2015 5 13

GUYANA No. 104188

WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2015

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

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President, Joint Services, Int’l Observers, Civil Society, GECOM urge…

PEACE, CALM, MATURITY, PATIENCE -as Guyanese await official announcement of Elections result

Any act of ‘skullduggery’ will be 3 challenged Page

- President to GECOM In wake of Opposition’s ‘victory’ claims...

Surujbally says GECOM ‘the only authority’ to declare Page 8 Page 13 election win

GDF ranks erect and man a military cordon to stand guard outside the burnt out ‘C’ Field Sophia PPP/C Command Centre

Several vehicles were set on fire by a rampaging mob of pro-Opposition supporters during Monday night’s carnage in Sophia (Samuel Maughn photos)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

The intriguing life of a pickpocket - how to avoid being a target

By Becky Pemberton For Mailonline WHEN travellers go on holiday, all they see are the exciting attractions and the prospect of exploring a new city.

All pickpockets see when these tourists arrive, however, is a gold mine just waiting to be exploited.

But professional con artists do work in predictable ways, and, with a few tips, you can understand how and where they operate, avoid areas where you are most vulnerable, and hopefully hold on to your valuables.

WHAT THEY DO The methods thieves use to plunder valuables are varied and constantly evolving.

In a bid to crackdown on crime, the British Transport Police revealed the most common techniques pickpockets use, which includes the 'concealed hand', the 'helpful stranger' and 'the stall.'

Thieves operating in pairs work by one member stalling the target, like by getting stuck at the underground ticket barrier for example.

The other member will take advantage of the victim being stalled, and quickly smuggle their valuables

away.

When taking possession, thieves will often cover their hands with a newspaper or coat, so others are not aware of their movements.

Sometimes a stranger will offer to help you out the blue by brushing something off your coat, or helping you with directions. And while you are caught off-guard, this is the perfect opportunity for someone else to take your belongings.

WHERE THEY STRIKE The biggest feat a pickpocket must overcome is

Please turn to page 13

Romanian and Bulgarian gangs at work in Paris

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Any act of ‘skullduggery’ - President will be challenged to GECOM

By Vanessa Narine

ACTS of “skullduggery” will not go unchallenged, according to the presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Donald Ramotar, who yesterday commented on several infractions, although not widespread, in the electoral process.

“I want to have every vote from the people who voted for me,” he declared during a news conference yesterday at Freedom House, Robb Street.

Among the problems cited are cases of multiple voting, and the fact that the ink used to stain the fingers of voters were easily removed; late start at polling places; slow process of voting; misdirection by some GECOM staffers who advised voters; broken stamps and the denial of proxy holders to use their proxies, among others.

According to him, the concerns flagged by the PPP/C were documented and sent to the Guyana Elections Commission on Monday – Elections Day itself.

However, GECOM insists that such documentation is not in its possession.

The incumbent Head of State added that the ruling party has also communicated the specifics of its concerns to several observer groups.

“We hope that GECOM would investigate,” he said.

MULTIPLE VOTING

At the top of the list of the PPP/C’s concerns is that some persons turned up at polling stations to vote and were told that they voted already. Also, there are reports that a person without an identification card was allowed to vote even though there were objections to the fact that his photograph did not match the photograph on GECOM’s folio, a detail of voters’ biodata that is used to verify identities in cases where eligible voters are not in possession of their identification cards.

On Monday when the concerns were aired, GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, and Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Mr Keith Lowenfield committed to investigating the reported infractions.

Mr Lowenfield, when asked, added that if Presiding Officers are found to have allowed voting by persons not eli-

gible to do so, GECOM will be guided by standard operating procedures. “Our procedures will dictate what actions will be taken,” he said.

Mr Ramotar acknowledged that the GECOM Chairman has maintained that this phenomenon is not possible. Consequently he charged that collusion among E-Day staffers and factions that do not represent the interest of the PPP/C is a possible explanation.

He declined to comment as to whether or not his party will challenge the result of the 2015 General and Regional elections, given that the compilation of the final results is still to be completed.

The impact of these problems on the final result of the 2015 polls, the President said, is a determination to be made

by GECOM. Another determination for GECOM, he said, is juxtaposition of the PPP/C concerns and the endorsement of the electoral observer missions on the ground for the 2015 General and Regional election.

All considered, the 2015 polls is regarded as one of the most significant General and Regional elections since 1992.

Envoys and private sector say...

Elections were free of - call for patience as irregularities nation awaits results

By Tajeram Mohabir

THE envoys of Britain, Canada and the US have reported that the General and Regional Elections were free of irregularities as they called on Guyanese to exercise patience while awaiting the results of the polls.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC), which also observed the elections, echoed similar sentiments. They all emphasised the need for the political parties that contested the elections to accept the results which will be declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Briefing the media yesterday at a joint press briefing, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicola Giles told reporters that GECOM had done a fantastic job.

“The Guyana Elections Commission organised an overall smooth, credible, free and fair electoral process. I congratulate the Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, the commissioners and all GECOM staff and officials for the successful culmination of many

months of hard work and planning,” she said.

The Canadian High Commission had teams in Regions Three and Four, while Dr Giles personally visited centres at Skeldon, Region Six; Linden, Region 10; and Anna Region, Region Two. Dr Giles said based on her observation, there was high enthusiasm among voters. This, she said, is very commendable on their part as they have chosen to have their voices heard by casting their ballots.

“The people of Guyana have spoken through the ballots they cast on May 11. I urge all Guyanese and stakeholders to practice patience and allow GECOM to now do their work to deliver the official results. It is important to remember that the only official results are those that are tabulated and issued by the designated official elections body—GECOM.” Several weeks ago, the political parties contesting the elections signed the Code of Conduct for Political Parties in an expression of their commitment to a peaceful election process

and acceptance of the results.

ACCEPT THE RESULTS “I hope that all political parties continue to remind their supporters of their commitment to respect the democratic process and accept the official GECOM results,” the diplomat said.

She said Canada is committed to working with the new government, whoever has been declared the winner in the General and Regional Elections.

British High Commissioner James Gregory also commended GECOM for a job well done in managing the voting process. He too said GECOM should be given time to accurately tabulate the results.

“We need to give GECOM time to deliver the results and to deliver an accurate tally of results. Only GECOM can give you a result, anything else you hear from any

Please turn to page 9

US Charge d’Affaires Brian Hunt (third right) speaking at the joint press briefing yesterday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Fresh earthquake kills scores in Nepal and India (Reuters) A SECOND powerful earthquake in less than three weeks spread panic in Nepal on Tuesday, bringing down buildings weakened by the first disaster and killing at least 66 people, including 17 in neighbouring India and one in Chinese Tibet.

Most of the reported fatalities were in villages and towns east of Kathmandu, only just beginning to pick up the pieces from the April 25 quake that left more than 8,000 dead.

The U.S. military’s Pacific Command said a Marine Corps helicopter involved in disaster relief had gone missing, with six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard.

The new 7.3 magnitude quake was centred 76 km (47 miles) east of the capital in a hilly area close to the border with Tibet, according

Charikot area and said some people were still trapped under rubble. Witnesses said rocks and mud came crashing down remote hillsides lined with roads and small hamlets.

“We still don’t have a clear view of the scale of the problem,” said Dan Sermand, emergency coordinator at medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres, which surveyed the area by air and saw multiple landslides.

The United Nations has only raised 13 percent of the $423 million it said was needed to help Nepal recover from the April quake, which measured 7.8. Relief workers said they were already suffering a lack of material before the new quake.

“Why are (internally displaced people) sleeping on our office floor? Where

Local residents walk past collapsed houses after the April 25 earthquake in Sankhu on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha they were already living in to coordinates provided by Mount Everest. tents.

Villagers who watched the U.S. Geological Survey, Aid workers reported and unleashed landslides their homes collapse said serious damage to some vilin Himalayan valleys near they only survived because lages in the worst-affected

are our tents? Where are our tarpaulins? Where are our hygiene kits?” said Brian Kelly of the International Organization for Migration, at a large relief camp in the hill-top town of Chautara, hard-hit by both quakes.

“They need to be paid for,” he said.

A team of about a dozen volunteers searched the rubble for survivors in the town, the biggest in a district that suffered the worst casualties in April. Several people were believed to be trapped. “It’s better to search at night so it’s quiet,” said Rejoien Guru, a volunteer from Kathmandu.

He and others pointed flashlights into the decimated buildings hit by the twin quakes, calling out for survivors. “If anyone is in there, make a sound!” he called in Nepali.

Scores of Russian soldiers killed in east Ukraine: opposition report Nemtsov was shot dead in central Moscow in February and members of his party, the liberal RPR-Parnas, and journalists helped finish the 65page report based on open source information and interviews with soldiers’ families.

“The war with Ukraine is an undeclared war, a vile cynical war which amounts to a crime against all of the Russian nation.

Putin will go down in history as the president who made Russians and Ukrainians foes,” said Ilya Yashin, an aide to Nemtsov.

(REUTERS) AT LEAST 220 Russian soldiers have been killed in east Ukraine, opposition activists said on Tuesday in a report offering what they called “ample evidence” to rebut President Vladimir Putin’s denial his troops are fighting there.

The report, the last project of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, also said Russia had spent more than 53 billion rubles ($1.04 billion) in 10 months to fund the conflict and deprived people of 2.75 trillion rubles of money lost to inflation.

“The main conclusion of our report is that we have collected and systematized (information) which we think provides ample evidence of the presence of Russian soldiers in Ukraine,” he told a news conference to unveil the report called “Putin. War”.

A spokesman for the K re m l i n d e c l i n e d t o comment on the report, saying he was not familiar with it and could not say if Putin would look into it. Putin says there are no serving troops fighting in Ukraine, only volunteers.

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A fighter with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Army stands guard at a checkpoint along a road from the town of Vuhlehirsk to Debaltseve in Ukraine, in this file photo taken on February 18, 2015. Reuters/Baz Ratner

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Colombia crackdown on illegal mines in Amazon

(BBC News) COLOMBIA’S armed forces have arrested 59 people in a major crackdown on illegal mining in the Amazon.

Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said they had dismantled an illegal financing network used by the Farc guerrilla group.

He said 63 sites near the border with Brazil and Venezuela - where gold, tungsten and cobalt were being mined - were raided.

The Farc and the government have been in peace talks for the last two years.

“It is the cleanest and hardest blow in more than a decade, possibly one of the biggest in history, against illegal mining,” said Mr Pinzon.

“This operation prevented the Farc from getting its

Operation Anostomus against illegal mining was launched in the jungles of the departments of Guainia and Vichada.

hands on 20bn pesos (about $8m) he added.

The operation involved more than 600 troops, police and magistrates in several regions of southern and eastern Colombia where guerrilla groups and criminal gangs are active.

Many of the mines were operating within indigenous reservations.

Among those arrested were 12 Farc guerrillas and five foreign nationals, including four Brazilians and a Venezuelan.

President Juan Manuel Santos has said that he believes mining is a substitute for Farc’s falling drug profits.

The organisation had become a major farmer, refiner and illegal exporter of coca and cocaine by the 1990s,

with ties to international groups and markets.

The vast sums of money it earned from the trade financed its dramatic military expansion.

But now after a decade of heavy military pressure from the Colombian military, Farc is much reduced.

In recent years criminal gangs have emerged and moved in to take over drug-trafficking operations previously run by the paramilitaries.

The Colombian government says these criminal bands, which it calls “Bacrims”, are now a major threat.

Control of the drug trade as a whole has also shifted to Central America and Mexico.

PM makes election Phone found in prisoner’s campaign promise of rectum prompts increased $100 homes cavity search in St Lucia

(Trinidad Guardian) PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says citizens who have been renting Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) units for more than 30 years will be allowed to purchase those houses for a mere $100 if the People’s Partnership gets a second term in office.

She also promised to regularise some 30,000 squatters as she unveiled what she said would be some of the party’s policy plans for the future during the United National Congress’ Monday Night Forum at the Diego Martin North Secondary School last night.

Noting that she may be attacked by the Opposition for the policies, she said: “And they will say Kamla come here with election promise to give away but I tell you, I know what it is like.”

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is embraced by a young supporter upon her arrival at the UNC’s Monday Night Forum at the Diego Martin North Secondary School, last evening. Photo: JEFF MAYERS

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – PRISON authorities here are planning more cavity search of inmates, after discovering a cellphone hidden in a prisoner’s rectum.

The prisoner has been identified as Alvin Emmanuel of the east coast village of Dennery, who was serving a three year sentence.

The device was recovered after prison authorities, acting on information, took Emmanuel to Hospital where medical officials retrieved the Blackberry telephone.

On the same day prison officials, reported recovering what appeared to be marijuana that had been concealed under the foreskin of

Union warns of islandwide shutdown if gov’t does not improve wage offer THE Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) says the government risks an islandwide shutdown if it maintains its current wage offer and unions could commit suicide if they accept.

The Government has offered a five per cent increase in basic wages and minister with responsibility for public service Horace Dalley says the government can do no better.

However, Chairman of the JCTU’s Public Sector

Committee, Keith Comrie, says Dalley’s statement is irresponsible.

He adds that the Government has started the process wrongly by making an offer it knows unions will never accept.

Meanwhile, he says the low offer from the Government and the tardiness by some unions in submitting claims will cause the negotiation process to be drawn out.

Comrie says he does not expect a new wage agreement until August.

another prisoner, identified as Francis James, who was serving six months for praedial larceny.

Earlier this year officials of the Bordelais Correctional Facility displayed a major collection of contraband items which it said had been seized by prison authorities from inmates over the past year.

The stash included 452 make shift weapons, over 1000 mobile cellphones, thirty pounds of marijuana and 350 lighters.

Prison officials said most of the items were thrown over the prison walls to be collected later by imprisoned gang members.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

EDITORIAL

GUYANA

For love of family, home and country Ambassadorial envoys, observer teams are all urging that the elections results should be accepted and respected.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), through Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, mounted a 10-member CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to observe the General and Regional Elections of Guyana on Monday 11 May, 2015.

This Mission was headed by Mr Earl Simpson, Deputy Director of Elections, Electoral Office, Jamaica; and Ms Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Boundaries Department, Belize, with other members of the mission comprising officials from the CARICOM Member States of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago.

