Chronicle 11 29 2015

SUNDAY No. 104387

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2015

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

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Specialty Hospital

PPP the most corrupt gov’t - Ramkarran

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… Finance Ministry says MoU above board

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Christmas is in the air: The Guyana Marriott Hotel last evening hosted a ‘Christmas tree light up’ and these children had a grand time at a party to celebrate the occasion (Adrian Narine photo)

Commonwealth in Guyana’s corner Page

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Man kills wife, commits suicide

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Specialty Hospital …

MoU with Fedders-Lloyd _ above board gov’t says THE Ministry of Finance has cleared the air on the agreement with Indian construction firm FeddersLloyd to build the Specialty Hospital, noting that procedurally, there is no impropriety in the method used by government in entering the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company. The agreement was entered into with the intention of leading to an award should the conditions stipulated in the MoU be met by Fedders-Lloyd. According to the ministry in a statement, the decision to utilise the instrument of the MoU safeguards the

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan procurement process and seeks to optimise the use of public funds, in this case a loan, in the most beneficial way. At a press briefing yesterday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said: “There is no transparency,” in the recently signed MoU. Transparency International Guyana has also criticised the agreement. But the ministry said the MoU for the review

of works for the Specialty Hospital Project is consistent with the Procurement Act Chapter 42:05: “If the supplier or contractor whose tender has been accepted fails to sign a written contract, if required to do so, or fails to provide any required security for the performance of the contract, the appropriate board shall refer the matter to the Evaluation Committee to determine which of the remaining tenders is the second lowest evaluated tender based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the bid documents, subject to its right, in accordance with section 40(1), to reject all remaining tenders,” the Act states. Jagdeo also claimed that Fedders-Lloyd was disqualified during the bidding process. "I don't want to justify anything… so have

them release the document,” he said. However, the Ministry of Finance noted that in the public bidding done for the Specialty Hospital under the PPP/C government, four tenders were received. Two were deemed to be rejected, leaving the remaining two -- Surrendra Engineering and Fedders-Lloyd Limited – in contention. In spite of the protestations of Fedders- Lloyd, the PPP/C government selected Surendra Engineering, leaving FeddersLloyd as the second and only other bidder for the project. Surendra’s services were eventually terminated by the previous government. The ministry explained that therefore, in accordance with Section 42(5) of the Procurement Act, the government can proceed to the second bidder. The Ministry of Finance did not award a contract to FeddersLloyd. The ministry merely entered into a MoU with the second and, indeed, the only other qualified bidder. Jagdeo, a former President, contended that the project should have been re-tendered, and an assessment of the work done so far should be done by an independent firm and not Fedders- Lloyd. But the

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Specialty Hospital MoU

PPP the most corrupt gov’t - Ramkarran … Finance Ministry says MoU above board

REFERRING to them as the “most corrupt” government in post-independence Guyana, former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran has blasted the PPP’s criticisms of government’s recent deal with FeddersLloyd to build the Specialty Hospital, insisting that the company is a reputable firm and has more credentials than the “corrupt Surendra Engineering,” which the Donald Ramotar administration had gifted the contract and was later forced to terminate. Last week the government announced the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fedders-Lloyd that will see the construction of the proposed Specialty Hospital restarting soon. According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, as part of the MoU with the government, Fedders-Lloyd will review the works already started on the Specialty Hospital; conclude a design of the hospital that is acceptable to the government; and commit to fully equipping the facility on completion of its construction. The Indian company will commence work immediately after the signing of the MoU. Work on the Specialty Hospital was halted after allegations of impropriety and fraud were levelled against the contractor, Surendra Engineering Company, who won the bid for its construction in 2012. The former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration had terminated the contract, and moved to the court to seek redress. It was successful, as the court ruled in its favour and the future of the Line of Credit (LOC) was threatened. MOST CORRUPT GOVERNMENT Writing in his weekly column Conversation Tree, Ramkarran, a Senior Counsel and former Executive of the PPP, said he noted that the announcement by government of the MoU has attracted several negative comments. He related that during the life of the PPP government, the then opposition consisting of both the AFC and APNU had

refused to support the Specialty Hospital. “The AFC’s opposition was founded on the suspect award of the contract to Surendra Engineering, a spare parts supplier, rather than Fedders-Lloyd, which had a track record in the construction of such facilities and had made the lowest bid. APNU argued that Guyana needed improved primary care centres, rather than a specialised facility,” Ramkarran wrote.

Former House Speaker Ralph Ramkarran

Former President Donald Ramotar

He said that the Specialty Hospital project was good for Guyana “and I strongly supported it at the time and criticised the opposition, including for dragging ethnic considerations into the issue. I believed that their reasons for opposing the project were unjustified. Now that the government has reversed its position and signed on to the project, it ought to be congratulated. I look forward to a similar reversal on the Amaila Hydropower Project.” He said the first criticism being levelled against the government is of the MoU with Fedders-Lloyd without a new

bidding process and the second relates to the role of VicePresident Khemraj Ramjattan in the matter. “The failure of the government in dealing promptly with these matters facilitates accusations of nepotism and corruption by the most corrupt administration in postIndependence Guyana, which now holds office as the opposition.” Ramkarran said while in government, “every device was employed, every advantage given, every trick in the book used, to steer contracts to friends and to exclude legitimate, credible and successful bidders such as Fedders-Lloyd.” He said “shamelessly ignoring its clearly flawed award to the corrupt Surendra Engineering, the opposition is now clutching at straws to build a narrative of nepotism and corruption on no evidence, which they hope to use down the road in deflecting attention from its own notorious deeds. And the government is doing precious little to counter it.” Ramkarran insisted that there is absolutely no reason why a new bidding process must be undertaken when the contract is ready to be awarded. “If the value of the works already done is subtracted from the contract price, a new contract price is arrived at. The government gets an advantage because the bid by Fedders-Lloyd, the lowest at the time, is three years old. Prices have risen since then. A new bidding process is therefore to Guyana’s disadvantage.” He noted that taking into consideration the fact that

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Senior citizen found dead at Park Vue SAMAROO Seepersaud of Lot 11 Herstelling New Scheme, East Bank Demerara was yesterday found dead behind the Park Vue International Hotel at Farm, East Bank Demerara. His relatives told the Chronicle when this publication visited them that Seepersaud had left home early on Friday afternoon and never returned. They noted that the 63-yearold had never been in the habit of staying out late, so they had become suspicious when he had not returned, and a search party was assembled; thus the body was discovered yesterday morning. The relatives disclosed that the police had informed them that there were no marks of violence on Seepersaud’s body, near which a half bottle of alcohol was found. They said the police have informed that investigations have commenced, but he could have died from natural causes.

Man kills wife, commits suicide A 23-year-old mother of Paradise Village, Essequibo Coast was brutally murdered around 17:00 hrs yesterday by her husband after a heated quarrel. According to reports, the woman known as “Shalini” was stabbed several times in her face. Her neck had a gaping wound.

Her husband whose name was given as “Vishnu” slashed his throat after committing the gruesome act. The couple reportedly had lived together for eight years at Red village, Onderneeming before moving to Paradise Village two months ago. Family members of the woman said she was for long a victim of domestic

violence and her husband was very jealous of her. The mother and sisters of her husband Vishnu said they are shocked and cannot understand why he did such as “ugly thing”. The couple leaves to mourn a three-year-old son and close family members.

King’s Jewellery World opens branch at Giftland Mall GUYANA’S leading luxury retailer offering the finest jewellery Saturday evening opened a new branch at the Giftland Mall, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. King’s Jewellery World celebrated the occasion with a cocktail which was well attended my many well-wishers and excited patrons. Founded in 1970 in Alexander Village, Georgetown, by Looknauth Persaud, King’s started with one goldsmith and two apprentices. The company has grown into an internationally recognised shopping paradise. According to Looknauth Persaud, King’s Jewellery has maintained a time-honoured tradition of designing and providing the finest quality jewellery, hand crafted from premium Guyanese gold. With headquarters in Quamina Street, Georgetown, King’s is the original makers of the cricket band which is worn by cricketers internationally. King’s is known for their ability to produce intricate pieces of jewellery which others have deemed impossible

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King’s Jewellery World new outlet located on the second floor of the Giftland Mall to create. The company has built its reputation by offering superior quality, styling and service, which goes beyond customers’ expectations. King’s has stores in Quamina Street, Middle Street, the City Mall, Rose Hall, Berbice and King’s Duty Free Shop at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and has a staff of over 100. King’s meets the requirements of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards for international quality and has carried their mark of excellence since the introduction of the gold standard.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Men too deserve equal treatment — Chandarpal

… Women and Gender Equality Commission supports paternity leave

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n keeping with its vision to uphold gender equality, the Women and Gender Equality Commission has added its voice in support of allowing men to get some precious leave to take care of their wives in the final stage of pregnancy. A few weeks ago, Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton announced that his ministry is developing a white paper to be taken to Cabinet that would afford men some quality days off during the momentous occasion of childbirth. The commission, which is tasked with promoting gender mainstreaming in all policies and programmes, from its pronouncement, has welcomed the announcement by Dr Norton. Dr Norton is hoping that the forward-looking policy gets the unequivocal blessing of the David Granger-led Cabinet. This policy paper intends to increase the maternity leave time for women from three months to six months; and during this time, the husband or partner of the pregnant woman would also be entitled to leave. Indications are that the father of the child might not get a full six-month

vacation, but would be entitled to some pay while he is legitimately off the job. Paternity leave generally allows men to get more directly involved in child care, get a break from work, gives their wives a break from child-rearing, and change the perception of dads. “Not only must women be charged with the responsibility of taking care of children, but we believe that their male partners must also have that responsibility; hence, the need for paternity leave for both persons,” Wo m e n a n d G e n d e r Equality Commission Chairperson Indranie Chandarpal said. Should Guyana greenlight the paternity leave, this country would be the latest addition to the long list of countries which have implemented similar measures. SYMPATHETIC COUNTRIES In Belgium, men get 10 days leave when their wives are at the stage of childbirth. In France, they get 11; in Denmark, 14; in Spain, 15; in Finland, 54; in Sweden, 60; in Norway, 70; and in Iceland, 120. According to Forbes

Sunday November 29, 2015 - 05:30 hrs Monday November 30, 2015 - 08:30 hrs Tuesday December 1, 2015 - 09:00 hrs

Women and Gender Equality Commission Chair Indranie Chandarpal M a g a z i n e , t o d a y, 7 0 countries around the world provide paid paternity leave for fathers. For the Public Health Minister, the white paper he will take to Cabinet is part of a wider plan to build a nation of strong and healthy adults and children. “It would not really be a loss of productivity. A woman returning to work, who has given birth and hasn’t fully recovered from the stress and strain, would not function well. This would affect productivity, plus it would aggravate her condition. With a woman who has fully recovered, the situation will be different, so it is not really a loss of productivity if the maternity leave is extended. It is more (a

Public Health Minister Dr George Norton case of) providing the requisite support for our women, so that they can function well, and this no doubt will certainly increase productivity in the work environment,” Dr Norton contends. The Women and Gender Equality Commission is mandated to educate women and men on the benefits of gender equality and ending gender-based violence; recommend, with the use of evidence-based data, timely policy and legislative initiatives to uphold women’s rights and gender equality; and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming within society. The pronouncement by the commission on paternity leave has no doubt left some men smiling and others jumping for joy.

