Guyana Chronicle E-paper 08-07-2018

TUESDAY 7th August, 2018

‘NO DANGER No.105359

GOING SEPARATELY’

Miners were tortured,

threatened

by Russian guards – MNR orders 48-hour probe

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13

…President says APNU respects AFC’s decision on LGE 03 Murder-suicide PAGE

rocks East Berbice

PAGE

02 – as Chesney man slits wife’s throat, then his

Gov’t moving to map crime hotspots 04 in Reg. 4 PAGE

President David Granger lays a wreath in memory of former President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham on the occasion of his 33rd death anniversary (Delano Williams photo)

– so citizens can know, avoid them

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Murder-suicide again rocks East Berbice – as Chesney man slits wife’s throat, then his

By Nafeeza Yahya ANOTHER woman lost her life on Monday after reportedly suffering some 15 years of abuse at the hands of her reputed husband.

Fearing reprisal, 42-yearold Ramesh Ramdeen, called “AB”, also took his own life after fatally slitting Sabrina Lackhan’s throat and chopping her about the body.

The incident reportedly occurred around 13:35h on Monday at the couple’s Chesney New Housing Scheme home.

As word of the murder-suicide spread, villagers rushed to the scene, expressing their shock and disbelief.

According to Sabrina’s sister, Nanda Basdeo, the couple had been having their ups and downs for some time, but several months ago after a particularly bad fight, 29-yearold Sabrina, called “Rohini”,

decided she’d had enough and moved to her mother’s, taking with her their three daughters, aged three, eight and 15.

That matter, Nanda said, was reported to the police and Ramdeen was placed before the courts and sentenced to two months jail. But after Sabrina pleaded with the magistrate, Ramdeen was given a chance.

But instead of behaving himself, he now began making threats on her life.

Said Nanda: “He tell she if she ever leave him, he guh kill she and kill heself.

“So, after she living by mommy them, he keep passing and throwing remarks. And she mek up she mind and decide to go to the court today [Monday] to get a restraining order and let him pay child support.”

She said that after hearing the matter, the magistrate ordered that ranks accompany Sabrina home to the house she

Villagers outside the Chesney New Housing Scheme house where the murder took place

The murder weapon

shared with Ramdeen so she could retrieve her clothing and other belongings.

And while Nanda and other relatives are claiming that the ranks left Sabrina alone with Ramdeen as she packed up

her stuff, the police are saying otherwise.

In a press relase issued on Monday, the police said that Sabrina told the ranks they could go as she no longer wanted to be separated from her husband.

According to the police in the release, “On 2018-08-06 at about 10:00hrs, Sabrina went to the Albion Magistrate Court where she took out a protection order against Ramesh and requested that she leave the house.

“As such, two officers accompanied the duo to the house to retrieve her clothing. On arrival, she told the ranks she no longer will remove from the house, and the ranks subsequently left.

“At about 13:35hrs, a neighbour heard the victim calling out to her saying that she loves her husband, and will not leave him.”

The release went on to state that the neighbour, on realising that the house was locked tight and she was no longer hearing any sounds coming from it, immediately called the Albion Police Station, whereupon ranks were dispatched and found the lifeless bodies.

Both relatives and neighbours would later report that shortly after the police who accompanied Sabrina to get

Sabrina and Ramesh in happier times

her belongings left, which was around 10:00hrs or thereabouts, they heard screams coming from the house. Then some two-and-a-half hours later, they said, they heard more screams, then silence.

Reports are that the police, who arrived promptly, found the lifeless bodies of the couple in a back room on the upper flat of the two-storey house.

The woman’s was reportedly found face down in a pool of blood, with her throat slit and several lacerations.

That of Ramdeen, a canecutter, was also found in a pool of blood with his throat slit, leaving one to assume that it was he who inflicted the wound on himself after killing his wife. The murder weapon, a bloodied canecutter cutlass, was found nearby.

As the bodies were being

removed, relatives could not contain their emotions and were heard saying amidst tears, “Why? Why did it have to end like this?”

Relatives are also contending that had the police had stayed on to ensure the woman was safe, they could have saved both lives.

According to a brother, Avinash Lackhan, around noon he and other siblings received a call informing them of a situation at his sister’s home.

“Dem say they was hearing screaming in de house and dat de house lock up, suh me and meh other brothers hurry and come from Williamsburg to here (Chesney), only to see de police already reach,” Avinash said, adding: “Dem tell meh both of dem deh dead inside.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

‘No danger going separately’ …President says APNU respects AFC’s decision on LGE

By Ariana Gordon PRESIDENT David Granger on Monday said the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), a member of the governing Coalition, respects the Alliance for Change (AFC) decision to contest Local Government Elections (LGE) alone.

Mr Granger, who is also the Chairman of the APNU, said that there is no danger in the APNU and AFC parties going to the November 12, 2018 polls separately.

In response to questions posed by the Guyana Chronicle at the conclusion of a ceremony for the 33rd death anniversary of the People’s National Congress (PNC) party’s founder leader, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, at the Place of Heroes in the Botanical Gardens, President Granger said, “This is an AFC decision; we did exchange certain memoranda, and the APNU had drafted its own core principles. And we submitted those principles to the AFC for their consideration.”

President Granger explained that the move by the AFC is an internal one, which the APNU respects. “This is internal decision making in the AFC,” he said, “but we respect their decision. And AFC, I think, respects the decision within the APNU.” Asked by this publication whether he is concerned by the AFC’s move to go it alone for the LGE, the President said, “This is entirely a local matter; it is entirely a party political matter, but we do not feel there is any dan-

ger that the Coalition is in jeopardy.”

He assured reporters present that the APNU and AFC are committed to Coalition politics. “It is my view that both the AFC and APNU remain committed to Coalition politics, and this in no way will damage the strength of our two parties going into general and regional elections,” said President Granger.

GO IT ALONE The president’s comments followed a statement issued by the AFC on Sunday indicating that it will contest the LGE alone. “This decision was reached following inconclusive negotiations with APNU,” the party said.

Like the President, Amna Ally, General-Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), told the Guyana Chronicle that the APNU is fully prepared for the polls.

When asked for a comment regarding the AFC’s position, Ally said she can only speak for APNU’s preparation for the elections.

“We have made strides in various areas; we have started our work,” she said, noting that APNU will be contesting the LGE in all the constituencies.

“We have the capacity to do well in all areas,” she said.

In February this year, the AFC announced that it was committed to contesting the elections with its Coalition partner, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

However, the party pointed out at the time that its position was subject to the mutual resolution of a set of issues it had put forward.

The AFC was quick to

President David Granger speaking with members of the media in Monday at the Place of Heroes in the Botanical Gardens (Photo by Delano Williams)

point out on Sunday that its latest decision applies only to the November 12 polls, “and does not, in any way, affect the APNU+AFC coalition government, nor does it in any way change the AFC’s position on Coalition politics at the national level.”

The party has reaffirmed its commitment to the APNU+AFC coalition, and said its Management Committee has resolved into the LGE Campaign Committee.

The AFC has noted, too, that it is in full preparation mode for LGEs, including hosting meetings in the various constituencies and identifying potential candidates who will be subject to a rigorous internal vetting process before official appointment.

“Candidates will be addressing the local issues

which are of concern to citizens, and working collaboratively to find practical and implementable solutions,” the party said.

The AFC is currently determining which municipalities and constituencies it will strategically contest, as it does not envision contesting in each Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and in every constituency of all municipalities until subsequent election cycles.

EVERY CONFIDENCE The party said it is confident of the support it will continue to receive from the populace and assured citizens that it will only nominate candidates of the highest calibre and quality.

In February, the AFC announced that party lead-

er, Raphael Trotman was mandated to write leader of the APNU, President David Granger, stating the party’s position on the issues of concern.

“The timeframe for a resolution and an agreement with APNU is the end of April 2018,” the AFC stated, while adding that it is cognisant that there are areas in the relationship that are working well and others that need to be examined and strengthened.

Additionally, the AFC stated that “the recommendations from AFC’s review of the Cummingsburg Accord will be pursued with APNU with a view of strengthening and enforcing the accord, not just for Local Government Elections, but particularly for the 2020 General Elec-

tions, which members saw as the bigger picture.”

February 14, 2018, marked three years since the AFC entered into an agreement with APNU to contest the 2015 General and Regional Elections – a move which proved victorious for both parties.

On the anniversary of the Cummingsburg Accord, President Granger said the AFC had several options – proceed with the accord as it is, allow it to expire at 2020, or make a request for a meeting.

The opposition People’s Progressive Party in a statement saw the move by the AFC as a “ploy” to weaken its support base, as it believes there is where the AFC will be campaigning.

Man killed at Tourist Villa died of multiple gunshot wounds – autopsy THIRTY-year-old Jason De Florimonte who was killed in the wee hours of Saturday morning allegedly by his neighbour, businessman Orin Bacchus died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, an autopsy done on Monday confirmed.

The body was identified

by Wemyss De Florimonte, aunt of the deceased, and Sherry Ann De Florimonte, wife of the deceased and it was handed over to relatives for burial. De Florimonte is survived by his wife, girlfriend, three children, his mother and three siblings,

along with other relatives and friends.

The businessman was reportedly entertaining guests at his Visitor’s Inn guest house on Fifth Avenue, in suburban Subryanville when the incident occurred.

The girlfriend of Jason De Florimonte is crying out for justice, since the victim was said to be unarmed when he met his demise.

Christine Rambarran said she was pushed in an aggressive manner by De Florimonte and sustained minor bruises at the front of their home during an altercation,

when a staff from a nearby hotel intervened and attempted to quell the situation. The peacemaker was rebuked by De Florimonte and by then the woman was able to walk away from her aggressor.

However, within a few seconds she heard four gunshots and quickly turned back only to see the lifeless body of the man she shares a child with lying on the road.

With uncontrollable tears, she added, “there was no one outside the hotel, I started to scream, then they came out and I begged them to take him in a car and nobody

DEAD: Jason De Florimonte

moved, they waited until the police come to move him by the time we got there he was

already gone.”

Soon after Rambarran visited the police station and gave a report of what transpired. She is denying reports that the incident occurred inside the hotel and noted that De Florimonte was unarmed. “my stuff happened outside of the hotel, we were on our bridge where we’re living…I can’t say that I saw Jason walking into the hotel because when I got up I just keep going, without even looking back until I heard the shots,” she added.

De Florimonte was shot four times to his right side

and collapsed a short distance away from his Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, home.

De Florimonte was a driver with Top Brandz distribution. “He was everything to me and his children…they mean the world to him, he never ever left them without anything, for me I have to pick up the pieces because he was my breadwinner, I left my job and he supported me along with the three children,” Rambarran lamented.

The businessman remains in custody as the Police investigation continues.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Gov’t moving to map crime hotspots in Reg. 4 –so citizens can know, avoid them A US$78, 750 contract has been awarded to Valerie Grant for the creation of a digital map of all the criminal hotspots in Region Four, said Minister of State, Joseph Harmon Monday.

He told the media that the contract was awarded to Grant, a consultant, by the Ministry of Public Security.

“This crime-mapping consultancy will depict spatial depictions of crimes in

Region Four,” Minister Harmon said.

“The project will give serious crimes and geocode them; the occurrence of crime as per geographic locations, and create communicative maps so that Guyanese citizens will be able to see a digital map that depicts where crimes are occurring based on crime data,” he told reporters during a post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency.

The initiative, he noted, is similar to services provided in other countries, and will help persons avoid becoming victims of criminal activity.

He explained that the map will be displayed in similar fashion to “Google Maps” and “will be visible in real

time”.

According to the minister of state, users will have the option to “zoom in” and access crime data such as the type of crime that occurred in a particular location at a particular time.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF), in its latest report, has recorded a nine-per-cent decrease in serious crimes at the end of June 2018, compared to the similar period last year.

The move towards digital crime mapping is part of the government’s initiative to use Information Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the lives of citizens via the use of state-of-the-art technology.

Grant, a Jamaican-born businesswoman, owns and operates GeoTechVision Enter-prises Limited, a company which specialises in spatial technology and Information,

Valerie Grant, owner of GeoTechVision Guyana (Photo courtesy Facebook)

Communication and Technology (ICT) solutions.

The company, which was founded in Jamaica and incorporated here as GeoTechVision Guyana, has been here since 2012.

GeoTechVision Guyana has worked with several

Guyanese entities, including the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) on the mapping of its assets as part of a needs assessment exercise, the Guyana Water Inc. Mangrove Project, and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

MoE, GTU to meet Thursday –to discuss gov’t response to proposed multi-year agreement THE Ministry of Education is set to re-engage representatives of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Thursday over the proposals made for the multiyear agreement relative to teachers’ salaries and conditions of service, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said Monday.

Harmon told reporters that Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry presented a report of the high-level committee on public education to Cabinet recently.

That report, which contains important issues, was

Saturday 4, August, 2018

handed over to her last month.

“You would recall that there were some recommendations made by the high-level committee; these recommendations required a response,” Minister Harmon said, adding: “Government, at the level of Cabinet, has prepared a response to those recommendations and it is the government’s response which would be given to the Union by the minister, and there would be further discussions.”

The task force was put together last November to address salary negotiations and other issues affecting teachers. The matters addressed included non-salary issues, allowances, de-bunching and matters highlighted during

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the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the education sector, in addition to the GTU Multi-Year Agreement.

“Cabinet deliberated on the report, gave its responses to the recommendations, and directed that the unions be re-engaged,” he said.

“I am advised by the minister of education that a date has been set for that re-engagement, Thursday,” he added.

When the report was handed over to Minister Henry at her Brickdam office, the Education Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Vibert Welch said after three months of intense deliberations, a number of favourable recommendations had been tabled.

According to him, the recommendations made in the final report will likely

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attract more persons to the teaching profession, and encourage those who are already in it to remain.

The permanent secretary had said, too, that the high-level task force is optimistic that Cabinet would look favourably at the recommendations that were put forward.

The GTU, too, through its president Mark Lyte at the time had expressed satisfaction with the proposals and recommendations made in the report. Lyte said it is important that the work of teachers in the classroom is recognised, and, like Welch, he too expects a favourable response from Cabinet. Attempts to contact representatives of the GTU for a comment on Monday were unsuccessful.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Gov’t to accommodate Venezuelan migrants in Reg. 1 –in humanitarian-controlled centres, with help of int’l community

By Ariana Gordon GOVERNMENT is mulling the establishment of a multi-agency committee to pursue the establishment of humanitarian-controlled centres for Venezuelan migrants entering Guyana, even as it announces that it will build humanitarian centres.

“We are to build facilities to respond to where the Venezuelan citizens are coming from; we are trying to ensure that we have food, medical supplies for these residents when they come,” said Minister of State Joseph Harmon.

The minister told the media Monday at a post-Cabinet press briefing that the government is also requesting international assistance in this regard.

Last week, Minster of Citizenship Winston Felix reported on the presence of Venezuelan migrants in communities here along the

north-western border, particularly in Region One (Barima-Waini).

“The minister drew Cabinet’s attention to the challenges being faced in Region One due to the migrants moving back and forth across the border,” he said.

As such, coordination between the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Public Health to address health issues, including vaccination and immunization of the migrants and the distribution of relevant posters in Spanish to assist in effective communication with the migrants was discussed.

Harmon assured reporters that the Department of Citizenship, in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force, continues to monitor the arrival of Venezuelan migrants closely, and that at the last count, a group of 42 had entered the country.

“The Government of Guyana continues to provide

Climate change...

(BBC) It may sound like the title of a low- budget sci-fi movie, but for planetary scientists, “Hothouse Earth” is a deadly serious concept.

Researchers believe we could soon cross a threshold leading to boiling hot temperatures and towering seas in the centuries to come.

Even if countries succeed in meeting their CO2 targets, we could still lurch on to this “irreversible pathway”.

Their study shows it could happen if global temperatures rise by 2C. An international team of climate researchers, writing in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says the warming expected in the next few decades could turn some of the Earth’s natural forces, that currently protect us, into our enemies.

Each year, the Earth’s forests, oceans and land soak up about 4.5 billion tonnes of carbon that would otherwise end up in our atmosphere adding to temperatures.

But as the world experiences warming, these carbon sinks could become sourc-

food and emergency supplies to the migrants,” he told reporters.

The Minister of State explained that the majority of the Venezuelan migrants entering the Region One area are from the Warrau tribe. “Therefore, we are not just looking at the facilities, but the cultural issues,” he said, while noting that the government is receiving “tremendous assistance” from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Asked whether similar centres would be established in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) where Venezuelan migrants have also entered, Harmon said the regional system is utilising regional resources to deal with the matter.

