2015 1 9

GUYANA No. 104064 FRIDAY JANUARY 9, 2015

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

GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

PRICE: $80

President Ramotar bestowed with prestigious Indian Award

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…secures US$58M line of credit for East Coast/East Bank Road, new Ferry … Indian Gov’t to build Information Technology Centre of Excellence in Guyana …calls for permanent Indian seat on a Reformed UN Security Council

…Guyanese to get ‘Visa on Arrival’ in India

INCLUDING VAT

Farmer, relative robbed of millions in Corentyne home 10 Page

Ruckus erupts at Linden PNCR office 8 Page

Four fingered in alleged remigrant duty-free scam appear in court Page

President Donald Ramotar in discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo by Sandra Prince)

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Cabinet green-lights $35.2M contract for 'sensitive materials' for GECOM Page

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

More GDF special forces join search for missing ASL plane

Special Forces soldiers with GCAA officials at Timehri

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally UP to press time the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had confirmed that at 13:00hrs, the search for the missing ASL Britten Norman Islander was suspended because of inclement weather.

The search was however resumed

at 16:00hrs as more army special forces at a new location will recommence the search today.

A platoon of Guyana Defence Force Special Force was flown into Mahdia from Timehri on Wednesday to join the ground search for the missing Britten Norman Islander; also joining the search were six villagers from

Chenapau. They were transported by helicopters to an area of interest and commenced searching on Thursday at sunrise.

The search- and- rescue team expanded their “foot search” as the search continued after day 10 for the missing Britten Norman Islander, bearing the registration number 8R-GHE.The plane disappeared around midday on December 28.

On January 3, three teams were flown into Mahdia, Region 7(CuyuniMazaruni) from Timehri by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Skyvan to assist with the search that yet again proved futile. Ten members from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC); eight ranks from the GDF Special Forces and eight line cutters from St. Cuthbert’s Mission were inserted by helicopter into an “area of high interest,” bordered by the North Fork and Blackwater rivers, to commence searches.

Simultaneously, aerial examinations continued with two helicopters supported by two fixed- wing aircraft, not only in the “area of high interest,” but along the pre-determined grids which were prepared by the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC), Timehri Control Tower.

A press statement from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)

explained that the area of high probability was based on reports of sightings in an area above the highest peak, east of Deer Creek, approximately 10 miles southwest of Mahdia.

Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn and GCAA Director General Zulficar Mohamed, along with members of the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) travelled to the RCC’s sub-centre in Mahdia on New Year’s Day to assist in the search- and- rescue mission.

The aerial search- and- rescue operations based at Mahdia continued on January 2; however, due to inclement weather and overcast conditions, the operations started late. In a press statement received from the GCAA, it noted that based on information received, the RCC identified further areas of interest in the Kurungiku Mountain, Black Water area and North Fork area. “A party is currently on the ground conducting a search of the Black Water area after completing a similar exercise in the North Fork area,” the statement related.

An Air Services Limited (ASL) aircraft transporting cargo from Mahdia to Karisparu, Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) reportedly went off grid around noon on December 28.The Britten Norman Islander, bearing the registration number 8R-GHE, had two persons on board at the time, the captain, Nicky Persaud, 27, and cargo loader, Mr David Bisnauth, 51.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

Four fingered in alleged remigrant duty-free scam appear in court …Brijnanans charged, plead not guilty

Glenn Lall in court yesterday

PUBLISHER of the Kaieteur News, Mr. Glenn Lall, his wife, Bhena Lall, and the Brijnanans – all of whom were fingered in an alleged remigrant duty-free scam – appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

And husband and wife, Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan, were slapped with four charges each, to which they pleaded not guilty.

The couple were both charged for knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of Customs on vehicle, PRR 8398, contrary to Section 218(e) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01; and for knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of

Gharbassi Brijnanan

Customs on vehicle, PRR 8399, contrary to Section 218(e) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.

The third charge was that Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan did make and subscribe to a false declaration in a matter relating to the Customs, contrary to Section 217 (1)(a) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01, involving a vehicle PRR 8398.

The fourth charge was that Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan did make and subscribe to a false declaration in a matter relating to the Customs, contrary to Section 217(1)(a) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01, involving a vehicle PRR 8399.

The Brijnanans were represented by Attorney-at-Law Robin Hunte.

Hunte, who was the only

lawyer to make a submission during yesterday’s hearing, argued that the couple had returned from the USA to take up residence in Guyana.

According to him, the Brijnanans subsequently returned to the USA to seek medical attention and later returned last December.

He pointed out that while the couple was away, the alleged remigrant duty-free scam case was filed and the Brijnanans, who were implicated, were not served summons to attend the first court hearing in October and the second in November.

Hunte noted that once served the summons to appear the Brijnanans did so, yesterday, to have their interest in the matter represented before the Court.

The attorney requested that the couple be placed on self-bail, since they were not a flight risk, and the Brijnanans, as per the Magistrate’s order, were released on their own recognisance.

The couple’s address was given as 221 No. 61 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

SIMILAR CHARGES Hunte is part of the legal team representing Lall and his wife, who were arraigned on similar charges in October at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The defence was represented by other high profile lawyers, some of whom are also prominent politicians.

In addition to Hunte, the list of lawyers includes Khemraj Ramjattan, Senior Counsel Rex McKay, Nigel Hughes,

Christopher Ram, Joseph Harmon, Brendan Glassford and Bettina Glassford.

The Lalls, who reside at Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, denied the charges that were read to them by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

In their first appearance in court, in October, four charges were read to Lall and his wife. They stated that: 1. The two parties were knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of Customs on vehicle PRR 8398, contrary to Section 218 (e) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.

2. The two parties were knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of Customs on vehicle PRR 8399, contrary to Section 218 (e) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.

3. Glen Lall and Bhena Lall, knowingly dealt with goods with intent to defraud the revenue of duties thereon to wit one (1) Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle registration number PRR 8398 with engine capacity 5700cc, Chassis No. JTJHY7AX6 D4094851, contrary to Section 218(d) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01 4. Glen Lall and Bhena Lall, knowingly dealt with goods with intent to defraud the revenue of duties thereon to wit one (1) Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle registration number PRR 8399 with engine capacity 5700cc, Chassis No. JTJHY7AX6 D4094851, contrary to Section 218(d) of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.

The Lalls’ Attorney, Ramjattan, like Hunte, requested that his clients be released

on their own recognisance, which is self-bail and this was granted.

Representing the prosecution are Attorneys-at-Law Sandil Kissoon and Mahendra Satram.

The next hearing is set for February 6, 2015.

REASON FOR CHARGES The filing of the charges followed the disclosure of details of an alleged duty-free scam, which were made public by the Guyana Chronicle after a close examination of the Government of Guyana’s review of the Remigrant Scheme.

Under the remigrant programme, Guyanese who would have resided overseas for more than five years and

are returning home to reside are entitled to a number of benefits, among which are import duty-free waivers for vehicles, and tax exemption for household items, once the items at reference were owned for six months or more in the country where the remigrant was living.

In this case, the Brijnanans were entitled to concessions as two separate individuals, although a joint application was submitted.

The couple, having decided to return to Guyana to live permanently, was entitled to certain tax breaks, so they imported two luxury vehicles. But the address they gave on the registration forms for both vehicles, Lot 8 Continental Park, East Turn to page 8 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

French police swoop on villages after Paris attack suspects seen

(Reuters) HEAVILY armed anti-terrorism police swooped on woodland villages northeast of Paris on Thursday in a manhunt for two brothers suspected of being the Islamist gunmen who killed 12 people at a French satirical weekly.

About two dozen helmeted and masked officers carried out house-to-house searches in the village of Corcy, a few km (miles) from a service station where police sources said the brothers were sighted in ski masks. Helicopters flew overhead.

The two fugitive suspects are French-born sons of Algerian-born parents, both in their early 30s, and already under police surveillance. One was jailed for 18 months for trying to travel to Iraq a decade ago to fight as part of an Islamist cell. Officials said they were armed and dangerous.

In Paris, a policewoman was killed in a shootout with a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest. Police sources were unable to say whether that incident was linked to Wednesday’s assault at the Charlie Hebdo weekly newspaper, but the authorities opened another

terrorism investigation.

Bewildered and tearful French people held a national day of mourning, and the bells of Notre Dame pealed for those killed in the attack on Charlie Hebdo, a left-leaning slayer of sacred cows whose cartoonists have been national figures since the Parisian counter-cultural heyday of the 1960s.

The newspaper had been firebombed and hacked in the past for printing cartoons that poked fun at militant Islam and some that mocked the Prophet Muhammad himself. Two of those killed were police posted to protect the paper. One witness described scenes of “carnage”.

World leaders described the attack as an assault on democracy. Al Qaeda’s Algeria branch praised it, citing a threat by the militant group’s founder against those who mock the Prophet Muhammad.

Many European newspapers either re-published Charlie Hebdo cartoons or lampooned the killers with images of their own.

Searches were taking place in Corcy and the near-

by village of Longpont, set in thick forest and boggy marshland about 70 km north of Paris.

“We have not found them, there is no siege,” an interior ministry official in Paris said. “There were just some witness accounts, so we are checking.”

Meanwhile, Thursday’s

Montrouge Mayor JeanLoup Metton said the policewoman and a colleague were responding to a traffic accident when the shooting broke out. Witnesses said the assailant fled in a Renault Clio and police sources said he wore a bullet-proof vest and had a handgun and an assault rifle.

“ARMED AND DANGEROUS” Police released photographs of the two suspects, Cherif and Said Kouachi, 32 and 34. The brothers were born in eastern Paris to Algerian parents who died when they were still children. They grew up in an orphanage in the western city of Rennes.

French special intervention police conduct a house-to-house search in Longpont, northeast of Paris, January 8, 2015. (Credit: Reuters/Pascal Rossignol) One police officer at the scene told Reuters he did not appear to resemble the Charlie Hebdo shooter suspects.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls was asked on RTL radio after an emergency cabinet meeting with President Francois Hollande whether he feared a further attack.

“That’s obviously our main concern, and that is why thousands of police and investigators have been mobilized to catch these individuals.”

shooting of the policewoman on the streets of Paris’s southern Montrouge district whether related or not - set the country even further on edge.

The younger brother’s jail sentence for trying to fight in Iraq a decade ago, and more recent tangles with the authorities over suspected involvement in militant plots, raised questions over whether police could have done more to watch them.

Cherif Kouachi was arrested on Jan. 25, 2005 as he was preparing to fly himself to Syria en route to Iraq, and served 18 months of a threeyear sentence.

“He was part of a group

of young people who were a little lost, confused, not really fanatics in the proper sense of the word,” lawyer Vincent Ollivier, who represented Cherif in the case, told Liberation daily. “He hadn’t really given any great thought to Islam and didn’t seem all that determined.”

In 2010 he was suspected of being part of a group that tried to free from prison Smain Ali Belkacem, a militant jailed for the 1995 bombings of Paris train and metro stations that killed eight people and wounded 120. That case against Cherif Kouachi was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Video footage of the attack suggested there may have been only two gunmen, who drove off from the scene in a black car.

A third person wanted by police, an 18-year-old man, turned himself into police in Charleville-Mézières near the Belgian border late on Wednesday. A legal source said he was the brother-in-law of one of the brothers. French media quoted friends as saying he was in school at the moment of the attack.

In the wake of the attack that rocked France, authorities tightened security at transport hubs, religious sites, media offices and stores.

During the morning, there were scattered, unconfirmed reports of sightings of the assailants and police increased their presence at entry points to Paris.

Crashed jet’s tail may be raised in hunt for AirAsia ‘black boxes’ (Reuters) - INDONESIAN search and rescue teams plan to start lifting the crashed AirAsia jet’s tail off the sea bed on Friday, officials said, raising hopes that “black box” recorders can be retrieved to reveal the cause of the disaster.

Scores of divers plunged into the Java Sea on Thursday to search the wreckage of Flight QZ8501, which vanished from radar screens on Dec. 28 less than half-way into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.

There were no survivors among the 162 people on board.

The cause of the crash remains a mystery, with hopes centering on the so-called black box-

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es - the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - providing vital clues.

The plane was an Airbus A320-200, which carries the recorders near the tail section. Officials have warned, however, that the recorders could have become separated from the tail during the disaster.

The tail of the plane was found on Wednesday, upturned on the sea bed about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known location at a depth of around 28-32 meters.

“The weather prevented the operation to lift the tail today,” search and rescue agency coordinator Supriyadi told reporters in Pangkalan Bun, the southern Borneo town closest to the crash site.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

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Freed Cuban agent Gerardo Hernandez becomes father (BBC News) A CUBAN secret agent, Gerardo Hernandez, who was released last month by the US as part of a diplomatic thaw with Cuba, has become a father.

The US granted his request to have his wife artificially inseminated with his sperm while he was still in jail.

Hernandez is one of the Cuban Five, a group of Cubans convicted on spying charges in the US and sentenced to lengthy prison terms in 1998.

Their case long soured relations between the two countries.

Hernandez, who was serving a double life sentence for spying, was hailed as a hero upon his return to Cuba in December.

His frozen sperm was transported to Cuba via Panama.

the US government on her behalf.

According to Senator Leahy, he worked with the Obama administration to arrange the artificial insemination.

On the second attempt, Ms Perez, 44, became pregnant.

Upon his return to Cuba, Gerardo Hernandez found his wife heavily pregnant Pictures of the smiling father holding baby Gema were published in the Cuba’s staterun newspaper, Granma.

BBC Cuba correspondent Will Grant says some newspapers have dubbed it a “diplomatic conception” in reference to the unusual co-operation between historic rivals Cuba and the US to grant the couple’s wish for

children.

US Senator Patrick Leahy, who has long campaigned to restore US relations with Cuba, said he had been approached by Hernandez’s wife, Adriana Perez.

Ms Perez told him she feared she was running out of time to have children and asked him to intercede with

‘Need for better police training’

(Trinidad Guardian) SACRIFICING quality for quantity. That was how president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar summed up the training of police officers. He said if modern policies were not implemented to train police recruits there would be more incidents like that of the shooting of PC Kashyap Lochan and even worse. At the same time, Ramesar commended Lochan, who has been in the service for only seven months, for displaying dedication and bravery in the line of duty.

Ramesar said an examination of the incident involving Lochan showed

the service sorely lacked proper policies.

He said back in the 1980s, officers underwent some 18 months of training—six months in what was known as the Police Barracks, six months on the job and six months back in the barracks, with one month of vacation. Now a person undergoes six months of training to become a police officer and six weeks for a Special Reserve Police.

“The training is more academic than actual physical training. A lot of the drills have been cut out. “When we evaluate it, we recognised that the organisation lacks policies and proper modules when it comes to training and development

that is structured to providing the relevant competencies for police officers,” Ramesar said. He said simulation exercises must be a part of the training process if the service was expected to produce quality officers.

“The Commissioner of Police needs to put proper modules in place when it comes to training. We need the simulation training that is taking place in first world countries like that of New York. “We need to look at those countries where policing and best practices operate. We need to bring real training where officers would be faced with dangers like close combat and real shooting situations,” Ramesar added.