On Election Day, the team visited a total of

224 polling stations within 87 polling places in Regions 4, 6 and 10.

According to an interim statement from the Mission, excerpted as follows, in the majority of cases, the political party agents of the PPP/C and APNU + AFC were present. The various signage and instructions to the electors were posted.

Election Staff carried out the opening of the poll procedures as instructed. All polling stations that they observed opened at 6:00 hrs with lines of enthusiastic voters present.

Their findings revealed that at the polling stations they visited they observed that the polling station staff was properly trained in the execution of their duties. In addition, they were courteous and provided assistance to incapacitated voters. They informed voters of the voting process in an impartial and transparent manner. The voting process was conducted according to the procedures and guidelines outlined by GECOM. They observed that, at 6:00 pm, the polling station staff declared the polling

station closed and that they conducted the close of poll in accordance with the procedures and guidelines outlined by GECOM. After the close of poll procedures, the ballot boxes were opened in the presence of the political party agents and observers and the ballots were counted.

Again, the polling station staff followed procedures and guidelines outlined by GECOM. The results of the count were recorded on the Statement of Poll. All parties present signed the document and copies were given to the political party agents and posted at the entrance of the polling stations.

They concluded that the voting process was transparent, free and fair, that the secrecy of the ballot was protected and respected, and urged that the results will be accepted and respected.

British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, has commended GECOM for the successful completion of voting in Guyana’s general and regional elections on 11 May and is urging all

parties and their supporters to have patience and give the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) the space and respect it needs to accurately tally the votes.

He is also encouraging all Guyanese, and their political leaders, to avoid any actions which could lead to violence. Stressing that he deplores election-related violence that has taken place, he advised that all stakeholders do what they can to promote reconciliation and a peaceful conclusion to the electoral process.

This call was reiterated by the U.S. Embassy, which has extended congratulations to the Guyanese people on the democratic process that they observed in last Monday’s elections.

The release stated in part, “The Guyana Elections Commission has once again done a credible job in ensuring that this critical election day phase of the process was free and fair.

It dealt effectively with the challenges posed by high voter turnout and community exuberance in a manner that has ensured the integrity of the vote. We would

like to congratulate Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and the Commissioners and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission for their successful organisation of these polls.”

The US Embassy is also calling on all Guyanese to remain patient and to avoid any actions that could provoke conflict or violence.

They expressed the hope “… that political leaders on all sides will remain proactively engaged with their respective supporters in order to promote calm and reconciliation. When the final tally is known, we call on all political parties to accept the ultimate results, to encourage their supporters to do the same, and to resolve any outstanding disputes through the established judicial process.”

Similar sentiments are being expressed from various individuals and bodies nationally, regionally, and internationally.

The eyes of the world are on Guyana. Our maturity as a nation is being tested through our actions and reactions during this election. We will be judged on the world stage by an audience that has expanded through the sophistication

of modern communication technologies. Already our image has been sullied somewhat, but this can be rectified if we pull together as a united nation with one common destiny in this land we all call home and put the good of this home, and the welfare of our families, individually and collectively, before any other consideration.

Recourse to any other consideration that will impel aggressive and destructive actions in our country against our fellow citizens will cause inestimable losses, because violent episodes in any dynamic bodes ill for everyone.

Differences there will always be, but ours is a democratic country and our freedom was dearly won. With this freedom comes the responsibility not to transgress against the right of anyone. The right for everyone to exercise their franchise in an atmosphere that is free and fair and free from fear should be zealously guarded, because these rights were not gifts, but won by the freedom fighters of the nation.

Disappointing silence by local press over my latest novel

I KNOW the election is in everyone’s mind these days, but the fever will soon cool down and you’ll move on to other subjects, so….

This week my cousin Rod Westmaas sent me a photo he’d taken of my two books, Of Marriageable Age and The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q (TSFODQ), piled up in Austin’s Book Shop. I was delighted, since Mr Austin must have gone

to a lot of trouble and expense to get these books to Guyana.

I am, however, rather disappointed that none of the newspapers in Guyana has bothered to review my latest novel, The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q. I spent over 10 years struggling to get a British or American publisher to take on one of my Guyana books – i.e, books with Guyana as a setting and

Guyanese characters.

Always I was told that Guyana is not interesting to British or American readers; it’s too small and people have never even heard of it. Still, I struggled on, writing Guyana book after Guyana book – I now have four exclusively Guyanese unpublished novels on my hard drive!

Finally I found a small British publisher who felt

confident enough to publish them, and TSFODG was published in January. But only silence in my home country. This is really disappointing! I did inform all the newspapers when the book was first released, but there was no reaction.

In the meantime, The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q is selling well in the UK and is making its way in the US. It has some wonderful five-

star reviews on Amazon, on Goodreads, and on various book blogs. Readers are saying how much they enjoy learning about Guyana – yet still, silence from Guyana itself.

One of the reviewers is a Guyanese, Evan Philips, who grew up in Kingston in the 50s and 60s and loved the book. I got in touch with Evan and he says he will re-write the review with

a Guyanese slant for the Guyana media. You can see his review on Amazon.com.

So, now I’m trying to find out which of the Guyanese papers will publish this review, which he’ll be writing over the next few days. This letter is going to all the papers. If you are interested, please let me know!

SHARON MAAS

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Carter Center urges political parties to act responsibly -- as nation awaits official declaration of election results

By Tajeram Mohabir AS the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) continues tabulating results of the Regional and General Elections, The Carter Center is urging the major political parties and their leaders to act responsibly.

Dame Audrey Glover of the United Kingdom, a co-leader in the Carter Center Mission here monitoring the elections, speaking at a press briefing at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday, called for patience among the parties’supporters.

She urged that the process proceed to its conclusion, reflecting the dignity that their constituents displayed on Election Day. On Monday, she said, Guyanese turned out in large numbers to cast their votes in what is probably the most important election since the watershed elections of 1992.

Guyanese voters waited patiently in long lines from early in the morning until into the evening.

All across the country, thousands of dedicated poll workers, party agents, and officials of GECOM served with honesty, integrity, and professionalism, she said.

“GECOM officials and poll workers are to be commended for these efforts.All Guyanese should be proud of what transpired on Election Day. This is especially true because their efforts took place in an atmosphere of tension and anxiety that, unfortunately, was generated

Dame Audrey Glover by key political leaders who played on fears during the electoral process.

RUMOURS “Rumours and allegations of provocative confrontations between ruling and opposition supporters swirled throughout Election Day. On closer inspection by international observers, most issues, with only a few exceptions, turned out to be largely unfounded or easily explained. In spite of such attempts to sow discord, Guyanese generally remained calm, cast ballots, and retired for the evening while their votes were counted and transmitted to GECOM throughout the night,” the senior official of The Carter Centre observed.

On Election Day, Carter Centre observers visited 297 polling stations in all 10 re-

gions, or about 13 percent of the total stations, providing a relatively high degree of observation coverage.

Carter Centre observers witnessed opening, polling, closing, and counting procedures in all areas. In addition, the centre’s teams are currently in nine of the 10 regions to observe the work of GECOM returning officers.

Dame Audrey Glover said overall, The Carter Centre observers reported a generally calm and peaceful atmosphere throughout Election Day. POSITIVE The implementation of procedures, she said, was rated positively at all stations observed during the polling period, and no major irregularities were reported.

There was a strong pres-

Jason ence of political party agents at polling stations visited, the envoy said, pointing out that A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) agents were at more than 91 percent of stations visited.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) agents were also active, being at more than 90 percent of the stations visited.

The observers found a positive environment in almost all polling stations.

Carter Center observers reported a positive overall assessment of the electoral process and environment at 98 percent of stations visited.

During the counting process, statements of poll were completed according to procedures in polling stations visited, and party agents and domestic observers were invited to sign and received copies of the results, the ob-

Calder servers noted.

But they also observed tension along party lines in a few areas, which may have contributed to the delay in transferring electoral materials and processing results.

“GECOM and the police coordinated a response to these issues that improved the transfer of materials,” Dame Audrey Glover said.

She said while Guyana has an abundance of resources, rivers, forests, and mines, its greatest resource, however, is its people.

But neither the Guyanese people nor the country as a whole has been able to develop to their/its full potential because of the political mobilisation of ethnic and racial differences by the main political parties.

RIGHTFUL PLACE “The Carter Centre sincerely hopes that now that

the people have expressed their will peacefully and with dignity, Guyana’s political leaders will assume their responsibilities and respective roles as the next Government and Opposition, and will make a great effort to unify the country and strengthen accountability so that Guyana can grow and develop to take its rightful place in the world,” Dame Audrey Glover said.

Jason Calder, Assistant Director from The Carter Centre’s Global Development Initiative, said although former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had to leave Guyana before Election Day, he was able to meet with key political leaders and other members of Guyanese society.

“Guyana and its people hold a special place in my heart, and I would like to thank them for the well wishes they expressed for me,” Carter said.

“I had a bad cold, and am feeling much better now.

Democratic elections have winners and losers, and it is important for politicians to display leadership and magnanimity as Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Cheddi Jagan did at key moments in the past. I believe that the people of Guyana — especially its youth — want a future based on an inclusive, democratic society that benefits all Guyanese,”Calder quoted the former US President as saying.

The Carter Centre plans to remain engaged in the immediate post-elections period.

President Ramotar says...

APNU+AFC continues to ‘compromise elections’ DECLARATIONS of a win at the just concluded May 11 polls by the leadership of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) have been deemed as “reckless” by incumbent President Donald Ramotar.

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic presidential candidate, at a news conference held yesterday at Freedom House, charged that the assertion is part of a continuous trend by the opposition

President Donald Ramotar to compromise the May 11 elections.

APNU+AFC presidential candidate, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, yesterday disclosed that after counting from 2,025 statements of poll, APNU+AFC has won 182,176 votes compared to 157,947 by the PPP/C. As such, his contention is that the APNU+AFC holds a commanding lead that will be “difficult to close.”

But President Ramotar remains adamant: “Their irresponsible declaration creates a dangerous situation, given that GECOM (Guyana

Elections Commission) is yet to announce the official results.”

He underscored the fact that GECOM is the only authority to make such declarations; and, unlike APNU+AFC, the PPP/C has remained “sensible and responsible” in disclosures made regarding results of the May 11 polls.

Mr Ramotar contends that the leadership of the political opposition erred in disclosing a win before the official results have been announced, particularly given

existing tensions.

He explained that the PPP/C itself has done its own counting in 2,213 of the 2,299 polling stations, and its internal tabulations to date have indicated that that party has support in at least six of the 10 administrative regions, with 182,664 votes.

“I am not declaring a victory,” Mr Ramotar stressed.

He declined to “speculate” on what the end result of the 2015 General and Regional Elections would be. “I have an idea

of where we are, but I will not make that disclosure,” the PPP/C presidential candidate said.

C o n s e q u e n t l y, M r Ramotar has called on GECOM, as well as electoral observer missions on the ground, to condemn the actions of APNU+AFC. All considered, the PPP/C presidential candidate made it clear he remains confident that his party would be declared successful in securing a mandate from the Guyanese people.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

In wake of Opposition’s ‘victory’ claims...

Surujbally says GECOM ‘the only authority’ to declare election win - Jagdeo says APNU+AFC betrayed ‘gentleman’s agreement’

By Vanessa Narine “ANYONE coming out with statements saying his party has won is playing a dangerous game, and is not to be taken seriously,” says Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally.

Speaking at a news conference at the GECOM Command Centre on High Street, Kingston, Dr Surujbally said: “I want to remind you, as I have before, only GECOM can make that legitimate announcement relative to who has won; it seems not to be getting over to certain people; seems like they don’t read it, or they don’t understand what we have said.”

Dr Surujbally’s comments comes in the wake of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) taking to social media to announce DR BHARRAT a win in the 2015 General JAGDEO and Regional Elections.

A statement made public on the party’s Facebook Page, ‘APNU Guyana’, declares: “A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change are confident that the Coalition has conducted a vertically integrated campaign, and our internal monitoring has indicated that we have won these elections, and the people of Guyana have spoken definitively for change.”

Also, at a press conference yesterday, presidential candidate, David Granger said that after counting from 2,025 statements of poll, the political opposition has won 182,176 votes, compared to 157,947 by the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC). “It is a commanding lead that we feel will be difficult to close,” he said.

APNU+AFC also called for GECOM to use its best efforts to provide a timely declaration of the results to put the nation at rest.

The GECOM Chairman made it clear that the Commission is the only authority reposed with the authority to declare the election results.

“We will not work outside the ambit of the law; and if it takes time to get the law, the nation has to have patience,” he said, adding: “…I urge all Guyanese and stakeholders to practise patience, and to allow GECOM to now do their work to deliver the official results. It is important to remember that the only official results are those that are tabulated and issued by the designated official

valid by the citizenry.

“GECOM wishes to advise the public that only official elections results announced by GECOM are to be accepted. Any other claims to results would be spurious and unofficial. GECOM is also calling on all individuals and/or groups purporting to conduct exit polls and announcing their ‘findings’, to desist from this potentially dangerous and reckless practice, since their utterings may serve to stir unrest and create further uneasiness in an environment which is already tense.

“Moreover, extant electoral laws and guidelines mandate only GECOM as the sole legal authority to announce official election results in Guyana. In addition, it must be recognized that while there may be no specific Laws making Exit Polling an offence, there are Laws relating to the molestation of voters entering and exiting Polling Stations.”

APNU+AFC BETRAYAL

DR. STEVE SURUJBALLY

BRIGADIER (RTD) DAVID GRANGER

elections body, GECOM.” Dr Surujbally also repeated earlier appeals for patience from the Guyanese people and stakeholders in the electoral process.

“If it takes time to get the results, you must have patience; the nation must have patience,” he insisted.

SECOND APPEAL Notable is that yesterday’s comments by Dr Surujbally marks a repeated appeal for stakeholders in the electoral process not to make declarations on final results.

GECOM, in a prior statement, said, “The duty of declaring the final official results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections rests exclusively with the Guyana Elections Commission. Any other information provided by any source(s) other than GECOM must not be considered as legitimate or

Meanwhile, former president, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, at an early-morning press conference yesterday, charged APNU+AFC with betraying a “gentleman’s agreement” not to make declarations of a win in the absence of official word from GECOM. He surmised that the political opposition’s declaration coincides with efforts by APNU+AFC to undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

Dr. Jagdeo acknowledged that APNU+AFC has indicated that Guyana is at an unsatisfactory stage of the electoral process. “They have called for alacrity from GECOM when they are the problem,” he declared.

