24 04 2018

TUESDAY 24th April, 2018

No.105254

DPP dumps PPP charges

…says matters concern grave issue under criminal law 03 …allegations must first be investigated, DPP advice sought PAGE

Ban on plastic coming

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‘A good day for justice’

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…AG says DPP did 02 right thing to throw out PPP private charges

Man killed by uncle during row over daughter

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Buxton owes GWI $116M in tariffs 10 PAGE

Free Souls Dance Theatre Company performing Michael Jackson’s Earth Song at the Earth Day observance at State House on Monday (Delano Williams photo)

Time ripe to sanitise voters’ list – PNCR PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

‘A good day for justice’ – AG says DPP did right thing to throw out PPP private charges

By Ariana A Gordon ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC. on Monday lauded the decision of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar AliHack to discontinue private criminal charges against Ministers of Public Health and Social Cohesion, Volda Lawrence and Dr George Norton, respectively.

Williams said that the decision made by the DPP represents “a good day for justice” here. He said, “I think she (DPP) did the right

thing” while accusing the PPP of “political grandstanding”.

The DPP’s decision was handed down Monday following a call by the Attorney General for the charges to be reviewed. In a statement issued to the media the DPP made it clear that the charges ought to have been reported to the Police first for an investigation to be launched then advice sought from her office.

“These charges concern a grave issue under the criminal law in relation to two serving ministers. In the in-

terest of good governance in the State of Guyana such allegations ought first to have been reported to the Guyana Police Force for an investigation to be launched and the advice of the DPP sought,” the DPP stated.

The two ministers were charged with Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common Law and the private criminal charges were filed last Thursday by former Attorney General under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration Anil Nandlall on behalf of that party’s Members of Parliament Juan Edghill and Visram Bharat.

The two parliamentarians alleged that Lawrence, while performing the duties of Minister of Public Health between January 16, February 16, 2017 “wilfully misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when she authorised or caused the unapproved single-sourcing and purchase of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, in the city of Georgetown from ANSA McAL Trading Limited… for the excessive sum of $605,962,200”.

It should be noted that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) had cleared the Public Health Minister of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the charge against Dr Norton, alleged that while “performing the duties of Minister of Public Health of the Government of Guyana, June 1, 2016… wilfully misconducted himself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when he authorised or caused the rental of the property known as and situated at 29 Sussex Street,

Attorney General Basil Williams, SC

Albouystown, in the city of Georgetown from Linden Holdings Incorporated for the sum of $12,500,000 exclusive of VAT, per month, by way of a written Agreement of Tenancy at an excessive rate of rental”.

The charges laid against the two ministers came one week after the Special Organised Crime Unity (SOCU) would have instituted criminal charges on three counts of misconduct in public office, contrary to the common law against former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington for the sale of state assets at lower prices than valued.

However, on Monday, Williams SC. told Guyana Chronicle that by virtue of the Constitution, the DPP has the power to keep that balance and is a very important person in the maintenance of peace, order and good government. “So you have a situation where somebody comes out of a political house and comes and files some private criminal charge and it is entertained. There is no evidence,” the Attorney General

declared. He said evidence is critical in the making out a case against the two sitting ministers.

He reminded that while in government, and allegations were made against the then PPP government, opposition members were called upon to “bring the evidence”. “So, I am surprised that they actually went to the court swinging empty hands. They ought to have gone to one of the investigatory agencies of the state the police or SOCU (Special Organised Crime Unit) and take the evidence to them.

They can’t just look at two sitting ministers and just make whimsical and capricious allegations unsupported by evidence. I think the DPP must be applauded,” said Williams.

Asked whether he believes the three additional charges filed by the opposition Members of Parliament would also be discontinued, Williams responded in the affirmative. Three charges were filed against Minsters of Finance, Public Infrastructure and Public Service, Winston Jordan, David Patterson and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine. Jordan and Patterson are accused of “wilfully misconducting themselves in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification” when they paid or authorised to be paid the sum of $906,000,000 to Homestretch Development Incorporated and contractors engaged by the said company for works done at Durban Jubilee Park without any procurement process.

On the other hand, Dr Roopnaraine is accused of wilfully misconducting himself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification by acting as a Director of Homestretch

Development Incorporated when the said company received $906M for works done at Durban Park. Williams opined that the move by the PPP MPs amounts to “political grandstanding”.

“If you have evidence go and give it to the police, go and give it to SOCU, SARA (State Assets Recovery Agency). It is clear they don’t have evidence and all they try to do is denigrate and libel and try to lure people…”

MAGISTRATE MUST BE VIGILANT The Attorney General disclosed too that like the DPP, the Magistrate acts as a filter to the judicial process.

He noted that the DPP would not have been aware of the charges being filed against the two ministers. “She (the magistrate) also has the duty to interrogate what they are bringing to her. They go to her, they don’t lay over any evidence, no statement nothing and I think the DPP did the right thing,” Williams stated while noting that Guyana is an orderly society.

“You have an allegation, you go and make a complaint to the relevant authorities and they process and take it to the DPP. It would be tantamount to having some jungle jurisdiction if the law were allowed to operate in this manner,” the Attorney General declared.

Government had deemed the charges laid by the opposition MPs as malicious and said it represented an aberration to the Rule of Law, an insult to good governance and an abuse of the process of the Court to allow unsubstantiated recourse to the justice system based solely on “malice, whim and caprice and no evidence of criminality on the part of the Ministers”.

HEYS participants receive support to start up businesses HINTERLAND Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) participants of North Rupununi communities, including Fly Hill, Quitata, Toka, Wowetta and Aranaputa, in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) recently received equipment to begin their individual businesses.

The equipment, which included catering kits, stoves, agriculture tools, sewing machines, and computers and printers, were handed over to the youths by Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, during an outreach in the region.

The minister, during brief remarks at the presentation

ceremony at Aranaputa, told the youths that they have an opportunity to become entrepreneurs and future leaders within their communities, the region, and by extension the country. It is for this reason, he said, that the Government is giving them the necessary boost, through skills training, the HEYS programme, and also supporting them to startup their individual businesses.

For those involved in catering, Minister Allicock urged that they use their skills to prepare indigenous cuisines, especially so that visitors visiting their communities can have a place where they can enjoy the indigenous culture, through food. “I am

very pleased to be handing over this equipment to you and I want to encourage you to take good care of it because it is only then you will get the desired results, and we will continue to work with you,” Minister Allicock added.

The Hinterland Employment and Youth Service, (HEYS) programme, which comes to an end this year benefitted close to 4000 hinterland and Indigenous youths with many becoming their own bosses, while some opted to attend a higher institute of learning.

Earlier this year, President David Granger established the Guyana Youth Service (GYS). The body

will be responsible for consolidating all of the youth programmes, including HEYS, to offer a standardised education and training curriculum for youths. While the GYS will fall under the purview of the Social Cohesion Ministry, there will be formal and informal liaisons with Ministries that are currently involved in implementing youth programmes. The ultimate goal is that at the end of the training offered by the GYS, a graduate must be able to be self-employed or be qualified to find employment in any organisation. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

DPP dumps PPP charges

By Ariana Gordon DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack on Monday discontinued private criminal charges for the offence of Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common Law instituted against Ministers of Public Health and Social Cohesion, Volda Lawrence and Dr George Norton respectively.

In a statement to the media, the DPP said the charges ought to have been reported to the Police first for an investigation to be launched then advice sought from her office. The charges were discontinued by the DPP by way of Article 187 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

“These charges concern a grave issue under the criminal law in relation to two serving Ministers. In the interest of good governance in the State of Guyana such allegations ought first to have been reported to the Guyana Police Force for an investigation to be launched and the advice of the DPP sought,” the DPP stated. The private criminal charges were filed last Thursday by former Attorney General under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration Anil Nandlall on behalf of that party’s Members of Parliament Juan Edghill and Visram Bharat.

The two parliamentarians alleged that Lawrence, while performing the duties of Minister of Public Health between January 16 and February 16, 2017 “wilfully misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an

… says matters concern grave issue under criminal law … Allegations must first be investigated, DPP advice sought

Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack

abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when she authorised or caused the unapproved single-sourcing and purchase of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, in the city of Georgetown from ANSA McAL Trading Limited… for the excessive sum of $605,962,200”.

It should be noted that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) had cleared the Public Health Minister of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the charge against Dr. Norton alleged that while “performing the duties of Minister of Public Health of the Government of Guyana, June 1, 2016… wilfully misconducted himself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when he authorised or caused

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton

the rental of the property known as and situated at 29 Sussex Street, Albouystown, in the city of Georgetown from Linden Holdings Incorporated … for the sum of $12,500,000 exclusive of VAT, per month, by way of a written Agreement of Tenancy at an excessive rate of rental.” Dr Norton served as Minister of Public Health prior to Lawrence.

The private criminal charges, filed against the two government ministers, followed charges instituted against former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington, by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for misconduct in public office, contrary to the common law, and came one week after the former officials were charged.

Government immediately responded describing the

charges against the ministers as frivolous and represented a clear attempt to tarnish the reputation of the duo.

“These talks of corruption are without any proof and the opposition is now seeking to grab at straws. The security agencies, the Police Force and so on have their work to do and when they find as they have been doing, evidence of corruption, evidence of malfeasance they will take the necessary steps,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon said Friday. The minister of state contended that the charges brought by the PPP MPs are a strategy aimed at tying the government ministers up in court, so that government can be distracted from its development agenda. On Saturday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC described the move by the opposition as “malicious” and called on the

DPP to review the charges.

Dr Singh and Brassington are to appear before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to three charges of misconduct in public office, contrary to the public law on May 7. According to the charges filed by the SOCU, Dr Singh and Brassington “acted recklessly” when they sold to National Hardware Guyana Limited lands amounting to 103.88 acres, property of the state for the sum of $598,659,398 (vat exclusive) without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

The second charge alleged that the duo “without due diligence” sold to Scady Business Corporation state land, located at Liliendaal, ECD amounting to 4,700 acres, for the sum of $150,000,000 knowing that the said property was valued at $340,000,000 by Rodrigues Architects Associate.

While the final charge alleges that Dr Singh and the former NICIL CEO “acted recklessly” when they sold to Multi-cinemas Guyana Inc. 10,002 acres of state land located at Turkeyen, ECD, for the sum of $185,037,000 without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

One week after, Nandlall filed private criminal charges against the two sitting ministers of the coalition government. He has also written

the DPP requesting that she should review the charges and discontinue same.

In a letter dated April 17, 2018, Nandlall said, “I respectfully invite a review of the said charges for the purpose of specifically considering whether the particulars of the offence disclosed any offence at law, more particularly, the offences for which the said persons have been charged and if not, further invite you to consider exercising the powers vested in your office by Article 187 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and to discontinue the said charges, forthwith.”

The move by the PPP prompted former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran, SC to describe the situation as “Tit for Tat politics”. The Senior Counsel in his weekly blog which appeared on www. conversationtree.gy predicted that the charges against the two ministers would be disallowed by Ali-Hack. Ramkarran said, “It is hardly likely that the charges against the Ministers of Government will be allowed by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to stand.

No doubt, the director will enter a nolle prosequi, which in effect would mean withdrawal of the charges. “This is likely to occur before April 24, so as to ensure that the ministers do not have to suffer the potential indignity of having to appear in court and sit in the dock while the charges are read to them,” said Ramkarran, a former Speaker of the National Assembly.

Nandlall, PPP attack DPP’s independence PEOPLE’S Progressive Party MP, Anil Nandlall and his party on Monday issued separate statements attacking the independence of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, and calling her decision to discontinue private criminal charges laid against two sitting ministers of government as nonsensical.

The two ministers, Volda Lawrence and Dr. George Norton were accused of Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common Law. In a strongly worded statement, Nandlall said the DPP’s decision to discontinue the charges laid by two

PPP parliamentarians, Juan Edghill and Vishaw Bharrat, shows that her office was influenced by extraneous considerations.

The two parliamentarians have alleged that Lawrence, while serving as Minister of Public Health, wilfully misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust when she authorised or caused the unapproved single-sourcing and purchase of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), from ANSA McAL Trading Limited amounting to the sum of $605,962,200.

The Public Procurement

Commission (PPC) had cleared the Public Health Minister of any wrongdoing. The charge against Dr. Norton alleged that while performing the duties of Minister of Public Health, his actions amounted to an abuse of public trust when he authorised or caused the rental of a Sussex Street, Albouystown bond from Linden Holdings Incorporated for the sum of $12,500,000 and exclusive of VAT, monthly.

The private criminal charges filed against the two government ministers, followed charges instituted against former Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and former head of NICIL,

Attorney, Anil Nandlall

Winston Brassington, by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for misconduct in public office, contrary to

the common law. The action

by Edghill and Bharrat was taken one week after the former officials were charged.

Dr. Singh and Brassington are accused of selling state lands at costs below their rightful value. Nandlall had written the DPP requesting she review the charges laid against Dr. Singh and Brassington and altogether discontinue same. The former attorney general said he is yet to receive a response from the DPP’s office on his request.

“I feel the DPP’s discontinuance of the charges against the two ministers but apparent refusal to do likewise in relation to Singh and Brassington’s charges,

smacks of discrimination and inequality before the law,” he said, citing Article 149 of the Constitution which guarantees citizens’ protection from discrimination and inequality before the law.

“The DPP’s latest action has certainly strengthened Singh and Brassington’s intended challenge of their charges in the High Court.

Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington are absolutely justified in concluding that they have been discriminated against by the DPP. I did say that these cases will test the independence of the office of the DPP. They have,” declared Nandlall.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

‘Get vaccinated!’ health care professionals urge …as Vaccination Week 2018 launched on East Coast

A NUMBER of students representing several primary and secondary schools on the East Coast accompanied by teachers, health care workers and staff from a number of health centres were on hand for the official launch of Vaccination Week 2018. Vaccination Week of the Americas is celebrated from April 21 to 28.

The launch also saw for the very first time a march being included. At the well-attended march, persons chanted, ‘Get Vaccinated, Vaccines Work’ as they marched from the Enterprise Health centre to the Melanie Health centre for the official ceremony. Held under the theme; ‘Strengthen your defence! Get vaccinated.” The march commenced a little after 9 am.

Medex Karen Ceres who represented the Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako told those gathered

The banner being held high for Vaccination Week

Healthcare staff from East Coast during the vaccination walk

that vaccination is critically important to the healthy growth and development of one’s body.

The Medex dismissed what she dubbed as common myths regarding vaccination urging those in attendance to ensure that they can help in spreading the message that vaccination is important. “There are several myths regarding vaccination

but the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) along with the Ministry of Public Health continues to dismiss these rumours and myths as vaccination is safe and good,” she said. Medex Ceres added, “It’s important that whatever vaccination your body needs that you get it as it will help in the growth of your body in a

healthy way and I would like you the children to tell your parents or guardians that you should be vaccinated wherever there is a need.”

Regional Executive Officer (REO), Pauline Lucas urged those in attendance to recognise the importance of vaccination. She congratulated the Regional Health Depart-

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 - 11:30 & 1:00 hrs

ment for what she dubbed as their vigilant approach to ensuring that the general public is kept abreast of what is happening and what needs to happen. “I congratulate the RHO and his team for ensuring that such events are not only properly organised but ensuring that the public is effectively informed and sensitized,” Lucas said.

The REO promised that her RDC will continue lending the required support and assistance, thus ensuring that health continues to play a major role. “As a mother myself I am aware of the importance of vaccination and would like to encourage all to take it seriously as vaccination is critically important, thus I urge all to get vaccinated,” she declared.

Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Nurse Linda Johnson in her remarks congratulated the health centres for turning out in their numbers. She spoke about the history of vaccination reminding those in attendance that vaccination has had a long and very successful past. She told them that it will continue to play a pivotal role in the lives of both children and adults. She urged the nurses to continue outlying the benefits and importance of vaccination. “Many times parents and guardians are not aware of the benefits of vaccination and you the nurses have an important role to play in educating and sensitizing them about vaccination. You need to help in getting all aware that vaccination is very important and should be supported,” she urged. The Deputy Chief Nursing Officer also spoke about the HPV vaccines.

Nurse Johnson urged all to be better aware of the benefits of vaccination as many lives are saved through vaccination.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer, Dr Quincy Jones in his address shared his

own personal experience of when he had contracted measles as a one year old child. He related that his mother was very worried and it was because of God’s help that he survived as unfortunately he was unable to get the required vaccination.

“Today you see standing in front of you the RHO of Region Four and while I didn’t get the vaccination needed I m a passionate campaigner for vaccination as I am aware of the enormous benefits of being vaccinated,” he said The RHO disclosed that because of the many successes being achieved in halting the spread of many diseases the public no longer sees an urgent need to be worried about disease, however they are resistant to the vaccination . He stressed that this is only because of the significant successes that have been achieved by the Ministry of Public Health. “We are seeing that more and more people are not focused on the disease anymore thus we are seeing an increase in resistance to the vaccination that is being offered today as the focus is more on the actual side effects of the vaccination being offered,” he said. Dr. Jones disclosed that Article 24 of the constitution clearly states that every citizen has a right to free healthcare and social protection, adding that with that right comes great responsibility.

“Based on Article 25 of the very constitution we have a responsibility to uphold the nation’s health, thus we must understand clearly that with rights comes responsibility and as citizens we must endeavour to uphold those rights and responsibilities,” he noted.

Patrons were treated to cultural items by Nabaclis, Mahaica Enterprise, Buxton and Melanie health centres along with several of the students who were in attendance.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

Another US airline eyes Guyana route

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…Patterson says CJIA expansion project on course for yearend finish

ANOTHER major United States-based airline has expressed interest in plying the Georgetown-Miami and Georgetown-New York routes by year-end, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson announced on Monday.

He was at the time speaking on the ‘Let’s Gyaff’ morning show aired on the National Communications Network’s (NCN) Voice of Guyana (VOG) radio. Patterson said, “American Airlines is here and there is another American-based airline that has said they want to be put our schedule on for the end of this year. I won’t announce their name but you could guess who it is.”

The minister was at the time giving an update on the ongoing works to expand the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA),Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Monday’s disclosure follows an announcement by American Airlines in March that it intends to start operations here by year-end.

In a statement, the airline had said its customers are looking for warm climates come winter, along with history and culture and as such it is offering access to three new cities in South America: Georgetown, Guyana; Pereira, Columbia and Cordoba, Argentina. “We’re creating a

world-class customer experience and as the largest U.S. carrier in Mexico and South America, we are committed to offering more choices with the best schedules for our customers in the region,” said Vasu Raja, vice president, Network and Schedule Planning.

The airline is expected to operate the Georgetown, Miami route. Meanwhile, Patterson said that by year end, Guyana will be sporting one of the most modern airports in this part of the world.

He disclosed that the airport will have all the modern conveniences while adding that focus is not only on the interior of the airport but also the exterior.

Meanwhile, Minister Patterson explained that work will be done to construct another roundabout at the airport, as well as the installation of an additional parking lot and several outdoor concessionaires. “As soon as we are finished we will go to a second phase of work which would be funded by the government and the airport, which is outdoor concessionaires. We want to have a pleasant atmosphere,” Patterson stated.

He said work on the airport is moving apace, noting that the project is divided into three phases. In the first phase, the airport’s

be significantly increased.

In the second phase, the new arrivals building will be completed, and according to the minister, that section of the airport is scheduled to be opened in June. When completed, Patterson said two boarding bridges will be operational. An additional two bridges are en route to Guyana and the minister noted that all four of the boarding bridges will become operational as air traffic increases.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson

runway is being extended.

He said this aspect of the project is almost complete.

Only the south western section of the runway is to be completed; that section is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of this year. Upon completion of the expansion project, the runway which is presently 2270 metres will be extended by 710 metres to the north-east and 840 metres

to the south-west to accommodate almost every large aircraft, while the terminal building, which received facelifts in the 1960s and 1990s, will be transformed into a state-of-the-art facility.

With an extended runway, the country’s aviation operators will be able to entice and attract larger transatlantic aircraft, which means that the passenger flow will

MPS TO VISIT AIRPORT Members of Parliament are scheduled to tour the facility on Friday. In February, President David Granger, along with some members of his cabinet had toured the airport. “The existing terminal will be converted to a departure lounge with increased duty free concessionaires–increased eating accommodation, and seating accommodation. That is of course being done in phases as the airport has to remain operational. At the end of this month we would be handing over half of the new departure section and where you actually use now will be renovated,” said Patterson.

He said the other half of the departure section is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of the year. “The end product will be a new terminal building

with four boarding bridges, a runway that could take any class of commercial airline travelling now and a new departure lounge,” the Public Infrastructure Minister said, noting that upon completion Guyana’s runway is likely to be one of the longest in the Caribbean, if not the longest.

“By the end of this year, you would have an airport which you are very proud of,” he said, alluding to the fact that the number of persons visiting Guyana has increased tremendously over the past two years. Thus far for 2018, some 7500 persons arrived at the CJIA. The key components of the airport expansion project are two passenger boarding bridges, a CCTV system with approximately 300 cameras, a 13,737-square-metre terminal building area, 32 checkin counters and a 450-seat departure area, as well as elevators and escalators. The airport will also be outfitted with kiosks to facilitate selfcheck in, in an effort to save time.

“The interest in Guyana is phenomenal and obviously we now have to rise to the challenge- if people want to come here, we have to show them that we know we are the next big thing and we have to act like we are the next big thing,” declared Patterson.

Incoming CCJ President to sit on UN International Judicial Board

INCOMING president of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Adrian Saunders has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, the CCJ said Monday in a statement.

Justice Saunders who will assume the post as president of the CCJ on July 4, 2018, is also the Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO). The 10-member Advisory Board will help identify priority challenges and emerging topics in judicial integrity and assist judiciaries in addressing those challenges as they arise, the statement noted.

The other members of the Advisory Board are Duro Sessa, President of the Supreme Court of the Republic

of Croatia and President of the Consultative Council of European Judges; Masood Bin Muhammad Al-Ameri, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Council, Qatar; Maria Theresa Moura, Minister of the Superior Court of Justice in Brazil and DirectorGeneral of the Brazilian National Magistrates School; Zainun Ali, Judge of the Federal Court, Malaysia; Kashim Zannah, Chief Judge, High Court of Borno State, Nigeria; Nihal Jayawickrama, Coordinator of the Judicial Integrity Group; Jose Igreja Matos, Judge, Court of Appeal, Porto, Portugal, President of the European Association of Judges, and Vice President of the International Association of Judges; Lynne Leitch, Justice, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Representative of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, Chair of the Association’s Gender Section; and Diego Gar-

Appeal of the ECSC and in 2004 he became the acting Chief Justice of the ECSC, succeeding Sir Dennis Byron. As Chief Justice, he was the supreme judicial officer of the courts of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin

Justice Adrian Saunders

cia-Sayan, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

Each of the Advisory Board members was chosen because of their active engagement in advancing judicial integrity. The UNODC will also provide bilateral and regional technical assistance to support judiciaries in the development and implementation of strategies, measures and systems to strengthen integrity and accountability in the justice system.

Justice Saunders, born in

1954 in ST Vincent and the Grenadines, was appointed a Judge of the CCJ in 2005 and, in February 2018, it was announced that he will be the third President of the CCJ. In 1996, he was appointed a judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC).

He became a High Court Judge in 1997 and from 1997 to 2001 served as a judge in Montserrat and Anguilla. In 2001, he began serving as a judge in Saint Lucia.

In 2003, Justice Saunders became a Justice of

Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, ST Kitts and Nevis, ST Lucia, and ST Vincent and the Grenadines. Justice Saunders will take up the mantle as CCJ president from Justice Sir Dennis Byron in approximately three months. `

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Editorial The politics of deception

THERE is never going to be a day in this land of many waters when the desperate acts of some political leaders are not on display.

And this is in reference to the latest act of cunning, that of bringing private criminal charges against two current cabinet ministers of the coalition government. Clearly, this is retaliation against the Executive in the aftermath of the charges against two former state grandees of the past PPP/C administration.

It is another of the grand strategy of the now well-known numerous patterned, numerous dishonest attempts at trying to hoodwink and deceive the nation by diversionary tactics. It is a deception that this party’s constituents should have ever since begun to question, particularly from the beginning of the GuySuCo tragedy about which they were bombarded with some of the most horrible untruths and deceptions. Sometimes, one has to wonder whether these thousands of families, particularly those members who have been sugar workers, realised how their years of hard work and sacrifice and loyalty have been disrespected and used for the narrow ends of political power by their party leaders; the many dangerous lies and half-truths they have been told, such as the coalition government did not care about them and their families. This is an accusation that has already been disproved by the many initiatives embarked on by the administration and taken up by many of the terminated sugar workers.

It is time that the PPP/C members/followers/supporters begin to take serious stock of the moral behaviour of their party leaders, and of their many acts during the past administration that have had very serious consequences for the socio-eco-

nomic development of this nation.

It is time, too, that they awake from beneath the heavy avalanche of the many misconceptions that have been their daily experience, and begin to be independent in their observations and knowledge as to what had occurred and the numerous efforts that are being made since 2015 by the coalition government to restore the image of this country through meaningful development, making it a better place for all Guyanese, irrespective of race, and not just the favoured few.

Guyanese must be reminded that it was during Bharrat Jagdeo’s rule that several instances of repressive governmental acts and actions were noted. There were heightened allegations—some not without justification—of racial tensions and conflicts, groups targeted for exclusion based on geography, political association, and identity. Imbalances in budgetary allocations and resources directed to, or taken away from regions where the government under his leadership did not control, were noted.

The narco-economy was allowed to flourish, which Professor Clive Thomas noted represented a significant percentage of the economy. The criminalised state was also coined, because in addition to the narco-economy, corruption was pervasive. Transparency International ranked Guyana the most corrupt Caribbean English-speaking country, a shame and stigma that require much work to remove. During this period, when hundreds of dead bodies were turning up all over the place, Dr Roger Luncheon famously described the carnage as being done by “phantom” squads. Later, it was learnt that the government’s hands were bloody.

Dissent and alternative views were not treated as a right

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

or opportunity to engage or review. There exist several anecdotes. Notably among them is Mrs Jagan who was publicly demeaned for disagreeing with Jagdeo’s policy of withdrawing government advertisements from Stabroek News for its reportage. The Guyana Chronicle became a political mouth-piece, attacking political rivals, those the government disagreed with, and justifying whatever actions his government took.

President Jagdeo assented to the bill that allows a person not more than two consecutive terms to be president.

On demitting office, he began putting a process in place to create a framework to see his return as president, though throughout Donald Ramotar’s presidency, he reiterated his non-intention of holding constitutional office again.

The 2015 elections proved otherwise. Jagdeo not only appeared on the List of Representatives, but successfully manipulated the system and became Leader of the Opposition. With the ascension to the most powerful office in the country’s oldest political party, there is need to begin frank and honest national discussions about Jagdeo’s politics which continues to reverberate and will shape the future of the PPP/C and Guyana.

Need for policy actions aimed at transforming the old order Dear Editor,

I REFER to Dr. David Hinds’ column published in Stabroek News on April 17, 2018, captioned “Guyana Review – Politics: Nowhere near enough”. In that column, Hinds, in examining the performance of the APNU+AFC coalition government since it came to office in 2015, raised some pertinent issues which no political leadership in the context of Guyana’s political reality can ignore. However, it is my fear--that is exactly what the response of the APNU+AFC leadership to Hinds’ observations and I believe, his constructive criticisms--will be.

The basis of my apprehension and concern reside in my experiences with how political matters have been dealt with in the APNU and the coalition government.

I will submit here that any objective observer, more so, one whose interest is seeing the coalition government re-elected in the 2020 general and regional elections, is very likely to support this position when it is borne in mind there exists among some supporters of the coalition, a view that the government, in the first three years of its tenure in office,

has underperformed. The judgment of those supporters is that even though the coalition can do better, it is beyond the ability of those in the leadership of the coalition to oversee its operationalization; to recognize the reality of the situation and the need for urgent action to remedy it.

The observation made by Hinds, ”..that the APNU+AFC coalition election victory represents a historical moment in Guyanese post-colonial politics“, cannot be disputed.

Even the PPP/C would agree on this matter.

However, consensus dissipates when we seek to define the parameters of the “historical moment”. While half of the country that supported the coalition saw the defeat of the PPP/C as representing a grand historical moment for a new Guyana, the other half of the country saw it differently. For that section of the populace, political change was unwelcome and was seen as a nightmare. In light of the two opposing positions of these large blocks, the question that needs to be addressed is not whether the defeat of the PPP/C represented a historical moment, but whether the contradictions in the society had matured sufficiently, and what the polarised elections results meant

for the transformation of the nation.

I must admit that I have no knowledge of discussions which may have been held within the APNU or the coalition, nor did I participate in any (if they were held) to examine the possibilities the election victory would have opened up for the transformation of Guyana.

Transformation in this discussion must not be confused with the consciousness desire and commitment of the coalition leadership to do better than the PPP/C had done. Transformation in this sense is qualitatively different than simply wanting to do better than the previous regime.

I am referring here to the need for profound policy actions and a pointed vision, aimed at transforming the old order, based on the assessment of the balance of social and political forces in the country at the time.

I am talking about political actions guided by an understanding of the historical moment. I will be surprised if anyone in the APNU or in the APNU+AFC coalition leadership will contradict me by saying that these profound discussions have, and are taking place within the corridors of both the APNU and the larger coalition.

Even in the absence of discussions in the APNU, coalition, and government, on the above, it is a reasonable expectation that the leaders were aware that their success at the polls opened possibilities for meaningful change. It is my strongly held view that Hinds’ criticisms of the government shortchanging itself and the nation by its performance to date, are indisputable and timely.

Comrade Hinds seems to be over-optimistic in his expectations, and the capacity of the APNU+AFC, to address the historic race/political divide. If truth be told, the APNU+AFC was anticipating something of a “landslide victory” at the elections. The close result was a shock and a disappointment that subsequently knocked out the political will of APNU+AFC leaders to adopt an aggressive political course to bring about the needed change. They allowed themselves to become prisoners of the election results and retreated into conservatism, which is responsible for the present situation that David Hinds so ably explained.

Given the election results and the controversy surrounding it, the Turn to page 7

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

7

William Shakespeare was inspired by greater souls than himself Dear Editor, AS we celebrate April as World Poetry Month and the birth anniversary of the illustrious William Shakespeare on April 23, I wish to contemplate on the life and legacy of William Shakespeare on the thesis below.

SHAKESPEARE’S legacy to mankind is rich indeed. His gifts to the English language excel those of all other poet’s put together. He has put words and phrases into men’s mouths for all time. He was the greatest word creator the world has ever known.

He remains the unchallenged champion in the whole field of English Literature. He possessed great insight into the heart and soul of men. No writer has excelled him in portraying the inner personality of the characters he created. He was equally skilled in creating men and women characters.

William Shakespeare, for all his fame and literary pursuits, remains a mysterious figure with regards to personal history. Many critics and literary scholars have asked the questions: Who was Shakespeare?

Where did he get his knowledge into human nature?

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon on April 23,1564.

Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicated that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564.

He was married to Anne Hathaway

on November 28, 1582. William was 18 at the time, and Annie was 26 – and pregnant.

Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. The couple later had twins--Hamnet and Judith--born February 2, 1585 and christened at Holy Trinity. Hamnet died in childhood at age 11, on August 11, 1596.

There are great many spurious accounts about Shakespeare’s childhood years, especially regarding his education. Many of his contemporaries believed that he attended the free grammar school in Stratford, which at the time had a reputation to rival Eton or Oxford University, but there are no records to prove this claim. The literary scholarship and merits of his works indicated that he was widely read in classics as well as Greek and Roman history. What is certain is that Shakespeare never proceeded to University schooling, which has stirred great many debates in academic circles concerning the authorship of his works.

These debates were in demand by academics because Shakespeare lacked a university education in the formal sense. Some scholars claimed that Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, Edward De Vere, and Shakespeare’s close friend, Ben Johnson, were responsible for his writings. These claims were curious speculations to discredit the immortal works of a true God-gifted genius. When the literature written by Bacon, Johnson, De

Vere and Marlowe were compared to those of Shakespeare’s, they were by far inferior to what Shakespeare had written.

It was more than ridiculous for men who attended universities to turn over their works to Shakespeare for correction and improvement; a person whom they referred to as an unschooled man. It’s mind boggling that this same unschooled man became the Shah Rukh Khan of his age, acting his own plays in the Globe Theatre and plays written by many of his Oxford-educated friends. If he did not write his plays, then it was highly impossible for him to act those plays and to recite those long arduous passages written in blank verse from his memory.

Shakespeare started his literary career as any educated young man might have begun by adapting for his purposes the models prescribed by the fashion of his time; the Latin authors familiar to him from his schooling. He needed no hidden hand to be his ‘Ghost Writer’; he was and is still the most quoted and unsurpassed genius of his day until today.

Shakespeare has touched not only the stuff that men are made of, he has touched the mind of God as it is reflected in the Holy Scripture.

Behind much of his deepest works lie the profound insights of the Biblical Revelation.

He was a man who had drunk deeply at the wells of Holy Scripture. The Book of Common Prayer

(of 1559) and the works of Ovid were the three books by which the developing mind of Shakespeare as a boy and a young man was nourished.

It is more than a mere knowledge of the facts and personalities of the Bible that has given life to his work. In his own words he said: ‘‘What a piece of work is a man!

How infinite in faculties!….in action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god! The beauty of the world, and the paragon of animals!’’ (From Hamlet, Prince of Denmark) Where did he get this quotation from? Is it from nature or from his creative genius? It is based on the Biblical insight from the eight Psalms in the Bible which are as follows: What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

And the Son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the seas.

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.

(Authorized King James Bible

Psalms 8:4-9) What I have quoted here is a very profound biblical insight in reference to the works of Shakespeare.

It is believed that over two thousand of Shakespeare’s quotations are in direct reference to the Bible. How deep a Christian Shakespeare was we will never know, but his will as well as his sonnets reflected a strong belief in Jesus Christ – also his epitaph written by him.

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To dig the dust enclosed here.

Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.’

William Shakespeare was inspired by greater souls than himself to write. His death was that of a mystery; he died on the 23rd of April 1616, at age 52.

His day of death was the day of his birth, announcing to the world a great soul had departed.

His incredible body of work will never again be equaled in Western Civilization. His immortal, unsurpassed poetry and plays have endured for 454 years. His works will remain a classic in the annals of literary history. Whoever the real Shakespeare was, his life and character were where dreams were made on.

Regards Rev Cecil Gideon

They must be pursued and be prosecuted

Dear Editor

WHAT is “political” when former government officials are found to have been participants in activities amounting to criminal misdemeanor, accused of doing so after detailed investigations by specialized agencies, charged and placed before the court?

Still further, what is” political” when there is well-doc-

umented audit evidence of criminal plunder of state assets of various type, by the friends and cronies of the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C) government, many of whom are already before the courts, and others under intense investigation by specialized agencies of the state?

The continuous mouthings of opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, would have us believe that such persons had the right

to criminal acts, because they are members of his party, or former government, or friends or cronies.

It means that he has set a new interpretation for acts of illegalities, with the understanding that its perpetrators are in fact above the law, and must not be prosecuted. Hitherto, this is a new standard set for social morality.

How else can such be interpreted, given the many

Need for policy actions ... known history of the negative effects of PPP’s criminalisation of the state, the depths of its corruption of the society, its covenant with Roger Khan and the executions of Guyanese citizens, its promotion of extrajudicial killings, the unprecedented transfer of wealth to the Indian community, the authoritarian nature of the state and the high expectations of the APNU+AFC support base for social/ economic and political justice, presented challenges the new leadership proved unable, incapable of or downright refuse to deal with.

It is my contention that there were two options available to the coalition in this situation viz: (1) To use its mandate to aggressively dismantle the criminalized state, forcing ma-

jor contradictions to mature with the social/ political consequences in doing so shifting the political struggle in the direction of transformation; and (2) The evolutionary approach (the time game) which was the option chosen by the APNU+AFC leadership. The inherent nature of this approach is essentially anti-transformation, i.e. in the context in which the word is used in this narrative.

It is a well-established fact that in life and politics, every action or inaction has consequences. The government’s ambivalence over the last three years is the direct result of the decision it took, consciously or unconsciously, to embrace the evolutionary approach in addressing Guyana’s post-2015

incessant statements about “witch-hunting”, which is really a denial of criminal conduct on the part of his pals who are now accused before the courts. How Jagdeo continues to insult our intelligence.

The nation would have therefore experience the results of such governance, in terms of what it had meant as an instrument for plunder of state assets. This is what we have

had for the tenure of PPP/C over lordship. No succeeding, responsible government, as the coalition is, must ignore this unconscionable monstrosity that had been exacted on this country and its people. Its response must continue to be intense in its pursuit of those who treated the nation’s money as their personal ATMs. Editor, this is not about political witch-hunting; this is about the pursuit of per-

election challenges. In so doing, it became a prisoner of the old order, constrained by the institutions and political culture of that order.

That decision proved to be a failed approach, and that failure is best demonstrated by the present untenable political situation in the country, where the discussions among the masses, across the political divide, are focused on the view that there is no difference between the present government and that of the PPP/C of twenty-three years duration.

For the record, I disagree with this perception. I believe an objective examination of the government’s performance since coming to office suggests something quite different. But this negative political situation is as a result of the consequences of evolutionary politics,

sonalities, identified as a huge category of former state officials, friends, and cronies of the Jagdeo administration who rapaciously enriched themselves, illicitly, with the labours of Guyanese tax payers, inclusive of the former sugar workers.

They must be pursued and be prosecuted.

Regards Earl Hamilton

missteps (that could have been avoided), and the practice of the Cabinet making and executing policies and in the process, usurping the role of the parties.

Troubling, as the above perception of the government is, the more worrying concern, politically, is whether the APNU+AFC leadership has the ability to change course, in time, to allow it to take actions to negate the political apprehensions among its supporters.

Dr. David Hinds, with his good intention, may for some time be a voice in the “wilderness”.

Regards Tacuma Ogunseye

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Oil-and-gas academy recruits exceeding all expectations – facilitator says Guyanese putting 150% effort into training

By Navendra Seoraj THE first batch of recruits for the TotalTec Petroleum and Maritime Academy has exceeded all expectations so far, Director of the Academy, Lars Mangal has said.

Mangal was not the only one who the recruits impressed, as Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and other distinguished officials shared similar sentiments after a visit to the academy last Friday. “The school is

Minister Trotman engages the recruits during an interactive session on Friday (Adrian Narine photos)

Recruits and officials of the Government, TotalTec and GYSBI share a light moment after the tour

exceeding every expectation I had; the calibre of individuals is far exceeding anything I would have expected and you could see the excitement and enthusiasm,” said Mangal in an invited comment.

The first batch which comprises 23 persons has so far excelled in all their courses, and according to the director it will only get better. “They have 150 per cent hearts and minds immersed in the programme; they have continued to assess themselves and team mates,”

said one of the instructors from Scottish company–First Competence Limited Aberdeen, Andy Goodrich Minister Trotman during an interactive session with the recruits said, they are the pioneers because they will be some of the first persons to work both onshore and offshore in the budding oil and gas industry. “Every Guyanese will look up to you, so you have to set a good example because your impression will be the first; it comes with a lot

of pressure but you are keen and committed so you all will make it,” said the minister.

The recruits were advised that the certification they will receive will make them equally qualified as persons from around the world who work in the industry. The nine-week training programme encompasses many techniques and the minister reminded the recruits that although they will be somewhat professionals in the field after completion, they need to ensure that safety

Nandlall, PPP attack...

The attorney argued that while he wrote the DPP calling for a review of the charges against his clients, no one wrote requesting same on behalf of the two ministers.

The DPP in her decision said, the charges were discontinued by virtue of the powers vested in her by Article 187 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. “These charges concern a grave issue under the criminal law in relation to two serving ministers. In the interest of good governance in the State of Guyana, such allegations ought first to have been reported to the Guyana Police Force for an investigation to be launched and the advice of the DPP sought,” the DPP stated.

But Nandlall contends that the reason provided by Ali-Hack has to be “fresh and new jurisprudence” as he is unaware, where in the Constitution, she is empowered to be responsible for “good governance in the State of Guyana”.

The attorney said Article 187 of the Constitution is clear and said, “This must be the first and only DPP office in the English-speaking Commonwealth that views itself as being responsible for ‘good governance’ within a State.”

Nandlall accused the DPP of being “influenced by extraneous and irrelevant considerations” thereby making her action ultra-vires and unconsti-

From page 3

tutional. He stressed that the institution of private criminal charges have been part of the country’s criminal jurisprudence for over a century, as it has always been initiated by a private individual without the involvement of the Police and the DPP. “There is absolutely no known legal requirement that the allegation must first be reported to the Police and the advice of the DPP sought,” said the attorney, who posited that it is the failure of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to act or to act professionally that led to the evolution and practice of private criminal charges.

The PPP later issued a similar statement on the matter.

is first.

In response to queries about the enforcement of safety standards locally, the minister said that the Ministry of Social Protection is studying a draft regulation and is working closely with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to ensure that standards are in place for the industry.

Minister Trotman believes that with the advent of an oil industry locally, the standards in every sector will rise. In the meantime, the academy has started to play its role in ensuring that the recruits are ready for the new industry.

Goodrich said the recruits are being taught 60 courses which include working on heights, practical training, rigging and lifting among other things. The space at Houston which TotalTec had acquired from Gafoors has been transformed into a practical centre which is equipped with modular features of an oil rig.

Goodrich believes that the training ground is and will be the biggest that he sees for the foreseeable future.

After the successful completion of the programme, the recruits will be deployed to various jobs in the industry. In the event no immediate jobs are available, persons will remain on TotalTec’s payroll and work with the Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) shore base until such time that they get a job.

Cabinet to discuss TPL $1.7B award THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration has “left some deep dark holes” for the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government to fill, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said, as he reacted to the High Court ruling by Justice Brassington Reynolds ordering the government to pay over $1.7B in damages to Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL).

The government and National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) had argued that TPL was no longer the owner of several blocks of land at Turkeyen on the East Coast of Demerara, including the plot that Movie Towne is being constructed on, but the Court ruled in the contrary. Justice Reynolds ruled that TPL is the rightful owner to the plots of land, in accordance with the 1987 agreement which was signed after they were purchased from the then People’s National Congress (PNR) administration. In 2011, under the PPP administration, NICIL sold a section of the lands to Multicinemas Guyana Inc. for $187M. It is there that Movie Towne is being constructed.

On Monday, Minister Harmon offered his opinion on the situation. “The previous administration, they left some deep dark holes which we have to fill, and have to fill out of the public’s purse, this cannot be fair.”

According to Harmon, Cabinet has not deliberated on the ruling and as such a position has not yet been taken on the way forward.

‘It is something which we will have to discuss as a Cabinet, but it just goes to show the levels to which this

country had sunk under the PPP and the huge amount of debt that they have created for us. We have had no benefit whatsoever from that, the PPP sold the land to persons who are friendly to them at a price, so the benefit was with those persons but now the burden becomes that of us. That cannot be fair,” Minister Harmon lamented.

In July 2015, the APNU+AFC Government agreed to pay the Surinamese Beverage Company RUDISA International NV, US $6.2M in keeping with a ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The monies had been collected by the PPP Government as a form of environmental tax, but the Court ruled that the tax then was in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).

Then, in May, 2017 the CCJ ruled in favour of the Trinidad-based Beverage Company, SM Jaleel and its subsidiary, ordering the Government to repay millions of dollars to the companies for environmental taxes paid in violation of the RTC. The breach had occurred under the PPP administration.

Also in 2017, Justice Rishi Persaud had ruled that Dipcon Engineering recover from the government the sum of US$665,032.17 for road-building and construction works undertaken for, and at the request of the government, along with the sum of US$1,563,368.50 for increased costs incurred by Dipcon at the request of the government, in the course of undertaking the aforementioned work.

The works were carried out under the PPP administration.

Family seek missing man THE family of a missing 45-year-old man of 115 Hunter Street, West Ruimveldt, is seeking to trace his whereabouts after he was last seen on April 16, last, heading to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) for a medical check-up.

Missing is Khemraj Arjune called “Boy”. Relatives said he was last seen wearing a burgundy checkered shirt, a black trunks and a brown slipper.

Anyone with information can contact the nearest

Missing: Khemraj Arjune

police station or his relatives on 626-5691.

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Oil-related disaster preparedness workshop targets key agencies MINISTER of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, on Monday officially opened the Incident Command System (ICS) Workshop for oil-related disaster preparedness, organised by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and facilitated by representatives from ExxonMobil.

The opening ceremony was held at the CDC Headquarters, Thomas Road, Georgetown. According to a Ministry of the Presidency release, the six-day training course will be split up into two parts. Part one is the ICS Workshop, which will allow participants to define their agency’s roles while developing an organised structure for disaster response. Part two is the Oil Spill Response Course, which will provide a more practical approach to oil spill response.

Minister Harmon, in his remarks, said that the workshop targets agencies, which will be instrumental in the timely and organised response to the unlikely eventuality that there is such a disaster and is aimed at ensuring that Guyana is fully prepared to mitigate its effects.

“These Incident Command [System] and [Oil Spill] Response training courses… are for representatives of the agencies that have been identified in the draft National Oil Spill Response Plan as key stakeholders, who will be involved and should, therefore, be important elements… in the unlikely event of an oil spill...

These courses are part of Government’s partnership with ExxonMobil to create an enabling environment for persons to benefit from various forms of training, relevant to the oil and gas sector. They are very important capacity building exercises that will enable us to respond promptly and adequately with

[synchrony] to oil spills and other adverse occurrences,” he said.

The Minister of State said that while the potential negative effects of an emerging oil and gas sector are concerning, capacity building sessions like these will help to safeguard the environment and mitigate risks. “These issues are of major concern to us as a nation and as a Government given our emphasis on creating and maintaining a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment within the context of our thrust to establish a ‘green’ economy and a ‘green’ state… We, therefore, look forward to the production of first oil… but we are equally, if not more concerned, about the preservation of our environment, the integrity of our coastline, and the safety of our marine resources. Therefore, even as we place a great emphasis on safety and prevention and mitigation of oil spills and their related consequences, we have to pay greater attention to these things not occurring,” he said.

In closing, Minister Harmon said that Government also remains committed to the development of the oil and gas sector in an environment of transparency and openness and the delivery of accurate and complete information to the public.

“The skills that you will acquire… and your ability to apply them may at some time in the future be of crucial importance to the protection of our environment… The Government is keenly aware of the interests and, in some cases, the unease that our citizenry [has] in and about the possibilities and consequences of oil spills… These concerns are compounded by the uninformed and inaccurate information… being pedalled in some sections of the media

about our efforts or lack of efforts to prepare for these eventualities. I, therefore, wish to urge the agencies involved here today in these preparation exercises to keep the public fully informed of these and future similar activities. I trust that we do not

prepared,” he said.

