Guyana Chronicle E-paper 09-15-2018

16th September, 2018

No.105399

Economic prosperity key to

‘THE GOOD LIFE’ – President Granger says at Heritage Day celebration

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Cubans starting families in Guyana 16 PAGE

Elect ‘fit and proper’ candidates

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– Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo urges Berbicians

Linden man beaten to death PAGE

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President David Granger shares a light moment with this beautiful little girl while at Heritage Day celebration at Shulinab Village, Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo region on Saturday (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Prepare for jobs in technology – First Lady urges Region Three residents the fields of agriculture and aviation, medicine and merchandising, to name a few…

I urge you to think beyond today and imagine where you will want to be a few years down the road… focus on those skills that will help you secure employment after you leave school,” the First Lady stressed.

Some 100 students were awarded by the regional administration for their outstanding performance in all national examinations.

As such, the First Lady took the opportunity to encourage the awardees to prepare themselves for the new technological era by learning new skills so as to remain relevant in a modern workforce.

She congratulated the Regional Education Department for recognising and rewarding the high performance of the students and teachers.

Teachers who performed exceptionally well at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), teachers with more than 27 years of unbroken service, retirees and other individuals who contributed to the development of education in Region Three were also awarded.

Awards were also issued to the most improved school in the region and organisations that contributed to the advancement of the education system in the region.

Regional Information Officer Ganesh Mahipaul, who spoke on behalf of the Regional Executive Officer Dennis Jaikaran, said it is

the region’s intention to host the awards annually.

Meanwhile, the West Demerara Secondary School received the most awards in the secondary schools’ category. Nine of 10 awards were won by the school for its performance at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

This year, the school secured a 90 per cent pass rate with 100 per cent pass rate in English and over 90 per cent in mathematics – an achievement that last happened some 53 years ago.

Headteacher of the school, Harrynarine said among other things, a rounded curriculum aided in the school’s success at this year’s CSEC examinations. In that regard, he also applauded the First Lady’s

involvement with the school in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and robotics.

This year, the school’s top student, Setram Mohamed secured 15 passes at the examination. Mohamed, who has experienced several financial challenges in preparation for the examinations, expressed much gratitude to his mother whom, he said, has supported him over the years despite the many challenges.

The aspiring geologist acknowledged the First Lady’s advice and vows to acquire skills that will prepare him for a bright future in the area of technology.

The Guyana Police Force’s ‘D’ Division was also awarded for its contribution to the region.

First Lady Sandra Granger presents a trophy to the West Demerara Secondary School CSEC top performer Setram Mohamed

FIRST Lady Sandra Granger has urged Region Three residents to prepare for new jobs in the area of technology. The First Lady was, at the time, addressing awardees at that region’s award ceremony held at the Aracari Resort.

Mrs. Granger noted that in the future, 60 per cent of jobs globally will be executed by robots and 90 per cent of the jobs done by women, will become obsolete.

“We see artificial intelligence being used in [the manufacturing sector], in

Teachers who have served for 27 or more years were also honoured

Guyana’s oil share to make up 80% of gov’t revenues – Chris Ram AUDITOR and lawyer Christopher Ram has projected that Guyana’s share of oil profits will make up some 80 per cent of the annual government revenues within the next 10 years.

Writing in his weekly column in Stabroek News, Ram, who has been a consistent critic of the Profit Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil, provides a table indicating that in the first year the government will receive US$249M to US$597M de-

pending on an oil price of US$40 to US$80 per barrel.

Government take will increase in 2025, according to Ram’s calculations, to between US$936M up to US$4.3B once output is at 450,000 barrels per day.

By 2030, the Government’s share would be between US$1.56B to US$7.44B. The projections also take into account Cost Oil (CO) ranging from US$30 to US$50.

Ram clarifies that these projections “relate only to

the Esso/Hess/CNOOC and the discoveries announced to date.” They do not include, for example, the latest Hammerhead discovery that is said to open a whole new oil field south of Liza 1, nor the nearby Orinduik block held

by Tullow and Eco Atlantic along with French major Total which is estimated to hold 3B barrels.

Ram’s projections also contradict the dire warnings of lawyer Melinda Janki who in a widely viewed social

media video claimed “oil will make Guyana poorer not richer.” This is despite her being a legal adviser on the original 1999 deal with ExxonMobil.

Ram cautions how this wealth is spent and saved will be crucial and cited Chile and Botswana as two countries that have used very similar resources to transform their countries and the lives of their people.

The government’s Green Paper which is now

out for widespread discussion and consultations, ahead of the crafting of legislation on a creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, addresses many of the issues associated with such resource windfalls. The paper sets out the three main criteria needed including: stabilisation of the economy, saving for future generation and spending on development of the people along with the diversification of the economy.

Auditor Christopher Ram

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Economic prosperity key to ‘the good life’ – President Granger says at Heritage Day celebration VILLAGES such as Shulinab, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region (Region Nine) must strive to realise their economic potential, President David Granger said Saturday at this year’s Indigenous Heritage Day celebration.

The President focused his speech on economic prosperity, as he presented $5 million dollars to the village’s Toshao Nicholas Fredericks for the enhancement of his village.

Shulinab is expected to become a model community, said the head of state, who noted that the village has the human and natural resources to realise its true potential.

He pointed to the village’s natural attractions, fertile farmlands and grasslands, vibrant community groups and leadership.

“Shulinab is a forward-looking village, not a sleepy outpost,” said President Granger, who urged the

President David Granger receives a warm welcome from residents of Shulinab Village

President David Granger greets Toshao of Shulinab Village Nicholas Fredericks, upon arrival at the Heritage Day celebration

residents of Shulinab to be proud of their heritage and patrimony. Shulinab, he said, must utilise its resources to enhance the livelihoods of its residents.

He reminded that Shulinab has lands for the development of a strong livestock and dairy sector and is also

“There must be greater consultation within the community. So if you are to make this Village Improvement Plan work, villagers have to share. There must be greater collaboration, cooperation with the region and the central government… villages are here to stay. As

the home of some of the rarest birds, including the Red Siskin and the Ruby Topaz.

The President believes that the development of Shulinab’s eco-tourism will attract more persons to the village to bask in the village’s scenic beauty.

Noting that he is con-

Members of one of the many cultural groups that performed at this year’s Heritage Day celebration held at Shulinab Village, Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo region

cerned about the economy of villages, President Granger said he would like to see Shulinab become “an economic powerhouse,” while pointing to Village Improvement Plans (VIPs) aimed at alleviating hinterland poverty and empowering hinterland citizens.

President I have to protect the village economy and I do believe that the villages are the springboard to prosperity,” he stated.

The President stressed the need for there to be equality between the hinterland and coastland. He noted that vilTurn to page 11 ►

(From right to left) President David Granger, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, enjoy a cultural performance

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Storm-hit Carolinas declared a disaster zone

US President Donald Trump has declared a disaster in North Carolina where a tropical storm has killed six amid warnings the worst is far from over.

Florence's top sustained winds have weakened to 50mph (80km/h), but it is projected to bring further catastrophic flash flooding.

Some towns have already had over 2ft (60cm) of rain, and forecasters warn that totals could hit 3.5ft (1m). Nearly a million householders have no

electricity in the Carolinas.

On the other side of the world, meanwhile, more than a dozen people have died as Typhoon Mangkhut rips through the Philippines.

President Trump's disaster declaration for eight North Carolina counties frees up federal funding, including grants for property repairs and low-cost loans, to cover uninsured losses. The president may travel to the region next week, the White House has said.

On Saturday morning, the 350-mile-wide storm was strolling along at 2mph, unleashing drenching downpours in eastern South Carolina.

About 100 people still need to be rescued in New Bern, North Carolina, where some 4,200 homes have been damaged, the mayor told CNN. The riverfront city of 30,000 people has been deluged by 10ft of water, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported.

Householders were stranded in their cars, attics and on rooftops. On Saturday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper

President Donald Trump

warned of "epic" levels of rainfall.

"The water is rising fast everywhere, even in places

that don't typically flood," he said.

Hundreds of residents have already been

plucked to safety from flooded homes in the North Carolina counties of Beaufort and Craven.

Officials warn Florence could unleash floods inland into early next week.

Between 10-15ins of rain is expected along with storm surges of 2-5ft across the region.

"This rainfall will continue to produce catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding,"Â said the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in a bulletin.

The Federal Emergency Management Authority said motorists should not attempt to drive through floodwaters. (BBC)

Nigeria minister resigns over alleged forgery NIGERIA'S finance minister has resigned over allegations she used a forged certificate to avoid the country's mandatory oneyear youth service scheme.

Kemi Adeosun, who

lived in the UK until she was 34, said she had been told she was exempt because she was over 30.

The former investment banker said she was issued

with a certificate that she thought was genuine. But an internal investigation showed that it was forged.

Ms Adeosun's resignation follows months of speculation in local media about whether her National Youth Service Corps certificate was genuine.

The dual Nigerian and British national did not initially comment on the claims, leading to criticism from her opponents.

However, in a statement, she said she felt bound to resign after the investigation result became known. "This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration's focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign," she said.

Ms Adeosun was appointed as finance minister

by President Muhammadu

Buhari in 2015. Her main policy was a bid to improve tax collection and crack down on mismanagement by government agencies.

The minister of state for budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, will oversee the finance ministry with immediate effect, the presidency said.

Nigerian university students have to do a year of national service upon graduation as a way of ensuring that graduates contributed to Nigeria's development.

Corp members are posted to states outside their state of origin to encourage national unity.

Nigerian graduates are not eligible for government work or many private jobs until they have completed the mandatory year of service. (BBC)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Bar Association notes attorney Crawford’s abusive tirade THE Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana, though imploring its members to uphold the noble profession, fell short of publicly reprimanding its member, Attorney-at-Law Ryan Crawford, who verbally abused a traffic rank after being stopped for a ‘routine’ check.

In a statement on Saturday, the Bar Council said it has taken note of a video currently being circulated on social media, involving a member of the association.

“The Bar Council holds its members to the highest standards of ethics and conduct and implores them to conduct themselves, at all times, in a manner befitting that of our most noble and esteemed profession,” it said.

Though not naming Crawford, the Bar Council

said it took note of a report published in the September 14, 2018 edition of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper that the matter at issue is under investigation. As such, it declined to comment on the incident. “We trust that the said investigation will include the circumstances surrounding the recording, publication and sharing of the video,” the Bar Council said.

On Thursday, while driving on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) Public Road, Crawford was stopped for a routine check of his driver’s documents by a rank, but this seemed to have incensed him. He proceeded to ask the policeman why he was stopped and made it clear that he was not going to comply when asked to produce his driver’s licence, and to wind up his windows for a

Attorney-at-Law Ryan Crawford

test of the tint level on his vehicle.

In his almost four minutes of profanity-laced defiance of the traffic rank, Crawford declared: “You can go and tell each and every one of the commanders, the President and the vice-president, you go and

tell whoever you want…” He then drove off.

Since the video went viral on Thursday, there has been much debate on whether the traffic rank erred in stopping Crawford.

The Bar Council, in its statement, weighed in on the issue. “We take this opportunity to inform the general public, that a motorist can only be stopped by a uniformed police officer for due cause if he has formed the reasonable suspicion in his mind that an offence has been committed. That is, the police officer must have formed a reasonable suspicion in his mind of an offence, prior to stopping the motorist,” the Bar Council explained.

It noted that the officer is duty-bound to identify himself and inform the motorist

of the alleged offence, in accordance with established guidelines made public by the Guyana Police Force.

“A motorist is entitled to know the name, rank and identification number of the police officer and must comply with all lawful directions of the officer, the aforesaid duty being already discharged,” it added.

The Bar Council also used the opportunity to put the general public on notice that the sharing and posting of such recordings on social media or in any such domain could give rise to the issue of publication and sensationalism of obscene material, for which they could be held liable.

The incident involving Crawford and the traffic rank is being investigated by the police.

Linden man beaten to death

By Vanessa Braithwaite

LINDEN police are searching for Travis Hazel called “Fifty”, who allegedly on Saturday around 11:00hrs dealt Leroy Barron, 55, of Lot 95 Kara Kara Mackenzie, Linden, several lashes to his body with a piece of wood, which resulted in his death.

The incident occurred around the Co-op Crescent Mackenzie Market area. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the two had an altercation which became physical, during which Hazel allegedly armed himself a piece of wood and began lashing Barron about his body and his head, until Barron became unconscious.

According to the police, enquiries revealed that the two parties both abused drugs and did odd jobs around the market. Around 11:00hrs, Barron apparently fetched a vendor’s load, but Hazel began arguing that it was his load to fetch, and that Barron had taken away his job. The two then had an argument which turned physical after Hazel allegedly armed himself with a piece wood and started to lash Barron about his body.

Barron fell unconscious and was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex by an ambulance, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Police officers, upon examining

his body, observed a slight swelling to the right side of his forehead. The piece of wood used to commit the act was not retrieved, but a relentless search for Hazel has begun. His 23 Silver City Wismar, Linden home has been searched as well as his child’s mother Amelia’s Ward home.

Eyewitnesses related to police that Hazel allegedly walked away after committing the act. When this newspaper visited the market where the incident occurred, the vendors related that the two were constantly arguing over each other’s jobs. “Is a constant thing with them, so this morning when the quarrel start again, we in take it for nothing, because is every day is the same thing, but we didn’t expect it to go so far today; by the time we look, the man done deh flat on the ground black out,” the vendor said. The body is currently at the Wismar Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Leroy’s younger brother, Kevin Barron, told the Guyana Chronicle that he spoke to his brother just a few hours before the incident. He passed him on a bicycle and gave him a bright greeting. He said that he is deeply saddened by the incident and despite his brother’s shortcomings, he did not deserve to die like that. “Leroy was a fun-loving guy, he had seven kids, three in the United States and

it is like you become God, with the power to take lives,” Barron said.

He said his entire family is shaken by the incident, especially his mother, who cried bitterly upon hearing the news. He is calling for the police to continue searching for the man who snatched his brother’s life from him.

Travis Hazel

four in Guyana, wonderful kids with a bright future, he had a passion for family, he loved his family, he had some

Leroy Barron

shortcomings like we all do, but what happen today was not deserving of him. When you snatch that person’s life,

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Time for reform

IT is now a matter of historical fact that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), as currently constituted, was birthed in circumstances of controversy arising out of the 1992 national elections.

Known as the Carter-Price Formula, after former United States President James “Jimmy” Earl Carter, and the late Prime Minister of Belize, George Price, this mechanism, first employed in 1997, allows for both major political parties to be represented on the commission. Each party is represented by three commissioners, with three appointed by the President in his own deliberation, and the other three after consultations with the leader of the parliamentary opposition. The chairman is then appointed from a list submitted by the leader of the opposition, after a similar process.

Although this formula has guided the total constitutional functions of this national electoral body, it has not been without controversy at the pivotal times of administrating the will of the people.

The national exercise of the will of the people is the most significant and coveted of all the democratic expressions in any society, where such freedoms exist. It is an unfettered exercise that gives the right of choice to citizens in determining those whom they deem as being competent, able,

and worthy of their trust, to govern in their name.

Very much incidental to this truism, is that this is a delicate exercise which must be carried out by a body of citizens who must be seen to be above partisan politics, and enjoying the full confidence of the people; and in whose persons, full faith and responsibility for such a seminal undertaking such as managing national elections, in a fully transparent manner, which results must be able to undergo and withstand the most intense scrutiny.

This is the ideal that obtains in all democratic societies, where the will of the people is mandated and exercised.