The former President expressed the hope that APNU+AFC is not setting the stage for additional upsets by calling for supporters to guard votes, thereby creating a ruse to say that ballots were under threat, deal with the resultant impacts of fear and intimidation, say that results are late, declare a win and then questioning the results when they are finally declared.

Notable is that GECOM has given all assurance that all the Statements of Poll (SoPs) and ballot boxes are safely in the custody of GECOM personnel.

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Preliminary results in from three regions - 71.5 per cent voter turnout reported

By Vanessa Narine OUT of a total of 570,787 registered voters and some 2,299 polling stations, the votes of 29,505 voters at 114 polling stations in Regions 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica), 5 (Mahaica/ Berbice) and 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) have been processed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the General elections.

On the question of regional elections, the votes of 33,786 voters at 129 polling stations in electoral districts 4, 5 and 6 have been processed.

There are some 1,423 polling stations in the three regions from which Statements of Poll were transmitted.

Consequently, A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) is currently leading with 13,867 votes in the general elections, and 13,989 in regional elections.

The political opposition’s stronghold support in Region 4 is being credited for its pull ahead of the other contesting political parties.

The ruling People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has managed to secure 7,070 votes in the general elections, and 9,930 in regional elections.

The United Force (TUF) took 21 votes in the general elections and 36 in regional elections; while the United Republican Party (URP) secured 11 and 66 votes in the general and regional polls respectively. The National Independence Party (NIP) received the support of 13 in the general elections alone, while the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HTNT) secured 29 votes in the regional polls. The Independent Party (IP) took home 19 votes in the general elections and the Organisation for the Victory of the People (OVP) secured 46 votes in the regional elections.

Altogether, eight political parties contested the 2015 General and Regional elections.

The voter turnout, according to GECOM’s numbers, average at 71.5 per cent.

These preliminary numbers, reflected in the Statements of Polls that have been verified by GECOM Commissioners and then processed for release, reflect the most recent tallies released to the media yesterday.

STILL TO COME According to GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Mr Keith Lowenfield SoPs - relative to the General and

Regional elections – from Regions 1 (Barima/ Waini), 2 (Pomeroon /Supenaam), 3 and parts of Region 4 are still to be transmitted to him at the GECOM’s Command Centre, High Street, Kingston.

SoPs from Regions 7 (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni), 8 (Potaro/ Siparuni), 9 (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo), and 10 (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice), as well as sections of Region 6 are also to be transmitted to the CEO. According to Lowenfield several challenges, including

to be made.

“We will continue to provide results as we receive them,” the Chief Elections Officer assured, adding that over 1,800 statements were in GECOM’s possession as of last night.

NEED FOR REVIEW Meanwhile, the GECOM Chairman, who also made comments during yesterday’s media engagement, plugged the need for a review of Guyana’s electoral system, related legal

GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally (Photos by Adrian Narine)

GECOM CEO, Mr Keith Lowenfield

the weather, prevented the transmission of the Statements of Poll from the hinterland regions, Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9, as well as some parts of 10.

He added that in all three regions SoPs had to be sent back to the Returning Officers of the polling stations for corrections

framework and the use of technology.

However, all considered, he committed that the Commission will follow the letter of the law. “The law tells us which steps we must take, before the CEO is given the greenlight to make pronouncements (on the elections results),” he declared.

The next release of updated preliminary numbers is expected today.

Elections were free ...

From page 3

other organisation should not be considered valid results.

We must give GECOM the time to come to that result.

And once that result is done, everybody needs to accept that result,” he said.

Gregory pointed out that persons who have problems with the results and the process should follow the judicial process in addressing their grievances.

“Everyone must accept the results, what this country needs is what this country wants -- a government that can represent everybody here. So I hope that all the leaders of all the political parties will do what they can to encourage their supporters to accept that result and work through the process.”

On Elections Day, the US had 69 international observers, who visited nine regions, monitoring in total 900 polling stations.

US Charge d’Affaires Brian Hunt reported that there was no irregularity in the polling process, contending that, “What Guyana had yesterday (Monday) was a free and fair and cred-

ible polling process.”

EXERCISE PATIENCE The electorate is waiting for the results to be tallied, and Hunt is asking everyone to exercise patience.

“You have a painstaking process that is designed primarily to give you credibility in the results when the chairman certifies them to the Guyanese people. We want the results here to be credible. Our observers as we speak now are watching at each of the returning officers as the votes are being tabulated, watching at the GECOM central tabulation centre at headquarters and they are going to be there until the time when the work is finished and the chairman issues his final statement of results.”

But for now, he said, the watchword is patience, as he expressed hope that all the political parties and their supporters will accept the final results from GECOM. “What we hope to see is a process where everything

remains calm, everything remains peaceful and everyone works towards political reconciliation among the Guyanese people so that when the next government does take office, they are able to move forward with an agenda that represents the needs of all the people of Guyana and works in the best interest of all the people of Guyana,” Hunt said.

The PSC collaborated with several overseas observers to monitor the elections on Monday.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Ramesh Persaud praised the dedication of the staff at GECOM and also commended GECOM for an excellent job in managing the process on Monday.

While there have been some hiccups, Persaud said the commission has found nothing material to affect the outcome of the results.

“We believe that once GECOM would have pronounced on the results, it would have been an accurate result,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Elections results should be accepted, respected - urges CARICOM Election Observer Mission

ACTING on an invitation received from the Government of Guyana, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), through the Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, mounted a 10-member CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to observe the General and Regional Elections of Guyana on Monday, 11 May, 2015.

The CEOM was headed by Mr Earl Simpson, Deputy Director of Elections, Electoral Office, Jamaica; and Ms Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Boundaries Department, Belize.

Other Members of the Mission comprised officials from the following Member States:Antigua and Barbuda; The Bahamas; Barbados; Dominica; Saint Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; and Trinidad & Tobago.

The Chief and Deputy Chief of Mission arrived in Guyana on Wednesday, 6 May, 2015 and the remaining team members arrived on Friday, 8 May, 2015.

The Chief and Deputy Chief of Mission held meetings with several stakeholders in the Guyanese society, which included – the President, His Excellency Mr. Donald Ramotar; the Commissioner of Police; Guyana Electoral Commission (GECOM); the Private Sector Commission; the Guyana Human Rights Commission; the Guyana Trade Union Congress; the Guyana Public Service Union; and Political Stakeholders contesting the elections.

The Chief and Deputy Chief of Mission also attended meetings of all local and international observer groups that fielded teams in the elections.

Members of the team who arrived on 8 May, 2015 were fully briefed by the Chief and Deputy Chief of Mission on Saturday, 9 May, 2015. Later that evening, the full team was able to attend a political meeting to get a sense of the political atmosphere on the ground.

We are not aware, and neither have we been informed of any major election-related violence during the campaign period.

DEPLOYMENT OF TEAMS On Election Day, team members were deployed to observe the elections in Regions 4, 6 and 10. The team visited a total of 224 polling stations within 87 polling places.

OPENING OF THE POLL Our team members arrived at the polling stations at approximately 5:00 a.m. to observe the openingof-the-poll process. From our observation, there was adequate police presence at the locations. The polling station staff arrived on time with all the necessary election supplies for the conduct of the poll.

In the majority of cases, the political party agents of the PPP/C and APNU + AFC were present. The

various signage and instructions to the electors were posted. Election Staff carried out the opening of the poll procedures as instructed. All polling stations we observed opened at 6:00 hrs with lines of enthusiastic voters present.

the document and copies were given to the political party agents and posted at the entrance of the polling stations.

OVERALL IMPRESSION At the polling places and polling stations we visitVOTING PROCESS ed, electors were able to exercise their franchise in a At the polling stations that we visited, we observed peaceful and orderly manner, and without incidents. that the polling station staff was properly trained in We observed no signs of intimidation, harassment, or the execution of their duties. In addition, they were campaigning to influence or obstruct the democratic courteous, and provided assistance to incapacitated process. The election staff performed their duties exvoters. They informed voters of the voting process tremely well and commendations are in order. The police were able to regulate the flow into the polling stations and ensured that the lines remained orderly.

They were quite professional in their interaction with the polling station staff, electors and the various political stakeholders.

The voting process was transparent, free and fair.

The secrecy of the ballot was protected and respected.

We wish to congratulate the Guyana Electoral Commission for its adminChief of the CARICOM Election Observation Mission and Deputy Director of istration of the electoral Elections, Electoral Office, Jamaica Mr. Earl Simpson (right) and Deputy Chief of process, the political parMission, Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Boundaries Department, Belize, ties and their representaMs Josephine Tamai tives for the peaceful and orderly manner in which in an impartial and transparent manner. The voting they conducted themselves on Election Day. process was conducted according to the procedures We want to extend our sincere appreciation and and guidelines outlined by GECOM. heartfelt thanks to the Secretary-General of CARICOM and his Staff for inviting us to participate in CLOSE OF POLL this Mission, and for providing expertise and support The team identified polling stations to observe for us to fulfil our mandate. the closing of the poll. We arrived at these polling stations approximately one hour before the polls CONCLUSION were scheduled to be closed. At 6:00 pm, the polling In our view, the conduct of the Poll should result station staff declared the polling station closed, and in the expression of the will of the people of Guyana. we observed that they conducted the close of poll in It is our hope that the results will be accepted and accordance with the procedures and guidelines out- respected. lined by GECOM. This Interim Statement is meant to provide an initial assessment as we observed the election proCOUNTING OF BALLOTS cess. In the coming weeks, a final report will be After the close of poll procedures, the ballot box- submitted to the Secretary General of CARICOM es were opened in the presence of the political party setting out our findings and recommendations. agents and observers, and the ballots were counted.

Again, the polling station staff followed procedures MR. EARL SIMPSON and guidelines outlined by GECOM. Chief of Mission The results of the count were recorded on the CARICOM Election Observation Mission Statement of the Poll. All parties present signed 12 May 2015

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Leaders of small parties optimistic of doing well - Nadir frowns upon stoking of tension by some

By Tajeram Mohabir WHILE the major parties, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) were the focus on Elections Day, the leaders of the small parties contesting the elections also cast their ballots, but silently.

The Guyana Chronicle was unable to speak with the leaders of all six of the small parties, but those who spoke with us expressed optimism of a decent showing at the polls.

Leader of The United Force (TUF), Marissa Nadir, said she remains confident that her party will regain a presence in Parliament when the results of the elections are declared.

The TUF is hoping to win at least one seat in the House, and Nadir said based on the support it has received from youths and women on the campaign trail, it is confident that it will achieve this goal.

The young TUF leader, an attorney-at-law by profession, who voted early in the morning, said the process went smoothly and more efficiently compared to the last elections.

But she expressed disappointment with political activists who took their supporters to polling stations, many of whom made reckless statements, casting aspersions on the electoral process and contributing to tension in the country.

This, she said, should have been avoided. Another earlymorning voter was leader of United Republican Party (URP), Vishnu Bandhu. He told this publication that he is confident that his party will win two to three seats in Parliament and he is patiently awaiting the results.

According to Bandhu, he is putting his trust on the “overwhelming” support he received from persons who are dissatisfied with the PPP/C, APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Ras Leon Saul, of the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HNTP), is expecting a landslide support in Region 4, where the party is contesting. But, he said, whichever of the two major parties wins, the election should adopt a system of inclusive governance. In this model, he believes the views of every section of society will be heard and given full attention.

Leader of the Independent Party, Mark Benschop, declined to offer a comment to the Guyana Chronicle. This publication was unable to get comments from National Independence Party (NIP) leader, Attorney-at-Law Sapphier Hussain, and leader of The Organisation for the Victory of the People (OVP), Gerald Pereira.

PPP/C has grounds for optimism, positive outlook for victory HIS Excellency President Donald Ramotar, in an invited comment to the media yesterday, has expressed optimism about the outcome of the results of the May 11, 2015 Elections for the PPP/C. “Our team, in tallying the statements of poll, is concluding that there are grounds for optimism and a positive outlook for a PPP/C Victory.”

The President urges the Guyana Elections Commission to execute its mandate to ensure timely and accurate results.

“We further urge the PPP/C supporters and PRESIDENT the Guyanese public as DONALD RAMOTAR a whole not to be misled nor provoked by the Opposition and their agents in derailing the results announcement process,” the President commented.

Leader of The United Force (TUF) Marissa Nadir after casting her ballot Monday This election has seen a larger turnout compared to those in recent years. The election results are expected to be released today, and all major stakeholders and the foreign observer groups have called for peace, and for the results to be accepted by all the political parties.

After the Polls: A Time for Patience - an appeal from the U.S. Embassy GEORGETOWN –– The U.S. Embassy congratulates the Guyanese people on the democratic process that we observed in Monday’s elections. It was heartening to witness the enthusiasm with which Guyanese voters participated in the electoral process, which will ultimately choose their next government.

The Guyana Elections Commission has once again done a credible job in ensuring that this critical election day phase of the process was free and fair.

It dealt effectively with the challenges posed by high voter turnout and com-

President Ramotar...

munity exuberance in a manner that has ensured the integrity of the vote. We would like to congratulate Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and the Commissioners and staff of the Guyana Elections Commission for their successful organisation of these polls.

The Guyana Elections Commission is now faced with the equally complex task of tallying the results of Monday’s vote. This process is certain to take some time, but we are confident that it will be done accurately and in accordance with Guyanese law.

As we all await the final announcement of results, the U.S. Embassy urges all Guyanese to remain patient, and to avoid any actions that could provoke conflict or violence. It is our hope that political leaders on all sides will remain proactively engaged with their respective supporters in order to promote calm and reconciliation.

When the final tally is known, we call on all political parties to accept the ultimate results, to encourage their supporters to do the same, and to resolve any outstanding disputes through the established judicial process.

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn commends GECOM - and urges patience

I WELCOME the successful completion of voting in Guyana’s general and regional elections on 11 May. I now urge all parties and their supporters to have patience, and give the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) the space and respect it needs to accurately tally the votes.

