2015 4 25

GUYANA

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

No. 104169 SATURDAY APRIL 25, 2015 GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

President Donald Ramotar

PRICE: $80

President Ramotar rebukes Health Minister over ‘disrespectful’ rant Pages

INCLUDING VAT

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran

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British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn

...would be sacked in the UK; outburst ‘disgraceful,’ has no place in the 21st century – British Emissary

Sherlina Nageer

APNU+AFC

Thousands at Industry misleads hear of ‘Guyana 2.0’ from public President Ramotar ‘Tone down’ Page

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– Anna Catherina Islamic Complex did not endorse APNU+AFC

campaign rhetoric – PSC urges Page

Thousands at Industry, ECD, listen to the PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate for the upcoming May 11 Regional and General Elections, H.E Donald Ramotar, as he touts Guyana 2.0 ( the party’s manifesto) prior to its official launch today at the Marriott Hotel

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Political players register concerns over damaged campaign paraphernalia 15 Page

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

APNU+AFC misleads public

– Anna Catherina Islamic Complex did not endorse APNU+AFC CONTRARY to reports by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, that the “Muslim community” has endorsed them, the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex (ACIC) has rejected this notion in its entirety, lamenting that “it has not endorsed [the] APNU+AFC Coalition” as was reported.

Based on the need for representation of the issues facing the Muslim community, and also the fears for the pre and post-elections scenario, the ACIC opted to engage the two major political parties since no other major Islamic organisation had explored this option.

As such, an ACIC and a faction of the wider Muslim community met with prime ministerial candidate of the ruling’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Ms. Elisabeth Harper last week when they deliberated on issues relating to the advancement of the Muslim community.

The ACIC disclosed that following hours of discussions between the delegation and Ms. Harper, a photo op was subsequently had, “but

neither she [Ms. Harper] nor her political party, the PPP/C used the meeting as an endorsement.”

In similar fashion, the delegation met with the APNU+AFC coalition on Thursday, April 23, with the same motive of engaging the political party on issues surrounding the Muslim community.

According to the ACIC in a statement issued yesterday, the presence of the Muslim leaders at these meetings was “never to endorse any political party,” but rather “to engage the two major political parties in understanding the issues facing the Muslim community and also the wider Guyanese community.”

But this meeting between the APNU+AFC coalition and the ACIC delegation was interpreted as an “endorsement” by the coalition, since photographs of the meeting were taken to social media and posted on the APNU+AFC pages bearing the caption: “Muslim community endorses APNU+AFC.” Expressing their “shock” yesterday at these recent developments, the ACIC made it pellucid that they“have not

The second post on the APNU+AFC’s Facebook page which reads: “Another solid endorsement for the Unity Team”

endorsed the APNU+AFC coalition” as was reported.

Further disclosing that “it is not a political institution,” the Islamic body related that it is Guyana’s main Islamic Centre and a centre of spirituality, education, peace, universal goodwill and harmony,which seeks to work and support only the elected leaders of Guyana. Hence the opportunity was taken to engage both of the major political parties ahead of the May 11 General and Regional elections.

Detailing the repercus-

sions of such a move by the coalition to sell the idea that the ACIC has endorsed them, the Islamic body explained that this move has caused the Complex to “lose impartiality” as their local and international partners, many of whom fund their projects, are “dismayed at the supposition of an endorsement of a political party.”

According to the ACIC, “had the APNU+AFC stated that ACIC and other Muslim Leaders had discussions and published photos, we would have had no complaints, the

One of the posts on the APNU+AFC Facebook page which states: “…the Muslim leaders signalled their endorsement of the APNU+AFC coalition

fact that it stated our endorsement of the party, is what we feel is most unfortunate.

“We wish to make it clear that no mention [by the ACIC] was made of any endorsement as claimed. We have respect for the APNU+AFC which always played a role at our various functions at our complex, as that was based on mutual respect and for the love our country and peoples,” the ACIC’s statement said.

They further related that while the Government was

also extended similar invitations and courtesies, visiting the Opposition’s headquarters was an act of courtesy to communicate and seek the policies of the political party, and was never meant to give political endorsement to the party. This, they are certain, was recognised, but are uncertain as to how the miscommunication was issued.

Reiterating their “feelings of dismay” that this goodwill meeting could have been Turn to page 3 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

President Ramotar rebukes Health Minister over ‘disrespectful’ rant ...would be sacked in the UK; outburst ‘disgraceful,’ has no place in the 21st century – British Emissary

By Gary Eleazar HEAD of State President Donald Ramotar today s t ro n g l y re p r i m a n d e d Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, following statements he uttered during and following a recent public confrontation with activist, Ms.Sherlina Nageer.

“The statements and behaviour of the minister, do not reflect the high standards I have set for ministerial conduct nor the public’s expectations of an office holder…

It is outright disrespectful and improper, I intend to have further discussions with the minister on this matter,” President Ramotar said.

H e a l t h M i n i s t e r, D r Ramsaran during the confrontation with activist Ms Nageer, outside the Whim Magistrates Court on Monday last, uttered words to the effect that, “he would slap her ass just for the fun of it.”

The Health Minister was also overheard—in a recording gone viral on social networks—suggesting he could also arrange for the woman activist to be stripped.

Dr Ramsaran immediately issued an apology but was overheard in a subsequent, recorded tirade against the activist, Ms Nageer, this time suggesting that the woman activist is a “miscreant” in need of psychiatric help.

In his second tirade, the Health Minister was overheard speaking of the fact that Ms. Nageer, being an activist with backing from the international community could somehow, “spit in my face, but not collect two slap [sic].”

He went further, “or one of my ladies who love me, wreck her up, you understand me… You know I’m Bheri best, all the ladies like me.”

The Health Minister has since come in for flak from a

Sherlina Nageer

President Donald Ramotar

wide cross-section of society, including women’s rights organisations, colleague ministers and also now members of the diplomatic community.

DISGRACEFUL Newly installed British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, met earlier today with members of the media corps for the first time since his sojourn and condemned Dr Ramsaran’s utterance as “disgraceful,” adding too that had this been the United Kingdom, then he would have been sacked not only as minister, but also as a member of the political party.

“To be brutally frank, what the Minister of Health said was disgraceful,” according to the British diplomat.

Quinn told reporters the “language” used by Dr Ramsaran in his tirade against Ms Nageer, and “more importantly the sentiment, that it is acceptable to use violence, and particularly sexual against a woman has got no place whatsoever in the 21st Century.”

The British emissary to Guyana who succeeded

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn

Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran

his predecessor almost two months ago, met with members of the local media corps at the High Commissioner’s official residence in Bel Air, Georgetown and was asked how his government would have handled such a situation.

According to Quinn, “if that had been a UK Minister that had said that, he would no longer be a UK Minister and he would no longer be a member of the political party.”

powerment and has always been prepared to provide assistance to women, especially those who are medically challenged,” the statement said.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo has also called out the minister over the remarks made in reference to the woman activist, saying, “Personally I think it should have never happened. It was distasteful…the party does not condone any disparaging things said about women, especially if it is done in a way that seems sexist.”

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, in making her views known took to social media and said, “What Bheri Ramsarran is reported to have said is nothing short of sexist, he wouldn’t have thought of stripping a man, disrespectful, vulgar and stupid. He must apologise and retract what he said.

“I unreservedly condemn his choice of words. I believe he could have and indeed he was entitled to defend himself if he felt threatened by an assault. I don’t believe he is entitled to slap anybody just for fun or to strip anybody.”

DISSAPOINTED Among the condemnations pouring in from sections of society is that of the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO), the women’s arm of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), which by way of a public missive earlier today said it is extremely disappointed with the recent utterances made.

“WPO’s disappointment stems from the fact that Dr. Ramsarran is a hardworking individual who was schooled in a political environment to respect women’s equality…

Dr. Ramsarran is known for his support for women’s em-

APNU+AFC misleads... misinterpreted as an endorsement of the APNU + AFC, the ACIC sought to “categorically deny” this endorsement, while disclosing that under no circumstances are the leaders of ACIC empowered to endorse any political party.

“We reiterate our con-

cerns for a peaceful pre and post-elections period, for speakers from all of the political parties avoiding the use of vile and derogatory language in their campaign and the easing of the tensions at this time in our society.

Further, as a community,

we are concerned like every Guyanese of the major issues of crime, corruption and other national issues, and like we did at the engagements, offer our support as a vital part of the Guyanese community, to alleviating these issues,” the religious body said.

From page 2

To this end, the ACIC issued a call for the “APNU+AFC Alliance to withdraw the part of its press statement and postings on the internet stating that the ACIC and the wider Muslim community have endorsed that party.”

PPP/C prime ministerial candidate, Elisabeth Harper, has also strongly condemned the minister’s comments in reference to Ms. Nageer.

Harper in a recent statement said, “the remarks made

by Minister Bheri Ramsaran are unacceptable and an affront to women.”

She said, “I condemn his utterances in the strongest possible manner,” adding that it is yet another example of how much more needs to be done in ensuring that women are treated with respect and dignity, especially by the exemplars in society.

“This incident is not an isolated case; it is symptomatic of the way our society can still be at times despite the huge strides we have made in advancing the rights of women…“It reinforces my own personal intention and commitment to championing the cause of the vulnerable in our society.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

The PPP/C will not condone any disrespect to women

THE ruling PPP/C last evening issued the following statement: The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has taken note of the incident involving the Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsarran and Ms. Sherlina Nageer on Monday, April 21, 2015, outside the Whim Magistrate’s Court which has gained a tremendous amount of media attention.

This is indeed an unfortunate incident which is clearly blown out of proportion by the opposition media. especially at this election season when issues perceived to hurt the PPP and the PPP/C administration is being milked by opposition elements in order to provide political capital to those opposed to the ruling PPP/C. The PPP wishes to state in no uncertain terms that it has the greatest respect for the women of Guyana and has always championed the cause of women in Guyana ever since its formation some 65 years ago.

Indeed it was Mrs. Janet Jagan who was instrumental in the formation of the first

women’s organisation in Guyana, the Womens Progressive and Economic Organisation (WPEO) and who continued to represent and defend the cause of women right up to her dying moments. Indeed, many of the benefits now enjoyed by women can be credited to her when she served as Minister of Labour, Health and Housing.

It is a lasting shame that Mrs. Jagan, despite her sterling contribution to the cause of women, was verbally abused and humiliated by the PNC and other opposition elements during and after the swearing-in ceremony as the first elected woman Head of State in the 1997 elections.

What was even more unfortunate was the deafening silence by the opposition media and other so-called human rights activists despite the fact that a woman in Guyana had created history by becoming the first woman President in Guyana in certified free and fair elections.

This double standard employed by those who claim to represent the concerns of women has not escaped the notice of the

PPP. Be that as it may, the response by Minister Ramsarran to what he thought to be an act of provocation appeared unwarranted and cannot be condoned. He said things that ought not to have been said by anyone, particularly by a government minister.

Minister Ramsarran has no doubt recognised his indiscretion and has offered an apology. He has clearly said things that he ought not to have said to anyone, in particular a woman.

Given our present political context, it is quite obvious that the political opposition will take advantage of that unfortunate situation to score cheap political points. Indeed, the strident position taken by the opposition media is already noticeable, in particular the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News, both of which have gone overboard in their attacks against the PPP. The PPP cannot and will not condone any form of attack or disrespect towards women. The Party has nothing but the highest regard for our women. This respect and

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concern is manifested in manifold ways, including the several measures put in place by the PPP/C administration to empower women by way of access to academic, technical and vocational education, access to micro-credit, assistance to single parent mothers, protection and homes for battered women and legislative action to protect women against domestic violence.

Indeed, the PPP is the only party that has fielded a full and complete list of women as required by the Constitution for the upcoming elections, as opposed to the APNU-AFC coalition whose list had to be re-submitted after it was found to be deficient by GECOM in terms of women representation.

The PPP has a proud record when it comes to promoting and defending the rights of women and no amount of opposition attacks can negate this fact. In this regard, the PPP places high premium on the contribution of women to national development and pledges to continue to treat women’s issues as a top national priority.

APNU+AFC stages unity rally at Vreed-en-Hoop

Prime Ministerial Candidate of the APNU+AFC coalition, Moses Nagamootoo, addresses the coalition’s Unity Rally last evening at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara. He promised, if the coalition wins the election, it will increase the Social security’s old age pension.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Guyana Editorial

There is no place like home IT is only natural that citizens who have departed their homelands for other climes, would return to their place of origin; whether in the short, medium, or long term, this is quite common all over the world. Guyana is no exception to this tradition, since virtually in every home there is at least a relative, that is known to have left Guyana for varying periods of time, and for whatever reason.