He, however, noted that if the numbers increase to that as seen in Region One, then a different approach would

be taken.

At the weekend, it was announced that eight civic and faith-based organisations have launched what is called a Venezuela Support Group (VSG) to provide advice and assistance to Venezuelans seeking refuge from the deprivations and insecurity currently gripping their homeland.

In a joint statement, the group -- which consists of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), Guyana Institute for Transparency Inc. (GITI), Moray House Trust, Policy Forum Guyana, Red Thread, Roman Catholic Diocese of Guyana and Ursuline Sisters in Guyana -- said it has since requested meetings with Minister Felix to brief him on its aims and to establish liaison arrangements with his ministry.

VSG’s initial focus is to ensure that persons arriving here from Venezuela receive information and assistance to secure valid visas to remain in Guyana, and are not exploited financially or abused

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

in other ways.

“We have recently learnt that some consideration has been given to permit Venezuelans in Guyana to regularise their situation on the basis of possession of an ID card rather than a passport. Although, to date, there has been no formal announcement by the Government of Guyana on the matter, we welcome this development in general as protecting Venezuelans against exposure to detention, fines and deportation,” the

statement added.

The group believes that by doing the aforementioned, Guyana would be in alignment with the recent appeal by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for neighbouring countries to adopt flexible arrangements of this nature.

The VSG is in the process of establishing offices made available by the Brickdam Cathedral in the compound opposite the church on Brickdam.

‘Hothouse Earth’ a deadly risk even if CO2 emissions slashed

es of carbon and make the problems of climate change significantly worse.

So, whether it is the permafrost in northern latitudes that now holds millions of tonnes of warming gases, or the Amazon rainforest, the fear is that the closer we get to 2 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, the greater the chances that these natural allies will spew out more carbon than they currently now take in.

Back in 2015, governments of the world committed themselves to keeping temperature rises well below 2 degrees, and to strive to keep them under 1.5.

According to the authors, the current plans to cut carbon may not be enough if their analysis is correct.

“What we are saying is that when we reach 2 degrees of warming, we may be at a point where we hand over the control mechanism to Planet Earth herself,” co-author Prof Johan Rockström, from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, told BBC News.

“We are the ones in control right now, but once we go past 2 degrees, we see that

the Earth system tips over from being a friend to a foe.

We totally hand over our fate to an Earth system that starts rolling out of equilibrium.”

Currently, global temperatures have risen about 1 degree above pre-industrial levels and they are rising by around 0.17C per decade.

In their new study the authors looked at 10 natural systems, which they term “feedback processes”.

Right now, these help humanity to avoid the worst impacts of carbon and temperature rises, and include forests, Arctic sea-ice, and methane hydrates on the ocean floor.

The worry is that if one of these systems tips over and starts pushing large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, the rest could follow like a row of dominoes.

What exactly is a Hothouse Earth scenario?

In short, it’s not good.

According to the research paper, crossing into a Hothouse Earth period would see a higher global temperature than at any time in the past 1.2 million years.

The climate might stabilise with 4-5 degrees C of warming above the pre-industrial age. Thanks to the melting of ice sheets, the seas could be 10-60 metres higher than now.

Essentially, this would mean that some parts of the Earth would become uninhabitable. The impacts would be “massive, sometimes abrupt and undoubtedly disruptive,” say the authors.

The only upside, if you can call it that, is that the worst impacts may not be felt for a century or two. The downside is that we wouldn’t really be able to do anything about it, once it starts.

Are the current heatwaves in the UK and Europe evidence of a Hothouse Earth?

The authors say the extreme weather events we are seeing right now around the world cannot be immediately associated with the risk of passing 2 degrees C. However, they argue that it may be evidence that the Earth is more sensitive to warming than previously thought.

“One should learn from these extreme events and take

these as a piece of evidence that we should be even more cautious,” said Prof Rockström.

“It may support the conclusion that if this can happen at one degree, then we should at least not be surprised or too dismissive of conclusions that things can happen more abruptly than we previously thought.”

Surely we’ve known about these risks before?

What these authors are saying is that up to now, we’ve underestimated the power and sensitivity of natural systems. People have been thinking that climate change would be a global emergency for everyone if temperatures rose 3-4 degrees by the end of this century.

But this paper argues that beyond 2 degrees, there is a significant risk of turning natural systems - that presently help keep temperatures down - into massive sources of carbon that would put us on an “irreversible pathway” to a world that is 4-5 degrees warmer than before the industrial revolution.

Any good news here at all?

Surprisingly, yes!

We can avoid the hothouse scenario but it’s going to take a fundamental re-adjustment of our relationship with the planet.

“Climate and other global changes show us that we humans are impacting the Earth system at the global level. This means that we as a global community can also manage our relationship with the system to influence future planetary conditions.

“This study identifies some of the levers that can be used to do so,” says co-author Katherine Richardson from the University of Copenhagen.

So not only are we going to have to stop burning fossil fuels by the middle of this century, we are going to have to get very busy with planting trees, protecting forests, working out how to block the Sun’s rays and developing machines to suck carbon out of the air.

The authors say a total re-orientation of human values, equity, behaviour and technologies is required. We must all become stewards of the Earth.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Implementation of Tobacco Control Act THE Tobacco Control Act was passed by Parliament a year ago and remains one of the most important pieces of legislation so far passed for this 21st Century.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy was Minister of Health in the last administration when the first draft of the Tobacco Control Bill was made, and is well known as an ardent crusader against tobacco, as is his successor, Minister Volda Lawrence who is similarly committed.

Minister Lawrence has indicated that her ministry has begun to implement the Act in earnest, and this is evident from the prominent advertisements in the print media on the dangers of second-hand smoke, and pictoral illustrations of the damage suffered by the victims affected by tobacco-related diseases.

The Tobacco Industry, so far, has not mounted its expected counter-offensive but Minister Lawrence is quite prepared to meet it.

Six years ago when Ms. Amanda Cavill de Zavaley was chairman of DEMTOCO, a shareholder at the Annual General Meeting (AGM)of the company raised the question of what plan of action the company had to meet to address the growing wave of attacks on the Tobacco Industry. Ms. de Zavaley mentioned that British American Tobacco (BAT), DEMTOCO’s parent company, had for many years dealt with such attacks in various parts of the world; that Guyana was only now beginning to experience such attacks.

Tobacco use harms every organ of the body and causes more deaths than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents and suicides combined. It causes lung cancer, obstructive lung diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, and cardiac diseases. It causes infertility and impotence, and a host of maternal problems. The reason why tobacco use is so dangerous is because to-

bacco contains many deadly poisons. In Guyana, 78 per cent of all deaths are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), all of which are related to tobacco use.It should be pointed out that not only actual smokers are affected, but those who happen to inhale such smoke emanating from others as well. These “secondary smokers” account for approximately 20 per cent of the deaths caused by tobacco use.

Guyana has, since 2005, subscribed to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC, an international health treaty under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Treaty sets out a guiding framework for the global struggle against the tobacco epidemic, and the Guyana Tobacco Control Act follows several of the articles of the Convention and also a series of tobacco control policies. This input from the FCTC, and the comprehensive stakeholder

consultations which included the business community, the consumer association, transportation services, trade unions and the general public have made the Guyana Tobacco Control Act one of the most complete tobacco control laws in the Americas. PAHO’s Director of the Department of Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health was high in his praise of the Act: “The adoption of this bill,” he said, “is not only a milestone for public health in Guyana; it is a tremendous advance for CARICOM and the entire Region of the Americas.”

Among the main provisions of the Act is ensuring 100 per cent smoke-free environments in all indoor public spaces, indoor work spaces, public transportation, and specified indoor spaces to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke.Such indoor public spaces would include bars, restaurants, certain parts of public parks, waiting rooms

in offices and so on. This provision would cut down secondary smoking and its dangers.

There is a ban on all forms of advertising, sponsorship and promotion of tobacco products. Tobacco products were often advertised at sports events, and tobacco sponsorships were often given to sports activities in which young people were involved. Such sponsorships would now be ended.

Health warnings must be featured on 60 per cent of tobacco packaging, including images For example, one face of a cigarette box should carry a photograph of damage to the body caused by tobacco-induced diseases. Some of these images used in other Caribbean countries are very vivid and impacting.

There is also control of some aspects of marketing tobacco products: Tobacco products could not be sold to minors; tobacco vending machines sales are prohibit-

ed; loose cigarettes or packets of under 20 cigarettes could not be sold; and there is also a ban on the manufacture and sale of toys and candies and any other good in the form of tobacco products. The legislation and its implementation is an important step in ensuring the Right to Health for the people of Guyana, and protecting them against the dangers of tobacco.

PAHO/WHO, in its release marking the first anniversary of the Tobacco Control Act and its call for fuller and speedier implementation, declared: “Ensuring the protection of a country’s population from the adverse effects of tobacco is a marathon process requiring stamina, coordination, perseverance, dedication, and support; but the pay-off is huge: The improved health and well-being of the citizens.”

Minister of Health Volda Lawrence is well able to successfully meet this challenge.

CGID calls for investigation of Russian operatives Dear Editor, THE Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), on Monday, vigorously called on the Guyana Government to investigate the alleged torture, harassment, assault and abuse of Guyanese miners and workers by Russian nationals, who own and operate West Bank Demerara Gold Inc. – a Russian-owned mining company in Guyana.

In a letter to President David Granger and the Ministers of Legal Affairs, National Security and Natural Resources; the acting Police Commissioner, Mr. David Ramnarine; and the Chairman of the Guyana

Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) Mr. Stanley Ming, the Institute’s President Mr. Burke asserted that the Russians allegedly committed torture and other crimes against humanity, as well as other human rights abuses of Guyanese citizens, which the government must not condone.

On April 3, 2018, ranger Ken Edwards and Charles Clarke, employees of Hopkinson Mining Logistics, were executing their normal duties on their employer’s claim, in Quartzstone, near the Quartzstone River, Region Seven, CuyuniMazaruni, when they were intercepted by two expatriate, Russian operatives of the West Bank Demerara Gold

Inc. The Russians attempted to prohibit the Hopkinson workers from entering further on said land.

West Bank Demerara Gold Inc. is a company, which acquired and now operates a mining concession known as Chunnylall Babullal & Ricky Ramnarine (CB&R) concession.

Hopkinson Mining Logistics ostensibly has mining claims within the CB&R concession that predates its acquisition

by West Bank Demerara Gold Inc. The Hopkinson security guard recorded the incident with his cellular phone. The video, which was released by CGID, is attached. The video recording shows a Russian operative, who is known in

the concession area as “Batali”, demanding documentation and challenging the right of Edwards and Charles to be on their employer’s claim.

He subsequently attempted to block their access. “Batali” then punched Edwards in his face. When Edwards attempted to defend himself, Batali punched him a second time, then pulled a gun on the men.

CGID has also obtained additional evidence of a separate incident, in which the said Russians allegedly handcuffed another mining worker and tied him onto the roof of a structure and tortured him. The worker was reportedly forced to urinate and defecate while hanging from the roof. These are very serious allegations. CGID

calls on the entire nation to join in the condemnation of these despicable atrocities.

If substantiated by the police, these acts constitute crimes against humanity that carry harsh criminal penalties under national and international law.

“Batali” allegedly displayed a Guyana Police Force supernumerary constable precept; an instrument that licenses security guards to carry a firearm. In light of the alleged reckless actions of the Russian operative, CGID is gravely concerned about the issuance and maintenance of a Guyana Police Force precept for “Mr. Batali” to bear arms.

CGID therefore calls on the police commissioner

to launch a criminal investigation into the actions of the Russians guards, who should be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be criminally culpable. With the establishment of the petroleum industry and an expansion of the mining sector, both of which will attract foreign companies that can potentially mistreat or abuse Guyanese workers, CGID calls on the government of Guyana to establish a human rights commission, with powers of a court, to address and adjudicate human rights violations.

Regards, Rickford Burke

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

GECOM’s chairman never asked any commissioner to leave a statutory meeting

Dear Editor,

REFERENCE is made to a letter written by Mr. Hydar Ally in the Friday, July 27, 2018 edition of the Stabroek News under the caption, “Ejection of city councillor

by Mayor Green a troubling development.”

Paragraph three of his letter is an insult to the integrity and leadership of the Guyana Elections Commission. In his letter, Mr. Ally stated, “Only recently, an opposition member of the Guyana Elections Commission, Mr. Robeson Benn was ordered out of a statutory meeting of

that body by the Chairman of GECOM.” The GECOM Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson never asked Commissioner Robeson Benn or any other commissioner to leave a statutory meeting. Mr. Ally needs to get his facts correct before he attempts to write,

more so to publish such inaccurate information to deliberately try to tarnish the image of the Commission.

While the commissioners representing the Government and those representing the Opposition may not always agree on certain subject matters, the Commission values

An ugly incident of racism Dear Editor, THE August 02, 2018 report, published in the Guyana Chronicle titled, “De Willem promoter home invaded”, is very disturbing to say the least. I am certain that as Guyanese, we would have heard, or been told accounts of hostilities been displayed to citizens of a different race group, whenever they ventured into communities that are populated by a particular ethnic set. This is not the first time, as far as I know that such incidents have been highlighted in the media.

Editor, this is wholly racist, and is inherent of the racial divide that is indeed part and parcel of our country. And, it is has not been helped by the former Peoples Progressive Party/Civic

(PPP/C) government, which its governance policies for over two decades would have nurtured and institutionalised policies that have served to create the groundwork for overt racism, as it is in Guyana. Allied to and aiding and abetting such a dangerous mindset, has been the ethno-cultural supremacists and their organisations, whose numerous statements have underlined and laid bare their unmistaken ideology.

For this incident, with all its dangerous portents that are implicit in the evil message scrawled on the apartment wall of the promoter, to have taken place, speaks of the ever-increasing boldness of the racists that are part and parcel of national life.

This incident may not have been, that is, the racist perpetrator(s) might not have been so bold had the authorities taken the necessary steps

since March 2017, when two afro Guyanese Dameion Gordon and Vernon Beckles, both residents of Georgetown were physically assaulted at Canal No. 1 Polder, West Bank Demerara; while having racial remarks hurled at them and being accused of “thiefing rearview mirrors”.

In June 2016, six male students of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) at Agriculture Road, Mon Repos, were severely beaten with cutlasses and other objects, even as they tried to explain that they were students of the GSA. Clearly, these were racial attacks, for which the necessary legal action ought to have been taken against those responsible. It would seem that there was charity towards those responsible, all in the name of national unity.

Perhaps, one can understand the spirit of such a decision; but what if there

was loss of life?

There is a reality that must be understood. Noone must ever be deluded into believing that racism will dissipate over-night, or in a short time, because of such magnanimity. This in my opinion only emboldens the racist, who interprets such non-action on the part of the authorities to mean that he/ she is untouchable, with a misguided self-belief that he/she is correct in his/her prejudices. Racism is about a cultural ideology that is driven by deep seated notions of belief of superiority. It is a moral deficit that is daily inculcated by ethno-cultural racists, as a means of ensuring its daily memory and adherence; and it is not made any easier when there are political power seekers, that along with supremacist groups that propagate such hate and anti-national con-

the views and contributions of all commissioners.

If Commissioners choose to walk out of a meeting because their view had not been accepted, he/she had done so on their own accord.

The GECOM chairman facilitates transparent dialogue as the head of a Constitutional

Commission. GECOM’s statutory meetings can no way equate to what transpired at other organisations.

cepts in the name of ethnic domination. For the latter, it is the end game of political power.

This is the reality, of the monster of racism that such an incident as what occurred at De Willem, Mon Repos and Canal No.1 portrays and should be a reminder to us all.

But I must ask, as a reminder, whoever, or whichever law of Guyana, gives the right of any ethnic group, exclusivity of habitation of any community, to the exclusion of other citizens?

And where are the voices of those usual vocals from civil society? No! I do not expect their voices of condemnation; for many of them are part and parcel of the cabal train that supports racism in this country. In fact, show me how many times in any column, especially from May, 2015, whether there have been repudiation of such an ideological evil from any representative, and I will show you when racism

ended!

I should add that these incidents are an extension of challenging the presence of African Guyanese in communities that are predominantly populated by Indo Guyanese, even when the former are on official business. Ask many government officers who have been on socio-economic surveys in such communities, and they will relate some very shocking accounts.

This incident should further inform the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) as to the challenges it faces. I have already advocated the position that the latter body has to begin the conversation with the people, since change has to originate from them; but where, as in the extant case reported in the Guyana Chronicle that there were implicit physical threats – there ought to be legal consequences for whoever is the guilty party.