As only GECOM is mandated to announce the election outcome, any results from other sources should be treated with significant caution.

Now is the time for calm, and I encourage all Guyanese and their political leaders to avoid any actions which could lead to violence. I deplore any election-related violence that has taken place, and once again urge all to British High do what they can to proCommissioner, mote reconciliation, and a Greg Quinn peaceful conclusion to the electoral process.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend, once again, the work of GECOM and the Guyanese authorities in conducting these elections.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

OAS lauds high voter turnout WHAT has been described as a higher voter turnout at this year’s recently concluded General and Regional elections as compared to that of 2011, has been lauded by the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Led by Belizean Senator, Lisa Shoman, the observer mission sought to congratulate Guyanese for their participation in the electoral process which was recorded to have a high voter turnout.

Comprising a team of 22 observers from 13 countries, the OAS was present from the opening of the polls up to the counting of the votes in all 10 administrative regions of the country, visiting a total of 379 polling stations on Election Day. Furthermore, the team hinted at their intention to remain in place until the final results are tallied, after which they will make a public report once the official results are announced.

Additionally, in a statement released yesterday, the Mission underscored the “significant improvements” made by Guyana’s elections regulatory body, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), since 2011 to plan and prepare for the 2015 electoral process, specifically in the areas of transparency, logistics and inclusiveness of political parties in the process.

“The Observation Mission highlights the extraordinary commitment of presiding officers, returning officers, poll clerks, party agents and security officials in the exercise of their duties and commends voters for their determination to fulfill their civic responsibility, despite facing long lines in some cases” the statement added.

However, the mission has expressed their concern over the “reported incidents of violence” in some areas, which temporarily affected the planned progress of the tabulation exercise.

To this end, based on the observations and information gathered by direct observations of the OAS team, as well as in meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, the mission offered a series of preliminary findings aimed with the purpose of strengthening

the electoral system in Guyana.

Firstly, they noted that while the process of transmitting results in Guyana contains safeguards to reinforce the accuracy of the electoral outcome, the manual nature of the process is inherently time-consuming. To rectify this, the mission recommended that GECOM consider the implementation of a system to issue preliminary results for national elections. The use of technology they said, might serve to defuse tension and avoid incidents of violence on election night.

Secondly, after hearing from a “wide variety” of stakeholders that access to state media was not provided to all political parties on an equal basis, the mission recommended that consideration be given to regulation that promotes equitable access to all contenders in the electoral process.

“At the same time, the Mission wishes to recognize the work of the Media Monitoring Unit in highlighting the disparity in coverage by media during the political campaign” they added.

Next was the issue of the “tone of the political debate” leading up to Election Day. Political parties were urged to “build a constructive dialogue based on programmatic actions” that benefit the Guyanese people and avoid aggressive personal disqualifications.

Noting that Guyana benefits from the house-tohouse voter verification exercise which is conducted in the presence of party scrutinizers as well as from the pre-electoral claims and objections process, the mission observed from discussion with stakeholders that there were concerns related to a 20% increase in the number of voters. As such, the Mission observed the lack of a timely procedure for cleansing and updating the voter registry.

“With regard to political financing, the OAS/EOM observed that while a legal framework already exists, there is the clear need to revise and modernize aspects of the law which are obsolete and which allows violations and non-compliance with few sanctions. Additionally, in order to promote equity in the electoral process, the Mission recommends the consideration of some form of state funding for political parties”

the OAS advised.

The mission then commended GECOM’s effective enforcement of the gender quota of political parties in the pre-electoral process. This praise follows the fact that the mission observed a significant presence of women throughout the electoral process as poll workers, party agents and candidates.

“Guyana is the only country in the anglophone Caribbean with a gender quota, which requires that candidate lists be composed of at least 33% of women, on both the national top-up and geographic levels. As we await the final electoral results, the OAS/EOM calls on all political parties to respect that percentage established in the actual allocation of the seats” they said.

Another recommendation was made for the introduction of a standardized process that will allow the verification of at least one or two additional voters while one voter is casting his/her ballot. This suggestion was made to combat the issue of having long lines of voters waiting to cast their ballots on Election Day. Furthermore, the Mission recommends the consideration of special measures to facilitate the access of disabled people and the elderly to polling stations.

In concluding, the Mission reiterated to the political parties and citizens of Guyana that the only official source of election results is GECOM. They urge all stakeholders to respect the will of the Guyanese people by waiting until the tabulation process has concluded and the results are declared by GECOM after which the newly elected authorities will be sworn in.

To this end, the OAS Mission seized the opportunity to thank the Government of Guyana for the invitation to observe this electoral process and to the Guyanese people for their warm welcome to their country. “In addition, the EOM thanks the governments of Canada, Chile, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain for their contributions that made this mission possible,” they said.

Joint Services urges citizens to remain calm - and maintain peace

CHAIRMAN of the Joint Services, Brigadier Mark Phillips, is urging all Guyanese to be calm.

“As the nation awaits the official results from the Guyana Elections Commission, I urge that all Guyanese remain calm. Do not allow yourselves to be provoked and do not give way to negative emotions and suggestions of negative occurrences,” Brigadier Phillips urged.

He underscored the fact that the Guyana Elections Commission is the only institution by which we can get the official results of the elections.

“I urge you to wait and be patient. When the final announcement is made, I urge that all demonstrate maturity and let good sense prevail by accepting the official results. We are all in this together and there is nothing to be gained by destroying our communities and harming each other. Progress and real development

Army Chief Brigadier Mark Phillips

will not come through violence!”

Brigadier Phillips also emphasised the role of the GDF in this period, as being in support of the Police.

“The GDF will be involved in various patrols in support of the Guyana Police Force with the intent to ensure stable, safe and secure communities across Guyana. I urge you to support our troops as they carry out their Constitutional tasks to keep you and your communities safe. You do not need to fear our troops. We are working to ensure your safety.

“We, like you, look forward to the eventual announcement of the final results from GECOM and we look forward to continuing to build this great nation of ours in partnership with you. As we wait, I pray God’s blessings on all citizens and our beloved nation,” Phillips urged.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

pickpocket life...

From page 2 entering the personal space of an individual.

This is not easy, as people tend to be on their guard if they are in a new environment and out in public.

Crowded places such as busy attractions are the perfect places for overcoming this personal barrier.

Professional pickpocket and entertainer, James Freedman, who has been consulted for his expertise by the Metropolitan Police, said high tourist attractions where people are looking up are popular, such as Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.

Ironically, places which have signs warning of pickpockets are common hunting grounds too, as people will instinctively check their pockets, which alerts thieves to exactly where their valuables are located.

HOW TO BEAT THE PICKPOCKETS 1: Place your wallet in your front pocket instead of the back. Using an elastic band around the wallet will prevent it from smoothly sliding out your pocket as well.

Consider taking a dummy wallet with you, as most thieves will not look for another, once they have found the first one. This can also work with a dummy old phone.

2: Spread your valuables instead of keeping them in one place.

If you are unlucky enough to be a victim of pickpocketing, and your ID, passport, cards and important documents are spread out, you will not lose everything in one go.

3: Do not accept food or drink from strangers who you've just met in hotels or on buses or trains.

4: Before travelling, research whether the destination is notorious for any particular scams. Embassy websites and Online travel forums are particularly good sources.

5: Carry a backup ATM or credit card in case you lose your main card.

6: Females should consider sewing a pocket into their bras for valuables, as thieves are well aware of money belts, and know how to target them.

7: When sitting down, keep your bag looped through your leg, or under a chair leg to avoid someone making off with the whole bag.

8: Consider purchasing a slash-free bag to avoid pickpockets cutting into your belongings to extract valuables.

9: Don't draw attention to your belongings by letting pickpockets know where you are keeping each valuable.

10: Remain aware; pickpockets succeed by successfully misdirecting your attention; so be suspicious if someone tries to distract you during your day.

OTHER SCAMS TO BE AWARE OF 1: Fake wake-up call

According to Cheapflights.co.uk, one of the most popular travel scams is when guests are woken up by someone claiming to be from the front desk.

The person on the phone will often claim the internal computer system has crashed, and they require your credit card information again.

Sleep-addled guests have been known to provide their bank details, resulting in the scammer draining their accounts.

The scam has been known in places such as Georgia, US. HOW TO AVOID IT: Never give out bank details or any information over the phone and notify hotel staff and police immediately.

13 5: Corrupt policemen “Policemen pretend that tourists have broken the law and demand thinly-disguised bribes,” says Peter. “Unfortunately, this can happen anywhere with badly paid and corrupt cops.”

It happened to him in northern Mexico. On the way to the American border a policemen stopped them and engaged in conversation.

He spotted a pocket penknife and demanded what he called a 'quick fine' of $30 (£19). The fine was negotiated to $10 (£6.50) and the penknife was confiscated.

There are thousands of stories like this, but, unfortunately, there's little you can do to prevent it, save staying at home.

HOW TO AVOID IT: Being amenable, keeping your temper and try to talk your way out or around the situation.

2: Injured beggars Peter John, author of Around the World in 80 Scams: An Essential Travel Guide, warned in his book that many beggars fake injuries to get greater donations.

“Gangs of panhandlers prey on travellers' generosity,” wrote Peter.

“This is especially common in India, South America and south east Asia.”

Sometimes the injuries are real, with some horrific stories behind how they were received.

There goes his wallet In 2008, Pakistani police arrested a begging gang. An eight-year-old boy told them that one of the gang masters had broken his arm.

In such gangs, begging children would be forced to collect 6: Airline ticket refund ruse money, and then hand it over to gang masters, who would keep It is important to beware of cheap tickets and refundable them alive in return for the cash. schemes.

HOW TO AVOID IT: Instead of giving money, why not “Scammers advertise refundable airline tickets free on give the children food as a donation. sites like gumtree.com,” says Peter John.

“They sell them for cash (to you), and then get the money 3: Airport security they paid for the tickets refunded to their credit cards.”

Be aware in the airport of people stealing your valuables The result is that you end up with no ticket, and an airfare as you go through airport security. down; the scammer has your money as well as the cash they Once you have placed your laptop, phone and wallet on originally paid for the ticket refunded. the conveyor belt, someone will dash through in front of you with keys in their pocket.

During the delay, your belongings will have gone through the X-ray machine, and will be quickly taken by an accomplice on the other side.

The Kenyan police posted warnings about this scam on their website, and the US Federal Aviation Administration also mentions it.

HOW TO AVOID IT: Keep your belongings with you until just before you walk through security, and keep an eye on them after they are processed by the machine.

Uh-Oh!

4: Phony take-away menu No matter how hungry you are or late it is, watch out for fake menus. Once you've settled into your hotel room, a takeaway menu might be slipped under your door.

If you order from it, there's a strong chance you won't see any food but the person on the other end of the phone now has your card details and will be making a large withdrawal.

HOW TO AVOID IT: Eat in local restaurants, or order Eastern European gangs brazenly targeting victims in broad daylight on Paris from room service. streets by memorising pin codes

HOW TO AVOID IT: Buy tickets directly from airlines or first-hand through trusted websites.

7: Rosemary or bracelet seller Beware the lovely woman offering you a sprig of rosemary, or a bracelet which can symbolise good luck or friendship.

Next thing you know, she will be holding your hand and reading your fortune.

Once you accept the goods, or allow her to begin the fortune-telling spiel, she'll demand money in return; more and more loudly, until you are embarrassed into paying and fleeing.

Watch out in Madrid and New Delhi for this.

HOW TO AVOID IT: Walk swiftly in the opposite direction and do not show an interest in the products.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

PPP/C calls for recount in three regions

A CALL for a recount of votes in Regions 1 (Barima-Waini), 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) was made last night by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, confirmed this for the Guyana Chronicle late last night.

He disclosed that out of approximately 137 polling stations, the ruling party has, as is legally allowed, requested a recount of votes at approximately 90 polling stations.

“The party has every legal right to ask,” Dr Surujbally declared.

Meanwhile, another GECOM official told this newspaper that as at midnight, 99 per cent of all the Statements of Poll (SoPs) were delivered to the Commission’s Command Centre, High Street, Kingston.

The official disclosed that Commissioners worked

through the night, into the wee hours of the morning, to ensure that all the SoPs were acknowledged and forwarded to be processed and subsequently made public by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO).

“The Commissioners have been working at this doubly hard at this task,” the official said, adding when asked, “A recount should not delay the declaration of final results.”

According to this newspaper’s source, the PPP/C has a right to request a recount before and after the declaration of Returning Officers (ROs).

“From all indications it does not appear that the request for recount ought not to have an adverse effect on the timing of the delivery of the final country of GECOM,” the official said.

The GECOM source added that the call from the PPP/C lends credence to the charges of irregularities raised by the ruling party.

“It indeed lends credence to the charges of irregularities that occurred on Elections Day, challenges of

‘A recount should not delay the declaration of final results’ - GECOM official irregularities that resulted in the disenfranchisement of voters in those Regions, for example the issue of broken stamps, which resulted in a high number of ballots being rejected for want of an official mark,” the source said.

Other problems, according to the PPP/C, which were documented and forwarded to GECOM include: misdirection by some GECOM staffers who advised voters and the denial of proxy holders to use their proxies, among others. (Vanessa Narine)

Hitchhiking snakes of the Caribbean

By Rob Crossan

mous country within the kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba has become a picture postcard retreat for mainly American visitors who come to experience the vanilla sand beaches, cerulean waters and luxurious all-inclusive hotels.

But even the coastal hotels, far away from the wilderness of Arikok, have been visited by the boas in recent years. It turns out that these creatures have found a simple yet effective way to traverse the island. They hitchhike. "They love how

snake though.

"We couldn't believe how many snakes were being brought FOR A long time no-one could understand how Aruba's to us the first time we had a hunt day. One guy came in with a boa constrictors spread across the island so quickly. Then sack full of about 30 snakes - all were still alive. It's difficult they realised - the snakes could easily travel miles by hidfor me as I walk this park every day. I'm really scared of them. ing under car bonnets and hitching a lift.

I'm glad its not long until I can retire."

