Chronicle 04 3 2016

Broomes scolds mines officers No. 104510

SUNDAY APRIL 3, 2016

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‒ furious that laws, regulations are enforced selectively

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Mahaica’s ‘mad scientists’ make mosquito repellent from Katahar flower Centre 16-year-old Darshanie Nanhu (right), a student of the Bygeval Secondary School, poses with a bottle of insect repellent she invented using a toxin found in the flower of the Katahar tree. The project won the 2016 Science, Mathematics and Technology Fair on Friday. Others in photo are Dolly Sooknanan, 16, (left) another student who worked on the project with Darshanie and helped her present it at the fair, and teacher Jaishree Nanku, who managed the students and helped create the display for the project (Ivan Bentham photo)

Deadlock in Linden TV: Sharma IPED sets aside election for P.3 Solomon denies $50M for P.10 Mabaruma Mayor ‘one man show’P.3 creative industries

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Minister Broomes scolds mines officers ‒ furious that laws, regulations are enforced selectively

By Ariana Gordon MINES officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) were on Saturday reminded of their need to be impartial in the execution of their duties, as miners in the North Fork Backdam, Konawaruk and Mowasi Landing areas have complained bitterly about bias displayed by mines officers.

After meeting on Saturday with miners, who complained about what appears to be favouritism displayed

by mines officers in Mining District 2, Minister Simona Broomes of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment expressed dissatisfaction with the reports, and has issued a stern warning to mines officers regarding their need to enforce the laws and regulations applicable to small, medium and large scale miners.

The miners complained that their small-scale mining operations are often halted by mines officers for various reasons, but they allege that medium and large scale min-

ers are allowed to breach the very regulations that they are targeted for.

In a bid to investigate the claims of the small-scale miners, who have requested Government’s assistance in providing land for them to work, Minister Broomes, accompanied by a team of mines officers, ranks of the Police Force and the media, visited Region 8.

During that visit, the Minister observed a mining company in breach of several safety regulations, but are yet to be issued a Cease Work

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, GGMC officials and miners examine a map of the mining district

pervisor said: “These operations were monitored all the time.”

It was then that Minister Broomes in quired more about the monitoring process.

She said if that company was being monitored and from afar she can observe several breaches, then something was not right.

“So they were monitored…and (have) no buffer and everything just eat away like this?” Minister Broomes

It was observed that the mining company has lots of overburden material (waste or spoilt) above the area where the mining activity is ongoing.

The minister said this is dangerous for those working there. That material, she said, should be used by the company to restore the areas that have been mined out.

Minister Broomes noted that companies like the one she observed have enough room for mining reclamation.

“Why so much overburden?

There are big piles of stuff?

When would they come back in terms of compliance and reclamation? They never come back!

“I just see these big pools. Why are they allowed to go forward with all these things?” the minister asked, while noting that large-scale mining companies should set an example to small miners.

It was then that the mines supervisor said that mines officers will “inform them of their legal responsibilities.”

“I will alert them and put them on notice, and let them know we have seen this…,”the officer said.

His statements did not sit

“The regulations are for everybody…without fear or favour. I don’t want to know some people doing this and some doing that.”

– Minister Broomes

A river dredge stationed in the Konawaruk River, Region 8

Order (CWO).

Asked to explain why that mining company was not issued a CWO for the glaring cases of unsafe practices in the mines, the Mines Su-

“Why are they special? I want to know why some miners are being treated differently. Why are they being treated differently as against these (small) miners?”

– Minister Broomes

questioned.

She received this response from the supervisor: “They are expected to maintain the 66-foot buffer area from the Konawaruk River.”

The Minister refused to accept what she was being told. “You just pointed out to me that where we were walking use to be [good] and so they eat all of that. So if they were being monitored, how is this possible? “(In the case of) a small miner, you don’t leave it up to him, you does go and stop him; but these people, you have anything on record that they received any cease-work orders?”

The Minister said the company was operating in a “special manner”, and enquired why they were given privileges that small miners are denied.

“Why are they special?

I want to know why some miners are being treated differently. Why are they being treated differently, as against these (small) miners?” she asked.

Turn to page 9 ►

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Deadlock in election for Mabaruma Mayor

THE Mabaruma Town Council at its first meeting Saturday arrived at a stalemate when the election for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor was called.

The council met around 1:30 pm at the Language Resource Centre at Mabaruma when the 12 councillors were sworn in. Six councillors are from the governing APNU+AFC coalition and the other six are from the Opposition PPP. The councillors sworn in are Lorenzo Daniels, Leslie Robinson ,Cleveland December, Carolyn Robinson, Victor O’Selmo, Mark Persaud, Henry Smith , Vibert Emmanuel , Ashtrilla Gammel ,Victor Boyer , Jude Hernandez and Euranie Bennet.

After the meeting was called to order, Town Clerk Ovid Morrison administered the afternoon’s proceedings.

The councillors then took the oath and shortly after, elections for Mayor and Deputy-Mayor commenced.

Councillor Henry Smith

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, (second right) poses with the elected councillors of the Mabaruma Town Council. Also in picture is Region One Chairman, Brentnol Ashley (right) and Vice-Chairman Sarah Browne (third from left)

was nominated for the post by one of his APNU+AFC colleagues, while PPP Councillor Vibert Emmanuel was nominated for the post. The process was stalled thereafter, since Councillors for

both parties voted for their candidates and the day’s business concluded shortly after.

The Town Clerk announced that the Councillors will meet again on Tuesday,

April 5, 2016 at the same venue.

Persons at Mabaruma told this newspaper that a compromise in which the two top posts would revolve between the two parties may

be the option to break the deadlock. If that option is not pursued, the municipality may head to a by-election, which is due constitutionally within a three- month timeframe of the first elections.

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally were in Mabaruma Saturday to meet with the elected councillors. (Alva Solomon)

Linden TV: Sharma Solomon denies ‘one man show’

By Vanessa Braithwaite

A SLOTHFUL response by some stakeholders is stalling the work of Region 10 Broadcasting Incorporated, the company overseeing the setting up of a TV station in Linden, and Secretary to the Board, Sharma Solomon, is denying claims that he wants to take full control.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, during a recent meeting with the five-member board, had urged the inclusion of other stakeholders, but they have been slow in responding.

“The board immediately held a meeting with all five members and agreed to facilitate and have that bone of contention dealt with and settled by having all those members at the stakeholders’ meeting to be a part of the board,” Solomon stated.

These stakeholders include a wider cross-section of interests in the community, namely the Regional Democratic Council, the Mayor & Town Council,

Neighbourhood Democratic Council, labour, business, youth, religion, and women.

Solomon revealed that a “reasonable amount” of responses were received and the board now has 13 members who will be legally included.

The stakeholders who have not responded to the request as yet include the RDC, the Town Council and the NDC and this sluggish behaviour, the secretary said, is hindering the station from turning the switch on.

He said the slothfulness in response is contradictory, since representatives from these stakeholder groups were rallying for the board to be extended. Now that mechanisms were put in place to have this dealt with at the earliest, the board cannot complete the other requirements in a timely manner.

“If a licence is placed in our hands this minute, we are prepared to turn on the station the next minute.

“We are waiting on the people in Region 10, who seem to have concerns which

we are addressing about being included in the board, so as to expand it in numbers.

“Region 10 is holding back Region 10 from getting this matter right.”

Solomon is hoping that all stakeholders who have not responded, do so by the next week as the board is looking to have their first extended board meeting on April 8.

“If they don’t, they will have to explain to the Linden people and the people of Guyana whether they want to be involved or in charge.

“It is unfortunate that we are about to flip the switch on and we are causing that in Region 10 from not happening,” he declared.

The board members revealed that it was through their struggle that the television station has been returned to the people after signing the agreement with the PPP-led government in 2012. “The current situation with the Linden television station is one that resulted out of an agreement with the PPP/C-led government on

Sharma Solomon

21st August 2012, following a long, hard and brutal struggle that culminated in the loss of lives of Shemroy Bouyea, Allan Lewis and Ron Somerset, and injuries to scores,” stated the board. The three men were killed at the start of protests against electricity rate hikes in the town.

The members find it strange that while the strug-

gle was being fought, those now concerned about management and the benefits to the people of Linden were silent.

“When we would have asked before for support with voices and energy so that we could have gotten it faster, it was the board that fetched this right down to where it is right now.”

The board members have refuted claims that the board is under the control of Solomon, the former Regional Chairman.

Solomon revealed that his designation is only that of a secretary and a chairman will be appointed upon extension of its members.

Pastor Morris McKinnon, representative of the religious community on the board said that he is disappointed in what is being portrayed about the ulterior motives of the board and its secretary.

He disputed the opinion of some that the TV station is “a one-man show and the secretary wants to manipulate and gain control of the

TV station for some ulterior motive.”

Region 10 Broadcasting Incorporated was formed after an application was made to the Guyana Broadcasting Authority for a broadcasting licence. Being cognizant that same cannot be granted to the RDC, a company was created to achieve that purpose.

The company, at establishment, comprised four Directors, namely, Sharma Solomon, Sandra Vantull, Morris McKinnon and the late Mr. Haslyn Parris.

The board is requesting that the stakeholders work in unity with the members rather than stymie its efforts.

“If we the people of Linden/Region 10 engage in acts of short-sightedness, not being able to separate the trees from the forest, then we stymie the little progress that we have made with the television station.

“Continued unnecessary infighting has resulted in this current regime withholding the granting of a licence.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 3, 2016

Islamic State planted thousands of mines in Palmyra: Syrian army

(Reuters) ISLAMIC State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters.

The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg.

More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces, backed by Russian jets, retook the city on Sunday, he said.

He did not say why the Islamic State fighters failed to

set off the explosives before pulling out, but his assertion echoed comments from Syria’s antiquities chief, who said the militants intended to dynamite a greater area of the city’s 2,000-year-old ruins than they already had.

The officer, who did not give his name, said the bombs left behind were linked so they could go off together.

“All the government buildings are rigged in a network connected to the Daesh leadership headquarters,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. “The idea was that as we enter it would all go off at once, not just

Graffiti (R) sprayed by Islamic State militants which reads ‘’We remain’’ is seen at theTemple of Bel in historic city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, Syria April 1, 2016. forces began the offensive, bomb by bomb. And there army members captured by cannot return until de-mining are a really huge number of Islamic State. is complete. bombs.”

Parts of Palmyra have Smoke could be seen Islamic State’s defeat in been cleared, including the rising from some parts of Palmyra was not only a sig- road from Homs. But Syrian the modern, residential city nificant military victory for soldiers -- soon to be joined of Palmyra, which lies next President Bashar al-Assad, by Russian de-mining ex- to the 2,000-year-old ruins, opening up the country’s perts -- are still working during a visit by journalists central desert to government on defusing or detonating on Friday. forces and their allies. It also explosives.

But few people were to cast the Syrian army as an ef“We cannot leave them be seen and no shops were fective fighting force against there. We are dealing with 90 open. Residential areas had jihadists bent on cultural van- percent of them by explod- been damaged and traces of dalism and wanton killing. ing them because they are explosions could be seen on A military source told buried firmly in the ground, the ground.

Reuters on Saturday troops cemented in the asphalt,” the As well as a network of had identified 45 bodies in officer said. bombs, Islamic State left a mass grave in Palmyra, inCivilians, most of whom traces of their 10-month rule cluding civilians and Syrian fled before Syrian and allied in Palmyra. Graffiti was evident on some of the ancient stones. “Remaining”, it read, part of the Islamic State motto of “remaining and expanding”.

On a stone among the remains of the Temple of Bel was scrawled: “No shooting without the permission of the Emir.”

A signpost on a road through the ruins, now bent at 90 degrees to the ground, tells travelers in the group’s

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trademark black and white colors to “Respect God”.

“When we show humility, God will deliver us,” the sign says, above a passage from the Koran which says: “God made you victorious at the (battle of) Badr when you were but a humble (force),” referring to a battle from the early Muslim era which the ultra-hardline group looks back to with reverence.

The ancient Roman amphitheatre, where Islamic State shot dead around 20 men as it took over the city last May, appears unscathed.

The Temple of Bel, an imposing monument before it was blown up last year, has been reduced to a couple of columns and a heap of rubble, although antiquities chief Maamoun Abdelkarim says it is not totally beyond repair.

Other structures blown up by Islamic State include Palmyra’s triumphal arch, three funerary towers and the temple of Baal Shamin.

Before serious renovation can take place, officials say, the area needs to be made fully safe.

Moscow has sent de-miners to help with the clear-up, and Russian military servicemen will start defusing mines in Palmyra in a few days, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday, citing the defense ministry.

The first batch of specialists has left Russian airbase Khmeimim in western Syria.

The convoy, consisting of more than 20 vehicles, will be guarded by Mi-24 and Mi-28 helicopters.

T h e d e- m in ers w ill deal with more than 180 hectares of territory, Russia’s defense ministry has said, citing initial estimates. The aim is to clear the historic part of the ancient city as well as residential areas.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

The man who could be Brazil’s next President…

Temer: Poetry, quiet power, restrained calculator (Reuters) HIS manners and dress are so impeccable that the man who may soon be Brazil’s next president is quietly known by political allies and enemies alike as “The Butler.”

Yet Vice President Michel Temer, a respected constitutional scholar who would step into the presidency should President Dilma Rousseff be impeached in coming weeks, is not quite what you might expect.

Married to a former beauty pageant contestant 43 years his junior who has his name tattooed on her neck, Temer has also released a book of poetry titled “Anonymous Intimacy.”

Its terse verse was penned on airplane napkins while he traveled from the capital Brasilia to his base in Sao Paulo.

It includes praise for the female form and oblique allusions to Brazil’s polarized politics, which some hope he can ease with his consensus-building manner.

It is by no means guaranteed that Rousseff will be impeached on accusations of accounting irregularities in the government budget. But the chances of that sharply increased when Temer’s Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) broke with the ruling coalition this week.

The impeachment push has gained force from widespread public anger over near-daily revelations of graft in Brazil’s biggest-ever corruption investigation involving kickback schemes at state-run oil company Petrobras.

Rousseff is not facing charges despite serving as chairwoman of Petrobras for several years as the schemes played out and testimony from state witnesses that she knew about the graft. Temer also faces no charges, although he has been accused by a senator turned state’s witness of having a hand in shady Petrobras ethanol deals.

