GUYANA
The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com
Protect us!
No. 104328
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER
PRICE: $80
INCLUDING VAT
Granger calls on UN to protect small states P 3
Ex rape accused gunned down U.S.-based Guyanese mount protest against Venezuela 14 P
U.S.-based Guyanese demonstrating outside of the UN headquarters in New York yesterday following President David Granger’s address
A lone gunman Tuesday night shot dead an East Ruimveldt man outside of his home, police have confirmed. Dead is Dexter Griffith. Guyana Chronicle was told that Griffith who had had previous brushes with the law was in his yard when a gunman rode up and pumped several bullets into his body. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. In recent weeks there have been several shooting incidents in the Albouystown and East Ruimveldt areas. Meanwhile, Griffith back in 2007 was among four persons who were charged with sodomising a girl. His co-accused at the time were Ryan Sookdeo, 24, of 153 Critchlow Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens; Eon Prince, 22, of 422 East Ruimveldt; and Kwesi Boyce, 25, of 448 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme. It was alleged that some time in November 2007 the men sodomised the female. (More on this story in our Thursday’s edition)
Tugboat captain, crew missing
…after encounter with Erika P 10
2
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Granger: Guyana’s place in world more clearly defined -looks to new breed of diplomats to push economic diplomacy
A
By Neil Marks in New York fter his first outing to the United Nations, President David Granger is confident that “Guyana’s place in the international community has been more clearly defined.” This follows a strong statement to the United Nations General Assembly and several bilateral meetings he held with leaders of large and small states to drum up support for Guyana. The President was clear in his speech that the United Nations cannot sit back while its charters are being breached with impunity. “Venezuela is in breach of the charter of the United Nations, and all I’m calling for is for the United Nations to insist that its charter be observed and that if it is not observed by any state or group of states, that state should be sanctioned,” the President told the Guyanese media at a press conference in New York. “The whole world knows that Venezuela has been putting pressure on us. “I am calling on the United Nations to respect its own resolution of 1994 and act more proactively and prevent Venezuela from breaching the charter of the United Nations. “It can implement mechanisms to demand that Venezuela refrain from using force, because it’s there in black and white. “The charter of the United Nations is our constitution; it’s the supreme law of the UN.” President Granger and his team have met with a number of leaders form small and large states as part of the process of making them aware of the threats Guyana faces on the border and to garner support ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta this November. “While the UN sits back and operates as it does, Venezuela has occupied half of Ankoko, nothing has happened. Venezuela seized the Teknik Perdana (the petroleum exploration ship which was commandeered to Margarita island two years ago), nothing has happened and Venezuela by way of various actions has been able to prevent development in Guyana,” Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge added. Mr Greenidge added that the decree of the Venezuelan leader of May 26 this year sough to annex the country’s maritime resources, Maritime resources he said is managed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
but “the United Nations has said absolutely nothing in this regard, although the Venezuelan action, backed by force, actually conflicts with the rules of that Convention.” As such he said, the United Nations is not “doing what it is supposed to do,” and the President’s message to the
diplomacy much more quickly than it is being propelled currently,” Mr Granger said. He said the economic viability of Guyana is paramount, but “this does not mean we will not pay attention to the specific strategic threats we face because that has an economic side,” he said, referring to the border controversy which has been “hindering development.” “So we’re looking for Ambassadors who can sell Guyana, not only rum and rice, but also bring foreign direct investment into our country,” the President stated.
President David Granger at a press conference yesterday at Guyana’s UN Mission in New York United Nations General Assembly was for that to be changed. President Granger would now be looking to new diplomats he will appoint over the coming weeks to solidify the gains made at the UN General Assembly. “The next breed of Guyanese diplomats must be able to propel our economic
Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge at a press conference yesterday at Guyana’s UN Mission in New York
Canada ready to assist Guyana with Sovereign Wealth Fund MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon on Tuesday met with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, P i e r re G i ro u x a t t h e
Ministry of the Presidency during which the diplomat related that the University o f C a l g a r y, b a s e d i n Canada, will soon dispatch a team to Guyana to meet with the government for discussions on the setting up of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for the Natural Resources and the Oil and
Gas Sector. In a release the Ministry of the Presidency said, High Commissioner Giroux also disclosed that the team will undertake a study of the legislative policies in place to see how best they can be improved to suit the Oil and Natural resources sectors. Further, the Government of
Canada, through the High Commissioner, has offered a training programme, which would benefit Permanent Secretaries and Heads of State Agencies in areas such as department management, best practices and accountability. Minister Harmon expressed his thanks on
behalf of the government for this gesture, noting that the programme will go hand in hand with the mandate of the Public Service Staff College, slated to be opened later this year. “This offer comes at a time when we are about to establish a Public Service Staff College and so we would like to
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon meeting with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux at the Ministry of the Presidency
explore this opportunity. We want to have well trained public servants who understand that they need to serve the public and do so well,” Minister Harmon said. The two officials have committed to regular meetings to discuss other possible areas of collaboration.
3
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Granger calls on UN to protect small states - curb Venezuela’s expansionist ambition
P
By Neil Marks in New York RESIDENT David Granger has urged the United Nations to curb Venezuela’s “expansionist ambitions,” saying its claim on Guyana’s territory and its use of armed force threaten the peace of the Caribbean Region. “Venezuela’s expansionist ambitions cannot be allowed to unsettle the principle of inviolability of borders, undermine the tenets of international law and unravel borders which have been undisturbed for decades,” President Granger said yesterday, addressing the United Nations General Assembly for the first time since his election in May. “Guyana does not wish that this obnoxious territorial claim should obscure the prospects of peace and obstruct the possibility of growth for the next fifty years,” he declared. President Granger said Guyana needs a permanent solution in order to avoid the fate of “perpetual peril and penury.” And he has urged United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon to use his office to send Venezuela’s case for a final, legal settlement at the International Court of Justice. Venezuela has claimed that the 1899 arbitral award which defined the two countries’ borders is null and void. The claim was raised 50 years ago on the eve of Guyana’s
independence from Great Britain. An agreement signed in Geneva in 1966 provides for the Secretary-General to take action to bring a resolution to the contention by Venezuela. “Guyana has the fullest confidence in the judgment and capacity of the United Nations, through the Office of the Secretary-General, to identify solutions that will validate the ‘just, perfect and final’ nature of the award,” Granger stated. “Guyana seeks nothing more than the solidarity of this international community, the assurance of the Charter and the safety of international law,” Granger stressed. He thanked the United Nations and the Secretary-General for appointing various Good Officers to help to resolve this controversy, but the President reiterated that this process has now been exhausted. “Guyana reposes its faith and places its fate in the international system of peace that was promised by the Charter of the United Nations seventy years ago. We want to bring an end to Venezuelan aggression. We want to develop our country, all of our country, in accordance with international law,” President Granger stated. He called on the United Nations to give real meaning to a May 1994 agreement by establishing a collective security system not merely to ‘‘monitor” but moreso to
President David Granger addressing the United Nations General Assembly yesterday “maintain” the security of small states. “The United Nations remains our best hope. The United Nations is our best prospect of peace. The United Nations is our best assurance of security for a small State. The United Nations is our strength, support and succour in our time of danger,” the President stated. PROTECTION FROM FOREIGN AGGRESSION He said Guyana and other small states ask of the United Nations to address
the questions of protection from foreign aggression, the safeguard of their territory from invasion, the preservation of peace among nations, and the continued independence of the small
states. He said that the charter of the United Nations enjoins the organisation with the responsibility “to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes.” He said this responsibility is essential to the existence and survival of small states that are threatened by powerful states. “Small states risk being subjugated unless the international community can demonstrate the capability and commitment to provide an effective deterrent against domination by larger, stronger states,” Granger stated. He pointed out that the United Nations General A s s e m b l y, o n M a y 9 t h 1994, approved a resolution which recognises that small states may be particularly vulnerable to external threats and acts of interference in their internal affairs. Further, the said resolution stressed the vital importance for all states of the unconditional respect by all states of all the
“Guyana reposes its faith and places its fate in the international system of peace that was promised by the Charter of the United Nations seventy years ago. We want to bring an end to Venezuelan aggression. We want to develop our country, all of our country, in accordance with international law.” – President Granger
principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and the peaceful settlement of disputes and their consistent application. IN DEFIANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW Granger further quoted the resolution as calling for the UN Security Council and other relevant organs of the United Nations to pay special attention to the protection and security of small states. As a result, he said Guyana rejects the threats and claims by Venezuela which are in defiance of international law. “Guyana resists Venezuela’s acts of aggression in defiance of the Charter of the United Nations which prescribes the peaceful settlement of disputes and proscribes the use of armed force,” Granger asserted. Guyana’s border with Venezuela was settled 116 years ago. “The whole world, except the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, accepts our borders. The tribunal issued its award on the 3rd of October, 1899, giving Venezuela 13,000 square kilometers of our territory, an area bigger than Jamaica or Lebanon,” the President said, “and Ve n e z u e l a w a s b o u n d under international law to respect that award, which it did for the subsequent
Please turn to page 9
4
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
CHEC given go-ahead to restart work on CJIA By Ariana Gordon PERMISSION has been granted China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) to re-start work on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion project, at Timehri. The project is some 25 months behind schedule. Following a site visit yesterday by Minister within
the Ministry of Social Protection, Simona Broomes and a team of occupational health and safety officers, it was agreed to re-commence work at the site. “I hope I would not have to regret my decision; the request has been received, and I am given all clearance… But I am giving approval for work to commence with supervisors,” Broomes
told CHEC representatives, while noting that Technical Advisor Ministry of Public Infrastructure Walter Willis will overlook the operations of the company. The Ministry is expected to communicate the approval in writing today.
cilitate an investigation into the death of Lui Li, and the injury of Zhang Yixun, both employees of the Chinese company. It was reported that the two were part of a team of workers testing the soil at the project site when the land caved in and trapped Li. But while Broomes granted the company its request to have the worksite reopened, she warned of the many areas to be tightened up with respect to occupational health and safety issues, as well as total compliance with the labour laws. “Safety comes first! It is safety; then work! Put safety first!” the minister stressed. CHEC’s contract with the Ministry of Public Works, now the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, speaks in a limited way to occupational health and safety regulations. “The contract is vague on safety,” Minister Broomes said. “The site engineer, in his brief, could only identify one safety measure; and that is not good enough… You need to set up an occupational health and safety committee.” She noted that after operating in Guyana for more than two years, it is surprising that CHEC never communicated with the Labour
CAVE-IN The worksite was closed just over a week ago to fa-
The swampy area of the work site that engineer Lui Li and colleague were trapped
Department. “I want you to maintain good practices going forward; you must have an engineer assigned to work along with you on this project… Somebody should be responsible for oversight,” she told CHEC. SITE INSPECTION During an inspection of the worksite, Minister Broomes noted that while there has been some transformation, more still needs to be done. She made the point, too, that all will seem well, now that the site is not currently active. “The site has no one excavating at the moment, and so it will be a different picture when you have lots of people working here,” she explained. She advised CHEC’s local manager Kevin Liu to source bigger pumps that would aid in the removal of slush from the site being used. The death of the Chinese engineer was as a result of improper methods of removing slush from the swamplands, the Guyana Chronicle was told. “The area is swampy; they have been filling it with sand, but what has happened is that the pumps used have
not pushed the slush far away, so when the engineers were doing the soil test, the slush and everything caved in and trapped the engineer,” the minister explained. “They need to use a bigger suction that could excavate some of the slush; this would create a drier and less slushy situation…” she advised. Another area of concern for the ministry’s labour department is the lack of adequate lighting at the worksite. Minister Broomes noted that if the company intends to work at night, adequate lights would be needed. “Lights here are a major concern,” she said. “But not only that; you would have to provide helmets with lights, so that workers can be easily seen at nights and protected.” The Ministry, she added, will be conducting night inspections at the project site to ensure that CHEC is compliant. “Visits are in the best interest of all stakeholders,” she said. She opined that there is need for greater collaboration, and as such offered the full support of her office. Additionally, the Minister has committed to facilitating a workshop on See page 15
Minister Broomes (right) and her team of OSH officers inspect the expansion project worksite at Timehri. Also in photo is Technical Advisor Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Walter Willis (centre), and Kevin Liu CHEC’s local general manager (left)
DATE: 23/09/2015 K 08 11 15 28 12 20 23 DATE: 26/09/2015 O 05 07 09 28 08 21 01
29/09/2015
01
02
12
20
22
29/09/2015
0
2
5
29/09/2015
07 08 09 10 13 16
18
5
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Albouystown feeding programme receives GPF boost for expansion By Leroy Smith ‘A’ Division police have again taken their social crime prevention initiative to the community of Albuoystown, providing the faith-based organisations in that area with resources to sustain their feeding programme for the elderly and children. Divisional Commander Clifton Hicken and Deputy Commander Ian Amsterdam went into the community last Saturday with their management team, and handed over thirty bags of rice and a gas stove to aid the programme. The donations were made possible by two separate stakeholders, who have been working with the police over time. The programme, which will be conducted at the H e a v e n l y L i g h t Wo r l d Outreach Fellowship, was up and running in the past, but was suspended for lack of resources to sustain it, coupled with inadequate space to prepare meals for those who are in need. The initiative will see young people from the community also using the kitchen space for practical sessions and cookery classes. While the resources for the programme are located at the Christian church, members of the mandir and the mosque in the community will also partake of the use of the kitchen and contribute to the services provided. The kitchen will, in future, see a sufficiently sustainable programme in which the organisations will bring on the young people who will make pastries and other items for sale within and outside of the community, and funds garnered will be used to finance other projects in the community, such as a block-making initiative which will be launched shortly. Commander Hicken explained to the Guyana
Chronicle on Saturday in Albouystown that since the Impact Albouystown Project was commissioned last year, the police, in collaboration with the faith-based organisations, have done a multiplicity of programmes to aid the community and its outlook, including leather craft, sewing, block-making, and cosmetology programme, among other things. He added that because the work the police a re d o i n g w i t h i n t h e communities has expanded beyond Albouystown, the Force is now constrained to position the already running programme in a way that it can sustain itself, so that focus can be placed in other areas and on other communities across ‘A’ Division, and by extension, across the country. Hicken said that, based on statistics, the Albouystown programme has proven that the objective has been met to some extent; crimes in the community have been reduced and the environment is being enhanced by other police initiatives implemented in the past. The commander said communities will continue to be engaged, based on their needs and the police ability to sustain the programmes. Already there are skilled persons who have volunteered their services to ensure that the feeding programme is executed in the community and is benefiting those targeted. The police will this week be commissioning a saloon in the community, and this would generate employment for several young people who were part of a training programme that started earlier this year. Deputy Commander Ian Amsterdam told the Guyana Chronicle that he was recently transferred back to the division, and is pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with the community on the social crime prevention programme,
something he could not do in the past since he had been posted to another division soon after the programme was launched last year. He opined that the initiative will assist the community, and pointed out that while feeding programmes are always good for a community and the less fortunate, they often are taken for granted by those who are fortunate. He saluted the faith-based organisations for making themselves available to facilitate the process of the Guyana Police Force, since the organisation understands that it cannot do the job alone. Pastor Eworth Williams of the Heavenly Light World Outreach Fellowship, like in the past, commended the police for the work being done in the community, and testified of the changes the
programme has brought to Albouystown. Williams said the GPF has been a source of strength to the work of the faith-based organisations in Albouystown in bringing the community
together. The police also used the opportunity to unveil a billboard with a Yo u t h A m b a s s a d o r from the community of Albouystown, who won a
pageant that was organised by the police and featured contestants from the youth groups across ‘A’ Division, with whom the police have been working over the last couple of months.