Therefore, there cannot be confidence or comfort on the part of citizens of any state, in which its organization, charged with the constitutional obligation of national elections, continues to be seen through the lens of deep suspicion and hence, doubt. And this is a given, in the unfortunate environment of a racially divided society, such as Guyana, It is against this background that the recent statement by President David Granger about the Carter-Price Formula “outliving its usefulness”, and creating “gridlock’’ rather than consensus, must be seen. The President concluded by suggesting that the choice of commissioners for GECOM should be carried out by the

National Assembly.

This is a very important proposal that is worthy of consideration, given the fact of the history of this critical institution of state, with all that have occurred since its current configuration. In fact, such a position is supported by our constitution, in accordance with the reforms of 2001-2002, which provides for the National Assembly to make recommendations for such offices, to the President.

Only recently, there were accusations against GECOM about its ethnic composition being biased in favour of a section of the country’s population. Although clearly disproven, such a political scurrility does not bode well for national confidence in a country with its problems of race and ethnicity.

One will recall the shocking incident of a former chief elections officer, being caught in what had been a clear act of attempted rigging of the 2011 national elections. Rather than taking the required step of immediate resignation, it was left to the electoral body that had become deadlocked along political party-affiliated lines, to secure the tie- breaking vote of its chairperson to effect the proper and appropriate result for the removal of this dishonest officer.

It was unbelievable that such a situation, which would have been instantly

treated in accordance with principles governing the integrity performance, in most democracies, became the subject of dangerous political partisanship. Such would have been a defining moment for the structure of GECOM, particularly the manner in which it functioned. No doubt, this example would have been paramount in the President’s mind, when he made such a proposal at his press conference.

Surely, a GECOM in which commissioners are chosen by the National Assembly, will offer greater consensus between the two major parties. This will further serve for greater confidence in the electoral body being able to be perceived as apolitical, serving only the national interest, in this instance, registered voters and their right to vote.

A national electoral organisation ought not to become a political football, particularly with race being made its dangerous centre-forward. And given the many adverse views through the years of its organisational structure, and how it has functioned, it is self- deceiving on the part of those who for reasons best known to themselves, not to want to effect a review and subsequent changes of a reformative nature.

I condemn lawyer who ‘cuss out’ police officer Dear Editor, I SAW on Facebook a lawyer using profane language to a police officer.

That very lawyer lived in America for many years where he did is schooling.

I have a few questions: if that said lawyer were in America and he was stopped by the police, would he use that kind of nasty language

he used against that local police officer?

I will answer that question. It’s a resounding no.

Do that in America and he will be shot DEAD with minimal regard that he is a lawyer, doctor or engineer.

For the police I have this question:let’s say that the person stopped was not a lawyer or doctor. Rather, that person was John the lo-

cal builder. The blue-collar bloke. Would he have gotten off that lightly? Would he be spending his weekend behind bars?

Secondly, Mr Editor, why would the police stop a driver in a posh, expensive-looking vehicle?

I thought the crime chief had warned them that such people should never be stopped. Such folk are

above the law. So why was the good lawyer stopped despite him being behind the wheels of a expensive BMW? That’s my issue Mr Editor. I get very riled up when I see the law being applied differently for the poor and rich. That should not be.

Let me say that the last time I visited Guyana, I was stopped twice since the

police were doing routine stops. My documents were all ok. The only problem is that from looking at my licence the officer worked out I was a foreigne, hence I had to give a financial gift both times.That’s clearly wrong. Using profanities to a police officer and boasting that you are a lawyer, is also wrong.

Frankly, too wrongs

cannot make a right. The police should not stop a driver without probable cause. Neither should a driver go on a tirade laced with profanities against a police officer.

That lawyer should be condemned and not tolerated.

Regards Dr Mark Devonish

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

The practice of cardiology in Guyana Dear Editor, MY fellow alumnus of the University of Guyana, now residing in the UK, Dr Mark Devonish, has recently advanced some very apposite points about cardiologists and the practice of cardiology in Guyana. His expressed goal is “patient information!”

I will now provide, apropos, patient and personal information for Mark and the general public.

BACKGROUND In 2004/2005, the Government of Guyana (taxpayers) spent 500,000 USD – half a million US dollars – to send 10 Guyanese patients overseas for cardiac treatment. This averaged 50,000 USD per patient. For a country such as ours, this was an unsustainable situation. This lead to the birth of the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) in 2006, which is a public/private partnership with the Government of Guyana and the Board of Directors of CHI. The cost of treatment has been continuously revised to its current position, where we can now provide care for 100 patients instead of 10 patients (2004/2005) for the same cost. CHI provides the cheapest bypass surgery in the Caribbean, since there are no fees charged by the cardiac surgeon or the perfusionists. We are also the cheapest for coronary angiograms, angioplasty and coronary stent implantation. For general information, a coronary angiogram is the procedure to take pictures of the arteries of the heart to find blockages. Angioplasty is when we stretch the blockage with a balloon to open it, and stent implantation involves putting in a mesh-like tube to keep the artery open. The prevalence of heart disease in Guyana is almost at epidemic levels. I have had patients as young as 28 with heart attacks and as of recent, there has been a surge in males in their mid 30s coming in with massive heart attacks. While the disease may have been seen in only the older population previously, we are now experiencing more severe heart disease in the under-50 age group too frequently.

Unfortunately, too many patients

think that their symptoms are related to “gas” or something non-cardiac. By the time they reach hospital, they would have been three to four days without appropriate treatment. Misinformation can scare patients, undermine trust and cause more delays, which result in dire consequences, including death.

PRACTICE PRIVILEGES A long time ago I decided to live and practise in Guyana and the Caribbean.Consequently,I did not pursue residence in North America and the UK, even though I have done advanced studies in Canada and the USA. In Canada, I trained at the University of Toronto in Adult Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology and then moved to Boston, USA at Tufts University for Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. I live and practise in the Caribbean and I am fully qualified to do so in the fields of Adult Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Guyana and the Caribbean need its own citizens to develop its systems and I am proud to be a part of this pioneering brigade.

Since returning to Guyana, I have been able to provide care to patients not only in Guyana, but also to those in Trinidad, Jamaica,The Bahamas, Tortola, St. Lucia, Grenada, Antigua, Suriname, St. Vincent, Barbados and The Cayman Islands.

SURGICAL BACK-UP Dr Devonish observes that Coronary Angiograms and other Coronary Interventions should have a back-up team of surgeons around.

In resource-rich communities abroad, this is feasible. In Guyana, there is a paucity of personnel and equipment to facilitate this on every occasion.

We are forced to work with limited capabilities until government /private entities can provide them.

With our "oil-rich" economy on the horizon, we will be able to match overseas standards.

There are three (3) cardiac catheterization facilities in Guyana and my work is mainly done at two of these. A single surgery team in the city is sufficient back-up. We do have a visiting cardiac surgery team every month from New York that provide heart surgery for those needing it. Without early angiograms and angioplasty, people will suffer unnecessarily. I am good at it, my team is good at it and our patients survive now, when previously they had no options. The written guidelines for cardiology do not consider cardiac care in the developing (Third) world; therefore, we have to blaze our own paths, adjust according to our needs and resources. Careful patient selection, improved techniques and team growth minimises complications and adverse outcomes. We have never had a complication which required surgical rescue.

STATISTICS I will provide some of our results for your consideration.

In July 2017, I presented data of our programme in Trinidad at the Caribbean Cardiac Society meeting, which showed that before implementing the new treatment protocols, there was a 28% rate of death for heart attack patients and an average of 8.8 days of hospital stay. After implementing the new protocols which include angiograms, angioplasty and stenting, there was a drop in death to 2.4 % and hospital stay was reduced to 4.6 days. This represents a 10-fold reduction in death rates and halving of hospital stay. If one considers that it costs USD $2000-$6000 per day to treat a hospitalised cardiac patient, this translates to savings of $USD 8000 - $24000 per patient.

The following represents data for the first six months of 2018, pro-rated for the entire 2018.

My team and I have had approximately 8500 patient visits for clinics, admissions and inpatient consultations over one year

for the two facilities I cover. Out of this, there are 382 angiograms (4.5%) and 270 Angioplasty with Stenting (3.2%). This represents a very small percentage of cardiac patients receiving invasive care. There are many more patients who should have the benefit of an Angiogram with proper Revascularization (Stent or Bypass Surgery), but for various reasons, they are unable to get this level of care. Most of the complex and difficult cases are planned to occur when the surgical team is on ground or arriving. Angiogram and angioplasty with stenting are not the first choice of investigation and treatment. Several non-invasive methods are available and utilised to manage patients before any invasive procedures are done. These would include ECG, Echocardiograms, Stress Testing, Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, Holter Monitoring and Sleep studies.

Clinical audits of outcomes are mainly done by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, who also assisted in development of treatment protocols, training, research and infrastructural development specific for our needs and resources. Additionally, real-time consultations are done with colleagues in Trinidad when necessary. Pre-surgical assessments are done by the surgical team based in New York. My results are comparable to regional and international standards, because I was properly trained by world-class teachers, professors and proctors.

Since returning to Guyana I was able to do the first implantation of an Intracardiac Defibrillator, first cardiac resynchronisation device, first implantable loop recorder, first pacemaker lead extractions, first radiofrequency ablation for atrioventricular node re-entrant tachycardia, first ablation for Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and first ablation for concealed retrograde accessory pathway. As the head of Cardiology, I was instrumental in opening the first Cardiac ICU in the

public sector (GPHC) and also the Cardiac ICU at Woodlands Hospital. I have established protocols for the treatment of heart attacks (Acute coronary syndrome), heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias based on our resources. I lead the initiative to ensure that every patient admitted to GPHC with a heart attack can have free angiogram and stenting without delay, once they meet clinical criteria. I have competent, young, dedicated and enthusiastic healthcare professionals who make up my teams, working with the singular goal of improving healthcare in Guyana.

Obviously, there is much room to grow and improve our national healthcare delivery systems.

Patient and care-giver education is critical in prevention, early detection and intervention to manage cardiovascular health. It is also true that cost is a major determining factor in seeking and providing healthcare. For this reason, I am a strong supporter for a National Health Insurance initiative to be developed in Guyana. This is what we should be debating, instead of petty personal grouses.

Every citizen should have the right to the highest quality of care available without fear of discrimination, loss of dignity or bankruptcy regardless of gender, social status, financial means, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other criteria used to divide us. For this to occur, we would need every Guyanese and many non-Guyanese on board.

Until that goal is achieved, there would be much discussion, some heated and contentious, but hopefully we would find consensus to benefit all Guyanese.

Regards Dr Mahendra Carpen, MBBS DM FACP FESC FACC (Interventional Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist)

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PILFERING, PRISON AND PRESIDENTS IN a banner headline, the opposition-aligned Guyana Times yesterday screamed: “China concerned over robberies of Chinese businesses in Guyana.” That drew an immediate response from Vice-President and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, that Chinese nationals are not a targeted group. They are not victims of xenophobia.

However, without a similar scary headline that Guyanese are angry over the pilfering of public property by politicians, there erupted a brouhaha from an elite group of former public officials about being victims of a political vendetta as investigations intensify into certain alleged corrupt transactions. Without trying to indict anyone, I use the word “pilfering” guardedly to include unlawful taking of objects, or petty thefts, as distinct from the legal meaning that covers a wide range of criminal offences, such as larceny, embezzlement and bribe-taking.

In what has been styled the Pradoville Two Probe, investigators have disclosed that the transactions relate to the taking by the former public officials of large tracts of land in an exclusive area of the Atlantic seashore, at prices considerably below market value. The investigators are also combing the findings

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

of a forensic audit into the scandal and are assessing whether there is sufficient evidence to bring charges.

POLITICAL VENDETTA I am not in a position to pronounce on those findings and, like other citizens, I’d wait on the outcome of the criminal investigations. But I am disappointed that the suspects, among whom are two or possibly three former presidents, are crying foul, and imputing that they are unjustifiably being given bad names.

Initially, when the investigations started, one of the former presidents tried to invoke immunity against prosecution. He was literally saying that under our constitution, “the King could do no wrong.” But just in case he could, one of his ministers justified the appropriation of state land for person ownership and benefit on security grounds, that ministers of the government had to bundle or huddle in one place. He didn’t say why they had felt threatened or insecure, but his attempt at rationalisation appeared to be an unintended depiction of the idiom, “birds of the same feather flock together.”

It comes as no surprise that the former officials would try to justify their recently acquired state lands, their wealth. For some, it is everything, the causa viventium.

GOOD NAME From my early classes in English literature, I learned

that good name, not wealth, seemed to be everything. For decent folk, integrity was “the immediate jewel of their soul”; or ought to be.

William Shakespeare explains in this treasured quote: “He who steals my purse steals trash; ‘tis something, nothing…But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed.” (Othello Act 3, scene 3).

Integrity has been a lodestar for many in public life. I can think of no country that has not made provisions in their laws and crafted guiding principles for integrity by persons who hold public office. All over the world, courts have been severe on those who pilfer, plunder and pocket the public’s purse, or the people’s collective property -- land.

Not a day passes without a reference in sections of the Guyana media to alleged acts of theft, embezzlement, larceny, bribe-taking, unlawful appropriation of property, and imprisonment of government officials, past and present, foreign and local.

On Friday, the Guyana Chronicle reported: “Venezuelan ex-officials charged

in Andora over $2.3bn graft scheme.” The Kaieteur News captioned on front page: “Jagdeo prepares for court in Pradoville 2 land deal”, and “Former El Salvador President jailed for 10 years.”

PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY In today’s jurisprudence, the plea of presidential immunity rarely succeeds. In El Salvador, Antonio Saca, who was president between 2004 and 2009, was sentenced on September 12 to 10 years in prison for appropriating public funds for himself, his party and others and for embezzlement. Six other officials from his government were jailed for between three and 16 years for their roles in what has been described in court as “a network of corruption.”

The newspaper also reported that Maurico Funes, the president who took over from Saca, has been in exile in Nicaragua after being accused of several acts of corruption.

CORRUPTION SCANDAL Last week, the regional spotlight was on the charismatic Luiz Inacio “Lula” da

Silva, former President of Brazil, who is serving a 12year sentence for corruption.

Lula, who was president between 2003 and 2011, became ensnared in a corruption scandal in which several other Latin American politicians were named, charged, tried and jailed.

In a complex legal process, where Lula’s conviction was reversed at first appeal, but he was not released from prison, the Supreme Court last week barred him from running for the presidency in elections next month, and for which the popularity poll showed him as the front-runner. He has since stepped out from the race which is viewed as a big blow to his working-class base.

IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS e has He His successor President Dilma Rousseff was forced out of office after impeachment proceedings for alleged corruption were filed against her. Similarly, earlier this year, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned when he was faced with an impeachment motion. His immediate predecessors, including President Fujimori, had faced

lengthy imprisonment terms; but Fujimori was recently released after he was granted a presidential pardon.

So, from the above, it would seem advisable for Guyanese to take charges of “vendetta” and “victimisation” with a pinch of salt. It is second nature for politicians to protect their hides, and this sub-culture is not only evident in our America, but elsewhere in the world.

CODE OF CONDUCT I am of the opinion that Guyanese public officials could distinguish themselves from the political gangsters elsewhere. We have a Code of Conduct as a body of rules to guide public officials to carry out their duties free from corrupt practices.

The Code of Conduct is a guide for officials, past and present, to take care not to have or display assets that would raise the red flag of unjust enrichment, or disproportionate wealth.

