Chronicle 12 04 2015

GUYANA

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

Venezuela helicopter lands at Kaikan airstrip No. 104392

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Bandit loses GGMC Chairman escapes bicycle in robbery no-confidence vote

President David Granger receives his 50th anniversary medal from Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Moruca Trust Fund to be reactivated – $4M still outstanding from initial fund

By Ravin Singh THE Moruca Credit and Development Trust, a pilot project introduced a few years ago to aid in the development of small businesses in that community, is expected to be reactivated in 2016 by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs.

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock made this announcement on Wednesday last, during a meeting with residents of the Region 1 community.

The Sub-Regional Trust Fund, which was designed to support economic activities and small business ventures in the community, was initially funded to the tune of $23 million from the government, through the ministry.

However, for reasons unknown to Toshao Sherwin Abrams, the initiative was discontinued and $4 million in payments from approximately 88 residents is still outstanding. The remaining $19 million was paid back

and is in the possession of the board.

It was reported to have been the third such financial initiative which has flopped in the region; the first two being the Guyana Agricultural Development Bank (GAIBANK) and the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED).

CLIENT-FRIENDLY With a population of just over 8,000, the credit officer said that the $23 million was distributed equitably through the granting of 293 loans but payments for 88 of those are still outstanding.

He noted that the system was a client-friendly one and featured less restrictive barriers as compared to other lending agencies.

One of the major setbacks, however, was the selection process, since many persons did not qualify for the loans. The conditions under which the loans were accessible followed similar requirements for other loans, including the assessment of collateral of the person bor-

rowing.

Additionally, he noted that issues related to repayment had also posed difficulties and contributed to the goals of the trust not being realised.

But based on the socio-economic landscape of the community which sits peacefully in the village of Santa Rosa, the financial arrangement according to residents, is one which would boost the economic status of Moruca.

Toshao Abrams too shared similar sentiments and underscored the need for the revival of such an initiative which, he said, could even help single parents and graduates of a cake-decorating and catering programme which is a revolving activity in the community.

“A lot of people in Santa Rosa are into small businesses. They cannot go to loan agencies. The per cent interest [of the fund] is very encouraging,” he said.

CHALLENGES It was revealed that one

From left: Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings; Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Project Coordinator Jude DaSilva; Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock; and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe at the meeting with board members of the Moruca Credit and Development Trust and other officials in Santa Rosa on Wednesday

of the major challenges in the community is the accessibility of markets and the diversification of the products.

In light of this, a call was also made for the ministry to facilitate business workshops and sessions in the community, which would be hosted by established businessmen who were once small business owners.

Making a commitment in this regard, Minister Allicock undertook to reactivate the initiative, but only after the legal evaluation would have been done, and a structured plan drafted.

He encouraged the board, which could possibly be dissolved based on recommendations, to draft a robust requirement policy which would expose any vulnerability for discrimination, but be applicable to every person wishing to access a grant.

Noting that the composition of the board must be examined, the minister reiterated that it is critical to the success of the scheme, and members must be nominated or elected, based on their interest, track record and ability to be a team player.

“We need to have a plan

which will project and realise growth. Put aside all political and religious differences for the success of the Trust. Most times these things fail because of personality clashes, so we cannot be like crabs in a barrel if this is going to be a success,” Minister Allicock told the officials.

He noted too that in hinterland communities such as Moruca, if support is given by all stakeholders, whether financial, moral or otherwise, then ultimately, the communities and families stand to benefit.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Venezuela helicopter lands at Kaikan airstrip

By Leroy Smith

SOURCES in government and security have confirmed that a Venezuela registered helicopter landed on an airstrip at Kaikan, Region 7 with approximately eight heavily armed Venezuelan soldiers about 10:45hrs yesterday morning.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that when the helicopter landed there were two Amerindian women close by and as is customary when an aircraft lands at the airstrip, they rushed towards it.

The women who subsequently spoke to the police stated that as they approached the aircraft, two of the men with their guns in hand disembarked and advanced towards them.