Commander Hicken and Deputy Commander Amsterdam stand with other ranks and members of the faith-based organisations of the Albouystown community and business personnel
The billboard which the police unveiled on Saturday can be seen towering above the police and several young people from the community
6
Guyana
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
PPP desperate to score cheap political points Dear Editor,
EDITORIAL
West Indies cricket fiasco
WEST Indies cricket is in turmoil again. On the eve of a tour to Sri Lanka, recently appointed coach Phil Simmons has lashed out at the leadership of the regional board for what he sees as interference in the selection of the team. According to Mr Simmons, he and chairman of the selection committee Clive Lloyd, wanted out-of-favour players Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard on the ODI team, but were out-voted. The other three selectors -—Courtney Walsh, Courtney Browne and Eldine Baptiste -— voted against their inclusion. Mr Simmons’s claim insinuated that these selectors’ votes were influenced by “interference from outside”, a notso-veiled reference to members of the WICB. Almost immediately, Prime Minister of Grenada Dr Keith Mitchell, who heads CARICOM’s sub-committee on Cricket Governance, joined Simmons in condemning the alleged interference. Simmons, for his part, is reported to have sent to the WICB’s management committee and the selection panel an apology in which he expressed regret for his “fit of madness akin to a schoolboy.” However, the management committee suspended Simmons and pulled him from the team which travelled to Sri Lanka. He will soon appear before the WICB’s disciplinary committee. It is not clear whether the decision of the management committee was sanctioned by the WICB’s Board of Directors or by President Dave Cameron. At least one director, Trinidad and Tobago board president Azim Bassarath, has questioned the authority of the management committee to suspend the coach. So here we are again. Just a year ago, we had the embarrassment of the West Indies team abandoning a tour of Indian which, among other things, has put the WICB at odds with the Indian board and has caused the Indian board to demand a hefty financial compensation for its losses from the premature end of the tour. It is clear that the latest development is another indirect consequence of the India fiasco. Despite its protestations to the contrary, the selection panel and the WICB have opted to punish Bravo and Pollard, who were the ringleaders of the revolt in India. That decision was met by mixed reactions from the cricket fraternity and the public at large. Since assuming the position as head coach, Mr Simmons has not hidden his preference for their return to the team. He reportedly met with Bravo to talk about his possible inclusion in the test team, but Bravo predictably rejected the offer on the ground that the pay structure was unsatisfactory. If Simmons’s recent claims are true, then it would seem that Chairman Lloyd has decided that the duo has been punished enough and is prepared to have them back on the team, but the rest of the selection panel seems unready. We agree with Mr Simmons that his outburst was uncalled for. To go public on an already sensitive matter is tantamount to pouring gasoline on an already raging fire. It is distraction
I read with some sense of alarm the People Progressive Party’s (PPP) desperate attempt to besmirch the integrity of my ministry and by extension my government’s efforts to improve the lives of Guyanese. As the Minister of Public Infrastructure, I have been accommodating to the media fraternity since I am a firm believer in freedom of the press, and embrace democracy. However, what I abhor is amateur and unprofessional journalism, because it creates strife. The PPP’s statement earlier today describing me as insensitive and disrespectful is testament of such journalism. The Party’s statement referred to a September 22, 2015 newspaper article,
which alluded that an “official call” and “formal” complaint that had to be made to the Ministry before the Essequibo Coast and North West District residents can have their issues addressed. Let me make this clear. A question was asked, via telephone, whether my ministry had received any complaint [formal or informal] of the transportation woes in the Essequibo Coast and North West District. My response was no. That was the extent of my conversation on the subject. The article also suggested that emphasis was placed on initiating a water taxi service - to fulfill a campaign promise - on the Berbice River to alleviate the fare residents paid to cross the Berbice Bridge. Prior to the coalition emerging victorious in
the May 11 elections – we heard the concerns of the Guyanese throughout the length and breadth of this b e a u t i f u l c o u n t r y. T h e high cost to travel across the bridge was raised, and as a responsible government, we put measures in place to effect change. During the 10th Parliament, the coalition the then opposition, advocated for lower Berbice Bridge tolls. During the debate in May 2014, Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya, speaking for the Alliance For Change (AFC) lamented the pressure and daily financial pressures Berbicians face in having to pay the fares. He said that his party also believed that the tolls are way too much and should be lowered. He recommended to the then PPP government that free buses be provided for
students if the toll would not be reduced and that the ferry service be reintroduced as an alternative for Berbice commuters. Despite the House passing the Motion, Robeson Benn, the then Minster of Public Works said his government will not reduce the toll. Further, the major issues raised along the Essequibo Coast were the cost of paddy and the ferry service delays - something we are currently working to correct. Unfortunately, my initial lack of response is now being used as a weapon by the opposition to score extremely cheap political mileage. Sincerely DAVID PATTERSON Minister of Public Infrastructure
Resistance to Indentureship: (Part 2)
The Devonshire Castle strike and riots of 1872 and our earliest Indentured Martyrs
FOR weeks prior to the 29th of September 1872, the time of the Devonshire Castle Uprising, restlessness and assertiveness had become an almost daily feature of estate life on the Essequibo Coast. The root cause of this uneasiness was widespread dissatisfaction with the allocation of tasks, the poor prices offered, the long hours of work, the frequency of unilateral pay deductions from wages of labourers and general ill-treatment and abuse. So marked had the restiveness become that there was a motion before the Court of Policy recommending the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to settle serious disputes. The motion was approved but for one reason or the other the commission was not appointed. Relations took a turn for the worse when on Tuesday, 24th September, 1872 the labourers at Plantation Devonshire Castle complained to the acting Sub-Immigration agent that “they had been paid at too low a price for their work”. Upon an invitation by management to have the work valued in the customary manner, the labourers in frustration and lacking confidence in the official promptly declined. The officials considered that was the end of the matter but the workers clearly did not think so. Parag, a factory worker also complained that he “had been compelled to work all night in the building”. In response, an official chose to be dismissive claiming that no worker could be made to work in excess of ten hours in the building. The next a struggling team could do without on the eve of a tour. But it is Simmons’s charges that the selectors’ votes were influenced by outsiders that is of much concern. First, he is questioning the integrity of the selectors, including the respected Courtney Walsh. Second, he is levelling charges of institutional interference in team selection. We make a distinction between private opinions expressed as individuals and those which find their way in formal directives. Mr. Simmons must come clean with his evidence of the latter.
The 1872 Outbreak
day, and based on the official’s interpretation, Parag went about encouraging his fellow workers to cease work after ten hours of labour had been given. Obviously a militant Parag was targeted. He was arrested on the order of the estate manager but was promptly rescued by colleagues who were subsequently accused of threatening the manager’s life. Events of almost a similar nature took place at Plantation Anna Regina and Plantation Eliza and Mary in Berbice around the same time. Lacking confidence in the local officials, labourers of both Anna Regina and Devonshire Castle decided to travel to Georgetown to air their grievances to either the Governor or to the Immigration-Agent General. Unfortunately, neither group of workers succeeded in getting to Georgetown. However, Anna Regina workers were somewhat fortunate to encounter emissaries in the form of an acting Inspector of Police and Mr. Trotter, the Sub-Immigration Agent who promised a serious investigation of their complaints. With regards to the Devonshire Castle episode, on Sunday 29th September 1872, the labourers refused an offer to appear at an inquiry at Danielstown village. Instead, workers in
See Page 7 In the meantime, West Indies cricket continues to bleed. This is a matter of great concern. It seems as if we are incapable of lifting ourselves out of the rot. Has the Caribbean civilisation lost its ability to overcome? Are we so consumed with narrow perspectives that we can no longer distinguish between the tree and the forest? Where is the Caribbean vision that lifted us out of slavery, indentureship and colonialism? As CLR James would remind us, this thing goes beyond the boundary.
7
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Pres Granger must be High crime rate commended for stance against must be contained Venezuelan aggression Dear Editor,
Dear Editor, HIS Excellency President David Granger should be commended for his brave move to resolve the Essequibo border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela at the United Nations forum. The only other President who tried to bring this issue to a close was the late Linden Forbes Samson Burnham, and that after Venezuelan troops had invaded Ankoko on October 12, 1965. No other President had ever tried to bring an end to this controversy; although it existed for centuries, the others felt we were safe and Venezuela would turn a blind eye to the issue, but they
were wrong. Rewind, the Ankoko affairs and the Rupununi uprising and you will come to realise that the Venezuelan governments, past and present, mean business. All eyes are on our wealth in the Essequibo Region, these people will not shy away from our minerals, they know that Essequibo is rich with petroleum and other resources. Thus the border issue will not be settled unless Venezuela gets hold of our Essequibo; but we will not allow Venezuela to invade our land and take our wealth. We must be prepared for a long, difficult and dangerous struggle in which we will, of necessity,
The Devonshire Castle ... From Page 6 their hundreds headed for the estate where they attempted to invade the overseers’ compound. Most were armed with their hachia sticks and in a quarrelsome and aggressive mood they forced the overseer and their families to evacuate. Police were subsequently summoned and workers were told by the Stipendiary Magistrate to disperse. They refused while threatening to become more aggressive. It was clear that the labourers had endured too much for far too long and were now reluctant to reason with those they perceived as their exploiters. With recognition that the striking workers could not be persuaded to disperse the Riot Act was read. They were told that if they did not disperse peacefully to their homes within an hour the magistrate would be compelled to use force against them. The labourers stood their ground “remaining in position insulting and defiant.” It was clear that the labourers were emotionally charged. There were a mere twenty-four policemen against well over three hundred angry and unified labourers. Interpreters were dispatched to persuade the workers to disperse but to no avail. Women and children were also active in the protest action and this was a significant development in Guyana’s history. Faced with a volatile situation the police were ordered to load their rifles and this action further infuriated the labourers. The police charged forward and the available evidence suggests that the labourers armed with their hachia sticks, rather than retreating, advanced headlong with a charge of their own. The end result in the uproar and confusion was the fact that police opened fire on the crowd of protesting labourers. During the confrontation five sugar workers were killed and seven were seriously injured. Those who died were Kaulica, Baldeo, Ackloo, Maxidally and Beccaroo. Some fifteen labourers were arrested by the police for “having been unlawfully, riotously and tumultuosly assembled together in open breach of public peace.” To the discerning, one implication of these charges is that five persons were gunned to death merely because they were considered to have been in open “breach of public peace”. CONSEQUENCE Public response to the 1872 Devonshire Castle tragedy, especially from the official section of the community was most unsympathetic. Not surprisingly they blamed De Voeux since they argued it was his intervention which caused immigrants to
meet with setbacks and disappointments; but given our genuine commitment to the cause, we will win out in the end. Our cause is worthwhile; it is nothing less than a struggle to liberate the country and people from the shackles of the Venezuelans and their brutish indignities. Essequibo is richly endowed with natural resources, which can create the appropriate base for Guyana’s prosperity. Essequibo, like Venezuela, has fertile land, extensive forest, vast mineral resources, mighty rivers and an abundance of petroleum below See Page 8
WITHIN the last several months, the already sky-high crime rate has jumped by more than ten percent, sparking serious concerns about our safety in this country. Like most Guyanese, I, too, am a victim of brutal robbery umpteen times, despite being poor and hardworking. Similarly, within this past week, Omar Esau, a hardworking fisherman, was robbed of his earnings, and his co-worker was shot. Who can argue that these hardworking people do not deserve better? Fishermen risk their lives at sea to provide for their families, and it is one of the least desired professions in our society, yet we steal from them. This story spotlights the daily plight of the working
suddenly find grievances of “which they had never dreamed before,” such was the arrogance of the authorities. One commentator even brazenly declared “Better sacrifice a few lives, if it comes to that, than have an Indian mutiny on a small scale. Short, sharp and decisive should be the measure adopted with regard to men found in open rebellion and the defiance of law and authority.” The Devonshire Castle Protest was the first major protest in which Indian immigrant labourers lost their lives at the hands of colonial police. It represented a turning point in the manner in which colonial authorities would henceforth react to sugar workers’ militancy. Succeeding uprisings were to be brutally put down with several lives being lost. At the same time planters were deluded by the myth of Indian docility. For over thirty years estate owners had constructed an intricate web of exploitation that was excessive. The Indian labourer was subjected to uninhibited abuse of the manager, overseer, driver, magistrate and immigration officials. The Devonshire Castle, incident clearly illustrated that the indentured labourer had altered his attitude in his relationship with his exploiter. He was more rebellious and was prepared to assert his rights, demand justice and was willing to confront his oppressor headlong. Quite predictably the inquest into the tragedy exonerated the police of their action in opening fire that resulted in five deaths. At the same time there was an obvious contradiction. The Supreme Court of Criminal Justice freed the fifteen persons arrested during the protest. This was a position that would thereafter not re-occur. In future disturbances those arrested would be convicted if only to vindicate the outlandish use of excessive force against sugar workers. Did the Devonshire Castle victims die in vain? I venture to say an emphatic no! They paid the ultimate price of supreme sacrifice-their precious lives in the face of an oppressive colonial oligarchy. Largely through their valiant efforts reforms and improvement were achieved during the period of indentureship. Devonshire Castle labourers of 1872 including the fallen heroes must have inspired and influenced their colleagues countrywide to intensify the struggle for social and economic justice and betterment in general. In the final analysis the Indian indentured labourers were to triumph with the eventual termination of the harsh and exploitative indentureship system in 1917. The pioneering heroes and martyrs of Devonshire Castle will long be remembered for their sterling contribution towards the development of the Guyanese working class and of a better tomorrow. As we commemorate the 143rd Anniversary of the Devonshire Castle Strike and Riot of 1872 let us take inspiration from the priceless sacrifice of our heroes. The names Kaulica, Baldeo, Auckloo, Maxidally and Beccaroo are certain to live on for decades to come.