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Guyana

EDITORIAL

Bigger bang for our buck IN recent weeks reports suggest that the government has been revisiting and reviewing several projects that were either stalled or bungled under the previous regime. There have been mixed reactions to this development. The more recent is the re-negotiation of the deal for the construction of a specialty hospital, styled an institution for health tourism. The original contract was awarded to Surendra Engineering for building and equipping the facility, which is being financed through a Line of Credit (LOC) to the tune of over US$18 million from the EXIM Bank of India. Surendra defaulted after misusing just under $US 1 million, for which judgment in our High Court was awarded. Cynically put, Surendra only graded the site and piled dirt and grass on 12 heaps, referred to in the National Assembly as “The Dirty Dozen,” and drove down couple dozen piles. The former PPP government has been embarrassed by the fiasco, especially when charges had been levelled that the contract processes lacked procedural fairness. It was the leader of the AFC, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, (now Vice-President and Minister of Public Security) who had exposed that the higher-ranking bidder for the specialty contract, Fedders Lloyd, a reputable construction company, was ignored. Mr Ramjattan had also stated that he was merely exposing the corruption surrounding the contract to Surendra and that he was not the lawyer for Fedders Lloyd. Now after re-negotiation, Guyana seems set for a better deal which is tantamount to getting a better bang for our buck: (a) new contractor, Fedders Lloyd which was supposed to have the job in the first place had there been a fair bidding; (b) continuation of the project under the original LOC; and funding for modernising our three major hospitals in Suddie, Bartica and Best Village. It cannot now be said that this is the Specialty Hospital that was originally conceived, since it has now been stripped of the cloak of crookedness with which it was tainted. Of course, the handlers of Surendra would cry foul and would be upset that the new government has placed the $US18 million project in a safer basket. Recently also, government announced that Norway has indicated an interest to get the IDB to review the Amaila Falls Hydro Project to determine whether it is viable or non-viable. The government can see nothing wrong with this request as Norway has some $US80 million to put into Amaila and should it fail to answer the bell, this money could be tapped for other hydro and renewable energy projects. The new government has shortlisted five other sites that could be developed as mega hydro projects and Norway’s involvement is critical as a source of initial funding. We are also upbeat that the review of the Cheddi

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Let’s kick apaan jaat for good Dear Editor GUYANA has been stained with this curse which originated in the 1950s. The meaning of this Hindi word ‘aapan jaat’ meant “Blackman for Blackman Coolie for Coolie.” This curse embraces both Indo and AfroGuyanese to the point that it shaped the political culture and presents itself in the very fabric of our plural society. J.S. Furnivall defined a plural society as one “where people mix but do not combine.” “Each group holds its own religion, its own culture and language; its own ideas and ways. As individuals they meet only in the marketplace in buying and selling. There is a plural society with different sections of the community living side by side, within the same political unit.” This is the plural society which exists in Guyana today. This hatred between these two races had caused them to be polarised to the point where prejudice and racism surfaced its ugly head. Only one change came in recent years, which were welcomed by all races, where it was illegal to use the words “blackman, coolie man and buck man.” Instead, to use these derogatory words, they are supposed to use these words Afro- Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese and Amerindian. That is good and everyone appreciated this correction. I still noticed that both races are guilty of using these words out of earshot of the police. That is totally wrong and we should not harbour this distasteful word, especially when hate crimes are committed. Wealthy people have been attacked and they have been subjected to hate crimes which consume the lives of many people. This has caused people to form gangs and rob the nation of its wealth. This has caused untold suffering of the people to the extent that both races have lost trust in one another over the years. Both governments won elections over the years and ‘aapan jaat’ never came to an end but persisted. All political parties called for political sharing of the government, but nothing materialised. I have seen a lot of wrong things done in the PPP/C and to a lesser

extent within the new APNU+AFC. There is no doubt that corruption was prevalent within the earlier party PNC and now PPP/C and were both blamed for that by the public. The APNU+AFC has mixtures of both races in the government of today after the PPP/c lost the 2015 elections, after being in government for 23years. Recently, they have blamed the APNU+AFC for rigging the past elections. The Indo- Guyanese were frustrated with the PPP/c having witnessed their leaders allegedly robbing the coffers and many of them were vexed and felt cheated. They were ashamed of their leaders allegedly allowing rich men to peddle drugs under their leadership and many got rich through the clandestine way. Too much of drug money went into the hands of the rich who squandered their money openly. Some of them still want to clear their names and stayed with the PPP/C and held crucial posts within the party. They are telling the people to remember the past, when the PNC was in power and how they were emasculated and treated like dogs. I remember those days when I had a complement of GCE subjects to get a job. But because of racism I could get no job in my neighbourhood or Georgetown. Eventually I got a job with a Roman Catholic school at Akawabi Mission at Wauna, North West District. I suffered a lot because I could not cook, etc. The national elections came and most of them voted for the PPP/C, because the hoodoo “apaan jaat” made them vote for the PPP/C, and of course, the entire Afro race voted for APNU+AFC. Then the point is who are we to blame? The Elections Commission were the ones who counted all the election results in the past and no objections came from the APNU, because they knew that Africans were fewer than Indo-Guyanese. The PPP/C was happy and continued with their governance. Corruption escalated and both APNU and the AFC did not accept the budget, by not using their votes to pass the budget and voted for no-confidence. That is the role of the opposition, to oppose when they do not

agree. All opposition forces do that all over the world. The PPP/C got vexed and suspended Parliament for six months. They weakened themselves to the point where they gave the opposition strength to win the next election. It is my feeling that the then leader Donald Ramotar and his Cabinet ministers are not fit to rule again. They felt that they would win the May 11 election, so they left enough money in the till, but little did they know they were leaving money for the next government. They did their best to canvass and win the election by allowing rich men in the country to plug money to fete people in various communities, but they lost. The same men are weaving their way into APNU+AFC. God is a just god. Any rich man wants to get more money, in the process they lose their sight and forget the poor and the powerless. They treat people as if they are the “scum of the earth.” The famous revolutionary author Frantz Fanon said political leaders preach the good things they will do to help the poverty-stricken and in the end they behaved worst than our colonial masters; they get large swimming pools, fancy cars etc. and live in fat style whilst the poor go hungry. I will challenge any cane-cutter to go to the PPP/C leaders who live in Georgetown and take a plunge in his pool. See what happens. Now that the APNU+AFC is ruling, I feel they must collaborate with the PPP/C to govern the country. This should be done by coaxing them. This is the only way for us to kick “apaan jaat” for good. We need to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones; let us call a spade a spade. Only through collegial and collaborative thinking can we solve the problems of Guyana. It is my belief that the PPP/C cannot win an election again, because people will vote the same way and maybe better if the APNU+AFC try and give the sugar workers a good deal and also try to get rice markets for the farmers. Sincerely, CHANDRADAT DEONANDAN

Direct your attention well Dear Editor, I ASKED myself, if someone goes to take his or her life, where the whole world will take notice, what message is he or she sending? Is it that the victim craved attention in life and consequently was willing to even die for it? What then is this power of attention that it sways the mind Jagan Airport has resulted in revival of work on lengthening the runway and renovating the terminal building. We hope also that new life would be breathed into the East Coast and East Bank Demerara highways and that the bottlenecks being caused by these bungled projects could be removed soonest. In all, the stage is being set to re-position the “old” projects, and make them work for Guyana. At the same time, it clears the way for introduction of new transformational projects that were mooted by the Finance and Infrastructure Ministers, such as new hydro schemes, solar and wind farms, a new bridge over the Demerara River, deep water and free port harbours and new agricultural schemes linked to the Del Conte road.

so easily? Indeed, if we take a close look at this faculty of the mind, we will find that it is at the heart of everything that we do or say. It is the engine, the motor current by which everything we do is accomplished. Wherever our attention goes our mind and body follow. If our attention is on self-destruction we will find a way. Wherever we are, we will tend to use tools that are available in our immediate environment or that are more easily available to us. The problem therefore which we face is where to put our attention. Where as a person, a society or nation we are placing our attention? If we have high expectations for the temporary things of this life, we are setting ourselves up for disappointments and despair, for the only thing that is permanent in life is change. It has often been said that man (or woman) proposes but God disposes. The good life is not just physical or mental, but it is also fundamentally spiritual. In the science of spirituality, attention is the outer manifestation of our soul. Direct it well and we need not fear or despair for broken relations. Regards, KENNETH DANIELS

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Gov’t keen on liberalising telecoms sector, says GTT

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-launches modern, interactive store at Giftland Mall

By Svetlana Marshall THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT) is optimistic that the telecommunications sector will soon be liberalised, although much uncertainty surrounds passage of the Telecommunication Bill. “I know this government is very keen on liberalising

the sector,” GTT’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd told the press yesterday, shortly after the company had opened its modern interactive store at the Giftland Mega Mall at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown. Nedd said that once the sector is liberalised and spectrum is granted, GTT would be able to free its customers from the “slow 2G experi-

ence” through provision of 3G and/or 4G services. He said once the government, through the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU), allocates the spectrum, GTT would move into operation. “We are preparing, we are talking to vendors, trying to get the best prices, [and] looking at the procurement process to see how quickly we could get this

Customers capitalising on the promotions

GTT personnel are ready to serve you at their modernised retail store in the Giftland Mall at Turkeyen

gear installed and tested, so that customers could get 3 and 4G services.” The question, however, remains: when will the Telecommunication Bill return to the National Assembly after being scrutinised at the level of the Special Select Committee? Prime Minister Moses

Moses Nagamootoo has strong working-class credentials Dear Editor, THE recent attack on Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo questioning his working- class credentials will not be taken seriously and will be seen for what it is–politicking. Moses has impeccable working-class credentials unmatched by any other lawyer or political leader. Politicians go on ad nauseam about their humble beginnings and how much they grounded with or fought on behalf of the working class. But few of them actually care for or are compassionate about the poor and the working class. Moses is a rare exception. Moses has been a grassroots activist (among working people and the dispossessed) since at a young age out of high school. That is how I got to know of him before he made the move from Corentyne to Georgetown. He grounded with the poor and those of us from rural communities fighting racial persecution.

Moses comes from strong working- class stock (fishing, farming and sugar) and few in the current PPP have championed the cause of sugar workers more than him. He fought and advocated for the working class – sugar workers, farmers, fishermen, etc. He had an unmatched breadth of appeal among working people. That is why he was able to win so much support among sugar workers in 2011 on behalf of the AFC, resulting in the PPP losing its majority in parliament. While in the PPP I do not think Moses ever missed any of GAWU’s national meetings. He was present at those I attended as a visitor. Moses has written a lot about the struggles of the poor Indians working class. In addition, as a lawyer, Moses performed almost pro bono work for countless working- class people, including sugar workers and farmers. They placed their faith and trust in him and they admired him for his integrity and commitment

to them. Moses never betrayed the working class while he was with the PPP. Critics will have a stronger case criticising his silence on the recent firing of workers on account of their race and political affiliation. Moses struggled like all of us from the countryside to make ends meet when we had to combat victimisation. I refuse to believe he is no longer concerned with the poor or the working class. I do not think Moses will want sugar to collapse. And I believe he will want to empower the sugar workers by giving them control over the industry. Instead of seeking to ostracise him from the sugar workers, opposition politicians should find a way to work with him to rescue the sugar industry to prevent the workers and their families from landing on the breadline. Yours truly, VISHNU BISRAM

Nagamootoo had, in September, told the press that the government and GTT were still “ironing out” some issues. Even as it awaits liberalisation of the sector, GTT is living up to its promise to “DO More.” Yesterday it opened a new retail store at the Giftland Mall. The new, trendy, modern store offers mobile, landline, DSL, mobile money, and serves as a payment centre. It is also the first of several retail stores to be opened. The layout of the store is warm and welcoming, and the décor highlights bright, bold and vibrant colours. It is fun, friendly and interactive. Promotions and offers are prominently and attractively displayed around the store. At the opening of the new store, the company also launched its two Christmas promotions which offer free smartphones with complimentary selfie sticks, and its popular Crazy Cash promotion which will give customers the opportunity to win $50,000 cash daily and a chance to win millions in the final draw on December 23. The handset promotion offers free smartphones along with free selfie sticks with the purchase of 3, 4 or 6 months’ data. The models of phones for the promotion are the Drone XT, Blu Ad-

vance 4.OL and Blu Studio G. New GTT customers will get FREE SIMs to enjoy GTT’s various promotions. There are other hot deals on all smartphones, and customers are encouraged to visit the stores to learn more about these offers. GTT’s pre- and post-paid customers will again have the simple and uncomplicated chance to win millions in the very popular Crazy Cash promotion, which was successfully held two years ago. Pre-paid customers who top up with $500 or more daily are eligible for a chance to be called by 98.1FM from Monday to Friday at 13:45hrs, and they can win a minimum of $50,000 cash daily if they answer their phones in this way: “I can do more with GTT.” Customers also have a chance to be entered into the Grand Draw to win over G$6M in cash and prizes on December 23. Chief Commercial Officer Gert Post has said that “the company will continue to turn up the service offerings, image and the quality of service it offers. We know that at this time people look forward to extra cash to do their Christmas shopping, and we have made it easy for our customers to win cash daily,” he declared.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Angela Johnson: both grace and protocol A

By Professor Daizal Samad ngela Johnson, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, has passed on. It came as a shock because she was a rather private person about her personal business.

