrs Champagne West 10:40 hrs Loughalder 11:10 hrs Mini Muck 11:40 hrs Delgany Demon SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Scotsville 08:45 hrs Tuscan

09:20 hrs Educated 09:55 hrs Cinema Scope 10:30 hrs La Cenerentola 11:00 hrs Malkia 11:30 hrs Diamond Diva FRENCH RACING TIPS TOULOUSE 08:45 hrs May Monroe 09:15 hrs La Rusee 09:50 hrs Astral Merit 10:30 hrs Intimhir 11:05 hrs Angel Of War 11:30 hrs Hands Up 12:00 hrs Style De Lois 13:05 hrs Greenpriolo IRISH RACING TIPS PUNCHESTOWN 08:30 hrs Gilgamboa 09:00 hrs Rough Justice 09:35 hrs Flemenstar 10:05 hrs More Madness 10:35 hrs Dogora 11:05 hrs Daring Article 11:35 hrs Black Hercules

United and Chelsea beaten as Liverpool go second By Tim Collings LONDON: (Reuters) - Champions Manchester United crashed to a second home Premier League defeat in four days when they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United yesterday while Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea suffered a shock 3-2 loss at Stoke City. Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool climbed to second with a 4-1 romp over West Ham United at Anfield and Manchester City slipped one place to fourth after being held 1-1 at Southampton. Tottenham Hotspur rekindled their challenge by winning 2-1 at Sunderland while leaders Arsenal, who still have a fourpoint lead at the top, entertain Everton at The Emirates today. Arsene Wenger’s side have 34 points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea on 30, Manchester City (29), Everton and Tottenham (27) and Newcastle (26). Sunderland stay bottom with eight points. Norwich City won 2-0 at West Bromwich Albion while Crystal Palace picked up their second successive victory under new manager Tony Pulis with a 2-0 home win over Cardiff City. Newcastle’s victory was their first at Old Trafford since February, 1972, while Stoke ended Chelsea’s run of three wins and enjoyed their first league success against them since 1975. Manchester United manager David Moyes, without suspended England striker Wayne Rooney, made seven changes to the team beaten by Everton on Wednesday but witnessed a forlorn display. N e w c a s t l e ’s F re n c h midfielder Yohan Cabaye struck the only goal with a controlled 10-metre shot after 61 minutes, condemning the hosts to back-to-back home defeats for the first since May 2002. It was also Moyes’ third loss as manager in eight games at Old Trafford. PERFECT PLAN Alan Pardew, who has guided Newcastle to five wins in six league games on their climb to sixth place, plotted a perfect plan for his improving team who subdued their hosts, controlled possession and seized victory in style. “It’s one of the top moments for me in my time here - it’s been 41 years we’ve been waiting,” he told BT Sport television. “It was a magnificent performance. I know we won’t get the headlines because of United and poor old David Moyes. “But we deserve them because our players were magnificent. I asked them to play differently today, to keep the ball, and we did that. We made it difficult for them and it’s a great

day for us.” Uruguay striker Suarez continued his devastating form for Liverpool, scoring one goal and creating another as they overcame West Ham, who also conceded two own goals. Mamadou Sakho, supplied by captain Steven Gerrard, scored the other for Liverpool while home defender Martin Skrtel also put through his own

saidi, on loan from Liverpool, struck a 90th minute winner. IN TROUBLE “I don’t feel comfortable enough to tell you what I think about the game,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “I prefer to be simple and pragmatic... I can’t analyse with you certain aspects of this game. “We’re in trouble. It is a concern. I don’t like it. I don’t organise my teams to be like

Pablo Osvaldo brought them level after 42 minutes. “I am pleased with a point because it was a very close match. We lost control,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini told reporters. “Southampton are a good team and if you give them the ball, they have dangerous players.” Spurs recovered from an early strike by Sunderland’s England winger Adam Johnson

Manchester United’s goalkeeper David de Gea dives for the ball as N e w c a s t l e U n i t e d ’ s Yo h a n C a b a y e ( u n s e e n ) s c o r e s a g o a l during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford i n M a n c h e s t e r, y e s t e r d a y. ( C r e d i t : R E U T E R S / D a r r e n S t a p l e s ) net for West Ham’s reply. Chelsea led thanks to German forward Andre Schuerrle after 10 minutes at the Britannia Stadium but squandered two more clear openings before Stoke recovered to level through Peter Crouch before the interval. Stephen Ireland then fired Stoke in front before Schuerrle made it 2-2 to set up a dramatic finale in which Stoke’s Moroccan midfielder Oussama As-

this - sometimes mistakes kill an organisation.” At Southampton, free-scoring Argentine striker Sergio Aguero put Manchester City ahead after 10 minutes with a deft 10-metre finish for his 18th goal of the season in all competitions. But Southampton, who had lost their three previous league games, fought back and a fine individual strike by

with goals from Brazil midfielder Paulinho and John O’Shea, in his own net, to win at the Stadium of Light. It was their second win in four days and eased the pressure on manager Andre Villas Boas. “That’s a massive result for us,” said defender Michael Dawson. “That was a good performance and we showed our spirit and the unity we have in our team.”