Both leaders deny any wrongdoing.

Temer, 75, has said he will not contest the next presidential election in 2018 - unsurprising, considering a recent survey from polling group Datafolha showed just 1 percent of those surveyed would vote for him.

For 15 years, he has led the PMDB, a regionally fragmented party with no consistent ideology, yet which holds more Congressional seats than any other.

Since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985, the PMDB has mostly been content to let other parties hold the presidency while it gravitated toward power regardless of who held it. The party positioned itself as the legislative power broker, winning pork barrel perks and control of ministries in return for support in Congress.

That has now come to an end and the PMDB plans to field its own presidential candidate in 2018. Impeaching Rousseff would give it power within weeks.

Temer’s supporters say his long political career working across the ideological spectrum would make him a strong transition leader and help set the PMDB up for a presidential win two years down the line.

“He is a good, experienced politician,” said Wellington Moreira Franco, a top advisor to Temer and the main architect of the PMDB’s plans to lead Brazil out of its economic crisis. “His values include temperance, prudence and wisdom ... He works more as a peacemaker than somebody who generates conflicts.”

Brazil’s Vice President Michel Temer is pictured at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, in this March 2, 2016 file photo.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado/Files Rousseff and her ruling Workers’ Party say that impeachment would amount to a coup.

NEGOTIATOR Temer honed his craft over several years in Brazil’s bare-knuckle lower house of Congress where he served as speaker three times and was an ally to both centrist President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Despite the voracious and varied political food fights that played out in Brazil’s lower house, Temer was known for remaining above the fray.

He rarely raises his voice, is said not to curse and refrains from the seemingly obligatory wild gesticulation and theatrics his peers employ during debates.

“In moments of crisis and transition, like now, the ideal leader is one who is neither too much nor too little of anything,” said Eliane Cantanhede, a political commentator with the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper and Globo TV who has covered the vice president for decades.

“Temer is assertive, but not aggressive. He speaks, but not too much. He’s restrained. Yet he has shown he can negotiate with anyone, on the right or left.”

Despite his low-key demeanor, Temer is not above splashes of vanity. Several years ago, he had a nose job that corrected a deviated septum but also, he acknowledged, improved his looks.

Then there is his marriage to Marcela, 32, an ex-beauty pageant contestant more than four decades his junior whom he met when she was 19. A year later they were married and the enamored youth tattooed her husband’s name on the back of her neck.

The son of Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Brazil in 1925, Temer was the youngest of eight children and began his political career in the 1960s as an aide in Sao Paulo state’s education secretary under Governor Ademar de Barros - one of the politicians who inspired the Brazilian saying: “He steals, but he gets things done.”

As vice president since Rousseff took office in 2011, Temer has mostly been relegated to rallying support in Congress and ensuring his fractious party’s support for her agenda.

But that deteriorated in the past year as Rousseff’s popularity plummeted to single digits in polls.

Temer put his relationship with Rousseff on ice in December, when he sent her a letter full of laments that dramatically opened with the Latin proverb “Verba volant, scripta manent” - “Words fly, writings remain.”

“This is a personal letter. It’s a rant I should have made long ago,” Temer wrote in the note dated December 7.

He complained about being sidelined and taken for granted, of only being used to win Congressional votes and to tackle crises, and about not being invited to a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

“Finally,” Temer’s 875-word break-up letter with Rousseff concluded, “I know, madam, that you do not trust me or the PMDB today, nor will you trust us tomorrow.”

Marcela Temer, wife of Brazil’s Vice President Michel Temer, attends the inauguration ceremony for Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff at Planalto Palace in Brasilia January 1, 2011. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Sunday Editor

Neil Marks

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

Haslyn Parris, CCH IN REFLECTING on the death of Mr. William Haslyn Parris, Guyanese are reminded that he was among the cadre of young pioneers who piloted the ship of state of a newly independent nation. With independence and a people imbued with confidence having won a major battle in the right to self-determination, it required much to charter an indigenous course. It required a vision to harness the economic, social, political and cultural resources out of diverse, historical, fractured experiences into a unitary aspiration and purpose, and Parris was among those who crafted and executed same.

It was at this juncture that he served as Chief Economist of the Bank of Guyana. While holding this portfolio, he was part of Guyana’s team negotiating joint-ownership of the Demerara Bauxite Company (DemBa). Alcan resisted the participation of Guyana in the company’s management and sharing of the profit.

In 1971 DemBa was nationalized, and the 30-yearold Parris was assigned Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the renamed Guyana Bauxite Company (GuyBau), to manage its day-to-day activities consistent with the nation’s vision at the time. This vision encompassed ensuring the employees, bauxite communities, and nation benefit from the proceeds, consistent with the then thrust for nation-building and development.

As CEO, Parris incorporated sports, culture and education in the workers’ welfare. This saw the establishment of a department of culture, employment of sports organisers, construction of Linden Concert Hall, bauxite workers and children of the community being granted scholarships, local and overseas. Parris is said to have donated from his salary monthly to schools in the community.

Reportedly, it was a practice started immediately after assuming office as CEO, and continued until he left the industry.

Another feature of Parris’s leadership is his encouragement for innovation and talent among citizens and workers, which he cultivated and allowed to thrive.

In 1975, bauxite workers assembled what was then the world’s largest dragline. Sylvannius Yorrick, who led the local team in the assembling of this machine, did not have the benefit of a high school education, yet Parris was confident in his ability and entrusted him with such a task.

Workers were also given needed support, technical and time-off from work for the construction of the road from Ituni to Kwakwani. Workers partnered with residents of the community and, in less than a year, surveyed, cut through 35 miles of forest, and built a road,

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 3, 2016

‘Together we are so much stronger’, says new Commonwealth Secretary-General “AS a Commonwealth, each country has something unique and special to give each of the others. Together we are so much stronger than we would ever be on our own. I know that we are going to deliver inclusive creative solutions to difficult problems,” stated Patricia Scotland QC, on the eve of becoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Last week, Scotland delivered closing remarks at the 15th Conference of Presidents and Governors-General in Antigua and Barbuda. In her last speech before becoming Secretary-General, she highlighted tackling violence against women and girls, addressing climate change and promoting trade and good governance as her top priorities. She is the first woman to take up the position.

She described the 31 small developing states that make up the majority of the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth as “innovators, the challeng-

Patricia Scotland

ers and creators of change” and stressed the need to come together as a family in “troubled and troubling” times.

“The challenges that face us are real…each and every one of our countries will need the 52 others to stand beside us,” she emphasised.

Referring to outcomes from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta last year, Patricia Scotland QC singled out leaders’ commitment to support a 1.5 degree limit on global temperature rises as the “most important decision”. She commended the Antigua conference for

the infrastructure of which still stands.

In 1976, when BERMINE was merged with GuyBau and became Guyana Mining Enterprise (GUYMINE), Parris was made chairman and CEO of the new company.

Under his leadership, the Number 14 calcine kiln was constructed primarily by the local workforce. Local engineers and technicians who worked on No. 14 formed the nucleus of the establishment of GuyBau Construction Company (GuyConstruct). This company built the Tapakuma Irrigation Project and the Mainstay Resort on the Essequibo Coast, and the Sanata Textile Mill in Georgetown, among other projects.

GUYMINE established a Research and Development Division under Parris and it produced allum to treat potable water. This was used in the New Amsterdam, Georgetown and Linden water treatment plants. Parris also started the research process for a new bauxite product, which at its final stage was named GuyCor 93.

Later, he was transferred to the Bauxite Industry Development Company (BIDCO) as Chairman, with executive responsibility for marketing bauxite and its by-products.

After this, Parris moved to State Planning, which was an organisation tasked with the responsibility of coordinating the entire planning of the country.

The wisdom of this meant that planning was coherent and management of the state’s resources across the spectrum was coordinated. This allowed for collaboration

prioritising climate change and urged joint and immediate action. “The gun has gone off now…The race has really begun.”

She expressed solidarity with the people of Pakistan following the recent attacks in Lahore that killed around 70 people and left scores injured, and stressed that combatting violent extremism is a pressing challenge facing the Commonwealth.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by such a brutal act of terror,” she said.

Describing young people as the Commonwealth’s “best asset”, Patricia Scotland QC said “we just have to make sure that that 60 per

cent of our population have their aspirations realised.”

Pointing to a 19 per cent cost advantage for trade between two Commonwealth partners, she said the Commonwealth must continue to find ways to make it easier for partners to work together by leveraging the “common” in Commonwealth – laws and systems, a language and opportunities in common.

“I want a Commonwealth that delivers practical solutions,” she stated.

Born in a small village in St Joseph, Dominica and brought up in north-east London, Patricia Scotland QC said her journey to become UK Attorney-General, a peer in the House of Lords of the UK Parliament and the first woman Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations was a journey any Commonwealth citizen could take.

“I hope that I will be able to create a pathway for many, many other Commonwealth citizens to do just the same,” she concluded. (Commonwealth Secretariat)

among agencies within the confines of the national policy that saw a structured approach to development. It was while at State Planning that Parris was appointed Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for Planning and Development.

Parris, the politician and public servant, operated in the period where there were influencing factors, such as the Cold War, global oil crisis, Southern African liberation struggle, and at a home nurtured historical distrust among the two major races, the push of an indigenous developmental thrust, militant unionised workforce, and a somewhat adversarial political climate. He brought to this complex environment incisive thinking that even won the admiration of his detractors.

When Guyana, in 1989, entered the Structural Adjustment Programme, Parris was tasked with responsibility for the divestment of state entities. At age 50, he bowed out of public employment and took up writing as a profession.

He authored several books, including “The Constitution of Guyana What will it Look Like ???” Later he served as a commissioner on GECOM, Secretary for the 1999-2000 Constitutional Reform Commission, member of the Linden Television Trust, and recently he was appointed to the Select Committee for Constitutional Reform.

For his selfless and accomplished works in public service, he was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH).

May his work live on.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

New towns are ‘administrative centres’ – President WITH the introduction of three new towns in Guyana, President David Granger has sought to remind the elected representatives that these towns will serve as administrative centres which they need to further develop.

This was according to a release issued by the Ministry of the Presidency Saturday evening in which the Head of State sought to congratulate the newly elected officials.

Eight of the nine towns had their councils installed last week and according to the President, these bodies will be responsible for further developing these municipalities.

President Granger also sought to emphasise that the new “capital towns” are

all administrative centres of their respective regions and that they would be expected to lead economic development in each region by encouraging infrastructural extension, investment, information and communications technology and innovation.

“He [the President] expects that the new “capital towns” will be better equipped to attract investment, promote business and drive the economic development of the country’s 10 regions,” the statement said.

Further, the Head of state reminded the Mayors that one of the principal economic benefits to be achieved by the return of local democratic elections would be the opportunity to create new munici-

palities – at Bartica, Lethem and Mabaruma. These will join the existing six towns at Anna Regina, Corriverton, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam and Rose Hall.

The new Mayors and Deputy Mayors sworn in last week are: in Anna Regina - Rabindranath Mohan and Darshan Persaud; Bartica - Gifford Marshall and Nageshwarie ‘Kamal’ Persaud; Corriverton - Ganesh Gangadin and Jaichand Krishand; Georgetown - Patricia Chase-Green and Sherod Duncan; Lethem - Carlton Beckles and Maxine-Ann Welch; Linden - Carwyn Holland and Waneka Arrindell; New Amsterdam - Kurt Wynter and Winifred Haywood; and Rose Hall - Vijay Kumar Ramoo and Dave Budhoo.

Just recently on his weekly television show “The Public Interest,” President Granger touted a corporate approach which will see these local government bodies generating their own revenues rather than depending on Government subventions.

And although this might not seem as simple as it sounds, he believes that if they are able to explore non-traditional routes such as manufacturing, it can be achieved.

“I think the municipalities should see themselves as corporations, encouraging business rather than just being administrators expecting subventions. They must examine ways of generating revenue and earning a profit,”

he explained.

According to him, Guyana has tremendous agricultural potential which he believes is under-exploited. He opined that most of the country’s agricultural produce could be bottled, packaged, or processed for use locally and for export.

According to the World Bank, in 2014, agriculture accounted for 18.28 per cent of Guyana’s GDP. And with traditional foods such as pepper sauce, pineapple chunks and guava cheese already being produced locally, expansion on an industrial scale at the municipal level is one of the ways in which the local authority bodies could fashion themselves as corporations, he added.

Also, with a soaring unemployment rate, which currently stands at approximately 40 per cent, the President expects these new councils to

pay attention to the economy in terms of alleviating unemployment through job-creation.

Having toured the length and breadth of Guyana, President Granger, who is also a historian, is of the view that every town in Guyana has economic potential to open factories, encourage investment, and provide employment for people living in those areas.

And also supporting efforts to reduce this unemployment rate is the need for completion of the formal education system, the Head of State said, adding that this is one of the responsibilities of the councils.

“I would like to see the councils accept responsibility for ensuring that every single child in that municipality or neighbourhood gets into school and stays there,” President Granger stated.

Work safety and health shines in Harbour Bridge banner competition AS the world celebrates Occupational Safety and Health Month, the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) kicked off its participation with an inter-departmental banner competition, held on Thursday March 31, 2016.

The event, which featured participation by six of DHBC’s departments, was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection.

These departments were DHBC’s Asphalt Plant; the Traffic Department; Workshop/ Electrical Department; the Stores Department; Maintenance Department; and the Accounts Department.

During the opening of the competition, DHBC’s General Manager, Rawlston Adams, noted that the observance of Occupational Safety and Health Month was important, particularly to DHBC. He said that the corporation is one focused on various works that constantly place employees at risk.

“There are always risks in the workplace, so it’s important that occupational safety and health (OSH) is observed at all times,” Adams emphasised. He added

congratulated all of the participants and urged them to come bigger and better next year.

Similarly, General Manager Adams thanked the departments for their participation and particularly for their

interest and enthusiasm.

The winning banner will represent DHBC when it participates in the Occupational Safety and Health Month walk being held tomorrow, Sunday April 3, 2016, by the Ministry of Social Protection.