Regards, Yolanda Ward Public Relations Officer Guyana Elections Commission

Regards, Earl Hamilton

Thanks Clifford Krauss, but, for not what you think Dear Editor, WHEN I read about the convenient analysis of this New York Times contributor Clifford Krauss, I’m not going to refer to him as a journalist because independent journalists research before composing articles, however it is common for some writers to express their biases and imaginations and care nothing of it. The first thing that came to mind was how in the past some countries stopped taking in sections of our own Guyanese on refugee status, because those countries had discovered that they were lying, and how a Bajan who had befriended me while doing some designs at Tower Hotel in the 80’s confessed that the things he read

about Guyana in newspapers back home, caught him by surprise on arriving here, because he thought that we were starving. I had decided to ignore this letter until I read GK Lall’s letter vindicating Krauss’s letter as ‘obvious truths’ without considering that obvious truths can be at most times far away from the truth, and can conceal veiled agendas. Again locally, a delusional politician could not be patriotic and sensible enough not to look into Krauss’s semblance of truth compared to what?

And leave it alone, he had to extract some political morsel and make a TV contention of it, how does this man see Guyana, as just a milking cow to chase? His president ship is recorded as the most bloodied and

socially unseating in our modern history from 1838 to 2018, learn to ease and press should be his adopted philosophy.

Now to explore Lall’s ‘obvious truths’, this country became independent when its major highways to Rosignal and Linden were red dirt roads, within two years of Independence they were state of the art highways of the 60’s, executed by its local government, Guyana is 51 years old, America became Independent in 1775 and had 85 more years of free work through slavery from Afro Americans, then a hundred more years of segregation to put its preferred ethnic self in order, segregation that continued for another 50 years, endured two recessions and should Lall read Jacob Riis’s book of New York in

1901 ‘How the other Half Lives’ he should understand that independent journalist’s make sensible comparisons, this was not the case with Mr. Krauss. Countries take time to grow. And generalisations go contrary to serving the purpose of balance, for example; can I say that the Germans are racist because of Hitler and the Holocaust?

The answer is no, because I would have to erase the fact of Germans who saved Jewish lives including members of the SS, and I would have to say that ‘Hans Massaquoi’s Destined to Witness is pure fiction.

Neither can I say that Euro-Americans are all racist? Without ignoring the fact that white Americans also suffered and died in defence of the civil rights movement and before that,

writing responsibly require a broad platform, through research and balance. Random or negative criticism is easy; true, we in Guyana are traumatised by the sub culture of runnings, forced to evolve by a changing tech world from a fossilized political and bureaucratic culture.

But what Krauss wrote about Guyana was also written of America by the high and mighty of Europe as the Anti-American degeneracy thesis captured it. Americans countered those ‘Obvious Truths’ and in the end proved them wrong.

Three years ago my friend Freddie Kissoon wrote an article “I lived in the white man’s country.

The non-white record is awful” I missed the publication and it was emailed to me, I was too embarrassed

then to respond to it, the non-white countries diminished, against the first 51 years of the white countries that Freddie exalted, were even more dismal in comparison, yet he wrote it, and I have no rational analysis. I have a friend who spent most of his adult life in London; he too would find somewhere to agree with Krauss, I conclude this to be an absolute intellectual, social, spiritual and cultural rejection of our history from 1834 to 1966 and onwards, a simplicity that has developed a selfloathing based on a quick glance on obvious in-house short comings that do exist, if not, what then are the obvious truths of the latter?

Regards, Barry Braithwaite

8

OP-ED

By Marlon Bristol

MUCH of what is required for Guyana’s development going forward is the right mindset, attitudes, and will of the people to graduate to ‘higher ground’. This will not and cannot be achieved without missteps. Show me countries that avoided mishaps, those that quickly mitigated them, and leapfrog the Kuznets’ curve principle in going Green, and we have some examples to be followed, at least in theory. We need to begin to balance the information, facts and evidence in the public domain.

To give the public the knowledge on what Guyana can do and be (capabilities realised), and begin to manage expectations on results we would like to achieve.

This is important because the court of public opinion always makes it appear like the judge and jury of Guyanese existence are those that sit in Parliament. Even in Parliament, they make it seem as

though the government ‘the governing’ is a political party who is solely responsible for the results this country achieves. This demonstrates a clear lack of understanding by the citizenry of what their citizenship potential is and could be realised.

In some circles of Guyanese communities home and abroad this is constantly repeated: the pessimism.

Overwhelmingly, the quantum of unhelpful rhetoric dovetails into making anyone that speaks of them seem like they know what they are talking about. But essentially, in my view, many such commentators and comments find a problem to every solution. How can a country end up sustainable if you are crowning people who problematise solutions as pundits, rather than heralding proposals of solutions to problems? This situation is so normalised that a gloomy conversation is easy to come by. I acknowledge putting the evidence on the table, facts and conjecture, but also

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

In Guyana, there is a problem for every solution solutions! Recently I saw a researched article written to indicate why for Guyana, ‘the cards are stacked in favour of the resource curse’. Continuously, this is inundating the space and debate on what and how we can be better, more importantly avoid the resource curse. Quite naturally, the next piece of information is to respond as to how the resource curse can be avoided by using examples where they exist.

It appears as though even when we think of solutions we want everything to be so ‘perfect’ that imperfection seems like the quintessential faux pas, itself deemed to be a failure, the ultimate depravity. This leads to the logical fallacy circular argument most times never-ending because of our egos and persistence to be right and relevant. If not we then gravitate to the all too familiar historical reasons why our destiny is to suffer the same faith. More currently, we debunk Green State

These misleading signs must be removed Dear Editor, FOR the longest while, there have been two misleading traffic signs at the junction of Thomas Street and the paralleled roads of Stanley Place and Vlissengen Road. Thomas Street is one-way going east from Vlissengen Road to Lamaha Street in Kitty. However, the arrow sign at the junction of Stanley Place and Thomas Street directs traffic to proceed west on Thomas Street.

Confoundingly, a STOP sign is also incongruously painted on the road surface of the Thomas Street bridge connecting Vlissengen Road to Stanley Place.

Recently while driving north along Stanley Place, I slowed at its intersection with Thomas Street as a precaution. In the process, I exchanged greetings with two traffic ranks who were on duty nearby. The two traffic

policemen were appreciably courteous and appeared undaunted by the seething heat of the day. During my pause, a brief conversation arose regarding the misleading signs.

One of the ranks confessed that the police were aware of the erring signs, and said that he even had prior confrontations with some road users who were abusing the signs’ misrepresentation. He added that the issue was raised “higher up” several months ago, but to date the situation remains uncorrected.

As I continued my journey, I thought about the potential for accidents by the misleading signs. I thought about the oblivion or indifference by those responsible for the maintenance of roads and traffic safety. I thought about the evolved apathy of many citizens, now moved to silence, because ventilated matters like these invariably seem to bounce off of

deaf ears fastened upon the brain-boxes of the powers that be. I thought about the apparent disconnection and incoherence of the arms of state – something that has seriously affected the ability of certain entities to successfully prosecute those who were, and still are, fingered in massive acts of corruption against the state.

Effective networking and seamless collaboration among relevant entities – namely the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and City Council - on matters like these misleading road signs would have seen their correction ages ago. Do we now have to import “experts” from somewhere to produce a report with recommendations to fix this teeny matter?

Regards, Orette Cutting

Sustainable Development on this new discovery of oil rather than embrace it.

We try to make the case that oil and Green development don’t mix, moving to a kind of non-sequitur.

RESOURCES Most of our debate on the new-found resources is heavily skewed toward all the things that can go wrong, and not about how we may overcome. This is so much trending that all opposition forces see it fit to motivate public interest into a clearcut divide or on the slippery slope of the relativity of good and evil. The kind of nonstop arguments about the positive and normative, what is versus what ought to be. But believe it or not, with the quantum of resources projected, race, gender, age, and all the socio-cultural difference will be mutated or amplified almost immediately.

The reality is that we have as many challenges to tackle in building our capacity, as we have in dealing with our mentality. Both are inimical to our future.

Guyana is quickly pressed to recognise that it is our approach to the cup as half empty or half full that will take its toll. The country has popped up on the world map with the growth projections and big business interested; not due to a Jim Jones tragedy, a wharf floating away and the like, or our perceived and real race issues, etc. The notification is now due to potential about to be realised, and so the results we want, cannot for the next three to four decades, be subject to the ever-present ‘money problems’. It is in this context that using our time to think negatively than positively becomes a concern. The constant banging of an unenthusiastic conversation drowning the space for constructive discourse. A similar point noted recently by the chief executive fficer for DDL, at the recently held GCCI dinner. When the current space is not used to construct a bright future, because we have never really experienced and sustained opportunities, then we are really ...curse!

The problem culture of destructive thoughts equip our minds to articulate failure, and have it land smoothly, a kind of acceptable livable self-discontent. People are coming up with a problem to every possible solu-

tion, and can tell you why a remedy can’t work, rather than the other way around.

I remembered listening to the Parliament of Barbados years ago debating climate change, talking about in 15 to 20 years what is going to be happening to sea level rise, how it will affect their tourist economy etc.

Returned to Guyana in that same week, only to listen to a political debate looking backward in the 1960s and 1970s. There is always a history lesson in Guyana that should help us, especially young people to decide on the future by engendering the past.

Today, in similar fashion, we debate why the economy in 2018 will close out at less than four per cent growth versus the impending potential of the economy growing as much as 40 per cent beyond 2020. We bicker on such issues while it has been established that since independence Guyana’s long-term growth has been volatile and characterised by short periods of high growth and long periods of stagnation, Armendariz et al (2007). Here is an opportunity to leapfrog this, presenting the resources from oil. But, it seems as though we debate oil to note why Guyana will remain the same in terms of rich and poor, or will worsen – the wealth gap, inequality etc. The doubting game, if other countries experienced this, who is Guyana to not do the same. We are inputting and imputing our mindset and attitudes into the production and distribution functions, the gaps are already given as the constant, thus the result from the equation is ‘doom-ery’.

PUBLIC CONVERSATION The content of most public conversation is so unhelpful; I read of a commentator trying to make the case of a criticism against the government borrowing today, in spite of projected revenues tomorrow. The case was made that in 2018 Guyana’s debt was similar to that of 2014, totaling USD 1.6 billion at the end of 2017.

Mind you, part of this debt had to be incurred because of capital flight, some folks vex that their party not in power, others vex because they are finally being asked to pay their tax liability. This debt to GDP is expected to climb to 49 per cent and is propagated as bad because

it leaves little room for investment in new projects, this analysis when oil is imminent, could you imagine!

This is like saying, when you earn your income if you have to service debt to the tune of almost half of it, then you are not likely to be able to do anything additional or new! Imagine arguing this point with public servants or most working domicile Guyanese, for whom this is not only worse but standard.

Further, imagine trying to make this a substantive point and criticism of the household member in the face of a great windfall only shortly away. Now further contemplate that the IMF 2018 Article IV Mission indicated that debt will be attenuated by oil revenues, and also earlier reported that Guyana will move to an immediate current account surplus from oil exports in 2020. Now tell me for crying out loud, if you have a family to feed as a poor person, with a pittance of income and starving children, what would you do knowing your salary is guaranteed to increase shortly?

Borrow so that your family can eat and repay later when your salary increases, knowing that you are creating debt which will be a claim on your future income; or starve your family asking them to ‘bare deh chafe’ until later when your salary increases?

This is not rocket science; at least I don’t think so!

Our unique way of learning ‘by doing’, in a nutshell, is to discuss the negative first. In fact, I saw a conference on ‘Public Corruption and the Oil Curse: Lessons from Developing Countries’ and as mentioned before, an article on why the cards are stacked ‘in favour’ of Guyana experiencing the oil curse. Folks are probably laughing at my thinking that I am living in a dream world to see oil as a blessing, and positive for the transformation of Guyana, challenges included. But the oil and gas find, contextualised in the poverty I have lived through is indeed that, allowing me to dream. Of course, under the watchful eyes of the citizenry who have had many instances and evidence perceived or real that shook their resolve and hence their doubts about whether or not oil and gas is really a benefit. I am aware like everyone else we got 99 problems but..!

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Cabinet approves over $605 million in contracts

US$3.6M worth of pumps to be installed – thousands to nationwide benefit

…crime mapping project, rehabilitation of President’s College dorms and Region One primary schools among those receiving Cabinet’s nod CABINET granted its no-objection to a number of contracts in varying sectors to the tune of approximately $605 million, said Minister of State Joseph Harmon during his post-Cabinet press briefing held at the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday.

A contract was awarded for the sum of GYD$16,434,400.00 to A Nazier & Sons Contracting Services for the extension of the Warapoka Primary School, Mabaruma, Region One, under the Ministry of Communities.

A contract for the sum of GYD$17,488,640.00 was awarded to International

Import Supplies for the extension of the Port Kaituma Primary School (annex), Mabaruma, Region One. A contract for the sum of million GYD$15,762,900.00 was awarded to AAV Ragoobeer General Construction for the extension of the Sacred Heart Primary School, Mabaruma, Region One, under the Ministry of Communities.

A contract for the sum of GYD$23,565,446.00 was awarded to A. Ograsein and Son for the rehabilitation of electrical infrastructure of three dormitories at the President’s College, Region Four, under the Ministry of Education.

T h e s u m o f GYD$53,091,640.00 was approved for the construction of a police station at Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, Region Three.

A contract for the sum of GYD$50,001,424.00 was awarded to Memorex Enterprise for the rehabilitation of the eastern block of the doctors’ quarters at Waterloo and Quamina Streets, Georgetown.

T h e s u m o f GYD$135,377,258.00 was approved for the excavation of drains and canals and the construction of access dams and hydraulic structures at Buxton, ECD. A contract for the sum

of GYD$69,895,206.00 was awarded to Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated (GNIC) for the docking and rehabilitation of the MV Makouria.

A contract for the sum of US$78,750.00 was approved for consultancy services for crime mapping under the Ministry of Public Security.

This contract was awarded to Valarie Grant.

For consultancy services to conduct a comprehensive study of security in indigenous communities, a contract was awarded for the sum of US$129,006.00 to The Consulting Group, Ministry of Public Security.

Cabinet clears ‘green’ paper on natural resource fund THE Government will soon present to the National Assembly its Green Paper on the proposed Natural Resources Fund (NRF), Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters on Monday.

According to Harmon, Finance Minister Winston Jordan presented the Green Paper to Cabinet recently where the contents therein were discussed and approved to be laid in the House for consideration. Importantly, he noted that after the parliamentary consideration on the Green Paper, the public would be allowed to scrutinise it.

The intention of the NRF is to ensure that the revenue which comes from oil goes into that fund to be properly monitored. Harmon explained that “it is that fund which will fund much of its estimates of our budget.

Projects which are identified for budgetary support will get that through the fund,” he told reporters.

“The Green Paper was designed to stimulate a discussion and to put forward key issues for consideration with regard to legislation to be enacted in relation to our national patrimony,” the minister stated. The Green Paper includes information on why a NRF is necessary and the proposed short and long term plans to address fiscal and financial issues related to oil and gas revenues.

“The paper addressed the options for resource allocation, investment and savings to be considered in relation to the disbursement of the expected oil and gas revenue and the management and regulation of the fund,” Harmon added.

Meanwhile, when questioned further, the Minister of State made it clear that it is not the intention of his government to have oil revenue go directly to particular centres. All the money must be placed in the fund after which the government ministers will be called upon

by the public service to fund projects that have been identified. This, he says, speaks to a high level of accountability. Additionally, Harmon told reporters that the question of investments and the entity to manage the process has not been decided upon.

“But the investment basically is intended to be safe investment so that the money does not just remain there, but is invested in safe investments that would allow for the country to benefit in the long run from having this fund,” he stated.

One aim of the fund is advancing critical development and investment needs within the country.

He noted too, that several options have since been floated and will be dealt with during the public consultation period, pointing to the percentage that will go towards investments and development respectively.

“Those are issues which will be dealt with- I believe there were three options which have been dealt with in the paper, and after consultation we are going to arrive at

something that is in the best interest of all of Guyana,” Harmon stressed.

The draft legislation for the NRF is being fine-tuned by the Attorney General’s office and it is hoped that the draft legislation will be placed before the National Assembly for consideration before year end.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams recently told the media that work is on-going on the draft legislation, after which it will be discussed at the level of Cabinet. Other aims of the NRF are, to ensure the stabilisation of the economy while ensuring that monetary resources are available through transparent methodologies in keeping with the Santiago Principles. The guiding purpose of these principles is to have in place a transparent and sound governance structure that provides for adequate operational controls, risk management and accountability; ensure compliance with applicable regulatory and disclosure requirements.

