Guyana Chronicle E-paper 09-13-2018

THURSDAY 13th September, 2018

No.105396

A section of the large gathering at the community meeting held by President David Granger at Sisters Village, Berbice on Wednesday (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

LGEs will go on …President says elections are key to social cohesion

Modern bus service 04 coming PAGE

…investors to plug US$2M into Metro bus service

Jagdeo Cabinet hauled before SOCU …for role in sale of Pradoville 2 lands

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Exxon’s second exploration vessel to arrive next month U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil is bringing to Guyana a second exploration vessel – the Noble Tom Madden, which is due to arrive in October. This vessel will focus primarily on exploration of high-potential areas and will commence drilling at the ‘Pluma’ prospect approximately 17 miles or 27 kilometres from the Turbot well.

This announcement was made during a meeting between Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and the company’s Executive Vice-President, Mike Cousins and Country Manager, Rod Henson at the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the Minister of State said that the government welcomes this new development and is extremely pleased at the success of the new oil find at the Hammerhead-1 well, which was announced on August 30, 2018.

He told the team that Guyana continues to pre-

From left: Country Manager of ExxonMobil Guyana, Rod Henson; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Executive Vice-President at ExxonMobil Exploration Corporation, Mike Cousins

pare itself for the oil and gas sector and that the government is looking to build and strengthen its capacity, particularly in the technical areas, which will see many more Guyanese involved in the industry. Minister Harmon told the visiting team that the government would welcome support and assis-

tance to make this a reality.

“In the oil and gas sector, we want to look at the technical skills that can be absorbed. It is something we are paying attention to as a government. We are going to focus on our technical institutes and restructure them. It is an area in which we are going to focus heavily in the coming days. We need to re-equip them and expand them, so that we can get back young people into the workforce and we would like assistance in this area.

We currently have about 3,770 persons in the various

technical institutes and it is our intention to double or triple that number. We need to have about 10,000 young people enrolled in technical institutes. We have to ensure that our young people are

prepared and can enjoy a better life. We need to help them and we are looking forward to continuing that cooperation,” he said.

Additionally, the Minister of State placed on record, the government’s appreciation for the cooperation that currently exists between the Civil Defence Commission and ExxonMobil Guyana.

However, he noted that there are various other environmental projects in which he would welcome the company’s support.

“I have seen the work done with the CDC through the company and I think we need to continue to strengthen these processes and redouble our efforts. Personally, I believe that Georgetown can do with some help in terms of our physical environment, to the extent where we can bring Georgetown back and to a pristine state.

We need to recapture the clean-up spirit and emphasise and encourage solid waste management and such things,” he said.

Minister Harmon also used the opportunity to thank the company for its sponsorship and support to the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, which has secured its place in the final of the much-loved Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Cousins expressed appreciation for the ongoing partnership with the government and the country and reaffirmed his company’s commitment to working collaboratively in building capacity now and in the years to come.

ExxonMobil is estimated to have recoverable resource of more than 4 billion oil-equivalent barrels following a total of nine discoveries. (MoTP)

Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Executive Vice-President at ExxonMobil Exploration Corporation Mike Cousins, in discussion during their meeting on Wednesday morning

Police report 7% decrease in serious crimes THE Guyana Police Force has recorded a seven per cent decrease in serious crimes at the end of August, 2018 relative to the same period last year.

The Force in a press release stated that there was a 16 per cent decrease in Murders; a 23 per cent increase in Robberies where no instruments were used by the perpetrators; a one per cent increase in Robbery Under Arms in which firearms were used; a 19 per cent decrease in Robbery Under Arms where instru-

ments other than firearms were used; a 5 per cent increase in Robbery with Violence; a 30 per cent decrease in Robbery With Aggravation; an 18 per cent decrease in Larceny from the Person; a one per cent decrease in Rape; a four per cent increase in Burglary and a nine per cent decrease in Break and Enter and Larceny.

Meanwhile, the Force said 87 illegal firearms were taken off the streets so far this year, compared to 89 for the corresponding pe-

riod last year. ‘A’ division had the largest seizure of 38 firearms.

Police Force’s Press Officer Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan said the numerous ‘Social Crime Prevention’ activities embarked upon by the Guyana Police Force countrywide, the robust traffic enforcement campaigns as well as the large seizure of firearms are all responsible for the reduction in serious crimes and all categories of road accidents.

LGEs will go on 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

…President says elections are key to social cohesion

President David Granger addresses residents of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice

AGAINST the background of the opposition’s move to the courts to stop Local Government Elections (LGEs) in some districts, President David Granger on Wednesday vowed that those elections slated for November 12 will not be postponed.

President Granger was at the time addressing a large gathering at Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice, the Ministry of the Presidency reported. The president during a community meeting reminded residents that LGEs are a constitutional right which provides the citizens of Guyana with power. “I promised the nation and I promise you that as long as I am President LGEs will occur whenever it is due. I will not postpone LGEs. I cannot postpone something you are entitled to; it is not a privilege it is something that is embedded in the constitution; your right to elect leaders of your choice,” said President Granger.

LGEs were held for the first time after a 22- year hiatus, in March 2016. “It is because I believe that you are entitled to make decisions governing your own communities; it is because I believe that you have the right to

President David Granger interacts with an elderly resident of East Bank Berbice at the conclusion of the community meeting

elect your own leaders. It is because I believe it was wrong for the Minister of Local Government to go around the country installing interim management committees,” that LGEs were held.

President Granger told the residents who had gathered in their numbers at the Friends Primary School, that local governance “is an important vehicle for social cohesion” and is not about partisanship. “This is not a question of partisanship…

it is a question of participation,” said the head-of-state, who said residents have the power to improve their existing conditions. “The power is in your hands and that is why I committed to having LGEs regularly as the constitution calls for.”

He stressed that local government is a means of mutual respect as persons will work together for a common good. “That is the beauty of LGEs, everybody wins.” Moreover, President

Granger noted the low level of participation at elections in the region and called on the East Bank Berbice residents to carry out a massive mobilisation exercise to ensure every adult is “brought into the web of LGEs” The Guyanese leader urged the residents to carry out a “massive mobilisation exercise”. “If you don’t participate, then it means ‘meh nah care’…if you participate and play the role of a citizen, then you are saying this is

what I want for my community. You have to go door to door, street to street, field to field, and village to village, so that everybody can hear and see you. Regardless of who you are voting for, people will turn out and you will get maximum participation,” said President Granger.

The President told villagers that non-participation will not see issues being solved, stressing that unity is the key to effecting change. Meanwhile, he stressed the importance of villagers registering with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), adding that registering is the first step in being able to vote at any level. “Everyone needs to be registered,” he declared, while reminding villagers that “LGEs are very specific; these are different from General and Regional Elections… you have to vote where you belong, where you are registered.”

He also called on the residents to vote for substance and not on the basis of race or political affiliation. “You have to know what you are voting for. In LGEs, you don’t vote for race or even political parties. You vote for your community, or improvement of your community… It is not a matter of blind loyalty; it is about what is best,” declared President Granger. The President noted that over the years, residents of the East Bank Berbice have started to see changes, albeit slowly. He announced that street lights will be installed throughout East Bank Berbice in the future, while adding that having access to lights is not a luxury but a necessity.

“This is a question of getting organized, so that the government could assist people who need assistance,” he said, pointing to the Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme

which can assist “household economies.” The SLED programme seeks to provide financial support for entrepreneurial ventures, create income-generating opportunities, and promote improved practices in agriculture and livestock ventures, community development through the functioning of cooperatives and encourage successful business practices as well as enhance the skills of community members through participation in projects.

In this light, the head-ofstate pointed to the need to revitalise village economies, as he strongly believes most villages in Guyana have the ability to produce food or to be involved in agro-processing. As such, he urged villagers to look at the economic side of local government and not just the political side.

“The villages throughout the Corentyne can become economic power houses… this can be a function of local government,” he stated.

With three levels of government (central, regional and local) in Guyana, the President made it clear that local government is the most important arm as it sustains the whole structure of government. Persons at the local level are being strengthened and empowered to negotiate with the regional level and that level in turn collaborates with central government.

“If we fight each other none of the three levels will progress. We have to work together regardless of which party we come from,” declared President Granger, who said he is satisfied that because of efforts made by his administration, better quality of services would be delivered to the people of East Bank Berbice. President Granger also fielded questions from the residents and committed to having their concerns addressed.

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Modern bus service coming

By Lisa Hamilton

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UYANA may soon see the introduction of a US$2M hightech metro bus service into the public transport system should plans follow through with a new company on the market, Guyana Metro Bus. The company is set to be fully operational by June 2019, according to one of its investors, Robert Millington, who sat down with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday to disclose the plans and reasoning behind the initiative.

After leaving Guyana in his teens and spending 24 years in the U.S. Military, Millington retired in 2010 and returned to Guyana in 2013, when he earlier on set up another business, the American Eatery in Eccles, East Bank Demerara. There are two other individuals investing in the company who reside in the United States, while Millington serves for the time as the local representative.

The trio embarked on the mission after they observed, from abroad, the gradual deterioration of the level of service provided in the country’s

transport system. This Millington listed as self-imposed fare hikes, physical scuffles over passengers, loud and lewd music, speeding and more, stating: “All of those things forced us to consider what we can do.”

town to Parika; Georgetown to Timehri and Georgetown to Wales.

To service these routes, the company intends to import seven buses, either from North America, Brazil or China

electricity, and charged through a charging station which comes along with the bus.

Millington stated that given Guyana’s current energy challenges, the company will be leaning on the Guyana Power

…investors to plug US$2M into metro bus service 24-hour day guided by a specific time schedule, whether full or not, and will only be stopping at designated bus stops. Millington said that Metro Bus will be reaching out to various business organisations interested in con-

Business owner and Director of The American Eatery, Robert Millington

An image of what the metro buses will look like when acquired by Guyana Metro Bus

As such, in 2019, the Metro Bus service intends to initially operate five routes which are: Georgetown to Mahaica; Georgetown to Linden; George-

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

with five to operate the abovementioned routes and two on standby.

The buses will not rely on fuel, but will be powered by

and Light (GPL) to make its upgraded services available.

“We’re trying to work out with them to supply the electricity to charge the bus. When that doesn’t happen, we’re going to have generators to back up GPL…but we’re hoping that GPL improves. We saw the newspaper story which said they’re borrowing 20M and it would be nice if that works, because [a] business like mine that depend on electricity will be better,” he explained.

The buses can hold up to 64 passengers with 32 seated and 32 standing, if need be, by utilising handholds. Speaking to what the new service will cost consumers, Millington said: “Initially, [the prices will be] the same as the minibuses, because we want people to try it. If the bus is there and you want to get home, you can come on the bus, you don’t have to pay more.

That’s the introductory price for the first six months, after that the prices are going to be higher by 20 per cent.

“We understand that the people that are travelling in the minibuses, they don’t have a lot of money to spare. Even though we’re giving a better service, we also understand that we can’t double the price or triple the price from what the minibuses charge.”

This system also caters for the price variance currently paid in the public transport system by students and adults. The buses, depending on the route, will make up to 10 or 20 trips per

structing bus stops at strategic points, apart from those already in existence.

Meanwhile, the company is working to establish a bus terminal a short distance from the Stabroek Market Square and the process for this is progressing well.

When it comes to the payment system, the businessman said that persons will have the option to utilise a metro card or cash through an electronic machine. This is customary in developed countries such as North America, where the buses also operate without conductors.

However, for this to occur in Guyana, Millington says that the Metro Bus Company will need to consult the Ministry of Business as, by law, buses are mandated to have conductors.

“We won’t have any conductors.

The government says that buses have to have conductors [so] we have to engage with the Ministry of Business to work that out, either to change the law, or to have an exemption from the law,” he said, adding that this needs to be finalised before it is okay for the company to operate.