I only had the pleasure of meeting with her about a dozen times, but from our first meeting I knew two things: first, that she was unwell, although not to the extent that she clearly was. Second, that Angela Johnson was a person of both grace and protocol. Her years of service speak to the kind of dedication and loyalty that has become rare in our nation. She set standards. Any suggestion that made sense was acted upon with the kind of promptness that defies the usual red tape to which many of us have become accustomed. She had the ability to assess both the quality of people and the virtue of the ideas and suggestions that were brought before her. This always takes nimbleness of mind, a quick and efficient working through of the ideas and suggestions themselves as well as the implications of those ideas and suggestions. Once assessed, there was no hesitation to act. Many of us would do well to emulate this; most people in the public sector must emulate this. Most of us are quite the opposite of the likes of Angela

Johnson: we immediately find ways to say NO to the most logical and simple ideas. Then time is spent to explain why the no is the no, flying in the face of all reason. This is precisely why we spend hours on end at meetings, after which things are left in abeyance. Instead of that, we ought to find ways to say yes, but explore the timeframes, costs, staff capacity, and so on. This Johnson-like strategy saves time and shows an appreciation for initiative, that thing we tend to discourage all too frequently. Angela Johnson seemed to make things simple and straight-forward. And if she knew that any idea or suggestion was not within her ken or authority, she would advise immediately as to the next step to move the idea forward. Angela Johnson was soft spoken, but it would be a mistake to think that this soft-spoken woman is softspoken and therefore somehow weak. No weakness there that I have found. One is always suspicious when people boast of having spent 26 or 30 years in a job. Time is no real measurement for efficiency. With the late Permanent Secretary, the efficiency may be measured by time and by things done during that time. I convey sincere condolences to her family and to her family within the Ministry of Public Security. We have lost a good person. Please let us keep her alive by following her examples. May her soul rest in peace.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Commonwealth in Guyana’s corner

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- in border controversy with Venezuela

By Neil Marks in Malta THE 53-nation Commonwealth has reaffirmed its commitment to Guyana in the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela following discussions on Saturday. “We have expressed solidarity as Commonwealth with Guyana on the question of the territorial [controversy] with Venezuela,” Kamalesh Sharma, the Commonwealth Secretary-General said Saturday evening. The statement of support for Guyana will be included in a communiqué to be issued today at the conclusion of the Heads of Government meeting. Mr Sharma on a visit to Guyana in July had indicated the Commonwealth’s continued support for this country, and coming to Malta, President David Granger had no doubt that what Guyana was looking for would be achieved. During a visit to Guyana at the start of July this year, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma affirmed the Commonwealth’s solidarity with Guyana and support for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The Commonwealth stands as one and speaks with one voice in our commitment to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are an association of 53 member states worldwide, accounting for one quarter of the United Nations membership. Commonwealth member governments, individually and collectively, are also committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to the rule of law,” Mr Sharma had said in a statement on his arrival in Guyana. “… I have very close relations with the Foreign Minister, who is a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group which is the custodian of your core political values in the Commonwealth. Guyana is at the heart of the work we do,” Mr Sharma told Guyanese media following a press conference. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was at the meeting on Friday and President Granger used the opportunity “to take our discussions further”. HELPFUL “The Secretary-General has been very engaged over the last three or four months in particular and he has

been very helpful. Several teams have come down to Guyana working on his behalf and we are convinced that he is committed to moving the process forward,” the President said. It was on the eve of Guyana’s independence, some five decades ago that Venezuela claimed that the 1899 arbitral award, which defined the two countries’ borders was null

COMMONWEALTH Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma speaks during a press conference on Saturday in Malta (Kawise Wishart photo) and void. An agreement signed in Geneva in 1966 provides for the Secretary-General to take action to bring a resolution to the contention by Venezuela. During an address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Mr Granger urged the UN to curb Venezuela’s expansionist agenda. Here in Malta, President Granger said he is looking for the Commonwealth’s solid backing for Guyana, and the

group of 53 nations responded in his favour. NEVER LET DOWN “The Commonwealth has never let us down and there is no reason to believe that that support will drain away,” Granger stated. Following recent statements and actions by Venezuela, President Granger had indicated to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the process of talks has worn out and that it is time for a final legal settlement to Venezuela’s claim that the arbitral award of 1899 which settled the countries’ borders is null and void. Guyana’s position was laid out when Granger met Mr Ban in the presence of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last September. Since then, the UN has sent two teams to Guyana to move the process further. Guyana has accused Venezuela of a series of acts of aggression, starting with a Presidential Decree of June 1968. The border controversy flared early this year when American firm Exxon Mobil announced that it had made a “significant” oil discovery. After threatening the company, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro issued a decree on May 26th this year, seeking to extend Venezuela’s land claim, by claiming Guyana’s entire waterfront. Two years ago, the Venezuelans sent a naval ship into Guyanese waters and seized a U.S.-chartered oil survey ship and escorted it to Margarita Island. In September, Guyanese authorities also said the Venezuela army was up the Cuyuni River. More recently, late last month, Canada-based mining company Guyana Goldfields reported that it had received an "unfounded" notification of possible legal action by Venezuela over its operations in Guyana.

GTUC wants outstanding BCGI matters addressed expeditiously THE Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) is calling on the government to speedily address outstanding issues with the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), even as it lauds the ongoing visits to workplaces by junior Social Protection Minister Simona Broomes. The minister and her team were able to visit the BCGI Aroraima site, witnessed the deplorable working conditions, interacted with the workers and heard from them their grievances and abuses inflicted by management, and though revealing for the public, confirmed the concerns expressed by the trade union community. The GTUC said it is encouraged that Minister Broomes has committed to follow up the BCGI visit by writing management outlining the ministry’s concerns, and looks forward to the minister following through on the commitment. However, the trade union body noted that even as the junior minister carries out her responsibility, there exists concern that the process for resolving matters dating back to 2009 which include 67 workers suspended for refusing to work under unsafe

conditions and 57 dismissed, among whom were persons on annual vacation, remain outstanding. “The commitment given to the High Court by the Ministry of Labour in June 2012 that letters will be re-issued for the commencement of arbitration must be respected. For these reasons the GTUC once again calls on Minister of Social Protection Ms Volda Lawrence, who has Cabinet responsibility, to have these letters issued as a matter of urgency. “The results of the hard work of Ms Broomes and her team will only materialise when the political and legal weight, inclusive of the Cabinet, are thrown behind it. The current government while in opposition correctly demanded that Nanda Gopaul, then Minister of Labour, executes the court’s decision. Today, the authority is vested in the current government and GTUC finds their dilatory tactics troubling and unacceptable,” the trade union body said in a release. November 29 marks six years since BCGI, managed by a “ruthless group” of Russians, supported by an “uncaring Government of Guyana”, denied the company’s workers their constitutional

right to belong and be represented by a trade union of their choice, the GTUC said. These acts violate Article 147 of the Guyana Constitution and Sect 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Law. Workers’ and citizens’ rights are non-negotiable and nothing must come in the way of having them respected, the GTUC said. It added: “The heavy burden of the dis-enfranchisement of bauxite workers and their families now rests squarely on the shoulders of Minister Lawrence.” The trade union body has also called on the minister to discharge her constitutional responsibility without fear or ill will. “During the six-year struggle, lives for the aggrieved workers have changed. Some have lost their lives and families, suffered injuries, families disintegrated, children forced to leave school, along with poverty and other social fall-outs. These are factors that ought to propel any caring minister to act with alacrity. “The feeling by workers that they have a friend in the department of labour whereby the laws will be respected for both them and employers needs to be nurtured and grown,” the trade union body said.

PRESIDENT David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger pose for a photo before leaving for a dinner reception hosted by Dr Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, for Commonwealth Heads of Government and their spouses on Saturday evening

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

– Washington DC

Alumina and its direct contribution to the wealth of the nation

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By Sasenarine Singh

AUXITE prices remain under pressure, even though the Indonesian ban on the export of raw bauxite came on stream in early 2014. Instead, they have boosted their metal-processing capacity and now export alumina. Undoubtedly, President Widodo of Indonesia continued his predecessor’s strategy and continued the ban in the main with a small amount of bauxite being exported in 2015 so far. However, this strategy did not affect the bauxite market as expected, because of the creeping increase in demand and the strong production from Australia, which is expected to top 82 million metric tonnes in 2015. Increased production is also expected from the other top five producers of bauxite: China, Brazil, Guinea and India. The production from the top five is more than enough to fill the creeping increase in demand. Unfortunately, bauxite production in the world’s 12th largest producer – Guyana- is expected to decline by some 10 per cent in 2015. To expose the reality of the situation that continues to depress bauxite prices, as of January 2015, there are more than enough open bauxite reserves ready to be mined. These open reserves were recorded at 28 billion metric tonnes. Most of this was located in Guinea and Australia. The market is somewhat divided. In the short term, the biggest overriding factor is that there is far too much bauxite ready to be extracted that continues to overwhelm demand. Inventories of bauxite have ballooned in the last few years, especially in geographically close China, by far the world’s largest importer of bauxite. This bauxite is coming mainly from Australia and India. As I stated above, the inventories of bauxite easily accessible by the markets are at an all-time record. In China, alone, there is a bauxite inventory of some 50 million metric tonnes of this stuff sitting in ports and at refineries. That is a huge amount, which can take a year of full-steam production to burn through. As a result, we are seeing pressure in front of prices right now, which makes this bauxite market very difficult to make any money. Where is the money? It is in alumina. With such a state in the market, key players in the industry continue to warn of investment cuts in the bauxite industry, unless China or India accelerate their demand and this seems not to be in their immediate plans. So for 2016, bauxite will remain a very flat market, but opportunities remain upstream in value-added production of alumina (aluminium oxide). Alumina is extracted from bauxite and is then used in a smelter to produce the highly valuable aluminium. Guyana has produced alumina in the past and we can do it again. It takes about five metric tonnes of bauxite to produce two tonnes of alumina. (see picture below on process). The world-market price for alumina is about US$411 per metric tonne vs. an average of US$76 per metric tonne of bauxite, which Guyana earned in 2015. When you do the arithmetic, it clearly shows that Guyana is losing value, because we are exporting bauxite rather than alumina. From all angles, Guyana and Region 10 will be better positioned to expand their respective inter-related economies if we produce alumina. Schematics of the process from bauxite to alumina There is a strong business case to seriously explore the opportunity to establish an alumina plant in Region 10, either at Kwakwani or Linden to secure those value-added inflows for Guyana, along with new jobs. This simple idea opens a whole host of new opportunities for Region 10, which can be classified as a depressed economic zone. Additionally, opportunities such as the Tiger Hill Falls Hydro Project can produce about 20 MW of electricity to feed the alumina plant, which means more jobs. Our mining policy has to find a way to drive a comprehensive initiative to roll out the red carpet for targeted foreign investors to do these kinds of projects and fast. Every day that goes by, Guyana continues to lose value, jobs and wealth because we continue to produce bauxite rather than alumina. It is in our economic interest that we form a joint venture with the Russians, Chinese (who dominate the bauxite scene in Guyana) and ourselves to make this a reality. In such a situation, backed by a market hunting for great new opportunities to

make money, we have to market Guyana as a location where we can feed the alumina markets rather than the bauxite markets. Indonesia made this decision in 2014 to their benefit and we have to study that model to empower us to replicate it more successfully. As we head into 2016, bauxite finds itself in a tug of war, where low prices remain a reality because of the supply glut and those real opportunities that can be leveraged to climb up to alumina production. Our situation is one of choice now, the lazy approach of staying in bauxite and slowly destroying Region 10 with 1,000 cuts or the ambitious approach of climbing up the value chain to alumina and creating many new opportunities for the regeneration of the economic prospects for the people of Region 10 and at the same time directly contribute to the wealth of the nation.