poor, and how criminals take advantage of us. This, then, directly debunks inequality as being responsible for crime. Often times, criminals indulge in luxuries that victims could never afford in a life time. They bluntly refuse to take up low-end jobs that victims take to make ends meet. Inequality is nothing but a hoax and a convenient excuse to justify crime in this country. This dynamic has got to be unhealthy for social cohesion, and in places like the USA, this is never tolerated. Often times, crime victims are murdered, leaving behind grieving families whose lives are forever shattered. Our society offers them nothing than a life of heartache, grief and temptations of suicide. Criminal activities are inexcusable, and should never be tolerated. Editor, this letter echoes the voices of tens of thousands of horrified Guyanese who are forced to ride the crime wave with no relief in sight. Human beings should never be subjected to such a horrifying life; we deserve better. Humanitarianism in our society cannot be described as laudable. I have theorised that the rhetoric and actions of our society are critically driving crime. Take for example, as a member of society, we unfairly offer mothers of criminals solace, but ignore the heart-wrench-
ing pains of crime victims. These sentiments psychologically fuel crime and saddle the country with heartaches. To criminals, those of us who embrace their actions are seen as God. The sad reality is that we are not. We hypocritically steer their lives on a path to destruction. We even release them from prisons, assuring the public that their incarceration was only for “small crimes”, and their release will be a comfort to their mothers. Additionally, we blame inequality for their actions. In fact, we blame everything under the sun except the criminals themselves. If we genuinely care for criminals, we will discipline them and encourage them to take responsibility for their actions, bringing them in line with the norms of society, so that they live their lives to their fullest potential. It is no secret that discipline can accomplish this. It is famously known that learning theorists also subscribe to this idea, including Skinner et al. Our actions can be interpreted as exploiting criminals to get what we want, be it votes. We also stand accused of not caring a hoot for their welfare. Who can argue that our actions do not instigate criminal activities? Criminals take cues from society. Our actions are such that we give criminals
See Page 8
Town council must expand revenue base Dear Editor,
I NOTICED in the press recently that member of the National Assembly Mr. Bernard Rajkumar M.P, Attorney-at-law, Representative for Region 2, Pomeroon Supenaam, has suggested that a minimal fee be charged for using the Anna Regina car park. I am in support of this venture, since the council is cashstrapped and has to expend monies to maintain the physical environment and ambience of the town. The suggestion was rejected by many, and I and many others found it surprising, since the car park can be used to generate finances to help alleviate some of the expenses. I wish to urge the committee to once again re-examine this proposal, and as well to examine other means of bringing in more money to the council so as to help eliminate some of its burdens. Yours truly, ANDRIEKO BASIR
8
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Guyoil forensic audit...
Badrie’s fate hangs on findings-Chariman
By Rabindra Rooplall
AS the forensic audit continues into the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil), Badrie Persaud, who is on 210 days accumulated leave since July last, is still the company’s substantive managing director. until further notice. That’s according to Company Chairman, Lance Carberry. The preliminary recommendation of the auditor was that the head be sent on leave pending the completion of the audit so that it can proceed unimpeded. According to Carber-
r y, w h e n t h e a u d i t i s completed, based on the findings, action will be taken. Jaipaul Sharma, Minister within the Ministry of Finance, who is charged with overseeing the various forensic audits that are currently ongoing, including the GuyOil audit, had noted that there would be no disclosures about any findings prior to such information being relayed to the minister and Cabinet. FUEL SCAM Meanwhile, when asked about the fuel scam involving unauthorised persons and vehicles collecting gas,
GuyOil Chairman, Lance Carberry
Carberry said, “Let me say this, GuyOil is a business and there are institutions that have credit accounts with GuyOil and those in-
stitutions have specific arrangements. If you have a credit account you have to identify the authorised signatory and in some cases you say which vehicles you are going to send to collect fuel so that the GuyOil station doesn’t have to determine who qualifies or who doesn’t qualify.” He continued: “First of all the order must be signed by the appropriate signatory and secondly it would state which vehicle is coming, so that is the normal arrangement in terms of the supply of fuel on a credit basis and that still applies, and if there are discrepancies a
forensic audit will find out and that audit is presently ongoing.” However, according to reports persons were identified as having fraudulently accessed fuel from the GuyOil through an arrangement set up by the former administration. Government is continuing its investigation into the racket which has ensnared former government ministries - the Ministry of Home Affairs (now Ministry of Public Security), Ministry of Natural Resources (now a department of the Ministry of the Presidency) and the Ministry of Tourism.
The allegations are that numerous private vehicles had received fuel from GuyOil under the tabs of such agencies like the National Sports Commission and the government has the names of persons who took fuel from the company as well as the cash amount attached. However, when asked if the state-owned company has any expansion plans, the chairman said as a result of the recent fire at the GuyOil gas station at Providence, East Bank Demerara there are presently no expansion plans.
Pres Granger must be commended for stance against... From Page 7 the waters. We have travelled a long way from the harsh, unlovely days of colonialism. We still have a long way to go to attain our goal, but we are marching now. We have the people, we have the will in President David Granger, and we are the motivating force to de-
feat Venezuela. We must never forget that Venezuela has made many incursions within our western border, and took control of the strategic position of Ankoko island, then they began annexing it in front of our eyes. After the annexation, the Venezuelan Consulate was invaded by Guyanese. The Venezu-
elan flag was burnt, and vociferous demonstration took place in front of the consulate in Middle Street, Georgetown. Here, again, Venezuela is allowed to violate international agreements as she pleases, and flout the United Nations and the Geneva Agreement. The Venezuelan Presi-
dent called for one-on-one talks with President Granger, but it is talk that substitutes the war ship, helicopter and armoured cars and gunboats with soldiers ready for battle. Intensive movement of troops and equipment were reported on the western border of Guyana. I remember when I was living in Venezuela, the opening and closing
High crime rate must ... From Page 7 free passes when they do “small crimes”. We inaccurately consider the stealing of a cell phone as a “small crime”. I wonder if our society understands that “small crimes” often lead to big crimes. In Criminology, the Broken Window Theory arises out of this idea. As a member of society, I wonder what kinds of interventions, including educational, are in place to help criminals after their release from prisons? How can we assure the public that criminals released from prisons will not commit future crimes? Surely we will have trouble answering these questions. Our actions are downright irresponsible and are an endangerment to the
lives of our fellow citizens. To navigate them away from crime, criminals need a slew of interventions, which includes: stiff penalties, education, counselling, role models, and taking responsibility for their own actions. This will ensure a healthy reduction of the prison population. Our reckoning that releasing prisoners will reduce the prison population is dead wrong. In fact, it will cause the prison population to swell. Even in developed countries, there is no reliable way to predict that prison inmates released for small crimes will not commit crimes in the future. For example, in Texas, a routine risk assessment used on sex offenders when they are released from prison classified
convicted rapist Darren Vann to be a low-risk to re-offend. Vann later confessed to police that he killed seven women. Is this what we want for our society? Editor, we even fail to see those in possession of pot as a threat to our society. If we were to repeal the psychotropic substance act on pot, it would be a fatal blow to our society, since there is a colossal lack of knowledge. Do we understand enough the harmful effects of pot and its use in conjunction with other illicit substances or prescription drugs to let users off the hook? Sure, pot is not cocaine, but pot has a wide range of undesired behavioral effects, and this substance is still actively being researched. Some of its known undesired effects
range from sensory motor deficits to mood alterations and memory impairments which can play into road accidents, lapses in judgment, robberies, rapes and murders, to cite a few. We all know that a young man of Tiger Bay allegedly killed a fellow resident of his community because of mental instability. Pot can disrupt the homeostatic control of brain circuits by altering its chemistry and its hard wiring (neuronal connections), short-circuiting it, thereby evoking a similar kind of murder. Even in affluent countries, the decriminalisation of pot and its link to crime is still being hotly debated. Mulling the idea of repealing such an act should be out of the question, given that we are a poor country with
of the television shows have Essequibo included on their maps. The leaders of that country were teaching their young and old generations that Essequibo belongs to Venezuela. When I viewed the aforementioned display, I realised that it was a deliberate attempt by the Government of Venezuela
to retard the economic development of Guyana through intimidation of persons, organisations or governments genuinely prepared to contribute to the development of Guyana and to assist in the advancement of the economic well-being of its people.
very little crime-fighting resources. Our actions are undoubtedly destructive, and can be likened to pouring gasoline on a fire that is already raging out of control. As members of society, it is our moral obligation to recoil from such a lax stance on crime, so as to save lives. We need to genuinely ferret out crime by dropping our rhetoric and dishing out stiffer penalties so as to send a tough message, as is similarly done in the USA. This will be good for society. The current crime-fighting strategy in place needs to be replaced. It boils down to the fact that we arrest criminals and then later release them without proper interventions, leaving society in danger. This cannot be good. One of the biggest lies that I have heard surfaced recently is that the PPP/C is pushing the crime wave. No one should ever believe an iota of this. This is pure
dysfunction. Social cohesion cannot be achieved under an atmosphere of dysfunction. As members of society, we need to look into the mirror if we are confused about who is to blame for the high crime. We also need to ask ourselves why crime has gained momentum recently. Editor, we show compassion to mothers of criminals, but fail to even register the pains of mothers whose children are murdered daily at the hands of brutal criminals in this society. What else can be more heartbreaking for a mother than losing a child? No mother should have to experience this in a lifetime. It is our moral obligation, as members of society, to see that mothers do not suffer like this anymore by taking a zero tolerance stance on crime.
Yours faithfully MOHAMED KHAN
STANLEY DHALKUMARSINGH (Distressed and horrified crime victim)
9
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
‘Greens’ vendors say business now brighter -since relocating from outside ‘Bedford’
FOLLOWING their relocation from outside the old Bedford Methodist School on Bourda and Robb Streets, many vendors who were initially reluctant to leave are now singing a different tune. Currently accommodated on Orange Walk, they are now saying they are doing even better than before in terms of sales. Meanwhile, work on the demolition of the school, which is what caused the standoff between vendors and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) in the first place, is moving apace, in that one section of the aged wooden building has already been torn down, without incident. The remainder of the structure is reportedly expected to be completely dismantled within a matter of weeks. According to M&CC
Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis, when work first started on the demolition exercise, they encountered a number of old records, in the form of files, which were stored in the school for many years. She said approval has since been granted the Council for the removal of the documents, after which the entire building will be taken down, piece by piece. Lewis said the front part of the rickety building has been demolished, and they have to also remove piles of garbage from inside the structure and its environs, since vendors once used the place as a garbage dump of sorts. She stated that the entire building will be taken apart and removed completely within weeks. She added that it is a painstaking exercise, but it will rid the place of
refuse. Lewis said that scores of vendors who used to ply their trade in the vicinity of the old Bedford building have since been relocated to a section of Orange Walk, Bourda, after weeks of negotiations. Some weeks ago, M&CC employees and the vendors had clashed, after they refused to vacate the area; but their stalls were dismantled and removed despite their protests. Lewis explained that once the building has been demolished, removed and the place cleared of garbage, the vendors will be allowed to occupy their usual space but until such time they have been relocated. However, those vendors who spoke to this newspaper said business is brisk as usual, and that they are actually getting more sales than at their previous
location, although some of them were a bit hesitant to relocate. One woman said that the spot she is at now is better, and she is adjusting, and that the sale of vegetables has even picked up somewhat. Others said they, too, have noticed a significant increase
in sales, and are now willing to collaborate with the M&CC on the way forward. They said further that despite the shortcomings, they will continue to keep their environment clean and do their part in the correct removal and disposal of garbage after vending.
The old Bedford School at Bourda and Robb Streets
Granger calls on UN to curb ... six decades. Venezuela, however, at the onset of Guyana’s independence resorted to various stratagems to deprive Guyana of its territory.” PATH OF INTIMIDATION, AGGRESSION Granger noted that there has been a series of acts of aggression by Presidents of Venezuela against Guyana,
starting with a Presidential decree of June 1968 to the time of President Nicolás Maduro Moro’s decree of May 26th, 2015, which sought to extend Venezuela’s land claim and to also annex the country’s maritime space. Two years ago the Venezuelans sent a naval ship into Guyanese waters and seized a U.S.-chartered oil survey ship and escorted it to Margarita Island. This month, Guyanese authorities also said the Venezuela army was up the Cuyuni River. “Venezuela — more than four times the size of Guyana with armed forces that are more than forty times the size of Guyana’s Defence Force — mindful of its superior wealth and military strength, and unmindful of its obligation as a member state of the United Nations, of the Union of South
Some of the vendors admitted that their removal and relocation had been difficult to adjust to but things seem to be going well for them now. However, some of them intend to return to Bourda when the time is right. (Michel Outridge)
From page 3
American Nations and of the Organization of American States, has pursued a path of intimidation and aggression. “Venezuela is unsettling a settled border. It is destabilising a stable region of the globe by the use of armed force against a peaceful, small State.” Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has committed himself to restoring normal diplomatic relations with Guyana following a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Granger Sunday evening. He said he would immediately send back his Ambassador to Georgetown and accredit Guyana’s Ambassador to Caracas. Maduro recalled Ambassador Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz from Georgetown in July when he wanted American oil firm ExxonMobil to halt its exploration for oil and leave the area. At the Sunday meeting, Maduro also agreed to accept a UN team to investigate its claim that the 1899 award is null and void.
10
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Guyanese tugboat captain, crew missing - after encounter with Hurricane Erika
By Rabindra Rooplall RELATIVES here have launched an investigation into the disappearance of a Guyanese tugboat captain and crew since leaving New
Godfrey Roberts Snr, also know as “Captain Smokey”, of 192nd Street Miami, Florida, USA. There was no information, however, on the missing crew, in terms of how many they were, nor
Captain Godfrey Roberts Snr called “Captain Smokey” York for Guyana close to two months ago. The last they’d heard, relatives say, is that the vessel, the Gage Paul Thornton, had had to take shelter from hurricane Erika last month in St Kitts. The missing captain has been identified as 67-year-old
their names. According to Roberts’ son, Godfrey Roberts Jnr, his dad has been living in the U.S. for the past 40 years, and would visit Guyana from time to time. He said the Gage Paul Thornton, which is owned and operated by a New Jersey
company named Marine Steel Transport, left New York around the end of July, and was scheduled to arrive here in Georgetown in August. Said he: “He was last heard from on August 27, and he said he was taking shelter in St Kitts from the hurricane; and that the next time he would make contact was when he was in the Demerara River, since he was waiting for the storm to blow over.” SEASONED SEAMAN Reflecting on his father’s experience as a seaman, Godfrey Jnr said: “He was the first captain to bring a trawler for the Guyana Government back in the 70s, and he has a tremendous amount of experience. This is the first occasion my father has not contacted anyone after such a long period at sea.” After not hearing from his dad, he, too, tried making contact with him. “I contacted the U.S. e m b a s s y, t h e B a r b a d o s embassy, the U.S. embassy in Guyana... We spoke to the Coast Guard; we spoke to the State Department... We tried all over to see if any organisation may know of his whereabouts, but nothing was learnt,” young Roberts said. Noting that the father of six may be stuck somewhere in the Caribbean Sea, he is optimistic that he will be found. “My father has sailed the seas for over 40 years,” is all he said by way of explaining his confidence.