Apart from this, Millington said that the other procedure includes registering or incorporating the company in keeping with the country’s laws.

By 2019, MetroBus will begin advertising for a staff of 15 drivers, who must meet the necessary criteria to provide professional service.

Meanwhile, some five retired overseas Guyanese with experience in fixing electric metro buses will be utilised as the maintenance crew who will work to train some 10 locals, such as graduates of the Georgetown Technical Institute (GTI), to gradually replace them. Other benefits to the bus service include a programmed speed limit to guard against speeding and, in the future, Millington says the company hopes to expand its services to Berbice, Essequibo and around Georgetown.

However, until additional roadways are developed, the bus service will not be able to divert from Guyana’s main roadways. “The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is doing what it can. However, the roads that we’re using, are big enough, anywhere we’re going the buses can fit. That’s why we’re not going east, west or round town, because the roads may not be ready and we don’t want to cause traffic jams, so to speak,” he explained.

Speaking about the level at which the government will assist in these plans, Millington said: “We’d like to do as much as we can on our own and identify areas where the government can help us, such as, land for our [terminal] and helping us to come to an agreement with GPL for supplying electricity to charge our buses, providing maybe some help in electric cost…the government has a lot of stuff on their plate, if we can do it without bothering them, that’s great; if we can reduce the amount of help we ask them for that’s even better.”

Just two days ago, the company created a Facebook page to advertise the budding company and already Guyanese have begun to express an interest, including those from the diaspora.

However, some have begun to question whether the Metro Bus system will take away from the minibus operators. In response, Millington said the new service simply intends to offer an alternative to current options in the transport sector and takes into consideration the challenges customers currently face.

“We’re rescuing the customers from their grip. They [some minibus operators] don’t care about customers’ lives; they’re more worried about how fast they can get somewhere, so that they can go back and make more money. You cannot run a business like that and not care about people’s lives and not expect people like us to say ‘you can’t do that’

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Lula: Jailed ex-leader pulls out of Brazil election (BBC) Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pulled out of next month’s presidential election to allow his running mate to stand in his place.

Lula had been the frontrunner despite being in jail for a corruption conviction and despite the top electoral court barring his candidacy.

With the deadline for the registration of candidates only hours away, he threw his weight behind his Workers’ Party colleague Fernando Haddad.

The election is on 7 October.

It has been a tumultuous election campaign dominated

by Lula’s legal battles and the stabbing last week of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right candidate who is second in the polls behind Lula.

Mr Bolsonaro was attacked by a lone assailant during a campaign rally and is still in hospital..

WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH LULA? With the clock ticking down on a deadline for candidates to be registered, senior members of the Workers’ Party gathered in front of the police headquarters where Lula, 72, is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.

The party’s founder, Luiz Eduardo Greenhalgh, then read out a letter written by Lula in his cell.

In it, Lula, who governed from January 2003 until December 2010, said that he had been “unjustly imprisoned” before asking “all who would vote for me to vote for our friend Fernando Haddad for president”.

WHY WAS LULA BARRED? Lula was barred from running for the presidency under a 2010 law dubbed “Clean Slate”. It prohibits those who have a criminal conviction which has been upheld on appeal from running for public office.

In July 2017, Lula was found guilty of accepting an upgrade to a beachfront flat as a bribe from an engineering firm involved in a major corruption scheme.

Lula has always denied any wrongdoing and appealed against the verdict. The appeal was rejected and Lula was given 24 hours to turn himself in.

From his cell, Lula has continued the legal fight against his conviction and the ban which prevents him from running for public office.

WHY DID HE FINALLY GIVE UP? The decision was made less than two weeks after Brazil’s top electoral court ruled that he was “ineligible” to run for the presidency.

Lula’s legal team has appealed against that decision and the Supreme Court is still due to rule on it.

But after a Workers’ Party request to extend the deadline to register presidential candidates from the 11 September to 17 September was rejected, its leadership felt it had to act.

Not registering Mr Haddad meant that if Lula’s appeal were to fail, the party could have been left without a presidential candidate altogether.

After Lula backed Mr Haddad in his letter, the party registered him as its new candidate with just hours to spare.

WHAT NEXT? The Workers’ Party hopes people who were going to vote for Lula will now vote for Mr Haddad.

Lula left office with record approval ratings in 2010 and despite his imprisonment, almost 40% of people asked by polling firm Datafolha said

they would vote for him.

Mr Haddad, on the other hand, is not very well known outside of São Paulo, where he was mayor from 2013 to 2017.

In his letter, Lula said that Mr Haddad “will be my representative in this battle”.

“Our name is now Haddad!” he wrote.

Lula had a huge lead over all other candidates

In its first TV spot since Mr Haddad became its presidential candidate, the party also stressed the links between the two men.

Both Lula and Mr Haddad appear for the same amount of time and rather than talking about himself, Mr Haddad praises Lula and his achievements.

LULA’S LONG SHADOW In his letter, Lula says that while a man can be unfairly imprisoned, his

ideas cannot be. He’s made it clear he will keep fighting for the party from behind bars.

Lula asked his supporters to vote for Fernando Haddad but he’s a relative unknown, especially in the north-east of the country, a poor part of Brazil that has traditionally been a Lula heartland.

There are less than four weeks left until the first round. The latest poll, released by IBOPE on Tuesday evening, suggested that the percentage of voters intending to back far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro had risen to 26%. Mr Haddad isn’t doing badly - his share has risen to 8% while other candidates saw their share remain stable or fall.

The Workers’ Party has adopted a new slogan “Haddad is Lula” - there’s no clearer signal that although Lula is out of the race, the country’s most popular politician is still in the minds of millions.

WHO IS FERNANDO HADDAD? He was the minister of education during Lula’s presidency and is thought to enjoy his trust. He was Lula’s vice-presidential running mate until now.

From 2013 to 2017, the

55-year-old also served as mayor of São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city and faced mass demonstrations against bus fare rises.

The Workers’ Party hopes that Mr Haddad will get through to the run-off scheduled for 28 October.

But Mr Haddad is facing legal problems of his own. Prosecutors allege that during his campaign for mayor his team received a loan from a construction firm which stood to benefit from contracts once he was elected. He has denied any wrongdoing.

WHAT DO THE POLLS SAY? The most recent poll carried out by research company Ibope between 8 and 11 September suggests the following results for the top five candidates: Jair Bolsonaro (far right, PSL): 26% Ciro Gomes (centre left, PDT): 11% Marina Silva (green, Rede): 9% Geraldo Alckmin (centre right, PSDB): 9% Fernando Haddad (Workers’ Party, PT): 8% It is expected that Mr Haddad’s share will rise now he is the Workers’ Party’s official candidate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Civic responsibility

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VER so often, criticisms can be heard from citizens about their disappointment in the pace and quality of development in the society. Nothing is inherently wrong with this type of discontent, given that it can propel persons to participate in or take proactive decisions to bring about the development desired. Conversely, where opportunities and responsibilities exist to realise these, when they are ignored or flouted, they hinder the very desire.

For instance, Guyanese bemoan, rightly so, the spate of road accidents and condemn those who are involved. At the same time, even as condemnation is fitting, those who so condemn are themselves guilty of not obeying the traffic laws and good practice Undertaking, driving above the speed limits, and engaging in other acts of discourtesy while using the roads remain daily features.

When the environment is littered with garbage, its unsightly presence and stench attract the ire of citizens. Among those who condemn are the ones who would throw their garbage around, instead of disposing of it in a bin or keep it on them until it can be properly disposed. When city council

and other Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) cannot adequately provide services, they are condemned.

Again, among those who condemn they are those who do not pay their taxes, which the NDCs depend on to do their work.

The physical environment can look chaotic and negative comparisons made, but to seek to bring orderliness by requiring adherence to some system such as organised parking would too be ignored. Drivers will park in areas clearly marked no parking zones, and private property owners and businesses have taken control of the city’s parapets, determining who can or cannot park in front of their premises.

Guyanese have the advantage of not only observing from afar, but also travelling to countries where orderliness, such as traffic and the physical environment, is admired. Such exposure also allows for comparison with what is happening at home and often condemned. Abroad, Guyanese will not grumble but bid their time waiting in lines, content to observe the prevailing etiquette. The cleanliness of other societies is admired and Guyanese will take their cue in such an environment by ensuring proper disposal of their garbage. They also do likewise when using these roads.

These practices are however not observed at home and it

is not unusual to see the return to unacceptable behaviour soon after deplaning.

Paying taxes, obeying the laws, and displaying public courtesy are civic responsibilities and important to the development of every society. Societies would find it difficult to progress where these values are disregarded. The pursuit and maintenance of this helps to explain why deterrence is built into laws- such as stiff fines for littering- in order to ensure obedience. It not a case where Guyanese are incapable of doing the right thing, but there may be need for enforcement, such as in increased policing and making the deterrence prohibitive enough to ensure appropriate behaviour.

While some are prepared to uphold their civic responsibilities, where others are not so prepared, strong decisions have to be taken to bring about the needed behavioural change. The clogged drains, garbage thrown around, discourteous drivers, tax defaulters, and other acts of flagrant disregard for laws and proper social conduct not only threaten a nation’s public health, they hinder the type of development the country deserves.

This is an area which government may find it useful to revisit laws and collaborate with stakeholders.

Guyana should be Don’t be too harsh on them wary of delaying I oil production Dookie’s special leave matter Dear Editor,

ed.

Dear Editor,

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HERE is a view that the multiple production projects that will be taking place offshore Guyana – with first-oil in 2020 and five potential projects by 2025 – is too rapid a pace of development and this should be slowed.

At the current rate, Guyana, according to Exxon, could be producing as much as 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025, raking in billions of dollars for the economy – billions we do not have and desperately need. Those who share the view that the production should be slowed, must not know how badly we need this revenue to develop our economy and society.

There is the old saying that it is better to ‘make hay

while the sun shines.’ In the world of oil production, the sun is shining – for now.

This includes favourable oil prices, manageable production costs, and a stable environment. But as history has shown, there is no guarantee that this will continue. And, many experts believe that the days of consistently high oil prices are behind us, and oil in itself will eventually be replaced as the primary energy source. If we don’t monetise our resources quickly, we could end up holding fool’s gold instead of real gold.

Then there is the urgent need for development in Guyana. Crumbling infrastructure, limited and below par health care, poor electricity and water supplies, are but a few of the shortcomings that require immediate attention. It

therefore seems that the wise approach is not to slow down the development of Guyana’s vast oil reserves, but for us to keep up with progress. It will require lots of work in the next year and a half, but we can do it. Government must hire a number of real experts who can provide carefully considered advice and direction on how Guyana can maximise the benefits of oil revenue. The Sovereign Wealth Fund must become operational in short order.

The Petroleum Commission must come into existence. A vision for how the billions of dollars will be invested in a manner that benefits the present and future generations must be crafted.

Regards Clement Smith

STRONGLY agree and support the position that national symbols must never be desecrat-

The recent action by two overzealous cricket fans cannot be condoned, but I would hasten to add that we should not be too harsh in our condemnation and put it down to the young ladies being

caught up in the euphoria of the moment. I am sure that they have recognised their folly and regret their action.

Regards Shamshun Mohamed

reveals a comedy of errors Dear Editor,

D

EPUTY Superintendent of Police M o t i e D o o k i e ’s (ex-SWAT head) special leave matter reveals a comedy of errors. The learned judge erred in treating this special leave matter as if it were, a priori, an act of disciplinary control. It was not. The respondent`s Affidavit was periphrastically drawn-here pleading errors happened. The Permanent Secretary, Department of Public Service, duly performing his “approval” role, nevertheless seems to have misapprehended (in this case) the applicability of the law as to special leave in the public interest as some stop-gap measure in the absence of a Police Service Commission (PSC). It is not.