CEO of NDIA, Fredrick Flatts signing the agreement for the construction of the pumps on Monday (Samuel Maughn photo)

IN a move to improve Guyana’s resilience against climate change and rising sea levels, the Government has signed an agreement with an Indian company, Apollo International Limited for the fabrication of 12 pumps worth US$3.6 million (roughly GYD$745 million).

Through the agreement, the country will benefit from nine fixed and three mobile drainage and irrigation pumps which will be installed in different parts of the country.

The pumps are expected to decrease the risks of flooding on the coastland and provide relief to residents and farmers, said Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder during his remarks at the signing ceremony on Monday.

“Guyana is highly vulnerable to flooding, particularly in the coastal areas which are below sea level…the NDIA has been concentrating heavily on water management given the fact that the majority of Guyana’s agricultural activities are practiced in its low lying coastal regions,” said the minister, noting that they have reorganised the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to manage water in a structured manner.

He went on to explain that the structured manner would ensure that the ministry looks at the unique needs of each region and allocate resources accordingly.

In rural communities, farmers are usually disrupted by flooding caused by excessive rainfall and the overtopping of rivers and sea defences.

The nine fixed pumps will specifically benefit farmers, said Minister Holder, outlining that 1,242 rice farmers and residents from Charity to Zorg-en-Vlygt, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will benefit from a 50 per cent reduction in flooding .

There will also be a 75 per cent reduction in flooding in Nooten Zuil, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); 35 per cent reduction in losses

during flood for 502 farmers at Mora Point, Region Five (Mahaica- Berbice); and 3,500 acres in the backlands will be available to rice and cash crop farmers to cultivate at Den Amstel, Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara) in 2019.

Meanwhile the mobile pumps at Rose Hall, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne) will be replaced by the fixed pumps which is expected to reduce flooding by 50 per cent in nearby areas.

Georgetown, which is also prone to flooding, will benefit from an 18 per cent reduction of flooding with the introduction of the three mobile pumps which will target areas such as Sussex and Church Streets, and even South Ruimveldt.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NDIA Fredrick Flatts said, in the past the country was only able to drain one and a half inches of rainfall in 24 hours, something that proved inadequate.

In order to improve the drainage capacity, the authority had resorted to pumps and has since been constructing pumps across the country.

Pumps were recently constructed at Enmore, Lusignan, Triumph and another is being constructed at Buxton.

“We however look forward to the provision of the new pumps in a timely manner and we expect that the pumps will satisfy the specifications,” said Flatts.

The government has been consulting with the Indian company on the design of the stations. The designs are expected to be completed within four weeks after which the NDIA will advertise for contractors to install the pumps.

Funding for the pumps was acquired through a loan under the India Line of Credit, said Finance Secretary Hector Butts, adding that the loan of US$4 million was secured by the Government of Guyana after discussions with the Government of India in 2017.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Burnham remembered as visionary …President recommits to his efforts in achieving economic independence

FORMER President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was remembered as a visionary on the occasion of his 33rd death anniversary, where President David Granger recommitted to the late leader’s vision of economic independence for Guyana.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Mausoleum at the Seven Ponds in the Botanical Gardens, where the former President was laid to rest. Here, President Granger detailed many of the efforts taken by Burnham to free the country

ties, expanding employment, empowering the poor and reshaping the education system. And as he said, these were tenets that Burnham strived for.

He reminded that Burnham forged ahead to give free education to all through the establishment of community high schools, technical institutes, multilateral institutions and even Guyana’s university. This according to him was all in an attempt to provide the best education to the post-independence generation and to foster self-reliance, to stimulate

The late President’s tomb decorated with wreaths (Delano Williams photo)

aerodromes, bridges, highways and stellings to ensure greater access to markets and to boost riverine rural and hinterland agro production,” Granger noted as well.

This policy also formed the basis for establishing utilities to previously unserved communities and to improve the productivity and quality

President David Granger being escorted by PNCR Chairman, Basil Williams, Vice Chairperson, Volda Lawrence and Treasurer, Ronald Bulkan (Delano Williams photo)

A section of the dignitaries gathered at the wreath-laying ceremony (Delano Williams photo)

from economic dependence.

Granger stressed, “Political independence ended 300 years of colonial rule in Guyana [but] it did not bring economic independence.”

He continued to explain that economic independence required eradicating poverty, eliminating inequali-

economic independence and to generate employment.

The promotion of agro-processing and small and medium enterprises was tapped to empower poor households and to boost village economies. “The leader’s policy of economic independence, resulted in the expansion and renovation of

of people’s lives.

Cognisant of the efforts made and their impact, President Granger affirmed: “We recommit to continuing his efforts to achieve his goals of economic independence which he pursued so passionately.”

Adding to Granger’s remarks was Attorney Gen-

Man with the silver gun allegedly held by cops A FATHER of four was on Monday remanded to prison for having in his possession a firearm without being the holder of a license.

The charge alleged that on August 1, 2018 at Leopold Street, Royston James had in his possession a revolver without being the holder of a license.

The 40-year-old man who resides at Front Road, West Ruimveldt denied the charge

that was read out to him court by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Police Prosecutor Quinn Harris objected to bail being granted to the defendant, due to the seriousness of the offence and the penalty it attracts.

According to the facts that were presented in court by the police prosecutor, on August1 the defendant was sitting on a black motorcycle armed with a silver gun.

Acting on information police ranks went to Leopold Street where they observed the defendant acting in a suspicious manner. When they approached him he ran away, but he was chased by one of the ranks who captured him.

A search was carried out on him and the gun was found in his possession.

Bail was refused and James was remanded to prison. The matter was adjourned to August 27, 2018.

eral and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams who said, “LFS Burnham was a colossus of a man from the day that he was born to his death.”

Williams stressed that Burnham was indeed a visionary and detailed his dis-

tinctive policies and programmes, some of which were designed to protect the fragile economy, dependent upon exporting raw materials from extortion from the multilateral corporations of the industrial economy.

Burnham’s ‘Feed, Clothe and House’ policy alongside his strides in reforming education and laying the foundation for social cohesion were other notable policies.

And Williams also reminded, “Burnham banned canned items and refined wheat flour [and] encouraged the Guyanese population to eat what they had planted: fresh fruits and

vegetables, whole grains and buy local.” This was done due to keep diabetes and hypertension in check, according to the minister.

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 and as President from 1980 until the time of his death in 1985 at age 62. He was a lawyer, a politician, a fierce freedom fighter and a father of six children.

The event was attended by other ministers of the government, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives from the 10 administrative regions.

Minibus driver to know fate soon MINIBUS driver Jamal John, who is charged for the death of Desmond Grandsoult during an accident on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, is expected to know his fate soon, as the prosecution is set to make its final argument in the case.

Come August 9, Police Prosecutor, Shawn Gonsalves will make his argument to prove the charge that John, on December 18, 2017, drove minibus, BTT 8476, in a manner dangerous to the public, causing the death of Grand-

soult.

After the prosecution’s final argument Magistrate Judy Latchman will make her ruling.

On Monday, defence attorney Melville Duke gave his closing submission to the court.

According to the facts given by the police, 42-year-old Grandsoult died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) hours after being struck down by a minibus.

On the day in question, the minibus was proceeding

south along Vlissengen Road at a fast rate while Grandsoult was on his bicycle proceeding in the same direction, in front of the minibus.

Grandsoult attempted to cross the road from east to west when the accident occurred. It is alleged that the left front of the minibus collided with the rear of the pedal cycle which resulted in Grandsoult falling on the roadway, causing the minibus to run over his body. The driver then swerved into the trench.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Guyana defends decision to sign onto China’s Silk Road initiative

…to submit list of proposed projects for funding

GUYANA is to submit to the Chinese government a list of proposed projects, in order of priority for consideration now that the two countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon at a post-cabinet press briefing held at the Ministry of the Presidency told the media that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge briefed Cabinet on July 31, about the MoU between the two countries.

According to Harmon, “It was explained that the initiative was extended to make available resources to recipient countries such as Guyana for projects related to transportation, information and

communication technology, technical assistance and capacity building to enhance trade and investment relations with China.”

Guyana has now joined Panama, Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda as countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that have signed on to the belt and road initiative.

Minister Harmon made it clear that there is “absolutely no reason” why Guyana should not take full advantage of such a project.

He assured that the Guyana Government has carefully identified projects with clear timelines for completion.

“A project such as this that is transformative in nature, I believe there is absolutely no reason why Guyana should not take advantage of it. I have read about the

experience of Pakistan but we have basically taken our time, we have carefully identified projects and we have clear timelines and careful monitoring of these projects.

I don’t think people need to fear that these projects will go the way of Pakistan,” Harmon stated.

Last month, when the two countries signed the agreement it was said that Guyana will benefit significantly in the areas infrastructure development, trade and investment and other critical areas of mutual interest. The pact will foster enhanced cooperation between the two countries in five critical areas, namely: Policy coordination; facilities connectivity; trade and investment; financial integration; and people-to-people interaction.

Minister Greenidge just

Police hunting ‘Short Boss’ – over Sophia shooting UP to late Monday, police in ‘C’ Division were unable to put their hands on the suspect who is wanted for the murder of 21-yearold Ronsley Alphanso Clarke.

Sources close to the investigation have indicated that ranks visited the home of the suspect, whose name was given as ‘Short Boss’, in the hopes of bringing him to justice but they came up empty handed.

Detectives have also been unable to obtain a photo of him, at least at this point, to aid in the issuance of a wanted bulletin for his arrest.

While at a birthday party

on Thursday night, Clarke was reportedly shot dead by ‘Short Boss,’ with whom he is alleged to have had a longstanding feud, their latest encounter being a few weeks ago.

Both the deceased and his assailant are said to have been friends, until the relationship hit a snag, about which neither of them have ever spoken about since.

Clarke’s sister on Friday told the Guyana Chronicle that she was at home when she received a call telling her that her brother was shot, and another confirming that he had died. She also said that the family is willing to spend as much as

they can to ensure that the man who killed her brother is brought to justice.

NO STRANGER Clarke is no stranger to the law, as he’d had a run-in with them several years ago while he and his siblings were living in ‘C’ Field, Sophia where his late mother operated a shop.

During that encounter, the police had had cause to go looking for Clarke, and to open fire in the area, resulting in his mother collapsing and dying on the spot of a heart attack.

The government back then had reached out to the family, and assisted them in relocating to Timehri where they’d said they were originally from.

after the signing of the MoU told reporters that major emphasis will be placed on infrastructural development during the initial phases of the implementation of the agreement.

Noting that Guyana’s inadequate infrastructure serves as a constraint to investment, Minister Greenidge said: “It also serves as a constraint to identification and access to markets, so one of our main priorities at this time is to work on the development of infrastructure.” “That would include assistance with the designs of roads and harbours and the like, as well as access to funding for the construction for such facilities,” he explained while pointing out that through the Silk Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese Government has already

one gas cylinder ($9,000), $35,460,000 in cash and other items worth $20,000.

The 37-year-old man who resides at Front Road, West Ruimveldt pleaded guilty to the charge that was read out to him in court by the Magistrate.

Police prosecutor Quinn Harris said the defendant was a security guard at the GPSU building. On July 27 the staff had secured the building and left everything intact. On the same day the defendant reported for duty.

On July 29 Leon Paul a security guard reported for duty and found that the defendant had left before his time. Paul then checked and discovered that one television set was missing. On July 30, 2018 when the staff reported for duty they discovered several offices were broken in and the articles mentioned were missing. As a result an investigation was carried out and the CCTV footage had showed the defendant along with another male removing the items, the defendant was

already secured funding for the paving of the road from Linden to Mabura. The minister did not rule out the possibility of Guyana securing finance under the Silk Belt and Road Initiative for the construction of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, saying that seven Chinese companies were among a batch of eleven companies that submitted tenders to prequalify for the financing, designing and building of the bridge.

The Chinese Ambassador told those present that the signing represents a new and promising chapter for our two countries, and that Guyana is the first country in South America and the first English-speaking one in the Caribbean to sign such a treaty with China.

Serial robber refused bail

– was positively identified by all three victims A twenty-three-year-old man was on Monday remanded to prison by Magistrate Judy Latchman after he was slapped with four charges.

The charges alleged that on July 27, 2018 at Cemetery Road, Carlton Bourne, with intent to commit murder, wounded Tyrese Frazer.

The man was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

The court heard that on the same day at Cemetery Road while being armed with a gun, Bourne robbed Tyrese Frazer of $84,000 cash, a quantity of jewelry

Security guard gets 36 months for ‘cleaning out’ GPSU A SECURITY guard was on Monday sentenced to 36 months in prison by Magistrate Judy Latchman on a break and enter charge.

It is alleged that between July 27 and July 30, 2018 at 160 Regent Road and Chanderpaul Drive in Georgetown, Dwayne Allen broke and entered the building of Guyana Public Service Union and stole two Sony television valued $545, 060, a quantity of beverages valued $368,140, eight packs of cigarettes valued $3000,

made available over US$50B in funds for utilisation by Member States within Latin America and the Caribbean.

Noting also that Guyana and Brazil have already considered tapping into the multi-billion-dollar fund, Minister Greenidge said: “We have been speaking to all bilateral and multilateral partners. During our discussions with the Brazilians, we did discuss and explore the possibility of using funding from the Latin America China Funds to fund the road; that is something very much on the cards, and something we are working on.”

The road at reference is the stretch of road from Kurupukari in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) to Lethem in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). Guyana has

arrested and charged but the items were not recovered.

Before sentence was passed the man asked the magistrate for a lenient sentence. He told the magistrate he took the items due to financial problems and the salary he was being paid was not enough.

Allen was sentenced to 36 months by Magistrate Judy Latchman who told the defendant: “Do not steal. It’s not the right thing. Think about what you did.”

valued $178,000 , one Samsung galaxy s7 phone valued $90,000 and other items valued $25,000.

Borne denied the charge.

According to the facts that were given in court by the police prosecutor, the virtual complainant was walking along Cemetery Road when the defendant approached him from behind and demand that he hand over his valuables. After this was done Frazer shot him in the shoulder.

It was also alleged that on July 19, 2018 at Vlissingen Road while being armed with a gun, Borne robbed Adrian McKenzie of one motorcycle valued $435,000 Bourne denied that charge too.

The police prosecutor said the virtual complainant had left his home to purchase a newspaper. It started to rain and he decided to seek shelter when the accused came up with a gun and took his motorcycle.

It was further alleged that on Savage Street, East La Penitence while being armed with a dangerous weapon, Bourne robbed O’Neil Hopkinson of $7,000 cash, one gold watch valued $10,000

and one haversack containing items valued $10,000.

Bourne denied the charge.

According to facts that were presented in court by the police prosecutor, the virtual complainant was walking home when the defendant approached him. As such the virtual complainant ran into his yard and the defendant ran behind him and took his valuables.

The father of two who resides at Chapel Street, Werken-Rust was represented by Attorney Tiffany Jeffrey Police prosecutor Quinn Harris objected to bail be granted due to the seriousness of the offence and the penalty it attracts. Also the fact that the defendant was found guilty before and sentenced to four years and six month imprisonment for a similar matter. The prosecutor added that the defendant was positively identified by all of the victims after he was placed on identification parades.

Bail was refused by Magistrate Judy Latchman and the defendant was remanded to prison for all four charges. The matter was adjourned for August 27, 2018.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Annette Ferguson confident …for PNCR she has what it takes Vice-Chair Vying among seven for the position as Vice Chair for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson (Delano Williams photo)

AMONG seven leaders contending for the position of Vice Chair for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson is confident that she “has what it takes for the job.”

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, Ferguson embarked on a journey back in time to tell of how she became part of the change she so badly wanted to see in the country at the time.

Even as she now holds high position in the current Government and serves as the chairperson of one of the PNCR-branch groups in Georgetown, Ferguson spoke of times long gone and of the persons who influenced who she is today.

“I recall being around the PNC in my younger days.

My mom was a member of the Alberttown/Bourda group and every Tuesday night I

would accompany mom to that meeting and I recall at one group elections I was elected the youngest member as the secretary of the group,” she recalled.

During her younger years, Ferguson had graduated from the St. John ’s College with five CXC passes, later acquiring two diplomas and degrees in Social Work and Public Management; a postgraduate degree in Administration and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management.

During the latter part of her studies, Ferguson worked at the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) first as a Clerk and with multiple promotions later as the Properties Manager.

Things took a political turn when, leading up to the 2011 elections, as Ferguson was taking her final examination for her Social Work programme, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)

launched their new party.

