Chronicle 05 30 2016

Suspect confesses No. 104567

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

‒ hunt continues for missing fishers attacked by pirates

The aftermath of the bottle-throwing incident and stampede at the Banks Jubilee Fest Mega Concert at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara in the wee hours of Sunday morning (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)

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Pandemonium ends Banks Jubilee Fest Relatives seek Squandered police protection 12

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Mahdia to become town in 2017 8 P.

‒ Ramotar’s Administration paid $169,737 per laptop worth between $86,310 -- $108,974 P.2

for shot teen

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Squandered 2

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

‒ Ramotar’s Administration paid $169,737 per laptop worth between $86,310 -- $108,974

By Svetlana Marshall OVER 3,000 damaged laptops were donated to the Donald Ramotar Administration for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) Proj-

ect, a forensic audit has revealed.

In May 2012, the National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CNMIXC) in collaboration with the Government of China donated

28,145 Great Wall Laptops to the Government of Guyana. The total was estimated around $1,633,671,488.

However, more than 3,000 of the laptops had technical problems ranging from battery and keyboard failures, damaged LCD displays and malfunctioning of the motherboard.

According to the Forensic Audit Report compiled by Ram and McRae Chartered Accountants, CNMIXC provided a number of spare parts

to the OLPF free of cost and even brought in two technicians from China to assist in rectifying the problems.

However, due to the quantities of laptops damaged, the level of technical support was totally inadequate.

A physical count at August 5, 2015 observed by Ram & McRae revealed a total of 3,158 damaged Great Wall laptops.

On September 15, 2015, another agreement was signed, this time by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government and Aerospace Science and Industry Shenzhen Company Limited (China). This new agreement has paved the way for the procurement of 9,609 laptops to be provided

by China at a total cost of $1,631,000,000. The unit cost per laptop, according to the contractual agreement, is $169,737.

Though these new laptops are of a high quality and possess higher specifications than the laptops acquired by the Ramotar Administration, Ram and McRae alluded to the fact that “similar quality and specifications are listed on the international markets for prices ranging from $86,310 to $108,974.”

Overall, the forensic audit has revealed that more than 1900 laptops, totaling in excess of $115M are currently unaccounted for, defective laptops have taken the total losses to over $300M. The project, which was the brainchild of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, had intended to equip 90,000 families with laptops but the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) fell short in achieving its objective. Only 58,303 laptops were distributed.

The audit has also revealed that the total distribution cost amounted to $35,291,406 or three per cent of the total cost of the project.

The average cost of dis-

tribution per laptop was therefore calculated to be $706. On the other hand, total training cost amounted to $70,750,427 or six per cent of the total cost of the project. The average cost of training per laptop was therefore $1,415.

EXORBITANT “It is clear from the summary analysis above that 92 per cent of the total cost was incurred due to indirect expenses, while only eight per cent was directly attributable to the underlying objective of the project. We believe that the general expenses of the OLPF were exorbitant and could have been curtailed by management,” the audit report said.

But apart from expenditure, Ram and McRae found that the OLPF Project was poorly managed by individuals who not only lack the qualification but experience needed to execute the project.

It was disclosed that on February 1, 2011, Margo Boyce was hired by the Office of the President as a consultant to undertake the responsibilities of Chairperson of the ICT Hub, One Laptop per Family Initiative.

As Chairperson, her basic contracted salary was $150,000 per month; however it was not long before her tenure as Chairperson came to an end. In fact, it ended on September 30, 2011 and a new contract was signed on October 1, 2011 for her to become the Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant.

MASSIVE INCREASE “Boyce agreed to a basic monthly salary of $400,000.

However, the Project Manager, Mr Sesh Sukhdeo, in a letter dated November 17, 2011 to Dr Roger Luncheon Head of the Presidential Secretariat, stated that Boyce’s contract was amended and her new monthly salary was increased to $590,360 effective from October 1, 2011,”

the audit revealed.

According to Ram and McRae, there was no documented reason for immediate salary increase.

By August 2012, she was appointed Project Manager at a basic salary of $700,000 per month until July 31, 2015, the effective date of her resignation.

It was noted that Boyce’s principal qualification is a Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree. However, she attended a number of short courses in supervisory management, institutional and organisational assessment, emergency operations centre management and operations, project identification and training and the project management skills course.

“In our opinion, these were not sufficient for the level of responsibility and the skill requirements for the position of Project Manager.

We saw no evidence of any advertisement or any application by Boyce for any of the positions in the OLPF,” Ram and McRae Chartered Accountants stated.

Situation was the same for the Deputy Project Manager Azariah Asim was hired by the ICT Hub, One Laptop per Family Initiative on April 1, 2011.

“His initial designation was IT Administrator responsible for the Information Technology Department. At that point, Asim was paid a basic monthly salary of $160,000. (However) He was promoted to Deputy Project Manager on January 1, 2014 at a basic monthly salary of $450, 000,” the audit further revealed.

According to the auditors, Asim had no professional or tertiary academic qualification. His principal qualifications were IT user applications including Microsoft Office, IBM PC/MS?DOS, WordPerfect 6.0, Lotus 1?2?3, Dbase IV and Corel Draw 7.0.

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Suspect confesses 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

‒ hunt continues for missing fishers attacked by pirates

Clent Nathoo

By Nafeeza Yahya ONE of the persons apprehended by police in relation to the piracy attack of Friday evening -wherein one fisherman is dead and three others are missing -- has confessed to his involvement in the crime. Thus the police have made some headway in their investigations of this unsavoury incident.

However, the search continues for the three missing fishermen who were attacked. They have been identified as Dhanpaul Rampaul of Number 67 Village, Corentyne; Dochand Sukra, called ‘Bucher”, 54, of Number 55 Village, Corentyne; and Munesh Churram, called “Bayo”, 26.

Family members of

Missing: Munesh Churram

Missing: Dochand Sukra

Missing: Dhanpaul Rampaul

the missing fishermen are praying that they be found alive, even in the face of the bleakness of the situation. Teajpattie Seusaran, wife of Munesh Churram, called Bayo, said she always warned him of the danger of being a fisherman, and would encourage him to take up another profession, but he never really paid her any serious attention. He deeply loved his work, she said, even though he was attacked once before by pirates.

“Every time he go, me always fearful for him; me always feel like something guh happen. But he love this work, you can’t tell am nah to go fish!” she told the Guyana Chronicle.

Boat owners, fishermen and ranks of the Guyana Police Force are continuing

their search for the missing men, desperately hoping to find them alive.

On Friday, five pirates armed with cutlasses pounced on fishermen plying their trade in the Lower Shell Area off Nickerie, Suriname at about 23:00 hrs. Three fishing vessels were attacked by the five cutlass-wielding pirates.

Hemchand Sukhdeo, called “Dread”, 45, of Number 55 Village Corentyne, was killed in this attack. His lifeless body was discovered on Saturday in a fishers’ seine during low tide.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Clent Nathoo, owner of Akbar SK 1509, one of the vessels attacked, said the pirates ordered his crew to hand over their catch, and threatened to burn the boat with his

crew aboard.

“Me boat was working in the same area, and about two ‘O’ clock five men pulled up to me boat. Them put the crew members in the cabin and went in the icebox and offload the fish to

The two vessels which returned safely to shore after being attacked by pirates

Laptop...

“An IT administrator is responsible for maintaining the company’s IT network, servers and security systems. This role is absolutely essential within any organisation to ensure business continuity – if an IT network fails, the impact on the day-to-day running of the business can be significant, sometimes catastrophic. Any individual appointed to function in the capacity of IT administrator is expected not only to possess general knowledge and basic software proficiencies but to have extended knowledge and hands’

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on experience in hardware and software installation, troubleshooting and networking.

The individual is also expected to possess adequate qualification(s) such as a degree in computer science, information technology, computer engineering or information system management.

In our opinion, Asim did not have the necessary qualification(s) or relevant experience to operate within his initial designated position and even less, as Deputy Project Manager,” the auditors further explained.

their boat. They throw two bucket of gasoline into the boat and threatened to burn it; but them nah burn, them left,” he said.

Captain of the vessel on which the unfortunate Hemchand Sukhdeo worked, 43-year-old Seepersaud Persaud of Number 78 Village, Corentyne, said he was thrown overboard during this attack, but miraculously survived. He swam for three hours before being rescued.

Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle that his vessel was approximately five miles in the Atlantic Ocean in Surinamese waters when it was approached by pirates, who demanded that his crew hand over their catch, valued at $140,000.

They complied, even as four of the pirates boarded their vessel while another

remained on the pirate boat.

His crew was then tied up and transferred onto the pirates’ vessel, and he was instructed to take it ashore with the crew, as the pirates took their boat.

As he was about to move off, the pirates told him to throw two of his men overboard, but he refused; thus he was instead thrown overboard by the pirates.

On Saturday, police, acting on information, went to the Number 65 Village Foreshore on the Corentyne Coast, where they saw a boat matching the given description of the pirates’ vessel. The five men who were aboard that vessel have been arrested, and one of them has since confessed to participating in the acts of piracy committed on Friday.

Turkish Airlines to support Guyana, Suriname-based airlines AIRLINES based in Guyana and Suriname, members of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), will benefit from an agreement signed on May 25 between Turkish Airlines (THY) and the IsDB to enhance cooperation among 57 members of the bank, according to a statement released by the bank.

As part of the memorandum of understanding, Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national flag carrier and Europe’s number one airline, will provide aviation training to the bank’s member countries.

Turkish Airlines, one the biggest and most profitable airlines in the world, agreed to provide technical support to member states of the Islamic Bank that seek to establish regional airlines, the bank said.

Besides technical support, “Turkish Airlines will cooperate within the framework of the parties’ social responsibility programme including, but not limited to, the transportation and distribution of Haj meat to the poor or in other areas like health and education,” the statement added.

Commenting on the deal, the bank’s President, Ahmad Mohamed Ali, said: “This is a landmark step in

many ways. This deal will enhance cooperation between Islamic countries, and the IsDB and Turkish Airlines would like to facilitate this cooperation. Turkish Airlines has vast experience and with its success story, the flag carrier will definitely be an excellent model for other countries.”

“Turkish Airlines is willing to share all its extensive experience with other countries and we believe that this MoU will open new doors to provide synergy in this world,” said Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil.

The Government of Suriname has already sent a proposal to the Turkish Government seeking a cooperation agreement with Turkish Airlines. The proposal was delivered to the

Turkish foreign minister by his Surinamese counterpart, Niermala Badrising, during her visit to Turkey in April.

Suriname’s state-owned airline, Surinam Airways (SLM), will be partially privatised by the Government.

Guyana, which joined the bank in May 2016, does not have a national airline.

In Guyana, there exist some small domestic airlines and they can benefit from this support from Turkish Airlines.

The bank works to contribute to the social and economic development of its 57 member countries.

Since commencing operations, the bank has provided member countries with total financing worth more than $115 billion.

(Caribbean News Now)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Trump: Migrants treated better than veterans ILLEGAL immigrants in the US often get better care than the nation’s military veterans, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said.