Yet again, learned counsel Nandlall (Dookie’s lawyer) has succeeded with superfi-

cial, over simplistic and vacuous arguments with his customary abstract disquisition on trite constitutional law.

And in this case the Respondent`s defence ought to have been unassailable. It failed. (“Decision to send ex-SWAT head on leave unlawful-court rules” SN 2018-09-02).

Editor, Nandlall’s focus on article 212(1) of the Constitution, is misguided and misplaced. It succeeded (aided by abject defence pleading) in simplistically hoodwinking the court to making a finding that DSP Dookie was suspended!

But if the CoP(ag) could not discipline him, was he suspending him? With the letter from CoP (ag) to DSP Dookie not making any reference to Rule H33 of the Public Service Rules, was Counsel aware of Rule H33 when he filed his application for certiorari?

Probably not. Article 112 is as familiar to lawyers; as Rule H33 is unfamiliar. So, one

is entitled to ask: what is the documentary evidential basis for Nandlall’s assertion that the CoP (ag) acted purportedly to discipline DSP Dookie, and ipso facto, in contravention of article 212(1) which vests In the PSC the exclusive power to discipline officers of Dookie’s rank. Certainly, it cannot be, and was not the CoP (ag) letter!

Regrettably, in a fatal flaw premised on an a priori assumption that the then CoP (ag) (“Deputy Commissioner” sic) acted unilaterally [rather than conjunctively with PS (PSM)], the learned Judge wrote viz “The only issue is whether the Deputy Commissioner is vested with the power by the constitution or by Rule H33 of the Public Service Rules 1987 Revised Edition… to send Mr. Dookie on special leave”. With all due respect, constitutional power vested Turn to page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Dookie’s special leave matter ...

in CoP is unknown! I entirely agree with former CoP Winston Felix that Rule H33 was applicable, and properly, and duly, invoked in this matter (contrary to Nandlall`s belated orally submitted vacuous extravagant nonsense, that “a literal reading of Rule H33 disqualifies its application to the Guyana Police Force altogether.” – extracted from the Judge’s written ruling.). Rule H33 is plainly applicable by section 100 of the Police Act, Cap 16:01, it is not inherently repugnant to the constitutional purposes of article 212(1); its (coextensive) exercise cannot frustrate those beneficent purposes as the officer is, notwithstanding being on special leave, ex hypothesi, still promotable, transferable, and confirmable; disciplinable, and removable (as the case maybe) by the PSC. On its totality, and implicitly the defence pleadings raised the crucial aspect of “public interest” ground in Rule H33 as the reason or purpose for the special leave. Was that defence illusory? Public interest is paramount and transcends DSP Dookie`s individual contractual rights to be on active duty; and the public interest in this instance is personified conjointly in the CoP (as recommender) and the PS (PSM) (as approver) in terms of Rule H33 (it is silent as to if “approval” to be in writing, or oral suffices). So, if having cogitated on this paramountcy “a decision” was arrived at that the public interest necessitated that Dookie proceed on special leave, how was that a suspension? How could, how did that defence fail? (esp. paragraphs, 10,11 and 12 of the Respondent’s Affidavit provided this evidence of public interest necessity).

Turning briefly to further and better particulars as to the factual justification for acting for the public interest. On its face, this was not a decision arrived at whimsically or capriciously. Given the prima facie facts of DSP Dookie’s presence (alone with the driver – a circumstance from which grave suspicion is; not unreasonably engendered) in the vehicle in which some 357 bottles ( not 30 bottles) of uncustomed whiskey was; the rank and high profile status as the SWAT head; the wide media publicity and consequential nation-wide public awareness of that circumstance and the perception or appearance or impression of corruptibility or criminality ensuing; the notorious public distrust and loss of confidence by a distrusting Guyanese public in the police force (generally at any rate) - such notoriety entitling a Judge to take judicial notice of it, - this matter,

ineluctably became, and was, one of palpable public interest.

This was not hypotheses; this was realities.

What then was to be done in the exigencies of the situation? What should the CoP`s response (as head of public security administration) have been – mindless and heedless passivity or indifference; or administrative action, to disabuse public perception?

Should he have folded his arms in sterile despair? Surely, such disabusement or mitigation was of, and in, public interest. Surely the law could not be such an ass as to not provide an administrative remedy in the face of such preception.

There is an overriding public interest that there should be public confidence in the administration of public security.

Passivity erodes or diminishes such confidence. Administrative impotency was not an option; that would have been a betrayal of this duty as CoP to maintain public confidence in the GPF. The response was to send Dookie on special leave – action not capricious, and within the limits of statutory power under Rule H33. Evidentially, on the very familiar and established legal principle of presumption of regularity of official acts, that action, taken pursuant to Rule H33, was approved by PS (PSM), on the recommendation of the CoP (ag) and ipso facto, and ipso jure, in compliance with it.

Has the Applicant (DSP Dookie) produced any positive or direct evidence (Affidavit or otherwise) to rebut or displace this presumption of regularity?

Absolutely none. With respect, the learned Judge’s finding that CoP acted “unilaterally”, is against the weight of this presumptive evidence.

En passant, I cautiously endorse the view about the constitutional doctrine of necessity proffered by the learned Attorney General (“AG awaiting word from legal team” GC Wednesday September 5, 2018). I express no opinion, on this complex issue except to say it is fully and eruditely elucidated by Haynes, P. in Mitchell and others (1986) LRC (const) 35.

Turning now to case law authority, the learned Judge relied on and applied suspension cases. But that approach begs the question – was DSP Dookie suspended, in fact, and in law, when sent on special leave? There is local (analogous) case of Barker, AG, PSC V. Eric Douglas (unreported) – a 1996 majority decision of the Court of Appeal involving the discharge of Sargent Douglas by the CoP under statutory powers in the Police Act Cap 16:01, in the PUBLIC INTEREST (so immedi-

ately its relevance is acute).

The CoA (reversing the High Court decision of George, CJ) held that the discharge was not unconstitutional, and it was not unlawful (there is much dicta that discharge in the public interest - where there is a mere appearance of criminality - does not involve exercising disciplinary control–the judgement of Kennard, JA is particularly illuminating and instructive). I would rely on this Douglas case as an ANALOGY regarding non disciplinary, unfavourable action against a police officer in the public interest, as in both Douglas and Dookie, the statutory ground is the public interest, and there was involuntary foisting on the policeman, some disfavour.

Analogical reasoning is very familiar in judicial adjudication (I argue that the suspension Privy Council case of Rees V Crane which was not cited by the Judge, in which a High Court Judge was ordered by the Chief Justice`s letter to the Judge to cease presiding in Court, if its ratio decidendi is properly understood and intellectually considered, supports the Attorney General’s arguments of Dookie being ordered by the CoP to cease performing active duties (ie special leave) being lawful administrative action - the learned reader is referred to (1994) 43 WIR at pages 452(b) – 453(f)). Doubtless, if ex hypothesi, a police officer’s mental condition prima facie posed some serious risk to the public, he could be leaved under RH33. Would that be a suspension? Absolutely not.

A convenient point, I think, to quote Rule H33 (which must be read together with section 100 of the Police Act cap 16:01) for the benefit of the lay reader viz: “special leave with full pay on the ground of public interest may with the approval of the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry be granted to a public servant upon the recommendation of the Permanent Secretary / Head of Department / Regional Executive Officer.” A CoP falls within the ambit of “Head of Department,” and similarly in Rees V Crane, the Privy Council could refer to the Chief Justice as “the head of judicial administration…” The adjective “special” in its legislative context (Rule H33 is a subsidiary legislation) means (Judges and most lawyers knows) that those words are interpreted so that the leave must relate to, and be justified by the public interest, not relate to the personal idiosyncracies of the policeman, such as his preference to be on duty. Both a “public servant”; and PS/HoD/

REO can invoke Rule H33. In either case of grant, the public interest is the overriding consideration. Has Rule H33 ever been judicially interpreted?

There is no inherent unworkability in being coextensively and contemporaneously, both applicant and recommender, to the disadvantage of the “public servant” (DSP Dookie is a public servant).

A most convenient point to quote the Police Act, section 100 which provides viz “ALL MEMBERS of the Force shall . . . be subject to the provisions of the regulations or other written law relating to the administration of the PUBLIC SERVICE as are in force from time to time.” The Dookie case was decided per incuriam (ie through inadvertence or want of care) without reference to section 100. Nandlall`s contention is plainly refuted by section 100. En passant, I mention that the words “All members” would have to be interpreted, mutatis mutandis, as excluding the CoP who under article 232(6) (b) of the Constitution, enjoys a security

of tenure equivalent to Judges, DPP etc.; this equivalency means that a CoP cannot be sent on forced special leave by the PS/Minister of Public Security as he is in just a secure position as the Judge in Rees V. Crane (the suspension case mentioned above).

Editor, in letters I wrote last year in response to the misguided hysteria generated by the Government’s/ President’s promotions freeze letter to the PSC, I had more fully elucidated and adumbrated and debunked the notion that articles 212 (and 226) meant that the Government had no function or power in relation to PSC appointees (“Maxwell responds to Devonish” GC-August 14, 2017; “President has constitutional power to stop police promotions” KN Monday August 14, 2017; the other “it is for the Gov’t. to define national security concerns” GC Friday August 18, 2017). Those letters compliment the views I have expressed in this letter, about leave.

I end with this: the Dook-

From page 6

ie case raised novel and complex issues of much practical relevance and significance in relation to the division of powers and functions between the PSC and CoP in the case of senior officers, on which authoritative judicial erudition was patently needed. In my writings I have endeavoured to show that members of the GPF (except the CoP) are leaveable under Rule H33. DSP Dookie was leaved under Rule H33. The power under Rule H33 is sui generis. It is invokable whether there is an extant PSC, or not. Dookie (despite some paraphrastic pleadings) was not disciplined when the CoP (ag) invoked Rule H33. To judicially deny its beneficent use by the CoP, is to purport to render it obsolete and nugatory to that extent. That, any court must vigilantly restrain itself from doing, when invited to do so on abstract disquisition on law.

Regards Maxwell. E. Edwards

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Energy Ministry not likely before 2020 – President Granger THE A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government is not likely to establish the Ministry of Energy before 2020, President David Granger has said.

The President, during his August 31, 2018 press conference noted his administration’s intention to establish a ministry that would be responsible for the oil-and-gas sector but on Wednesday he clarified that the Ministry of Energy would not likely be

established before 2020.

It is 2020 when US oil-giant ExxonMobil is expected to start pumping for oil here in the Stabroek Block, and also when Guyanese are expected to head to the polls for the General and Regional Elections.

On the sideline of the swearing-in ceremony of the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority at State House on Wednesday, President Granger told reporters that the present configuration of Cabinet is determined by

the Cummingsburg Accord – the agreement that brought the APNU and AFC together as a coalition to contest the May 2015 Elections.

Based on the present configuration, he said it is not likely that after three years in Government, a new ministry would be created. “I think at this stage after three years we wouldn’t want to add a new ministry, particularly as the Department of Energy is now being established in terms of its organisation, administration, legislation,” the

President explained.

Noting that the task ahead of the Department of Energy, headed by Dr Mark Bynoe, is tremendous, President Granger said, “It probably would not be before 2020 that a full blown ministry could be established.”

He added: “Even if we wanted to do it, I think it would be a rush job. It would be hasty to attempt to do it.”

The Department of Energy is currently assembling a team as Guyana prepares for the production of oil and gas in 2020. In a move to strengthen its petroleum management department, Government in August appointed Matthew Wilks – an experienced senior oil and gas business developer and negotiator – as the Oil and Gas Adviser in the Department of Energy.