The fact of the matter is that there is no place like home; home sweet home.

This is a truism that has been borne out on countless occasions by the many friends and families who have been returning to good old Guyana; for, after all, this is home. Whether it is for a holiday of whatever duration, for a family event such as a wedding, funeral, settling of family affairs, and the increasingly popular family reunions – Guyanese do return home, at phases of their domicile overseas. To mention also is the category that comes home to assess prospects for business, with the intention of returning for residency. In this category, are persons of varying

ages.

But as the national experience has been, many of these returnees have had nightmare re-introductions to the country of their birth. Some have been beaten and robbed of all their possessions, en route to their place of stay, or their homes; others have been pounced on immediately and shortly after their arrival, and even after spending a good portion of their time. There was even a fatality arising some time ago, on the Corentyne.

Glendon Cadogan, an 83 year-old Guyanese-British pensioner, became the latest victim of this very rude, brutal, and shocking welcome by criminal elements, who almost killed the aged British citizen of fifty years, by shooting him five times. It was not stated if this was his first visit since leaving these shores so long ago. But undoubtedly, the motive, as in all the other known reported cases, seems to have been robbery, since he was relieved of his back pack, with all of his possessions.

No amount of condemnatory de-

scription can be made, following all those prior, to describe such an act. Any citizen returning to their homeland, should not expect such a home-coming, that will strip him/her, along with family, whichever the case, of hard earned possessions, and even suffering serious bodily harm, as in the case of Mr. Cadogan. Such is indeed traumatic, as in the case of the latter and in even all the other instances, since they would have experienced the unexpected.

Surely, this does not augur well for Guyana as a country, especially with so much being done by Government to effect transformative changes, that not only has brought about positive changes in Guyana’s socio-economic life, but which are also intended to attract the attention of the Diaspora.

Many, pleased with the new Guyana being created, responded by returning to live and invest, thus aiding in the development of their country.

The perpetrators of these dastardly criminal acts are in effect undermining our country, by their predatory behaviour which surely labels Guyana

with an undeserving understanding.

There are several theories as to this type of criminal phenomenon, ranging from criminals in collusion with some airport staff, and even relatives. These are questions that are best dealt with by our Law Enforcement Agency, as they have the capacity to determine the answers. However, suffice it to say as to what kind of planning mechanism that is behind such a serious criminality, it is time that a determined strategy be compiled by all the relevant agencies so as to combat this menace. Such, we believe, will have to begin to examine the processing of arrivals at Timehri, and the arrangements that family/friends make to receive their party, inclusive of transportation from the point of arrival, and place of abode.

If it is indeed a case of collusion, then it must be broken and those found responsible, dealt with condignly. After all, our fellow Guyanese, returning home for whatever reason, should be spared the horror of this prevalent criminal practice; so too should those visiting for the first time.

REARVIEW MIRRORS

– to look or not to look?

I WISH to thank Mr Tarron Kemraj for pointing out that I am no advocate for the PPP and its Government in his last SN column, “History matters, but ….” believe most readers of the letters pages are aware of this. However, it is campaign season and in the heightened rhetoric one is put in one camp or the other. This will no doubt continue as I further question the coalition on its campaign strategy of forgetting history.

A new advertisement in the press with President Obama’s quote stating that he would not be imprisoned by the past and referring to the Cold War era as being over must be the coalition’s attempt to respond to the criticisms of its ominous campaign message.

Scholars, historians and politicians on both sides of the Cold War have examined and analysed that war, and numerous books and articles have been written, and films and documentaries produced on just about every aspect of it.

It can be safely said that it is exhausted as a topic and everyone can be detached and even philosophical about it. Hence, President Obama’s statement.

None of this is even remotely analogous to Guyana where the coalition leaders are actually telling us to put aside the past. They do not even want it remembered much less examined and analysed.

Messrs David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo placing their smiling faces next

to President Obama’s is seen as the advertising gimmick that it is. They can never be Obama’s equals. They have neither the integrity nor dignity.

Every single one of us would like to be in the position of America and every other nation that has dealt with its past – Germany, Japan and Northern Ireland come to mind – and has then been able to move on.

In Northern Ireland there is a group called Healing Through Remembering (HTR).It comprises a diverse membership with different political perspectives working on a common goal of how to deal with the legacy of the past as it relates to the country’s conflict.

HTR’s work is framed by sound principles for dealing with the past including respect, diversity of opinion, willingness to engage and inclusivity.

Their experience is very relevant to Guyana but, as I have stated before, we have no

leadership that will take us to this juncture of healing and reconciliation.

Instead, our past festers and with the coalition campaigning on forgetting history, there is little chance that if they form the next government that our past will ever be reconciled and healed. For both campaigns, unity is a song and dance on top a stage.

Only in Guyana could senior politicians get away with forwarding the idea that not considering the past is the best way forward.

The use of rearview mirrors is essential to safe driving. If you do not keep a close eye on the rearview mirror as you drive forward you will be a danger on the roads.

I cannot go as far as the coalition leaders do and wish anyone to crash and die.

That is offensive, and unbecoming of men who see themselves as leaders.

RYHAAN SHAH

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Remembering that dark era when toll gates and food were used as weapons AS a young adult in Guyana I weighed 110 pounds because of the limited amount of food that was available to me in the 1980’s.

This was because food of any kind was in short supply. The PNC/APNU wanted to starve Berbicians into submission because of their support for the PPP. During that dark PNC era, Berbicians tried to supplement their food supplies by going to Suriname and bringing back sardines, potatoes, salt fish, peas and other basic food items. These were considered ‘contra bands’, the equivalent of the possession of cocaine, and punishable by fines and jail times.

To punish Berbicians even further, the

PNC (now APNU) installed toll gates. These were installed to further penalise an already malnourished population. But to further insist on showing their hatred, the PNC/APNU installed 3 toll gates in the Corentyne area.

The toll gates were used not only to extort money from an impoverished section of the population but to seize food items coming from across the border and to intimidate the people of the Corentyne.

The toll gates were used to stop and frisk everyone who travelled on the public road. The women were forced to stay away from travelling on the public road to save themselves from the embarrassment of being

fondled by the thugs guarding the toll gates.

I am once again being threatened by Moses and the PNC/APNU that I should not remember those horrible days. I am further afraid that if I do not inform the current generation of the horrors I suffered by people like David Granger that I would have neglected my responsibility as a human being. Let my experience serve as a guide to what can happen again if you let yourself be fooled by Moses and his new found friends. Say never again to anyone who tells you to forget the past.

Unlike so-called Guyanese leaders, on March 7, 50 years after ‘Bloody Sunday’,

Obama called Selma a place where the meaning of America was defined.

Standing at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Atlanta in the U.S, the American president went on to describe how civil rights activists were beaten and tear-gassed so many decades ago.

Americans continue to remember the sacrifice that was made by previous generations so that they could enjoy a safer and prosperous country.

Let your history serve you to its fullest.

GANESH PERSAUD (Skeldon)

Moses, Ramjattan and anti-Indian violence I HAVE made many urgent appeals to the Guyana Elections Commission to put a stop to the racist incitement being perpetrated

by AFC presenters on their programme ‘Alliance on the Move’. Ramayya Charrandass, and Mark Ross have been most vociferous in calling the Indians racists and that they do not want to vote for a ‘blackman’ to be the president. They have also attributed these statements to PPP/C leaders, which is totally false and misleading. This has caused racial confrontations between Indians and Afro-Guyanese and it is the Indians who have so far received the brunt of these attacks.

Mark Ross on 16th April even called on the AFC+APNU members and supporters to collect the PPP ‘T’ shirts at the Albion Rally and burn them. However, these members and supporters had other plans in place. At Number 51 Village, an estate lorry was attacked by a group of residents from that area. Mis-

siles which include bottles, bricks and what appeared to be containers with sulphuric acid were hurled on the unsuspecting PPP members and supporters. Many persons received injuries and a female minor was burnt on her hand with the acid. Another minor was also injured by the missiles thrown. Luckily the lorry driver did not stop and he drove on to the Skeldon Hospital where the injured persons were treated. This is a dastardly attack on democracy in this country. It could have been worse since the lorry was packed.

I am wondering what will happen when the results of the upcoming election are announced and it indicates a PPP/C victory.

Ramayya claims to be addressing the issue of the people, but this is another issue he will not address since he is the instigator of this racial violence.

A few weeks ago an intensive investigation was carried out at Chesney Village when a corporal from Whim Police Station arrested

a group of married men who were playing cards and told them that they do not want a ‘blackman’ to rule them and that they would normally go to PPP rallies by the truckloads.

The residents of Chesney are still awaiting the outcome of this investigation.

Ramayya claimed that this was a false allegation against the Police since he is now on the side of the Police after lambasting them for several years. It is anyone’s guess as to why he is defending the Police at this time!

These AFC racists must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. Where are the human rights organisations in this country?

Where are the religious organisations? Suddenly, everyone is mum. They have become deaf, dumb and blind. Indians are being targeted once again and the 1960’s are slowly creeping on us; but this time it is wrought by those same people who had condemned the racial strife of the 1961-1964 period, namely, Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo. Nagamootoo

Cheddi had a vision for Guyanese I FIND the APNU-AFC advertisement with Dr. Cheddi as an insult to his intellect, vision, dream and ideology.

These non-identities like Moses, Freddi, pseudo doctor Ramayya and Bissessar want to sell this country for lust of power and revenge.

The struggle, injustice and inhumane treatment Dr. Cheddi suffered to make Guyana a free country so that these hooligans can get the opportunity to express their ignorance and they think every Guyanese is stupid and brainless. Even animals with lesser intellectual capacity will think better. These are the same people who used to curse the PNC and criticised them for the atrocities committed against Guyanese.

Dr.Cheddi spoke of unity and coalition but would never have done what these insane power hungry persons did to rewrite history for the convenience of fooling Guyanese.

Dr.Cheddi, knowing the traits, personality and history of individuals within the PNC,

wouldn’t have gotten into any coalition unless he was given the presidency and ensured that Guyana didn’t return to the dark days.

History has shown what the PNC did to the United Force. The Opposition coalition has blocked all the projects that would have make all of us proud. Dr. Cheddi wouldn’t have denied his identity, nor sell his supporters for a nonfunctional prime minister position, three vice presidents and twelve seats, knowing that the APNU is using the AFC like a “condom” to access power.

Dr. Cheddi would have wanted people to know the past so as to guide them into the future and prevent them from making the same mistakes. Unlike the APNU-AFC, who want to ignore the past because they want to repeat the atrocities and bring Guyana back to the Burnhamite era. Please read Granger’s book and see the hate for Indo Guyanese and his desire to follow Burnham’s legacy. Dr.Cheddi wouldn’t have gotten into any marriage with the PNC (APNU) who were responsi-

ble for rigging of elections, killing of innocent Guyanese, discrimination, victimisation, the pre-election beating of Indo-Guyanese, robbing, looting, burning of properties, deprivation of thousands of Guyanese access to tertiary education by making National Service compulsory. These people are now talking about unity, equality and a secure Guyana. Can Mr. Granger tell the Guyanese one instant when he stood up for the hundreds of businessmen who were robbed and killed by bandits. How can Granger and his followers make Guyana safe, when they make these criminals heroes and drape their coffins with the flag of Guyana. He speaks of unemployment as a reason for black youths committing crime, then why when the Chinese and Indians come to Guyana with one shirt and pants and you don’t see them in the prison?

KEVIN SINGH

had not only spoken about the atrocities in the 1960s and during the 28 years of PNC dictatorship, but he has also written extensively on those events. The AFC cannot get the Indian vote so they are willing to get rid of them. This is how the AFC leaders, such as Nagamootoo and Ramjattan, want to extract their pound of Indian flesh since they cannot get their votes.

They are willing to let Indian blood flow once again. I cannot imagine that these are the same people who fought against the very thing that they are now practising. They are now leading the PNC band of cut-throats from the front.

This type of thuggery, bullyism, hooliganism, vandalism, and violence carried out by the PNC members and supporters must be stopped before it is too late. The racial violence is slowly coming to life and this time it is fuelled by a group of vengeance-seeking Indians from the AFC. HASEEF YUSUF

Militarisation of PNC is always a difficult issue THIS is Dr Luncheon’s response to the veterans namely Liverpool H. Hinds MFH, Fraser I. C, Stewart D, Westmoreland C, Felix K, Chuckasang B, Gordon C, Johnson R A, DeCruise L, Fraser-Thomas S, Thomas S, Glasgow J, Carew H, King A, McLean L, Fox S, Richmond J, Joseph G, Taitt M, Darlington G, Wilson C, Grenada S, Chappelle L, Smith W. My sole interest continues to be related to the same Guyanese people and the perception they held and are holding of their Military and its professionalism.