This might be the Caribbean of tourist dreams, but from Later that day, despite not having seen any snakes where I'm standing, there's not a rum punch or sun lounger during my walk with Robert, I decided to indulge in a in sight. Cacti, dense, sable brown scrub, more conventional Aruban tourist pursuit, immense boulders and the odd skittish goat namely taking a boat ride out to snorkel among surround me, in this arid landscape that the parrotfish and other tropical curiosities that looks like something more akin to Australia's swarm, dart and glide around the warm waters Northern Territory. off the Aruban coastline.

The fact that snakes - boa constrictors to But even here, it didn't take long for the subject be precise - are, according to my guide Robto return to the boa problem. ert, absolutely everywhere here in the Arikok Anthony, my skipper, with whom I was sailing National Park in Aruba, only compounds the on his bright red vessel named the Tranquilo, rumsense that this is no relaxing beach break in maged for his phone when I mentioned the walk in paradise. In fact I'm on a wild island, with Arikok I'd had that morning. an invasive species far more deadly than the "You have to see this film," he told me. And slew of cruise ship passengers meandering so, shielding the screen from the sun, I watched a around the myriad duty-free stores in the shakily-filmed piece of footage which showed an capital Oranjestad. understandably angry looking full-sized boa get "Somebody, back in the 90s, had some attacked and slowly killed by Anthony's three Jack boas as pets," Robert tells me as we continue Russell dogs. to walk through the park, the insistent Ca"I was just driving along a side road when the ribbean sun casting a piercing heat upon us. snake started crawling out of the engine and onto "They probably couldn't afford to feed them the bonnet," Anthony told me. "It was crazy. I A 5ft-long boa constrictor was found hiding in the engine of a Mini Cooper - fully grown boas need live chickens and pulled over, kicked the snake off the car onto the in Oxford, UK things like that. So this person just released ground and the dogs just went for it." them. And they seem to just love Aruba A dead snake does, of course, mean that Anthey're thriving here." warm car engines are," Robert tells me. "So they climb into thony failed to claim his US$10. And as for the boa, it would rikok National Park in Aruba them and end up getting driven all over the island." appear that he was one of the unlucky ones. For despite the With boas giving birth to live young - some 30 to 50 babies A 5ft-long boa constrictor was found hiding in the engine snake hunts, the reward money and the increasingly frenzied a year - it didn't take long for the snakes to multiply at a dizzy- of a Mini Cooper in Oxford, UK attempts by locals to rid Aruba of its new and unwanted vising rate, with devastating effects for the birdlife on the island.

The solution that the other park rangers have come up itors, the boas look likely to continue hitchhiking their way By some estimates, around 17,000 birds are devoured each with to tackle the problem is to announce sporadic National around the island for some time to come. year by the snakes. But what nobody could understand until Snake Hunt days.

"They're just good at adapting," Robert told me. "Far recently was just how the snakes were reaching the furthest "We give US$10 to anyone who can bring us a boa that's too good at it. We want everyone to love Aruba - but the corners of Aruba so quickly. still alive," I'm told. "Then we give them to the government boas are making themselves a little bit too much at home."

Since changing its status in 1986 to become an autono- and they destroy them. You don't get any money for a dead (BBC)

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Private sector voices concerns over Sophia incident

THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the envoys of Britain, Canada and the United States of America (USA) have added their voices to the unfortunate incident that unfolded in ‘C’ Field Sophia on Monday evening.

Their concerns and opinions were expressed at a press briefing in the boardroom of the PSC yesterday. Chairman of the PSC, Ramesh Persaud, along with Gerald “Gerry” Gouveia,Chairman of Governance and Security within the PSC, expressed their satisfaction about the response from the police as well as their dissatisfaction about the outcome of the incident.

Persaud stated that the incident transmitted fear to the business community, which led to the closing of most businesses yesterday. He added that it was all out of precaution and hope that the incident will not escalate further. In high spirits, he stated that the Guyana Police Force as well as the Guyana Defence Force are to be applauded for their diligent work.

Gouveia, on the other hand, endorsed Persaud’s sentiments as well as those of Canadian High Commissioner, Nicole Giles and British High Commissioner to Guyana, James Quinn and the US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires, Bryan Hunt.

In his remarks, Hunt underscored that the electoral system as well as the security system are intact, as was evident from the quick response by the police to the incident.

“The security forces did their job as they responded quickly, as well as the political parties’ leaders, which shows that the system worked the way it was ought to work,” lauded Hunt.

Meanwhile, Giles noted that the police response shows that the systems and processes worked and will undoubtedly continue to protect the integrity of the voting process during a difficult situation. She then stated that this is enough proof that one can have a certain level of confidence in this country.

Irregularities

Left: Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud along with Gerald “Gerry” Gouveia, Chairman of Governance and Security within the PSC and US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires, Bryan Hunt at the press briefing yesterday

At the briefing, questions were raised about irregularities or misdeeds during Monday’s proceedings, as well as hindrances faced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in delivering prompt results. Gouveia said that thus far, there have been rumours circulating, but no materials have reached the commission that would have led them to question the results.

“We did get reports and have responded to the rumours to verify what is happening, but they were not material enough to flaw the process of the results,” said Gouveia.

Adding to that, Gouveia said that the commission is aware that persons are being misinformed, as such, they urged them to understand the situation and act responsibly.

Smooth Observations Meanwhile, Gouveia in his early remarks, underscored the fact that the private sector worked closely with the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) through which approximately 800 observers were spread across the country on Monday.

“We have nothing but excellent reports of the process as it went well and our observers were respected. We had no issue on Monday and are very confident that this process was a free and fair one,” lauded Gouveia.

Gouveia then noted that the commission met with private business persons across the country and they expressed their confidence in the security system.

Statement of polls Gouveia also disclosed that the commission is using helicopters as well as other mediums to gather Statements of Poll in the hinterland; and as such, were expected to arrive yesterday afternoon.

Lastly, all members of the head table underscored their anticipation of the final results, so that businesses could breathe freely since they play a huge role in the development of Guyana. Also, they urged the public to give GECOM the time and space to deliver credible results.

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

City remains a ‘ghost to Guyanese await elections

- businesses, schools skeptical about open

By Navendra Seoraj

while the results of the poll are being anxiously awaited.

AS expected, a number of people around During a drive around the city yesterday, the Georgetown remained indoors as the city ap- Guyana Chronicle noticed that popular businesses peared like a ‘ghost town’ yesterday, following remained closed, and hardly anyone could be seen the General and Regional elections on Monday, walking the streets.

Apart from businesses being closed, some schools were closed as well. In one instance the Guyana Chronicle visited a primary school where a distressed parent sat there surrounded by a number of students who had arrived and found that there was no school.

The situation was similar at other schools and

The distressed woman extreme left, with the students who were told that there is no school.

One of the many businesses around Georgetown wh

Even the popular City Mall remained closed yesterday

Another establishment which remain

17

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

own’ as s results

ning students could be seen loitering on the streets even after 9:00hrs when they would normally be in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has called on persons to be patient as they await the elections results.

hich remained closed yesterday

ned closed (Photos by Delano Williams)

An elderly woman being assisted into a polling station.

Some of the physically challenged voted early

WHILE many of the able-bodied were up early in the morning to cast their ballots, a few who are physically challenged did not allow their limitation to keep them from voting.

They too were up early in the morning, and with help from family members, they headed to the polling stations to exercise their franchise.

And like the others who waited patiently to vote, they did too, and showed no sign of tension at all.

Union of South American Nations (UNA-

SUR) Mission Chief, Domingo Paredes, while commending the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for holding a smooth election, said though many persons with disability voted yesterday, there was no special provision for them.

This, he said, is an issue the commission can look at in future elections. The 2015 Regional and General Elections, described as the ‘Mother of all Elections’, saw a larger turn out of voters compared to elections in previous years.

Another elderly woman waiting patiently to cast her ballot.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

UNSAR observers submit preliminary report to GECOM - commends smooth elections process

THE Observer contingent of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) yesterday handed over its preliminary report to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GEOCOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally.

UNASUR’s Chief Mission Representative, Mr. Domingo Paredes, declared that UNASUR was impressed with GECOM’s smooth execution of the May 11 General and Regional Elections, and declared, “We are very well impressed with the development, deployment of poll, and also the electors’ act and activities… There was normal implementation of the processes at the various polling stations we visited.”

He highlighted that, despite some alleged discrepancies and disruptions, the UNASUR team does not consider the elections as having had interference, and is pleased to see that the constituents were able to exercise their right to vote in a free and open manner.

He also said that the team is currently awaiting publication of the results, after which it would submit its final report to the Guyana Elections Commission.

He underscored the fact that, from the positive things thus far seen, the UNASUR team remains committed to future collaboration with GECOM. In brief remarks, GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally thanked the observers for their work, and deemed the electoral process to be transparent and efficient.

(Navendra Seoraj)

UNASUR’s Chief Mission Representative, Mr. Domingo Paredes, hands over the preliminary report to Dr. Steve Surujbally

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

The Regions: How they responded on Polling Day

REPORTER Travis Seymour, detailing how voting proceeded in Region 1 (Barima-Waini) on Elections Day said residents in that community went out to the various polling stations and cast their ballots in a very organised and calm manner, even in the riverine communities.

Turnout was good, he said, and the day incident-free, as people of all walks of life, having voted for the party of their choice, went about their business as per usual.

Seymour said he learnt very early in the day that more than 50% of the eligible voters in Moruca had already exercised their franchise.

ESSEQUIBO Rajendra Prabulall, giving a breakdown on how things went in Regions 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) said the atmosphere was largely peaceful and quiet, and a large number of voters had turned out early to vote, while others waited for the last hour to cast their ballots.

He said he knows of only one minor problem at one of the polling stations, but the police had taken care of it. All across the Essequibo Coast, from Charity to Pomeroon, he said, the atmosphere was quite calm, and people were now anxiously awaiting the counting of the ballots.

Coming down to the last hour, he said, people, having voted, stayed in their homes awaiting news of any development.

WEST BERBICE Over in Region 5, in the Mahaica-Berbice district, Bibi Khatoon reports that people came out in their numbers and voted solidly in several areas of that region. As the day progressed, she said, most people had already cast their ballots at the several polling stations established to cater for voters and

to avoid long lines and longer waiting periods.

She said voting was done in a very civilised manner, and that the process went without a hitch, even with political candidates turning up ever so often to make spot-checks and see how things were progressing generally.

The only fly in the ointment, she said, was an isolated incident at Belladrum Primary where a large crowd, seemingly upset at the presence of PPP candidates to observe the process, had to be dispersed.

At Hopetown, many villagers positioned themselves outside the polling station to observe the removal of ballot boxes from that location. This development, Khatoo said, was as a result of reports of an incident at St. Sidwell’s Primary in Georgetown in which Information Liaison to the President, Kwame McCoy was reportedly injured and had to be hospitalised.

REGION 6 Shunza Samuels, reporting from Region 6, said that Gangaram in East Canje had a reported 80% turnout of voters, while other areas recorded a less than 60% voter turnout.

At Betsy Ground in East Canje, APNU+AFC supporters were reportedly turnung up at voters’ homes and demanding that they vote for that party.

In New Amsterdam, however, a large percentage of voters went out early in the morning to cast their ballots, and several polling stations in that region showed few or no voters at all.

ELSEWHERE Meanwhile, Olivia Rose in Region 7 (Bartica), said the day was generally peaceful as Barticians gathered to cast their ballots at several polling stations across the region.

She said that although heavy showers of rain punctuated

the afternoon hours, the mood of those waiting to vote was not affected.

From as early as 5:00hrs, she said, shouts of “Get up and vote!” were heard in the community, as young people were mobilised to go out and vote for the party of their choice.

She noted that at four locations in central Bartica, residents were observed going about their business in a peaceful manner, while others were eager to cast their ballots.

Rose said some polling day staff were unable to vote, since their names were not on the list at the polling stations they were assigned to; but altogether, voting was done in an orderly fashion, since the polling stations throughout the region were open since 6:00hrs, and international observers were visible at most polling stations.

Reporting from Region 8, in the Potaro-Siparuni district, Ravi Mohabeer said polling stations there saw a low turnout as a result of heavy downpours. However, voters’ turnout increased during the afternoon period when the rain eased up.

He said that an APNU+AFC activist allegedly was near the polling station at Campbell Town, telling voters to vote for his party and not waste their votes.

By 17:00hrs the polling stations were practically empty, since all voters had already cast their ballots.

Jocelle Archibald-Hawke in Region 10 (Linden) said that during a visit to polling stations, scores of residents were observed waiting to vote in most parts of Linden.

She reported the occurrence of an incident in which Bishop Juan Edghill and a candidate for the APNU+AFC had a verbal confrontation, after which the Bishop was prevented from entering that polling station.

Edghill had since made a complaint to the Commonwealth Observers.

OAS head calls on Guyanese to remain patient as they - calls elections ‘vigorous’ await poll results HEAD of the Organisation of American States (OAS) observer mission to Guyana, Ms. Lisa Shoman, has urged Guyanese to be patient and listen to the official preliminary results from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), as they await the final results, following the General and Regional elections on Monday.

In an invited comment, head of the OAS mission said that “every election is unique, but we think that this one is especially vigorous because of the pronouncements from the various political parties.

“I think that there is a heightened sense of political participation, so there is also a bit of noise in the air of what the results are likely to be, and it seems as though people agree that it will be a close race.”

According to Ms. Shoman, they are here up until Friday to observe not just the elections on May 11, but also the aftermath, so as to ensure that there is an orderly process throughout the period.

Pertaining to their calls to be patient, she underscored the fact that not just the nation will be anxiously awaiting the results, but also the observers

and also the other officials who are currently ensuring that there is a smooth progress. “Not because we are here until Friday means the results will be out by then, because as a matter of fact we will all be hoping for early results, subsequent to the end of the elections.”

And when asked about what she thinks about the electoral process, Ms. Shoman stated that from what they observed, GECOM’s set up was orderly, as the agents from the two major political parties were also present to oversee the proceedings throughout the day, as they visited several polling stations across the country.

INFORMATION BOOTHS She added that one initiative which stood out was the information booths which the elections commission had implemented so that there can be a smooth Head of the OAS observer mission to Guyana, Ms. flow for everyone, especially first-time voters.

