Guyana Chronicle E-paper 07-05-2018

THURSDAY 5th July, 2018

‘Show your track record’ No.105326

MS. VOLDA

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...Williams challenges Harmon, Lawrence to internal debate 02

President David Granger, followed by Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, being escorted into the venue for the opening of the 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Caricom Heads of Government being held in Jamaica

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No reason to doubt CCJ

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…new CCJ President courts CARICOM states’ full support

Man kills wife over meal 15 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

‘Show your track record’ ...Williams challenges Harmon, Lawrence to internal debate …says PNCR should not change winning team CHAIRMAN of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Basil Williams, says contenders for his post should lay bare their body of work on behalf of the party, even as he called for an internal debate by candidates before the membership.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, are challenging Williams for the post of party chairman. Both candidates have announced their intentions and have been campaigning publicly. “What I would want is the members of [the] PNC to be afforded an opportunity to hear a debate from all of the candidates. People must come and tell the membership why they want people to vote for them,” said Williams, who is also the country’s attorney general and minister of legal affairs.

He told reporters that his track record is well known and as such, anybody “who wants to challenge me must show their track record.”

“That is all I am saying,” he

stated emphatically. Williams noted that the members of his party are intelligent people and as such would judge on the basis of track records.

The PNC chairman made it clear that his legal victories are well known and as such, there is no surprise when it comes to his service to Guyana. He pointed out his many pro bono undertakings as an attorney for the party. “I have always had victories; y’all know me. I am known you know. You know my work. I work two years without pay in the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI), without pay in the Linden CoI, Globe Trust customers’ case; I worked for Benschop [treason accused Mark Benschop] for five years. As I keep saying, the PNC people, PNC members are very sensible people, they have proven that over the years,” said Williams, who is a Senior Counsel.

He reminded that neither his party nor its members are in the habit of discussing party affairs in the public domain, something he re-

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence

spects. Nvertheless, the PNC chairman posited that it was the existing executive of the party that was in place when the May 2015 general and regional elections were won by the APNU+AFC coalition. The chairman does not believe that there needs to be a change in the existing executive three years into the new government.

“This current executive took us into office and if we were good to take us into

government, why after three years when we are ready to look at the last two years, would you want to change the team. You don’t want to change your winning team.

You learn that in cricket and as the Americans would say ‘if it isn’t broken why fix it’.”

However, over the past few weeks, Ministers Harmon and Lawrence have indicated that they are vying for chairmanship of the PNC. Harmon, who has been

Throw Back Thursday

a member of the PNC since 1973, has not been vocal on his contest for the post, but had announced mere days after the PNC held its second General Council Meeting that the party is democratic. He reminded that at the party’s upcoming Biennial Delegates’ Congress, all positions of leadership will be contested and so his announcement should not be seen in isolation from the party’s democracy.

“That is the democracy which we practise. So every member of the party can aspire to the highest office in our party and like many others, I am a member of the party of longstanding and therefore have indicated that it is my desire and my interest in putting myself up as a candidate for the chairmanship of the party,” he said in the brief statement.

Harmon, a lawyer by profession, became a member of Pouderoyen Young Socialist Movement (YSM). He was later elected chairman of the Pouderoyen YSM, after which he was elected assis-

tant secretary of the West Demerara Region of the YSM in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, Lawrence last Saturday announced her candidacy for the party’s chairmanship. Lawrence, who serves as Minister of Public Health, will be competing against Williams, SC and Harmon when the PNCR Biennial Delegates’ Congress is held in August.

An accountant by profession, Lawrence acquired her Degree in Accounting from the University of Guyana and a Master’s Degree from Gloucester University, England. She is also a Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA Level II). In the party, she is a member of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), and heads the Human Services and Welfare Department of the PNCR. Prior to her post as Minister of Public Health, she was the Minister of Social Protection under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government.

Caricom Leaders are meeting in Jamaica for their 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government. This photo was taken at the 11th CARICOM Summit also in Jamaica on July 8, 1990

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Combating the threats

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…AG warns of high money-laundering risk …urges coordinated efforts to tackle scourge

By Lisa Hamilton ATTORNEY General Basil Williams has warned that money-laundering risks here are high and called on all stakeholders to be proactive in countering these threats.

He said Guyana has an overall, high money-laundering risk and a medium terrorist financing threat which are realities from which the country must not shy away, but must address head-on. Williams was speaking at the time at a seminar on Guyana’s Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) Risk Assessment hosted at the Georgetown Club on Wednesday.

In attendance were Acting President Moses Nagamootoo, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

Others included: Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; National Anti-Narcotics Agency Head, Michael Atherly; Governor of the Bank of Guyana (BoG), Gobind Ganga; Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Fung-a-Fat; heads of the public and private sectors and other heads of supervisory bodies.

The gathering met as Guyana is currently working to meet certain criteria set out by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for its Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation process set for

2022. The Fourth Round will test both the country’s technical compliance with regard to existing laws and regulations and its effectiveness on whether it is achieving the defined set of outcomes.

In efforts to comply with these guidelines, Guyana conducted a national risk assessment exercise between February 2016 to April 2017, resulting in the creation of a National Risk Assessment (NRA) report and a Risk-based Action Plan.

A working group of 74 persons from the public and private sectors worked towards understanding, identifying and assessing the ML and TF threats in Guyana and received tech-

nical support and guidance from the Inter-America Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank. The NRA examines the level of risk within sectors, such as banking, mining, insurance securities as well as government organisations such as the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

Meanwhile, the Riskbased Action Plan outlines action to be taken, agencies or organisations responsible for such action and the timelines by which these actions should be addressed.

Williams, in his opening remarks, said that Guyana must remain focused and

work strategically to mitigate its current high-risk rating. “The NRA determined that the overall risk of money laundering in Guyana is high. This outcome stems from the high rate assigned to the overall national threat and vulnerability which is rated medium-high…regarding terrorist financing, the threat is medium,” he reported, adding: “It is important for me to paint this realistic picture, so that we can know where we are and the amount of work that we have to do come 2022, when we will be assessed again.”

Williams said that the action plans serve as the base of the country’s Anti-Money Laundering

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is also performing duties of President, greets a participant at the seminar (DPI photo)

Members of the audience at the seminar on Guyana’s Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment hosted at the Georgetown Club (Samuel Maughn photo)

(AML) and Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) strategy, which will help to assist in mitigating existing threats and vulnerabilities.

In addition, the organisations featured in the Action Plan were allowed to provide feedback on the challenges faced in meeting the stipulated timelines which Williams says is useful information for the country.

“This process will help us to be more effective and efficient as we will know where we are and what else needs to be done…following up on the risk-based action plan allows us to bridge the gap between planning and implementation, which is critical. Guyana is sched-

Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams (Samuel Maughn photo)

uled to be assessed in 2022 and we cannot afford to be anything but proactive,” he said.

He added that the country must be able to demonstrate that, in addition to having a legal and institutional framework, its AML/ CFT system, it is effective and be able to deliver on the recommendations of FATF. As such, he called on all stakeholders, including Cabinet ministers, to throw in their efforts towards addressing high-risk areas and ensuring Guyana improves over time. He also stressed the need for effective sharing of information and for reporting entities and Designated Non- Financial Business and Profession (DNFBPs) to be effectively supervised to safeguard compliance with AML-CFT laws and regulations.

“I wish to remind all of us that money launder-

ing, terrorist financing and proliferation financing is a global problem that affects the stability and prosperity of every country. Therefore, let us be proactive and take the necessary steps to strengthen our AML/CFT regime,” he urged.

In November 2017, Guyana was the host of the 46th Caribbean FATF Plenary and Working Group Meeting with some 200 representatives from member countries and other international financial institutions meeting to discuss pressing issues.

When the government took office in May 2015, Guyana had been blacklisted both by CFATF and FATF; however, with leadership of President David Granger and Williams, the country made significant progress and now works towards becoming fully compliant.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

CAL responds to claims by Joint Select Committee ...says all security checks are undertaken

Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) has given the assurance that the air carrier do engage in proper security checks of prospective employees, which are carried out in keeping with the company’s normal employment requirements.

The assurance after CAL was taken to task by members of a Joint Select Committee (JSC) on State Enterprises on Tuesday, for failing to do security background checks on new employees, some of whom hold managerial positions.

In a press release on Wednesday, CAL, which stated that its board of directors have taken note of the statements made by members of the JSC, said: “The airline

industry poses high security risks arising out of both narcotic trafficking and terrorist activity.

As a result, all staff are subject to security checks before being hired. The nature and conduct of the security check policy is administered by the Security Department in Operations and Human Resources, which will liaise with security to ensure that due process has been followed.”

CAL said the airline industry is highly regulated, and as a proud and long?standing member of the International Air Transport Association – IATA, and also as a recognized IATA Operational Safety Audit qualified airline and a certified Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

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approved repair station, Caribbean Airlines adheres to a rigorous system of checks and balances, and has complied with its own internal policy on security checks which reads as follows: •Security checks are carried out as per the company’s normal employment requirements, including but not limited to reference checks and certificate verification. In addition, the company also requires police verified certificates of good character and applies other internal and external security checks. More intensive security checks are only conducted for support staff who are required to access the airport, aircraft or airside facilities or as other regulations may require. Fur-

ther security checks are also done for Pilots and Flight Attendants to meet FAA and other Airport regulations.

Successfully completing required security checks is a condition of the Caribbean Airlines’ employment agreement.

•Staff who do not require airport or airside access in the course of their duties go through the normal employment vetting process.

•The aforementioned policies continue to be applied in the course of the airline’s operations.

The airline said it wishes to assures all stakeholders that it is committed to meeting and maintaining high standards of safety and security. (Trinidad Express)

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Two Britons poisoned with Novichok nerve agent

…near where Russian spy was struck down

Two British citizens are critically ill after they were exposed to Novichok, the same nerve agent that struck down a former Russian agent and his daughter in March, Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer said on Wednesday.

The pair, a local 44-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, were hospitalized after being found unwell on Saturday in Amesbury, just miles away from Salisbury where ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were attacked in March.

“I have received test results from Porton Down (military research center) which show that the two people have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok,” Neil Basu, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters. Britain has accused Russia of poisoning the Skripals with Novichok - a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military during the Cold War - in what is the first known offensive use of such a chemical weapon on European soil since World War Two. Russia has denied any involvement in their poisoning.

UK counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation, though Basu said it was unclear how the two people came into contact with the nerve agent or whether they had been specifically targeted.

“I don’t have any intelligence or evidence that they were targeted in any way,” Basu said. “There is nothing in their background to suggest that at all.”

Amesbury is located seven miles (11 km) north of Salisbury, where Skripal - a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service - and his daughter were found slumped unconscious on a bench on March 4. Around 100 counter-terrorism officers are working on the case and police have cordoned off at least five different areas, including a park and a property in Salisbury, as well as a pharmacy and a Baptist church community center in Amesbury. The March attack prompted the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War as allies in Europe and the United States sided with Prime Minister Theresa May’s view that Moscow was either responsible or had lost control of the nerve agent.

Mystery surrounds the attack and the motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to the Soviet military during the Cold War. Russia, which is currently hosting the soccer World Cup, has denied any involvement in the March incident and suggested Britain had carried out the attack to stoke anti-Moscow hysteria. Moscow also hit back by expelling Western diplomats, questioning how Britain knows that Russia was responsible and offering rival interpretations, including that it amounted to a plot by British secret services. Russian officials questioned why Russia would want to attack an aging turncoat who was pardoned and then traded in a Kremlin-approved 2010 spy swap.

NOVICHOK AGAIN Health chiefs said on Wednesday the risk to the public was low, though the exposure of two people apparently unconnected to espionage or the former Soviet Union will stoke fears that traces of the nerve agent remain in the area. “As the country’s chief medical officer, I want to reassure the public that the risk to the general public remains low,” England’s Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies told reporters.

Prime Minister May’s spokesman said the government’s emergency response committee had met to discuss the incident. Home Secretary Sajid Javid will chair a meeting of the emergency response committee on Thursday. “The working theory is currently that this exposure was accidental, rather than a second attack along the lines of that on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury earlier this year,” Javid said. After the Skripal poisoning, police investigators in protective hazmat suits scoured the ancient English cathedral city of Salisbury. Basu cautioned that police in protective clothing would return to the area.

Paramedics were called on Saturday morning to a house in Amesbury after the woman, named by media as Dawn Sturgess, collapsed and returned later in the day when the man, Charlie Rowley, also fell ill. The pair, who are being treated at Salisbury District Hospital, were initially believed to have taken heroin or crack cocaine from a contaminated batch, police said. But tests showed they had been poisoned with Novichok. “We are not in a position to say whether the nerve agent was from the same batch that the Skripals were exposed to,” Basu said.

“The possibility that these two investigations might be linked is clearly a line of enquiry for us.”

The hospital is where the Skripals also spent weeks in a critical condition before slowly recovering and being discharged. Yulia told Reuters in May: “We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful.” Russia has said it does not possess such nerve agents, did not develop Novichok, and President Vladimir Putin dismissed as nonsense the notion that Moscow would have poisoned Skripal and his daughter. (Reuters)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

No reason to doubt CCJ

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…new CCJ President courts CARICOM states’ full support

By Svetlana Marshall in Jamaica

THOUGH honoured to be sworn in as the third President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Adrian Saunders said it is regrettable that some member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continue to doubt the ability of the institution to be effective and efficient.

