Guyana Chronicle E-paper 6-26-2018

TUESDAY 26th June, 2018

No.105317

‘Utter nonsense!’

– Felix dismisses as spurious opposition vote - padding claims 03 …Greenidge says Haitians, Cubans using Guyana for backtracking PAGE

House unites in grief

– as nation pays homage to slain fishermen 08 PAGE

The Golden Arrowhead being flown half-staff at State House in observance of National Day of Mourning for the fishermen killed at sea last month in Suriname (DPI photo)

World Bank 04 clears US$35M to prepare for oil PAGE

CDC wraps up damage risk assessment in 14 Rupununi PAGE

NGSA results for Thursday

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House passes Local Authorities Amendment Bill

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

House passes Local Authorities Amendment Bill By Ariana A. Gordon THE Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill No. 9 of 2018 was on Monday night passed following a marathon debate by parliamentarians representing both the government and opposition sides of the House. The Bill was passed with only the government’s proposed amendments. The government did not deem the amendments by the opposition necessary and therefore used its majority to defeat them. Both sides of the House submitted amendments to the Clerk of the House on Monday, prompting the Speaker to indicate that the submissions were late. As a result of the parliamentary rule which states that notice of amendment must be given in sufficient time to enable members of the House to consider same, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Barton Scotland suggested the suspension of rules regarding the time to receive amendments to be considered on the same day of Parliament. People’s Progressive Party (PPP) members, Zulfikar Mustapha, and Ganga Persaud’s amendments were received at 12:00 noon on Monday while Minister Bulkan’s amendments were received earlier. Dr. Scotland in his deliberation considered a ruling by former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran made during the 9th Parliament as it relates to making amendments to bills and motions in the House. According to Ramkarran, simple amendments which require little or no time for consideration by members, or for which there is no objection, will be accepted if delivered to the Clerk one hour before the convening of the National Assembly. However, amendments which require some study by members or which is likely to generate discussion, disagreement or debate must be delivered to

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

the Clerk before 10:00am on the day on which the debate is to take place. Additionally, the former speaker noted that substantial or complex amendments must be delivered to the Clerk before 10:00am on the day before the debate is to take place in the National Assembly. On that note, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, under whose name the Bill was read, indicated that sufficient time was not provided to the government to meaningfully address the proposed amendments by the opposition. “It cannot be done in a rush!” he exclaimed, while noting that the government sees no need to adopt any of the amendments made by the opposition. “We have looked at it and considered it…[and] see no need to adopt any of the amendments by the opposition,” said Bulkan who stressed that they are satisfied with the amendments proffered by the government. “We are satisfied, as I have said,” the minister said as members of the opposition briefly protested his statements. Bulkan’s amendments as circulated on Monday, point to a change in Clause 2 (b) of the Bill, in Section 12 (1) being substituted, in paragraph (c) immediately before the words “Mayor and” insert the words “Councillors.” Similarly, Clause 2 (e)’s amendment required that the introductory word of Section 33

be substituted for the word “city” instead of “town”. Attempts were made by Opposition Member Anil Nandlall to bring to the attention of the speaker the fact that there are about six court matters relating to local governance pending. But the speaker indicated that an oral presentation by the member was not the appropriate way to bring matters that may be sub-judice to the speaker’s attention. MEANINGFUL LOCAL GOVERNANCE Meanwhile, during the debates, Bulkan noted that through the amendments, local democracy is now being given the opportunity to be applied meaningfully. He pointed to the many lacunas which existed since the 1980s. Over time, those loopholes have surfaced. The Communities Minister said his government is fulfilling its political commitment to the people by ensuring that the people of Guyana are served through local democracy. “Our political commitment stands in stark contradiction to the PPP’s infamous track record in local government elections,” he said. Bulkan noted that the Bill must be seen in a broad context which speaks to restoring functionality to the local government system; a system he said was broken. Pointing to Article 12 of the Constitution of Guyana, the minister said that local governance must be respected. Government has thus invested $3B into the process, Bulkan disclosed. He told the House that it is by no surprise that varying loopholes are being discovered, and noted that a thorough review of the legislation is critical. Bul-

kan said too, that following the conduct of the 2016 LGE, the events which unfolded thereafter with respect to actions taken by him and the subsequent actions by the PPP and the court, “highlighted the fact that there is more than one interpretation of what is permissible with respect to the election of mayors, deputy mayors and their representatives.” Meanwhile, Nandlall acknowledged that given the loopholes, both sides of the political divide must be blamed for the hiatus of LGE. “It is not one side that should be blamed, both sides should be blamed,” he told the House, noting that his party is prepared to support the legislation once there are a set of rules which will ensure that the electorate’s votes are protected. “We are not afraid of rules and regulations, the more rules there are the better for us. We always govern ourselves and abide by the rules and regulations at election time. Once there are a set of rules that will ensure that the electorate votes are protected we will support it. Once the system that we have is crafted to deliver integrity and the results cast by the people, we will support it. Against that backdrop, we will support this piece of legislation because we believe it enhances the process,” said Nandlall. Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira noted that local government is a fundamental component of Guyana’s democracy; the democratic architecture of the country. She, like her opposition colleagues, said the issue of architecture of the local government system is based on law, the constitution and chided the

government for what she considers to be acts which undermine democracy. “So you can’t have it both ways; you can’t talk about democracy and at the same time, at the level of local democracy you are doing things to undermine that democracy,” said Teixeira. However, government ministers Basil Williams and Khemraj Ramjattan told the House that the Bill as presented by Minister Bulkan was brought to the house to remove the loopholes which existed prior. Both ministers chided the opposition for accusing the government of sinister plans. Williams reminded that it was President David Granger who created capital towns, while adding that “we have always been fixing this local government system; we have added capital towns. What is suspicious? We are continuing to fix the system you didn’t fix.” He noted that it is upon request by people in the communities who consulted with the minister of communities that the towns were created. “We will continue to fix local government reform in this country and the people of Guyana will be empowered in their communities and will make decisions for themselves, Mr Speaker,” said Williams. He made it clear that there is nothing dictatorial in the actions of his administration with respect to local governance. Similarly, Minister Ramjattan found the accusations of sinister intent being levelled against the government by the opposition as surprising. “That is a real slippery ground that is being ambivalent; – they seem not to know where they stand. It seems they want to gain political mileage out of the fact that yes,

Opposition MP, Anil Nandlall

there were some loopholes and these loopholes have to now be certainly filled.” Ramjattan reminded the House that the opposition failed to host LGE for 20 years. “You prorogue it for 20 years and then you come here spouting as if you are the power of virtue in relation to democracy; it is naked political mileage that you want and then at the end of this speech you say we support it,” said Ramjattan, the Minister of Public Security. The legislation seeks to amend the Municipal and District Councils Act, Local Government Act, Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Local Democratic Organs Act, Local Authorities (Elections) Amendment) Act 1990 and Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2000 in relation to local authorities’ elections. In fact, the amendments will be made to Section 28 of the Local Government Act, Section 20 of the Local Democratic Organs Act, Section 7 of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Act 1990 and Section 7(1) of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act 2000, in addition to the Municipal and District Councils Act and the Local Authorities (Elections) Act.

NGSA results for Thursday The results of the 2018 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) will be announced on Thursday, June 28th, 2018 by the Minister of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry. The results will be announced around 13:00Hrs in the boardroom of the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston, Georgetown. Henry had said that significant efforts and resources were expended to en-

sure that improved results are achieved at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams. The NGSA is written yearly and is the examination that dictates which secondary school a child will attend after completing his/her primary education. The four subjects that the assessment covers are Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and English Language. Some 14,551 children sat the two-day exams.

‘Utter nonsense!’ 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

– Felix dismisses as spurious opposition vote - padding claims By Ariana Gordon MINISTER of Citizenship Winston Felix has rejected insinuations that the present administration is allowing thousands of Haitians and Cubans to remain in Guyana and gain citizenship, so that they can vote at the upcoming 2020 General and Regional Elections. Speaking with reporters during a break at Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Felix declared that such a suggestion is “utter and complete nonsense”. He explained that figures provided recently by his office to the Parliamentary committee on foreign relations, have given a factual breakdown on the number of persons who arrived here as opposed to those who left legally. He said that it is just unfortunate that the remainder cannot be accounted for. According to data provided by the Ministry of Citizenship to the bipartisan parliamentary foreign relations committee,there are no departure records to show for some 7,255 of the 44,747 Cubans who arrived here in 2017. Also, of the 22,520 persons who came between January and April this year, some 6,170 have not departed through recognised ports of exit; neither have some 17,615 of the lot who came between 2013 to April 2018. In the case of the Haitians, the records show an increasing number of them arriving here, but not departing through established ports of entry and exit. Of the 3,515 who came in 2017, only 291 left, according to departure records. As for this year, between January and April, just 85 of the 1,238 who came officially left these shores. As a result of this, there are some 4,377 Haitians unaccounted for between 2017 and 2018. Notwithstanding this, Minister Felix was quick to point out that it can be presumed that those who are unaccounted for through immigration records would have exited Guyana via “leakages”, in its porous borders to the south and east by way of Brazil and Suriname respectively. Felix sought to remind his audience that for years, efforts have been made to clamp down on the eastern border but without success. “People can enter and leave from any backyard in the Corentyne,”

sional meeting, that Heads of Government mandated the various heads to look at the laws which exist with respect to the treatment of Haitians.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge

Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix

the minister said, while noting that law enforcement officials are only able to operate on land, given jurisdictional issues related to the Corentyne River. “In order not to aggravate the situation, we operate on land,” Felix said, adding:“For me to tell you that I can’t account for how the foreigners leave Guyana is partly true and partly untrue, because those two openings exist.”

pointed out, the influx of foreign nationals including Haitians who have not left Guyana through official means, has not resulted in “anything untoward”. “All the people do is arrive, spend some time, and leave,” he said, adding that Haitians have been using Guyana as a transit point since the 1980s, whereby they overnighted and left the following day on Suriname Airways. He noted, too, that Haitians have a large Diaspora in French Guiana, which ultimately is their final destination. “The people from Haiti who transit Guyana go to that area to reunite with relatives, friends and so on,” he said. “They are basically people who have been fleeing years and years of disruption through natural disasters.”