‘Trust us’

…Commissioner assures country that police will bring crime upsurge under control (Jamaica Observer) A TOTAL of 24 murders have been committed over the first seven days of the year, but the police yesterday warned that they will not allow criminals to erode the gains made in their fight against crime in 2014, which saw the lowest murder toll in 11 years.

The 24 murders up to January 7 far exceed the 10 killings that were reported over the same period last year.

“There is much to do in 2015. We are barely a week into the year already and we have an upsurge that has claimed 24 victims,” Police Commissioner Carl Wil-

liamstold a press conference Wednesday.

“I want to assure the country that we are responding to this spate of killings and we will get it under control,” said the police commissioner as he addressed a group of journalists at his offices on Old Hope Road in St Andrew.

The police chief said that the strategy moving forward will include measures already in place to deploy additional resources to the areas mostly affected, namely Spanish Town and its environs in St Catherine and Montego Bay, St James.

“We are being fully supported by the JDF in this

endeavour,” Commissioner Williams said, adding that those behind the crime surge will be caught.

“We have good and credible intelligence on the identities of the killers in most instances, and our investigative machinery is already in high gear to apprehend them,” Williams.

Last year, Jamaica recorded 1,005 murders — a 16 per cent decline over 2013. Overall, serious and violent crimes were down 16 per cent over 2013, shootings by 12 per cent; rape by 23 per cent, and aggravated assault by 17 per cent.

Hernandez and two remaining members of the Cuban group were freed on 17 December in return for the release of US contractor Alan Gross from a Cuban prison.

Shortly after the release, President Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro,

announced plans to restore diplomatic ties frozen since 1961.

The other two members of the Cuban Five had already been freed in 2011 and February 2014 respectively after serving their sentences.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

EDITORIAL

GUYANA

Freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly THE philosophies editorialised in yesterday’s edition of this newspaper’s, largely extrapolated from Rohan Singh’s excellent letter on the theme of societal influences that condition the workings of the mind, seem portentous of the catastrophic occurrences that were emblazoned in the headlines of this newspaper; and of Media the world over.

Three French nationals, including two brothers from the Paris region, are being hunted by police after, according to the news report, “... suspected Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at a satirical magazine on Wednesday... The hooded attackers stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a weekly known for lampooning Islam and other religions, in the most deadly militant attack on French soil in decades.”

The tragedy was avoidable, because Islam is a

supposed to be religion of peace. However, the jihad that extremists interpret to mean extermination of those whom they surmise have blasphemed against their religion means the exact opposite - killing the evil within one’s own soul. Destruction of survival systems and murder and mutilation of one’s fellow man can in no way be the Lord’s intended message in His holy books.

Conversely, freedom of the press comes with great responsibility; and infringing on the rights of others should not be tolerated within the construct of any civilised society.

Persistent lampooning the religious sentiments of others should never be tolerated in any country; and there should be requisite laws to prohibit the publication of such material.

Nevertheless, to take the lives of one’s fellow humans as a retaliatory measure contravenes the doctrines of any

Paris barbarity an attack on Freedom of Expression

THE brutal and cold-blooded murder of twelve persons including the Editor of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris deserves the strongest condemnation of all.

Regardless of the motives by the perpetrators, such actions can only be seen as an attack on freedom of expression and certainly have no place in a free and civilised world.

There is a saying that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Ideas must be countered by ideas and not by resort to brute force and ignorance. In the market place of ideas, let a million ideas bloom!

Sociologists have long debunked the concept of cultural superiority. There is

no culture that is superior to any other since every culture is relevant and appropriate to the society in which it exists at any given point in time.

This is why bigotry, fanaticism and ethnocentrism, in whatever shape or form, is so dangerous to society. It closes the mind to new ideas and thinking and sees the entire world in a fixed, pre-determined and unchanging way.

We need to accept that there is no single or universal truth when it comes to beliefs, religious or otherwise, and be tolerant and open to new ideas even if they may differ from what we embrace.

HYDAR ALLY

religion.

Journalists and Media workers are very susceptible to persecution - and prosecution; and it is advisable to use the laws governing society to prosecute rather than persecute.

The news report stated that, “...French police staged a huge manhunt for the attackers who escaped by car after shooting dead some of France’s top cartoonists as well as two police officers.

About 800 soldiers were brought in to shore up security across the capital. Police issued a document to Forces across the region saying the three men were being sought for murder in relation to the Charlie Hebdo attack. The document, reviewed by a Reuters correspondent, named them as Said Kouachi, born in 1980, Cherif Kouachi, born in 1982, and Hamyd Mourad, born in 1996.”

Hamyd Mourad has since turned himself in, French Police confirmed.

These are relatively young men, probably with families who will in turn be devastated and victimized because of their shockingly barbaric actions: And one can only imagine the devastation that will be wrought in the lives of the families of the victims.

Reportedly, according to the news report, which stated: “During the attack, one of the assailants was captured on video outside the building shouting “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Greatest) as shots rang out. Another walked over to a police officer lying wounded on the street and shot him pointblank with an assault rifle, before the two calmly climbed into a black car and drove off. A police union official said there were fears of further attacks, and described the scene in the offices as carnage, with a further four wounded fighting for their lives.”

Of course God, in what-

ever name we call him, is the greatest; and His greatness lies in His mercy to the human family. How then is it acceptable that anyone can create carnage and devastation in His name?

The repercussions would be felt in very tragic ways and some Parisians have reportedly expressed fears about the effect of the attack on community relations in France, which has Europe’s biggest Muslim population.

Quoting from the report, “This is bad for everyone – particularly for Muslims despite the fact that Islam is a fine religion. It risks making a bad situation worse,” Cecile Electon, an arts worker who described herself as an atheist, told Reuters at a vigil on Paris’s Place de la Republique attended by 35,000 people.

In Guyana, the perennial irresponsible attacks on public figures by private media houses have drawn

sharp criticisms from both victims and the public at large; and one public official was driven to warn that a particular newspaper was impugning people’s character at will, with no evidence of wrongdoing by their victim and there could be serious consequences if the publisher and his editor-in-chief did not desist, because someone may very well take the law into their own hands - vigilante style, because that particular publisher and editor-in-chief seem untouchable by the law.

While it is wrong to suppress freedom of expression, it is doubly wrong to take the lives of one’s fellow humans instead of pursuing justice in the laws of the land.

Freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly or the consequences could prove dire. The murderous attack in Paris is a case in point.

This Councillor finds pleasure in boosting his political ego by peddling innuendo, deception I USUALLY do, to my detriment and that of my Administration, allow the many attacks on the Regional Administration to go unabated by not sharing with the public the facts on those stories.

This is done for the main fact that the stories and accusation are so absurd and so devoid of truth and reasoning, that I did not see the need to respond.

However, it was brought to my attention that there are those who, like the Council-

lor, would have a difficulty with reasoning and rational and those that are gullible.

Of course those few birds of a feather, like the Councillor, that finds pleasure in boosting their political egos by peddling innuendo and deception.

I refer to a headline appearing in the Stabroek News of Wednesday 7th January 2015, captioned ‘Region 8 machinery being misused for private work’.

Not only is this headline

designed to be devious, misleading, disparaging and libellous to the Regional Executive Officer, the story also reeks of lies, deceit and fanciful notions. These aspersions are levelled by a well-known character that thrives on a pseudo crusade of being a representative of the people.

Regional Councillor, Mohamed Gafoor, is no stranger to illicit actions, deceptive and concocted stories for the press, or as he

aptly admits and describes his actions as a cheap attempt at gaining political mileage.

This Regional Councillor was the same Councillor that shamelessly made the students of the Kato Primary School pose as if they were fetching logs, the same Councillor that incited an unlawful protest in the district, one day after being See page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

Cabinet green-lights $35.2M contract for ‘sensitive materials’ for GECOM HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon Wednesday disclosed Cabinet’s green-lighting of a contract worth in excess of $35.2M for the procurement of “sensitive materials” for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The materials include ballot boxes, security seals, paper, and such like, Luncheon informed at his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, in Georgetown.

Cabinet has also given its no-objection to another GECOM contract worth $20M for the acquisition of Duracell batteries.

Pressed on the reason to acquire more ballot boxes, Luncheon explained: “One of the realities is that the challenges to the results of the general and regional elections demand the preservation of evidence, and it is in this context that somewhere in Guyana, presumably

Dr Roger Luncheon

in the coffers or under the security of GECOM, are ballot boxes filled with ballots cast and heavens know how far back.

With regard to this year’s budget, Luncheon opined that the commitment to general and regional elections may have an in-

fluence on its presentation.

“I would want to recognise the use of the word ‘may’ because it is the President’s call and indeed, if the dissolution of parliament were to take place after the constitutionally mandated drop dead date for the presentation of a budget, then there

shall surely be a budget presented.

“If, however, the dissolution were to take place before that, then I cannot see how possible it would be for a budget to be laid by the constitutionally mandated date, save and except extraordinary efforts are made to bring to the attention of the National Assembly a budget before the dissolution, an option that we should not exclude.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud told the Chronicle a few days ago that GECOM has a framework in place to facilitate the conduct of elections.

According to him, once President Donald Ramotar announces a date for general and regional elections, the necessary timelines will be fixed into the framework and the Commission will kick into action.

“The framework we have in place will metamorphose

into a work plan for the efficient conduct of general and regional elections.”

Persaud also informed that the three-month period needed by GECOM between the date Parliament is dissolved and Elections Day fits into the Commission’s framework. “Within the framework, there are various statutory and administrative requirements which must be completed and are relevant to the efficient management and conduct of general and regional elections.”

Furthermore, he said a component of the framework is Claims and Objections which has to be done to ensure that GECOM has an OLE (Official List of Electors) for general and regional elections.

The seventh cycle of continuous registration commenced on November 30th, 2014, and allowed persons the opportunity to register for the first time, conduct transfers and make changes to their registration

details.

New registrations, currently being verified, number 6,003 persons, while there were also 1,163 changes and corrections to existing registration information, and 1,248 transfers due to issues related to change of address, etc.

At the end of the sixth cycle of continuous registration, in the latter part of June, there were registrations of some 14,981 new persons, 14,942 of whom have already been verified. There were also 2,004 transfers, owing to issues related to changes of address, and 2,747 changes/corrections to existing registration information. Prior to the sixth cycle of continuous registration, the last such exercise ended in December 2013.

An announcement from President Donald Ramotar on a date for general and regional elections is expected to be made soon.

This Councillor finds pleasure in boosting ...

From page 6

appraised of the road works which would have commenced a few days hence.

This protest saw the destruction of state assets, including the burning of a bridge. This Councillor is the same Councillor who went unlawfully into the Girl Dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School at 02:30 hrs under the pretext of keeping a meeting with the girls. This was the Councillor that verbally assaulted the Regional Education Officer at a public forum. And the list continues. Surprisingly this Regional Councillor is the one that makes the least or should I say the most vacuous contribution to any Regional Democratic Council Meetings or such like.

I ventured to shed some light on the psyche of this Councillor to show, while

some issues may need genuine attention, he is the first to add a political spin to it, without having or ever offering, or being capable of offering a solution to those issues, as his role as a Councillor befits of him.

The story, which was published, was so fallacious I often wonder what ever happened to fairness and balance. The Councillor asserts issues of roads, water and of course being ignored by the Regional Administration.

The indisputable facts are as follows: The private residence referred by the Councillor, is the residence of the contracted Heavy Duty Mechanic and that of two contracted Machine operators.

The Regional Administration does not have the requisite workforce for ‘in house’ operation and maintenance.

The photograph as submitted by the Councillor

was taken in July of 2014.

This was during the time the mini excavator, single bull dozer and truck were used to dig several ponds and springs in the community of Campbelltown, as requested by residents. The same machines were used to clear and excavate a spring at the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory.

The machines became inoperable on separate occasions, and were unable to be moved to the Administration’s compound, thus were left for repairs at the residence of the heavy duty mechanic.

The machines were at no point engaged in any private work, especially carrying water for the REO’s office nor his residence. The machines, while operable, were engaged in work for the Campbelltown Village Council, which provided fuel and operators; the Mahdia and Princeville Roads

as requested by commuters and vendors of the Arcade at Mahdia for the delivery of sand owed to them by the previous Administration.

The Truck and Excavator will be fully operable shortly, as major repairs were done in November and December 2014 to the assets.

The Regional Administration, residents along with myself, eagerly awaits the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE), for the funding of two major projects which will see the construction of roads on Mahdia and the construction of a new water system. These projects are expected to commence shortly. Bill of Quantities for both projects were prepared by the Public Works Department and submitted.

The Administration continues to pursue the MNRE. This Councillor has never used his office, to engage

the Regional Administration in any form to provide any proposals or suggestions whether orally or in writing or to pin point any issues of regional importance. I am happy that others still do.

While, I appreciate that the Councillor or any resident as a matter of fact, has a right to bring issues to the forefront, I would hope that is done in a factual and balanced way. Little or no mention was made by the Councillor about the $42M the Administration spent in 2014 on Roads in Region 8, or the hundreds of millions spent by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Ministry of Public Works and Communication to bring the Linden Mahdia route to the best state that it has ever been to date.

Travel time has been significantly reduced.

No mention is made by the councillor, about the

continued vandalism and destruction of our water supply system by rouge miners. Within the last ten days, repairs were done four times to the distribution line due to vandalism.

The water network is used to propel jets that are used to mine the access roads in the area.

These are all issues that the Administration would like the Councillors to pay attention to and voice their concerns, but to no avail.

Once the Regional Executive Officer’s name is not involved, the issue has no media or political merit or expediency to them. The concern and issues of the residents of Region 8 are then conveniently ignored.

RONALD HARSAWACK Regional Executive Officer Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni)

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

GECOM awaiting President’s announcement on date for elections

LOGISTICAL and administrative preparations have long begun in “earnest” for the professional and transparent management of the impending general and regional elections, according to a statement by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“The Commission now awaits the announcement by His Excellency, The President, of the date for General and Regional Elections, after meaningful collaboration with GECOM,” said the Commission’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Richard François, in Wednesday’s statement.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that the Party is expected to meet with the

Clement Rohee

Commission next week.

“As General Secretary, I will be leading a team to meet with GECOM. We will meet them next week and we will discuss the issues we identified in the letter we sent the Commission, requesting a meeting,” he said in a telephone interview.

OUR OWN ASSESSMENT Asked about GECOM’s statement of readiness, he noted that the PPP’s meeting with the Commission will serve to solidify this assurance.

“We will do our own assessment of GECOM’s state of readiness, as one of the major stakeholders and one of the major parties that will be contesting the elections,” Rohee said.

Meanwhile, his counterpart in the main Opposition, General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity, Joseph Harmon, told this newspaper that the Coalition has already met with GECOM and is satisfied that the Commission is ready for general and regional elections.

In a telephone interview, he said, “APNU met GECOM a few weeks ago and we indicated that we

were satisfied that systems were in place for a transparent management of elections. We are heartened by their most recent comment.”

According to him, the Commission’s assurance is welcomed as it gives a much needed assurance to the Guyanese people.

“I think we need to give Guyanese the assurance that GECOM is capable of managing fair elections and we need to give the Commission the support it needs,” Harmon said.

On the question of a date for general and regional elections, APNU’s General Secretary contends that the ball is in the President’s court.

“It is the President’ responsibility to set a date.