Moments after taking the oath of office before Jamaica Governor- General Sir Patrick Allen at the Hyatt Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Wednesday, the new CCJ President said member states have no good reason to doubt the CCJ’s ability to grasp full responsibility for interpreting and applying the law as he expressed his disappointment. “This is an obligation that is naturally assumed by all civilised peoples. It is remarkable and regrettable that there are still some who have misgivings about the Region’s capacity to discharge that responsibility in an efficient and effective manner,” Justice Saunders told regional leaders present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Guyana, Belize, Dominica and Barbados are the only four Caribbean countries that have made the CCJ their final court. The others continue to use the Privy Council as their final court of appeal as against the CCJ. “Over the last 13 years, the Caribbean Court of Justice has demonstrated its mettle, its high calibre speaks for itself, but even beyond the jurisprudence, through bodies like the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers, the Caribbean Academy of Law, the Jurist Project among others, the CCJ invests time and resources in making the administration of justice more efficient and improving the quality of judges in the Region,” Justice Saunders said.

He, however, expressed hope that other member states would buy into the CCJ as done with other institutions such as the University of the West Indies, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Caribbean Examinations Council. Justice Saunders replaces Sir Dennis Byron as President of the CCJ.

do better and it may well be that after 15 years of experience, we will continue to find additional needs to improve and strengthen all of these institutions,” he added.

CARICOM SecretaryGeneral Irwin LaRocque, in offering congratulations to Justice Saunders, said that he has made history in

Newly appointed President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders and Governor-General of Jamaica, Sir Patrick Allen, after the swearing in

In his address, Sir Byron in handing over the presidency to Justice Saunders, expressed confidence in his ability to lead, noting that the court has been outstanding it in its performance. “The judicial work of the court has been effective. We have no backlogs and I think it has also developed Caribbean jurisprudence significantly. The ancillary institutions, the regional judicial and legal services commission and the trust fund are healthy and fully functional,” Sir Byron said.

Noting that the institutional framework has stood the test of time, Sir Byron said Caribbean nationals can be justifiably be proud of it. “However, as I have often expressed, excellence is not a state that we reach, it is the process of continuously trying to be and to

his own right by becoming the first graduate of the Region’s legal education system to be elevated to the Office of President of the CCJ. “This represents a milestone in the evolution of our judicial history and sends a positive message to all, not only about the standards at our legal education institutions, but also about the confidence which the Regional Judicial Legal Service Commission has in the quality of the graduates. This truly marks the beginning of a new era,” Ambassador LaRocque said.

The CARICOM Secretary- General also used the opportunity to express gratitude on behalf of the Community to Sir Byron, noting that he has presided over judgements with far-reaching effects.

“Thank you, Sir Den-

nis, on behalf of the Caribbean Community for your most significant contribution to the advancement of the integration process and regional jurisprudence,” the ambassador said.

Justice Saunders has been a judge at the CCJ since 2005 and contributed immensely to the administration and judicial func-

tions of the court. Justice Saunders is also Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) and the Course Director of the Halifax-based Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute’s CJEI’s Intensive Study Programme. He is also one of the institute’s directors.

He co-authored the book,

Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law and is a contributing editor of the Caribbean Civil Court Practice. In April 2018, he was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) in 1975 and the Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago in 1977. He was called to the Bar of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in that same year. He worked with Sir Dennis at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and was later reunited with him in 2011, when Sir Dennis was appointed President of the CCJ. Among regional leaders present at the opening ceremony were Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

PPP/C challenged by its past BHARRAT Jagdeo’s entire political world has been thrown into utter confusion as a result of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) upholding that after the year 2000, presidents of Guyana cannot serve more than two terms in executive office, thereby giving legal sanctity to the Amendment to Article 90, Clause 2(a) of the constitution.

Did he realistically believe that those very learned gentlemen would have ruled otherwise for him to pursue his ambition and lust for more power, facilitated by a third term? Justice Saunders as part of his judgment reminded that democratic governance allows “for reasonable restrictions” to

be placed on both the qualifications to be a member of the National Assembly, and also to be president.

But given his fixation on the power, pomp and grandeur of such an office and what it enabled him to do, such would have blinded him to the truth of what he had signed into law in 2001. And this is what the intoxicant of power does to such leaders – they become blinded by their own inability to remind themselves of the truth to which they had subscribed and swore to uphold, since their ability to reason becomes suppressed by the insatiable lust for power.

But it is the post-ruling comments coming from the opposition leader, brought

back to earth by the court’s ruling, that are interesting.

Given the persona that is so natural of him, it is surprising that he has not attacked the CCJ’S ruling. But there are already some indications of this unfortunate behaviour from party supporters. It would be a sad day for justice, and all that it embraces, should such gain currency.

Jagdeo is aware, that to do so will only attract unequivocal criticism from especially the legal corridors of this country. So, he has been attempting a somersault, an attempted show of democratic thinking – precipitated by two factors: firstly, the court’s decision that has completely shattered his plans for further

power, and a perpetuation of the unenlightened hold on the party’s political business by the old guard; and, secondly, his young former Member of Parliament Charles Ramson’s announcement of his own presidential ambitions, and the role of young people in the decision-making process of the party, no doubt striking at the inflexibility of the party’s traditional policy-making citadel.

Since when does Jagdeo believe in, “the need for older party comrades to make way for younger persons to emerge”? He has never been a democrat of any kind. At least, not one who is genuine about significant change which should be about admitting

modern, enlightened views on rank-and-file involvement in the party’s deliberations and decision-making on its future development. It would be egregious on the part of Jagdeo to give the appearance of embracing this new line of thinking, and not actually allowing it to evolve as a new masthead for his party. This is an attempt to wear new political clothes, brought on by the events alluded to above.

The PPP/C must realise that as a party it has to accept its role and responsibility for the destruction of this country’s socio-political psyche, with its marked defects that has distorted and corrupted this country’s moral understanding of itself as a

nation. There can be no talk of the introduction of new ideas, as stated by Ramson, without addressing these two gargantuan challenges that are a threat to national cohesion and peace among the people -- race and systemic corruption, as well as to the future socio-economic growth and development of this country. The PPP/C is now challenged by its more than abysmal past. There is a new thinking and understanding by younger, thinking Guyanese, facilitated by the historical events of May 2015, that are entirely at odds with the well-known destructive, worn out, and anti-national stance of the PPP/C.

Al Creighton responds to Guyana Literature Prize critics Dear Editor I WISH to address a few issues pertaining to the Guyana Prize for Literature.

These are varied; but the first set on which I will comment arises from criticisms raised by two local writers through letters in the press.

Rev. Gideon Cecil has raised them repeatedly in the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News, while, most recently, Ras Aaron Blackman repeated some of them in the Kaieteur News of July 2, 2018.

The letters contain a number of inaccuracies and false notions about the Prize and about how other prizes around the world operate.

1. That the same persons reappear as winners of the Guyana Prize at one time and as judges of the Prize at another; 2. that former judges ought to be disqualified from entering the competition in any later year; 3. that no other literary prize allows former judges to become contestants.

Rev. Cecil misquotes the rules from the international IMPAC Dublin Prize for Fiction to support his claim.

It is basic commonsense – in fact, it is a sine qua non in any literary prize that no one can be a judge and a contestant at the same time; no one can be a member of the prize committee and enter his work in the same competition. That is standard practice: those rules do apply in the Guyana Prize and have never been violated.

It is such a basic understanding that many leading international Prizes do not have it as a written clause in their eligibility statements. Rev. Cecil argues that such a clause is missing from the Guyana Prize regulations and he is correct – they are not there in writing and perhaps they should be, to leave no room for doubt. But they have been very strictly observed.

There are persons who have been winners of the Guyana Prize and who have also served as judges at different times – never at the same time.

This is standard practice in the large international literary prizes, and we have made this correction before in the press.

I can repeat factual examples.

The IMPAC Dublin rule says no person can enter the competition who “is” also at the same time a judge or a committee

member. It says nothing about them being in the capacity at different times, and in fact, has allowed it to happen. One example is novelist David Dabydeen, who served as a judge in the IMPAC Dublin and whose novel The Counting House was short-listed for the same Prize in a different year.

In the OCM Bocas Literary Prize, a number of writers have been judges of the Prize at one time and winners or short-listed entrants at other times. A few examples of those are : Kendel Hippolyte, Merle Collins, Lorna Goodison, Olive Senior, David Dabydeen and Kei Miller. Examples in the Commonwealth Writers Prize include Olive Senior and Mark McWatt, whose Suspended Sentences won the Prize in 2006 after he had served as a judge in previous years.

All literary prizes, including the Man Booker, use literary critics, academics and practising writers as judges and none of them tell those writers that as a condition of serving as judges, they cannot enter their work in the prize in future. This, therefore, cannot be cited as something wrong in the Guyana Prize.

4. That the Prize is dominated by foreign-based writers; 5. that local writers are at a disadvantage; 6. that the Prize is biased towards the favoured foreign writers .

This is the repeat of a very old argument advanced since the very early years of the Prize. The argument is that there is unfair competition, since foreign-based writers are privileged and have advantages over the locals who lack facilities for development and opportunities for publishing.

The prizes should not keep going overseas and there should be something for the locals.

However, even worse than that, the Prize was accused of favouritism towards a small circle of friends that close around the overseas writers and ignore, overlook and shut out new, unknown and young local writers.

The Management Committee responded in two ways.

The Prize was created to reward and promote good writing among Guyanese writers at home and abroad in particular, and among Caribbean writers in general. It was for the best works and was restricted to

published books only. However, in answer to appeals from the local community, self-published and privately published books were admitted; and Guyanese living in Guyana were allowed to enter unpublished manuscripts. Overseas residents still have to enter only published books.

There was even an attempt to reward the best local unpublished manuscript. This was however, quickly discontinued following advice from several quarters. The Prize was intended for the best Guyanese literature and the manuscripts have to compete with the published books. It was felt that a separate local prize was doing no favours to the local writers and might even be an insult to them as inferior and lower-class creatures. Further, it would lower the standards and reputation of the Guyana Prize, and there would always be less regard and respect for whatever local prize was given. It would not sit well, even with the locally resident writers.

What was worse, however, was the charge of favouritism.

This is a very cynical judgement and condemnation of all Guyanese literature. It says

what has been declared as the best of the literature over all these several years could not have made it without unfair advantage and is not really as good as has been declared.

Moreover, it is an insult to all the winners, all the excellent writers and the very wide range of distinguished and expert international judges, most of whom are not Guyanese, who have worked with the Guyana Prize since 1987.

Finally, it is the easiest thing to say the judging was unfair. One can glibly publish this charge with no proof and less responsibility to support what one tells the public with sound evidence.

The fact is, there is only one way that you can tell that the judging was unfair – you would have to have read all the entries. Unless one has read the entries one cannot know which was better than which. In order to cap the length of this letter, I will withhold further proof that those accusations are ultra vires, false and without merit, and include the details of it in my next submission.

Regards Al Creighto

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

A ‘Third Force’ requires political courage to advocate a different ideological position Dear Editor,

OVER the years, and especially in the lead-up to the 2020 general and local elections, political commentators have talked about the need for a “Third Party” or “Third Force” in Guyanese politics. However, what they fail to understand is that forming a political party to compete for votes with the PPP and APNU+AFC is a complete waste of time if that “third party” simply mimics the existing two parties, promotes neo-liberal economics and manages the captured state for external players.

This highlights the illusion of so-called liberal democracy. Whether we have two parties or 100 parties makes little difference, if all they are doing is competing to see who can best manage the existing dysfunctional neo-colonial arrangement that imprisons us. In such a “multi-party” scenario, when we go to the polls we are not able to vote for a different system – we are not able to vote for an end to neo-colonialism and the neo-liberal agenda that is strangling us.

No, we are simply voting for a different manager of

the same old tired system which is why, no matter who is elected, we see little or no change.

An authentic “Third Force” on Guyana’s political landscape would mean a political formation that rejects the materialist and anti-spiritual ideologies of neo-liberal capitalism and Marxism. The establishment of a “Third Force” requires a formation with the political courage to advocate a different ideological position than the one that exists and dominates the political landscape currently. Any party advocating the same ideology as the existing political parties cannot be described as a “Third Force.” An authentic “Third Force” would unapologetically advocate for the poor and marginalised sectors of our society, rather than being an instrument of big business and imperial interests. That is why Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP) can be said to be a genuine “Third Force.” Our ideology is different from all other existing political formations. We are a revolutionary democratic formation, born out of the fight for the rights of African people, and evolved into a force that advocates and fights for

the human rights and dignity of all of Guyana’s oppressed and exploited masses, irrespective of their race.

The PNCR, historically, has always enjoyed the African vote, but did nothing of significance to empower Africans, except to a certain extent during the period under Forbes Burnham. The liberation of African Guyanese can never be realised under the middle-class Anglophiles that currently constitute the leadership of the PNCR. They are not up to the task of initiating radical and revolutionary transformation that would put political and economic power in the hands of the people. Likewise, the PPP, historically, has always enjoyed the Indian vote, while in fact, after decades of political power they only ever empowered a minority of wealthy Indians, while the vast majority of Indians remain in poverty.