Teen shot in face during robbery - suspect in police custody

Members of the winning team, the Stores Department, receive their trophy and cash prize from DHBC General Manager, Rawlston Adams. that DHBC will play its part in ensuring the safety of its employees and recently updated work outfits to better fit international OSH standards.

For the competition, the departments were required to come up with unique banners highlighting this year’s theme, “Workplace stress: a collective challenge”. The competition featured three judges who graded the cre-

ated banners in a number of areas, including originality, creativity, presentation, colour scheme, and use of theme and other pertinent OSH materials.

At the conclusion of the event, the Stores Department was determined the overall winner and was awarded $30,000 and a trophy after a vote by the judges broke a tie with the second-place

winner, the Asphalt Plant Department. The second- place department was awarded $20,000 and a trophy. Third place went to the Accounts Department.

The judges all agreed that the task of determining the winners had been difficult, since the banners were all eye-catching. Chief Judge, Gweneth King, of the Ministry of Social Protection,

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Ramdat Singh Jr, was Saturday morning shot to his jaw at the Rosignol Market, after two men armed with guns robbed his father’s jewellery stall of an undisclosed quantity of gold.

According to ‘B’ Division Commander Ian Amsterdam, one person is in custody assisting police with the investigation.

According to police, around 06:30 hrs, the boy’s father Ramdat Singh Sr, 42, was making preparations to open his business when the men pounced on them, demanding gold.

A bag was handed over with jewellery and one of the perpetrators discharged a

Ramdat Singh round, which struck Ramdat Singh Jr to his jaw and the men fled.

Singh was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. The bullet has been removed from his jaw.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

BiShanLin, our crisis of the imagination, and two Buxtonian gifts to Guyana THE Chinese company BaiShanLin has been in the news quite a lot. For me, the controversies surrounding this company point to two very important aspects of our political economy. First, it was revealed by the forensic audits that the company acquired a number of other companies over a period of time. This resulted in a monopoly in the forestry sector, which in turn amounts to an unfair advantage over other competitors; which runs counter to the notion of a developmental model that centres around the encouragement of local investments.

Foreign investments should be encouraged, we need them; but such investments should not structurally undermine local small and medium-scale initiatives.

Foreign companies are never known for leaving much of their profits in the countries in which they invest. So it is imperative that the host countries do not afford them such control, as BiShanLin was granted by the previous government.

I know that contemporary economic praxis no longer favours nationalism, but I still think that the interests of our people and our country must be front and centre when negotiating with foreign companies.

The second issue has to do with the fact that BiShanLin’s acquisition of the companies was in violation of the Forest Act. That the then government permitted this is really the unkindest cut.

How can you allow a foreign company to break, with such impunity, the laws of the country you were elected to govern? Where was the Guyana Forestry Commis-

sion? In effect, we elected a government to appropriate the country’s resources for itself and its local friends, and to give away the rest to its foreign friends. These people are not nationalists.

Why was BaiShanLin allowed, for eight years, to hold on to a contract without setting up the promised facility? This is a trend which we also saw in the building sector. No wonder BiShanLin has had such a bad record when it comes to upholding proper labour standards. We now know that the company is a sacred cow. It is not unreasonable to conclude that this company has, for the past decade, been very much part of the web of corruption in Guyana. One has to ask what did those who were tasked with managing the forest sector get from BiShanLin in return for turning a blind eye and/or facilitating its unfair dominance in violation of the law.

I am very clear in my mind that those concessions must be recovered. I am also in full support of the recommendations by the auditor that the contract be terminated. We may be poor, but we must have some dignity. Our governments should not be allowed to sell out our natural resources in exchange for the personal enrichment of a few.

There needs to be a national revolt against this blatant high class rape of our country. From BiShanLin to the broadcast licences to the land giveaways on the East Bank and elsewhere, our country was stolen in front of our eyes. There is a linkage between these corrupt, unlawful acts and our substandard education and health systems, and our bad roads and poor drainage, and

the high level of poverty in our country.

This is a very serious matter that demands prompt and decisive remedial action from the Government.

CRISIS OF THE IMAGINATION We in Guyana have had our fair share of political clumsiness, but we are at our worst in this regard whenever we attempt to discuss, in the public arena, anything that has to do with race. The latest exchange between Eric Phillips and Gail Teixeira is a classic case. Phillips said two very straightforward things. First, that there is anthropological evidence that Africans may have been in Guyana longer than we have been led to believe. Second, based on this and other evidence, they are entitled to their fair share of land in Guyana.

Rather than have a debate on the issues raised, Teixeira and others concluded that Phillips was attacking Amerindians, and as such he is racist. Why can’t we engage the virtues or the demands of one ethnic group without interpreting them as attacks on another ethnic group? So what if we discover that Black People were here at the same time as Amerindians, or before?

We will just have two “First Peoples”, that’s all.

How does this diminish Amerindians? Are the Amerindians’ only claim to legitimacy in Guyana premised on the fact that they are “First People?” We need to grow up when it comes to talking about the implications of our ethnic condition; we are acting like a 5- year-old rather than a 50-year-old people.

Last week, I made an observation that is plain for

all to see — that the vast number of individuals who benefited from the PPP’s unlawful transfer of state resources into private hands are from one ethnic group.

It sent some people crazy.

Here comes Hinds with his racism!

Immediately, the gatekeepers of our “ethnic properness” reached for their weapons of censorship; such libel must not reach the public sphere. All I ask is this: why do they fear the Open Word? Why do they fear a discussion about the consequences of our history?

Bob Marley declared in his celebrated song “Babylon System” that “We are what we are, and that’s the way it’s going to be/ You can’t educate us for no equal opportunity.” Despite all our attempts at “educating” Guyanese about the dangers of voting race, they continue to do so. Why can’t they vote for so-called non-racial or multi-racial parties, we ask.

We, the Guyanese political and intellectual elite, suffer from a crisis of the imagination. We want easy answers. If Guyanese do not vote race, then we won’t have much work to do. Because we have become intellectually lazy, we cannot push our collective mind to figure out how to take the so-called racial vote and turn it into a positive force for change in Guyana. That kind of work calls for the ability to imagine a condition different from and beyond the obvious -- like the enslaved who freed themselves from slavery because they imagined a world beyond the slave plantation.

Our primary task, to my mind, is not to stop people from voting PPP and PNC, but to construct a reality in

which voting PPP and PNC does not lead to paramountcy of the party and criminalization of the State.

TWO BUXTONIAN GIFTS TO GUYANA This past week, several of my fellow Buxtonians returned to their ancestors. As the Annandale Brethren and Sisterin would say: “Congo Creole/See them ah go Way/ One by One.” I remember all of them, but I want to say a word about the two public ones. Clyde Roopchand taught me in Common Entrance class at the then St Anthony’s Roman Catholic School, now Friendship Primary. We learned the force of discipline and the importance of education from him, and most importantly, he taught us to love and cherish community. Had he remained a teacher, he would have been an equally towering force.

His abiding interest in uplifting the people of Buxton never waned.

Our paths didn’t cross much after I left primary school, and he stopped teaching; but whenever we met, we remembered the common root — the teacher/student relationship survived the passage of time. Our last meeting was last August, when we bumped into each other in Minister Winston Jordan’s office. I was glad to see my old teacher again, and he excitedly declared to the Minister that I was his student; that he had helped to shape whom I have become. I was humbled. He asked me to accompany him to his office, where we talked for the next half-hour about how to reignite educational excellence and skills’ acquisition in Buxton. Some of our shared ideas may have since been initiated in the village.

Sirroop, as we schoolchildren

nicknamed him, was one of our cherished gifts to Guyana.

When Vibert Cambridge texted me on Monday to ask if Haslyn Parris had died, I had not heard the news.

I would later confirm the sad news after a few calls to Buxton. Even as a little child, I had heard the name mentioned as a “bright boy.”

I came to know Haslyn better when he returned to Buxton to live. Our conversations were short, but always ended with a hard question from him that set my head spinning. Our last face-toface meeting was also last August when he attended one of our Emancipation Forums in Buxton. We were elated that he was there, largely because he did not participate much in village politics.

He spoke at the forum and challenged us to think about the problematics of ethnic and civic identities, and the implications for Guyana. I told him that we would use his skills and experience more in the village, and he said that his support was guaranteed.

I would encounter him for the last time a few weeks ago, when I was invited to share my thoughts on Constitutional Reform with the Task Force of which he was a member.

He had become one of our foremost constitutionalists despite the fact that he was not a formally trained lawyer. He was, to the very end, one of our most brilliant minds.

More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www. guyanacaribbeanpolitics. com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Minister Broomes scolds... well with Minister Broomes, who demanded to know why it was that small miners are never warned but large scale miners are being warned.

“So why do we have to write them and tell them what we saw, and (with) the rest of people we taking action? You got a four-inch dredge on the road, six-inch dredge on the road, and they are being stopped; they have to move. So why we got to write them to tell them where they are breaching the law?” she demanded to know.

The mines officer replied that small-scale miners’ operations were halted because of raiding, but the minister made it clear that all illegal operations must be treated the same way.

“Breakage in the law, illegal mining, be it by raiding, safety hazards, lack of compliance, it is the same thing… there is nothing different,” Minister Broomes said.

She explained that the

previous People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration condoned “special behaviour”, but her ministry will not.

“I am saying that we don’t want it. The regulations are for everybody…without fear or favour. I don’t want to know some people doing this and some doing that,” she asserted.

Meanwhile, the smallscale miners pleaded with Minister Broomes to work out a deal with the large scale miners so that they would be in a position to work the unused portions of land belonging to large scale miners.

The miners said they will be petitioning the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment with the hope that they would be able to make head way. As it is, the miners operating out of North Fork Backdam mine on properties that do not belong to them, and this often poses a problem.

One of the mining properties being worked by Grey Wolf Resources (GWR) in Konawaruk, Region 8

Garfield Wint said miners are in search of shallow alluvial land, where they can mine. Those lands, the miner said, are available and are unused by the owners.

“We begging…we really desperate, Minister. Most of these dredges is 4-inch dredges…we ain’t got excavator; there is a situation with landlordism.

“Years ago, when I was a pork knocker, you could have gone on a man land and beg he for a position and pay he 10 per cent. Now if you ain’t got $1M, nobody gives you position,” Wint explained.

Wint said that he, like the other miners of North Fork, are aware that the lands belong to other persons and that Government cannot take it from them and issue it to small miners. “…but I feel that you could try to reason out things, and if you could beg these same people to allow we to work on these shallow part

of the land that they have no uses for….

“We are asking you if you can come together with them and let them release certain amount of these shallow alluvial land that they can’t work, 3, 4-inch land… we deh in the corner here punishing and we ain’t getting nowhere to work,” he pleaded.

The frustrated miner said miners have tried raiding lands but the illegal activity costs them more.

“We ain’t want raid no more…we begging you to get these people together and ask them if they could give we a part of the same shallow land. We are willing to pay them a percentage,” he added. His fellow miners concurred with his statement.

MOWASI LANDING Like the miners of North Fork Backdam, the miners of Mowasi Landing area are also pleading with the Gov-

ernment to provide lands for them to work.

“We are hoping that this Government will bring the stakeholders at a meeting or forum where they can grant small miners permission to work. They are only subletting to their friends. If you check from bottom to top, you’d find that is only 10 dredge working and is only friends…no small miners,” Lindon Fordyce told Minister Broomes.

He said some aspects of the lands belonging to medium scale miners in the Konawaruk area are unused, and as such he pleaded with the Minister to lobby for them to have access to some of the lands, so as to sustain the industry.

“More people should get access to these areas to sustain the mining industry, or it would come to a close very soon. Let us know now if the small man don’t have no say in it, if it is just for

Miners at North Fork Backdam listen to Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, on Saturday

Mining pumps, engines and pipes belonging to small scale miners that were removed by Mines Officers

Minister Broomes speaks with GGMC officials during a trip to Konawaruk on Saturday

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, speaks with small scale miners at the GGMC Mining Station at Konawaruk

From page 2

large scale miners; then let us know to make decisions for the future.”

He noted that the people who mine in the Mowasi Landing area have been doing so for decades, but still own no lands.

“The prime concern is the land for small-scale miners to work, like myself,” Fordyce said, much to the agreement of fellow miners.

Minister Broomes committed to having some amount of lands being distributed to small scale miners, but noted that in areas where state lands are not available, miners may be forced to take lands in different mining districts -- a task that would prove costly.

“We are reviewing all the different state lands in different districts, so that in the next couple of weeks we are going to give lands to miners,” Minister Broomes promised.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

IPED sets aside $50M for creative industries

‒ Special facilities also announced for youths, non-traditional agri sector

By Rabindra Rooplall THE Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) has announced that it has set aside $50M in loan financing to provide support for the creative industries, and $150M for the support of business ideas and ventures of young persons below the age of 30.

In addition, $300 million in funds have also been allotted to support non-traditional agriculture.

This is the first time that a lending facility of this kind is being made available for the development of the arts.

The announcement was made by IPED’s Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Persaud during the institution’s 30th anniversary celebrations at the Pegasus Hotel on Friday evening.

In attendance at that occasion were President David Granger, First Lady Sandra Granger, IPED Chairman Yesu Persaud, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, Cultural Policy Advisor Ruel Johnson, and special invitees from the business sector, among others.

Persaud said IPED is determined to forge ahead in pioneering new ground and developing small businesses to fulfill their potential.

IPED CEO Ramesh Persaud

Cultural Policy Advisor Ruel Johnson

SUPPORT The IPED CEO explained that in 30 years, IPED disbursed 100,000 loans valued at $30 billion, with a repayment rate of 97 percent.

Currently, IPED is supporting 4,500 micro and small businesses which employ in excess of 10,000 persons.

The CEO underscored that for every $1000 being loaned by commercial banks, IPED lends about $2. “This can be deemed small in value, but we have seen the impact it has on the economy. Based on the loans disbursed in 2015, 50% were in agriculture sector, 70% did not require real estate collateral, 90% were rural barrowers from in excess of 700 villages countrywide, with 12% being for youth

barrowers,” he said.

“IPED supports approximately 1000 rice farmers annually. These farmers plant 20% of the total acreage under cultivation per crop,” he added.

Persaud said IPED is recognized as being an institution of good governance and transparency, which can be modelled and followed by many other organisations.