EASILY IDENTIFIABLE He said that had those 4,377 Haitians who are unaccounted for through official means been in Guyana,they would have been easily identifiable given the sheers numbers and the fact that they speak French. The minister, who was once a commissioner of police, expressed much disappointment with the utterances made by chair of the foreign relations committee, Gail Teixeira. Noting that Teixeira, who previously served as a Home Affairs Minister, is aware of the challenges that exist vis-àvis the country’s porous borders, Minister Felix said:“For Ms. Teixeira to be writing the way she did is extremely surprising. To me, she is crying wolf in a crowded cinema,and the only thing that would do is cause injury to those who want to escape the law.” To quote Teixeira during discussions on the findings, “When you have a large number of people that cannot be found,then something is definitely wrong; we have to find out what is really going on.” During the last committee meeting, she said, “The issue is not who is coming and going; it’s the issue of the numbers remaining and where you can’t find them; you can’t see them…This is trafficking! This is trafficking!” But as Minister Felix

NO MORE VISAS Felix told the reporters that pretty soon, CARICOM countries are likely to remove visa requirements for Haitians as had been done by Barbados recently. “All of us would have to do that,” he said. “Guyana has been most lenient to the Haitians, knowing the frailty of the rule preventing them from getting the visa. “I know that we are in that direction; when the formalities are gone through, I am sure we will be doing it.” When asked by the Guyana Chronicle if he will be appearing before the Foreign Relations Committee next week, Felix said that once he is summoned, there is no earthly reason why he wouldn’t. “I will be attending; it is an irresponsible act to make Guyanese feel that foreigners from the Caribbean transiting Guyana are likely to cause some danger to Guyanese, when Guyanese are illegal in

Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Gail Teixeira

Brazil, Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua, all over the world,” he told reporters. The minister assured the media that his administration, through the relevant agencies, is doing its best to ensure that the consequences of the accumulation of mainly Haitians “do not spin off into trafficking in persons; people smuggling.” “We are alive and alert to the issues an accumulation of foreign nationals, legal or illegal, in a country can bring, and we have been acting on it whenever they present themselves at this time,” he stated, while adding that it is because of the vigilance by immigration officials at the airport that Haitians have a thorough understanding of the requirements needed to enter Guyana. Like his colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge said that there has been some confusion of issues relating to the movement of several sects of foreign nationals through Guyana. Minister Greenidge, who will also appear next week before the foreign affairs committee, said that across the region, there has been an unusual amount of movement which can be termed “irregular migration.” He reminded his audience that in the case of the Haitians,it was only recently, at the last CARICOM Interces-

WITH OPEN ARMS “When Haiti gained independence, it made it a point of public policy to open its borders to any Caribbean people and Africans landing on their shores. And that is since 1809. And we are today being prompted by comics around the place to take action against Haitians,” Greenidge stated. Again like his colleague, Minister Greenidge noted that Haitians come here enroute to French Guiana. “I don’t know where the committee could have arrived at the conclusion that there are hundreds of Haitians coming here and hiding,” he said. “Where are they? They are such a big population that if 20 people appear in GT, everybody knows what their name is; whose house they are staying at; and what they ate.” He described the concerns raised over the numbers of Haitians who have not left these shores through legal ports as “melodramatic”, while adding that this is nothing new. The Foreign Minister reminded, too, that Guyana has long had an issue of properly monitoring its porous borders. Said he: “They can leave here without reporting; you know, backtrack! If there is that facility, you’d have one number for persons coming in and those leaving differing... All of those are known to members of the Committee; and they really shouldn’t be bothering me with that at this point in time. “That is a known inadequacy of our management of these things.” He told reporters that the issue of increasing numbers of Venezuelans here is different, in that there has been a discussion on the increase in their movement across the region, so the situation is not

peculiar to Guyana. “Guyanese public as well as others have called on us to bear in mind that in the light in the circumstances in Venezuela, we have to treat with this matter in a humane manner,” said Greenidge, who noted that being cognisant of the fact that persons are facing many difficulties, there is a need to be flexible. “We have not changed any laws, and the requirements as regards entry are as the ministries agreed recently,” he stated, as he called on persons to exercise caution with the publishing of statistics on persons entering Guyana, while reminding that backtrack has been in existence for a number of years. NO WAY OF KNOWING He said the extent of backtracking is unknown. “We have no means of monitoring all the exits,” he said. “They are leaving from registered ports and from other places. If you put every Guyanese every other mile along our borders, you are still not going to be able to stop persons coming in undocumented. “It is one of the realities in having a small populace and extensive borders; you can’t stop it.” Nevertheless, Minister Greenidge assured that his government will continue to act in a responsible manner as it relates to foreign nations arriving here. “…you can’t wake up one morning and suddenly be self-righteous…when we send people across borders,” he stated. The Minister noted too that the matter has been discussed at several levels and efforts will be made to agree on mechanisms to see how persons moving without documentation or who are seeking to move in circumstances that are unusual can be accommodated without putting Guyana’s security at risk.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26 , 2018

Petrobras still negotiating for oil block offshore -that and other Brazilian companies looking for opportunities locally BRAZILIAN Oil Company, Petrobras is still negotiating with the Government to secure an oil block offshore Guyana. The company had officially applied for an oil block early this year and is still in the process of trying to acquire the block, said Deputy Ambassador of Brazil to Guyana, Ronaldo Vieira during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday. “They are still dealing with this particular block but it is not just Petrobras, there are a number of Brazilian companies that are trying to get into the market here; we are liaising with local businesses to make connection with those in Brazil.”

“It is the same level with ExxonMobil. Petrobras explore and drill and do lots of things related to that but then there are smaller companies that provide parts, management of the platform and so forth,” he said. Vieira further said that there are a lot of opportunities here that are related to the budding oil and gas industry. Petrobras is looking to capitalise on the opportunities. It is one of a number of large oil companies seeking to acquire offshore blocks in Guyana It was reported that US oil major Chevron, and France’s Total are also among nine companies seeking remaining oil blocks here and government is exploring both “direct

engagements” and a “select bidding process” in assigning them. The companies that have blocks in the deep water area, offshore Guyana, are: Repsol and Tullow Oil (the Kanuku Block); Tullow (the Orinduik Block); Anadarko (the Roraima Block); Ratio Oil (the Kaieteur Block); Esso, CNOOC Nexen and Hess (the Stabroek Block); Esso, Mid Atlantic and JHI (the Canje Block; CGX (the Demerara and Corentyne blocks); ON Energy; and Nabi. Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman had noted earlier this year that Guyana and Brazil have been collaborators since the early eighties and he is happy

for the re-engagement, given the benefits to be had by the country. “Now we are looking at petroleum development, and two areas of particular interest of course are the actual production exploration and production. Petrobras is a known world leader in production; as well as in the training and technical sides, they have decades of experience that we don’t have, and they can help train some of our people”, Trotman said. Petrobras which was established in 1953 specialises in exploration and production, refining, marketing, transportation, petrochemicals, oil product distribution, natural gas, electricity, chemical-gas and biofuels.

Rupununi floor waters receding – Regional Chairman THE flooding in the Rupununi is no longer a major concern as waters are receding and the people who were placed in the shelter are returning to

their homes, said Regional Chairman for Region Nine, Mr. Bryan Allicock. Over the weekend a team from the Civil Defence Commission flew to different

parts of the region to conduct an assessment. “Colonel Craig and his team flew in yesterday to assess the affected areas. The water is receding, so as of right now our main focus is to get the necessary equipment to repair damage,” Mr. Allicock said. He added that he has also received reports that the Am-

azon is dry so they are not expecting any overflow into the region. Last year around this time the region experienced a considerable amount of flooding and at least 20,000 people across Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) were affected by the heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers.

World Bank clears US$35M to prepare for oil AHEAD of first-oil in 2020, the Work Bank has approved a US$35M Development Policy Credit to strengthen Guyana’s financial sector and fiscal management capabilities. In excess of 3.7 billion oil-equivalent barrels have been discovered in eight reservoirs: Liza, Payara, Liza Deep, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger, Pacora and most recently Longtail-1, and the World Bank wants to ensure that the country is well equipped to transform its oil wealth into human capital. “This financing provides critical support to our reform agenda and efforts to strengthen institutions and build a resilient economy that is capable of withstanding both external and domestic shocks. These reforms will be key to guide the management of oil revenues for the benefit of present and future generations,” Finance Minister Winston Jordan said in a statement. Presently nearly one in four people in Guyana live in poverty, however, experts estimate that GDP will surge when commercial production of newly-discovered oil and gas begins. In response, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government has embarked on a series of reforms to diversify the economy and turn oil windfalls into human development and sustainable growth in the long term.

“Guyana is making important strides to promote financial resilience and improve fiscal management, and has embarked on a broad-based reform program,” said Tahseen Sayed, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean. “These reforms will be key to build a strong economy that is underpinned by a strategic management of public resources for the benefit of the Guyanese people,” Sayed added This financing focuses on strengthening financial stability and enabling sound financial development to promote macroeconomic stability and long-term growth. In particular, it will support banking reforms and depositor protection, the establishment of a deposit insurance scheme, implementation of a new insurance law, and the country’s anti-money laundering efforts. This Development Policy Credit, the first of a series of two programmatic financial and fiscal development policy credits, is financed from the International Development Association (IDA). ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess and CNOOC Nexen, forecast that first oil will be realised by the first quarter of 2020, initially at 120,000 barrels per day, with expected growth in production to over 500,000 barrels per day by 2025.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Brazil reaffirms support for Guyana ‒in territorial controversy with Venezuela BRAZIL has reaffirmed its support for Guyana in the age old territorial controversy with Venezuela. “We support Guyana 100 percent on the border [issue] with its neighbouring country; we think the land should not be disputed because this is Guyana,” said Deputy Ambassador of Brazil to Guyana, Ronaldo Vieira during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle in his office on Monday. He said Brazil has supported Guyana’s methodology of dealing with the issue, noting that Guyana did well by taking the matter to the United Nations (UN) which then referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Venezuela had declined to participate in the

court action filed by Guyana to the ICJ with respect to the controversy between the two neighbours. “We support that Guyanese have the right of their land,” Vieira contended, adding that it is a pity that the Venezuelan Government is not willing to participate at the level of the ICJ. Although Venezuela is also a sister country to Brazil, the ambassador believes that Guyana has the right to its land. Brazil has “big” trade agreements and cooperation with Venezuela but the country has taken Guyana’s side in the controversy. “The Venezuelan delegation has informed the president of the court, through a letter signed by the President of the Republic,

Nicolás Maduro Moros, of its sovereign decision not to participate in the procedure that Guyana intends to initiate, since the Court manifestly lacks jurisdiction over an action unilaterally proposed by the neighboring country, which does not have the consent of Venezuela, “a communiqué issued by the People’s Power Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday June 18 after meeting with President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf. Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres referred the Guyana-Venezuela controversy to the ICJ. He determined that the Good Offices Process had failed to achieve a peaceful settlement of the controversy. Guterres took

a formal and binding decision, under Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Agreement, to choose a different means of settlement under Article 33 of the Charter. Venezuela is claiming that the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award, which had given more than 90 percent of an area to then British Guiana (now Guyana), is null and void. Approximately 118 years after that award was issued, Guyana remains resolute in its position that a juridical course of action is the only means through which this matter can be permanently resolved. In its application to the ICJ, Guyana requested the Court to: “confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the award regarding the boundary between the Colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela, of the 3rd October 1899 (hereinafter the ‘1899 Award’)”. Guyana contends

Deputy Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana, Ronaldo Vieira (Delano Williams photo)

that the 1899 Award was “a full, perfect, and final settlement” of all questions relating to determining the boundary line between the colony of British Guiana and Venezuela. Guyana says it intends to proceed with the case, noting that under Article 53 of the Statute of the Court, “whenever one of

the parties does not appear before the Court, or fails to defend its case, the other party may call upon the Court to decide in favour of its claim.” Guyana has also said that it hopes in due course, Venezuela will reconsider its position and decide to appear in Court and defend its case.