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Johnson takes magnificent seven to scar England By Ian Ransom ADELAIDE, (Reuters) Wrecking ball Mitchell Johnson laid further scars on England’s battered psyche with a stunning seven-wicket haul that skittled the tourists for 172 and put Australia in complete control of the second Ashes test after the third day yesterday. The red-hot Queenslander unleashed a withering spell of pace bowling at Adelaide Oval to take three wickets in his second over after lunch, then cleaned up the tail before tea to leave England 199 runs short of avoiding the follow-on. With the luxury of a further two days’ play, Australia captain Michael Clarke sent his batsmen in to give his bowlers a rest and fired by an unbeaten 83 from opener David Warner, they pushed the lead to a mammoth 530 runs. Australia will make England sweat in the field until close to lunch on day four, which is forecast to be a sweltering 32 degrees Celsius, before their bowlers push for the win on a pitch showing ample turn and reverse swing. “We want to get them

back out there in the field and keep cooking them a bit,” Johnson said. “It’s probably going to be a day five wicket out there tomorrow. You could see the

deficit in the five-Test series ahead of a trip to Johnson’s favourite hunting ground in Perth where England have not won since 1978. Only months after returning

the series-opener in Brisbane, Johnson’s 7-40 was the best Ashes haul in over 100 years at Adelaide Oval and featured two hat-trick chances that ultimately went begging.

Mitchell Johnson leads the Australians off after taking 7 for 4 0 i n E n g l a n d ’s f i r s t i n n i n g s o n t h e t h i r d d a y i n A d e l a i d e . amount of spin the two spinners out there were getting and that variable bounce has definitely come in and they got the ball to reverse really early, so it’s good signs for us.” No team has ever made more than 418 in a fourth innings chase, and England, improbably, are staring at a 2-0

home from England in ignominy after a third straight Ashes defeat, Australia’s turnaround has been little short of astonishing, and the principal architect has been the man selectors snubbed for the northern series. Following nine wickets and a man-of-the-match performance to rout England in

Needing 371 to avoid the follow-on, England staggered to 116-4 at lunch, then walked into a fire storm after the break as Johnson kicked off one of the great spells of Ashes bowling by removing test debutant Ben Stokes leg before wicket for one, confirmed on review after initially given not out. Four balls later, Johnson had Matt Prior caught behind by fellow wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for a duck to continue his miserable series then sent the crowd of 36,000 into delirium when he bowled Stuart Broad with the next ball. NO EXCUSES Graeme Swann fended away the hat-trick ball, but the fired-up Johnson later took the spinner’s wicket when he slashed an edge to the slips where Clarke clinched a

brilliant catch. Johnson then bowled paceman James Anderson for another first-ball duck, pegging back his middle-stump for a second attempt at a hat-trick. Playing a lone hand for England, Ian Bell survived the hattrick ball and a review for lbw to raise his half-century with an elegant cut through point for four, and number 11 batsman Monty Panesar showed courage under fire to help his partner add 37 for the 10th wicket. Johnson eventually bowled Panesar for two to bring an early tea and leave Bell stranded on 72 and England reeling. England paceman James Anderson captured two quick wickets in opener Chris Rogers and Shane Watson but Warner and Clarke steadied the ship with a 61-run partnership. Clarke was bowled by Panesar for 22 with a delivery

that turned sharply and would give plenty of encouragement to Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon. Steven Smith (23 not out) added another 67 with Warner before stumps. England have not surpassed 179 runs in an innings in the series and Bell could barely conceal his displeasure with his team mates. “Obviously it’s another disappointing performance, really,” he told reporters through gritted teeth. “You can’t afford in test matches, certainly the first innings you have, to get bowled out for under 200 if you’re going to win anything. “In that dressing room, there’s going to be no excuses. It’s just not good enough. “We need to make sure we put that right, and we’ll have an opportunity second innings to at least show people we’re going to show some fight.”