The Gage Paul Thornton
He said his father was delivering the tug to someone here in Guyana, but had bought it in New York in his name. “A third party was supposed to receive the tug, once he arrived in Guyana. The vessel would then be transferred to whomever the owner would be which we have not figured out yet,” Godfrey Jnr said. He said, too, that whenever his dad was in town, he usually spent time with his sister, who lives in Georgetown. According to the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), no vessel named Gage Paul Thornton was expected or
scheduled to visit Guyana. TROPICAL STORM ERIKA Tropical Storm Erika of August 2015 was reportedly the deadliest natural disaster to have occurred in Dominica since Hurricane David in 1979. According to reports, she encountered quite a bit of wind shear from the inception, which is what may have prevented her from developing into a full-blown hurricane. Wi n d s h e a r, i t i s said, effectively rips apart the structure of a tropical cyclone, causing thunderstorm convection to be displaced away from the
center of circulation. Wind shear has been consistently very strong, compared to average, in the Caribbean Sea throughout the 2015 hurricane season. A d d i t i o n a l l y, l a n d interaction with the higher terrain of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and finally eastern Cuba further contributed to the disruption of Erika. And if that wasn't enough, dry air in the western Caribbean Sea also infiltrated Erika's circulation, helping to choke off any organised convection near its previous centre. All of these factors played a role in the ultimate dissipation of Erika.
Pilot found dead in recently-acquired home AYUBE Mazahar Ally, 46, was yesterday morning found hanging by a bag strap from the stairs of his Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara home. The father of two had recently moved into the Lot 166 Granville Park house in which his bloated remains was found, and was reportedly in the final stages of paying for. According to information reaching the Guyana Chronicle, Mazahar Ally was last seen late last week, but there was no sign of him all weekend, nor on Monday. It took a security guard who works at the gated community to use his initiative and run the log book, only to find that there was no record to show that Mazahar Ally either left or entered the premises. Realising that something was not right, the guard next called the man’s house, but got no answer. And to compound matters, he was also getting a strange smell from the house, which is what prompted him to call the police at the Beterverwagting Police Station. Police sources who visited the house where the incident took place explained that the man’s body was so badly decomposed, it was partly touching the stairs. Also, the back door was open, as was the door to the verandah, which was how a police rank was able to access the premises, with the aid of a ladder. Persons in the area yesterday afternoon told this publication that Mazahar Ally was not in the habit of communicating with other persons from the gated community. Ayube Mazahar Ally worked as a pilot at several of the domestic air service providers at the Ogle Airport, but mostly with Air Services Limited, the owners of which he is related to. (Leroy Smith)
The house that Auyube Mazahar Ally recently bought and in which he was found dead
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Senior public servants must behave with the decorum of public servants
11
--Tourism Ministry PS tells CoI By Shauna Jemmott
PERMANENT Secretary within the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Derrick Cummings, has said he is strongly against senior ministry personnel displaying behaviours that are inimical and in conflict of interest to the significance of the public service. Cummings made this comment in a sworn statement when he testified during the ongoing Public Service Commission of Inquiry yesterday. The PS said he had witnessed a deputy permanent secretary behave in an aggressive manner, which should be unacceptable, and he is now questioning why a deputy permanent secretary or a permanent secretary should feel that he or she has the right to behave that way, and whether or not that individual is to be blamed, or the minister to whom he/ she is attached. “I have seen persons on contracts, perhaps at the level of deputy permanent secretary, who might have displayed behaviour inimical to the best overall interest of the public service,” Cummings confided. He said he is unsure whether the behaviour springs from the individual’s contractual arrangement with government or because of their affiliation to the powers at the time. He said that if ministers or permanent secretaries act in conflict with the public’s interest, the senior may be quick to defend himself by arguing that “as a politician elected to serve, what he or she is doing is within the public interest”. Cummings believes that, though appointing
persons outside the public service system may seem to some as an act which undermines the traditional public servant, such appointments should be based on professionalism, merit and ability. Undermining traditional public servants “could be a disincentive to persons, (and) if that were to happen and the person -perhaps out of the ministry itself or out of the pool of persons eligible within the public servants (among whom) you are looking for special competencies and it’s not there -- and the person gets the appointment and performs in ways efficient and respectful, maybe that is something that should be totally dismissed,” he said. He said he is aware that some permanent secretaries, including himself, are on contractual arrangement with the Ministry, and are not permanent staff who can be classified as public servants. The fact that employment within ministries is sourced from two extremes -- some on contract and others through the traditional public service system -– encourages needful competition. Asked by the commission if he believes in an arrangement wherein one system of recruitment of PS based on merit is in place, or open competition to allow fresh talent to come into the public service, competing with traditional ones, he said: “Public Service, as the body responsible for implementing government policy, should be equipped with the calibre of people that are professional and can serve based on their merit and their ability; and competition for the position
would definitely enhance such an aspiration”. He said decisions on employment should be the sole responsibility of the President, or someone working close to him, because of the nature of the responsibilities of permanent secretaries. “The PS is vested with the authority and responsibility to ensure the ministry is efficiently and effectively managed in a way that the human resource is adequately employed and there’s financial propriety. You have misfits and you have highflyers,” HE POINTED OUT He also said that in his ministry alone, contract workers far outnumber public servants, and it is a situation which needs to be addressed with time. “I can’t see a magic bullet or this matter being any revolutionary arrangement, say within a year or so,” he said, adding that even some of the traditional public servants may wish they had a contractual arrangement, since the latter workers receive 22 percent on their earnings over a six-month period as gratuity. However, it was also pointed out by Commissioner Samuel Goolsarran that public servants benefit from long-term security attachments, such as gratuity and pension. Professor Lutchman cited that some may adopt the saying: “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush” and choose the contract u a l w a y, w h i c h a l lows them more cash in hand at payday; and they may be thinking of investing what they have now.
Mr. Derrick Cummings, Permanent Secretary attached to the Ministry of Tourism, testifying at the Public Service Commission of Inquiry yesterday (Photo by Samuel Maughn)
12
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
ECHO hails govt’s move to curb mining woes
THE Environment Community Health Organisation (ECHO) has praised the government for taking immediate action to address serious issues facing stakeholders within the mining sector. The environmental organisation in a statement on Tuesday insisted that the government has made the right move in investigating
the sector’s operation before urging that the time has come to ensure strong legislation to strengthen the industry. Acting on President David Granger’s orders, a Commission of Inquiry launched into the extractive industry found that several inconsistencies existed, while the most glaring involved poor safety practices. It was found that regulatory
...says the time for improved laws is now
bodies and inspection systems are “woefully inadequate”. It was also determined that some mining operators were not adhering to rules and regulations, making the actual operation very unsafe. Within the last 12 months, 16 mining accidents have resulted in the
loss of 25 lives. Royston King, ECHO’s Executive Director said that the number of accidents and deaths are “unacceptable.” He emphasised that the mining sector should not destroy the environment and be allowed also, to take the lives of those making a living off the land. “We need to ensure strong legislation with active enforcement systems,” King opined. He noted that there should be stiff penalties for mining operators and their representatives when they fail to uphold the law; causing environmental destruction and the unfortunate loss of lives. King insisted that eco-friendly development must occur in mining districts, particularly those areas that see a regular influx of stakeholders. “That is, good roads, the availability of communication devices and health facilities among others... and it must all be done in an environmentally approved way.” King went on to state that the mining sector is witnessing an unprecedented push, but the loss of biodiversity, and the increase of polluted soils and water supplies are
Executive Director of ECHO Royston King equally rising. He said that government must continue to fight for the responsible development of the industry, and most importantly, “the protection of the hinterland. Decisions on the environment must be founded on a proper sense of reasonability toward the environment and all those who depend on it for their survival.” The agency leader reminded that last year, the then government promised $2B in mining revenues to go to the protected areas. He opined that no amount of money can compensate for the degradation and destruction of the environ-
ment, and the plunder of natural assets. He supported that the allocation of the funds could help in some ways, but maintained the conservation of the environment since, “it (money) will be useless after we would have done the environmental harm.” “It is not sufficient to take money from activities that are destroying the natural environment and commit it to protect other parts of the environment. The destruction of one part has implications for all other areas of the environment,” King emphasised. He pointed to the use of chemicals, environmentally unfriendly equipment and materials among others, insisting that the time for laws to address these matters are now. King is convinced that to excite persons about saving the environment and tackling environmental mismanagement is to get them personally involved and enthused about environmental conservation. He said that his organisation is ready at any time to offer advice and assistance whenever necessary.
Bandits steal safe with transport, titles in Berbice UNKNOWN bandits stole a safe containing transports and certificates of titles at the Regional Housing Office, Region 6, located at the Regional Democratic Council Building, Vrymen’s Erven, New Amsterdam over last weekend. In a statement the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) said it was informed that the break-in occurred over the weekend of the 26th -27thSeptember 2015. The CH&PA said that bandits gained entry through the louvered window by cutting the mesh, and carried away the safe containing all of the Region’s Transports and
Certificates of Title, some lot numbers for Region 5 and an imprest of $4, 000. The Regional Housing Officer, Region 6 made a report to the New Amsterdam Police Station and gave a written statement to the said office. Officers of the said Police station responded by visiting the office to conduct their investigation, the statement said. “The CH&PA wishes to inform that Public that it only recently recorded each Transport and Certificate of Title contained in the safe. The individual lists will be forwarded to the Deeds Registry and Land Registry, respectively. The CH&PA has
requested of the Registries not to undertake any transaction relating to any of the listed properties until the safe has been recovered and the documents found.” The CH&PA said too it is encouraging all public-spirited citizens who may have knowledge of or may find a safe within their vicinity to please report same to the nearest Police Station. “The CH&PA is appealing to the persons who are responsible for this senseless act to return the safe since the contents are legal documents. Any use or misuse of any of the documents found in the safe is punishable by law, it warned.”
13
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Toucan …had workers allege being shafted no contract, received no pay slip By Ariana Gordon INVESTIGATIONS into t h e a b r u p t c l o s u re o f the St. Kitts-based Call Centre Toucan Connections have discovered that the company had kept no records, and the employees had received no contracts, nor were they provided with pay slips. Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Simona Broomes, told reporters Monday that while the report into the investigation is ready, the situation is not a simple and straightforward one. “It is not simple at all…. There is no record…it is not as straight forward as you may think…there are no contracts, pay slips, nothing!” she said upon being asked whether she could quantify the amount of money owed to the laid-off workers. Approximately 90 employees of the Call Centre, many of whom are young people, were laid off without prior notification in August; moreover, they have not received their benefits.
“This is a nightmare,” the minister opined, as she noted that government is doing its best to deal with the situation. Government, Broomes added, is working on short- and long-term plans to assist the workers. At the moment, the next step for the Ministry is to take the company to court. An initial investigation by the Ministry of Social Protection revealed that the company was not paying the employees’ National Insurance Scheme contributions nor was it paying the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax, although monies were deducted from the salaries of the workers in either respect. The Ministry is currently trying to satisfy itself that the laid-off workers were indeed employees attached to To u c a n C o n n e c t i o n s . Minister Broomes noted that while they were laid off, her ministry is not in receipt of any document proving that they were employed by the company. Investigations are being
conducted into whose name the bank account used by Toucan operated. Also, investigations have revealed that the company may not
Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Simona Broomes have been registered. “We can’t find the registration,” Broomes declared. Government has committed to providing relief to the laid-off workers. Broomes told reporters on Monday that the situation
City Hall in move to upgrade Promenade Gardens, Non Aligned Monument THE Mayor and City Council is moving to revitalise and upgrade its Promenade Gardens and has commenced work in rehabilitating the Non Aligned Monument located on North Road and Church Street. In a release the Council said the Promenade Gardens is a quiet place to relax, and read and to -enjoy the flowers and green palm and other trees. Its main entrance is located on Middle Street in Cummingsburg; it was designed by a Trinidadian botanist. According to the Council in August, 1851, the Town Council made a decision to create a public promenade on the Parade Ground once funding could be obtained. Several members of the public including the Governor contributed $500.00. As early as 1844, the ‘Gazette’ had suggested that the Parade ground be transformed into a public garden. History of the area had moved some citizens of Guyana to suggest it to be a public garden, as a way of honouring those victims of a ruthless system. City Hall said that in 1851, after funding was obtained, the transformation of the site into a garden was completed in 1853. Seats were placed in the Promenade Gardens in 1859 for the public. The garden has since been the scenery for many important civic occasions. The garden still remains the site of many public and private events, including the popular annual Inner Wheel Club’s Easter Hat Show, weddings, fashion shows and photo shoots. Meanwhile, according to City Hall the bandstand situated within the Promenade Gardens was constructed in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Completed in 1987, it is considered the oldest bandstand of three in the city. It has been recommended that the Promenade Gardens at one time boasted the largest range of wild orchids in the Caribbean before it fell into shape during the 80s and 90s. The site was rehabilitated in 2006 and the Bandstand refurbished by Republic Bank in 2009. However, the Mayor and City Council has embarked upon a special plan to upgrade and enhance the beauty of this national treasure. This includes the re-painting of the fence, general repairs and refurbishing of the bandstand, the resurfacing of the walk ways and footpaths and redoing of the landscape. The Council is encouraging all Citizens to visit this public facility and use it for their weddings and other special events. The Council believes that it is a major tourist attraction as many tourists make it their business to visit this garden and take pictures and relax in the shades of its beautiful trees.
is dire and deserves full attention. “We have a plan, and at the end of this, that plan will be executed to the benefit of the Toucan employees,” she said. The minister noted that there are approximately 70 statements that have to be perused by the Ministry, after which it is hoped that Minister Volda Lawrence will present to Cabinet the report and all the findings for review and deliberations. President David Granger has only recently expressed concern about the impact the situation will have on the employment situation in the mining town of Linden. He told reporters that while the issue is not a governmental one, his government is working to see how best it can provide “relief where it is possible.” “It is a private enterprise matter, and we, of course, are deeply concerned about the impact it will have on the employment situation in this community,” he has confided. President Granger hopes
to see the report on the St. Kitts-based company, so that the issues can be discussed thoroughly. “Once I get the report, I’ll discuss it at Cabinet,” he said. Following the abrupt closure of the Call Centre, the Department of Labour was summoned to investigate the laying off of the workers. The company has said it was unaware that it had been responsible for preparing severance packages for the laid-off workers. Asked whether any senior official of the company is currently in communication with the ministry, Minister Broomes responded in the negative. “They just had two ladies, two supervisors… that is why I am saying (that) outside of this, government is looking at the situation,” she explained. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the two supervisors are foreign nationals, and have since left Guyana. This publication was reliably informed that Regional Chairman Renis Morian had suggested
that the passports of the two supervisors should have been lodged with the Immigration Department until the investigations have been completed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be included in the investigation, as there are no representatives of the St. Kitts-based company in Guyana. Asked how concerned h e r M i n i s t r y, a n d b y extension government, is about foreign companies establishing businesses here and then closing down without providing benefits to workers, Broomes said: “We are very concerned…I want to know if workers don’t have a voice.” She stressed that the laid-off workers have to be paid. “It is lots of workers,” she said. Government, she added, will be examining the issue extensively, as it “goes beyond severance payment”. Contacted yesterday, Regional Chairman Renis Morian said investigations are ongoing, but declined to comment further.