One-time retainer of $2M each for special prosecutors SINCE the appointment of special prosecutors by the Attorney General Chambers, a $2M retainer fee is being applied against the attorneys’ fees and cost incurred by the client or expenses paid by the attorney on behalf of the client, as well as $20,000 per hour for legal services rendered in prosecuting matters in court. This is according to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, SC. Williams was at the time responding to questions posed by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) member and former Attorney General Anil Nandlall. Nandlall on the question of the hiring of the five special prosecutors asked Williams to provide the National Assembly with information on the number of special prosecutors that have been hired, their salaries and benefits, travel and hotel costs incurred since being appointed. Additionally, Nandlall questioned the number of cases that the attorneys are handling or have handled for the period January 2017 to March 2018. Williams in a written response circulated in the House on Monday, said thus far, 12 cases have been dealt with by five special prosecutors who assumed duty in June 2017. The attor-

neys have not incurred any travel and hotel costs thus far. “It should be noted that agreement signed by the special prosecutors is dated June 7, 2017. Therefore, there would be no cases assigned before that date,” Williams said in response to Nandlall. Meanwhile, in January 2017, the Guyana Chron-

icle reported that Cabinet approved the appointment of six attorneys to serve as special prosecutors on several cases, including but not limited to, the range of forensic audits conducted by the APNU+AFC administration when it came into power in May 2015. The six attorneys are

Michael Somersall, Hewely Griffith, Lawrence Harris, Patrice Henry, Compton Richardson, and Trenton

Lake. Ministers of Legal Affairs and Public Security, Basil Williams and Khemraj Ramjattan, respectively,

were tasked with advising Cabinet on the feasibility of establishing a special prosecutorial team.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26 , 2018

The Decision Today TODAY, the Caribbean Court of Justice CCJ) will make what will effectively be the final decision on the third term issue. In summary, a previously and still unknown citizen, Cedric Richardson, filed a case in 2014 claiming that the Constitutional Amendment of 2001 limiting a president to two terms in office was in fact unconstitutional since it was executed via Parliament and not via direct referendum, and it specifically prevented him from choosing Bharrat Jagdeo as his specific choice for president since Jagdeo has already completed two terms in office. The case was decided in Richardson’s favour in July of 2015 by the Chief Justice, two months after the David Granger-led coalition, APNU+AFC came to power. The new government challenged the decision at the level of the Appeals Court, which upheld the Chief Justice’s decision in 2017 at, which point it took its challenge to the final court of jurisdiction, the CCJ. The pandering to constitutional abstractions aside, this ruling is in fact about the long-held desire of Jagdeo, to perpetuate the grasp he once

held on the reins of power. The issue of the former President serving a third term in office is one that is in fact over a decade old, coming into the public eye months into his final term. In May of 2007, ironically enough, it was the then Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin, who was being asked to clarify whether a proposal for a constitutional amendment allowing for Jagdeo to run for a third term was part of their then discussions on local government. Mr. Corbin denied this was so, yet this would not be the end of the issue. Two years later, with Jagdeo being effectively in power for the equivalent of two terms already, the issue came up once again, this time with the mysterious erection of billboards supporting a third term for Mr. Jagdeo, as well as support expressed by some senior members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and several prominent members of the business community. As with the billboards, it is not a leap of logic to ascribe the source of spiritual and financial support of Mr. Richardson’s case to Mr. Jagdeo himself. It is therefore no

surprise that it was the Leader of the Opposition, and not the party of which he is General Secretary, that last week released a preemptive statement clearly designed to mitigate whatever fallout he might have from the decision. Quoting the former president: “I am moved to publicly assure that whatever the ruling is, I am and will remain the General Secretary of the PPP…. Ours is a Party not built on personalities but on policies, all designed to create a better life for our people, and forge racial, ethnic and class unity. I remain committed to these policies and causes and will continue to struggle with the Party to achieve them.” For a man who has repeatedly indicated that he would stay out of politics (he obviously changed his mind), and who has expressly said that he was uninterested in the trappings of presidential power (while, admittedly, not saying that he doesn’t want to be president again), his statement reads curiously like a concession speech at what would effectively be his first political loss. Richardson’s case is in fact Jagdeo’s case, whether or not he has publicly

owned up to it. That this administration has decided to take this case to the CCJ has to be acknowledged and commended. It is no small irony in any political environment that you have an opposition fighting for what would in effect be an indefinite perpetuation of executive leadership, and an incumbent executive fighting to ensure that it continues to be constitutionally restricted. In what has become typical of the sort of cognitive dissonance and illogical reasoning displayed by Mr. Jagdeo, on one hand he raises the wispy spectre of the ‘intention’ by President David Granger to rig elections, even as it is the President who is fighting Mr. Jagdeo in a case that, if Mr. Jagdeo wins, stands to effectively benefit the President who has not yet served a full term in office and who is as healthy as a man can hope to be in his seventies. By fighting and winning to uphold the term restriction on presidential office, President Granger and his executive would have demonstrated that a mature statesmanship is preferable to petulance and power-hungriness. The Attorney-General Mr. Basil Wil-

liams should specifically be commended for his execution of the President’s mandate in this case, as well as his stellar support team, Barbadian Queen’s Counsel Hal Gollop and Ralph Thorne. Of course, the outcome of this case is not written in stone. While the odds remain that the previous rulings would be overturned, they are not absolute odds. Should the CCJ uphold that it is Mr. Richardson’s ‘constitutional right’ to choose Mr. Jagdeo ad infinitum as his president, this effectively spells the effective undermining of the basic democratic process in Guyana, but not in the way that the Opposition Leader has no doubt calculated. Sure, were he at the peak of his popularity, combined with the pending oil wealth, his third Reich as it were, would be an entirely eminent catastrophe. But this is the ‘leader’ of the solitary press conferences, and unremarkable entrances into restaurants, the discomfort at diplomatic events and absence of the entourage of captains of industry at his every outing, and as Minister of State Joseph Harmon accurately described him recently, a one-man band, a man with effectively only one fiefdom left, a fiefdom that is incidentally the country’s sole effective political opposition. A Bharrat Jagdeo who believes that he has a clear path

to a third term victory in 2020, is a Bharrat Jagdeo who will in effect, complete his exercise of completely dominating the party of Cheddi Jagan and reshaping it in his own image and towards his own purpose. It will be the last stand of the old guard, its replacement not with the sort of young party faithful that he himself was once viewed as but with people directly under his control, incapable of deliberation and consensus, but ready to follow whatever orders he gives them, including orders, as he recently threatened, to disturb the peace if he does not find the next elections favourable to him. With that scenario before them, it is doubtful that the old guard would go gently into the night, leaving the PPP’s General Secretary with what may well be a Pyrrhic victory, effectively decimating what is critical to any democracy, an effective opposition. Whatever his bluster, in any outcome of today’s decision by the CCJ, the loser will be the man for whom the case was filed in the first place: an overturning means a denial of his ambition and the end of his grasp for power in his party, as well as the final decline of his political career, while an upholding means the consolidation of his power over his party and a destruction of the party itself.

Domestic violence and mental health Dear Editor, OVER the past few weeks we have been reading several reports in our daily newspapers (too many I think) of domestic violence perpetrated against women. In all of these reports the gruesome stories highlighted have caused most of us, and particularly women, to be seriously concerned, to be scared. As a Christian, I am told in the Bible, and I believe, that all men are created in the image of God. It is not that we resemble God physically, as he is spirit. This is the likeness that sets us apart, and above the animal world. Mentally, human beings are created in righteousness

and perfect innocence-a reflection of God’s image. Socially, we are created for fellowship. God made the first woman because he saw it was not good for man to be alone. Morally, we are created to know right from wrong, that is having a conscience. So why is it that we read so often of these animalistic attacks on women by men? The most recently reported incident concerns a man from the Corentyne who stabbed his wife to death. In all these acts, we see our men folk displaying uncontrollable anger in relationships with their female partners, resulting in many instances in the death of the female. These reports are too frequent not to cause consternation

in the minds of us all. The question is what is causing the violence? The question needs to be answered in the hope that it could lead to arresting or at least reducing the incidences of this alarming practice. In any situation of violence, the immediate underlying emotion is always anger, but there must be some reason why this anger is triggered. Anger is a natural emotion, even though sometimes unwarranted and irrational. It is expressed verbally and much too often physically. The frequent reports of which we read are of anger resulting in the physical abuse of women, but one can only guess that incidences of verbal abuse

(anger expressed verbally) are much more frequent, but are generally overlooked. Why should our women folk have to endure such a risky existence? Society must do more to improve this state of affairs. Anger can be seen as a disturbed psychological and emotional state of mind. A situation where there is a breakdown in our mental health, albeit mild and temporary sometimes. In our culture, society readily attaches a stigma to any form of this breakdown, so that even in some families, there is shame and ostracism whenever it occurs. In such situations there is a reluctance to seek professional help. Here is where we need to be more enlightened,

so that compassion would replace stigma and ostracism. It is true that most families might find it difficult to deal with a member suffering from this kind of breakdown, but shame and ostracism are not rational responses. Professional help should be sought. The solution, as I see it, is to introduce this subject in some form in our schools. So that at an early age children will come to view mental health as just another aspect of our wellbeing and treat it with as much importance as our physical health. This should give rise to a greater understanding of the subject and should lead to more enlightened responses when these situ-

ations are encountered. I also believe that as more professionals become available programmes should be established to make them available both to schools and workplaces, so that there is scope for a greater understanding of mental illness and also a greater possibility for early detection and remedy. I see the need for maintaining mental wellness as one of the main responses to domestic abuse. The man who is mentally well adjusted is less likely to treat his female partner in those cruel ways as reported in our daily news. Regards Rebekah Seymour

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

City Hall needs to answer some questions Dear Editor, THE contempt, mockery and duplicity of the mayor, town clerk and the favoured cabal at the Georgetown City Council have become just unbearable to many citizens. Almost every day one can hear cries coming from the council of bankruptcy, of revenue shortfalls, of the need for a wider revenue base, of being unable to provide the quality of services that they ought to undertake due to a lack of adequate funding, of being cash-strapped whilst at the same time officials of the council are frequently proceeding on wasteful overseas luxury junkets, of paying themselves extra for carrying out duties that they were elected to carry out, of maintaining large

retinues of staff including bodyguards, chauffeurs, personal assistants, immense secretarial and administrative staff etc. Someone needs to explain to the citizenry why the members of the renegotiating committee for the scandalous Parking Meter contracts had to be paid large sums extra, to sit on the committee. Someone needs to explain why the mayor and selected councillors and staff who were involved in Mashramani activities had to be paid large sums for doing nothing. Someone needs to advise the citizenry what were the tangible benefits derived for the city for all the countless expensive jaunts overseas. It is simply mind-blowing that a supposedly ‘broke municipality’ would even contemplate hosting a ‘City

Do something drastic about these contractors Dear Editor, WHO or what is instrumental in making these dishonest and inept contractors get contracts in which they fleece the peoples’ treasury by providing substandard quality and unsafe work? Guyana has experienced and endured these sorry and definitely unacceptable occurrences, under any circumstances whatsoever, for too long. Guyana has suffered this affront to the common good and to the people of Guyana for the past 23 years, prior to 2015 and VOTED FOR DRASTIC CHANGE PERIOD. Yes, the system has been historically set up to sustain this conduct and happening. Particular friends and families were empowered financially to always win these contracts at the expense of others. This present government has to do something drastic to bring it to an end, and provide other contractors the opportunity to fairly

compete and win contracts. There is an imbalance in this area and it was purposely set up that way in order to discriminate against particular people. The talk of witch hunting is a political ploy, it should be ignored and corrective action taken to cure this scourge on the nation. We are experiencing many positive changes in many areas under the APNU/AFC Government, but there MUST BE A CHANGE in choosing contractors who have a history of unsatisfactory work. It is giving the government a bad name and rightly so too in this regard. It is time and high time that contractors are held accountable and stop holding the Guyanese public hostage, while being paid exorbitant prices to do so. Yes, it is time and high time that the APNU/AFC GOVERNMENT BRING this ‘IN YUH FACE HUSSLE’ to an expeditious end. Regards Thomas Saunders

Week’ celebration. How could they allocate a whopping 20 million dollars to fetes and merriment when they claim that they have had to close day care centres due to a lack of funding, when they have stopped stray catching in the city due to a lack of funds, when the municipal abattoir and all

of their buildings are in the most ruinous state? Hope they don’t intend to harass the already fragile business community to contribute financially to their fetes. How could the council not be maintaining our city roads, not replacing defective street lights, not repairing bridges, not

cleaning choked drains, not fogging for mosquitoes, but instead putting up expensive and fancy billboards about a green city, whilst maintaining a mammoth staff strength of nearly 1000 persons, and whilst spending hundreds of millions on contractors that have not tendered for jobs they were

given etc. There is no area of service that the council is responsible for providing, not a single municipal department, that is free of the most brutal sort of corruption. Regards Jermain Johnson

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House unites in grief

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

– as nation pays homage to slain fishermen By Nafeeza Yahya THE Golden Arrowhead was on Monday flown at half-staff at several public buildings, as Guyana observed a national day of mourning in memory of over a dozen fishermen killed at sea by pirates back in April. During Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly, a moment of silence was observed by both sides of the House in a show of solidarity for the victims of the carnage at sea in Surinamese waters. Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said the Day of Mourning for the slain fishermen coincides with the United Nations Day of Seafarers, and that President David Granger’s proclamation was a fitting tribute in memory of their passing. The names of those who died and the 16 still missing and feared dead were stated for the record. President David Granger last week issued a proclamation stating that Monday, June 25 will be observed as a National Day of Mourning for the fishermen who lost their lives at sea while going about their business. During the incident, five boats with approximately 20 crew members were attacked. Nine survived the brutal ordeal. The mangled bodies of four were recovered, while twelve remain missing and are feared dead.