“We’re not going to allow that to happen any longer,” he told a bikers’ rally in Washington DC. Trump did not provide any evidence for his assertion.

Last year, the billionaire sparked anger by attacking the military record of Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war.

Trump said Senator McCain was only considered a hero because he was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He then added: “I like people who weren’t cap-

to remembering Prisoners of War (PoWs) and those missing in action.

Despite previous criticism, many in the crowd cheered Trump.

“What I like about Trump is that he is one of us. He’s not a politician,” 52-year-old Louis Naymik was quoted as saying by the Associated

Press news agency.

Trump -- who has made controversial comments on a number of issues -- was speaking ahead of the June 7 California primary.

He is running unopposed in California after his Republican rivals pulled out and he reached the number

of delegates needed to secure the nomination. It has yet to be formalised.

The Associated Press says Congress and many states have written an assortment of laws and policies designed to restrict government services to people in the country illegally.

(BBC)

Shipwreck ‘kills up to 700 migrants’ UP to 700 migrants are feared drowned in a series of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya in the last few days, the UN refugee agency says.

The boats sank south of Italy on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as the migrants tried to reach Europe in unseaworthy vessels.

Spring weather has led to a surge of people attempting the perilous crossing from Africa to Europe.

It is now a key migration route since a deal curbed numbers sailing to Greece.

Meanwhile, the MSF Sea group suggested the death toll from the last week could be as high as 900.

Survivors are being taken to the Italian ports of Taranto and Pozzallo.

Donald Trump tured.”

Since then Trump, who never served in the military, has tried to repair the damage by frequently honouring veterans at his rallies and

holding fundraising events for them.

His latest comments came at the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally on Sunday, which was dedicated

The Pope met children at the Vatican on Saturday, telling them that migrants “aren’t a danger, but are in danger” Meanwhile, the Italian authorities have said the rescue of more than 600 migrants off Libya on Saturday by a flotilla of EU ships took the weekly total to at least 13,000.

Weekly boat rescues reach 13,000 The rescues were the latest by a multinational patrol of ships operating in the Mediterranean.

Iran, Saudis fail to solve Hajj row

IRAN and Saudi Arabia have failed to resolve a row over the Hajj pilgrimage and Iranian citizens will not travel to Mecca this year, Tehran says.

Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati blamed “obstacles raised by the Saudis”. Saudi Arabia blamed “unacceptable” Iranian conditions.

Hundreds of pilgrims died - many of them Iranians - in a stampede at the Muslim pilgrimage last year.

But the rivals are split on many other issues, with relations cut in January.

Jannati said that “after two series of negotiations without any results because of obstacles raised by the Saudis, Iranian pilgrims will unfortunately

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not be able to take part in the Hajj” in September.

The Iranian Hajj Organisation said: “Saudi Arabia is opposing the absolute right of Iranians to go on the Hajj and is blocking the path leading to Allah.”

It blamed the Saudis for failing to meet Iranian demands for “the security and respect” of Iranian pilgrims.

Visa issues and flights to Saudi Arabia were thought to be key problems.

Some 60,000 Iranians attended last year.

The Saudi Hajj ministry insisted it had offered “many solutions” to Iran’s demands during two days of talks that ended on Friday.

The Saudi foreign ministry said Iran’s Hajj conditions

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were “unacceptable”.

Islam requires devout Muslims to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once if they are able.

In January, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric.

The Saudis executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others after they were convicted of terror-related offences.

In response, Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, setting fire to the building.

Shia-dominated Iran and predominately Sunni Saudi Arabia are long-standing regional rivals who back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syrian and Yemen. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Homeless in Trinidad’s capital sue City Corporation A group of homeless people who sleep in Tamarind Square in Trinidad and Tobago’s capital have filed a lawsuit challenging the Port of Spain City Corporation’s decision to lock them out.

The corporation has locked four of the five gates around the square, and there is a padlock on the fifth, but it has not yet been locked.

Represented by Senior Counsel Christopher HamelSmith and other attorneys Krystal Richardson and Imran Ali, the City dwellers led by Hugh Bernard are seeking a judicial review of the decision, arguing that the Corporation’s decision to put padlocks on the gates around

Homeless people in Tamarind Square, Port of Spain (Trinidad Express photo) Tamarind Square is illegal.

They not only want the Corporation to leave the

gates unlocked so they can continue to access the square until a viable alternative is

available to them, but they want the court to order the City Corporation to provide

Teachers must be trained to identify special needs children --Jamaica Education Minister

JAMAICA Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid said there are a high percentage of students with mild to severe special needs, and many teachers are hard pressed to readily identify them.

The minister said the problem is not the fault of teachers, noting that he has been having dialogue with the Ministry of Health, to chart a way forward on how best to deal with the problem.

“The fact is that teachers are not really trained to deal with the diversity of special needs… it is definitely a weakness in teacher training and is something we have to deal with expeditiously,” he added.

Reid said it is really a testament to the dedication and professionalism of teachers, where against all odds, they have managed to deal admirably and competently with children with special needs over the years, even though many of them lacked the training to do so.

“We now know that we have a lot more kids today who have special needs and our attempt to fix the problem is from the root. As in the 1970s when we had commu-

nity health aides, we have to intervene early before they get to our teachers at grade three and four,” he said.

Reid pointed out that in the coming days he will be meeting with his colleague Ministers at the Ministries of Health and Labour and Social Security to work out details on how best to

have needy students maximise the benefits of the Government programmes.

“Eighty five per cent of the child’s development starts between the ages of 0 and 3 and if we don’t get it right, we are going to lose many of our children,” he added.

tents and access to portable toilets, according to the Newsday newspaper.

They are also seeking damages.

The matter first came up for hearing before Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell on Wednesday, but it was adjourned until October 6.

A Centre for Socially Displaced Persons (CSDP) was set up in 1991 for the homeless, but Bernard claims the conditions there are inhumane.

“The deplorable and in-

humane state of the CSDP has forced many of the socially displaced persons of Port of Spain to seek refuge elsewhere, many of them seeking sanctuary in Tamarind Square,” the lawsuit stated, adding that there is no practicable alternative to Tamarind Square in Port-of-Spain and to deny the homeless access to it would be denying their constitutional right to life, liberty and security of person. (Caribbean360)

11 gunned down in Venezuela

GUNMEN have killed 11 people, including three teenagers and a Colombian national, in Venezuela, officials say.

They say the unidentified attackers ordered the victims out of their homes before shooting them dead in the western Trujillo state on Saturday.

The gunmen then fled the scene in cars and motorcycles.

Non-governmental organisations say Venezuela’s crime rates are increasing, as the country’s economy is in recession due to falling oil prices.

Last year, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence group released its report for 2014, recording 24,980 violent deaths. That equated to 82 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 79 in 2013.

The NGO says those are figures for a country at war.

The Government disputes the group’s findings, saying the rates are much lower. (BBC)

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

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

Editorial

Getting it right

WHILE the tiers of local government have laws that give elected leaders the authority to raise revenues and govern the affairs of the communities, what the laws have not given them is the authority for the chairmen and mayors to instruct the town clerk or the clerk of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs). These clerks, under the laws, are the chief executive officers of these local government bodies. Their authority comes from the decisions of the council; and the decisions they make in the execution of the council’s decisions and the day-to-day management of the NDCs or city councils are expected to be done within the confines of respective by-laws and national laws.

From reports coming out of meetings with the councils of different municipalities and NDCs, a full understanding of the roles between the policymakers and the executives seems to be somewhat lacking. In the local government system, the policymakers are the councils and the executives are the clerks, having attendant staff and departments that are charged under the Local Government Law to ensure the day-to-day running of the towns’ and NDCs’ affairs.

Quite recently, the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana had cause to publicly state that he is prepared to carry out his duty as vice chancellor and allow the University Council to play its role and carry out its duties uninhibited.

The vice chancellor was speaking to a known practice of interference at the university, where its council and the politicians meddle in the day-to-day management of the institution.

Using this as a reference point, the vice chancellor made it known that non-interference is an important feature in arresting the problems facing the university.

The practice of interference is not unique to the university, but is pervasive in other state-owned and Government institutions, inclusive of the local government authorities. In the recent past, this nation has seen interference to the extent where councillors ascribed to themselves the roles of administrators; elected councils suffered at the hands of partisan politics; and some councils were disbanded, to be replaced by hand-picked Interim Management Committees, with no regard for the will of the people.

Since the Local Government elections of last March, there has been growing disquiet that a number of councillors are unaware of the roles of the council and the line of demarcation and authority between the councillors and the administrative staff. Recent reports out of Linden are highlighting this disquiet in that they indicate the existing gulf between the elected mayor -- who is responsible for chairing of the Council, whose responsibility it is to be making decisions pertaining to policies and programmes -- and the town clerk, who has responsibility for the implementation of same.

The public spat between the mayor and town clerk, which can be easily resolved, is exemplifying an unease that needs to be addressed in order to help councillors get acquainted with their roles and responsibilities. Considering that the current councils have been elected after an absence of more than a decade of local government elections, the situation invariably involves some newness, absence of institutional memory, good precedence, and ignorance of how the local government system works.

The Ministry of Communities may need to see the necessity of intervening to empower the councils through training and education. It would be a boost to the local government system and an advantage to society to emerge from the era where power trumps universally acceptable principles, rules

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Labour and Independence

Dear Editor,

INDEPENDENCE was never granted without struggle. The history of this society, wherein oppression has been a feature of the workers’ lot, started in an unorganised fashion from the first enslaved through the period of slavery, indentureship and colonization.

During this period, the sense of disaffection among the masses to poor conditions of work and standard of living ignited in them the passion and determination to stand up against adversity and work to change their circumstances.

And where unorganised labour formed themselves into groups to stand against injustices in the earlier stages of this nation’s evolution, the presence of organised labour in 1905 created a structured approach to confront injustice and inequity in the society. Under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, the first strike by dockworkers in Georgetown challenged what they considered injustices at the workplace. This mobilisation in the quest for the right to self-determination took place without Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan.

In 1943 and 1947, these men, when

they appeared on the national landscape, through their leadership while they were members of the trade union, they took the struggle to the level of political formation in 1950 with the founding of the People’s Progressive Party, and advanced in another form and level.

The political movement embraced and built on the foundation laid by the Labour Movement in 1926. It was foundation grounded in the principle of the right to self-determination, which entailed a series of measures. Some of these measures were: universal adult suffrage; free education and universal health care, housing, prison reform, internal self-government, and regional integration.

As the achievements were made on the political front in terms of moving towards internal self-government, workers also achieved advancement in their welfare at the workplace. For instance, there have been the achievements of minimum wage, eight-hour work day, 40-hour work week, overtime with pay, shift premium, paid vacation, and compensation for workers who were injured on the job.

Labour and safety net laws were also enacted. Some of these are: Na-

tional Insurance Service (NIS) Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Law, Trade Union Recognition and Certification Act, and Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. In 1976, fifty years after the Labour Leaders’ agenda of free education, the Forbes Burnham government made education free from nursery to university.

At the constitutional level, Labour has seen the enshrining of the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedom, which has its genesis in International Labour Organisation Conventions and United Nations’ declarations.