I insist that the militarisation of the PNC political party is, and will be, always a difficult issue for the Guyanese body politics and should have continued to be avoided.

ROGER F. LUNCHEON, M.D. Secretary to the Defence Board of Guyana

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Should I be asked to love someone I fear?

GRATEFUL if you would allow me to share this with Guyana. I never wanted to get caught up in the act of writing letters to the press, but the current atmosphere has forced me to ask questions of myself, questions for which I can find no easy answer.

My Christian faith calls me to love my God first, with all of my being, and then to love my neighbour. I fully embrace this, for if I did not, I could not claim to have been created in God’s image and likeness!

My confusion comes when I recog-

nise that though I love my neighbour, I must at election time, and generally at all times, live in fear of that neighbour; that neighbour who sees me not as a person with dignity, entitled to my own views and opinions, but as a “coolie” only good to be kicked around and taken advantage of. How can I love someone and live with a dread that, come another hour, another day, another time, they may turn upon me like Judas turned against Christ, and seek to destroy me because of the texture of my hair, or my political views.

The truth is, I really fear some of my neighbours!

It is not easy to live the standards of Jesus when we need to be constantly on edge when we encounter those neighbours, to always be on the alert around them, never relaxed.

The horrors of the decades from the 1960s to this moment are things we are not allowed to forget and move forward.

The scary thing is that my neighbours joyfully justify their actions, damaging and disgusting actions, simply because we are different from them.

My prayer continues to be that God will allow me to continue to embrace His desire for me to love unconditionally, hard though it may be, as He loved from the cross; to declare every day, after every incident of hate, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What else can we do? Certainly not retaliate in like manner, because an eye for an eye will only leave the entire Guyana blind.

DAVID A. MORTLEY

The noise nuisance goes on I AM requesting the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force to take urgent steps to curb the noise menace that is now being posed by the music push carts commonly seen around Georgetown and the country as a whole.

Daily citizens are bombarded both at work and at home by the loud playing of what passes now for music from these music carts. The operators have no regard for the peace and tranquility of neighbourhoods and its residents, as at all hours of the night lewd music can now be heard blaring from these carts.

Your peace is disrupted in your home; babies are rudely awakened from their peaceful slumber and become irritable, children cannot study and people suffer tremendous discomfort and sleep deprivation when these carts pass. Often these carts would remain in a fixed location for lengthy periods.

Given the ungodly hours that these music carts are on the road, one wonders if it is really music CD’s that are really being sold or it is just a cover for illegal activities. Not so long ago a senior citizen was murdered in Robb Street and none of the neighbours were able to hear the

gunshots, because, at around 7 O’clock in the evening a music cart was in the area blasting music at the highest level.

Was this a cover for the murder or just a coincidence, one wonders.

And to compound it all, the lyrics of most the so-called songs are so vile, hateful, filled with so much filthy sexual innuendos that are so downright degrading to women, it is no wonder the society is filled with so much violence against women.

It is time for the authorities to address this situation before it becomes uncontrollable. No music cart should

Dr Jeffrey must be commended for his felicitous response NOT unexpectedly, Dr. Henry Jeffrey has responded to my letter published in the SN and Chronicle Newspapers in relation to his “Alliance” theory in his SN column of the 15 April, entitled “Alliance did not bring down the PPP”.

The goodly academic/politician must be commended indeed for his felicitous response of the 22nd inst. This kind of discourse ought to be encouraged but not wholly emulated. En passant, I will contend that the conclusions drawn in his latest analysis do not appear to have considered the peculiar avant-garde, substantive and nuanced architectural configuration of our Constitution.

With the burdens of my fulltime occupation, I elect, on occasion, to join a national conversation of substance in an effort to present some personal perspective if my country’s history and political evolution are not to be imperceptibly revised. It is for this reason, among others, that

I share the excerpts from the two historical texts written by non-Guyanese, with the hope that the racial and ethnic prejudices normally associated with the spectre of mistrust of anything authored by Indo- and/or Afro-Guyanese, if indeed, these are not misnomers, would not diminish their impact.

Not given to clairvoyance or having the blessing of prescience, or for that matter, the luxury of, if not lucrative, a Column in the SN, I am the first to admit that I was not persuaded, at the time, about Henry’s “more or less chronological analysis of modern coalition government which only today arrived at 1964”.

In that context, I sought to give the reading public when it was fresh in their minds, a timeous perspective, according to the historical record, having been steeped in the political subterfuges of the 1960s, thanks to my father’s close ties to the then Kabaka, as I presume, Henry was in the late 70’s and 80’s. Under

our 1980 Constitution, coalitions, post-elections, are no more than shared governance in disguise and have been the dubious ambition of many a vanquished candidate seeking political longevity. Let me hasten to add that it is not within my remit to indulge in “the PPP’s story” which according to him, “seeks to politically denigrate all those who stood against it (and) is in need of revision”. Only a fool leaps in where the wise hesitate to tread! In my fifth decade of the vocation to which I am wedded, I have learnt to be judgmental only when so appointed.

However, if a comparison of the records of the two main juggernauths in the upcoming Elections is to be essayed, in the language of the Law: Res ipsa loquitur – the record speaks for itself.

JUSTICE CHARLES R. RAMSON, SC., OR (Retired Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs)

be allowed on the streets after a certain hour and should be restricted to only certain parts of the city. The type of music being played should also be controlled. For those people without a taste for music who want the world to know their level of intelligence and what filth happens in their bedrooms, such music should be played for their enjoyment in the privacy of their homes. I have no such need for my young daughters to listen to such filth. The rights of everyone should be respected.

RICHIE SAMSAIR

GRA security personnel doing more than they should I WISH to bring to your attention an observation made (earlier this week) whilst visiting the GRA’s office on Camp Street, Georgetown.

The security personnel stationed at the entrance of the building was occupied with activities mostly non-security related. The security staff was busy directing and conversing with the public visiting the office for various services.

This is a disadvantage for the security, since I am almost sure that the security are paid only to perform security duties and may not be adequately equipped to “manage” the flow of the incoming public to the GRA. This is obvious by the long wait encountered daily by the public. The lack of an efficiently managed system is obvious.

The distraction of the security from their main functions can also be disastrous in the event of any security issue, such as a robbery, etc.

I hope that someone in authority at the GRA would look into this important matter and have it rectified within the shortest possible time to ensure quality service to the public and the fair treatment of security staff.

M. PERRY

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Our political attitudes

By Shaun Michael Samaroo

OUR land remains locked in some unnecessary pettiness, stifling our ability to cooperate in transforming how we live together. The average Opposition sympathiser riddles the Guyanese social space with a grotesque rowdiness, often becoming irrational, with eyes glazed over, lost to engagement or a workable conversation.

Talk to the average Opposition-oriented person in this land, and the venom, hatred, and outright anger towards the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) jumps out with vicious force. It’s shocking to encounter. Maybe governments, by their very nature, tend to step on toes and offend sections of citizens, for, like the cliché asserts, you can’t please all the people all the time; but when an Opposition employs anger and irrationality to define itself in the national consciousness, we’ve got a real problem.

Opposition folks walk around with this stern-faced attitude, self-righteously propounding themselves as the paragon of virtue, morals and good sense.

Opposition Leader, Brigadier David Granger, faces a pressing challenge in cleaning up the act of his camp, in inculcating an attitude of rational, objective, unemotional engagement, in seeking to connect with folks not of Opposition persuasion in an atmosphere of understanding and mutual respect.

The Opposition plays a vital, crucially important, democratic role in Guyanese society, but this institution must learn how to play that role. Its function is not to break up the country, damage socio-economic programmes, oppose just for the sake of opposing, or bring down the free and fair Government of the land.

The Opposition’s role is to engage citizens and Government and the media to create a Guyanese society that stands tall, feeling ready and able to tackle the task of our rise as a 21st century nation in this global Knowledge Age. Any objective look at the body politic of this country would show that it is Government alone that comes up with national solutions. Government created the blueprint for a new international airport, answering widespread criticism that went on for years

in the society about Guyana’s small, village-style airport. Government heeded the call of citizens like Joseph O’Lall and scores of others globally who want us to develop a hydroelectric project, and got the Amaila Falls plans going. Government initiated the Marriott and the Berbice Bridge and the Providence development and the endless acres of residential housing development across the country.

Our Opposition failed to propose, design or build a single project or solution for us.

Brigadier Granger must address this constructive criticism with objective analysis. The Opposition’s got some sensible folks, and, despite Brigadier Granger’s role in the Guyana Defense Force during the dictatorship regime of the People’s National Congress (PNC), he seems a sensible, responsible leader today.

But he’s got to take charge of the Opposition, seeing it as a national Institution rather than an antagonistic army ready to fight against Government, always in a stance of battle and generating strife and dissent rather than solutions and engagement.

We’re not claiming Government knows it all, or is perfect. Like President Donald Ramotar noted on a TV programme recently, Government welcomes ideas, initiatives, solutions and constructive engagement from Guyanese across the board. The days of PNC-style party paramountcy are long gone, cast into the dustbin of history. The PPP/C is open, and encourages a participatory, engaging relationship in the society.

Of course, there may be Government supporters and zealous activists who go overboard with their public comments and their aggressive tone towards those they see as opponents. This, too, we cannot condone, for we’ve got to cultivate a national atmosphere of humane understanding, mutual respect and selfless cooperation.

But that attitude of some folks, who damage Government’s image in the public mind, is not a modus operandi of either Government or the ruling Party. The Government and ruling Party seek a national tone of discussion that is calm, rational, sensible. However, this attitude of aggressive anger, irrational outbursts, baseless accusations, character assassination, and blatant lies, seems to be the way the Op-

position does its thing, the very modus operandi of the APNU-AFC clique.

One would think that with rational minds like Nigel Hughes and Raphael Trotman and Richard Van West Charles in its ranks, along with the level-headed Brigadier Granger, we would see effective leadership for the Opposition to cultivate an image of a rational, sensible, solution-oriented national institution.

The Opposition, in our democracy, plays a vital role in our development. Along with the national media industry, it’s the Opposition that works with our freely and fairly elected Government to construct the Guyanese society of the future.

Come national and regional elections, the Opposition proceeds to take on Government’s record of managing and governing the society, and looks to citizens to make the choice of which Party would best fulfil the Guyana Dream.

This simple way of looking at its role, of realising how important it is to the people of this nation, would transform the scowling, stern-faced chagrin of the Opposition camp into a pleasant, engaging, cooperating national institution.

The average Guyanese citizen not of Opposition persuasion finds Opposition advocates hard to deal with, impossible to reason with, and in fact shuns the aggressive stance, choosing to walk away.

This sort of thing is uncalled for, for we’re a unique nation on the world stage.

We’re one Guyanese nation, not split into camps opposing each other. We’ve already achieved the foundation of a modern society, in our democratic culture, firmed and

established over the last two and a half decades. We’ve already pulled ourselves out of the devastating collapse foisted upon us during the PNC regime’s experimentation with the ideas of democracy and development. We’ve repaired the breaches of our socio-economic structure. We’ve advanced ourselves as a modern society in this 21st century global village. Our people now travel for vacation to the U.S. and the Caribbean, not migrating in droves anymore.

We’ve achieved stunning transformation, in roads, schools, ability for each Guyanese to self-develop and progress.

A sane, sensible, rational, objective, professional Opposition camp would see and know all this, would not deny where we are today as a people, would not label Guyana a dictatorship, as such attitudes damage its own reputation and image because of the ridiculousness of such views.

With the demise of the Alliance For Change (AFC) since it gave up its independence to become a member of the political coalition of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), we’ve seen a toning down of its nasty rhetoric, with Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo becoming increasingly less vocal and public. That accords some breathing space to the social space of this nation.

But, in proportion to the decrease of the AFC’s harshness, we see a rise of heated, emotive rhetoric from lower ranks of APNU. The top leadership’s got to tone down this over-zealous emotive way of engaging the Guyanese nation, and establish an engaging, sensible way of performing its role in the society.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

President Ramotar, at Herstelling, predicts another PPP/C victory President Donald Ramotar is greeted by a young resident of Herstelling

President Donald Ramotar addresses the massive crowd at Herstelling

By Rebecca Ganesh “EIGHTEEN days to go, 18 days to another PPP/C victory,” President Donald Ramotar told residents of Herstelling on the East Bank of Demerara on Thursday night last.