“That was a new concept, because it was a new symbol for the older folks.

And, after the launch, I said ‘you know what, I have time on my hands’, because I just completed UG. So I had free time and decided to go do some voluntary campaigning because in my spare time I felt that it was a time for change,” she recapped.

Explaining further, the junior minister said that much of whom she is today and what she felt when she decided this change was necessary, had to do with her love for social work and the sad realities she witnessed while studying the course.

“Social work, that programme really caused my eyes to open because at that time you were working with young people, you were working with families, you were working with women, you were working with communities,” she began, adding: “Working with these groupings I realised that our people are indeed suffering whilst the politicians were enjoying a good life. When you went into some of these communities people didn’t have food, clothing, their homes were in a deplorable state so that really touched me and I said, ‘you know

what, it is time for me to get involved’.”

And as she said, she did.

At the 2011 General Elections, she campaigned for the APNU which is represented by large numbers from the PNCR. Being a quiet young woman for most her life, Ferguson’s peers were surprised when years later she would become a leader within the APNU Opposition party from 2012 to 2014 and the now Government.

But, she explained to the newspaper that when passion is involved even the quietest of persons often speak up.

Although there have been many ups and downs, Ferguson said that she is enjoying her political career which was assisted by her previous experience in management.

“I’ve gained a lot of experience because, mind you, before getting involved in politics, when I left school my working career began at the Guyana Post Office Corporation…during my tenure as manager within the corporation, I used to be managing staff so coming into the political environment, now into Government…it is not that difficult for me to manage people and to get things done,” she said.

If elected as Vice Chair-

‘Fall in love with your country’ AS THE newest batch of teens prepares to embark on the Youth in Natural Resources Apprenticeship Programme 2018, they were charged by Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman to develop a love and appreciation for their environment.

This was the message at the Pegasus Hotel on Monday where 26 youth between the ages of 14 and 18, from all 10 administrative regions gathered for the opening ceremony of the programme.

The initiative, the brainchild of Trotman, began in 2017 and gives the youth the opportunity to participate in natural resources-related activities and skills training, within the local mining and extractive sectors.

To facilitate the cause, the Ministry works in collaboration with its corporate business partners, other min-

man of the PNCR, Ferguson said that her focus would be on working hand-in-hand with the Chairman therefore facilitating her vision to ensure that the pillars of the party are strengthened.

These she said are the Youth Arm, the Women’s Arm and the party groups represented countrywide along with teaching new members of the philosophies and ideologies of the founder leader former President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.

As she vies for the position, Ferguson said that her passion lies in the area of youth and extends to people in general.

“I am passionate about young people because at the end of the day our vote, the survival of the People’s National Congress Reform, depends on youth. While the older generation moves on, we have to ensure that the party continues,” she said, adding: “I firmly believe that the People’s National Congress Reform is a party that anyone, more so young people, can be a part of. I want to encourage young people to get involved...in order for you to have a voice, join the movement, you can’t go wrong.”

Later speaking on things

– Min. Trotman urges new natural resources apprentices

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman (centre) shares a photograph with the new batch of youth of the Youth in Natural Resources Apprenticeship Programme 2018, along with other collaborators (Delano Williams photo)

istries and non-governmental groups, through its Corporate Social Responsibility Framework.

The youth will visit the locations of Guyana’s extractive sectors; receive hands-on-training on the ministry’s office operations; participate in community activities and green energy

practices; observe forestry operations and much more, all from August 6 to 30.

Giving the charge to the attending teens, Trotman spoke of the accomplishments of the previous batch and of his hope for even better to be experienced by those now joining.

“This is a vision of mine

to involve young people in the natural resources sector of Guyana…essentially, it is my hope that you fall in love with your country. Those of us who live in Georgetown we believe that Guyana is about a narrow strip of land, but those of you who live in the hinterland would know that the real beauty of Guy-

she wants to improve, she stated: “We’re living more in a technological environment so we have to find ways and means to bring people to the party. The method that is currently being used, I think we can improve on that. We have to use different strategies…go into the schools, go into the communities, go into the various youth groups to encourage them to be a part of this great political movement.”

Given the fact that she was nominated, Ferguson believes that persons must have seen the potential within her but of her own, she too believes that she has what it takes to get the job done.

“It’s not only because of them having their trust or confidence within me but I firmly believe that as an individual I have what it takes.

The integrity, the positive character, I’m a God-fearing person and all the other attributes where leadership is concerned.”

When asked to ponder on whether she could later become the first female leader of the PNCR, Ferguson smiled confidently, saying: “My destiny is in the Lord’s hands so whatever he has planned out for me, I will go for it. Anything is possible.”

ana is not only the coast but also the hinterland, the savannah, the mountains, the waterways, the animals.

So we want you to love your country, to experience your country,” he told the students.

However, experiencing the beauty of nature is only part of the programme’s ini-

tiative, as Trotman said that it will also help the youth to balance an appreciation for mining, forestry and the need to respect people and the environment.

“The other thing is that you must see the natural resources sector and view it as a worthy endeavour…it just has to be done correctly, it has to be done in a way that you respect the people who live in the hinterland. You respect that they live there, that they use the water that you are using for mining and therefore we should not pollute it, and when you pass through their villages you should treat them with respect and not prey on them or take advantage of them,” Trotman said.

Amidst his call, he urged the students to see the value of professions such as engineers, foresters and environTurn to page 14 ►

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Miners were tortured, threatened …MNR orders 48-hour probe

by Russian guards THE Ministry of Natural Resources has ordered an immediate investigation into the assault on miners

by Russian security guards working in the hinterland.

In a statement issued on Monday the ministry said it has noted with deep concern and strong consternation a video circulating on social media which appears to show a confrontation at a mining location between an alleged foreigner and Guyanese miner. “The video clearly shows that the alleged foreigner is armed with a firearm and behaving in an aggressive, hostile and condescending manner towards the man who appears to be a Guyanese national,” the statement read.

It added that the images are disturbing on many levels and raise issues about security, the authority of foreigners to carry arms and conflict resolution in the mining sector. “To this end, the Minister of Natural Resources has instructed the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Director of the Corps of Wardens to launch an immediate investigation to ascertain the veracity of the video and to solicit the support of the Guyana Police Force in their investigation. A report is expected within 48 hours,” the statement ended.

The Guyana Chronicle reported on Monday that a private Russian security guard is accused of assaulting and pulling his gun on the Guyanese miner during a recent incident at Quart Stone, Cuyuni, Region Seven. In a video seen by this newspaper, the guard demanded documents to prove that the miner has claims to the area and a right of access.

Usually, the police or officials of the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) carry out this function and not a private security guard. The miner was enquiring about claims for Shawn Hopkinson who is one of Guyana’s large-scale miners. He has several claims in the area.

Despite knowing his right, in an effort to maintain the peace, the miner complied and provided documentation but this did not dissuade the armed guard from becoming physical. Even after the documents were shown, the Russian guards followed the miner who went about his business. It was at this point that things escalated and the miner exclaimed, “I don’t have to show you anything cause me ain’t wuking with you bai, listen to what I’m telling you.”

The Guyanese miner was then punched by one of the two Russian guards who were armed with handguns. The guard then pulled out his gun on the miner and at that point the video stopped.

Hopkinson mining company with whom the assaulted man is employed reported the incident to the Police. The Russian guards are also accused of handcuffing a miner to the roof of a shed and beating him. The circumstances surrounding that incident are unclear but miners are calling on the police and Ministry of Natural Resources to investigate these incidents and give them justice.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) in a statement condemning the incident called on the Guyana government to investigate what it described as alleged

Ramnarine (CB&R) Concession. Hopkinson Mining Logistics ostensibly has mining claims within the CB&R concession that predates its acquisition by West Bank Demerara Gold Inc. The Hopkinson security guard recorded the incident with his cellular phone. The video recording shows a Russian operative who is known in the concession area

One of the miners handcuffed to the roof of a mining camp

torture, harassment of Guyanese miners and workers

by Russian nationals who own and operate West Bank Demerara Gold Inc, a Russian-owned mining company in Guyana.

In a letter to President David Granger and the Ministers of Legal Affairs, National Security and Natural Resources, acting Police Commissioner, Mr. David Ramnarine, and Chairman of the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC), Mr. Stanley Ming, the Institute’s president, Mr. Rickford Burke asserted that the Russians allegedly committed torture and other crimes against humanity as well as other human rights abuses of Guyanese citizens, which the government must not condone.

On April 3, 2018, ranger Ken Edwards and Charles C l a r k e , e m - The handcuffed miner attached p l o y e e s o f to Hopkinson Mining Logistics Hopkinson Mining Logisas ‘Batali,’ demanding doctics, were executing their nor- umentation and challenging mal duties on their employers Edwards and Charles’ right claim in Quart Stone, near the to be on their employer’s Quart Stone River in Region claim. He subsequently atSeven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), tempted to block their acwhen they were intercepted cess. ‘Batali’ then punched by two expatriate Russian Edwards in his face. When operatives of West Bank Edwards attempted to defend Demerara Gold Inc. The Rus- himself, Batali punched him sians attempted to prohibit a second time, then pulled a the Hopkinson workers from gun on the men. entering further on said land.

CGID said it has also obWest Bank Demerara tained additional evidence of Gold Inc. Is a company which a separate incident in which acquired and now operates a the said Russians allegedly mining concession known as handcuffed another mining Chunnylall Babullal & Ricky worker and tied him onto

the roof of a structure and tortured him. The worker was reportedly forced to urinate and defecate while hanging from the roof. “These are very serious allegations.

CGID is calling on the entire nation to join in condemnation of these despicable atrocities. If substantiated by the Police, these acts constitute crimes against humanity that carry harsh criminal penalties under national and international law,” the release stated.

Additionally, CGID said ‘Batali’ allegedly displayed a Guyana Police Force supernumerary constable precept, an instrument that licenses security guards to carry a firearm. In light of the alleged reckless actions of the Russian operative, CGID is gravely concerned about the issuance and maintenance of a Guyana Police Force precept for “Mr. Batali” to bear arms.

“CGID therefore calls on the Police Commissioner to launch a criminal investigation into the actions of the Russians guards, who should be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be criminally culpable. With the establishment of the petroleum industry and an expansion of the mining sector, both of which will attract foreign companies that can potentially mistreat or abuse Guyanese workers, CGID calls on the government of Guyana to establish a human rights commission, with powers of a court, to address and adjudicate human rights violations.”

Gold Board duo hit with more forgery charges AFTER months of investigations by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the former accountant and clerk attached to the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) were charged before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for forging documents to rob the entity of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Former accountant Rosanna Ramnarine, 34, of Republic Park, East Bank Demerara and former clerk, Deborah Forbes, 50, of Den

Amstel, West Coast Demerara were jointly charged for conspiracy to commit a felony, larceny by clerk and falsifying of accounts.

The first charge read to Ramnarine and Forbes states that between January 1, 2017 and February 28, 2017 at the GGB, located at Lot 68 Upper Brickdam, Georgetown, being employed as a clerk or servant, they willfully and with the intent to defraud, falsified a document in possession of the GGB, that is to say, payment advise #80230,

purporting to show that $436,409 in monies Clinton Alphonso, rein the possession and ceived a payment of power of the GGB, $436,409, on January their employer.

24, 2017.

The duo denied all The second charge of the charges while alleged that the women their attorney, Nigel with intent to defraud Hughes made an applithe GGB conspired cation for bail. with person or perHughes told the sons unknown to forge court that Ramnarine GGB payment advice Former accountant Rosanna Ramnarine was charged weeks ago and former clerk, Deborah Forbes #80230, dated between before Magistrate FaJanuary 1, 2017 and bayo Azore for six simJanuary 1, 2017 and FebruFebruary 28, 2017. ary 28, 2017, the duo while ilar charges and was released The third charge stated being employed as clerks or on $300,000 bail. that the two accused, between servants at the GGB, stole Police Prosecutor Quinn

Harris told the court that the duo was arrested following a SOCU investigation at GGB since the women allegedly forged several payment vouchers and stole the money.

Harris noted that a handwriting specialist was called in and the women’s signatures were on the forged vouchers.

After Harris made no objection to bail, Magistrate Latchman released the two women on $450,000 bail each and adjourned the matter until August 27.

14

Broomes advises NIS to place more emphasis on ‘employees’ THE National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was advised to place more emphasis on employees who pay their contributions.

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources and member of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services, Simona Broomes, proposed the recommendation to a team of high level officials from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) on Monday.

“I would recommend that more emphasis be placed on employees because as it is now, the NIS has a better relationship with employers,” said the minister.

She cited the difficulties persons face when they attempt to get information about their contributions or even enquire about a benefit.

Her recommendation was supported by other members of the committee and was also accepted by the team from NIS. General Manager of the NIS, Holly Greaves said the scheme has been working on ways to have more inter-

Minister Simona Broomes addressing members of the NIS team on Monday (Samuel Maughn photo)

actions with the employees who pay their contributions.

Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe said the same approach should be adopted in the hinterland communities because many times, persons travel far distances

just to be told that their query cannot be answered.

Greaves, however, said NIS is already working on that and has consulted the National Toshaos Council (NTC) on ways that the scheme could improve its services in hinterland communities.

‘Fall in love with... mentalists which are needed to ensure that the country’s remains on the right track.

“Amongst you are the future of Guyana and I don’t mean to say that lightly… you are literally the future and I want you, as I said, to fall in love with your country and fall in love with each other and to understand that the people who live in the hinterland, who live on the coast, those who work in the mines or those who work at the forest station, each of us has an important and equal place in the development of this country. No one is better or lesser than the other, always remember that amongst yourself,” he insisted.

During the opening ceremony the incoming youth, which were selected based on their passion for the en-

vironment and other criteria, introduced themselves to the audience telling of their eagerness to begin the journey.

Meanwhile, four of the teens from the previous group told stories of their exciting experiences last year, and gave words of advice to the new batch on how they can be resilient enough to experience the same.

“We realised that the Ministry of Natural Resources is indeed an important sector in Guyana…the fun part was the trips into the interior,” said past team member Noel Sookhai, as he told of their trip to Kumaka, Iwokrama, the Aurora gold mines and Turtle Mountain where they met villagers, hiked, saw wild animals and learned new information.

“The pictures can only

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say so much and tell so much but when you’re there fully, and actually see what it’s like, it’s even more breathtaking.”

Another, Jahni Williamson, encouraged: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t know anything pertaining to what the representatives are explaining to you. Speak up, ask questions, you’re going to learn from them and you’re going to gain new experiences.”

Trotman took the opportunity at the ceremony to inform the youth and parents present that the ministry is willing to assist youth who may be interested in joining institutions, such as the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) to continue their interest in the environment.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

NIS records mid-year loss – collections still below of $414M payments THE National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has recorded a loss of $414 million at the end of June but the company believes that it could still avoid the bleak outlook that was presented in the eighth actuarial report of the National Insurance Fund in 2011.

According to the report, NIS was nearing a crisis stage. In 2011, the fund experienced its first deficit of $371 million and was expected to incur a larger deficit in 2012.

“With assets of just over 2 times annual expenditure, the entire fund will be exhausted in less than 10 years if contribution rate increases and benefit reforms are not made immediately.,” the report had stated.

General Manager of the NIS, Holly Greaves, believes that the gloomy projection could be averted once certain recommendations are adopted by the Government.

The scheme’s viability was, however, questioned on Monday when a team from NIS appeared before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services.

A member of the committee and Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo asked the team how viable is the NIS. In response, Finance Controller of NIS, Jacquelyn Scotland said that on June 30, the funds stood at $31.1 billion but the company had still recorded a loss of $414 million.

Over the years the NIS has been facing challenges because of the imbalance between the collections and payments.

Scotland said the NIS projected that at the end of this year they would make a total payment of $23.3 billion to beneficiaries but would only receive $23.2 billion in contributions, a deficit of $100 million.

“Each year the payments we make increase by $2 to $3 million,” she said, adding that for the last three years NIS has also recorded a deficit.

The report in 2011 had projected that if NIS continues to suffer a deficit, cash flow deficits will continue in all years; the fund will be exhausted in 2021; and the

pay-as-you-go rate, or rate required to meet expenditure in 2021 will be 18.7 per cent; the pay-as-you-go rate in 2041 will be around 28 per cent.

Greaves, however, contended that the NIS is preparing the ninth actuarial report which will paint a more accurate picture of the future. The report is expected to be completed by the end of August.

“We believe that we are getting things on track because we are aware of the aging population and we are getting into areas that have potential contributors; we can increase the contributing populations,” she said.

The general manager also pointed to recommendations that were made in past reports that could assist the NIS in correcting the situation.