The ball is in the President’s court. GECOM has said it is basically ready. The arrangements are in place now for Mr. Ramotar to name a

date,” he said.

While APNU’s General Secretary availed himself to the Guyana Chronicle for an interview, when contacted, the Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, rejected this newspaper’s request for a comment. “I have nothing to say to you people,” he said.

Noteworthy, is the fact that the AFC has been a persistent critic of the Guyana Chronicle, and regularly meets this newspaper’s requests for comments with no small amount of hostility.

EXPECTED SOON Additionally, an announcement of a date for elections from President Donald Ramotar, who is currently on an official State visit to India, is expected to be made soon.

I n e a r l y D e c e m b e r, he ended the wait of the

Guyanese people with the much-anticipated announcement on the way forward to bring an end to the current political impasse – a move to early general and regional elections.

A move by the President to set a date will have a bearing on several processes. Once a date is set, it will translate into to the dissolution of Parliament, which currently still stands suspended under the November prorogation proclamation; political parties will then kick into campaign mode.

GECOM TIMELINES Also, once a proclamation announcing a date is made by the President to go to general and regional elections, GECOM will have its timelines with which to work with.

The last general and regional elections were held in November 2011.

Ruckus erupts at Linden PNCR office NEWLY appointed party coordinator for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Sandra Adams, is again at the centre of another alleged debacle involving Party supporters who are none too pleased with her appointment.

Reports reaching the Guyana Chronicle indicated that yesterday a ruckus within Party ranks escalated after Adams was tasked with management of the PNCR’s office in Co-op Crescent, Linden, and was entrusted as the sole key holder to the building.

Sources close to the matter related that displeased Party supporters ripped the newly installed door at the office off its hinges, causing something of a disturbance that caused police officers to be summoned to the scene.

An investigation into the matter is reportedly ongoing.

REASON FOR IRE Several senior Party members were unavailable for comment up to press time.

Adams has drawn the ire of longstanding PNCR supporters primarily as a result of her appointment as Regional Party Coordinator by the party’s Central Executive last April.

She has since refuted that she was ‘gunning’ for the position ahead of Party stalwart and PNCR Member of Parliament (MP), Vanessa Kissoon, and longstanding member, Sharma Solomon.

However, the fact that Adams was favoured ahead of Kissoon and Sharma has left many Party supporters significantly disgruntled.

The fact that Adams was favoured, according to some, unfairly so, was solidified when Kissoon was suspended last June by the Central Executive Committee, following a verbal confrontation between herself and PNCR General Secretary Oscar Clarke – which later led to disciplinary action being taken against her.

Additionally, yesterday’s incident follows what was a significant expression of supporters’ annoyance last October, when Party leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, was chased from the Mackenzie High School, where he was holding a meeting with Party stakeholders.

SIDELINING LINDENERS What has been described in the last few days as “Granger’s sidelining of Lindeners” was also the bone of contention during the

PNCR’s 18th Biennial Congress last year.

During the vote for key leadership positions, the gates of Congress Place, the Sophia headquarters of the PNCR, were closed to many party members – several of whom were from Region 10 – even as the voting for new leaders was underway. The locked out members raised concerns over what they dubbed a “rigged” process to ensure that Granger remains in power.

The ensuing controversy saw Mr. Aubrey Norton, a contender for the PNCR leadership, dropping out of the elections after citing serious problems with the election process.As such, Granger was returned as party leader, unopposed.

Linden, for decades now, has been a stronghold of the PNCR. M e a n w h i l e , s e v e ral observers within the PNCR commented to this newspaper that it is evident that the divide in the PNCR continues to widen – a dangerous state of affairs at a time when the country is preparing to head to early general and regional elections, on a date expected to be announced soon by President Ramotar.

PNC supporters outside the party’s office in Linden after the ruckus earlier

Four fingered in alleged remigrant...

From page 3

Bank Demerara, was that of their son, Navin Sankar, even though the Lalls are the primary users of the vehicles.

The vehicle, PRR 8398, for instance, is usually parked in front of the Kaieteur News head office on Saffon Street, Charlestown, while PRR 8399 is often seen on Regent Street, in the heart of the city, near Bhena’s Footwear, the shoe business operated by Lall’s wife.

The Brijnanans successfully obtained import duty concessions in the sum of $4,222,223.55 for each ve-

hicle, totalling in excess of $8M. Meanwhile, this newspaper’s research into the source price for a Lexus L570 is about US$80,000.

Import duty for such a vehicle would be a total of US$94,500, bringing the total value of the vehicle to US$174,500, or more than G$36M for each of the vehicles imported by the Brijnanans.

If the alleged violations are upheld, it would mean that the Government was cheated out of a total of US$189,000, or almost $40M

in import duty for the two vehicles.

At the end of August, after an hour’s long standoff between GRA officials and the Brijnanans’ son, Sankar, a high-ranking GRA employee, the vehicles were handed over to GRA and impounded at the authority’s warehouse.

An investigation was then launched to ensure that procedures and policy, as well as the provisions of the law, were adhered to. The criminal charges stemmed from that investigation.

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

UK’s Foreign Office Minister calls for end to Parliament’s prorogation THE United Kingdom’s Foreign Office Minister, Tobias Ellwood, in a recent statement, called for the earliest possible resumption of Parliament, which currently stands prorogued.

Ellwood said, “The UK Government views with concern the continued prorogation of Parliament by His Excellency President Ramotar and calls for its earliest possible resumption.

Parliament is required by Guyana’s Constitution and the Commonwealth Charter, it provides the necessary

checks and balances and enables citizens’ voices to be heard. The suspension of Parliament therefore means that an essential element of a functioning democracy has been put on hold.

“We also continue to have concerns that there have been no local elections for over 20 years, which is also contrary to the democratic principles of the Commonwealth Charter and Guyana’s own Constitution.

“The UK calls on all stakeholders to seek solutions to the political and socio-economic challenges

facing Guyana so that the country can develop in a fair, democratic and equitable way.”

Article 70 (1) of the Constitution states that: “The President may at any time by proclamation prorogue Parliament.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Ramotar has always maintained that the need for dialogue was uppermost in his mind when he made his decision on November 10.

Paving the way for greater dialogue among political parties, he contends, would have kept the 10th

Parliament alive to address critically important issues currently before the National Assembly.

The effect of ending the first session of the 10th Parliament via prorogation is the termination of the business of the National Assembly.

As a result, the AFC sponsored no-confidence motion was not considered.

Also A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had, prior to November 10, signalled its intent to support the push through of the motion.

Had it not been for the

proclamation to prorogue Parliament, if the no-confidence motion was passed, Guyana would have been headed to early general elections within three months.

However, Mr. Ramotar has made it clear that if these efforts prove futile, there will be a move to early general elections.

Since the prorogation, APNU and the AFC have made it clear that they will not engage the President in talks unless the prorogation is lifted and Parliamentary work resumes. The rejection of talks was also formally communi-

cated by APNU Leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger in a December 2 letter responding to the President’s November 18 invitation for talks.

The most recent contention of the current Administration, following these positions, is that the prorogation objectives have been lost.

President Ramotar has since indicated that Guyana will head to early general and regional elections, just over three years since the November 2011 polls. The announcement of a date for early elections is expected to be made soon.

Following systematic robberies…

Ministry, Police beef up security at Post Offices THE Ministry of Human Services and the Guyana Police Force have moved to address the issue of armed robberies at Post offices across the country and already there has been increased security presence and other security arrangements at some Post offices across the country.

The Guyana Chronicle was informed that at some Post offices there is a police presence immediately after the monies for the payment of old age pensions and other social benefits are transported there for distribution.

The practice is evident in the police ‘C’ Division and, according to what this newspaper was told, police ranks will have a presence at the facilities for as long as two weeks to ensure that the peak period for the presence of the money at the facilities are catered for.

Speaking with one Police Divisional Commander on the issue of the increased

security, the Officer said the arrangement in his Division would only be possible when the Post Office request such.

However, he was not sure that any such request was made for such a police presence at any of the Post Offices within his Division.

On Wednesday, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Ms Jennifer Webster, told this publication that late last year after the spate of robberies, she had spoken to the Commissioner of Police (ag) Mr. Seelall Persaud on the issue of added security for the monies which are being deposited to the Post Offices for social benefit distributions.

According to the minister, the Top Cop indicated to her that he does not have enough ranks to facilitate such a process of having police officers present at every Post Office but there were other arrangements which can be put in place to ensure the safety of the cash and those handling

the money, especially during the distribution and peak periods for pensions and other benefits.

“What I said to them at the end of last year is that we have to beef up the security at the facilities because every two mornings there is some robbery. When I spoke to the Commissioner of Police he said he does not have enough ranks,” Minister Webster said.

The minister added that what she has noticed is that at most of the Post Offices, there were very senior security personnel or watchmen or women who cannot really fend off armed persons who pounce on the Post Offices. She said the ministry would have to reach a cost at ensuring that the monies are protected.

“When I spoke with the ‘A’ Division Commander, he said it would not be a problem for his Division because they have standard operating procedures for the first week that the monies are placed at

Minister Jennifer Webster

the Post Offices,” Minister Webster said.

The minister also expressed concern about the number of robberies since the monies are for payment to persons who would have served the country in one way or the other and the cash has to be protected because everytime it is stolen it’s a lost to the State and the State‘s revenue. In addition, it is the State that has to go and replenish it, she concluded.

The Soesdyke Post Office, Charlestown Post Office, Lamaha Street Post Office, Beterverwagting Post Office, Campbellville Post Office and Melanie Post Office were among the postal facilities that were robbed in the past.

The robberies would usually record millions in cash losses when these incidents occur.

In addition, there have been cases where persons reported poor handling of the cash and its securing when it is remitted to some Post Offices. (Leroy Smith)

Contractor’s hickey results in assault charge NEIL Sulker, 34, of Angoy’s Avenue, got annoyed after his reputed wife questioned him about the hickey on his neck when he returned home after a day’s absence.

Consequently, Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus

was told that he cuffed Fazeela Azeez in her eye, resulting in injuries.

Police Inspector Godfrey Playter, prosecuting in the New Amsterdam Court, on January 2, said the virtual complainant was at home when the defendant,

who was out for a day, returned.

She observed that her reputed husband of a few months had hickies (love bites) on his neck As a result, she questioned him about his infidelity and an argument ensued followed

by the assault.

Questioned by the Court, Sulker said he is a contractor, and had returned home with a few scratches inflicted due to his work.

The defendant said he explained to his reputed

wife, and as he walked away, she ran behind and shook him, and he turned and slapped her.

After apologising in open court, Sulker was fined $10,000. Additionally, he is to attend a two month counselling ses-

sion with the Probation a n d We l f a re S e r v i c e s , and was also ordered to sign a bond to keep the peace for a year. Should he breach the bond, he will be imprisoned for six months, the Magistrate ordered.

10 After call by PPP…

GECOM assures it will spare no effort to ensure accuracy of OLE THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been urged by the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to ensure that the Official List of Electors (OLE) for the impending general and regional elections must be “properly sanitised and clean” of any discrepancies.

PPP’s General Secretary Clement Rohee told reporters earlier this week that “the PPP’s objective has always been to have a list that will not disenfranchise any eligible Guyanese, paving the way for another free and fair election in Guyana.”

He urged that “the list must be correct, clean and consistent.”

According to him, this will minimise confusion on Election day, as well as address speculations resulting

from the time taken to announce the elections result.

Additionally, in response t o R o h e e ’s c o m m e n t s , GECOM’s Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Vishnu Persaud, told Chronicle that the upcoming Claims and Objections period will improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the OLE. “As a matter of norm it is the standard operating procedures that GECOM spares no effort in ensuring the accuracy of any OLE it produces. Added to that, the Claims and Objections period is provided to improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the OLE,” he said.

The upcoming Claims and Objections period follows the end of the Seventh Cycle of Continuous Registration, the last one before

the impending general and regional elections.

The numbers released to the Chronicle indicated that new registrations, currently being verified, number 6,003 persons, while there were also 1,163 changes and corrections to existing registration information and 1,248 transfers due to issues related to change of address, etc.

Also, at the end of the sixth cycle of continuous registration, in the latter part of June, there were registrations of some 14,981 new persons. There were also 2,004 transfers, owing to issues related to changes of address, and 2,747 changes/ corrections to existing registration information.

Prior to the Sixth Cycle of Continuous Registration, the last such exercise ended in December 2013.

Body of alleged thief who drowned in Mazaruni River recovered DAVID Marks, who allegedly was observed breaking and entering a shop in the interior, and who was confronted by several persons, after which he jumped into the river to escape capture, body was

found on Wednesday.

Police reported that at about 23:00 hrs on January 4, 2015, Marks was allegedly seen breaking and entering a shop at Papi Show Landing, Mazaruni River, and was confronted by residents.

Marks is reported to have jumped into the river in order to escape and was not seen until January 7, 2015, when his body was recovered in the river.

Investigations are in progress.

Police hunting employee who killed dredge owner POLICE in the interior were up to yesterday hunting for a gold miner who stabbed to death his employer, dredge owner Noel Clementson, on Tuesday.

The police said the incident occurred around 21:00 hrs on January 6, 2015 when Clementson, 35, of Bartica, was involved in an argument with his employee at Arimu Backdam,

Cuyuni River, during which he was stabbed about his body.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Bartica Hospital. Investigations continue.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

Farmer, relative robbed of millions in Corentyne home CATTLE farmer, Nankishore Tajram, of Lot 42 ‘B’ No. 62 Village, Corentyne and a visiting United States based relative, Pooran Tajram, were on Thursday evening robbed of close to three million dollars in items.

The robbery occurred at the home of the 53-yearold cattle farmer at approximately 19.00 hrs on Wednesday evening when three armed men invaded the Corentyne home from the backyard forcing the man to vacate the property.

The Chronicle was informed that one of the men carried ‘a long gun’ which is suspected to be a shotgun or a riffle, while the

other two men walked with knives.

The bandits forced Nankishore to walk to the front of the house where they encountered the other relative.

Both men were then forced into the home by the bandits, and while holding them at gunpoint, they proceeded to make demands for gold, cash and other valuables.

The two then handed over rum (alchohol) totalling some $250,000; $1.8 million in local currency, $600,000 worth of gold jewellery and $US1,500.

Following the robbery, the men fled the location and the police were immediately informed of the robbery. The police responded

within half hour and conducted investigations and picked up several persons for questioning in relation to the matter.

However, this newspaper was told that the police was not able to get anything of substantial value from the person who they held for questioning in the matter even as the investigation is continuing.

Several senior police officers from the division also visited the scene and spoke with the two persons who were robbed.

The men told the police that they cannot identify any of the men who pounced on them and carried out the act. (Leroy Smith)

NGO faces financial hurdle in making positive change in Guyana – urges all private entities to assist RECOGNISING the need for awareness on social issues nationwide, the recently launched ‘You and I Foundation’ has been facing limited human and financial resources in order to kickstart their first initiative of targeting social issues in schools.

The organisation was scheduled to carry out their project as of last month but due to limited human and financial resources, they may not be able to visit some of the schools targeted that is in need of urgent assistance due to zero financial resources and as such, they are active but at a snail’s pace.