HINDS’SIGHT

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Dr David Hinds

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The Black/African Guyanese intellectual tradition and a nation of hypocrites

HERE is a debate in the newspapers over the role and activism of the Indian-Guyanese intellectual. Inevitably the discussion has made reference to and comparison with African-Guyanese. One of the observations being made by some of the writers is that AfricanGuyanese intellectuals who speak and write about the condition of their ethnic group are treated as sacred cows—they are less criticised. On the other hand, their Indian-Guyanese counterparts are timid about speaking up on the condition of their group and those who dare speak out are often maligned. Today I want to speak to that phenomenon by saying something about the Black intellectual tradition. This is not the first time one has heard this line of argument about Black intellectuals getting a pass when they speak about Black issues. The fact that it is not borne out by evidence does not bother those who repeat it. In ethnically divided societies sush as ours, the instinct for pointing out the advantages of the other side is compelling. It is not true that African Guyanese intellectuals are not challenged. How many times Kwayana, Ogunseye, Alexander and others have not been called racists by Indian and African Guyanese politicians?. One newspaper says that I have race on my brains. In Guyana, whether you are Indian or African, once you touch race publicly you are condemned. Yet in our private and semi-private enclaves and in our politics of domination we engage in the worst form of racism. When it comes to the race question we are a nation of hypocrites. At the heart of the current discussion is ethnic victimhood, which has to be at the core of any discourse of this nature. In fact, the very basis of ethnic advocacy is that collective feeling of actual suffering is a threat to the survival of the group. In that regard, it is perhaps

disingenuous to expect African and Indian-Guyanese intellectuals and activists who engage in the study of and advocacy on behalf of their respective groups to do so in identical fashion. The African-Guyanese narrative of suffering arises out of the singular, sordid, dehumanising and all-encompassing experience of forced enslavement. It is an experience that spanned centuries and its formal end did not spell the end of the ideology that engendered it. That ideology of antiBlack racism continues to devastate Black communities across the globe. From the middle passage to the present, as Cornel West reminds us, Black people have had to confront a central question —what it is to be human? They have had to battle, every day, physical and social death. They have had to constantly prove their humanity. They have had the singular dehumanising experience of having to fight for the enactment of laws to affirm their humanity. And all of this time, out of this forced bondage they have been creating new civilisations of freedom. It is not that other groups have not experienced suffering; all groups have. But the Black suffering, grounded as it is in that system which the Mighty Sparrow describes as “cruel and wicked,” is qualitatively different and unique. It is from that experience that the organic Black intellectual and activist arise. The academic and political narratives come from that deep place—extreme suffering, resistance to and overcoming suffering, affirmation of humanity and construction of survivalist cultures. It is very difficult for the Black intellectual to avoid that narrative, even if he or she does not directly engage it. In fact, the very existence of this intellectual is grounded in that narrative of suffering. The very enormity of the Black condition compels that group to always find its voice and raise it as loud as

‘EXPRESSIONS 3’ for Theatre Guild GEMS Theatre Productions will be staging ‘EXPRESSIONS 3’ at the Theatre Guild Playhouse in Kingston on Thursday. Expressions is a production with its theme of poetry and prose, being performed by experienced actors and readings by notable poetry-readers who either read their own creative pieces or poems from other poets and writers. Producer Gem Madhoo-Nascimento stated that ‘EXPRESSIONS’ was first staged in May 2014, with a repeat show in July, then ‘EXPRESSIONS 2’ in November, 2014 ‘EXPRESSIONS 3’ will be staged at 13.30 hrs for schools and later the same evening at 18.30 hrs there will be the second show for general audiences. Performers and readers will be: Derek Gomes, Mariatha Causway (Jennifer Thomas, Mark Luke-Edwards, Randolph Critchlow, Lloyda Nicholas-Garrett, Kimberly Samuels, Paul Budnah, Subraj Singh, Ian McDonald, Petamber Persaud, Sara Barrat and Elfrieda Bissember. Musical renditions with a Christmas theme will be performed on the harmonica by Ron Robinson and on the saxophone by Max Massiah. Tickets for the evening performance are $1000 each and are available at the Theatre Guild, National Cultural Centre and Oasis Cafe.

possible in the words of Brother Bob Marley to “disturb my neighbour”. The loud and constant voice of the AfricanGuyanese intellectual is not the product of some leniency granted by somebody. It is the product of that persistent struggle of Black people to overcome social death and answer that question—what does it mean to be human? The African-Guyanese intellectual is part of that tapestry—that Black Intellectual tradition. It is from there that the Rodneys, Thomases, Andaiyes, Kwayanas et al come. As is the case with all societies under extreme duress, the intellectual must play a major role—standing side by side with the suffering majority as a source of socio-political comfort and nourishment. But I want to point out something else about that Black intellectual tradition. It is not homogeneous; it is as diverse as the group itself. A section of that tradition engages racism from a strictly race-centred standpoint. Another section engages the intersections with class and gender. To expect the Indian-Guyanese intellectual to be “like” the African-Guyanese intellectual is somewhat unfair. The Indian-Guyanese experience and narrative of suffering in the Americas, despite some similarities with those of African-Guyanese, are very different. Many Indian-Guyanese intellectuals have constructed that narrative around the “28 years under the PNC”. We have to respect that. Except for Clem Seecharran and to some extent Ravi Dev, the experience of indenturedship is relatively silenced. More of Dr Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Access to markets, financing, hindering small businesses - Business Expo exhibitors

By Ravin Singh THE lack of access to domestic and regional markets, and the limitations of financing for small businesses are perhaps the two most critical factors hindering further propulsion of the economy through this

major challenges facing his venture in a two-minute conversation with this publication. Sitting behind a table in a mini-booth shielded from light, the man explained that his occupation thrives in the midst of constraints, but because he resides in Berbice, where the market

having to invest hours into producing some of his smaller pieces, he has still been forced to sell wholesale. The money from this, he says, cannot compensate for the labour invested into producing the items. He says he relies heavily on events such as

for the economy, if they were to flourish. Financing of that sort, he said, could assist in purchasing tools and equipment to improve quality and increase production. But financing would not be a problem for small businesses if local and regional markets were

eddo powder and nuts, she suggested that if materials for packaging of these products and other foodstuff could be imported on a large scale, or if there could be some local company helping with packaging, this could reduce operational costs. Addressing the issue of

us, I think we could do 100 per cent better. But right now, with this little small business expo, it’s very critical.” However, she recommended that those struggling with marketing issues adopt an approach which she has been using for years. She says that

Indria Doodnauth and Rupert Lewis display some of their plants which are available at Business Expo

Christina James (right) and Denise Thomas showcase locally made eddo powder, Cocoa, and coconut oil

sector. Local craftsman Peter Rodney, a middle-aged Berbician whose pieces comprised shell-designed picture frames and table centres, jewellry made from coconut shells and other creative compositions of craft from local products, decried the

available, he declared. According to Rodney, if overnment were to push for small businesses to access more local and regional markets, faster turnover would ensue, and this would reduce the need for grant financing. He said, “The cost for advertising is usually not something we could afford. So areas of financing for small businesses and marketing are critical for the development of small businesses, and I think these are the areas the government needs to target to help the sector develop.” And while Christina James of the Blue Flames Women’s Group agrees that those factors, if addressed, could help to boost small businesses, she sees support for packaging of local products as imperative. Displaying several products made by factions of the association, including cassava bread,

is much more limited than that of Georgetown, he is forced to sell his products at wholesale prices. What was surprising about this revelation was that the quality of his products had deceived onlookers into believing they were machine-made. And despite him

the Business Expo and GuyExpo to fix the actual prices on his products. The craftsman suggested that opportunities for smallbusiness owners like himself to tap into financing such as grants would prove beneficial, not just for themselves but

Peter Rodney (left) and his associate display some of their hand-made craft products last evening

packaging, she said it could also help in improving the quality of products, which can help the smallscale producers to compete with producers of similar products in regional and international markets. But the inaugural Business Expo which was birthed as an alternative to support small businesses in the absence of GuyExpo this year, seems not to be benefiting all. One such person is Indria Doodnauth, sole proprietor of Garden Image Plant Shop. According to the plant fanatic, who is a regular exhibitor at local exhibitions, the area where this form of small business is situated is discouraging, given the bleak atmosphere. “They always dump us in the area,” she lamented, adding: “hardly anybody visits this area from year to year.” She reasoned that “if they find a spot in front for

for businesses to access more local markets, they need to “go out and visit customers” even while they have customers coming to them. Most would describe the event as having a sober atmosphere, although it was perhaps intended, since the Minister of Business had related that the initiative was not organised with the intention of having entertainment overshadow business-oriented activities, as has happened at previous expositions. The crowd that had been anticipated failed to show up at the exposition, whether through insufficient advertising or lack of interest on the part of citizens. The event nevertheless provided an opportunity for these businesses to promote themselves through direct engagements with consumers, who provide valuable feedback and reviews.