Since the institution’s inception, Persaud said, accounts have been audited, all of which are published online. Detailed information on products and loan portfolios are also reported to the Bank of Guyana for statistical purposes, and to the IDB microfinance information exchange.

He added that the Credit Reporting Act, which was

Barrington Braithwaite

amended by the Government in January 2016, was very bold and innovative. The Act will transform the financial landscape of lending while benefiting the small business borrowers significantly.

“Small business borrowers, as a result, can now monetize their usual good repayment track record. IPED has already started to reap the benefits of the credit bureau,” he said.

The CEO noted that IPED is focused on improving livelihoods through sustainable micro and small business development, which are supported through finance, technology, mentoring and training.

Johnson said the announcement of the specialt facility for creative industries

was expected, as the funding was discussed previously with Chairman Yesu Persaud.

He noted that this is the first time something has been structured for the creative industries with the ideals that the arts are a viable sector for business and private enterprise.

He explained that the intention going forward is for the Education Ministry and IPED to work together in coming up with terms of reference under which viable creative industries’ projects can be developed, submitted and assessed.

Describing the investment as breaking new ground for the creative industries in Guyana, Johnson said the Education Ministry has already held consultations with players in the creative industries sector, to inquire of their pressing concerns and how these can be addressed by Government.

Whether funding is derived from Government or from the private sector, Johnson said, those involved in creative industries can now challenge themselves in transforming the creative industries’ sector.

The cultural advisor said issues of copyright which affect the sector heavily will have to be addressed, while practical ways to develop

the industry will have to be adopted.

“From the Ministry’s perspective, we will be working hard towards providing technical support for them to develop their projects. So by the time the project gets to IPED, it will fit certain basic criteria so there are higher chances of funding.” Johnson explained.

Creative industries advocate and columnist Barrington Braithwaite said the development of the sector locally dates back to the time of former President Forbes Burnham, who had a clear understanding of the necessity of creativity.

Burnham, he said, had insisted on local artistic development, brought international professionals to train post-colonial Guyana, then insisted on creative space being provided in the newspapers, on stage and radio for local talent to express itself, and be paid.

“Cultural industries essentially point to persons who live by the practise of the arts, can chart directions for expansion beyond Guyana as ambassadorial products which will lead to the justification of training for export production, though some training to even lure the external market is currently important,” Braithwaite said.

PPP complains of overseer’s refusal to swear in its councillors THE opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is calling on Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield to rectify what it calls an “unfortunate impasse” whereby an overseer in Region Three has refused to swear in two of its elected councillors.

In a statement issued Saturday, the party noted that Glenis Castello, the overseer of the Local Authority Area Toevlugt/Patentia (Region Three) refused to swear in two “duly elected” PPP councillors who won seats at the recently held Local Government Elections.

According to the PPP, at a meeting held at the Goed Intent Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Office, on April 1, 2016,

Saheid Khan and Ravi Chandra Rickhee were prevented from taking their Oaths of Office on the grounds that their names did not appear on the list of names of councillors Castello had in her possession.

This, the party said, was done despite the two individuals presenting their Certificates of Election to both her and other elected councillors. The Certificates of Election were officially issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and were dated March 22, 2016. It was supported with a copy of the Official Gazette dated March 29, 2016, signed

by Lowenfield, and both Khan’s and Rickhee’s names were published as elected Councillors.

cal Government Elections (LGE), the PPP emerged with 60% of the votes cast in the 70 Local Authority Areas which the party contested.

The party won the majority of votes in the Neighbourhood Democratic Coun-

cils (NDCs); even some where “traditionally it had limited or no support.”

In relation to towns, the opposition party won three of the nine, while the APNU+AFC coalition claimed five. A tie was recorded in the other one, Mabaruma.

Man killed with own arrow after shooting another A copy of the Official Gazette which lists the name of the two PPP councillors who were elected

Given this refusal by Castello, the PPP called on the CEO to “rectify this unfortunate impasse” with every convenient speed.

“Anything less will be a subversion of the will of the electorate in this Local Au-

thority Area,” the opposition party said.

Efforts to contact Lowenfield to ascertain whether he was aware of this situation proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.

At the March 18 Lo-

IN a boomerang of fate, a man who shot another with his arrow was killed with the same arrow in the North West District (NWD) Saturday.

According to police, John Joseph, 64, of Triangle Backdam, North West District, intervened in an argument between a man and his son at Triangle Backdam.

He then shot the man with

an arrow to his chest.

The man pulled out the arrow from his chest and subsequently stabbed Joseph to his body with it.

Joseph was taken to the Baramita Health Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The suspect was treated and sent away and is in police custody assisting with the investigation.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

William Haslyn Parris has passed ‒ his work and memories live on WILLIAM Haslyn Parris was a public servant, executive, politician, and more importantly, a man I have come to call brother. No more will I hear his voice speaking to me in real time.

Forever will I hear that voice at I look around the society, engage in my work as a trade unionist, and continue the struggle to ensure a just and equitable society for all. Haslyn was interested in all of these, and was all of those.

Having had the opportunity, as a trade unionist, to sit across the table and listen to his thoughts as Chief Executive Officer of GUYMINE as he passionately representing his vision to bring and improve social services within the bauxite communities, I was offered an insight into a man who understood that workers’ welfare, both in the workplace and community, are intertwined.

It was under Haslyn’s

watch that the Mackenzie Hospital was opened to delivering services to the wider community, and healthcare services expanded through the construction of the Wismar Hospital.

Under his leadership, in 1976, the bauxite company embarked on a major housing drive, and led the way in putting structures in place for the building of the following communities: Amelia’s Ward Self-Help, Ituni Housing Scheme, Kwakwani Housing Scheme, Bermine Housing Scheme, Wisroc Housing Scheme Phases I, II, III and IV, and the area being presently developed at Wisroc was allotted in the same period.

His was a passion for sports. Even though he was not a participant, he understood the games he took interest in and represented them as though he was a player and competitor.

Listening to him articulate

matters of sports, it was no surprise that GUYMINE was able to marshal a formidable track and field team that excelled in the public sector (GuyStac, GuySuCo and GUYMINE) games.

The Siripana Farm was expanded under his stewardship, and in addition to providing employment, it supplied the bauxite workers and communities with meat and vegetables.

These anecdotes speak to the level of consciousness Haslyn brought to human development. His was a belief that the part cannot function by itself, and the whole is dependent on the strength of all its parts. To this end, he sought to instil and create the infrastructures for holistic development.

Haslyn had the knack -- at times one got the impression he revelled in it -- to stimulate thinking and even convince persons to see an issue through his lens, after

which he’d argue it from another perspective, equally compelling and convincing; which would influence a change of mind to the new thinking.

I had the opportunity to listen to him gaffing with a group. In that conversation, he picked up a glass, held it in his hand, and proceeded to advance an argument that the glass is a cup. He then did a 360 degree turn and advanced another argument that the glass is a glass. Both arguments were so compelling that if we were not socialised to believe that the glass was a glass, it was easy -- based on the reasoning Haslyn put forward -- to see the glass as a cup.

On matters relating to the country and workers’/citizens’ wellbeing, Haslyn was a repertoire of knowledge, which encompassed a vision for Guyana’s development and its people’s harmonious and peaceful co-existence.

Outside of being CEO of GUYMINE, head of the State Planning Secretari-

at, Deputy Prime Minister, GECOM commissioner, author and other held titles, Haslyn impacted Guyana profoundly with the work he did in the 1999-2000 Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC).

He was the CRC Secretary. In conversations with him on this experience, it was unmistakably taken away, every time there was engagement on the Guyana Constitution, that he viewed this instrument as a living document. He argued that until it is seen as such, there will be absence of a vision to craft a national strategy to develop Guyana, the people, and their respective communities.

Though in later years Haslyn was not much in to day-to-day public life, he kept abreast with what was happening on a dayto-day basis, and was always insightful on matters of national import. In the last four years, he took a special interest in the empowerment struggles of the people of

Linden/Region 10.

He was recently appointed a member of the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform.

His was an optimistic outlook on life. Our last conversation was 10 days before his death. We spoke about the 100th anniversary of bauxite mining in Guyana and his thoughts about its observance. He was his usual lively self, sharp as a whip. He advised that our discussion would be better if we were to sit under the genip tree in his yard -- an invitation I committed to honour. Regrettably, my next visit under that tree was on hearing the sad news that he has left this earthly plain.

Men will pass, but their work and achievements live on.

I hereby extend condolences to Haslyn’s loved ones, the people of Buxton/ Friendship and Linden, and all those whose lives he would have touched. May his soul rest in peace.

Guyana lauded for gender balance in National Assembly Akbar Khan, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

By Ravin Singh MR AKBAR Khan, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), has lauded Guyana’s efforts to integrate women into

the composition of its Parliament, as the fight for gender equality across the globe continues to intensify.

Khan was in Guyana for a two-day seminar for local Parliamentarians hosted by the CPA Guyana Branch.

Guyana presently has 23 female Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the Government and Opposition sides, and according to Khan, prominence has been given to the importance of gender equality within Commonwealth Parliaments.

He explained that one of the CPA’s principal pro-

grammes is that for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), which forms part of the association.

CWP has a chair which is elected for three years, and a steering committee of parliamentarians which is responsible for women parliamentarians’ issues across the globe.

He expressed the Association’s view that all legislators should strive to ensure that their legislative body represents the society it was elected to represent.

“So if you do not have women’s participation in political life, or you have a low

figure of women in politics, then you are not fully representing the society (that) you are elected to represent. So our position is to encourage gender equality,” Khan said.

Commenting on Guyana, he said it is commendable and a welcome development that the country has a number of female politicians and MPs. In its fight for gender equality, the Commonwealth had recommended that Parliaments in Commonwealth countries should have a onethird composition of women.

And while global efforts

continue to have this done, the Secretary-General noted that efforts must be made to examine ways to represent a country’s society in a more inclusive manner.

“This year, the theme for the Commonwealth is ‘An inclusive Commonwealth’, and that brings in the importance of diversity in political life and the importance of capturing the richness of that diversity in society, and to work together in a shared endeavour,” he explained.

Mr Khan sought to underscore the need for members of Guyana’s National

Assembly to work together, given that Government holds only a one-seat majority in that august body. He said this one-seat majority highlights the need for both sides to work together in an “inclusive manner” for the benefit of all Guyanese.

He echoed the hope of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the last general elections that Government and Parliament would “work together in an-inclusive manner, and bring confidence to the people (whom) the Parliament represents.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

IPED’s 30th anniversary…

Micro-financing is a tool of human development – President Granger

By Rabindra Rooplall ECONOMIC empowerment has always been hindered by inadequate access to finance, and many have turned to traditional cooperative saving schemes, such as ‘box-hand’, in order to provide for their needs.

But with the advent of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) in 1986, there has been a new role for micro financing: reducing issues of unemployment, inequality and poverty in Guyana’s

Members of the Essequibo Branch received an award for being the Best Branch in IPED’s 30-year history

Some of the 2015 awardees

transition to a market economy.

This sentiment was shared by President David Granger during his feature address at IPED’s 30th Anniversary Dinner at the Pegasus Hotel on Friday evening.

Among those in attendance at that occasion were First Lady Sandra Granger, IPED Chairman Yesu Persaud, and Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin.

A number of client awards were handed out.

Best Miro Enterprise Project went to Mansram Ramsar-

ran of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, in the field of construction; Best Small Enterprise Project went to Mahendra Sukhoo of No 75 Village Corentyne, Berbice in the field of duck rearing; Best Medium Enterpise Project in trading went to Dindial and Sheline Narine of Richmond, Essequibo Coast; Best Managed Project in the distribution of food and household products went to Puran Madho of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara; Best Agriculture Project in rice cultivation Turn to page 13 ►

President David Granger presenting an award to IPED Chairman Dr Yesu Persaud for providing 30 years of dedicated and exemplary service to the Institute

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Charlestown executions…

Dead Coast Guard’s brother in custody over latest killing DAYS after gunmen killed GDF Coast Guard Lance Corporal Kevon Payne, his brother Vellone Throne is in police custody as investigations continue into the execution of Gladstone Taylor on Friday night in Charlestown, Georgetown.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum has confirmed that Throne, 28, is in police custody.

As residents of Charlestown describe what they say

is the horror of retributive killings, they are calling on the police to maintain the peace and avoid prolonged violence.

Taylor, called “Tuffy”, 54, of Lot 43, Adelaide Street, Charlestown, was shot several times by gunmen on a CG motorcycle in the vicinity of Adelaide and Sussex Streets.

Last Tuesday, gunmen on a CG motorcycle executed GDF Lance Corporal Kevon

Payne in the same street.

Relatives of the slain Coast Guard had accused a “drug dealer” of ordering his execution, and they had expressed fear for his brother who is now in police custody.

Payne, 22, called “Scar”, was killed after two gunmen opened fire on him in the presence of his family at his Sussex Street, Charlestown home, where his brother also lives.

Relatives of the dead man

Dead: GDF Coast Guard Lance Corporal Kevon Payne

disclosed that the confrontation is an all-out war in the Albouystown and Charlestown communities.

Dead: Gladstone Taylor

Gladstone’s son was charged last year for the September 4, 2015 murder of East Ruimveldt resident Senassie Lewis, who was gunned

Micro-financing is a tool of...

Institute is present in all ten regions of Guyana, “and that is where IPED’s policy converges with that of Government,” he posited.

“In the first time in 40 years, we have created three new towns which are meant to propel and drive the development of the regions; and that’s why we call them capital towns, because our government believes every region must be guided not by a colonial compound with a police station and a magistrate’s court, but it must be guided by a business centre; a capital with banks and factories, restaurants and places of entertainment etc.,” the President disclosed.

down in front of the popular Ghetto Flex nightspot, located at James and Albouys Streets, Albouystown.

A second man was also charged. Friday night’s slaying is the fourth execution-style killing in recent weeks.

The other two victims are O’Riley Small, 31, who was riddled with bullets just as he entered his Smyth Street home, and the other victim was murder accused Steve Mohamed, who was riddled with bullets and dumped in Le Repentir Cemetery.

From page 12

Adding that Mahdia will eventually become a town, President Granger said every region should be administered by a capital town.

“Because we want to promote human development; we want to provide better public services, public security, better public administration to people of all the regions of Guyana. We also want to close the gap in income between rural and urban communities, between hinterland and coastland; and we expect to achieve this by stimulating businesses,” the President noted.