In an invited comment, Mr. Henson added that the benefits of Guyana’s imminent oil and gas sector still far outweigh the risks.

“What’s happening in Guyana is very positive. These oil finds, I believe, are going to benefit the country to improve the quality of life, but it can’t be at any cost… at ExxonMobil, we’re doing everything we can to ensure

important pillars is also protection of the environment and oil spill response… Oil response is a national agenda. It is something that all the agencies; Government agencies… [and the] civil society… [have] a very loud voice in driving things forward [and] ensuring [that] there are watch dogs in this area,” he said.

Acting Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Col-

In an invited comment, Colonel Craig added that the wide cross section of agencies represented by the participants is crucial as it will influence the outcome of the National Oil Spill Response Plan. “If there’s an oil spill, it will impact several sectors and we must have a coordinated response. All agencies must be aware of their roles and responsibilities... All of the agencies are part of the…

From Left to right: Acting Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig; Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon; Country Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Mr. Rod Henson; and Deputy Director of the Petroleum Division MNR, Mr. Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang with participants of the CDC’s Incident Command System Workshop

ever have to put the skills that you will learn here today into practice,” he said.

Country Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), Mr. Rod Henson said statistically speaking, it is unlikely that Guyana will experience an oil spill. “We believe at ExxonMobil that you can never have enough training… The time of an emergency, [is] not the time to learn. That’s the time to act… I hope you understand [that] we at ExxonMobil and our contractors go to great lengths to ensure that there is no oil spill, to ensure that that never happens. Significant spills are extremely rare and, statistically, it is very unlikely that there would be a large spill in Guyana. However, to be prudent, we have to be

that [an oil spill] doesn’t happen. We have multiple redundancies in our equipment. We have well trained people…

We have… contracts with absolutely every piece of equipment that exists in the world today that would help deal [with] a response and we have contracts with the best experts in the world as well,” he said.

Invited to give remarks in the absence of Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman, Deputy Director of Ministry’s Petroleum Division, Mr. Nicholas Chuck-A-Sang assured the participants that oil response is a national agenda. “The Ministry of Natural Resources’ primary mandate is in the area of policy. That includes legislation, area of regulations, and one of the

onel Kester Craig said that the training sessions ensure that all stakeholders submit to the same response protocol in case of an emergency.

“The course provides the operational environment for coordination of effort, so that all responders are using the same standardised terminology, interoperable technologies, organisational structure and management techniques.

This allows any responder to have a common expectation and understanding of how agencies and departments will organise when working together in response to an incident. This commonality of knowledge, structure, and function provides a level of functionality that is able to expand and interact as the needs of the situation demands,” he said.

National Oil Spill Contingency Plan Committee and that committee is responsible for drafting, finalising, exercising, and implementing the oil spill plan… So when the team goes [on] to draft the… plan… they will be well aware of what is required,” he said.

The workshop hosted 26 representatives from 21 agencies including the Ministries of Natural Resources, Legal Affairs, Public Infrastructure, Agriculture, Public Health and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. Part two of the workshop will and be held at Splashmins Resort from April 26 – 28.

Driver on $1M bail for mother, daughter fatal accident BAIL was granted in the sum of $1M to Nalindra Premnauth called “Avinash”, 25, of Lot 35 Grant 1802 Crabwood Creek, when he appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Whim Magistrate’s Court.

The charge alleged that on April 16, 2018, Premnauth drove motorcar HC 2217 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of

seventy-year-old Khemnie Chanchal.

The magistrate first set bail at $2M, however, after successful mitigation by the defendant’s attorney, Mursalene Bacchus, the sum was reduced to $1M cash bail. Bacchus pointed to the case of “Simpson and Pete”, where a ruling was handed down in that case indicating that if a driver is faced with an emergency situation, the driver should not be held

accountable.

Meanwhile, on April 18, he was faced with the first charge of causing the death of Soorjanie Surjraj,52, when he made his appearance at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court. He was remanded to prison. However, on today’s appearance he was placed on self-bail.

The family was on their way home from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), when the driver

reportedly lost control of the car and slammed into a parked motor Lorry on the Number 58 Village Public Road. The 52-year-old woman died on the spot while her 16-year-old daughter, Neaha Surjraj, and her mother Khemnie Chanchal were rushed to the Skeldon Hospital.

The younger Surjraj was treated and sent away while her grandmother was transferred to the New Amster-

dam Hospital from where she was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation(GPHC) where she succumbed to her injuries.

The case was transferred to the Number 51 Village Magistrate’s Court.

Premnauth was also ordered to lodge his passport and report fortnightly to the Springlands Police Station. He will return to court on May 23.

Nalindra Premnauth

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

PNCR says time ripe to sanitise voters’ list THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) said despite the meticulous nature of the ‘house-tohouse’ registration process, it is an opportune time to sanitise the electoral list and its General Secretary, Amna Ally, is predicting victory for the coalition government at the 2020 polls.

Ally’s comments were made in response to the opposition People’s Progressive Party which recently said that the PNCR’s call for a new round of house-tohouse registration is a sign of desperation. In a statement on Monday, Ally, who is also Minister of Social Protection said: “GECOM as an independent agency must go to work to iron out the details.

It is only ‘house-to-house’ registration that will produce a living and accurate list,” Ally said.

Ally added that the coalition government has no intention of derailing Lo-

PNCR General Secretary, Amna Ally

cal Government Elections (LGE) nor postpone General Elections. Rather, she explained that while there is a call to sanitise the list of electors by having a ‘houseto-house’ registration, no timeline was given. She said it was a call for GECOM which also has to work out the logistics.

“Permit me to let the PPP/C know that they sty-

mied or delayed Local Government Election for over 14 years. This Coalition Government, while in opposition, agitated for Local Government Elections. As soon as we got into office, we made it a reality in 2016.

Therefore, there is no desperate attempt to delay or postpone the elections. We are prepared and will deal this year with the Local Government Elections without fear or favour; with confidence to continue true democracy.”

Ally also expressed that PPP Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, should not judge the party by his standards. “You never wanted a decentralized government and so now, you believe you can overshadow reality with your nauseated assumptions. Let me remind you that under the President David Granger’s administration, people at all levels are enjoying the good….

The PPP/C is blinded by the progress this APNU+AFC government has made. Let

me remind you that in many areas, you did not have the vision to provide potable pure water supply; people are now enjoying that under this administration. Many of the roads you refused to fix are being done under this administration. Street lighting has given many the opportunity to light up their lives. Our interior locations can now boast of a new consciousness with the installation of radio stations, keeping them informed of current events. Our aerodromes and airports which are properly maintained add pride to our successes. Do not let me give you more examples. Guyana is better off under this government,” Ally told Jagdeo.

She asserted that “despite the usual racist connotations that are the hallmark of the PPP’s elections campaign, 2020 will see this Coalition Government being victorious.” Ally said gone are the days when Guyanese were swayed by race-based cam-

paigning. “The new thrust is progress and only this government can offer same.

The new thrust is power to the people, not corrupt practices. The new thrust is to reach out to all the people, not some of the people. The new thrust is Guyana for all Guyanese. The new thrust is development for all and not development for a few that was practiced under the PPP/C. Come on Guyanese, ‘house-to-house’ registration is a must. Let us stay with a government that will improve our lives,” PNCR General Secretary exhorted.

In its statement last week, the PPP said after the 2015 General and Regional Elections, it had called not only for a new house-to-house registration by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), but for electronic voting, utilizing enhanced biometrics with a paper-ballot trail which could be audited. “Having ignored our calls, the PNC, having com-

Buxton owes GWI $116M in tariffs …water treatment plant in village to be repaired

By Lisa Hamilton FOLLOWING several years of neglect, the water treatment plant in the community of Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD) will resume operations by the end of this year, Managing Director of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr. Richard Van-West Charles told residents during an outreach in the community on Sunday.

Residents were made aware that eight filters have already been imported and will be installed in a few weeks while a recently activated overhead tank will be utilised to pressurise the system.

Van-West Charles says that GWI is mandated under the constitution to provide access to good quality services and wants to set its standards as high as that of North America.

However, even as these improvement plans are underway, it was stressed that the community is $116M in debt to the water company with $89M of that debt belonging to unmetered customers.

As such, the Buxton residents were urged to pay

From left to right: GWI East Coast Demerara Regional Manager, Mr. Richard Thomas; Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles; Executive Director of Commercial Services & Customer Relations , Mr. Marlon Daniels and District Development Officer, Mr. Rickford Profitt (photo by GWI)

their bills on time as finances are needed to complete the works and a total of $6M is spent on electricity to power the community’s water supply system. Residents are being invited within the next two months to visit the GWI office to have their services regularized within which period no court action will be taken against them.

However, delaying beyond this deadline will see those found with illegal connections facing swift court action. The company will also work to clean pipelines; an act previously hindered due to intermittent water supply and, by the year’s end, intends to further increase its water supply service to 24 hours in the community.

To achieve this, GWI’s Executive Director of Operations, Mr. Dwayne Shako,

pointed out that the water distribution system is another area which will be addressed. Shako states that there are 300 cubic meters of water being produced in the community every hour but residents are still unable to receive same to the top floor of their homes or to the extent of 24 hours.

He attributed this to a large quantity of water being wasted due to leaks.

Van-West Charles called for greater cooperation between the utility company and citizens as the company seeks to address these cases of leaks through house-tohouse visitations over the next six months to a year.

Throughout this visitation period, the GWI will capitalize on the opportunity to install meters where necessary as a means to further narrow the gap between metered and unmet-

ered customers.

Only recently a GWI crew was attacked in the village and their vehicle set ablaze. Van-West Charles had described the attack as “lawless” which “cannot be accepted.” The attack occurred on March 15 in Buxton-Friendship and resulted in the destruction of a vehicle transporting six GWI workers, by means of arson by an irate resident whose meter the workers aimed to disconnect. At a press conference, it was revealed that the workers, namely Christopher Semple, Lennox Douglas, Claremont Cato, Tevin Howard, Richard Kilkenny and Kevin Blair, were forced to flee the scene in fear for their lives.

According to the managing-director, on the previous day, (March 14), a crew of GWI’s staff was on Com-

pany Road, Friendship, East Coast Demerara, carrying out disconnections when an altercation with a resident obstructed the work of the crew members. The following day (March15), the workers returned, but were approached by the irate resident from the other side of Company Road.

The resident then sprayed

pleted almost three years in government, is now making calls for a new house-tohouse registration. After the completion of two cycles of continuous registration and two periods of claims and objections, the PNC has discovered the harsh reality that its supporters are not heeding their calls to register,” the PPP said.

According to that party, house-to-house registration is a meticulous process that necessitates a protracted time period for its completion and accuracy.

“Therefore, having realised that its support is diminishing, this desperate call for a new house-to-house registration by the PNC three years hence, can only be seen as a deliberate attempt to postpone or even derail Local Government Elections (LGE) scheduled for later this year and General and Regional Elections constitutionally due in 2020.” the interior and exterior of the company’s transport vehicle with gasoline from a soda bottle.

Van-West Charles said the man, Dexroy Todd, who also wielded a cutlass, then lit his cigarette lighter and set the vehicle ablaze, prompting a swift escape by the crew members who were both surprised and shaken.

The crew workers then went to the Vigilance Police Station where they reported the matter.

House gutted in Enterprise fire

The aftermath of the fire

A recently married couple suffered severe losses after a fire gutted their Section ‘C’ Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home, on Monday morning.

The couple, the only occupants of the house, was not at home when this publication visited, but residents in the area said that they were not surprised that the house went up in flames.

Ranks at the fire service were unable to give an update on the circumstances of the fire and a report was made at the police station as investigations continue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

‘Stop Trafficking’

– Prison Director says to wardens

– Knocks Mazaruni prison for weak posture THE acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, has issued a call to all prison warders and officers to desist from trafficking contraband in the prisons, while asking those who are guilty to understand the consequences as the law will take its course.

In a statement to the media on Monday, the prison director noted that getting rid of contraband in prison could not be a fight by a few and there was need for collective efforts.

“The well-established syndicates may think that they are safe and secure but they cannot be allowed to continue. We will continue our searches and those found to be colluding in trafficking contraband will have to answer to the law. We cannot compromise. While efforts are being made to improve our physical structures and improve the use of technology, for now, our reliance is on the human factor,” Samuels said.

Using the old adage: “Moon a run til day ketch um” and “every day bucket a guh a well wan day e batum suh lef,” the prison director urged the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) staff not to allow the integrity of the institution, to be sullied for a few dollars more.

Director of Prisons (ag) Gladwin Samuels

Adding, that the dangers of trafficking contraband in the prison environment also put the perpetrators and warders at risk, Samuels said.

“Prison officers should not be putting their fellow officers at risk. What about our motto: ‘Together in Service?’

Trafficking in contraband at all locations is a matter of grave concern, but at the Mazaruni Prison, which is a maximum security prison it is worst because of the extent of the collusion that is needed for many contraband items to get into the prison.”

He said the prison’s motto: “Together We Serve” is one in which officers swore to uphold and which is widely repeated during the annual anniversary where the celebrations of the high-risk job

is observed.

Noting that over the past few weeks, despite regular searches, prison wardens kept unearthing various forms of contraband including cellular phones, marijuana and local wine along with other illegalities, the prison director said, this should be cause for concern for each and every one since the security of the prison, and by extension the security of the nation is at risk.

Make no mistake about it our security is at risk when we allow these items in. Taking into account the quantity of these prohibited items and the locations where some of the items are discovered, it stretches the imagination that these items got into the prison only [by] being trafficked by prisoners using their bodies to conceal same,” Samuels said.

He continued: “As prison officers working in a service dedicated to correction and rehabilitation, we are tasked with the responsibility to make offenders better citizens.”

The Director noted that the GPS was tasked with creating an environment where the focus on rehabilitation is done with passion.

“We are tasked with creating an environment where the people under our charge

can respect us, respect our office, and see us as role models for whom they can become. If we support them and their families in contravening the laws of the prison, we are not helping them; we are in fact condoning the very activities that caused them to be in prison in the first place; we are telling them it is ok to be lawless,” he said.

He explained that such actions on behalf of the warders only mold inmates to continue a life of crime and failure. Worse yet, he said, it was that the prison service was showing inmates that they were no better. The trade of contraband, while it may seem profitable initially, is bad for the prison environment.

“It is said that once you have comprised yourself by becoming a trafficker, you are not allowed to stop even if you want to stop. I say to you, you have the power to do anything. Therefore, do something good. Do what is right,” Samuels said.

Further, he noted, “I do believe that while many prison officers are not directly involved in trafficking of contraband, they were aware of others who were. However, when you know your fellow officers are breaking the law and you remain silent, you are as guilty as they are.”

M&CC to coordinate with Carnival organisers for clean up THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will collaborate with organizers of Guyana’s upcoming Independence Carnival in May to facilitate the sale of vending spots and after-event clean-up activities.

At Monday’s statutory meeting, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said that a previous meeting between the Social Development committee and the carnival planning committee led to the decision that a sub-committee should be formed.

Deputy Mayor Akeem Peter, along with another council member, has been elected to represent the council on this committee for further planning.

The carnival organizers have made requests for the sale of vending spots on Friday, 25th May on Main Street Avenue and on the day of the carnival, 26th May, along the parade route.

Taking pattern from the recent Mashramani celebration, Mayor Chase-Green requested a schedule of all the event’s upcoming activ-

ities in Georgetown so that cleaning can commence immediately after each event.