Fifty years of political independence finds this nation among nations embracing a developmental agenda based on the Green Economy. The Green Economy entails three planks: Sustainable Development, Environmental Protection, and Labour Policies. For the trade union, the attainment of independence is another marked achievement in the quest for a just society, and Labour must continue to play its role as a stakeholder.

Regards, LINCOLN LEWIS General Secretary, GTUC

Commonwealth SG congratulates Guyana on Golden Jubilee Dear Editor, CULTURAL festivals, flag-raising ceremonies and float parades ushered in Guyana’s Golden Jubilee of Independence. This diverse and resource-rich country, which boasts pristine Amazonian rain forests, breath-taking waterfalls, intriguing wildlife and a vibrant indigenous culture, gained its independence in 1966. That same year, Barbados, Botswana and Lesotho joined the Commonwealth with Guyana.

On Tuesday, May 24, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland arrived in Guyana to join the

historic celebrations. Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony today, she said: “Guyana is a valued member of the Commonwealth, and I made it a priority to be here this week to celebrate their iconic fiftieth anniversary and their many milestones and achievements since they took the bold step to independence in 1966.

“I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the people of Guyana for these accomplishments, and to assure them that the Commonwealth stands ready and willing to work with them on securing a bright and prosperous future.”

During her visit to the country,

and laws.

Additionally, the local government system has gone through recent amendments, to make it more responsive and representative of the people at the grassroots’ level. Given this combination of factors, if situations are not handled judiciously, a combustible environment can be created, and people can lose faith in this most basic form of democracy.

An intervention by the Ministry of Communities can seek to address the clear demarcation of the roles of executives as against those of policymakers.

Where the society has, for some time, been operating at a level that indicates that substantive reading is not considered priority because ‘might is right’ rules the day, an understanding of and respect for the laws not held in esteem would impact the smooth functioning of local government organs.

In the current environment, people, though well-meaning, can

Secretary-General Scotland also met with President David Granger; the Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge; other ministers of Government and Government officials.

A message from President Granger stated: “The observance of this Golden Jubilee is an opportunity to meditate on the lessons of our experiences of nationhood, to celebrate our achievements, to contemplate the destiny of future generations, to continue our mission, and to create a good life for all of our people.”

AUTHOR NOT NAMED

do the wrong things.

As things move through what is evidently a teething phase, it may be apposite for the Ministry of Communities to recruit competent and experienced managers who served the public well, and endow them with specific authority to help the newly-elected officials and the clerks to discharge their respective responsibilities.

Citizens have, for more than a decade, been clamouring for local government elections to be held. That the APNU+AFC administration has been able to hold local government elections in under a year, and the people, in their respective communities, were allowed to elect their local representatives in whom they repose confidence to manage their day-to-day affairs, the system must be allowed to work efficiently and effectively. What these leaders need now is a helping hand in the right direction.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Post-independence governments have failed us ‒ URP Dear Editor,

BY ANY measure, democracy can be described as a governing system in which the central power is vested with the voting population. In such a political system, Government and the officials that make up such a Government are legally and morally obligated to attend to the needs of citizens.

By extension, in a democratic system, supreme power is vested in the people, and is exercised directly by the people, or by their elected representatives elected under a free and fair electoral system.

Since our independence in May 1966, Guyanese have not really had a chance to experience a prolonged period of stable democratic government. The PNC, when in power, abolished the basic elements of democracy in its quest to build the Burnhamite dictatorship.

The PPP came into office amidst a great deal of national and international support in 1992. The expectation was that with the democratic opening that occurred after the 1992 elections, PPP leaders would reconstruct the fragile Guyanese political system, to create institutions that would ensure a democratic political order would be established.

However, the opportunity to do so was woefully squandered by the ruling PPP, which mimicked in many ways the actions of the dictatorial Burnhamite PNC (now calling itself The Coalition).

This authoritarian entity is back in control, many of whose members are from the PPP and PNC. The APNU-AFC coalition is governed by the same undemocratic means that characterized the PNC. Much of the leadership style of the PNC and PPP is guided by a dictatorial desire to centralise political control, both at the local and national levels.

In reality, the policies of the PPP, PNC and AFC have served to benefit a small group of loyalists and party elites, while the majority of the Guyanese people still live in poverty.

The AFC has become an abysmal failure. The party came onto the scene promising to be an objective broker and it won the confidence of a healthy cross-section of the Guyanese support, both locally and from the diaspora. However, it has now merged into the PNC apparatus and has completely lost all of its independent objectivity. AFC supporters are at a loss as to where they now stand. The acceptable notion is that the only AFC members left are those currently in Parliament.

The failure of the PPP and PNC

to build a sustainable democracy in Guyana is compounded by a number of factors, all of which have contributed to the erosion of a democratic tradition in this young nation. Included among these factors are preferential treatment for loyal party supporters, the widening gap between rich and poor, a failed education system, the out migration of skilled people, increased drug trafficking and money laundering, widespread corruption, and a very vindictive Government that considers all non-supporters as enemies of the ruling party.

Democracy cannot be institutionalised in Guyana unless there is respect for democratic principles and some sharing of power. The PPP was removed from office because of its arrogance and corruption, among other unacceptable behaviours. Corruption has not been stopped under the coalition Government. The situation continues to look hopeless under this regime, with crime spiralling out of control and people being removed from their jobs on account of their race and political affiliation.

This Government has let down the population. Guyana needs a Government that can provide hope for the future, trust in its people, and stability in government. It is only then that we can begin to establish a system that would work towards securing the social, political and economic interests of ALL Guyanese.

The United Republican Party (URP) has been appealing for a national unity Government that would serve the interests of all. The URP will work with any political parties to build and establish stronger democratic institutions -- establishments that would serve the interests of all of Guyana’s citizens. The URP is committed to working with other local and regional organizations, international organizations, support groups and sympathetic Governments to help keep Guyana on a democratic path.

We need to have a clear, democratic system which would create in our society conditions that would enable all Guyanese to help transform our society. It is time we recognize the great potential of our citizens. More importantly, the URP will continue to work with its grass roots’ supporters to build such a system from the bottom up, thereby creating a fair and non-discriminatory system.

Yours truly, DR. VISHNU BANDHU, Leader, URP

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Mahdia to become town in 2017 MAHDIA will be commissioned as a township by the 2017 independence anniversary, Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan said.

He made the announcement recently while delivering the feature address at the Jubilee flag-raising ceremony held in that community.

Minister Bulkan in addressing residents said his administration had planned to make Mahdia a township, but unfortunately it did not happen.

“The reason for this delay is due to technical challenges involving the demarcation of constituencies within Madiha, however, this matter is now engaging our attention and we intend that Mahdia will be a town within one year from today,” he declared.

Mahdia was established in 1884 by emancipated slaves. Since then it has become home to both locals and non-locals.

“Making Mahdia a township is part and parcel of the strategic direction of the Government that each region must have a capital town, which will provide all essential governmental services such as driver’s licenses, passports, NIS, pensions, GRA services,

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan

disability payments, land titling, business registration, marriage certificates, and so on,” Bulkan said.

He pointed out that President Granger had stated that Guyana’s new economic geography will emphasise the centrality of capital towns.

He quoted the President as saying that the benefits of capital towns in rural hinterland regions will become evident through the generation of rural, nonfarm employment. Poorer folk who always seem to predominate in the rural and hinterland regions may find employment easier in nearby capital towns.

In relation to the agricul-

A section of Mahdia’s main commercial area

ture sector in Region Eight, he disclosed that the region’s initiatives are geared to providing food security.

The programme which was recently started will supply inputs to the school-feeding programme and will provide many more sustainable jobs in the region.

“The RDC has developed a framework to stimulate economic ventures.

This includes absolute ownership of the crops grown, processed, packaged and

marketed. The region is also embarking on introducing shade house agriculture at Kopinang, Kato and Madiha to grow crops such as lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, to name a few,” Bulkan said.

He added: “Currently, there are three acres of rice growing at Monkey Mountain and four acres at Kopinang prepared for mixed farming and cultivation, ground provision, beans, etc. The RDC took the initiative to arrive at an innovative which could

only be based on community participation with all financial and legal ramifications addressed.”

Minister Bulkan in further addressing achievements made under the RDC since the administration assumed office said that there were capital purchases.

“The RDC will be purchasing $13 million in agricultural equipment for irrigation, land preparation, and a smaller percentage for chemicals to control acoustic ants and other pests

and diseases in the farms,” he said.

Minister Bulkan spoke about the significant growth and development made in education, declaring that education is the gateway to numerous opportunities.

“Every day the administration is mindful that your schools need better equipment and more staff.

That is why the administration is committed to improving the schools across this region and throughout country,” he declared.

Over $70M not collected ‒ in export duty on scrap metal

By Svetlana Marshall THE GUYANA Revenue Authority (GRA) has failed to collect more than $70M in export duty on scrap metal, a special investigation into the financial operations and functioning of the Scrap Metal Unit has revealed.

According to an investigative report compiled by accounting firm Ram and McRae, the general rate of 1.5 per cent, which is usually applied in keeping with the Customs Act, was neglected during the exportation of scrap metal from December 2011 to June 2015.

“While the Guyana Revenue Authority is involved in the process of facilitating export, it did not collect ‘export duty’ on scrap metal export during the period under review,” the accounting firm stated.

According to the firm, had the rate of 1.5 per cent been applied, the export duty for the period December 2011-June 2015 would have been $70.5M. “The customs values are derived from detailed information provided by the Guyana Revenue Authority and the value for each shipment can be computed from those records. In all probability there may have been significant understatement of the customs value since the mistaken belief is that no export duty was collectible and that declared values were for information purposes only,” Ram and McRae further explained.

The firm said GRA should not seek to recover these sums because it will likely encounter legal challenges; however, it should ensure that all eligible revenues are collected and the

According to an investigative report compiled by accounting firm Ram and McRae, the general rate of 1.5 per cent, which is usually applied in keeping with the Customs Act, was neglected

law applied.

In addition to millions not paid in export duty, the Scrap Metal Unit has failed to pay millions of dollars in taxes on

behalf of its workers.

“During the period of operation, the unit made monthly payments to inspectors, enforcement officers,

administrator and drivers totalling $43.1M without any deduction of PAYE and NIS contributions,” the investigators pointed out.

It was emphasised that it is the responsibility of the employer to deduct and remit the taxes and NIS contributions payable.

The unit also violated the Appropriation Act. According to the report, the unit on March 31, 2015 paid Impression $2.6M for Mashramani items although it had not participated in the national event.

“As far as we are aware, the Scrap Metal Unit did not participate in Mashramani celebrations and the expenditure may at best have been for the Ministry of Housing. This expenditure would therefore have been in violation of the Appropriation Act.” Based on its findings, the accounting firm is of the opinion that there is a high probability of revenue leakage but because of inadequate reporting, any estimate is merely speculative.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Wanted man $2B owed in property taxes arrested A MAN wanted by police for the attempted murder of his ex-lover and her male friend was apprehended over the weekend in Lethem by law enforcement, Divisional Commander for the Interior, Ravindra Budram has confirmed.