The President of the foundation, Michele Bristol is soliciting assistance from private businesses in order to make this venture possible in eliminating such social issues in Guyana. She has thus far extended her gratitude towards those visionaries who made contribution in the printing of flyers, posters, brochures, banners, etc. - Parc Rayne (Rent-A-Tent), Tony’s Auto Sales, Giftland office max, and Jiwanram Printery Inc. Additionally, she is urging other private businesses to help make a positive change in any way that they wish.

“Our Foundation has en-

President of the ‘You and I Foundation’, Michelle Bristol (second left), poses with a few members of the organisation

countered hurdles in trying to make a positive change, but we the members of You and I Foundation are determined to make a change in the Nation Building and our motto is to encourage and empower humanity first. It is our intention to make this exercise a ‘national programme’ and with the support of our Government anything is possible since this is about Nation Building,” Bristol said.

According to Bristol, the foundation was launched in Guyana in October 2014 after three years of yeoman service combating teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency among other social issues.

Their first initiative was granted approval by the Ministry of Education in order to visit the schools in Georgetown to highlight the causes and consequences of a plethora of social issues that Guyana is plagued with.

The ‘You and I Foundation’ has over 575 volunteers in all regions of Guyana. This privately-funded non-governmental organisation (NGO) was formed in 2007, but became active from 2010, and is mandated by the Laws of Guyana to assist mentally challenged children; children who are victims of domestic abuse, and the less fortunate, with advice and information on prevention of teenage pregnancy; prevention of suicide; and to reach out to children who are infected by HIV/AIDS, etc.

The foundation is affiliated with a Global Movement for Children, an organisation whose members have dedicated themselves to improve the lives of children and, as such, raising awareness on other related social issues in Guyana via workshops and special events. (Shivanie Sugrim)

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

Driver in Little Diamond crash to face causing death charge today and others from Agricola usually use the roadways.

One woman said that she would usually boycott any transportation being piloted by this driver as well as others who show a disregard for the lives of other road users, even their own passengers.

The Chronicle was also

told that all of David’s documents for driving are in order.

The police have confirmed that they are investigating the accident in which Lynette Joseph, a security guard of National Hardware died on her way to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

Seven others were injured

after the driver of a Route 42 minibus, BSS 9471, travelling to Georgetown lost control and smashed into a utility pole at Little Diamond Public Road, East Bank Demerara at about 17:45hrs Tuesday.

On Tuesday evening when this publication arrived on the scene we were

told that the minibus was heading to Georgetown from farther up the East Bank when the driver lost control. Persons who were travelling in the vehicle reported that they had cautioned the driver about his speeding but he ignored them and continued without letup.(Leroy Smith)

Minibus driver Travis David MINIBUS driver Travis David of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, is expected to face a causing death by dangerous driving charge today in connection with the accident he was involved in on Tuesday last while driving a minibus reportedly at a fast rate when it slammed into a utility pole at Little Diamond.

Police Traffic Department sources confirmed that the man could not have been charged yesterday since the body of the woman who was killed in the accident, Yvette Stoll-Joseph of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, was identified very late on Tuesday evening by her relatives.

The late identification of the woman caused the police not to be able to prepare the required documentation to facilitate the post-mortem in time for Wednesday morning. The examination will be done this morning.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that up to late Tuesday no one else from the accident was considered to be in a critical condition but from all indications the driver of the vehicle is expected to be charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Meanwhile, this publication visited the driver’s community on Tuesday and persons commented on the manner in which he

The body of the woman being removed from the hospital by undertakers on Tuesday night.

Commission calls for GGMC/PSU Standing Agreement to be honoured --as GGMC strike enters Day 2

GGMC staff protesting in front of the Commission’s Brickdam Office

By Raymon Cummings INDUSTRIAL action by the employees of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) moved into its second day yesterday, with the work-

ers’ representatives refuting claims by the management of the Commission that the strike was illegal.

Senior Industrial Relations Officer at the GGMC, Mr. Dennis English reiterated the workers’ position

that the agreement signed in November last year gave a specific timeline within which the issues placed on the table should have been honoured.

Refuting the allegation that the strike was illegal,

English said, “The union in the Terms of Resumption was given a month after which we reserved the right to review our position and we have written to the management indicating that we will be enforcing that right.” He claimed that the action was taken as the workers felt that their issues were not being addressed in a timely manner.

Questioned on the ongoing negotiations between the two parties, English said that there was no agreement to have any other meeting after the last one in December. He said that at the end of that meeting management should have sent a document pointing out its position, but there was no agreement.

The GGMC, in a press statement issued on Tuesday, stated that the Commission

considers the strike to be illegal as negotiations were ongoing between the two parties. The Commission reiterated the need for the parties to abide by the standing agreement between the Guyana Public Service Union and the Commission for the recognition, avoidance and settlement of disputes. The statement pointed out that the agreement between that Union and the Commission clearly identifies the steps to be taken to resolve the current issues.

Deviations from these enshrined protocols can be construed as acts of bad faith, more so given that discussions and engagements were ongoing between the Union and the Commission.

Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Charles Ogle said that his office has launched an

investigation into the dispute after they were advised by the Commission of the industrial action taken by the workers on Tuesday. He said that the agreement was signed between the two parties last November after his office was asked to intervene.

He stated that after the Terms of Resumption document have been reviewed his office will be looking at the actions taken by both parties with a view to having them meet and decide on a way forward. He could not give any definite time when this meeting will take place, stating that there is a lot to review.

However up to mid-afternoon yesterday English claimed that no official from the Labour Ministry had contacted them.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

Gold declarations fell 22% by yearend

– GGB purchases down by 41% – as global gold price dropped by 22% in 2014 THE Ministry of Natural Resources recently disclosed that the total declaration for gold as at December 20, 2014 showed a decrease by 22.61%, over the corresponding period in 2013, as gold purchased by the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) fell by 41.24%.

This came as a result of the decrease in the demand for gold on the international market, which led to the global gold price decreasing by 22% in 2014.

A local analyst told the Guyana Chronicle that dealers’ quantity of gold exported increased by 10.16%, whereas the GGB’s quantity of gold exported fell by 40.26% within the period 2013-2014; hence the overall quantity of gold exported is down by 22.73%.

Additionally, the value of gold exported by dealers increased by 10.86%, while the revenue garnered by the GGB decreased by 43.48% during the comparative periods (2013-2014); implying that the total revenue for the comparative period fell by 23.45%.

DECLINE IN PRICES The source told the Guyana Chronicle that the fall in

gold output has been credited to the decline in prices during 2014, whereas at the start of that year hopes were high that the gold market could recover from the drop in 2013, where prices ended the year in negative territory for the first time in 12 years.

However, despite strong optimism by major investors within the sector, gold has once again closed the year in negative territory at US$1,182.90 per ounce.

TREMENDOUS DIFFICULTIES The falling price of gold on the world market is creating tremendous difficul-

ties for the mining industry across the globe. Consequently, players in the industry are requesting help from their respective governments.

Mine workers in Ghana (a country heavily dependent on mining) have called on government to sustain the mining sector in the wake of the falling price of gold on the world market.

According to them, the falling price of gold on the world market was affecting the sustainability of the mining companies and over 3,000 mine workers have been laid off by mining companies in the country due to the decline in the price of

gold on the world market.

Four hundred workers are also expected to be laid off early this year.

After peaking at US$1,921.15 an ounce on the world market in September 2011, the price of gold fell to as low as US$1,180.50 in June 2013, the lowest price since 2010.

Analysts have predicted that the price of gold will average US$1,000 in 2014 and US$840 in 2015, because a stronger U.S. economy will limit the appeal of gold.

Guyana’s mining industry, which in recent years has seen a significant growth due to massive foreign and local investments in gold mining, is also experiencing serious challenges. Unfortunately, even though last year’s gold declaration which was the highest ever, (458,000 ounces), it will not benefit the mining industry much because of falling prices on the global market.

GGDMA’S APPEAL in 2014 The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) at its first meeting in 2014 noted the challenges which gold miners were facing as a result of the falling

‘Experts have indicated that every 10 years there would be a significant drop in gold prices and therefore miners should gear and prepare themselves during the good times to meet the challenges of this price cycle’ prices of gold and appealed to President Donald Ramotar for the government to implement relief measures to the mining sector.

The President’s response was most positive and heartening as he assured miners that his government will be analysing the situation with a view to implementing appropriate relief measures.

The President promised to ensure that the relevant ministries forge closer relations with the association’s executive body to deal more effectively with issues, and to determine what assistance the government could render.

With regard to miners who are experiencing difficulties in terms of having their equipment re-possessed by the banks, the President said government would try to intervene to bring some relief to affected miners.

HIRE PURCHASE LEGISLATION He pointed out that situa-

tions such as these highlight the need for hire purchase legislation in Guyana and assured that his government will be taking steps in this regard.

In terms of the cost for reclamation, the President reiterated the importance of environmental issues, and said there are enormous benefits to accrue from sustainable mining practices and protection of the environment.

However, this issue is not a one-way street and miners should also explore ways and means of cutting costs of production by investing in modern technologies which are more efficient and which increase productivity.

Experts have indicated that every 10 years there would be a significant drop in gold prices and therefore miners should gear and prepare themselves during the good times to meet the challenges of this price cycle. (Navendra Seoraj)

Ombudsman refutes investigation, findings in Kissoon/UG complaint

By Raymon Cummings THE Ombudsman, retired Judge Winston Moore has refuted claims in some sections of the media that he has ruled on the complaint filed by Kaieteur News Columnist and former lecturer at the University of Guyana, Freddie Kissoon.

“I did not conduct any investigation nor did I make any findings into the matter,” he said in the letter to the media.

Justice Moore said that he was drawn to the reports in the press that he had ruled on Kissoon’s complaint and had recommended compensation. Clarifying

the status of the complaint filed with his office by Kissoon against the University claiming wrongful dismissal, the Ombudsman said, “I sought and obtained council’s opinion on the issue and transmitted same to the registrar of the University of Guyana.”

Justice Moore said that in his correspondence to the university he was careful to state that his office was advised of council’s opinion.

This he said was in keeping with the practice of the Ombudsman’s office. The Ombudsman had sought and received opinions from the law firms of Fraser, Housty & Yearwood and de Caires

Fitzpatrick and Karran.

Quoting from various Statutes in the University of Guyana Act (Chapter 39:02) Attorney-at-Law G N Fraser in his written opinion to the Ombudsman acknowledged that Statute 3 (2) empowers the University Council may at any time remove any person from membership of the university notwithstanding that he is qualified to be a member. He also opined that that Kissoon by virtue of his contract was a member of the University.

The opinion also noted that Kissoon’s contract did provide for his termination on notice or in lieu thereof.

Fraser, however, pointed

out that Kissoon’s letter of appointment had stated that he is subject to the Act and Statute of the University, the Code of Conduct and Conditions of Service for temporary members of staff for the time being in force.

The prescribed procedure as outlined in Statute 25 dealing with the procedure for termination shows that Kissoon was not given the due process. Further that the minutes of the meeting seemed to indicate that the rescinding of the contract was motivated by the opinion of members of the University Council that Kissoon’s research profile was not impressive and his

research works were not of any academic claim but his contract of employment did not contain any imposition or requirement regarding same.

He further outlined that Kissoon’s contract did not expressly state that the university was entitled to dismiss him without cause, but the Statute allows the University Council to dismiss only with cause. Therefore, the University Council was entitled to dismiss Kissoon but only in accordance with Statute 25, therefore failure to do so constituted a breach of the University Statute.

In the written opinion of Attorney-at-Law Miles Fitz-

patrick pointing to Statute 25 also, he highlighted the absence of Kissoon being given the opportunity to be heard before his contract was terminated.

Kissoon’s contract was terminated in January 2012 following a meeting of the University Council. The termination of the contract was done to correct an anomaly where the Vice Chancellor had renewed the contract of 12 retired academic staff who were over the age of 60 years without the approval of the Appointments Committee and Council as is required by the University Act.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

PUC hearing continues on GT&T request for increased landline rates

Left: Representatives of the PUC and GT&T at the hearing of the company’s request for an increase in landline rates in the conference room of PUC on Wednesday

THE Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Wednesday held another hearing pertaining to a request by the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) for an increase in landline rates, which will subsequently lead to surges in costs for virtually all services.

During the hearing in

the PUC’s conference room, GT&T’s Vice- President for Finance, John Audet; its consultant Gene Evelyn together with other representatives of the company, were all thoroughly interrogated by PUC’s Secretary, Chairman and Financial Analyst among others.

In the quest for increased rates, a plethora of issues

were examined which led to further responses to be delivered by GT&T at a next hearing which is slated for January 16th. The debate-like hearing assessed issues in relation to the public’s benefit in order to arrive at a balanced decision.

The PUC’s representatives were apprehensive about GT&T’s possible fail-

ure to serve customers if the company’s request is approved; as such, Audet, along with GT&T’s consultant Evelyn underscored that the company is cognisant of the fact that there are persons who are not served especially in the rural areas. As such, they (GT&T’s reps) emphasised on the necessity for “spectrum” allocation in size and frequency, among others.

The representatives continued their responses, highlighting their biggest bug-bear in wireless service which is “power” administered by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). In addition, the company’s current quality of service stands at 3.5 gigabytes; thus, the company has long argued for a 4.5 gigabytes of spectrum to

resolve the problems of the telephone services in rural areas.

The PUC however, recognised that there is a thin line between the spectrum allocations in frequency alongside economic issues hovering around the company (GT&T). Therefore, the PUC suggested that the company produce a quota of income findings to further support their appeal for an increase in landline rates.

At the previous hearing, Audet had defended GT&T’s request by historically highlighting increased costs due to inflation in recent years; on the other hand, local landline rates service have not changed since their implementation in 2002. He noted that the rental charge

for the dial-tone telephone service (the monthly recurring charge) is 13 times less than that charged by rural telephone companies in the United States.

Moreover, the company stated in its application that was produced in early 2014 that it not only wants to increase its landline rates, but also installations, additional jacks, applications, wakeup-calls, voicemails and re-connection fees among others. As such, the requested increase in rates will then hover around 20-60 percent on current charges. The PUC however, is still contemplating the company’s request based on future hearings.

(Shivanie Sugrim)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

No adjustments to SOP for SWAT team deployment – says Top Cop

By Leroy Smith ACTING Commissioner of

Police Seelall Persaud, in a recent address to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU),

reiterated that he sees no reason to adjust the conditions regarding the deploy-

– readiness for elections being addressed

ment of the newly-organised Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

Commissioner Persaud said he is aware of views expressed publicly about deployment of the unit and this indicates that persons in the know as well as others are taking a swipe at the team.

According to him, the debates do help the force as everything that is said in the public domain is usually reviewed.

“However, the debates actually help us in the long run, help to tell us that we are on the right path or we need to make adjustments.

At this time I see no reason to make any adjustment to the standard operating procedures (SOP) regarding the deployment of SWAT.”

targeted replenishing of the unit as people get older and as injuries take place since this is normal and likely to happen.

He said properly trained ranks will at all times replace ranks where the need arises since they will be trained by the unit itself. In addition they will be doing some levels of firearm and tactical training for other members of the force, particularly those who are involved in anti-crime patrols.

Seelall reminded that anti-crime patrols act spontaneously a lot of the time and there is limited intelligence but their operations are largely based on what they observe on patrol duty and therefore tactical training is absolutely necessary.