Chief Justice dumps MLGRD’s decision

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

–– to terminate BK International Haags Bosch contract

By Svetlana Marshall ACTING Chief Justice Ian Chang ruled on Thursday that the decision by the former Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (MLGRD) to terminate with BK International its contract for

Acting Chief Justice, Mr Ian Chang construction and operation of the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill Waste Disposal Facility was irrational. The Chief Justice’s ruling said: “The submission made by the respondents (MGLRD, Minister Norman Whittaker and Permanent Secretary Collin Croal) that BK’s application for judicial review is misconceived and that his quest for relief lies solely in private law procedure and not in judicial review proceedings must therefore be rejected.” He said the MLGRD should have afforded BK an opportunity to hear its case before any decision was taken to terminate the contract. “Had such an opportunity been afforded to BK, BK could have pleaded the numerous admitted breaches of the contract by the respondents themselves (including the serious breach of those provisions relating to the provision of finances to BK) as causes affecting its performance to its own detriment and to the prejudice of the public interest,” Justice Chang explained. Based on the failure of the Local Government Ministry to take into consideration such relevant factors, the court rendered its deci-

sion to terminate its contract with BK as “irrational.” “…in the circumstances, no public authority could reasonably fail to consider its own breaches of the provisions of the contract in making a decision whether to terminate its contract with BK.” He said the general public had a direct interest in the project, not because of the level of public expenditure involved, but due to the importance of the project with respect to public health. “Therefore, the ministry, in making a decision to terminate the contract, had to consider not only BK’s contractual obligation to it, but also its own primary obligations to the public health and welfare. I daresay that in so doing it could not act in disregard of own defaults in its own contractual arrangement with BK, its contractual agent.” On March 13, 2015, BK International had applied to the court for a number of prerogative reliefs, including an order to quash the Notice of Termination issued by the Ministry on February 27, 2015 on grounds that the Termination Notice was done in bad faith and in breach of the rules of natural justice. In his Affidavit in support of Motion, BK Chief Executive Officer Brian Tiwarie had pointed out that “the ministry had constantly delayed and changed design instructions due to shoddy design work”. He noted that the MLGRD had expected the company to immediately adapt to its ever evolving needs, while at the same time pressuring BK to accept and to process an increase of almost double the amount of waste originally contemplated. He said these demands were made although the ministry “maliciously” withheld payment for operational and construction costs from BK for years, and would have failed to establish required accounts necessary to fund the ministry’s shortfall in payments to BK, as agreed. “All were done in a deliberate but futile attempt to stifle BK and to force a termination of the parties’ contract, and to coerce BK to

expend and to utilise its own resources to comply with the ministry’s ever increasing unreasonable demands.” Tiwari added: “Despite the fact that BK had not only complied with the ministry’s demands and had constructed and operated the Landfill site without

A section of the Haags Bosch sanitary landfill

BK International’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Tiwarie any failure whatsoever, and had invested more than 5 years and millions of dollars of its own money into the project with the reasonable and legitimate expectation that it would reap the benefit of its hard work at the end of the contract in 2019 at agreed revised contractual rates, the ministry conjured up a scheme to terminate the parties’ contract and to victimise BK on frivolous and baseless grounds with the improper motive of operating the Landfill site itself or by a third party without paying BK what was owed or agreed.” BK was represented by Devindra Kissoon of London House Chambers. In his Affidavit in Answer, Gordon Gilkes, Project Manager of the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Project in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, on behalf of the respondents, admitted that instructions were given for changes to be made in the design, to which BK agreed. But he denied that BK was forced to process double the amount of waste originally agreed upon in the contract, while admitting that there was a delay in making payment to BK

for the operational phase of the contract, but not the construction phase of the contract. He admitted that the Local Government Ministry had failed to establish the necessary accounts as required by the contract, but at the same time denied that BK was being forced to ter-

minate the contract. In June, Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, had told the Guyana Chronicle that the funding agent for the project – the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) -- was unwilling to continue funding the project until the contractor for the operation

was removed. The minister had said that both the financial institution and the ministry were “dissatisfied and unhappy” with the contractor’s quality of work, which was one of the factors contributing to the IDB’s withholding of additional funds.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Broomes sweeps N/A businesses in sudden visit - some owners duck, others warned

By Clifford Stanley MINISTER in the Ministry of Social Protection Simona Broomes, and a technical team from that ministry on Friday found owners of several businessplaces in New Amsterdam , Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne) violating the rights of their workers. The business places visited were selected randomly, and the visits were done without prior warning on the first day of a two-day visit by the minister and her team. Word of the impromptu inspections spread like wildfire, and in at least two instances, business owners chose to go into hiding -- at least temporarily -- to avoid being interviewed by the team, or having to produce records for inspection. Many violations against the country’s Labour Act, Cap. 98:01; against the Leave with Pay Act, No 6 of 1995, Cap 99:02; and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, No. 32 of 1997, were uncovered. Offences included employers not paying National Insurance Scheme contributions for their workers; workers

recording extensive hours of work without being paid overtime; workers being paid below the minimum wages; no annual leave granted; and in some cases, workers -- particularly young females -- being coerced into performing additional duties, such as regularly having to give the owner’s dog a bath, or even cleaning up his/her domestic quarters before being allowed to leave. Complaints also included employers routinely using indecent language while addressing their employees. The victims were in the main teenaged girls who badly wanted to earn incomes and who were inclined to bear up with long hours of work under inhumane conditions in order to do so. The visiting team included Assistant Chief Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer, Ms Lydia Greene; Consultant to the Ministry of Social Protection, Francis Carryl; Labour, Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Officer (LOSH) Neville Nichols; L O S H O ff i c e r A m a n d a Radhay; LOSH Officer Maxine Bess; and Chief Recruitment and Manpower

Officer Valerie Moore. Minister Broomes, who also did a round-about in the town, disclosed that during her visits to the businessplaces, she had found only one which was anywhere near to complying with the country’s labour laws. RIDICULOUS “We have this problem in other areas in the commercial sector countrywide, but what we found here verges on the ridiculous,” she said. Some of the businessmen found in default were asked to surrender their records for examination. Those who were found to owe workers overtime will have to pay them “every single cent!” the minister said. Others are to be charged for violations which carry penalties that include fines and/or terms of imprisonment. Minister Broomes took opportunity at the many businesses to remind the workers of their rights to overtime, to a one-hour lunch break, to reasonable accommodation, and to other obligations of employers in keeping with the labour laws of Guyana. She also indicated that the Labour

Department of the Ministry in New Amsterdam will be beefed up, and more regular inspections targeting all of the businessplaces in New Amsterdam for compliance purposes can be expected. She stressed that the objective was not merely to be punitive, but to encourage compliance with the laws which regulate the relationship between workers and their employers. The ministry, she said, also intends to place equal emphasis on education of employers. She considered the possibility of employers retaliating against workers who had spoken out, and advised the workers that should they be victimised in any way, they should contact the ministry and/ or its Department in New Amsterdam, and the employer concerned would be made to face charges and related penalties. “The ministry will protect you,” she told a 17-year-old shop girl. She told the Guyana Chronicle: “I have heard some horror stories. Shop girls, security guards, labourers, the vulnerable and disadvantaged workers in New Amsterdam have spoken.” The minister and her team also visited the headquarters of the bauxite shipping company Oldendorff, where she acknowledged that this company had a fairly good record of treating its workers decently. She, h o w e v e r, r e f e r r e d t o a number of instances when

‘On the road’: Minister Simona Broomes speaking with salespersons on Friday remedial action can, and should, be taken. Captain Viktor Olin, Senior River Operations Manager, and Marlon Jaundoo, Senior Finance and Administrative Manager, who represented the company, said the issues would be addressed before the next inspection by a team from the ministry. Minister Broomes and her team were scheduled to visit the Oldendorff transshipment operations known as the St Andrew’s Loading Base at the mouth of the

Berbice River at 20:00 hrs last night. She said the night visit was being done as an occupational health and safety inspection because the conditions under which the men there worked may be more realistically assessed during the hours of darkness. Minister Broomes and her team are also scheduled to visit businessplaces on the Corentyne to carry out further inspections of employers’ compliance with the labour laws relative to how they should treat their workers.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

MoU with Fedders...

From page 2

Ramkarran roasts PPP From page 3 only two entities came close, “the crooked friend of the then government, Surendra Engineering, and Fedders-Lloyd and the qualifications and reputation of FeddersLloyd together with the further delay that a new bidding process would occasion, the government made the right decision to sign the MoU with Fedders-Lloyd and to proceed later without a new bidding process.” NO RULE OR PRINCIPLE Ramkarran said there is no rule or principle which dictates that for a new contract, a new bidding process has to be undertaken. “The government cannot take into account, but can certainly alert the public, that those who are now demanding a new bidding process tolerated for a decade or more the extraordinarily stringent pre-qualification conditions that ensured, contrary to Guyana’s interests, that only one entity was prequalified to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health. Those same folks who now cry foul presided over the giveaway of radio and TV licences worth billions without a bidding process.” Ramkarran said that Vice-President Khemraj Ramjattan has played an honourable role in exposing the flawed bidding process and the shallow, whimsical reasoning that led to Surendra Engineering being awarded the contract.

“This flawed award has led to the loss of $900 million by the unsuspecting Guyanese taxpayers resulting from Surendra Engineering’s fraud. Mr Ramjattan did a service to Guyana, albeit unsuccessful, in preventing loss to Guyana by the fraud of Surendra Engineering,” the former House Speaker asserted. No contrition Noting that the PPP is showing only bombast and no contrition whatsoever, Ramkarran said the opposition accuses Mr Ramjattan of influencing the choice of Fedders-Lloyd, which he denies, and regurgitates the accusation of him violating the National Assembly’s Standing Orders. It states: “No member of the Assembly shall appear before the Assembly or any Committee thereof as Counsel or Solicitor for any party or in any capacity for which he is to receive a fee or reward.” This Standing Order, Ramkarran said, “does not preclude a member qua member from seeking to protect his or her constituents from fraud in the national bidding process involving US$18 million, even if a party is the member’s client.” He added: “Mr Ramjattan would have been failing in his duty to his constituents and to the nation had he not alerted the nation and his constituents to the dubious selection of Surendra Engineering, even if Fedders-Lloyd was his client, which he has denied. It is this act of exposure, which has made Mr Ramjattan the target of the opposition, which interprets the Standing Order to suit its own sleazy objectives.”

ministry pointed out that the advantages of proceeding with the second highest and only qualified bidder, rather than going out for a new tender are many, including the fact that Fedders-Lloyd expressed in the MoU its intention to hold its prices expressed in its original bid made some four years ago. “In addition to being time consuming, a new tender will result, obviously, in price escalation due to inflation; Fedders-Lloyd intends to examine works already done by the previous contractor and to integrate those works within its proposed current design options, so as to lessen the burden of loss of

funds already spent; Fedders-Lloyd intends to complete the designs and finalise the list of equipment (which was not completed by the previous contractor) to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Public Health; and FeddersLloyd intends to hold the overall cost of the project within the available balance of the Line of Credit from Exim Bank of India,” the ministry said. The ministry noted that it is the intention that should the conditions in the MoU be satisfied by Fedders-Lloyd, then the Tender Board will be invited to make an award of contract to Fedders-Lloyd.

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Black water creek located at Pandama Retreat and Winery

Pandama Wines: a treat for nature lovers By Ariana Gordon

SIX YEARS down the road, Warren and Tracy Douglas are not regretting their investment into Pandama Retreat and Winery (Pandama Wines) located at Plot 9, Madewini, Soesdyke/Linden Highway Business has been “very good�, Warren Douglas told the Guyana Chronicle. He said he and his wife had built Pandama Wines from scratch with the aim of attracting nature lovers, those who want to get away from City life, and those who just want to spend a nice time with

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Warren and Tracy Douglas, owners of Pandama Retreat and Winery

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Pandama Wines ... From page 16 do their own thing.” loved ones in a jungle -like atmosphere. While Pandama Wines is not as developed as they’d like it to be, Warren believes that, with time, all of their goals will be achieved. “What we want to do in the next five years is to continue to satisfy our customers. What we don’t have enough of now is overnight accommodation, and we have a lot of people who want to come for bird watching, for camping. We have one cabin that is fully functioning that people can overnight in a family setting.” Douglas noted that his aim is to create a “selfsustaining environment” for nature lovers. “We want to have more cabins where persons can do everything there - cook, wash, clean and the like,” he said. Currently, Warren and his wife Tracy prepare dishes and entertain their guests on a daily basis, but there are guests who just want some alone time. It is on that basis that the couple intends to enhance the facilities they have available. “It kind of frees up Tracy and I, except for people who want specialised kinds of services. They can come here, enjoy the weekend and

The concept of “glamping”, a combination of the words glamour and camping, is new, he told this publication. “We are keying in on that concept-- people want to come and enjoy themselves; they don’t want you to do anything for them.” But even with limited cabins, approximately 25 persons visit Pandama Wines every week. The couple also arranges the location according to requests to host weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries and conferences. “We have tapped into a unique market, and we have made it affordable enough. Business is doing well; business is very good, but not beyond what we expected,” Douglas stated. He explained that many of the persons who return to Guyana often times prefer an environment that is conducive to relaxing and is not too far away from the City. CAN HELP “Small businesses in this environment can help propel the tourism industry to another level. Traditionally what has happened in Guyana is everybody has been Rupununi-bound, Rupununi-

focused and Guyana is a whole lot more than the Rupununi, because the average tourist cannot really afford to run to Rupununi on a tourism excursion.” Douglas believes that Pandama has “created a niche” where the discerning traveller and tourist can get away and enjoy an atmosphere conducive to relaxation. “It is affordable; you can come here for less than US$100, spend a day in nature and taste some wonderful wine that’s award winning.” P a n d a m a Wi n e s h a s been well positioned over the years, and has received recognition from the Tourism and Manufacturing industry. “Last year we received two awards, not only for the tourism component but also for the wine manufacturing component. People are taking notice of what we are doing and we are excited about what the future holds.” Douglas explained that on a daily basis, the business has 1000 gallons of wine in hand so that if customers are in need, adequate supplies are available. “Everything is done here; Tracy designs the labels, we bottle, seal and cork here… we do not have a large manufacturing facility

Pandama Wines - Bottles of wines, manufactured by Pandama Wines but we do have a streamlined process where we can have 300 to 400 bottles a day.” One would think that there is a staff compliment that assists the owners with the manufacturing and production of the wine, but it is just Warren and

Tracy. Persons are however employed to sterilise bottles. Under the slogan, ‘wine should be enjoyed and not analysed’, the couple’s varieties of wines are distributed in all major supermarkets. Asked how long it takes

for wine to be produced, Warren replied: “From the time we get the fruits in, from the time it is stable enough to go into the bottle is about six months.” He explained

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Pandama Wines ...