On the surface, the Pradovilles have evoked suspicions, however unjustified or unreasonable. These cannot be swept under the carpet by specious claims of “political vendetta” or victimhood.

GTU willing to submit new nominees for arbitration

– but wants reason from gov’t for rejection of first list THE Guyana Teachers’ Union may be willing to put forth a new list of nominees for the arbitration panel in its dispute with the Ministry of Education, however, they will not do so unless the ministry formally offers justifiable reasons for the rejection of the initial nominees.

“We’re not putting forward any other list, GTU would want to stick to three names that we put forward unless otherwise stated that there are problems with these people. Let them bring reasons as to why they can’t accept these people,” GTU

GTU President Mark Lyte

president, Mark Lyte, contended.

“GTU is willing to put

forward another list if need be, but we think the candidates that we put forward are credible enough. You can’t have three senior officers of the ministry, and none of them can say on what grounds the people are rejected, is not dolly house we’re playing? They had opportunities to talk, we gave them time to speak on our list, to consult, but they still can’t say why they are rejecting. This is crazy. It shows that they came with a clear mandate to reject everything that was on offer, whether those persons were considered to be neutral or

not.”

It was last Friday that the GTU and MoE met to decide upon a chairman for the arbitration panel that will be responsible for settling the ongoing pay dispute between the two. However, the meeting ended with both sides rejecting the other’s list. No new date or time has been set as yet for another meeting.

The union proposed former Home Affairs Minister Jeffrey Thomas; former Foreign Affairs Minister Rashleigh Jackson and President of a Barbados-based management consulting firm Turn to page 9 ►

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

REOs accuse PAC of bombardment REGIONAL Executive Officers (REOs) last weekend expressed concern about the treatment meted out to them during their submissions at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly.

They claimed that they were “being vilified and unfairly treated for matters out of their control.”

This came to the fore during a recent two-day retreat organised by the Ministry of Communities for REOs from the 10 administrative regions, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal.

Hosted under the theme, “Catalysing Regional Development through Transformational Leadership,” the retreat afforded REOs the opportunity to address some of the challenges they face in actualising the regional development agenda set out by the President David Granger

The regional officials during their interaction with Minister Bulkan and other government officials at the retreat

administration.

According to a release from the Ministry of Communities, during the discussions, a call was made for technical staff of the regions, particularly at the middle-management level, to similarly be subject to scrutiny from the PAC. According to the REOs, the PAC ought to be involved in guiding and advising regional executive officers as opposed to bombarding, ridiculing and ultimately reducing the morale of REOs

in a manner reflective of a political agenda.

According to the ministry, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, during his remarks at the event, maintained government’s commitment to decentralisation and the effective devolution of governmental authority through decentralisation of power to the people. Minister Bulkan reminded that the decentralisation agenda is in keeping with the governance framework identified by Guyana’s constitution.

GTU willing to submit... and experienced arbitrator, Dr Aubrey Armstrong.

On the flip side, the Education Ministry proposed Permanent Secretary at the Public Telecommunications Ministry, Dereck Cummings and Human Resource Manager at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Glendon Harris.

According to Lyte, the union opposed Cummings and Harris because they are both current government employees. In a subsequent statement, the MoE said the GTU’s nominees were rejected, because they are persons who, at one stage in a previous administration, had been “involved in active politics.”

However, Lyte maintains that no official reason for rejection was given to the GTU when they asked during the meeting.

“Our side brought three names and we brought their biodata, their credentials documented; and all the ministry could have told us is that Mr Harris is GRA HR and Mr Cummings is PS at Telecommunications.

They had nothing else for us to see what experience it is these people have, nothing.

Just name and status, that’s all they knew about their people,” Lyte remarked.

“To put it lightly, we feel as though we are dealing with a monstrous administration. A set of monsters, who have no respect and no care

for the working-class people, the teachers in particular.”

According to Lyte, the GTU feels shortchanged, since the arbitration’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides that if a chairman cannot be agreed upon, the Department of Labour (DoL) would have to assume the position of chairman.

However, the GTU had already established it had no confidence in the DoL during the conciliation process, after the department’s representatives had taken part in the negotiations stage, on the side of the MoE. “Based on what our MoU suggests, it’s that once both sides cannot agree the [Department] of Labour may have to be called in to assume the chair. We don’t have a good feeling, because if you don’t trust the [Department of Labour] for conciliation, you back at square one, with a group of people that you can’t trust,” Lyte said.

The GTU is not dismissing the option of going back to industrial action if the need arises. Teachers across the nation hard embarked on an almost two-week strike.

The strike was officially called off when the MoE had agreed to conclude the conciliation process and move to arbitration.

“That remains an option, because our members, if we

From page 8

should call them out again, would be willing to come to the streets again, but all along we wanted this to be resolved, because our teachers love their children, we love what we do and even though we were out there, it was hard for us to see our [school] children suffer,” Lyte expressed “But if it means that we have to come back to the streets again, we will come.

Guyana would not want to see teachers out on the street again, because this time it is going to be bigger and we’re not going to be retreating again unless our demands are met.”

During the retreat, REOs benefited from presentations on transformational leadership by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities, Emil McGarrell.There was also a question-and-answer session with Education Minister Nicolette Henry, on the state of public education in the regions, which included the maintenance of schools and school playgrounds.There was also a question-and-answer session with Permanent Secretary of the Natural Resources

Ministry Joslyn McKenzie on mining operations in the regions and the role of the regional administrations.

Minister Bulkan further reminded them of the need for consideration of renaming the development regions.

He viewed this as being linked to regional identity, which could be further solidified by the use of regional flags.

Other initiatives, such as the Regional Agriculture and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) as well as the Na-

tional Day of Villages and National Tree Day were among some of the other activities addressed.

During the event, REOs expressed concern about critical staff vacancies in their regions, which they lamented delays in filling by the Public Service Commission.

The regional accounting officers further called for a standardised system which allows for more collaboration and communication between and among the regional accounting unit, sub-treasury and state auditors.

The REOs expressed the need for government agencies and officers located in Georgetown to be mindful of the difference in operations between the coast and the hinterland, particularly as it relates to the cost of living and transportation.

Albouystown woman busted with cocaine in luggage AGENTS of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) detained a Victoria Street, Albouystown woman at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) during the early hours of Saturday after she allegedly had 1.638kg of suspected cocaine in her luggage.

The woman, Shellon Yolanda Barrow, was intercepted by a CANU rank around 00:29hrs on Saturday morning while attempting to board a flight destined for

Jamaica with the suspected cocaine concealed in a false wall of a hard cover suitcase.

CANU said another female has been taken into custody for questioning regarding her role in the matter.

Recently, several Guyanese women have been caught here and overseas trafficking the illicit substance. In most cases the women are paid a sum of money in advance with promises to uplift balances when they complete the act.

Shellon Barrow

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Understanding Energy...

Audits in the oil and gas industry THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has commenced an audit of the costs Exxon has claimed under the cost-recovery provisions of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between the government and the company.

The audit has raised some questions, with many

wondering what the findings might mean for Guyana.

There is also some confusion on what prompted the audit and what the significance of that might be in the context of the international oil and gas sector.

Thankfully, a review of production-sharing agreements and audits in other

oil-producing countries reveals that audits of this type are standard and routine.

The concept of an audit has a negative connotation in Guyana, long associated with investigations of corrupt government deals and shady business practices.

But in the world of the international energy sector, audits such as this are quite routine. They are not initiated due to any suspicion of wrongdoing, instead, they serve a simpler purpose of increasing transparency by regularly examining claimed costs to ensure that discrepancies between government and corporate numbers can be found and resolved through negotiation.

Audits thus form a standard part of any cooperation between governments and international energy producers. The sums of money involved in oil production are very high, which makes it important to perform the necessary due diligence.

Most times, audits are helpful in identifying any accounting errors of this type.

Furthermore, they serve a trust-building role by en-

suring that all parties have had their costs and expenses double-checked.

In fact, most oil-producing countries with PSAs conduct audits as a routine and even contractually obligated part of oil development.

Guyana’s own PSA with Exxon subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana and its partners includes several provisions under Article 23 and Annex ‘C’ and Sections 1.5 and 3.1(k) of the PSA that address routine audits.

Recoverable cost audits are a fact of life for oil companies producing around the world. Uganda, for instance, has conducted 11 audits of companies’ recoverable costs since its first discoveries of commercial quantities of oil and gas in 2006.

Countries such as Norway generally rely on specific government bodies to conduct them. In Norway’s case, that’s the Office of the Auditor General, an independent body tasked with conducting routine audits and reporting the findings to Parliament.

In Guyana, the GRA

has asked that Exxon give “specific breakdowns” of some cost-recovery numbers dating to before the Liza discovery. Exxon’s “pre-contract” costs are reported to be around $460 million US—that includes the expense of extensive seismic and geologic surveys and early- stage exploration beginning in the 1990s.

Estimated costs for developing Liza Phase 1 will run into the region of $4.4 billion US, which includes the cost of drilling wells, building floating production storage and offloading vessels, crewing ships and setting up onshore facilities and everything else that goes into developing a massive new oil prospect.

Despite some speculation to the contrary, it’s important to note that Guyana will not be “paying” Exxon or its consortium partners anything. The recoverable costs in question are expenses that Exxon has borne and is allowed to recoup from the oil it produces, before splitting the profit-oil with the government. This is akin to how a restaurant must deduct the

costs of buying ingredients and setting up shop from its revenue, before it can claim the remainder as “profit.”

Exxon is also not allowed to recover all its costs at one time. The company and its partners can only recoup 75 percent of their costs in a given year, meaning that the company will likely not recoup its initial investment for several years after Liza Phase 1 starts producing.

This provision ensures that even at first-oil in 2020, Guyana will be reaping pure profit which will be divided evenly between the government and the producers. The government will receive additional revenue from the two per cent royalty.

Exxon has said it will submit the documents in question to the GRA and has pledged to cooperate fully with any audits conducted, as per the contract.

They have also said that they welcome audits as a normal part of the energy business. As the energy industry expands in Guyana, we can expect audits to continue on a regular basis.

GCCI makes wide-ranging recommendations to Jordan THE replenishment of Small Business Bureau Grant (SBB) financing of $300,000 is one of several recommendations which were put to the fore when the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) met with Minister of Finance Winston Jordan this week to make its submission to the National Budget 2019.

According to a release, the GCCI made recommendations under the general thematic areas of agricultural development, security sector development, Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Development; E-Commerce; taxation, duties and charges; oil and gas and measures for improving the financial framework.

A list of the recommendations which was made to the subject minister by the

GCCI included the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on pesticides and the removal of duty and VAT for limestone, the removal of taxes being charged in the tourism and aviation sectors with the intent of promoting tourism (e.g. the removal of VAT on trips to Kaieteur Falls ), the review of taxes on selected private security equipment with a view to reducing the rate, as well as amendment to the policy of VAT on water and electricity, amendment to the policy of VAT on inputs for exports and a review of VAT on agriculture and manufacturing machinery.

The team also recommended the creation of a national committee to craft a master plan for infrastructural development of Guyana in preparation for the oil and gas economy; and bridging

the rural-urban divide, and the provision by government of loan guarantees for small businesses via other commercial banks of between 40 to 60 per cent.

The team fielded by the GCCI was spearheaded by president of the chamber Deodat Indar. It included representatives from the business community in areas such as shipping and logistics, construction, tourism, and aviation, along with technical staff with competencies in finance, economics, engineering and project management.

The GGCI said the minister of finance remained receptive to the suggestions and indicated his satisfaction with the document submitted by the body.

The Guyana Chronicle reported recently that the grant fund of the SBB has

been exhausted, but programmes, loan facilitation and other technical services are available.

A reliable source from the SBB said the fund was depleted because of the influx of micro, small and medium-scale businesses over the past year.

Grants once limited to G$300,000, were increased up to G$1M through a new system which made it easier for small businesses to be developed in Guyana.

According to the SBB, the fund will not be replenished this year, but they hope to get more money for the grant in the 2019 budget.

Despite the depletion of the fund, there are still business management training programmes and other technical programmes which the SBB offers.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

ERC pushing for penal legislation – for use of ethnic, racial slurs

By Lisa Hamilton EVEN as the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is in the process of hiring investigators and new staff, there are moves afoot for penalties to be attached to the use of racial slurs.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday, member of the ERC responsible for Indigenous-Amerindian bodies, Ashton Simon, spoke of these plans.

He said that through the ERC, he intends to address the use of ethnic or racial slurs, the official term for which is ethnophaulisms, to be considered offensive.

“We have to ensure that legislation is developed to address matters like these,” Simon said.

“We’re trying to develop a glossary of words that should not be used; derogatory terms, towards any ethnic group and there must be legislation in place that if that is done, that the authorities step in.”

Given that Guyana is a potpourri of six ethnicities, Simon said he has over the years heard his fair share of ethnic slurs.

He said that while the use of these slurs is practised by all ethnicities, it is more commonplace among those of Afro and Indo-Guyanese and people of Indigenous descent.

There are even instances, he said, where persons use slurs meant to offend their ethnicity as a weapon against their own people.

ITS MANY FUNCTIONS According to Article 212 (a) of the Constitution of Guyana, the ERC is tasked with 24 functions, among which is the duty to “promote the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity,” and “discourage and prohibit persons, institutions, political parties and associates from indulging in, advocating or promoting discriminatory practices on the ground of ethnicity.”

Simon, however, explained that there are steps

which must be taken before the ERC can begin to address some of these concerns.

Speaking on his assigned position through which he hopes to accomplish much, Simon said: “We have not formally launched into Amerindian areas as yet, because we’re now only constituted seven months, and the absence of the ERC was about seven years. So, we are now trying to catch up with some of the staffing of the ERC; we are now hiring people to assist as investigators, and other departments that we serve are in need to be staffed.”

The hiring of investigators comes under another of the ERC’s many functions, which is to investigate complaints of racial discrimination and make recommendations on the measures to be taken, if such complaints are found to be valid.

However, even with the process still ongoing, visits have been made to several Indigenous communities near Anna Regina in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

These include Capoey,

Mashabo, Mainstay-Whyaka and Bethany, where there were also engagements with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Village Council and other stakeholders.

“We heard from them the issues on ethnic relations,” Simon said. “Some of them did not understand what the Ethnic Relations Commission was, and so we tried our best to ensure that they understood before we left.

“We’re happy that we were able to let them know that these were some of the deliverables from the ERC,” he added.

One the concerns raised during the familiarisation venture came from a young woman of both Indigenous and Afro-Guyanese extract, who was confused about where she stood with regard to the ERC. MORE ACCEPTING “We’re trying to ride over that now, because we’re more accepting of people other than Amerindians coming into Indigenous communities.

I think that education is the

cornerstone for propelling that kind of understanding,” Simon said.

This education on how more Guyanese can become more accepting of those different from them is what the ERC member wants to see spread across the country, in keeping with his vision for the commission.

“I know that we do have a very difficult time during the election period,” he said, adding: “We live very good after elections for the three-and-ahalf years, but then we have a very bad time when it comes to elections; everybody gets caught up with this thing, which should not happen.

“We’re going to work assiduously to educate; it’s all about education. We can’t go and tell people just to live well; you have to go and educate them as to the reason why you must not do that; the reason why everybody must like each other.

“It would be very good for the country, because if we do that, it means that we’ll be seeing our issues that we have to deal with as ‘ours’

Economic prosperity key to... lages not only in the hinterland, but also on the coast are being empowered to become centerpieces of development, so that residents would no longer need to leave to avoid poverty.