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA first innings 570-9 declared England first innings (overnight 35-1) A. Cook b Johnson 3 M. Carberry c Warner b Watson 60 J. Root c Rogers b Lyon 15 K. Pietersen c Bailey b Siddle 4 I. Bell not out 72 B. Stokes lbw Johnson 1 M. Prior c Haddin b Johnson 0 S. Broad b Johnson 0 G. Swann c Clarke b Johnson 7 J. Anderson b Johnson 0 M. Panesar b Johnson 2 Extras (lb-3 w-2 nb-3) 8 Total (all out, 68.2 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-9 2-57 3-66 4-111 5-117 6-117 7-117 8-135

9-135 Bowling: Johnson 17.2-8-40-7 (2nb 1-w), Harris 14-8-31-0, Lyon 20-5-64-1, Siddle 14-4-34-1 (1-nb 1-w), Watson 3-3-0-1 AUSTRALIA Second innings C. Rogers c Prior b Anderson 2 D. Warner not out 83 S. Watson c Carberry b Anderson 0 M. Clarke b Panesar 22 S. Smith not out 23 Extras (b-1 lb-1) 2 Total (three wickets, 39 overs) 132 To bat: G. Bailey, B. Haddin, M. Johnson, P. Siddle, R. Harris, N. Lyon Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-4 3-65 Bowling: Anderson 7-1-19-2, Broad 6-0-19-0, Swann 9-331-0 Stokes 7-3-20-0, Panesar 100-41-1

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Mandela created a future for SA cricket’ Till 1992 there was no thought about South Africa playing in the World Cup, but Mandela’s words changed that immediately. Such was the power of Mandela

By Ali Bacher IN August of 1991 I brought Clive Lloyd to South Africa for the first time to inspire the black kids, to tell them about his story and what he had achieved as a black cricketer. I wanted Lloyd to assist us with our development programme. Lloyd told me he wanted to meet Nelson Mandela. I phoned the late Steve Tshwete (a senior member of African National Congress and Minister of Sport in Mandela’s government) and we saw Mandela the next day. That was the first time I had met him. At that point we had been re-admitted into international cricket, but we were not going to the 1992 World Cup. There were a lot of journalists present during our meeting and one of them asked Mandela his views about South Africa playing in the World Cup. Mandela said: “Of course, we must play.” That was it. The message went around the world of cricket and we went to Australia. Till then there was no thought within South African cricket as well as at the ICC about South Africa playing in the World Cup, but Mandela’s words changed that immediately. Such was the power of Mandela. He will go down in history as South Africa’s greatest son and in all probability 20th century’s greatest leader. I will never forget his first speech from

Cape Town after he was released from prison in 1990. He said clearly that this is a country for all South Africans - not for white domination and not for black domination. He imbued that viewpoint throughout the ‘90s and the 21st century. And because of that his presidency between 1994 and 1999 will always be remembered for his greatness in reconciliation between whites and blacks. During my interactions in person with Mandela, I was never nervous. He made the other person at ease. One reason probably was because his communication with people was amazing. During the 1999 World Cup we played Pakistan in one of the qualifying matches, a close encounter which South Africa won in the penultimate over of chase. It was a Saturday. Lance Klusener won that match batting brilliantly. I was in Johannesburg and I got a call from Mandela’s personal assistant requesting Mandela wanted to call Klusener and congratulate him. I told the PA to inform Mandela that Klusener spoke fluent Zulu. When I met Klusener recently, he reminded me Mandela had indeed called him and congratulated him in Zulu. That was Mandela’s initiative, to get on the phone, find Klusener and convey his congratulations. This was the president of South Africa. Mandela did not watch

All Seasons Racing Service dominoes climaxes today

…Countrywide champions maintain lead A KEEN and exciting tussle is anticipated today (Sunday) when the third and final leg of the All Seasons Racing Service sponsored three-way aggregate dominoes tournament climaxes at Ernest Shop, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara. At the end of an intriguing second round, played at Everest Cricket Club on Friday night, F&H, countrywide champions, All Seasons Racing Service, who entered the round with a onegame advantage over International Six, maintained a slender lead entering today’s final leg. Playing a consistent brand of dominoes, All Seasons won the second leg with 78 games to lead the series with 159 games, a mere three games over International Six with 156, while Canal Six trailed with 140. In Friday night’s encounter, International Six finished second on 76 games while Canal Six managed 68. Hazim Hack registered maximum 18 games for the winners while John Freeman supported with 17 and David Bennett 15. For International Six, the top markers were Prem Basant with 17 games, Ron Callender 16 and Hilbert Ali 13. Chibar Seopaul topped for Canal Six with 17 games with 13 coming from Scotty Samaroo. It was a miserable night for Mark Persaud of All Seasons who was loved twice despite his team emerging victorious. The other lovebird was International Six’s Intikab “Corbie” Ali. The action is set to get underway at 14:00 hrs today and will see the winner s and first runners-up receiving trophies. There are also prizes for the three top players in the winning team, the best two in the second and the top in the third.