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that if 1000 gallons of wine are sold bi-monthly, then 2000 gallons of wine must be replaced. The prices for the wines start from US$10 (GY$2000) to US$20 (GY$4000) per bottle depending on the specialty and production costs. Fruit wines (Jamoon, Carambola, Auntie Desmond) are sold at US$10 per bottle, while bark wines used for libido enhancement are sold at US$15 per bottle. Honey wine however, is the most expensive wine produced and sold by the Douglases. That costs US$20 per bottle

“By any standard, i t i s v e r y a ff o r d a b l e , ” said Warren proudly as a customer requested a bottle of boulanger wine. WHY GUYANA? Though born in Guyana, Wa r r e n m i g r a t e d a s a teenager to the US. He entered the US Navy, where he served for a number of years. He married Tracy in 2004 and visited Guyana in 2007 for the ICC Cricket World Cup matches played at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. It was Tracy’s first visit

to Guyana and there was no doubt that she fell in love with Guyana. “I have to be very honest and say it really was not my idea to come back to Guyana. I am Guyanese, but at that point I wasn’t really ready to come home. We came here in 2007 to visit for World Cup Cricket, and I brought Tracy and our son and we were here on a two-week vacation-- that was the plan. Tracy came to Guyana, and started getting these wonderful ideas that she could possibly live here,” he told this publication as he recounted how it all

SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015 happened. Tracy, an American by birth out of New York, was eager to live in Guyana. She was fascinated by what she saw and began looking for realtors to help her find an ideal location. “We found this (Pandama) two days before we were scheduled to return to the US,” he said, noting that other locations were examined but none was better suited for what they had in mine. “In late 2007, early 2008, I actually moved onto the property and it was still very rustic- much jungle. I started to get workers here – to at least get some place safe for me to live. Tracy would come in the interim, back and forth, and

then eventually in 2008 I felt I had a structure that was safe enough to bring her back.” Tr a c y, a n a r t i s t b y profession, returned to Guyana in 2008, after which the couple returned to the United States. “We went back to the states, sold the house, got the children situated in college and then we moved back here permanently in January 2009.” “What we are doing here is a larger version of what we did for free in America, because we love to entertain our friends, serve food and make wine.” Pandama Retreat and Wines, Warren said, was ideal for him because after his time in the US Navy came to an end

on an aircraft carrier fighting for America in wars and conflicts globally, “I was ready to live a quiet life and it made a lot of sense that Guyana would be the place to come back to, and here we are.” In 2012 Pandama Wines received the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President's Award for "Best New Product" in Guyana. Pandama features wines made from several fruits in Guyana: jamoon, mango, carambola, sorrel, cashew, malacca pear, cherry, soursop, peppers and Aunty Desmond. Pandama Wines are available in Guyana at Bounty Supermarkets, Guyana Marketing Corporation (The Guyana Shop) and DSL Cash & Carry.

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Pizza Hut sponsors GCC Hockey Ladies

WITHi Pizza Hut re-entering the Guyanese market under new ownership and management by The Corum Group, we found it imperative to form partnerships with key

leaders across differing sectors in Guyana. Pizza Hut over the next 3 years will be heavily involved in sponsoring both academia and sporting activities. “We feel that having balance is the true key to a successful life,” the company in a statement said. The GCC women’s hockey team is one of the most decorated teams within the sports sector in Guyana and we are proud to be their main sponsors. Recently the GCC ladies have expanded their achievements by participating in the Trinidad & Tobago national outdoor and indoor hockey league. This was the first time this has ever attempted by any regional team and the GCC ladies placed a respectable fourth in the outdoor league and made the semi-finals of the indoor league. The team’s strong junior development program has provided the sustainability and consistency to ensure the team’s continued success well into the future. The GCC ladies have been dominant also in regional competition by defeating teams from Canada and Trinidad in the annual International Indoor hockey festival, hoisted the trophy no less than five times its eleven years of existence.

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS 08:35 hrs Paix Embleme 09:10 hrs Jack The Knife 09:45 hrs Ice Machine 10:20 hrs Capel Top 10:55 hrs Sabaha 11:30 hrs Jama ENGLISH RACING TIPS Carlisle 08:20 hrs Dusky Bob 08:50 hrs Bollin Ace 09:20 hrs Divine Port 09:50 hrs On Tour 10:20 hrs Virnon 10:50 hrs Gitane Du Berlais 11:20 hrs Darsi Dancer LEICESTER 09:00 hrs Onefitzall 09:30 hrs Calculated Risk 10:00 hrs Restless Harry 10:30 hrs Isaac Bell 11:00 hrs Monty’s Revenge 11:30 hrs Catherines Well IRISH RACING TIPS Fairyhouse 08:40 hrs Miassy Tata 09:10 hrs Long Dog 09:40 hrs Artic Fire 10:10 hrs Lisclogher Lad 10:40 hrs Outlander 11:10 hrs Clar Na Mionn 11:40 hrs Lucky Pass

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Hazlewood hammers New Zealand after review farce ... Paceman Hazlewood steps up in absence of injured spearhead Starc Lyon review farce costly for tourists By Ian Ransom ADELAIDE, (Reuters)- Paceman Josh Hazlewood stepped up in the absence of injured spearhead Mitchell Starc to give Australia a sniff of victory within three days after a farcical third umpire decision stole the tourists’ momentum during the third Test yesterday.. Hazlewood shone under the floodlights of Adelaide Oval with a miserly 3-32 and New Zealand slumped to 116-5 at the close of a roller-coaster day two, hounded by the hooping pink ball in the inaugural daynight Test. The Black Caps clung precariously to a 94-run lead after 13 wickets tumbled, adding to the 12 that fell on the opening day. Debutant all-rounder Mitchell Santner (13 not out) and BJ Watling (7) were left to salvage something from the wreckage but New Zealand’s hopes of a series-levelling victory looked fraught as darkness descended. It was a far different scenario earlier in the day as their Peter Nevill made a bowlers tourists dominated gutsy half-century for in the sunshine and Australia Australia crashed to 118-8 in reply to 202. But third umpire Nigel Llong made a howling intervention, thumbing his nose at the decision review technology that strongly suggested spinner Nathan Lyon had nicked a catch to the slips from a bungled sweep shot. A ball from debutant spinner Santner had ricocheted off Lyon’s upper arm and though field umpire Sundaram Ravi waved the appeal away, the ‘Hot spot’ technology showed a mark on his bat. That was enough for Lyon who proceeded to walk back to the dressing room, but ‘Snicko’ showed no audio evidence and Llong dithered for five minutes watching angle after angle, raising jeers from the crowd of 42,372 before issuing his judgement. “The players were pretty confident that it was out,” New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor told reporters. “Obviously the hot-spot that showed up, Lyon walking off and nearly getting to the boundary, I think it’s had a big bearing on the match.”

It cost New Zealand their last review and triggered a momentum shift as Lyon and wicketkeeper Peter Nevill plundered the bowlers. Lyon smashed Santner for 15 runs and a leg bye in one over before falling for 34, bringing a hobbling Starc to the crease who added to New Zealand’s pain with an unbeaten 24. He blasted spinner Mark Craig over the long on fence twice in one over as Australia charged past New Zealand’s total. Australia’s innings finally ended on 224, after Nevill was caught in the deep for 66, but the last two wickets added 108 and condemned New Zealand’s batsmen to defend in the most perilous evening session. Hazlewood removed openers Martin Guptill (17) and Tom Latham (10) and later trapped Ross Taylor in front for 32. Fast-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had Kane Williamson caught behind for nine and removed Brendon McCullum lbw for 20 as New Zealand’s hopes faded.

SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND 1st innings 202 (T. Latham 50) Australia 1st innings (Overnight: 54-2) J. Burns b Bracewell 14 D. Warner c Southee b Boult 1 S. Smith c Watling b Craig 53 A. Voges c Guptill b Southee 13 S. Marsh run out (B. McCullum) 2 M. Marsh c Watling b Bracewell 4 P. Nevill c Santner b Bracewell 66 P. Siddle c Latham b Craig 0 J. Hazlewood b Santner 4 N. Lyon c Williamson b Boult 34 M. Starc not out 24 Extras (b-5 lb-3 w-1) 9 Total (all out, 72.1 overs) 224 Fall of wickets: 1-6 D. Warner,2-34 J. Burns,3-63 A. Voges,4-67 S. Marsh,5-80 M. Marsh,6-109 S. Smith,7-109 P. Siddle,8-116 J. Hazlewood,9-190 N. Lyon,10-224 P. Nevill Bowling: T. Southee 17 - 1 - 50 – 1, T. Boult 17 - 5 - 41 – 2, D. Bracewell 12.1 - 3 - 18 - 3(w-1,M. Santner 16 - 1 - 54 - 1 M. Craig 10 - 1 - 53 – 2. NEW ZEALAND 2nd innings T. Latham c Nevill b Hazlewood 10 M. Guptill c M. Marsh b Hazlewood 17 K. Williamson c Nevill b M. Marsh 9 R. Taylor lbw b Hazlewood 32 B. McCullum lbw b M. Marsh 20 M. Santner not out 13 B. Watling not out 7 Extras (b-6 lb-2) 8 Total (for 5 wickets, 37 overs) 116 Fall of wickets: 1-29 M. Guptill,2-32 T. Latham,3-52 K. Williamson,4-84 B. McCullum,5-98 R. Taylor To bat: D. Bracewell, M. Craig, T. Southee, T. Boult Bowling: J. Hazlewood 16 - 5 - 32 – 3, P. Siddle 10 - 4 - 22 – 0, M. Marsh 8 - 0 - 44 – 2, N. Lyon 3 - 0 - 10 – 0.

Vardy breaks record as Leicester draw with United By Mike Collett LONDON, (Reuters)-Jamie Vardy became the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches when he gave Leicester City the lead in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the King Power Stadium yesterday. Vardy broke the record established by United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2003 when he struck in the 24th minute. He timed his run perfectly to go past the visiting defence before firing an angled shot past David de Gea. United equalised in first-half stoppage time when Bastian Schweinsteiger powered in a header.