As such, he noted that the revitalisation of villages is a means of ensuring sustainable and secure livelihoods, as well as village democracy and stronger village economies. “I am concerned about the strength of the economy,” he stated, while noting that when next he returns to the community, he hopes to see the motto, “Proud of our economy, celebrating our prosperity.”

“We live economic lives and in the final analysis, it is how we manage our economy that will determine whether we can enjoy that good life.

That is why I am pleased to hear your toshao discuss the agricultural potential of this community,” the head-ofstate said.

He noted too that food security is important, because the Rupununi is susceptible to drought and floods and sometimes “you get too much of one and sometimes too much of the other.”

“But we must be able to

ensure that food production continues, whether there is flood or drought,” President Granger stated, while adding that in a few days’ time there will be over five dozen members of the Brazilian Construction Engineering Battalion here, who would be working in the South Rupununi to help provide water security. At the end of the project, several indigenous villages will have wells throughout the year, whether there is drought or not.

REMOVING UNCERTAINTY “It is very important to remove the cycle of uncertainty; once you have the wells and water for your animals and crops, you can move closer to food security and this will give you the basis of promoting your livestock-rearing,” stated President Granger. He said there is need to work towards improving not only livestockrearing, but pasturage also.

“All of these things have an economic basis, because it will help to make agriculture more secure and profitable for Shulinab. Most of all, I want to see in Shulinab, equality. If people are very

poor, they don’t have the same opportunities as people who are rich. If people are very poor, they can’t decide to go to secondary school in Georgetown, you can’t decide to buy all the books you need,” the President added, while pointing the levels of school drop-outs.

In this regard, the President pointed to his 5Bs initiative, which is aimed at improving attendance in school. Thus far, there are 27 buses and 11 boats taking children to school free across the country. “Education is the basis of equality,” President Granger declared.

Additionally, President Granger called on residents of Shulinab to be vigilant, while describing the community as “one of the frontier villages” while referencing Venezuelan migrants who have since come to Guyana through the Barima-Waini region.

“Guyana has accommodated many of the [Venezuelan] migrants, but I urge the toshao and the residents of Shulinab and all the villages along this border to be vigilant; we are not chasing anyone,” he stated, while making it clear that things must be

done in an orderly manner.

SECURITY OF RESIDENTS President Granger continued: “We are concerned about the safety of our citizens and we do not want bandits or Syndicatos to come into this region; this has happened in the Barima-Waini region, Cuyuni-Mazaruni region and I don’t want it to happen in the Rupununi region. People have been attacked, murdered… some of them have brought diseases, measles, malaria. We have to be very cautious so that as we move forward, we must not make the mistake of ignoring some of the threats to our national security as well. I am concerned about the safety of our citizens and if there is any threat we need to respond very quickly.”

Toshao of Shulinab and Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Nicholas Fredericks, called on residents to work in unity for the betterment of the indigenous peoples and particularly children.

“We have to reflect on the important values that we have contributed towards building this very important nation.

and not ‘the Amerindian problem,’ because you talk about lands or an ‘African issue’ because you talk about Victoria.”

He stated further that it is also the responsibility of the country’s leaders to live by example, even as the ERC has recently met with both the government and leader of the opposition to discuss their concerns.

“We are trying now, before the year ends, to meet with as much [sic] stakeholders that we can, because next year, we want to kick off doing other things,” Simon said.

Leaving a message to Indigenous communities for which he takes leadership, he added: “If you have issues, if you think you’re being discriminated against because of ethnic reasons, you can call, you can write, and there are other methods that you can do to contact the ERC. “Once you do that, persons will record your engagement and then from there we have investigators that will look into it and engage you from there on, until the matter is resolved.”

From page 3

It is with that reflection that we celebrate and we want to make sure our celebrations are more meaningful, realistic [and] that would lead us to an end result that will be positive for both the government and us the indigenous people as we move forward.”

Fredericks said progress is not without its challenges, but called on residents to overcome those challenges by working towards solutions in a friendly way “and not to point fingers and criticise negatively, but to criticise with positive recommendations.

“For too long we have been divided, we have been fighting among each other because of religion, race, but we the indigenous people are going to work with your government,” the toshao stated.

Other speakers at today’s Heritage Day celebration included Ministers of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock and Valerie Garrido-Lowe; Regional Chairman Brian Allicock and Cyril Solomon of the South Rupununi Development Council. They all alluded to the achievements of the people of Region Nine.

President Granger was

Toshao of Shulinab Village Nicholas Fredericks

treated to a warm cultural welcome by the people of Shulinab, after which he visited several local booths which were on display by the Shulinab Women’s Groups, the South Rupununi District Council and the Konashen Amerindian Protected Area group, among others.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, Consul-General for Guyana in Roraima and other Northern States of Brazil, Shirley Melville and Artist George Simon also attended the Heritage Day celebration.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Women toshaos empowered to lead

Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe addressing the female toshaos

FOURTEEN female toshaos from across Guyana participated in a oneday leadership workshop aimed at empowering them to better lead their communities.

The workshop, hosted at the Sophia Exhibition Centre, was organised by the Canadian High Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.

Speaking to the toshaos, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee said, “We want to contribute to getting rid of poverty,” and added, “We need to support women like yourselves to participate in all areas of society.”

For her, the landscape of the Indigenous community is changing -- as is the rest of the world and more women are coming to the fore of leadership. This year alone, 14 female toshaos were sworn in with five of them coming from Region One. “While this shows a sign of progress, it shows how

much more has to be done.

There is still a lot of space for women to get more involved in politics and you serve as role models for future women and men who want to get involved in politics,” Chatterjee said.

Junior Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe said indigenous women are the head of the household because of their roles in nurturing and managing.

“When we take on leadership roles right now as toshaos and so on, we already know what we have to do,” she contended.

Added to the challenges that might confront the women as toshaos, the minister also acknowledged that women face the additional challenge of dealing with the males who may not readily comprehend the demands of leadership.

The toshaos who attended the workshop hail from Santa Cruz, Bumbery Hill, Baramita, Santa Rosa and Red Hill (Region One); Pakuri (Region Four); Kama-

Elizabeth Ramascindo, toshao of Bumbery Hill, and the oldest female toshao, makes a point during the training

na, Kurukabaru and Campbelltown (Region Eight); Achiwib (Region Nine); and Great Falls and Muritaro (Region 10).

The Canadian high commissioner said it is her hope that the female leaders will become even stronger leaders in their communities. This training was facilitated by geophysicist and former Chief of the Bear Clan, Glenn Nolan.

Juveniles reportedly come clean

– confess to murdering Annandale pensioner

TWO juveniles from Buxton were picked up on Friday and taken into police custody as part of the ongoing investigations into the death of 72-year-old Krishnachand Dabee.

Dabee was found dead in his yard on August 27 at Annandale, East Coast Demerara by his daughter when she went to check on him after not hearing from him.

The man was found with a

wound in the head.

The youngsters have since confessed to the crime, and according to sources in police circles, they claim they went to the man’s house to sack it, but did not expect him to be at home. In the ensuing scuffle, they said, the man was dealt a fatal blow.

This was reportedly consistent with what the police found when they went to the pensioner’s home, as

there were signs that it was burgled.

According to a police source, when the first young man was picked up, he admitted to having knowledge of the crime, and reportedly told detectives that it was not he who dealt the fatal blow, but his accomplice. After some interrogation, both of them reportedly confessed to the crime, and it was recorded.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Elect ‘fit and proper’ candidates – Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo urges Berbicians PRIME Minister, Moses Nagamootoo has called on Berbicians to come out in full numbers on November 12 to elect “fit and proper” candidates to represent them.

The prime minister offered the encouragement in the presence of his Region Six representative Gobin Harbhajan, Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan and others during a visit to his hometown, Whim, on Saturday.

In a fired-up speech that was received with resounding applause, Nagamootoo appealed to the masses to ensure those whom they elect are people who have the interest of the community at heart.

“I am here to tell you, I am a no-nonsense man, I want you to change the NDC that is doing nothing for the people in their own villages.

If you find your councillors are not doing anything for you replace them! You have the power in your hands to replace them, put new leaders, put people with energy, people with commitment,

people with dedication people who will look after you and look at your back not those who help themselves…. change the NDCs that are doing nothing for people in the villages! If you find the councillors are doing nothing, change them!”

He added that his visit is not a political one and residents have to elect candidates who will put their best

foot forward for the betterment for their community.

“This is not the time for help-self, this is a time for self-help and we want leaders who can come forward and volunteer and do the work. I am not here on a political partisan crusade; I am not asking you to put candidates for the AFC, APNU or the PPP, I am asking you to put fit and proper

candidates! Whoever is fit and proper must represent you,” he said.

He stated that while the Coalition Government has made changes and has done a big part by giving the power to the people to change their circumstances through Local Government Elections, the government needs the help of the people at the grassroot level to help

The gathering listen attentively to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo speaking at the Whim meeting on Saturday in the presence of Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan and Region Six representative, Gobin Harbhajan

develop their own communities and find and implement solutions to issues that are affecting them.

On that note, he urged everyone to play their role in choosing the best candidates.

“The people are now in control of their villages and they have elected their own leaders and they have to ensure their leaders make demands for the things they need, so look around you, look into your communities for those people who are dedicated, who show interest

in your affairs, because this revolution in Guyana is not going to be a top-up revolution but a revolution from the bottom up. You will have to change your society from your communities.”

The prime minister was, at the time, returning from a visit to the co-generation plant at Skeldon Estate, where he was given a tour of the facility and details about its capacity and potential in alleviating some of the power issues that have been plaguing citizens across Guyana.

14

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Countrywide valuation of properties to begin in NA

...municipalities welcome initiative THE promised countrywide property valuation, that will help local government organs improve their collection of rates and taxes, is

scheduled to commence next month in the town of New Amsterdam, before moving farther afield.

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan

A contract to the value of approximately $330M has been awarded to a Canadian company, Municipal Property Assessment of Ontario, an entity that does property evaluation for the province of Ontario, as well as other provinces in Canada and other countries.

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, in an interview last Friday, confirmed that the company will begin evaluations next month.

“They’re expected to start their pilot work in New Amsterdam next month. They are committed to completing a national property inventory by the end of next year. So it will be an inventory of all properties across the country with accurate, current date values. That information will be provided to each council, whether it’s an NDC or town,” Bulkan said.

The purpose of the evaluations is to assist the municipalities to garner more finances so as to allow a ‘weaning’ of them off government financial support.

Rates and taxes from property are a primary source of revenue for local government authorities; however, there has been no evaluation of properties since the 1970s, so councils are without the necessary information to determine the proper rates and taxes to apply to properties in their areas.

“The question of taxation will not be one that will be determined by the central government. It will be determined individually by each of the 80 councils. Right now in the absence of a property evaluation system, that has accurate information, those councils are handicapped in being able to determine what rates are to be applied, because those values as applied to individual properties are far from accurate,” Bulkan explained.

“So it’s that modernisation, that framework or regime that central government is committed to, because we believe it is the single most important activity that will lead to financial sustainability and viability of our local government organs.”

Mayors and other local government organs voiced their appreciation to see the evaluations completed, noting that they would have many uses for the new income.

In Anna Regina, Mayor Rabindranauth Mohan averages that his municipality could collect as much as $8 - $9 million dollars more in rates and taxes, annually, if the properties in the area are properly evaluated and the right taxes applied.

He contends that only approximately 55-60 per cent of properties within the area pay taxes.

Since valuations have not been done in four

Mayor of Anna Regina Rabindranauth Mohan

Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall

decades, newly constructed properties do not pay anything.

“We would’ve had a lot of new homes constructed and they were not valued, and we had a lot of new schemes-- four new schemes in the township. The new properties were not valued, so those people don’t pay anything. So what we have is those who have very old buildings and they’re paying and newcomers basically ride free,” Mohan remarked.

Additionally, for those properties that were evaluated and are paying rates, the rates applied are very outdated as many of the buildings have been modified.

Mohan notes that once the properties are rightly valued and rates and taxes applied, the other problem will be in getting the owners to pay up, given that even in the current situation property owners are errant in their payments.

Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall, believes that this problem could be addressed if a sensitisation campaign is embarked upon to impress upon residents the need for them to pay their rates and taxes.

“Persons are still of the opinion that the monies to do works in the municipality should come directly from central government, which is not the case. This is because of a lack of sensitisation of persons paying their taxes,” said Marshall.

The last time property evaluations were done, Bartica was a village. According to Gifford, in Bartica, just fewer than 40 per cent of the properties pay any taxes. He commended the government for undertaking this initiative to rectify the situation.

Marshall noted that he would also be lobbying central government for part of the taxes garnered from quarrying works in his township to go to the local government.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Green Conversation taken to Linden

THE Green Conversation was taken to the mining town of Linden with residents there being urged to develop their communities in a sustainable manner.

The civic-engagement forum took place on Friday at LICHAS Hall, Linden, under the theme, “Oil Revenues for Social Development and Environmental Management – the Sovereign Wealth Fund.”

Giving expert remarks was Professor Gary Dirks, Director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at the Arizona State University.

Dirks stated that Arizona State University takes the idea of sustainable development very seriously.

“It is extremely important that when we talk about sustainability, we also need to gain conscience that there are many populations within the world that need to be developed, in fact, sustainability means man and nature thriving together,” Dirks said.

Dirks pleaded with Lindeners to develop their communities in sustainable manner.

“As we develop let’s not

Participants in the Green Conversation panel discussion held on Friday.

pollute, as we develop let’s not kill off nature, as we develop let’s not be unfair to populations. However, we should look at adding value to the crops that you produce…let’s be responsible.”

Dirks was part of a panel that explored various avenues of development that can come directly or indirectly from the developing oil and gas sector. The other panelists were Elroy Adolph, Vice-Regional Chairman of Region 10; Stallum Payne,a member of the Linden Cham-

ber of Commerce; Kenisha McTurk, Vice-President of the Linden Youth Leaders; and Sam Wright, Environmental Engineer.

McTurk noted that youth should play an active role in discussions such as the Green Conversation, in order to be informed about opportunities. However, she believes that the youthful voices are not being heard.

“It’s hard being a youth in Guyana from my perspective. We go at these forums and we don’t have a lot of

youth participation and as such, I believe that a lot of time our voices are not heard,” McTurk noted.

Adolph added that going green and sustainable development should be part of the school curriculum in Guyana, in order for them to be engaged in the development of their communities

and country.

Adolph said, “I think this conversation should continue for the next five years.

It’s a healthy conversation.

We must adapt ourselves to changes in Guyana. The government has a vision.”

Green conversations create open, non-partisan spaces for persons to engage in

15

conversations related to their needs and priorities, in ways that help them to participate in the national conversation about securing a sustainable future for Guyana.

This is made possible through raising awareness, having meaningful engagements and shaping the future.

Areas to be targeted by the end of September, 2018, are East Demerara and New Amsterdam. Bartica and Lethem will be targeted in October, 2018.

Green conversations are made possible through a partnership among the United Nations Environment Programme, Conservation International - Guyana, the Department of Environment, World Wildlife Fund-Guianas, the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Finance, with support from other government departments and agencies.

16

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Limited fuel causes power cuts

– Kwakwani residents protest situation

Kwakwani residents protesting the power shortage on Friday

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE Kwakwani Utility Incorporated (KUI) is now battling to provide electricity to over 1200 households in the community with half the amount of fuel that was previously supplied

by RUSAL. For years, the company was supplied fuel every three days, now that same amount of fuel is provided every six days.