While more recommendations are expected to be presented in the new report, the NIS has been working on ways to collect debt by establishing a Debt Management Section. The scheme intends to go after persons who owe the NIS.

Dr. Harold Davis Jnr is new GuySuCo CEO – new Board to be announced shortly THE Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) former Director of Agricultural Services, Dr. Harold Davis Jnr has been appointed the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Minister of State Joseph Harmon announced Monday.

Speaking at a media briefing, Harmon said his appointment took effect last week.

Added to that, the Minister of State said the board of directors for the sugar company is to be announced before the end of next week.

“The consideration for the board for the entity is well advanced, and I believe that by the end of this week or very early in the new week, we will have the announcement of a board of directors for GUYSCUO.” Touching on the divestment of estates, Harmon reminded reporters that the four estates --Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales -- which were all closed by the government are up for divestment.

Harmon admitted that the divestment process is taking some time, but noted that “because there is a requirement for us to have careful assessment of the value of these assets and the fact that the estates were never independent entities by themselves

they will require a separation of them.”

The minister told reporters that every estate needs to be demarcated, as the entities were never separate and that process is taking some time.

He said, too, that PriceWaterhouseCooper is still in the process of valuing the estates and adjoining assets.

“What you’re talking about now is deciding what Skeldon is? What is Enmore?

Each of the estates has to have a demarcation of what are the assets there,” he said, adding: “PriceWaterhouseCooper is the company that was retained to do the evaluation of these assets; they have done a tremendous amount of work and my understanding is that by the end of September they will conclude their evaluation of those assets.”

In the meantime, based on work done, several advertisements have been placed in the newspapers calling for Expressions of Interest (EoI).

“There have been very, very exciting expressions of interest not only for the four estates that have been up for divestment. We are having proposals down for the entire industry including the three estates that remain in GUYSUCO, so there is a

lot of interest out there and we want to make sure we take our time to get these things right,” Harmon asserted.

Moreover, he reminded that with divestment there will be the transfer of significant land sales from the state to the private sector. As a result, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that that process is done transparently and with consultations with persons who are likely to be affected.

There will be consultations with persons likely to affected, he noted while pointing to cases where persons living in Corriverton, Berbice on lands provided through the GuySuCo Welfare Fund but are not in possession of titles.

It is because of such issues, the government believes that it needs to act carefully so as not to jeopardise the welfare of any citizen.

“You cannot be too careful when dealing with land. I trust the persons who are purchasing the assets of the estate understand that we need to be very careful because we are not just dealing with land simplicita but land on which human being live and on which economic activity was taking place and so we have to be very careful,” Harmon concluded.

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Min. Holder stresses importance of agriculture to the economy –as GSA turns out 97 more graduates

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Noel Holder presents a trophy to Top Performer Alleema Shahabudeen.

THE Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), last Friday held its Annual Graduation exercise during which 97 students graduated with Certificates and Diplomas. The ceremony was held at the Plant Science Building, GSA Campus, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, with special guest being Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder.

There was keen competition for the top prizes, but despite stellar performances, for the fifth consecutive year, no one met the criteria for the highest Award – the ‘Gold Medal’.

Studies were pursued in five disciplines, namely: A g r i c u l t u r e , F o r e s t r y, Animal Health & Veterinary Public Health; and AgroProcessing.

Beating the competition was Ms. Aleema Shahabudeen who won the ‘Chief Executive Officer’s Prize’. She was awarded this accolade on the basis of being the lone student securing a Distinction in the Certificate in Forestry Programme and being winner in five other categories in the Diploma in Agriculture Programme, namely: Best Performing Student in Rice Agronomy; Best Performance in English; Best

Performance in Experimental Methods; Best Performance in Water Management and Best Overall Performance in the Diploma in Agriculture Class (Mon Repos).

The ‘Principal’s Prize’ was won by Raul Persaud who passed with Higher Credit in the Diploma in Agriculture Programme and was also adjudged ‘Best Performer’ in Entomology and Plant Pathology (Mon Repos). He also copped the prize for Best Performance in Veterinary Science and was adjudged Best Overall Performer in the Diploma in Agriculture Class (Mon Repos). The Warden’s Prize went to Shamar Simon who passed with Higher Credit at the Diploma in Agriculture Programme and secured Best Performance status in Entomology and Plant Pathology (Essequibo).

Winner of the Chairman’s Prize was Vernon Dash who secured a Distinction in the Certificate in Forestry and was also rated Best Overall Performer in the Forestry Class (Essequibo).

The Matron’s Prize went to Sophia Best, with a Lower Credit in Agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Male Prize for Outstanding Performance on Farm went to Osbert Carmichael and the Female Prize, to Ms. Esther

Graduating students at the Guyana School of Agriculture’s 54th Annual Graduation Exercise at Mon Repos on Friday.

Bowen.

Prizes and trophies were distributed by Minister of Agriculture and Permanent S e c r e t a r y, M i n i s t r y o f Agriculture, Ms. Delma Nedd, while Chairperson was Dr. Thomas Richmond, Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors Chief Executive Officer (Ag) of the Guyana School of Agriculture, Dr. Dexter Allen before presenting the CEO’s Report, congratulated the graduating class of 2018, adding that they have done well and have a right to be proud of their achievements.

Dr. Allen said that the institution’s initial task was to get students on a path that helps them develop the knowledge and ability to solve problems, not only in the agriculture setting, but also in the social realm….

“Having successfully completed your programmes we are confident that you are well placed to contribute t o … y o u r c o u n t r y ’s development,” he said.

The Mission Statement of the Guyana School of Agriculture is: ‘To promote and support the development of sustainable agriculture and forestry through technological advancement and theoretical and practical training of individuals pursuing careers in careers in agriculture and forestry.’

Its vision, Dr. Allen said, is to make this institution (GSA) become one of the foremost regional training institutions whose faculty will be in the forefront of repositioning agriculture and forestry locally, in the Caribbean and wider afield through technical, managerial and entrepreneurial competencies.

He touched on curricular reform, recalling that two, years ago the Guyana School of Agriculture expressed a deep interest in reforming its school curriculum to make it more responsive to the needs of entities including the state and private sectors.

Since November 2016, a broad-based committee has been working on this task.

Its major achievements to date include the following: The construction of new structures for all its current programmes, namely the Diploma in Agriculture; the Certificate in Agriculture Programme; Diploma in Animal Husbandry and Health; Certificate in AgroProcessing and Certificate in Forestry.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, D r.

Allen said, there will be the development of a new grading system for certificates, based on the Grade Point Average (GPA) among other things.

Following the

presentation of Certificates, D i p l o m a s a n d Aw a r d s , Professor Michael Scott, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Engagement of the University of Guyana delivered his charge to the graduates. He congratulated them for their achievement and went on to express thanks and appreciation to all the ‘significant others’ – family members, friends, lecturers and others who would have played their part in helping them achieve success.

Professor Scott however told the graduates that their graduating with Certificates and Diplomas was not the be all and end all. He said that the graduation ceremony is truly “the beginning of things” for the graduates in their social and professional careers. “It is not the end,” he cautioned them, adding “You being certified merely indicates that you have confirmed your capacity to learn at this level. You are now being prepared to commence your learning and are now going into the real operational environment.”

He cautioned the graduates that, as they go out into the world of work there will be many who will be looking at them in terms of performance. “It is truly the beginning of things for you graduates in both

your social and professional careers. This is not the end,” he admonished them.

Meanwhile, in his keynote address, which came before the announcement of awards and distribution of prizes, Minister Holder congratulated the graduating class, stating: “Graduands, as Minister of Agriculture, I wish to congratulate you and express my appreciation to the Faculty staff and everyone involved in making these programmes a success. Your dedication and commitment have truly paid off, and I hope that all of you will continue to support the institution in the years to come,” he said.

Minister Holder said that in Guyana, Agriculture is the backbone, catalyst or pillar for development trajectories, adding that even though we look forward to the emergence of oil as a major player i n o u r e c o n o m y, t h e contribution of agriculture is paramount, or a major component of our economy.

“Therefore it is a pleasure for me, as Minister of Agriculture, to see 97 students graduating from the School of Agriculture in 2018,” he stated with a sense of pride. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by graduating student, Eksi Edwards.

New look for Anna Regina Multilateral, Cotton Field Secondary MAJOR repair works are being done on the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary (ARMS), Region Two, for the first time in 50 years, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson said.

The said works are also being done on the Cotton Field Secondary School, and together, these are being executed to the tune $42 million.

The enhancement works include the construction of

concrete revetment around the school area, approximately half a mile back-filling, fencing, landscaping, re-painting of the school and dormitory as well as general repairs.

Some $12 million has been injected into the enhancement projects as a result of savings, Hopkinson said.

“From a trench, we have made it into an attractive area we now call the academic community. We from

The Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School being painted

the region will be saving, money and no longer have [sic] to be invested into paying someone to clean the trench. The shabby looks will be reclaimed with beautiful plants and the area can be used for economic purposes,” the REO said.

He said his vision is to see the area that has several schools, including two tertiary education centres and the Department of Education, become a gated community.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

GRDB urges farmers to heed advice of extension officers

A section of the field when the extension officers visited

THE Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is calling on farmers to work with the extension officers by heeding their advice on best practices which will help them record success.

This was in response to

the August 4 edition of the Guyana Times, headlined “Hundreds of acres of rice infested with bugs.”

The GRDB described the article as a gross exaggeration and a misrepresentation of the facts, and

one which seeks to cause mischief within the rice industry which continues to record success in production and productivity.

“The GRDB was aware of the farmer ’s problem and immediately provided

farmer had instances of water weevil and had not been spraying with the required pesticide recommended by the extension team. The farmer also admitted to not draining his field despite being advised to do so. In fact, the farmer has been applying a contact insecticide instead, rather than a systematic pesticide.

“A contact insecticide will not give any control for water weevil larvae, and this was made clear to the farmers. They were warned of the repercussion in the event that the advice of the Rice board was not followed,” the general manager reiterated.

Some of the water weevil that were The report showed affecting the farmer that dead water weevil larvae were found on extension services. It was determined that the farmer the roots of some plants. needed to drain the field Only one farmer and 3.4 and apply any systematic acres were affected as a repesticide. In this instance, sult. A subsequent meeting it was recommended that with farmers in the area Pronto and Regional at the showed that other farmers recommended rates be used. had indeed encountered the However, the farmer ignored said problem, but were able the advice of the extension to control the weevil by officers,” General Manager completely draining their of the Guyana Rice Devel- fields and applying systemopment Board (GRDB), Mr. atic insecticides.

When questioned by the Nizam Hassan said.

According to Hassan, visiting team about his metha subsequent visit by the odology of application of the Rice Board showed that the recommended pesticide, the

farmer admitted to not draining his field due to constant rain- something which has compounded the issue.

While the Rice Board will continue to work with the farmer to ensure that his production is saved, the general manager has echoed the call for farmers to work with the extension officers by heeding their advice on best practices. He added that while the industry has been recording successes in production it was as a result of the dedication of both farmers and extension officers, but also of farmers heeding the advice of the extension team.

Proper farm husbandry has always been the key component to ensuring farmers benefit from a bountiful rice crop. This coupled with works by both farmers and the extension arm of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has ensured, over the years, farmers record minimal losses.

The investigating team that visited the farm and held meetings with the farmers comprised;- Entomologist of the Burma Research Station, Dr. Vivian Baharally; GRDB’s Regional Superintendent Region Three, Mr. Dahasrat Narain; and Extension Officers Region Three, Messrs. Linden Cambridge and Deodram Garbarran and Extension Manager, Mr. Bissessar Persaud.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

No evidence yet of leptospirosis link to Jamaica – MOH (Jamaica Observer) HEALTH authorities say their investigation and monitoring of the Blue Hole attraction in St Ann for leptospirosis are not yet conclusive as they are awaiting information from official sources in the United States regarding reports of visitors having contracted the disease here.

“Following on inspections at the Blue Hole attraction, the St Ann Health Department is reporting that not enough evidence exists to conclude that the location in question was the source of leptospirosis in the cases reported. There is

limited information available on the publicised cases and the Ministry of Health is awaiting communication from official sources in the USA regarding any citizen who may have contracted the disease in Jamaica,” the ministry said on Friday.

The ministry said it is concerned about any possible risk to the public and has therefore conducted follow-up visits to the locations.

“During the initial visit, the public health inspectors reviewed the services offered, food service operations, sanitation and sewage disposal and other aspects of the op-

erations. Breaches of public health standards were identified at some facilities and the St Ann Health Department had issued instructions to the management of the attractions to remedy these. A follow-up visit was conducted in late July, which indicated that several of the breaches were remedied while others were still in progress.”

According to the St Ann Health Department, prior to receiving the complaints, it had been monitoring the water quality on a monthly basis from the mouth of the river to its exit to the coast.

“Samples were also col-

lected recently from different points in the vicinity of the Blue Hole attraction, which tested negative for the bacteria that causes the disease,” the department said.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease which is transmitted through the urine of infected animals that enter the water or soil and survive for months. It is transmitted by rodents, dogs, farm animals and horses. When contracted by humans through contact with water, food or soil containing the urine of the infected animals, the disease causes a wide range of symptoms, although some people may have

no symptoms at all.

According to a news story posted on San Antonio’s ABC-affiliated television station Ksat12.com, some visitors to the St Ann attraction in February returned to the US with flu-like symptoms allegedly caused by leptospirosis. One woman, Shawna Simmons, according to the station, came to the island for her husband Teddy’s 50th birthday celebration and visited the Blue Hole in Ocho Rios on their third day. According to Simmons, when they returned home, six persons, including her husband, were sick.

Simmons said after com-

ing across the story of another San Antonio man who had previously visited the Blue Hole and fell ill and died reportedly of leptospirosis, she showed the story to the doctors who began treating her husband and the other individuals for leptospirosis. Reportedly, all six recovered.

Meanwhile, the St Ann Health Department says it will continue to maintain a presence at the Blue Hole attraction and along the White River course, and routine checks will be carried out at the various locations to ensure the health and safety of the public.

Inniss arrested, charged in US Barbadian insurance company in 2015 and 2016 when he was a public official.

Donville Inniss

(Nationnews) Former Minister of Industry and Commerce Donville Inniss is in hot water in the United States.

The outspoken 52-yearold politician was arraigned on money laundering charges in a US court today and released on US$50 000 bond.

According to the United

States Department of Justice’s official website, Inniss was arrested in Florida last Friday and was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Julie Sneed in the Middle District of Florida at the federal courthouse in Tampa.

Inniss has been accused of accepting bribes from a

MPI electrician electrocuted

Orwayne Cozier

AN electrician attached to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure met an un-

timely death on Monday after he was electrocuted while working on the Essequibo Coast.

Dead is Orwayne Cozier, an electrician in his mid-twenties who lived in Campbellville in the city.

The incident occurred sometime after midday on Monday.

Reports are that the man and a colleague were working when they both came into contact with a live wire.While Cozier’s colleague managed to escape with minor injuries, he bore the brunt of the impact. The man’s death left his relatives in shock.

According to the Department of Justice, Inniss was a legal perma-

nent resident of the United States during the time of the charged conspiracy.

Efforts to reach the former minister tonight proved futile. (BA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Williams dream of Mother Trinbago not realised – Justice Frank Seepersad

(Trinidad Newsday) Fifty-six years after the first prime minister began the journey to nationhood, the dream of a “Mother Trinbago” which rested in the schoolbags of the nation’s children has not been fully realised.

In making this statement, Justice Frank Seepersad said as the country prepares to celebrate its 56th anniversary of Independence, hope has been

replaced by hopelessness and although there have been few glorious moments of unity, there is mistrust and separation along, social, cultural and ethnic lines.

At the opening of a $700,000 children’s play park at Palmiste Park, San Fernando, on Sunday evening, Seepersad said he hopes the park will endure for the benefit of many children and that it will be much more

than a recreational facility, but serve as a place of hope and renewal.

The park is a partnership effort between charitable organisation Rapid Fire Kids Foundation and Fun Splash Waterpark.

Fun Splash CEO Vijay Ramai presented president of the foundation Kevin Ratiram, with a cheque for $150,000 at the opening.

Ratiram became emotional as

he spoke about the generosity of many people who helped to achieve this dream.

The representative of Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, adviser Marcelle Boyce, said not a cent of state funding was used to build the public playpark.

Remarking on the happy event, Seepersad noted that too often, “We are confronted with negativity, tragedy and despair, and moments such as these seem to be the exception rather than the norm.