Further noting that the towns will become magnets for investments, the Head of

State said micro-financing has already established itself and extended its reach into all of the regions; and in the new towns, this financing will continue to flourish.

Chairman of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Dr. Yesu Persaud, said despite challenges experienced, IPED’s overall performance has been satisfactory. He lauded the efforts of staff, management and the board of directors.

“IPED’s financial position continues to be strong and adequate to support its sustainability in the medium to long term,” the Chairman noted.

President David Granger presenting an award to Mr Komal Samaroo,a director of IPED, for 30 years of dedicated service to the Institute

went to Hemchandra Persaud of Corentyne, East Berbice; Best Woman Entrepreneur in distribution services went to Denise Greenidge of Mango Lane East Ruimveldt; and Best Manufacturing Project in the field of plastic bags went to Ganesh Bhagwandas of Success, East Coast Demerara.

Enterprising Micro Entrepreneur awards went to Barbara Dougan of Wismar, Linden; Paulette Bowen of Essequibo Coast; Richard

Delana Sanasie of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo; and Dave Morrison of Kitty, Georgetown.

“IPED has been a success,” the President stated, noting that 100,000 loans valued at G$30 billion have been provided.

He said IPED provides an average of 12 loans a day, which went to the startup of many enterprises and creating some 10,000 jobs.

Women constitute 37% of IPED’s client base, with

90% of borrowers coming from rural areas.

President Granger said this has impacted on youth employment. He said micro financing has established itself as a tool of human development that has empowered women and young people by providing access to capital.

Emphasizing that IPED developed as a means of ending unemployment and boosting entrepreneurship, the Head of State said the

Dancers perform at the IPED 30th anniversary event

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

50ft Totem Pole for Guyana’s 50th Independence ‒ despite minor setback

A FIFTY-FOOT Totem Pole is expected to be erected in Georgetown to commemorate Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, has said.

A Totem Pole is a polelike sculpture featuring carvings of symbols or figures. They depict the rich, diverse culture of the Indigenous Peoples, who are believed to have been the first to live in this part of the hemisphere.

The idea to have a Totem Pole was conceptualized last year after a meeting between the Minister within the Ministry of Education,

Nicolette Henry, and Minister Allicock. This was one of the activities which are to be planned, and executed by the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee Celebration.

And speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, Minister Allicock explained that a smaller Totem Pole is currently being transported across administrative regions of Guyana in an idea that mirrors that of the Olympic Torch being transported across national boundaries prior to the Olympic Games.

This smaller pole, he said, has already travelled through three regions, with

the last stop being made in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo) for the recently concluded Rodeo.

He noted that this Totem Pole will be transported to the other seven regions as activities to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Celebration pick up.

The plan is to erect the fifty-foot Totem Pole in the compound which currently houses the Umana Yana, recently rebuilt by the same Ministry.

With the crafting of such a piece of art being no easy job, Minister Allicock revealed, expertis e was sought and an artist has developed a drawing

of what the Totem Pole should look like. He noted that there was a minor setback, because the artist who developed the idea could not find favour with the price the Indigenous Affairs Ministry was willing to pay him to construct the pole.

As such, the Ministry was forced to find a solution, which was subsequently implemented.

“We could not come to an agreement, and so we paid him for the design and we sought and found a new artist that is willing to work with what we can afford. So we are back on track,” Minister Allicock related.

Additionally, the Minis-

ter noted that his Ministry is currently working to develop a programme through which it would contribute to the country’s anniversary celebrations this year.

He explained that the process is a lengthy one, given that consultations with stakeholders — including the National Toshaos Council (NTC) and representatives from other indigenous groups and associations — must be facilitated.

Those consultations would then be formulated into a single plan, which the Indigenous People’s Ministry would use as its guide to play its part in the country’s activities.

What a Totem Pole looks like

T20 superstars take on newest converts (ESPN) Test cricket originated in England, West Indies became its biggest stars. Fifty-over cricket originated in England, West Indies became its biggest stars. T20 cricket originated in England, West Indies are again its biggest stars.

A little over two weeks

ago, both teams were in Mumbai for their first match of this World T20.

The England players stood at Marine Drive, unrecognised, and succeeded in hailing a cab after only 15 minutes, just like any average person. West Indies, though, could not move around without being

Neither Darren Sammy nor Eoin Morgan have had much time in the middle with the bat, but they have been inspirational captains ( Getty Images/ICC)

mobbed. Kolkata provided another example. Tragedy had struck the city on the day of India’s semi-fi nal when a flyover that had been under construction collapsed, killing 23 people. People huddled around TV sets at paan shops seeking information, and not watching cricket.

But when the West Indies team arrived, they had hundreds greeting them at the airport, at the hotel, at

the ground.

With good reason.

Though it is a bit of a caricature of “calypso cricket”, and it doesn’t quite do justice to how smart they have been, West Indies’ batsmen have been attractive. They play T20 cricket in its basest style and have taken power-hitting to a whole new level. They’ve got the nuances right too: they field acrobatically, and when under pressure

they back themselves so much that it hardly seems like they are under pressure.

Take away a bit of power-hitting, add some quicker sets of legs, and you have England. Quietly, they have revolutionised their limited-overs cricket.

Among teams that entered the tournament in the second round, England are second only to West Indies in six-hitting, and only by

a count of two. England make up for it with a lower dot-ball percentage - 33.85 to West Indies’ 45.44, but West Indies have conceded runs at only 7.25 an over compared to England’s 8.53. West Indies have edged England with their boundary percentage, but not by a lot.

Clearly England’s oneday revival is not to be scoffed at. It was here, at Eden Gardens in 1987, that Mike Gatting was burnt for playing a “risky” shot that is considered commonplace now.

A final can often come down to what you are not at your absolute best at. If the pitch is flat, England will try to go well past the 182 they set against West Indies and lost in the league stage.

West Indies, too, will have to match the quicker English fielders. If there was any danger of there being less attention on the final because India were knocked out, Kolkata put it to rest. When Darren Sammy stepped into the press-conference room, he was taken aback by the number of journalists waiting. It will be the same with the Eden Gardens crowd on Sunday; the final has come to its spiritual home in India, after having missed out in 2011.

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Mahaica’s ‘mad scientists’ make mosquito repellent from Katahar flower

By Neil Marks “Katahar” is an Indo-Guyanese Creole word that carries the idea of nothingness.

If someone were to tell you you’re a Katahar, they are really dismissing you as worth nothing.

The vegetable named Katahar is, however, not to be dismissed. Curried Katahar, added to other curries with dhall and rice, is a must-have in good seven-curry, the dish mainly served at Hindu religious events.

Darshanie Nanhu, 16, a student of the Bygeval Secondary School on the East Coast of Demerara, is no Katahar. And spare a thought for the fact that she also has no problems peeling off the thick green skin of the young Katahar, and then taking off the “flesh” from the seed, and

then peeling the seed to get its contents for the curried dish; it’s a laborious task for most people.

When she was younger, Darshanie’s parents would light the dried flower of the Katahar plant (commonly called Bambalayke) and the scent coming from it would keep mosquitoes out. Good thing she remembered that, as it earned her excellent scores for her school’s exam project, and she is now the country’s latest young science superstar!

It all started when her back was up against the wall to submit her School Based Assessment (SBA), scores from which are added to make up the overall result for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council. She had absolutely no idea what project she

would undertake, and panic stepped in.

Her teacher, Sir Samuel McPherson, suggested that she give thought to things used in the community, and the light-bulb flashed in her head – Bambalayke!

She then rummaged through writings of the Katahar plant (the scientific name: Artocarpus Camasi) on the Internet, and was able to set the theory of using the Katahar flower to make a repellent that could be used to keep mosquitoes and other insects out.

Darshanie found that the Katahar flower contains a toxin called Sapanins, which kills mosquitoes and other insects, and that was effectively demonstrated when she lit up a dried flower.

With her research completed, the SBA was submitted and

Dolly Sooknanan, teacher Jaishree Nanku, and Darshanie Nanhu are pictured with their winning trophies at the display counter for the repellent she thought that was that. Not so fast, though. Sir McGarrell had other plans for her project.

The Regional Science, Mathematics and Technology Fair for schools was slated for early March at the Fort Wellington Secondary School, and Sir McGarrell thought it was a project she could expand on and present at the fair.

Darshanie enlisted the help of her classmate Dolly Sooknanan, 16, who completed her own project measuring the effect of salt on the temperature of the human body.

And then there was also another helper, Mandy Mangru, 16, who worked out how fast a ball travels after it is hit by a

player in the game of cricket.

For the fair, Darshanie had to make a mosquito coil and an insect repellent spray using the Sapanins extracted from the Katahar plant. Now to getting the materials to do it – the Katahar flower, sawdust, coconut shell dust, potato starch, coconut oil, rubbing alcohol, spiral form, spray bottles, and boxes.

Then they got to work.

There were frustrating moments when the coil just would not bake! Darshanie and her friends are quick to admit that the tears of frustration flowed generously.

In the end, they managed to invest both products, and it was time for the testing.

When it got dark, Darshanie

and her friends would spread out a white cloth on the ground just below the light bulbs, where the mosquitoes and other insects would swirl.

In the first five minutes of lighting up the coil, 20 mosquitoes fell, and then in another 22 minutes, another 81 mosquitoes met their death.

Watching them, her parents called the group a bunch of “mad scientists.”

Darshanie’s inventions were ready for display at the fair, but Jaishree Nanku, a teacher just two years out of teacher’s training college, decided that they had to make an impression at the fair. So she made sure that they had all the relevant display materials that would go along with

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

the products, and sometimes they worked two to three hours past midnight to ensure that the display materials –including labelling and cardboard writings explaining the process -- were just how they wanted them.

On the day of the fair, Darshanie was a nervous wreck, but together with Dolly, they presented the project ably, and the project emerged the winner and was entered into the National Competition, which concluded on Friday.

Never in her wildest dreams did Darshanie think that this idea she thought up in a moment of panic would get all that attention, and she was completely caught offguard when it was announced that the project had also won the national competition and secured the national prize from the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge, an initiative of the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF), insurance compa-

ny Sagicor Life Inc (Sagicor) and CXC to encourage innovation in science and technology solutions to the problems plaguing communities.

The Sagicor Visionaries Challenge is run across the Caribbean, and national winners participate in a 7-day, all-expenses-paid Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Ambassador Programme in Florida, USA. There, Darshanie will compete in the regional finals and get the opportunity to win US$5000 for the Bygeval school.

“I can’t explain how I feel,” Darshanie told the Sunday Chronicle.

“I am surprised, because when I saw some of the other projects, I didn’t think we would win. I guess the presentation is what did it for us.”

Going forward, Darshanie and others who worked with her on the project hope to gain approval to hand out samples to residents of Mahaica as

part of a survey to test the effectiveness of the product, which they have branded The Eradicator.

President David Granger, speaking on Friday at the National Fair in Linden, said Guyana needs an “education of innovation” to meet its limitless needs, and youths must be provided with opportunities to develop practical solutions to ensure that those needs are adequately met.

“These exhibitions of the creative genius of our students reassure that our country’s future will be guided by a generation of fine minds.

They remind us constantly that the future of this country will be in safe hands,” President Granger said.

He urged students and teachers to ensure that their innovations are expanded upon beyond the fair, so that they can lead to positive, life-changing benefits for the wider Guyanese society.

“The models of the

A display board projects on display could be shared with the wider society, so that their practical applications would

explains the contents of the repellent not be completely lost, but would add value to people’s lives.

“Your enthusiastic participation is a signal of your seriousness, not only about success in your personal careers, but about solving problems in your communities and in this great country. It is the start of an innovation education,” the President said.

“Guyana faces threats from various sources: the adverse effects of climate change; concerns over the sustainability of our water supplies; the security of food supply; the generation of cheaper, cleaner and renewable sources of energy; and, inevitably, the prevention of the spread of diseases, such as Ebola and Zika, across borders. The response to these global challenges requires scientific solutions,” the President said.

The Government has committed to providing 15 STEM scholarships for studies at the University of Guyana.

Among the prizes received by the winning school are a computerised mobile science and technology centre, six CXC-approved science kits, a Challenge

Trophy, an award certificate, US$1000, GoPro cameras and Samsung smart watches for each member of the team, and a Kindle Fire tablet for the supervising teacher.

Darshanie and her team believe that the benefits to be gained from expanding the project are many. The implementation of the project on a commercial scale will encourage the community to plant more of the Katahar trees, in order to have a large quantity of the flowers to make the repellent. Apart from the repellent, the community will benefit from the supply of the Katahar to use for cooking, and the organic matter from the leaves of the trees could be used as mulch.

Darshanie and team say The Eradicator coil and spray does not affect the human skin.

The Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board recently warned against a number of coils that are illegal in Guyana and may pose serious dangers to the health of people who use them. Some of the coils not approved for use in Guyana are Lion Brand, Lizi and Goldee.

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27th Annual Hat Show

CREATIVITY and elegance stood out Saturday at the Promenade Gardens as the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown hosted its 27th annual Hat Show and Garden Party.

The event is the Club’s main fund-raising activity. The hat competition for children and adults was held in three categories: elegant, topical and original. Music was provided by the Police Force Band as patrons enjoyed delicious tea served at the Tea Stall to go with tasty home-made snacks, pastries and cakes.

Coordinator Barbara Walrond said funds raised at the event are solely invested in improving the lives of the differently abled and the less fortunate.

First Lady Sandra Granger was among the distinguished guests at the event.

The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown is a charitable organisation that raises funds in order to make an impact in the lives of the less fortunate through scholarships for young adults seeking training in the fields of education and medicine. They participate in community- development activities that benefit children and the elderly, as well as spread cheer on festive occasions.

The Club, chartered on March 16, 1985, recently celebrated 31 years of service, and still has active members such as Charter President Maylene Davis, who has served from the club’s inception. The National Park Playground is one of the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown’s more visible projects.

Students of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre

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Unable to sell cattle, Indian farmers have a beef with Modi’s BJP

(Reuters) A ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter in India’s richest state is threatening to push millions of farmers into penury, deepening distress in the countryside and fanning resentment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.

Slaughter of cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, has historically been banned in most states but was rarely enforced in India, the world’s largest exporter of beef.