much cricket. In February 1993 we hosted a triangular series involving South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies. South Africa did not get to the final but Mandela came to watch Pakistan play West Indies. He told me that was the first time he had watched cricket match. Mandela was a man who could be spontaneous. In a 1995-96 home series, South Africa were playing England at St George’s Park. Mandela came in cricketing attire: long whites, cream shirt and a Proteas cricket blazer. It was

absolutely extraordinary of him to come and give support to our cricket team . While we were watching from the president’s box, my daughter called me and Mandela enquired who I was speaking to. He took the phone and spoke to my daughter. He was a people’s man. And that is why people loved him. He could communicate with anyone from state presidents to little kids to groundstaff. At tea time I was admonished, quite rightly, by his secretarial staff, but I did not

mind that. Mandela was a man of immense stature and presence. Early on when he was released from prison he had the vision that the medium to bring white and rest of South Africans together was through sport . So for the very first time he came to the Wanderers cricket ground and Ellis Park rugby stadium in the early 1990s. He did that precisely because those two sports and grounds were dominated by whites. He wanted those sports

to be truly represented by all the different people in the country. His vision of using sport to bring whites and black together was firmly realised during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa when the togetherness, the unity, the camaraderie amongst all South Africans during and after our victory was unique and unprecedented for this country. Nelson Mandela gave us inspiration. He created a future for South African cricket - for all its people. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Boycott blasts England’s display FORMER England opener Geoffrey Boycott has criticised the application of the national team’s current batsmen after yet another devastating collapse against Australia. Fresh from their struggles in Brisbane, England lost four wickets for six runs in the second Ashes Test as they were all out for a woeful 172 on a largely lifeless pitch in response to Australia’s 570 for nine. Mitchell Johnson was once again their chief tormentor after taking seven for 40 although several batsmen were guilty of giving their wicket away at the Adelaide Oval. Boycott believes too many batsmen are culpable of taking a limited-overs mindset into the Test arena, and accused the tailenders of having no “bottle”. “I think the modern young player grows up with so much one-day cricket, he gets used to playing and having to play lots of attacking shots to every ball bowled in Twenty20 and 50-over cricket,” Boycott told Radio 5 Live. “When it comes to Test matches you want them to change and adapt, and sometimes play carefully and sensibly. It’s a five-day match, it’s like playing chess. “Chess doesn’t happen in 10-15 minutes, it goes on for hours. You have to think your way through situations. “They’ve forgotten the art of that, they’ve never really learned it and one-day cricket has sucked them into playing lots of shots.” Kevin Pietersen and Joe Root were singled out for criticism from Boycott, who scored 8114 runs in 107 Tests,

for handing the initiative to Australia. Pietersen senselessly clipped Peter Siddle to midwicket after Joe Root had struck the first ball he faced from Nathan Lyon to deep square-leg to expose the lower middle-order to Johnson. Of Pietersen Boycott said: “Irresponsible. I could see it coming. “He got out twice like that in Brisbane. “They didn’t give him any-

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott singled out Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen for criticism. thing to hit for 12 balls - he got two outside edges only - and what does he do, he can’t resist from whipping, not even off his legs, from off-stump to two men waiting for it in the box. “It was as stupid as you get like Joe Root. “First ball from a spinner - we’re trying to save the game - he tries to slog him over the

top. All he had to do was carry on batting all day long. “There’s no excuse for it. “They haven’t got the aptitude and the tail-enders haven’t got the courage, they haven’t got the technique, they haven’t got the bottle and any time he (Johnson) gets to them he’ll blow them away.” (PA Sport)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Let us benefit from this investment

NEIL KUMAR Sports View by Neil Kumar GUYANA was not fortunate to benefit from their colonial masters or the previous government, any World Class Stadium or real International sport facilities. Mere words will never be enough to praise the PPP/C

Government under the astute leadership of former President Bharrat Jagdeo for this country’s achievements in building World Class and International Sport facilities for our people. We must never forget that when the ICC took the decision to allow the Caribbean to host the World Cup in 2007, the Bourda Cricket Ground was described as obsolete. There were serious discussions between the Georgetown Cricket Club and the Georgetown Football Club for them to merge and make one International facility. Those in charge never agreed. Hence, no merger and both facilities are now not capable or appropriate for hosting World Class Cricket or football matches. Clive Hubert Lloyd, one of our greatest cricketers who

certainly achieved greatness is today championing the cause for the merger of the two facilities. Lloyd believes that such a merger has the potential of creating one of the top stadia in the Caribbean, equipped with a cycling velodrome, football ground and tennis courts. With all of this, we could have the return of International Cricket at Bourda. Clive Lloyd said, “As a nation, we must seek to create such an environment and provide opportunities and facilities for purposeful and meaningful participation by our youths and students in the various disciplines in sports.” It cannot be denied that the imminent Executive Chairman of Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. (QAII), the parent company for NEW GPC, Dr. Ranjisingh