Congratulating the organisations on their achievement, Seepersad recalled Prime Minister Eric Williams’s abundant hope when he began the journey to nationhood. He said citizens stood ready to forge a nation where dreams would be realised and where freedom, equality and prosperity would reign.

“Our first prime minister encouraged us to remember that there was no longer any Mother Africa, India, Europe or China but only Mother Trinbago and he articulated that the future of the young nation rested in the schoolbags of the nation’s children.

“Unfortunately, this vision has not been fully realised.

“We have been able to coexist and there have been fleeting moments when we have mobilised and unified as one people, especially, when we have enjoyed international successes either by our athletes or our beauties.

“However, true unity has

Justice Frank Seepersad was seen with his daughter Amanda Seepersad on Sunday at the official opening of the Rapidfire Kidz Foundation and Fun Splash Water Park Play Park in Palmiste PHOTO BY: ANSEL JEBODH

eluded us. Sadly, the hope of nationhood has been replaced by hopelessness, as we are confronted with spiralling crime rates, a lack of productivity, unacceptable levels of intolerance and a lack of discipline. Years of energy wealth spoilt us, and we have become lazy, entitled and complacent. Notwithstanding the few glorious moments of unity, we generally live separate lives, characterised by suspicion and distrust.”

He said TT’s rich, varied cultural and ethnic diversity should be its greatest asset

and not a pressing liability, but far too often decisions are undertaken from a perspective of “us against them,” and in such a small space there exist unacceptable divisions premised upon race, geographical location, religion, sexual orientation and politics.

“The dream of a ‘Mother Trinbago’ has not been fully realised and our educational system has failed to inculcate a sense and spirit of nationalism. We have no sense of national identity,” the judge said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

From page 31 ►

Stephan DeLeon begins NBA ... as his favourite player, DeLeon said he works hard to emulate the two-time NBA MVP and champion, but also keep in mind that having a good education is equally important.

“The idea is to go to Florida, do my best and impress them enough so that I could be a permanent part of what they have there. I know my mother and family work very hard to

give me a chance to live my dreams, so I will do my best and make them proud,” said the budding guard.

Looking ahead, DeLeon said he would like to represent Guyana internationally, adding, “I mean, yea, I grew up in the BVI, but all my family and everyone is from Guyana and live in Guyana, so I would like to do great things for my country.”

DeLeon was high in praise for his coach in the BVI, Mr Milton Mc Lean, of Sea Cows Bay Basketball Club who moulded him and was very instrumental in getting him to this level and also provided the recommendation for him to get this scholarship.

Meanwhile, Henry Chase, the principal for the school which DeLeon attends, said that he’s happy with the opportunity given to DeLeon, pointing out that he (Stephan) will “now set the stage for more Guyanese youths.”

According to Chase, his aim is to give the best athletes in Guyana a chance to excel in their respective disciplines, while giving them an avenue to be educated in a system that will allow them to focus on their craft, while receiving quality education.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

HERO CPL 2018 Venues and Times confirmed THE Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) fixtures, venues and start times have been confirmed for the 2018 season which gets underway on the 8 August when defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders take on St Lucia Stars in Trinidad and Tobago The tournament will then visit Guyana, St Lucia, Jamaica, St Kitts, Barbados and the USA before returning to Trindiad for the final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on 16 September.

The tournament will feature 34 matches between the six franchises with each team playing five home matches.

The Jamaica Tallawahs will play three of their home games in Lauderhill, Florida meaning the CPL is returning to the USA for the third successive year.

The Hero CPL have signed a three-year agreement with Trinidad & Tobago to host the finals in the country following the successful final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in 2017.

This year’s tournament will once again see a mix of the best global and Caribbean cricketing talent with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, David Warner, Steve Smith and Brendon McCullum amongst those taking part.

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of Hero CPL, said: “We are really excited about the 2018 edition of the tournament. We have gone from strength to strength since we first started in 2013 and we know that the sixth Hero CPL is going to be the biggest and best yet. The Biggest Party in Sport is coming and we can’t wait for it all to get started.”

Tickets are available at cplt20.com and from local box offices and they are selling fast.

Hero CPL 2018 Fixtures(all times shown are in

Eastern Caribbean Time) Wednesday 8 Aug Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Stars, Queen’s Park Oval, 8pm Thursday 9 Aug Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Providence, 6pm Friday 10 Aug Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs, Queen’s Park Oval, 8pm Saturday 11 Aug Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Stars, Providence, 4pm Saturday 11 Aug Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Queens Park Oval, 8pm Sunday 12 Aug Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Tridents, Providence, 6pm Tuesday 14 Aug Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Stars, Sabina Park, 7pm (6pm local time) Wednesday 15 Aug Jamaica Tallawahs v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Sabina Park, 7pm (6pm local time) Thursday 16 Aug St Lucia Stars v Trinbago Knight Riders, Daren Sammy Stadium, 8pm Friday 17 Aug St Lucia Stars v Barbados Tridents, Daren Sammy Stadium, 9pm Saturday 18 Aug Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Central Broward Stadium, 8pm Sunday 19 Aug Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders, Central Broward Stadium, 6pm Tuesday 21 Aug St Lucia Stars v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Daren Sammy Stadium, 6pm Wednesday 22 Aug Jamaica Tallawahs v Barbados Tridents, Central Broward Stadium, 6pm Friday 24 Aug St Lucia Stars v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Daren Sammy Stadium, 9pm Saturday 25 Aug Barbados Tridents v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Kensington Oval, 4pm

Saturday 25 Aug St Lucia Stars v Jamaica Tallawahs, Daren Sammy Stadium, 8pm Sunday 26 Aug Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders, Kensington Oval, 6pm Tuesday 28 Aug St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Warner Park, 6pm Wednesday 29 Aug Barbados Tridents v Jamaica Tallawahs, Kensington Oval, 8pm Thursday 30 Aug St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Stars, Warner Park, 6pm Friday 31 Aug Barbados Tridents v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Kensington Oval, 8pm Saturday 1 Sept St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Trinbago Knight Riders, Warner Park, 6pm Sunday 2 Sept Barbados Tridents v St Lucia Stars, Kensington Oval, 2pm Sunday 2 Sept St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs, Warner Park, 6pm Tuesday 4 Sept St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Barbados Tridents, Warner Park, 6pm Wednesday 5 Sept Trinbago Knight Riders v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Queen’s Park Oval, 8pm Friday 7 Sept Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Tridents, Queen’s Park Oval, 8pm Saturday 8 Sept Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs, Providence, 8pm Sunday 9 Sept Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders, Providence, 6pm

PLAYOFFS Tuesday 11 Sept Playoff 1 – 1st v 2nd, Providence, 6pm Wednesday 12 Sept Playoff 2 – 3rd v 4th, Providence, 6pm FINALS Friday 14 Sept

Semi-final -Winner Playoff 2 v Loser Playoff 1, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad,

8pm Sunday16 Sept Final – Winner Playoff 1 v

Winner Semi-final, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad, 5pm

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

Bangladesh beat Windies Cricketer Ben Stokes ‘mocked gay men before nightclub fight’- jury told in Florida to win T20 series ENGLAND cricketer Ben Stokes mocked two gay men and flicked a cigarette butt at one of them before brawling with two other men, a court has heard.

The Durham all-rounder, who will miss the second Test against India at Lord’s, denies affray.

Bristol Crown Court heard Ryan Ali, 28, and Ryan Hale, 27, were knocked unconscious by Mr Stokes in Bristol on 25 September 2017.

They also deny affray and are on trial alongside Mr Stokes.

The fight outside a nightclub was “a sustained episode of significant violence” in which Mr Stokes “lost control”, jurors were told.

Broken eye socket Nicholas Corsellis, prosecuting, said Mr Stokes, 27, had “knocked Mr Hale unconscious and then - after time to pause for thought, to calm - he did exactly the same to Mr Ali”.

The prosecutor described Mr Stokes’s actions as “well beyond acting in self-defence or defence of another”.

The cricketer has maintained that “at all times he acted in self-defence of himself or others” and believed the force he used was “reasonable and entirely justified”.

An altercation took place in the Clifton Triangle area of the city just after 02:00 BST after the three defendants had left a nightclub, Mr Corsellis said.

The court heard Mr Ali had sustained “significant injuries”, including a broken eye socket.

Mr Corsellis told the jury a bottle was used at the beginning by Mr Ali, and a broken

Ben Stokes leaves Bristol Crown Court after the first day of the trial

street sign brought into the fray towards the end by Mr Hale.

The defendants had been drinking in Mbargo nightclub, with the fight taking place after it closed, jurors heard.

Mr Stokes and his teammate Alex Hales had left the nightclub at 00:46 but returned at 02:08.

Bouncer Andrew Cunningham explained to the pair the club was closed and they would not be allowed in.

However, an “obviously upset” Mr Stokes became “aggressive” and insulted Mr Cunningham about his appearance, jurors heard.

Mr Cunningham said Mr Stokes’s attention then turned to two “openly gay” men - Kai Barry and William O’Connor - outside the venue.

He claimed the cricketer had mimicked their voices and mannerisms in what he described as “a derogatory way”.

Mr Corsellis said footage showed Mr Stokes “copying hand gestures made by the men”, while the bouncer claimed the cricketer had flicked a cigarette butt at Mr O’Connor.

“Mr Stokes’s behaviour outside the nightclub sets an important tone for what happened that night,” the prosecutor said.

“He was clearly frustrated and annoyed. He took to acting in a provocative and offensive way.”

Only the defendants know precisely how the fight started, Mr Corsellis told the court, which was shown further footage of the incident.

‘That’s enough’ A video showed Mr Ali hitting Mr Barry on the shoulder with a bottle.

Mr Stokes threw at punch at Mr Ali, and the pair fell to the ground, the jury were told.

Then Mr Hale tried to drag Mr Stokes off Mr Ali, the court heard. Mr Hale told police he had been “smashed to the floor”.

Mr Corsellis alleged Mr Stokes did not act in self-defence but had pursued the other men in “retaliation”.

“Everybody except him wants it to stop,” he told the jury.

He said that in the footage Mr Stokes’ England teammate Mr Hales could be heard to say: “Stokes, Stokes, that’s

enough.”

Mr Ali said “move away, move away” and Mr Hale said “stop, stop”, Mr Corsellis told the court.

An eyewitness, Laura Sweeney, said she saw Mr Hale pull a metal leg from a road sign and run towards the other men.

After he was arrested Mr Stokes was interviewed by police, and in a prepared statement said he saw two men speaking to two gay men in a “harsh and abusive” way.

The statement said he “took exception to this and said ‘leave it out’”.

Chip on shoulder Mr Hale then “grabbed and pulled” him, and Mr Stokes “felt the need to defend himself as he thought he was going to be attacked” and hit him “more than once”, jurors were told.

In a second statement Mr Stokes denied being “aggressive” towards Mr Cunningham, accusing him of being “rude” and suggested he had a “chip on his shoulder”.

“He denied mimicking or behaving in a derogatory manner towards Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor, saying that they had engaged in joking with each other and denied flicking a cigarette butt at anyone,” the court heard.

Mr Stokes, of Castle Eden, Durham, was arrested in the early hours along with Mr Ali, of Bristol, and Mr Hale, of Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol.

The fight took place several hours after England had played a one-day international against the West Indies at the city’s County Ground.

The trial continues.

(BBC Sport)

Windies U15 squad for intense two-week UK tour

A Windies U15 squad has been selected to embark on a two-week tour of the United Kingdom later this month.

This is the fourth straight year that an u15 team will be touring the UK as part of an ongoing exchange between Cricket West Indies and the England Barmy Army’s Colts.

This year, the team from the West Indies has attracted support from Virgin Atlantic.

During the tour, the squad will face six teams in a series of 50-over matches including the Colts. The squad was assembled following the championship held in March this year.

The full squad reads: Hilroy An-

drew of Antigua, Ackeem Auguste of St Lucia, Nimar Bolden of Barbados, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett of Nevis, Mavendra Dindyal of Guyana, Jordan Johnson of Jamaica, Johan Layne of Barbados, Jaden Leacock of Barbados, Tariq O’Neale of Barbados, Andrew Rambaran of Trinidad and Tobago, Yawani Regis of Dominica, Che Simmons of Barbados, Sanjay Walker of Jamaica and Rashad Worrell of Barbados.

The squad will also play a 20/20 warm-up match against the London Schools Cricket Association on Friday, August 10, before starting the official schedule on Sunday, August 12.On Sunday, August 12 the WINDIES

Under 15 plays Hertfordshire. On Monday, August 13 they will play against Hampshire.

They will then take on South West England on August 14 before playing against Ireland U15 on August 16.

The intense schedule resumes on Friday, August 17 when they play the Barmy Army Colts. The final match of the tour is scheduled for Sunday, August 19 against London and East Region.

The team is scheduled to return to the Caribbean on August 20.

Richard Clarke will be the head coach on the tour. Steve Liburd has been named assistant coach. Dr Oba Gulston will be the team manager and physiotherapist.(Sportsmax)

LAUDERHILL, Florida, (CMC) – West Indies were left to rue an underwhelming batting performance as they went down by 19 runs under DLS in the third Twenty20 International against Bangladesh, to plunge to their third straight series defeat and seventh loss in nine outings here Sunday night.

Chasing a difficult 185 in the series decider at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, the Caribbean side were heading towards defeat at 135 for seven in the 18th over, when rain arrived to end the match prematurely.

At that point, West Indies were well adrift of the par score of 155, handing Tigers a well-deserved win and a sweep of the Florida doubleheaders following their 12-run win at the same venue on Saturday night.

The reigning T20 World champions were slumping at 32 for three at the end of the sixth over and not even Andre Russell’s whirlwind top score of 47 from 21 deliveries could rescue the run chase.

Rovman Powell slammed 23 and Denesh Ramdin, 21, but left-arm speedster Mustafizur Rahman, who ended with three for 31, made key strikes to keep the Windies innings in strife throughout.

Man-of-the-Match Liton Das had earlier stroked an entertaining 61 off 32 deliveries to propel Bangladesh to 184 for five off their 20 overs, after they had opted to bat first.

Veteran Mahmudullah lashed a crucial 32 not out off 20 balls while captain and Man-of-the-Series Shakibal-Hasan contributed 24 and Tamim Iqbal, 21.

Das and Tamim gave the innings a flying start by adding 61 from 28 balls, as West Indies struggled to get a grip on the must-win encounter.

The right-handed Das struck six fours and three sixes in a 32-ball innings while the left-handed Tamim sparkled briefly with three fours and a six off 13 balls.

With the game in danger of running away from the Windies, captain Carlos Brathwaite (2-32) got the breakthrough when he had Tamim scooping to Kesrick Williams at short fine leg.

Soumya Sarkar perished five balls later in the next

over for five, deceived by a slower ball from pacer Keemo Paul (2-26) and holing out to Powell at long on.

However, a series of key partnerships then buttressed the innings. Das posted 31 for the third with Mushfiqur Rahim (12) before both batsmen fell in the space of five deliveries, leaving Bangladesh on 102 for four in the 11th over.

Mahmudullah and Shakib quickly combined in a 44run fifth wicket stand and following a break for rain, Mahmudullah provided the innings with a rousing finish by adding 38 off 24 balls with Ariful Haque (18 not out).

For the second straight night, the Windies started poorly and were staring down the barrel early.

Andre Fletcher (6) sliced Mustafizur to Nazmul Islam at point in the fourth over, ChadwickWalton holed out to long for 19 off pacer Sarkar in the next over while Samuels got one that crept from left-arm spinner Shakib in the following over, and was bowled for two.

Not for the first time in the series, Powell arrived to attempt a rescue mission, posting 45 for the fourth wicket with Ramdin, in a partnership which took West Indies to 61 without further loss at the half-way stage of the innings.

By that point, however, the required run rate had risen to nearly 12-1/2 an over and the pressure told, with Ramdin missing a slog at speedster Rubel Hossain and having his stumps shattered in the 12th over.

Russell wasted little time in finding his range, teeing off with Rubel over the ropes at mid-wicket before belting Shakib for a couple of sixes in the following over – the 13th which leaked 13 runs.

All told, Russell counted one four and half-dozen amazing sixes but lost Powell in the 14th and Brathwaite in the 17th before eventually falling to the first ball of the 18th, drilling a low full toss from Mustafizur into Ariful’s hands at long off.

Almost on cue, the rains arrived to usher in a defeat that was almost certain anyway, with the Windies still requiring 50 runs from 17 balls.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

Thirty-member team for IKD 2018 World Cup in Barbados -intense training underway

Karatekas from the GKC being led during an underwater exercise

by Shihan Jeffrey Wong (Foreground).