But over the past year, states ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), such as Maharashtra, have broadened the ban to include other types of cattle, like bulls and bullocks, and Hindu vigilantes have stepped up attacks on traders to enforce the prohibition.

The stricter rules come as Modi and the nationalist BJP lay greater stress on India’s Hindu faith, to which the majority of the population belongs. Minority groups, including around 180 million Muslims, have expressed concern over the implications.

The impact of the beef ban has been significant.

Prices of cattle have fallen across the country, India’s meat exports fell 13 percent in the April-December period and rival beef supplier Brazil is gaining from India’s loss.

It has also left millions of farmers, already reeling from bad harvests due to back-to-back droughts and unseasonal rains, struggling to sell animals they can no longer feed or water.

“I wonder what the gov-

ernment wants – our survival or the cattle’s?” said farmer Revaji Choudhary, standing next to a pair of bulls he has been trying to sell for weeks in a cattle market in Maharashtra.

Traditionally, farmers have sold cattle in a drought year to butchers, mostly Muslims, and bought new ones when their earnings rise after monsoon showers.

That cycle has been broken and could leave farmers with little money to buy seeds or fertilizer ahead of the next sowing season, starting in June. Farmer suicides have nearly doubled in the drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN? Their predicament is causing concern within the BJP, which has been trying to bolster its credentials in the countryside, where most of India’s 1.3 billion people live.

Rural distress contributed to an embarrassing defeat for the party last year in a state election, and more state polls are due over the coming year.

In the federal budget last month, Modi’s government pledged nearly $13 billion on rural development, aiming to double farmer’s incomes by 2022.

Maharashtra BJP legislator Bhimrao Dhonde said the government’s priority should be to support farmers, and they should be allowed to sell their cattle to whomever they want.

“It is time to withdraw the ban,” Dhonde told re-

porters.

Madhu Chavan, a spokesman for the BJP in Maharashtra, said Dhonde’s view did not reflect that of the party.

“The party thinks the ban is necessary,” he said, adding that more money would be made available to alleviate the effects of drought if needed.

MILLIONS OF COWS Maharashtra, home to India’s financial hub Mumbai, has been particularly badly hit by drought.

In one district the government imposed rules that prevent assembly of more than five people around a water tanker or borewell to prevent riots. Cows and buffalos need 70 liters of water per day.

Many farmers are simply abandoning their cattle.

The state has opened hundreds of temporary shelters to house around 250,000 heads of cattle until their owners are ready to take them back, but experts say at least another 4 million animals need to be looked after in Maharashtra.

Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) that had promised to build shelters said they, too, were short on cash and the government should do more.

Laxmi Narayan Chandak, head of the Maharashtra unit of VHP’s cow protection committee, said his organization has been able to start only one facility that holds 150 cattle.

“Nearly 700,000 cows and bulls … will starve to death or will be smuggled to

Farmer Revaji Choudhary (L) shows his pair of bulls to buyers at a weekly cattle market in Belhe village in Maharashtra state, India.

(REUTERS/Rajendra Jadhav)

slaughter houses. We have to save them,” said Chandak.

He added that only pure Indian breeds “that are worthy of worship” should be sheltered.

Every Monday, hundreds of farmers like Choudhary travel to a weekly cattle market in Belhe village, around 200 km (124 miles) east of

Mumbai, but with so few people buying, it is more in hope than expectation.

Cattle prices in the state have fallen 40 percent to 60 percent.

Choudhary, who earns around 200,000 Indian rupees ($3,000) in a good monsoon year, said he has incurred losses as his crops wilted due

to drought.

He paid 40,000 rupees for his pair of bulls a year ago, and is willing to sell them for 20,000 rupees now. He still cannot find a buyer.

“We are forced to depend on tankers for drinking water. How can we supply water to cattle?”

Choudhary asked.

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As Ebola flares up, Guinea plans to vaccinate contacts of survivors (Reuters) GUINEA will soon vaccinate people who have come into contact with more than 500 men who have recovered from Ebola, a senior health official said, the first time it has vaccinated the contacts of survivors.

The decision reflects research that indicates Ebola can remain in the bodily fluids of survivors for months.

The contacts will include but will not be limited to sexual partners, said Fode Tass Sylla, the spokesman for the West African nation’s centre for the fight against Ebola.

“We know the virus can stay in the sperm of a healed patient for a certain period of time,” Sylla said. “That’s why we want to vaccinate the circles of 501 men, to avoid all risk of spreading the disease.”

The vaccinations will begin in the next few days, Sylla said. The centre also plans an awareness campaign to warn mothers who have recovered from the virus against breastfeeding

their newborns, he said.

One of three countries at the epicentre of the world’s worst recorded Ebola outbreak, along with Liberia and Sierra Leone, Guinea was declared free of active transmissions of the virus in December 2015. But it announced eight new cases last month.

There are 10,000 survivors of the deadly hemorrhagic fever in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation.

The WHO said 800 possible contacts of people suffering from Ebola had been vaccinated against the virus in the so-called “ring vaccination” method. That means swiftly vaccinating anyone who has come into contact with an Ebola sufferer and contacts of theirs. More than 1,000 people were under observation.

Liberia, which has declared the outbreak over three times, closed its border with Guinea after its neighbour announced its fresh cases.

Liberia announced a new Ebola case, a 30-year-old woman who died en route to the hospital, on Friday.

On Saturday, the ministry of health said she had traveled to Guinea, where it believed she had contracted the disease.

“The woman travelled to Guinea and must have contracted the virus from there,” said Sorbor George, the spokesman at the ministry of health.

Four other relatives of the victim, including her seven-year-old daughter, have been identified as “high-risk” and are being monitored in an Ebola treatment center, George said.

Another 46 contacts are being monitored. Ten healthcare workers at the clinic where the patient had first sought treatment have also been placed under voluntary precautionary observation.

The World Health Organisation announced earlier this week that Ebola was no longer considered to be a public health emergency.

A billboard with a message about Ebola is seen on a street in Conakry, Guinea in this October 26, 2014 file photo.

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Bassarath: Wins prove WICB ...

From Page 29 against the regional team.

As such, Dr Rowley has indicated CARICOM asked the CARICOM Secretariat to get legal advice and support to determine what is the legal position with this product called West Indies cricket.

“Because now that the board is behaving in that way – virtually telling the governments of the region to go to hell – the question arises with the people of the Caribbean, what is West Indies cricket? And how did this board get this product which they are marketing now and is being so bombastic in talking to the region’s leaders?”

Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has also been quite vocal in opposition to the WICB’s current governing structure and has chastised the regional cricketing body for showing “an amazing level of disrespect” to the Caribbean leaders. ( First Published In The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday).

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Kane keeps Spurs dreaming as Arsenal, City win

By Ian Chadband LONDON, (Reuters)-`Harry Kane was on target again to earn Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw at Liverpool yesterday but the stalemate opens a path for Leicester City to forge seven points clear in the title race this weekend.

While Arsenal crushed Watford 4-0 and Manchester City hammered Bournemouth by the same score to breathe fresh life into their faint hopes, Leicester’s closest pursuers moved to within four points thanks to Kane’s predatory instincts.

After Philippe Coutinho had put Liverpool ahead soon after halftime in a vibrant contest, Kane conjured a brilliant strike out of very little to become the first Spurs player in the Premier League era to score 22 league goals in a season.

Leicester, who have played one game fewer, now have the chance to open a huge gap over Mauricio Pochettino’s side with just six matches left if they can beat Southampton at the King Power Stadium today.

Kane, who felt “very proud of a great achievement” after becoming Spurs’ highest scorer in any league season since Gary Lineker in 1991-92, said his team were “a tad disappointed” with the result.

“We will watch the Leicester game tomorrow

and hope Southampton can get a result and do us a favour,” he told Sky Sports.

In the battle for Champions League football next season, not even another free kick masterpiece from Dimitri Payet could inspire fifth-placed West Ham United as they had Cheikhou Kouyate sent off in a 2-2 draw

adrift of safety after a goalless home draw with West Bromwich Albion.

ARSENAL REBOUND After losing three home games in a row, Arsenal rebounded to dominate Watford, who had knocked them out of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium last month, with

Theo Walcott scores the fourth goal for ArsenalReuters / Dylan MartinezLivepic with Crystal Palace.

At the other end of the table, Aston Villa’s disillusioned fans made a long, loud protest as their side were humiliated 4-0 at home to Chelsea and now stand on the verge of relegation.

Newcastle United are hot favourites to join Villa in the Championship next season after going down 3-2 in a dramatic clash at fellow strugglers Norwich City who celebrated a 93rd-minute winner from Martin Olsson.

United’s north-east rivals Sunderland are also in deep trouble, four points

Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin and Theo Walcott on target.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who singled out exciting young Nigerian Iwobi for praise, said the performance had “brought a lot of belief back”.

On whether the Gunners were still in the title hunt, Wenger said: “It doesn’t matter how realistic our challenge is, we can only believe in our own game. We just continue”.

Manchester City had lost four of their last six games but stopped the rot

with a blistering start at Bournemouth, Fernando, Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero scoring within 19 minutes.

Aleksandar Kolarov added the fourth in the dying seconds.

Arsenal are third, eight points behind Leicester and four adrift of Spurs, but they lead fourth-placed Manchester City by four.

The most dramatic action came in the relegation dog-fight at Carrow Road where Aleksandar Mitrovic looked set to be Newcastle’s hero again.

He followed up his equaliser against Sunderland two weeks ago with two more goals including an 86th-minute penalty that looked set to earn his side a point.

Norwich, who had led twice through Timm Klose and Dieumerci Mbokani, were not to be denied though and Swedish full back Olsson raced through to hit the winner with a low drive three minutes into added time.

Villa’s woes continued with a pitiful performance and a seventh straight league defeat.

Thousands of fans held up banners in protest and began walking out of Villa Park after 74 minutes following Chelsea goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, onloan Brazilian international Alexandre Pato and two from Pedro.

E l s e w h e re , S t o k e City drew 2-2 at home to Swansea City.

Australia and Windies Women . .

From back page

back to beat India by three runs to seal a place in the semi-finals.

It was in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai on Thursday that the West Indies played its best cricket to secure a six-run win over a side that had emerged unscathed in the league.

The tall Britney Cooper, who was brought in for the semi-final, justified her selection with a 48-ball 61 that set up the West Indies win.

Skipper Taylor has proved an inspiration with both bat and ball, her 187 runs in the tournament – second only behind England captain Charlotte Edwards – coming on top of her eight wickets.

In Deandra Dottin, the West Indies has one of the most power-packed all-rounders in the women’s game who has scored 111 runs and claimed seven wickets.

“We are very much excited” said Taylor. “There will be nerves around, being out first final, but we have to embrace it, try to be calm and composed and just go there and fight for it.

What I admire about the Aussies is that they are fearless.

If they go down, they go down fighting. That is what I tell my girls. Go out there, play your natural game and be fearless.

“But we are not intimidated by them. They have won three titles, we have nothing to lose. We need to be positive and relaxed.”

Australia, meanwhile, has peaked at the right time after losing to New Zealand in the league and displayed its prowess with a five-run win over old foe England in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Lanning’s 55 off 50 balls against England showed the Australian captain had recovered from a stomach bug and will be expected to once again lead from the front at the Eden Gardens.

The West Indies will also be wary of medium-pacer Megan Schutt, who claimed two for 15 against England and is her side’s leading bowler with seven wickets.

Lanning, however, said three titles did not guarantee a fourth one, adding it will all depend on how the team played today.

“I have always said we are not here to defend the title, we are here to win the 2016 event,” the Australian captain said.

“Tomorrow is a new day and we need to start from scratch. What has happened before does not matter.

“No doubt we love winning. We are a competitive side, but each tournament is different. This one can’t be compared to the previous three tournaments.

“The hunger in this side is as high and good as it has ever been. We can’t wait to get in there and play a tough game against the West Indies.

“Whatever happened in the past will not count for anything.

The team that settles quickly and gets into the rhythm of the game will do well.”

Lanning said the entire team was “excited” about playing the final at the iconic Eden Gardens.

“It’s a big occasion, no doubt about that,” she said.

“These are the days we train for and play for. We are very excited to play a World Cup final at such a famous ground.

It does not get bigger than this.”

Memorex U-17 cricket …

British doctor alleges he Outright win for Tucber Park doped 150 sportsmen TUCBER Park secured an outright victory over Sisters when play in the Memorex Under-17 cricket competition continued recently in Berbice.

Batting first, Sisters were bowled out for 64 in their first innings, with off-spinner Melvin Singh being the star for Tucber Park with figures of 4-12 and Naresh Chan 2-20.

In reply, Tucber Park declared their first innings at 216-4, a first innings lead of 152. Malcolm Mickle slammed 67, while Junior Williams and Leon Swami were unbeaten on 53 and 50

LEON SWAMI respectively.

Facing the huge deficit,

Sisters were bowled out for 63 in their second innings.

Off-spinner Naresh Chan took 5-18, while Singh had 3-15.

Pacer David Prahalad took 7 for 12 -- the best bowling figures in the competition so far -- to help Tamarind Root bowl out Toopoo Rising Star for 83 in their first innings. Tamarind Root went on to reply with 85 to take first innings points. The match eventually ended in a draw.

In the other game played, Tamarind Root took first innings points from Toopoo Rising Star.

(REUTERS)-A British doctor has alleged that he prescribed banned performance-enhancing drugs to 150 sportsmen including several Premier League footballers, according to a Sunday Times report.

The paper said Dr Mark Bonar claimed his “clients” included an England cricketer, British Tour de France cyclists, a British boxing champion, tennis players and martial arts competitors as well as footballers.

In the past six years he has treated more than 150 sportsmen from the UK and abroad with banned substances such as erythropoietin (EPO), steroids and human growth hormone, and the performance improvements were “phenomenal”,

the report added.

Neither the newspaper nor Reuters was able to substantiate the claims made by the doctor but the news is likely to cast a further shadow on the sporting world ahead of the Rio Olympics in August.

Russia was suspended from international track and field last year following a report exposing widespread cheating and corruption among its athletes.

The country faces a ban from the Olympics unless Russia can prove to the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF governing body that it has met a series of conditions regarding its anti-doping operations.