The Mayor intends to utilize the services of those who worked on the Mashramani committee who were tasked with organizing the sale of vending spots and cleaning in a timely manner.

However, she informed the council that these individuals have not yet been paid.

After all other expenses were paid for the Mashramani event, including the payment of the mayors,

councillors and staff, an excess of 2M was made in profit.

“Town Clerk, I ask that this council agree that those persons be paid because we have to utilize those persons for the next Carnival event and if we’re talking about forming that committee as early as this week, the men have to go out and prepare those areas, so I’m asking that those persons be paid,” she said.

There were no objections by the council to this call.

Man kills nephew during row over daughter THE Ramdass family of Bush Lot Village on the Essequibo Coast is in a state of shock after a 36-yearold relative was stabbed to death by his uncle Monday afternoon.

Dead is Naresh Ramdass, a fisherman of Bush Lot village.

His body was discovered with one stab wound to his chest by family members at the seawall, about 20 feet from his home. According to the dead man’s wife, Rehanna Ramdass, her husband was imbibing earlier with his uncle (Ricky) at their home and they later got into an argument after ill things were said about Ramdass’ daughter. “All I could recall hearing is my husband telling Ricky, ‘Bai, wha yuh talk about my girl for’, then I heard Ricky, who is my husband uncle, cursing,” the saddened wife related.

She further stated that she later saw her husband walking at the back of their house and then she heard screams coming from outside. “When I watched, a neighbour told me that my husband lying at the seawall. I ran quickly and I saw a stab wound to his chest.

He was bleeding; I called for help, but then police arrived” the wife explained.

Family members of the deceased said they are disappointed at the way the police handled the matter, stating that they wanted to take Naresh to the hospital

Deceased: Naresh Ramdass

for medical attention but the police refused to give them permission. About an hour after undertakers from a funeral home arrived. Ramdass’ mother, Rosaline Armgoman, said that she last saw her son Monday morning. She received the tragic news while at work. Armogan related that Ricky was a habitual rum-drinker and would usually have a knife on his person. Ricky fled the scene shortly after the murder but was later arrested by police at Suddie Village and is presently in custody. The deceased was a fisherman and has been married for three years.

The marriage has produced a three-month-old baby.

He recently moved to Bush Lot after living some years at Wakapoa Village in the Upper Pomeroon.

Held with gun and ammo on seawall A 25-YEAR-OLD man appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman facing three charges of being in possession of a gun and ammunition.

It was alleged that on April 16, 2018 at Fifth Street, Alberttown, Keron Hinds had in his possession one pistol without being a licensed firearm holder.

It was also alleged that on the same day at the same location, Hinds had in his possession five rounds of ammunition. It was further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, Hinds discharged a loaded firearm in a public place.

Hinds denied all three the charges that were read out to him in court,

According to the facts as given by Prosecutor Arvin Moore, police received a 911 call about someone discharging rounds at the seawall.

A police patrol on duty responded and observed someone matching the description that was given to them.

However, as they were about to approach the individual started to run and he then discharged a round.

Constable Holder, a member of the patrol saw the defendant throw an object under a car. Other ranks pursued and caught Hinds and took him back to the spot where he had thrown the object. There the ranks found a gun.

Hinds was refused bail and remanded to prison until May 14, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Sol Guyana ready to fuel growth – in local petroleum industry SOL Guyana Inc. has a renewed vision and an energised team, ready to fuel tremendous growth in the local petroleum industry, according to General Manager Liz Wyatt.

“Guyana is on the verge of a major breakthrough to greater social and economic development, and Sol Guyana wishes to reiterate our committment to this nation that we have called home for just over 10 years,” she said Saturday.

“As the leading provider of petroleum-based products in the Caribbean Basin, we are excited about the new developments in

the local petroleum sector, and are confident that we have the technical expertise to create an environment in Guyana where the petroleum industry thrives and produces exceptional benefits for the Guyanese people,” Wyatt told top business executives gathered at the Marriot Hotel to celebrate SOL Guyana Inc’s 13th anniversary.

“At the moment, we are really focused on the journey ahead of us, and we truly know we have the right team on board to really take things to the next level,” she said, adding: “Our entire team shares

Sol Guyana General Manager, Liz Wyatt

this new vision for the company, which includes main-

taining a superior level of customer service, consistently providing high quality energy products, as well as a commitment to being a good corporate citizen in Guyana.”

Sol Guyana’s new vision, she said, includes improving the company’s operational standards by further strengthening their Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards.

“Sol is well known for extremely robust HSE standards, and we are committed to making them even more meticulous,” she said, adding: “Our goal is that as we continue to build a sound, safe and viable business in Guyana, we create a rep-

Rose Hall Town Council ordered to rescind appointment of town clerk THE Local Government Commission (LGC) has ordered the Rose Hall Town Council to rescind the appointment of a town clerk, which the body said was not in keeping with law.

In a statement, the LGC said the Rose Hall Town Council had approached the LGC of Guyana seeking permission to hire a town clerk to fill the vacancy for this post within the council.

According to the LGC, in keeping with Section 19 of the Local Government Commission Act 2013 (delegation of powers), it was agreed, via letter, to delegate to the council and all other local government organs, the authority of recruitment (advertising shortlisting and interviewing) for staff.

However, the commission said it requires that all local government organs

write informing the commission of such vacancies before engaging in the recruitment procedure (advertising, shortlisting and interviewing) and consequent recommendation for appointment by the LGC. “The Rose Hall Council was also informed in this letter, dated March 21, 2018, that the local government organs shall ensure that an officer of the LGC is present during the shortlisting and interviewing process.

“The officer would be an observer of the procedure and would not offer any advice or suggestion unless so directed by the LGC,” the LGC statement reads.

“We noted that the Rose Hall Town Council executed these delegated tasks, and exceeded this clearly outlined mandate by purporting to hire a town clerk, clearly

in contravention to the stated delegated functions. The commission wrote the council again on April 10, 2018, instructing them to rescind this action since the law clearly states in Section 13 (2) of the Local Government Commission Act 2013 that: ‘The Commission SHALL deal with all matters relating to staffing of local government organs and in particular shall (a) be responsible for employment, transfer, discipline and dismissal of staff.’ “ It is, therefore, with serious concern that we observed that the council again disregarded these direct, lawful directives and proceeded to ‘engage’ someone to fill this vacancy.”

The LGC of Guyana said it is committed to ensuring that the letter and spirit of the law as enshrined in the Local Government Com-

mission Act is adhered to, in order to ensure good governance for all. This includes ensuring that all of the local government organs under its purview are held accountable to the statutes and regulations that fall within our mandate.

“In keeping with this determination,” the LGC says, “the Rose Hall Town Council has clearly acted outside of its remit, and has been instructed by letter from the commission to rescind the hiring of any person so appointed to fill the vacant position of town clerk of that municipality, and this vacancy will only be filled upon the consideration and written approval of the commissioners of the Local Government Commission of Guyana as provided for by law.”

Cops say they saw man throw ‘ganja’ under chair DWAYNE Edwards was on Monday remanded to prison for being in possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

It is alleged that on April 20, 2018 at Campbellville, Georgetown, Edwards had in his possession 9.64 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The 27-year-old man pleaded not guilty to the

charge.

Attorney George Thomas who represented the accused, told the court that there were other occupants at the house, also that his client had not given a written or oral statement. The attorney also asked for his client to be granted reasonable bail.

Prosecutor Arvin Moore, however, objected to bail based on the seriousness of

Dwayne Edwards

the offence. He told the court that the defendant was seen with the drugs in his hands and as the police approached he threw a black plastic bag with the cannabis inside under a chair. The bag with the drug was retrieved by the police.

Bail was refused by Magistrate Judy Latchman and Edwards was remanded to prison until May 14, 2018.

utation for providing innovative petroleum-based solutions, and delighting customers with our superior service experience.”

Sol, the leading energy producer in the region, is a Shell Licensee and distributor of Shell fuels through a network of Shell-branded Service Stations.

Sol is also the Shell Macro distributor of Shell lubricants on the local market.

The Sol Group of companies operates in 23 countries across the Eastern Caribbean, namely Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Martinique and

Guadeloupe.

Sol supplies fuels, lubricants, bitumen and LPG through an extensive service station network, with marine, aviation and commercial operations in the Caribbean.

The new management team, led by Wyatt as General Manager and comprising Commercial and Lubricants Manager, Ayanna Watson; Operations Manager, Felino Florendo; Human Resource Officer, Hollis Halley; and Financial Controller, Derick Lowe, has expressed its commitment to Guyana’s future and progress as the nation embarks on a new and promising journey to greater modernisation.

Chinese urged to get into manufacturing MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon has called on Chinese nationals living here to invest in the manufacturing sector, particularly in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) since they had originally settled there in 1853.

The Chinese, like East Indians and Portuguese, were brought to Guyana as indentured labourers to work on the plantations back then. “In 1853 the first Chinese came to Guyana and a few months ago we celebrated the anniversary of the their arrival… since they came they settled in communities such as Windsor Forest and so forth on the West Coast of Demerara,” said Harmon at the launch of the Region Three Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) last Saturday evening.

The minister challenged them to invest in the region, since they have been there for over a century and have now become part of the fabric of the country. Over the years, Chinese have made their presence known in the commercial sector, particularly with supermarkets and restaurants but, Harmon said they should look at building factories instead.

“You must also invest in the agriculture sector and build factories in the region; we have good examples of Chinese businesses that have done so around the

world,” he said. They were encouraged to take on the minister’s challenge and demonstrate that they have integrated themselves into the fabric of the country.

“I am looking forward to Chinese investors investing and manufacturing in this region,” Harmon stated.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had recently said that Guyana remains open to Chinese investment in key sectors. He noted that Guyana has observed with interest, China’s transformation into a global superpower and economic giant.

The prime minister mentioned that China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) lays a solid foundation for the elimination of poverty and to ensure the prosperity of China’s huge population.

The Financial Times had reported that China’s outbound investment will soon surpass the amount invested inside the country, marking a new step in the rise of this new economic power. “This is just a matter of time; if it doesn’t happen this year then it will happen in the very near future,” said Zhang Xiangchen, China’s assistant minister of commerce.

Not only China is on the verge of becoming a net exporter of capital, and according to the Financial Times, it has already overtaken its Western counterparts as a primary source of credit for the developing world.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

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Ex-sugar workers beginning to come around –– see switch to oil and gas a rewarding career change FORMER sugar workers have said that they adapted well to the oil and gas training at the TotalTec Academy, noting that it has been a good transition for them.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had laid off almost 4000 sugar workers in an effort to make the ailing sugar industry viable.

Seven former sugar workers, some of whom were laid off, had been recruited by the academy to undergo a nineweek training programme, which encompasses every as-

pect of basic operational and safety training required in the industry to ensure that they are given the opportunity to develop and perform to the world-class standards that are expected in the international oil and gas industry.

“Me and my friend used to work at the Enmore Estate; the transition was good for us because the training at the GuySuCo Training Centre is not too different,” said Duvendra Lala, one of the recruits.

“But only thing is that

the level is higher in terms of standards.”

Lala and his colleagues said GuySuCo basically gave them the necessary tools to be there and be able to further develop themselves.

“The training centre was a stepping stone,” said Dexter Vangroigen, a former employee of the Albion Estate.

They hope that the training they receive will propel them to take up a managerial or supervisory position in the oil and gas industry.

But despite being on the A former sugar worker shows Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman what he has learnt

Six of the seven ex-sugar workers who are part of the oil and gas training programme at TotalTec Academy (Adrian Narine photos)

path to a new career, they’re still in allegiance with the other sugar workers who were laid off and are even encouraging them to apply to the academy and by extension be a part of the new industry.

TotalTec Director, Lars Mangal said the former sugar workers are indeed embracing the new industry, and that their new careers will

be the defining future of the Guyanese participation in the industry.

According to a Guyana Chronicle report, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman had called on investors to help “retool” former sugar workers to make them fit for the oil and gas industry.

Minister Trotman had urged investors to partner

with local academic institutions like the University of Guyana (UG) in order to help Guyana “delink” and go through the “pains” of rightsising the sugar industry.

“We have able-bodied men and women who can make a contribution to the oil and gas industry which will replace sugar,” said the minister.

Gold Board ‘lab’ temporarily relocated

THE Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has temporarily moved one of its operations to a location in Subryanville, as part of the measures put in place to address the concerns of mercury exposure at the agency’s Brickdam head office.

The move follows a walkout by a number of staffers last Friday, resulting in a decision being taken by the Ministry of Natural Resources to re-locate the Guyana Gold Board’s laboratory from the GGMC compound.

A number of GGMC workers who had promised not to return to work if satisfactory measures had not

been implemented, remained off the job on Monday, despite the efforts being made to rectify concerns regarding the mercury exposure.

Commissioner Newell Dennison told the Guyana Chronicle that some workers remained off the job following last Friday’s protest and walkout.

He, however, said that the Ministry of Natural Resources and its sister agencies, the GGMC and the Gold Board, are committed to supporting the affected workers.

Dennison said that since the walkout, work was done over the weekend by a special team to ascertain the way forward. This team, he pointed out, will submit

a report to the Natural Resources Ministry and the outcome of that report will determine the answers to be given to the many questions being asked by GGMC staffers regarding their safety.

“What is important for the GGMC with this initiative,” he said, “is the outcome of the special team’s work to give a report to the workers on what is planned, and whether it would make them feel comfortable to return.”

Though cognisant that the move to Sybryanville will not solve the problem currently facing the GGMC, Dennison said it is an option to help address the matter. And, while he

conceded that there isn’t much that could be said to convince workers to return to the job right now, he did hint that the efforts being made by the agencies involved should speak for itself.

The Natural Resources Ministry said last Friday that it had convened a special meeting with officials of the Guyana Gold Board and the GGMC, and that a decision was taken to re-locate the Gold Board’s laboratory from the GGMC compound.

“The critical decision was taken that the laboratory would be moved within the shortest possible time, so as to safeguard the health of workers of the GGMC and

Gold Board,” the ministry said in a statement, and that its intention is to have the laboratory moved first, and then the administrative offices of the Board thereafter.

A number of GGMC staffers who’d been tested were found with unfavourable levels of mercury in their systems, believed to be as a result of emissions from the Gold Boards laboratory.

Many have been treated and sent on sick leave, and as many as 70 other workers are expected to be treated and sent home to recuperate.

The staffers were, however, upset that enough was not being done to cater for them.

They were especially concerned that the Gold Board

had continued burning mercury-laced gold in the compound among other issues.

Wearing face masks in silent protest, the staff said last Friday that they would not be working in the GGMC compound after managers, too, had decided that they would not be functioning in the environment.

Dennison said that the agencies are working so that the GGMC staffers, those who are currently on leave, those expected to go on sick leave, those out in field and those staying away because of their own self-interest, would feel comfortable and safe enough to operate at the location.

Unions, MNR meet on RUSAL sanctions and Oldendorff closure

THE Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) met yesterday with Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) Raphael Trotman, Junior Minister Simona Broomes and their team to discuss issues relating to the Unites States Government’s sanctions on RUSAL, parent company of the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), and

the implications, including the news of the shipping company Oldendorff Carriers’ closure.

According to a statement from the unions, the meeting was also attended by the People’s United General Workers Union, which represents the workers at Oldendorff.

The Government of Guyana has 10 percent share in BCGI.

At the meeting the GB&GWU laid out its concerns. Chief among them were ensuring employment for Guyanese and the sustainable management of the bauxite resources for the benefit of the citizens.

In light of US sanctions and principal condition for delisting, i.e. the exit of Mr Oleg Deripaska, owner and president of RUSAL, the

union called for Government to be more proactive in treating the issue, given potential implications for Guyana.