14
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
U.S.-based Guyanese mount protest against Venezuela GUYANESE based in the United States, mainly New York, yesterday protested what they say is Venezuela’s continued claim to this country’s territory. Margaret Patterson Wickham, who hails from Suddie, on the Essequibo Coast, said: “I am proud to be a Guyanese; I am representing Guyana out here to tell Venezuela, ‘Not a blade of grass!’” Essequibo is a main region claimed by Venezuela. “Guyana belongs to us. It was shaped by God, and taking away Essequibo will ‘de-shape it’; and that can’t happen,” Wickham said. Kamla Balbacchan, also on the protest line, said: “I don’t need Venezuela to take anything.” The protest came on the heels of President David Granger’s address to the United Nations, where he called for protection for small states against aggression by the larger states. “It’s our country! President Maduro is overstepping his bounds!” declared Charles Sugrim, another protestor. “The border has been settled in 1899; there is absolutely no reason why they should be acting up this way. I really support the government’s move to ensure that this thing is settled once and for all. Essequibo belongs to Guyana! Period!” Sugrim said. Ardita Bacchus, 48, who was born in Georgetown but went to schools on the Essequibo coast, was also out protesting. “I am out here to represent Guyana; to stop Venezuela,” she said. The protestors danced in the street and sang the national anthem, several national songs and Dave Martins’ iconic “Not a Blade of Grass!” Michael Pellew, 71, was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a young messenger when Venezuela moved to occupy the island of Ankoko in 1966.
“I was young, mad, and vigorous at that time; and I am madder about it today,” said Mr Pellew, who formerly lived at Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara. Next to him was Esther Haynes-Strauss, who lived at
Mackenzie, today’s Linden. “I am out here to send a clear message to Venezuela that Essequibo is our land, and it is time we have closure; because since I was a little girl, 50 years ago, I have been hearing about this,” she said.
U.S.-based Guyanese demonstrating outside of the UN headquarters in New York yesterday
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Mother dies, daughter lives
15
––following horrific New Amsterdam accident
THIRTY-one-year-old Shalini Jewlall died yesterday at the Georgetown Hospital some two days after being involved in an accident at Main and St Magdalene Streets, in New Amsterdam, Berbice. Jewlall, an auxiliary staff of the Demerara Distilleries Limited (DDL), along with her seven-year-old daughter, Marlene Adeline DaSilva, was attempting to cross the road on Sunday when a speeding motorcyclist ran into them. Both mother and daughter, as well as the motorcycist, who was also injured in the accident, were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital. There, doctors on assessing the extent of Jewlall’s injuries, transferred her to the Georgetown Hospital, where she
subsequently died. Her husband of 13 years, Vidian DaSilva, was too distraught to speak with the Guyana Chronicle. But his mother, Lelia DaSilva, at whose home on Strand Road he was when the Chronicle caught up with him, said he, his wife and daughter were returning from their home, which is currently under construction, when the accident occurred. “It was customary for them to bring Marlene to sleep with me,” she said, adding: “They would then return to the construction site, where they would keep watch over the building materials.” Recalling the sequence in which the accident occurred, Ms DaSilva said: “My
CHEC given go-ahead ...
From page 4
occupational health and safety to ensure that members of the company understand the rules and regulations governing the issues at hand. “There should be no place for negligence here; we will not tolerate it… It was your negligence that resulted in the death of an employee, and we cannot afford another death; we will not accept it,” she said firmly. Meanwhile, Liu committed to working with the Department of Labour to ensure CHEC is complaint. “I will try my best to improve site safety,” said Lui, who also committed to submitting an Occupational Health and Safety plan to the Ministry for approval, along with the compilation of monthly reports. He is expected to work with Lydia Greene, Assistant Chief Occupational Health and Safety Officer to ensure compliance. WORK TIMES, COMPENSATION AND DOCUMENTS Following the site visit by the Minister, she requested several documents from CHEC; a list of all workers attached to the company, their hours of work and their pay sheets. Minister Broomes made it clear that CHEC has been in violation of the Labour Laws that state that employees are required to work forty hours a week which is broken down to mean, eight hours a day for five days. Should employees work beyond the stipulated eight hours, they have to be compensated. Ironically, CHEC’s contract with the subject ministry states clearly in subclause 6.5 that “normal working hours will be ten hours per day, seven days per week. The employer shall guarantee the contractor has no less than 10 hours available and effective work-time per day…when and where necessary, the contractor is entitled to work overtime up to twenty four hours per day and seven days per week to cope with the actual site
conditions and progress.” The sub-clause, Broomes said, is a blatant contradiction of Guyana’s laws and must be corrected immediately. “This does not only apply to local workers, but to all persons working in Guyana. You have to comply with our laws….I am guided by the Law, and you have to comply with the law,” she said. She said all workers who have been working beyond eight hours must be paid by CHEC. “It is pointed out here (in contract) this is a valid case, it is fact, it is written…These slip ups come at a cost… the company would have to face some costs here and pay the workers,” Broomes instructed. She said there must be clear documents that speak to the times worked by workers. This publication was informed that with the recent incident that resulted in the death of the Chinese engineer, it was discovered there is no evidence of a work permit, although the deceased was living and working in Guyana for approximately two weeks before his death. The work permit issue is apparently not only limited to the dead employee but to other Chinese nationals working with CHEC. Also, there is an alleged lack of payroll information and other relevant documentation for staff. However, Liu said there are documents but all are written in Chinese and have to be translated. The Minister insisted that the documents (English and Chinese versions) be provided forthwith to her ministry for verification. Broomes told Guyana Chronicle that the preliminary report into the incident is out and several recommendations have been made. She did not state what the recommendations are but stressed on the need for workers to be adequately paid, and documents be available for scrutiny by the authorities. Also present at the site visit was Technical Advisor Ministry of Public Works Walter Willis who also sought to explain some of the challenges on the project.
son, Vidian, moments earlier, had crossed the road with his bicycle. Shalini and her daughter stood on the eastern side; they were waiting for the road to clear. “A car stopped, and the driver signalled them to cross. But as soon as they were attempting to do so, a speeding motorcyclist slammed into them.” Eyewitnesses said it all happened so suddenly, everyone was in shock. They also said that many motorists were reluctant to take the injured to the hospital. But eventually, the driver of a vehicle belonging to privately-owned security firm came forward and offered to take them; and according to reports, after the injured were moved, there was blood and what seemed
like brain matter left behind on the roadway. According to DDL Sales Supervisor, Ms Margaret Bulai, Jewlall had been in the company’s employ as a cleaner for over ten years. She was a dedicated employee, she recalled. “She worked beyond her job description,” Bulai said. “She was an all-rounder, and customer-oriented.” Meanwhile, the motorcyclist remains a patient at the New Amsterdam Hospital, while the child has been discharged and is currently staying with her mother’s relatives. A post mortem examination is expected to be conducted today at the Georgetown hospital.
16
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
M&CC extends rate interest amnesty period to October 31 - no other extension envisaged
THE Mayor and City C o u n c i l h a s re p o r t e d garnering some $320M from the approximately $2.7B owed in rates since commencement of the amnesty, which has been extended to October 31. The amnesty facilitated
businesses receiving between 50% and 75% off interest on rates due, whilst residential properties received a complete waiver on interest owed on rates. Collection of outstanding rates would enable the M&CC to effect drainage
and other needed works in the City, since that body is responsible for cleaning and desilting of eleven main canals, seventy-five alleyway drains and two hundred and eighty roadside drains. The Council is hereby urging rate payers to make
use of the amnesty, since it will not be extended beyond the period decided at the statutory meeting on September 28, 2015. The Full Council decided then to extend the amnesty period based on a recommendation of the chairman of the amnesty committee, Mr Junior Garrett. The M&CC had originally designated the entire month of September as the amnesty period but the robust response of
business persons coming forward to make payments has influenced the council’s decision to extend the facility to October 31. AN M&CC PRESS RELEASE HAS SAID THAT The amnesty was intended to facilitate property owners with difficult circumstances that prevented them from honouring their civic obligation to the Council. The Amnesty Committee will
Business people utilising the amnesty period at City Hall to make outstanding payments yesterday
meet with rate payers daily to listen to their concerns and make a decision based on the merit of each case. The release declared the extension necessary to accommodate persons who have expressed an interest in accessing the facility but were unable to do so in the time given because of various issues, such as incomplete valuation and conversion of premises from business to residential. (Michel Outridge)
17
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
GPF corporals and lance corporals undergoing supervisory courses SEVERAL training programmes have been initiated for ranks within the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in order to equip them with the necessary skills for optimum performance a n d t o i n c re a s e t h e i r professionalism in discharge of their duties. Force Training Officer Paul Williams told this publication that a Supervisors Training Course is currently
underway at the Felix Austin Police College at Eve Leary, Georgetown to impart ranks in a supervisory level -- corporals and lance corporals -- with two weeks of classroom training. He pointed out that those ranks on the course would have already been appointed lance corporals and corporals during the last promotion phase, and they already have between three and four years of service, thus it is
a compulsory course they must take as newly-promoted supervisors. Williams disclosed that the course is being conducted by officers of the GPF and by external resource persons from several organisations, including Red Thread and GRPA. He said a variety of subjects are being covered, and noted that ranks will be exposed to training in genderbased violence, domestic
abuse, customer care services, communication principles, and media use and management, among other topics. Moreover, the courses are targeting batches of 40, and this current batch is the 5th batch. He said the group is very large, and in order to facilitate all the ranks in that level, the batches have to be coordinated. CID INDUCTION COURSE Wi l l i a m s s a i d t h e Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Induction Course caters for new ranks, lasts for 6 weeks, and deals
with matters relating to CID. This also is being conducted at the Police Officers’ Training Centre at Eve Leary. He said new-entrance ranks will be exposed to training in the field of crime scene management, record and documentation, report writing, and caution statement, among other topics. Members of the GPF, along with staffers from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Defence Force, and the Guyana Revenue Authority -– a total of 44 persons -- are undergoing training in CIDrelated matters.
RECRUIT TRAINING COURSE Wi l l i a m s s a i d m o r e than 230 ranks who recently joined the GPF will complete a six-month training course at the Felix Austin Police College, after which they will be posted to various police stations across the country. Once the ranks have successfully completed this intense training course, they will be dispatched to all divisions, and will do the ‘beat system’ under supervision and guidance of their superiors. (Michel Outridge)
18
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
AIDS-free generation in Americas within grasp - PAHO Director
PAN-American cooperation has been critical to major public health achievements in the Americas over the past century, and the past year was no exception, Director of the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), said on Monday in presenting her 2015 annual report to the 54th PAHO Directing Council. The region's tradition of "leading by example" continued with a number of public health "firsts" between mid-2014 and mid-2015, the period of the report. In the most notable achievement of the period, in June 2015, the Americas became the first World Health Organisation (WHO) region to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). In September 2014, Ecuador became the world's second country (after Colombia in 2013) to eliminate onchocerciasis, or river blindness. Also during the period, Nicaragua and Uruguay became the world's first countries to ratify the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco. "Our member countries are the main drivers behind our public health progress, but the role of PAHO's Secretariat in providing technical cooperation and coordination has been central to linking the sterling efforts of PAHO's Member States together with those of partners at the local, national, and international levels to achieve milestones that make the Americas a public health leader among WHO regions," Dr Carissa Etienne Etienne told ministers of health from throughout the Americas attending the five-day Directing Council meeting at PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C. this week. Guyana is being represented by Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton. WORLD’S FIRST In another milestone, in June 2015, Cuba became the first country in the world to be validated as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis. Since then, six other countries have been reporting data consistent with elimination. "If we continue to work assiduously along this path, the ambitious goal of an AIDS-free generation in the near future will be well within our grasp," said Etienne. Among the most important achievements during the period of the annual report, said Etienne, was the adoption by the 2014 Directing Council of a historic regional strategy that endorses the goals of universal access to health and universal health coverage. The strategy is the first of its kind among WHO regions and was
Please see page 23
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Attendance, punctuality crucial in education delivery - Minister, CEO stress at Attendance Award Ceremony
At last Friday’s Attendance Award Ceremony, seated from left are: Chief Education Officer Olato Sam, Principal Education Officer Baydewan GhirRambarran, and Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine THE Georgetown Department of Education S c h o o l s We l f a re U n i t on Friday last held an A t t e n d a n c e Aw a r d Ceremony for schools within the Georgetown education district at the National Cultural Centre. In brief remarks, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam stressed the importance of attendance and punctuality in education delivery offering that multiple studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between high attendance and high scores achieved by students. He stated that while some might question the need for highlighting attendance, it should be noted that attendance is a key indicator of a culture of performance in the education system and has a direct impact on the time a child spends learning. Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine in his feature address shared some of his own experiences as a child attending school from a very early age. He underlined the importance of reading, urging parents to inculcate in their children the discipline to read more instead of spending too much time watching television. The Education Minister congratulated the children on their achievement and noted that it took commitment from their parents as well. He also asked the audience, as residents of Georgetown
and surrounding areas, to consider the difficulties faced by some children in other parts of the country in attending school. “Whereas in the city and on most parts of the coast,” the minister stated, “it is simply an issue of jumping in a bus or a car or walking part of the distance on paved roads; in some communities access to a simple canoe to get from home to school is a challenge for many children. In other communities, the journey to school and back is in fact a journey, often taken on foot through tough terrain over significant distances.” He also outlined challenges to attendance faced by children in the capital as well including crime and climate change. He added that even in school there are other issues to contend with. “Of course,” noted the Minister, “there are challenges to attendance within the school itself. We have seen some worrying incidents of violence in schools make national headlines and those are the ones that make it to the press. This is the sort of phenomenon that is not only untenable on its own, but which has repercussions for the quality of education a child receives. Then there is of course the issue of suicide among school-aged children, and we have seen in the past year at least three incidents
which were related to issues at school.” D r. R o o p n a r a i n e reiterated that from the perspective of the ministry, education remains a partnership between parents and teachers. He also highlighted the fact that more of a child’s time is spent on average interacting with teachers than with parents. He outlined measures that the ministry and the government were taking to facilitate better attendance and a more wholesome school experience for children in the school system. “In closing,” said Dr. Roopnaraine, “even as we acknowledge that we are not at the moment at the best place when it comes to education, we must also celebrate – as we are doing today – the steps we continue to take on the right path towards that destination. Today I commend all of you who observe the most fundamental discipline – that is arriving at school every day and arriving on time.” Several schools and individual students received plaques as acknowledgement for attendance records of 95 percent and above. The audience was also treated to several cultural performances by students f ro m v a r i o u s s c h o o l s , including singing, dancing and steelpan recitals.