TRAINING CONTINUITY The Top cop made it clear that the unit will remain in training and there will be a continuation of

ELECTIONS READINESS According to Persaud, the TSU has been conducting its operations over the years but now with the

Friday, January 09, 2015 - 05:00 hrs Saturday, January 10, 2015 - 08:30 hrs Sunday, January 11, 2015 - 08:30 hrs

Police Commissioner (ag.)

Mr. Seelall Persaud

introduction of the SWAT team the force is in a better position, even as the TSU has in the past looked at the preparedness for elections, which is normally a high profile event.

“It is very likely that we will see elections in the near future and therefore our readiness is the job of the Assistant Commissioner Operations (David Ramnarine) and he is ably assisted

by Second in Command (Linden Alves) and Officer-in-Charge of TSU (Errol Watts).

On the issue of whether the gear and equipment are appropriate at this time and if there needs to be adjustments to the standard operating procedures in dealing with the political climate, those would be addressed at the level of the Joint Services, the Top Cop added.

“This is normally addressed by the Joint Services, so at (that) level… we normally would meet and have Senior Officers to do two things: one is to address what has happened around the world and reconsider or consider the adjustment of our SOPs and the other thing is for joint training; so having brain stormed and assessed the needs for change, then there is joint training,” the Police Commissioner explained.

He added that this procedure has been ongoing for a long time now and is nothing new, pointing out that there are a lot of joint deployments between forces, particularly the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

GPF re-commences Agricola community projects

NOW that the Christmas season is over, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has returned to its programme of community-related developmental and other activities which are geared at engaging the attention and energies of mostly young people.

On Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken; Superintendents Wayne De Hearte, Irving Trotz and Jessemy and Assistant Superintendent Althea Scipio visited the St. Anne’s Primary School and the Agricola football ground, where they pledged to continue working with young folk in the new year.

At the primary school, the police will continue their weekly skills- training classes with the children of the community through the school and with the assistance of the elders within

that community.

Last year, the police held a graduation for children who had completed several weeks of training in various elementary disciplines, and had promised to continue working with them in 2015 and to take the training to an even higher level.

The visit to the football ground saw the finalising of plans for the commissioning of the ground in that community. The GPF with the assistance of corporate Guyana has pooled resources to develop the facility so that young people from the area can utilise it, instead of having to travel to other communities to use recreational facilities there.

The police were instrumental in ensuring that the sand and mud- filling of the ground as well as the fencing and construction of bleachers were completed. Their

efforts were also assisted by businessman, Mr. Hack, and the Ministry of Public Works.

The police had also commenced working with several young ladies and a lone young man from the community in a cookery class, from which they graduated late last year. Their programme is also continuing and the police will be looking to provide avenues for them to expand and branch out on their own.

At the conclusion of their elementary course, the young people expressed an interest in moving to an even higher level and requested that the police remain on board to assist them in the process, something that the Guyana Police Force, through Commissioner Seelall Persaud, has given his no-objection to.

Within a matter of

The contractor, second from left, explains to the police officers what the final leg of the works will entail (Sonell Nelson photos)

Commander Hicken and other ranks meeting with the administrators of St. Anne’s Primary

days, the police will commission the football ground in the community and that will be marked by a fun-

day and other activities, which will be attended by senior police officers and those from the business

community, who have been assisting in improving police- community relations projects. (Leroy Smith)

Police, community members, footballers and a business partner meet with a contractor in Agricola on Wednesday to discuss development of the community ground

Arrest warrant out for persons to answer DUI charges THE Guyana Police Force, on Wednesday, released the details of four drivers who were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The quartet however, failed to appear in court and as such, arrest warrants have been issued for them.

The four are: 1. Suraj Persaud, 18 years, of Lot 19 School Street, Novar, Mahaicony, ECD, who was stopped and tested with a breathalyzer on 2014-12-21 while driving motor car PHH 607 on the Weldaad Public Road, WCB. He was found to be above the legal limit in terms of the consumption of

of West Strathavon, Cane

alcohol. He was charged but failed to appear at the Weldaad Magistrates’ Court on 201412-22. An arrest warrant has been issued for him by the court.

2. Narine Lall, 49 years,

Grove, ECD, was stopped and tested with a breathalyzer on 2014-12-21 while driving motor pick-up GNN 5126 on the Weldaad Public Road, WCB. He was found to be above the

legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol. He was charged but failed to appear at the Weldaad Magistrates Court on 2014-12-22. An arrest warrant has been issued for him by the court.

3. Davendranauth Persaud, 29 years, of Lot 12 Montrose, ECD, was stopped

and tested with a breathalyzer on 2014-12-24 while driving motor car PPP 6686 on the Sparendaam Public Road, ECD. He was found to be above the legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol.

He was charged but failed to appear at the Sparendaam Magistrates Court on 2014-1231. An arrest warrant has been issued for him by the court.

4. Tularam Ramsukh, 48 years, of Lot 1 Bissoon Street, Better Hope, ECD, was stopped and tested with a breathalyzer on 201412-24 while driving motor car PRR 8045 on the Sparendaam Public Road, ECD. He was found to be above

the legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol.

He was charged but failed to appear at the Sparendaam Magistrates Court on 201412-31. An arrest warrant has been issued for him by the court.

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

President Ramotar bestowed w

…secures US$58M line of credit for East Coast/East Bank Road, n … Indian Gov’t to build Information Technology Centre of Excellence …calls for permanent Indian seat on a Reformed UN Security C …Guyanese to get ‘Visa on Arrival’ in India

By Gary Eleazar PRESIDENT, Donald Ramotar, currently on his first official State visit to India, has secured a US$58M ‘Line of Credit (LoC), to fund the new East Bank Demerara-East Coast Demerara bypass road (US$50M), as well as to add an additional passenger ferry (US$8M) to Guyana’s current fleet.

The President met yesterday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the two, during a bilateral meeting, agreed to the concessional loan for the two ventures.

The President, only recently in his New Year’s Day address to the nation, had announced that the feasibility study for the proposed 20 kilometer stretch of road has been

completed.

The Indian Prime Minister, during the meeting with President Ramotar, also agreed and announced that his Government would set up an Information Technology Centre of Excellence in Guyana, the first such facility to be established on the South American continent.

Another major development coming out of the meeting between President Ramotar and Indian Prime Minister, Modi is that Guyanese will now be afforded a ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility.Guyana now joins an exclusive list of only 44 countries across the world that is afforded this facility.

invited by the Indian Government as the ‘Chief Guest’ at the 13thPravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Conference), an event that also marks the centenary anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India.

Addressing the inaugural session of the annual conference, which saw representation from thousands of delegates from 40 countries, President Ramotar, called on the Indian Government to be a more proactive voice for small developing countries such as Guyana.

Speaking to opportunities that exists for the Indian Government, President Ramotar noted that just as how that SUPPORTING country played a pivotal role in DEVELOPING providing leadership—theinCOUNTRIES tellectual and political—that President Ramotar was led to the granting of political

independence for a wave of nations, including Guyana, “so too today can India provide leadership in representing the interests and concerns of the developing nations of the world.”

Speaking directly to the Indian Prime Minister, President Ramotar reminded that “India occupies a seat in many of the major councils of the world, where smaller countries like mine have no voice.”

He was making reference to World Councils such as the G20, the Brazil Russia India China South Africa (BRICS) and others.

According to President Ramotar, “Countries like mine turn to larger more influential friends like India to be the voice through which

the concerns of the developing world could be expressed.”

STRIKING ABSENCE Ramotar also advised too that there are opportunities for India to be more active as a participant in the global development effort.

According to him, while India is a member of some of the regional development banks, such as the African Development Bank, its absence as a member of institutions from this hemisphere “is striking.”

He was making reference to the institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

“Apart from the obvious political opportunity that it presents, membership will also bring important business op-

Head of State Donald Ramotar addressing the massive gathering in India yesterday . (Photo by Sandra Prince)

portunities for Indian companies and Indian nationals, according to President Ramotar.

BUSINESS POTENTIAL The Guyanese Head of State observed too that there is considerable room for Indian companies to be more aggressively outward looking.

He said, “India’s potential role as a major source of outward foreign direct investment is still to be fully realised…

Indeed, considering the size and diversity of the Indian economy, there are many opportunities for Indian companies and entrepreneurs to establish a bigger global footprint.”

According to him, there is also a need for air and maritime links to be strengthened to allow for the easier flow of goods, services and peoples between the two countries.

The President also used the opportunityto pledge Guyana’s commitment to continue to work towards strengthening the relations with the countries that have emerged from the anti-colonial struggles.

“Even though colonialism is history, the world governance still favours the rich and powerful countries…the net flow of capital continues to be from the developing to the developed world...it is for this reason that the struggle is far from over,” he said.

President Ramotar told Prime Minister Modi that Guyana remains deeply appreciative of the role India continues to play in the global community of nations and among the developing countries of the world, and that his government looks forward to the further consolidation of this role in the future.

REFORMED UN SECURITY COUNCIL President Ramotar, on the international platform, addressed the fact that among the issues of priority that need to be addressed is the post-2015 development agenda and the reform of the United Nations Security Council.

17

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

with prestigious Indian Award

new Ferry e in Guyana Council “These are two issues that India must continue to champion and play a key role in bringing together developing countries to advance the changes and recommendations that are necessary to confront the changing conditions of the new world that we live in today,” said President Ramotar.

As it relates to the United Nations Security Council, President Ramotar reminded that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to advocate for its reform, taking into consideration the need for adequate representation of small states in a new and expanded Security Council.

“Guyana will continue to collaborate with India towards the reform of this body,” said President Ramotar, who also used the opportunity to reiterate to Prime Minister Modi, the support of the Guyana Government for India’s candidature for a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council.

Speaking to the global challenge of Climate Change, President Ramotar said too that India today must play an important role in confronting phenomenon, “a cause my Government continues to champion in the international arena.”

The Guyanese Head of State is among 15 Non Resident Indians (NRI) selected from around the world to be honoured at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Centenary Celebrations and was bestowed with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award.

Other awardees include Mala Mehta from Australia; Kamaljeet Bakshi from New Zealand; Nandini Tandon from US; Ashraf Palarakunnummal from UAE; Essop Esoop Goolam from South Africa; Bharatkumar Jayantilal Shah from UAE; Rajmal M. Parakh from Oman; Justice Doraikannu Karunakaran from Seychelles; Sanjaya Rajaram from Mexico; Lord Raj Loomba from Britain; Mahendra Nanji Mehta from Uganda and Kamlesh Lulla from the US and Nathu Ram Puri.

President Donald Ramotar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

18

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

WEDDING OF THE YEAR ‌

LATIFAN ROSHEENA KHAN WEDS DAMIEN ALI JAGARNAUTH in lavish, mind boggling setting

E

VER so often, we have had weddings here on the local shores, but nothing compared to the mesmerizing spectacle that unfolded before us recently when the angelic beauty Latifan Rosheena Khan wedded her dashing prince, Damien Ali Jagarnauth, in a setting suited only for royalty. the stunning couple stood before beaming relatives and well wishers, exclamations of awe and surprise

filled the air as spellbound patrons gleefully took in the glitz and glamour that surrounded them.

As people in the world were preparing for the end of the year 2014 and the usual festivities that usher in 2015, the Guyanese people saw a spectacle that transformed the compound of the RK family in Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara into the most amazing, historic, mesmerizing, and definitely nostalgic trip to Ancient India. It was as if the glory days of the Mogul

The fitting king bestows his undying love on his angelic queen Empire descended on us on that day when two lovers tied their nuptials and dedicated themselves to each other in the most colourful and dynamic Islamic Wedding or Marriage Ceremony ever seen in Guyana.

The guests were seated in most comfortable seating arrangements, and were served constantly with dainties and refreshing fruit juices as famous love songs were done by talented artistes and musicians of Guyana, causing every moment before, during and after the marriage to be most entertaining and exciting. It was certainly an experience And the royalties were decked out in mesmerizing attire

See page 20

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

Stacy Ramcharran demolishes field to be tabbed ‘Bombshell ‘s Dream Girl of the Year’ THE journey was quite exciting in 2014, as a bevy of beauties battled for the coveted title of ‘Bombshell’s Dream Girl of the Year’.

And our esteemed panel was given quite a task to settle on a girl who best suits the criteria of being irresistibly sexy and provocative, having dreamy allure, and possessing a fabulous body. In the long run, we could

Check her out, folks.

She’s ticking like a time bomb!!!

Our dream girl surely rocks!!!

not resist the likes of Guyana Miss Earth 2014, Stacy Ramcharran, who, with flying colours, satisfied the demands of our panel of fastidious judges in every category.

But while she would have netted this title, she did endure ‘stiff competition’ from our own delightful Raveena Mangal; the Berbician cupcake, Leandra Mac Donald; West Demerara Showgirl Asheena Stewart; and, of course, the ‘chocolate treat’ from Diamond, Shyon Hoppie.

Nonetheless, Miss Ramcharran blazed a scorching trail and exploded like dynamite to take home her well-deserved title. And quite a rumble erupted afterwards amongst the other contenders, and I heard through the grapevine that some of the divas are threatening to dig out each other’s eye balls.

Come on girls, stop the hating and support a sista who managed to ‘drop it like it’s hot’ to win the crown.

Joke of the Day!

A GROUP of chess enthusiasts had checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.

“But why?” they asked, as they moved off.

“Because,” said the manager, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

HITTING the jackpot in this corner as the New Year begins is the sizzling Timeka Marshall, who was recently caught in a light moment with a close friend.

Quite popular for her dramatic entrances and ‘electric presence’, Timeka

was a fitting choice, and the perfect manner in which to salute this corner for 2015.

You, too, can rake in a spot here by ensuring you ‘dress to kill’ and be ready for the Bombshell cameras whenever you venture out.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP!!!

WHAT’S TRENDING? KIM KARDASHIAN’S PHOTOS!!

WHEN it comes to what you see over the Internet, there is a lot of interest generated.

There you can find everything, from photos leaked to those that were purposely put up in that manner.

This is just something that you’re going to have to deal with if you’re going to use the Internet. It is something that is going to be there, something that is usually not censored, and something that perhaps you might not want to see.

The same goes for the photos that Kim Kardashian did for the cover of a magazine.

The Photos When it comes to the good, the bad and the ugly, Kim brought it out in a lot of people. Not just one emotion, but all the emotions; and people do not know how to react to such a picture. From front to back, she is totally nude and loving it -- showing off every last inch of her body for the camera. She said she needed to do this before she decides to have any more children.

While we all have our own personal points of view, opinions and beliefs, this is just hers. It was her decision -- and hers alone -- to go out there and bare it all for the world to see. Does her family have to live with the pictures, as well? Absolutely! They have to be the ones to hear, see and speak about it for years to come, since the pictures made such a big uproar.

As for those celebrities who have had their nude photos leaked without their consent, this is a whole different case. Kim decided to take it upon herself to do the photos to show the world her beauty, and to show herself the beauty that she has.

She went out there and just did it, and now the photos are on sale within the magazine, and you can even purchase these pictures!

Bring home your magazine today, but make sure to tuck it away if you have kids, since these are not family friendly photos. I wonder what little North will think of this act as she becomes older and find out what mommy did.