According to regional officials, the company was not given any detailed reasoning as to why the fuel supply was cut, but they were just informed that the company

would not be able to provide same, every three days as was done previously.

This has resulted in the community having blackouts for eight hours every day.

From 05:00 hrs to 10:00 hrs there is blackout and from 16:00hrs to 18:00hrs daily.

About 15 residents from the Lamp Island and Water Front area protested in front of KUI on Friday with placards venting their frustration over the daily ordeal of being without electricity. The protest action is expected to continue on Monday.

Vice-Chairman of Region 10 Elroy Adolph, who

resides in Kwakwani, noted that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is aware of the situation and is seeking a contingency plan to deal with it. The company has put forward the option of purchasing duty-free fuel from other suppliers so as to keep the cost down. Kwakwani residents do not pay for the electricity they consume and the government provides a subvention to KUI to purchase from RUSAL. If the company is to purchase fuel from outside sources, it will haemorrhage the subvention coffers which are replenished every three months.

“It will cost almost thrice the amount we are paying for fuel from Rusal, because we have to take into consideration VAT, transportation cost and other expenses and we definitely cannot afford that, so we are seeking duty-free fuel as a solution to the problem,” Adolph noted.

DON’T BLAME US While this newspaper was not able to contact Russian managers at Rusal, an employee familiar with the situation noted that the blame should not be placed on RUSAL, but KUI for requesting less fuel since two

new generators were bought in March of 2018. He said that the old generators that had worked at KUI for years were replaced by two new generators. The managers at KUI then requested to purchase less fuel for the generators with the belief that they would have consumed less fuel. They were however wrong and now the fuel they requested is insufficient to supply 24 hours of electricity to the community. “What they need to do, is instead of blaming RUSAL, is go back to the negotiating table and decide on how much fuel these two generators really need,” the employee said.

In March, two new 260kilowatt engines were commissioned, hoping that it would have met the demand of residents. The old engine, according to KUI, was in dire need of overhauling.

The decision to purchase the new engines was taken following a July 2017 study by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

POLITICALLY -MOTIVATED Meanwhile, some residents of the community are of the opinion that the protest action was politically motivated, since Local Government Elections (LGEs) are quickly approaching.

One resident said that it was

instigated by an individual running independently, who is seeking to make the government look bad and to gain political mileage for his campaign. He said that is the reason the protest was not well supported, especially from residents in the Kwakwani Park area, who are aware of the strides made by the government to better the quality of electricity supply with the purchasing of the new generator sets, the years of subsidising the electricity and the improved standard of KUI. He noted that over the last months, KUI’s staffing has increased to over 60 workers. Plans are also in the budget to purchase a tank next year to store fuel and to stabilise the electricity before December month Residents are calling for the issue to be resolved earliest and said even if it calls for them commencing payment for electricity, they are willing to do so.

Alfred Austin of Lamp Island said, “We are willing to pay, because this is frustrating, people thing spoiling, fridge and freezer and all these things, we are willing to pay to make this better for us.” Only corporate businesses in Kwakwani pay for electricity.

Cubans starting up families in Guyana – Guyanese men buying into Cuban women seeking companions

HE seemed uneasy, fiddling with his mobile phone as he tried his best to understand the Spanish text messages being sent from the other end. His friend sat nearby with a concerned look on his face. And as the morning stretched on, it appeared as if their business meeting with their Cuban friend was off. Dejected, he asked anyone around if they can speak Spanish.

Downtown in this King Street, Georgetown edifice, the marriage officers have been busy fixing arranged marriages, a new trend of foreign nationals, mainly Cubans, seeking a prospective “husband” in Guyana in a business which has been growing annually since 2015.

Outside the building, a woman approaches this reporter. “JP, want a JP?” she

A group of Cubans shopping in downtown Georgetown (Delano Williams photo)

asks and willingly provides information on the requirements for processing various documents, even notarised marriage applications.

One marriage officer told the Guyana Chronicle that he has been receiving many requests from local men seeking marriage to the foreigners.

“Since 2014 and early part 2015, they came to my office seeking advice on marriage, but I found out it’s a business,” the man said on condition of anonymity.

At another office, the marriage officer said he processed many applications for the new unions. He said that the foreign women pay as much as US$6000 in the arrangement. “The least they pay is US$4000, because is the locals calling the shots,” he added.

The process by which one obtains a marriage licence in Guyana can be lengthy but straight forward.

First, both parties must fill an application form obtained from the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) and take it to a Justice of the Peace, who will notarize the application.

By requirement, the parties must then submit the completed form along with required documents such as identification cards (passports for foreigners) to the Marriage Section of the General Register Office. A date is then provided for when the licence can be uplifted.

It is then taken by the prospective married couple to the marriage officer who will perform the marriage ceremony.

Turn to page 17

17

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Call made for public officials to be sanctioned over Lindo Creek Massacre - PPP rejects Lindo Creek CoI Report

THE Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has reportedly recommended that 11 public officials be sanctioned at the level of the National Assembly over their failure to perform their duties “before and after” the killing of eight miners in 2008.

Chief among the public officials is the then President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who now serves as leader of the opposition.

According to the findings contained in the report pertaining to the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry (CoI) - A nation’s search for truth and justice, the state officials at the time, while functioning in their official capacity, neglected to perform their duties “before and after” the murder of the miners. The badly burnt remains of the eight miners were discovered by the owner of the camp, Leonard Arokium, at Lindo Creek in the Upper Berbice River, Region 10, on June 21, 2008; but it is suspected that the miners were killed between June 7, 2008 and June 21, 2008.

In addition to the former president, the commission has singled out the then Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee; former Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Gary Best; former Commissioner of Police, the late Henry Greene; and the then Police Crime Chief, Seelall Persaud, who is now the former commissioner of police (ag).

The then Director of Public Prosecutions, the Deputy Crime Chief, Head of the Office of Professional Responsibility, Head of the Police Major Crimes Unit, police commander, E

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

Chairman of the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry Justice (Ret’d) Donald Trotman

Former Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee

Former army Chief of Staff Gary Best

& F Division and Divisional Detective Inspector, E & F Division, were also listed among the 11.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that among the recommendations in the report, which was submitted to President David Granger in August, is a call to have these public officials censured.

The Military Criminal Investigations Department (MCID), back in 2008, had cleared the Joint Services,the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force, of having anything to do with the massacre, even though fingers were pointed in their

direction. A criminal investigation was ordered closed by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) on the grounds that all the members of the notorious Rondell “FineMan” Rawlins gang, which the Joint Services had blamed for the crime, were dead.

But Chairman of the Lindo Creek CoI, Justice (Ret’d) Justice Donald Trotman, in his report to the President, said the investigations, which had exonerated the Joint Services, were poorly conducted.

Based on geographical and technical evidence provided by surveyors, evidence

offered by civilians, including Leonard Arokium and the visit to the crime scene by the commission, Justice (Ret’d) Trotman concluded that it was not reasonably possible for the criminal gang to have moved from Christmas Falls, where they had engaged in a shootout with the police on June 6, 2008, to Lindo Creek in a matter of hours or days, while being hunted by the Joint Services.

He stated that from a process of elimination, it is more likely that if anybody did it at all, it was the Joint Services’ ranks.

But the findings and recommendations put forward by the commission have not found favour with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – the party which was in government when the miners – Dax Arokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Nigel Torres, Bonny Harry, Clifton Wong and Lancelot Lee – were killed.

On Saturday, the PPP emphatically rejected the findings of the Donald Trotman Commission of Inquiry, stating for a second time that it has no confidence in the commission.

Cubans starting up families ...

Cubans do not need visas to travel to Guyana. In November 2016, the Guyana Chronicle reported that some 300 Cubans visit Guyana weekly. By June 2018, the number had more than doubled. At that time, this publication had reported that some 700 Cubans visit these shores every week and are contributing to this country’s economy, a move aimed at strengthening trade between

the two nations.

In the past, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge had noted that the Spanish-speaking nationals come here mainly for tourism purposes.

But while many travel here for business and tourism, others come with a wider objective -- to obtain immigrant visas.

Cubans have been flocking to Guyana in droves to

get such visas ever since Washington decided to transfer the processing of visa applications for Cubans from Colombia to Guyana.

“On April 1, we will begin transferring current immigrant visa applications and scheduling immigrant visa interviews for Cuban nationals at U.S. Embassy Georgetown, Guyana. Guyana will then be the primary site for processing immi-

grant visa applications for Cubans. The first interviews will take place in June,” the State Department announced in March this year on its website.

Statistics provided by Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix to the bipartisan parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, illustrates that there are no departure records for 7,255 of the 44,747 Cubans who trav-

elled to Guyana last year.

And of the 22,520 who entered Guyana from January to April of 2018, a total of 6,170 did not lodge any departure records with immigration authorities.

Along Regent Street and King Street, some Cubans who have taken up jobs here have been capitalising on the relations between the two countries, including in trade. They can be seen

“We knew that this commission was established with a preconceived intention of holding the Joint Services liable and to exonerate the notorious killer, Rondell Rawlins, also known as “Fine Man” and his murderous gang.”

“We pointed out that a close relative of a leading member of the coalition government was appointed as the lone commissioner to bring home this finding.

Nearly a year later and after the expenditure of unknown millions of taxpayers’ dollars, we have been vindicated,” the main opposition party said in a statement.

According to the PPP, it is a “real tragedy” that the government has sought to tarnish law-enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to protect the law-abiding citizens of this land.

“To our Joint Services men and women, who have been wrongly tarnished in this report, we say, do not despair, we stand with you, and we are sure that so do a large majority of our citizens,” the PPP said.

Over the six-month investigation conducted by Justice (Ret’d) Trotman, which included two extensions, over 60 witnesses and persons of interest appeared before the commission. A total of 20 public-hearing sessions was reportedly conducted, in addition to 10 private interviews and five in-camera sessions. While Best and Seelall were among those who appeared before the commission, Jagdeo and Rohee, though invited to appear,had declined.

From page 16 outside stores where they act as middlemen for other Cubans doing business here, especially first-timers.

Others make arrangements with local taxi and minibus drivers to transport their fellow countrymen/women to and from the airports. Others meantime, tie up other forms of business, including marriage, the new trend in town.

18

Teenager clings to life

– as family prepares for funeral of sibling THE six other siblings of hospitalised Denesha Sooknandan and deceased Sunil Sooknandan are still in a state of shock over the horrendous accident that visited the two on Thursday night.

The siblings were struck off their bicycle as they were attempting to cross the public road at Ogle in the vicinity of Shell Gas Station.

They reportedly rode into the path of a moving car driven by a female who resides on upper East Coast of Demerara. A breathalyser test conducted on the woman proved negative.

The six-year-old died on the spot, while the teenager was up to late Friday evening still a patient in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

along the Ogle Seawall.

The children said they once lived in Industry at an aunt, but after their parents

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

and relatives had a misunderstanding, a decision was made to move and take up residence along the seawall.

They have been living there close to a year.

With the exception of three siblings, ages three, 17, and 18, all the other children are said to be attending school, this publication was told.

The police are awaiting the doctor’s advice before they send a file to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) for advice on the matter.

Dead: Sunil Sooknandan

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the home where the children lived, the six other siblings were present but their parents were out and about sorting out funeral arrangements for Sunil and checking on the condition of Denesha.

The humble family lives in a zinc and wooded shack on a government reserve

The shack in which the family of the accident victims live

Guyanese woman held with cocaine in New York A 26-year-old Guyanese woman who swallowed several cocaine pellets and hid a package of the drug

in her vagina has found herself facing jail time in New York.

According to court doc-

uments filed in the New York Eastern District Court, the woman, Alicia Coppin, travelled to New York from

Guyana on September 11 on a Caribbean Airlines flight.

The woman was subjected to an x-ray which revealed

the presence of foreign bodies inside her abdominal area and pelvis. Coppin was taken by customs and border agents to a medical facility and a package which later tested positive for cocaine was removed from her body cavity.

The woman also excreted cocaine pellets. She is awaiting a court hearing.

On Thursday, another woman, a 46-year-old East Ruimveldt hairdresser, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $2.3M after pleading guilty to being in possession of over two pounds of cocaine, which she was trying to sneak on board a flight to New York.

Karen Stuffle, who was sentenced by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, admitted that on Saturday last at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, she attempted to traffic 1.142 kilograms of cocaine.

Konyo Sandiford of the Customs Anti-narcotics Unit (CANU) told the court that on the day in question, Stuffle was an outgoing passenger on a Caribbean Airlines flight BW526, bound

for JFK, New York; when she went to the check-in area, she was first cautioned by a CANU officer before being taken by the said officer into a room where she was subjected to a cavity search.

That search, Sandiford said, uncovered the cocaine wrapped in plastic in Stuffle’s vagina.

On realising that the game was up, Stuffle reportedly told the CANU rank, “That is all the cocaine I got.”

But when she was taken to a city hospital to have an X-ray done, it showed that she had foreign objects in her stomach, and was given a dose of laxative to help pass them out. Two days later, while under guard at the hospital, Stuffle reportedly excreted 100 pellets of cocaine.

The prosecutor disclosed that three persons are currently in custody and they are hunting for a fourth suspect.

Before handing down the sentence, the chief magistrate asked Stuffle if she had anything to say to the court. At that, she broke down in tears and quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Defendants given time to respond – as hearing of PPP move to block holding of LGEs continues THE hearing of the matter regarding an injunction filed by the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to block the holding of Local Government Elections (LGEs) in several areas across the country this November will continue on October 8.

When the matter was called before Justice Gino Persaud on Friday at the High Court, counsel for the respondents requested 14 days in which to file affidavits in the matter. Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are

named as the respondents in the matter.

At the same time, counsel for Bibi Shadick, a GECOM commissioner in whose name the matter was filed, called for the hearing to proceed expeditiously. One of the applicant’s lawyers, Marcia Nadir-Sharma, indicated to the court that they can make submissions in the matter within a seven-day period after the filing of affidavits by counsel for the respondents.

The hearing will commence on October 8, 2018.

This year’s elections are scheduled for November 12.

According to court documents seen by this publi-

cation, the opposition party alleged that the subject minister has failed to identify by name, boundaries, and number of members, each of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils it highlighted in court documents. The injunction was filed on the grounds that the said decision is “unlawful, illegal, in violation of the Local Democratic Organs Act, Cap. 28:09”.

The party, in the documents, called for the quashing of a decision by the chief elections officer to fix the exterior boundaries in respect of several municipalities and NDCs on the grounds that the said decision “is ultra vires,

The legal team representing the Minister of Communities and the Guyana Elections Commission at the High Court on Friday (Adrian Narine photo)

unlawful, in violation of the Local Democratic Organs Act, Cap. 28:09, in excess of jurisdiction, failed to satisfy or observe procedures required by law, abuse of power, illegal and constitutes a usurpation of the statutory functions of the first-named Respondent under the Local Democratic Organs Act.” The injunction, which was filed in the name Bibi Safora Shadick – a commissioner on the Guyana Elections Commission, also called for consultations to be held with the electors and stakeholders inclusive of the major political parties likely to vote and contest the election of councillors in the named local authority areas, in relation to the establishment of constituency boundaries within the said areas.

It called for such actions to be held “with every convenient speed to enable the election of councillors to Local Democratic Organs to take place on the 12th November, 2018, or any other date during the period statutorily provided for the holding of such elections.”

GECOM Commissioner Bibi Shadick in whose name the injunction was filed and team at the High Court on Friday (Adrian Narine photo)

Among the areas named are the municipality of Rose Hall, the municipality of Mahdia, Moruka/Phoenix Park, Kitty/Providence, Nile/ Cozier, Lamaha/Yarrowkabra, Hauraruni/Yarrowkabra, Plegt Anker/Kortberaad and Wyburg/Caracas.