Lisa Shoman during an interview with the Guyana Their ultimate objective, she highlighted, is to Chronicle. ensure that everything runs smoothly

20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Berbice calm despite reports of under-aged voting, acts of intimidation ….Commander Joseph

THE Ancient County remained relatively calm , following polling day which saw the electorate trekking to 373 polling stations across East Berbice /Corentyne district .

Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner Mr. Brian Joseph, reported there were minor incidents which included an under-aged voter attempting to cast her ballot at Lovely Lass Village,West Coast Berbice.

Subsequent to the report, the teen , along with her mother, were advised , and an investigation has since been launched.

Joseph told this newspaper that there were many reports of intimidation by members of various political parties , who

were reportedly advising electors as to how they should vote.

“Those persons were advised, and they complied with the rules , by staying 200 yards from the place of poll,” Joseph said.

“In addition, there was an incident at Alness Village, Corentyne, where it seems as though some wicked person removed a derelict vehicle from the side of the road shoulder , along with some wooden props and placed same on a part of the southern carriageway.”

Joseph was unable to confirm or deny whether the incident was politically motivated, but opined that may have

occurred through ‘ some wicked person , who had passed by, and, seeing the props, decided to throw ,it onto the roadway’.

No one has been arrested.

Meanwhile, despite Tuesday being a working day, it was not business as usual, as many who worked as polling-day staff were unable to return to their regular jobs, as they had returned home after midnight after completing the election process,and ,were too exhausted for another day’s work.

Some business remained closed , while others closed early due to poor staff turnout .

During mid afternoon hours, rumours spread like wildfire , after vendors at the New Amsterdam Market were seen hurriedly closing their stalls ,just after 1400hrs.

The tale revealed that a directive was sent from Georgetown that all markets be closed as political party supporters were creating havoc .

Incidentally, just as the rumour was peddled, a batch of joint service officers began traversing in the vicinity of the town’s market , resulting in onlookers hurrying to get to their respective homes.

However, in an invited comment, their own market treasurer, Ms Sharon Anderson, denied the rumor, but stated it was as a result of the low turn out of Municipal staff.

Joint Services to continue patrols until after election results announced, accepted THE Joint Services are maintaining patrols countrywide, moreso in Region 4, with the seven policing divisions reporting that, up to press time, all ranks are in-lying and will remain vigilant as they continue to police Guyana during this elections period.

Guyana awaits announcement of the final results of the general and regional results.

The Guyana Chronicle spoke last night with all police divisional commanders -- Assistant Commissioners Clifton Hicken, Brian Joseph, Christopher Griffith and Marlon Chapman; Senior Superintendents Calvin Brutus and Courtney Ramsey, and Superintendent Kevin Adonis, each of whom reported a state of relative calm in the seven divisions of the Guyana Police Force up to press time.

The Commanders explained that they remain vigilant in the discharge of their duties, and exhorted citizens to let goodwill prevail during this period.

They also encourage citizens to report any incident of crime at the earliest possible time to the police Quick Response Hotline # 225-6411, which has been solely dedicated to the receipt of information/reports on serious or unusual incidents that citizens may observe.

The Quick Response Hotline is based at Force Headquarters at Eve Leary, and is being monitored on a 24hour basis by senior ranks of the Force.

Citizens may also forward information/reports to the law enforcers through the “Guyana Police Force” Facebook page, which is also being monitored on a 24-hour basis. (Michel Outridge)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

Hope, ECD teen attempts suicide on family farm - being attended to by GPHC doctors Rameshwar being consoled by his brother, Navin.

DOCTORS at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are battling to save the life of 18-year-old Rameshwar Samaroo of Hope Backdam, East Coast Demerara, who admitted to ingesting, on Monday, a dangerous substance, thought to be gramoxone.

The incident is reported to have occurred sometime between 07:00hrs and 09:00hrs.

Rameshwar ’s mother, Vidya Samaroo, said Rameshwar and his brother, Navin, would normally get up early in the morning and head down to the backdam to help their father, Dasraj, water plants and offer other assistance on the farm. But on Monday Rameshwar did not wait for his brother; he left on his own for the farm, riding his bicycle. After he had not been seen or heard from, his Navin decided to go down to the farm. There he was confronted with the ghastly sight of his brother lying on the ground vomiting up black stuff, rolling and groaning in pain.

Horrified, Navin tried to find out what Rameshwar had ingested, but the lad was too weak to even speak.

Enterprise man suffers ‘split ear’ in fray with seaman

By Shirley Thomas A MISUNDERSTANDING between two men at Enterprise Gardens yesterday led to the brutal chopping of 55-year-old Fazil Rasheid who is now warded at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation in a serious condition.

The victim’s son, Terrence Rasheid, yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle that around 16:00hrs he received a call from a friend informing him that his father was brutally assaulted by a man called ‘Ken’.

On heading home, Terrence found that his father had suffered chops to his ears, knees, and branded on his back. His left ear had been split down the middle, his knee bore a gaping wound and his back was scarred.

The wounded man related that he and ‘Ken’, a seaman who is home on holiday, had an argument which developed into a fight and his opponent, s armed with a sharpened knife, dealt him several chops.

Fortunately, although losing a considerable amount of blood, Rasheid managed to ride his cycle from Enterprise Gardens all the way home to Enterprise.

The wounded man claimed that during the vicious attack the seaman told him that he had long wanted to kill him.

The matter was reported to the police who accompanied the wounded man to hospital and soon after arrested the suspect.

Investigations are continuing.

Navin then placed his ailing brother on the bicycle and frantically took him back home.

His mother and two sisters, Bissoondai and Basmattie, became hysterical on learning what had happened to Rameshwar. The family rushed him to the GPHC, and he was immediately triaged and placed under treatment.

Yesterday he remained on treatment but was occasionally experiencing spasms, and was able only to mutter a few words in low tones.

Asked how much of the substance he had ingested, he could not say exactly, but agreed that he had taken much.

His mother said she was not aware that he was experiencing problems, or going through any experience to lead him to want to take his life. She was also unable to say whether he was experiencing any problems with his girlfriend, because he never confided in her or anyone else.

In his relatives’ estimation, his condition appeared to have improved yesterday, since the substance he was bringing up was considerably less, as well as lighter in colour. But he continued to suffer gripping pains on the inside.

Essequibo calm as residents await elections results THE atmosphere on the Essequibo Coast yesterday was peaceful and quiet as residents patiently awaited the announcement of the results of the National and Regional elections by the Guyana Elections Commission.

In the meantime, the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region returned to normalcy, as children attended schools, rice farmers continued ploughing and chipping their fields in the backdam and fishermen went back to sea after elections day.

According to reports, the commercial center of the town was also busy during the day, with minibuses and taxis at the Anna Regina park transporting passengers to Charity, Supenaam, Suddie and other areas across the coast.

Government offices were also functioning as normal along with private businesses, banks, supermarkets, gas stations, markets, restaurants, shops and post offices.

The county of Essequibo is usually one of peace, togetherness, love and harmony and the announcement of the results of the election is expected to be accepted by all Essequibians in a peaceful manner.

According to many persons, they want the results to be announced so the next government can get on with the building and transformation of the country. Residents said the elections had taken a lot out of them and whoever is declared the winner will be respected.

Meanwhile many residents of the Region have commended the GECOM staff for conducting an efficient election on Monday.

Residents said the staff which operated in a very efficient and professional manner must be thanked for doing a good job.

Residents said also that the police must be congratulated for maintaining peace and order at polling stations during the voting period and after the closing of poll. (Rajendra Prabhulall)

Man remanded over murder of Paradise pensioner TAMESH Chattergoon was yesterday remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for the murder of 65-year-old pensioner Harry Richard Etwaroo of Paradise Village on the Essequibo Coast.

The accused was not required to plead to the indictable charge which read that between May 06 and 07, at Paradise, he murdered Etwaroo. Chattergoon appeared in Court One and sat quietly as the charge was read to him.

The magistrate transferred the matter to the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court for May 19.

According to reports, the suspect was arrested last The deceased Harry Saturday morning to assist with the investigation into Richard Etwaroo. the death of the pensioner whose body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean near the Exmouth seawall last Thursday morning.

It is alleged that Harry Richard Etwaroo, a pensioner who lived with his wife and grandchildren at Paradise, had left his home very early Wednesday morning to look after his cows on the sea dam but never returned home.

The daughter of the deceased, known as ‘Baby’, told the Chronicle that her father’s body was fished out from the water by her brother who tied a sling to his father’s foot to pull him from the water.

22

Construction worker remanded over arms find at city wharf CHIEF Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday remanded to prison a 21-year-old construction worker over the large cache of guns and ammunition found at the GNIC Wharf, Lombard Street, Georgetown, on Friday.

Jamal Murphey of Lot 40 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court slapped with two charges of having guns and ammunition without the

possession of a firearm licence. Murphy strongly denied the allegation by the police.

It is alleged that Murphy, on May 08, at Guyana National Industrial Corporation, Lombard Street, Charlestown, had in his possession 589 live rounds of ammunition and 70 firearms.

Murphy’s lawyer, Tanicia Daniels, argued that her client was at the wharf to uplift a package from abroad that contained food-

Below rates for May 12, 2015 Currency G$/US$ G$/GBP G$/CAD$ G$/euro BDOS$ G$/EC$ G$/TT$

Buying 205.98625 322.92072 171.18034 231.62873 101.86969 75.45903 32.15076

Selling 208.43594 326.97346 173.16065 234.59465 102.89094 76.21551 32.47307

For Wednesday May 13, 2015: 13:00hrs For Thursday May 14, 2015: 14:00:00hrs For Friday January 23, 2015: 05:00hrs

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Aries The temptation to take centre stage might be too strong to resist. Someone may ask you to tell a story. Your gift with words and vivid imagination should serve you well. Keep it brief. If you go on too long, your friends could fidget. Time your performance by watching their expressions. Do it right and you will be asked to do it again.

Taurus A gathering could bring you lots of good news and useful information. The problem is that there might be too much. You will want to remember it all, but your memory may not be as sharp as usual. Before you attend a gathering, grab a notebook and pen. That way you can write down whatever you want to look into later.

Gemini You generally enjoy your dreams, both the dreaming process and analysing them later. But tonight you might have too many to keep track of. While you will probably recall the most significant ones, it may be frustrating if you forget any of them. This might be the day to start a dream diary, if you don’t have one. Have fun!

Cancer Too many invitations to social events may come today. This might be one evening when you want to relax at home, but you won’t want to say no to anyone.

Analyze each invitation. Consider the location, host, other guests - whatever seems most significant to you. Attend only the ones you think you will really enjoy. Follow your heart.

Accused Jamal Murphy stuff.

Police prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the court that the defendant had given Lot 33 Crown Garden, Regent Street and two other conflicting addresses to the police.

Mangru told the court that on the day in question at about 11:30hrs, a Customs officer attached to GNIC wharf was conducting a search on the box, sent by Ron Murphy to the defendant, when a gun was unearthed in a black haversack in the box. The officer then contacted her superior and the defendant was summoned. Checks were subsequently made on the box in the presence of the defendant and the arms and ammunition were found.

Murphy was then taken to Criminal Investigation Department headquarters. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that no special reasons were advanced by counsel for his client to be released on bail.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry declined counsel’s bail application and remanded the defendant to prison. Murphy is to make his next court appearance on May 14 before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Meanwhile, the police are on the hunt for Mark Crumwell, called ‘Demon’, for questioning into the arms cache find.

Crumwell also resides at lot 40 Vigilance, East Coast Demerara and has been charged several times with gun-related offences.

Leo Today you might work on your spiritual practice or studies. You could read a book on the subject, attend a lecture, or practice some kind of discipline such as yoga or meditation. The only caveat is don’t try to do too much at once. You could tire yourself out. Concentrate on one thing at a time. The information will still be there tomorrow!

Virgo Physical pleasure may be at the top of your priority list today. You might want to go to your favourite restaurant and have a great meal, including wine, appetizers, and dessert. Or you might feel especially energetic and want to take your partner for a complete spa treatment. Whatever your desires, exercise some restraint You can get too much of a good thing!

Libra Love matters may prove too intense today. You may be having a rough week.

Your partner may be especially demanding of your time and energy. This might be a good day to schedule some time alone. Go for a massage, sauna, or hot tub - by yourself - and simply relax. That way you will be more refreshed when you meet with your beloved in the evening.

Scorpio You’ve been hoping for a quiet day on the job, but too many calls could come your way. You might have to juggle several at once. Don’t try to deal with every problem. Exercise your triage abilities and take care of the most pressing first.

Let the others go, if necessary. You aren’t doing anyone any favours by getting too distracted. Even you can be less than thorough when overwhelmed.

Sagittarius Were you planning to go shopping today? If you can, put it off until tomorrow.

You could be tempted by too many items that seem wonderful in the store but are nothing but a bother once you get them home. If you must go, make the effort to bypass shops where you might fall into this trap. You don’t want to have to make a second trip to bring back returns.

Capricorn You look especially attractive today, and it’s doing wonders for your self-esteem. Even members of your household notice. But you probably feel more like staying in than going out. If you want a romantic partner to notice how you look, it might be a good idea to extend an invitation to visit your home. You will get to stay in and still be admired by the one you love the most!

Aquarius Today, you might want to make an unqualified declaration of love. That’s fine if you’ve been involved for a while, although you could overwhelm your partner.

If the relationship is new, beware! This could feel like too much too soon. Your friend could respond by backing away or even disappearing. Use restraint or you might have the opposite effect to the one you want.

Pisces A friend may offer you a gift today. It could involve money, favours, time, items you need, or something else. Be discriminating about what you accept, and make sure you offer to reciprocate. Insist, if you must. As generous as your friend may be now, later he or she could feel used or else call in some favours that you aren’t willing to perform. Accept graciously, within limitations.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 13, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

National U-23 team begin Olympic ..

From Backpage players, tremendous, but we need to have football played at all the sub-associations because the National team is not the place where you bring players to be fit,” Shabazz said.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport at the Guyana National Stadium during the team’s practice session, Shabazz added that “you have 8-10 days to prepare a team for an international tournament and out of it, you now have to put a lot of em-

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phasis on getting players fit and that means some people have not done their job”.

Meanwhile Shabazz said that at present, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is finalising friendly matches for the team ahead of qualifiers.