Wilks, who brings with him 32 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, will offer critical advice to Dr Bynoe – an Environment and Resource Economist. Dr Bynoe formerly headed the Project Development and Management Unit of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

The Department of Energy, which was established on August 1, falls directly under the Ministry of the Presidency and follows a proposal by Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman to have specialised attention placed on the petroleum sector, given the complexity of tasks

President David Granger speaking to reporters at State House on Wednesday

that exist with the administering of such resources.

Under the current construct, a quintet of ministers is given support to the department. The ministers – Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, the Minister of State Joseph Harmon, the Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, and the Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman have been paying attention to several critical areas that would set a foundation for the effective and efficient management of the industry.

These include the organisational structure of the department; legislation to be introduced for the sector; negotiation with potential investors; exploration and production licences; public

communication responsibilities; the engagement of technical experts; the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund; capacity-building measures; the review of fiscal contractual terms; and the transfer of responsibility from the Ministry of Natural Resources to the department.

In August, the Government presented a Green Paper to the National Assembly under the titled ‘Managing Future Petroleum Revenues and Establishment of Fiscal Rule and a Sovereign Wealth Fund’, which is expected to lay the foundation for the Sovereign Wealth Fund legislation, expected to be laid in the National Assembly before the end of 2018.

Father appears in court for alleged murder of son MOHAN Sookdeo ,called “Wire,”- the man who killed his son last Saturday was on Wednesday arraigned at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder.

It is alleged he murdered his 21-year-old son Satesh Kevin Sookdeo at their Foulis, East Coast Demerara home.

The 44-year-old man appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune and was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that Sookdeo on September 8, 2018 murdered the youth.

He was represented by Lawyer Haymant Ramdhani and was remanded to prison until October 2.

According to reports, Mohan Sookdeo and his wife had an argument , during which he grabbed

Mohan Sookdeo called “Wire”

DEAD Satesh Kevin Sookdeo

her by the neck and began choking her at their of Lot 217 Fifth Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara home. Upon seeing this, Satesh and another sibling intervened. The father, who was outraged pulled

a broken louvre pane and stabbed the young man to the chest. Neighbours rushed to the family’s aid after hearing screams, but it was too late as the younger Sookdeo had already succumbed to his injuries.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Bishop Benedict Singh passes away THE first Guyanese-born Roman Catholic Bishop, Benedict Ganesh Singh passed away early Wednesday morning at the Balwant Singh Hospital, after a period of illness. He was 90 years old.

According to a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese, he was admitted to the private hospital one week ago suffering from an unspecified illness. His funeral service will take place from Brickdam Cathedral on Monday, September 17, 2018 at 15:00hrs.

President David Granger extended heartfelt condolences at the passing of Bishop Singh, CCH. In a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, the President extended heartfelt sympathy to the relatives and friends of Bishop Singh.

Commenting on his death, current Bishop Francis Alleyne said “I join with the church and the nation in giving God thanks for the life of Bishop Benedict Singh, who died on Wednesday 12th September, 2018 after a short illness. Fifteen years ago, I was appointed to succeed Bishop Singh as Bishop of Georgetown, to put on the mantle that he carried for 32 years. During my time in office, as I have come to better understand and gain insight into the events and circumstance in the Church and in Guyana over the period of his tenure, I have come to very much appreciate and admire the quiet and formidable strength and resolve of this churchman. This Son of the Soil has served Church and Nation nobly. May he rest in Peace. “ The late bishop was born on December 2, 1927 in Lusignan, East Coast Demer-

Bishop Benedict Ganesh Singh

ara. He was the son of Joseph Alexander and Matilda Amanda (Fredericks) Singh.

His ordination to the priesthood took place in Rome on December 7, 1954.Later, he obtained his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Propaganda College in Rome in 1957. His thesis was “The Theory of Relevation in Hindu Philosophy and Religion.”

He returned to serve the church in Guyana in December 1957, when his first appointment was to the Meadow Bank church. From 1958 for 10 years he was in charge of the long coastal strip from Malgre Tout on the West Bank of Demerara to the Essequibo Islands.

In 1968 he was named the first Guyanese-born Chancellor of the Diocese.

In that capacity, he acted as vicar general and administered the diocese on several occasions during the absence of Bishop Guilly from the country. On February 18, 1971, Pope Paul VI appointed Father Benedict Singh to be the Auxillary Bishop of Georgetown.

On Sunday 18 April 1971, in Brickdam Cathedral which was filled to its utmost capacity, Benedict Singh was

led to the altar to be made the first Guyanese Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church his titles being Titular Bishop of Arsenaria and Auxillary Bishop of Georgetown. On August 12th, 1972, he succeeded Bishop Guilly as Bishop of Georgetown, a position he held until his retirement on 10th November, 2003.

According to the Roman Catholic Diocese, Bishop Singh inherited leadership of the church in Guyana at a time when everything in it seemed to revolve around the clergy.” He however recognised the important role not only Guyanese clergy, but also of lay people in the work of spreading the good news of salvation,” the church said.

“To this end he was responsible for introduction of the Parish Lay Assistants (PLA) training programme very soon after he took over as bishop.

This took place not only on the coastland, but also in the vast interior regions where lay people assumed more responsibility in the work of the church taking on tasks of instructing and organising the local communities, even in the management of parishes and specialist areas such as heading the diocesan office for youth and religious education,” the church noted.

It was noted too that his tenure will also be most remembered for the courage and zeal he showed in the struggle for democracy, justice and peace in Guyana, during the country’s more turbulent years. Bishop Singh was the recipient Cacique Crown of Honour Government of Guyana in 1993.

Man beaten in Sophia still hospitalised THE man who allegedly tried to violate an underage girlchild on Monday night at his home in Sophia and who was severely beaten by irate villagers, remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The police said he is under police guard and his condition is listed as sta-

ble. The man was severely beaten when he was caught red-handed holding the minor against her will in his home.

The police are currently awaiting legal advice on the matter.

It was after 21:00hrs on Monday when the man was severely beaten by fellow villagers, after he reportedly

managed to lure the underage girl into his house and secured the door, but was unsuccessful in his alleged attempt to rape the child.

The man was left lying in a bloodied state on the roadway as a result of the thrashing that was inflicted on him. He was however, rescued by the police.

Gunman jailed, accomplices remanded

Jason Hunte and Michael Vanderstoop

A 30-year-old Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara resident was on Wednesday jailed after pleading guilty for possession of arms and ammunition, stemming from the recent bust while his two co-accused were remanded to prison for the crime.

Michael Vanderstoop was sentenced to two years imprisonment along with a fine of $100,000 for the offences after pleading guilty to the two charges when they were read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The alleged mastermind, Jason Hunte, 32 and Terrence Frank, 33 both of Samatta Point Grove, EBD, pleaded not guilty to the two charges and were remanded to prison until

September 27. The charges against the men alleged that on September 6,2018, at Samatta Point Public Road, they had a 9mm Ruger Pistol and a 45 Colt Pistol. It is also alleged that on the same date, the trio had six rounds of 9mm ammunition along with four rounds of .45 ammunition.

Hunte and Frank were represented by attorneys-at- law George Thomas and Patrice Henry respectively.

The attorney made an application for bail for their clients on the grounds that no firearm was found in their possession. The lawyers contended that their clients were only passengers in a motor vehicle, which was stopped by the police and the said items were found inside.

Terrence Frank

According to the facts presented in court by Police Prosecutor Jillian Simons, on the day in question the men were arrested following an intelligence-led operation by the police. On September 6, around 09:30hrs, the police intercepted motor car PSS 4118 along the Samatta Point Public Road with five men inside.

Simons noted that both Vanderstoop and Hunte were in the back seat, while Frank was in the front passenger seat. The two other men in the vehicle are being used as witnesses in the case.

The prosecutor noted that Hunte was the alleged mastermind and he along with the two defendants were en route to rob a supermarket in the area.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Jagdeo Cabinet hauled before SOCU …for role in sale of Pradoville 2 lands FORMER President and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds along with several other former government officials on Wednesday afternoon appeared before the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) for questioning in relation to the role they played in the sale of state lands at Pradoville 2.

Hinds was accompanied by former Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall; former Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai; former Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsarran and former Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday afternoon.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, former Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira and former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee also received calls from SOCU for questioning. Opposition Member of

Parliament Anil Nandlall, told reporters prior to the meeting with SOCU on Wednesday afternoon that “as far as we are aware,” certain members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cabinet who attended a particular meeting in March 2010 have been invited by SOCU for questioning.

Following the appearance, Nandlall, who was making an appearance as an attorney for his colleagues, told reporters that the former ministers were asked a number of questions in relation to Pradoville2. He said it was the subject of a Cabinet meeting back in 2010.

“Nobody could remember, the Cabinet meeting took place 10 years ago or thereabout and therefore hardly can anyone remember what transpired at the Cabinet meeting,” Nandlall said.

He said what was discussed at Cabinet is a confidential matter and that

members of Cabinet cannot disclose “confidential matters “to anyone. He said too that the former ministers were shown by SOCU a document that has a format of Cabinet, but he noted that it appears to have been unsigned.

Nandlall said a number of other officials of the former government are expected to appear at SOCU and when asked if Jagdeo will appear, he said “I have no such information.” He said he believes the entire situation “is designed to culminate in some set of charges which we have been told are likely to come.”He posited that SOCU is building a case and what he considers “relevant evidence” towards the establishment of a case.

He said his clients have refused to sign the documents that contain the answers to the questions which they were asked, because they were refused a copy of the document con-

Former government officials outside the offices of SOCU on Wednesday. From left is opposition MP Pauline Sukhai, former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, opposition MP Anil Nandlall, who appeared as an attorney on their behalf and former Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall. (Samuel Maughn photo)

taining their answers.

Earlier on Wednesday, former ministers of government Manzoor Nadir and Robeson Benn were grilled by SOCU. Speaking to another media entity, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said: “It appears that SOCU has again begun to call all the ministers of the former administration -- the PPP/C

government-- to continue with the puppy show they are going on with.”

The Guyana Chronicle reported recently that charges are expected to be instituted against persons fingered in the Sparendaam Housing Project AKA Pradoville Two, land scam, according to a well-placed source. The Guyana Chronicle under-

stands that investigations into the housing project are near completion, and that charges could be laid soon. The investigations are based on a forensic audit which found that several persons close to the last government had received prime seafront property belonging to the state at extraordinarily low cost.

Gov’t to release MoU with T&T – President Granger PRESIDENT David Granger said his government does not have a

problem making public the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for

cooperation in oil and gas it intends to sign with Trinidad and Tobago.

“It is not a secret document, it is just an agreement to cooperate,” the President told reporters at State House on Wednesday. He noted that the MoU was vetted by the Department of Energy headed by Dr Mark Bynoe, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I will ask for that document to be released,” the President assured.

On Wednesday, it was expected that the MoU for cooperation in oil and gas would have been signed between the two CARICOM countries, along with a Framework Agreement for the deepening of bilateral cooperation, but the signing was postponed. Another date is being considered.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) had publicly called on the Guyana Government not to sign the MoU last week, contending that it must first view the content of the ‘agreement.’

Amid the concerns of the GCCI, the Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge dispelled the notion that that

MoU on the oil and gas sector was a binding agreement.

“The MoU itself is usually followed by more concrete arrangements between the relevant sectors, it is not by itself a binding instrument,” Minister Greenidge explained earlier this week.

Since last year, the government had signalled its intent of renewing the Framework Agreement for the deepening of bilateral cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago. The Framework Agreement was signed between the two parties in August 1999 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and was valid for 10 years initially and then renewed for five successive periods, but was never enacted.

“It was a 10-year MoU, it was signed and no riot occurred, no sector was destroyed, there was no apocalypse and I am sure this will not happen on this occasion either and the same thing applies to the MoU in relation to the Belt and Road Project,” Minister Greenidge added.

Days after issuing its call, GCCI, in a press statement, said it remains supportive of foreign investors in Guyana.