The PPP alleged that in creating new NDCs and modifying and/or re-demarcating the existing internal boundaries of existing constituencies, the named respondents “not only acted unlawfully, but they did so unfairly, capriciously, whimsically and in a manner to prejudice and skew the elections in favour of one major political party and against the other.”

Minister Bulkan told reporters last week that to the best of his knowledge and based on statements made by the PPP, they acknowledge that he has the authority under the law to determine the size of councils.

He said the opposition is positing that he acted undemocratically and that it invoked Article 13 of the constitution which speaks to inclusionary democracy.

“No. I don’t see why I should be fazed,” he said regarding the move by the PPP. He said he acted “lawfully and legally” and he noted that there has been no claim to the contrary that he acted unlawfully.

20

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Market vendors to relocate – as M&CC prepares to build state-of-the-art wharf

By Gabriella Chapman THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure are in the preparatory phase of developing a new Stabroek Market wharf.

According to Town Clerk Royston King, the decision was made since the wharf is unsuitable to continue vending.

He explained that the vendors were notified of this course of action and were given a September 12 deadline to relocate. On Wednesday morning, the Council took action to limit the vendors’ activities by cordoning off certain sections of the wharf.

“The safety and well-being of our stallholders are our highest priority. The entire wharf will be closed to the public within the next week. This is being done

to protect the lives of those who ply their trade on that wharf, which has collapsed on two occasions; the wharf is in a calamitous state. No one, who is not a stallholder, would be allowed to linger at that facility. The situation is life- threatening,” King said.

He also shared that the council is working assiduously to complete preparation of a portion of reserve west of Parliament Building to relocate those vendors who are affected.

However, King stated that preparation and arrangements to relocate them will take time and substantial resources, which are not yet within the Council’s coffers.

“There has been, financially, a slight setback to our fulfilling the original timeline of one month to relocate those vendors. The council needs another two to four weeks to complete preparation of that area. Funding for

Town Clerk Royston King

this wharf is coming from the general revenue base from the city treasurer, and that is why it is taking so long. No other source but our accounts

are being used to advance with the project,” he stressed.

A total of 89 vendors were operating on the wharf, the majority vending per-

ishable goods. In addressing what provisions will be made for those vendors with perishable goods who cannot wait the duration of the preparation period, King stated that the council had several meetings with the vendors and they were warned not to purchase large amounts of goods. In addition, citizens who are supporting the vendors are also endangering their lives when they go to the wharf to make purchases, the town clerk said.

“So it is a situation we could have not allowed to continue. They have a right to earn a living, but the first right is the right to life and that is the first right we wish to protect before we move on to the second right,” he said.

King also said that City Hall will consider allowing the vendors to sell out the goods they have left.

According to City Engi-

neer Colvern Venture, consultations are still ongoing for the construction of the new wharf and recently the council signed on to a document from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for the first phase of that project to commence.

“So the first phase that was recently signed off on was the actual studies to be carried out on the wharf facilities. That study will be taken into consideration, modernising the facility in such a way that it is more of a tourist attraction,” Venture said.

This phase is expected to last eight months, he said.

In addition to relocating the vendors, the town clerk shared that the office of the Clerk of Markets has been relocated from the wharf to the upper floor of the Kitty Market.

Region Six health facilities to tackle gaps in service AS the Ministry of Public Health wraps up plans for the 2019 budget, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence and Director of Regional Clinical Services, Dr Kay Shako, have visited health facilities in New Amsterdam to address the gaps that exist in the health care system.

On September 12 and 13, numerous nurses and doctors were engaged with the Minister and Dr Shako along with others from the

public health administration to highlight their concerns and areas which require immediate intervention.

Minister Lawrence and her team also toured health facilities in New Amsterdam, including the Regional Hospital, the National Psychiatric Hospital and the new Amsterdam Health Centre. New Amsterdam is the hub for health service delivery in Region Six, as services are filtered through other health posts, centres and other hospitals.

Minister Lawrence and team along with regional health officials as they tour the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital and the National Psychiatric Hospital

Minister Lawrence explained that this visit to the region was “To ensure that as we plan now, as we plan ahead for more years to come, we want to ensure that we capture all of those areas where the gaps are and deficiencies exist, to ensure that the vision is one which makes provision for far-flung areas.”

Lawrence was informed through public information and social media, Turn to page 21

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 16, 2018

Oil, gas development can work with ‘Green’ development – US Professor GUYANA is doing its homework and laying the foundation for both oil and gas and a ‘green’ economic development.

This is according to Director of Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, Professor Gary Dirks. He stressed too that government needs to ensure ExxonMobil complies with all environmental safeguards.

On Friday at a lunchtime lecture at Moray House Trust, Camp Street Georgetown, hosted by the Guyana Press Association in partnership with Conservational International Guyana, Professor Dirks said Guyana does not have the experiences in dealing with the oil and gas sector and there are no shortcuts.

Professor Dirks said since arriving with his team on Monday he noticed that the country is very unique and cannot be compared to others.

“There is absolutely no reason why you can’t have a green growth agenda pursued aggressively and being an oil producing nation at the same time,” he stated.

The professor who is visiting Guyana for the first time said oil is very much needed in the world, “the world would die without oil right now, because the energy that is vital [to the] functioning of society comes from oil today, therefore, we have to provide these resources.”

He explained that ExxonMobil is the best in the

business since in their field the best are hired in all sectors. “There is nobody whose technology is any better than theirs (ExxonMobil), there is nobody that is more disciplined in the way they do things.”

He continued: “The world needs this oil, and frankly, if done right, the country of Guyana can benefit from it…

ExxonMobil will go out of their way to ensure that there are no accidents which would compromise your fisheries, but they have to be watched as everybody else, and that is the responsibility of the government and the Press,” the Professor underscored.

Professor Dirks, who once worked with British Petroleum and was a fierce competitor of ExxonMobil, said Guyana must find consensus on the best way to use its resources since it’s essential to the development of the energy sector, human capital, infrastructure, capacity building and sustainable development in the beginning while evolving in time.

With careful planning, he said, the country can minimise its environmental footprint, while at the same time raising the standard of living for the population.

Forestry and eco-tourism can also be pursued sensibly so as not to undermine the sense that Guyana is a green economy. However, he said citizens need to be involved in the planning for the future.

The professor explained

Professor Gary Dirks addressing the gathering of media operatives at the Lunch Time Lecture at Moray House Trust (Adrian Narine Photo)

that in a meeting with University of Guyana officials, it was clear that there are plans to develop skillsets and opportunities for Guyanese in the future.

Noting that it was revealed that a very significant number of graduates from the university leave the country, he said that Guyana needs to find ways to retain its graduates and ensure that the country grooms a diversified batch of engineers for the future since there is much development that needs to be done.

Presently, government is working assiduously to put legislative and regulatory frameworks in place, such as the crafting of the Petroleum Commission Bill and a Sovereign Wealth Fund, to safeguard the oil and gas industry.

Ahead of first-oil in

From page 20

Region Six health facilities ... that there was need for a review of the way services are delivered at the regional hospital. As these gaps and deficiencies were assessed, the minister and her team cited the need to address the issues of management.

Moving forward, the ministry continues to implement training and capacity-building programmes to address this.

Also, these programmes will address the gap in human resources. “At the New Amsterdam Hospital, the greater of the issues is that of human resources and that

spreads across the regions, so I am very happy that our training programmes are seeking to meet those gaps which we have,” Minister Lawrence added. Moving forward, the ministry’s team and the Ministry of Communities, along with the regional administration for health, will all meet to resolve gaps related to human resources.

Further, other areas regarding infrastructure, medical supplies and equipment and other areas of concern have been considered by the minister as “low-hanging fruit”

and she said management of the hospitals will work closely to ensure that there are evident changes and improvement in services and working conditions.

“Certainly, I will be meeting with the region and the Ministry of Communities to address the many vacancies we have, and most of those vacancies are in the area of management and supervision; and as a result of that, we have a lot of disparities in terms of persons’ working ability and their performance level.”

2020, the World Bank in June approved a US$35M Development Policy Credit to strengthen Guyana’s financial sector and fiscal-management capabilities. In excess of 3.7 billion oil-equivalent barrels have been discovered in nine wells: Liza, Payara, Liza Deep, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger, Pacora Longtail-1 and most recently Hammerhead, and the World Bank wants to ensure that the country is well equipped to transform its oil wealth into human capital.

Presently, nearly one in four people in Guyana live in poverty, however, experts estimate that GDP will surge when commercial production of newly discovered oil and gas begins.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Relentless Liverpool sweep Warriors, TKR Spurs aside as Chelsea go top in CPL final ...

By Neil Robinson

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Wembley yesterday to post a fifth consecutive win at the start of the season for the first time since 1990-91 and banish the memory of last year’s London mauling by Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Chelsea, though, have also recorded a perfect start after Eden Hazard scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Cardiff City, allowing them to edge past Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the Premier League.

It is the first time in 110 years that two top-tier English teams have won their opening five games - and it would have been three had Watford beaten Manchester

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United, but the Hornets surrendered their 100 percent record after losing 2-1 in yesterday’s late kick-off.

Liverpool’s goals came from Georginio Wijnaldum - his first away from home in the Premier League - and Roberto Firmino who went off with an eye injury but later confirmed it was not serious.

Such was the visitors’ dominance, they could have scored half a dozen times,

coming from the penalty spot. Willian added their fourth late on to ensure Chelsea’s goal difference is marginally better than Liverpool’s at the top.

Hazard’s display drew glowing praise from Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, who said: “He can become maybe the best player in Europe in the next two years.”

Champions Manchester City remain two points off the pace, after a routine

match assertion that his side, who have won three of their first five games, have closed the gap on the division’s top teams.

The match was effectively over before the break, with Ryan Fraser scoring twice and Josh King adding a third from the penalty spot. Adam Smith made it 4-0 before James Maddison and Marc Albrighton replied late on.

Leicester’s misera-

Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino (not pictured) scores their second goal as Tottenham’s Michel Vorm looks on. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez) with Mo Salah twice going close and Tottenham’s defence always looking vulnerable until Erik Lamela’s late strike gave them hope of an unlikely point.

Liverpool held their nerve and looked nothing like the team whom Spurs ripped apart 4-1 last season.

“We have to show progress,” said Juergen Klopp, who said the performance was Liverpool’s best of the season.

“It was maybe our best against Tottenham in all the years I’ve been here.

But only five per cent less and we would have lost.

I don’t think Tottenham played bad. We were that good it was difficult for Tottenham.”

At Stamford Bridge Chelsea ran out comfortable winners despite conceding a 16th-minute Sol Bamba opener.

That was the cue for Hazard to take charge, scoring on 37, 44th and 80th minutes - the latter goal

3-0 win over Fulham, who fell behind on two minutes to Leroy Sane, and never looked capable of forcing their way back into the game. David Silva and Raheem Sterling also netted.

The only worry for City was an ankle injury to Sergio Aguero.

United hit Watford with a one-two halfway through the first half with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling, whose left-foot volley would have done any forward proud.

MATIC DISMISSED Although Watford set up a tense finish with a goal from Andre Gray, United, who had Nemanja Matic sent off late on, held on to allow manager Jose Mourinho another chance to salute the fans at the final whistle.

Bournemouth sprang the surprise of the day, beating Leicester City 4-2. It was a performance to back up manager Eddie Howe’s pre-

ble afternoon was compounded by Wes Morgan’s 69th-minute dismissal - his first in four years - for a second yellow card offence.

Arsenal provided further signs that they have put their jittery start behind them by winning 2-1 at Newcastle United, who now have just one point from five games.

Granit Xhaka’s excellent free kick opened the scoring with Mesut Ozil ensuring Arsenal won consecutive away league games for the first time since May 2017.

In the day’s other game, Roy Hodgson celebrated the first anniversary of his appointment as Crystal Palace manager with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town. The scorer, predictably enough, was Wilfried Zaha, who marked his return from injury with a stunning solo effort.

But Zaha questioned the protection he is getting from referees. “I feel like I’d have to get my leg broken for anyone to get a card,” he said.

From back page final after they defeated the Knight Riders in the first of the playoff matches, while the Knight Riders, the defending champions, had to defeat the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Qualifier 2 on Friday night to make it to the title clash.

This is Guyana’s fourth appearance in the final, and although they have not won a CPL title, the Amazon Warriors must be feel they’re walking on a cloud after back-to-back upsets over the defending champions in their last two outings.

Guyana have been outstanding throughout this tournament and will definitely be the more confident side going into this game. Shimron Hetmyer has shown fantastic form and he has been among the most consistent batsmen in the tournament.

He will once again be their key in the batting lineup and the team will expect him to continue from where he left off while Sherfane Rutherford has proved to be one of the hottest commodities in the market in CPL 2018.

Warriors’ bowling, which looked thin at the start of the season, has fallen into place over recent matches, but standing between them and a first title are the formidable opponents hunting for a third title.

TKR have found batting heroes for every situation, with Colin Munro being the leading batsman with 464 runs. The opening batsman will be their key against the Warriors, but Knight Riders will also have huge expectations from the likes of Darren Bravo and Brendon McCullum who have had a few good hits this season and are among the top 10 run-scorers.

Knight Riders’ attack has been the remorseless machine all season and remains the best bowling side in the competition.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of tournament decider at the pre-match press conference at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday afternoon, both captains, Chris Green and Dwayne Bravo, said that while both teams are riding high on momentum, the contest cannot be taken lightly from either camp.

While there will be no favourites when they take the field today at (17.00hrs), Bravo and co. will know they cannot take the Warriors lightly as the Chris-Green-powered team are quite capable of raining on TKR’s parade.

One thing is for sure, it promises to be a cracking match between two fine sides, and a fitting way to bring down the curtain on a super Hero CPL season.

Trinbago Knight Riders: Dwayne Bravo, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Brendon McCullum, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Javon Searles, Kevon Cooper, Nikita Miller, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq, Amir Jangoo, Shannon Gabriel, Fawad Ahmed, Ali Khan.

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Malik, Chadwick Walton, Cameron Delport, Rayad Emrit, Imran Tahir, Jason Mohammed, Luke Ronchi, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo, Gajanand Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Saurabh Netravalkar, Akshaya Persaud.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Bangladesh thrash Sri Lanka after Rahim century MUSHFIQUR Rahim hit 144 as Bangladesh thrashed Sri Lanka by 137 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup in Dubai.

Lasith Malinga struck twice in the first over to leave the Tigers 1-2, but Mushfiqur’s sixth ODI century took them to 261 all out from 49.3 overs.

Sri Lanka were 124 all out in the 36th over, Dilruwan Perera top-scoring with 29.

The Asia Cup features six teams divided into two groups, with the top two from each advancing to a round-robin Super Four phase, with a final to follow.

The second match of the competition sees Hong Kong,

Mushfiqur Rahim hits 11 fours and four sixes in his 150-ball innings. who are yet to beat a major nation in their 24 ODI matches since 2004, face Pakistan today.

Malinga, now regarded as a T20 specialist at the age of 35, stunned Bangladesh after they opted to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium.

Playing his first ODI since September last year, Malinga had Liton Das caught at slip with the fifth ball of the tournament, then found some late swing to squeeze through Shakib al Hasan’s bat and pad and flatten the left-hander’s stumps.