The Romeina, commanded by Captain Deonarine Goberdan, is believed to have been the first boat to come under attack sometime around 18:30h. Goberdan, the father of 17, said he drifted 22 hours some eight miles away from shore, and was barely able to remain afloat until reaching land and notifying police. The bodies of the two crew members that washed ashore were identified as Tillacknauth Mohabir and Mahesh Sarjoo. STILL MISSING Those of Bharrat Heeralall and another identified only as “Palam” are still missing. The Romeina, too, is still missing and believed to have been stolen by the pirates. The Joshua, owned by Rosey Jones, was found submerged in water. It is believed that it was sunk by the pirates after the attack. Its captain, “Aki Bhai”, was the lone survivor of that vessel, and has since gone into hiding, purportedly fearing for his life. One of his crew members was Lalta Persaud, a father of four who had migrated to Suriname over 18 years ago. The others are only known by the nicknames “Spanish Man”, “Bandara” and “Mukesh”. And while the name of the third vessel has not yet been confirmed, its crew have been identified as Ra-

mesh Sanchara, Ramnarine Singh, Looknarine Persaud, Rajendra Bissessar. The captain, Dharmendrew Persaud, was also one of the survivors of the ordeal. The last boat believed to have been attacked sometime after 01:00h on Saturday, May 5 was the Shifanie, owned by Hemnlall Ramsarran. Its captain was Danesh Persaud of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, while crew members were Ralph Anthony Couchman, Glendroy Jones, Gowkaran Outar, whose body was washed ashore at the Number 63 Beach, and the lone survivor, Sherwin Lovell. The Guyana Government, through round-theclock aerial monitoring and the constant presence of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), has been able to see a decline in piracy in Guyana’s waters, which had reached epidemic proportions prior to 2015. UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION According to a release from the UN, the Day of Seafarers was established by a resolution adopted at the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila, the capital of Philippines, in recognition of the unique contribution made by seafarers the world over to international seaborne trade, the world economy, and civil society as a whole. In neighbouring Su riname, a prayer service

Family members of Mahesh Sarjoo at his funeral service a few days ago

was held at the Guyana Embassy on Henck Arronstraat in down-town Paramaribo where many of the relatives of the dead or missing seamen who live in Guyana were assembled. Here in Guyana, as the national standard flew at half-staff as decreed by President Granger, Poonai Bhigroog, President of the Central Corentyne Chambers of Commerce lauded the initiative, and called for a follow through on the promised assistance for the relatives of the victims. He also commended the efforts of the local police in capturing several of those allegedly responsible for the crime, and urged fisherfolk to be more vigilant and put measures in place for their own safety. Chairman of the Up-

per Corentyne Fishermen Cooperative Society, Pameshwar Jainarine echoed similar sentiments, and he, too, noted that the life of a fisherman is a very dangerous one. Said he: “I want to thank the President for putting aside today as a national day of mourning for the fishermen that lost their lives in the recent piracy attack, and I feel some sort of financial relief should be given to the relatives, because, in most instances, the fishermen that passed away were the sole breadwinners of their families.” JOINT PRESSER At a joint press conference on May 8 in Suriname, Minister Ramjattan and the Surinamese

authorities had promised that assistance will be forthcoming to the relatives of the victims. Several relatives of the victims also expressed their appreciation for what the President and the Government of Guyana did by setting aside the day to pay tribute to their loved ones. Many have also been high in praise for the police in capturing the men allegedly responsible but are calling on the authorities to ensure there is no let up in the case, and for justice to be served quickly. Between April 27 and May 3, five fishing vessels with a combined crew of 25 men were attacked in Surinamese waters by a gang of pirates, allegedly at the behest of the Manohar family in retaliation for the death of one of its members, Somnauth Manohar, who was allegedly killed by fishermen in a drive-by shooting on March 30 in Suriname. Thus far, Nakool Manohar, called “Fyah”, a businessman of Number 43 Village, and Premnauth Persaud, called “Sinbad”, have been jointly charged for the murder of two of the fishermen, namely Mahesh Sarjoo, called “Vishal”, and Tilacknauth Mohabir, called “Caiman”. One Alexander Denhearte was also charged for the murder. The matter is still being investigated, and the local police have formally requested to be allowed to interrogate the suspects arrested in Suriname.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Rough road ahead for Jagdeo …PM says former president battling for survival

Saying that Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo faces a tough road ahead, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said the PPP boss was “pitch-forked” into power and is now “fighting for survival.” Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, the prime minister said Jagdeo, who now serves as opposition leader and general-secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has been involved in all PPP governments since he entered the political arena. According to the prime minister, the former president is “trying to find a way to explain his indecent obsession with serving a third term, even though from time to time he would feign opposition to a third term.” On Saturday, Jagdeo in a statement issued by his party said whatever the outcome of the ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the presidential term-limit case, he will remain the general-secretary of the party and play a formal part in the “next PPP government”. “Unlike the 2011-2015 period, where I played no formal part in the PPP administration, I intend to be a formal part of the next PPP government as we resume the implementation of plans to build a better country of which all our people can feel proud,” said Jagdeo. The CCJ will next Tuesday hand down its decision on whether Guyana’s presidential term limit is unconstitutional.

However, the prime minister begs to differ. He told the Guyana Chronicle that Jagdeo has not discouraged the concept of a third term, while noting that same surfaced circa 2008 when a motion was unsuccessfully put before the National Assembly for him to serve a third term. “He had not discouraged it… so saying that he would remain in the leader of the PPP and is available to serve in a future government is a preemptive excuse for not chopping down this campaign for a third term,” said the prime minister. “I also believe that he has a personal interest in remaining general-secretary of the PPP…. He is fighting for survival! and campaigning ahead of time as Guyanese would say ‘he don’t’ want to lose guana and cutlass’—i.e. he shouldn’t be disqualified from serving as president and also being displaced as general- secretary of Cheddi Jagan’s party. What I know is he has a tough battle ahead,” Nagamootoo told the Guyana Chronicle. Meanwhile, the PPP general-secretary Saturday said multitudes of supporters of the PPP/C and even across the political divide made contact with him and raised concerns, including the public statements of those in government in respect of a particular outcome. “As a result, I am moved to publicly assure that whatever the ruling is, I am and will remain the general-secretary of the PPP,” he said.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

Jagdeo said too that he will continue to “spearhead the party’s struggle for a better life for all Guyanese,” while adding that emphasis will also be placed on the working-class people, the poor and under-privileged, while striving for racial and national unity. Moreover, he said every effort will be made to secure victory at the upcoming Local Government Elections this year, along with Regional and National Elections to be held in 2020. “Ours is a party not built on personalities but on policies, all designed to create a better life for our people, and forge racial, ethnic and class unity. I remain committed to these policies and causes and will continue to struggle with the party to achieve them,” the former president who served two terms said, while noting that he is humbled by the “overwhelming confidence” placed in him by citizens.

Law Reform Commission to come on stream soon INTERVIEWS were recently completed for prospective commissioners for the Law Reform Commission, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams disclosed. In a written response to People’s Progressive Party (PPP) member and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall on the status of the Law Reform Commission, Williams disclosed that interviews were conducted on June 19 and 20, 2018 for commissioners. “No commissioner has been appointed, however, interviews were conducted for Commissioners on the 19th and 20th June, 2018,” Williams said in his response. Earlier this year, notices were published in the national newspapers by the Ministry of Legal Affairs seeking applications from suitable candidates to sit on the Commission. The Attorney General said too that remuneration for the commissioners who are to be appointed has not been approved. “No remuneration has been approved,” said Williams. Back in 2016, Williams had said the much-anticipated Commission would come on stream the following year. He was at the time making his contribution to the 2017 Budget Debate in the National Assembly. Government used its majority in 2016 to pass the Law Reform Commission Bill 2015. Though the Law Reform Commission is in its final stage of readiness and commissioners are yet to be appointed, a legal officer, two legal clerks, three typists, an office assistant, cleaner and driver have been hired. The

Legal Officer is being paid a gross salary of $700,000, while the legal clerks are being paid $150,000 each, the typists are paid $130,000 each, office assistants are being paid $100,000 while the cleaner and driver are being paid gross salaries of $75,000 and $120,000 respectively. Meanwhile, Williams disclosed too that the aforementioned persons are being housed at a rented building located at Lot 59 Robb Street, Bourda, Georgetown. He said the government of Guyana has entered into a rental agreement with Michael and Michelle Wharton on November 14, 2017 for the rental of the aforementioned premises. According to the agreement, which was provided by Williams, the government is renting the middle and top floors of the building located at 59 Robb Street Bourda. The building is being rented for $850,000 monthly and the agreement of tenancy will expire on November 30, 2018. In agreeing to rent the premises, the government lodged $1,700,000 as a security deposit for loss or damage to the said premises. The said agreement was signed by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Delma Nedd. The Law Reform Commission Bill seeks to establish a permanent Law Reform Commission to reform and modernise Guyana’s laws. “The laws of Guyana are long overdue for review, as the majority were inherited from our colonial masters and have not been subject to reform since their inheritance,” Williams had said during the debate on the Bill. “Many

Attorney General, Basil Williams

are archaic and irrelevant to our society,” he added, while emphasising that a permanent Law Reform Commission will work continuously to ensure that Guyana’s laws are fair, relevant and effective in serving and protecting the interests of the people. The bill, along with several amendments tabled by Williams, was passed despite pleas from opposition speakers for it to be referred to a parliamentary Special Select Committee for review. Williams had said then that in the past, approaches to law review in Guyana has mostly been reactive and the legislation will remedy what was an inefficient, piecemeal approach to law reform. He said the commission will comprise no less than three and no more than seven commissioners with a chairman to be elected by and from the members of the commission. The bill, he said, provides for commissioners to be appointed by the President acting after consultation with the Minister of Legal Affairs.