Come 2020, Guyanese, especially the youth, irrespective of their race, need to take a bold step for real liberation and identify with the Panther. This would give a rude awakening to all those political formations who have taken the Guyanese people for granted for so long. If we were to have

the opportunity to govern Guyana, we pledge to uplift not only Africans, but all oppressed and marginalised Guyanese regardless of race. Every Guyanese must prosper under the banner of the Panther, because our ideology demands nothing less. When we achieve a Guyana based on justice for all, we will have truly established a “Third Force” -- a genuine alternative to the two or 100 parties that advocate an ideology that can, by its very definition, never deliver justice.

Regards Gerald A. Perreira Organisation for the Victory of the People (OVP)

IAC expresses support to L. Seepersaud Maraj & Sons Dear Editor THE Indian Action Committee (IAC) is appalled and outraged to learn from the media, that L. Seepersaud Maraj & Sons, an esteemed family business which has been in operation for generations, is now incurring millions of dollars in losses due to a robbery which occurred sometime between 2nd - 3rd July 2018.

The IAC, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation which deals with issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, including education and social work, recognises the Maraj Sons as distinguished descendants of East Indian indentured labourers, who had worked tirelessly to establish its name in the jewellery industry, and contributed significantly to the development of an independent Guyana through philanthropic activities.

The IAC understands that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and a private secu-

rity firm are responsible for ensuring the security of the business which is located in the Stabroek Market, and the organisation is disappointed to read about the lack of diligence demonstrated by the two entities in responding to this horrific ordeal.

The IAC is pleased to discern that no one was hurt in the incident and expresses its support to and stands in solidarity with, the sons of L. Seepersaud Maraj & Sons at this time of affliction, and the organisation is calling upon the relevant authorities to undertake swift and thorough action to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The IAC further calls upon the M&CC, and the private security firm involved to provide an explanation as to how this incident could have occurred and to initiate measures to avoid any possible repeat in the future.

Regards Saira Alli IAC Secretary

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Ex-soldier charged with narco-trafficking FORMER Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Private Collis Beckles who was charged with trafficking in excess of four pounds of marijuana during a stop-and-search exercise by police in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge on January 5 has been fined $2million and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

The hefty fine and the sentence were handed down

by Senior Magistrate Alex Moore, when Beckles appeared in the New Amsterdam Court.

Magistrate Moore also

indicated to Beckles that his failure to pay the fine will result in him serving an additional two years in jail.

On January 5 around 21:30hrs, Beckles of Lot 70 Barnwell North, Mocha, East Bank Demerara, was a passenger in hire car HC 5799 travelling the Georgetown to New Amsterdam route when it was stopped at a police roadblock, in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge.

The driver, along with the other occupants and the car was searched. It was during the examination, that the suspected trafficker

claimed ownership of the grey and black haversack in which was the defendant’s identification card, a pair of black Timberland slippers, a green sheet and two black plastic bags were seen with seeds, leaves and stems, suspected to be cannabis sativa. The narcotic weighed 2137grams or four pounds, 11 ounces.

Under caution, Beckles said, “Somebody gives me the weed to drop in NA.” However, he submitted a written statement, in which he revealed that one Denheart, who is an ex-soldier living in New Amsterdam,

had called him via cellular phone and requested that he collect a parcel from his brother in front of KFC Stabroek Market and deliver same to him in New Amsterdam.

Beckles had opened the bag, pinched and observed the illegal drug. However, he denied knowing the amount.

Police Prosecutor Corporal Winston Poliah had argued that the defendant had knowledge, possession and control of the illegal drug and should be found guilty and face the penalty according to the Narcotics Act.

Dhandhari indicted for manslaughter DAVENAND Dhandhari of Lot 27 Betsy Ground, East Canje, Berbice, who was initially charged with murder and was committed to stand trial at the next session of the Berbice Assizes, was on Tuesday indicted for manslaughter.

On April 22, 2016, Dhandhari, then 18 years old, allegedly murdered Omesh Seelall, called “Rovin” and “Short Neck”.

Seelall, 21, a labourer, sustained injuries to his head, resulting in his death six days after he was allegedly hit by Dhandhari during a wedding house brawl.

Reports had revealed that the youths were among others when an argument started between the two. The accused reportedly grabbed a piece of wood from an animal-drawn cart across the road and hit Seelall on the head, rendering him unconscious.

Eyewitnesses had hurriedly transported the injured man to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he received emergency treatment before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died days later.

The police had retrieved the alleged murder weapon.

The defence counsel had contended that Dhandhari acted in self-defence.

At the time of the incident, Dhandhari was a first-year Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) student at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School.

He had written his examinations as a remand prisoner.

The case was prosecuted by Attorney George Thomas, who led the evidence of eight witnesses.

Ramson Jr. is witlessly alienating his elders Dear Editor, I AM intrigued by the way Charles Ramson Jr. has chosen to thrust himself into the spotlight to announce his bid to be the presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in the next general elections.

Nothing is wrong with Ramson Jr. having this ambition, but it is great fun to see him trying to do so by kicking aging PPP stalwarts out to pasture, parading his party’s dirty laundry in public and blatantly disrespecting persons older than what he calls his “Generation”.

In his zeal to seize the reins of the troubled PPP, a few important things seem to have slipped Junior’s mind.

One of the foremost is that it is politically expedient for presidential aspirants to say what they mean and mean what they say.

When PPP General-Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo pointedly criticised Ramson Jr.’s public push for presidency, Junior vaulted onto his high horse and, from his lofty perch, declared that he would not deign to indulge in tit-for-tat politics with the man many people call ‘BJ”.

Then he proceeded to do exactly that by unleashing several eye-opening ‘tats’ in response to Jagdeo’s ‘tits’.

He alluded to “childish” comparisons and dropped broad hints about corruption during his time in the PPP. He also thundered that he fears no man, he only fears God. If you are afraid of no man, Mr. Ramson Jr., why are you damaging the PPP with allusions to corruption that you seem to know about? If you have something to say, if you have valuable information, if you have strong views on party matters, then put it on the table with evidence.

We want to know. Don’t come at us loose-lipped, spewing ‘gossipy’ allusions and say that you are flying too high to indulge in tit-for-tat politics. Your approach reeks of tit-for-tat politics; so speak up or shut up.

Defending yourself is not tit-for-tat politics. You are entitled to defend yourself and it is better to do so intelligently.

Deal straight up with the facts of what has been said about you, instead of resorting to scandal-tinged hints about possible skullduggery by others in your party.

Ramson Jr. also seems to be promoting a perverse idea that “youthfulness” is the sole reservoir of fresh ideas. As he continues to pummel this drum, older members of the electorate cannot help being edgy about how they will fit in and be treated if he ever

leads this country.

Many who are older than Ramson Jr. are savvy enough to know that youthfulness is not the ‘be it all and end it all’ of ‘leadership and great ideas.

If Ramson Jr. intends to use ‘younger-is-better’ as a pillar of his political campaign, he runs the risk of alienating legions of older voters.

He warned that by engaging his generation (he spelt it with a capital G) in a political process, means that everyone must be prepared to accept that they will be bringing “fresh ideas, beliefs and way of doing things...”

According to Junior, his (G)eneration respects customs and stands firmly for freedom, justice, openness, and fairness. I assume that 34-year-old Ramson Jr. is at the upper end of his (G)eneration. Is he saying that his elders do not embrace these virtues and stand for them?

Perhaps he nodded off during history lessons or he would know quite well that his (G)eneration does not have the patent on freedom, justice, openness, fairness, or rebel instincts for that matter.

In his wide readings, did he miss masses of literature on the politics of Malcolm X, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Booker T. Washington, Lech Wa??sa, Nelson Mandela,

Rosa Parks and more?

Right here at home, we have Freddie Kissoon in his 60s who fights daily for those same rights. Others who might not have made Ramson Jr.’s age cut include Walter Rodney, Eusi Kwayana, H.N. Critchlow, Slave Leader Kofi, and expatriate Father Bernard Darke, who died for his cause.

History is riddled with people of all ages who have rebelled against the systems, because their ideas were different and they knew there was a better way, a way that stood firmly in the interest of freedom, justice, openness and fairness.

All the people who set the pace and further enhanced developments to bring medicine, agriculture, technology, science, astronomy and all these things to the point they are today, had fresh ideas for ways of approaching their respective fields and improving our existence.

It was a completely fresh idea to end apartheid; another fresh idea to insist on being allowed to sit at the front of the bus. Wanting equality for all people; wanting to fly; inventing the light bulb; developing medicines to kill bacteria; these were all fresh ideas from people of all ages.

It is commendable to

achieve much while one is still youthful. There are persons within political parties in Guyana who started young and sat there for decades.

As time went by, it became apparent that they had lost sight of their cause.

Many stopped serving the people and served themselves. Their youthful idealism was strangled by a web of confrontation, cover-ups, accusations, corruption and manipulations. Their cause became lost within an abyss of venom, hate, cover-ups, corruption and diatribe.

Now, Ramson Jr. is promising “young, fresh and credible” leadership. Can leadership only be credible if it is young and “fresh”?

At what age are people incapable of coming up with “fresh” ideas? I am in my late 40s; should I just roll over and be engulfed by this wave of ‘freshness’?

I wonder how included all those older sugar workers, rice farmers and other traditional supporters of the PPP will feel as this wonderful wave of youthful freshness is poised to engulf us. Do they really think that their ideas for national development are outdated and irrelevant?

If Ramson Jr.’s bandwagon continues to roll, will there be room in the gallery of freshness for the ideas of

people born earlier than the mid-1980s? Will their ideas be accepted, or will they be ignored because they came from older minds than those of Ramson Jr.’s (G)eneration?

How young and fresh were the minds of PPP icons Dr. Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet Jagan, when they were elected to lead Guyana in the 1990s? As someone who grew up in the bosom of the PPP, would Junior say they were old, decrepit and bereft of good, innovative ideas?

We make decisions and contribute to debates looking through the prism of race and power and whatever other self-serving motives we may have. Our country is overwhelmed by this.

What is Ramson Jr.’s plan to fix it? Let us know and be specific. We need ideas with substance.

As an aspiring political leader, Ramson Jr. ought to learn the importance of thinking carefully before he speaks, and couching his words to appeal to a wide cross-section of potential voters. He should think twice about alienating the older and wiser folk. He will definitely need them.

Regards Annie Stewart

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Guyana not bound to legalise marijuana …AG urges magistrates to exercise options ATTORNEY General Basil Williams said Guyana at the appropriate time will make its position known on the proposal for decriminalisation of marijuana and suggested that this country is not bound to adopt the recommendation by the CARICOM Commission.

“When I met with the Rastafari community they were saying they wanted to be able to walk around with 53 grams, so the society must be able to have a debate on these issues,” said Williams, SC, who noted that though there is a recommendation by the CARICOM Commission, Guyana is not necessarily bound to adopt same.

“I have chaired the Legal Affairs Committee of CARICOM and matters come and different countries take different positions on them.

Some issues are there before CARICOM for 10 years because other countries do not sign on,” he remarked. The attorney general reminded that Guyana as a country within the regional bloc is governed by its own rules,

while noting that before a position is taken there must be massive consultations. “We have our own streams that we have to consult with, people we have to look at first and foremost and the fragility of our system. We have to look at all those considerations,” he stated. The issue of decriminalising small amounts of marijuana is not novel he said and noted that rules over time have been softened.

“We don’t have that issue of agitation about legalising marijuana. I must say the magistrates are equipped with sentencing policies and procedures to ensure that persons with minimal amounts don’t end up with custodial sentences; they have options and they must exercise those options,” declared the attorney general.

Alternative sentencing Over the years, several persons have been placed behind bars for having small amounts of marijuana in their possession-- a move which has been frowned upon given the overcrowding of the country’s prisons.

Once found in possession of more than five grams of cannabis, a person can be sentenced to three years in jail. Williams believes that alternative sentencing should be employed by magistrates, while noting that through his ministry a US$8M loan has been granted to examine the prison population. He called on magistrates to be cognisant of the state of the prison system and the events of same, which led to the death of some 16 inmates in 2016 and the gutting of the Georgetown prison last year.

“So the judiciary must take cognisance of what is happening in the systems,” he said, while noting that there are serious criminals and those who have committed petty crimes.

This week, it was announced that a Regional Commission on Marijuana has made recommendations for the decriminalisation of marijuana across CARICOM member states, but in controlled and regulated amounts as in the case of alcohol. The call to decriminal-

Attorney General Basil Williams SC

ise the use of small amounts of marijuana in the Region will be discussed during this week’s 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) being held in Jamaica.

At a press conference on Monday at the Jamaica Pegasus, CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, told journalists that the Report of the Marijuana Commission will be presented to the regional leaders by the Chair, Profes-

sor Rosemarie Belle-Antoine of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. The Regional Commission on Marijuana was established by the decision of the 25th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government in March 2014 with a mandate to investigate the use of marijuana.