28

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2016 … DOUBLE DOSE

WlLL the Windies men cop a second World T20 title and the Windies women their first?

Cricket fans throughout the Caribbean are understandably elated that both the men and women wearing the coveted maroon uniforms will be representing them in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 World Cup finals set for Mumbai, India, today.

Congratulations are in order to all stakeholders -- the administrators, coaching and managerial staff, sponsors, players and faithful fans -- for making this possible as the men square off with England and the women do battle with the Aussies.

Although having the male and female

But the hosts made an early exit and the showpiece final at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, was a match-up between the English and the Australians-a showdown that saw England emerging winners.

It was not until two years later, in the fourth ICC T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, that the West Indies made it to the final, having defeated Australia in one of the semis a couple of days earlier.

A packed-in crowd at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo witnessed the West Indies captain Darren Sammy winning the toss and electing to bat against the host and fighting finalist, Sri Lanka.

The innings got off to a stuttering start as it took the West Indies 17 deliveries to score the first run off the bat and in the course of the sixth over, the openers Chris Gayle (3) and Johnson Charles (0) had already exited the

FLASHBACK: The West Indies won World T20 Cup in 2012 after beating Sri Lanka. teams from one country simultaneously contesting the finals of an ICC World Cup is not a unique occurrence (Australia did so in 2010), the fact that both West Indies outfits will be on show on this massive stage is enough reason to be ecstatic.

In the men’s version of the ICC T20 World Cup, today marks the end of the seventh edition, the first of which was played in South Africa in 2007.

In the inaugural competition, India and Pakistan battled in a riveting final in Johannesburg with the Indians eventually overcoming their neighbours by just five runs.

In England in 2009, the Pakistanis made amends by defeating a cheeky Sri Lanka side at Lord’s to take possession of the title and trophy.

In 2010, the venue shifted to the Caribbean and fans and followers in the Region and beyond thought that the West Indies would have dominated as they exhibited their skills on home turf in front of exuberant and loyal fans.

middle at 14 for two.

Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo set about repairing the damage, even as the Sri Lankan bowlers applied the pressure, restricting the opposition to a miserly 32 for two at the half-way point; but they still managed to add a crucial 59 for the third wicket before Bravo fell leg before wicket to the ‘mystery” spinner Ajantha Mendis (4/12) for a sedate 19.

Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell fell cheaply and at 87 for five in the 16th over, the probability of the regional team suffering the indignity of being bowled out inside the allotment of 20 overs was extremely high.

However, Samuels had begun to assert himself and in fact had reserved special punishment for one of the top T20 bowlers in the game -- the fast-bowling, yorker specialist Lasith Malinga. In one of his overs Samuel struck him for three sixes -- a flick over midwicket, a loft over long-on and a beautiful drive over extra-cover as the deflated bowler ended with 0 for 54 from his four overs.

Inside

Edge

With Edwin Seeraj When Samuels eventually departed the scene at 108, he had acquired 78 of the most attractive runs in any of the formats of the game off just 56 deliveries, spiced with three fours and six spectacular sixes.

Darren Sammy cracked a crucial unbeaten 26 to take the West Indies to a respectable 137 for six when the innings closed.

Needing to take early wickets and set the Sri Lankans back, Ravi Rampaul did just that, sending back the experienced and quick-scoring Tillakaratne Dilshan (0) with his very first delivery in the second over of the innings.

The skipper, Mahela Jayawardene and the ever-reliable Kumar Sangakkara took the score to 48 in the 10th over, before the leg-spinner Samuel Badree broke the partnership and set the floodgates wide open.

Despite handy contributions from Jayawardene (33), Nuwan Kulasekara (26) and Sangakkara (22), the Sri Lankans lost wickets at regular intervals and never got the opportunity to assert themselves in the face of disciplined and incisive bowling, smart catching and splendid fielding from the Windies.

The game ended with Sri Lanka being bowled out for 101 in 18.4 overs, giving the “Maroon Caps” victory by a huge 36 runs as Sunil Narine 3 for 9 and Darren Sammy 2 for 6 ran riot and the Caribbean carnival got into full swing.

In 2014 in Bangladesh, the Sri Lankans made sure they knocked the sails off the West Indies ship in the semi-final and duly matched skills with India in the final. They committed themselves to being the best T20 side in the world and in the end wore the crown with pride as the Indians had to settle as runners-up.

England, for their part, have only once reached the semi-final stage of an ICC T20 World Cup (pre 2016) and did go on to claim the top prize in 2010.

Coming up against a formidable Australian team, Paul Collingwood called correctly and promptly asked his counterpart Michael Clarke to bat first. The ploy immediately paid rich dividends as the Aussies lost three early wickets while eking out just eight runs.

The openers Shane Watson and David

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Warner managed just two runs apiece, while the promoted, free-scoring wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was sent packing for a solitary single.

Ryan Sidebottom (2/26), bowling leftarm fast medium, accounted for Watson and Haddin, while the willow-wielding Warner was run out as England applied the pressure.

David Hussey (59) and the captain Clarke (27) took the score to 45 before the off-spinner Graeme Swann claimed the skipper to leave the Aussies in a precarious position in the 10th over of the innings.

A 19-ball 30 from Cameron Whyte aided in a fifty-run partnership for the fifth wicket with David Hussey and although Michael Hussey chipped in with a 10-ball 17, Australia closed their innings at a below par 147 for six.

England suffered an early blow when the opener Michael Lumb fell to the speedster Shaun Taitt, but the bustling opener and wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter (63 from 49 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes) and the mature Kevin Pietersen (47 from 31 balls with 4 fours and 1 six), took the score to 118 before they were separated in the14th over.

In the end, England romped to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory at 148 for three, with a full three overs to spare. Significantly, the captain Collingwood and the player currently in charge, Eoin Morgan, were in the middle when the exciting win came.

In the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, the Australians have dominated in a huge way winning three of the four tournaments to date.

Having not made it to the first final played in England in 2009, when the host and New Zealand competed for top honours, the “Kangaroo Girls” have taken the accolades in 2010 (defeating New Zealand) and in 2012 and 2014 (upsetting England).

The West Indies women, on the other hand, exited early in 2009, but made it to the semis in 2010 against New Zealand and in 2012 and 2014 against Australia. However, they have never ventured further until today.

Will the West Indies men cop their second ICC T20 World Cup title today? Will the West Indies women win their maiden ICC T20 World Cup title today?

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29

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Ronaldo grabs late winner for Real Madrid in El Clasico CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored late as 10-man Real Madrid stunned Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou yesterday to win El Clasico and end their rivals’ 39game unbeaten streak.

Gerard Pique had given Barca the lead before Karim

Neymar fed an open Luis Suarez, but the Uruguayan could not get his feet right and the ball fell wide of the goal.

Real Madrid responded as Gareth Bale raced into the box from the wing and tried to square for a teammate but

Ramos had already been booked for protesting after Suarez’s opening chance, but Hernandez ruled he got the slightest of touches on the ball as Messi took him on.

Real then had some chances of their own as Ron-

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was the difference as Real Madrid ended Barcelona’s unbeaten run.

Benzema answered for Real, and though Sergio Ramos was sent off, Ronaldo found the winner soon afterwards.

Barcelona’s lead in the Primera Division was trimmed to six points over Atletico Madrid, who won earlier in the day, while third-placed Real Madrid closed the gap behind Barca to seven points.

Madrid’s first win at Barcelona since 2013 was also the Blaugrana’s first defeat since Oct. 3, ending their Spanish record streak after 39 games without a loss, four shy of Juventus’ record streak among the top five European leagues.

Barcelona had a glorious chance to take the lead in the 10th minute when

the play was picked out by a sliding Pique.

But the hosts had more opportunities in the first half, as Andres Iniesta had a powerful shot blocked in front.

As Barca kept up the pressure, Real defender Dani Carvajal was booked for stopping an attack and Lionel Messi’s free kick flew over the bar.

Ivan Rakitic then forced a save from Keylor Navas before Neymar shot well high after a series of fine passes with Messi.

The first major talking point came in the 24th minute when Ramos collided with Messi at the top of the box, but referee Alejandro Hernandez waved away Barcelona’s penalty shouts.

aldo got off a soft shot and Bale fired a shot high.

And the visitors were on the ascendancy after Suarez received a yellow card when his hand flailed in the face of Pepe.

Ronaldo sent a free kick over the bar from 30 yards on the half-hour mark, and before the break Benzema found himself alone in the centre of the box, but he could not bring the ball down after the pass to him took a high bounce.

As the second half began, Ramos was again fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a foul on Suarez.

Barcelona regained their form and Navas made a spectacular save to deny

Messi’s chip in the 55th minute, but the breakthrough came moments later.

Following a Rakitic corner, Pique broke free of Pepe’s marking to head in Barcelona’s opening goal.

But Real Madrid were back level seven minutes later as Toni Kroos’ pass from the wing took a deflection that lofted it high in the air, and Benzema scored from an acrobatic play.

And Zinedine Zidane thought his team had taken the lead from Gareth Bale’s header in the 79th minute, but the goal was harshly ruled out as the referee adjudged the Welshman had pushed Jordi Alba while leaping for the ball.

Ramos was sent off in the 84th minute for going into the back of Suarez, giving Barcelona hope they could find a winner.

But Ronaldo silenced the Camp Nou crowd a scant minute later after he controlled Bale’s lofted cross, allowed Dani Alves to pass him by and finished through Claudio Bravo’s legs.

Ronaldo’s goal was the 16th of his career in El Clasico, passing Raul for the third most all-time, following Messi’s 21 and Alfredo Di Stefano’s 18.

Ronaldo has eight goals in his past six games for Real Madrid.

Messi, who was seeking his 500th career goal for club and country, remains goalless in his past five games against Real Madrid.

A stunned Barcelona walked off after losing at home for the first time since February 2015 against Malaga, a span of 34 games.

Cavs down Hawks in OT to boost top seeding, Raptors win THE Cleveland Cavaliers are two and a half games clear of Eastern Conference rivals the Toronto Raptors, who also won on Friday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed they remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference after eclipsing the Atlanta Hawks 110-108 in overtime on Friday.

LeBron James came up big for the Cavaliers, posting 29 points and 16 rebounds as he moved up to 11th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. `Cleveland’s back-toback wins means they are still in pole position in the

east, two and a half games clear of the Toronto Raptors, who edged the Memphis Grizzlies 99-95.

The Hawks, who outscored the Cavs in the third and fourth periods to force OT, were led by Paul Millsap’s double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Jeff Teague added 28 points.

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry led the way for the Raptors in Memphis as the in-form Toronto franchise made it three wins in four games.

DeRozan had 27 points and Lowry chipped in with 22, while Terrence Ross

scored all of his 12 points in the final quarter.

Zach Randolph had 16 points for the slumping Grizzlies, who suffered a fifth consecutive defeat.

The Golden State Warriors and their 54-game regular-season home winning streak was ended by the Boston Celtics, who stunned the defending NBA champions 109-106.

The Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks both had wins in the Western Conference.

Gordon Hayward’s 22 points led the Jazz past the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-85.

The Jazz remain eighth

and clinging to a spot in the play-offs, behind the seventh-placed Mavericks, who accounted for the Detroit Pistons 98-89.

In other results, the Miami Heat almost coughed up a 24-point lead as they held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 112-106.

The Washington Wizards boosted their play-off hopes with a 106-99 win at the Phoenix Suns, the Charlotte Hornets downed the Philadelphia 76ers 10091, the Orlando Magic fell 113-110 to the Milwaukee Bucks, while the New York Knicks upstaged rivals the Brooklyn Nets 105-91.

Bassarath: Wins prove WICB working AZIM Bassarath, Director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), claims recent victories by West Indies teams indicate that things were working at the regional cricket body.

He complained that the Board has been abused in the last couple of months despite the recent wins of the various teams.

Speaking at the launch of the WICB/UNICEF Fair Play Training of Trainers Workshop at the Office of the Prime Minister, (Gender and Child Affairs) International Waterfront complex, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, Bassarath, also the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TCCB), said that “certain” Prime Ministers of the Caribbean had called for the Board’s dissolution, and within two months, the West Indies Under-19 team has won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and both the men and women West Indies teams are in the Interna- Director of the West Intional Cricket Council dies Cricket Board Azim (ICC) World T20 cricket Bassarath who is also finals today. president of the TCCB. “Doesn’t that tell you something? That things are working at the WICB?” Bassarath questioned.

“When the team loses, the Board comes under severe attack. When the team wins, not a word of praise is bestowed on the Board, isn’t that unfair?” he said.

In November last year, a CARICOM- commissioned investigative panel, headed by UWI Cave Hill Principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau, recommended the “immediate dissolution” of the WICB. Recently Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed that CARICOM will write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to let them know that the regional heads no longer recognise the WICB as its governing body.

Dr Rowley added that CARICOM was seeking legal counsel after the WICB flatly rejected the proposal to dissolve the organisation, describing it as an “unnecessary and intrusive demand.” The WICB has warned regional heads of ICC policy which forbids Government intervention and which can result in serious sanctions See page 26

YWCC beat ZSC by six wickets in fundraiser match YOUNG Warriors Cricket Club (YWCC) whipped hosts Zeeburg Sports Club (ZSC) by six wickets and an over to spare, when the two clubs clashed in a 25 overs a side affair recently.

The game was organised by the ZSC in an effort to raise funds in order to further develop the sports club.

Zeeburg Sports Club won the toss, batted under cloudy conditions and compiled a challenging 155 all out in 24 of their allotted overs.

Baldinder Shivpersaud topscored with 29. Bowling for YWCC, Suresh Dhani, Jermin Henry, Kassim Khan and Seon Hetmyer, all claimed two wickets apiece.

In the run chase, YWCC lost their star batsman Shimron Hetmyer early.

However, a second-wicket partnership of 100 runs between Seon Hetmyer and Linden Austin put the visitors on course. Seon Hetmyer and Austin finished with 58 and 38 respectively. Kassim Khan contributed an unbeaten 23 in the winning total.

Meanwhile, the organisers thanked the YWCC for willingly accepting the invitation to participate, so that the club could raise some funds for the benefit of the community.

30

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Different England to turn Explosive up in World T20 final Windies face ...