A 30-member team from the Guyana Karate College (GKC), which is accredited by the International Karate Daigaku (IKD), will travel to Barbados later this month where they will compete at the IKD World Cup from August 16-19.

The team has been preparing for the World Cup since the beginning of 2018 through intense training in all areas of the discipline, even underwater training at the National Aquatic Centre.

Guyana finished second overall at the last World Cup

in 2015 and Shihan Jeffrey Wong (7th Dan Black Belt) is optimistic that his charges can go one better and win the World Cup. “I’m hoping that our intense training and discipline will result in our karatekas doing better that three years

ago when we finished second at the IKD World Cup.” Over 20 countries including Canada, Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines and the entire Caribbean is expected to participate at this year’s World Cup. The International Karate Daigaku (IKD) was founded in 2011 and focusses on traditional Shotokan Karate with an emphasis on understanding why they do karate the way they do, and how to improve techniques through scientific means. A major goal of the IKD is to help young people throughout the world by guiding them and therefore breaking the cycle of violence through the discipline of karate.

The IKD World Cup is held every three (3) years and provides an opportunity for members around the world to compete against each other and simultaneously improve fellowship among members.

Steyn banking on experience for one last tilt at World Cup

By Sudipto Ganguly

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Dale Steyn is determined to make next year’s World Cup his limited overs swansong and thinks his experience could make a big difference to South Africa’s otherwise raw white ball pace attack.

The paceman is happy to admit that South Africa’s main strike bowler Kagiso Rabada is now “way better” than him, but the 35-year-old thinks the knowledge he has garnered from 116 ODIs and two previous World Cups could be invaluable in England.

“Our biggest problem in white ball cricket now is our bowling,” Steyn told Reuters.

“I don’t think it’s a massive issue but I think in terms of experience it’s our biggest problem.

“If you look at our top six batters, those guys have all played 800-plus games. But if you look at our bowling, our bottom four, they have probably played 150 games.

“That’s a massive difference. There’s a heavy weight that weighs up there.”

Steyn believes he put his injury woes behind him in the recent two test series against Sri Lanka but was left out

Kagiso Rabada

of the squad for the one-day series that followed and has not played a 50-overs international in nearly two years.

The paceman said he had spoken to South Africa coach Ottis Gibson and will play white ball cricket in England and in South Africa to get himself ready to be in a position to mentor the younger quicks.

“They are all learning as they play but unfortunately you can’t go to a World Cup still learning. You need to know what you are doing,” Steyn said at a promotional event for GoPro. “Even at 35 I am still learning but I know what I am doing. These guys need that. I am hoping that’s what I can offer in the white ball

scene and obviously play and win games for the country.”

Steyn said he was particularly keen to help South Africa get the best out of 23-year-old Rabada.

“He’s way better than me. I have obviously got my records and everything but he’s way better than I am right now,” Steyn said.

“What he lacks is what I have, and that’s what I can share going forward. I will just carry on doing what I do and he can feed off that, he can learn off that and he can just become so much better.”

“SUPER SAD” South Africa will be without AB de Villiers at the World Cup after the batting talisman announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket in May. Steyn, who made his debut in the same test match as de Villiers in 2004, said the 34-year-old’s retirement was “super sad” for world cricket.

“The world wants to see their superstars and he’s definitely one of them, if not the biggest one in terms of batting,” he said.

“Opposition fear him but you never really judge yourself until you have tested yourself against the best. If

Dale Steyn

the best is no longer there it’s quite difficult to judge yourself.

“He’s only one player but he is a massive player.”

Steyn wants to extend his career for a few years yet but thinks he will not be the only player to call time on white ball cricket after the World Cup. “I think you are going to see a massive exodus. That’s my opinion. I am being Nostradamus now and I am calling it,” said Steyn, who has taken 180 wickets in ODIs. “What’s the point really? Another World Cup will be in another four years and that’s more than enough time for other bowlers to become amazing players.”

Kohli should take some responsibility for Edgbaston loss- Hussain

Virat Kohli followed his first innings 149 with 51 in the second innings

INDIA captain Virat Kohli answered his critics in style with a stunning 149 in India’s first innings at Edgbaston, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for his team with India losing by a slender margin of 31 runs.

Having arrived in England with the bitter memories of 2014 still haunting him, Kohli showcased his batting prowess during the course of a superb innings, one that gave his team a real chance of beating the odds and securing victory.

Kohli followed his first innings 149 with a neat 51 in the second innings, but unfortunately for him, India went down meekly after his dismissal early on the fourth day.

While his batting received rich praise, former England captain, Nasser Hussain, reckoned that captain Kohli should take some blame for the loss, owing to a few questionable calls which eventually cost his team a famous win.

Speaking to official broadcaster Sky Sports during the post-match talk, Hussain praised Kohli’s efforts with the bat but felt the Indian captain was culpable with a few bad calls during England’s second innings.

“Kohli was phenomenal in this game. He deserved to be on the winning side for the way he played with the tail. He single-handedly brought India back into the Test match. I do think he [Kohli] should take some of the responsibility for the loss, though.

“England were 87/7 with Curran and Adil Rashid at the crease and for some reason Ravichandran Ashwin went out of the game for an hour.

India lost control then he needs to look back on his

captaincy and say ‘when I’ve got a bloke who averages 19 against left-handers and a 20-year-old left-hander on strike, why did I take him off?” Hussain said.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has also questioned some of the calls from the team management.

Ganguly believes that frequent changes in the playing XI would only result in confused minds and insecurity.

Writing on his Instagram account, he said: “One criticism for Virat Kohli is that he should give a consistent run to his batters & more time before dropping them.

The failure against swing in English conditions can’t be used as an excuse anymore as everyone knows that it’s what you get when you come to England.”

Ganguly’s criticism comes in the wake of players like Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane - three batsmen at the top of the order, who have either constantly been shuffled in their batting positions or have been left out of the playing XI. “The captain should give confidence to his players.

It’s his team and only he can change their mindset. He will have to sit with them and tell them that if he can do it so can they. He should give them time and tell them to go out and play without any fear.

It is true that after continuous chopping and changing of the playing XI, players can get afraid that after all these years they’ve failed to garner the faith of the team management,” the former India captain wrote.

The two teams now move across to Lord’s, London, for the second Test, starting on Thursday.(cricbuzz.com)

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

CONCACAF U-15 Girls Championship

Guyana downed 3-1

in opening match against St Lucia THE National U-15 Girls’ team had a disappionted start to their campaign in the CONCACAF U-15 Girls Championship yesterday to St. Lucia by a 3–1 margin at the IMG Academy, Florida, USA. Guyana’s lone goal was an own goal created when Shacaylah Williams was pressing the defence, resulting in an error on the part of the St. Lucians.

Meanwhile, Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Women’s International Coordinator, Paul

Beresford, said that while injuries were sustained among some players, the team played well.

“We played well in the first half for a team that was playing their first match together. However, the team grew a bit tired in the second half in 92-degree heat and humidity.

Guyana led 1 – 0 at the half and dominated play. Injuries to two of our players resulted in St. Lucia tying the game. They scored two additional goals in the second half to win the match.”

Guyana’s squad consists of both overseas and Guyana-based players, including two goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders and five forwards.

The overseas-based players were selected following the hosting of Talent Identification Camps in the United States and Canada.

The starting lineup in yesterday’s match, captained by Samantha Banfield, was as follows: Ludesha Reynolds (GK), Hasha Holder, Jenea

CONCACAF U-15 Girls Championship – Guyana’s starting lineup against St. Lucia.

Knoght, Ashaya Doobay, Allianna Holder, Jaida Brooks, Samantha Banfield (C), Shacaylah Williams, Anastasia Salvadore, Kersti Thomas and

Anaya Willabus.

Guyana’s next match is scheduled for today at 09:00hrs against Cayman Islands. They will then play The Bahamas

Law indentifies Keemo Paul as one of the positives inT20 series loss LAUDERHILL, Flori da, (CMC) – Head coach Stuart Law has identified 20-year-old pacer Keemo Paul as one of the few positives to emerge despite West Indies’ disappointing 2-1 Twenty20 International series loss to Bangladesh last weekend.

West Indies won the first game in St Kitts by seven wickets under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern but then lost both matches at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium – the first by 12 runs and the second by 19 runs under DLS. “Every game is another

game [to gain] experience.

There are guys like Keemo Paul, he’s come out and took wickets consistently,” the Australian explained.

“Ashley Nurse I think has improved out of sight with his spin on very good batting wickets and Andre Russell, having him back in the fray was great to see and great to watch. [His] power-hitting [in the final T20] wasn’t quite enough.

“Also, Carlos Brathwaite, he’s growing into the captaincy role and I’m seeing some good quality leadership in there.”

Chasing a competitive

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday August 07, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Mashrafe Mortaza-4/37 (Providence) (2) Devendra Bishoo-2/52 (Providence) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which two teams are scheduled to contest the first game of Hero CPL 2018?

(2) Who are the defending Hero CPL champions?

Keemo Paul celebrates the dismissal of Shakib-Al-Hasan. (CWI Media/Randy Brooks Latouce photography

185, West Indies lost wickets up front and then failed to keep the scoreboard ticking over as they tried to rebuild.

Russell blasted a top score of 47 from 21 balls, striking a four and half-dozen sixes but his effort was not enough to take the Caribbean side over the line, after the required run rate had rocketed to nearly 12-1/2 runs per over at the half-way stage.

When rain arrived to end the game prematurely, West Indies were 135 for seven at the start of the 18th over, still needing an unlikely 50 runs from 17 balls.

Law echoed similar sentiments to those of Brathwaite, noting the Windies needed to improve their batting, especially during the middle overs.

“We started well in St Kitts and we really bossed the game there. We came here to Fort Lauderdale and thought we had the upper hand but Bangladesh played some really good cricket,” Law pointed out.

“We probably weren’t smart enough in the tight situations. We let them get away from us a little bit in the field and then with the bat, we just didn’t rotate strike enough.

“We’ve got the power game to hit the boundaries but there were just too many dot balls in between.”

The loss was the seventh in nine T20 outings for the Windies and also marked their third straight series defeat following on from the tours of New Zealand and Pakistan.

tomorrow at 11:00hrs.

The playoff will begin on August 10, following the group qualifiers, with the final set for August 13 at 11:00hrs.

Hetmyer, Tanvir star in first practice game THE Guyana Amazon Warriors’ preparation for the August 8 to September 16 Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018 continued last evening with the first of two practice matches at Providence.

The Amazon Warriors squad and several of Guyana’s leading First-Class players were a part of the game, which provided the much-needed turf practice for the Warriors unit before their first game of the season on Thursday.

The match was played in overcast conditions and on a pitch which provided inconsistent bounce and pace. The match eventually ended prematurely.

Batting first, Malik X1 reached 187-6 in their 20 overs with attacking Test batsman, Shimron Hetmyer, stroking a composed 66, including four fours and three sixes.

He received support from skipper Shoab Malik (47) and Sherfane Rutherford (40). Leftarm pacer, Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir claimed 3-23, while Guyanese Raun Johnson, one of the Firstclass player, took two wickets.

In reply, Jason Mohammed X1 reached 58-6 in 11.1 overs when rain brought an end to the game.

The final practice game will commence this afternoon from 18:00hrs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 7, 2018

President Granger wants to see Upper Mazaruni Games emulated countrywide -21st Annual District Games launched PRESIDENT David Granger, at the launching of the Upper Mazaruni 21st Annual District Games, said that he wants to see the model being implemented in other regions across the country as he pinpointed the organisation and high levels of competition.

The Games are being hosted at the Waramadong Sports Complex, CuyuniMazaruni (Region Seven) from August 5-13.

The President pointed out; “Every region I go to, I tell them to imitate the Upper Mazaruni model. This model, I want to see in Regions One, Two, Three and all of the other regions of Guyana.

The first time I came here, I was fascinated to see young men and women coming together for days for these games. This is an innovative move in sport in Guyana and I wish I could see this in other regions. It is inclusive, you have the young and the old,

boys and girls, rich and poor; everyone come together and it is also informative.

We learn from one another, we improve our techniques, but most of all these games are inspirational. So I want to see you strive for excellence and no matter how small, you shake up Guyana”.

He noted that the Government is working on the National Sports Development Policy, which aims to be all-inclusive. “We are working on a National Sports Development Policy, which will include the boys and girls, the hinterland and coastland; will help to develop infrastructure and will be fully comprehensive,” he said.

The President further revealed that through a collaborative effort between the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the Waramadong Sports Complex has been outfitted with floodlights, which will

cater for night games. This is the second ground that has been outfitted with floodlights in the region.

Mr. Rudolph Wellington, President of the Upper Mazaruni District Sports Council, in his brief remarks, said that this year there are 13 male teams and 12 female teams participating in the eight days of competition.

He also expressed gratitude to the President and the Government of Guyana for their continued support for the annual games.

“We thank you for your support because without your support, I don’t know how we will pull this off every year,” he noted.

Sportsmen and women from Kamarang, Kako, Kaikan, Arau, Paruima, Waramadong, Quebanang, Jawalla, Phillipai, Chinoweing, Imbaimadai and Wax Creek , some of them having travelled for several days are participating in the event,

Stephan DeLeon begins NBA journey with stint at IMG Academy

Stephan DeLeon

By Rawle Toney IT was Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher and writer who said “The journey of a thousand miles begin with one step,” something 14-year-old Stephan DeLeon is about to exemplify as he begins his journey to the NBA. “I think I have what it takes to be an NBA player,” the charismatic shooting guard told Chronicle Sport prior to his departure to the IMG Academy-- a preparatory boarding

school and sport training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States, which offers an integrated academic and athletic college preparatory experience across eight sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track & field and cross country.

DeLeon, a student of Chase Academy, will join Nashawnta Smith (baseball), Adaejah Hodge (track & field) and Angel George (tennis) from the British Virgin Islands (BVI) at the prestigious sports academy for a oneweek Youth (August 12 to 18) Core Sports Camp in their respective athletic disciplines.

Following the 2017 Hurricane that wreak havoc in Tortola, Stephan moved to Guyana and enrolled at the Henry Chase-owned school, which is well known for their exceptional sports programme.

Playing the position of guard, Stephan is described as an outstanding shooter and tenacious defender, who is highly focussed. The 14-year-old has been a perennial standout in BVI basketball camps since the age of four.

During the National Schools Basketball Championship, which is organised by Youth Basketball Guyana, DeLeon turned heads with his superb ball-handling skills, Steph Curry-like aim from behind the arc, as well as his unselfish style of play.

“My mother is my biggest supporter, along with family, so much of what I’m about to embark on is because of her,” the 14-yearold ball handler pointed out, when asked about his journey to the USA. Naming Golden State Warriors shooting guard Stephen Curry Turn to page 26 ►

President David Granger inspects the March Past at the launch of the Upper Mazaruni 21st Annual District Games in Waramadong. (DPI Photo)

identified by their own flags and colours and will over the days of the competition participate in athletics, archery, volleyball, swimming and other novelty games.

The Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs and the Department of Culture,

Youth and Sport have both contributed $1.5M each to the games while the Ministry of the Presidency has provided prizes and other forms of support to make the event possible.

The event was also attended by First Lady, Mrs.

Sandra Granger; Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton; Director of Sport, Mr. Christopher Jones; and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Mr. Alfred King.

Bangladesh beat Windies in Florida to win T20 series 28 PAGE

The Bangladesh team celebrate their T20 series victory over West Indies in Florida, Sunday night. (CWI Media/ Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography.)

Team Wreckers continue Endurance dominance

By Stephan Sookram

From left: Anand Ram chand Snr and members of the Ramchand’s Wrecker team-- Adrian Fernandes and Anand Ramchand Jnr. (GTRidez Photo)

THE Ramchand’s Wrecker team of Adrian Fernandes and Anand Ramchand successfully defended their title at the second Endurance event.

Organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), the wreckers were able to defend their title after challenges from the team of Sean Bacchus and Rama Latchman The Wreckers completed 84 laps, two ahead of Bacchus who completed 82 and the third place finisher Motilall Deodass who made 81.

The trio also represented the podium for the 15011600cc class.

In the 0-1500cc class, Haniff Mohamed completed 75 laps to be crowned champion ahead of Sunil Singh (61 laps) and Bishram Rajaram (60 laps).

In the 1601-2000cc class, Syad Hassan and his team were the only entrants to complete 60 laps, thus they took the top prize.

Anand Ramchand also won the unlimited class with 70 laps ahead of Rameez Mohamed 40 and Shan Seejattan 11.

Seejattan had a fastest lap time of 1:20.742.

The attention now swings to the third edition of the King of the Strip drag race meet set for August 26th.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2018