Ambassador LaRocque said the 10-member commission, which is made up of experts in several fields, has made some far-reaching recommendations with regard to the decriminalisation of cannabis. Those recommendations are also based on extensive consultations in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. “They are recommending the decriminalisation of marijuana. They are recommending that it be deemed a substance that is controlled and managed as alcohol,” the secretary-general said, while noting, however, that there is some concern about controlling it in terms of youth and adolescent use.

The Alliance For Change (AFC), a major stakeholder in the coalition government, has been calling for the removal of custodial sentences for small amounts of the herb here. “Custodial sentences serve, in large measure, to criminalise young people, particularly young men who have been caught with small quantities of marijuana – an offence which is a mere error in judgment and not representative of criminal behaviour,” the AFC said. AFC Member of Parliament, Michael Carrington, since 2015 had tabled a bill in the National Assembly for debate, but it has since been languishing on the order paper, being deferred time and time again. “The time to act is now. We must no longer sit idly by and allow our young men and women to be sentenced to several years of jail time alongside hardened criminals, murderers and rapists. We will not be found complicit in destroying the lives of our young people and wounding our society rather than acting to heal it,” the AFC said.

Central Bank to tighten controls for Fordyce freed of money transfer agencies, cambios attempted murder THE Bank of Guyana (BoG) will be utilising specific tactics and placing Money Transfer Agencies (MTAs) and cambios under “intensive supervision” in an effort to meet international standards.

This is according to Director of the Bank of Guyana (BoGs)’s Supervision Department Ramnarine Lall, who made this report at a seminar on Guyana’s Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment on Wednesday.

The BoG is being guided by a National Risk Assessment (NRA) report and a Risk-based Action Plan formulated by the country with a view to meeting guidelines set out by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing locally.

Guyana currently has high money laundering risk and a medium terrorist financing threat and, therefore, in keeping with the Risk-based Action Plan,

the bank is currently performing regular reviews and updates of supervisory policies, procedures and manuals for the financial sector.

In June 2018, commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions were reviewed for their risk-based approach on Anti-Money Laundering (AML), while insurance companies were reviewed in January 2018.

However, before the end of the year, the bank intends to complete this review on MTAs and cambios.

On the topic, Lall commented: “The Bank Supervision Department was given the responsibility because we recognised that money transfer agencies and cambios are high-risk, based on the National Risk Assessment. We wanted to put them under proper supervision, intensive supervision.”

The bank is also in the process of finalising a guideline for the supervision of money transfer

agencies and cambios.

The action plan also stipulates that measures be put in place to regulate unlicensed cambios in the country and that this is to be managed primarily by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the BoG. “We have a list of all the licensed cambios on our website. But we know that activities happen outside the regular cambios…the Bank of Guyana doesn’t have the sort of police powers to go and do those types of [law enforcing]. So we have to collaborate with the police…that is something that is a work in progress as well,” Lall said.

Among the other priorities of BoG’s action plan are the formulation of Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) for the sharing of information among critical agencies to improve national cooperation for investigation and prosecution of financial crimes.

Others include the training of staff responsible for

AML/CFT supervision; regular, comprehensive risk-based supervisory programmes and the acquiring of adequate resources for various functions and financial inclusion projects.

Lall then commended the initiative of the Ministry of Legal Affairs for hosting the seminar, which he says will help the bank to do its part in preparing Guyana to meet criteria set out by FATF for its Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation process set for 2022.

“I commend the attorney general [Minister Basil Williams] for having this seminar because when we take stock of it now, if we identify gaps we know where we have to address, what we have to do, we don’t have to wait on 2022 when the Mutual Evaluation is here,” he said, adding.

“Even if the Bank of Guyana has a few outstanding items, it is identifying those and will address those over the course of time.”

charge

THE charges of attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grevious bodily harm against Stephon Fordyce were discharged after the virtual complainant, Richard Edwards, opted not to testify against him.

But even as the mixed jury returned a formal verdict of not guilty after receiving direction from Justice Jo Ann Barlow, the judge advised Fordyce, 19, to now walk the straight and narrow path.

“You are a little boy still… something like this should never have happened.

I speak to you as a person who has a son, who will never stand where you are [in the dock] ... you are discharged.”

Edwards in his evidence, said he knew the accused for about two years prior to the incident and that his presence in court signals his intention to “quash the matter and let it finish”.

Fordyce and his grandmother have discussed a monetary compensation.

“I was not forced; I de-

Stephon Fordyce leaves the court on Tuesday afternoon

cided to end the story,” Edwards stated while Justice Barlow warned that with his decision, he cannot go to the police and make a report concerning this matter, nor can the court adjudicate in any monetary settlement.

State Prosecutrix Tuanna Hardy said that on April 17, 2017, at Murphy Dam, Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, Fordyce allegedly inflicted several life-threatening stab wounds on Edwards following an argument over the complainant’s sexual orientation.

Fordyce was represented by Legal Aid Attorney, Sasha Roberts.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

62 photographs tendered The 50-year-old man and the 11-year- old girl in GDF officer’s trial THE sister of Reona Payne, who was allegedly shot and killed by her reputed husband, Guyana Defence Force captain Orwain Sandy a few months ago, on Wednesday testified as the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into her sibling’s death continued.

Jonnel Henry took the witness stand before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Evidence was led by Police Prosecutor Corporal Shawn Gonsalves.

Sandy is being represented by attorney James Bond.

Also testifying was Sergeant Shamkim Miller, who tendered 62 photographs in court. The matter was adjourned until July 6.

Sandy, who served as Special Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, is currently on remand for the murder of Reona Payne on March 31,

Orwain Sandy and Reona Payne in happier times

2018, at First Street, Alexander Village.

According to reports, Sandy after committing the act, surrendered to police at the Ruimveldt Police Station on Saturday, March 31. A post-mortem report revealed that Payne died from 14 gunshot wounds to her body– 13 to her chest and one to the head.

The police have confirmed that Sandy used his

service firearm during the shooting. Police sources also related that the soldier had on one occasion lodged his firearm at the police station during a domestic dispute.

One source said the soldier had suspected that Reona Payne was being unfaithful and was conversing with someone from overseas. It was reported that Sandy had planned to drop Payne off at her place of work when she received a phone call from the same person.

When the soldier questioned her and asked her to desist from endangering their relationship, an argument ensued and in the vicinity of the masjid on First Street, Alexander Village, Reona is alleged to have grabbed the soldier’s firearm and threw it out of the car.

According to the source, Sandy stopped the vehicle to retrieve the weapon and Payne exited too.

CHIEF Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday released a 50-year-old man on $200,000 bail after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

Robin Marks of Norton Street was not required to plead to the two charges, with particulars alleging that during the month of February

2018, he sexually assaulted the girl.

The matter was heard in-camera and Marks was subsequently released on $100,000 on each count. The matter was adjourned until July 6.

According to reports, during the month of February, Marks and the teen were living in the same tenement yard. It is alleged that he touched the teen’s breast and

kissed her on the lips.

Robin Marks

No robberies for another 10 years A 23-year-old Alexander Village resident was on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on two robbery under arms charges.

Nicholas Smith was found guilty by Magistrate Faith McGusty for two counts of robbery. He was sentenced to five years’ jail on each count, and the sentences will run consecutively.

The first charge alleged that on February 11, 2018, on

Nicholas Smith

the Seawall Road, Nicholas Smith was armed with a gun and in the company of two others, robbed Dexter David of one gold chain worth $60,000, one Samsung phone worth $62,000 and $1,000 in cash.

It was further alleged that on that same day, Smith robbed Kevin Ramlall of one gold chain, one phone and one wallet.

The case was prosecuted by Police Sergeant Seon Blackman.

Bandits rob construction worker after bank withdrawal TWO bandits, one armed with a handgun, robbed a 48-year-old construction worker of Linden in the vicinity of Alexander Street, between Regent and Charlotte Streets, Georgetown, on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that the man was robbed of over $200,000 in cash. Reports disclosed that the construction worker left his work site at Providence Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, with a cheque.

He then joined a mini-

bus to the bus park where he proceeded on foot to a bank located on the Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.

After completing the transaction, he placed the cash in his pockets and continued to walk east, along Robb Street, Georgetown. He then stopped at the Bourda Market for a short while, before heading to Regent Street where he visited a shop to complete another small transaction.

However, it was while he turned onto Alexander

Street that he was confronted by the two bandits. One of the men pointed a gun at him while demanding that he turn over his cash.

Fearful for his life, the construction worker froze and one of the bandits delved into his left-side pants pocket and relieved him of the cash before making good their escape, on foot.

The matter was reported and police have since launched an investigation into the robbery.

Contraband found next to prison chicken pen PRISON authorities on Wednesday found contraband in the compound of the New Amsterdam Prison next to a chicken pen there.

The contraband is believed to have been thrown over the prison fence.

The parcel contained 18 packs of cigarette, ziplock bags, 12 packets of bamboo used for smoking marijuana, two parcels of wrapped narcotics and a plastic bottle of El Dorado rum.

The contraband that was found

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Accused gruesome Guard dies from child killer walks free hot water burns OBEDIAH Nicolas Christopher, 19, was freed of the charge which alleged that he killed schoolboy, Leonard Archibald, in September last year, some six days after the child was reported missing.

Archibald’s partial skeletal remains were found off the river bank at Korthberaadt Village, East Bank Berbice, on September 23, 2017.

Several newspaper reports said that the child was allegedly raped and then dumped into the Berbice River, only to be found dead a few days after.

Christopher’s lawyer, Mursaline Bacchus, in his submission to Senior Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court, said there was no admissible evidence that his client killed the boy.

He also noted that the post-mortem report was inconclusive as it could not determine the cause of death.

Christopher and the alleged mastermind, Hillary Edwards, 29, were charged separately, but Bacchus argued that even if they were charged together, their statement could not be used against each other.

Consequently, the matter was discharged.

However, the alleged mastermind, Hillary Edwards, remains in custody.

During his earlier court appearance, Christopher had maintained his innocence and his parents had supported his call by staging a protest outside the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

At one instance, tempers flared after Obediah Christopher screamed at his par-

ents, Peter Christopher and Sunita Motilal, who were standing among the scores of onlookers.

“I am innocent! I am innocent! I did not do this!

Fight for me, Mummy. Fight for me in the court,” he cried.

His mother’s eyes were filled with tears as she responded, “Son, I will get you out,” before he was whisked away in a police vehicle to the New Amsterdam Prisons.

The father, Peter Christopher, was also adamant that his son was innocent, even though persons told him “you were not with your son.

You can’t swear for him”.

Particulars of the charge stated that Christopher killed young Archibald between Sunday 17 and Saturday 23, September, 2017.

Duo to be charged with brothers’ deaths Dead: Shemon West

Dead: Shalum Allen

TWO drivers, both of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, will be charged today for the death of two brothers of Fellowship, West Coast Demerara, who were killed when they were struck off their bicycle on June 26.

The drivers, Mohendra Rambowar, 31, and Devon Headley, 27, both of Tuschen Housing Scheme, are on bail and will make their appearance at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrates’ Court.

Police said legal advice was obtained for both drivers to be charged with Causing Death

by Dangerous Driving for the deaths of Shemon West, 28, a labourer and Shalum Allen, 19, unemployed, both of lots 8-9 Fellowship, West Coast Demerara.

Reports indicate that at 11:20hrs on June 26, Shemon was riding his bicycle while towing his brother, Allen, when minibus BVV 8882, which was proceeding east along the northern side of the road, stopped to put off passengers while the brothers were proceeding in the said direction, but behind the bus.

Shemon West was in the process of passing the bus when the vehicle suddenly drove off and its right side collided with the left handle bar of the bicycle.

As a result of the impact,

the brothers fell onto the southern carriageway of the road

and were struck by oncoming mini-bus BVV 7042, which was proceeding in the opposite direction.

The brothers were rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital in an unconscious state, but were pronounced dead on arrival. The minibus drivers took breathalyser tests which returned negative results.

A 56-year-old security guard succumbed to his injuries on Monday after his niece had doused him with a pot of hot water on 16, June, 2018.

Dead is Hilbert Scott of Half Mile, Wismar, Linden. The police are hunting for his niece, 42-year-old Frances Harlequin, who resided at the same address in the same house, but in two different apartments. It is alleged that she is of unsound mind.

Reports indicate that on June 16, 2018, at about 09:30hrs, Harlequin reportedly lit a “coal pot” in her apartment and the smoke emanating from it began to affect Scott’s breathing.

As such, the man reportedly went over to the suspect’s apartment to request that she address the problem. However, the woman reportedly became annoyed and threw a pot of hot water, which was on the “coal pot,” on Scott.

The elderly man immediately reported the matter to the Wismar Police Station, and he was subsequently escorted to the Linden Hospital Complex to be treated for his burns, before being

discharged.

Shortly after the man made his police report, Harlequin visited the police station and reported that Scott physically abused her, and as such, she threw hot water on him.

She was reportedly sent to seek medical attention.

However, the woman never returned to the police station.

The following day, she was arrested and placed on self-bail two days later, while being informed that she was to appear in court on June 25, 2018. However, she never appeared after being charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

However, on June 21, 2018, Scott began feeling unwell and was subsequently admitted to the Linden Hospital Complex as an infection had taken over his burn wounds.