The commander said that through a proactive approach and intelligence gathering, police ranks in ‘F’ Division apprehend the wanted man, Colwyn Croal, 47, known as ‘Alex Croal’.

Budram said that a wanted bulletin was circulated and resulted in information being shared within the police networking system.

Croal was wanted by the police for questioning in relation to the alleged shooting of his ex-lover Simone Belle and her male friend Sherwin Hughes on April 3 at Half

Mile, Wismar, Linden.

Police, acting on information, apprehended the wanted man at Tabatinga, Lethem.

Hughes of 138 Blueberry Hill and Belle of 102 Half Mile, Wismar, Linden had to be rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex for attention for gunshot injuries.

The suspect who previously shared a relationship with Belle had been observed hiding out in the woman’s yard earlier on the night of the shooting.

Police said that their investigations have revealed that Belle had just arrived home in a vehicle driven by Hughes when shots were discharged at them by a man who is reported to have shared a relationship with Belle several months ago.

According to reports, as Belle and Hughes pulled up

‒ City Hall moving to court to sell properties of tax defaulters

Captured: Colwyn Croal, called ‘Alex Croal’

to her house, persons who had seen the suspect lurking in the dark, shouted to the driver, “Drive, don’t stop!”

“So dey drive past and de going up the road past the house but the gunman run behind the vehicle shooting at dem. So the driver jump out and run with the gunman in hot pursuit,” another source said.

Charlestown Secondary gets printers, other accessories

‒ Compliments of alumni, STARR Computers

STARR Computer CEO Mike Mohan officially hands over the equipment, seen in the background, to Deputy Headteacher Allison Cosbert in the presence of alumni representatives Alex Neptune, Linden Branche and students

FIFTY-ONE years ago, three overcrowded high schools, St. Stephens, Carmel RC and Dolphin, merged to give birth to Charlestown Government Secondary School (CGSS).

Under the leadership of Headmaster Edgar Wilson, Charlestown did not take the ‘best of the best’ but took the ones who wanted a good secondary education.

This was the sentiment of STARR Computer CEO, Mike Mohan as he teamed up recently with the CGSS alumni association to donate two HP Enterprise AIO Printers and some accessories worth over $500,000 to the Charlestown Secondary.

The association was represented by Alex Neptune, Linden Branche and STARR Computer, CEO Mike Mohan.

“I remember Mr Wilson,

the headmaster telling us if you choose to come to my school, you must prepare to work hard and be smart. And I am happy to say, Alex and I were two of the fortunate students who attended,” Mohan declared.

“Charlestown has always produced quality students in the community and I am happy to see that the high standards continued today.

In addition to the young man standing next to me, Mr Neptune, we had others like Minister Winston Felix, ex-minister Nadir, Henry Mootoo (a Guyanese theatrical hall of famer) now in the Cayman Islands, Dennis Murray, Hospital Administrator and a whole host of distinguished personalities from our time and years to follow.”

In giving the students present some advice, Nep-

tune noted that hard work is the key to success and nothing can be achieved without hard work.

Meanwhile, Charlestown’s Deputy Headteacher, Allison Cosbert expressed heartfelt thanks and promised to assist in the care of the products, which will enhance the functions and development of the school.

Starr Computer is the largest computer company in Guyana and has been open for business for more than 22 years. It also represents 18 major international manufacturers including Lenovo, Samsung, HP and Intel.

The company boasts a well-trained workforce that has benefited from many training workshops and seminars by some of the international brands it represents.

CITY Hall is seeking legal permission to commence Parate execution in order to begin seizing and selling properties of defaulting taxpayers to recoup some $2B in property taxes.

Parate execution allows for the resale of property mortgaged to the bank.

The mortgage is organised without going through court proceedings and the institution itself is given the power to hold an auction for the sale of the property by the appointed auctioneer.

This recourse by City Hall was announced by Town Clerk Royston King, who said that the Council is currently engaging the courts to acquire the requisite permission that would allow the municipality to sell the properties of defaulting taxpayers.

The Council recently announced that delays in the payment of salaries and other obligations were due to “a combination of factors” which included the “non-payment of rates by certain corporations.”

Town Clerk Royston King

The Georgetown City Council is said to be owed some $2B in property taxes, but was able to prosecute some defaulters, so far winning some $300M to be paid over to the municipality.

To date, however, these payments have not been forthcoming, the Town Clerk said, despite warnings of Parate execution against persons and the names of defaulting businesses being publicised.

It was noted that some businesses were even paying meagre taxes on their

properties due to the failure

by City Hall to adequately conduct property evaluations, and several private and domestic properties within the city have now become commercial enterprises.

With the passing of judgment by the court for payments to the municipality, the Council will commence the sale of properties belonging to tax-delinquent owners.

This legal process will allow the municipality to auction off the property and recover the money it is owed.

Meanwhile, the municipality is still open to all customers against whom judgment was passed, King said.

“The Council is asking that these persons make contact with the body in relation to repayment, since any possible amicable resolution is best preferred by the municipality.”

The work of the city must not be stopped because persons refuse to honour their obligations, the Town Clerk added.

City Hall applies for $24M subvention TOWN CLERK, Royston King last Friday had submitted the City Council’s budget in order to secure the Government’s $24M subvention for this year.

Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen said the amount, to be directed to the purchase of machinery to enhance the City Engineer’s Department, is expected to become available shortly once it would have been processed.

The Mayor noted that the subvention amount has been increased somewhat, as previously, the Council would have received only $20M. This amount still remains “small change” in view of the hefty sums that the municipality has to find it pay its bills.

City Hall’s wages will

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Green

alone amount to between $68M and $70M per month, Chase-Green observed. This is in addition to the sums it has to find to carry out works in the City, she said.

The Mayor said for her

to run the City as she would like, she would need about $3B a year.

She debunked media reports, which suggest that huge sums of money have gone missing at City Hall.

“How the money could be missing and so many things are being done in the City?

Just take a look around.”

Chase-Green is urging that the media and citizens to desist from “bombarding” the City Council with negativity.

“There is so much negativity around. If someone wants information, let them come in to the City Council,” she urged.

It is alleged that City Hall is in a cash-strapped state with staff left without salaries and garbage contractors owed millions.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Mr Jonathan Locke explains to President David Granger the effort which was expended to create the masterpiece

President receives wooden Coat of Arms President David Granger is flanked by Mrs Brenda Locke and Mr Jonathan Locke

PRESIDENT David Granger last Friday received a large, hand-made replica of the Coat of Arms of Guy-

ana from overseas-based Guyanese Jonathan Locke and Mrs Brenda Locke, during a courtesy call at the

Ministry of the Presidency.

The elaborate craftwork is made from veneer wood which has undergone a spe -

cial process to extend its longevity.

President Granger com mended the Lockes on their fine creation and encouraged them to explore the local market and business oppor tunities.

He also advised them to discuss with the Ministry of Business ways in which the skillset can be taught to young people, who are inter ested in this type of artistic work.

A Guyanese by birth, Locke said that the project

is a labour of love, which he had worked on during his lei sure time over the last eight years. He was impressed by the President’s receptiveness.

“My love for Guyana is so strong that I wanted to do something for Guyana. In New York, I made the flag of Guyana out of wood and it now adorns the wall in the Guyana Consulate. The Coat of Arms is more elaborate… I was just dying to get it here and present it, hopefully, to the President. Having met

with the President, I am excited about the future of Guyana. He seemed very open-minded, very realistic about what the situation is and I am totally excited about what is coming for Guyana. It’s more than I could have expected. I expected just thanks for it, but talking about the possibility of meeting with the Minister of Business and teaching the kids how to make fine furniture, is way more than I expected,” he said.

Relatives seek police protection for shot teen

‒ urge urgent medical attention to save victim

By Rabindra Rooplall RELATIVES of the 16-year-old waitress who was shot in her face late Friday evening by a lone gunman, who posed as a customer and attempted to rob the Chinese restaurant, are calling on the police to act swiftly since they are fearful justice may not be forthcoming.

Onika Luke of Lot 1 Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, who would hang up her uniform after school and head for a night job as a waitress to make ends meet, was shot after she resisted a gunman’s attempt to rob the Lucky Star Chinese Restau rant in her home village.

Now a patient in the

Onika Luke

Intensive Care Unit at a private city hospital, Onika gave the police a description of her assailant by writing on a piece of paper as inves -

tigations continue.

According to the mother of the teen, Jocelyn Luke, after receiving the distress ing news from her son she flew into Guyana Saturday night from Trinidad to visit her daughter in the hospital.

She explained that Onika is the last of her six children and she is seeking justice in light of the circumstances her daughter faces.

The woman said it would be safer for her daughter if a police could be stationed at the hospital, since the perpetrator would want to further harm her since he knows that she is capable of identifying him.

Luke’s brother, Rickford Ranjee, said police have Continued on page 11 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

Region Three launches World

Environment Day activities

ENVIR O N ME N T A L aw areness and par ticip ation is cri tic al to envir on mental co ns erv ation an d management, particip ant s hear d du ri ng an int er fai th service on Sunda y at th e W e st D e m erara R egio n al Hospital to mark th e laun ch of a wee k of ac tivitie s le ad ing up to Wo rl d Env iro nm ent Day (WE D) on J un e 5, 2016.

The eve nt was held under the theme: “Joi n the rac e to make the worl d a bette r place” .

Op eni ng rema rks w ere give n by R egio nal Healt h Off ice r, D eor amdee n Persau d wh o encourage d the staff to continue the goo d work of the regi on, and by extension Guyana.

T h e E n v i r o n m e n t al Health Off ice r attached to three ND Cs in Region Three , June Statia-Nedd, who also coor dinated the programme , announced that there will be a wee k of activitie s that wil l culminate with awards bei ng gi ven to participant s.

S he e x plaine d that o n Mo nday and Tues day there w ill be an in s pectio n and healt h talk for food establishments within Regio n Three, follo wed by an Im-

prom ptu Sp eec h Com peti tio n for school s on Wed nesday.

On Thursday there wil l be a road march in colla bo ratio n w ith the Regiona l Democ ratic Council (RDC) and a B est Sch o ol Co mpound Com petitio n will be hel d throu gho ut the wee k.

The cl osi ng ce remo ny wil l see awards bein g give n to winners in the vario us co mpetition s.

W orld Environment Day (WE D) activitie s take plac e all yea r round with the cl imax coming on J une 5th every yea r. The first W orld Envi ronm e nt D ay w as i n 1973. W o rld Environmen t Day is hos ted eve ry yea r by a diff erent city with a diff erent theme and is comme morated with an international exposition in the week o f June 5.

Through World Env iro nm ent Day , th e Un ited Nat io ns Enviro nm ent Pr ogra mm e (UN EP ) is able to per sonalize envir onm ent al issues and en able everyon e to r eal ize, not only the ir r esp ons ibili ty, but al so th ei r p o w er to b eco m e age nt s of ch a nge in support o f sustain able and equit abl e devel opm ent .

Relatives seek police...

From page 10

not been in co ntact with the f amil y to update relative s o n the inv estigation or to inf orm them whe ther they had li fted finge rprints from the crime scene .