The result meant Manchester City, who returned to the top of the table earlier in the day by beating Southampton 3-1, remained there on goal difference ahead of Leicester. Both teams have 29 points from 14 matches with United third on 28 points. Arsenal, who play at Norwich City today, are fourth with 26. Crystal Palace closed the gap on the leaders when they thrashed Newcastle United 5-1 at Selhurst Park after the visitors scored first but ended up back in the relegation zone. Second from bottom Newcastle have 10 points, the same as Bournemouth who staged a dramatic comeback to draw 3-3 with Everton having trailed 2-0.

Everton also led 3-2 before Junior Stanislas equalised with a header deep into stoppage time. Despite those heroics Bournemouth have now gone eight games without a win and remain in the bottom three along with Newcastle and Aston Villa who have five points. Villa lost 3-2 at home to Watford after 10 minutes of stoppage time following a long delay to treat visiting goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes who suffered a head injury. Sunderland climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Stoke City who had Ryan Shawcross sent off in the second half.

Slingerz versus Alpha United ...

From back page

two of the better teams in the country, where the winner in my humble opinion, will be the team that makes the least mistake” said Alpha United’s head coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover. Not since their 5 – 0 win in March, 2014 has Alpha United defeated Slingerz FC but according to Dover, the result of the previous clashes will mean nothing tonight. “Clearly we will look at tonight differently. But if you look at the times we played and they defeated us, had we score our chances, we would’ve won those games, so the results from those matches isn’t enough to boggle my mind” Dover said. Dover, who also serves as an Assistant to Jamaal Shabazz on the Senior Men’s National team, noted “the fans got their money’s worth on a nightly basis and all the players in the league and the coaching staff; everybody is the reason for that because of the level of commitment each club has shown to the league. The league was able to generate an interest with the fans because of how close it was and the players are to be thanked for that” Meanwhile, Slingerz FC’s Head Coach Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson, said that with all the challenges that his team faced in the league, they are more deserving of tonight’s victory. There was much controversy surrounding the club and at one time, the team’s owner had threatened to pull his side from the STAG Elite League, citing an alleged unfair treatment by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), after the local governing body had sanctioned the now top of the table club for not taking the field for a match against the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). “The league was a challenge, so we expect to end on a high note after everything that happened” Wilson pointed out. Asked if the facts and statistics between rivalling clubs should be taken into consideration for tonight’s classic showdown, Wilson said “every game brings a different mentality and we will treat it as a final and not going to play as if we have another game left; we’re going out to win this” Vurlon Mills, Tichard Joseph, Devon Millington, Jullian Wade, Colin Nelson and Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams will lead the star studded Slingerz FC lineup. For Alpha United, Dover will turn to his dependable striker Delon Lanferman, Grenadian forward Kithson Bain along with Anthony Benfield and Dwight Peters. Andrew Murray will be making his first appearance in the league and it comes at a time when his club cannot afford to lose. The winner will pocket $4M, sponsored by the Government of Guyana. Second place gets $2M, third place $1M and the team finishing fourth walks away with $500,000.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday November 29, 2015)

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

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

Alf Valentine-8/104 (WI vs ENG, Old Trafford, 1950) Fidel Edwards-6/22 (WI vs ZIM, Harare, 2003)

Today’s Quiz:

Which WI wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals in a Test series to date? Which WI wicketkeeper has effected most dismissals in ODI cricket to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Cairns trial adjourned to Monday Warriors extend THE fate of Chris Cairns will remain in the balance over the weekend after the jury in his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court were unable to reach a majority verdict before the week’s proceedings were adjourned at 4.30pm on Friday. Cairns, who could face a maximum of seven years in prison if found guilty, must now wait until tomorrow at the earliest to learn his fate, with more than eight hours of deliberation from the jury having yet to produce an outcome. The defendants, Cairns and Andrew Fitch-Holland, whose charge of perverting the course can only be considered once the principal perjury charge has been resolved, were called back into the dock at 11.44am, but only so that the jury could request that

the original requirement of a unanimous verdict be reassessed. Mr Justice Sweeney, the

Chris Cairns could face a maximum of seven years in prison if found guilty © Getty Images judge, granted the jury per-

mission to return verdicts on which at least 10 of the 12 members agreed after consultation with Sasha Wass QC, the crown prosecutor, and Orlando Pownall QC and Jonathan Laidlaw QC, the respective defence counsels for Cairns and Fitch-Holland. The perjury charge relates to Cairns’ successful 2012 libel action against Lalit Modi at the High Court in London, which arose as a result of a tweet sent by Modi in 2010 accusing Cairns of match-fixing during the now defunct Indian Cricket League. In the course of the libel trial, Cairns stated that he had “never” cheated at cricket, and would never contemplate doing so, a statement that attracted the interests of the Crown Prosecution Service in the wake of leaked testimony given by his former team-

mates, Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, to the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU). Of the nine witnesses called to give evidence on that count, Mr Justice Sweeney stated that the evidence of two of the three “key” witnesses - Vincent, McCullum and Eleanor Riley, Vincent’s ex-wife - needed to be accepted as true in order for the perjury charge to be upheld. However, he advised caution over the testimony of the first of the witnesses, Vincent, who has already been banned from cricket after admitting to accepting money to under-perform. Although the judge stressed that the jury was under no time pressure to reach a verdict, the prospect of a retrial cannot be ruled out if there is no progress next week. (ESPN Cricinfo)

James leads Two Brothers Primary to victory JUNIOR James cracked 61 to spur Two Bothers Primary to victory over Kawall Primary while Vive la Force Primary defeated Nismes Primary as the

Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Scotia Bank Kiddy Progression One Cricket continued in the West Bank Demarara Zone. In the first match, Kawall

took first strike and posted 118-5 in their 14 overs as Khemraj Nohar top scored with an entertaining 55 and was well supported by Rayan Latchman (30) while Saffra-

na Rasheed had 1-2 for the opposition. In reply, Junior James led Two Brothers to 1191 as they reached their target in the final over to

JUNIOR JAMES complete the nine wicket win. His innings was decorated with three well timed fours and 8 towering sixes. Latchman took the only wicket to fall. Meanwhile, the second match at the Wales ground saw Vive la Force defeat Nismes by 34 runs. Vive la Force won the toss and batted first scoring 117-9 off their 14 overs. Danish Seepersaud was the top scorer with 19 runs while Tyreca Wallace snared 2-2 for Nismes. Nismes Primary in reply were restricted to 83-6 in their 14 overs with Emmanuel Phillips hitting a top score of 20. Vaneeta Mangal led with the ball as he finished with 1-1. Matches continue tomorrow when Saraswat Primary opposes Patentia Primary at the Wales Community Centre ground.

unbeaten streak

THE Sports Xchange) - GOLDEN State guard Stephen Curry scored 41 points and made nine 3-pointers as the Warriors extended their unbeaten streak to start the season to an NBA-record 17 games in a 135-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa had 21 points and made all five of his 3-point attempts for the Warriors (170), who set the NBA record for consecutive victories at the start of the season in their previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Curry, the reigning NBA MVP, made a season-high nine 3-pointers and added eight assists and six rebounds. He made 9-of-16 3-point atSTEPHEN CURRY tempts and has made a three in 90 straight regular-season games. Warriors forward Draymond Green had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, and guard Klay Thompson had 15 points and three 3-pointers.

Neymar double as Barca’s rampant strikers sink Sociedad (REUTERS)-NEYMAR double, a spectacular volley from Luis Suarez and a goal for Lionel Messi saw Barcelona’s unstoppable strike force sweep aside Real Sociedad 4-0 on Saturday and extend their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points. Neymar slotted home a Dani Alves cross after 22 minutes and Alves was again the provider for Suarez who acrobatically beat Real keeper Geronimo Rulli before halftime to take his tally to 11 goals in seven games. La Liga’s top scorer Neymar took his tally to 14 this season as he knocked in a Jeremy Barcelona’s Neymar Mathieu cross after 53 celebrates scoring minutes and in injury the first goal time he set up Messi to score from close range. Barca have 33 points from 13 games with Atletico Madrid, who face Espanyol later, on 26 points. Real Madrid, who were hammered 4-0 by Barca last weekend and are now nine points off the pace, play Eibar today.

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Hikers issue strong DMW Hockey Festival warning THE Pepsi Hikers signalled a strong warning to all challengers with a massive 11-0 victory over Carib hockey club of Trinidad as the Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival continued on Friday evening at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue. In the final match of the evening, spec-

as the Hikers raided their goal ten more times before the final buzzer with national MVP Shane Samuels scoring a hatrick, Assanah and Robert France doubles while Jerry Bell, Reginald Harper, Colonel Heywood and Randy Hope scored one each. The Bounty GCC versus The 6ix men’s first division match extracted the

Orland Semple and Kevin Spencer were once again the marksmen for GCC with Semple scoring the opener in the 12 minute of play. Canadian international Jonathan Roberts equalised two minutes later after a find display of passing by The 6ix and a Gagan Dhanju penalty corner put the Canadians up by one after a further pair of minutes. GCC’s Spencer would respond however with a pair of goals just befopre the half to give his team a 3-2 lead at lemon time. Spencer and Semple each scored second half goals before the 6ix could get on the board again in the 30th minute through Jugraj Kalkat and The 6ix refused to fade and seemed to threaten the GCC lead, Spencer

would be on the end of a swift counterattack to seal the game with its final goal to give GCC the 5-3 win. Newcomers Phoenix managed to produce the upset of the tournament thus far by defeating the highly regarded Old Fort by 4-2 while the under-21 showed their class by rebounding from their loss to the Hikers a day earlier with a 4-1 victory over Carib HC. GCC continued their unbeaten streak in the veterans division with a 2-1 victory over the Carib vets while Malvern vets of Trinidad held the unbeaten YMCA of Barbados to a 1-1 draw. Matches continue throughout the weekend with the three finals set for today from 17:00hrs.

Veteran striker Anthony Marcano scores Malvern vets over YMCA tators were hopeful for an exciting matchup between the Pepsi Hikers and Carib HC but from as early as the second minute, it was obvious that Carib’s eyes would be on the click, counting down the time to stop the onslaught. After Jamarj Assanah opened the Hikers account two minutes into the match, Carib would never get off their defensive position

most noise from an excited crowd as the highly touted The 6ix featured several internationally known players from Pan American champions Canada. With an impressive display of speed and skill, Bounty GCC however would remind the spectators that the competition was still wide open as the competitive match seemed able to produce a winner from either side.

Cerebral Ashwin spins his way to the top By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI, (Reuters)- If Ravichandran Ashwin is being hailed as the best spinner in contemporary cricket, the 29-year-old lanky Indian owes it as much to those long fingers as to an ever-ticking brain. Since his Test debut against West Indies four years ago, the tweaker from Chennai has emerged as a shrewd off-spinner who relishes his battle against the best and the sight of batsmen misreading his carrom ball. His penchant for outsmarting key rival batsmen manifested in Sri Lanka earlier this year when he soured Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell by dismissing the retiring great in each of his last four innings. The same trait resurfaced in Nagpur on Friday, when he foxed AB de Villiers, having dismissed the talismanic South African in the first two Twenty20 Internationals at the start of the tour as well. “The dismissal was quite wellplanned, honestly,” Ashwin said after his 12-wicket match haul helped India take a series-clinching 2-0 lead in the four-match series. “I had not given him a single carrom ball all through this tour. Today I thought on this wicket, to get it to straighten from wide of the crease, I think it was a very, very good ball.” Ashwin gave an insight into a smart

cricketing brain when explaining how he changes his bowling approach in the second innings of a Test match. “Most of the cues come when I go out to bat there. When I was defending ... there was a difference in the first innings and the second. “The ball was not spinning viciously. It slowed down a bit, so I knew we had to be a touch fuller to bring them on the front (foot) and also vary our paces and trajectories.” Ashwin was the architect of India’s 2-1 series victory in Sri Lanka and his 24 scalps against South Africa means it would be difficult to deny him a second successive man-of-the-series award. “He is a world class spinner, probably the best in the world right now,” India captain VIrat Kohli said of Ashwin who has claimed 55 wickets this year, the most by any bowler. “He’s stepped up in a big way for us, even in Sri Lanka. He is one of the main reasons why we’ve been able to win back-to-back series,” added Kohli. The rank turners India rolled out for South Africa have taken some of the sheen off Ashwin’s feat but few doubt the skill of the bowler whose 169 wickets is the most claimed by a spinner in his first 31 tests. “A batsman goes out there to get a hundred, I go out there to get a five-wicket haul. That’s how I view it,” said Ashwin.