The victim’s condition allegedly worsened on Monday last and he died while being a patient in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

A post-mortem conducted on Wednesday revealed that he died as a result of Generalised Sepsis ‘Septic’.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

E-agriculture, youths to feature prominently at ICT roadshow

E-Agriculture, youths and Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are set to take top priority at Guyana’s upcoming Caribbean Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Roadshow set for July 9-14, 2018.

At a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Public Telecommunications on Wednesday, the agenda for the event being hosted in Guyana for the first time by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), was unveiled.

According to Ministerial Adviser on ICT, Lance Hinds, the roadshow will feature workshops, discussions and presentations on how ICT can enable various sectors in Guyana to further their development.

Some of the many topics include e-agriculture, 21st Century Government, ICT for PWDs, digital financial services and cyber security and future casting.

One of the most anticipated topics is e-agriculture, which will be the focus on July 9 and 10 at the

Arthur Chung Conference Centre, primarily aimed at policy-makers and opportunities available in e-agriculture.

Then continuing on Saturday, July 14, the group will visit the county of Berbice to speak with farmers and entrepreneurs on the similar topic.

monitoring and drought assessment.

Explaining the motivation behind this, Hinds said: “If you’re going to compete in a new market… the manual processes that we’ve been doing for, I dare say, 200 years, is not going to get you into the market because it costs too

faster.”

Meanwhile, also on July 9, overseas consultants will visit to address PWDs, to teach them how to utilise technology to improve their lives and be integrated into the work force.

The ministry is working to assist PWDs from regions outside Georgetown

Roadshow will also visit out-of-town areas such as Annai on July 11and Berbice on July 14 to speak about the benefits of ICT for job opportunities and how it can positively affect communities.

“If, as a goal, we are going to use ICT as a productive sector, well there-

Members of the head table at the press launching of the Caribbean Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Roadshow 2018 on Wednesday at the Ministry of Public Telecommunication (MoPT).

Seated from left are: MoPT’s Senior Business Analyst, Kevin Roopchand; Digicel Head of Business Sales, Nalini Vieira; MoPT’s Ministerial Adviser on ICT, Lance Hinds and MoPT’s Outreach Coordinator Donnella Collison (Adrian Narine photo)

This visitation will see the Guyana Drone Operators Association (GDOA) providing information on the use of drone technology in agriculture for mapping,

much to do it. So, the idea is to see how the tools we can use, whether they are farm bots or any of those things, [can] help [persons] to plant faster, cultivate

to attend the function at the conference centre, as matters addressing tech devices tailored to support special-needs children are to emerge. The ICT

CIOG honours top NGSA students

fore we have to understand how the machine works; we have to understand how the internet space works.

How it is developed, how it is designed, how it runs every day. So this is part of the education that we’re trying to begin to transfer to those communities,” Hinds explained.

Meanwhile, on June 13 a Youth Day Fair will be hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and will see a number of exhibitions on technology talked about throughout the week being put on display.

Other topics for discus-

sions for the event include 21st Century Government, which will be presented by regional as well as local entities such as the National Data Management Authority, Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Guyana (BOG). Focus will also be placed on artificial intelligence and robotics, while on the subject of digital finance there will be talks on the use of block chain as a record-keeping mechanism.

“We are about to become a significant oil and gas economy as we all know. It means that ICT is becoming far more critical than it was critical already; and as part of our readiness to operate in the oil and gas economy, the need for the ICT infrastructure that is required is certainly something that is necessary,” Hinds said.

The premium sponsor of the event is Digicel which, on Wednesday, reaffirmed its support for all initiatives designed to promote innovation through ICT. Since its initiation in 2009, the ICT Roadshow has been held 23 times in 18 Caribbean territories, including Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

Throughout its course in Guyana, it will seek-primarily -- to educate and raise awareness on the effective use of ICT to deliver improved services to its citizens and other stakeholders.

Simple larceny earns him three months Extreme left, CIOG’s Director of Education, Shaykh Moen-ul-Hack; Minister of Education Nicolette Henry (centre), and 13 of the top 20 NGSA students

THE Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) on Wednesday awarded half a million dollars ($500,000) to the top 20 Guyanese students who wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) 2018 for their exceptional performances.

Director of Education, CIOG, Shaykh Moen-ul-Hack, said that the best investment one can make is to invest in the education of people in a country, since it is impossible for a country to move forward without educated people. He advised the students to con-

tinue striving for excellence in their future endeavours and to learn to appreciate life, contributions and sacrifices made for them. He stated that their donation is to aid in motivating the students.

Minister of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry, emphasised the values of team work, collaboration and quality education. She stressed that children are the future nation-builders and the ministry is committed to ensuring continued improvements in the education sector to further develop the country.

At the ceremony, Mr. Moen-ul-Hack also acknowledged 15 orphans from across Guyana who have received scholarships from the CIOG. All 15 orphans secured a place in the top schools in Guyana.

He mentioned that the CIOG is not just about the Muslim society, but they are devoted to contributing to the development of any individual in any society which will in turn develop the country.

The CIOG’s president and executives adhere to the philosophy of providing excellent education to children, for they

are our most precious resource, he stated. “CIOG believes that education is a powerful tool to promote inner and outer strength for individuals.

It should be the fundamental right of everyone, regardless of age, race, gender or religion, because education can uplift the human mind and improve society,” Hack said.

The CIOG currently operates three schools that teach religious and academic education. The CIOG schools have students in the top 50 of this year’s results, and have secured a 100% pass rate.

A MAN was Wednesday sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on a simple larceny charge.

The charge alleged that on July 2, 2018, at Princes Street, Georgetown, Quincy Andrews robbed Maria Prince of one cellphone valued $17,000 and used personal violence on her.

The unemployed man, who resides at Norton Street pleaded guilty to the charge that was read out to him by the magistrate.

According to the facts given in court by the police prosecutor, the virtual complainant was walking along Princes Street when the suspect choked her from behind and pulled her handbag. As a result, the handle on the bag burst but the victim refused to hand over the bag containing her phone. The defendant managed to escape with the items.

He was later apprehended by a police officer and taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

Andrews was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Guyana moves closer to opening law school

GUYANA is in the process of submitting its shareholders agreement, feasibility study and revised business plan to the Council for Legal Education (CLE).

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC, told reporters on the sidelines of a money-laundering, risk-assessment seminar Wednesday that following a meeting recently with the Jamaican joint venture partners-- the Law School of the Americas (LCA) and the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) -- it was decided that all relevant documentation will be submitted to the CLE for review.

“We have reached agreement on the shareholders’ agreement and feasibility study and business plan, so those documents will be sent to the CLE for their appraisal,” said Williams. He told reporters that with Guyana having its own law school, the pressure of finding in excess of $3M for tuition, housing, food and transportation by Guyanese students would be significantly minimised.

The attorney general assured that fees will be much lower. “Our people are paying nearly $3M over there and they still have to travel, eat…so anything would be better,” he stated. Annually, approximately 25 Guyanese law students are accepted and admitted to the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), in Trinidad to complete their Legal Education Certificate (LEC)–a prerequisite to practise law in the Region. This figure pales in comparison to the hundreds of students who graduate each year from Trinidad and Jamaica.

Additionally, Williams said efforts are being made to have

significant progress made by September 2019. He said while there are hopes for the school to begin operations then, “we want our campus to be built.”

school which is to be named after outstanding jurist Joseph Oscar Fitzclarence (JOF) Haynes Law School will be under the aegis of the CLE,

elor of Laws (LLB), and who intend to pursue their Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

The project comes after some two decades of lobbying

2018, recommended among other things that law schools be established in Guyana, and two other Caribbean states. “New law schools should be set up

An artist’s impression of the proposed US$6M Joseph Haynes Law School

Some 10 acres of land within the compound of the University of Guyana’s (UG) Turkeyen Campus has been allocated for the construction of the US$6 M law school. The attorney general made it clear that the Government of Guyana along with its joint venture partners is not mindful of rental any premises before “meaningful construction has begun.”

Williams said that the law

though governance of the school will reside with the partners.

The JOF Haynes Law School is being established through a Public-Private Partnership between the Government of Guyana, the Law School of the Americas (LCA) and the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and will add to the existing options available to holders of a Bach-

for an alternative to the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas. Back in April, the Guyana Chronicle reported that the Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) in its final report following a survey of legal education in CARICOM member states, dated February

as soon as possible as part of Utech in Jamaica, UG in Guyana and possibly in Antigua and Barbuda, principally, but not exclusively, for the non- UWI LL.B. degree graduates whose degrees are deemed by the Council to meet the equivalency standard of the UWI LL.B. degree,” the report stated.

Additionally, the recommendations which stem from a survey conducted in Antigua

and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, said the opening of additional law schools under the aegis of the Council for Legal Education (CLE) as is presently constituted, will not solve the problems facing law students across the Region.

According to the document, the establishment of additional regional law schools in the three jurisdictions under the CLE would provide an early mechanism for addressing the unsatisfied demand for access to practise law by the many persons who are holders of non-University of the West Indies (UWI) LLB degrees.

“It would also ensure that region-wide, the highest standards of legal education are maintained,” the report said.

“It is therefore recommended that as a matter of urgency, discussions be held with the government of Guyana with a view to establishing a law school that would be regulated and licensed by the Council in its new proposed role,” the report stated. Additionally, the document states that the proposal to establish a law school in Guyana outside of the Treaty arrangements “only serves to underscore the pressing need for the Council to rethink its role and function, particularly given that other jurisdictions have also signaled their intention to set up law schools outside of the legal framework of the Council if the issue of access to practise law in the region is not addressed in a comprehensive and meaningful and timely manner.”

Linden Youth Leaders networking to restore mining town

AN active and determined group of Linden youths who have formed themselves into a non-governmental organisation called the Linden Youth Leaders, has embarked on a plethora of community projects to restore the aesthetics of Linden.

The Linden Youth Leaders, in collaboration with various stakeholders, launched their Linden Restoration Project in 2016. The project aims to make Linden more attractive and to improve the educational, social and physical sectors of the town which will lure

to create a network amongst Linden youth to aid each other in fostering academic, social and spiritual development.

The support base has been described as overwhelming,

office which is located on Republic Avenue, Mackenzie.

The office aims at further positioning the group to fulfil its mandate to empower youth and contribute to community

Some executive members of the Linden Youth Leaders

One of those projects was the cleaning up of the Mackenzie River Front in an effort to develop the area into a tourism hub for Linden. The young people also repainted the floor of the Linden Concert Hall and School (LICHAS) with sponsorship from former Linden mayor, Carwyn Holland.

investors, thus creating employment for the youths.

The group continues to attract scores of young people, even young professionals who are eager to see Linden transform to its former glory.

In addition to community volunteerism work, the Linden Youth Leaders core mission is

youth and the wider population. At the opening, Minister of Health Volda Lawrence donated $50, 000 to the group as an encouragement for the continuation of their hard work.

The Linden Youth Leaders, through sponsorship, has

processing fair in an effort to attract top-notch investors to Linden and to create the “I Love Linden’ app in collaboration with Mr Garth Nelson of the U.S.A. The App promotes Linden and its tourism and business potential.

Linden Youth Leaders cleaning the Linden River Front Linden Youth Leaders repainting the LICHAS floor

with many youths benefiting from various forms of assistance to develop and empower themselves.

The Linden Youth Leaders only last week opened their

development and nation-building. It will serve as a space from which members of the group can collaborate and network in the execution of various initiatives that cater to

been making several donations to various communities and schools across Linden. The latest being the Christianburg Primary and St Aiden’s Primary Schools. Since its establishment, the Linden Youth Leaders would have coordinated an investment forum and agro

The Linden Youth Leaders recently held its election which saw a new and vibrant executive being elected. The Linden Youth Leaders International also allows members from the diaspora to render the necessary support and assistance.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Linden on the move to becoming sustainable town -- mayor

M AY O R o f L i n d e n , Waneka Arrindell, has embarked on a mission to transform the town into a sustainable one, through the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals.

This initiative was birthed from the mayor’s recent visit to Lilongwe Malawi, Africa, last month.

The mayor said that her participation in the mayors’ conference was an informative one on how cities and towns can start adopting the Sustainable Development Goals within their townships and she is determined to put what she has learnt into practice. “It was a great learning curve for me and now that I am back, I am looking to see how the council can come on board with the Sustainable Development Goals and start to do

things within the township that are sustainable….the knowledge will be put back into Linden,” she said.

“I think it is necessary for the town of Linden to come on board and understand what those Sustainable Development Goals are,” she said.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015. The approach is a ‘leave-no-one behind’ one and emphasises a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all and aims at a 2030 achievement, especially for Third World countries. 2016 was the first year of implementation of the goals.

These include: no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality ed-

ucation, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequality, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life and land, peace and justice, strong institutions and partnerships to achieve the goals.

Implement waste management and reduce poverty Out of the 17, Mayor Arrindell said that the municipality will be prioritising poverty elimination and transforming Linden into a sustainable city through solid-waste management. She was able to see first-hand, how the city of Lilongwe uses garbage to generate revenue through effective

solid-waste management.

The women there she said process and package the garbage into compost to create manure and sell it to farms.

It is also used as renewable energy.