Speaking to the very large crowd that gathered to listen to him, he explained that elections were not due until 2016, but the opposition were using their one- seat majority in parliament to stop the development of Guyana.

He subsequently asked the crowd, “if they would like to return to the era when items such as sardines, milk, oil and flour among others were luxuries.”

President Ramotar said over the last three years, the opposition had stifled development in this country.

“Some $89B was cut from the budget in very important areas that were allocated to be spent on the welfare of the people. They set out to deliberately damage Guyana,” he said. This money, he note, could have been spent on making the lives of our people better.

The Head of State noted too that one of the major cuts from the budget was that of the student loan, which the government fought to replace. “The money we were lending students to attend university to make their future better,

they [Opposition] cut.”

President Ramotar highlighted the achievements of the education sector, noting the recent $10,000 per child programme and the ongoing hot meals programme. He also noted the free textbook and exercise book distribution and the school uniform vouchers. These programmes, he disclosed, were all implemented to assist parents in having their children remain in school, so that Guyana’s population would be an educated one.

He continued for some time to relate the seminal benefits accruable from the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, and declared that this project was vital for the rapid

Rice farmer shot in daring daylight robbery

IN a daring daylight armed robbery yesterday afternoon on Water Street, Georgetown, rice farmer, Fyusa Hussain, 63, of Lot 85 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, was shot and injured and remained hospitalised up to press time.

The businessman was shot to his head and was reportedly in a stable condition with his family members and others by his bedside.

Commander ‘A’ Division said no arrests have been made as yet, but they are probing the robbery.

The police reported that at about 13:50 hrs on April 24, 2015, rice farmer, Fyusa Hussain, 63, of Good Hope, ECD, had just parked his motor vehicle at Water Street, Georgetown, when he was confronted by two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm.

The perpetrators demanded a bag with $2.5M that he had in his possession and Hussain resisted and was shot to his head in the process. The men then took away the bag with the money and escaped on a motor cycle.

Hussain has been admitted to hospital as the investigations continue.

At the time of the robbery the man’s wife and children were with him and he had conducted business after he went to the bank when it took place.

Meanwhile, relatives refused to comment yesterday when approached by this publication and were in a distraught and tramautised state.

growth of our economy and further development of Guyana. He asserted that with the return of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government, he promised that the Amaila Falls Hydro Project will be very high on our agenda, because we need to grow but not by 4.5%. “But with this project, we will grow by 10% or 12%”, he said.

The President noted that “very soon Guyana will become very soon an oil and gas producing country. We are preparing our people for this by providing them with access to technical education.” There are programmes that have been established under the Board of Industrial Training which is part of the Labour Ministry drive presently.

The Head of State noted that in all aspects of this project, “We will create new jobs. We will not be a Third World country that is short of investments, where we will have cheap labour; but we will be able to attract the high-end investments, because we will have a highly educated population [that is] capable of handling sophisticated equipment.”

President Ramotar noted that one major project that seeks to improve further the lifestyles of Guyanese through the development of the Tourism Sector is the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

“In the 2013 budget, the Opposition voted for the new airport and we started to build and in 2014 they voted against giving the money for construction o the airport,” he noted. The President related that with this, the country was set to waste billions of dollars and “produce nothing, because the companies can take legal action against us.”

The President also spoke at length on the consequences the country will face because of the non-passage of the Anti- Money Laundering (AML) Bill; he also explained that the only people set to benefit from the non-passage of the bill were the criminals who are friends of the opposition.

“The international community can blacklist your financial institutions. It is not accidental that they voted against the AML Bill because they have longstanding relationships with criminals. These people do not care for development, they only seek power. I do not want to be president if I cannot do things to uplift the welfare of my people,” he said.

President Ramotar noted that this is because “we have been investing in our people! We are the only country in the Region where more than 30% of our budget goes to the social sector -- to education, health, housing and water.”

He re-assured farmers that, under this Government, they will continue to benefit from a higher quality of life. “Not only will we continue to provide the social services for you and your children, but for the sugar industry -- the industry that has been responsible for having all our people here. We will ensure the survival of this industry, and, over the next five years, we will invest a minimum of $20B for its survival.”

President Ramotar also disclosed plans for the rice industry. He noted: “We have not forgotten you, but have been fighting for you all along. We will continue to search for higher- paying markets for our rice; we will work to create a system of price support to ensure our farmers have a more predictable and better standard of living,” he said.

He also spoke on the critical importance and absolute imperative of the Specialty Hospital, and how vital it is for the Guyanese people. According to the President, with the establishment of the hospital, “we can promote medical tourism.”

“We in the PPP/C have been standing by you all these years. Stand by the PPP/C, and stand by me and let’s return the PPP/C to a majority Government,” President Ramotar urged his supporters.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

President lauds Seventh Day Adventist Church

– for its tireless efforts to improve people’s quality of life THE religious community has a critical role to play in ensuring peace and unity among Guyanese, even as elections loom and tensions run high.

This charge was issued on Wednesday by Head of State Donald Ramotar when he declared open the Guyana Conference of Seventh Day Adventists’ (SDA) Fourth Quadrennial Session under the theme, “Revived by his word; United in His Mission,” at the Central SDA Church, Queenstown.

The President noted that the conference is taking place at a very important juncture in Guyana’s history, and as politicians compete for people’s votes, emotions sometimes run high.

“As Christians, I know that you all feel a sense of duty to promote peace and equality for all mankind and this is an important value to cherish, to see everyone as equal,” the President told the church.

Quoting Galatians 3:28, the President said there should be no discrimination, as the scriptures state that “you are all one”.

“This is a very important principle that I hope you would hold on to, because I believe that Christianity must not only be practised in the four walls of the church.

It must become a principle that guides our life and that is what I hope we can depend on as we move forward to preserve the integrity and peace in our country,” he said.

Recognising the work of the SDA community in Guyana, President Ramotar noted that many of their values are familiar to him and identify with his personal philosophy, such as helping the vulnerable, sick and poor. He commended the church for

President Donald Ramotar greeting Leader of the APNU+AFC coalition, David Granger

President Donald Ramotar and church leaders are escorted into the Seventh Day Adventist church in Queenstown

their consistent and tireless efforts to improve the quality of people’s lives, noting that this principle is akin to those of his government.

“We are the only country

in the Caribbean where 30 percent of the money from the budget goes to the social sector, the largest portion going to education.” He added that his administration

views education as the tool to eliminate poverty and raise people’s standard of living.

He noted that there is a clear correlation between poverty and education, as “where

education is low, poverty is high and where education is high, poverty is low”, and he commended the church for its work to reduce poverty and the work it has done to help, especially in the interior.

He urged church members to therefore invest their time in their children’s education and to encourage their children to stay in school and maximise on available opportunities provided by the state, such as free provision of text books and other support through the school system and the Guyana Learning Channel. “…we are providing all the exercise and text books and uniforms for children in school so that no child coming from an economically under-privileged family will feel inferior to a child coming from a rich home, and I believe because of what we are doing, we have the lowest drop-out rate of our children in school life in the whole of the Caribbean.”

The opening ceremony was also attended by Presidential Candidate for the APNU+AFC coalition David Granger.

Participants included delegates from congregations across Guyana coming together to review the operations of the church for the last four years, and to elect administrators and other officers to serve the local church body and wider community for the next four years.

The SDA comprises 216 congregations with a membership of about 60,000. It has been in existence for almost 130 years and has worked in numerous areas of development and welfare of the people, in the areas of health and wellness, senior citizens, education and biblical teachings on organisational and financial structures. (GINA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Guyana starts elaborate, comprehensive process in preparing for oil and gas economy

– Minister Persaud THE Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, in collaboration with the United States) Embassy in Georgetown, along with the Department of State and Department of the Interior, Wednesday hosted a deep water exploration and energy

governance and capacity initiative workshop.

The event, at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, was aimed at providing an overview of issues for regulators to address in deep water exploration. These include regulatory responsibilities and functions, and moni-

toring operations to prevent unforeseen incidents and for regulatory compliance.

Among participants were representatives from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Natural Resources Ministry.

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, in

brief remarks, noted that Guyana has started a very elaborate and comprehensive process in preparing for the oil and gas economy.

He commended the US Government for its continued technical and other forms of assistance in this regard. “I want to commend the US Government and the staff for their abiding support over the years in

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, during brief remarks at the workshop

facilitating workshops in building capacity as we prepare our oil and gas sector in all of its aspects, in terms of how do we manage revenues and ensure transparency, and also how do we look at safety and technology and very critically, how do we reach out for investment,” the minister pointed out.

He emphasised that the US has been an important ally in ensuring that Guyana mobilise the investment and undertake the efforts to develop the country’s natural resources even in the face of some unjustified and unwarranted attempts by some external forces, who seek to push back Government’s efforts in developing natural recourses both off and on shore.

Minister Persaud further noted that the workshop was a clear demonstration of this commitment.

“We have started the process already of looking at putting legislations in place, in terms of what we need to do in developing the right regulations in terms of the policy, and we have already developed a national upstream oil and gas policy which will be taken to Parliament. We have already started to engage a number of experts in reviewing our legislation and developing appropriate legislation to look at all aspects, including the issue of revenue management,” Minister Persaud explained.

He added that Guyana will soon be submitting its formal application to the Extractive Industries Trans-

parency Initiative (EITI), a global standard aimed at improving revenues, transparency, and accountability in the extractive sector.

In expressing a word of caution, the minister said, “We are still in the exploration phase so we have to temper expectation as we know we have Exxon currently carrying out drilling and they are well on schedule. All of us have our fingers crossed, hoping that in a few weeks we will be able to have some good news.

We are preparing for this sector and the Government is firmly fixed in ensuring that even as we move through the phase of exploration, that we are well advanced and well prepared, and we also learn from other countries that have gone through similar process and similar journey in this regard.”

Meanwhile, Charge d’ Affaires of the US Embassy, in Georgetown, Bryan Hunt, noted that developing natural resources such as oil and gas can have tremendous benefits for countries; however, it carries tremendous risk.

Hunt highlighted that because of the technical and economic aspects of this sector, it is prone to mismanagement and corruption, which will ultimately lead to under development. It is therefore important for countries entering into the oil and gas production business to put systems in place to avoid these problems before production starts and money begins to flow.

(GINA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

IAC condemns abusive behaviour of Health Minister

THE Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) yesterday revealed its outrage and shock at the abusive behaviour in public demonstrated by Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, Minister of Health, against social activist,Sherlina Nageer outside of the Whim Magistrates Court in Region 6.

The statement which was read by the IAC’s Secretary Yvette Ramharack, was given at a press conference at the Aagman Restaurant.

“The IAC strongly believes that this behaviour exhibited by Dr. Ramsaran is dishonourable and unwarranted, not befitting anyone especially in his current portfolio and Member of the National Assembly,” the release stated.

Ramharack continued, The IAC recognises however,

the sterling endeavours of Dr. Bheri Ramsaran to the improvement of the health sector in Guyana during both his tenure as Director of Regional Health Services and subsequently as Minister of Health of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

The IAC recognises also that Dr. Ramsaran has been campaigning vigorously and it is possible that these strenuous efforts have taken a toll on him and could have resulted in his inexcusable behaviour.

However, the IAC cannot and will not condone such egregious behaviour, especially by one who is elected to serve the people of Guyana, the release concluded.

‘Tone down’ campaign rhetoric – PSC urges GUYANA must be “governed and governable” in the aftermath of the May 11 General and Regional elections, according to Chairman of the Private Section Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, who called for the “campaign rhetoric” to be toned down.

He said, “The Commission has noted with concern the seemingly escalating hostility with which candidates and supporters of the major political parties…this is an unfortunate and potentially dangerous development and we believe that all parties must accept responsibility for this situation.”

Consequently, he has called on the leadership of the major political parties, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), to stem the “seemingly escalating hostility” with which supporters of both groups relate.

“We would like to urge the leaders of the PPP/C and AP-

NU+AFC to confront and defeat this trend by coming together to make a joint statement which condemns all or any form of hostile behaviour and calls for tolerance on the part of each citizen, regardless of political persuasion,” he said.

When asked, he explained that the PSC envisions that the joint statement will be a nationally televised address to the nation by the leaders of both parties.

“It will be a positive sign,” Persaud said.

He added that the PSC has concluded that there is “seemingly escalating hostility” from several reports made by both parties, regarding the destruction of campaign paraphernalia and the attack on supporters, among other incidents.

“We have received reports of specific incidents… we must condemn all forms of hostility…we therefore expect our political parties to act in a manner which will ensure peaceful and non – violent elections,” Persaud said.