A section of the audience at the award ceremony last Friday
19
20
Major disaster averted as…
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Garbage fire it is a fuel installation, any fire is considered to be dangerous,” Station Officer Otis Charles said, adding that the garbage pile, just outside the Pritipaul Singh Group of Companies’ compound, comprised old fishing tanks and various types of unwant-
ed items. Sol General Manager, Orlando Boxill, said he was at work when the fire alarm sounded. Since the company had been taken through two separate fire drills in the last two weeks, staff members were aware that they had to
evacuate the area immediately. What was helpful, too, was the timely arrival of the fire tenders. “This morning, the fire alarm sounded; we came out and we saw a lot of smoke; we activated our security procedures,” Boxill told the
Sol General Manager, Orlando Boxill speaking with reporters outside his office Monday (Photos by Adrian Narine) By Shauna Jemmott AN out-of-control fire at a garbage heap on Monday posed a threat to the Sol Guyana Inc. head office and fuel installation site at Lot BB Rome, Agricola East Bank Demerara. Thanks to the timely and effective response of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), however, what could have
been a major disaster was averted, since in excess of 10,000 barrels of fuel are stored at the Sol installation site. The garbage heap, allegedly created by the Pritipaul Singh Group of Companies (fishing company), was located in close proximity to the Sol compound, and the blaze triggered the fire alarm and evacuation of close to 60 workers from the Sol operations.
The Guyana Chronicle, which arrived on the scene at around noon Monday, was just in time to see smoke billowing towards the west of the site, as ranks of the GFS valiantly fought to douse the blaze. Fire officials deemed the blaze particularly dangerous because of its close proximity to the petrol stockpile. “Because of the fact that
Dangerously close! Curious onlookers looked on yesterday as Fire fighters battled this fire which erupted in close proximity to the Sol Guyana compound, where in excess of 10,000 barrels of fuel are stored.
Murder accused freed on escaping from custody charge CITY Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday dismissed a charge of escaping from lawful custody against murder accused Clifton David Gibson. Gibson, 21, of Tucville, Georgetown, is accused of escaping from lawful custody at Lamaha and Parade Streets while waiting to be taken to the Golden Grove lock-ups on June 25 last, after being escorted to the Georgetown Magistrates Court to be arraigned for the murder of Rubis Executive Jason Cort. Prosecutor Sergeant Neville Jeffers had called
several police witnesses to testify, two of whom had arrested the accused. One of the officers testified that the defendant was seated in the back seat of the pickup with shackles on his feet and handcuffs on his hands when, in the vicinity of Lamaha and Parade Streets, Georgetown, he exited the van and waded into the traffic. The officer explained that he had given chase, but the defendant had managed to jump over a fence and disappear. The defendant was subsequently arrested after he was seen walking along Lamaha Street with
his hands under his jersey and his handcuff loose. Magistrate McLennan, in her ruling, explained that she was faced with both the prosecution’s case and Gibson’s defense, wherein he had called upon two witnesses to testify. These were Linton Eastman, 23, and Stancey Rodney, 27, of Perry Street, Tucville, Georgetown. Gibson, Eastman and Rodney are jointly charged with the murder of Rubis Executive Jason Cort. Both witnesses testified that they knew nothing about Gibson escaping on the day in question, even
though they were all seated in the same police vehicle. The witnesses also testified that they were not trying to lie or help their friend. The accused further testified that he did not escape from the police. He claimed that the police were lying on him, and had taken “pay” to institute the charge against him. The magistrate found Gibson not guilty after the prosecution failed to prove its case, and she gave the accused the benefit of the doubt. The charge of escaping from police custody was therefore dismissed against Gibson.
RECAP The charge against the trio alleges that on June 7 last, at Meadow Brook Gardens, they murdered Jason Cort during the course of a robbery. They first appeared before Magistrate McLennan on June 19 and were not required to plead to the charge. This matter is still pending in the court. Cort, a 27 year-old Accounts Executive at Rubis, was gunned down in front of his Jamoon Drive, Meadow Brook Gardens home by gun-toting bandits on June 17 last.
Reports are that the couple, who have a two-yearold son, had just come from a Kingston location and were preparing to head to another venue on East Bank Demerara when the attack occurred. Cort had moments earlier arrived home with his fiancée, Shauna Garraway. He was shot to the chest and subsequently died at the Balwant Singh Hospital. The bandits reportedly took Cort’s licensed firearm, cell phone, gold band, chain and ring, and an X Box console. (Clestine Juan)
Man jailed for cellphone theft IMRAN Ali of Lot 3309 Enmore, East Coast Demerara appeared yesterday before city magistrate Annett Singh accused of stealing a cellphone from a
mini bus. He pleaded guilty to the charge, which alleged that on August 13 at Brickdam in the city, he stole a Samsung cellular phone valued
at $45,000, property of Zaid Nurse. According to the facts of the case, on the day in question, the accused was the only passenger in a bus
driven by Nurse, which was stopped by traffic officers at the Brickdam Police Station. The virtual complainant was forced to disembark the
bus and leave the accused behind. Upon his return, Ali was gone, and so was Nurse’s cellphone. The matter was reported to the police, and Ali ar-
rested at his Enmore home with the stolen article in his pocket. He was therefore sentenced to two months’ imprisonment.(Clestine Juan)
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
21
threatens Sol fuel station media. He said that though he could not determine the origin of the smoke at the time, investigations later revealed that it was just outside his office compound, where the neighbouring fishing company dumps its garbage. He said that seeing that the two companies have an amicable relationship, he would be pushing for having a discussion with the other party’s manager in order to resolve the situation. “We need to be ever so vigilant,” Boxill declared, adding that his company is doing its own investigating to arrive at a “root-cause analysis” of the fire, after which recommendations would be made to prevent a recurrence. What may have saved the day for both companies, he said, was the direction in which the wind was blowing at the time. “If the wind had blown in the other direction, it could have been catastrophic,” he told the Chronicle. A billboard just outside Sol declares that Sol’s goal is: “No harm to people or the en-
vironment”. It also boasts of having a record of “0” fires and explosions and fatalities on its premises. Attempts by the Guyana Chronicle to reach the manager of Pritipaul Singh Investments proved futile. This is the second garbage dump fire the Guyana Chronicle has covered within recent times. Two Sundays ago, the northern half of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) ground on Thomas Lands was set ablaze after a garbage heap fire went out of control and burned scores of tyres, releasing in the process acrid smoke into the atmosphere. The GFS was summoned to fight that fire, which affected residents in the Lamaha/Alberttown/Queenstown area. One man even complained that he was forced to send his wife across town because she has an asthmatic condition. Citizens are calling on government to initiate a campaign to deal with the issue of garbage dump fires, which are becoming increasingly dangerous.
Court orders fraudster to restore $10,000 swindled from friend TERRY Roberts was on Tuesday ordered to pay $13,000 in compensation to his friend, after he fraudulently converted the money she had entrusted to him. Particulars of the charge alleged that on September 22, at John and Bent Streets in Georgetown, he, being entrusted with the sum of $10,000 by Petal Perry to purchase a printer ink filter, fraudulently converted the said money to his own use and benefit. Roberts accepted the charge read to him by City Magistrate Dylon Bess and begged for a chance to repay the woman. The matter was adjourned until Monday, October 15, when Roberts is expected hand over the cash to Perry. (Clestine Juan)
Good Hope man jailed for burglary GOVINDRA Nirmal of Lot 109 Phase One Good Hope, East Coast Demerara was yesterday sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment after city magistrates Annett Singh found him guilty as charged. The charge against Nirmal alleged that, on April 6 at Harel Street, he broke into the business place of Albert Rambakaran and stole a quantity of tools and hardware supplies totalling $241,000. The prosecutor, Police Corporal Adunni Innis, called upon four witnesses to testify. Before handing down sentence, the magistrate gave the accused three options: to stand in the witness box and give a sworn testimony, to remain where he was and give an unsown statement, or to remain silent. The stern faced man, however, explained to the court that he has nothing to say about either the charge or his actions. (Clestine Juan)
Smoke billows from this fire in the Pritipaul Singh Group of Companies’ compound, just behind these tankers, where hundreds of barrels and gas bottles containing gasoline and diesel products are stored
22
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Representatives of Demerara Bank Ltd, senior social worker Rosamund Daly (seventh left) pose with students during the presentation ceremony (Photo by Adrtian Narine)
Demerara Bank donates to hinterland scholarship students
DEMERARA Bank Limited has made a donation of stationery and games to the students of the Hinterland Scholarship Students’ Dormitory at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Sixty-eight students received a set of Oxford dictionaries, pens, geometry sets, calculators and games such as snakes and ladder, chess and scrabble. On hand to receive the donation was senior social worker Rosamund Daly who expressed appreciation for the useful gifts on Monday afternoon. On behalf of the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, she expressed heartfelt thanks to the Board of Directors of Demerara Bank Ltd for the timely donation, and assured that it will be well utilised. Meanwhile, Demerara Bank Ltd. Branch Manager Deyon D’Oliveira said that it was a pleasure to make the donation to the students in observance of Amerindian Heritage Month and Education Month. He added that they thought it wise to make the presentation to foster education in Guyana and growth within the community. Two students, a male and a female, also made brief remarks expressing their gratitude to Demerara Bank.
Wednesday September 30th, 2015 - 05:00 hrs
23
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
AIDS-free generation ... From page 18 developed through a broad consultative process in which more than 1,200 health officials and other PAHO stakeholders from 31 countries and territories participated. Etienne said this process and the resulting strategy were "an
exceptional example of Pan American cooperation." CHALLENGES The annual report also highlights a number of challenges faced by PAHO's Member States during the 12 months ending in July 2015. These included the spread of Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease,
to some 1.5 million people in 40 countries and territories of the Americas, and the threat of a possible importation of Ebola, following its rapid spread in West Africa during the second half of 2014. In response to the Ebola threat, PAHO's Secretariat mobilised expert missions to 25 member countries to identify gaps in preparedness
and priority areas for action to improve countries' capacities to detect, contain and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. HORIZONTAL COOPERATION In her visits to PAHO member countries over the past year, Etienne said she had been impressed
with countries' technical expertise and innovations in public health, as well as with their willingness to share experiences to help other countries strengthen their own p u b l i c h e a l t h c a p a c i t y. PA H O ' s S e c r e t a r i a t i s eager to facilitate countryto-country ("horizontal") cooperation initiatives that take advantage of this continuing spirit of Pan Americanism, Etienne said. "Our new framework
on Cooperation among Countries for Health Development seeks to revitalise the Bureau's longstanding role as a facilitator of horizontal cooperation and to create new mechanisms and processes to help c o u n t r i e s s h a re t h e i r growing technical and programmatic capacities with each other. In this way, we can find even more ways of leading by example." (PAHO/WHO)
24
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Remanded for robbing pastor
TWO South Ruimveldt men were remanded to prison on Monday for allegedly robbing a pastor of over $147,000 worth of personal items during a stick-up. Police alleged that both Jamal Thomas and Kennrick Cozier were armed with a sharp object on September 25 at Prashad Nagar when they robbed Sydney George of an I-Phone 4S, a Samsung cellular phone and cash, all to the value of $147,000.
The duo pleaded not guilty to the charge before City Magistrate Ann McLennan when the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was applied. Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones said that the virtual complainant (VC) is a pastor and would operate a taxi as his day job. However on the day in question the defendants hired the VC’s car and requested to be taken to Kitty and upon arrival one of the accused placed an object to George’s neck and
demanded that he hand over all his valuables. They then made good their escape. The two men were subsequently caught and the articles were found in their possession, the court heard. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of the nature, gravity and penalty attached to the charge. Bail was refused and the duo is scheduled to reappear in court on October 16.
Boss gives teen second chance
AN East Ruimveldt teenager accused of stealing from his employer was on Monday given a second chance when his boss dropped the break-in charge against him. The 17-year-old youth was accused of breaking into the Bandrite Variety Store and carting off four DVD players valued $140,000, and four video cameras valued at $110,000, along with $4,000 cash, totalling $254,000, being the property of Deon Jack. The teenager was about to plead to the charge when Jack indicated to City Magistrate Ann McLennan that he wished for the matter to be withdrawn, because the youngster is in his employ and should be given a second chance to mend his ways. The matter was dismissed against the teenager, who was scolded by the magistrate to turn over a new leaf.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
25
26
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
27
28
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
29
30
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
31
32
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
33
34
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
35
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
South Africa racing Tips Durbanville 08:50 hrs Eastern Charm 09:25 hrs Amarillo Rose 10:00 hrs La Di Var 10:35 hrs Panga Panga 11:10 hrs Casey’s Jet English Racing Tips Nottingham 08:40 hrs Rose Marmara 09:10 hrs Rocksavage 09:40 hrs Traithlon 10:10 hrs Powder Snow 10:45 hrs Biotic 11:20 hrs La Superba 11:50 hrs Jan Van Hoof 12:20 hrs Sleepy Blue Ocean Salisbury 08:50 hrs Paris Protocol 09:20 hrs Mootaharer 09:50 hrs River Echo 10:25 hrs Our Queenie 11:00 hrs Faithful Creek 11:30 hrs Elronaq 12:00 hrs Slip Sliding Away 12:35 hrs Bold Runner Chepstow 09:00 hrs Potters Corner 09:30 hrs Regal Flow 10:00 hrs Marju’s Quest 10:35 hrs Mortlestown 11:10 hrs Oscar Jane 11:40 hrs Going Nowhere Fast 12:10 hrs Petethepear Irish Racing Tips Sligo 09:15 hrs Kara Loca 09:45 hrs Caledon Craic 10:15 hrs Dandridge 10:50 hrs Davina’s Tip 11:25 hrs Katie Do 11:55 hrs He Is Top Cloass American Racing Tips Belmont Race 1 Rockford Race 2 Triple Play Race 3 Tango Time Race 4 Crown the Kitten Race 5 Tiz for Daddy Race 6 Full Tap Race 7 Capriana Race 8 Sky Gold Race 9 Graciously
Statement from WICB Convernor of Selectors
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Chairman of West Indies selectors Clive Lloyd has responded to recent public statements made by West Indies Team Head Coach, Phil Simmons, a WICB media release said last night. “It was drawn to my attention several things which were said by Head Coach of the West Indies team Phil Simmons recently as he addressed members of the media in Barbados, following the conclusion of the team’s camp, ahead of the Tour of Sri Lanka. “It must be noted that in the short time that Phil has been involved as Head
Coach, he has done a good job in building team unity and morale, and the players have warmed to his coaching methods. “Phil has apologised to all for his recent public statements and how strongly he would have felt on certain selection matters of the team “We agreed – at times – that we will have a difference of opinion, but we cannot condone such outbursts. “Therefore, we will always seek discussion and dialogue at every stage of the selection process and work towards the best interest of West Indies cricket.”