Guyana leading the way with Caribbean credit legislation CREDITINFO (Guyana) Inc. is making waves in the Region as Caribbean countries are seeking to pattern local legislation that allows for easy business facilitation through the availability of consumer credit information. It is understood that Guyana is leading the Caribbean with comprehensive credit information legislation and is now being used as a model to craft regulations that will aid in the accessing of loans through available borrowing mechanisms. Chief Executive Officer, Judy Semple-Joseph, told the Guyana Chronicle that Guyana’s credit bureau, also

called Creditinfo (Guyana) Inc. was granted its operating license almost five years ago on July 15, 2013. Operating under the Credit Reporting (Amendment) Act of 2016, Semple-Joseph said that Guyana is advanced with its credit information legislation. “No one else in Caribbean, except for Jamaica, as far as we know has firm credit related legislation.” It was explained that some countries, such as Suriname, are now putting credit related information in place. Belize and the Bahamas, she continued, are now putting in the ground work. While Jamaica was identified as having such mechanisms in

place, the more lucrative oil producing state of Trinidad and Tobago was said to have a privately operating credit bureau, but no legislation to support. “Guyana is amongst the earliest in the Caribbean and our legislation is now being used as a model for other credit bureaus. Because of the issues we faced initially, other countries learnt from our lessons and are able to refine their legislation,” the CEO highlighted. She said that the ultimate aim of Guyana’s Credit Bureau is to facilitate access to financing. This is feasible with the easy access of credit information provid-

ed to lending agencies and other financing facilitators. Additionally, it was mentioned that the Caribbean region itself is working on a single credit bureau mechanism, and again, Guyana’s advancement in this area is serving as aid to the regional initiative. Guyana’s credit bureau will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in July and according to the CEO, the agency will be making a bigger print within the country’s business environment. With the country’s lucrative oil finds and an earnest move from a ‘brown’ to a ‘green’ economy, the business environment is expected to change significantly.

Increased financial activity through investment and trade is also expected. It is for this reason that the credit bureau has seen their existence as necessary to facilitate quick and easy access to credit information that will aid in the movement of business activities. The CEO is adamant that the credit bureau is available to aid every player in the business community since not only would a local investor be able to provide their authentic credit information to a business or potential business partner, but businesses can also rely on the agency that the information being related on behalf of the

consumer is credible and accurate based on checks done. A credit bureau is an entity that collects credit information from lenders and other sources on a consumer. The information is processed and comprehensive credit reports and other value added services are created to be made available to persons who provide information; to the consumers themselves; and with written permission of the consumer, to other persons or entities for specified purposes. Credit information facilitates assessments for lending while providing consumers with information on their credit history.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Credit Union IMC bows to court order …disgruntled shareholders stage protest against old committee By Svetlana Marshall THE Interim Management Committee (IMC) which took control of the Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union (GPSCCU) upon the instruction of the government has down tools in keeping with a High Court Order; however, it is seeking a reversal. On Monday, the GPSCCU IMC Chairman Trevor Benn told the Guyana Chronicle that the interim committee, which was installed by the Ministry of Social Protection in May, ceased operations in keeping with a High Court order that was handed down by Justice Gino Persaud on Thursday June 21, 2018. Justice Persaud ordered an interim stay until July 3, 2018 in response to an application filed by GPSC-

GPSCCU IMC Chairman Trevor Benn

CU Secretary Trevor Benn for an injunction to restrain and or prohibit the Chief Co-op Development Officer (CCDO) Perlina Gifth, and her appointed agents including the IMC from assuming control of the affairs of the

Chairman of the embattled Management Committee Patricia Went

credit union. July 6, 2018 has been set for the hearing of the Fixed Date Application but the GPSCCU IMC Chairman and team have moved to the High Court to have a

reversal of the injunction, secured by the Secretary that operated under the embattled Management Committee led by Patricia Went. The IMC Chairman told the Guyana Chronicle that the reversal is necessary to allow the Government-appointed committee to resume operations which include the issuing of loans to members of the credit union. Shortly after Justice Persaud issued the order, the Secretary, which operated under the stewardship of Went, wrote to the Managing Director of Scotia Bank, Georgetown, asking that the credit unions’ two accounts be restored. The CCDO had called for a freeze on the accounts after taking control of the credit union.

Chief Co-op Development Officer had terminated the service of the GPSCCU Management Team, headed by Patricia Went, over allegations of poor performance. Days later, Justice (Ret’d) Prem Persaud was appointed Officer in Charge of the Credit Union, and an IMC set up. As a result, the ousted Chairman is also asking the High Court to declare that the appointments of Justice Prem Persaud and members of the IMC – Patsy Russel, Trevor Benn, Rajdai Jagarnauth, Gillian Pollard, Oneidge Walrond- Allicock, Patrick Mentore and George Vaughn – by the CCDO to manage the affairs of the credit union is unlawful. Went is of the belief that

picketed the Hadfield Street head office, calling for the embattled management team to stand down and respect the government’s decision to install an IMC. On the picketing line, Vansluytman-Corbin said for too long the credit union has suffered at the hands of Yarde. “We have decided to come out here today because for too long, the credit union has been hijacked by a management committee who seems to think that the funds of this credit union belong to them and them alone, but this is a shareholders credit union,” she told reporters while bearing a placard. The shareholder contended that through the Credit Union Management Committee which was headed by Went, it was controlled by Yarde who along with a few others abused the financial

Members and shareholders of the credit union calling on Patricia Went, Patrick Yarde, and team to respect Government’s decision to install an IMC, and stand down (Samuel Maughn Photo)

According to the IMC Chairman, embattled members of the old Management Committee on Monday wrote a cheque to the tune of $2.5M but it was turned down at the bank. Chairman of the GPSCCU Management Committee Patricia Went, however, told the Guyana Chronicle that while the Secretary wrote to Scotiabank asking that the accounts be restored, none of the members on the ousted committee wrote any cheque or attempted to access monies from the accounts. In a separate application, Went asked the High Court to declare that the decision by the Chief Co-operative Development to assume control of the affairs of the Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union pursuant to Regulation 56 of the Cooperative Societies Act Cap. 88:01 is unlawful and of no legal effect. Went, through her attorneys-at-law Roysdale Forde and Olayne Joseph, is arguing that the decision of the CCDO is in breach of the Co-operative Societies Act Cap. 88:01 and a denial of the principles of Natural Justice. On May 25, 2018, the

the decision to terminate the services the old management committee was rooted in the demand by the Department of Co-operatives for an undue payment of the Audit and Supervision Fund for the years 2002-2013 of an alleged balance of $449.6M. She is contending that Department of Cooperatives’ claim to outstanding payments towards the Audit and Supervision Fund, could not be justified given that the already audited accounts of the Credit Union for the years 2002 to 2010 reflected no such balance. But some members of the ousted Credit Union Management Committee and shareholders have said that they are pleased with government’s decision to take control of the credit union, contending that for years millions of dollars were doled out Patrick Yarde and his allies under the watch of Went. On Monday, Jermain Hermanstyne – a member of the ousted management committee, and Karen Vansluytman-Corbin – a shareholder were among a group consisting of 12 members of the credit union who

resources of the facility. “We are saying it is time that it is stopped, that the credit union be returned to the membership and not to Patrick Yarde,” Vansluytman-Corbin said. She added: “The government took control of the credit union to protect the interest of the shareholders because they are interested in what has been happening, they are seeing the abuse that has been taking place, they are seeing the mismanagement that has been taking place, millions of dollars being unaccounted for… Last Friday we understand that the ousted management committee decided that they are going to come back here, and take control and we are saying no, we are going to stand up to them as shareholders, and we support the government’s move to take control to protect our interest.” Though Vansluytman-Corbin was unable to furnish reporters with evidence to support the claims made against members who sat on the embattled management team, she said that the Turn to page 11 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Schools to debate merits of LGEs – ahead of the ‘big day’ in December By Naomi Marshall THE mining town of Linden is to play host to an inaugural national debating competition among schools on the pros and cons of local government elections. According to Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Ms Valerie Adams-Patterson who made the announcement on Saturday during the hosting of the inaugural Junior Mayor Elections, that the debating competition will be a joint effort between her ministry and the Ministry of Education as a way of generating public interest in the upcoming National LGE billed for December. Noting that there are lots of things people don’t know about the subject, Minister Patterson said: “There is need for a lot of education on local government, and moreso we are heading to local government election this year in the month of December, and so a programme like this will force people to do research and to ensure that they acquire knowledge.” The competition is to be launched in Linden between

September and October, the minister said, and pledged that she herself is going to buy all the trophies for that leg of it. Regional Executive Officer of Region 10, Orin Gordon said that with knowledge of community history fading, he believes the school curriculum certainly needs to be improved in certain aspects. “I believe the school curriculum certainly needs to do a lot better,” Gordon said, adding: “When I was going to school, I could have told you about my village; who bought it; how many slaves bought the village... “And

we used to call that General Knowledge, and it was part of Social Studies. What has happened since then to now is that we have transformed and I’m saying we no longer know much about our community in which we live.” According to Chairman of the Local Government Commission, Mr Mortimer Mingo, it is important for school curriculums to have local content. He said: “Local knowledge would have entailed knowing how the village council works; in this case to know how the town operates; what is the system of gover-

nance at the local level and so that it can better prepare our children to take on meaningful leadership roles within our town. “We know, yes we want to have brilliant scientist, good doctors and lawyers, but I think that equally as important is for our children to know how we are; where we are and therefore that could only be provided by education.” Local government elections were last held here in March 2016 after some 22 years. The Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2009 provides for local government elections to be held in all of the municipalities and Neighbourhood

At the inaugural Junior Mayor Elections in Linden on Saturday

Chairman of Local Government Commission, Mr Mortimer Mingo at Saturday’s junior mayor election

Democratic Councils (NDCs) in Guyana, using a mixed electoral system of Proportional Representation and First-Past-the-Post. Fifty per cent, or half, of the councillors of each municipality and NDC are elected through the Proportional Representation component, and the other 50 per cent through the First-Past-thePost or Constituency component of the electoral system. As such, voluntary groups, political parties and individual candidates can contest for seats in the municipalities and NDCs. Only voluntary groups and political parties can contest in the Proportional Rep-

resentation aspect of LGEs. Both categories can contest any or all of the seats under the Constituency component of the elections. The candidates must be living in the constituency being contested. Meanwhile, under the First-Past-The-Post component, an individual candidate can contest only for one seat in a single constituency in which he or she is registered and resides. In addition to promoting the schools’ debate on local government, Minister Patterson also pledged to have the Junior Mayor Project launched in all the towns in Guyana by the Ministry of Communities.

Business Minister wants to know rationale behind minibus fare increases …to meet with United Minibus Union soon BUSINESS Minister Dominic Gaskin will be meeting with the United Minibus Union (UMU) in the coming week to discuss the proposal put forward by the union for increases in minibus fares, among other requests. Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, Gaskin said that before coming to a final decision the ministry must first properly examine the reasoning and justification behind the proposal. “We’re meeting with them next week and we will discuss their proposals. Some analysis has to be done on the rationale for the proposal,” Gaskin said. Over a week ago, UMU President Eon Andrews had told the newspaper that apart from a proposed 25 per cent fare increase for short drops and a $40 in-

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin

crease for longer routes, there were several other requests within the document. Some of these include, excise tax reductions and proper management of the importation of minibuses.

Andrews has defended the proposal by stating that the suggested increase is not influenced solely on the recent rise in fuel prices, but on the overall expenses of conducting business as a minibus operator. These expenses include recent hikes in the costs for vehicle parts, maintenance and other necessities. In a previous interview, Andrews had said: “We don’t’ feel that we must base our arguments on fuel because we recognise that fuel increase or decrease is really controlled by the international market…there has been astronomical increases in spare parts and other operational costs… and we can look at those things.” To this, Gaskin said: “I’m not against what they’re proposing which is why I want to discuss it with

them. But at this point we have to do a proper analysis of the increases in the cost of their operations.”

The UMU had handed over the proposal to representatives of the Business Ministry on June 11, on

the basis that civil negotiations with authorities may prove for a better chance at a fruitful outcome.