“The GCCI believes that foreign investors have played, and continue to play, an integral role in driving economic growth and national development. In an era of global business, the benefits of international cooperation in key areas of private sector development are undeniable. Technology transfer, skills development, international markets for goods and services are a few areas where readily, the engagement of foreign investors and companies can bode well for private sector development,” the GCCI said in a statement on Monday.

Noting that it is supportive of partnerships with Guyana’s Caribbean counterparts in the spirit of regionalism, the GCCI said it endorses collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago in the oil and gas sector.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

New police complaints chair to tackle backlog of cases PRESIDENT David Granger swore in Justice William Ramlal as the new Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority on Wednesday– a move intended to increase the public’s trust in the Guyana Police Force.

Addressing the backlog of cases before the authority would be the first order of business when the chairman settles in his new post.

Ramlal, a retired judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana, who is specialises in criminal and civil law, was sworn in in the presence of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Chairman of the Police Service Commission Paul Slowe and Commissioner of Police Leslie James, at State House. The Police Complaints Authority was established under the Police Complaints Authority Act (1989) as an independent body vested with the powers to receive “complaints of specified cases of misconduct by members of the Police

President David Granger presenting Justice (Ret’d) William Ramlal with his instrument of appointment shortly after being sworn in (Samuel Maughn’s Photo)

Force” and “supervise investigation of certain serious crimes alleged to have been committed by members of the Police Force.”

In his address, President Granger said Ramlall’s appointment is consistent with the government’s commitment to increasing public

trust in the Police Force.

“The authority can help to improve the level of public trust between the police and the public. The authority is a critical link between the police and the public. It provides a means through which the public can have its grievances against police malprac-

tice addressed in an impartial manner by an independent person,” the President told those present.

He noted too that the PCA serves as a public defence against the force’s abuse of citizens’ rights, noting that it is an avenue that citizens can use to hold members of

the force accountable for their actions. “The authority can engender greater public trust in the force by ensuring that the force’s actions are in conformity with respect for human rights, including the right to life and liberty – rights, which are guaranteed by the constitution,” President Granger further explained.

In an effort to effectively discharge its mandate, the authority must be honest, impartial, and independent, the President said, as he extended a hand of support from the executive branch.

Moments after receiving his instrument of appointment from President Granger, Ramlal told reporters that his first order of business would be getting acquainted with staff and assessing the backlog of cases. “There hasn’t been an authority there for a while, so I expect the backlog to be humongous,” he told reporters.

Ramlall, however, admitted that he has never visited the authority’s office. “I don’t have any idea at the moment

what is the status of the affairs of the authority. I never went there, so until I get there and can assess what are the difficulties, I wouldn’t be able to comment on that,” the chairman said, when asked by the Guyana Chronicle if the authority is well equipped to execute its functions.

Ramlal also served as a magistrate for several years; a State Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers; a teacher of Commercial Law and led a successful private practice. The retired judge attended the University of Guyana, where he read for the Bachelor of Laws Part One before proceeding to the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, where he completed Parts Two and Three. He is also the holder of the Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School and was a part of several professional training programmes.

His appointment comes more than a year after former Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard retired from the position in 2017.

Man killed in W/Ruimveldt blaze died of smoke inhalation – autopsy The remains of the house in which Bramble was burnt to death

CHRISTOPHER ‘Harry’ Bramble, 56, whose charred remains were removed from his West Ruimveldt home on Monday died as a result of smoke inhalation, according to an autopsy done on Wednesday.

The body was identified by his daughter of Albouystown, Georgetown.

There have been allegations that the house was deliberately set on fire. Residents in the area said that Bramble and his reputed wife shared a rocky relationship in their one-flat wooden home at Lot 39 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Reports indicate that his

reputed wife Jewel Coats, 36, was burnt about the body in the wee hours of Monday morning, after residents who were alerted to a fire rescued her. One eyewitness said that after she was rescued, residents asked about her husband’s whereabouts and she related that he was not at home.

The woman was then taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital because she suffered severe burns to her hands and body. She is listed as serious but in a stable condition as investigations continue.

Neighbours expressed outrage and related that the woman was the abusive person in the relationship, noting

that Bramble was always advised to end the relationship but never did. He was reportedly stabbed by her once and was also beaten on several occasions.

Initial investigations revealed that residents observed smoke and fire emanating from the small cottage at about 00:15hr on Monday morning and responded.

“They were forced to break a wall to remove the female from the-then engulfed structure since its door was locked; and it was only after the fire

was extinguished that the discovery of Bramble was made. The investigation is in progress,” the Police Public Relations Officer, Jairam Ramlakhan said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Thirteen Guyanese to pursue masters’ doctoral programmes in Brazil

T

HIRTEEN Guyanese will be pursuing masters and doctoral degrees on the Brazilian Nursing Scholarship following collaboration between Guyana, Brazil and the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).

Speaking at a cocktail reception at the Marriott Hotel, Health Minister Volda Lawrence said greater focus is being placed on nursing and congratulated the all- women team who will be heading to the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The scholarship programme, she said, is geared at supporting efforts to enhance human resource development in the health sector.

Minister Lawrence charged the scholars to remain focused, and expressed optimism that they will all positively contribute to im-

proving the local health care system on their return to Guyana.

“Go out and give it your best shot and not only aim for the stars, but the planets,

even though it will not be easy. You must be reminded that we are rooting for you and we are depending on you; so shake yourself off and continue to press

forward. When hard days are upon you, take out your Guyana flag and walk around your room,” she urged.

PAHO/WHO Guyana representative, Dr William

Health Minister Volda Lawrence, PAHO/WHO Country representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow and Embassy of Brazil, Deputy Head of Missions Paulo Borda Silos with the scholars (Delano Williams photo)

Diabetic Foot Centre opens on ECD

O

WING to the rapidly increasing number of persons being affected by diabetes, residents of East Coast, who travel to the Diabetic Foot Centre in Georgetown, will now be spared the journey and long wait with the opening of a new Diabetic Foot Centre at Lusignan.

The Diabetic Foot Centre, which was recently launched, is being housed in the Lusignan Health Centre and will cater to the needs of a number of residents living on the East Coast corridor with diabetic foot-related challenges.

At the launch a number of residents from surrounding communities turned out to have a firsthand experience of the services that are being provided.

The centre, which operates from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs, offers all the services that are currently being offered by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Diabetic Foot Centre. Regional Health Officer (RHO) of Region Four, Dr Quincy Jones, said that the establishment of this centre is a significant achievement by his department.

He said that it was on the cards since assuming the position of RHO. He noted that there is a growing need for Diabetic Foot centres,

Adu-Krow, said he was looking for a nursing programme abroad for Guyana and when he heard of the opportunity in Brazil, his “light bulbs went off.”

owing to the rapidly increasing number of persons being affected by diabetes.

“We have recognised as a department and more so, as a Region the urgent need to establish centres like these, which will cater effectively to the needs of persons living with diabetes, and, being cognizant of the significant importance of efficient foot care, my department has sought to establish three diabetic foot centres, which will be within the East Coast corridor with Lusignan being the first,” an evidently pleased Dr Jones said.

He urged residents to utilise the centre, noting that the establishment of the centre comes after consultation and review of concerns

and requests made by residents. He said that the centre can only be effective if it is fully utilised and accessed by residents.

He disclosed that while many may be accustomed to visiting GPHC DFC, they should recognise that Lusignan DFC may be much closer to their home and as such they should utilise it.

“Unfortunately we have a concern, as some persons being accustomed in visiting Georgetown for almost all medical services may once again feel that they can only be properly attended to by the staff at GPHC DFC. However, this is a myth which we are hoping would be dismissed; as I can tell you that we invested extra into training the staff for

The DFC team at the Lusignan Foot Centre: In back row from left, Dr Ramesh Rambharose, Dr Rhyan Hughes, Dr Liu and RHO Dr Quincy Jones

this Lusignan DFC. Therefore, I am urging all to utilise the centre. Please don’t continue to visit GPHC DFC when you can benefit from similar services being offered by Lusignan DFC, and also you may be able to access these services much faster owing to the fact that the number of patients being attended to at Lusignan may be far less than those at GPHC DFC,” he said.

Regarding staff at the Diabetic Foot Centre, the RHO stressed that all relevant systems, including having adequate staff, are being addressed, noting that the centre currently has a full team of doctors and nurses.

However, he said that with growing patients’

Immediately, Dr AduKrow said he informed Minister Lawrence and she came on board without hesitation.

He noted that eight of the women will do the master’s in medicine programme, while the remainder will do public health, free of cost, compliments of the Government of Brazil.

“After your training please come back to us and your country, since Brazil will be paying air fares, tuition, meals, [and] lodging, while PAHO/WHO will see to the book fees. So make use of it,” the PAHO/ WHO country representative urged the scholars.

In brief remarks, Paul Borda Silos, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Brazil, said Guyana and Brazil enjoy good relations and only recently the two countries celebrated 50 years of fruitful relations.

One of the nurses attends to the feet of a patient at the newly launched Diabetic Foot Centre at the Lusignan Health Centre

needs and visits they may have to increase the numbers since he is satisfied that at the moment the centre is adequately staffed, declaring that the residents of East Coast are once again benefiting from another innovative initiative by the region.

“We continue to seek ways and means in improving and enhancing the delivery of health care within Region Four and therefore this is a testimony of our continued commitment, dedication and determination to delivering a very high level of health care to all,” he said.

Head of the Lusignan DFC, Keng-On Liu said that he is happy to have been entrusted with the responsibility of running the centre. He is excited and eager to ensure that they can deliver a service that is second to none. He disclosed that his team of nurses is eagerly excited reaffirming the RHO’s commitment of delivering a very high level of service to those

who would be accessing the centre.

“We are cognizant of the importance such a centre plays in the lives of those living with diabetes and we are also aware that having a centre closer to the homes of many is certainly an opportunity for many to regularly monitor and seek assistance in maintaining healthy and properly kept diabetic feet. Thus this centre is important in so many ways,” Dr Liu said.

The DFC head declared that he, like his staff, would be ensuring that patients who access the centre can be guided into improving their overall health, adding that the Regional health department is on an aggressive mission to bring more services to persons, irrespective of the community and or their location.

Melanie, Plaisance Health Centres and the CC Nicholson Hospital are the others that will be operational soon as it relates to Diabetic Foot Centres.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Guyana, Austria sign MoU for enhanced healthcare

Minister Volda Lawrence and Dr. Gernot Grimm signing the MoU on behalf of their respective nations

T

HE Government of Guyana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology for enhancement of local healthcare facilities.

At the official signing Wednesday morning, Minister of Health Volda Lawrence, said the MoU is the beginning of a process which will result in enhanced healthcare facilities for the citizens of Guyana. According to the minister, concrete projects may begin in 2019.

“We are looking at the GPHC, since it is our tertiary institution. You will be aware that particularly our A and E (Accident and Emergency) department is really under the threshold, in terms of a standard operating procedure

(From left to right) Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings Minister of Public Health. Volda Lawrence and Dr. Gernot Grimm, Head of Staff of the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology

that should pertain in a critical care unit. So, the first two aspects we will be getting involved with is a trauma centre and a critical care centre, which will be able to take off the deficiencies which we do have presently. This will ensure improved delivery of care for our patients and also upgraded equipment for the staff works,” the Public Health Minister said.

Meanwhile, Dr Gernot Grimm of the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, said the signing of the MoU is in keeping with the good relations enjoyed by the two nations for decades. He added that the success of the MoU would be seen in the tangible achievements sooner, rather than later.