The Union proposed the establishment of an advisory team of competent skills, unique to bauxite, to meet and deliberate on a way forward and urged Government to maintain a working relationship with the unions whose members

will be affected by the decisions impacting RUSAL/ BCGI and Oldendorff. It was noted such engagement would be consistent with Articles 38 and 149C of the Guyana Constitution.

GB&GWU further enjoined Government to avoid the Jamaica experience where RUSAL shuttered its operation yet at the same time held on to the country’s

strategic bauxite reserves.

“That decision adversely impacted on the workers (who were laid off), the economy and government’s ability to utilise the resource,” the union said.

Government’s representatives at the meeting noted the unions’ concerns and committed to taking the issues raised to Cabinet.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

Ban on plastic coming … Whitepaper for Cabinet within a week

By Svetlana Marshall A DOCUMENT proposing a ban on single-use plastic will be placed before Cabinet for consideration, Minister of State Joseph Harmon disclosed on Monday during an event to mark Earth Day 2018 at State House under the theme ‘End plastic pollution’.

According to the State Minister, who has portfolio responsibility for the environment, “the solid piece of document” will be presented to Cabinet within a week. “It is a document that is intended to, in the short term, reduce the importation, use of single-use plastic items with the expectation that by 2021 we will have a full ban of single-use plastics in the country which includes plastic bags,” Director of the Department of the Environment Ndibi Schwiers explained to the Guyana Chronicle on the sideline of the opening ceremony.

The document was completed by the Department of Environment last week and presented to Minister Harmon. Technical officers from the department are expected to accompany Minister Harmon to Cabinet when the proposal will be deliberated upon. Stating that the world has become inundated with plastic, Minister Harmon said the effect of poor waste disposal management is taking a toll on ecosystems that are essential to the wellbeing of the planet.

It is estimated that more than 8.3 billion tonnes of virgin plastic have been produced to date. According to Science Magazine, if current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will be in landfills or the natural environment by 2050, and the negative impacts of such pollution are already being felt.

It is estimated that 86 per cent of all sea turtle species, 44 per cent of all seabird species and 43 per cent of all marine mammal species are being affected.

Director of the Department of the Environment Ndibi Schwiers

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

Marian Academy Environmental Club delivering an informative piece on the damaging effects plastic pollution has on the environment

Governments, Minister Harmon said, are now being urged to demonstrate political will to end single-use plastic.

Guyana has not escaped the negative effects of plastic pollution, and according to the Minister of State, the Government under the leadership of President David Granger has been taking steps to curtail the use of plastic receptacles.

It was pointed out that in January 2017, Section 7A (1) of the Customs Act Chapter 82:01 was amended to incorporate an environmental levy of $10, which is applied to all non-returnable bottles of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages or water. It took effect from February 1, 2017.

“This levy was not primarily a revenue collection initiative but a measure to encourage recycling of plastics and to reduce its use,”

Free Souls Dance Theatre Company performing Michael Jackson’s Earth Song (Photos by Delano Williams)

Minister Harmon explained.

Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that a number of supermarkets have agreed to minimise the use of plastic bags. According to the State Minister, six of

the leading supermarkets in Georgetown – Bounty Farm, Mattai’s, Survival, Budget and Distribution Services Limited and Massy – have signed onto this initiative.

“These institutions have agreed to use boxes, reusable

bags and biodegradable bags instead of plastic bags to pack their customers goods.

They also agreed to urge their customers to walk with their bags so as to lessen the use of plastic bags,” Minister Harmon further explained.

He said even as the Government, in keeping with President Granger’s vision forges ahead with the Green State Development Strategy, citizens must play their role and change their consumption and waste disposal patterns to combat plastic pollution.

POLLUTION In painting a vivid picture of the situation, the Director of the Department of Environment pointed out that globally nearly 2 million single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute while one million

plastic bottles are bought every minute across the world.

Of the plastic bags and bottles produced the majority ends up in landfills or in the oceans.

In Guyana, plastic pollution from single-use plastic bags and other plastic containers constitutes between 10 and 13 per cent of the country’s waste, Schwiers pointed out while noting that there is little attempt to recycle plastic materials. Failure to recycle plastic bags and containers, and poor disposal oftentimes result in pollution – a contributing factor of flooding in this part of the world. But flooding is not the only issue, Schwiers explained that once these plastic materials enter the drains, rivers and oceans they affect marine life.

“One million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from the ingestion of plastics in our oceans. Scientists have recently calculated that people who eat seafood ingest up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic every year,” Schwiers noted.

As such, she said it is of little surprise that countries have already begun to take action against plastic pollution.

Rwanda, Bangladesh, China, and Ireland are among countries that have introduced bans on the use of single-use plastic bags. France has gone one step further, Schwiers noted, explaining that it has not only banned the single-use plastic bags but has banned all plastic cups, cutlery and plates with effect from 2020.

Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, who is also responsible for Tourism and UNDP Representative Mikiko Tanaka also spoke of the negative effects misuse and the discriminatory dumping of plastic bags and containers have on the environment.

Marian Academy Environmental Club’s message in a cultural piece was forthright. The club called for end of plastic bags and containers due to their harmful impact on the environment.

Earth Day 2018 was observed on Sunday April 22, 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Fatal shooting at Pritipaul Wharf

Fishermen paid armed guards to fish - Witness A 12-member jury was on Monday morning empanelled before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court for the January 29, 2015, murder of fisherman, Envil Pollard.

In her opening statement, State Prosecutor Lisa Cave told the court that on the day in question, an unarmed security guard asked the deceased to remove from the area. He did not.

Thereafter, another security guard who was armed with a gun, discharged his loaded firearm at Pollard, hitting him and resulting in his death.

The state’s case is that the accused, Marlon Callendar, shot and killed the deceased at Pritipaul Singh Investment Wharf at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara.

The state is expected to call nine witnesses to take the stand. Some of them testified on Monday.

The first witness, Des-

mond Sancho, told the court that he had been a fisherman for more than 10 years and knew the deceased who was a colleague who used to pay the armed guards at the wharf to allow him to fish.

During cross-examination, defence attorney Everton Lammy-Singh asked the witness if he knew the wharf was a private area in which fishing was illegal and he replied in the affirmative.

Police witness, Detective Corporal Carlson Rockliffe testified that he was the crime scene photographer in 2015, attached to CID Headquarters, when a request was made for his presence at an alleged crime scene.

Upon his arrival at the Pritipaul Singh wharf at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara, he met and spoke to a colleague who told him ‘something’ and showed him ‘something’ as well.

He observed a male of African descent lying mo-

The deceased: Envil Pollard (Kaieteur News photo)

tionless in a wooden boat near the wharf which was moored in the Demerara River. Rockliffe took several photographic exposures of the body and boat.

Rockliffe added that he was assisted by persons present to lift the body from the boat and place it on the wharf where he observed several suspected bullet holes and what appeared to be blood oozing from same.

The accused: Marlon Callendar (Stabroek News photo)

He took several photos and upon completion of his task, he returned to CID HQ where he extracted the memory card from the police-issued digital camera and printed 16 photographs which he initialed after affixing the date and police stamp.

Rockliffe said he retained the photos in a cupboard for which only he had the key. They were not tampered with in any way.

The State then made an application which was granted by the trial judge for the Police witness to be shown the 16 photos which were then marked, tendered and admitted as evidence.

Rockliffe then explained what each of the 16 photos depicted after an application by the State was granted as well.

Wife of the deceased, Ashmoon Khan, testified that her husband was a fisherman for 25 years and sold fish at Stabroek Market.

She stated that her husband used to fish six days a week in his small wooden boat equipped with an engine he acquired about five years prior to his demise.

Khan said on the day in question, she and her husband left home together from their Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara home and journeyed to the city where she disembarked the bus and went to buy fish at Meadowbank wharf while her husband went to fish.

She related that it was

about one and half hour later that she received a call that her husband was shot and she started to scream and went to the police and later went to Kaieteur News where she wanted someone to publish the story.

Khan stated that she returned to the police station and then went to the crime scene where she saw the bullet-riddled body of her husband lying motionless in his boat.

She told the court she started to shake him but he was not responding and was assisted up to the wharf by persons present after his body was pulled from the boat and placed on the wharf.

The fish vendor added that she saw holes in her husband’s neck and right leg and there were other holes in his chest. She noted that blood was also oozing from his mouth and nose and he was not moving.

Khan told the court she was present for her husband’s post mortem where she identified the body and for his burial at Best Village Cemetery.

Chief Security Officer attached to Pritipaul Singh Investment Inc. Lionel Bullen took the stand where he testified that he was familiar with the deceased with whom he had several confrontations with before his death.

He told the court that on the first occasion he observed three of their employees taking fish from the company’s truck and throwing it in the basket of the deceased in his boat at the wharf sometime in 2014.

Bullen added that on the day in question he was called to the wharf since he was out of the premises at about 10:00hrs.

When he went to the wharf he saw the body of the deceased lying motionless in his boat with a knife and a red fish basket in it.

He then asked his staff, the accused what transpired and he was told that the duo had a confrontation and

claimed that the accused attacked him with a knife and he fired a shot at him and another out of fear when the deceased was still coming at him.

Bullen said the accused was standing on the company’s trawler at the time then he went onto the wharf.

He added that the accused was issued a shotgun of which he had three rounds on the day in question.

Bullen stated that the company have a boundary in which no fishing is permitted and all fishermen are aware of that since three large signs are on the wharf and for any fishing business to take place only the owner could grant such activity.

He told the court that it was illegal and unusual for the deceased to be fishing there because they would chase off the fishermen including the deceased and several reports were made.

Bullen related that on the day in question he was more concerned about securing the cash they had coming in because they had nine trawlers there.

Under cross examination by defence attorney, Everton Lammy-Singh the witness was asked whether he issued a firearm to the accused on the day in question and he replied in the affirmative.

The witness when questioned by the lawyer said that since he saw three of their employees throwing fish from the company’s truck into the boat of the deceased there was always ‘busing and cussing’.

Bullen said on another occasion he was on the northern side of the wharf when he saw the deceased come out from under the wharf with several paint tins in the said boat as he drove by.

He added that the accused was trained and authorised by the then commissioner of police to use a firearm on the job.

The trial continues at 09:00hrs where several witnesses are expected to testify.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

UN agencies condemn TT for deporting Venezuelan refugees

THE UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, has expressed deep regrets over the deportation of 82 Venezuelan nationals this past weekend by Trinidad and Tobago.

The 82 include registered asylum-seekers and individuals who had declared an intention to apply for refugee status, making their return to Venezuela a breach of international refugee law. “The forced return of this group is of great concern,” said Volker Türk, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. “We are in contact with the authorities and are seeking clarification on the legal process which has led to the deportations of this group, to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago continues to abide by its international obligations.”

The group, which had been held in detention in Trinidad and Tobago, was deported from the country on Saturday, despite UNHCR’s request for access to the individuals concerned and written interventions.

UNHCR calls on Trinidad and Tobago to continue to abide by its international obligations as signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention and other applicable international instruments that are incorporated into its official Refugee Policy, in particular the principle

of non-return, known as non-refoulement, and Article 31 of the Convention which requests signatories “not to impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence” to people who are in need of international protection.

UNHCR said it will continue to work closely with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to complement its efforts aimed at developing, strengthening, and implementing its asylum policy, as well as to support host communities, while offering guidance and assistance to people in need of international protection.

Meanwhile, the United Nations system in Trinidad and Tobago said it is also concerned after authorities in that country announced they had facilitated the return to Venezuela of scores of Venezuelan citizens, including asylum seekers, who had been in detention.

“The United Nations is concerned for the welfare of these people and is in contact with the appropriate authorities in Port of Spain, to ensure that any person in need of protection will get it without fail,” said the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Richard Blewitt. Mr. Blewitt’s comments came after the Ministry of National Security announced that 82 Venezuelan citizens’ who

had been held in detention in Trinidad and Tobago, had been turned over to the Venezuelan Embassy for repatriation to Venezuela.

The group, comprising 53 men and 29 women, included several individuals who had been registered as asylum seekers in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as others who had initiated asylum requests or had signaled an intention to do so. They were flown out of Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday aboard a Venezuelan Government aircraft.

The Ministry’s statement has that said all returns were voluntary although this could not be verified independently by United Nations observers.

Venezuelans have been leaving their country in growing numbers, many in need of international protection and seeking temporary refuge in countries of the Americas region, including in some Caribbean small islands like Trinidad and Tobago.

The United Nations and its local partners have encouraged the prompt adoption of the national legislation on refugee issues, and urged that the parties work together to support the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in its efforts to develop an efficient and secure asylum system.

Narcotics in pocket as he strolled along, police allege AN 18-year-old man on Monday appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman for trafficking in narcotics.

It was alleged that on April 20, 2018 at Stone Avenue, Campbellville, Travis Pinero had in his possession 38 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Pinero who resides at Bel Air, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge According to the police prosecutor, Pinero was walking alone when he was stopped by the police and they carried out a search of his person. A small ziploc bag with narcotics was reportedly found in his pants pocket, resulting in him being arrested and taken to the police station.

Bail was refused and Pinero was remanded to prison until May 7, when he will make his next court appearance.

Travis Pinero

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Women leadership training workshop taken to Region Six SEVERAL women from various Local Democratic Organs (LDOS) in Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne recently participated in a workshop to enhance their leadership skills.

The two-day Gender and Local Government workshop which was held April 19-20 in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom in New Amsterdam. The training organised by the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI), which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Social Protection, covered topics such as laws of local government, organisational skills for development and team building for success.It was the third in a series of similar training workshops that were conducted in several regions across the country.

Minister of Education

(Front row from left), Regional Executive Officer of Region Six, Kim Williams-Stephen; Minister Nicolette Henry; Deputy Permanent Secretary Ministry of Social Protection, Mr. Adrian Ramrattan; and Chairperson, Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute Trisha Watson, along with the participants of the workshop (DPI photo)

Nicolette Henry before declaring the workshop open, encouraged the participants to make full use of the opportunity provided to aid in their participation

at the Local Government level. The minister noted that the extent of women’s participation in politics and their access to decision-making processes can

be seen as key indicators of the achievement of gender equality in Guyana.

Further, the Education Minister noted that women leaders who are involved in decision-making are ideally positioned to contribute meaningfully at the national and the international level. Chairperson of the GWLI Trisha Watson also urged the women to

capitalise on the training provided. Watson noted that the exercise will aid in the acceleration of their individual and institutional capacity within the country, whilst ensuring human development at all levels.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six, Kim Williams-Stephen, reminded the participants of the important role they

play in today’s society whether it is political or non-political. Further, Williams-Stephen charged the women to become more involved in “meaningful activities that will ensure they make a difference to their lives as well as that of others.”

Similar workshops were also held in Regions Four and Five. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, April 24, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

Moe guides Ravens to National Club Championship final ON Sunday evening, basketball fans at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall were treated to the Anthony Moe show, as the 6’10”

forward was instrumental in helping Dyna’s Ravens to a 15-point (73-58) win.

Bounty Colts, the defending champions, will be gunning for a title ‘three-peat’ in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) National Club Championship, but standing in their way are the Dyna’s Ravens.

Ravens and Colts will collide in the final of the GABF’s showpiece, set for Saturday, April 28, after the two sides earned commanding wins in their respective semi-finals on Sunday evening.

In the opening game of the double-header, Ravens flew by Kobras 73-58, all behind a game-high 25 points

by Moe.

Colts book their third consecutive trip to the final with an 84-70 win against Linden’s Victory Valley Royals; the same team they defeated to clinch a second title in the final last year.

“I’m just here to show everyone what I have and to represent Guyana,” the 28-year-old Moe told Chronicle Sport, after his monstrous 25-point game for the Ravens on Sunday, to go along with his nine rebounds, two steals and three blocked shots.