Credit Union IMC... evidence will be provided to the appropriate authorities when the time is right. Yarde and his colleagues have also been accused of spending some $32M on a single overseas trip; however, this claim has since been refuted by the ousted committee on the grounds that it is malicious. Hermanstyne told reporters that though he sat on the committee under the stewardship of Went, he was not in support of many of the decisions made. While endorsing government’s initial decision to seize control of the credit union, made it clear that he never gave approval for

Went to move to the High Court to challenge the government, more so the decision of the CCDO. In her application, Went told the court that the members of the Committee of Management; Vera Naughton, Uhlan Leaner, Thomas Nestor, Patrick Yarde, Maurice Veecock, Dawn Gardener, Jermain Hermanstyne, Reginald Brotherson, Kenneth Watson, Grace Mc Kend, and Ivelaw Henry, authorised her to make the application. But Hermanstyne told reporters that he along with two of the members that sat on the committee have filed affidavit to clear their names.

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“I want to make it very clear that I am disassociating myself from that. I was never contacted by any of the former managers, I was never told of any court action, I learnt from this in the press. This is another attempt tarnish my integrity and I want to make it very clear. I have stood against Patrick Yarde and his people because they want to spend the credit union money recklessly,” he said. While a few members and shareholders have spoken out against Went, Yarde and team, the embattled leaders have refuted the claims made against them.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

China’s commitment to Guyana’s healthcare system lauded

THE Ministry of Public Health and the Chinese Embassy in Guyana on Saturday evening hosted a dinner to bid farewell to the 13th Chinese Medical Brigade and welcome the 14th batch of Chinese doctors to Guyana. Delivering remarks was Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who congratulated the outgoing medical team for successfully completing their one-year voluntary stint in the country. “During this period, I have met with members of the team and have appreciated their commitment not only to the duty but to reaching out to our people in the rural communities. I recall warmly the

team’s visits with us to Berbice and elsewhere.” He wished the outgoing team success as they reunite with their families in China and expressed optimism that one day they will return to Guyana where they now have many friends. “… we will remember them and should we visit China in the future we would certainly request Jiangsu Province and, more especially, the City of Lianyungang.” In her remarks, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence said the government recognises the wide range of knowledge and expertise that the Chinese Government has extended over the years to the

A member of the 13th Chinese Medical Brigade receives a token of appreciation from Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo

Prime Minister Moses Nagamoootoo receives a token of appreciation from members of the 13th Chinese Medical Brigade

Member of the 13th Chinese Medical Brigade receives a token of appreciation from Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

people of Guyana through the annual mission of the Chinese Medical Teams. She noted that Guyana has witnessed the deepening and strengthening of the relationship between the two countries, engendered by the interaction of the medical teams, the health care providers and the beneficiaries. “As the Minister of Public Health, I wish to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the solidarity, support and invaluable service to the health sector”. Minister Lawrence also extended gratitude to the outgoing team for their expertise and assistance in the recently concluded four-day Health Expo held at the Sophia Exhibition Centre. The 13th Chinese Medical team comprised

a total of 16 specialists, 11 of whom were stationed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), while five members were assigned to the Linden Hospital (LHC). The doctors shared their knowledge and experience with their colleagues at the two hospitals in the areas of Pathology, Radiology, and Genealogy among others. The outgoing leader of the 13th Medical team, Dr. Lui Yi highlighted that the group would have treated some 30,000 patients, conducted some 3000 operations at the GPHC and the LHC and held some 11 outreaches in rural and remote areas. Dr. Li said the team had developed a deep friendship with the Guyanese people and their colleagues at the respective hospitals. Incoming leader of the 14th medical team, Dr. Shen Jian assured the outgoing team that his batch of doctors will continue in their footsteps. Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Missions, Chinese Embassy in Guyana, Chen Xilai, congratulated the outgoing team for their success over their one-year period. He also noted that the relationship between Guyana and China will continue to grow since it has been 25 consecutive years of Chinese medical teams coming to Guyana. The most recent 14-member team will see 10 doctors stationed at the GPHC and four at the LHC. (DPI)

Non Pareil roads deplorable FOR years, the residents of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara, have been advocating for better roads since most of the streets are riddled with huge potholes and the internal streets and the main access road into the village continue to deteriorate. It takes some skill to navigate the internal streets in the village, because almost all the streets have a series of potholes. The village is located about 14 miles from Georgetown and sits between Melanie Damishana and Coldingen. A resident, Ganesh Singh told the Guyana Chronicle that he had been residing at the location for the past

15 years and since back then it was dams, then the roads were completed but ever since it has never been repaired or resurfaced. He advised that it was

time the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) fix the streets in the community, noting its current state and the fact that whenever it rains, huge holes turn into

craters. Another villager, Calvin Moses, told this newspaper that vehicle owners have a difficult time passing through the streets to access Up close: One of the pothole-riddled streets in Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara

Sixth Street, Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara

their homes, because there are so many holes. Despite voicing their concerns nothing has been done. Moses hopes the relevant authorities pay some attention and at least resurface the streets to bring to an end their struggles with bad roads. He related that Sixth Street, Non Pareil was almost impassable. Some residents have tried to fill up the potholes with ‘builders

waste’ and others have dug small drains in an effort to prevent the potholes from filling up with rain water. This newspaper was told by a representative of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure that the village streets fall under the umbrella of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council of Region Four which is responsible for maintenance.

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Corruption, security breaches at prisons to be addressed – Min. Ramjattan

PREVENTATIVE technologies, raising of salaries and professionalising the Guyana Prison Service will have to be reviewed as ways to combat the incessant and rampant corruption occurring within the prisons which is fueling serious security breaches, according to Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan. “It’s a big shame that these prison warders continue to be involved because it is obviously a conspiracy. Some of those guards seem to be incapable of seeing people throwing in illegal things, but it is a state of play in relation to how our culture is and we have to struggle it out to get better people, and better salaries,” Ramjattan told this publication while at

Parliament on Monday. Describing the warders involved in smuggling items into the prison as rogue elements, Ramjattan noted collusion with prisoners will always be a major security risk which can turn deadly. He explained that although technology is expensive, he would propose scanners for all prisons. 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. Meanwhile, the acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, had also issued a call to all prison warders and officers to desist from traf-

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels

ficking contraband into the prisons, while asking those who were guilty to understand the consequences as

the law would take its course. 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. 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 offi-

cers 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 worse because of the extent of the collusion that is needed for many contraband items to get into the prison.” “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.

NCERD collaborates with technology giant Taxi driver on rape …developing ‘modern classrooms’ charge THE Ministry of Education has moved one step closer to connecting schools and classrooms in real-time across Guyana through the use of innovative technology. The National Centre for Education and Resource Development (NCERD) is collaborating with technology giant STARR Computer Inc. to develop “Modern Classrooms” in Guyana. At a recent meeting at the tech company’s Brickdam office, Director of NCERD, Ms. Jennifer Cumberbatch and other officials met with CEO of STARR Computer Mike Mohan and staff, in brainstorming 21st Century technology solution to connect classrooms in regions of Guyana. Cumberbatch at the event

had noted that the Smart Classroom could be be used to connect schools thereby creating universal classrooms where one teacher can teach as many students as possible. Mohan said that the generation gap between baby boomers (educators) and generation Z (students) are so far apart that unless common grounds are found to interact, the gap will continue to increase. He explained that baby boomers paid careful attention and followed instructions from their parents and elders whereas generation ‘Z’ rebels against their parent and elders if their ideas are not embraced. Therefore, he emphasized the way forward was to accept that teaching

should be about sharing ideas in a collaborative environment between teachers and students. “By collaborating, the educational strategies of vendors, partners and making some adjustments to suit Guyanese standards, we can have a superb end solution to create an excellent Modern Classroom,” Mohan explained. “With Smart Classroom training by Samsung and distributing rugged student computers from Lenovo, laser interactive projectors from Epson, Smart Lab Virtualization by NComputing, enterprise power protection by APC and security encryption by multiple vendors, through partnership, the end goal should be easily achievable.” The CEO explained that since 2013, the STARR team

was trained by Samsung Educational experts on Smart Classrooms with the use of the Samsung system employed by over 60 countries around the world. Adding that this will serve to bridge the gap between coastal schools and those in the hinterland and rural communities, Mohan said STARR brought a wealth of experience to the table with easy access to modern educational technologies developed and employed by its international partners around the world. The role of NCERD in a Decentralized Education Management system is to provide professional support to all levels of education management that will result in the delivery of quality education in schools.

PRINCIPAL Magistrate, Judy Latchman on Monday released a 37-year-old taxi driver on $150,000 bail on the charge of raping a 14-year-old girl. Subbaschand Harrichan of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, was not represented by an attorney and he was not required to Subbaschand Harrichan plead to the charge which read that between December 1 and December 31, 2016 at Georgetown he engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16. The prosecutor, Corporal Shawn Gonsalves, made no objection to bail and the matter was adjourned until July 5. According to reports, Harrichan was hired to take the teen to her school in the city. However during that time it is alleged that a relationship was formed between the two. It is further alleged that Harrichan would make the child stay away from school to see him during which he would pressure her for sex. The child’s mother later learnt that her child was sexual active and was skipping school to see Harrichan, who worked near their home.

A year in jail for stabbing cousin

An NCERD official making a point to CEO of STARR Computer, Mike Mohan (standing at front on right) during the recent meeting in the company’s boardroom

A 26-year-old woman was on Monday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment after being found guilty on a felonious wounding charge. Lisa Bobb was on trial for unlawfully and maliciously assaulting Crystal Bobb, her cousin, thus causing grievous bodily harm to her. At the Lisa Bobb end of the trial the woman was found guilty as charged. According to information, on the day in question, the two cousins were involved in a heated argument during which the defendant became annoyed and dealt her cousin a stab with a knife to her right hand.

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CDC wraps up damage risk assessment in Rupununi – report to be presented to Cabinet THE Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in collaboration with the Ministries of Public Health and Public Infrastructure and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) over the past two days, conducted a damage risk assessment in the region, primarily along Karasabai, South Pakaraimas and Aishalton, South Rupununi, with the aim of identifying the vulnerabilities and types of hazards to the communities, which are currently under flood watch. The team, which is led by Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig first stopped at Karasabai to meet with village officials and to determine how the village and the surrounding communities have been affected. Deputy Toshao of the village, Mr. Andrew Albert Junior, in an invited comment, said that so far, only Karasabai and Tiger Pond in the South Pakaraimas have experienced a rise in the water levels. However, he noted that only one household had to be evacuated in

Tiger Pond as the water had begun to enter the resident’s home. So far, Mr. Albert said that there has been no further report of flooding in homes or farms. Deputy Toshao Albert noted that the main concern shared by the six villages and one satellite community in that area, is the fact that the flood waters on the main access road has resulted in a total cut-off for villagers. This has prevented access in and out of the village and to Lethem and Georgetown. “We have been in touch with the RDC to ask if they can provide an outboard engine for a boat for us to transport emergency cases, as well as the children who have to go to school because we have exams going on right now. The water is dropping slowly but it will take a lot of time again,” he said. The flooding, he said, is caused not only by the heavy rainfalls or the ‘wet’ season, but the water running off the mountains and from neighbouring Brazil. Over at Aishalton, which along with six other communities have been cut-off by road to and from Lethem,

Toshao Michael Thomas, in an invited comment, said that the community has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the past two weeks. As in the case of Karasabai, the main access road has been cut off. There has been no reported cases of water-borne or vector-borne diseases. At Lethem, Mayor of the town, Mr. Kerry Jarvis, said that Lethem and neighbouring Tabatinga experienced flooding. He noted that approximately 15 households have been affected, three of which had to be evacuated. Meanwhile, the Director General said that the risk assessment focuses on all of the vulnerabilities, hazards and overall risks of the region. “The assessment will be able to say, for instance, that the areas that are high risk, what are the options to minimise risk, such as relocation and moving persons from locations of high risk to areas of low risks. So based on our documentation they will be able to have a baseline for decision making,” he said. He noted that the report will be going to Cabinet for the Government to examine the immediate, intermediate