20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

LATIFAN ROSHEENA KHAN WEDS DAMIEN ALI JAGARNAUTH ...

From page 18

which will live forever in the hearts of all who were invited.

The enchanting decor of the Mogul Era, the alluring illumination, with the shifting of colours in Hollywood hues and styles enchanted the guests and made them feel a joy to behold, basking in the sensation of floating in an optical illusion.

The arrival of the groom with his handlers was a sight to behold at the moment of his entrance. The music was stopped for a moment, and jaws dropped open in awe and excitement as such a silence descended on the venue that allowed one to hear a pin fall.

The more than six hundred guests were visibly enthralled.

The greenish shimmering of the groom’s outfit was truly royalty, and it was enhanced by the drummers hitting various beats in the Indian/Arabian flavor, causing a pleasurable stir and raising of heads as they moved with their own unique regalia and head dress amongst the guests to announce the arrival of the groom, groomsmen, and parents.

The famous royal music of the movie Jodha Akbar, with powerful sounds of the E-Network Band, welcomed the groom and his entourage as he stepped in the compound, followed by his parents and his dynamic group of handsome men, all dressed in outfits befitting the best of royalty of the ancient colourful age of Mogul tastes and resplendence.

The bride’s father, Mr. Roshan Khan, stood like Shah Jahan (King of Kings) of the Mogul Era, dressed in a reddish high-textured outfit flown in from India. In a moment of movie style Indian kind of emotion and drama, Mr. Khan stopped a few feet apart from the groom, as is customary that parents of the bride must welcome the groom and his parents and entourage.

But this was a moment of extreme awe and sentimentalism as the audience stood to welcome the king, he strutting like real

royalty to claim his bride. One could, however, see the emotion in the hearts displayed on the faces of the guests and the welcoming parents of the bride.

Mr. Roshan Khan looked into the eyes of his son-in-law with deep emotion, and the man who would soon take his daughter forever looked at him in deep love, respect and regard. Eyes and sights welded together in respect and admiration, man to man.

The drama continued, and Mr. Khan stepped forward slowly, albeit with great dignity, and hugged the arriving groom (the three Islamic ceremonial hugs). The elder man kissed the younger, as is the Arabian/ Islamic Custom, like in a setting made for the movies, and the famous music song and music for the Groom’s Arrival penetrated the hearts of everyone.

“Azeem O Shah Shahenshah” of the movie Jodha Akbar -- a unique song of emotion, power, strength, enticement, enrichment, and refinement -- moved the people.

Mother of the bride, Mrs Latchmin (Muzeefa) Khan, the queen she is known to be, in a magnificent Indian outfit, stepped forward and welcomed her son-in-law with a holy motherly kiss; and then, amazingly, the groom continued his forward movement, being escorted by the brothers of the bride.

Thereafter, the parents of both parties met and hugged each other.

The colourful and entertaining spectacle continued with songs and dances welcoming the groom as the setting was created for the bride to arrive. The famous music and song sung by Shiva Nayan Sankar moved the guests, the shimmering and shifting lights in optical illusion continued, and the bride, the Queen Latifan Rosheena, arrived.

The debonair and handsome Damien, her husband, stood up on his stage alone and glued his eyes to the entrance as the song played: “Kwaja Mere Kwaja”, and again the

The radiant bride and groom pose with Mr. and Mrs. Roshan Khan. guests stood, moved in sentimentalism and awe, many shocked, especially those from the diplomatic community and those who had never previously witnessed an Islamic Marriage. They saw a small, coloured, trianglar structure being moved by a bevy of beauties, and in it was housed the bride, the queen, in shiny glittering sheer material, who could not be seen, should never be seen, until after the the Nikkah Ceremony was finished.

A kind of hushed silence again descended on the venue, heads moving, one could see a piece of her heels, a tip of her shoes, a bit of her hair, a slight peek at a piece of her astounding outfit, but never the face or the entire person. It was a moving and exciting movement. She took her seat in her chambers, suited for the queen she was, as she exuded her royalty.

There was an intense moment during the marriage ceremony (Nikkah). Part of this ceremony is the giving of a portion of his wealth to his new queen, his bride, his wife, and this normally occurs in Muslim marriages. He sent her a gift of the keys to their new home; she refused and returned it in a drama laced with movie-style intensity.

He sent a second gift of jewellery, and that was also refused, the master of Ceremonies and the people wondering if the marriage was off, and it seemed so for the moment in the mixture of awe and apprehension. Then he sent a third gift of a special momento, and she again refused, but this time she requested and sent the MC and her husbandto-be a little note she had scribbled, and the MC, Mr. Fazeel Azeez, in a moment endearing in voice and unique drama for an Islamic wedding and for weddings in

general, uttered the words she had written to her groom, parents, families and guests: In essence, all she wanted was his pure dedicated love and care; friendship and support; partnership and marital harmony forever and ever, and she pledged to do the same for him. It was as if a set was placed in motion for a great love to play out for a lifetime.

The guests went roaring with excitement when Mr. Roshan Khan jumped into a spontaneous Indian dance before the audience at the piercing and dynamic tune of ‘Mast Qualander,’ and again when he and the father of the groom joined in a spontaneous, riveting and yet emotional dance of the two fathers, dancing for their children in love and for the entertainment of the guests.

Dinner setting was fantastic, and the meal was delicious and abundant, with super service. Some meals were even cooked before the guests, all as if India was actually in Guyana.

Alex Wayne of the Entertainment Bombshell and other staffers of the Guyana Chronicle wish the bride and groom enduring love, peace, prosperity, and a great life together.

Among the guests, were His Excellency President Donald Ramotar and First Lady Madam Deolatchmie Ramotar; several Honourable Ministers of Government; His Excellency Mr Nikoloay Smirnov of the Russian Federation and Hon lady Smirnov; Representatives of the United States Embassy and of the Indian High Commission and other dignitaries; and numerous important persons from the private and public sectors.

Quote of the Day

Such royalty is simply unforgettable.

Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday January 9, 2015

Vote Guyana’s Niketa Barker for Miss Universe

Guyana’s Niketa Barker (right) in the company of the Ethiopian representative to the Miss Universe Pageant

JUST recently, Miss Guyana Universe, Niketa Barker, left Guyana for Doral in Miami to compete in the Miss Universe pageant which will be held on the 25th January, 2015.

Before leaving, Niketa wrote on her Facebook page: “I’m so happy I have the opportunity to represent Guyana in the Miss Universe 2014/2015 competition. I am off to Miami. Wish me luck!”

So, to get all Guyana excited, here is a sneak peek of Miss Guyana Universe 2014, Niketa Barker, as she sashayed and participated in certain aspects of the competition.

Please click on these links to vote for Niketa Barker, Guyana’s representative at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant.

Let’s help to get her to the #1 spot on all of the leading pageant blogging sites.

1. Missosology ***5 VOTES DAILY*** http://344115.tbits.me/ 2.Pageantry And Beauty Queens***10 VOTES DAILY*** http://391856.tbits.me/ 3. Beauty Pageant Grand Slam – BPGS***5 VOTES DAILY*** http://412212.tbits.me/ 4. Miss Universe Poll Fanpage***15 VOTES DAILY*** http://419672.tbits.me/ 5. Beauties Concept BC***4 VOTES DAILY*** http://411091.tbits.me/ 6. Major Beauty Pageants ***19 VOTES*** http://418160.tbits.me/ 7. Beauty Pageant Grandslam

MISS GUYANA UNIVERSE NIKETA BARKER https://beautypageantgrandslam.wordpress.com/…/votefor-th…/ Be sure to share this information, and ask your families, friends and loved ones to vote as well.

LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING!!!

He made her his wife the moment he saw her at school TODAY, this blissful couple shares unrelenting romance, a son, and a relationship like none can ever dream of. Their love and strong connection was like static electricity the moment they entered a room.

The attention and devotion Yanic Jordan showers on his beautiful Marisca will either make readers turn to jello and buckle at the knees, or grow green with venomous envy.

This love story is so stimulating I certainly had to make room for it on our spicy Bombshell pages. By the way folks, Marisca is the daughter of Guyana’s veteran fashion designer Sonia Noel, but none will ever know, since this humble lass is never boastful.

We sat down with Yanic for a little chit-chat and were very spellbound with what we were told.

“It all started in School of the Nation’s 6th form college.

My friends and I were sitting down underneath a tent talking about our weekend activities. While we were laughing our heads, off I swear I saw a glow coming from the school’s gate.

That’s when I first saw my wife Marisca Fiedtkou. She wore a green shirt and blue jeans, and had a one-handed bag and a book in her right hand.

“I still remember it like yesterday. As she walked in, I told my friends, ‘Shut up! Look, she’s going to be my wife’.

The only problem was mustering the courage to walk up and talk to such a beautiful girl. It took me months before I actually spoke to her the first time. My first words to her were, ‘Do you want some of my Flintstones vitamins?’

“Yes, how embarrassing! Right? My friend Brooke Glasford and I were craving them for some reason that day, and we ventured off to get them. I finally spoke to her because I knew she was new to the school and had to say a eulogy for a past Nations’ student. From that moment on, we were inseparable. We spoke every day. She cooked for me all the Mr. and Mrs. Yanic Jordan are certainly an inspiration to youths of today time. I became spoilt.

“Graduation day came and we knew I was going away for university in Jamaica. But that didn’t stop us from being together. The following year it became even better when we found out she was pregnant. She was already accepted into UWI Jamaica, and our little blessing was on his way” And Marisca had an equally compelling story to tell…

“In Jamaica, we lived in separate apartments but Yanic was always at my apartment (since I had a pool). Our friends would always tell us how amazing it was that we spent so much time together, and it seems we never got bored and always had something to talk about.

“Yanic is always the romantic type. He would write me poems and songs, and it was never cliche because it was his own words. He didn’t even have to let the words rhyme! Lol. “So it was surprising to me (when) one day we were sitting on the couch and out of the blue he asked me ‘You love me, right?’ I said ‘Of course!’ then he said ‘Then marry me’. I asked him if he was serious, and he said he was. I knew from day one I was going to be his wife, and to make it better, we had a little one already on the way. We were gonna be a family! I said ‘Yes!’ because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about it.

“What we had was special, and I saw forever with him.

We got married on December 22, 2011. I remember packing his bag the morning of the wedding and sending him off with it, knowing the next time I saw him he’d be making a vow to be my husband.

“The wedding was magical. My best friends came from Barbados, our families came in, and saying ‘I do’ was very emotional. He wasn’t my boyfriend anymore, he was my husband, and I vowed to be there for him through thick and thin, for better or worse. We moved in together and waited for the arrival of our son, Jaidyn, (Yanic wanted to name him Stuart-Michael after Stewie from the Family Guy Show) “Every day we tried to balance family life and school, and tried as much to spend time with each other and always show our love and appreciation. Until this day, we have great communication, and try our best to take a step back and appreciate each other and continue to build an amazing family life and future together.

“We love each other wholeheartedly, and with God in the middle, we certainly can’t go wrong.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 9, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

Remarkable year for Alpha - Coach Dover

BANKS Beer Knockout champions Alpha `The Hammer’ United had a remarkable run in 2014 and the plan is to transfer success in the local arena to Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF competitions.

Alpha coach Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover disclosed that the club would be focusing on rebuilding during the coming year with special emphasis on the moulding of young players.

“We had a remarkable year in 2014 and it is my desire that we achieve this form of success when we take it to competitions at the international level.

“We have proved without a doubt that our club is physically and mentally equipped to take on any force in local football. We now need to transfer this to CONCACAF and CFU,” Dover said.

During the past year Alpha retained the Banks Beer trophy. During that tournament the club created history by scoring 44 goals and conceding only one in six matches. Alpha also won the Georgetown Football Association Futsal competition, and were crowned Second Division champions. Dover claimed that the club’s youth brigade played a pivotal part in the recent success.

“Evidently there was the integration of

a few of the younger players who turned out to be outstanding. We were able to blend our younger players with our experienced legs and this paid dividends,” the former national coach added.

“We will continue to see how many young players we can mould. It is no secret that some of our outstanding players are aging and at some point in time would have to be replaced. So we will be concentrating on getting younger legs on the field.”

Meanwhile, Dover reasoned that a semi-professional league is needed if any local club is to make an impact in CFU and CONCACAF. He pointed out that the disparity between local clubs and those in the Caribbean and CONCACAF can only be lessened through semi-professional football.

“We have shown over the years, while playing at the CFU and CONCACAF levels that there is a large gap between us and the local clubs.

That of itself underlines the need for the administration of football in Guyana to move towards getting a semiprofessional league started. It is the only way that we would be able to truly compete on the international club stage,” argued Dover.

Racing Tips English

10:50 hrs Ecliptic Sunrise

14:05 hrs Times In Anatefka

Doncaster

11:25 hrs Sabre Rock

14:35 hrs Charlie Bear

08:30 hrs Rainy City

11:55 hrs Keep Kicking

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09:00 hrs Josses Hill

Arab Emirates Racing Tips

15:35 hrs Stoichkhov

09:35 hrs Some Buckle

Jebel Ali

16:05 hrs Tennessee

10:05 hrs Highland Retreat

08:40 hrs North Pole

16:35 hrs Sharjah

10:40 hrs Lord Brendy

09:10 hrs Sholaan

17:05 hrs Keith’s Delight

11:15 hrs Seas Of Green 11:45 hrs Steel Summit

South Africa Racing Tips

Huntingdon

Greyville

08:45 hrs Belmount

10:50 hrs Ginger Biscuit

09:20 hrs Vayland

11:25 hrs Royal Champion

09:55 hrs Donapollo

11:55 hrs Pure Spice

10:30 hrs Presenting Lisa

12:25 hrs Roy’s Flyer

11:05 hrs Killala Quay

12:55 hrs Nordic Jet

11:35 hrs Catwalk Sabe

13:25 hrs Ho’Oponopono

Lingfield

13:55 hrs Kingston Boy

09:10 hrs Sgt Reckless

14:25 hrs Anafesto

09:45 hrs Double Heaven

Irish Racing Tips

10:15 hrs Don’t Be

Dundalk

American Racing Tips Aqueduct Race 1 She’s All Even Race 2 Classic Sales Race 3 Academyperformance Race 4 Wild Freud Race 5 Star Magnolia Race 6 H Man Race 7 Marcy Race 8 Bullheaded Boy Race 9 Frosty Pop Larry

Bangladesh bowler ...

From back page

The 25-year-old, who is part of Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for the February 14-March 29 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, surrendered before the court yesterday but his bail petition was rejected.

“He has been sent to prison pending the next hearing of the case,” Dhaka police deputy commissioner Anisur Rahman told Reuters, although the date of that hearing has yet to be set.

Rubel has played 22 Tests and 53 one-day internationals for Bangladesh but his participation in the World Cup has been put in serious doubt.

“If he is found guilty, he will definitely be excluded from the World Cup squad,” Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan told Reuters.

“We are taking this issue very seriously. We will make our final decision within a week.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

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Blatter faces first serious FIFA challenge since 1998

By Mike Collett LONDON, England (Reuters) - For the first time since 1998 when he beat Sweden’s Lennart Johansson in a bitterly fought campaign, Sepp Blatter is facing a real challenge for the FIFA presidency this year.

Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, who was not even born when Blatter first joined FIFA as its technical director in 1975, declared his candidacy on Tuesday, promising to make the organisation more transparent.

The 39-year-old royal faces a tough battle to beat the 78-year-old Swiss who is expected to formally declare his intention to stand for a fifth term before the January 29 nomination deadline, even though FIFA and Blatter have been engulfed in one scandal after another for years.

Until Prince Ali, who has some powerful backers including UEFA president Michel Platini, announced his intentions, the only other runner was FIFA’s former deputy secretary-general Jerome Champagne.

The 56-year-old former French diplomat declared his candidature a year ago and like Ali is committed

to bringing much-needed change to world soccer’s governing body which is generally perceived as a corrupt, secretive organisation.

But however wellintentioned Champagne is and despite a series of absorbingly well-argued documents outlining a brighter foot-balling future if he became FIFA president, it is difficult to see where his votes will come from -especially as Prince Ali has now thrown his hat in the ring.

REAL ALTERNATIVE Because, for all intents and purposes, Prince Ali, FIFA’s Asia vice-president perceived as the leading reformist member of the FIFA executive committee, will be regarded as the only credible alternative to the old guard.

The election will take place at the FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29 and is a one-member one-vote process with an outright winner needing two-thirds of the 209 votes cast.

If the vote was held today, Blatter would probably hold an advantage of around 120-90 and the ageing tyro is probably secure enough to withstand Ali’s attack because, as ever, he is the man holding

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein (L), FIFA’s vice-president Asia. (Credit: Reuters/ Muhammad Hamed) ALLEGATIONS all the aces.

No-one stood against And it almost seems impossible to imagine him in 2007 when he was that the Swiss will not be returned unopposed by milking the applause after acclamation, while in 2011 a fifth election victory his rival Mohamed bin following his earlier Hammam of Qatar withdrew successes in 1998, 2002, from the campaign shortly before voting took place 2007 and 2011. facing bribery In those 17 years, he has after only faced two challenges allegations.

-- first when he beat UEFA’s Swedish president Johansson for the seat left vacant following the retirement of 82-year-old Joao Havelange 111-80, and again in 2002 when he saw off a half-hearted campaign headed by Cameroonian Issa Hayatou, the president of the African confederation by 139 votes to 56.

BRIBERY

He was eventually banned from soccer for life.

Since 2011 though, FIFA has come under the microscope as never before following endless allegations of wrongdoing regarding the voting process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups which were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively on the same day in December 2010.

To this day there have been no satisfactory answers to allegations of FIFA skulduggery in determining those votes and the situation was made worse last month when Michael Garcia, the New York lawyer who spent 18 months investigating the allegations, quit his post, blaming FIFA for a “lack of leadership” and questioning its intention to work as an open, transparent organisation.

Despite all that, Blatter

still commands the support of the majority of the 209 member nations and as he clocks up 40 years at FIFA, he certainly knows how to use the system.

In June, Blatter was assured of the continuing support of the majority of delegates in five of FIFA’s six confederations.

The only one that gave him a frosty reception during a whistle-stop tour of confederation meetings in Sao Paulo just before the World Cup in Brazil was Europe’s UEFA. As one of his longtime executive committee colleagues Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium told Reuters, he retains a steely grip on FIFA’s affairs.

“He is powerful, he is untouchable, he is, I would say, the Pope of Football,” D’Hooghe, the president of the Belgian FA said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

India fight back with Rahul, Kohli centuries … Rahul scores maiden Test century

By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Lokesh Rahul hit his maiden century, Virat Kohli his fourth of the series but Australia’s Shane Watson hit back with two wickets in as many balls to leave India on 342 for five after the third day of the fourth Test yesterday.

Kohli, who became the first player to score centuries in his first three innings as Test captain, was still at the crease on 140 when stumps were drawn after a hot, sunny day packed with incident at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

India, already 2-0 down in the four-match series, had resumed on 71-1 in reply to Australia’s 572-7 declared and restored a great deal of pride as well as reducing the deficit to 230 runs.

Rahul had more to prove than most after his torrid introduction to Test cricket in Melbourne last week, where he scored four runs in

two innings.

The 22-year-old rode his luck and was forced to dive bat-less into the Sydney dirt to prevent being run-out soon after Rohit Sharma (53) had become the only batsman to fall in the opening session.

He was perhaps even more fortunate to escape with his wicket just before lunch when, on 46, he ballooned the ball into the air but Steve Smith failed to hold the catch.

The Australian captain, who later also dropped Kohli on 59 at second slip, made it clear he believed the wire that holds the overhead TV camera - Spidercam - in place had prevented him from dismissing Rahul.

NIGHTMARE DEBUT Rahul and Kohli batted cautiously through the second session in a partnership of 141, the opener reaching the century mark with his 11th four just before tea having faced 253 balls.

KL Rahul celebrates his maiden Test Virat Kohli brings up his 10th Test hundred, hundred, Australia v India, 4th Test, Australia v India, 4th Test, Sydney, Australia, Sydney, Australia, yesterday. yesterday.

“I’d say I’m more the break for 110 when he Adelaide and another in relieved than proud of skied another pull shot to Melbourne, joined English myself. It was a nightmare be caught and bowled by batsmen of the 1920s Wally debut and it didn’t make paceman Mitchell Starc but Hammond and Herbert my life easier coming his captain soon joined him Sutcliffe as the only visiting here,” Rahul told reporters. as a Sydney centurion with players to have scored four “I think we still have a a drive down the ground for centuries in a series in chance (of a win) if we can two runs.

Australia. bat really well tomorrow.”

Kohli, who scored a Indian cricket fans He was gone soon after century in each innings in have become used to

Scoreboard AUSTRALIA 1st innings 572 for 7 decl’d (S. Smith 117, D. Warner 101, C. Rogers 95, S. Watson 81, S. Marsh 73, J. Burns 58; M. Shami 5-112) INDIA 1st innings (o/n 71-1) M. Vijay c Haddin b Starc 0 L. Rahul c & b Starc 110 Ro. Sharma b Lyon 53 V. Kohli not out 140 A. Rahane lbw b Watson 13 S. Raina c Haddin b Watson 0 W. Saha not out 14 Extras: (b-1, lb-6, nb-4, w-1) 12 Total: (for 5 wickets, 115 overs) 342 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-97, 3-238, 4-292, 5-292.

Bowling: M. Starc 21-4-77-2, R. Harris 23-6-63-0 (nb-2), J. Hazlewood 20-5-45-0 (w-1),N. Lyon 32-7-91-1(nb-1), S. Watson 15-4-42-2 (nb-1), S. Smith 4-017-0.

batting collapses over the last year, however, and all-rounder Watson roused the crowd by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane (13) and Suresh Raina in consecutive balls.

Wriddhiman Saha held firm to prevent Watson’s hat-trick and will resume with Kohli unbeaten on 14 today.

“I think it’s going to be a really interesting day tomorrow,” Australia coach Darren Lehmann said.

“We would have loved a couple more wickets but give them credit, they played really well and we have to work hard tomorrow (today).”

FA charges Mourinho for Heat scorched by Carberry fifty verbal attack on referee Taylor AN all-round bowling performance by Perth Scorchers was capped by an impressive half-century from Michael Carberry, as they trounced Brisbane Heat by eight wickets at the WACA ground. He creamed 77 off only 37 balls to stunt any threat a target of 135 might have.

Scores: Perth Scorchers 137 for 2 (Carberry 77*) beat Brisbane Heat 134 for 7 (Reardon 52*, Hogg 2-14) The decision to bat backfired on Heat as they lost a steady drip of wickets inside the first 10 overs. A wicket in the fourth over was followed by another in the fifth and the same trend was observed by the time the ninth over came around.

Nathan Reardon walked in at No.5 and attempted to pick up the pieces with a 40ball 52. There wasn’t much help from the tail, and their

top order could not handle the meticulous work of Jason Behrendorff and Brad Hogg, who took two wickets each.

The chase began with Scorchers losing their openers inside five overs, but since then Carberry took over. His first boundary was a bludgeon that soared over long-off’s head and landed beyond the ropes. With his appetite whetted, he carved two fours and another six off Ryan Duffield in the 11th over to turn the equation to 54 needed at a run-a-ball.

Andrew Flintoff’s first and only over of the match cost 18 runs as Carberry smashed successive sixes.

All of that was part of a 114-run partnership with captain Adam Voges that took only 65 balls and reduced Heat’s most outlandish hopes of a turnaround to ashes.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

By Mike Collett LONDON, England (Reuters) Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was charged with misconduct by the FA yesterday following comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor after last month’s 1-1 draw at Southampton in the Premier League.

The Portuguese was furious with Taylor after he booked Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas for diving in the December 28 match.

Mourinho said the referee’s failure to award a penalty was a scandal and that he should be ashamed.

He added that his team were being unfairly targeted in a campaign waged against them after Fabregas became the fifth Chelsea player to become involved in a row over diving in a matter of weeks.

The Spaniard, though, appeared to be tripped by Southampton defender Matt Targett in the penalty area.

“In other countries where I have worked, tomorrow in the sports papers

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho sits in the dugout during his team’s English Premier League soccer match against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, southern England, December 28, 2014. (Credit: Reuters/ Suzanne Plunkett) it would be a front-page scandal because it is a scandal,” said Mourinho.

“It is not a small penalty; it is a penalty like Big Ben. In this country and I am happy with that, more than happy with that, we will just say that it was a big mistake with a big influence on the result.

“I will go to the referee and wish him a good year and tell him he will be ashamed,” added Mourinho.

In a statement, the FA said his

remarks constituted improper conduct in that they allege and/or imply bias on the part of a referee or referees and/or bring the game into disrepute.

Mourinho has until 1800 GMT on January 13 to respond to the charge.

The FA will not take any action against him following the comments he made before the game against Stoke City on December 19 but gave him a formal warning as managers and players are banned from making pre-match media comments about officials.

Before the game Mourinho said he hoped referee Neil Swarbrick “does his job”.

“I like these matches,” added the Chelsea manager. “It’s no problem with a good referee that can understand what is ‘aggressivity’ or when ‘aggressivity’ finishes and when the rules of the game start.

“I know it is difficult for every team to play this kind of match but again I’m not worried. The referee is there exactly to judge what is aggressivity. And aggressivity I always welcome, it makes the game much more beautiful and difficult.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

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World Cup Moments:

Big Bird’s double gives Windies back-to-back tiles in 1979 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Joel ‘Big Bird’ Garner towered over England, literally and figuratively, snapping up 5 for 38 to ease West Indies to a second consecutive ICC Cricket World Cup win in 1979.

BACKGROUND West Indies were the defending champions and the favourites to retain the title, and certainly lived up to their billing in the tournament, progressing undefeated to the final, where they took on England at Lord’s.

England had reduced West Indies to 99 for 4, but Viv Richards (138 not out) and Collis King (86) were unflappable. Captain Mike Brearley’s decision to go for an extra batsman in Wayne Larkins

meant Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch and Larkins had to chip in with the ball, and it proved to be England’s undoing. In the 12 overs they shared, the trio leaked 86 runs without taking a wicket, and West Indies finished at 286 for 9 in 60 overs.

Meanwhile, Clive Lloyd was spoilt for choice, with bowlers like Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft and Garner at his disposal. England openers Brearley and Boycott scored 129 but at a sluggish pace. When Holding removed them, the required run-rate was inching close to double figures.

THE MOMENT Garner showed England no mercy. At 6ft 8in, he was quick, scarily accurate, and his yorkers were the stuff of legend. He broke through Gooch’s defence for 32 and bowled David Gower

the hat-trick, but five wickets for four runs in only eleven balls was as power-packed a performance as a World Cup final would ever see.

“Garner broke the back.

It was just wonderful,” said Clive Lloyd.

Joel Garner’s 5 for 38 remains the best bowling figures achieved in a World Cup final. three balls later, sending the up.

Taylor to pick up a five-wicket West Indies fans into frenzy.

He had Larkins and Chris haul. Incredibly, he was on a But unfortunately for England, Old clean-bowled as well, and hat-trick for the second time Garner was just getting warmed induced an edge from Bob in the match. Garner never got

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday January 09, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Ridley Jacobs-113* (Barbados, 2001) (2) Rohan Kanhai & Brian Lara Today’s Quiz: (1)Put these in order beginning with the man who has played most Test matches against SA: Jacobs

Carl Hooper; Dwayne Bravo; Darren Ganga; Ridley

(2) Which team contested most Test matches against the WI at Bourda? How many?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Barbados include two former captains in NAGICO Super50 team BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) - Two former Barbados captains have been named in a 14-man squad to defend their title in the NAGICO Super50 tournament which will be played from next week Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago.

Kirk Edwards and Ryan

Hinds are part of a squad that also includes West Indies Test opener Kraigg Brathwaite.

Brathwaite, also Barbados four-day captain, is returning from the tour of South Africa where he was among the leading scorers in the just ended Test series which the Caribbean cricketers lost.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT Croft picked up the last wicket as England’s 183 for 2 turned into 194 all out. West Indies won the 1979 World Cup final by a whopping 92run margin, and Richards was declared Man-of-the-Match for his knock.

“We were grateful to England for their tactics. By the time they (the openers) were gone, it would have taken a superhuman effort to retrieve the situation,” Joel Garner speaking to EPSNCricinfo.

NAGICO Super50 points U19s to World Cup THE WEST Indies Under-19s head coach, Graeme West, says his team’s participation in the NAGICO Super50 tournament is part of a long-term buildup to the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The Windies Under19s have been drawn in Group B alongside the Jamaica Franchise, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes and hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force.

This is the first time that a West Indies U-19 team will be playing in this tournament, which has invited teams such as Ireland, Canada and United States.

West, who is also the West Indies High Performance Centre head coach, says the tournament will be used

to assess the skill level of the players who were picked based on recent competitions for Under17s and Under-19s.

“This tournament will be the start point for our countdown to the next ICC Under-19 World Cup,” said West.

“We want to assess the players and identify their strengths, so that we can start to build the nucleus of the side that we want to send to the World Cup next year.

To be successful, we will need to develop a core group of players that have played at the highest level that we can make available to them at this stage.”

Windies Under19s team includes skipper Ramaal Lewis from Jamaica, Roland Cato, the Windwards Under-19 captain, and

Experienced pacers Tino Best and Fidel Edwards have also been included in the squad which was selected after four trial matches.

Kevin Stoute has been retained as captain of the team who begin their title defence with a game against Combined Campuses and Colleges at the

National Cricket Centre.

The squad: Kevin Stoute (captain), Tino Best, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Kyle Corbin, Shane Dowrich, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Ryan Hinds, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Javon Searles, Jomel Warrican, Kenroy Williams.

Windies Under-19 skipper Ramaal Lewis

Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who has played for the senior Guyana team and who scored a century against India in the fifth-place match at the 2014 edition of the U-19 Cricket World Cup. “We have added a few players that are a bit over the

age limit, but have played at the previous World Cup to give the side a bit more of a competitive edge,” West explained.

“Given the quality of the opposition that we were due to face, we felt we needed a bit more depth in the side and that’s why these three players have been added.”

Squad: Kacey Carty, Roland Cato, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Jaeel Clarke, Michael Frew, Shimron Hetmyer, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Nicholas Kirton, Ramaal Lewis, Kemo Paul, Akeel Seetal, Odean Smith, Shamar Springer.