A lthough e x pre ss in g thanks to hi s sis ter’s employe r who is standing the me dical bill at the privat e hos pital, Ranjee said, “She still is in a critical conditi on and is alive; we don’ t want anything worse to happe n to her, so all we want is for the authoritie s to ass ist the be s t w ay po ss ible. Eve ry time I go to the hospital to see the doctor is an excu se I’m getting. I wou ld li ke them to start the operation to ext ract the bullet as early as poss ible so my sister can b e g i n th e h e a l i n g p r o c e s s .

I don’t want them to kee p her there and the bill keep s go ing up.”

The bandit who shot the teen reportedly entered the res taurant about 22:40hrs Friday and ordered a meal , but w hile pay i ng f o r the meal , the man alle g e dl y held on to Luke’s hands as she was behind the barredoff co unter. He then pulle d out a firearm and deman ded cash and when the tee n resisted the ass aila nt shot her to the chin and made go od his escape .

W h ile t ryi n g t o b o x awa y th e handgun her le ft thumb was sh o t off an d th e bu lle t is now lo dg ed in he r thr oat . She r epo r tedly identified her sh oo te r as a tall man o f Africa n desce nt wh o has a tatt oo on his nec k. Sh e to ld th e co ps th at th e shoot er ha d th rea tened to kidn ap her a few day s ago wh ile sh e wa s wal k ing on th e r oad .

From right: Regional Health Officer Deoramdeen Persaud; Representative of the Ministry of Public Health, Steve Chichester; Imam Halim Khan; and representatives from the Hindu and Christian faiths at the region’s launch of World Environment Day activities

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Grace Temple celebrates Jubilee Anniversary

IT WAS not a church service as usual for members and friends of Grace Temple Assembly of God Church in New Amsterdam, Berbice, as the Sunday School Department held its inaugural cultural day presentation in honour of Guyana’s 50th Independence anniversary.

The congregation d i s p l a y e d t h e n a t i o n ’s cultural diversity, outfitting themselves in garments reflective of the six ethnic groups who came primarily from Asia, Europe and Africa.

A peek through the doorway of the two-storey wooden and concrete building at Pope Street, New Amsterdam revealed pictures, posters, replicas , and ethnic garments mounted on the walls, while the national flag and a Guyana map

Grace Temple worshippers dressed in ethnic clothing during the church’s jubilee celebrations The songs caused me to stood on the stage, where the patriotic songs such as “Oh fall in love with my country church leaders and worship Beautiful Guyana”, which all over again, said Shersingers were seated. was composed by fellow an Lewis, a worshipper at The collective voices Guyanese Hilton Hemerd- one of the largest Pentecosof the worship singers and ing, and “Let us Cooper- tal churches in the Ancient the congregation, who were ate”, written by William R County.

Superintendent of the accompanied by their mu- A Pilgrim, causing tears to sicians, brought moments flow down the faces of the Sunday school, retired educator Jewel Ward said it was of nostalgia , as they sang elderly.

A Wapishana hammock on display at Grace Temple Assembly of God Church, New Amsterdam important for the church to be involved in the country’s Jubilee celebrations “as God has kept us. He has spared our lives”.

The congregation was divided into six groups, reflective of the country’s ethnic makeup, and creative presentations were done on the contributions of each group

to Guyana, along with details on how they came and from where they came.

The congregation, led

by Senior Pastor Reverend Doreen Henry, collectively sang, “Heal Our land”, before offering special prayers for the country of their birth and its leadership.

Pandemonium ends Banks Jubilee Fest

By Tamica Garnett

WHAT started out as an enjoyable night at the Banks DIH Jubilee Fest mega concert ended in chaos and commotion early Sunday morning as several persons sustained injuries after a fight broke out in the middle of the packed-to-capacity- crowd at the Guyana National Stadium.

While speculation remains as to the origin of the The aftermath of the fight which broke out at the Guyana National Stadium fight, what is known is that in the wee hours of Saturday morning (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo) over 20 persons were injured “It was more a pelt than a lot of persons get cut up,” in the melee during which chain and that is what cause glass bottles were thrown the fight to break out in that a fight. There were two guys another patron said.

The fight, which ensued and patrons rushed to get out way, but I don’t know for fighting a ‘lil bit’, and then sometime after 03:00 hrs sure,” one patron told the they started throwing botof harm’s way. tles at each other, it was during the performance of “The fight break loose in Guyana Chronicle.

Many suffered lacera- like five against one. It was famed Jamaican artiste Vathe middle of the crowd, not tions and were seen exiting because of the bottle that nessa Bling, put an end to too far away from the VIP gate, and all I know is that the venue bleeding. One people get injured, because the event, as the police asked bottles being pelt left, right young lady reportedly suf- when the running and pushand centre, and the crowd fered a broken leg. Practical- ing start, persons fell down basically run. I heard that ly all were treated and sent on the break-up bottles on the ground and that’s really how some guy pull another guy away.

The crowd having a merry time before the fight broke out

the organisers to shut down the show.

The sheer capacity of the crowd and ensuing pandemonium made it impossible for the police to identify the perpetrators.

Commander for ‘A’ Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, told this newspaper that the police could have only worked to contain the situation and prevent further altercation.

“When the incident occurred, the crowd moved and everybody disappeared into the crowd, so what we did we stopped the party. Thus far, we don’t know who are the people who had the confrontation; what we know is that bottles were thrown, but that wasn’t part of the agreement when we decided to issue the security pass. They were

supposed to pour out drinks in cups, so we felt it was necessary to close off the sport to avoid any other incidents.

All persons can say is that they heard an argument and a fight start, nobody didn’t see, nobody could’ve described anybody. We converged all of the police ranks inside and I had another support, in terms of a vehicle load of policemen on the outside to ensure no further escalation,” he said.

Some patrons continued to linger at the venue following the abrupt closure of the event, and were angry with the unknown fighters for ruining what was otherwise an enjoyable night.

“It was so nice, i don’t know why they had to fight, they spoil we concert,” one of the angry patrons said.

These items were found after patrons in haste took evasive action to avoid getting hurt in the bottle-throwing incident and stampede that followed

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Unity vital for economic independence

13

-- Allicock tells indigenous communities

MINISTER of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, has stressed that in order for a community to become economically independent, its residents must be in the habit of uniting for that one common cause.

“It’s like the game of football, if you have a good team you score the goal…the communities, I met with them and I experienced that they were divided politically, and while we have had the 50 years of political independence, we should have been able to already have economic independence in communities, so that we will not be in a state of wanting,” he told the Government Information Agency (GINA) in a recent interview.

The minister said communities continue to be supported through the annual Presidential Grants, Community Development Projects (CDPs) and other forms of support such as transportation and equipment.

Communities are also benefiting from funds to start up income-generating projects in commemoration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.

Minister Allicock noted that many communities have submitted their project proposals, which are being examined.

He also said that one of the things that the ministry has been pursuing is to ensure that the Village Councils are equipped with the necessary documents such as Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) to conduct their business.

Some communities also needed to create their bank accounts, in order to receive their respective funds.

Village leaders have also benefited from transparency and accountability training with the aim of ensuring better management of community resources.

Through support from the ministry and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), the Makushi Research Unit launched ‘Rupununi Essence’, a facial cleanser and skin nutrient made from crabwood oil. It is hoped that similar initiatives will be replicated by other groups.

Additionally, support was also provided in the area of tourism, agriculture and communication. In fact, with backing from the Office of the Prime Minister, Lethem, Region Nine, received its first radio station, and a similar project will be launched in Mabaruma, Region One. LAND TITLING AND DEMARCATION Land is life for Amerindians and in order to ensure land issues are settled within communities, during his announcement of a 10-point Plan for Amerindian development, President Da-

Indigenous leaders in discussion on their development vid Granger had revealed that there will be the establishment Services Programme seeks to equip hinterland youth, ages of an Indigenous Land Rights Commission.

16 - 35 years, with relevant skills to enable them to support Minister Allicock said that with support from the National sustainable village and community development. In the area of Toshaos Council (NTC), the Commission was renamed the culture, we seek to promote and preserve permanent records of “Indigenous Land Rights and Life Commission”, because our indigenous music, craft, art and in general, our indigenous without lands there will not be any life, not only for the In- culture, customs and practices for future generations,” he said digenous peoples, but all the other living things that form part at that forum. of the eco-system.

The Amerindian land Titling Project, which comes to an The ministry also conducted numerous community outend this year, is on schedule. Two demarcation processes are reaches to listen to the residents’ concerns, and in some cases ongoing and three certificates of titles are being prepared. immediate action was taken to resolve some of the issues The minister attended the 15th Session of the UN General affecting them.

Assembly Forum on Indigenous Issues, at the United Nations In Region Nine, President Granger deployed a team of Headquarters in New York recently, where Indigenous land Government officials to conduct a needs assessment. Based on rights were one of the main issues highlighted. the report prepared by the team, an action plan for the region The minister took the opportunity to update the forum on will be developed. what the Government was doing in terms of that issue, and In moving forward, Minister Allicock noted that Govother aspects of development for indigenous people. ernment will seek to address several issues in the area of “In the education sector, the Hinterland Scholarship education, health, roads and provide agricultural support to Programme offers hinterland students access to further their communities. education. The eventual delivery of the early formative eduThe ministry will also be consulting with stakeholders cation of our indigenous children using their first language to amend the Amerindian Act of 2006, to allow the process is also envisaged. The Hinterland Employment and Youth of land settlement to move forward.

‘Rupununi Essence’, a facial cleanser and skin nutrient made from crabwood oil.

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock hands over the keys to a tractor to a village toshao

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

City Hall owes Puran Brothers over $40M

‒ company threatens to pull its services THE Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) owes Puran Brothers Disposal Inc in excess of $40M as of January to now, and the company intends to pull its services if city officials continue to ignore them.

Kalesh Puran, manager of the garbage-disposal company, told the Chronicle in an invited comment on Sunday that his company recently wrote City Hall on the matter but is yet to receive a response.

Furthermore, he said the company has been calling everyday trying to make contact with the M&CC officers and that a word has been promised within this week.

“If nothing happens this week, then we might have to begin pulling our services.

But we are hoping for something to happen,” Puran said.

But Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, also in an invited comment, said she is not aware that the situation is as serious as warranting a discontinuation of garbage collection.

“There is so much negativity around. If someone wants information, let them come in to the City Council.

We took over from the previous administration owing; we have always owed. But as far as I am aware, there is

Puran Brothers Disposal Inc is owed in excess of $40M

by City Hall and intends to pull its services if it does not hear from city officials

no talk whatsoever of garbage collectors pulling their services.”

Over the years, timely payments to garbage collectors by the M&CC have often been a problem, resulting in the former withholding its services from the city.

Just one year ago, citizens in Groups 7 and 8 of the Georgetown wards had been without garbage-collection services for more than two weeks, because M&CC had not paid the $40M it owes Puran Brothers.

Group 7 comprises Costello Housing Scheme; West, East and North-East

La Penitence; Middle Road, La Penitence; Jeeboo Land, and an area known as Extra Nuclear, while Group 8 comprises Queenstown, Alberttown, North and South Cummingsburg, Kingston and Woolford Avenue.