Moe stated that he only learnt to play basketball after migrating to the USA in 2007, but after his collegiate career with Millersville University, he has developed into a player he believes could help Guyana’s basketball.

Kobras coach Naylon Loncke threw everything to the Ravens ‘big man’, whose presence and moves, especially his athleticism, on the court wowed the spectators.

Veteran point guard Darcel Harris rolled back the years and displayed what made him famous in local basketball. Harris finished with 16 hard-earned points in a true team performance for the Ravens that blended with some individual brilliance.

Kobras star point guard Travis Burnett had 24 points but none of his teammates touched double-digits.

The night’s second game was interesting; at least up to the third quarter, where the Colts showed their Championship worth.

After keeping it close for three quarters, Victory Valley Royals folded in the final stanza when Colts outscored them 22-12.

Shane Webster’s big night saw him flirt with a triple-double, drop 24 points and grab 15 rebounds to go along with his eight blocks and five steals. Webster’s teammate Timothy Thompson also had a good game, picking up a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds), while Shelroy Thomas scored 17 points.

Orlan Glasgow (20) and Harold Adams, last year’s top scorer with 15 points, were the key players for the Royals.

Tyrese Prescod each scoring tries.

Prescod, along with Lloyd Anderson scored conversions that enabled the Panthers to pull out the victory in the less than ideal conditions for rugby.

For the Falcons, Dason Barrow scored a try while Daniel De Abreu had a try and a conversion, but it was not enough to help the lawmen.

Centre of Excellence ... the island.

Chastanet also announced plans to upgrade the Soufriere Mini Stadium to accommodate various international sporting events.

“This year, our efforts will focus on transforming the Soufriere Mini Stadium into a national facility that will accommodate FIFA-sanctioned international football as well as IAAF-sanctioned track and field events,” he explained.

“We will also establish facilities as part of community hubs within wider community settings like Dennery, and smaller ones like Desruisseaux and Micoud playing field.

“As an administration,

From page 27►

however, we know that infrastructure in, and of itself will not equate to maximising the benefits of sports. Building capacity, increasing coaching and providing more avenues for competition will be pivotal to achieving this objective.

“This will become the focus of the collaboration that will be established between the Department of Sports and the National Lotteries Authority.”

The move by government comes on the heels of the country’s success at the recently held Commonwealth Games in Australia where high jumper Levern Spencer captured St Lucia’s first-ever gold at the showpiece.

By Stephan Sookram

GUYANESE were out in their numbers to support when teams from Suriname and Trinidad invaded the King of the Strip 2, the second drag racing event for the season.

When it mattered most, the Guyanese stepped up to the plate and dished out a heaping helping of licks to their foreign counterparts.

According to unofficial results, the fastest car on the day was the Nissan GTR nicknamed Goliath of Team Mohamed’s Enterprise and which reset a new track record at 7.52 seconds. It also edged out Trinidad’s Andy Bissessar and his rail car.

Terrance Cox was all business as he piloted his car to defend Team Mohamed’s Enterprise title as Kings of the Strip.

Shawn Persaud with his Toyota Caldina also outclassed the competition for the 8-second class trophy with several enterprising drives against the Trinis.

The 9-second class was picked up by the Toyota Alteeza of Raj Panday

Philadelphia Park Race 1 Hador Race 2 Check This Out Race 3 Half Dreamin Race 4 Three Butterflies Race 5 Hello Moon Race 6 Luxicharm Race 7 Orquidea Race 8 Dean’s Ticket Race 9 Virtual Machine Race10 Birdie Barrage South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:40 hrs Torcedor 09:30 hrs Inyanga 10:05 hrs Highlander 10:40 hrs Stop And Stare

Guyana repel Trinidad, Panthers win Suriname at King GRFU Second Division tournament of the Strip 2

PANTHERS Rugby Club started their 2018 season on a winning note after stopping the Guyana Police Force Falcons 24-12 to win the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Second Division tournament.

Playing at the National Park Rugby field on Sunday, the Panthers outplayed the Falcons with Daniel Anderson, Ryan Dey, Delroy Fordyce and

American Rancing Tips

while the 10-second class was won by Damian Persaud who also drives a Toyota Caldina and is also the son of Shawn Persaud.

Michael Namchand of Suriname with his Toyota Mark 2 took the 11-second class with Raymond John and his Toyota Chaser joining his countryman on the podium for the 12-second class.

The Toyota Starlet of Ricardo Moore was the winner of the 13-second class with Bishram Rajaram winning the 14-second class.

The 15-second class was won by Troy Kowlesar with the Trinidadian bike duo of Shawn Brigs and Ian Atherly also picking up trophies.

The day had been hampered early on by rains which eventually stopped after lunch, causing a late start.

The sponsors included Tropical Shipping, Mohamed’s Enterprise, STAG, JAPARTS, Transpacific Motor Spares and Auto Sales, Prem’s Electrical and BM Soat.

11:10 hrs Pachanga Irish Racing Tips Punchestown 10:40 hrs Blue Templar 11:20 hrs Getabird 11:55 hrs Joey Saga 12:30 hrs Douvan 13:05 hrs That’s Given 13:40 hrs Al Boum Photo 14:15 hrs Adulterated English Racing Tips Exeter 08:40 hrs Gonnabegood 09:15 hrs Point N Shoot 09:45 hrs Darling Maltaix 10:15 hrs Golden Sunrise 10:50 hrs Dontminddboys 11:25 hrs Millen Dollar Man 12:00 hrs Kootenay River 12:35 hrs Master Baker Yarmouth 08:50 hrs Luchador 09:25 hrs Magical Sight 09:55 hrs Without Parole 10:25 hrs Baasha 11:00 hrs Mordin 11:30 hrs Interlink 12:05 hrs Priscilla’s Dream 12:40 hrs Hurricane Alert Brighton 11:15 hrs Baltic Prince 11:50 hrs It’s The Only Way 12:25 hrsAndalusite 12:55 hrs Harry Beau 13:30 hrs Stormingin 14:05 hrs Solveig’s Song 14:40 hrs Barrsbrook

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

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51 Days to go …

Shilton, Buffon, Banks vs Pele among World Cup’s greatest ever saves WHILE the World Cup is mostly memorable for the goals and brilliant moments of skill it produces, it has also seen the finest goalkeeping football has to offer.

Here are 10 of the best saves from down the years...

them the title, a superb performance from Fillol in the Argentina goal was just as important, not least an outstanding reaction save from Johnny Rep, flinging an arm in the way of the Dutchman’s powerful effort from close range.

10. Peter Shilton, England vs Cameroon, 1990 England’s World Cup team from 1990 is often romanticised but it’s easy to forget that they were pretty lucky to reach the semi-finals.

From an uninspiring group phase in which they only won one game, against Egypt, to the 120th-minute winner against Belgium in the second round, to the quarterfinal against Cameroon.

Peter Shilton was a little over the hill by 1990 as his lack of mobility caused problems at various points, but he was excellent that day, making a number of fine saves, and the one he picked out as the most crucial was a block from Francois Omam-Biyik after his defence had been quite comprehensively sliced apart. Shilton rushed out, didn’t allow Omam-Biyik to settle and smothered the shot superbly.

7. Oliver Kahn, Germany vs USA, 2002 As the only goalkeeper to ever win the Golden Ball for the best

9. Gianluigi Buffon, Italy vs Germany, 2006 The 2006 semi-final between Italy and Germany was an utterly extraordinary affair, with an entire nation willing the home side on, only to be denied by a remarkable denouement as goals from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero sent the Italians through to the final.

However, that pair wouldn’t have been able to do their thing had it not been for Gigi Buffon, so often Italy’s saviour.

Lukas Podolski advanced from the German left, but launched one he did, fired with power, dip and swerve, seemingly heading for the net. However, Buffon flung up an arm and flicked the ball over, setting Grosso and Del Piero up for that remarkable climax.

8. Ubaldo Fillol, Argentina vs Netherlands, 1978 Argentina were favourites to win the 1978 World Cup final on home turf against Netherlands, but it was nonetheless a tight game that required extra time. Indeed, while the goals from Mario Kempes won

and having jumped that particular hurdle it seemed certain they would fall at the second as they faced Brazil and Argentina.

However, Italy pulled off the shock of the tournament, beating a Brazilian side many considered to be the best never to win the World Cup, while obviously Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick was of course the primary reason for the victory, Zoff’s brilliance wasn’t far be-

The Russian keeper produced perhaps his finest moment with a save from a Joe Jordan diving header, flinging himself full to his left to tip the effort around the post, which in the finest traditions of this sort of thing, looked absolutely certain to be heading for the corner of the net.

4. Lev Yashin, USSR vs Chile, 1962 In the list of the greatest players

Gordon Banks denies Pele.

player at a World Cup, it would be remiss not to include any of Kahn’s efforts from 2002. Probably the best was a diving, fingertip, full-length effort from Landon Donovan in the quarterfinals, a game in which Germany just edged a 1-0 win.

Michael Ballack scored the goal, but as with most of Germany’s efforts in the knockout stages of that tournament, Kahn’s performance was just as important, if not more so than any goalscorer. It’s just a shame that his errors in the final contributed to Germany’s defeat to Brazil. ‎ 6. Dino Zoff, Italy vs Brazil, 1982 Only three goalkeepers have ever captained their sides to a World Cup win. Gianpiero Combi was the first in 1934, Iker Casillas the third in 2010 and between them was Zoff in 1982.

It was fairly remarkable that Italy even got beyond the first round in Spain, such was the turmoil in the squad and indeed Italian football,

hind. The pick of his saves that day was one from Zico, who powered a header from an Eder free kick low and toward the corner of the goal, which Zoff somehow got down to keep out. The Brazilians protested, claiming the ball had gone over the line although it very clearly hadn’t, their anguish most likely born from disbelief rather than a genuine claim for a goal.

5. Rinat Dasaev, USSR vs Scotland, 1982 It says plenty about Russian keeper Dasaev that he isn’t out of place when talked about in the same breath as Lev Yashin. Dasaev was the USSR keeper in the 1982 World Cup when they faced Scotland, who had quite a team that year.

In the final group game of the 1982 World Cup, Scotland needed to beat the Russians to progress, having lost to Brazil in the previous game, but they could only manage a 2-2 draw, thanks in large part to Dasaev.

never to win the World Cup, Yashin ranks pretty high. Yashin won numerous Russian titles, the 1960 European Championship and remains the only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or. At 6-foot-2 he wasn’t excessively tall for a keeper, but his mere presence must have made any goal look much smaller, as was perhaps the case for one of his finest saves, in the quarterfinals of the 1962 tournament against hosts Chile.

Young Chilean forward Honorino Landa latched on to a throughball from a counterattack and advanced on Yashin, who didn’t rush out and instead chose to wait, wait, wait. When Landa fired his shot toward goal, the man known as the Black Panther dived low to his right and beat the ball away with one of those massive paws.

3. Iker Casillas, Spain vs Netherlands, 2010 The 2010 final was, like many

before it, not an especially inspiring affair. Chances were few and fouls were all over the place, but when Wesley Sneijder opened up the Spain defence with a perfect through-ball for Arjen Robben, it looked like the chance to break up the tedium and violence.

Robben opened his body, measured his shot, side-footed the ball toward the goal and the world waited for the net to bulge, only for it to fly wide. It was one of those occasions when a replay truly was required to work out exactly what had happened, and when the replay came, it showed Casillas stick out a desperate leg to deflect the ball wide and save the World Cup for his team.

2. Gordon Banks, England vs Brazil, 1970 In truth, Banks keeping out Pele’s header in the 1970 World Cup is probably a little overrated in that it is routinely described as the best save of all-time, when numerous keepers down the years have made stops of at least equal skill.

But still, it was undoubtedly a magnificent effort by Banks, twisting and backpedalling to reach Pele’s powerful downward header and scooping it over the bar - although the man himself has admitted that he had no idea where the ball was going after he got to it.

1. Toni Turek, West Germany vs Hungary, 1954 Trying to explain a miracle is a tricky business. One could come up with any number of reasons for the Miracle of Bern, when West Germany somehow beat the great Hungary side in the final of the 1954 World Cup - from Ferenc Puskas’ injury to a potentially iffy disallowed goal in the closing stages, to pure luck.

However, up there among the best reasons is the performance of German goalkeeper Turek, who had a magnificent game between the sticks, keeping out numerous Hungarian attacks, the best of which probably came from Nandor Hidegkuti.

A ball was lifted into the box, it was flicked on at the near post for Hidegkuti arriving at the far and he powered a volley that seemed certain to go in. Turek not only somehow got a hand to it, but enough of a hand to send it over the bar.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

LeBron hails Korver, Clarkson as Cavs square series

LEBRON James heaped praise on Kyle Korver and Jordan Clarkson after they provided pivotal contributions as the Cleveland Cavaliers squared their playoff series with the Indiana Pacers at 2-2.

Having squandered a 17-point lead in game three to lose 92-90 in Indiana, the Cavaliers avoided the same fate, having seen a 10-point

half-time advantage trimmed to two, heading into the fourth quarter, in game four at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to claim a 104-100 road win.

James led the way with 32 points but received more assistance than he had in game three, when Kevin Love and George Hill were the only other players to reach double figures.

Korver, who failed to score in games one and three,

hit four of his nine three-point attempts in an 18-point effort while J.R. Smith and Clarkson each tallied 12 points - the former’s haul including a 70foot buzzer beater at the end of the first.

“Those are the ones he’s been missing,” James said of Korver.

“At the end of the day, it’s the ones that are going to keep coming to him because he’s

LeBron James celebrates the win after scoring 32 points.

one of the all-time leaders in three-pointers made.”

On Clarkson, competing in his first playoff series at the age of 25, James added: “I just thought that he was great. He was great in that moment.

“He’s obviously been out of rhythm and he’s trying to figure out ways to be productive for our team. We need Jordan’s scoring. He has the ability to go off in the second

quarter like he did. It was great to see it happen for him in that moment.”

James believes the significance of the game and knowing defeat would have put the Cavaliers in a 3-1 hole and on the brink of a stunning firstround exit was a key factor in the improved performance of his team-mates.

“I mean I knew what they were capable of doing and

you just always hope that your team-mates can play well, no matter what the circumstances are,” he said.

“Because (it is) their first opportunity in the postseason and this kind of being a must win for us. It was a must win for us. We came into a hostile environment and for them to play the way they played it meant a lot to them.”

Wenger will get many job offers after leaving Arsenal, says Dein

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will have plenty of clubs interested in his services after he leaves the job, according to the Premier League club’s former vice-chairman David Dein.

He was instrumental in hiring Wenger at Arsenal in 1996 and after more than two decades in charge, the Frenchman has announced that he will step down at the end of the season.

“He is going to be 69 in October and he is extraordinarily fit. He has a very active mind and great knowledge of the game,” Dein told Sky Sports.

“Over the last few years I know for a fact that he has been approached by some of the biggest clubs in the world - I think Real Madrid, Paris St Germain, the England national team wanted him at one stage.

“There will be no shortage of offers.”

Wenger, 68, has led Arsenal to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup triumphs but the club

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

have faded in recent years and lie sixth in the league table.

Dein still believes Wenger is Arsenal’s greatest-ever manager.

“I think it was so aptly and eloquently put by Richard Scudamore, the chairman of the Premier League, earlier this week. His legacy is not just for Arsenal, but for global football,” Dein said.

“His style of play, his mannerism, the way he has conducted himself, his integrity, his honesty, the way he handles players, his concern

for youth development,” Dein added.

“His results speak for themselves over the years.

He has been enormously successful and will undoubtedly go down in history as the greatest Arsenal manager ever.”