- Morgan

By Sudipto Ganguly

KOLKATA, (Reuters)-West Indies will face a completely different England side in today’s World Twenty20 final compared to the one they beat in the Super 10 stage match, captain Eoin Morgan said on the eve of the title clash.

Doubts crept in about England’s prospects in the sixth edition of the tournament after West Indies chased down a 182-run target at the Wankhede Stadium with almost two overs to spare, riding on an unbeaten century from opener Chris Gayle.

But the 2010 champions made significant improvement in their last two matches, including a morale-boosting victory over an in-form New Zealand side in the semi-finals, to inch closer to a second T20 title.

“I think it’s two completely different teams given that we have grown as a side game on game,” Morgan told reporters at the Eden

Gardens yesterday.

“I think it’s difficult to compare sides from the first game of the tournament to the final of the World Cup.” While Gayle is due for a big score having made little impact on the tournament since his blitzkrieg against England, Morgan said England could not afford to only focus on the Jamaican.

“Even before we played West Indies in the group stages I was quite firm in saying that Chris Gayle wasn’t just the West Indies team,” said the 29-year-old who is himself due for runs.

“It’s important that when you are playing against good sides you do not focus on one or two good players. It’s everybody, because anybody can hurt you,” Morgan added.

“I think India witnessed that and everybody watching the game witnessed that with Lendl Simmons’ innings.”

Barely 12 months back, England made an ignominious exit from the 50-over World Cup and were pilloried for their negative approach to limited overs cricket.

From back page

England T20 captain Eoin Morgan

Morgan credits a change in mindset for their success.

“I think the strides we have made in the last 12 months, this would be a great reward for the mindset we have showed and the hard work we have put in,” the left-handed batsman added.

“It’s quite a stark difference.

“It’s hard to believe in some ways. I would have never imagined the turnaround being so immediate or having such an immediate impact... the key component within that has been the mindset.

“I think tomorrow the op-

portunity we do have is a product of that. It’s totally exciting... I am just very, very proud.”

Morgan hopes his team mates will not be overawed by the occasion in front of over 65,000 spectators at the iconic Eden Gardens.

“We know it’s not going to be a normal game. I want all of our players to embrace it and tomorrow everything is going to feel a bit rushed,” he said.

“To start with it’s important that we are in a really good frame of mind to slow things down when needed and more importantly execute our skills.”

Table tennis player Natalie Cummings to undergo six months training in Brazil NATIONAL table tennis player Natalie Cummings has departed Guyana for Brazil, where she will undergo a six-month training stint at the Jaceiri Table Tennis Club in Sao Paulo.

Natalie is in Brazil, courtesy of a sixmonth intern scholarship opportunity provided by Mr. Waldemir Jose Silva, the Junior President of the club, which allows her the opportunity to train and play tournaments as their representative in provincial and regional tournaments.

This is the second opportunity provided by the club to Natalie: the first was in 2014 for two (2) months, which was used to help her prepare for several international engagements.

Following her first stint, she was able to add new elements to her game and strengthen the women’s team chances with a quarter-final performance at the Commonwealth Games, when they defeated Scotland.

At the Caribbean championships they won a silver medal and Cummings feels that this stint would be truly beneficial, given that its six months which would allow her to absorb, reinforce and implement many of the elements taught.

“I’m a bit excited and feel somewhat privileged to gain acceptance and be considered a second time to benefit from such an opportunity given, they are hard to come by. I’m

hoping to learn as much and develop my technical and tactical abilities, give a good account of myself and to help bolster Guyana’s women’s team chances of doing well at future international competitions.”

Cummings is the holder of a Bach-

Natalie Cummings

elor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Guyana and has expressed an interest in pursuing endeavours aimed at realising her table tennis potential, while she contemplates advanced studies and work.

The table tennis star said the coach in Sao Paulo has the reputation of being one of the best. “Brazil is looking to expand their league and has been offering internship opportunities to foreign national players.”

Her stint coupled with stints in China

by Trennace Lowe and Chelsea Edghill should help the national women’s team better their silver medal performance at the 2016 Senior Caribbean Championships scheduled for September 2016 in The Dominican Republic Brazilian players are highly ranked in the world and recently their 19-year-old Hugo Calderon won the Latin American senior men’s Title and the World Under 21 male title at the World Championships in March 2016 “The GTTA recognises that it is only through exposing our players to high-level training and competition that we can raise the level of our players and become more competitive internationally. This is the route we must take in order to remain competitive and surpass our international counterparts,” the body said in a statement.

Natalie is currently the number two ranked female player in Guyana and was runner-up to Chelsea Edghill at the Guyana 2016 National Table Tennis Championships

one-man army who bank on Gayle to punch holes in their opponents.

Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons and Andrew Russell have stepped out of their illustrious team mate’s shadow and made their own mark in the last month.

“We said this before the tournament that Chris is under pressure,” Sammy said after the exhilarating semi-final victory against hosts India.

“He is our best Twenty20 player but we have 15 match-winners in this side,” he added.

The ever-smiling all-rounder is seeking to become the first captain to lead a team to a second World Twenty20 title but West Indies are anything but infallible.

PEAKING ENGLAND They showed two extremes to their game in the last couple of outings, slumping to an embarrassing defeat to qualifiers Afghanistan before silencing a raucous home crowd in Mumbai as they knocked out favourites India.

Also, the England they will face today is not the same team they thumped by six wickets in the group stage last month.

Morgan’s side have peaked gradually in the tournament since that defeat and seem to have found the right rhythm and combinations.

They accomplished a high-scoring chase against South Africa, recovered well to subdue an upset-minded Afghanistan, held their nerve to edge out Sri Lanka and stunned the previously unbeaten New Zealand with a near-perfect game in the semi-finals.

Their batsmen -- especially Jason Roy, Joe Root and Jos Buttler -- have batted with refreshing freedom and their catching has been extraordinary.

Equally, if not more impressive, has been their bowling at the death.

Ben Stokes appeared to have ice in his veins in the final over against Sri Lanka to thwart Angelo Mathews’s audacious bid to pull off a sensational victory as England secured their place in the last four.

Against New Zealand, Stokes and Chris Jordan pacified the Black Caps in the final four overs, which cost only 20 runs and garnered five wickets, to restrict them to a total that England could chase down with 17 balls to spare.

Morgan has freed his batsmen from the weight of expectation and it is showing in the team’s performance.

“That’s the way a lot of us play,” Roy said of England’s aggressive batting after his 44-ball innings of 78 set the foundations for victory over New Zealand.

“The whole team has got that kind of licence, that kind of opportunity to go out there and do what they want and be free with their skills.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday April 03, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) West Indies & England (2) West Indies & Australia

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who were the losing semi-finalists of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2016?

(2) Who were the losing semi-finalists of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2016

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

31

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016

Archer, Chand, Hunte inducted into Pele Football Club Hall of Fame ––Lake, Joseph honoured

By Michael DaSilva TERRENCE Andrew A rc h e r, D a v i d “ D o g gy” Chand and Dennis “Chow” Hunte were on Friday Night inducted into Pele Football Club’s Hall of Fame when the club staged the final event of its 45th Anniversary celebrations with an Education Awards Ceremony at the Georgetown Club, Camp

Street.

Archer, who joined Pele in 1978, seven years after the club’s formation, was the club’s captain from 1983 to 1995 and also captained Guyana’s national team for a number of years, playing as a defender alongside Marlon Williams and Gordon “Ultimate Warrior” Braithwaithe.

Chand, who was Pele FC’s first-ever secretary served for four years be-

fore enlisting in the Guyana National Service and was subsequently seconded to the Guyana Defence Force, where he underwent the Officer Cadet Course. He then migrated to Canada where he is still based.

Hunte, on the other hand, started his football career at the Dorcas Club and became the first Pele player to be named national junior captain in 1971 for the Guyana versus Suriname Inter-Guiana Games.

Inductee into the Pele FC Hall of Fame, Dennis `Chow’ Hunte (left), accepts his award from former national player Linden Carter.

He was subsequently replaced as the team’s captain by current Pele Alumni Corporation’s Treasurer Patrick “Labba” Barton, who made his senior national debut under then national captain Ken Gibbs.

Linden “Pin Head” Lake, who was born in 1966 represented Pele and Guyana for a number of years at the under-14 and under-19 levels and like Mark “Pone Head” Joseph, was honoured for their contributions to local football. Lake and Joseph are both based in the United States.

In his address to the special invitees, Pele’s club president Robbie Rambarran reminded them that the Pele Football Club was founded in 1971 and still exists, which according to him, is an astronomical achievement when one takes into consideration that clubs in the Caribbean usually lasted between 15 to 20 years.

“We celebrated this achievement with activities such as a meet and greet, essay competition, football festival, youth camp, coaches’ seminar, distribution of school supplies to youths in need” Rambarran stated, adding “These activities demonstrate the commitment and enthusiasm of the Pele FC and its Alumni to the improvement of this beautiful game and also the

Pele FC’s first secretary David `Doggy’ Chand displayed his induction award on Friday evening during the Pele FC’s 45th Anniversary Celebration at the Georgetown Club.(Photos by Ivan Bentham) development of our youths, both academic and co-curriculum.”

To this, he (Rambarran) implored all present as well as the government, the Guyana Football Federation, Associations, Clubs, corporate businesses and all other stakeholders to collectively work to enhance the sport of football.

“It is time that the product of football is rebranded and the stigma of it being a ghetto sport and black people sport is removed.

We must note [that] football is the richest sport in the world. Let’s create the

frameworks and structures that would ensure we compete at the highest level, that would position it as a family-oriented sport that would bring about unity and harmony amongst our people, that can be used to develop our communities by having youths meaningfully engaged.” Rambarran, who served as the club’s secretary for four years before being elected president last November,concluded, “It must also be noted that football can no longer operate on volunteerism and as such, the efforts of all and sundry are required.”

T20 World Cup…

Guyanese confident WI can create double success

By Rajiv Bisnauth

THE West Indies men and women’s teams have made their way into the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 after defeating India and New Zealand respectively.

The West Indies men’s team rode on Lendl Simmons’s emphatic knock, while tight bowling from the women’s team earned them their final berth.

West Indies women take on the Australian women in the final at the Eden Gardens

in Kolkata, just before their male counterparts take on England.

The ladies will face an uphill task against the threetime defending champions Australia, who are also known as the Southern Stars. The team from “Down Under” have been unbeaten since their inaugural win in 2010.

Both the teams come into the final in good form, having won three of their four group games. They also came through to the final after close encounters in the semi-finals

COLIN STUART

against New Zealand and England respectively.

However, on the men’s side, Eoin Morgan’s men reached the showpiece final with a clincial win over New Zealand on Wednesday, while the West Indies sealed their spot a day later with a stunning triumph over hosts India.

But England lost by six wickets when the two teams met earlier in the tournament with Chris Gayle slamming a 47-ball ton.

Chronicle Sport spoke with a few cricket enthu-

siasts, who had their say on the West Indies teams’ chances.

Colin Stuart, former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler, said he is confident that both the men and women’s teams will come out victorious.

“Both teams done well in the tournament, and I expect them to win, but having said that the format is tricky,” Stuart said.

Former Guyana batsman Rabindranauth Seeram believes the winners could

come down to which team wins the toss.

“It has [been] shown during the tournament that the toss is vital,” Seeram said.

President of the Lusignan Golf Club, Oncar Ramroop, said the brand of cricket the Caribbean sides played throughout the tournament is quite remarkable.

“I expect both teams to come out champions, they have shown that this format belongs to them, so I am confident that both teams will win,” Ramroop said.

British doctor alleges he doped 150 sportsmen

Explosive Windies face fearless England in fitting finale

By Amlan Chakraborty KOLKATA, (Reuters)-West Indies’ ragtag army of short-format mercenaries will be hoping they have the weapons to overcome a fearless England in today’s World Twenty20 final as both sides target the honour of being the first to claim a second title in the tournament.

For a group of players who nearly boycotted the event over a contractual dispute with their board, Darren Sammy and his troops have waltzed into the Kolkata final displaying all the Caribbean flair that has earned them global admiration.

If Twenty20 cricket is essentially about power-hitting, no team does it better and more unabashedly than the West Indies.

England have first-hand knowledge of that destructive potency, having been blown away by Chris Gayle’s 47-ball century in a Super 10 shellacking in Mumbai a fortnight ago.

Revenge may be regarded as a dish best served cold but Eoin Morgan’s men would probably like nothing more than to exact it in the heat of a World Cup final.

A task easier said than done against a West Indies outfit packed with swashbuckling players who ply their trade in lucrative Twenty20 leagues around the globe.

What makes the job doubly difficult is that Sammy’s men have proved in India that they are more than just a See page 30

See story on page 27

Darren Sammy and Eoin Morgan with the World T20 trophy in Kolkata, yesterday.

(ESPN Cricinfo photo)

Australia and Windies Women chase history in title clash

Lanning: “The hunger to win is as high and good as it has ever been” Taylor: “We are not intimidated by the Aussies. We have nothing to lose”

Stafanie Taylor and Meg Lanning with the Women’s World T20 trophy in Kolkata, yesterday. (ESPN Cricinfo photo)

BUOYANT and formidable West Indies stands in the way as Australia bids to win a fourth successive ICC World Women’s Twenty20 title when the final is played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today.

The Southern Stars won all three finals it has featured in during the 2010, 2012 and 2014 editions, while the West Indies has made it to its first-ever title round after being knocked out in the semi-finals on the last three occasions.

Stafanie Taylor’s Caribbean stars have already assured themselves a place in history as the first team other than Australia, England and New Zealand to qualify for a women’s World T20 final.

If records alone mattered, Australia would be the overwhelming favourite to win on Sunday, having beaten the West Indies in all their eight

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previous T20 Internationals.

During a warm-up match in Chennai last month – the most recent meeting between the two –Australia cruised to a 43-run win by scoring 139 for three and then bowling the West Indies out for 96.

But Taylor’s side has shown enough resilience during the tournament to suggest it will not be a cakewalk for the world champion Southern Stars, who are led by the world’s leading batter Meg Lanning.

The fifth-ranked West Indies squeezed past Pakistan by four runs in its opening match before comfortably beating Bangladesh by 49 runs. It endured a heart-breaking last-ball, one-wicket loss to England before bouncing See page 27

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2016