“We have brought along a couple of technical

experts from Austria to have this work done as soon as possible to our bilateral negotiations, so we really want to show and speed up the whole process to be in a position to start as soon as possible,” the Chief-of-Staff said. The Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology is a government department which provides the general framework for infrastructure from rail to road, water and air to telecommunications and technology development in Austria. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Karen Cummings, along with CEO of the GPHC, Brigadier (ret’d) George Lewis, among other stakeholders. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

‘Oil & gas opportunities not gender-based’ - prime minister … as first set of females joins TotalTec Academy

M

EN have often dominated the industrial sector but Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has said that the emerging local oil and gas industry is not gender-based or secular.

Over the years, studies have found that women are more likely to work in service occupations but females have shown that they are as capable as men in every sector.

Testimony to the revolution is the four females who were recruited by the local oil and gas academy, TotalTec. “The men tend to lead but this brings a new dimension to the opportunities,” said Nagamootoo during his address to persons gathered at TotalTec’s graduation ceremony for its second batch of recruits on Wednesday.

Although the event was organised to celebrate the 24 recruits who graduated from the programme, the women, who make up part of the new batch of 27 recruits, were the highlights of the day.

Two of the four women, Muarisia James and Coleen Moore, said they were intimidated to some extent by the male-dominated programme but they were not prepared to back down.

Both James and Moore said they believe that the sky is the limit and other women should apply to be part of the

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Graduates of the TotalTec academy, flanked by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and stakeholders in the oil and gas academy (Samuel Maughn photos)

programme.

On that note, Prime Minister Nagamootoo explained that the course introduces Guyanese to high safety standards which are recognised worldwide.

The standards, he said, would be necessary since the Government intends to use oil and gas to prepare Guyana for new challenges and opportu-

nities.

“Guyana is on the cusp of a new world that we might not dream about … we have black gold, not like the imaginary state Wakanda but oil and gas which belongs to us,” said Nagamootoo.

He encouraged Guyanese to be prepared for the new industry by subjecting themselves to the rigour and disci-

pline of training.

In order to ensure that this type of training is available, he suggested that the University of Guyana (UG) introduce a degree programme. In addition the Prime Minister said the once vibrant Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) training school could partner with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to offer programmes.

One of the female recruits, Coleen Moore

Muarisia James

13,903 drivers charged for speeding

While the training offered

by TotalTec is exceptional, he believes that the recruits should go beyond training in safety and expand their knowledge.

Director of TotalTec, Lars Mangal said the academy has just completed its second multi-week programme of 2018, graduating 24 trainees who are ready for careers in the emerging Guyana oil and gas industry.

The third programme started in August and is being supported by TotalTec’s first Guyanese Assistant Instructor, Courtney John.

“Candidates have come from across Guyana’s indus-

trial sectors, with more than 30 per cent recruits and graduates to date coming from the sugar industry … former GuySuCo and bauxite employees,” said Mangal, adding that the academy is on track to training over 100 persons by the end of the year.

When the programme commenced in March, the academy could not predict the demand but they had 1500 applications so far.

With the arrival of a third ExxonMobil drill ship imminent, first oil less than two years away and other operators planning exploration wells, the service industry is recognising the importance of a welltrained, qualified, Guyanese workforce.

TotalTec is focused on the success of the oil industry in Guyana for the benefit the country, its people and partner companies.

Persons who graduated from TotalTec have been able to get employment with the Guyana Shore Base Incorporated (GYSBI) and Schlumberger, the world’s leading provider of technology for reservoir characterisation, drilling, production, and processing to the oil and gas industry.

Minister Harmon meets with former Jamaica Prime Minister, PJ Patterson

…14 per cent decrease in road deaths

T

HE Guyana Police Force announced Wednesday that there was a decrease in road deaths by some 14 per cent between January and August 2018, while for the same period 13,903 motorists were charged for speeding.

GPF Press Officer Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan, said enforcement is continuous countrywide with special emphasis on Driving Under the Influence, Speeding, Music/Breach of Condition of Road Service Licence, overloaded minibuses, use of cellular phones while driving, using vehicle other than licence for (private hire) and failure to wear safety helmet.

He said as such, prevalent cases between the aforementioned periods resulted in 37, 317 charges being issued.

Meanwhile, the superintendent said that exposure to training both locally and internationally, continues to be a top priority at all levels of the force.

From January to August of this year, 71 officers and other ranks benefited from overseas training in all aspects of policing, including: Trafficking In Persons; Citizens Security; Port Facility Security Officer; Enhancing Strategic Trade and Border Controls in Latin America & the Caribbean; TIPs/ Child Exploitation; Introduction to Post-Blast Investigative/ Explosives; Drug Enforcement; Risk Management Challenges for Major Sporting Events; Narcotics Investigation; Combating Illicit Firearms & Ammunition Trafficking; Intelligence Gathering & Analysis; Computer Network Intrusion; Illicit Financial Flows & Money Laundering Investigations; and Specialised Protection Course.

Countries in which courses were conducted included – Argentina, Antigua & Bermuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Chile, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Peru, Panama, Rome, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

M

INISTER of State Joseph Harmon on Wednesday met with former Prime Minister of Jamaica,The Hon Percival Noel James (P.J) Patterson, ON, PC, QC, at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon in discussion with former Jamaica Prime Minister, Mr P.J. Patterson

During the meeting, the two discussed political challenges and successes, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and ways in which regional cooperation and integration can be improved.

Man beaten in Sophia still hospitalised

T

HE man who allegedly tried to violate an underage girlchild on Monday night at his home in Sophia and who was severely beaten by irate villagers, remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The police said he is under police guard and his condition is listed as stable. The man was severely beaten when he was caught red-handed holding the minor against her will in his home.

The police are currently awaiting legal advice on the matter.

It was after 21:00hrs on Monday when the man was severely beaten by fellow villagers, after he reportedly managed to lure the underage girl into his house and secured the door, but was unsuccessful in his alleged attempt to rape the child.

The man was left lying in a bloodied state on the roadway as a result of the thrashing that was inflicted on him. He was however, rescued by the police.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

Region 10 councillors call for revamping …REO says grappling of Public Works Department with staff shortage

Regional officials at the statutory meeting

REGION 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) councillors have again called for the revamping of the Public Works Department at the Regional Democratic Council, because of issues ranging from questionable conduct to inefficiency in the execution of their duties. The issue was the highlight of September’s statutory meeting, where Regional Chairman Renis Morian and Councillor Charles Sampson vehemently voiced their concerns on alleged questionable activities of officers within the department; even as the council made a decision for those person or persons to be removed.

Morian said that he has evidence that employees within the department are involved in fraudulent activities. “We have evidence that there are people in the Works Department that have held up people’s payments because people refuse to pay, we have evidence of this, there are persons who are willing to come forward and say this,” he noted. He asked that those persons be removed the very day and there be a complete revamping of the department.

Councillor Charles Sampson called on councillors to put their houses in order and noted that he is dissatisfied with some of the internal systems within the department. He noted that these irregularities were up for discussion several times before and nothing seems to be changing. “Honestly, I am not satisfied with some of the internal systems in the Works Department….the more we talk about change,

the more we remain the same and that seems to be happening….we are not seeing the kind of progress that councillors expect to see,” Sampson noted.

He called on the administration to implement the critical recommendations that the council has made concerning staff members being removed from the department. He said the Works Department is critical to every other department within the administration and if it is not put in order, then it will have tremendous “back firing.”

Grappling with staff shortage Regional Executive Officer (REO) Orrin Gordon, who was appointed in March, explained that it is difficult to implement certain requests made by the council, relative to removing staff, since the department is currently understaffed and there needs to be continuity of work, so as to facilitate the smooth flow of the works programme. He described Sampson’s accusation of the council not progressing as inaccurate; noting that there has been movement and the capital budget spending is on target. “Things have changed and we are seeing some movement…I came here in mid-March, when I came here in mid-March there was not one single award from the tender board, not one and by the end of June I had all out,” Gordon noted.

He agreed with the notion that the department needs to be reorganised, but presently he said, he is looking for ways to manoeuvre with the staff shortage. Gordon related that he would have approached the requisite

Ministry about the matter, but has not received any positive response since. “These are the things I am talking about, we presided over that situation from some lack of managerial resources coming in from wherever and then we are expected that in two months, that this must be fixed,” he said in response to

Sampson’s comment.

Morian said that the issue needs to be corrected immediately, since ground officers and technical personnel are needed to monitor and evaluate works completed by contractors.

The few staff in the department are working overtime and cannot take on all the

work load; and if it is not corrected, the entire region will suffer, he said.

Workers are also needed to evaluate projects ongoing in Sub District 2 and other outlying areas. He is calling on the Public Service Department and the Ministry of Communities to look into the matter earliest.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 13, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

Patriots snatch two-wicket win over Tallawahs … to face TKR in semi-final tomorrow

By Rajiv Bisnauth THE St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will meet the Trinbago Knight Riders in tomorrow’s semifinal of the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament, after the clinched a two-wicket win with one ball to spare last evening against the Jamaica Tallawahs at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

For a second night in succession, both the elimination matches ended with a six off the penultimate ball.

Chasing 192 for victory, the Patriots were indebted to Anton Devcich, who was the leader of the runchase with a 23-ball 50.

Chris Gayle (26), Fabian Allen (23), Brandon King (21) and Rassie van der Dussen (20), all supported well, but it was 15 required off final over.

A questionable decision to bowl Rovman Powell proved the downfall for Tallawahs. A flurry of genuine wides following a fallacious one manifested the pressure Powell was under, before a Ben Cutting six sealed it in 19.5 overs.

Earlier, Glenn Phillips showed why he will become a staple, particu-

larly in this format of the game. The 21-year-old scored his second T20 hundred, and was the backbone of the Tallawahs total. The Kiwi plundered 103 off 63 balls as his side posted 191-5 off their 20 overs.

His knock included nine fours and six sixes before he was bowled by Aussie quick Cutting off the final ball of the innings. Earlier, Cutting had dropped Phillips on 79. The Tallawahs’ next highest scorer was fellow Kiwi Ross Taylor with 33 off 23 balls, while Powell (15) and David Miller (19) contributed at the backend of the innings.

The Tallawahs innings started shakily after they were send in to bat, but the Black Caps batsmen, Phillips and Taylor, eventually found their range, adding 70 for the second wicket.

The two-time CPL champions were off to a first-ball four, courtesy of Phillips, who cut Fabian Allen square of the wicket. However, the leftarm spinner responded perfectly with the wicket of Johnson Charles (3) in his second over.

Thereafter, the New Zealander pair ensured the 2017 runners-up early mo-

Scoreboard JAMAICA Tallawahs innings G. Phillips b Cutting J. Charles c Devcich b Allen

103 3

R. Taylor b Cutting

33

R. Powell c Cutting b Shamsi

15

A. Russell c Walsh b Brathwaite

10

D. Miller not out

19

Extras: (lb-3, nb-1, w-4) Total: (five wkts, 20 overs)

8 191

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-79, 3-118, 4-149, 5-191.

Bowling: Allen 4-0-23-1, Devcich 2-0-21-0, Brathwaite 3-0-25-1, Walsh 4-0-36-0, Shamsi 4-0-38-1, Cutting 3-0-45-2.

ST KITTS AND NEVIS PATRIOTS innings D. Thomas c de Grandhomme b Jacobs

13

C. Gayle c Powell b Sodhi

26

R. van der Dussen c Phillips b Sodhi

20

A. Devcich c Phillips b Thomas

50

F. Allen c Russell b Sodhi

23

B. King b Thomas

21

B. Cutting not out

17

C. Brathwaite c Russell b Powell

6

H. Walsh not out

0

Extras: (lb-3, w-6) Total: (eight wkts, 19.5 overs)

9 193

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-62, 3-62, 4-118, 5-157, 6-158, 7-177, 8-183.

Bowling: O. Thomas 4-0-43-3, Jacobs 4-031-1, Russell 4-0-28-0, Sodhi 4-0-36-3, C. de Grandhomme 2-0-21-0, S. Badree 1-0-15-0, R. Powell 0.5-0-16-1.

mentum was thwarted. Taylor offered the free-flowing Phillips solid support before he was bowled by Cutting (2-45) after, hitting four fours and a six in 23 balls at the crease.