Bangladesh’s problems worsened at the end of the next over when Tamim Iqbal was forced to retire hurt after being hit on the wrist by a delivery from Suranga Lakmal.

But Mushfiqur, dropped on 10 and 85, added 131 with Mohammad Mithun (63) and reached his hundred in the 44th over.

When Mustafizur was out in the 47th over, Tamim returned to bat with one hand, allowing Mushfiqur to hit successive sixes and make his highest ODI score before he was superbly caught on the boundary to end the innings with three deliveries unused, Malinga finishing with 4-23.

Sri Lanka raced to 21-0 after only 10 balls of their reply but by the 10th over were 38-4.

Just three batsmen reached 20 for Angelo Mathews’ side as Bangladesh recorded only their seventh win in 45 ODI matches against Sri Lanka. (BBC Sport)

France beat Spain 3-0 to secure place in Davis Cup final

DEFENDING champions France secured their place in the Davis Cup final as they took an unassailable 3-0 lead over Spain in the semi-final in Lille.

Julien Benneteau and Nicholas Mahut beat Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez, 6-0, 6-4, 7-6(9-7) to wrap up the best-offive tie.

Benneteau retired from playing after the US Open but returned to help France reach their ninth final.

They will face either Croatia or United States in the final in November.

Croatia lead the tie 2-1 after America’s Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison beat Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic 7-5, 7-6(8-6), 1-6, 6-7(5-7), 7-6(7-5) in the doubles.

Benneteau and Mahut are unbeaten in Davis Cup rubbers, and took just 18 minutes to clinch the opening set.

Despite trailing 4-1 in the third set, they fought back to force a tie-break before Benneteau produced a backhand service return to ensure victory.

Benneteau, 36, will take charge of France’s team for the Fed Cup - the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup - from 2019. (BBC Sport)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Cricket Australia to follow up Moeen abuse claims … to meet with ECB over Englishman’s revelation he was called ‘Osama’ during 2015 Ashes

ENGLAND all-rounder Moeen Ali’s allegation that he was racially abused by an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes is set to be followed up by Cricket Australia.

Moeen, who is of Islamic faith, made the claim in his soon-to-be released autobiography, from which an excerpt appeared in UK newspaper The Times.

The alleged abuse occurred during the first Test of the series in Cardiff, in which the Englishman made a fine Ashes debut, scoring 77 and taking five wickets in a comfortable win for the hosts.

“It was a great first Ashes Test in terms of my personal performance,” Moeen wrote.

“However, there was one

incident which had distracted me.

“An Australian player had turned to me on the field and said, ‘Take that, Osama’.”

“I could not believe what I had heard. I remember going really red.

I have never been so angry on a cricket field.

“I told a couple of the guys what the player had said to me and I think (England coach) Trevor Bayliss must have raised it with Darren Lehmann, the Australians’ coach.

“Lehmann asked the player, ‘Did you call Moeen Osama?’ He denied it, saying, ‘No, I said, ‘Take that, you part-timer’.

“I must say I was amused when I heard that, obviously

Shastri requests practice games for India ahead of Australia Tests (REUTERS) - India coach Ravi Shastri has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to schedule practice matches ahead of their Test series in Australia this year, but is not sure if additional fixtures can be inserted into a crammed schedule.

India are keen to make amends following a 4-1 Test series defeat in England where most of their batsmen struggled against the swinging ball in tough conditions.

“We have requested a couple of (warm-up) games in Australia before the Test series. But is there space (to play those matches)? That is the question,” he told ESPNCricinfo.

India had shortened their lone warm-up clash against Essex before the England Tests due to the India coach heatwave in Britain.

Ravi Shastri Media reports had speculated that the quality of the pitch led the BCCI to curtail the match, which Essex denied.

Shastri said he was not averse to the idea of giving India’s batsmen a better chance to adjust to conditions against tour sides Down Under where they play three Twenty20 internationals, four Tests and three One-Day internationals against Australia starting November 21.

“Why would we be? You can see the results. Every time after the second Test we have improved. You can still get better. But why can’t we be in that position in the first Test match?” Shastri added.

“If you have two or three games against weaker sides we don’t mind because it is a game. But when you have a schedule as tight as this ... there is very little you can do .... These are things that have been approved earlier.”

India were beaten 2-0 in the four-Test series on their last tour of Australia in 2014-15.

England all-rounder Moeen Ali I had to take the player’s word for it, though for the rest of the match I was angry.”

According to Moeen, another raising of the incident

at the conclusion of the series was again met with a denial by the player in question, who added that some of his best friends were Muslim.

In reaction to the alle-

gation, a Cricket Australia spokesperson said: “Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, or in society.

“We have a clear set of values and behaviours that come with representing our country.

“We take this matter very seriously, and are following up with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) as a matter of urgency to seek further clarification around the alleged incident.”

Moeen’s claims are the second time this week he has raised an issue with the Australians, in particular the 2015 touring party, whom he labelled “rude” and “disrespectful”.

“Everyone you speak to ... they are the only team I’ve played against my whole life that I’ve actually disliked,”

he told The Times.

“Not because it’s Australia and they are the ‘Old Enemy’ but because of the way they carry on and (their) disrespect of people and players.

“The first game I ever played against them, in Sydney, just before the 2015 World Cup, they were not just going hard at you, they were almost abusing you.

“That was the first time it hit me. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but the more I played against them they were just as bad, the Ashes here (in 2015) they were worse actually.

“Not intimidating, just rude. Individually they are fine and the Aussies we’ve had at Worcester have been fantastic, lovely guys.”

(Cricket Network)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Worcestershire beat Sussex to lift T20 Blast trophy WORCESTERSHIRE won the T20 Blast for the first time as they beat Sussex at Edgbaston by five wickets.

On their first appearance at Final Day, Moeen Ali’s side chased a target of 158 with nine balls to spare.

Just as in their semi-final win over Lancashire earlier in the day, Worcestershire owed most to captain Moeen and wicketkeeper Ben Cox. Moeen took 3-30 in Sussex’s 157-6 before hitting 41, while Cox saw them home on 158-5 with 46 not out.

Although sadly watched by a mere 500 Pears supporters after issues with ticket allocations to the four semi-finalists, it was still a memorable day out in Birmingham.

With Cox’s 46 added to his earlier 55 against Lancashire, his winning hit for four over square leg, off Jofra Archer, triggered wild scenes among their small band of followers as Worcestershire celebrated their first trophy since 1994.

SUSSEX FALL UNDER PAR It looked like the ball might be running Worcestershire’s way when Sussex received an early jolt with the freakishly silly and surely questionable early run-out of

Worscesterhir celebrate their T20 Blast win for the first time opener Phil Salt just as he was getting into his stride.

The south coast side were then at their best in a 58-run second-wicket stand between another Warwickshire old boy Laurie Evans and semi-final hero Luke Wright.

Even when Moeen bowled Wright, third-wicket pair Delray Rawlins and Evans kept the score moving with 44 more in 26 balls.

But from 121-2, when Moeen had Rawlins caught

by Brown, then also bowled David Wiese, Sussex lost their way to fall short of par on 157-6 - 46 fewer than they had managed earlier in the semi.

WORCESTERSHIRE’S DAY IN BIRMINGHAM Worcestershire openers Joe Clarke and Moeen started well, galloping past 50 inside the first six Powerplay overs.

But within four balls, Clarke was caught behind off Danny Briggs, before Will Beer tempted Tom Fell to drive to short extra cover.

Three overs later, Brett D’Oliveira, run-out without facing in the semi, was on the wrong end of a very tight television umpire stumping call.

Moeen was caught at deep long-off, again for 41 after making the same score in the win against Lancashire,

then after putting on 36 with Cox, Ross Whiteley was caught in the deep, also on a video replay, trying to bail out a waist-high Jofra Archer full toss.

But Cox, dropped for this week’s County Championship game with Surrey following a poor run of form, had showed in the semi-final he was a man who performs under pressure.

Still needing 33 off 19 balls when he was joined

by Ed Barnard, he made mincemeat of the challenge, as it was Sussex’s fast bowlers who fell apart under pressure, to win his second man-of-the-match award of the day.

Veteran Judoka John Yong passes on

FORMER national judo heavyweight silver medallist ‘Big’ John Yong passed away on Friday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) after a prolonged illness.

The 47-year-old veteran member of the Rising Sun Judo Club was imposing and fierce on the mat in the heavyweight and open divisions.

Yong, who also practised karate and taekwondo, represented Guyana in 2003 at the Inter-Guiana Judo tournament in Suriname before capturing a silver medal in the heavyweight division of the 2004 national championships.

President of the Rising

Flashback: John Yong collecting his second place trophy in the heavyweight division of the 2004 national championships

Sun Judo/Jiu-Jitsu Club, Bruce Fraser, said that the judo fraternity has suffered a major loss with Yong’s passing.

“He was a really decent chap, very intense competitor, very, very strong and would make up for his shortcomings by working hard on the stuff he could do .., he had some memorable rivalries with some of the best judokas locally, including myself.”

Yong is survived by two daughters Norissa and Celina and both of them have followed in their father’s footsteps in the sport. Norrisa, who is the elder, won an Inter-Guiana medal in 2014 in Suriname.

BCB/Brian Ramphal First Division Double Wicket Competition

Blairmont, Albion teams, Rose Hall Town ‘A’ and Upper Corentyne advance to second round THE Hilbert Foster-led Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues to break new ground in the Ancient County and for the first time in its 79th year history, is hosting a Double-Wicket competition for first division teams.

Twelve pairs drawn from ten clubs started the knockout tournament, which is being played in an effort to bring out the cricketing public and also to renew the passion for the game by all involved.

The winning pairs to advance are: Rose Hall Town ‘A’, Blairmont, Albion ‘A’, Albion ‘B’ and Upper Corentyne. The game between Tucber Park and Rose Hall Canje is yet to be played due to rain.

Results from the matches played: Blairmont’s pair of Imran Khan and Kevin Jawahir defeated West Berbice by 22 runs. Blairmont, 34, in four overs - Imran Khan 26. West Berbice 12 all out.

Khan and Jawahir took one wicket each.

Rose Hall Town ‘A’ defeated Police by 40 runs.

Rose Hall Town ‘A’ 60 for 0.

Kevin Sinclair 31 not out and Clinton Pestano 22 not out.

Police 22 all out. Pestano and Sinclair one wicket each.

Upper Corentyne defeated Skeldon by one wicket.

Skeldon 50 for 1 in four overs. Errol Byass 41 not out. Upper Corentyne 51 for 1 in 3.4 overs. Rishi Persaud 31, Lakeram Latchman 15.

Albion ‘A’ defeated Rose Hall Town ‘B’ by 32 runs at Albion. Albion ‘A’ 50 in four overs. Jonathan Foo 49.

Eon Hooper took one wicket.

Rose Hall Town ‘B’ 18 runs

Kevin Umroa in 2.0 overs with Kevlon Anderson 12. Kevin Umroa 1 for 8.

Albion ‘B’ defeated Port Mourant by 36 runs at Port Mourant. Albion ‘B’ 46 all out in four overs, Gudakesh Motie 45. Port Mourant 10 all out in 2 Overs.

Each First Division Club in Berbice selected three players with two of them playing at a time. Albion Community Centre Cricket Club and Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets as the top two clubs in Berbice were given two pairs but one of the players shall be an Under-19 player. Each pair is supported by six additional fielders.

The tournament is being sponsored by overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal who earlier in the year had donated $1M of his personal funds to the Berbice Cricket Board.

Guyana Softball Cup 8 billed for October 26-28 THE eighth edition of the Guyana Softball Cup, organised by the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), is set to commence on October 26 in Georgetown and will conclude two days later.

As usual, a number of teams from New York, Florida and Canada will be part of the three-day event. Teams will vie for top honours in the Open and Masters Categories.

Speedboat and Floodlights are the defending champions in the Open and Masters Categories respectively.

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Hamilton storms into stunning pole position in Singapore

By John O’Brien SINGAPORE, (Reuters) Lewis Hamilton tightened his grip on securing a fifth Formula One world title by coming from nowhere to claim a stunning pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix in his Mercedes yesterday.

The Briton, 30 points clear of closest rival Sebastian Vettel with seven rounds remaining, lapped the Marina Bay Street Circuit in 1:36.015 to claim a record-extending 79th pole position, 0.319 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Ferrari pairing of Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen had set the pace for most of the weekend but the German could manage only third place, more than half a second down, and will start alongside Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.

“That lap felt like magic.

I don’t really know where it came from,” Hamilton said in an interview.

“It was just perfect to the limit. It felt like one of the best laps I can remember feeling,” the Briton added, describing the 23-turn floodlit circuit as “Monaco on steroids”.

Hamilton’s time was three-and-a-half seconds quicker than Vettel’s pole position a year ago and should he make a clean start on a circuit where he has won three times before, the Briton is highly likely to extend his championship lead.

Verstappen also sprang something of a surprise to finish just behind Hamilton, narrowly missing out on becoming the youngest-ever pole-sitter in Formula One. The 20-year-old was delighted. “Honestly, this feels

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in pole position. (REUTERS/Edgar Su) like a victory. To be second is unbelievable,” Verstappen said. “We just have to make sure we have a clean start and then everything is possible.”

TYRE GAMBLE Vettel is also seeking a

Matthews hoping for impact on home debut

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – All-rounder Hayley Matthews is hoping to make a memorable impact in her first international before her home crowd when West Indies take on South Africa in the opening one-dayer of the threematch series here today.

The 20-year-old is very familiar with Kensington Oval – a venue where she grew up watching her father Michael Matthews play at the storied Pickwick Cricket Club – and hopes she can put on a good performance in front of her family and friends.

“It’s great to be here …

I actually grew up watching cricket here and playing here, so it’s a wonderful feeling to play my first match here in West Indies colours,” Matthews told members of the media on Friday.

“It should be a wonderful occasion – playing with my family and friends in the crowd – and seeing the faces of so many people I know.

It’s special to play in front of your home crowd and it would be good to get a big crowd to come and see us start the series against South Africa.”

She added: “It’s no added pressure, it’s a matter of using the occasion as motivation to do something extra special in front of home fans.

They’re a few of us from here in Barbados in the team for this series, so we all use it as motivation.”

Matthews made her international debut back in September, 2014 and has so far

West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews played 36 ODIs and 29 T20s.

Her finest hour came in the 2016 ICC Women’s World T20 in India when she took the Player-of-the-Match award in the final against Australia.

A classy right-hander, Matthews has scored four ODI half-centuries and taken 35 wickets with her steady offspin, and she is eyeing success in both departments over the next week.

“As an all-rounder I will be looking to perform with bat and ball. I would like to get a hundred, or maybe even two or three in front of the home crowd. With the ball, I would like to just contribute and keep things tight,” Matthews noted.

The ODI Series will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship which is the basis for qualification to the 2021 ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

West Indies have had mixed results so far and lie

sixth on six points while South Africa are seventh in the eightteam standings on four points.

Both teams will use the five-match Twenty20 series, which follows immediately after the one-dayers, as a warm-up to the Women’s T20 World Cup from November 9 to 24 in Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua.

Matthews said West Indies entered the series with the edge but would need to play consistently in order to emerge on top.

“South Africa are a very good team. Last time we played them in South Africa we were able to get a 2-1 victory, so we’re hoping now that we’re playing on home soil - we know the pitches here better than anyone else - hopefully we can get a 3-0 victory in the ODI series and go up in the Championship,” she pointed out.

“I think everything has been going pretty well for us over the past few months. We have been working really hard and going back to basics.