The men enquired from the women if the area they had landed at was Sanguan, a farm in Venezuela.

The women responded in the negative and informed the armed men that they had in fact landed at Kaikan in Guyana. Sanguan in Venezuela also has Amerindian settlers, according to online sources.

After being told they were in the wrong place, the men re-boarded the helicopter and left the area.

One senior security source said that the incident is being looked into and the army and police as well as President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and the Ministers of Public Security and Foreign Affairs have been informed of the development.

This publication has

learnt that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to request an explanation of this latest incident from the Venezuelan authorities, even as local security experts are examining the situation.

One government minister who spoke with this newspaper last evening said that he is aware that the matter was reported to the police first who informed their superiors who in turn informed Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan and the Chairman of the Joint Services, Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips.

By the time GDF ranks arrived in the area the Venezuelan helicopter with the soldiers had already departed.

It is said that Kaikan is approximately 10 miles away

ing on Guyana’s soil.

He said that based on information so far, it would have to be determined whether the presence of the helicopter was a case of a navigational error or not.

GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips

from the Venezuelan village of Sanguan.

Contacted yesterday, Brigadier Phillips would only say that they are indeed investigating the report of a Venezuelan helicopter land-

GO-FAST BOAT AT SHELL BEACH Meanwhile, the GDF Coast Guard a few days ago discovered a go-fast boat in the vicinity of Shell Beach.

According to security personnel, the boat was discovered by persons in the area who informed the Coast Guard and the police. The vessel which shows no signs of wreckage is in the custody of the Coast Guard and preparations are being made to have it brought to the city.

Minister Ramjattan said the vessel based on initial

checks is not a Guyana-registered vessel and no one has been coming forward to claim ownership of it.

He said the administration and law-enforcement officials are not ruling out the possibility that the vessel might have been there to facilitate the drug trade.

The Guyana has been informed that it is these developments that have also contributed to the Government of Guyana and the security forces coming to a decision to increase its presence and visibility countrywide.

According to one senior official, it is because of the additional eyes which are already evident with recently-launched ‘Operation Dragnet’ that the boat was discovered and the helicopter spotted.

GGMC Chairman escapes no-confidence vote MAJOR developments unfolding in the mining industry took a dramatic turn on Thursday when Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Commission (GGMC) Board of Directors Clinton Williams, abruptly ended a specially convened meeting in a reported attempt to avert a no-confidence motion.

Reports reaching the Guyana Chronicle indicate that the board during that early morning meeting had intended to pass a no-confidence motion against Williams. Williams found himself in hot water on Thursday after a report surfaced that he had reportedly spent a whopping $4 million on entertainment within 18 months.

Just two Mondays ago, the board under the stewardship of Williams passed a similar motion against the GGMC Commissioner Rickford Vieira and several senior functionaries.

On Tuesday, Vieira was sent on leave when he received a letter from Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman, indicating that he should proceed on leave.

When contacted, Williams declined to comment on the matter, saying that he would address the issue at a later date.

Meanwhile, miners who were in attendance at the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) statutory meeting on Thursday afternoon pressed the leadership for answers.

“It seems as though there is chaos among the regulatory bodies,” one miner said as he solicited a response from GGMDA President Terrence Adams, Vice-President Andron Alphonso and Executive

Secretary Tony Shields, who were seated at the head table.

In response, the GGDMA President disclosed that the board was summoned to a special meeting, but minutes after it started it was adjourned by the chairman without any explanation. The meeting was convened to address a number of issues, Adams told the miners.

In commenting on the matter, an upset Shields said Williams had no authority to adjourn the meeting.

“The chairman has no such authority… the chairman can move a motion to adjourn the meeting, but if several of the directors said no we are going ahead, he cannot adjourn it. The meeting has to be adjourned by the board,” he stated.

Nevertheless, the executive secretary informed the miners that the association has dispatched two letters to Minister Trotman, who has responsibility for GGMC, seeking clarification on a number of issues.