Phillips stood firm at the other end and his heroics could help push his case for Black Caps selection for their T20s against Pakistan in the UAE, starting on October 31.

First Lady to be Patron of ICC Women’s World T20 Tournament

FIRST Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, at the request of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has accepted the role of Patron of the first-ever stand-alone Women’s World Twenty20 Tournament to be hosted from November 9 to 24, 2018.

The First Lady yesterday

at her office, met with Tournament Director, Ms Jennifer Nero, and the Venue Manager Ms Sabrina Panday.

The ICC, in a letter to the First Lady, said that it is keen on using the tournament to promote the participation of women in sports for development in partnership along with Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the support at the country level.

The First Lady, a big fan of the game, said that she would be very happy to assist the ICC, through the Women’s World Cup, to achieve its objectives.

The ICC, in its letter, said it recognises her as an avid cricket fan and someone who continuously seeks to empower young people in mak-

ing life decisions that positively impact their growth.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Ms Nero, who said that “the work the First Lady has been doing with women is absolutely awesome and that is exactly the type of legacy that we also want this tournament to be associated with, in terms of the development of youth and the development of women.”

This is the first time that the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Cricket will have its own tournament and not be in the shadow of the men’s league. Guyana will be joining St Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda as host countries.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

Australia’s Maxwell in Test whites when he learned of omission MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said yesterday he was wearing his whites and ‘baggy green’ cap when he got the telephone call telling him he had missed out on selection for the Test series against Pakistan.

Maxwell’s omission from the 15-man squad for the two-Test series, which is being played in the United Arab Emirates due to security concerns in Pakistan, was a bitter pill to swallow for the hard-hitting 29-year-old.

“It took a while to sink in, that’s for sure,” Maxwell told local radio station SEN yesterday.

“It may sound extremely funny but when I actually got the phone call yesterday I was actually wearing the baggy green, as extraordinary as it might sound.

“I was doing a shoot for one of the sponsors and we were fully in our whites and had the baggy green on and I got the call while it was on top of my head.”

Having played seven Tests over a five-year period, his last being against Bangladesh in Chittagong a year ago, Maxwell has never been able to nail down a spot in the team.

However, suspensions to former captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for ball-tampering, and a dreadful run of form by middle order batsman Peter Handscomb, had opened vacancies on Tim Paine’s

Glenn Maxwell

team.

He was omitted from the recent Australia ‘A’ squad that toured India but selectors put that down to the lack of a need to see him bat in subcontinental conditions.

In the Test squad announced on Tuesday, he was beaten out by a raft of uncapped players, including pace-bowling all-rounder Michael Neser, batsman Marnus Labuschagne and South Australia captain Travis Head, all of whom played on the ‘A’ tour.

Aaron Finch, a 31-yearold opening batsman and one-day international specialist, was also preferred despite having never played a Test.

Former Australia captain-turned-commentator Ricky Ponting was bemused

by Maxwell’s omission.

“That’s all a bit bizarre to me. If I was ‘Maxie’ and I hadn’t been given the chance to play for Australia A, I’d be ropeable,” Ponting

told Cricket Australia’s website (cricket.com.au).

Coach Justin Langer told reporters on Tuesday that he wanted to see Maxwell score “more centuries” and suggested he was not convinced by his powers of concentration at the crease.

Maxwell enjoyed a fine summer in Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield c o m p e t i t i o n, a v e r a g i n g 50.50 for Victoria but he said the coach felt his numbers at international level did not stack up.

“I was still disappointed, don’t get me wrong,” added Maxwell, who has scored one century from his seven Tests and averages 26.07 with the bat.

“I just need to make more runs and hopefully I can pile on enough runs this summer to keep pushing my case forward.”

The first Test is scheduled to begin on October 7 in Dubai with the second match in Abu Dhabi from October 16.

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20

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

BCB/Magic Moments 20/20 Tournament

Rose Hall Canje, Young Warriors advance to New Amsterdam/Canje final ROSE HALL Hall Canje Cricket Club and Young Warriors Cricket Club have advanced to the final of the Berbice Cricket Board-organised Magic Moments 20/20 Tournament for teams in the New Amsterdam/Canje Sub Zones.

Rose Hall Canje CC defeated Police while Young Warriors CC got past Betsy Ground. The semifinals were played at the recently refurbished Rose Hall Canje Welfare Centre, in front of a sizeable crowd.

Police, batting first, reached 104 all out in 18 overs with opener Brentnol Woolford and Kwesi Mickle (17) being the principal scorers.

Bowling for Rose Hall Canje, medium pacer Compton Hope claimed 3 wickets for 18 runs from four impressive overs. Veteran Balram Samaroo continued his impressive recent form with a

The victorious Rose Hall Canje team

composed 44 and together, with a blistering 54 not out from Sasenarine Sukhu, led Rose Hall Canje to an easy victory by eight wickets, as

the home team ended on 108 for 2 in 18.2 overs.

Sukhu struck six massive sixes as only left-arm spinner Kwesi Mickle

bowled well for Police, to end with 2 for 8 from four overs.

Young Warriors reached 143 for 5 from their allotted

20 overs as Kassim Khan 40, Alex Algoo 37 and Trevon Stanislaus 24 batted well.

In response Betsy Ground were bowled out for 105 in

17.1 overs. A. Subhai offered some resistance with a stubborn 40 as off-spinner Richardo Ramdihal took five wickets for 16 runs.

The final will be played on Sunday at the same venue and would be the second of four to be played under the Magic Moments brand.

No.48 Challengers have already won the Upper Corentyne league while the final for Lower Corentyne and West Berbice would be held as well.

The final is expected to be an exciting one as both teams are equally matched.

Rose Hall Canje would be spearheaded by Ameer Rahaman, Roy Bipat, Sasenarine Sukhu and Balram Samaroo while Young Warriors would depend heavily on National Under-19 player Alex Algoo, Kassim Khan, Richardo Ramdihal, Gevon Schultz and Trevon Stanislaus.

Tennis umpires consider forming union following Serena Williams storm

TOP tennis umpires are considering forming a union because they believe Carlos Ramos was “hung out to dry” by the authorities during and

after the US Open women’s final despite upholding the rules in sanctioning Serena Williams.

Many officials were also

left angry with the fact that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) took nearly 48 hours to defend Ramos, on Monday afternoon, by which time the

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) had supported Williams’ claims of sexism after she was given

Tennis umpire Carlos Ramos

a game penalty for her behaviour during her defeat by Naomi Osaka.

Umpires are not allowed to speak out publicly under the terms of their contract, and are employed by grand slams, men’s and women’s tours - which means many are reluctant to say anything for fear of losing their jobs.

However, one senior figure told the Guardian that privately there was widespread concern about how the USTA and WTA had rushed to support Williams – which had led to vitriol and abuse on social media for Ramos.

There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community because no one is standing up for officials,” the senior figure told the Guardian. “Umpires keep asking: ‘What if it was me in that chair on Saturday?’ There is a widespread feeling that Carlos was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours

and that no one is standing up for officials.”

In the absence of any official support for Ramos until Monday, it was left to two former senior umpires, Mike Morrissey and Richard Ings, to publicly defend the Portuguese official. “I have had lots of messages saying this is a joke,” said one source. “There is a lot of anger out there.”

That has led to several umpires privately pushing for an officials’ union, an idea that has floated around on and off for years, as a matter of urgency. One source, who has been privy to some of the discussions, said: “Umpires don’t have any independent means of representation and are employed by the governing bodies.

If talking to the media is not allowed, and governing bodies are speaking out against them, what are umpires supposed to do?” (Yahoo Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

Gayle, Russell ‘icons’ in Afghan league DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, (CMC) – West Indies superstars Chris Gayle and Andre Russell have been drafted as ‘icons’ for their respective franchises in the Afghanistan Premier League which bowls off next month.

In the draft staged here Monday, Balkh picked up the veteran Gayle as their ‘icon’ player while Nangarhar snatched up all-rounder Russell.

The duo are the only West Indies players involved in the inaugural tournament which runs from October 5-21 at the Sharjah Cricket

Stadium.

Though in the twilight of his career, Gayle remains a highly sought-after player on the global T20 circuit. The Jamaican, who turns 39 in ten days, holds the record for the most career T20 runs with 11 711 and the most centuries with 21.

Russell, meanwhile, is also viewed as a prized asset in the T20 format, where his explosive lower order batting, steady medium pace and outstanding fielding has earned him contracts in nearly every league across the world.

He has scored nearly 4100 runs from 166 matches, taken 244 wickets and 121 catches.

Both players are currently campaigning in the Caribbean Premier League which wraps up Sunday in Port of Spain.

Gayle is captain of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots while Russell skippers Jamaica Tallawahs.

Barbados-born England all-rounder, Chris Jordan, was also drafted and will showcase his skills for the Paktia franchise, headed by legendary Pakistani all-rounder

Andre Russell (left) and Chris Gayle compete against each other during the ongoing Caribbean Premier League.

Shahid Afridi.

Exciting leg-spinner Rashid Khan will lead Kabul as their ‘icon’ with New Zealand batting star Brendon McCullum named as

Full-back to the future?

Del Bosque tips Bolt to shine as a defender Usain Bolt

SPRINT king Usain Bolt has excellent potential as a footballer but may be best suited to playing in defence, according to Vicente del Bosque.

At 32, Bolt is attempting to embark on a new career, after his success on the track, joining Australian side Cen-

tral Coast Mariners on an “indefinite” trial.

The Jamaican made his debut for the A-League club in a friendly against Central Coast Select XI last month, coming off the bench to play on the wing in a 6-1 victory.

However, Del Bosque has suggested Bolt could prosper

as a full-back, with the position offering him more space to utilise his blistering pace.

“With space, he could be a very good footballer,” the former Spain coach told the Olympic Channel.

“He could be a full-back that covers a lot of space, but it depends, because it’s not just about covering 100, or 60 or 70 metres of the pitch.

“It’s about doing it many times over and that requires stamina which I don’t know whether he has or not – although I’m sure he has prepared.

“Without a doubt as a full-back, with his back towards the crowd and the touchline, that’s where he would be most useful.”

Bolt has previously spent time training with Borussia Dortmund, Mamelodi Sundowns and Stromsgodset as he looks to hone his football skills.

The eight-time Olympic champion is aiming to make up for lost time, with Del Bosque suggesting

the reigning world record holder at both 100 and 200 metres needs to focus on the technical side of the game.

“To start playing professional football at the age of 32 isn’t normal,” said ex-Real Madrid boss Del Bosque.

“It’s difficult because despite being in peak physical condition, I believe that the technical part is the fundamental part of football.

A player’s fantastic conditioning – being fast, agile, powerful – should support the technical ability.

“He will probably learn the tactical side and get to understand the game better both defensively and offensively.

“I’m sure he will find a solution to all of that, but the most difficult part will be to acquire the technical skills you need for any play - control, passing, dribbling, a good touch on the ball, skills that you normally have had since childhood.”

McGrath hails Anderson after landmark wicket

(REUTERS) - Australia great Glenn McGrath says he has great respect for James Anderson after the Englishman replaced him as the most prolific pace bowler in Test cricket.

Anderson bowled Mohammed Shami to seal victory over India in the fifth Test at the Oval on Tuesday and claimed his 564th Test wicket in his 143rd match to move ahead of McGrath.

“I was proud to hold it for as long as I did - for it to be beaten by somebody like Jimmy Anderson is great,” McGrath, whose haul of 563 came from 124 match-

es, told BBC Radio 5 live.

Anderson, who made his Test debut in 2003, now trails only spin trio Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619).

“I have a lot of respect for Jimmy.