Ramroop, through the acquisition of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the massive investment in the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) brought back cricket to the people of Guyana. Dr. Ramroop and his Board of Directors must be extremely proud that they ran off a highly successful professional T-20 Cricket Tournament in the Caribbean. There were many who doubted the tournament would have been successful. However, the massive crowd and World Class performances along with the high level of competent organisers certainly recorded a massive success for CPL. I recalled vividly how sections of the press were writing negatively during the construction of the National Stadium at

Providence. The naysayers could not accept that we in Guyana could have completed our stadium in time for the World Cup. Let me remind them that the Brian Lara Stadium is yet to complete. Further, the facility in Kingston, Jamaica is yet without lights – No night cricket to date. I am extremely hurt to read December 4th, 2013 “Peeping Tom” and I quote, “Training facilities do not cost a fortune and a sport academy can operate out of any makeshift bond.” What a shame of a statement! In this modern world, raw talent and potential is not enough to compete at the highest level. Our sportsmen and sportswomen are indeed great people. We must provide our youth and students

GSCL/DIGIMAX C’SHIPS….

Finals on today at DCC after exciting semifinal encounters THE FINALS in both Masters and Open category of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Incorporated organised Digimax sponsored Masters and Open tournament, will bowl off at the Demerara Cricket Club ground today from 10:00hrs, following the playing of the semi-finals yesterday. In the Master’s Category which is being contested as a T20 affair, Regal Masters will collide with Success Masters, while Regal XI will oppose one of their nemesis on the local softball circuit in Wolf Warriors, in the Open category over 12 overs. In their Master’s semifinal matchup against Ogle which was

…Crown Mining supplies cover

contested at the DCC ground yesterday, Regal batted first and were bowled out for 147, with Eric Thomas 32 (4x6), Extras 31, Samuel Kingston 30 (2x6) and Mahase Chunilall 18 (2x6) leading their batting. S. Lakhan took 2 for 13 for Ogle, who in reply were limited to 137 for 5 from their 20 overs, with K. Dindyal 32, B. Sharma 30 (2x6, 1x4) and A. Haniff 18 being their principle scorers, as Mahendra Hardyal took 2 for 41 to hand Regal the win by 10 runs. At the Guyana National Industrial Corporation ground,

Savage Masters batted first and scored 152 to which Success Masters replied with 153 from 15.2 overs, with no individual scores being made available, due to the absence of the score sheets from both teams. In the Open category, Regal XI faced Farm in the first semifinal and limited their opponents to 112 for 4 from their 12 overs. L. Mark 42 (4x6, 1x4) and R. Reddy, who hit two sixes in his unbeaten 33, led Farm XI’s batting against the bowling of Lakeram Roopnarine who took 2 for 17 for Regal XI who in

Anand Persaud, Managing Director of Crown Mining Supplies (left) makes the presentation to the GSCL Inc’s PRO Calvin Roberts. reply scored 114 for 4 from 9.3 overs, thanks to Safraz Esau’s unbeaten 58 (5x6, 4x4) and 22 from Richard Latiff, even as J. Singh took 2 for 37 in a losing cause for Farm XI.

The other semifinal which was to be contested between Wolf Warriors and Trophy Stall, ended in a walk over victory for the former, after the latter was a no show.

with the best that we could offer them. Dr. Ramroop, you are a man of action. You are a success story. Please do not follow those who choose to invest outside of Guyana after they accumulate richness. Please look at our sons and daughters; let us have a Multi-Sport Complex. A sport academy in Guyana is a step in the right direction. Guyana sons and daughters will forever remember you with such a choice. Sad! Guyanese must not allow this facility to move to another country. A reliable source has informed that the project will now be built in another country in the Caribbean. Dr. Ramroop, you are a Guyanese, let us as Guyanese be the winners. Let us benefit from this investment. The winning teams in both categories will receive a trophy and $100 000 each, while the runners-up will collect a trophy and $50 000 apiece and the player-of-the-finals for both categories $5 000 each while there will be one exhibition game before the finals with Romain XI playing GSCL XI. Meanwhile, Anand Persaud, Managing Director of Crown Mining Supplies of North Road, donated one plastic cover to the GSCL, which was being used to cover the pitch at the venue for today’s final last Friday afternoon. In making the presentation to the GSCL’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Calvin Roberts, Persaud said he was pleased to be associated with the Organisation, which is one of the entities that has been keeping softball alive and its players active, while Roberts on behalf of the GSCL expressed heartfelt thanks to Persaud for the donation.