According to him, the PSC will be meeting, separately, all political parties in the lead- up to the elections, as well as continue to engage them after May 11.

St. George’s Restoration Appeal for official launch Sunday THE St. George’s Cathedral Restoration Appeal will be officially launched tomorrow, during an Evensong at the Cathedral in Georgetown, beginning at 15:00hrs.

This is according to the Rt. Reverend Bishop Cornel Moss, Diocesan Bishop of Guyana.

The 123-year- old Cathedral, designed by Sir Arthur Bloomfield and opened and blessed by English Bishop Austin on August 24, 1892 is slightly older than the Salvation Army in Guyana, which now celebrates its 120th anniversary. The cathedral was dedicated on November 8, 1894, but was completed in 1899.

Reputed to be the world’s tallest wooden building, at a height of 43.5 metres (143ft), for the better of 123 years, it stood resplendent in its majesty, overlooking the capital Georgetown and squarely facing the Bank of Guyana to the west.

St. George’s Cathedral, a magnificent Heritage Monument, accredited by the National Trust of Guyana, has undoubtedly put Guyana on the map; being avidly sought after by tourists to Guyana, it is a virtual tourist attraction. But with age having taken a toll on it, the iconic edifice now requires extensive repairs, even though, from time to time, and quite recently as well, incremental maintenance works continued to be undertaken.

Dean of St George’s, Rev Terry Davis, was quoted as saying last year that funds for the restoration are being solicited from former members of the congregation in the diaspora, more especially those in England, the US and Canada, as well as the local Anglican churches and major donor agencies.

Witness Project launches anti-street harassment campaign

CONTINUING on their mission to end the cycle of violence against women and children through the use of the arts, the Youth of WITNESS Project, an initiative of the Margaret Clemons Foundation, launched their new anti-street harassment campaign titled: “It’s Not A Compliment” yesterday at Help and Shelter,Homestretch Avenue,Georgetown.

RosheniTakechandra, WITNESS Project Programme Director, noted that she is committed to leading the projects’ youth in this new endeavour, stating that, “It’s Not A Compliment” is a much needed space, tool and campaign to make a strong, firm and powerful statement in the Guyanese society.

“Women will no longer stay silent on matters that concern their safety and freedom of expression in public spaces. This campaign is using marketing strategies and the arts to give women and girls a platform to make their voices heard. It is giving women and girls a space to work side by side with decent men to bring an end to the vile and worthless act of street harassment,” she explained.

The campaign, Takechandra related, is three-fold: “First, there will be a street art

component where the members of WITNESS Project will paper participating businesses and public buildings with striking, oversized posters that feature women and girls reacting to commonly used catcalls. Second, while the

“And lastly, It’s Not A Compliment is also an online community, a forum where victims, witnesses and perpetrators of street harassment are invited to share their stories and take part in an ongoing discussion aimed at educating the

Rosheni Takechandra, WITNESS Project Programme Director and Alysia S. Christiani, Project ManagerWITNESS Project International posters are going up, the youth will engage the public by handing out flyers and starting conversations to define what street harassment is, clarify why it is a problem and invite the public to join our online conversation about the issue.

public and brainstorming ideas on how to end street harassment,” she noted.

In closing, Takechandra stressed that the WITNESS Project has chosen to tackle this issue, because though street harassment is seen

as a minor and accepted offence, if it’s seen as an offence at all, is in reality a form of sexual harassment and the gateway to increased violence against women.

“We need to educate both men and women as to how street harassment is not just a compliment, but how it inhibits a woman’s ability to move about freely and without fear in public spaces,” she urged.

WITNESS Project International is an arts-based initiative of The Margaret Clemons Foundation (MCF), a New York City- based, non-profit organisation with a mission to stop the cycle of violence against women and children using integrative counsellor/teacher training, education, expressive arts therapy, and community/youth arts initiatives.

The Margaret Clemons Foundation (MCF) is a New York- based, non-profit organisation that supports programmes creating change in the behaviour of communities by stopping the cycle of violence against women and children through integrative learning arts- based counsellor/ teacher training, education, expressive arts therapy, and community/youth art initiatives.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

ICAG member fails in court bid to obtain Practice Certificate

By George Barclay

MEMBER of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana(ICAG) Clement De Nobrega has had his Nisi Order of Mandamus calling on (ICAG) to show cause why he was not issued a Practice Certificate as applied for,discharged.

When the matter was called up recently, the Acting Chief Justice, Mr.Ian Chang, S. C. discharged the Order or Rule Nisi of Mandamus made on the 8th December, 2014.

According to the Chief Justice, the court has noted that the application is not for Writs of Certiorari or Prohi-

bition but is rather for a Writ of Mandamus. The court has further taken judicial notice of section 11 (4) which provides: “The decision of the Council on any matter arising under this section shall be final and conclusive……”

The court is of the view that the decision of the coun-

cil on questions of fact is final and conclusive, but that the decision of the council on any question of law cannot be final or conclusive.

Judicial review lies against alleged errors of law not of fact. Since the facts do not point unerringly or compellingly to a finding of fact that the applicant

had served continuously in the office of Mr. Hinds for at least two (2) years, the court cannot substitute itself for the Council and order the issue of a Writ of Mandamus.

It must be noted that paragraph 17 of his Affidavit in Answer, Ronald Alli deposed that the Institute is in fact: “actively considering that application as an ongoing process……”

In the circumstances,

while the court might have been inclined to quash by Certiorari had there been a positive finding of a negative fact, the court cannot issue a Writ of Mandamus in substitution of itself for the Council.

The Order or Rule nisi of Mandamus made on the 8th December, 2014, must accordingly be discharged.

The court so orders. There will be no order as to costs.

Rice millers must settle debts, pay farmers fair prices – in order to supply Venezuelan market NINETY-five per cent of all monies owed farmers for the last crop have to be fully paid before rice millers can qualify to supply the Venezuela market, according to Deputy General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Ricky Ramraj.

As per the most recent agreement, exports to the neighbouring country will include 120,000 tonnes of paddy and 74,000 tonnes of rice.

Another important pre-requisite, he said in an invited comment yesterday, is that millers interested in supplying the neighbouring country with rice and paddy must be paying rice farmers some $3,000 per bag of paddy.

“These are the two important prerequisites; 95 per cent of their debts to farmers must be settled and they must be paying farmers $3,000 a bag,” Ramraj said.

He added that already, a shipment of 6,000 tonnes of paddy has left Guyana.

“We have another vessel that will ship 5,760 metric tonnes of rice next week and another ship that will be here this weekend to take 6,000 tonnes of paddy,” the GRDB Deputy General Manager said.

Ramraj disclosed too that some 42 rice millers are currently involved in supplying the export quota for Venezuela.

By the end of the month, it is expected that some 30,000 tonnes of rice will be

Ricky Ramraj

exported to Venezuela.

Guyana currently has export agreements with several countries in the Caribbean.

Also, given the continuous success of the rice industry, efforts are being made to secure a greater foothold in Nicaragua and other Central American countries, including Belize and Panama. Markets in Africa are also being courted.

All considered, the Agriculture Minister stated that the first four months of 2015 have represented a record four months of exports.

The target for exports in 2015 is some 514,000 tonnes, which the target for rice production is 618,000 tonnes.

Last year was another record-breaking year for the rice industry. Production was recorded at 635,238 tonnes, of which 501,208 tonnes were exported. Production in the final crop of 2014 surpassed that of the first crop, which recorded just over 300,000 tonnes. (Vanessa Narine)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

Political players register concerns over damaged campaign paraphernalia – crime chief says all police divisions on alert THE main political contenders have condemned the destruction of election campaign paraphernalia, as well as at least two of the smaller political parties, including the United Republic Party (URP).

The ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) executive member and former president, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, is the most recent to come out against such acts.

“I think it is an act of desperation…I say to our comrades leave them alone….it is a kind of intimidation…they [the perpetrators] are doing this around the country. They are intimidating people,” he said at a news conference held at Freedom House on Wednesday.

According to the former president, all political parties ought to be free to campaign in their bid for the country’s leadership, ahead of the May 11 General and Regional elections.

Dr Jagdeo said, “These

campaign people should be free to post their campaign paraphernalia and not have them destroyed. People should be able to campaign in every village, whether they get support in that village or not and not be intimidated, like our people were in Sophia.”

He further denounced the act as “dark-age politics” and urged that this is a culture that must be changed.

Meanwhile, an earlier statement from the alliance of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) also condemned such actions.

“APNU+AFC condemns such behaviour, conduct and threats…we urge our supporters to remain calm and focused on the task at hand,” the party said.

The most recent report of the criminal act was in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara), where four campaign billboards and 60 per cent of flags mounted

by the PPP/C were lost on Monday night alone. The incident resulted in a report being made to the police, the fourth such report.

Crime Chief, Mr Leslie James, when asked about the police response to this matter – in light of official complaints fom at least three political parties – assured that all the divisions of the Guyana Police Force (GFP) have been alerted.

“Any report that we receive that campaign paraphernalia are damaged will be taken seriously. This is a position adopted by all the divisions, something all the divisions are alerted to,” he told the Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment yesterday.

He added that increased police patrols are part of the Force’s response.

“Patrols are part of our response and if during the patrols anyone is caught in the act [they] will be dealt with according to law, taken into

Alleged serial thief remanded ALBERTTOWN, for stealing $4,000 Georgetown resident Anthony Charles appeared yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry to answer a charge of stealing $4,000 from Malcolm Thom, allegedly committed on April 22 at Georgetown.

Charles denied the allegation, and Police Prosecutors Shawn Gonzalez did not relate the facts of the matter, but objected to bail being granted Charles on ground that the defendant has matters of a similar nature pending before the court.

The prosecutor also said that Charles had committed this present offence while on bail on similar offences.

Charles was denied bail, and the matter was transferred before Magistrate Annett Singh for April 27 calling. (Clestine Juan)

Saturday, April 25, 2015 - 09:30 hrs Sunday, April 26, 2015 - 11:00 hrs Monday, April 27, 2015 - 12:30 hrs

custody and charges will follow,” the crime chief assured.

Meanwhile, the Guy-

ana Elections Commission (GECOM) has repeated its warning, via public advertisements, against such transgressions. “The law on

activities such as removing, damaging or defacing any election campaign material is clear: those acts are criminal.” (Vanessa Narine)

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President concludes – heartened by residents’ support for PPP/C

HEAD of State Donald Ramotar, who visited several Region 8 communities on April 20 and 21, was warmly greeted when he met with hundreds of residents in meetings over the two days.

The first day saw the President meeting residents of Kopinang, Kurukubaru, and Kato, and making stops at Paramakatoi and Monkey Mountain the following day. The President was accompanied by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and party candidate Africo Selman.

The improvements to the residents’ quality of life through Government’s interventions over the years were among issues highlighted by the President. These included the availability of better healthcare, access to education through establishment of new schools and dormitories, guaranteed rights via the Amerindian Act, more employment opportunities, provision of education, and solar panels for electricity and more.

Older residents were reminded of their circumstances which obtained during the previous administration of the People’s National Congress (PNC), now APNU/AFC, by President Ramotar. “Remember what your school was like.

You had to build your own school and had no resources. You had mud floors; you had no proper facilities to develop your communities. You really had no chance as you were living on subsistence agriculture”.

The residents were reminded of the fact that it not only they who suffered, but the entire country virtually collapsed due to the then government’s poor leadership.

The President was personally thanked for many of the improvements made, such as the extension of the nursery and primary schools, solar panels for electricity, and the building of the new secondary school catering to students of Kopinang and Kato. It was noted that All Terrain Vehicles and 4x4 pickups for transportation have also benefited residents, along with radio sets to boost communication.

Government is building the $780M Kato secondary School that will cater for 400 students from that village and surrounding communities. Its accompanying dormitory will accommodate about 250 students. The modern institution is nearing completion. Late in 2014, the Paramakatoi Primary School was commissioned, providing a conducive learning environment for its students.

All students in the region are benefiting from the Government’s school uniform and school feeding programmes, leading

President Donald Ramotar at a meeting at Paramakatoi, Region 8 to more children accessing education. They were also beneficiaries of the $10,000 education grant.

Meanwhile, senior leaders of the communities spoke of the overall improvements to the lives of residents and pledged their support , in order to continue the path of progress and positive change that the various communities are undergoing.

Asked about his views on his visit across the region, the

President Donald Ramotar interacting with residents of Monkey Mountain, Region 8

President said he was very pleased with the response from residents of the far-flung communities. “The response was tremendous. I really did enjoy the meetings because I had the opportunity to be much more intimate with the people, and I am very pleased with the response I had. Our support in the interior has been growing considerably.”