“We’ll be playing the senior team of course then we have a game or two against Slingerz because they are one of the teams who are actually matchfit right now. But we’re finalising a game against a Brazilian club soon,” said Shabazz.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Mayweather, Pacquiao fight smashes pay-per-view records LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters)-The ‘Fight of the Century’ between boxing greats Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao generated record pay-per-view revenue in the United States of $400 million from 4.4 million buys, cable networks Showtime and HBO said yesterday.

The May 2 fight in Las Vegas that saw Mayweather beat Pacquiao in a unanimous decision cost $99 to view in high definition. With additional revenue from ticket sales, international TV distribution and other sources, worldwide receipts are expected to top $500 million, the networks said.

Pay-per-view purchases nearly doubled the previous record of $2.48 million of the Oscar de la Hoya vs.

Mayweather fight in 2007, and nearly tripled the record $150 million in U.S. pay-per-view revenue from

by Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez in 2013.

The majority of the rev-

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines covers his face as he is punched by Floyd Mayweather, Jr of the U.S. in the first round during their welterweight WBO, WBC and WBA (Super) title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2, 2015.

(Reuters/Steve Marcus) enue goes to the boxers, and by Showtime, a unit of Mayweather, the winner of CBS Corp, and Time Warthe fight, stood to take the ner Inc’s HBO. HBO and Showtime stand to make larger share.

The Mayweather-Pac- a small cut from pay-perquiao fight was co-pro- view, splitting just 7.5 perduced and co-distributed cent of revenue.

FIFA steps up racism surveillance for 2018 qualifiers

LONDON, England (Reuters) - A new system of match observers monitoring incidents of racism and discrimination at 2018 World Cup qualifiers was announced by FIFA yesterday.

The system will be coordinated by world football’s ruling body and implemented in cooperation with the European anti-discrimination organisation FARE. Any incidents of discrimination or racism will be reported to FIFA which has pledged to impose disciplinary sanctions on any countries involved.

The implementation of the new system is particularly apt as racism is rife in football in Russia, hosts of the 2018 World Cup. More than 200 acts of racism were committed by Russian fans between 2012 and 2014

FIFA president Sepp Blatter according to a recent report by the Sova Center, a Moscow-based racism-monitoring group.

Last month FIFA president Sepp Blatter said “a lot of work needs to be done” to wipe the scourge of racism and discrimination from Rus-

sian football and the game in general.

F I FA a n d E u ro p e a n football’s governing body UEFA have often handed out relatively minor punishments when incidents have occurred in the past.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Barca in Champions League final despite loss at Bayern

By Karolos Grohmann MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Barcelona reached the Champions League final, despite losing 3-2 at Bayern Munich yesterday, with an aggregate 5-3 win and will face either Real Madrid or Juventus in Berlin next month.

Barca’s Brazil forward Neymar scored twice in the first half to kill off Bayern’s chances following the Spanish side’s 3-0 first leg win at the Nou Camp last week.

Neymar was twice picked out by striker Luis Suarez, after the hosts’ s e v en t h m i n u t e l e a d through Medhi Benatia had briefly reignited the

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in action with Bayern Munich’s Sebastian Rode and Mehdi Benatia (Reuters/Michaela Rehle)

German side’s hopes.

Bayern struck back

with second-half goals from Robert Lewand-

owski and Thomas Mueller but were still left needing another three to qualify for the showpiece match.

Barcelona, who are in an eighth European Cup final, will make their first appearance since 2011, when they won the title under current Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, and face either their Spanish rivals or the Italian champions who play today.

It was Barca’s first Champions League away loss this season as Bayern ended a four-game losing run in all competitions but Guardiola’s aura of invincibility has taken a hit after failing for the second season to reach the final with the German club.

Barcelona promised a goal in Munich and they almost got in after five

minutes through Ivan Rakitic but Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer palmed the Croat’s shot wide at full stretch.

Two minutes later Bayern got the early goal they needed when Benatia was left completely unmarked to head home.

The Spaniards survived a few minutes of intense pressure and responded in style when Lionel Messi, pulling the strings from a deep position, sent Uruguayan Suarez through to feed Neymar for an easy tap after a dazzling South American combination.

Barca keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen then stopped Bayern retaking the lead on the night by plucking Mueller’s header from the top corner as the

Bavarians tried to hit back quickly.

Neymar then all but ended Bayern’s hopes by drilling a low shot home in the 29th after Suarez’s cross from the right, with the hosts going into the break needing five goals to advance.

Barcelona eased off early in the second half, with Suarez substituted with a minor muscle problem, and Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski notched an equaliser just before the hour, shaking off Javier Mascherano and sending Ter Stegen the wrong way.

Mueller added another in the 74th but it was too little too late for the home side, who were missing several key players, including injured wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Root named vice-captain as England look forward

By Ed Osmond LONDON, England (Reuters) - England cricket director Andrew Strauss gave his full backing to Test captain Alastair Cook yesterday and appointed Joe Root as his deputy in a significant move for the future.

Cook has been under pressure due to a poor run of form with the bat but he scored his first Test century for nearly two years in the recent drawn series in West Indies.

“Alastair Cook is the right man to lead the England team,” Strauss told reporters at Lord’s yesterday.

“It has been a difficult 18 months but it was great to see him come back to form in the West Indies.”

The decision to name the 24-year-old Root as vice-captain in place of Ian Bell suggested Strauss is already planning a longterm strategy for the development of the team.

“It was time to bring Joe into a leadership role,”

Strauss said. “I hear he is a strong voice in the dressing-room. It is a strategic decision.”

Strauss also hinted that there would be more differentiation between the Test and one-day teams, confirming that Eoin Morgan would continue as captain of the limited-overs side.

“We need more separation between the Test and one-day teams and Eoin has my full support,” Strauss said.

“I will be looking at ways in which we can rest players

and support staff so we can achieve maximum success on the pitch.”

Strauss also revealed that batsman Kevin Pietersen, sacked last year and still not part of England’s plans on the field despite scoring 355 not out for Surrey, had been offered a consultancy role with the one-day side.

“Kevin rejected the offer,” Strauss said. “He was not happy with the decision not to recall him to the side and I did not expect him to be.”

Bowlers, Iyer give Daredevils consolatory win AN EXCEPTIONALLY disciplined show from the Delhi Daredevils bowlers restricted table-toppers Chennai Super Kings to 119 for 6, to set up a convincing and consolatory six-wicket win on a slightly uneven and sluggish pitch in Raipur.

Ironically, Daredevils were without their top three wicket-takers of the season so far, Imran Tahir, Amit Mishra and Nathan Coulter-Nile who was excluded for Gurinder Sandhu. Daredevils’ chase was later steered with 20 balls

to spare by an unbeaten and uncluttered fifty from Shreyas Iyer.

The loss means that Super Kings still haven’t technically made it to the playoffs. Even though they are on top with 16 points and a game to go, they could be out on net run rate.

Nothing went Super Kings’ way apart from the toss, as Daredevils opened with leftarm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Zaheer Khan.

The two suffocated Super Kings’ destructive openers, who rely on boundaries early

Badree signs with Brisbane Heat in BBL

BRISBANE, Australia West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree, the world’s No.1-ranked Twenty20 international bowler, will be hoping to get on the field next BBL season after signing another deal with the Brisbane Heat.

Badree was set to play the first half of last summer’s BBL with the Heat, but was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

The Heat will be hoping for more success with the 34-year-old after they gambled with another overseas player last season, for-

Samuel Badree mer England great Andrew Flintoff, but he failed to fire as Brisbane finished last on the table.

Badree is currently in Brisbane as part of a Cricket Australia camp for the top young spinners in the country.

Zaheer Khan ends with figures of 4-1-9-2 bowling 19 dot balls. of clearing the boundary on the big ground. But off-spinon. Nadeem started with a ner Jayant Yadav got rid of maiden with the help of a few Raina seven balls after Smith’s seam-ups and gave no room wicket, which brought the to Dwayne Smith and Brenalready-struggling MS Dhoni don McCullum; and Zaheer out. hardly gave them any pace to He and du Plessis briefutilise, bowling a stump-toly consolidated the innings, stump line. scoring runs off Sandhu and The pressure resulted in Yuvraj Singh, with a stand of McCullum’s wicket on the 37 in six overs. But du Plessis’ last ball of the frugal Powwicket in the 16th over threw erplay, which yielded only Super Kings off track again.

16 runs, including 27 dot Thirteen runs from the balls. It was Super Kings’ next over, off Yuvraj, and 11 second-worst Powerplay off Sandhu in the next helped across eight seasons, and the Super Kings’ score past 100 but third-worst by any team.

Zaheer and Sandhu conceded The pressure never alonly nine from the last two to lowed Super Kings to breathe keep Daredevils’ required run on a hot evening. Smith took rate to exactly six per over.

12 balls to get off the mark, Daredevils’ chase was struggled the most to time the uncharacteristically smooth ball, and was trapped lbw for after losing two wickets ear18 off 24 on Albie Morkel’s ly on. Even though Iyer first ball. For a brief period, it struck three fours in the first looked like Suresh Raina and two overs, Ishwar Pandey Faf du Plessis would rescue who came in for an ill Ashish their team.

Nehra removed Quinton de Raina rotated the strike Kock and Duminy for 3 and from ball one and du Plessis 6 respectively. decided to find gaps instead

Strauss also explained his decision to fire Peter Moores as coach.

“I felt it was important to change the coach,” Strauss said. “In some a re a s o f s t r a t e g y a n d tactics he (Moores) was exposed.

“The England coach’s job is a very powerful position in world cricket and we need a guy who has the energy and vision to take the team forward.”

Strauss, who captained England to two Ashes triumphs, tried to sound a

positive note despite all the recent criticism of the team.

“It is an exciting time,” he said. “We should not forget that the last decade has been one of the most successful in England’s history but the game is evolving very quickly.

“I have to implement a team culture which is fundamental to any success and we have to find self-reliant cricketers who can make the right decisions where it matters most out on the field.”

Djokovic survives Almagro scare, Serena through in Rome

HOLDER Novak Djokovic scraped over his first hurdle at the Rome Masters with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory over Spanish claycourt specialist Nicolas Almagro yesterday.

The world number one, given a bye into the second round, was in total control as he swept through the opening set at the Foro Italico, but the aggressive Almagro settled down to his task and made the Serb work hard for an 18th consecutive Tour victory.

Djokovic looked poised for victory when he built a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak but Almagro fought back and when Djokovic netted a tame forehand at 5-5 Almagro seized his chance, clinching the second set with a powerful first serve.

Almagro, who missed the second half of last year, after foot surgery and has slipped to 174th in the rankings, continued to worry Djokovic with his power at the start of the third set.

Djokovic kept his nose in front on serve though and broke in the eighth game after winning a long baseline exchange.

The three-time Rome champion completed the job on his second match point when Almagro fired a backhand long.

Former Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka also reached the third round but was stretched before overcoming Argentina’s Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Ninth seed Marin Cilic was the highest-ranked casualty, losing in straight sets to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, but there was no hiccup for seventh seeded Spaniard David Ferrer who came through 6-4, 7-5 against France’s Richard Gasquet.

In the women’s event, top seed and defending champion Serena Williams crushed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-3 in her first match since Petra Kvitova ended the American’s 27-match unbeaten run in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open last week.

Williams needed 62 minutes to dismiss the former world number 13 in straight sets, smashing 25 winners and converting five of seven break points in a one-sided encounter.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Woodpecker Products/John Fernandes Insurance hockey

Points leaders All Greys held to draw, GCC ladies register third victory VETERAN side All Greys were held to a 2-2 draw when action in the John Fernandes Insurance Limited men’s second division hockey tournament continued over the weekend, while Georgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) ladies’ hockey team registered their third consecutive victory in the tournament with a 2-0 win against Hikers.

Playing at the St Stanislaus College ground, Carifesta Avenue over the weekend, frontrunners in the John Fernandes Insurance Men’s Second Division League, All Greys, were again held to a 2-2 draw by a resurgent GCC men’s side who have kept their title hopes alive with the result.

The match was almost like a carbon copy of their first encounter, where All Greys used their superior experience and tactics to get

Part of the action in the Woodpecker Products’ ladies hockey match between Hikers (in green tops) and GCC ladies at the St Stanislaus College ground over the weekend. through goals from Patrick Edghill and Michael Craig. out to a 2-0 lead through a turn in the second half as The only other men’s double from Sheldon Corexperience succumbed to match of the weekend lette. The tide would slowly youth and GCC drew level saw an opportunistic Old

Fort side take an early lead against Hikers.

Old Fort led for the greater part of the match, after taking the early lead through Trolex Young and thanks to some stout defending by the Old Fort back line and poor finishing from the Hikers forwards.

The Old Fort defence held strong until the third quarter, but once Hikers drew level there was no stopping them as they scored three more unanswered goals on their way to the 4-1 victory.

In the Woodpecker Products Ladies League, the GCC women, fresh off their good showing in Trinidad, took charge of the tournament with three wins from as many matches, despite the absence of several key players due to injury.

After disposing of Old Fort and the National Under-20 Women 5-0 and 4-0

respectively, GCC faced Hikers last Sunday and were tested by a resolute Hikers side filled with several former nationals.

Hikers frustrated the GCC forwards for most of the first half before Tricia Woodroffe gave GCC the lead late in the second quarter.

Hikers continued to frustrate the GCC forward line through some intelligent defence from sweeper Marisha Rodrigues and which led to some counterattacks of their own.

This pattern continued until GCC’s Ulrica Sutherland put her team further ahead in the 42nd minute.

The result means that GCC remain the only unbeaten side in the competition with nine points from three matches followed

by Hikers on six and the National Under-20s and Old Fort.

Barrington’s ton puts Singh’s XI in charge as he retired on 103 after hitting 14 fours and four maximums.

OPENER Shemroy Barrington smashed an 80-ball century to propel Vishaul Singh’s XI to a first-innings score of 212-7 against Leon J o h n s o n ’s X I i n a

rain-interrupted day o n e o f t h e D e m e rara Cricket Board (DCB) two-day trial match.

The Demerara Cricket Club ground witnessed Barrington’s onslaught

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday May 13, 2015) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230)& AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: WI vs ENG, Bourda, 1994 David Miller-14 (Kings XI Punjab) Today’s Quiz: How many runs Shiv Chanderpaul made in his very first Test innings?