England must look forward not back, says Cook
LONDON, England (Reuters) - England’s cricketers cannot afford to rest on their laurels after winning the Ashes in the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan and South Africa, captain Alastair Cook said yesterday. The three-Test series against Pakistan, for which they leave this week, takes place in the UAE, where England were beaten 3-0 in 2012 and where Pakistan have never lost a series. Then they travel to South Africa for a four-Test series. Cook said the players were in great heart after beating Australia 3-2 in England to regain the Ashes but that there is little time these days in international cricket to sit back and enjoy success. “It’s been a brilliant couple of weeks off after you win such a big series but it’s amazing how quickly it has come round again,” he told Sky Sports News. “There is no rest and the guys have to park the Ashes and start looking forward. “Winning away from home in international cricket is not done very often at the moment.”
He believes that will be particularly hard in the UAE, although “it’s a brilliant place to play cricket because it’s so unique”. Cook would give few clues about who might fill the troublesome opening batsman’s slot alongside him in either series, for which Alex Hales and spinner Moeen Ali are seen as the main contenders. “We have to be flexible,” he said. “We might have to have a short-term option. It might be that Mo opens the batting in this series and not in South Africa or that Alex takes his chance in a warm-up game. “So we have options and we have to be clear pretty early on what we’re going to do. “It’s a pretty tough job, (opening), you’re playing against the best bowlers in the world who are fresh, with the new ball. And it’s a big step from county cricket to international cricket.” England arrive in the UAE this week and start the first Test on October 13. After the three Tests, there are four ODIs and three T20 internationals before the end of November.
Simmons’s future to be ... From back page aspect of life … [people would use] their position to get people into a squad or in this case, get people left out of a squad,” an irate Simmons said. “It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the selection of the ODI team.” His comments sent shockwaves through the Caribbean cricket fraternity, with the WICB moving swiftly to suspend him on Monday. However, Simmons gained support in several quarters, including from Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell – Chairman of CARICOM’s Sub Committee on Cricket Governance – who labelled the claims as “disturbing” and
said the selection panel needed to be “free of interference, fear, or favour.” Muirhead said the WICB would continue to manage its affairs in a highly professional manner, despite what appeared to be “another controversy” in West Indies cricket. “Let me first apologise to the public for what seems to be another controversy within the West Indies Cricket Board,” Muirhead said. “We are trying manage the business of West Indies cricket in a particular and professional manner and whenever there is change taking place things are bound to controversial at times. “Integrity and professionalism are high on our agenda and we will not compromise on that.”
Former FIFA powerbroker ... From back page into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The tournaments were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively in December 2010 by the FIFA executive committee, of which he was a member. Warner was found guilty of violating
ethics code articles on general rules of conduct, loyalty, duty of disclosure, conflicts of interest, the offering and acceptance of gifts and of failing to collaborate with the ethics committee. Warner is currently in his native Trinidad and Tobago, where he is fighting extradition to the United States.
36
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Pakistan clinch Twenty20 series with Zimbabwe win HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal hit an unbeaten 38 from 28 balls as Pakistan wrapped up the two-match Twenty20 international series against Zimbabwe with a 15-run win at the Harare Sports Club yesterday. After winning the toss and electing to bat on a slow
wicket, Pakistan posted 136 for six in their 20 overs, the same total they managed in Sunday’s first match when they won by 13 runs. Zimbabwe never got going in their reply having slipped to 24 for four in the seventh over, and finished on 121 for seven from their 20 overs. Akmal was one of the
few batsmen who came to grips with the conditions as he worked the ball around superbly, scoring just 14 of his runs in boundaries. Seamer Luke Jongwe was the pick of the home bowlers with two for 24 from his four overs, including the wicket of experienced opener Mohammad Hafeez (17).
The Pakistan players pose with the T20 trophy in Harare. Zimbabwe made a disastrous start to their reply but were steadied by a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Sean Williams (40 not out) and Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza (36). Despite having wickets in hand going into the final
four overs, Zimbabwe found boundaries hard to come by with slow left-arm bowler Imad Wasim (one for 14 in four overs) and paceman Mohammad Irfan (two for 25) especially hard to get away. The teams start a threematch one-day international series at the same venue tomorrow.
Swiss treating Platini ‘between witness and accused person’ By Joshua Franklin ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Swiss authorities are treating UEFA head Michel Platini as somewhere “between a witness and an accused person” in a soccer corruption probe that was widened last week to include FIFA president
UEFA president Michel Platini Sepp Blatter, Switzerland’s attorney general said. Michael Lauber told reporters he did not rule out searching the headquarters of UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, as part of the investigation. Swiss prosecutors said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter, the long-time head of world soccer’s governing body FIFA, on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. The prosecutors said
Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05M) to Platini in 2011 at the expense of FIFA, allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002. Platini, who until Friday was considered favourite to win the presidential election on February 26, also asked to give information. “We didn’t audition Mr Platini as a witness, that’s not true. We investigated against him in between as a witness and an accused person,” Lauber said after a speaking engagement yesterday. “If I was satisfied or not, I can’t tell because I would do real damage to the investigation.” He said his office had not yet decided whether to bring charges against Blatter. “I will do anything if I can do something to clear up ... the real truth,” he said when he was asked if UEFA’s lakeside headquarters in Nyon could be searched. “If I have enough elements to go there, I could not exclude that.” UEFA said on Friday Platini had been interviewed as a witness. On Monday, Platini said in a letter to UEFA’s 54 member associations he had been interviewed “not as a person accused of any wrongdoing but simply in my capacity as a person providing information.”
37
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Sergi, Suarez rescue Barca in dramatic late win By Tim Hanlon
(REUTERS) - Two late goals in two minutes from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez gave reigning champions Barcelona a dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League yesterday. Trailing 1-0 at the Nou Camp with 10 minutes to go, Sergi poked in a rebound from close range, and moments later Suarez produced a fine finish for the winner, sweeping home first-time from just inside the area. Kyriakos Papadopoulos had put the German side ahead after 22 minutes from a corner, with Barca keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen beaten in the air. For reigning champions Barca, who were without their injured talisman Lionel Messi, it was a frustrating game of missed chances until their pressure told. “We believed in ourselves until the end,” Suarez told reporters. “We are the champions. We were not able to play our best football but we had to win this match and show that
we are the champions. “The coach (Luis Enrique) gave us good advice in the break and now it is important for us to be
sence of Messi, with youth product Sandro Ramirez coming into their attacking trident. Leverkusen, who were on
Barcelona’s Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring a goal against Bayer Leverkusen during their Champions League Group E soccer match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday. (Reuters/ Sergio Perez) leaders.” Barca are top of Group E with four points from two games. Leverkusen are second with three, ahead of BATE Borisov on goal difference. Barcelona coach Enrique decided against a tactical change in the ab-
the wrong side of a 7-1 defeat when they faced Barca in Spain in 2012, when Messi scored five, showed no fear as they went out to attack. Javier Hernandez got in front of the Barca defence and forced a good save from Ter Stegen inside two
minutes. Ivan Rakitic headed straight at keeper Bernd Leno and then a Sandro strike was also saved, but Leverkusen continued to pose a threat. A Kevin Kampl shot inside the area went just wide before the goal from Papadopoulos, who headed home from a couple of yards out with Ter Stegen not moving on his line. A deflected Neymar shot came off the post and a Sandro follow-up was blocked on the line by Papadopoulos as Leverkusen hung on to their lead. After the break the chances began to pile up for Barca, with Sandro and Neymar firing wide while Pique headed at the keeper when well placed. To make matter worse for Barca they lost Andres Iniesta to injury in the second half. Still, there was time for a thrilling finale for the Barca fans. Sergi was quickest to the rebound after Leno’s low save, and then Suarez came up with another telling contribution, sending a rising right-foot shot into the keeper’s top corner.
2015 Scotiabank Kiddy cricket competition to bowl off today THE 2015 Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket competition will commence today with teams in the Berbice River area competing for top honors. In the morning session, Huru Huru and Aroiama primary schools will play each other, while in the afternoon session Calcuni Primary and St Lust Primary will meet. On Thursday, Kimbia Primary will come up against Ebini Primary, and Sand Hill Primary will compete with De Veldt Primary. The winning teams will progress to the qualifying stages in order to determine a winner for the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket Berbice River District trophy on October 2, 2015. Over 214 primary schools across the country will have an opportunity to participate in the 2015 Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket competition, with zones such as North Georgetown, East Bank Essequibo and West Berbice set to commence their matches on October 6, 2015. The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket programme emphasises a fun-learning approach to cricket, while simultaneously emphasising group involvement and other team-work ethics. However, this year’s competition incorporates aspects of the game that are more aligned to conventional rules, in an effort to capture and identify talented players and to promote a progressive pathway for emerging players. In addition, at the end of the tournament three talented players will be identified for an opportunity to be the recipient of a Scotiabank award valued at US$500. Of the three identified players, the student-player with the highest academic average for 2015 will receive the award.
Sparkling Tonga keep Namibia Hetmyer century leads Young waiting for landmark win Warriors to BCB/Tenelec Inc playoffs
NATIONAL senior and West Indies Under-19 opener Shimron Hetmyer scored a magnificent century to lead his team Young Warriors (YW) to a convincing 6-wicket victory over Tucber Park in the Bobby Deonarine and Tom Gruntzel-sponsored Tenelec Inc. Round-robin fifty overs first division cricket competition. In a must-win match for the victors, at Cumberland, Tucber Park won the toss and took first strike. Their openers, former national youth batsmen Anthony D’Andrade and Joemal La Fleur, raced to 63 in 8 overs before the alter departed for 40. Berbice senior all-rounder Devon Clements joined D’Andrade and the scoring continued before Clements departed for 30, slowing up the run rate and handing control to the YW’s spin attack. After that, the run rate slowed as Young Warriors spinners took control. Hakeem Hinds was run-out for 3, followed by Eugene La Fleur (13), D’Andrade for 65, Keon De Jesus 11, Niall Smith for 0 and Romario Shepherd 20, ending on 194 all out in
47.5 of their allotted 50 overs. Former national youth all-rounder Linden Austin took 3 for 43, current national Under-19 all-rounder Kassim
SHIMRON HETMYER Khan, who was surprisingly left out of the West Indies Youth team, 2 for 23, and Seon Hetmyer 2 for 46 with one wicket apiece for Singh and Kevin Ramdeen. Young Warriors began their chase carefully with Shimron Hetmyer and former Berbice inter-county centurion
Maxie De Jonge. The run rate picked up gradually with the hosts reaching their hundred in the 22nd over without losing a wicket. YW lost their first wicket at 122 with De Jonge going for 31. In the meantime, the young Hetmyer who is preparing for the upcoming regional fourday regional tournament started to dominate the bowling. Former Berbice youth batsman Waheid Edwards joined the prolific Hetmyer and took the score to 170 when Edwards went for 16. Young Warriors then suffered a slight hiccup when they lost Gajanand Singh for 0 and Hetmyer for 118 with 9 fours and 6 sixes, in quick succession. However, former national youth batsmen Kevin Ramdeen and Seon Hetmyer saw their team home, scoring 12 and 6 not out respectively. Youth pacer Niall Smith took 3 for 55. Young Warriors will play their playoff game at the Cumberland ground next Sunday. Tucber Park ended up as the runners-up of the group and have also qualified for the next round.
By John Geddie EXETER, England (Reuters) - Tonga’s attacking flair proved too much for a resilient Namibia as the Pacific Islanders came out 35-21 winners in a breathless Rugby World Cup Pool C try-fest at Sandy Park yesterday. The Africans, bidding for their first ever Rugby World Cup win, trailed 22-7 at halftime but they did notch up a record of their own to give the 10 000-strong crowd plenty to cheer about. Namibia struggled to adjust to Tonga’s pace in the opening exchanges and conceded two early tries when winger Telusa Veainu seared through before flanker Jack Ram jumped out of the back of a driving maul to put his side 12-0 ahead. Namibia bounced back, however, to score after a sublime offload from lock Tjuee Uanivi released winger Johan Tromp to cross the line. The try lifted the Africans as they started to match the attacking verve of the Islanders, but twice they fumbled on the final pass. Tonga struck again when flyhalf Latiume Fosita picked the ball off his bootlaces to score, and an
acrobatic leap from Veainu on the stroke of halftime looked like it had given the winger a second, only for video footage to show he was in touch. It was not long before
try -- the most Namibia have ever scored in a Rugby World Cup match. Tonga moved second in Group C, three points behind New Zealand and one ahead of Argentina with games
Tonga’s Jack Ram celebrates scoring their fourth try. (Action Images via Reuters/Peter CziborraLivepic) Tonga claimed the bonus-point fourth try as the fleet-footed Veainu exploded through the line to put Ram in for his second score. Namibia responded when captain Jacques Burger powered over from a driving maul but Veainu raced through to put Tonga 32-14 in front. The Africans may not have won the match but they were able to notch up a milestone when Burger crashed over for their third
to come against both those sides. Of concern to the Tongans was an injury to lock Hale T-Pole who limped off and the woeful goal-kicking of fullback Vunga Lilo which will need to be more accurate if they are to have a chance of beating Argentina in Leicester on Sunday. Namibia have just over a week to recover before they play Georgia back at Sandy Park next Wednesday.
38
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
HACC survive scare to reach sixth final ... Royston Crandon stars with ball By Frederick Halley TORONTO, Canada – A brilliant bowling and fielding display saved the day for Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club (HACC) after an indifferent batting performance against Highland Creek in Sunday’s Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) Premiere League semi-finals, played at the Ashtonbee ground here. Seeking their sixth consecutive title, HACC huffed and puffed their way to what seemed an inadequate 128 all out in 38.1 overs but rebounded to bundle out their opponents for a paltry 90 in
45.5 overs, winning by 38 runs before their vociferous and loyal supporters. Led by a brilliant bowling performance from former West Indies One-day player Royston Crandon, who captured four for 10 from his 10 overs, four of which were maidens, Highland Creek found the going extremely tough, as HACC bowlers kept a tight rein on proceedings, amidst an extremely tense atmosphere. The victory ensured HACC a spot in Saturday’s final against Scarborough Cricket Club (SCC) who got past Victoria Cricket Club at the same venue.