The handing over of grants to the various communities such as Monkey Mountain were acknowledged, with residents informing the President of their plans to use the money for various sustainable projects.

Some of the communities were also able to showcase various projects being undertaken with funds provided under the grant package to their communities. With regard to this, President Ramotar said he was pleased that the money allocated via the grants were being used effectively.

“Many of them (grants) have been used well. In one case, a ranch was built. It is a thriving ranch now with many cattle there.

Some of them had asked for tractors and equipment. Many of those that I have seen, I am extremely happy with, to see that it is helping to increase the capacity of the village economy.”

Some residents took the opportunity to highlight issues facing their communities and the President promised to offer assistance to address the concerns raised. Many of the residents also expressed their appreciation to the Head of State for his visit to their communities and pledged their support, especially at the upcoming elections, so as to continue the progress and development of their region.

Region 8 residents are benefiting from Government’s Hinterland Electrification Programme, through the provision of solar home systems. Communities such as Princeville, Micobie, Maikwak, Kato, Kaibarupai and Kopinang are among those benefiting from improved health facilities.

Now travelling to Region 8 has been made easier and less time consuming with the coming into being of the 71-mile road that links it to Region 9. Residents can now easily transport their produce for sale in the busy hub of Lethem in Region 9.

(GINA)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

s Region 8 outreach

President Donald Ramotar and Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai being welcomed by residents of Kurukabaru, Region 8

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President Donald Ramotar addressing residents of Monkey Mountain, Region 8

IAC to host Grand Hamara Concerts to celebrate 177th year of Indian Arrival

By Raveena Mangal

THE Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) yesterday revealed its itinerary for this year’s annual activities commemorating the 177th year of Indian Arrival in Guyana.

At its press conference held at the Aagman Restaurant, IAC Executive Member Raymond Azeez noted that, over the past few decades, the IAC has been known for its grand cultural melas which are held in Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice. This year, he said, the Committee has dubbed its 3-stage shows the “Hamara Guyana Concerts”.

“The Concerts will have (participation from) a number of international artistes and local talents, including our very own Terry Gajraj, Neval Chatelal and Marissa Deodat. There will also be special appearances by KI and his full band, along with Sally Sargam out of Trinidad,” he revealed.

“Top local singers and dance groups such as Nachgana Dance Acedemy, Shelita Dance Group, and Roshini Boodhoo’s Jewan Ka Nritya will also be performing”, Azeez disclosed.

This year, the first Mela will be held on Friday, May 1, at the National Stadium at Providence. It will include (left to right) IAC executive members Aditya Ramharack, Evan Persaud and Maria Rasheed the exciting Choka Fest, a big hit from previous years.

The second Mela will be held at Anna Regina sweetmeats and non-alcoholic beverages.

He added that the events will also feature free mehendi Community Centre Ground in Essequibo, and the Final will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at the Albion Sports and face painting from 5pm to 7pm, along with lots of games and fun activities for the children.

Complex in Berbice.

Mini exhibits showcasing the three major religions of Fellow IAC Executive Member Aditya Persaud declared that the Choka Fest will see a wide variety of Guyana as well as various aspects of the Indian culture, plus delicious Chokas along with Seven Curry Food Booths, yoga demonstrations will be on display.

Admission for each of the family-oriented cultural special delicacies out of India, and a wide range of

Persaud, Raymond Azeez, Secretary Yuette at the press conference

events is set at $500, and children would be admitted free of charge. Moreover, free parking and security would attend all the venues.

The IAC is a non-profit non-governmental organization established to deal with issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, and to promote Indian Culture in all its aspects throughout Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday April 25, 2015

NFMU symposium marks ‘International Girls in ICT Day 2015’

By Shivanie Sugrim

T

O commemorate ‘International Girls in ICT Day 2015’, the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), in collaboration with other stakeholders, held a symposium at the North Ruimveldt Secondary School Wednesday.

This symposium was geared to encourage girls in secondary schools to pursue careers and expand their knowledge in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

Present at the symposium were female students from most secondary schools in Georgetown along with several ICT officers representing their respective businesses that would have collaborated with the NFMU. In delivering the feature address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lance Hinds of ‘Brainstreet’, shared his 25 years of experience in the ICT sector. He disclosed that ICT has taken him to extreme levels and that would not have been possible without the guidance and perceptions of women.

“Women bring a perspective that men don’t bring,” said Hinds. Added to that, Hinds elaborated on the need for women in this sector, given that it has many entry points.

Given that technology encompasses our everyday routine, Hinds said that it is however a “cross-cutting” component—whether finance, health or education, it affects us all in a positive manner.

Meanwhile, remarks were made by NFMU officers, Melissa and Michel Layne who energised the audience as they took the podium and enlightened the girls on the advantages of the ICT sector and what it has to offer.

Special remarks were also delivered by visually impaired Rosemary Ramitt who emerged as the top student of the Guyana Blind Society’s (GBS) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) initiative last year.

She shared with the gathering her experiences while preparing for the CSEC examinations with the use of the JAWS software. In expressing her appreciation for the ICT sector and its advancement in Guyana, Ramitt lauded that she will continue expanding her knowledge on ICT and encourage girls to do the same. Odessa Blair, second top student of the GBS’s CSEC initiative last year, joined the programme with her benevolent presence.

The gathering at the Girls in ICT Day 2015 Symposium held at the North Ruimveldt Secondary School yesterday

CEO Lance Hinds of Brainstreet Group delivering his remarks to the gathering of girls

ICT personnel sharing out flash drives to the girls

‘International Girls in ICT Day 2015’ is an initiative launched by members of the International Telecommunications Union at its 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference. The idea is to create a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the field of ICT. The Government of Guyana, through initiatives such as E-Governance, One Laptop Per Family (OLPF), and computer labs for schools, has been making significant investments in ICT; thereby availing the technology to every Guyanese, and building the foundation upon which female citizens can expand their boundaries.

Guyana has, for the past three years, observed International Girls in ICT Day. As such, this year the NFMU once again played its part in the celebration by hosting the mentorship luncheon coupled with tech camps and a grand symposium.

The NFMU and its collaborators joined in sharing flash drives to the girls and provided lunch for the gathering.

The collaborators were Ministry of Education, the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), the E-Governance Unit, the One Laptop Per Family Project, Digicel, Qualfon, GT&T, NT Computec, the Brainstreet Group, Global Technology, the Guyana Society for the Blind, and the University of Guyana.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES 1st Innings 299 England 1st Innings (overnight 373 for six) *A Cook b Gabriel 76 I Trott c Blackwood b Bishoo 59 G Ballance b Samuels 77 I Bell b Gabriel 1 J Root not out 182 Moeen Ali run out 0 B Stokes c Blackwood b Bishoo 8 +J Buttler st Ramdin b Bishoo 13 C Jordan run out 16 S Broad c Smith b Bishoo 0 J Anderson run out 2 Extras (b9, lb2, w1, nb18) 30 TOTAL (all out, 144.1 overs) 464 Fall of wickets: 1-125 (Trott), 2-159 (Cook), 3-164 (Bell), 4-329 (Ballance), 5-335 (Ali), 6-364 (Stokes), 7-387 (Buttler), 8-426 (Jordan), 9-431 (Broad), 10464 (Anderson) Bowling: Roach 28-4-1000 (nb5), Gabriel 22-3-67-2 (w1, nb6), Holder 21.1-6-570 (nb1), Bishoo 51-10-177-4 (nb2), Samuels 21-4-38-1, Blackwood 1-0-14-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings K Brathwaite not out 101 D Smith b Anderson 2 DM Bravo c wkp Buttler b Broad 69 M Samuels not out 22 Extras (b6, lb1, nb1) 8 TOTAL (2 wkts, 75 overs) 202 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Smith), 2-145 (Bravo).

Bowling: Anderson 14-4-271, Broad 10-2-23-1, Moeen Ali 17-4-48-0, Jordan 13-441-0 (nb1), Stokes 8-0-34-0, Root 13-6-22-0.

Position: West Indies lead by 37 runs.

Brathwaite century ...from back page They were led by the impressive Joe Root who finished on a magnificent unbeaten 182, an innings that was seven minutes short of 5-1/2 hours, consumed 229 deliveries and included 17 fours and four sixes.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo claimed two of the wickets to fall to finish with four for 177 from 51 marathon overs while fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who went wicket-less in the morning session, claimed two for 67.

Resuming the day on 373 for six with Root on 118, England lost wickets steadily. Bishoo struck the first blow in the fourth over or the morning when he deceived Jos Buttler in flight and had the wicketkeeper/batsman stumped for 13, at 387 for seven.

Root added 39 with Barbados-born Chris Jordan who made 16 before being run out, sent back while attempting a second run and just failing to make his ground.

Stuart Broad perished without scoring, gloving a sweep at Bishoo for Smith at slip to run around behind the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and claim the lob, and Jimmy Anderson was then run out for two ambling back for a second run.

Anderson then set the Windies back when he had the left-handed Smith bowled in just the third over of the innings, playing-on attempting to leave alone one that swung.

Brathwaite and Bravo carried West Indies to lunch at 22 for one and blossomed afterward, frustrating England’s bowlers and ensuring they went wicket-less during the

second session, on a flat track that offered precious little to bowlers.

On resumption after lunch, both batsmen were cautious initially before Brathwaite broke the shackles with two backto-back boundaries off seamer Ben Stokes.

Bravo followed his cue in the next over, turning pacer Jordan fine for four and another Brathwaite boundary in the following over from Stokes raised the half-century stand.

Brathwaite moved to 47 by spanking Jordan square on the off-side for four and hammered Broad through cover point a couple of overs later to raise yet another Test half-century.

He was unbeaten on 68 at tea with Bravo on 47, and the stylish Bravo soon reached his half-century in the third over after the resumption, with a boundary to third man off part-time off-spinner Root.

However, he perished against the run of play nearly an hour later when he prodded at one from Broad that held its line, and was taken behind.

Bravo batted just over three hours, faced 147 balls and counted 12 fours.

Brathwaite, plodded on unfazed, however, gathering the majority of his runs with wristy cuts in the arc between point and third man. He moved quietly into the 90s but then steered Jordan to third man for his 11th four to move to 97.

He brought up his fourth triple figure score in his last nine Tests when he punched Anderson through cover for a couple, in the penultimate over of the day.

Racing Tips

11:00 hrs Clever Cookie

11:15 hrs Aljamaaheer

11:35 hrs Decorated Knight

11:45 hrs Muqarred

12:10 hrs Beau Eile

12:20 hrs Storm The Stars

10:10 hrs Jocular 10:45 hrs Salariaq 11:20 hrs Roheryn

Haydock

12:50 hrs Pink Diamond

11:50 hrs Oiche Mhaith Boy

08:50 hrs The Lampo Genie

Sandown

12:25 hrs Annagh Haven

09:20 hrs Yourartisonfire

09:00 hrs Lil Rockerfeller

American Racing Tips

09:55 hrs La Dorotea

09:35 hrs Menorah

Aqueduct

10:30 hrs Rene Mathis

10:15 hrs Special Tiara

Race 1 Barrister Jim

11:05 hrs Peace Lilly

10;50 hrs Bobs Worth

Race 2 Magical; Miss

11:40 hrs Ferdy

11:25 hrs Box Office

Race 3 Hiddebite

12:15 hrs Kinema

12:00 hrs Generous RANSOM

Race 4 Empower

Leicester

12:35 HRS Polly Peachum

Race 5 Warrior Kitten

08:55 hrs Bukle

Irish Racing Tips

Race 6 Carolinian

09:30 hrs Clubland

Limerick

Race 7 Powerful Instinct

10:05 hrs Straits Of Malacca

09:10 hrs Wardell

Race 8 North Slope

10:40 hrs Dark Wave

09:40 hrs Back On Top

Race 9 Doc Daneka

South Africa Racing Tips Turffontein 08:20 hrs Captain Of All 08:55 hrs Siren’s Call 09:30 hrs Wylie Hall 10:05 hrs French Navy 10:40 hrs Tzigane 11:15 hrs Kingston Mines English Racing Tips Ripon 08:45 hrs Lady Kashaan 09:15 hrs First Bombardment 09:50 hrs King Torus 10:25 hrs Flyman

Bangladesh record first T20 win over Pakistan DHAKA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Shakib Al Hasan’s fine all-round showing powered Bangladesh to a sevenwicket victory over Pakistan yesterday - their first Twenty20 international win over their Asian rivals.

Bangladesh, who also swept the three-match one-day international series, lost three quick wickets but chased down a 142-run target with 22 balls to spare, fired by an unbeaten 105-run stand between Shakib (57) and Sabbir Rahman (51).