Arrindell is passionate about bringing this initiative to Linden. “What can we do as a town? Everybody has to come on board, not just the municipality…. what we can do as a town to increase jobs, to do anything as it relates to the decrease in poverty in this regard,” Arrindell reasoned. To commence sensitisation, the mayor and team will be embarking on a radio programme on Thursdays at 14:00hrs, educating residents on the solid-waste programme and encouraging them to come on board.

Residents will also be encouraged to become smart

consumers of electricity and water and to even switch to renewable energy.

To tackle poverty, Arrindell believes that the most effective way is through an educated population. Therefore, the municipality will be establishing literacy hubs across Linden to target students. The hubs that will be established in communities across Linden, are expected to be internet-ready as well.

The One Mile School and Linden Care Foundation have already indicated their willingness to allocate spaces for the hub.

While the David Granger 5 Bs initiative is allowing many students to get to school regularly across Region 10, it has been noted that the literacy level amongst students are low. Arrindell, who is a

teacher by profession, has noted this. Parents also will be targeted in this project so that they can assist their children at home. These parents also cannot afford extra lessons for their children and therefore the programmes that will be offered at the hubs will be free for the students, but the municipality is currently seeking sponsors for the programme. Proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball, which was held during the Linden Town Week in April, were expected to go towards the project. While Arrindell’s tenure is only eight months, she is hoping that these Sustainable Development Goal projects get underway to the point of seeing transformation of the communities within Linden.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Top Success Elementary student shares story of her victory tions to be quite simple, although she had encountered some difficulties with Social Studies. Mathematics and English were her two most favourite subjects.

As easy as it may have sounded, Kaydee stated that she had a few challenges along the way. Her biggest one was falling asleep while

KAYDEE Ali, a stellar performer at this year’s National Grade Six Examinations, is very proud of her results as she related with this newspaper the story behind her success. The eleven-year- old attended Success Elementary School where she managed to top her school with 524 marks.

She is the younger of two siblings and resides in the Diamond Housing Scheme.

She noted that unlike other students, she never stayed

up late to study because she would lose concentration.

Her study pattern involved her studying for an hour and a half every time she came home from school and getting adequate rest.

Her teachers also supported her throughout her journey, while making it fun.

She commended Sir Success for his commitment to helping her study, especially in the areas of Mathematics and Science.

She found the examina-

Man kills wife over meal

The house where Shabana Ishack lived with her reputed husband prior to her death

A 40-year-old housewife was found dead in her home at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, with multiple injuries to her body while her reputed husband--a 62 year old pensioner--was up to last night assisting police in their investigations into the circumstances surrounding her demise.

The deceased woman was identified as Shabana Babita Ishack of Lot 59 Rosignol, in a house located in an isolated area in the village. She and her reputed husband lived alone at this address and her battered body was discovered around 07:00hrs.

Neighbours said that during Tuesday night they

heard the couple arguing and the woman occasionally screaming for help. One man said he intervened and sought to make peace between the man and his wife and then left after feeling that he had achieved this.

A police report stated that the reputed husband was arrested after the discovery and that he admitted to beating the woman severely on Tuesday night with pieces of wood and an iron bar because she had not prepared his meals properly. The woman’s body was taken to a funeral home in West Coast Berbice, pending a post-mortem examination. Police investigations into the suspected murder are ongoing.

studying, but despite these challenges she pushed herself further because she had a goal to achieve. She didn’t give up any of her extra-curricular activities, since she learnt to balance both during the period.

The young scholar envisions herself as a future novelist and intends to continue

making her family proud.

“My family was very happy when they heard my results and couldn’t stop smiling.” she noted.

In years to come, she hopes that one day she may be able to further her studies at the “CAPE” level and then attend either Yale or Harvard University.

Her advice to students who will be sitting examinations next year is to study hard, don’t give up , don’t live up to people’s expectations and do your best. Kaydee hopes to be an inspiration and is determined to stay on the road that led to her path of success.

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Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

Mottley: Time to act is now

THE Region’s young people will not wait another ten years nor will they forgive present leaders for procrastination or lack of courage.

And Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, told her colleagues if they were serious about making the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) work, it was time to move past the talk. Mottley was making her maiden address at the 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Wednesday evening.

“Our political leadership must facilitate and shepherd, not control and stifle,” she told the gathering. “What is most needed, I am convinced, is to give our people the scope to express their natural inclination to getting things to a conclusion in ways that are productive and beneficial to the region as a whole. Our people should not have to jump through hoops to make this happen.”

She pointed to the lack of movement on regional travel whether it was in the form of a ferry or the problems with LIAT and Caribbean Airlines. Mottley said the free movement of people needed to be addressed. She announced Barbados would be removing the visa restrictions for Haiti – a signatory to the Revised Treaty of Chagauramas – because travellers outside of the region were allowed to do so every day. The Prime Minister said there also needed to be better communication and sharing of information across the region.

Meanwhile, Chairman and Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, in declaring the Conference

open noted the Community must reflect on experiences of regional integration over the years. The hosting of the COCHOG in Jamaica is especially significant given CARICOM turns 45. On 4 July, 1973, four CARICOM Heads of Government affixed their signatures to the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The Hon. Errol Barrow, Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. Forbes Burnham, Prime Minister of Guyana, the Hon. Eric Williams, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the Hon. Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica signed the Treaty, thus laying the groundwork for a ‘Community for All’.

PM Holness noted 45-year milestone is an opportune time to evaluate the Community’s institutions. “We owe it to the people to deliver on commitments made…,” he said.

“The single market is a victim of our own reluctance to fully and functionally establish it”, PM Holness opined. The critical role of the implementing the single market must also be addressed including the free movement of people across the region, he added.

Over the next two days, the Heads of Government and state will meet in plenary and caucus to deliberate a range of critical matters including measures impacting the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), Crime and Security, building post-hurricane disaster resilience, and emerging geo-political developments which can have an impact on the region’s growth prospects. They will also receive and discuss the final report on the CARICOM Commission on Marijuana.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, July 5, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday July 5, 2018

From back page ►

Windies in control after ...

In his next over, Roach had Mominul Haque caught at gully for one from a flat-footed drive. He then grabbed for his right hamstring, and subsequently required on-field attention.

Despite his discomfort, the 30-year-old Roach’s fifth over was his most devastating, as he grabbed three wickets without conceding a run in the space of four deliveries.

First, he removed immediate past captain Mushfiqur Rahim lbw playing forward, with a recourse to DRS failing to save the right-hander.

Mushfiqur’s successor Shakib-Al-Hasan was then caught at third slip from a loose drive, also without scoring, before another former captain Mahmudullah was snared behind by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich off the first ball he faced, nibbling outside off.

Roach then limped off and Holder brought himself and Cummins into the attack, quickly ensuring there was no comeback story for the tourists.

Cummins had Das caught at square cover before Nurul Hasan edged the last ball of the over to Holder at third slip for four.

In his next over, Cummins removed Mehidy Hasan to a catch at second slip by Smith and Holder polished off the tail when he got Kamrul Islam caught behind for a ‘duck’ and bowled debutant Abu Jayed for two.

On nine without loss at lunch, West Indies flourished

after the break as Brathwaite and Smith strengthened their side’s advantage with an opening stand of 113.

Brathwaite has so far struck eight fours off 204 deliveries while Smith has faced 123 balls and counted seven fours.

Unbeaten on 48 at tea, Smith reached his eighth Test half-century in the second over following the break with a single to backward point off off-spinner Mehidy Hasan.

However, he survived only six overs more before edging a slash at Abu Jayed and edging a catch behind, giving the 24-year-old pacer his first Test wicket.

Not for the first time, the left-handed Powell played with authority in an attractive innings to put on 81 for the second wicket with Brathwaite.

He had faced 65 balls and struck seven fours when yet again, he fell frustrating shortly of a half-century, edging a prod at off-spinner Mahmudullah to slip, about 20 minutes before the close.

Scoreboard BANGLADESH 1st Innings Tamim Iqbal c wkp Dowrich b Roach 4 Liton Das c Chase b Cummins 25 Mominul Haque c Hope b Roach 1 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Roach 0 *Shakib Al Hasan c Holder b Roach 0 Mahmudullah c wkp Dowrich b Roach 0 +Nurul Hasan c Holder b Cummins 4 Mehidy Hasan c Smith b Cummins 1 Kamrul Islam c wkp Dowrich b Holder 0 Rubel Hossain not out 6 Abu Jayed b Holder 2 TOTAL (all out, 18.4 overs) 43 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-16, 3-18, 4-18, 5-18, 6-34, 7-34, 8-35, 9-35, 10-43.

Bowling: Roach 5-1-8-5, Gabriel 5-0-14-0, Holder 4.4-0-10-2, Cummins 4-211-3.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings K Brathwaite not out 88 D Smith c wkp Nurul Hasan b Abu Jayed 58 K Powell c Liton Das b Mahmudullah 48 D Bishoo not out 1 Extras (b3, w3) 6 TOTAL (2 wkts, 68 overs) 201 To bat: S Hope, R Chase, S Dowrich J Holder, K Roach, S Gabriel, M Cummins.

Fall of wickets: 1-113, 2-194.

Bowling: Abu Jayed 164-55-1, Rubel Hossain 123-24-0, Kamrul Islam 100-45-0, Shakib-al-Hasan 12-2-22-0, Mehidy Hasan 15-2-46-0, Mahmudullah 3-0-6-1.

Position: West Indies lead by 158 runs with eight first innings wickets remaining.

Stanton – the ‘Rose’ that bloomed into something ‘special’

By Rawle Toney OVER the last week, social media was in a frenzy as Guyana celebrated winning their maiden Caribbean Basketball Championship (men’s title), and behind it all was an 18-year-old point guard who hails from a small community located on the Berbice River in Region 10.

Stanton Rose placed his named amongst players like Lugard Mohan, Auric Tappin, Stanislaus Hadmon, Lorenzo Withrite and Leon Christian (just to name a few) as some of the most talented to ever suit up for Guyana, but what separates him from the aforementioned great ‘ballers’, is that he able to bring the ‘elusive’ Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) men’s Caribbean title back to Guyana.

“It is one of my proudest moments since playing basketball, because I am able to do something or play a part in making my country proud and creating history,” Rose said in an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport yesterday.

Rose, the youngest player to ever captain Guyana at the CBC Championship, left the 10-team tournament in Suriname, as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his sensational performances, which also include a tournament-high 41 points performance which came in Guyana’s 104 – 102 double overtime win against St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Rose, who led Guyana to an unbeaten run in the championship, totalled 106 points (third overall), led the tournament in steals, totalling 15 at an average of 2.5 per game, was third in points per game (17.7), third in assist per game, eighth in Rebounds per game and was the fourth best efficient player.

“I honestly wasn’t paying too much attention to stats and all that. Like the game I scored 41 points in, I didn’t care about that, because all I knew was that the team needed me and I had to step up. It was not until after the game then I they told me how much I had scored,” Rose recalled of producing the tournament’s most memorable individual performance.

Rose’s performances didn’t go unnoticed in Suriname, with several scouts reaching out to the 6’2” guard.

“Well right now I’m getting up some transcript to send to some of the schools that are interested in, some asked for more tapes on my games, so that’s the di-

rection I’m heading,” Rose stated, making it clear that his aim is to play in the US collegiate system, where he will also focus on getting an education and also focus on the game and life after the game.

“I think it’s important for me to leave to show the youths in the community that they too can have a chance if they made good of their exposure, stay discipline and so on,” Rose said.

The charismatic teenager, in chronicling his journey in the sport, said he fell in love with the game from watching his father (Stanton Rose Snr) play and soon, he found himself playing with his father.

“I was encouraged to play by my parents, then I would play ‘round the key’ with my father, so that’s how I learn to shoot. But after then, Sister Ann (Gordon) started working with me,” Rose highlighted.

Ann Gordon is the pillar of the sport in the community, being a coach, mentor and most times a parent-figure for the youths in Kwakwani.

“YBG (Youth Basketball Guyana) offered me the exposure, because I remember when Mr. Bowman (Chris) use to come to Kwakwani and hold clinics and that helped a lot. So I won the school title, was MVP, then Dave (Causeway) took me to the Colts and I did my thing after then, but really Sister Ann, Lugard (Mohan), my father and plenty people helped me. Everything I need my father would provide; I owe a lot to my community,” the usually soft spoken Rose lamented.

According to Rose, he’s prepared to do all the hard work and what’s needed of him to take his game to the ‘next level’, telling Chronicle Sport, “this is not about me really, I think I have a chance to be someone for the youngsters in Kwakwani could look up, give them hope and a reason to keep playing the game.”

“There are other talented players in Kwakwani, but not everyone will get the push. I wish we, as in the youths in Kwakwani can get a chance to go out of the community and play more, get a chance to play on the national team like me.

I think they could try to play for Clubs outside of Kwakwani so that they could be seen. The players are good and even challenge me, so I hope someone really give them a chance,” Rose said as he implored corporate Guyana to invest in basketball, especially in his Region 10 community.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday July 5, 2018

Fresh feel as Europe and South America resume World Cup combat if at all.

With perennial challengers Germany, Spain and Argentina all having exited a tournament that has thrown up a never-ending series of surprises, the draw has a distinctly unbalanced feel in terms of the talent weighing on either side.