Eight races carded for Kennard’s Turf Club Boxing Day meet ...Entries close next Sunday EIGHT races are carded for Boxing Day (December 26) when the Kennard Turf Club runs off its annual horse race meet at the club’s facility, Bush Lot farm, Corentyne, Berbice. Entries will close next Sunday, December 15 and no late entry will be accepted. The feature race on the day’s card will be $1.5M one mile race form horses `A’ Class and lower. The second and third place finishers will receive $750,000 and $375,000 respectively, while the fourth place finisher will earn $188,000. Entrance fee for this event will cost $165,000 per horse. A one mile as well as a seven furlongs race will carry a first prize of $600,000 each and these two races will be contested over one mile and seven furlongs. The one mile race is for horses categorised - three years West Indies bred maiden and

Guyana bred open. The seven-furlong event is for horses categorized - `D3’ maiden and `E’ Lower. The second place finisher in the one mile event will earn $300,000, while the second place finisher will receive $150,000. The fourth place finisher will trot away with $75,000. Entrance fee is $70,000 per horse. For the Seven-Furlong event, the second, third and fourth place finishers will receive the same amounts as the one mile event and the entrance fee is the same. A `G1’ and lower as well as a two-year old Guyana and West Indies bred races , both over six furlongs will also be contested with the winners of both events collecting $400,000 each. The second, third and fourth place finishers of both events will receive $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

The entrance fee for both events is $45,000 each per horse. The opening event which will be contested over six furlongs is opened to horses classified `J3 and K’ and the winner will receive $150,000, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will earn $75,000, $38,000 and $19,000 respectively. Entrance fee is $`15,000 per animal. A six-furlong race for horses classified `J1’ and lower is also on the cards with the winner receiving $200,000, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will earn $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. The final race on the day’s card is for horses `I’ and Lower over a distance of seven furlongs. The winner will trot away with $250,000 while the second, third and fourth place finishers will receive $125,000, $63,000 and $32,000 respectively.

These races are being run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority, and if there are less than five horses entered for any event, the club reserves the right to cancel or reframe the said event or reduce the prize money after consulting with the horse owners. Owners of horses must pay at least $5000 for each horse at the time of entry, if not paid, the horses’ name would not appear on the official programme and the horse will not be permitted to run. Five horses must start before a third prize will be paid and seven horses must run before a fourth prize will be given. Owners of two-year old horses must produce birth certificates at the time of their entry. Horses can also be entered by contacting Roopnarine Matadial (Tel # 325-3192), or Ivan Dipnarine (Tel # 331-0316), or Justice Kennard (Tel # 6237609, 225-4818 or 226-1399).

The sponsors for the event are: Demerara Distillers Limited, Ansa McAl Trading, Republic Bank, Neal and Massy, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Winston and George Baijnauth (sawmillers), Digicel, Pomeroon Oil Mill, Nand Persaud and Company, Berbice Bridge Co.

Inc., Gobin Agri Spares Centre, Goodwood and Horseshoe Racing Services, N. Mathai and Company, Ariel Enterprises, P&P Insurance Brokers, Khanhai’s Guyana Electrical Agency, Torginal paints Inc., Giftland Office Max and Kharag family of New York.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Sunday December 08, 2013) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: 7/54 (WI vs AUST, Perth, 1975-76 Viv Richards (114 innings)

Today’s Quiz:

When and where did Larry Gomes make his Test debut? Which WI has scored most Test runs without ever making any in ODIs?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 8, 2013

Rain ends NZ run chase in first Test against Windies (REUTERS) - Rain scuppered New Zealand’s chances of completing a first test win in over a year yesterday as the opening match against West Indies at University Oval in Dunedin ended in a draw with the hosts just 33 runs shy of victory. Light rain started falling just before the tea break with Ross Taylor on 16 and Corey Anderson on 20 having consolidated New Zealand’s chase for 112 runs following a spectacular top-order collapse sparked by Shane Shillingford. The hosts were on 79 for four at the end of the game when it was abandoned at 1810 local (0510 GMT) after off-spinner Shillingford had threatened to run through the side and seal a remarkable comeback victory on the final day. Shillingford reduced New Zealand to 44 for four in the 16th over and had the visitors sniffing the possibility of becoming just the fourth side to achieve victory after being forced to follow on. “Little bit disappointed but we can’t do anything about the weather,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said in a televised interview. “We played some excellent cricket but credit to the West Indies, they responded very

well. “To score 500 after being asked to follow on was a fine effort, but I thought we played some excellent cricket and were only 30 runs away from winning a test match.” SHILLINGFORD SPELL

damage after the break. Aaron Redmond was caught at leg slip by Narsingh Deonarine for six before Hamish Rutherford was dismissed in exactly the same fashion as in the first innings, trying to hit a boundary down the ground only

Off-spinner Shane Shillingford Shillingford, who had opened the bowling with Tino Best as the pitch offered variable bounce and some turn, gave the hosts a real scare when he ripped the top off the host’s batting order. He had Peter Fulton caught by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for three on the first ball of the final over before lunch, then did more

to be caught by Shannon Gabriel. The 24-year-old Rutherford, who immediately dropped his head after he hit the ball, trudged off to ringing laughter from the West Indian fielders, one of whom yelled ‘what a shot’, as he departed for 20. McCullum hit a four on the first delivery he faced, but his aggression was his downfall when he mistimed a sweep off