Left-arm spinner Shakib was also miserly with the ball and gave away just 17 runs in his four overs as Pakistan posted 141-5 after Shahid Afridi won the toss and chose to bat.

Debutant left-arm paceman Mustafizur Rahman, 19, was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers, picking up 2-20 in his four overs.

Mukhtar Ahmed (37), making a debut for Pakistan, and Ahmed Shehzad (17) added 50 in nine overs but the visitors failed to build on that strong platform.

Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim -- the batting heroes for Bangladesh during the 3-0 ODI series win -- all fell cheaply and it was left to Shakib and Sabbir to prop up their team after being reduced to 38-3.

The duo ensured the hosts maintained their winning streak with their first win in the shortest format of the game in eight matches against Pakistan.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015

Bouts from different eras can’t be ranked - Arum

By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES, USA (Reuters) - Next week’s fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is expected to be the most lucrative ever in boxing but that does not necessarily make it the biggest of all-time, veteran promoter Bob Arum told Reuters.

The heavily anticipated megabout in Las Vegas on May 2 is projected to become the sport’s top-grossing showdown, pulling in close to $500M (£329.46M) in pay-per-view, but Arum says it is impossible to rank contests from different eras.

“It’s different,” the 83-year-old Hall of Fame member told Reuters in a recent interview while his boxer, Filipino southpaw Pacquiao, was preparing for yet another sparring session at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

“You can’t compare fights, you can’t even compare the great fights that took place in the eighties with (Sugar Ray) Leonard and (Marvin) Hagler and (Thomas) Hearns and (Roberto) Duran.

“They were all big, major, monster events but they’re different. We didn’t have pay-per-view then, and we didn’t have any social media then. You can’t compare fights in different eras because the communications change so much.”

Arum has worked with giants of the ring such as Muhammad Ali, Leonard,

Hagler and Duran, and he became one of boxing’s most influential figures in the 1980s, along with fellow promoter and long-time rival

country was up in arms about that fight. The whole country stopped but we only could reach 400 closed-circuit locations.

Manila’ between Ali and Frazier, and Arum loves the match-up because of its contrasting styles.

“It’s a very interesting

Veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum says there is no way to compare boxing matches from different eras. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports.

Don King.

During that decade, Arum organised superfights between Hagler and Duran followed by Hagler and Hearns, and went on to pit Hagler against Leonard, Leonard against Hearns in a re-match and Evander Holyfield against George Foreman.

HEIGHTENED EXPECTATION Asked by Reuters when he last felt the level of heightened expectation he has experienced ahead of the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout, Arum replied: “I think for the first Ali-Frazier fight, and I am speaking as somebody who was around then.

“I don’t believe my memory is playing tricks, I really believe that the whole

“There were no satellites so very few people saw that fight live. It’s so different now. You just can’t compare fights in different eras.”

That bout took place in New York in March 1971 when Ali was beaten for the first time as a professional, losing to Frazier in what was dubbed ‘The Fight of the Century’.

Next week’s bout, however, has captivated genuine boxing fans as well as casual observers of the sport with the undefeated and defence-minded Mayweather taking on the aggressive Pacquiao in the biggest fight for decades.

Many pundits believe that the May 2 showdown is one of the most eagerly anticipated in boxing since the classic 1975 ‘Thrilla in

fight because Floyd is a defensive specialist who has a good right hand and picks off his opponents,” Arum told a handful of reporters at the Wild Card Boxing Club. “He’s an extraordinarily good fighter.

“Pacquiao’s strength is speed, particularly his foot speed and the fact that he throws so many punches and attacks from low angles. He really hits harder than Floyd does, so that’s really what it’s going to be about.

“Floyd’s defence is primarily his shoulder roll, and a lot of his defence is geared against a righthanded fighter. I think Manny (a southpaw) is going to surprise a lot of people with how he is going to be able to reach Floyd.”

GCA/CARIB BEER T20

Barnwell hits half-century as DCC make impressive start RIDING on the back of an unbeaten half-century from skipper Christopher Barnwell, hosts Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) started their campaign in this year’s Georgetown Cricket Association/Ansa McAl Carib Beer T20 competition impressively, with an 84-run victory over Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO).

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, DCC, who in 2013 won the same tournament that was sponsored by Digicel before seeing Police Sports Club take the first GCA/ Carib Beer T20 title last year, posted 188 for 5 from their 20 overs.

Barnwell led the way, hitting eight sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 86 that took him 41 balls to accumulate, receiving support from Kevon Boodie 26 (3x4, 1x6) and Trevon Griffith 24 (2x4, 1x6) while Anthony Ifill was the best bowler for GYO with his one for 23.

Brian Sattaur 14 (2x6) and Griffith added 18 for the first wicket, with Griffith adding an additional 42 for the second wicket with Boodie who, after being dismissed, saw Barnwell and Shurfane Rutherford 13 (1x6, 1x4) posting 53

… No play at MSC for the fourth wicket.

In reply, GYO were limited to 104 for 9 with only two batsmen in Ifill who returned with the bat to topscore with 53 (50 balls, 7x4, 2x6) and skipper Surendra Hiralall 10 reaching double figures against the bowling of Andre Stoll (2 for 14), Paul Wintz (2 for 16) and Griffith 2 for 21.

Stoll who was making a return to the game after a lengthy layoff, started the rout by removing John Campayne (0) and Trevon Liverpool (1), while Rutherford (1 for 22) accounted for Abdool Raheim (6) and Ashmead Nedd (1-8) removed Garfield De Rouche (0) to leave GYO on 31 for 4.

Meanwhile, the other first round game which was to be contested at the Malteenoes Sports Club ground between the host team and their neighbours Transport Sports Club was abandoned without a ball being bowled, courtesy of the inclement weather. (Calvin Roberts)

NOTABLE DATES KNOWN as `The Mystery Lady’, bantamweight boxer Shondell Alfred met Stephaney George for the third time on April 25, 2009.

The contest was held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Alfred was 26 years old at the time and won the eight-round bout by unanimous decision.

The stocky fighter started boxing professionally in February 1999, while a couple of months short of turning 17. Ironically, her first fight was against George. The bout was over four rounds and a game Alfred won by points. The two female gladiators would again meet in December 2003.

This time George put up a better performance but the judges gave her opponent the nod by majority decision. A tenacious orthodox fighter `The Mystery Lady’ grabbed the Women’s International Boxing bantamweight title in September 2009.

She defeated Canadian southpaw Corinee Van Ryck DeGroot (13 years her senior) by unanimous decision to take the vacant title. Judge Ian Alves scored the fight 9990 while Lionel Sullivan and Trevor Arno saw it 97-90 and 96-92 respectively.

The return match was held in June 2010 at the Princess Hotel and Casino. A vicious assault by Alfred forced referee Andrew Thorne to wave it off at one minute 24 seconds of the fourth round. Alfred added one more victory to her record but has been inactive since November of 2010.

Gayle comes up short again but RCB win easily

Mitchell Starc cripple Royals with a spell of three for 22 from hisf four overs.

AHMEDABAD, India (CMC) – West Indies opener Chris Gayle failed to convert another start but his fireworks were not missed as Royal Challengers Bangalore strolled to an uncomplicated nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here yesterday They restricted Royals to 130 for nine off their 20 overs after winning the toss at the Sardar Patel Stadium and then cruised to their target in the 17th over, with captain Virat Kohli topscoring with an unbeaten 62 off 46 deliveries.

Gayle, who struck 20 from 17 balls, put on 36 from 27 deliveries with Kohli to give RCB a breezy start in their run chase.

The left-handed Jamaican hammered three fours and a six – a mighty blow over long on off South

African seamer Chris Morris – in an over which went for 15 runs.

However, Gayle lasted just three more deliveries before he was dismissed two overs later, top-edging a hesitant pull behind off Australian medium pacer Shane Watson.

Gayle opened his campaign with 96 but has since struggled with scores of 20 and 10.

Kohli then combined in a 98-run stand with South Africa’s AB de Villiers, who stroked an unbeaten 47 off 34 balls, to see RCB easily home.

Earlier, Royals struggled for momentum as leftarm seamer Mitchell Starc helped to cripple the innings with a spell of three for 22 from his four overs.

His fellow Australian Steve Smith top-scored with 31 while Watson chipped in with 26.

33

GUYANA CHRONICLE SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015

BBCI supports Guyana Draughts Association THE BERBICE Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) became the latest entity to support the Guyana Draughts Association (GDA) in its bid to send a team to the Tri-Nation tournament in Suriname.

A cheque valued $50 000 was handed over to the GDA president Mr Jairam to help in the area of travelling, hotel accommodation and meals for the players while on tour.

According to a release from the BBCI, the company said that they are more than pleased to make a donation towards the GDA since the players will have the opportunity to compete at international level.

BBCI’s Mohamed Azahur, hands over the cheque to the Guyana Draughts Association’s representative.

“BBCI has supported the availability of funds,” the Guyana Draughts the release said.

Association over the years The BBCI pointed out (2014-2015) and will that the company not only continue to do so subject to collects tolls and facilitates

vehicles crossing the Berbice River Bridge and vessels transiting through the retractor opening and under the high span but also, discharges its corporate responsibilities and, more importantly, played an integral part in the development of education, sports, supported national events and made donations to charitable and noncharitable organisations in close proximity of the Bridge or in Region 5 and 6.

In the past the Company has sponsored many events that benefited the communities both on the eastern and western sides of the Berbice River Bridge.

LTI, Wisburg Secondary, latest schools to record wins FEVERISH play with sublime finishing was the theme on ‘Match Day 4’ of the ‘Screw’ Richmond Memorial Football Tournament when action unfolded yesterday at the Wisburg School ground.

Both Linden Technical Institute (LTI) and Wisburg Secondary recorded wins to secure progression into the semifinal.

LTI managed to outplay a very determined Harmony Secondary School who, due to the physical stature of their team, were almost written off as sturdy competitors.

They (Harmony) however, stood their ground well and had it not been for a couple of defensive lapses, the game could have ended in a possible scoreless draw but instead the LTI earned a 2-0 victory.

Mark Mclean netted in the 54th minute while Collis Benn scored from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute.

Meanwhile, in the day’s second encounter, Wisburg Secondary School made New Silvercity pay dearly for slack defending and

Wisburg Secondary School goalscorers

poor goalkeeping, as they conducted what some spectators dubbed a ‘scoring clinic’, with, free kick, open play, penalty and even headed goals beating Silvercity custodian five times in their win (5-2).

Wisburg Secondary were led by Orlando Adams’ brace that came in the 8th and 57th minutes and a single strike each from Tshadeki Whitehead (23rd), Akeinie Chapman (46th), and Eldridge Williams (61st).

For the losers, Shane Haynes (24th) and Martin

Gullin (59th) were the scorers Next week’s games are now important for most teams since each group is too close to call and if the trend of the tournament is any consideration, then surprises are bound to happen.

Harmony Secondary will take on defending champions Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (Multi) in game one and Wisburg Secondary will faceoff with Marcia Craig’s Educational Institute in game two.

2015 MAY DAY CUP

VP Baichan and Sons sponsors Upper Corentyne/RHTYSC THE ORGANISING committee of May Day Cup 2015, ‘FRIENDS OF THE PPP/C’ was able to secure sponsorship for the combined Upper Corentyne and Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports

with the winners taking home a trophy and $100 000, the runners-up $50 000 and the two losing semifinalists $25 000 each, while the Man-of-the-Match will also receive a trophy and $10 000.

Son of the sponsor, Mahendra Persaud Baichan, (left) makes the presentation of the sponsorship cheque to member of the Organising Committee Vicky Bharosay.

Club team to enable them to participate in the upcoming mega fundraiser to be played under lights at the historic Albion Sports Complex.

The sponsor is Vishwan Persaud Baichan, sawmiller/ sand and stone dealer of Crabwood Creek and proceeds from this event will go to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to assist with their 2015 election campaign and beyond.

The sponsorship includes provision of uniforms for the team, assistance with preparations and refreshments on the day of the match. Four exciting teams in West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne/RHTY&SC will be competing for bragging rights in the 15 overs-a- side matches.

There will be two semifinals and a grand final,

The big game, which will be contested under floodlights, will see arch rivals Berbice and Demerara clash in a T20 game, with the winners collecting a trophy and $200 000, the losers half of that and Man-of-theMatch a trophy and $20 000.

Several top national players will be on show, while several gate prizes for the fans will be up for grabs along with games for the young and old.