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig and a local resident inspecting flooded areas

and long-term types of interventions. Lieutenant Colonel Craig noted that based on the assessment conducted on the ground, the water levels of the Ireng and Takutu rivers are high and as such, many of the communities are threatened. Based on the visits conducted, he noted that there has been some areas identified for collaboration between the CDC and the RDC in an effort to continue to monitor the situation and respond as is required. “We

are continuing to work closely with the RDC to come up with a needs list. What we have realised is that we have to have communication at all times with all of the communities in the event that the water level increases and we will be able to communicate to decide what level of supplies if any, they would need. We also need communication for the hospital and health facilities to ensure that they have maximum supplies to deal with any type

of incident. The CDC will also work with the RDC to determine whether there are long-term needs for shelters and if there will be any need for supplies like beds, cots, food, cleaning supplies for those homes affected and so on,” he said. Lieutenant Colonel Craig said that the region has done a commendable job thus far and continues to work to ensure that the risks and damages are greatly minimised. “The RDC has been taking the lead and they know what has to be done. As a matter of fact, they have been providing vehicles to evacuate people from their homes to the shelter so they are on tops of things and the region is working very closely. You have to respond together and definitely we are working closely and once we can support them then we would,” he said. With regard to health, there have been no major outbreaks. While there has been some reported cases of diarrhoea and flu in some of the communities; the health facilities are equipped to treat these cases. (Ministry of the Presidency)

High water levels in both the Ireng and Takutu rivers

CDC officials about to deploy a drone to take pictures of the flooded communities

Charged for stealing music cart valued $768,000

Stole cell phone to ‘buy meals for kids’

AT the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 23-year-old Teshawn McKenzie appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman charged with larceny. It is alleged that on May 12, 2018 at Durban Street, McKenzie stole a music cart valued $ 768,180 from Ezikel Jackson. McKenzie pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecution objected to bail being granted on the grounds that the defendant

was charged with robbery before and was convicted for that offence. The court also heard that McKenzie was released from prison in March, after serving a one-year term of imprisonment for escaping from the Lusignan Prison back in July last year. The magistrate, based upon the prosecution’s objection remanded McKenzie to prison until July 18.

TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Kevin Christopher appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman on Monday and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to a simple larceny charge. The charge read that at Sussex Street, Charlestown, Christopher stole a Samsung Galaxy cellular phone valued $75,000, property of Allan Campbell. He pleaded guilty to the charge. When asked why he stole the phone, Christopher said that it was a joke. He added that police officers came to

him and started to beat him while asking him for the instrument. He told them that his cousin had the phone. Christopher stated that he had wanted to sell the phone to buy meals and milk for his two children. Christopher said that he was sorry and that the phone was given back to Campbell. However Campbell said that he did not want Christopher to go free for fear that he would do it again. His wish was granted by the magistrate and Christopher was sent off to prison.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Marian Academy gets opportunity to understand GDF as the many opportunities available to its members. The Guyana Defence Force’s partnership with educational institutions is in keeping with the Force’s

Major Earl Edghill addressing the students of Marian Academy

STUDENTS of the Marian Academy were the beneficiaries of a wealth of information about the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the many career opportu-

nities available. The information was disseminated through a career talk facilitated on Monday by the school’s administration.

Public Affairs Officer, Major Earl Edghill represented the GDF and in a highly interactive session, made the students aware of the role of the Force as well

remit to contribute to National Development, by aiding youths to gain the much-needed knowledge if they were to make the Military their choice of career.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

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Seaboard Marine CMRC Round two...

Truelove, Vieira are champions of the day By Stephan Sookram; complements of Mohamed’s Enterprise, AR Jiwanram Printery, E-Networks, Buy Me Auto Sales and TriniTuner.com WHEN the dust settled on Sunday at the Frankie Boodhram International Raceway, Wallerfield this weekend, there were two men ahead of the competition by miles. Mark Vieira and Matt Truelove came, saw and conquered round two of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championships Group 4 and superstock classes respectively. Vieira was unstoppable on Saturday as he showed the Twin Island Republic what they were missing from that 20B powered RX8. Many were astonished and left in awe, mostly due to the fact that he was able

to outdrive even some of the all-wheel drive machines that had last year proven to be unbeatable. His strategy was simple-stay ahead of the pack and use the sheer corner speed of his Mazda RX8; and he executed it with class. It carried into the second race of the weekend on Sunday when he started on pole again and made use once again of the clear track ahead and the ability to control the race start from pole. Race three, however, was different. In wet conditions, his RX8 was no match for the all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Evolution of Christian Bourne, though that race only made it to six laps of the allotted twelve as the rain pelted down on the track and began flooding the corners, leading to a red flagged race. When they came back out in the last race of the day, Vieira had a dry track and a full tank to work with and while he was beaten off the line by Bourne, the ‘Trini’ overshot the corner and allowed Vieira to slip by and into the lead. Not that it mattered, since the race was red flagged for an incident on the very next lap where Jamaican, Doug Gore and Bourne came together in the first corner. Vieira managed to get ahead of the carnage but another Guyanese, Andrew King was rear-ended by Jamaican, Jamie James, trying to avoid what had happened in front of him. And while the officials have not determined the points outcome of that race, Vieira, with more wins than anyone else, having picked up the chequered flag twice, was crowned champion driver. King was able to pick up third and fourth placed finishes. Sharima Khan, who competed in the group one class, came onto the track despite having engine troubles throughout the weekend and while she did not manage the podium, the experience is what matters to her. On the superstock end, Matt Truelove was classy to look at. His attention to precision and consistency in closing a seldom gap ahead of him made his work look like Picasso in full stroke. His passes were calculated,

and while brute force and power could have done the job, he chose finesse over flare in getting the job done. If there was a foot placed wrong for the entire weekend, it was the late start in the first race, due to the unfamiliarity with the lights which he later admitted.

Still, he managed to recover from that in three laps and used the remaining nine to hunt a lap record, something he did not manage to break until race two. A blistering 39.983 seconds, which could have been better in race three had the track not been wet,

causing the team to switch out to the wet tires. Still, Truelove was never always in high spirits, thanking the team for a weekend of good work. Matthew Vieira was able to pick up valuable country points after a dismal weekend which saw him crash twice.

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Uruguay stomp Russia 3-0 (REUTERS) - URUGUAY burnished their World Cup credentials with a 3-0 victory over 10man Russia on Monday, finishing top of Group A with a perfect record while dampening the hopes of the tournament hosts, who had to settle for second. Luis Suarez grabbed his second goal of the tournament to open Uruguay’s account with a free-kick after 10 minutes and they doubled the lead with an own goal from Russia’s Denis Cheryshev soon afterwards. That silenced a vociferous home crowd which had been in party mode after Russia’s opening two victories and were not expecting their final group contest to be effectively ended in the 36th minute when Igor Smolnikov was sent off. Edinson Cavani bundled

Uruguay player Edinson Cavani (r) scores the third Uruguay goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Uruguay and Russia at Samara Arena on June 25, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

home a third goal for Uruguay at the death to wrap up their third straight victory, ensuring they finished above

the Russians, who will now have to face the winners of Group B in the last 16. Uruguay, who kept their

Xhaka, Shaqiri and Lichtsteiner avoid bans over unsporting behaviour

Granit Xhaka (left) and Xherdan Shaqiri both play their football in England

(BBC) - SWITZERLAND’S Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Stephan Lichtsteiner have avoided bans for their ‘double-headed eagle gesture’ celebrations in their side’s World Cup win over Serbia. Fifa fined Xhaka and Shaqiri 10,000 Swiss francs (£7,632) and Lichtsteiner SFr5,000 (£3,816) for “unsporting behaviour” for the gesture, which symbolises the Albanian flag. Xhaka and Shaqiri are ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, where a Serbian crackdown on the Albanian population ended with Nato military intervention in 1999. Serbian Football Association president Slavisa Kokeza and Serbia head coach

Mladen Krstajic were each fined SFr5,000 for their comments after Friday’s 2-1 defeat. Kokeza gave an interview to the BBC in which he accused FIFA, football’s world governing body, of bias against his country. The Serbian FA was also fined SFr54,000 (£41,217) for the behaviour of fans during the game--the display of discriminatory banners and the throwing of objects. Arsenal midfielder Xhaka and Stoke City forward Shaqiri scored as Switzerland came from a goal down to beat Serbia. Xhaka’s father spent three and a half years as a political prisoner in Yugoslavia, while Shaqiri was born in Yugoslavia before emigrating to Switzerland as a child.

sixth straight clean sheet, will face the runners-up from Group B, which will be decided when Spain,

Portugal and Iran battle it out for two last-16 spots later on Monday. While Russia had confounded those who predicted a group stage exit with resounding victories over Saudi Arabia and Egypt, there was still a question mark over how they would perform when they faced stronger opposition. Twice World Cup winners, Uruguay, offered them the chance to show they truly belonged among the elite, but it was an opportunity wasted, merely serving to give ammunition to the doubters. “I believe that when we had 10 people in the pitch, we were running and wanted to attack more,” said Russia’s coach Stanislav Cherchesov. Yet, while Smolnikov’s sending off may have ended Russia’s hopes of a third win, in truth the encounter had already swung decisively against them.

They went behind in sweltering conditions at the Samara Arena when Suarez struck a low freekick into the bottom corner that should have been easy pickings for Russia keeper, Igor Akinfeev. Sadly for the home fans who had created a deafening din in the opening minutes, Akinfeev inexplicably vacated his bottom left corner, moving back to the side of the goal his wall was guarding and leaving space for Suarez to stroke the ball home. It was Suarez’s second goal of the tournament and seventh World Cup goal overall for Uruguay, with only Oscar Miguez having scored more for the South Americans with eight. Uruguay doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Diego Laxalt’s shot from the edge of the area deflected off Cheryshev, leaving Akinfeev wrongfooted.

Saudi Arabia win 2-1 win over Egypt (REUTERS) - SAUDI Arabia pulled off a last-gasp 2-1 win over Egypt as the two sides departed from the tournament on Monday, adding to the misery of Egypt’s prolific striker, Mohamed Salah and giving the Saudis their first victory at a World Cup since 1994. In an often end-to-end game between two teams already packing their bags for the journey home, Salah put Egypt ahead but wasted a golden opportunity to double the lead, allowing the Green Falcons the chance to claw their way back. The win, settled by midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari’s angled strike in the 95th minute, meant Saudi Arabia finished third in Group A, scoring their only goals in Russia and putting behind them an opening day 5-0 thrashing by the hosts. Egypt finished in last place with no points, a result likely to heap pressure on Argentine coach, Hector Cuper. It was a sad send-off for Salah who missed the opening game of the tournament with the shoulder injury he picked up during Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid in May. Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi praised his team for not giving Egypt the space they needed to feed Salah who looked like he was still suffering the effects of the injury. “It stopped him even from preparing properly for this World Cup,” Pizzi told reporters. “I think that psychologically, his injury was also hard for his team, as it was for Liverpool. I think it had an impact both on the national team and on

Salem Aldawsari of Saudi Arabia celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Saudia Arabia and Egypt at Volgograd Arena on June 25, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Liverpool.” There had been confusion before the kick-off about whether Salah would play when a team sheet showing him not in the starting lineup was posted on an Egypt account on Twitter, only to be replaced minutes later by another that included him. Earlier on Monday, the Egyptian

Football Association denied reports that Salah was considering retirement from the national team after unwittingly becoming a publicity pawn for the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. When Salah opened the scoring against Saudi Arabia, he chose not to celebrate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Iran equalize late to hold Portugal to draw champions to second spot in the group behind Spain. A minute later, Iran came close to sealing their first spot in the last 16 and knocking out Portugal but Mehdi Taremi could only hit the side-netting from close range. Caceres consulted with VAR to award Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts after missing a penalty during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group B match between Iran and Portugal at Mordovia Arena on June 25, 2018 in Saransk, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