Shillingford and Ramdin had time to take an easy catch to dismiss him for nine. The chatter amongst the West Indians increased markedly as they sensed the possibility of a remarkable victory, knowing that only three other sides in cricket history had won a test after being forced to follow on. Anderson and Taylor, who scored a career-best 217 not in the first innings, settled the home side’s nerves and appeared to be well set to achieve victory in the final session before the rain came. “We were still very confident that Ross and Corey would put together a partnership to win and we had some very good batters to come as well,” McCullum added. “We can still improve, but overall I thought it was a pretty good test by us.” West Indies’ second innings had ended about 20 minutes before lunch with New Zealand capturing their final four wickets for the addition of 64 runs with Darren Bravo top scoring with 218 in their second innings of 507. “It was a good comeback from us, though the weather did play a part,” West Indies captain Darren Sammy said. “I think coming from India

GCB/GT&T/HAND-IN-HAND 4-DAY

Demerara beat Essequibo inside three days ...Berbice in control over President’s XI By Calvin Roberts DEFENDING champions Demerara got this year’s campaign in the Guyana Cricket Board organised Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company/Hand-inHand sponsored four day tournament off to a successful start, with their innings victory over Essequibo at the Enmore Community Centre ground. At the Everest Cricket Club ground, former champions Berbice, who will meet Demerara in the second round which bowls off on Tuesday, snared first innings points from President’s XI, with four of their five top order batsmen hitting half centuries. At Camp Road, Berbice, who bowled out the President’s XI for 185 on the previous day, saw their reply being given a disastrous start

when Romario Shepherd-DeJonge sent back his Bermine Cricket Club skipper Anthony D’Andrade with the first ball of the Ancient County team’s innings. This allowed Sewnarine

from 105 deliveries with four fours, celebrating after with his fifth and what turned out to be his final four off Shepherd-DeJonge, before his dismissal which occurred after the luncheon break. At lunch Berbice

Chattergoon and West Indies ‘A’ team middle order batsman Assad Fudadin to come together and posted a respectable 109 runs partnership for the second wicket, before Chattergoon was given out lbw to Robin Bacchus (1 for 37) for his 55. This was after he posted his half century and the first of four in the Berbice innings

were 98 for 1, with Chattergoon on 49 and Fudadin 42. Fudadin, who was on 46 when Chattergoon was dismissed, was joined by Crandon and they pushed the score to 145, with Fudadin posting his half century from 152 balls with three fours, before he played around a delivery from Steven Sankar (1

Berbice’s middle- order batsman Royston Crandon acknowledges the applause of his teammates, following his unbeaten innings against the President’s XI at Everest Cricket C l u b g r o u n d yesterday afternoon.

and only having a couple of days to get ready really showed in the first two innings of the match. “The way we fought as a team, credit must go to Darren Bravo to put the team into a position where we are happy with the draw.” New Zealand have not won a test in more than a year,

having now drawn six and lost four of their matches since McCullum took over the captaincy in late 2012. The second game of the three-match series starts at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Dec. 11. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Peter Rutherford/ Patrick Johnston)

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND first innings (609-9 declared) West Indies first innings (213) West Indies second innings (overnight 443-6) K. Edwards lbw b Sodhi 59 K. Powell c Southee b Boult 14 D. Bravo b Boult 218 M. Samuels c& b Southee 23 S. Chanderpaul lbw b Wagner 1 N. Deonarine c Watling b Anderson 52 D. Ramdin b Sodhi 24 D. Sammy c Sodhi b Southee 80 S. Shillingford c Taylor b Wagner 15 T. Best c Taylor b Wagner 3 S. Gabriel not out 0 Extras: lb-7, b-4, nb-2, w-5 Total: (all out 162.1 overs)

18 507

Fall of wickets: 1-18 2-135 3-178 4-185 5-307 6-363 7-453 8-491 9-507 10-507

for 73) and was adjudged lbw. Entered Jonathan Foo to partner Crandon and they added 114 for the fourth wicket, with Crandon reaching his 50 from 101 deliveries with three fours, while Foo emulated him shortly after, hitting four fours from the 90 deliveries he faced. The introduction of Collis Butts (3 for 40), saw the quick demise of three Berbician wickets, as Foo was lbw stretching forward, Rajiv Ivan (01) picked out Ryan Ramdass at short midwicket and Anthony Bramble (02) found the safe hands of Vishal Singh. At t he close of play, Crandon was unbeaten on 79 which was decorated with four fours while former national Under-19 skipper Eugene LaFleur was yet to score at the other end, as Berbice reached 265 for 5 for a first innings lead of 80, heading into the final day’s play today. At Enmore, Demerara resumed on 172 for 4 in reply to Essequibo’s 198, with Christopher Barnwell and Christopher Pattadin being their not out batsmen on 48 and 00 respectively, and progressed to 362 for 8 declared. Barnwell added 33 to his overnight score to finish on 81 (5x4, 4x6) as he added 53 for the fifth wicket with Pattadin, who went on to score