Four trucks belonging to Puran’s had to be parked and workers had to be sent on annual leave.

“The company values its employees because it often finds difficulty recruiting people for the job.

The trucks were designed for garbage-collection, and hence cannot be used in the meantime for other purposes,” Puran told this newspaper.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 30, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Thompson, Warriors shock Thunder to force Game 7

THE Sports Xchange) - Klay Thompson scored 41 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 108-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

Thompson hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range to set a new NBA playoff record. Steph Curry scored 29 to go along with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Draymond Green scored 14 points, grabbed 12 boards and had three steals.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 29 points on 10 of 31 shooting. Russell Westbrook posted 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Serge Ibaka added 13 points and nine rebounds.

The series is tied at 3-3 with Game 7 taking place on Monday in Oakland, California.

Westbrook put the Thunder up 93-87 with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter. After the Thunder forced a stop, Steven Adams made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.

Thompson drove the lane for a layup to slice lead to 9489. But Durant responded with a jumper.

Thompson drained his 10th 3-pointer of the night.

After Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson made 1 of 2 from the line, the Thunder led 97-92 with 4:32 left.

Curry with a 3-pointer brought the Warriors to within 1 at 97-96. But Westbrook went to the free throw line and buried a pair to push lead back to three with 3:42 on the clock.

Durant was forced into a turnover and it led to Curry’s game-tying 3-pointer making the score 99-all. Roberson and Andre Iguodala traded baskets before Thompson banged in

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Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson scored 41 points another 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead 104-101.

Thompson missed a 3-point attempt and Durant got the rebound. But he turned the ball over and Curry made the Thunder pay with a layup to put the game away.

The Thunder made 22 of 32 from the foul line while the Warriors hit 21 of 44 from behind the arc.

Green showed early on that he was out of the funk that had plagued him the first four games of the series. He tallied six points, four rebounds and two assists in the first quarter alone.

But that did not seem to affect the Thunder. Even with Durant shooting a low percentage, they were able to go ahead by 13 in the second quarter.

Much of that was built on the play of the Oklahoma City big men.

Enes Kanter came off the bench to produce offensive while Adams was effective on both ends. That included throwing down a dunk over Green that had the Thunder bench falling over themselves celebrating.

If not for Thompson, the Warriors could have found them in trouble. He shot 4 of 8 from 3-point range as Golden State only tailed 53-48.

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Sunrisers beat RCB to claim first IPL title

SUNRISERS Hyderabad claimed their first Indian Premier League title and inflicted more heartache on Royal Challengers Bangalore with an eight-run victory in a pulsating final yesterday.

Prolific captain David Warner top scored with a brutal 69 off just 38 balls as Sunrisers posted an imposing 208-7 after winning the toss at a packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

A star-studded RCB side looked to be heading for their maiden IPL crown when Chris Gayle (76 from 38) and the irrepressible Virat Kohli (54 off 35) put on 114 for the first wicket off a mere 69 balls.

But Ben Cutting (2-35) impressed with the ball after also making 39 not out from 15 balls and Bhu-

vneshwar Kumar bowled a tight final over as RCB fell short once again in their own backyard.

Only Kohli has scored more runs than Warner in the 2016 IPL and the Australia opener got his side off to a rapid start, launching the expensive Shane Watson’s first ball into the crowd and Shikhar Dhawan (28 from 25) did the same two balls later.

Gayle put down a sharp chance to get rid of Dhawan off his own bowling, with the India batsman and Warner adding insult to injury by giving the West Indies opening batsman the treatment.

Yuvraj Singh (38 from 23) got in on the act after Dhawan and Moises Henriques were dismissed, while Warner smashed another two sixes and eight fours before

Sreenath Aravind (2-30) ended his magnificent knock.

Chris Jordan took 3-45, with Watson going for a wicket-less 61 from his four overs after Cutting cut loose with a late flurry to get Sunrisers over the 200 mark.

Gayle clubbed eight sixes and passed 9000 Twenty20 runs in an onslaught with support from the classy Kohli, but Cutting sent the Windies lefthander on his way and the RCB skipper soon followed when he was bowled by Barinder Sran.

RCB needed 18 off the last over and that proved to be too much as Bhuvneshwar, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, showed his death-bowling prowess to silence a partisan crowd.(Omnisport. com).

THERE were several administrative blunders that caused the organisers of the Bris `O’ boxing card to change the 15-bout card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday night to an all- exhibition card.

The card was expected to see on show some of Guyana’s promising cadet fighters vying for supremacy as the country celebrates 50 years of independence, but because of several hiccups the organisers decided to make it an all -exhibition affair and no winners were declared.

However, the bouts that were staged were very entertaining and even though they were exhibition bouts, the referee on several occasions had to intervene to halt some of the bouts.

On hand to witness Guyana’s future world prospects were former

Commonwealth champions Lennox Blackmoore and Kenny Bristol, (Amateur) Commonwealth champion, Winfield Braithwaite and 1980 Moscow Olympics bronze medalist, Michael Parris, and they were singled out for special commendation as the Guyana Boxing Association aspires to acknowledge the inputs of Guyana’s past heroes.

During the night, there were five bouts for schoolboys and Seon Graham (Forgotten Youth Foundation) sparred with his gym mate, Dwayne Kellman. Jakeel Codogan (Harpy Eagles ) traded punches with Travis Invervary (FYF) while Deron Williams (EBG) matched gloves with his gym mate, Malrick Walcott.

Tyresse Persaud (HE) and Kevin Mullings (HE) turned in a crowd pleasing performance.

In the juniors category,

Joshua Ross (CBG) sparred with Omar Pollard (PRBG) just before Shaquille Wright (EBG) entertained the gathering against Keevin Allicock (HEBG). Herman Wright and Isaiah Moore were also in action with three entertaining rounds.

There was just one female bout as Rondessa Bagot (PRBG) squared off with her gym mate, Akea Lamizone.

In the youth category, Quincy Boyce (GDF) opposed Joshua Corbin (Carryl), Kellon Isaacs (PRBG) squared off with Michael Edwards (FYF), Donovan Richardson (HEBG) faced off with Duel Augustine (PRBG), Mohammad Bacchus (PRBG) sparred with Ajay Gagashar (YA) while the elite boxers consisted of Nankumar Singh (REP) against Joel Williamson (RHJ) and Diwani Lampkin (GPF) against Clifton Graham (REP).

Exhibition matches staged as boxing icons honoured

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Hamilton wins epic Monaco Grand Prix over

LEWIS Hamilton took a superb victory in a close battle with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in a thrilling Monaco Grand Prix to re-ignite his title campaign.

Hamilton’s first win this year cut his deficit to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who finished seventh, to 24 points.

The world champion benefited from a slow pit stop for Ricciardo but also from his own brave call to delay a tyre change on a drying track until he could go straight to slick tyres.

He then had to defend from Ricciardo for 45 laps to win.

It was a masterclass of defensive driving that at

Lewis Hamilton shares his champagne with pop star Justin Bieber times recalled McLaren’s Ayrton Senna holding off the faster Williams of Nigel Mansell in the closing stages of this race in 1992, a battle that has gone down in Formula 1 folklore.]

it?

How did Hamilton do

The race started behind the safety car on a soaking track and victory hinged on Hamilton’s decision to ignore his team’s request to come

in to switch to ‘intermediate’ wet tyres, as a step between the full wets on which everyone had started the race and the untreated slicks.

He was the only driver to do that and the decision ensured he moved into the lead after starting third behind Ricciardo and Rosberg.

Mercedes said the decision was a joint one between driver and pit wall.

When the race started on lap eight, Ricciardo quickly built a huge lead as Rosberg struggled in the difficult conditions, for which Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said was due to not being able to generate the correct tyre temperature.

“I’m kind of lost for words,” said Hamilton. “I prayed for a day like this and it came through, so I feel truly blessed.

“That was the longest run. It was crazy how long it was, to understand how much wheel spin you were allowed, because you don’t know how long the tyres are going to go.

“Daniel drove phenomenally all weekend and it was a lot of pressure. I’m sure he’s not too happy but he should proud of the way he drove.”

Ricciardo stopped on the very next lap - choosing the slightly harder super-softs -and would have re-taken the lead but for the fact that he

was delayed in the pits because Red Bull did not have his tyres ready.

Agonisingly for Ricciardo, Hamilton passed him as he came out of the pits to rejoin the race.

Hamilton had some scary moments as Ricciardo attacked for the rest of the race, none more so than on lap 37, following a restart after one of many virtual safety car period, this one for a heavy crash for the second Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

It was the third crash in two days on a chastening weekend for the Dutchman, who won in Spain on his debut for Red Bull last time out.

Wawrinka and Murray into last French Open eight

By Martyn Herman

PARIS, (Reuters)-Perennial grand slam title contenders Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray were joined in the French Open quarter-finals by two unfamiliar faces yesterday as the Parisian clay continued to turn up unexpected plot lines.

It was no surprise to see Swiss title holder Wawrinka beat Viktor Troicki although it took a while for the third seed to subdue the Serb 7-6(5) 6-7(7) 6-3 6-2.

Murray’s 7-6(9) 6-4 6-3 defeat of John Isner was entirely predictable, even if the second seed had to save three set points in the opener before extending his career record over the towering American to 6-0 in clinical fashion.

Andy Murray

Three-times semi-finalist Murray will play Richard Gasquet, the sole surviving French singles player, who had the crowd in raptures on Court Philippe Chatrier with a scintillating 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori.

Ninth-seeded Gasquet, 29, collapsed joyously on

his back after sealing victory and a long-overdue place in the last eight of his home grand slam for the first time in 13 attempts.

“The crowd put the pressure on him,” Gasquet said on court as the crowd chanted ‘Richard, Richard’. “It was probably not easy for him to play with that crowd.”

He will need them in full voice again against Murray.

“Obviously, the atmosphere (against Gasquet) will be tough, but I don’t mind that,” said Murray. “I played a number of times against French players here in difficult atmospheres and I managed okay.”

Two other players advanced to the second week of a grand slam for the first time.

Who would have thought a left-hander named Albert

Ramos-Vinolas, rather than nine-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal, would be leading the Spanish men’s challenge.

But that is the reality after Nadal pulled out with a damaged left wrist on Friday and Ramos-Vinolas, a firstround loser for the last four years, crushed eighth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic 6-2 6-4 6-4 on a damp, murky day in the capital.

Fifty-fifth ranked Ramos-Vinola’s reward for his endeavour is a last-eight clash with Wawrinka.

TEARFUL ROGERS American Shelby Rogers, ranked so low that she only just scraped in as a direct entry, backed up her stunning win over twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova to beat Romania’s 25th seed Irina

Begu 6-3 6-4, bursting into tears at the end.

“Tears all the time,” said the 23-year-old world number 108. “Sad, happy, hungry, reading a book, watching a movie. They flow very easily.”