(REUTERS) PORTUGAL advanced to the World Cup round of 16 behind Spain from Group B after a stunning Ricardo Quaresma strike was cancelled out by a stoppage-time penalty from Iran’s Karim Ansarifard on Monday after Cristiano Ronaldo had himself missed from the spot. The 1-1 draw meant Portugal finished tied on five points with Spain, who drew 2-2 against Morocco,

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to top the group by scoring more goals, and set up a second round clash with Group A toppers, Uruguay in Sochi on Saturday. Portugal were left to rue a missed penalty by talisman and captain Ronaldo in the 53rd minute after goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand pulled off a heroic save to deny them a 2-0 lead. On the stroke of halftime Quaresma, making his World Cup debut at the age of 34, played a one-two with

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Adrien Silva to cut in from the right flank and curled the ball past the outstretched hands of Beiranvand with the outside of his boot. However, Iran equalised in stoppage time after Paraguayan referee, Enrique Caceres used the video assistant referee (VAR) system to rule that Portugal’s Cedric Soares had handled the ball in the box. Ansarifard converted the resulting penalty to level the score, pushing the European

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a penalty for Morteza Pouraliganji’s foul on Ronaldo amid vociferous protests from the Iranians and their numerous supporters at the Mordovia Arena. The Real Madrid forward, however, failed to convert, also losing the chance to tie England’s

Harry Kane at the top of the scorers’ list on five goals. “We have achieved our goal and now we have to recover over the next few days to think about the next match,” Quaresma told reporters. “Now we have to continue with this mindset of winning and wait for the next match.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26 , 2018

Flying Stars win Unity Cup AFTER weeks of intense softball action, Flying Stars were crowned winners of the Unity Cup when the tournament concluded on Sunday at the Uitvlugt Centre ground. Flying Stars defeated Farm X1 by five runs after the final was reduced to five-overs a side due to the inclement weather. Batting first, Flying Stars reached 36-8, with Martin Singh contributing a top-

score of 15. In reply, the Farm X1 batsmen panicked from the start and fell short of the target by five runs. They eventually reached 318. In the female final, Queen of the Boundary scored 29-1, beating All Stars who scored 18-3, by 11 runs. In the Male Open semifinals, Farm X1 defeated Omesh X1, while Flying Stars beat Cane Grove. The one-ball winners

were Romel D’Aguar, Khaled Mohammed and Chavez Ageday The most consistent batsman was Sachin Jagnarine (Cane Grove), while the award for most wickets went to Narine Shaw of Crossbreed. The tournament, which was organised by the Guyana Softball League, attracted some 79 teams and lasted just over one month. The goal of the tournament was to resuscitate the sport in various areas. To some extent this was achieved.

The victorious Flying Stars team

‘Impressive’ Rose guides Guyana to a 104 – 102 double-overtime win over St Vincent WHILE it took an all-round team effort from Guyana to close out St Vincent and the Grenadines 104 – 102 in double-overtime last evening in Suriname, it was 18-year-old Stanton Rose who fashioned the victory with his sensational game-high 41 points in one of the best individual performances at this year’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Caribbean Championships. Rose, who also had eight rebounds and three steals, lit up the Anthony Nesty Stadium, scoring 16 of his 28 attempts, inclusive of nine three pointers. The youngest to ever captain Guyana at a Caribbean Championship, Rose, who hails from Kwakwani, helped Guyana to rally from being down by as many as 13 points. St Vincent and the Grenadines took advantage of Guyana’s lack of size on the inside, and raced to a 26 – 18 first quarter lead. By half time, the Guyanese men, despite scoring just as many

as St Vincent in the second period (20), trailed 38 – 46. Whatever was discussed by head coach, Junior Hercules, at half- time certainly fuelled Guyana, with Rose leading the charge and scoring the bulk of his 41 points in the third quarter, helping Guyana to outscore St Vincent and the Grenadines 24 – 16, to spark their come-back. The two sides entered the final stanza of the nailbiting encounter with the scores deadlocked on 62 points, but after then, it was a ‘seesaw’ affair, with the scores ‘changing hands’ regularly. Guyana made the game as difficult as it was with their horrible shooting from the free-throw line, where they finished the night only scoring 13 of their 38 attempts. Ray Victor’s 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals proved detrimental, since the British Virgin Islands-based player picked the pocket of the St Vincent players at crucial stages.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday June 26, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & Cummings Electrical Company Ltd. 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) WI vs ENG, 1930 (2) WI vs NZ, 1985 Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first player to score a triple-hundred in a Test at the Kensington Oval, Barbados? (2) Who has the best bowling figures in a Test innings at the Kensington Oval?

Sean Baptiste, St Vincent’s best player on the night (26 points, nine rebounds, four steals), played end-to-end, but with Rose leading a Guyana team firing on all cylinders, even Chrisford Telesford (17), Phillip Lawrence-Ricks (16 points, 11 rebounds), could’ve helped. Both teams scored identical points in the fourth quarter (19), but Harold Adams (6), with Guyana trailing 76 – 81, was fouled on a three-point attempt and was sent to the line. The Victory Valley Royals forward failed to connect on the three shots from the ‘charity line’, but in a twisted turn of events, Adams would score the basket to tie the game at 81, which saw things heading into the first overtime. Both teams traded baskets evenly and Rose made several big plays after the other, including a steal, where he found Travis Belgrave for a lay-up which turned out to be the basket to help send things to overtime, with the game tied at 96. In second overtime, Victor and Rose turned up big for Guyana, who eased away to the well-deserved win. Anthony Moe showed flashes of brilliance in his 13 points and eight rebounds, though playing out of position on the floor. Up next for Guyana is a clash against St Lucia on Wednesday. They will play their final group game on Thursday, when they hope to remain unbeaten and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2003.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Guinness Greatest of the Streets Berbice Zone ‒Trafalgar demolish Lichfield in tense final ‒Hopetown cop third place AFTER dispatching last year’s winners of the Berbice Zone Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’, New Amsterdam Kings in the quarter-final, Trafalgar ran riot in the final on Sunday night, hitting four goals past Lichfield to claim the 2018 title. Ryan Schultz was the man on target for Trafalgar, netting goals in the third and sixth minutes before adding the icing on the cake with a Guinness Goal in the 38th minute to completely demolish Lichfield who offered no resistance. Meanwhile, Hopetown needled Outsiders in the third place play-off with Marvin Robertson netting

the lone goal for the victors. Earlier in the semifinals, Trafalgar needed a win via sudden death penalty kicks to get past Hopetown after regulation time failed to produce a winner. Lichfield’s route to the final was easier, beating Outsiders 2-0, compliments of a brace from Carlos Grant in the 22nd and 26th minutes. The latest title holders not only carted off the top prize of $400,000, but also secured a spot in the national playoffs. Meanwhile, the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Bartica leg is slated for July 14, 15 and 16.

Banks DIH staffer, Fraiche Kendall, hands over the first prize and winning trophy to Trafalgar captain, Adrian Price, in the presence of Brand manager, Lee Baptiste (extreme left), Outdoor Events manager, Mortimer Stewart (right) and teammates on Sunday.

Holder to the rescue! AN inspired Jason Holder breathed fire to remove four Sri Lankan wickets late in the day as West Indies kept their hopes of a series win alive on a 20-wicket day in Bridgetown. These are the most wickets to have fallen in a single day of Test cricket in the Caribbean, surpassing the 18 that fell when England last toured here in 2015. Holder’s figures at stumps on the third day read 8-3-214 as Sri Lanka stumbled to 81 for 5 chasing 144 for a series-levelling victory in the third Test. The visitors could effectively be six down, with Kusal Perera in hospital for scans following a nasty injury while fielding earlier in the day. Official word on his availability is awaited. West Indies had grabbed a 50-run lead, that could have been much more if not for a shoddy drop down leg by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich in the day’s first over, with Sri Lanka yet to add to their overnight 99 for 5. On 13 then, Dickwella went on to top-score with 42 in Sri Lanka’s 154 all out. Holder picked up three of the four wickets to fall, finishing with 4 for 19 off 16 overs. The game then galloped forward when Sri Lanka took

just 31.2 overs to skittle West Indies for 93, the least overs they’ve taken to bowl out a Test side outside Asia. Kemar Roach’s adventurous 23 not out was the highest in a disastrous batting performance, with each of the top five recording singledigit scores. Suranga Lakmal, the captain, and Lahiru Kumara picked up three wickets apiece, Kumara easily the most impressive of the lot, troubling batsmen with genuine pace married with tremendous accuracy. Then under lights, Holder, Roach and Shannon Gabriel got the ball to hoop around, putting the batsmen through a searching examination. Sri Lanka’s hopes now hinge on Kusal Mendis, unbeaten on 25. He has allrounder Dilruwan Perera and the lower order for company. Danushka Gunathilaka and Mahela Udawatte opened the innings in Kusal’s absence, but were dismissed cheaply to expose a fragile middle order missing Dinesh Chandimal, who is sitting out because of a suspension. Udawatte’s horror international return after a 10-year gap continued when he was beaten for pace by a sharp inswinger from Roach to be lbw - his second duck and third single-digit score in four innings on tour. Gunathilaka, meanwhile,

top-edged a pull to a backpedalling Devendra Bishoo at mid-on off a steep Holder delivery. Dhananjaya de Silva was then put to severe test by an inspired Holder, who eventually had his wicket when the batsman shouldered arms to a ball coming inwards and saw his off stump flattened. So fired up was Holder that West Indies wasted a review to a caught behind appeal off Roshen Silva, but he wouldn’t last long, nicking to second slip in the same over to leave Sri Lanka in trouble at 50 for 4. That could have been 59 for 5 had Shai Hope, keeping in place of an injured Dowrich, held on to a one-handed chance offered by Kusal Mendis off Holder. At the start of West Indies’ innings, the home side’s hopes of building on a big lead suffered early setbacks when they slid to 13 for 3 at the end of the first session where eight wickets fell. Kraigg Brathwaite was snaffled at short leg by a rising Lakmal delivery, while Devon Smith and Hope were beaten on the inside edge by sharp inswingers. Dowrich and Holder briefly resisted to add 27, the highest partnership of West Indies’ second innings,

-Sri Lanka require 63 on day 4 before things unravelled. Eventually, Roach’s cameo

took the lead well beyond 100, and gave them a

respectable pink-ball target to bowl at.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 26 , 2018

CONCACAF chief hails ...

Truelove, Vieira are champions of the day PAGE

19 Mark Vieira was unstoppable last weekend at the second round of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing championships (Stephan Sookram photo)

A modern day Picasso. Matt Truelove made the Frankie Boodhram International Raceway his canvas with clinical passing at the second round of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing championships (Stephan Sookram photo)

‘Impressive’ Rose guides Guyana to a 104 – 102 double-overtime win 22 over St Vincent

Holder to the rescue!

PAGE

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23 Jason Holder picked up four wickets on the third day of the third Test between WINDIES and Sri Lanka on Monday, June 25, 2018 at Kensington Oval. © CWI Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

Stanton Rose being guarded by St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Reinaldo Millington during his game-high 41 points performance at the CBC Championships. (Photo compliments‒Kaieteur News)

Match Fixtures

Australia vs. Peru

10 a.m. ET

Sochi

Denmark vs. France

10 a.m. ET

Moscow

Iceland vs. Croatia

2 p.m. ET

Rostov

Nigeria vs. Argentina

2 p.m. ET

Saint Petersburg

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TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018