Who was ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 2010 IPL? Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Barrington returned from a good season in Trinidad’s senior division league to share an opening partnership with Robin Bacchus returning strong after a poor season.

He contributed 54 in a 163-run opening stand with Barrington.

At stumps, Singh’s XI are 212-7 with Chris Barnwell and Raj Nannan on 25 and 2 not out, respectively.

National spinner Steven Sankar led the bowling attack for the opposition with 4-45.

Chandrapaul Hemraj, Stephon Brown, Dexter Solomon and the captain, Singh, went without scoring while Mark Ryobe (7) and Leonard Caleb (4) did not get far off the mark.

The match continues today with a scheduled start at 10:00 hrs.

Shemroy Barrington s

BCB Senior Men’s Trials

Berbice ‘B’ in control going into day two BERBICE B turned in a good performance to leave Berbice A in shambles on the first day of their two-day cricket trial match at Albion.

Berbice A have been rocked to end the day on 55-6 in their first innings replying to Berbice B’s first-innings total of 270.

A knock of 47 from Anthony D’Andrade who shared a partnership of 97 with David Latchaya, who hammered eight fours in his 62, helped Berbice B press towards a defendable total.

Left-hander Rajiv Ivan chipped in with 45 while West Indies Test leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo stroked 39 which was laced with eight fours.

National pacer Keon ‘Buffy’ Joseph and Niall Smith each ended with 2-36 while West Indies off-spinner Veerasammy Permaul bagged 2-58.

Raun Johnson (2-11), Bishoo (2-6) and a wicket each from Clinton Pestano and Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai helped restrict the opposition to 55-6, still trailing by 216 runs.

Berbice B lost Shimron Hetmyer without scoring but Kandasammy Surujnarine played well for his 42.

Joshua Ramsammy (2), Sharaz Ramcharran (5), Akeem Hinds (1) and Ashkay Homraj (0) were the batsmen who fell to Berbice B’s spell which shifted the match in their favour.

The action continues today at 09:30hrs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Is Cricket’s History Repeating Itself?

By Dr Rudi Webster TWO years ago, I asked M.S. Dhoni, captain of India, what motivates today’s cricketers?

He said: “Playing for your country should be your main motivating force. But today you need to have a good income and livelihood.

“Only a few players have a professional education or academic qualifications. A good cricketer has seven to ten years to earn the money that will sustain him for life after cricket.

“So he must balance his love for and loyalty to the country with a good income and livelihood. Of course love and passion for the game and the need for recognition are other powerful motivators.

“But in today’s competitive and fast-changing world we cannot ignore the importance of money in the life of a cricketer.”

I remember telling him that if those basic needs are not balanced, a conflict of values would result in mistrust and bad feelings between cricket boards and players who are trying to set themselves up financially for life after cricket.

I then wondered aloud why in our economic system cricketers are labelled as mercenaries and are victimised and

Dr Rudi Webster punished for doing things for which people in other professions are admired and praised – legally maximising their income and financial status!

Why are cricketers held to a higher level of patriotism and loyalty than people in other professions? And why are cricket boards and administrators charged with the responsibility of managing the game and the players. Should we the public and the players not expect the same level of loyalty, patriotism, competence and integrity from them?

In 1977 cricket boards banned players who were contracted to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. Soon after, Tony Greig and John Snow brought a case against the English Cricket Board in the London High Court. The case lasted seven weeks and resulted in a victory for the players and Packer. Immediately after, the ICC tried to retaliate but it soon lost the battle and had to back down

and compromise.

In his judgment, the judge said: “Professional cricketers need to make a living and ICC should not stand in their way just because its own interests might be damaged. The ICC might have stretched the concept of loyalty too far. Players could not be criticised for entering the (WSC) contracts ….”

Is the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in its effort to improve cricket stretching the players’ loyalty too far?

Two recent articles vilifying West Indies players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) reminded me of the many vitriolic articles that were written about Kerry Packer and his players in World Series Cricket over thirty-five years ago.

The front page of the Mirror Sport newspaper read, PIRATES, Aussie TV Tycoon Could Shatter World of Cricket. And that article was mild compared to some of the others. From May 1977 UK’s The Mirror lambasted the players who had signed with Kerry Packer.

During World Series, 14 West Indies players were banned by the WICB and were treated like outcasts.

This rejection motivated them and gave birth to the champion team that dominated world cricket for fifteen years.

Local squash `queen’ Nicolette Fernandes bows out of British Open Squash C/ship … Second loss in just over two weeks

LOCAL squash `Queen’ Nicolette Fernandes bowed out of the Allam British Open Squash Championship after losing 1-4 to Hong Kong’s Annie Au at the Hull, England, squash court yesterday.

Fernandes is currently ranked 20th by the Women’s International Squash Players Association’s (WISPA) while Au is ranked 11th.

According to a British Squash Association report, Fernandes won the first set 11-8, but lost by 6-11, 3-11 and 10-12 margins in the other three sets.

On April 25, Fernandes lost to Ireland’s Madeleine Perry in the final of the Irish Classic tournament over two weeks ago at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in front of an absolutely packed centre court.

The report from the Irish

Nicolette Fernandes Squash Association reported that there was certainly an air of uncertainty whether Perry would have been able to overcome Fernandes, who had looked impressive all week.

The report stated Fernandes established a lead in game one but Perry found her range midgame and started wowing the crowd with some excellent shots to the front court and claimed the first

game 11-8 and established a quick 6-0 lead in game two.

She never looked back after that and secured the game 11-5.

Perry continued her good play and Fernandes fought back trying to go in short quicker. It worked in parts, but Perry’s relentless hitting brought her to 10-8 match ball.

Fernandes, who gave it her all and dived full-length twice, pulled one point back but Perry eventually closed out the game 11-9.

In her winning speech, Ireland’s most successful female Squash player said: “This is one of my favourite events and I want to also thank Nicolette, who is a very fun and fair player, for making it a good final, particularly since it is my very last.

At the time the WICB was trapped in the past and could not see what lay ahead in the future. It did not have a vision and could not see that it would have to rely on the performances and star power of the players to attract crowds and lucrative sponsorships from multinationals and to get enormously profitable funding from TV and other media outlets. These types of sponsorship are now the lifeblood of today’s cricket.

When the Australian Cricket Board refused to grant Kerry Packer exclusive TV rights to broadcast Australian cricket he immediately started World Series Cricket. He targeted many of the world’s greatest cricketers and offered them perks and salaries that were unheard of at the time; offers they could not refuse.

World Series Cricket (WSC) was a powerful cricket revolution that brought about seismic changes in international cricket. Boards that vilified Packer and accused him of promoting greed and friction in the game eventually removed their blinkers, shed their hostile attitudes and

adopted many of his strategies for making money through TV and multinational sponsorship.

Packer introduced higher salaries for players, drop-in pitches, night cricket, white balls, coloured clothing, black sightscreens, helmets, coaches and fitness experts, professional multinational sponsorship, TV rights as a money-making strategy, and the marketing of cricket as an exciting spectator sport.

And he revolutionised the TV coverage of cricket by employing multiple cameras and commentators and by using clever and innovative TV animations for viewers who didn’t know too much about the game. These initiatives were ignored and resisted for some time by the cricket boards, but they are now the fabric of today’s cricket.

T20 cricket is a mini-revolution that has made a big impact on the minds of cricket lovers, particularly the young ones. We are not quite sure where it is leading but it has already introduced many innovations to fielding, batting, bowling and captaincy and has revived young play-

ers’ interest in the game. Of course there are negatives to this revolution but we should not dwell on them and punish players who are attracted to this format.

Instead we should search for the positives, capitalise on them, and use our imagination and creative minds to see what opportunities and beneficial changes this mini-revolution will create for cricket in the future.

Today’s administrators must rewrite the future of West Indies cricket by changing perception and by thinking in new and creative ways. They must get rid of bad habits, egocentric attitudes, and limiting beliefs and err on the side of motivating rather than punishing players.

They must also enhance performance and learn to spot and seize opportunities by reforming and restructuring their boards. Finally they should avoid committing the same mistakes about the IPL that their predecessors made during the Kerry Packer Revolution. (Rudi V. Webster, Manager of West Indies cricket team during Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket)

Cooper eyeing big performances for Red Steel PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel all-rounder Kevon Cooper says he will be going all out to prove his worth in the Caribbean Premier League which bowls off later this month.

The 26-year-old, a specialist in the game’s shorter forms, says he is also keen on making the West Indies squad and has been working hard in local cricket to improve his form.

For the first time in a few seasons, the 26-yearold is not campaigning in the ongoing lucrative Indian Premier League where he played for Rajasthan Royals but says he has now focused his efforts primarily on readying himself for Red Steel’s CPL campaign.

“I have been working really hard on my batting since the (Regional Super50) and I got an opportunity to captain Queen’s Park this year and the guys have been doing well and I am also performing,” Cooper told the Trinidad Express newspaper.

“Unfortunately I missed

out on the IPL this year but that is behind me now. I am really looking forward to the CPL and trying to break into the West Indies team and get a chance in that squad.”

He added: “It is always good to play in front of plenty people and remind the world of what I can do. I made my debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2010 and it was good experience for me. I really enjoyed those moments and hopefully I can bring back some of those moments in my career.”

Cooper was the best Red Steel bowler on show last season, picking up 12 wickets with his medium pace at an economy rate of six runs an over and an average of 22.

However, he could not prevent Red Steel from a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Jamaica Tallawahs in the first semi-final, as they bowed out the competition, eventually won by Barbados Tridents.

This season, Red Steel open their campaign on the road, with games against St

Lucia Zouks at Beausejour, Barbados Tridents at Kensington Oval and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Warner Park.

Cooper says Red Steel would be hosting home matches at a critical time of the tournament and this would be important, as they possessed an excellent record at Queen’s Park Oval.

“There is always good support at home and there is always a lot of energy and vibes. We won all our games at home last year so we are looking forward to it and it will give us something to look forward to knowing that if we reach the business end of the tournament, all the matches will be at our home venue,” he pointed out.

“But having said that, we still need to play well at the start of the campaign to give ourselves a good chance of making the semi-finals.”

Both semi-finals and final will be hosted at Queen’s Park Oval.

The CPL bowls off on June 20 in Barbados and wraps up July 26.

Sport

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CHRONICLE

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

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday May 13, 2015

Is Cricket’s History Repeating Itself?

See Story on Page 31

National U-23 team begin Olympic Qualifiers preparation ... coach Jamaal Shabazz not satisfied with level of fitness

By Rawle Toney GUYANA are grouped with home side Aruba, Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) leg of the 2016 Olympic Qualifiers.

The ‘Jags’ will play their

first game against Antigua on June 24, followed by Aruba on June 26 and will wrap up the competition against Cuba on June 28.

The winners of each group advance to the final round where the four teams play a single-elimination

tournament between August 14 and 16, 2015. (Host to be determined), where the top two teams qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, joining Mexico, USA and Canada.

Head coach Jamaal

Shabazz recently held the first practice session following a weekend encampment then a break to allow the players to be part of the just-concluded regional and general elections.

According to Shabazz, just like when the senior

national team began their quest for their first International Friendly against Barbados this year, “80% of the squad is totally unfit”.

Shabazz noted that the blame squarely should sit on the shoulders of the various Federations that are all inac-

tive, noting “to me it seems the associations are more concerned about the constitution and who are in charge and are not concerned about having football played”.

“When I look at the See Page 26

Head coach Jamaal Shabazz paying attention to his troops during training at the Guyana National Stadium.

Angry Pietersen rails at ‘deceitful’ England

By Ed Osmond LONDON, England (Reuters) - An extraordinary week in Kevin Pietersen’s turbulent career will end with him flying back to India to play in the IPL feeling betrayed by what he described as “deceitful” behaviour by the England management.

Pietersen was told by new England cricket director Andrew Strauss on Monday that he was not in his plans for this summer’s Test matches due to a complete breakdown of trust.

And the flamboyant 34-year-old right-hander, who completed a career-best 355 not out for Surrey yesterday, responded in typically forthright manner.

“I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close, especially given everything that has

Kevin Pietersen completes a career-best 355 not out for Surrey yesterday. been said and asked of me,” Pietersen wrote in a column to be published in the Daily Telegraph today.

“I had a meeting with Andrew Strauss and (England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive) Tom

Harrison at a hotel in London on Monday night.

“I have never hidden my determination to once again represent England and, having played one of the best innings of my career earlier in the day, I must admit I was riding the

crest of a wave.

“They have used the word trust to justify not selecting me, well, trust is a two-way thing.”

Pietersen will fly to India on Friday at the request of his IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“It’ll give me a good opportunity to cool down and assess what I’m going to do next. I’m just sorry it won’t be putting on an England shirt,” added Pietersen, who pulled out of a deal to join the Sunrisers in order to play for Surrey and boost his chances of an England recall.

Strauss, who fired England coach Peter Moores on Saturday to raise Pietersen’s hopes of a return to the team, explained his thinking at a news conference at Lord’s yesterday.

“The truth about Kevin is that he is a phenomenal cricketer. But over months and

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years trust has eroded between Kevin Pietersen and the ECB,” Strauss said.

“There is a massive trust issue between me and Kevin.”

CHEQUERED PAST Despite his chequered past and undoubtedly egotistical approach to the game, it is hard not to feel sympathy for a player who has scored 8 181 Test runs, including 23 centuries.

Pietersen was sacked by England in February 2014 after being accused of being disengaged from the team during the 5-0 Ashes mauling in Australia.

A controversial autobiography further distanced him from an international recall but incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves said in March that he would be considered for selection if he made runs in county cricket.

He has done exactly that.

“I went into the meeting expecting Strauss to say that England’s batting order is good at the moment but if I continued to score runs and if an injury occurred then I would be in contention to play,” Pietersen said.

“I would naturally have to earn my recall, but at least I would be eligible. But no.

“Quite simply, I feel deeply misled. I had two phone conversations with Colin Graves and he was crystal clear in saying I had to get a county, score runs and that there was a clean slate.”

Pietersen said he had given up his IPL contract at great personal expense.

“It is horrendous to feel I have been led down the garden path. They knew all along this was a dead end for me.

THRURSDAY, MAY 13, 2015