BCB president admits Australia tour in doubt … Situation different after death of Italian national BANGLADESH Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan has said the killing of an Italian national in Dhaka on Monday could seal the fate of the Bangladesh-Australia Test series, officially due to begin next week. However, he also said he believed that the security assurance - including a four-layered cover - given to Cricket Australia’s security team by the highest level of the Bangladesh government in their meetings over the past two days should be sufficient for a touring team. Cricket Australia, Hassan said, is likely to inform the BCB of its decision on the tour in the next couple of days. While it is quite rare for a foreign national to be a target of such an attack in Dhaka, the timing of the incident will not help matters related to the tour. The team’s departure was delayed after the Australia government issued a travel alert last Friday. “The situation is now different after the death of the Italian national,” Hassan told reporters at his residence in Dhaka yesterday. “The UK and US governments have also given out alerts. This is a very rare incident in Bangladesh but one has to understand the difference between this and a cricket team that is given blanket security.” Hassan said that the specific threat did not relate to the touring team but to
an annual event held by Australian expatriates in Dhaka. “Every year on October 2, Australians living here hold a private party in a hotel. They had information related specifically to that programme.” He also spoke on the meetings between the two sides. “In the space of a day and a half we took them to the highest level of our security and intelligence agencies, the Home Minister, as well as the Prime Minister’s security adviser,” Hassan said. “Everyone reassured them that there won’t be any trouble. We will give them four-layered security.” (ESPN Cricinfo)
Crandon, who also plays for Brampton Masters in the Toronto and District Elite League, received valuable support from Bim Bodhoo (two for 26), skipper Hemnarine Chattergoon (one for 14), Krishna Arjune (one for 17) and Zaheer Allard (one for 23). Middle-order batsman Desai Kartic offered token resistance for Highland Creek with a defiant 23 before he was trapped lbw by Allard. Earlier, HACC innings never got going, losing the experienced duo of Arjune (seven), a former Guyana and West Indies B team open-
ROYSTON CRANDON er and Crandon (14) also Chattergoon (13). However, a face-saving unbeaten 23 from number nine batsman and wicketkeeper Mathew Francis, ensured they got past 100. Francis clobbered two
sixes and a four after HACC were tottering at 92 for eight. Jahanzeb Niazi was Highland Creek’s best bowler with four for 41 from his 10 overs. In Saturday’s quart e r- f i n a l , p l a y e d a t L’amoreaux ground, also in Scarborough, HACC defeated Toronto Smashers by four wickets with their batters faring better after being set 178 for victory. Opener Reyaz Prahalad, who was unfortunately sidelined by a hamstring injury for Sunday’s semis, led the way with a top score of 43, which included six fours with Bodhoo hitting a quick-fire 40 with seven boundaries and Crandon unbeaten on 31 when victory was achieved at 180 for six in 40 overs.
Toronto Smashers were indebted to Muhammad Salman’s 42 (six fours) and Muhammad Usmani who was left high and dry on 37 when the innings ended. Arjune, showing his allround ability, ended with four for 37 in 8.1 overs while there was one wicket each for Allard, Chattergoon, Bodhoo and Crandon. Saturday’s final will bring the curtain down on the SCA 2015 season with Sunday being an alternative day should the inclement weather intervene. Despite Sunday’s scare, HACC president Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan is extremely confident his charges will rise to the occasion and will once again come out top in Saturday’s final.
tour that comprises two Tests, three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20s. The squad concluded a week-long camp at the 3Ws Oval last Friday and Simmons, who oversaw proceedings, said the Windies were prepared to meet the challenges of the Sri Lanka tour. “[We expect] a lot of spin because you always think when you go to the subcontinent you’re going to get a lot of spin so for the last two days we have had all the UWI spinners bowling at us,” Simmons said at the time. “The guys have had some long sessions over in the spin nets so it’s been a lot about spin but it has also been a lot about getting into the habit of batting long.
“Everything needs to be improved on but the biggest thing is that guys need to score big hundreds. We need to have a couple hundreds in each innings to put ourselves in a good position. “The bowlers have been doing well so we just need to have those big scores.” The first group of players, comprising mainly the fast bowling unit, left the island on Monday and are set to arrive in Colombo on Wednesday, with the second group of players arriving on Thursday. West Indies face the Sri Lanka President’s XI in a three-day tour game starting October 8 before taking on Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle on October 14.
West Indies jet off to Sri Lanka as controversy swirls BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – The second group of West Indies squad left here yesterday for Sri Lanka, even as the controversy of over head coach Phil Simmons’s suspension continued to swirl. Simmons was on Monday suspended by West Indies Cricket Board management after taking the unusual step of claiming that the selection panel – of which he is a member – had suffered from “outside interference” with regards to the picking of the oneday team for the upcoming tour. The Trinidadian has been replaced for the tour by former Windies
Head coach Phil Simmons was suspended on Monday seamer, Eldine Baptiste, who is also a selector. He will now oversee the regional side for the
Off-spinner Kaushal’s doosra found illegal
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s Tharindu Kaushal has been barred from bowling the doosra after independent test results showed it was illegal, the International Cricket Council said yesterday. The 22-year-old, who has a distinctive high-knee run-up, can continue bowling off-breaks, the governing body said in a statement. “The results showed that the level of elbow extension measured for all deliveries bowled was well within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC regulations,” the ICC said. “However, the assessment also revealed that Kaushal’s doosra was found to exceed the 15-degree level of tolerance
and it should no longer be bowled in international cricket.” The doosra is the ball bowled by an off-spinner which turns away from right-handed batsmen. Kaushal has played six Tests for Sri Lanka and has been earmarked as the island country’s spin spearhead when Rangana Herath, 37, eventually retires. Kaushal has already taken two five-wicket hauls in his career and picked up 13 scalps in the three Tests against India in August, after which he was reported for a suspect bowling action. Starting next month, Sri Lanka will host West Indies in a series featuring two Test matches, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday September 30, 2015) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)
Answers to yesterday’s quiz:
Desmond Haynes & Alvin Kallicharran (2) Mutiah Muralitharan-534 wickets
Today’s Quiz:
Which two never made a triple-hundred in Tests? RamnareshSarwan; Lawrence Rowe; Gary Sobers; Viv Richards; Chris Gayle Who is the fastest to 100 wickets in ODI cricket in terms of matches?
Answers in tomorrow’s issue
39
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday September 30, 2015
Mohammed, Blackwood in revamped ODI squad ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Jason Mohammed has been recalled four years after he made his debut while Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood is poised for his first one-day appearance, in a 15-man squad announced yesterday to contest the threematch One-Day International series in Sri Lanka starting next month. Off-spinner Sunil Narine, who had pulled out of the World Cup squad to continue work on his action, has returned as part of eight changes to the side which reached the quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. As expected, no room has been found for the Trinidadian duo of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard though
they have been included in the 15-man Twenty20 squad, also announced yesterday.
JASON MOHAMMED Their exclusion from the ODI squad prompted claims of “outside inter-
ference” in the selection process from head coach Phil Simmons and led to his suspension on Monday. Mohammed, meanwhile, has been handed a chance to revive his international career at age 29. The right-hander shone in the Super50 Championship earlier this year, averaging 50 and stroking an unbeaten century in the final, as Red Force beat Guyana Jaguars. Blackwood, 23, has played ten Tests where he averages 41 but has been given the opportunity to transfer his attacking batting into the shorter format. Narine’s re-inclusion, 13 months after he played his last game for West Indies, is a huge fillip for the regional side.
The right-armer’s action has come under heavy international scrutiny and after being called during last year’s Champions League Twenty20, he opted not to travel to the World Cup. Meanwhile, several other familiar faces have returned to the squad. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who recently made his Test comeback, has been included four years since playing his last ODI while batsman Andre Fletcher is back after last suiting up in 2010. Pacer Ravi Rampaul is also back, having not played since October last year. Test captain Jason Holder also leads the one-day side. All-rounder Darren Sammy, left out of the one-day squad, will take charge of the
Twenty20 unit which also includes leg-spinner Samuel Badree. West Indies will play
SUNIL NARINE the first two ODIs in Colombo on October 31 and November 4 before closing out with the final game in Pallekele on November 7.
The two T20s are scheduled for November 10 Pallekele and November 12 in Colombo. SQUADS: ODI – Jason Holder (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor T20I – Darren Sammy (captain), Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor.
East Coast motor racing team ready to do battle DRIVERS are bracing themselves for an action-packed day of drag-racing action and one particular team will look to turn heads come Sunday, November 4. East Coast Racing Team, comprising Rajesh Pandey, Pierre Singh and Romeo Singh, will field a 4-car team to the second edition of the
Quick Shift event, organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club. The team comprises Toyota Mark 2, Toyota Supra, Toyota Ep 91 Starlet and a Mazda RX-8, all tuned by Alvin. Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Pandey, the team’s representative said, “Preparations are coming
along good, the guys are working on the cars and preparations are coming along good. The only thing that bothering us is tyres and we are hopeful to get it sorted out by Sunday.” He added that the competition will be stiff but he expects his team to put up a good fight. Free runs for the event
commence at 09:00hrs with Qualifying, where cars will be placed into groups based on how fast they can complete the quarter mile which begins at 10:00hrs. The knock-out phase begins an hour later. GMR&SC has organised a meeting today September 2015 at their building, Albert Street, Thomas Lands,
for all drag-racing competitors and those interested. The meeting will commence at 17:00hrs and will focus on issues that drag racers may have and also on the implementation of systems to ensure the smoother flow of drag-racing events. Admission is $1 000 for adults, $500 for children
under 12 years and vehicles are free The event is sponsored by GT&T, Valvoline, Fly Jamaica, South Land International Inc., Universal Communications Inc., Gran Sports, Rent-a-Tent, Ganesh Parts & General Store, Fanatix Designs, A&R Jiwanram Printery. (Stephan Sookram)
East Coast racing team
Urling to speak at ‘Best Practices Symposium’ in Denver
CHAIRMAN of the Guy-
Denver, Colorado from
administration and gover-
ana Football Federation
October 4 to 6.
nance processes.
“It will give partici-
ed (by the Normalisation
pants insights into what the
Committee) in executing
(GFF) Normalisation
According to a release
Urling’s presentation,
GFF situation was a year
its mandate of bringing
Committee, Clinton Url-
from the GFF, the sym-
according to the release,
ago that necessitated FI-
stability to football gov-
ing, will do a presentation
posium will be graced by
will focus on the GFF as a
FA’s intervention with the
ernance in Guyana,” the
on Good Governance and
the presence of members
case study and will chron-
imposition of a Normal-
release pointed out.
Administration at the
of CONCACAF and aims
icle the experiences of the
isation Committee and it
Diedre Davis, General
‘Best Practices Sympo-
to provide (CONACAF)
Normalisation Committee
will provide a window into
Secretary of the GFF, will
sium’, being hosted by the
members with informa-
since being appointed by
the management principles
be accompanying Urling
U.S. Soccer Federation in
tion on effective football
FIFA in October 2014.
and measures implement-
to the symposium.
Chairman of the GFF Normalisation Committee Clinton Urling
Sport CHRONICLE
The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com
Richardson inspires Pele to 3-1 win over Buxton United GREGORY ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson continued his dominating performance in the Stag Elite League as the forward inspired Pele FC to a 3 - 1 over Buxton United last evening at the Tucville ground. Playing in the opening game of the night’s double header, Richardson opened Pele’s account just seven minutes into the game when he sweetly timed a Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant pass and hammered it with a left footed volley that easily beat Jason Cromwell in goal. Richardson continued to haunt Buxton United’s defence but was unsuccessful in his attempt for another strike. Meanwhile, Clive Andries made Pele pay for their defensive breakdown when he stoked in from point blank range. Despite their (Buxton United) goal, Pele still had the upper hand standing firm behind Richardson as
they continued to torment their opponents. Just before the close of the half, Richardson set up Julian Joseph for his thunderous right foot shot from just outside the 18 yards area. Heading into the second stanza with a 2 - 1 advantage, Richardson on several occasions troubled Cromwell in goal but the lanky Buxton United custodian kept the feared forward off the sheets. Rawle Gordon put the icing on the cake for Pele FC in the 55th minute with his goal. Omallo Williams picked up a red card in the 78th minute to leave Pele with 10 but the handicap did not shift the weight of the match. The win now sees Pele moving to the top of the points table with seven points and their second win of the League. It was also Richardson’s third goal; the most by any player in the Stag Elite League.
East Coast motor racing team ready to do battle
See story on page 35
Pele’s Gregory Richardson (11) takes on a Buxton United defender in their round three Stag Elite League match last night at the Tucville Ground. (Delano Williams Photo)
Former FIFA powerbroker Simmons’s future to be Warner banned for life decided within seven days … but accuses world body of trying to distract attention By Brian Homewood ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Trinidadian Jack Warner, once one of the most powerful men in world football, has been banned from all football-related activities for life, the ethics committee of the global governing body FIFA said yesterday. In the biggest corruption scandal to hit the sport, Warner and 13 other football officials and sports marketing executives were indicted in the United States on May 27 on bribery, money-laundering and wire fraud charges involving more than $150 million in payments. Warner was found to have committed “many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF,” the ethics
committee said. CONCACAF is the governing body for football in North and Central America
Former football supremo Jack Warner ... says life ban is a “distraction.” and the Caribbean, which Warner headed from 1990 to 2011. He also sat on FIFA’s executive committee for 28 years. “In his positions as a football official, he was a key
player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes,” the committee said. Warner accused FIFA, whose president Sepp Blatter was last week placed under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, of trying to distract attention from its own problems. “If FIFA wants to ban me for life without even a hearing, then so be it,” he said in a statement. “I do not believe, however, that this will serve as the distraction to the FIFA’s present problems as the FIFA wishes it to be. Given what is happening in Zurich with Sepp Blatter, I guess that there is no such thing as a coincidence.” The ethics committee said Warner was investigated following an inquiry See page 35
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Suspended head coach Phil Simmons will know his fate within the next week, after he meets with a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) human resource panel to discuss his controversial comments. WICB chief executive, Michael Muirhead, said yesterday the 52-year-old Trinidadian had been called to answer “breaches of confidentiality and bringing West Indies Cricket Board into disrepute.” Simmons told media in Barbados last Friday that the selection process regarding the one-day team had been influenced by “interference from outside” and as a result, the best side had not been chosen for the three-match series against Sri Lanka starting next month. “What has happened with Phil Simmons is most unfortunate. Rest assured, he has not been fired. Let us say he’s been called to answer breaches of confidentiality
Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208
and bringing West Indies Cricket Board into disrepute,” Muirhead said. “He will be given a fair hearing by a panel and a decision will be made within the boundaries of
WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead. our own internal human resources policy. “During the process, he will continue to enjoy the benefits of his full remuneration. The matter will be
dealt with in an expeditious manner and it is our intention to have a decision within the next seven working days.” Simmons made his controversial comments following the conclusion of the week-long training camp at 3Ws Oval in Barbados last week, in preparation for the Test tour of Sri Lanka. Speaking in relation to the continued omission of Trinidadian all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the ODI side, Simmons told journalists he and chairman of selectors, Clive Lloyd, had voted for the duo’s re-inclusion but the three remaining members of the selection panel had voted against. “That’s not the disappointing fact, the disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad and it’s disappointing for me to know that in any See page 35
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015