In the first letter dispatched to the Minister of Governance, the GGDMA questioned the board’s acceptance of Dr Grantley Walrond’s report.

“Dr Grantley Walrond was commissioned by Minister Robert Persaud and when he came out with the report, we wrote to Minister Robert Persaud, we put a two-three page letter in the press stating that we did not support the report based on three things.

It was obviously biased, it was outside of the terms of reference and it dealt with personalities,” Shields said with no uncertainty.

LANDLORDISM GGDMA remains firm

(L-R) GGDMA Executive Secretary Tony Shields addresses miners in the presence of GGMDA President Terrence Adams and Vice President Andron Alphonso

on its position that the GGMC Management and Systems Review Inception Report, which was authored

by Dr Walrond, L J L Heesterman and J Goolsarran was not only filled with inaccuracies, but seeks to reintroduce the concept of “landlordism”.

“We support a review of the systems of GGMC, we support the restructuring of GGMC, but we asked to be treated with respect,” Shields lamented.

Based on the GGDMA’s objection to the report, Shields said Minister Trotman had asked the association to submit 10 recommendations.

As part of the recommendations, he said the association is calling on government to launch a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the mining industry.

“Last year, the royalties paid by miners were $4.8 billion and we are asking the President to set up a Commission of Inquiry… with professional people along the same lines that with the sugar industry and the public service… you got to [do]

this thing holistically.”

Findings from the Systems Management Review had influenced the board’s decision to move the no-confidence motion against Commissioner Vieira.

The exercise had commenced in December 2014 with the aim of reviewing the operations of the Mines Division, Land Management

and Geological Services Divisions of the Commission to determine the coherence of the structures and functions and the flow of its operations. Additionally, it sought to identify systemic problems and other conflicts and deficiencies.

The team of consultants was also required to investigate whether the activities of the specific departments/

divisions were aligned to the overall strategic plan for the sector.

It was argued that any deficiency within the management framework and current practices could contribute to the non-fulfilment of the commission’s objectives and could possibly lead to the presence or possibility of undesirable acts of malfeasance.

A GGDMA member (second left) vents his concerns in the presence of his colleagues and the press

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US to open all combat roles to women

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has announced that all combat roles in the US military will be opened to women.

“America’s force of the

future,” Mr Carter said, must be able to benefit from the “best people” the US had to offer.

The move will lead to some 220,000 openings to women, he said.

Mr Carter is to give the armed services until January 1 next year to submit plans to make the change, officials said.

A ban on women serving in combat roles was lifted in 2013 but the military was given until 2016 to argue for specific posts they think should remain closed.

The Marine Corps had argued that women should be excluded from certain roles, citing studies that mixed-gender units were not as capable as all-male ones. (BBC News)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Putin: Turkey will regret jet shooting ‘more than once’ R U S S I A N P re s i d e n t Vladimir Putin has warned Turkey it will “more than once” regret shooting down the Russian bomber jet near the Syrian-Turkish border.

Delivering his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, Putin said Russia will not ignore what he described as Turkey’s “aiding of terrorists”, adding that the November shooting down of the Sukhoi Su-24 was a “treacherous war crime”.

Putin also called for a broad international front against terrorism, an end to what he called double standards and halting any backing of what he called “terror groups”.

“We are not planning

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Russian President Vladimir Putin

to engage in military sabre-rattling [with Turkey],” Putin said.

“But if anyone thinks that having committed this awful war crime, the murder of our people, that they are going to get away with some measures concerning their tomatoes or some

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limits on construction and other sectors, they are sorely mistaken.”

Moscow has already responded with measures including bans on some Turkish fruit and vegetables, and in his icy remarks Putin made clear that would not be the end of it.

“It appears that Allah decided to punish the ruling clique of Turkey by depriving them of wisdom and judgment,” Putin said.