“We’ve really been pushing hard and putting in the work covering all aspects of our game, bowling, batting and fielding, so I have no doubt that we have the ability to go out there and do what we need to. It’s just about executing now.”

She continued: “Biggest challenge is being consistent and being able to go out there and execute each and every game.”

fifth world title and while he remains a huge threat in a very competitive car, the German was disappointed not to have been able to capitalise on the dominance Ferrari had over their rivals in practice.

“For us it was a bit of a

messy qualifying,” he said.

“We had two laps (in the final qualifying session) and they were both not good enough.”

Raikkonen ended in fifth place, almost eight tenths of a second behind Hamilton, the Finn lining up next to Daniel Ricciardo in the other Red Bull. Ricciardo was the only other driver to lap the 5.063 km track in lower than 1:37.000.

Force India’s Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon will start seventh and ninth respectively, while Romain Grosjean is eighth on the grid for Haas with Nico Hulkenberg rounding out the top 10 in his Renault.

Hamilton admitted that Mercedes had been too conservative in their tyre choices for the race and after sneaking through the first phase of qualifying on the slower ultrasoft tyres,

the Briton was unstoppable with the high-grip hypersofts on his car.

“I didn’t have a wheelspin, I didn’t have a snap anywhere, the car was just underneath me and I managed to maximise every corner... and I do feel like I got absolutely everything possible on that lap,” Hamilton added.

Ferrari also gambled in the second phase of qualifying by using the more durable ultrasofts, which they would start on in today’s race, but the team aborted the plan when it was fairly obvious they would not advance to Q3.

“The race is a different story and things will not be the same tomorrow (today) but we are, for sure, not happy with how it went today,” a despondent Vettel said.

Barcelona come from behind to remain unbeaten

Since the start of 2017-18, Barcelona have won a league-high 23 points from losing positions in La Liga BARCELONA scored two goals in three second-half minutes to come from behind and beat Real Sociedad to maintain their 100% start to the La Liga season.

The champions trailed after 12 minutes when they failed to clear a free-kick and Aritz Elustondo lashed in.

But Luis Suarez scrambled the ball home in the 63rd minute before Ousmane Dembele converted at another corner.

La Real could have been

further in front but missed three chances shortly before the Barcelona goals.

Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two fine saves, denying Real Madrid loanee Theo Hernandez and Juanmi while Mikel Oyarzabal blazed over at the end of a quick counter-attack.

The hosts, playing at their newly renovated Anoeta stadium for the first time, could have grabbed a point late on but Juanmi headed narrowly wide from inside the area.

Barcelona were poor in the first half and also capitalised on goalkeeping errors for both goals with Geronimo Rulli missing punches at both set pieces.

The win for Ernesto Valverde’s side is their fourth from four games this season and keeps them top of the table.

Earlier in the day, Atletico Madrid needed an injury-time debut goal from Borja Garces to draw 1-1 with Eibar.(BBC Sport)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Mohamed Khan elected president of Archery Guyana

MOHAMED Khan will take over the presidency of Archery Guyana, following the body’s Annual General Meeting which was held at the National Resource Centre on September 11.

The other elected members are Secretary-General Mrs Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon and Treasurer Mr Nicholas Hing.

Members were given an opportunity to discuss the activities and plans for the way forward to promote the Olympic sport of Archery in Guyana.

At the AGM, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon delivered a comprehensive Report to the membership, giving a brief background from its establishment in August 2014 to the end of the reporting period August 30, 2018.

She reported on the status of the new website, membership, the World Archery Level 1 Coach Training Course, which was deemed a historic

Newly elected Board of Directors, seated, pose with the AGM 2018. success with participation status in Guyana.

She also recalled the from Regions 1, 4, 7, 8 and 9.

Nineteen participants exciting news in May this duly completed and were year at the official opening awarded certificates and ceremony when Direchave since returned to their tor of Sport, Christopher various regions to com- Jones, announced that dismence coaching so as to cussions were being held start the next phase to move surrounding the inclusion Archery to National Sport of Archery in the annual

some of the attendees at National Schools Championship.

It was further reported that Archery Guyana has since submitted a list of schools, where various certified coaches have been working and their contact details, to the NSC. International events

were also reported on, such as the recent World Archery Americas’ General Assembly 2018 at which Guyana was, for the first time, represented, in Medellin, Colombia on August 18, 2018.

She also stated that Hing recently returned from an Archery Training Camp and Coaching Seminar, funded

by Pan Am Sports, and coordinated by World Archery Americas, in collaboration with the Colombian Olympic Committee in Medellin, Colombia.

Indoor and outdoor practice sessions were reported on as continuing, with the kind permission of the NSC and the Ministry at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue and at the Carifesta Sports Complex ground, Carifesta Avenue.

Collaboration with international bodies was highlighted, such as World Ar-

chery where Archery Guyana was shortlisted as eligible to receive Level 1 equipment donations from WA and has since received a Level 1 Kit. Archery Guyana for the past 3 years proudly hosted the National Archery competition for the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs’ Heritage Games during Heritage Month in September.

This year Archery Guyana was again invited to do so with the usual 2-day tournament (September 22-23) involving participants from indigenous communities and members of the general public.

The Financial Report was presented to the membership and duly approved.

Two Motions were unanimously passed to retain External Auditor, Harryram Parmesar, from the Parmesar Audit Firm and to adopt the Amended Constitution.

Windies Women head coach anxious for preparation to pay off in South Africa series

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – West Indies Women head coach, Henderson Springer, hopes the squad’s ongoing preparation over the last few months will pay dividends in the upcoming limited overs series against South Africa starting here today The two teams will lock horns in three One-Day Internationals at Kensington Oval which form part or the ICC Women’s Championship, before turning their attention to a five-match Twenty20 series – the last four matches of which will be played in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Most of these girls have been going from the beginning of May,” said the veteran coach.

“We had about three camps that went really, re-

ally well, so I’m hoping that the work we did at the camps augurs well, leading into improving and putting ourselves into winning positions and sealing the deal in these series.”

West Indies have had a rocky start to the championship and currently lie sixth on six points. They started positively, thrashing Sri Lanka 3-0 in the Caribbean last October but were then humbled 3-0 by New Zealand last March on the road.

In fact, the Windies lost every match on tour both in the ODIs and T20Is – barring one T20 which was abandoned due to rain.

Since March, West Indies have not played any international cricket and Springer said today’s game would be crucial in terms of finding

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday September 16, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) TKR & GAW (2) Warriors won by 2 wickets

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Which two teams contested the Eliminator game in Hero CPL 2018?

(2) What was the result of the match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Head coach Hendy Springer (left) makes a point during a recent training camp. international cricket for a their momentum again.

“Obviously we want number of months. Once to get off to a good start we get a good start that will because we haven’t played set the tone and that will

help to build some momentum,” the former Barbados off-spinner explained.

“South Africa are worthy opponents and we’ve had the privilege of sitting down and watching them. We have an analyst and a whole set of stats on them.

“It is up to us now to use those stats and turn them into good training opportunities and ultimately being able to get the better of them in this part of the world.”

West Indies boast a largely experienced side with the likes of captain Stafanie Taylor, former skipper Merissa Aguilleira and explosive all-rounder Deandre Dottin – all of

whom have played in excess of 100 ODIs – included in the squad.

While a series win remained the objective, Springer said it was also crucial that players showed improvement throughout the tour.

“For one, (I want) for the ladies to really improve their game – skill-wise, fitness and general awareness and ultimately, to win the series,” he said.

“It would be good to win but it would also be good to see the girls improve as that is more long-term than winning, and to see the general attitude towards winning and improvement change and get better.”

Disappointed Russell already making plans for 2019 CPL JAMAICA Tallawahs captain Andre Russell is not dwelling on his team’s elimination from the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) too much, already making plans to do better in a year’s time.

The Tallawahs lost by two wickets to the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Wednesday, with the game coming down to the final two balls and Russell was understandably disappointed.

“Obviously we are disappointed. With the way we batted we should have topped it off with good bowling,” said Russell, whose Tallawahs scored 191-5, leaving

the massive 192 target for the Patriots.

It wasn’t enough, though at one stage it had looked as if the Tallawahs were firmly in control.

That was until about three overs went for just 51 runs, changing the game in the favour of the batting side until its conclusion.

“We bowled a lot of bad deliveries and it showed tonight with these guys getting the runs quite easily, he said.

Russell believes the team still show the kind of potential to be the best in the region and the big skipper is already looking at ways of making them better for the

next season.

“We just have to regroup again and next year focus on something different,” said Russell.

The all-rounder, fondly dubbed ‘Superman’ has also been critical of umpiring decisions throughout the tournament, but said, while a particular decision in the final over may have impacted the result, his team’s performance with the ball was more to blame for the unwanted outcome.

“With the team that we have, we back each and every one in the bowling department. It just goes to show that once you’re not up to the task

on the night, you lose.

“When we got the dryer ball I was expecting the guys to bowl a bit fuller and get the ball to spin and put some doubt in the batters’ minds.

It didn’t go that way. I think bowling short on the wicket gave the batter the option to hit wherever he wanted to hit. These are just things we have to be mindful of,” said Russell.

“We have a lot of match-winners in our team and I’m just disappointed with the way we bowled. I think 191 was enough on this wicket but I think at the wrong time we bowled wrong lengths and we got hurt.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 16, 2018

Double-header set for GFC today as GFF Elite League continues THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League will continue today, due to the unavailability of the venue for Friday’s fixtures.

A double-header will be held at the GFC ground featuring Fruta Conquerors FC vs GDF FC at 18:30hrs and Western Tigers FC vs Den Amstel FC at 20:30hrs. The penultimate double-header will be held on Wednesday.

The GFF Elite League is the senior league of the GFF and aims to provide a platform for consistent, competitive football. It is divided into two rounds. The first began in November 2017.

Admission to matches is $500. Women will be admitted free as well as children under 12 years of age.

Grant-Stuart coasts to victory in the inaugural Rainforest Waters 11-Race cycling programme A SUPERB solo effort from Guyana’s Paralympic champion, Walter Grant-Stuart, saw him coast to victory unchallenged, in the feature event of the inaugural Banks DIH Rainforest Waters 11-Race cycling programme at the inner circuit of the National Park.

Yesterday, in the 35-lap Schoolboys and Invitational race, Grant-Stuart was a one-man army, storming to the forefront in the initial stages before leaving the field in his wake to cross the finish line without a challenger in sight.

He clocked one hour 17 minutes 10 seconds to claim the title while Christopher ‘Chicken Legs’ Griffith had to settle for second.

Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, making a return to competitive cycling, came in third while Junior Niles was fourth, Michael Anthony fifth, Geron Williams sixth, Alonzo Ambrose seventh, Paul

DeNobrega eighth, Paul Cho Wee Nam ninth and Clement Doris rounded out the top ten.

Meanwhile over in the Juveniles event, Emmanuel Greyall took top honours; Junior Niles was the best Veteran U-50 while Kennard Lovell took the Over-50 accolade.

Javin Henry was victorious in the BMX 6-9 category while Shaquille Dow copped first place in the same category in the 9-12 and 12-14 age group.

The cyclists will now turn their attention to next weekend which promises a whole lot of action beginning on Saturday with the Laparkan-sponsored 11-Race cycling programme at the same venue, while on Sunday, they will head to the East Bank/Linden/ Soesdyke roadways for the 75-Mile Macedo road race. (Michelangelo Jacobus)

Unchallenged! Walter Grant-Stuart crosses the finish line without a challenger in sight to cop the inaugural Rainforest Waters cycling title.

Paramakatoi FC win North Pakaraima football competition … to represent North Rupanuni at Heritage games EMERY Wilson led Paramakatoi’s male football team to victory in the highly competitive North Pakaraima (PK) football competition, hosted by Kato Village, Region 8. The tournament concluded late last month.

The PK champs in the final of the competition inflicted a 5-2 drubbing of Kopinang, who were for the most part, unresponsive to their opponents’ aggression but laboured on to net two goals before the final whistle blew.

Deon Paul emerged as PK’s pillar after netting a double, while support came from Jemaine Kumar and Deon Paul with one goal each, and the fifth goal came by way of a defence error.

Scoring for Kopinang was Milford Pablo with a double.

In the female competition, the match was decided by a penalty shootout with the hosts (Kato) getting the

better of Kanapang 3-1.

For the third place playoff, Kurukubaru defeated Chenapou in the male encounter, while Paramakatoi defeated Kurukubaru for the female title.

Both matches were decided via sudden-death penalty shootout.

Thirteen male and nine female teams participated in the competition.

This year’s tournament was historic since it is the first time an official from football’s governing body, FIFA, witnessed competitive football at the grassroots level.

FIFA’s director Mr Vernon Masengio Omba made good on his promise to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, to visit Guyana during the competition to see first-hand the dedication and sacrifice made by the participating teams.

Addressing the teams at the opening of the tournament, Mr Omba commended

their determination as he was afforded the opportunity of travelling from one village to another (Paramakatoi to Kato) and experiencing some of the challenges teams must endure, all for the love of this beautiful game.

“You reached after walking about two to three days to get here. That alone shows how passionate you are for the game of football and I believe from now, we will be behind you, behind the GFF and behind the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs,” Omba assured.

He noted that he is returning to Zurich with enough evidence to convince FIFA that it should support football in the North Pakaraimas.

Minister within the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, who is also Patron for Women’s Football in Guyana, expressed pleasure at the level of participation and commitment teams continue to show towards making the tournament a success.

Part of the male final in the North Pakaraima football competition The minister said, “Region Eight always was not supported enough. You travel two to three days to come and build this beautiful game, but now I am proud to say that your Government, our Government, has delivered on our promise, and for 2018 $1M was allocated for the first time ever, for the North Pakaraima football tournament.

And as Mr Vernon said, FIFA is here to develop the beautiful game. You deserve a fair chance for support.”

She, however, recognised that the Ministry cannot do it alone and acknowledged the contributions it continues to receive from the Guyana Football Federation, led by Mr Wayne Forde who made his second appearance at the North Pakaraima Games.

This is the second official hosting of the tournament and already the investment made is bearing fruit. Also present was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alfred King.

Seventeen teams - 10

male and 7 female - have booked their spots for this year’s Heritage Games, while defending champs for cricket, Mahdia, will face stiff competition against the likes of Region 2 United, Port Kaituma, Moraikobai, St Cuthbert’s among others.

The three-day event commences on Friday September 21 and concludes on Sunday, with the finals for all the disciplines as well as an All Stars football matchup.

Warriors, TKR in CPL final showdown today The Guyana Amazon Warriors will be hunting their first title. (Getty Images)

By Rajiv Bisnauth THE curtain will finally come down upon the month-long carnival of Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2018 when the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders face off in the summit clash of CPL 6 at the Brian Lara Stadium this evening.

The Amazon Warriors and Knight Riders will come up against each other for the fourth time this season. But unlike any of their previous meetings, there’s a lot at stake in this particular match. It is the Grand Finale.

The Amazon Warriors and Knight Riders are the last two teams standing in the competition, and they will vie to be crowned the 2018 champions.

Both teams finished the league stage as the top two teams.

The Amazon Warriors progressed directly to the Both captains Chris Green of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Dwayne Bravo of the Trinbago Knight Riders display the championship trophy. (GAW Media See page 25 Photo/John Ramsingh)

The Trinbago Knight Riders will look to defend their title at all cost. (Getty Images) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

Shimron Hetmyer has shown fantastic form throughout the tournament. (Getty Images)

Sherfane Rutherford has proved to be one of the hottest commodities in the market in CPL 2018.

(Getty Images) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2018