Bowling: Southee 29.1-4-1012, Boult 35-11-81-2 (w-1), Wagner 30-3-112-3 (nb-2), Anderson 14-2-29-1, Sodhi 49-7-155-2, Redmond 5-1-18-0 NEW ZEALAND second innings P. Fulton c Ramdin b Shillingford 3 H. Rutherford c Gabriel b Shillingford 20 A. Redmond c Deonarine b Shillingford 6 R. Taylor not out 16 B. McCullum c Ramdin b Shillingford 9 C. Anderson not out Extras: w-1, b-1, lb-3

20 5

Total: (for four wickets, 30 overs)

Fall of wickets: 1-3 2-15 3-31 4-44

Bowling: Best 8-1-26-0 (w-1), Shillingford 15-5-26-4, Gabriel 5-1-16-0, Deonarine 2-0-7-0 Result: Match drawn Remaining fixtures: D e c . 11 - 1 5 2 n d t e s t , Wellington Dec. 19-23 3rd test, Hamilton

63 (4x4), while adding an additional 87 for the seventh wicket with Zaheer Mohammed, whose 70 was decorated with four fours and one six. Skipper Anthony Adams took 3 for 105 and Royan Fredericks 2 for 38 for Essequibo, who started their second innings with a deficit of 164 runs, which they failed to erase, as Mohammed went through their batting lineup to claim 6 for 11, which together with Amir Khan’s 3 for 48, send them catapulting to 110 inside 34.4 overs. Fredericks topscored with

51 (4x4, 2x6), even as Rajiv Balgobin scored 15 and Parmesh Parsotam 12 for the Cinderella County side, who were defeated by an innings and 54 runs, with Mohammed ending with match figures of 10 for 56 and Khan 8 for 110, to ensure Demerara enjoy a rest day today.

Sport CHRONICLE

Rain ends NZ run chase in first Test against page 31 Windies The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com K&S/Chico Elite next Generation Tournament

Action kicks off today at GCC ground Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony TODAY is the birth of a new era of football in Guyana, with the opening of the 24th edition of the Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament which is now known as the K&S/

Chico Elite Next Generation Football Tournament for Secondary Schools. The tournament will come alive this afternoon at the world renowned Georgetown Cricket Club ground at 16:00hrs with the usual glitter and flair of the pass two decades, following the march past of the 24 teams at 15:00hrs. A short programme will follow, which will include remarks from the president of the Guyana Football Federation Christopher Matthias, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, a representative from Ansa McAl Trading and Director of K&S Kashif Mohammad, with the fea-

ture address being given by Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony. The opening game is scheduled to begin at 16:00hrs and will see Wisburg Secondary taking on East Ruimveldt Sec-

ondary, while at 18:00hrs, Ann’s Grove Secondary and Christ Church Secondary will go head to head. Meanwhile, the K&S Organisation signed their commitment letter with the

Guyana Football Referees Council, ensuring that the best referees are available to officiate in the matches. This was done last Friday afternoon and according to FIFA Assistant Ref-

eree and vice-president of the GFRC Dion Inniss, “The games will be run in accordance with FIFA Laws and as such this is the best way foreword for the young ballers.

Gwendolyn O’Neil weighs in on Mandela’s legacy IN January 2007, the world stood still for Gwendolyn “stealth bomber” O’Neil affectionately known as “Big Red”. She came face to face with two of the biggest influences in her life, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali, by way of his daughter, Laila Ali, her opponent for the February 3, 2007 WBC and WIBA super middleweight title fight. “I was so nervous about meeting this man, Mandela, who had sacrificed his freedom for 27 years to see his people in South Africa free and the unjust apartheid system dismantled. He immediately made me feel comfortable because he was so humble even though he was this great powerful leader.” He told me, ”May the best woman win and I wish both you and Laila good luck.” I would like to extend my condolences to Nelson Mandela’s entire family. The world has lost a compassionate, loving and very, very forgiving man who cared about all peoples of the world regardless of race or religion. I’m happy for the inspiration of meeting Mandela and his legacy of defending the rights of

Guyanese World Champion female boxer Gwendolyn O’Neil meeting Nelson Mandela in 2007. the poor and the oppressed. I am looking forward to a productive and active 2014. I’m excited about my new management team and will be

defending my world heavyweight titles in 2014 against all the top contenders. I wish my fellow Guyanese a prosperous and Happy New Year

and look forward to your continued support. God and the universe have blessed me with this boxing talent and goodness and love.

Viv: Meeting Mandelapage my greatest moment 27

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013