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He harshly criticised Turkey, accusing it of buying oil from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

“We are fighting for justice, happiness and the entire future of our civilisation. We have to be prepared and we have to defeat them [terrorists] before they get here that’s why we launched this operation in Syria.”

(Al Jazeera)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Hotline to expose ISIS recruits set up in Trinidad A TELEPHONE hotline number has been set up to allow people to share information they may have on Trinidad and Tobago nationals who may be heading to join the international terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The information, which can be given anonymously, will be collected and passed on to the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of National Security.

According to local media, the hotline has been set up

by Muslim activist Inshan Ishmael, even as it has been reported that three more Trinidad and Tobago nationals are

Trinidadian children appear in ISIS recruitment video

preparing to head to Syria to join ISIS fighters.

Speaking with the Trinidad Guardian on Tuesday, Ishmael confirmed an increasing number of people leaving to join ISIS. The Guardian reported that it has received information that three men in their late 20s from Trinidad will be leaving on Friday for the United States and from there will fly through Europe and on to Syria, where they will be met with ISIS recruiting officials.

According to the government, at least 89 Trinidad and Tobago citizens have already left the country to join ISIS, although US intelligence sources

put this number closer to 130.

Prospects are reportedly being offered as much as US$2,000 a month for training with ISIS and an additional US$1,500 for the care of their respective families. However, when they get there and meet with ISIS personnel, they are met with aggression and their documents, including passports, are taken away from them.

“They have to realise that when they reach there, their documents will be taken away from them and their lives will be destroyed as well as their families’ lives,” Ishmael said. (Caribbean News Now)

Caribbean leaders meet with Obama on climate change US President Barack Obama underscored the impact of climate change on the world’s most vulnerable countries in a meeting with the heads of government of small island countries on Tuesday.

The 40-odd countries in the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) negotiating group at the COP 21 climate conference face rising sea levels that threaten to submerge their livable land.

The meeting with President Obama, attended by the leaders of Saint Lucia, Barbados, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, among others, was intended to elevate the role of the countries in the Paris negotiations.

AOSIS countries have been pushing for more ambitious action to stem

greenhouse gas emissions at the Paris conference.

Current projections suggest that some countries may disappear entirely within decades without action.

“These nations are not the most populous nations, they don’t have big armies,” Obama said.

“But they have a right to dignity and sense of place.”

Obama also said he had a special connection to the island countries given his time in Hawaii and Indonesia as a child.

“I’m an island boy,” he said, conceding that some of the resolutions arrived at in Paris must be legally-binding on the international community.

Caribbean nations have been pressing for a legally-binding agreement to emerge from

COP21.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart of Barbados and lead head of government on climate change, Dr Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, also represented the region in a meeting between United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Monday.

Chairman of the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change, and Saint Lucia’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Senator Dr James Fletcher, and CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque, joined the heads at the meeting. (Caribbean News Now)

“I’m an island boy,” President Obama said in a meeting attended by the leaders of Saint Lucia, Barbados, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, among others

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Guyana

EDITORIAL

Sustainable development and what it means for us

BY resolution, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 25th September 2015 adopted “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

This Agenda sets out to transform the economic well-being of the world on a plan of action around five Ps:-People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.

The realisation of what some may think is a lofty ambition, given that it sets out to make significant transformational shifts for economic development in 15 years, is doable in the enabling environment that allows all participating countries, stakeholders and people to give of their best.

Whereas previous economic models were conceptualised, developed and embraced by multinational and transnational organisations, seeking to influence not only the political climate on the world stage, but also used as tools in exploiting the poor and vulnerable, Sustainable Development takes another focus. Whereas formerly the world’s economy and by extension human development were driven by global forces, where government took a hands-off or miniaturising role, leaving the private sector with unfettered power, which resulted in an economic meltdown about eight years ago, systems are now being put in place to avoid similar recurrence.

And whereas the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted the Global Recession was the worst since World War II, and the debates continue in quantifying the economic loss, whether the recess has ended, when it has ended, and its impact, learning from the past can result in corrective measure(s) being put in place to guarantee the present and safeguard the future.