NOTABLE DATES FEATHERWEIGHT boxer Glenn `Iceman’ Forde faced Nedrick Simmons on January 11, 1995 at the Curzon Health Centre in Ontario, Canada. Forde won the eight-round contest by a majority decision. It was the only fight that Forde had that year.

He turned professional in February 1991 and won his first fights via a fourth-round TKO. His opponent was Junior Drakes. The national super bantamweight and featherweight titles were collected before Forde reached seven fights.

He was engaged in three epic battles with Michael Parris winning one and losing the other.

In June 1993 Forde was crowned WBC FECARBOX featherweight champion. That same year he challenged for the Commonwealth super featherweight title. However, the meeting with Canadian Tony Pep ended with the Guyanese losing via unanimous decision.

Forde, who will turn 42 in November, had his last fight on June 23, 2001. He was knocked out in round two by Mexican Francisco Bojado. `The Iceman’ ended a 10-year career with nine wins, six defeats and two draws.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

Powell claims return to cricket scuppered by regional authorities BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Embattled opener Kieran Powell says mixed signals from West Indies cricket authorities left him “deflated and confused” and foiled his attempt to return to international cricket, following a self-imposed break from the game.

In a statement issued Wednesday – his first since playing his last competitive game in June – the 24-year-old left-hander confirmed he had taken a break from cricket “to deal with a personal issue” and had received support from then coach Ottis Gibson, team manager Sir Richie Richardson and then chairman of selectors Clyde Butts.

Powell said he also spoke to West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron who also pledged the board’s support.

However, three months after stepping away from the game, Powell said he revisited his situation and decided to make himself available for the tour of India, which was eventually abandoned following a players strike.

He said he subsequently had a “positive” conversation with West Indies coach Stuart Williams about his decision to return, with Williams asking him to ensure the “relevant measures” were taken to facilitate his comeback.

However, after speaking to Cameron and Director of Cricket, Richard Pybus, along with the new selection panel chaired by West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, Powell said he was left confused about his immediate future with the squad.

“During my conversation with Mr Cameron, I communicated my

wishes to make myself available for international cricketing duties again,” Powell said.

“This time there was an awkward hesitancy throughout the conversation – less than four weeks after our initial conversation where he had been extremely encouraging about my return to international duty.

“He stated during our conversation that I had not been practising, which was assumed on his part. He then asked me to contact Mr Pybus, which I immediately did.”

Powell said that in his subsequent conversation with Pybus, he was accused of “walking off the job” and told that he needed to return to grassroots cricket in order to make his way back into the regional squad.

The Leeward Islands batsman, who has played 21 Tests and also captained the West Indies A team, said the conversation left him “confused and flabbergasted” as he felt he was being unfairly targeted.

“During my conversation with Mr Pybus, he stated that he had made numerous attempts to contact me but had been unsuccessful,” Powell explained.

“I responded that various people from both the board and team management, had by then, contacted me several times, including the president of the Board and the coaches and manager of the West Indies team, therefore, I was baffled as to why Mr Pybus would have been unable to contact me.

“Furthermore, he claimed that I had simply “walked off the job” when this was utterly untrue. I had explicitly made my unavailability known to both

Kieran Powell the team manager and the-then coach.”

Powell continued: “Mr Pybus insisted that I write a letter to him outlining my plans to return to cricket. He also pressed me to divulge details of my personal issue which I did not wish to discuss. He then went on to imply, in my opinion, that my future position in the squad would be compromised if I was not willing to disclose this information, which I felt was coercive, intrusive and unjust.

“He went on to suggest that I return to grass-roots level cricket, in my bid to make a comeback. In my mind, I immediately compared this to other situations in the recent past, in which senior players in the West Indies team, had not been expected to follow same protocol and I wondered: why me?

“Following this conversation, I felt confused and flabbergasted as I had been

Pooran suffers leg injury in car accident P O R T- O F - S PA I N , Trinidad (CMC) Emerging wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran has been forced to withdraw from the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force after suffering leg injuries in a vehicular accident near his home town in Couva on Tuesday.

Pooran, 19, underwent surgery on Wednesday after suffering a fractured left ankle and a damaged left knee from the accident which occurred while he was returning home from training at the National Cricket Centre.

The accident happened hours after Pooran was named on the Red Force squad preparing for next week’s NAGICO Super50 regional one-day series to be staged here.

“The situation is being monitored and our doctors are in touch with the doctor who is treating Nicholas,”

Nicolas Pooran’s career suffers setback after he sustained a leg injury in a car accident.

CEO of the Trinidad and players in the Caribbean.

Tobago Cricket Board Suruj His career was very much Ragoonath told the Express. on the launching pad. We are “The first priority is his hoping that there is positive general well-being and the news coming out of the second priority would be his surgery.” cricket.”

Among those who visited Pooran’s absence is seen Pooran at the hospital were as a blow to the Red Force his team-mates Yannick which is already without Ottley, Steven Katwaroo, regular wicketkeeper/ captain Rayad Emrit and batsman Denesh Ramdin national team technical due to West Indies duty. director David Williams.

“It is a huge setback,” Cricket Operations said Ragoonath. “Nicholas Officer of the T&T is one of the most (if not Cricket Board, Dudnath the most) talented young Ramkessoon, has announced

that Pooran, who was warded at the San Fernando General Hospital, would be replaced by fellow wicketkeeper/ batsman Steven Katwaroo.

“He seriously hurt his ankle and knee of his left leg in the accident and unfortunately would not be able to play in the Super50 which gets under way on January 15,” said Ramkessoon.

“We wish him a speedy recovery so he can be back to fitness”.

The left-handed strokemaker burst onto the scene with a debut halfcentury for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament in 2013.

Also, he scored 143 out of a total of 208 for West Indies Under-19, in a losing cause against Australia at last year’s Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

contacted numerous times

by Board officials and team management regarding my return to international cricket. Having made myself available, I felt I was now being made an example of.”

Asked to urgently contact the selectors, Powell said he spoke to Courtney Browne and chief selector Clive Lloyd and was told he was regarded as a future captain and was assured he had not been forgotten.

Left “astonished and befuddled” by the conversation, Powell said he called Browne and Lloyd again to indicate his availability for the India tour.

When he did not get a firm answer, Powell said he asked if he could be considered for the A team tour of Sri Lanka which ran parallel to the India tour last September/October, but again was not given a “firm answer”.

“Feeling deflated and confused by several months of rollercoaster events, I made a firm decision to take

a step away from the game in its entirety, to reflect and refresh,” said Powell.

“There have been numerous reports in the media and in the public domain about my absence from the game of cricket, ranging from alleged struggles with “acute fatigue syndrome” to apparently being “in exile.

“My management has also been unfairly condemned for not speaking out about my absence from cricket. I would like to categorically, state on record that I am doing well and remain focused but that I am taking time away from the game.”

Powell, the sixth Test player to emerge from Nevis, last played for West Indies in the first Test against New Zealand last June, did not feature in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the early rounds of the WICB Professional Cricket League, and was not named in the Leewards squad for the NAGICO Super50 starting next week in Trinidad and Tobago.

Day/night affair at stadium today THE CHRISTOPHER Barnwell-led Guyana Jaguars NAGICO Super50 team will have their second and probably final practice game from 14:00hrs today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, when they go up against Vishaul Singh’s XI in the day/night affair.

In the first game that was played last Wednesday at the Everest Cricket Club ground, the Jaguars, on the back of solid performances from Royston Crandon, Barnwell, Steven Jacobs and Devendra Bishoo, came away with a 106-run victory.

Even though they played on opposite sides, Singh and Paul Wintz, who are both members of the 14-man squad named to compete in the West Indies Cricket Board/ NAGICO Super50 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago next week, also had creditable performances.

Wintz took 3 for 59 when Barnwell’s side made 281, with Crandon hitting a topscore of 75, Barnwell 54 and Jacobs a pugnacious 24-ball 44 in the depth of the Jaguars’ innings, adding 46 for the eighth wicket from 3.5 overs with Veerasammy Permaul, whose contribution was 5.

However, both head coach Esaun Crandon and his assistant Rayon Griffith will have to examine carefully the running between the wickets by their batsmen and, most importantly, the scoring and loss of wickets in the first 10 overs, as this was a sore point in the first match.

Eight teams will battle for

Royston Crandon supremacy out of two groups in the NAGICO Super50, with the Jaguars being placed in Group ‘A’ alongside defending champions Barbados Pride, Windward Islands Volcanoes and CCC, all of whom they will meet in the preliminary round when the action bowls off, with the Volcanoes being their first at the picturesque Queen’s Park Oval on January 15.

The teams are: Guyana Jaguars - Trevon Griffith, Rajendra Chandrika, Christopher Barnwell (captain), Jonathan Foo, Steven Jacobs, Royston Crandon, Raymond Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Paul Wintz, Kemol Savory and Ronsford Beaton.

Vishaul Singh’s XI Vishaul Singh (captain), Kandasammy Surujnarine, Narsingh Deonarine, Ricardo Adams, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Robin Bacchus, Jason Sinclair, Amir Khan, Kevon Boodie, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Anthony Adams and Gudakesh MotieKanhai.

GUYANA CHRONICLE January Friday 9, 2015

31

Windies set to unleash firepower for T20 clash with SA CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CMC) - A reinforced West Indies outfit takes on South Africa, without some of their leading players, in the first of a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at Newlands today.

“It’s a format that we have done well in and we are looking to continue in that way. We are very confident,” declared captain Darren Sammy.

“We have won a World Cup three years ago and we believe we have some of the best players in the world in that format. We have shown how well we can play.”

West Indies , who are without the ICC’s No. 1 and No. 2-ranked T20 bowlers, Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine, are packing more firepower than they did when they lost to the South Africans two-nil in the threeTest series which concluded this week.

Chris Gayle’s return is

Chris Gayle’s return is a massive boost for the West Indies.

expected to be a massive boost while Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons will bolster a batting line-up that struggled against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander in the Test series.

“Are you ready for me?”

Gayle asked the media as he walked past journalists at the end of the third Test.

He missed the Test series with a back injury but was previously playing for a South African franchise, the Lions, in the local T20

tournament, scoring the competition’s first hundred and finishing the fifthhighest run scorer overall.

“Winning the series will be the most important thing,” declared all-rounder Andre Russell who, like Sammy and Pollard, were playing in South Africa a little less than a month ago, in the domestic twenty-over tournament, and will be familiar with conditions.

“Contributing to the team and winning the series will mean a lot more to me

Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony with the National Junior Hockey team

2016 Junior Pan Am Cup hockey team hopefuls visit Minister Anthony THE National Junior Hockey team met with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony yesterday and shared their experience following a developmental training stint in Trinidad and Tobago last December.

While in Trinidad, the team participated in four matches against the Twin Island Republic’s national junior team and one of their top hockey clubs, winning three of the encounters.

This engagement went exceedingly well for the Guyanese team as they prepare for the 2016 Junior Pan Am Cup which will be held in Toronto, Canada.

As the team heighten their preparations they will be heading to Canada later in the year which

will allow them to get a feel of the competition’s environment.

During the courtesy call, the Minister spoke to the team about their sports aspirations and told them about the opportunities that exist in the sports industry.

“Several Guyanese hockey and squash players have been able to receive scholarships from overseas universities. This is a good prospect for the young players,” said Minister Anthony.

Minister Anthony encouraged the team to be focused on their education and at the same time, be their best in the sport discipline. He also recognised the need for more Guyanese to give support to the sport.

than getting the man-of-theseries. We just have to be positive and come against the Proteas with fire”.

West Indies, on paper, look the better side, with the likes of Gayle, Simmons, Pollard, Russell, and Sammy being renowned the world over for their prowess in the 20-over format.

South Africa, however, will be without the services of AB de Villiers, Morne Morkel Vernon Philander and Steyn, their best bowler.

The Proteas will rely heavily on skipper Faf du Plessis who has described West Indies as “the dominant T20 team in the world at the moment”.

David Miller is expected to provide some fireworks in a batting order that looks weak while their pace

attack will be led by Kyle Abbott, Wayne Parnell, and Marchant de Lange.

“Playing in the ram-slam was a good experience and I surely had some good times playing on these wickets,” said Russell, who believes he has a key role to play in the team.

“So I just hope I can contribute big for the team, bowling and batting, on these types of wickets because I was here a month ago so I am accustomed to the conditions”.

West Indies and South Africa have not met in T20 cricket since 2010 and the visitors have only won one of their six encounters in the shortest format, at Port Elizabeth back in 2007.

“Here in Cape Town I have seen a lot of ads about protefire so I guess Cape Town will be blazing and somebody will come out victorious and hopefully that is the maroon fire,” said Sammy.

“It will be a difficult 11 to pick but whatever 11 we put out will go out and be very competitive against South Africa”.

First ball is 18:00hrs (12:00 noon eastern Caribbean Time/11:00hrs Jamaica Time).

Squads: South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Morne van Wyk (wkp.), Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, JP Duminy, Charl Langeveldt, Aaron Phangiso, Wayne Parnell, Marchant de Lange, David Wiese, Farhaan Behardien, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Justin Ontong.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Denesh Ramdin (wkp.), Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Andre Fletcher, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Ashley Nurse, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Andre Russell.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Grove Hi-Tech collect $1.5M from Ansa McAl ... Domini Garnett named MVP

Windies set to unleash firepower for T20 clash with SA See story on page 31

Adrian Adams (left) and Domini Garnett – the tournament’s highest goalscorers GROVE Hi-Tech, winners of the Ansa McAl Stag Beer Super 16 Knockout Tournament, were yesterday presented with their first-place cash prize of $1.5M by the sponsor at its Beterverwagting (BV) head office.

The East Bank Football Association (EBFA) affiliated club hammered Ann’s Grove United 5-0 when the final was held on New Year’s Day (January 1) at the Number 5 Ground in Berbice.

Ansa McAl’s Managing Director Beverley Harper said that her company was more than overjoyed at being the tournament’s only sponsor and thanked the clubs for making it one of the best held over the yearend period.

She added that the company remains committed to not only bringing smiles for the players and fans, but also developing the game of football in Guyana.

Ann’s Grove were awarded $500 000 for their second place finish, while New Amsterdam United, who defeated Cougars 5-1 to end in third place, walked away with $300 000.

Grove Hi-Tech prolific goalscorer Domini Garnett was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and also joint highest goalscorer with New Amsterdam United’s Adrian Adams; each with nine goals. The players, for winning individual awards, were given $25 000. (Rawle Toney)

Remarkable year for Bangladesh bowler Alpha - Coach Dover

Ansa McAl’s Managing Director Beverley Harper hands over the winning trophy and $1.5M cheque to Grove Hi-Tech.

sent to prison

See story on page 26

… faces World Cup axe over court case

By Ruma Paul

Rubel Hossain

DHAKA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Bangladesh paceman Rubel Hossain’s participation at the World Cup is in doubt after a Dhaka court denied him bail yesterday in a case filed by an actress claiming the cricketer had

failed to carry out his promise of marriage.

Rubel was granted four weeks of anticipatory bail in the case last month after the actress filed the complaint with police, alleging the bowler had been in a relationship with her, which included intimacy.

Turn to page 26

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Alpha United coach Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014