In one half, England, who played their one final

France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their fourth goal REUTERS/Michael Dalder/File Photo

By Toby Davis SAMARA, Russia (Reuters) - Europe and South America will do battle again for soccer supremacy in the World Cup quarter-finals but with many of the usual combatants having already exited, there is a fresh feel to a line-up that promises a new or long-absent finalist.

While Africa, Asia and North America will not be represented, dashing any hope of a revolutionary breakthrough in the eventual destination of the trophy, at least one of this year’s finalists will not have reached the title decider for half a century,

England’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/John Sibley/File Photo when they won the title in 1966, and Sweden, who lost to Brazil on home soil in the 1958 final, will meet in Samara on Saturday with a last-four clash against Croatia or Russia awaiting the winner.

Neither the hosts, whose previous best was a single semi-final appearance as the Soviet Union in 1966 or Croatia, who also reached the last four in 1998, were expected to challenge but have significantly outshone many supposed superiors.

On the other side of the draw, five-times winners Brazil take on Belgium’s so called ‘Golden Generation’, and 1998 champions France face Uruguay, who were crowned twice in the tournament’s early history.

It is here that the habitual battle between soccer’s two dominant continents, who have produced all previous World Cup winners, will take place.

While it is the fourth time in the last seven tournaments that no team outside of Europe or South America is in the last eight, even this quadrennial conflict will spurn its usual template.

Overturning long-held preconceptions about football’s two main land masses, this year’s quarter-finals pitch thrilling and adventurous European teams against pragmatic, stubborn and defensively-minded South American opponents.

Brazil, usually the game’s great entertainers, and Uruguay boast the meanest defences at the

Wozniacki beaten by Ekaterina Makarova AUSTRALIAN Open champion Caroline Wozniacki became the biggest name to exit the Wimbledon women's singles as she was beaten in the second round.

The 27-year-old, seeded second, was beaten 6-4 1-6 7-5 by Russian world number 35 Ekaterina Makarova.

The Dane's defeat means five of the top eight women's seeds have exited the competition before the third round.

Wozniacki, who won at Eastbourne last week, has never been past the fourth round in her 12 visits to

SW19.

She was plagued by a barrage of flying ants during Wednesday's match on Court One, and needed insect repellent to get rid of them.

Makarova, who won last year's women's doubles title with compatriot Elena Vesnina, led 5-1 in the deciding set and had four match points on her own serve at 5-3.

But Wozniacki saved all four to level it up at 5-5.

Makarova regrouped superbly, holding serve to make it 6-5 and put the pressure back her on her opponent.

This time there was no response from Wozniacki as Makarova set up a meeting with Czech player Lucie Safarova.

"I am so happy I got calm at 5-5 and did my work again," said the Russian, who reached the quarter-finals in 2014.

"When it was 5-5 I started thinking about those match points on my serve at 40-0, but I told myself: 'No, you are not going to lose this match.' I forgot it and started over."(BBC Sport)

Brazil’s Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their second goal with Neymar REUTERS/Michael Dalder/File Photo World Cup having both conceded once in their four games.

Their opponents, Belgium and France, are more focussed on creating havoc at the other end.

Uruguay kept Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at bay in their 2-1 last-16 win, just as France banged in four against Argentina at the same stage. They play in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday.

MISERLY BRAZIL The spotlight on Brazil is still stubbornly trained on talisman Neymar, who has been defined by his histrionics as much as his performances in Russia, yet the true heroes of their current side are seemingly stationed at the other end of the pitch.

Brazil’s defensive record under coach Tite has been remarkable, with only six goals conceded in 25 matches, and they have been just as miserly in Russia.

Belgium, however, are the tournament’s highest scorers with 12

South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:20 hrs Chapel Jive 08:55 hrs Danza 09:35 hrs Pera Palace 10:10 hrs Come The Day 10:45 hrs Jamra American Racing Tips Belmont Race 1 Sue’s Fortuner Race 2 Athera Race 3 Mad Munnys Race 4 Prompt Race 5 Tricked Up Race 6 Admission Office Race 7 Elios Milos Race 8 Get Jets Race 9 Rogue Patriot

in four straight victories including their superb comeback from two goals down to beat Japan in the last 16.

In Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne, Belgium, who last reached the semis in 1986, have two of the game’s most devastating creators.

Yet as they walk out to face world soccer’s mightiest superpower in Kazan on Friday, they might wish they were playing relative minnows Sweden instead.

That could have been their fate had they lost their last group game to England, who have been handsomely rewarded for finishing runners-up with - on paper - what appears to be a far-easier route to the final.

Having overcome Colombia on penalties in the last 16, England manager Gareth Southgate will probably feel his decision to field a second-string side against Belgium has been vindicated.

If England get past workhorses Sweden, whose brand of football is not the easiest on the eye, they will face either Russia or Croatia, who play each other in Sochi on Saturday.

None of the teams in this side of the draw, including England, would have begun the tournament with realistic expectations of reaching the final.

Yet what were once distant dreams are now edging closer to reality.

WORLD CUP FUXTURES WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS FRIDAY- July 6th France v Uruguay, - Nizhny Novgorod -10.00AM Brazil v Belgium, Kazan - 200 PM SATURDAY - July 7th Sweden v England, , Samara - 10.00AM Croatia v Russia, Sochi - 200 PM

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21

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday July 5, 2018

Juventus make £88m bid for Cristiano Ronaldo ... now pressure is on Man Utd to make a counter offer

JUVENTUS have made a bid of £88 million for Cristiano Ronaldo with the pressure on Manchester United to make a counter offer if they want to resign their former star from Real Madrid.

United will be wary of being dragged into another wild goose chase when it comes to Ronaldo, having been led to believe the Portugal international wanted to leave Madrid four years ago to return to Old Trafford.

On that occasion, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner merely used their interest as a bargaining chip and decided to sign a new contract to remain in Spain, but this could well be different with Juventus opening the bidding following Portugal’s World Cup exit and rumours that Ronaldo has fallen out with Real president Florentino Perez.

The 33 year-old, who has scored 451 goals for Real, hinted after their third successive Champions

League final victory in May that he was considering taking on a new challenge after nine years at the Bernabeu.

Juventus, who have dominated Italian football over the last few years, believe they are in pole position to sign him and feel they are able to offer attractive terms to both the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes.

Whether United also decide to enter the bidding remains to be seen. Ronaldo is believed to be seeking wages of around £500,000-a-week and had a difficult relationship with manager Jose Mourinho towards of the end of their time at Real Madrid.

He has previously spoken of his desire to return to United, but the lure of playing in a fourth country, after launching his career with Sporting Lisbon, may well swing things in Juventus’ favour.

Should the Italian champions complete the signing,

Cristiano Ronaldo

it would eclipse their record transfer fee of £79m, which they paid for Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain in 2016.

Equally, should United make a move, they will have to pay £8m more for a player in his mid-30s than the £80m they sold him to Real for in 2009.

That, combined with his wage demands, could prove too much for the United hierarchy to swallow, Should the Italian champions complete the signing, it would eclipse their record transfer fee of £79m, which they paid for Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain in 2016.

(Yahoo Sport)

Pakistan to face Aussies in tri-series final after beating Zimbabwe PAKISTAN will face Australia in the tri-series final after beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets despite a record-breaking innings from Solomon Mire in Harare.

All-rounder Mire made a swashbuckling 94 from only 63 balls - the highest T20 international score by a Zimbabwe batsman - as the hosts posted 162-4 a day after Australia captain Aaron Finch put them to the sword with a world record 172.

That was not enough for Zimbabwe to stay in contention for a place in Sunday’s final as Fakhar Zaman (47), Hussain Talat (44) and Sarfraz Azhmed (38 not out) chipped in to get Pakistan home with five balls to spare.

Victory for Pakistan was their second of the competition

against Zimbabwe after they were beaten by Australia on Monday.

The recalled Cephas Zhuwao and Mire put on 49 for the first wicket before the former lost his leg stump to a sharp delivery from Faheem Ashraf.

Mire dominated the strike, launching Shadab Khan over long-on for six and clearing the ropes over midwicket in the same over, then giving Mohammad Nawaz the treatment to reach his half-century.

Zimbabwe were 82-1 in the 12th over when Shadab removed Hamilton Masakadza, playing his first international for two years, but Mire continued to motor, taking his tally of maximums to six before he pulled Talat to Shadab at deep midwicket in the penultimate

over to miss out a on a hundred.

The recalled Mohammad Amir finished with excellent figures of 1-25 after getting rid of Tarisai Musakanda (33) in the final over and Pakistan got off to a flyer in their run chase.

Zaman set about Tendai Chisoro before Haris Sohail holed out to Mire off Masakadza to end an opening stand of 58 in the seventh over.

Mire remained in the thick of the action, sending Zaman on his way three short of his half-century, but Talat kept Pakistan ticking along and Sarfraz struck six boundaries as he and Shoaib Malik got their side over the line and into the final with a match to spare.

Federer delivers shot-making masterclass to reach round three

By Pritha Sarkar LONDON (Reuters) When Roger Federer’s lunging mis-hit spun high into the air and turned into a glorious lob, Lukas Lacko must have known it was going to be one of those days when he might as well enjoy having the best view in the house.

It was just too bad the Slovakian could not put his feet up and enjoy the jaw-dropping spectacle.

Two days after creating a stir at Wimbledon with his new mega-bucks clothing deal, Federer was back making a style statement with his dazzling tennis as he gave Lacko a 6-4 6-4 6-1 dressing down to reach the third round on Wednesday.

The Swiss champion was at his breath-taking best as he crafted 48 exquisite winners during a 90-minute masterclass that seemed more an exhibition of his shot-making than a charge towards a record ninth Wimbledon title.

The last time Feder er turned up to defend his crown, in 2013, he suffered a shock second-round humbling by Sergiy Stakhovsky.

There was no danger of a repeat performance on Wednesday, however, and

a forehand swish on match point gave the top seed a 26th consecutive set at the grasscourt major.

“On certain days it goes better than others,” summed up a grinning Federer, who will be seeking a 10th successive win at the All England Club when he takes on Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round.

Lacko had probably hoped he could throw some curve balls Federer’s way after enjoying a run to the Eastbourne final at the weekend.

Unfortunately, it was the Slovakian who was left dodging the majestic missiles that kept raining down on his half of the court.

The top seed belted down 16 aces, hit the target with 70 percent of his first serves, dropped only three points on his first serve and did not even come close to facing a break point.

Federer fired three of those aces in a row to take the second set and he got his 15,000-strong Centre Court fan club gasping in astonishment as he produced a ridiculous backhand drop shot from behind the baseline.

The 36-year-old also collected 35 consecutive points on serve on his way to a 5-1 lead in the third set.

Warner given captaincy role in Canadian T20 league BANNED Australia batsman David Warner has been named captain of Canadian Twenty20 franchise Winnipeg Hawks.

Warner is serving a year-long ban from state and international cricket in Australia for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

It is the 31-year-old’s first leadership role since he was told he would not be considered for any future captaincy duties by his country.

“He’s going to be a good leader,” said Winnipeg coach Waqar Younis.

“He’s a team man.

He’s up front and he likes to give whatever his knowledge is. He’s

always there.”

tournament, replaces the

David Warner cannot play for Australia again until April 2019

Warner was captain of Australia’s T20 team before his suspension and led Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory in the 2016 edition.

The left-hander, who has scored just six runs in three matches so far in the

injured Dwayne Bravo.

Ex-Australia captain Steve Smith, who is also playing in Canada while he serves a ban in Australia, has scored 74 runs in his three knocks for Toronto Nationals.

(BBC Sport).

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday July 5, 2018

Brooks, pacers put Windies A in command BECKENHAM, England, (CMC) – Captain Shamarh Brooks struck an unbeaten half-century to ram home the advantage his fast bowlers had established, as West Indies A dominated India A on the opening day of the first four-day “Test” here Wednesday.

Opting to bat first at Kent County Ground, India A were bundled out cheaply for 133, with Hanuma Vihari top-scoring with 37, Vijay Shankar getting 34 and captain Karun Nair, 20.

However, the Asian side failed to cope with the Windies A pace attack as Sherman Lewis (4-35) and Chemar Holder (4-57) picked up four wickets apiece and left-armer Raymon Reifer (2-20) added

a brace.

In reply, Windies A were struggling on 28 for two in the seventh over before Brooks arrived to play a skipper’s knock of 51 not out, anchoring two key stands to see his side to the close on 148 for three.

Left-handed opener John Campbell was lbw to speedster Ankit Rajpoot in the first over of the innings for two and Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood followed for 18 in the seventh, caught at the wicket off the same bowler.

But Brooks steadied the innings, adding 54 for the third wicket with the left-handed Hemraj, who made 42 off 63 balls in nearly two hours at the crease, strik-

Nazeer Mohamed

year at this level, must lead from the front,” Mohamed said during an exclusive interview yesterday.

The closest the Guyanese have come to winning the Under-17 title was in 2016 when Guyana placed second after their final game against the host nation, Trinidad and Tobago, was rained out.

The 14-man squad, along with the coach and manager, is expected to depart Guyana on Sunday.