Jason DeSantos saves an Old Fort shot on the line

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

Ramdyhan/Dey snaps up Trophy Stall Doubles Ladies Championship JUNIOR and Ladies Champion Nicola Ramdyhan and teamate Aretta Dey capitalised on a golden opportunity to defeat Shelly Daly and Fiona Bushell to claim the Trophy Stall Ladies doubles tennis championship in two sets 6-4, 6-4. In the first set Daly’s signature service game was broken twice but there was sterling performances from her partner Bushell that kept the pair breaking back to stay alive in the set. Bushell who just recently elevated from the Novice category was able to maintain reasonably consistent volleys and keep up the momentum with Daly as they defended their side of the court and capitalized on opportunities to make winners at the net. But it was the young Ramdyhan

who frequently attacked her mother at the net to eventually earn a 6-4 win in the first set. In the second set, Daly/ Bushell were once again maintaining a high level of net play. They raced to a 3-0, 40-15 lead before the young pair turned up the heat with heavy ground strokes directed at Bushell and won 5 games straight to take the score to 5-3. Daly/Bushell then held serve to stay alive at 4-5. Ramdyhan then spared no moment in closing out the set as she held serve at 6-4. As the tournament winds down in its third weekend, Harry Panday offered auspices of his tennis club to the GTA for the remaining matches to be played during the evenings.

Ladies Doubles: From left to right: Nicola Ramdyhan, Aretta Dey, Fiona Bushell, Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan.

Richard steals show at OSCL 20 awards gala th

By Frederick Halley TORONTO, Canada -- Essequibian Mahesh Richard was the toast of the night when the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) held its glittering 20th annual presentation, dinner and dance at the Eastown Banquet Hall here last Saturday night. Representing Wakenaam in Conference B, Richard,

averaging 50.91 runs per innings, by far the most dominating batting performance for both conferences. Richard also had the distinction of slamming an even hundred against GTA Storm, 94 versus Restoration Warriors, 81 against Enmore and 79 versus Cougars, earning prizes for each of them. In addition, the 27-year-old all-rounder also earned two Most

Essequibo duo Mahesh Richard and Ravendra Madholall, the leading and third highest run scorers, pose with their trophies. who was playing in his first OSCL season, topped the aggregate with an impressive 560 runs from 12 matches,

Valuable Player (MVP) awards for match-winning performances. So dominant was Rich-

ard’s feat, Scarborough Angels’ Jerry Persaud was a distant second with 419 runs while Restoration Warriors’ Ravenrda Madholall tallied 415, both competing in Conference B. The best batting performance in Conference A was recorded by Kumar Doodnauth of Cricketers Cove, his 347 coming from 13 matches. Ve t e r a n S a t r o h a n “Blade” Balkarran (Conference A) and Rebels’ Paul Balgobin (Conference B) tied for being the top wicket-takers with 26 each with the former having a better average with 3.95 runs apiece and the latter 5.73. The consistent Doodnauth, who also hit a top score of 80, crowned a fine all-round effort by claiming 24 wickets at 2.77 runs per wicket. Apart from Richard, the other centurions were Troy Gonsalves of Rebels (125 and 103), Davendra “Sunil” Ramkisoon of Better Hope (113), Damodar Daesrath of Dant (101), Keenan Tinto of Enmore (116), Freddy Pestano of Rebels (102), Chandrashekar Baiju of Restoration Warriors (100) and Jerry Persaud of Scarborough Angels (118). There were five-wicket hauls for 12 bowlers with Rebels’ Paul Balgobin eight for 10 versus Cougars being the stand-out performance. The other awardees in this category were Ganeshwar Babulall (Bellevue), Shane Murli (Caribbean Sensation), Dinanauth Mangru (Cougars), Ron Etwaroo (Cougars), Satrohan Balkarran (Dant), Ashok Ramjas (Essequibo), Lal-

chan Shivraj (Rebels), Rishi Singh (Rebels), Rajesh Khemraj (Scarborough Angels), Anil Etwaroo (Sunshine) and Royston Naicken (Wakenaam). Dant, which took their debut season by storm, had to settle for the Grand Championship and regular conference titles while Caribbean Sensation broke their fiveyear jinx by claiming the Division A playoff and the

Ejaz Mohamed gaining the MVP award. Other MVPs included Dant’s Hemnarine Chattergoon and Satrohan Balkarran, Caribbean Sensation’s Jagdeo Singh and Rishi Samuel, Kumar Doodnauth of Cricketers Cove, Azam Haniff of Masters and Naresh Roopnarine of Rebels. In brief remarks, Guyana Consul General in Toronto, Sattie Sawh congratulated the OSCL for

Dant’s Hemnarine Chattergoon collects his Grand Champion MVP award for Consul General Ms. Sattie Sawh. 10/10 championship, sponsored by owner Harri Sukhu. The Conference B regular season winners were Rebels who also won the 15-overs Consolation crown and were runners-up to Wakenaam in the T10 Consolatiion game. Wakenaam Cricketers Cove were also in winners row in Conference A, capturing the 15-over title, with former Guyana Under-19 player

its progress over the years, pointing out that the hard work and dedication of the players are testimonies to the good leadership of the association. “I am sure as you continue to perform like this year after year, your association will certainly take softball cricket to another level.” Boasting of the achievements of the OSCL, president

Albert Ramcharran alluded to the fact that the organisation was celebrating its 20th year and himself and executives were extremely proud of this accomplishment. “We honestly believe that the best softball players in Ontario have always been participating and we sincerely appreciate their interest every season,” Ramcharran declared. According to the long-standing president, “I have worked tirelessly to ensure that there is always professionalism and commitment, not only from me but all the different presidents, vice-presidents and executives who played meaningful roles. This is indeed a demonstration of great success, and the longevity of 20 years also reminds us that the glorious game of cricket has continued to be very friendly and exciting in Ontario.” To celebrate the auspicious occasion, Ramcharran presented plaques to each of his executives who in turn handed over one to him. This year’s Norman Sue Spirit awards were presented to executive members Ranjan Persaud and Ravendra Madholall and were presented by the late businessman’s wife. Among the many sponsors were Home Trust, Active Green & Ross, I Saw That on TV, Remax All Stars Realty Inc, Rems Employment Agency, Hollis Wealth Financial Advisor, Twilight Family Restaurant, DTE Industries, Norman Sue Bakery and Trophy Stall (Guyana).

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE November 29, 2015

‘Back to the Future’ Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament

Local amateur boxers continue to excel By Michael DaSilva

LOCAL amateur boxers continued their dominance of the `Back to the Future’ Caribbean Boxing Tournament which concludes this evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the finals in all weight divisions of the

surrendered himself at two minutes 38 seconds of the second round in the super heavyweight division. In other results, French Guiana’s Leonardo Mosques defeated Bahamas’ Israelo Johanson via the Technical KnockOut route at two minutes 20 seconds of the third

ana’[s Roger Sioon in a middleweight contest of the Novices category and Senthilo Kumar of Antigua and Barbuda secured a Technical Knock-Out victory over T&T’s Shakir Flemming in their light heavyweight contest in the Novices category also. The tournament con-

The Guyana boxing contingent display the Golden Arrowhead on the opening night of the tournament. (Delano Williams photo) various categories. On Friday evening, the locals won four of their eight contests’ while loosing one. The figure was the same on the opening night on Thursday. Winning for Guyana on Friday evening were Jamal Eastman, Dewani Lampkin, Clairmont Gibson and Eon Fraser, while the locals suffered their lone loss as Christopher Moore lost his junior category featherweight contest by a split decision which went in favour of Jamaica’s Daniel Hylton. Eastman secured a walk over victory as Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) Nicholas Alexander failed to take to the ring for the bantamweight fight in the Youth Category. Lampkin then gave the locals their second victory by securing a unanimous points decision victory over Barbados’ Justin Edwards in a light welterweight bout in the Youth Category. Fighting in the Elite category, Clairmont Gibson scored a Technical KnockOut win over Dominica’s Simon Joseph in one minute 50 seconds of the second round in a bantamweight contest, while in the same category, Fraser did not have to wait on the referee to stop his contest against Grenada’s Christopher Andall, as the latter

round in their light heavyweight contest of the Elite category. In the junior category, Justin Parris of T&T kno9cked out French Guiana’s Rene Claude Dulloard at onje minute 15 seconds of the first round in their featherweight bout in the Junior category. In the Youth category, Jaball Breedy was too good for St. Marteen’s Anthony Phillips in their bantamweight bout and the referee stopped the contest at two minutes 19 seconds of the third round. Guadeloupe’s Keshan Jacoby-Koaly was too good for T&T’s Jemicha Jones in their lightweight co9ntest in the Juniors’ category and the referee stopped the fight at one minute three.02 seconds of the second round. Guadeloupe’s Jeremie Cointre was not so fortunate as his countryman Jacoby-Koaly as he (Cointre) lost by a unanimous points decision against T&T’s Christian McDonald in their light welterweight contest in the Youth category. Antigua and Barbuda’s Lance Robinson secured a Technical KnockOut win in the third round against Anguilla’s Quammaine Elie. Barbados’ Charloes Cox won by a unanimous decision over French Gui-

tinued yesterday with two sessions, one from 16:00hrs and the second from 18:00hrs. The development tournament will conclude this evening at the same venue beginning at 18:00hrs.

Sport CHRONICLE

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

‘Back to the Future’ Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament

Local amateur boxers continue to excel See story on page 31

Slingerz versus Alpha United; more than just a final -Pele and Fruta Conquerors to battle for third place

By Rawle Toney BY far two of Guyana’s best clubs – Slingerz FC and Alpha United – will square off against each other tonight at the Leonora Stadium, to see who will be crowned ‘League Genesis’ winners, as the curtains come down on the first half of the STAG Elite League. Slingerz FC, the club based in Vergenoegen, will be heading into the contest as clear favourites based on their dominant showing in the League thus far, while rivals Alpha United, despite not being one of most liked clubs in Guyana, is expected to at least show the rest of the country that the league is not a popularity contest. With 28 points after their 14 games played, Slingerz FC topped the eight-team table while Alpha finished in third with 26 points; one point behind second place Pele FC but six points ahead of Fruta Conquerors. The results after the completion of the preliminary round saw Slingerz FC taking on Fruta Conquerors and Alpha United facing Pele FC in the semi-final. After 90+ minutes of play in the two matches, Slingerz won 2 – 0 and Alpha United got the better of Pele 3 – 1 to set-up tonight’s dream final. “It is going to be a very good game between See page 27

Slingerz FC strike squad (l-R) Anthony Abrams, Jullian Wade Alpha United’s Delon Lanferman being congratulated by teammates after scoring during league play. and Devon Millington

Pizza Hut sponsors GCC Hockey Ladies

See story on page 27

The Ladies display their new uniforms showcasing Pizza Hut.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2015