Whether or not she will be exercising her tear ducts on Tuesday depends how she performs against fourth seed Garbine Muguruza who maintained her impressive form on Sunday with a 6-3 6-4 defeat of 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Muguruza, 22, lost her opening set here this year but has been faultless since to reach a third consecutive French Open quarter-final to stay on course to become the first Spanish woman to lift the trophy since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998.

“This is where I have stopped in the past, which means I’m extremely motivated to move on,” she said.

Wawrinka and Murray are also looking ominously in the groove as they move towards a likely semi-final showdown.

Wawrinka, taken to five sets in the first round, is on an eight-match winning streak on clay having claimed the Geneva title in the build-up, while Murray made it nine in a row against Isner, having won the title in Rome.

The best might be yet to come.

“I know that I may be able to tighten a few nuts and bolts here and there, to improve even more,” said Wawrinka, who charmed the crowd by hitting with a ball boy during a break in play.

Harrison stuns in women’s hurdles as Gatlin wins 100m

By Gene Cherry

EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) - Keni Harrison equaled the second-fastest 100 meters hurdles ever run and fellow American Justin Gatlin breezed to a sparkling but wind-assisted 100 meters victory at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on Saturday.

The shocking Harrison, who has never made a global podium, stormed to victory in a U.S. record 12.24 seconds.

Only retired Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova has run faster, clocking a world record 12.21 seconds in 1988 and later running 12.24.

“She stole my thunder and rightfully so,” said world silver medalist Gatlin, who won the 100 in a wind-assisted 9.88 seconds to defeat Jamaican former world record holder Asafa Powell (9.94) and former world champion Tyson Gay (9.98). The wind was an over-the-allowable 2.6 meters per second.

The 23-year-old Harrison took 0.12 seconds off her personal best with the sterling run, the fastest in the world in 28 years. The wind was an allowable 0.7 meters per second.

“I am still in shock right now,” said Harrison. “That

was just amazing.”

While Harrison and Gatlin looked ready for August’s Olympics, two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce showed there is work to be done.

The Jamaican, hampered by a toe injury, finished dead last in a 100 meters won by local favorite English Gardner in 10.81 seconds.

“I did not have any expectations,” said Fraser-Pryce, who ran 11.18 seconds. “I’ll just have to go back and assess the race. I prefer not to comment on the toe.”

Rio 200m favorite Dafne Schippers also was upset.

American Tori Bowie edged the Dutch woman to win in the fastest time of this year, 21.99 seconds. Schippers clocked 22.11.

“My main focus was attack the bend, don’t give them anything,” said Bowie, who also has the year’s fastest 100 meters.

There was no doubt about Jamaican hurdler Omar McLeod’s fitness.

The world indoor champion remained undefeated outdoors, clocking 13.06 seconds in the 110m hurdles to defeat former outdoor world champion David Oliver (13.38).

World record holder Aries Merritt was fourth in 13.51.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster going into the Olympics,” said McLeod, who said he would not run again before next month’s Jamaican Olympic trials.

Five other 2016-leading marks were set on the sunsplashed afternoon at the site of July’s U.S. Olympic trials.

American triple jumper Christian Taylor showed he was ready to defend his Olympic title, bounding 17.76 meters, and Kenyan threetime world champion Asbel Kiprop won the mile in 3:51.54.

Ethiopian Muktar Edris posted the year’s best 5,000

meters, 12:59.43, and Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet ran the second fastest women’s 3,000 meters steeplechase of alltime (8:59.97) as she narrowly defeated Kenyan world champion Hyvin Kiyeng (9:00.01).

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon added the year’s top women’s 1,500m, a national record 3:56.41, and Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman claimed the javelin with a surprising throw of 87.37 meters.

French pole vault world record holder Renaud Lavillenie also was a winner, defeating Canadian world champion Shawn Barber, winning on fewer misses, as both cleared 5.81 metres.

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Mathews leads from front to push second Test into fourth day (REUTERS)-England moved towards victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka whose batsmen showed sufficient resolve yesterday to push the game into a fourth day if not affect a result that still seems inevitable.

Having been dismissed in the morning for 101 in their first innings to trail by 397 runs, Sri Lanka performed much better second time round to reach 309-5 by the close, still 88 runs adrift at Durham.

Captain Angelo Mathews led from the front with a combative 80, sharing a partnership of 82 with Kaushal Silva, who made 60. Dinesh Chandimal remained unbeaten on 54 at the close.

For Sri Lanka to even reach this far represents an improvement on the first test, which they lost inside three days by an innings and 88 runs, but the tourists did not do enough to banish the impression that this two-test series is a mismatch.

England’s formidable

Angelo Mathews took the attack to Moeen Ali during his innings of 80.

attack took just 17 minutes to take the remaining first-innings wickets in the morning.

The total represented another dismal Sri Lankan performance to set alongside their first-test efforts of 91 and 119 - the first time since 1958 that a test team had been bowled out for under 120 in three consecutive innings.

A different approach was required in the second innings and for once the bats-

men did not disappoint.

A breezy 26 from Dimuth Karunaratne set the tone as, together with Silva, the openers put on 38 before Chris Woakes pushed a ball across the left-hander who edged a catch to Joe Root.

Kusal Mendis picked up the pace with three boundaries in five balls from Jimmy Anderson to also reach 26 but paid a heavy price when the Lancashire paceman responded with a full-length ball that was skied to keeper

Jonny Bairstow.

Lahiru Thirimanne, who began the day at the crease in the first innings, returned to be dismissed for a second time, this time for 13 after falling to a beautiful ball from Moeen Ali that drew him into the shot before clipping his stumps.

That wicket brought Silva and Mathews together and the pair pushed the tourists’ innings towards respectability before Steven Finn finally found some rhythm to have Silva caught behind.

Sri Lanka have constantly struggled against the moving ball outside off stump and Bairstow also accounted for Mathews with his seventh catch of the match from a quality Anderson outswinger.

Chandimal represented Sri Lanka’s last hope and he kept the scoreboard ticking over to record his 11th half-century, seeing off the new ball late on with Milinda Siriwadana (35) to leave England with work to do today.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND 1st innings 498 for 9 decl (M. Ali 155no, A. Hales 83, J. Root 80; N. Pradeep 4-107) Sri Lanka 1st innings (Overnight: 91-8) D. Karunaratne b Anderson 9 K. Silva c Bairstow b Broad

13 K. Mendis c Anderson b Woakes 35 D. Chandimal c Cook b Anderson 4 A. Mathews c Bairstow b Woakes 3 L. Thirimanne c Compton b Anderson 19 M. Siriwardana c Bairstow b Woakes 0 R. Herath c Anderson b Broad 12 S. Eranga c Root b Broad 2 S. Lakmal c Bairstow b Broad 0 N. Pradeep not out 2 Extras (lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total (all out, 43.3 overs) 101 Fall of wickets: 1-10 D. Karunaratne,2-44 K. Silva,3-53 D. Chandimal,4-58 A. Mathews,5-67 K. Mendis,6-67 M. Siriwardana,7-88 R. Herath,8-90 S. Eranga,9-93 S. Lakmal,10-101 L. Thirimanne

Bowling: J. Anderson 12.3 - 2 36 – 3,S. Broad 13 - 2 - 40 - 4(nb1), C. Woakes 7 - 4 - 9 – 3, S. Finn 7 - 3 - 15 – 0,M. Ali 4 - 4 - 0 - 0 SRI LANKA 2nd innings D. Karunaratne c Root b Woakes 26 K. Silva c Bairstow b Finn 60 K. Mendis c Bairstow b Anderson 26 L. Thirimanne b Ali 13 A. Mathews c Bairstow b Anderson 80 D. Chandimal not out 54 M. Siriwardana not out 35 Extras (lb-9 nb-5 w-1) 15 Total (for 5 wickets, 84 overs) 309 Fall of wickets: 1-38 D. Karunaratne,2-79 K. Mendis,3-100 L. Thirimanne,4-182 K. Silva,5-222 A. Mathews To bat: R. Herath, S. Eranga, N. Pradeep, S. Lakmal Bowling: J. Anderson 16 - 3 - 40 – 2, S. Broad 17 - 5 - 47 - 0(nb-2), C. Woakes 15 - 7 - 51 1(w-1),S. Finn 16 - 0 - 55 - 1(nb-1), M. Ali 17 - 2 - 94 - 1(nb-2), J. Vince 1 - 1 - 0 – 0, J. Root 2 - 0 - 13 – 0.

National U-23 volleyball team Hemraj in rigorous training gains vital Suriname training to revive first-class career THE national U-23 volleyball team, currently preparing for the South American Championships in Colombia, recently completed a goodwill series in neighbouring Suriname in which they performed very well.

This is according to national head coach Levi Nedd under whose purview the team falls Nedd, who also holds the post of Vice- President for the Guyana Volleyball Federation, expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the team against two U-23 club teams from Suriname, making special mention of the outstanding defence and attack of certain key players.

In their first game against Condors U23, the Guyanese men practically dominated the encounter, winning the game in straight sets with a 25 - 15, 25 - 18 and 26 - 24 scoreline.

However, in a much closer encounter against a stronger Yeleco U23 team, Guyana had to dig much deeper to fight from behind to win in a four-

The National Under-23 volleyball team set encounter.

Yeleco jumped off to a lead by taking the first set by a 25 - 23 margin, resulting in Nedd making some changes to his line- up and general tactics in the game to enable the local lads to win the next three sets; 25 - 17, 30 - 28 and 25 - 17.

Nedd also expressed the hope that the exposure gained by this encounter will go a far way towards the gelling of the team, something he believes will be very vital as they go up against much stronger opponents in the South American Confederation.

He also informed Chronicle Sport, that the entire team is practically the same one that won in the Inter-Guiana Games in 2015 and as such, they are already used to playing together and have tasted victory as a unit before; something he hopes will add value to the team.

The team’s preparation will continue in Berbice and Demerara separately during the week and the entire team is expected to be encamped over the upcoming weekend at the National Gymnasium, where Nedd will continue to work on game preparation and coordina-

tion of the team.

Due to an adjustment in the age requirements for eligibility to participate in the tournament, Guyana was forced to make a late adjustment to the team which resulted in a number of senior players becoming ineligible to participate in the tournament, but Nedd is still optimistic that the team can still perform creditably and possibly pull off an upset or two in the tournament.

The 14-man team reads: Devendra Latchman, Joshua Jagmohan, Samuel Fraser, Xavier Lambert, Ryon Mangrau, Madan B u d h r a m , Yo g a n a n d Dhoray, Kellon Leitch, Leon Stewart, Andy Rahaman, Ravi Rampartab, Samuel Persaud, Simon Orlando Seecharan and Ray Anthony Moore. Levi Nedd is the head coach and his assistant is Ian Wills.

The South American Championships in Colombia will take place from June 18 to 25.

By Rajiv Bisnauth

DUBBED as one of the most promising cricketers of the Region, Chanderpaul Hemraj has had little success in his short first-class career to date.

The former West Indies Under-19 batsman, who has the ambition of representing the West Indies in all formats at the senior level, has appeared in five first-class matches, but played his last game in April 2014 against the Leeward Islands.

Four of those matches have been played on foreign soil, and Hemraj has managed 131 runs at an average of 13.10 with a highest score of 34.