At a simple presentation ceremony, Mahendra Persaud Baichan, son of the sponsor, said that his father is happy to assist with the sponsorship of the team and is happy to give back to the community, adding that he is in full support of the event and praised the initiative.

Accepting the cheque on behalf of the organisers, Vicky Bharosay thanked the sponsor for coming on board and promised that the tournament will be well run.

Mayweather-Pacquiao: £94 000 asking price for tickets FLOYD Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s fight sold out within minutes and tickets immediately appeared on websites for as much as £94 000 ($141 000).

Only 1 000 tickets were made available to the public for the fight on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The remaining 15 500 seats will go to fighters, sponsors and promoters.

The cheapest ticket for the bout cost £1 000 ($1 500), rising to about £5 000 ($7 500).

Tickets for the fighters’ weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena went on sale yesterday from 20:00 BST - with all funds raised going to charity.

“The weigh-in is always the grand finale of fight week activities,” said Mayweather’s promoter Leonard Ellerbe.

“And with the massive interest in this fight, the number of fans looking to

attend the official weigh-in is going to be something we’ve never seen before”.

The contest between the two has been set since February, but a ticket contract was only finalised this week.

Fight tickets officially went on sale on Thursday at 20:00 BST on the MGM Grand’s website and Ticketmaster.

But within minutes they appeared on sites such as StubHub - an online marketplace owned by eBay - with the cheapest priced at £3,511 ($5,270).

American Mayweather, 38, and Filipino Pacquiao, 36, are considered two of the best fighters of their generation and the bout, which has been in the pipeline for five years, is set to generate £162M ($250M).

Mayweather has won all 47 of his fights, 26 by knockout, while Pacquiao has a record of 57 wins, five losses and two draws. (BBC Sport)

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015

GCB/RAJ SINGH INSURANCE U-19

Defending champions Demerara heavily favoured to reclaim title

By Calvin Roberts WHEN Demerara, the lone team to play unbeaten in this year’s Guyana Cricket Board/Raj Singh Insurance Inter-county Under-19 limited overs tournament, met with the National Under-17 in the second round, they won by 66 runs, posting 326 for 4 and then reducing their opponents to 260 for 9.

In that match, Tevin Imloch recorded his maiden ton at this level - an unbeaten 131 - and skipper Travis Persaud stroked a classy 73, but it was the memorable innings of Shurfane Rutherford, who struck 10 sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 70 that took him 19 balls to accumulate that left tongues wagging.

While it is yet to be ratified, some anonymous sources believe that Rutherford has eclipsed South Africa’s AB deVilliers’ 16 balls halfcentury scored against the West Indies last January, on his way to a world

record 30-ball ODI ton, even though at two different levels of the game.

Prior to his innings in the limited overs version, Rutherford, who is known as a hard-hitting opening batsman with Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), chalked up his maiden first division ton against Georgetown Cricket Club last year and followed it up with an unbeaten secondinnings half-century.

For today’s encounter - weather permitting - he, along with Imloch who has an appetite for scoring heavily, Travis Persaud, Ronaldo Renee, Malcolm Hubbard, Akshaya Persaud, Daniel Basdeo and Carlton Jacques, would be looking to repeat their second-round performance.

However, captain of the Under-17 unit Ronaldo Ali-Mohammed would be looking to turn around the fortunes for his team, who defeated Essequibo in the first round by 11 runs, and to stop the winning streak of Demerara.

Openers Raymond

… face Under-17 in final at Everest

Shurfane Rutherford Perez, Bhaskar Yadram and Joshua Persaud should be trying to lay a foundation for their team, on which Ali-Mohammed, Adrian Sukhwah, Kevin Sinclair, Ramnarine Chatura and the vast improving Ashmead Nedd can build on and post a

challenging total for the defending champions.

Teams Demerara: Travis Persaud (captain); Ronaldo Renee; Malcolm Hubbard; Akshaya Persaud; Sherfane Rutherford; Tevin Imloch; Carlton Jacques; Gavin Moriah (vice-captain); Ershad Alli; Vivian Albert; Daniel Basdeo; Tariq Dharamlall; Mark Hamilton; and Chetnarine Pooran.

Guyana Under-17 squad: Ronaldo Ali Mohamed (captain); Raymond Perez; Joshua Persaud; Adrian Sukhwah; Ramnarine Chatura; Bhaskar Yadram; Kevin Sinclair; Richie Looknauth; Timothy McAlmont; Steve Deonarine; Ashmead Nedd; Joshua Jones; Sylus Tyndall; Asif Ally; Sagar Hetheramani; Romain Muniram; and Tameshwar Motieram.

Hugh Ross visits Agricola to promote Health and Wellness programme

Hugh Ross and Clayton McKenzie interact with youths of Agricola during the Outreach exercise.

YOUTHS in the Agricola community were encouraged to be disciplined and to adopt healthy lifestyles by world renowned bodybuilder Guyanese Hugh Ross who paid a visit to the East Bank Demerara community to promote his Health and Wellness programme.

Ross, Malta Supreme Brand Ambassador was invited by Banks DIH Limited, producers to the nonalcoholic beverage to visit the village

as part of its Outreach Programme to communities in the lower East Bank areas.

The United States-based bodybuilder and fitness expert told the attendees that with discipline and hard work they can achieve. He encouraged them to be role models in their community.

Ross, who was born in Berbice, said he was on a drive to promote fitness and healthy living in Guyana,

a mission that is catching on in the society.

Malta Supreme Brand manager, Clayton McKenzie, spoke about the health benefits of the beverage.

Banks DIH Limited Sales Administrative manager Andre Davis also accompanied the team to Agricola.

McKenzie said similar visits are planned for other communities, in Ruimveldt and the lower East Bank Demerara.

RHTGG to face hosts Albion in today’s Busta final … Guyana Jaguars quintet on show

A PLETHORA of local cricket stars, both present and future, will be on show at the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club ground from 15:00hrs today, when the final of the 11th Annual Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club/Guyana Beverage Inc. Busta ‘Champion of Champions’ tournament is held.

Old rivals Albion Community Centre and Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets (RHTGG) would face off in the 40-overs match which for the first time would be played under lights and is expected to be a keen contest.

The Guyana Jaguars quintet, top wicket-taker Veerasammy Permaul, West Indies players Assad Fudadin and Narsingh Deonarine, Anthony Bramble and all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, will all be competing, along with rising star Gudakesh MotieKanhai According to Secretary/ CEO of the host club Hilbert Foster, special arrangements are being made to have the pitch and bowler’s run-up properly covered to ensure the present inclement weather does not affect the game which will be broadcast with live ball-byball commentary on NCN Radio.

There is no doubt, that the home team would start the contest as slight favourites, since clubs in the Ancient County have found it difficult to defeat them at home, especially with their spin-based bowling attack on a track that is conducive for such.

Never before were Albion able to put their hand on the champions trophy in the 11-year history of the tournament, so definitely they will be looking to go all the way this time around and with Permaul, Deonarine, Bramble, Motie-Kanhai and the hard-hitting Jonathan Foo in their line-up, they will be licking their lips and fancying their chances of doing so for the first time today.

Add the promising Kandasammy Surujnarine, Shiraz Ramcharran, David Latchya and Adrian Sukhwa to that lineup, and who would doubt that Albion will not take the title when the final ball is bowled tonight.

QUINTET However, RHTGG are

a team that never give up, irrespective of the opposition as they have proven during the years of this tournament which they have won a record nine times, defeating Albion on three occasions, including the inaugural tournament along with the 2013 and 2014 editions.

Definitely, RHTGG would be going all out to make it number 10 today Port Mourant won the other one - looking to former national Under-19 skipper Shawn Perreira and his deputy Fudadin for such success.

Veerasammy Permaul Their lineup also includes Barnwell, a discarded West Indies T20 player. Akshay Homraj, Vidal Crandon, Delbert Hicks and Renwick Batson would all be playing key individual roles for the visitors who are expected to post a challenging total.

Barnwell, along with Fudadin and fellow medium pacers Keon Sinclair and Sherain Murray, is expected to enjoy the conditions as will off-spinners Collis Butts and Troy Mathieson, with Perreira adding variety with his leg-spin.

Today’s winners will receive $100 000 and the beautiful Busta Trophy with the losers collecting half that amount and a trophy.

The Player-of-the-final will earn $10 000 and a trophy, even as lucky patrons win attractive gate prizes such as tablets, electric household utensils and food hampers.

In addition, the host club will donate to ailing Guyana Chronicle Senior Sports Reporter Calvin Roberts, 25% of the gate revenue towards his medical expenses.

The umpires are brothers Zaheer and Imran Moakhan with Omadat Samaroo as the standby.

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015

Narine to undergo test in Chennai again describe the type of deliveries but did confirm the faster one was one of them.

It is understood that the BCCI told the franchise that the match officials were “concerned” about some deliveries.

The news would have definitely come as a surprise for Narine and the franchise considering the BCCI panel had given him a positive report card earlier this month.

As intriguing as the matter could be,

Sunil Narine is likely to travel to Chennai for his re-test with former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram.

Kolkata Knight Riders have decided to send Sunil Narine for another test of his bowling action after match officials expressed “concerns” over “fair amount” of deliveries the offspinner bowled in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday in Visakhapatnam.

If Narine is called a second time, he will be out of the IPL and hence the franchise wants to play it safe and not risk playing him in the upcoming matches without the test.

It is understood that the franchise is trying hard to get an appointment at the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre in Chennai, an ICC accredited testing centre.

Narine will travel with former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram, who is Knight Riders’ bowling consultant, and team analyst AR Srikkanth.

This will be the second time Narine will be travelling to Chennai this month having already received a clearance from the BCCI’s sub-committee

on suspect action days before the IPL started. The panel, comprising former India captain S Venkataraghavan, former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath and former international umpire AV Jayaprakash, had no issues with Narine’s remodelled action and gave him a clean chit.

That was a re-test for Narine considering he got the clearance in two months having obtained the earlier one from the testing centre at the University of Loughborough on March 10.

According to an official privy to the matter, the on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Vineet Kulkarni reported to the match referee having doubts about a few deliveries Narine bowled against Sunrisers, who won the rain-affected match by 16 runs.

Incidentally, Narine had gone wicketless, giving away 38 runs in his four overs.

The official said “a fair number of deliveries, about four to five” were spotted by the umpires. He did not

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday April 25, 2015)

Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)

66 Tests (overseas)

(2)

2010

Today’s Quiz: (1) Which two made their debut in the same Test?

Raphick Jumadeen; Albert Padmore; Jack Noriega; Imtiaz Ali; Inshan Ali (2) Who delivered the first ball in an IPL game?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

the official pointed out that sometimes a bowler, if he is pushed into a corner, can fall back on old habits.

Indirectly he said that Narine might have repeated some of the mistakes he made during the Champions League Twenty20 last year, when he was reported twice by the umpires and was consequently out of the tournament.

According to the official he did not want to cast aspersions on Narine’s

future in the tournament and only said the decision was his and Knight Riders’ to make.

Although no Knight Riders official was available for comment, as a first step the defending champions have decided to not risk playing Narine without sending him for fresh testing. Knight Riders play Rajasthan Royals at home on Sunday and there is a strong possibility Narine will miss that match. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Narine to undergo test in Chennai again Please see page 35

Brathwaite century

spearheads Windies resolve

Kraigg Brathwaite recorded his fourth Test hundred as West Indies replied strongly ©

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo on his return to Test cricket finished with four for 177 from 51 marathon overs.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, (CMC) – Opener Kraigg Brathwaite fashioned an outstanding, unbeaten hundred that headlined strong West Indies resistance, shackled England’s zeal and set up a riveting final day of the second Test on Saturday.

The 22-year-old, with just 18 Tests and a little over three years of international cricket under his belt, carved out a 101 – his fourth Test century – as West Indies finished Friday’s penultimate day at the Grenada National Stadium on an impressive 202 for two.

Brathwaite, who has faced 230 deliveries and counted 12 fours in just under five hours, was partnered at the close by the experienced Marlon Samuels on 22, with

West Indies 37 runs in front with three tricky sessions left on the final day.

The pair have so far put on 57 for the third wicket, a partnership that followed on the heels of a 142run, second wicket stand between Brathwaite and left-handed Darren Bravo, who gathered an attractive 69.

Both partnerships pulled West Indies around from a dodgy position of three for one in a testing period before lunch, when they lost Devon Smith cheaply for two.

England had earlier garnered a first innings lead of 165 runs, losing their last four wickets for 91 runs to be all out for 464, about 35 minutes before lunch.

Turn to page 31

Darren Bravo picked his strokes carefully in his knock of 69.

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SATURDAY, April 25, 2014