He’s been an incredible bowler for a long time,” McGrath said.

“To have played well over 140 Tests and just keep running in, day in, day out, and remain at the top of his game, yeah, I’m very proud Jimmy’s got there.”

Australia great Glenn McGrath (left) says he has great respect for James Anderson.

the ‘icon’ for Kandahar.

Each of the five franchises were expected to choose between 17 and 20 players, with five compulsory overseas players.

Maradona reflects on cocaine and alcohol addiction after joining Mexican club

Former World Cup winner Diego Maradona

DIEGO Maradona has a new job and, with it, a new life.

The Argentine football legend has begun work as manager of Mexican second-division club Dorados, whose Sinaloa state base is home to one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels.

The World Cup winner has made no secret of his struggles with cocaine addiction and alcoholism and now hopes his continued recovery allows him to make up for lost time.

Maradona, who left UAE second-division club Al Fujairah in May after failing to secure promotion, insists his dark days are over with his new role.

“I want to give Dorados what I lost when I was sick,” he told reporters in Culiacan at his official presentation.

“I was sick for 14 years. Now I want to see the sun, I want to go to bed at night. I never even used to go to bed. I didn’t even know what a pillow was. That’s why I accepted the offer from Dorados.”

Maradona was forced to reassure fans over his health during the World Cup in Russia after drinking “all the wine” as Argentina beat Nigeria.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

France’s World Cup-winning captain gets 20-month ban for drink-driving (REUTERS) - France’s World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris has been banned from driving for 20 months and fined after pleading guilty to a charge of drink-driving, British media reported yesterday.

The 31-year-old Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper admitted being more than twice above the drink-drive limit of 35 micrograms when he was stopped by police in central London last month.

Lloris, who won the World Cup with France in July, was fined £50 000 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Henry Fitch said police found Lloris in an unmarked car driving at 15mph in a 30mph zone.

The court heard that Lloris veered his car “towards parked vehicles” before correcting himself and going through a red light.

David Sonn, defending, said the “spectacular fall from grace” was not lost on Lloris.

“On July 15 he was arguably the proudest man on the planet (having captained France to a World Cup triumph),” Sonn was quoted as saying by the BBC. “Just 40 days later, he

was arrested. He experienced the indignity of being handcuffed and put in a police station overnight.”

Magistrate Amanda Barron said it was “pure luck” that Lloris did not cause damage to other vehicles or pedestrians.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for British road safety charity Brake, said it was disappointing to see a role model such as Lloris admitting to breaking the law by drink-driving.

“We expect the captain of Tottenham Hotspur and his national team to be setting a good example, not

Tottenham and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain yesterday. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)

flouting the law in such a manner,” Harris said in a statement.

“This kind of dangerous

India defeated, but Test cricket the winner - Kohli

By Martyn Herman

England’s Joe Root shakes the hand of India’s Virat Kohli after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday September 13, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 2259230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 26 (16 catches; 10 stumpings) (2) 3 Today’s Quiz: (1) Which team lost all five of their home games in Hero CPL 2018?

(2) Whose first innings in Hero CPL 2018 produced a century?

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Defeated India skipper Virat Kohli took some comfort from a 4-1 drubbing in England saying the series had revived Test cricket.

The final scoreline was harsh on the world’s topranked Test nation who played a full part in an unpredictable series full of twists and turns, right up to the final day.

India lost a memorable Oval Test by 118 runs yesterday - a match that will be forever remembered as the farewell of England’s most-capped Test player and run-scorer Alastair Cook.

Cook’s century on Monday was the highlight but India made sure the series did not end in anti-climax thanks to an audacious chase of 464 for victory.

A superb 149 by opener KL Rahul and a scintillating 114 by 20-year-old wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, including 15 fours and four sixes, meant from a hopeless position of two for three on Monday, India began to dream of a world-record run chase.

It was not to be but Kohli, who averaged 59 in the five Tests, scoring two centuries, said his team did him proud, picking out Rahul and Pant for special praise.

“Credit has to go to both those young guys for stepping up on this stage. From three wickets down, it takes guts,” he said.

“That was an example of two guys not giving up and entertaining the crowd.

“This is probably the revival of Test cricket and shows what it means to us, a great advert for Test cricket.

“We didn’t speak about the result, we just wanted to go out and see what happened, waiting and watching, things can change very quickly. That’s the beauty of this format.”

While India were thrashed at Lord’s the defeats at Edgbaston, Southampton and the Oval all could have gone the other way with little between the sides.

“Definitely I think we will sit down and think about, if we had taken those opportunities, we missed quite few,” he said.

“When both teams are going for wins, you can have a result that looks like that (4-1), they don’t go for draws.

“You hardly have any draws in these tense series and that’s what the scoreline shows. I’m not saying it wasn’t a fair scoreline, because they played better than we, but we can take a lot of heart and apply lessons to how we play Test cricket.”

behaviour is selfish, illegal and puts lives at risk.”

Lloris, who joined Spurs from Olympique Ly-

onnais in 2012, apologised for the incident after he was charged by the Metropolitan Police last month.

Inaugural Rainforest Waters 11-race cycling programme set for Saturday

Cycling returns to the National Park with the Rainforest Waters 11-race cycling programme on Saturday.

BANKS DIH through its ‘Rainforest Waters’ brand will sponsor an inaugural 11-race cycling programme on Saturday at the inner circuit of the National Park.

The meet will be organised by National cycling coach and Racing secretary of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Hassan Mohamed.

It will pit Guyana’s top cyclists against one another in the Senior, Junior, Veteran (U-45/O-50), Juvenile and Mountain Bike events with sprint prizes and trophies up for grabs.

As we move later into September, cycling action will heat up with a place at the Senior Caribbean Cy-

cling Championships in the Dominican Republic at stake.

Andrew Hicks, Christopher ‘Chicken Legs’ Griffith, Curtis ‘Chappy’ Dey, Deeraj Garbarran, Jamual John, Romello Crawford, Silvio Innis, Hamzah Eastman, Paul DeNobrega, Briton John and Alonzo Ambrose have all qualified for the Championships but the GCF has since stated that only five cyclists will be selected.

According to a GCF official, the cyclists will have to earn their spots on that team and thus the next couple of weeks will be important.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE,Thursday September 13, 2018

Bravo refuses to blame turning pitch for two-wicket defeat to Warriors GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (CMC) – Skipper Dwayne Bravo has refused to blame the slow, turning pitch for Trinbago Knight Riders’ two-wicket defeat to Guyana Amazon Warriors, in the first playoff in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) here Tuesday night.

While conceding conditions at the Guyana National Stadium had been difficult, Bravo said TKR had also failed to make the necessary adjustments and had only themselves to blame for the loss.

“Obviously here in Guyana, you don’t expect the wicket to play like the MCG or the SCG so it’s challenging but we’re professional cricketers and whatever is prepared and laid in front of us, both teams have to play on it; so I can’t use the wicket as an excuse,” Bravo said following the game.

“It’s not a 150-run wicket. If we had assessed better as a batting group, maybe 135-140 would have been possible. Here in Guyana it’s always a

slow, turning wicket … our spinners made it difficult for them as well; so I think that gave us a lot of courage and a lot of heart.

“We have another game (Friday’s semi-final) up our sleeves and we look forward to that. We have what it takes to bounce back. We’re not going to use the surface and conditions as an excuse. Well

played Guyana – they played well – and I’m happy with the effort my team went out there and gave.”

Sent in, TKR struggled to cope with the turning track and could muster only 122 for seven from their 20 overs, with Colin Ingram the top-scorer with 25 from 26 balls while the usually fluent Darren Bravo required 33

Guyana Amazon Warriors got past the Trinbago Knight Riders to make it to their 4th Hero CPL final.

Golden Grove annual football and basketball competitions successful THE Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Ground Committee’s Annual Basketball and Football competitions were successful.

Held on September 1, the basketball competition saw Haslington come up against President’s College Road. The former came out on top by a six-point margin winning 33-27. Leading the way for Haslington was Sherwin Legall with 11 points while R. Crandon had 12 points for PC Road in a losing effort.

In the football competition a large crowd saw Bush Corner thrash the U-17s by a 5-0 margin.

Both teams were awarded trophies and cash for their performances. Organisers have promised that next year will be bigger and better.

deliveries for his 24.

Captain Chris Green exploited the conditions beautifully, proving a handful in four overs of off-spin which yielded two wickets and only eight runs.

Amazon Warriors’ run chase was far from straightforward, however, slumping to 29 for three in the sixth over and then 52 for five in

Trinbago Knight Riders captain Dwayne Bravo reacts during his side’s playoff defeat to Guyana Amazon Warriors on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy CPL).

the 12th over, as the spin trio of off-spinner Sunil Narine, leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed and left-arm spinner Kharry Pierre dried up the scoring.

And though Man-of-theMatch Shimron Hetmyer, who top-scored with 39 off 36 balls, and Sherfane Rutherford (30) put on 50 for the sixth wicket to rescue the innings, Bravo said he was still proud of the manner TKR went about defending such a small total.

“It was another good game of cricket despite the conditions but I’ve got to give credit to my team, the bowlers – the way they went out there and tried to

defend 122,” the all-rounder explained.

“It’s always a hard task to defend 122 but (for Amazon Warriors) to get the runs in the last over with one ball left, I think the guys fought very well and I give them a lot of credit.”

With the victory, Amazon Warriors qualified for Sunday’s final while TKR will await the winner of yesterday’s second playoff between Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for another chance to reach the championship match and defend their CPL title.

Guyanese Ruggers ready for redemption at RAN 7s Champions in Barbados … Men to open against Curacao, women to battle St Lucia

The winning captain holds the basketball trophy

THE ‘Green Machine’, the Caribbean’s most decorated side, will open their Men’s Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship campaign against Curacao on September 22 at the Barbados Polo Club in Saint James, Barbados.

The two-day tournament will see the winners being eligible for the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier tournament and two teams advancing to the 2019 Pan American Games.

RAN teams will also be looking ahead to the 2020 Olympic Games. The 2019 RAN Sevens will serve as the regional qualifier with seeding based on 2018 results.

The format for this year’s tournament includes pool play for both the men’s and women’s divisions. With 14 teams, the men’s teams are seeded into four pools.

The top two from each men’s pool will go through to an eight-team knockout and the bottom six will go through to a tournament with two pools of three.

In the women’s division, the number of participating teams has jumped from seven in 2017 to ten this year. The teams will compete in two

pools before being seeded in the Cup, Plate and Trophy playoff divisions.

The number of men’s teams competing has also increased, from ten in 2017 to 14 this year. Last year’s men’s final in Mexico City saw Guyana narrowly lose to Jamaica, which denied them a ticket to this year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Guyana will surely have something to prove as will Mexico, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago – the second through fourth places finishers respectively, in the recent Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.

The Green Machine, as they are more popularly known, are the RAN Sevens most decorated team, having won the tournament more times than any other country.

Guyana, in the men’s division will be placed in Pool B alongside hosts Barbados, as well as Curacao. The women, who have won the Caribbean title five times, are in Pool A in their championship, with Mexico, Dominican Republic, Barbados and St Lucia.

Glenn Phillips acknowledges his teammates and the crowd after scoring his second T20 hundred.

Patriots snatch two-wicket win over Tallawahs … to face TKR in semi-final tomorrow

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The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots celebrate after their two-wicket win over the Jamaica Tallawahs last evening.

First Lady to be Patron of ICC Women’s World T20 Tournament

Guyanese Ruggers ready for redemption at RAN 7s C’ship in Barbados … Men to open against Curacao, women to battle St Lucia

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From left, First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, Tournament Director Ms Jennifer Nero and Venue Director, Guyana, Ms Sabrina Panday

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Godfrey Broomes (first from left) and Claudius Butts in action during a recent outing for the ‘Green Machine’.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018