However, the talented batsman in an exclusive interview yesterday said he is not thinking about the past, but is determined to do whatever it takes to facilitate his first-class return.

“I am not to worry about the past, in my view those games [first-class] are in the past; what I am aiming for is to improve my game, and hopefully I will be a part of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket

Chanderpaul Hemraj played his last game in April 2014 against the Leeward Islands.

League (PCL) Draft for 20162017.

“I am only 22, fit and hungry to revive my first-class career,” Hemraj, who had a stint with the Sagicor High Performance Centre, said.

To fulfil that, Hemraj, who is among the academy’s players named by Cricket Guy Inc (CGI) in November last year, is training twice a day in order to maintain his fitness level during the current off-season.

“I have been in training twice a day… also at the gym, so on the fitness side of things I am up there,” He said.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Ronaldo targets more Real glory after San Siro success

By Richard Martin

(Reuters)-CRISTIANO Ronaldo is hungry for even more silverware with Real Madrid after winning the Champions League on Saturday for the third time.

The prolific Portuguese did not look fully fit and was far from his best in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid but he slammed home his team’s decisive fifth penalty in the shootout to seal Real’s second Champions League final success over their local rivals in three years.

Ronaldo cited tiredness for his underwhelming dis-

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League on Saturday.(Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine

play in the final, the last game of another gruelling season in which he played 48 competitive games and scored 51 goals, the sixth straight season in which he has netted over 50 times.

“I’ve played more than 4,000 minutes, and I was number one in the team, again, with the most minutes. That means a lot to me. It means I am still good,” Ronaldo said.

“In six years I’m scoring more than 50 goals, but I am asking for more. I am always at the top level. I just want to maintain that.”

Ronaldo also won the Champions League in 2008

with Manchester United and, after his seventh season with Real, he reiterated that he wants to finish his career at the Bernabeu.

“I feel good and I love to play for Real Madrid. I want to carry on,” he added.

Real forward Gareth Bale also converted his spot-kick in the shootout and provided the assist for Sergio Ramos’s opening goal.

I thought I was going to be nervous but when I stepped up but to be honest I wasn’t nervous at all. It was only after when I got to the halfway line, I was like ‘Oh my God’,” he said.

“I was hoping they

would miss and we would score but stepping up to the penalty I literally felt nothing.”

Bale said winning Europe’s biggest prize twice in his three seasons with Real Madrid vindicated his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for the Spanish giants in 2013 for a world record fee.

“That’s why I came to the biggest club in the world -- to win Champions leagues but to win it is very difficult,” he added.

“To do it twice in three years is an amazing feat and we just have to try and build on this now.”

Lord’s and Edgbaston eye 2017 floodlit Test THE summer of 2017 could see the first day-night Test staged in England, with Lord’s and Edgbaston the most likely venues.

Both venues are keen, in theory, to explore the possibility of staging an August Test against West Indies under lights. The final decision whether and where a floodlit game is played will be made by the ECB. “We have talked about it internally,” Warwickshire chief executive, Neil Snowball, told ESPNcricinfo, “and we do think it is worth considering.”

A key part of the attraction for Warwickshire would be the novelty. Under normal circumstances, they might expect a Test against West Indies to prove a relatively tough sell and feel that staging it under lights could help attract a larger audience.

It is also believed that Birmingham City Council, who have a long-standing relationship with Warwickshire and helped fund the redevelopment

of Edgbaston, would be supportive of the initiative in the hope that it brought exposure and revenue to the area.

“There is a lot to be considered,” Snowball said, “such as the pitch, the dew, the ball and many other factors. But if we can work those things out and the ECB agree, it is an attractive possibility.”

The MCC, who have an excellent record of selling games against most opposition, also have a history of spearheading the experimentation into daynight cricket and are expected to discuss the issue at up-coming committee meetings in June.

While Lord’s is limited to 15 days of floodlight usage a year - any time the floodlights are raised constitutes a usage - to appease local residents, they would expect to allocate 10 of those days to the two Tests they host each season.

A spokesman confirmed they were interested in the idea, but stressed that any decision would be made by the ECB. There is another Test

against West Indies allocated for Headingley, but Yorkshire have not held serious discussions about the possibility of hosting a floodlit Test and would not do so until the exact dates for the series have been announced when a proper assessment of climate issues could be made.

The summer of 2017 also sees England host the ICC Champions Trophy (starting on June 1 and finishing on June 18), a four-Test series against South Africa and then the three Test series against West Indies.

Australia hosted the first day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide in No-

vember and England are expected to play at least one day-night Test during the next Ashes tour in 2017-18.

The ECB chairman, Colin Graves, recently told the BBC he would “love to see daynight cricket” and the ECB have raised the idea of playing the second Test on the tour of

Bangladesh in October under lights.

While it seems unlikely that such an agreement can be reached in time for that tour, it does seem that the first day-night Test involving England is likely to occur within the next 18 months.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

GFF’s Ordinary Congress a success

By Ras Wadada

REPORTS coming out of the Ordinary Congress of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) held last Saturday at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown have all showered praise on the successful staging of the event.

It was the first Congress hosted by the six-month old Wayne Forde administration and was fully attended by members and affiliates; and while there were heated debates at times, all matters aris-

…Guyana approved for increased funds

ing were well conducted. According to several officials, the Congress surpassed all previous ones with regard to how matters were dealt with and discussed.

Guest speaker, Joseph “Reds” Perreira made a presentation as well as the President of the Guyana Olympic Association, Kamal Juman-Yassin, who expounded on the positive steps the federation has made in incorporating the GFF as a

business entity.

One of the significant announcements made at the Congress was the approval of FIFA for the GFF to benefit from the increase of annual funding for all national football federations from $250,000USD to $1.4M USD. Another major disclosure was the appointment of a technical director which is expected to be confirmed following interviews with a number of applicants.

Several applications have been reviewed for the post, which has been vacant since March 1st after Claude Bolton tendered his resignation.

The GFF held a fund-raising dinner at the Gravity Lounge last night dubbed “An evening with ‘Reds’.” A media briefing on the full details of the Congress is expected to be held tomorrow at the federation’s Board Room.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Amla’s 92 takes South Africa to 280 for 9

(Monday May 30, 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) 7 centuries (2) A B DeVillers (RCB) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many runs RCB’s Chris Gayle made in the preliminary round of IPL 2016?

(2) Which franchise ended at the bottom of the points table at the end of the preliminary round of matches in IPL 2016?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SOUTH Africa’s most dependable batsman Hashim Amla displayed great composure to topscore with 92 as the touring South African team compiled 280 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs in their friendly match against the West Indies President’s XI at the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday.

The WICB President’s XI was 39 for 2 after 11 overs when rain stopped play at 5.56 pm. Play resumed twenty five minutes later and at press time the home team

...at press time, WI President’s XI 124 for 2 in 23 overs

moved to 124 for 2 after 23 overs.

Trinidad and Tobago’s dashing opener Evin Lewis looked in ominous form and smashed five boundaries and two consecutive sixes off Duminy to race to an unbeaten 70 while Guyana and WI youth captain Shimron Hetmyer was also shaping well and was undefeated on 27.

The day-night fixture is a warm-up match for the

visitors who are using the QP Oval as their training base before they fly over to Guyana where he first three matches of the Tri-Nations series were scheduled from June 3.

Jean Paul Duminy, leading the South African outfit in place of regular captain AB DeVilliers; won the toss and elected to bat first on an easy-paced pitch.

The right-handed Amla who appeared in 131 ODIs and chalked up twenty two

centuries among the 6,204 runs (52.13); displayed his class in rallying the South Africans to a decent total. He stroked one six and ten fours off 83 balls and shared in a 106-run third wicket stand with Farhaan Behardien (36) before he was adjudged LBW to leg spinner Damion Jacobs who emerged as the West Indies most successful bowler with three for 53. (Brij Parasnath)

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 30, 2016

Missigher, Mckay win `Golden Mile’ road race in easy style RUNNING Braves Athletic Club’s Winston Messigher and Claudrice McKay have won the male and female open categories of the Professional Key Shop/ Windjammers organised `Golden Mile’ road race which was staged yesterday afternoon in Georgetown.

Messigher who seems to be in good nick at the moment, returned four minutes 33.2 seconds for the one-mile event, while his club mate McKay clocked five minutes 39.3 seconds for the distance.

The race started a bit late and moved off from the Club 704 Lounge, Albert and Lamaha Streets

Athletes from across Guyana move off for the start of the Professional Key Shop/Windjammer Hotel sponsored `Golden Mile’ Road Race yesterday from outside the Club 704 Sports Lounge.

Fourth from left is race-winner Winston Missigher.

Running Braves Track Club’s Winston Missigher crosses the finish line to win the Professional Key Shop/Windjammer Hotel sponsored `Golden Mile’ Road Race yesterday.

and proceeded west along Lamaha Street before turning south to finish at the Professional Key Shop on Carmichael Street.

After being sent on their way, the more than 60 starters jostled for positions, but Messigher, second- place finisher Cleveland Thomas, Anfree Headaker, Devon Barrington and Samuel distanced themselves from the pack and opened a sizeable lead.

As the front- runners approached Camp and Lamaha Streets, Messigher and Thomas broke from the others and opened a 200-metre lead on the others and increased the pace of the race.

However, with approximately 200 metres remaining, Missigher changed gear and crossed the finish line approximately 75 metres ahead

of Thomas.

McKay was in the chasing pack by this time and was the first female to cross the finish line, some 200 metres behind Thomas.

Quacy Morian placed third among the male open runners, while Devon Barrington finished fourth.

Kezra Scott was second to McKay in the open female category, while Ashanti Scott and Jabeta Bowman placed third and fourth respectively.

In the male veterans’ category, A. Hadeka was first.

Second was M. Davidson and finishing third was Linden Phillips.

Cerlene Phillips won the female veterans’ category ahead of Carla Benjamin and Carla Adams respectively. Missigner received $50,000, while the second,

third and fourth-place finishers earned $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000 respectively.

The top four finishers of the female open category received $30,000, $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.

The winners of the masters’ male and female categories received $20,000, $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

The top four juniors also received prizes (no cash).

Among the sponsors who contributed to the successful staging of the event were: Impressions, E-Networks, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Oasis Café, Star Party Rentals, Colours Boutique, SOL Café, Ansa McAl and Two Brothers Service Station.

Missigher, Mckay win ‘Golden Mile’ road race in easy style

See story on page 23

Sunrisers beat RCB to claim first IPL title See story on page 19

Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrate their maiden IPL title in Bangalore, yesterday.

Exhibition matches staged as boxing icons honoured See story on page 19

BOXING ELITE:. in photo from left to right are; Kenny Bristol, (first Guyanese to win a Commonwealth title on home soil); Winfield Braithwaite, (first Guyanese to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal); Lennox Blackmoore, (the first Guyanese to win a Commonwealth professional title on foreign soil); GBA president Steve Ninvalle,Michael Parris (Guyana’s only Olympic Games medalist) and head, Bris `O’ Promotions, Seon Bristol.

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016