Arsenal’s only chance of claiming silverware this season and sealing Champions League qualification is by winning the Europa League, in which they host Atletico Madrid in the semi-final first leg on Thursday.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

25

Pakistan hit by Mohammad Amir visa delay PAKISTAN’S team took off for their tour of Ireland and England yesterday morning without one essential member of the squad: Mohammad Amir. The pace spearhead’s departure has been held back because of a delay in his visa, but the PCB are confident that he should be granted a visa this week.

Amir is the most experienced member of an inexperienced pace attack, ahead of what will be his third bilateral tour of England. Late yesterday, Amir was informed he could collect his passport and he is expected to fly to London tomorrow subject to the visa having been issued.

There had been confusion as to the reasons of the delay, with some reports suggesting it was because he has also

with the PCB ultimately engaging the ECB to support in the visa process. In 2014, Amir applied for a UK visa in his personal capacity but that was rejected.

In 2016, Amir married a

Mohammad Amir

separately applied for a longer-term spouse visa which eventually places him on the path to a British passport.

But the PCB has said that is not the case. “He (Amir) didn’t travel with the team as we are still awaiting for his visa,” PCB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo.

“His visa status is still pending but we are op-

timistic that he is mostly likely to get the visa by tomorrow before he starts his journey same day.”

The delay is not unusual for him, stemming potentially from concerns about the impact of his brief jail stint in the UK on spot-fixing charges. On Pakistan’s last tour of England in 2016, Amir had faced a similar delay in acquiring his visa,

We want to make the 100-ball game as simple as possible - Strauss THE ECB’s proposed 100ball tournament due to be launched in 2020 will be aimed at a more “casual” cricket audience, with a specific attempt to draw more “mums and kids” to the game, according to England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss.

Under the radical format put forward last week, the matches will consist of 15 six-ball overs and a 10-ball over to complete the 100 deliveries. There appears to be scope for debate about how the 10-ball over is used.

“What we’re trying to do is to appeal to a new audience, people that aren’t traditional cricket fans,” Strauss told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme. “We want to make the game as simple as possible for them to understand.

“T20 has been unbelievably successful and it has established a very strong audience now. We want that audience but a different audience as well, who perhaps would like things slightly different. That’s the driver

England director of cricket Andrew Strauss

behind this idea.”

The matches will be played across seven city locations (London will host two teams) with the tournament lasting five weeks in mid-summer.

A key part of trimming the T20 format has been to try and ensure the matches are completed within a two-and-a-half-hour window when the sport returns to live terrestrial TV, following the recent billion-pound broadcast deal.

“T20 has become a longer and longer format of the game. It is more than four

hours in a lot of parts of the world,” Strauss said. “We want kids to be able to go to bed earlier and it is worth saying it is going to be on terrestrial TV. We want the more casual audience.”

Although some voices have come out in support of the plans - which will leave the T20 Blast as the domestic 20-over competition in England - there has been a largely negative response to the proposal. In an ESPNcricinfo poll with over 12 000 responses, 68% were against the format. (ESPN Cricinfo)

British citizen of Pakistani origin and has since visited the UK regularly. Last year he played county cricket for Essex and was also in London for the birth of his first child (as well as for the Champions

Trophy).

Amir is in the process of applying for an indefinite leave-to-remain visa which, potentially, allows him to acquire a British passport in the next five years.

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

Guyana fall to Korea and Canada at World Mixed double championship THE Guyanese pair of Rayad and Farzana Hussain went down to Canada and Korea at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Östersund, Sweden.

After narrowly losing to Germany (6-8) in the opening game at the event,

Guyana were hoping to bounce back in the second game against Korea, but fell 11-0 on Sunday. Yesterday, the pair clashed with Canada, but despite a spirited performance, lost 3-9.

Guyana will play Ireland today and they will be aiming for an improved

performance.

This is Guyana’s debut at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship and also the country’s first international tournament since forming the Guyana Curling Federation (GCF) last year.

Farzana Hussain (L) and Rayad Hussain at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship

Kings XI hold on for dramatic victory against Daredevils

Mujeeb Ur Rahman defends 17 off the last over to have the last laugh fot Kings XI Punjab. (©BCCI)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday April 24, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 2259230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) (2)

May 20 (End of Group stage of IPL) May 27 (Final) Today’s Quiz:

(1)

Who has the distinction of scoring the first century in IPL cricket?

(2)

Who recorded the first hundred in this season’s IPL? Answers in tomorrow’s issue

KINGS XI Punjab staved off a spirited Delhi Daredevils chase in a thrilling finish to a match they won by four runs.

After Kings XI posted a total of 143-8, the Daredevils - bottom of the IPL - got off to a shaky start in their pursuit of an achievable target, dropping three wickets in the opening six overs.

But Shreyas Iyer put on a fantastic display to steer his side to the brink of an unlikely victory, producing a knock of 57.

And it was Iyer who faced the final ball of the match needing five runs to win or four to force the super over, having kept his team’s hopes alive with a boundary from the penultimate delivery.

However, his high chip to long-off fell kindly for Aaron Finch to take the catch and leave the Daredevils four short.

The result lifts Kings XI - for whom Karun Nair top-scored with 34 - two points clear of Chennai Super Kings at the summit having played a game more, while the Daredevils have now won just one of their six matches this season.

Gautam Gambhir had recorded at least 50 runs in three of his last four innings against Kings XI coming into this match, including a knock of 55 earlier this season.

However, the batsman was unable to replicate that kind of showing yesterday, as he chalked up only four before being seen off by Andrew Tye. Gambhir was one of the three Daredevils batsmen - along with Prithvi Shaw (22) and Glenn Maxwell (12) - who contributed to the team’s unsteady start at the crease by making early exits.

MONDAYMOTIVATION Both teams came into this match with the added motivation of breaking dismal runs of form in matches played on Mondays.

Kings XI had won just one of their last seven played on the first day of the week, while the Daredevils had lost each of their last seven.

After their latest defeat, the Daredevils will not be happy to see their match with the Super Kings scheduled for next Monday.

Top-ranked Rashid Khan for Hurricane Relief T20

Rashid Khan

LONDON, England (CMC) – World number one Twenty20 bowler Rashid Khan is among three more players confirming their participation for the ICC World XI in the Hurricane Relief match against West Indies at Lord’s next month.

The 19-year-old Afghanistan star, who helped propel his side to the capture of the ICC World Cup Qualifying title in Zimbabwe last month, has been joined by the Bangladesh duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.

England’s Eoin Morgan will captain the World XI in the May 31 fixture which will raise funds for five stadiums in the Caribbean which were damaged by dangerous category five Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.

Rashid Khan said it was an opportunity for the cricketing world to give back to the culture that had provided the sport with so much.

It is a matter of great honour and pride for me and my country that I have been chosen to support one of cricket’s oldest and most loyal members,” the leg-spinner said.

“I don’t think it will be incorrect to say that a number of cricketers from this and previous generations were inspired and attracted to cricket due to the heroics of the West Indies sides of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

“And if the West Indies are now looking upon us for help, then there shouldn’t be a hesitation for even a

second.”

Rashid has taken 139 wickets from 96 Twenty20s and 100 scalps from 44 One-Day Internationals, and lies second in the ODI rankings.

Tamim, meanwhile, has been successful across all formats, and will be one of the attractions at the upcoming contest.

The left-hander has scored 4 585 in 167 T20s and belted two hundreds, and also averages 38 from 54 Tests and 34 from 179 ODIs. “The West Indies’ contribution to the global game is unmatched and unparalleled, and if the cricket fraternity can get together to play a small role in the rebuilding of their damaged venues following last year’s hurricanes, then this is a very small price with hugely positive results,” Tamim said.

“Playing at Lord’s is itself a great honour for any cricketer. My only international appearance there was in 2010, so I look forward to reliving those memories. Playing with, and against some of the best cricketers of this era will only make this occasion better and more memorable.”

His teammate Shakib is the topranked all-rounder in ODIs and third in T20Is, and has also taken 299 wickets from 259 T20s while scoring 4 000 runs.

The Windies will be captained

by Carlos Brathwaite and will include superstars Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Andre Russell.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday April 24, 2018

27

GHB/Solo U-19 Hockey League

SPARTANS come out on top in female league IT was a battle of giants when the Bingo Spartans met Saints in their firstround clash on Saturday afternoon at Saints ground.

Both teams entered the game boasting winning records and the outcome would determine the winners of the first round and the favourites to take the trophy at the end of the second.

The Spartans looked as though they would dominate the match from their third-minute goal by prolific striker Abosaide Cadogan but it was Saints who came ever so close on two occasions in the first half.

Goal-line saves by Madison Fernandes and Makeda Harding, however, managed to keep Saints scoreless and give the Spartans a 1-nil lead at halftime.

The Spartans continued to enjoy the majority of possession in midfield in the second half and were a more productive side in their forward line than they were in the first half. Midfielder Sarah Klautky scored for Spartans with a powerful shot in the first minute of resumption to nudge the Spartans into the lead, 2-0.

While Saints managed a breakaway goal eleven minutes later through Kizia

Bingo Spartans striker Abosaide Cadogan (red) eliminates a Saints defender.

Chinian, the game seemed

the Spartans, who seemed

to be resting in the hands of

increasingly dangerous with

every attack.

Klautky scored a second for the Spartans in the 33rd minute and teammate Kirsten Gomes added a double in the closing minutes to give the Bingo Spartans a comfortable 5-1 victory.

St Joseph versus GCC Her-ricanes was the other girls’ match of the afternoon and was a war of attrition with both teams seeking their first points of the competition.

With the game being played mostly at mid-pitch, both sides struggled to put together any meaningful attacks, leading to a scoreless first half. While the

second half saw a bit more excitement at the goal ends, it was not until six minutes from full time that St Joseph earned a penalty corner that was converted through the powerful Janelle Frederick.

Frederick’s strike was the lone goal of the match giving St Joseph a 1-0 victory.

The Bingo Spartans emerged at the top of the pool at the end of the first round with 9 points followed

by Saints with 6, St Joseph 3 and the GCC Her-ricanes scoreless.

Matches continue every weekend at Saints ground until May 20.

Ganga calls on TTCB to accept IRC Report … condemns Azim Bassarath and executive for delay “I WISH to condemn the Azim Bassarath, leading Executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), in the strongest possible terms for its neglect and failure to implement the recommendations of an Independent Committee which was set up for the sole purpose of considering the Constitutional Arrangements of the cricket board.

The public would be aware there have been numerous complaints throughout the cricketing fraternity as it pertains to the governance structure of the TTCB and in particular the process by which the Executive of this important national institution is elected.

It is the view of many learned persons that the current provisions of the TTCB Constitution are undemocratic, unfair and result in the preservation of a self-serving clique and/or cabal continuously re-electing themselves to control the administration of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago.

This matter has resulted in litigation which is currently before the Honourable Court. However, in an effort to have this issue settled, all parties agreed to an independent committee being set up, led by the Honourable Justice Kokeram, a leading progressive jurist in our country, and including Dr Sheila Rampersad (eminent journalist and intellectual) and Mr Ellis Clark (former president of the cricket board) to independently review the constitutional arrangements of the TTCB and make recommendations for the improvement of same.

It is a matter of fact and record that this committee has concurred with my view and the view of many right-thinking members of the cricket fraternity, that the current rules are completely undemocratic and should be changed for the more transparent, effective and participatory administration of cricket.

Unfortunately, rather than act responsibly for the benefit

of cricket, the Executive of the TTCB, led by Mr Azim Bassarath, continues to suppress and delay consideration of this report and refuses to take the necessary steps to have these modern and progressive recommendations implemented.

At the last meeting of the TTCB, measures were taken by the Executive to ensure that consideration and implementation of this report be deferred rather than be given priority. In particular, prior to the last meeting of the TTCB the executive had requested time to obtain a legal opinion and took a month to do so.

However, upon the board being reconvened, the president quite surprisingly read from a piece of paper something which he claimed was a legal opinion but refused to say who was the lawyer engaged to provide the opinion, or even to disclose a copy of what he was purporting to read.

This was unacceptable in my view as I believe that if the Executive of a body

Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board president, Azim Bassarath.

requests time to obtain legal opinion for the benefit of the TTCB as a whole, then that opinion should have been disclosed to the entire board in accordance with basic principles of transparency.

The concealment of the source and content of this opinion lends to the inference that no opinion was in fact obtained. I, however, wish to thank the South Zone who, on their own initiative sought and obtained legal opinion from Senior Counsel and provided it to all members.

The love of cricket resides in the DNA of every

West Indian and in particular every Trinidadian. However, it seems that those entrusted with the administration of cricket act not for the love of the sport, but to preserve their own parasitic arrangements.

It is my view that the love of cricket and competent administration would ensure that this report be given priority in the current imbroglio surrounding the administration of cricket.

It cannot be right that where an independent committee, comprising a leading and progressive jurist in our country, tells the Executive of the TTCB that its rules are undemocratic and not in the interest of cricket, that the Executive is allowed to simply ignore that report, because if the recommendations of the report are implemented it may lead to members of the Executive being deposed from office. That in my respectful view is not the act of an Executive interested in cricket; that is the act of a dictatorship desperately clinging to office.

As a former captain of the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team, I understand the passion that surrounds cricket in this country and appreciate that our beloved sport is too important a national institution to be left in the hands of a few self-serving individuals.

As I once vowed to ensure our cricket team achieve both regional and international success and recognition, I now solemnly vow to do what is necessary to ensure that the administration of cricket is protected and transformed into a system that would ensure that our cricket remains a source of national pride.

I call on all members of the cricketing fraternity, sports fans, sports commentators and indeed every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago to join our struggle to rescue cricket from the hands of its current captors.”

Warm regards, Daren Ganga (Not signed when electronically sent)

Centre of Excellence to boost sports development in St Lucia

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) - Government will establish a Centre of Excellence for Sports here, aimed at harnessing the talents of young athletes in order to unleash the true potential of the sports industry.

The project is expected to get underway in September and will be based at the Gros Islet Secondary School. It will begin with select programmes which will be expanded over the next three years.

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet said the initiative would allow success to be measured outside of “traditional academic pursuits.”

“If we accept, as my administration does, that sport is a critical vehicle for build-

ing the fabric of our nation, then we must equally accept that this medium must be utilised in a more strategic and structured manner,” Chastanet said.

“Nowhere is this lack of cohesion more evident than

in our sports infrastructure.”

In addition to the Centre of Excellence for Sports, Chastanet said his government planned to conceptualise an action plan based on a comprehensive review of the island’s sports facilities.

The plan is expected to lead to a more strategic approach to the “development, upgrade, rationalisation and management” of the facilities across Turn to page 22►

Anthony Moe guides Ravens to National Club Championship final Page 22

Ravens centre Anthony Moe caught by Chronicle Sport photographer Samuel Maughn blocking a shot attempt by Kobras point Guard Travis Burnett.

Page 22

Panthers win GRFU Second Division tournament

The victorious Panthers Rugby Club

Guyana repel Trinidad, Suriname at King of the Strip 2 Page 22

The Monster Energy bike of Shawn Briggs was in top form

Shawn Persaud (left) and Team Mohamed’s Enterprise GTR Goliath defended Guyana’s turf at King of the Strip 2

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London Marathon runner dies in hospital - organisers LONDON, England (Reuters) - A 29-yearold chef who collapsed while running in Sunday’s London Marathon has died in hospital, event organisers said yesterday.

Matt Campbell went down 22.5 miles into the race and was treated by doctors before being rushed to hospital.

Campbell, who completed the Manchester Marathon this month in under three hours, was running in memory of his father Martin who died two years ago.

“Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express our sincere condolences to Matt’s family and friends,” organisers said in a statement.

“The exact cause of death will be established by later medical examination.”

Campbell last year reached the semi-finals of the BBC television show ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’.

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2018