The team comprises

WEST INDIES A 1st Innings

P Shaw b Holder 0

J Campbell lbw b Rajpoot 2

M Agarwal c Campbell b Lewis 0 R Samarth c Cornwall b Holder 2 *K Nair lbw b Reifer

20

18

V Shankar lbw b Reifer

34

S Brooks not out

51

+S Bharat c Campbell b Lewis 2

S Ambris not out

24

Extras (b1, lb6, nb4)

11

0

To bat: +D Thomas, S Lewis, R Reifer, C Holder, J Warri-

TOTAL (all out, 42.1 overs) 133

can, R Cornwall.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-3, 3-3, 4-45, 5-105, 6-108, 7-108, 8-109, 9-119, 10-133.

The right-handed Brooks has struck 10 fours in an innings spanning 103 balls and a shade over 2-1/2 hours.

Earlier, the impressive Holder rocked India A after they won the toss and opted

Sachin Singh (captain), Andre Seepersaud (Vice-captain), Seon Glasgow, Navendra Persaud, Yeudistir Persaud (wicket-keeper), Hrithik Singh, Niron Bissu, Nigel Deodat, Gevon Shultz, Badesh Parsotam, Sheldon Charles, Sylvian Williams, Leon Swamy and Dwayane Dick.

Meanwhile, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has confirmed the fixtures for this year championship.

Guyana will open their challenge against Windward Islands at the National Cricket Centre on July 10. They will then play Leeward Islands on July 12 at the Brian Lara Stadium; defending champions T&T on July 14 at Gilbert Park; Jamaica on July 17 at Gilbert Park; and Barbados on July 17 at the National Cricket Centre.

See full fixtures below: All matches start at 9.30hrs July 10 T&T vs Barbados, Brian Lara Stadium.

Guyana vs Windwards,

TOTAL (3 wkts, 40 overs) 148

Extras (b8, lb1, w1, nb 9) 19

A Rajpoot not out

ing six fours.

When Hemraj departed, Brooks found an ally in Sunil Ambris whose unbeaten 24 has consumed 49 balls, just an over an hour and included three fours.

J Blackwood c wkp Bharat b Rajpoot

N Saini c Blackwood b Holder 4

Shamarh Brooks

C Hemraj c Shankar b Nadeem 42

H Vihari c Ambris b Lewis 37

S Nadeem c Hemraj b Lewis 15

fixtures confirmed for Regional U-17 Championship

MANAGER of the national Under-17 team, Nazeer Mohamed, believes that his team can earn Guyana’s first regional title when they compete in the upcoming 50-Over regional championship from July 10-18, in Trinidad and Tobago.

That championship title is the only one that has eluded Guyana, but Mohamed said the team is strong in each department, and at the same time, they have a number of match winners. He also think this team has the best chance of winning the title.

“Definitely the team is a good one. We have most of the core players who have done well in the Inter-county tournaments, so we have a good chance this year.

I think Coach Bailey (Orin) has done a good job preparing the youngsters; but having said that, and while I don’t want to put that additional pressure on him, I think the captain (Sachin Singh), who is in his third

INDIA A

J Yadav c Campbell b Holder 0

Mohamed confident of winning Under-17 title

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Scoreboard

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-28, 2-82.

Bowling: Rajpoot 11-4-32-2,

Bowling: Holder 13-0-57-4,

Saini 12-1-47-0, Shankar 7-0-

Lewis 11.1-2-35-4, Reifer 12-

31-0, Nadeem 6-1-20-1, Yadav

4-20-2, Warrican 6-3-12-0.

4-0-11-0.

to bat, producing a two-wicket burst in his opening over to send them slumping to three for three in the second over of the innings.

The 24-year-old Vihari tried to prop up the innings, putting on 42 for the fourth wicket with Nair and another

60 for the fifth with Shankar, as India recovered to 105 for four.

But once Test seamer Reifer claimed Shankar lbw, the innings collapsed for the final time, as India A lost their last six wickets for 28 runs.

Serena powers past qualifier into Wimbledon third round

NCC. Leewards vs Jamaica, Gilbert Park.

July 12 Windwards vs Barbados, Gilbert Park.

T&T vs Jamaica, NCC. Leewards vs Guyana, Brian Lara Stadium.

July 14 Barbados vs Jamaica, Brian Lara Stadium.

Windwards vs Leewards, NCC. T&T vs Guyana, Gilbert Park.

July 16 Leewards vs Barbados, NCC. Guyana vs Jamaica, Gilbert Park.

T&T vs Windwards, Brian Lara Stadium.

July 17 Guyana vs Barbados, NCC. T&T vs Leewards, Gilbert Park.

Jamaica vs Windwards, Brian Lara Stadium.

Serena Williams

LONDON (Reuters) - Seven-times champion Serena Williams moved up a gear at Wimbledon to beat Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova 6-1 6-4 on Wednesday and reach the third round.

The 36-year-old American barely broke sweat in a one-sided first set but was tested by the world number 135 in the second without ever looking troubled.

While the Centre Court crowd clearly appreciated the sight of Williams in full flow they took a shine to the

plucky Tomova who battled hard to make a match of it.

Even ultimate warrior Williams applauded a couple of her opponent’s winners late in the second set before completing victory in 66 minutes.

The 25th seed will face the winner of the match that followed her on Centre Court between Germany’s Tatjana Maria and France’s Kristina Mladenovic.

“It was better than my first round and I’m happy that I’m going in the right direction,” Williams, who took her winning streak at Wimbledon to 16 matches, said on court.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday July 5, 2018

NYSCL 2018 Legends Cup

Regal Masters overwhelm Better Hope

By Frederick Halley REGAL Masters produced another scintillating performance to cart off the 2018 Legends Cup when the New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) softball tournament climaxed at the Roy Wilkins Park, Queens, New York on Sunday last.

Playing before a bumper Sunday crowd on a searing hot day, Regal Masters stamped their authority on proceedings as they dominated New York Better Hope with both bat and ball in a lop-sided 60-run victory in their 20-over affair.

Led by a responsible 52,

which included six fours, from Eon Abel and a robust 42 from the no-nonsense Rudolph Baker, who was run out after smashing three sixes and an equal number of fours, Regal Masters reached a challenging 161 for six in their allotted 20 overs. David Harper (20 not out) and skipper Throy Kippins (18) also made useful contributions.

The Guyana-based team had earlier started disastrously, losing the usually reliable Mahesh Chunilall off the first delivery of the match before Abel and Kippins steadied the innings with a composed second-wicket partnership of 60.

The hard-hitting Baker

and Harper, a former Guyana national player, then shared a quick-fire 57-run sixth-wicket stand as Regal Masters cemented their position.

New York Better Hope were never up to the task, losing wickets at regular intervals as veteran pacer Parsram Persaud lived up to his alias ‘Pacer’, mesmerizing the top order to finish with the incredible figures of five for 15 from his four overs. Harper crowned a fine all-round performance with two for 18 as Better Hope folded for 101 in 18.2 overs.

Regals Masters had earlier defeated archrivals and nemesis, Guyana Floodlight

Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) in their semi-final clash played the previous day at Canarsie Park, Brooklyn.

Coming off their first and lone defeat in their final preliminary round fixture against their Guyanese counterparts, Regal Masters made amends in the do or die semi-final encounter with their captain, Kippins, leading from the front.

In an all-out assault on the GFSCA bowlers, Kippins slammed a whirlwind 70, which included 10 fours and two sixes, sharing in an impressive opening stand of 113 with Chunilall whose contribution was 34. Towards

The victorious Regal Masters team shortly after winning the Legends Cup.

MVP Eon Abel (centre) receives his award from an executive of NYSC (left) while an enthusiastic supporter shares the moment.

the end, Baker (44 not out) and Eric Thomas (31 not out) also enjoyed themselves in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 85.

GFSCA were 176 for nine when their 20 overs expired with opener Yunis Usuf hitting a top-score of 41.

Harper claimed three for 28 and Kippins two for 25.

Regal Masters’ Eon Abel was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Legends Cup for his aggregate of 250 runs and a top score of 90 while Persaud took the man-of-the-match in the final for his five for 15. GFSCA’s Ramo Malone took the most wickets (eight) and New York Hustlers’ Shameer Sadloo the highest individual score (106).

At the presentation ceremony, an obviously upset Anil Hardyal, owner of Regal Masters, blasted the organisers for what he termed

“blatant disregard meted out to the Georgetown Softball Cricket League” (GSCL).

Hardyal’s outburst came after the NYSCL president had failed to recognise the presence of the GSCL while offering kudos to other organisations from Guyana, Canada and Orlando.

The omission prompted Hardyal to remind the NYSCL president that the GSCL was represented by two teams (Regal Masters and Regal Open) at the tournament and called on him to offer an apology, which was never given.

The outspoken Hardyal also reminded those present that GSCL will be staging the second Prime Minister Cup tournament in October and despite the naysayers, both the GSCL and Regal are there to stay.

Strong fan-base, firm Government support rewards Guyana CPL Play-off matches 7 games confirmed for Guyana

By Rajiv Bisnauth GUYANA’s strong fanbase, coupled with firm government support, has earned the country the play-off matches for the sixth edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

This announcement was made yesterday by Hero CPL Chief Operations Officer, Pete Russell during a press conference held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel.

The two play-off matches are scheduled for September 11 and 12 and will see the top four teams from the group stages battle it out.

The winners from these games will advance to the final game in Trinidad and Tobago.

First started in 2013,

the Hero CPL is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.

However, the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League T20 games has largely been considered a successful venture for Guyana over the years, since the games always attract sold–out crowds.

“We have always been blessed with fantastic support in Guyana where the passion for cricket amongst the local population is second to none. We are delighted to be able to bring such significant matches to Guyana for the first time and we [are] sure the fans will turn out in large number,” Russell said.

He added “Obviously,

Trinidad and the USA had wanted to host the games, but for us this was really the only place we wanted to bring the games because obviously the fan-base we already had, plus obviously Guyana has been so successful but not actually winning the tournament yet, but getting through to the play-off rounds in the previous five years, so for us it was no problem”.

While the play-off is a one-off venture, Russell pointed out that it is CPL and the government expectations that Guyana will eventually host the finals, since he truly believes that Guyana is a great country to host sporting events.

The CPL Chief Operations Officer was high in praise for Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who he said,

was very instrumental in ensuring Guyana earned the right to host the play-off.

Minister Harmon said in a CPL release that “Cricket is such a huge part of our culture, which you can see from the fantastic crowds and amazing support we have seen at Amazon Warriors matches over the last few years. Guyanese fans play an important role in the success of the Hero CPL and we are very pleased that we are able to reward them by hosting these play-off games”.

Meanwhile, in giving an update on ticket prices for the play-off, Russell pointed out that there should not be much higher than ticket prices for the preliminary round.

The tournament has always attracted a global audience and interest this year is

Hero CPL Chief Operations Officer, Pete Russell, addressing media operatives during a press conference held at the Guyana Marriott Hotel yesterday.

set to be even higher as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it. This year also, according to Russell, CPL will be looking much more into fan engagement at the various venues.

Apart from the two playoffs, the local franchise is set to play St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 9, St Lucia

Stars on August 11, Barbados Tridents on August 12, Jamaica Tallawahs on September 8 and Trinbago Knight Riders on September 9.

The league, which is one of the fastest growing leagues in world cricket, will enter its sixth year and the Amazon Warriors have played in three of the five finals to date but are yet to lift the title.

Windies in control after Roach crushes ‘Tigers’ for record-low 43

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC! Stanton Rose hoisting the ‘John Yates Trophy’, awarded to the winning team of the CBC Caribbean Championship.

Kemar Roach ripped through the Bangladesh batting with five for 8 on the first day of the first Test at the Vivian Richards ground, North Sound, in Antigua. (©AFP photo)

Stanton – the ‘Rose’ that bloomed into 19 something ‘special’ PAGE

Kwakwani youth gearing for basketball life overseas

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, (CMC )– Seamer Kemar Roach’s sensational five-wicket haul inside the first hour sent Bangladesh crashing to the lowest total in Tests in nearly half a century, as West Indies took a stranglehold on the opening Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here Wednesday.

Opting to bowl first on a grassy strip on the opening day, the Windies crushed the tourists for an embarrassing 43 all out – their lowest-ever Test total and second shortest first innings in Test history.

They were tottering on 18 for five inside the first hour as Roach, extracting movement and bounce from a helpful pitch, rat-

tled the Bangladesh top order to finish with extraordinary figures of 5-1-8-5.

Miguel Cummins grabbed three for 11 from four overs and fellow fast-medium bowler West Indies captain Jason Holder snared two for 10 from 4.4 overs to complete the destruction of the Bangladeshi innings inside the 19th over.

Opener Liton Das finished with the top score of 25 before he was sixth out, becoming Cummins’s first wicket of the morning.

Opener Kraigg Brathwaite then led a strong West Indies batting reply, stroking an unbeaten 88 as the hosts cruised to the close on 201 for two – already a lead of 158 runs heading into day

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two of the contest.

Left-handed partner Devon Smith carved out his second half-century in seven innings since his return with 58 while Kieran Powell chipped in with a fluent 48.

There was little sign of the demolition to come even though openers Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal (4) played and missed in a couple of occasions against the new ball pair of Roach and Shannon Gabriel.

However, the breakthrough came when when Roach squared up the experienced left-handed Tamim and had him caught behind for four off the final ball of his third over.

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THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018