Experiences of harrowing stories can be recounted of the havoc the recession wreaked. There was the wiping out of wealth, which included health insurance, retirement benefits and savings. And while countries moved to bail out some institutions on the pretext that those institutions were too big to fail and the negative impact such failure might have on their economies, the small man was basically left to fend for himself. At home, the failure of CLICO, which was the consequence of a government colluding and allowing the private sector to operate as though an authority onto itself has seen workers’ investments via insurance policies wiped out and the National Insurance Scheme’s (NIS) investments placed in jeopardy.

In that the UN has seen the need and sought to give leadership in shaping a new economic model to advance and protect the well-being of all, augurs well for the planet and human development. The role of the UN in maintaining global peace, congenial human relations and preserving the environment, working to end discrimina-

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Vestigial titles and anachronistic attitudes

THE reported move by Ivy league Universities Harvard and Princeton, to discontinue use of the title: “Master” as in ‘Master of the Residential College’ instead of ‘Head of the College’ on the grounds that terms like “Master” are too poignant reminders of the distasteful history of slavery is quite interesting.

It makes me wonder if the world of Higher education

should now be reviewing the award of graduate degrees which carry the pre-fix “Master” as in MA or MSc or MBA, MPH, MPhil. etc etc. Should we as Guyanese with our own history of slavery and indentureship allow such moves to go un-noticed?

Should we be questioning, for example, the Apprenticeship Agreements we execute, which refer to the provider of the training as “Master”?

Should we continue to refer to our male teachers as “Sir” this or that (first name), another colonial vestige, while we refer to the female counterpart teachers as “Miss” so-and so (first name) instead of the appellation used during my time as a student/ teacher i.e Mr or Mrs or Miss so-and –so (surname)?

Titular misnomers might be considered su-

perficial or unimportant concerns to some, but what cannot be ignored is the continuation of anachronistic attitudes, beliefs and behaviours, which have their genesis in times, situations and contexts long, long ago….these must be dealt with frontally and expeditiously.

NOWRANG PERSAUD

Egregious shortcomings of the Guyana Prize For Literature Dear Editor, I INTENTIONALLY waited until the completion of The Guyana Prize for Literature Awards Presentation Ceremony that was held last Sunday at the Pegasus Hotel to pontificate, on what I believe are egregious shortcomings of the Prize.

My reason for waiting until the release of the shortlist and completion of Awards Ceremony was deliberately aimed at attempting to prevent, minimise at least, any accusation of the proverbial “sour grapes” situation after not being shortlisted for the Prize in the ‘First Book of Poetry Category.’

I wanted those who made

the shortlist and received prizes to enjoy their rewards unhindered. In that regard, I want to take this opportunity to publicly offer my congratulations to all winners of the 2015 Guyana Prize for Literature. However, Mr. Editor, it would be remiss of me to not highlight an irrefutable situation that defies logic.

I received an ‘Honourable Mention’ from the Guyana Prize in 2007 in the ‘First Book of Poetry’ Category for my book “Twilight Dreams: In Memory of Dan Sealy.”

The judges that year offered sufficient reasons for not having a shortlist.

Suffice it to say that I took that information in good faith

tion, poverty and hunger resulting in its immersion in ensuring a sound economic model that member states are bound by, makes the future better.

As according to the UN, Sustainable Development brings with it issues of human protection, equality, dignity and progress. It sets out to ensure and guarantee peace by having just and inclusive societies, which are free from fear and violence.

Partnership is promoted as critical to maintaining peace, in that it allows for the strengthening of solidarity, domestic and foreign, in furtherance of common goals. And given that prosperity for all is hinged on equality for all, this is seen as attainable when persons can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature. Member states are convinced that these can all be achieved in a planet that is protected from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.

These aspirations that were discussed and agreed to by Heads of State and Government and high-level representatives, come with given commitments to achieve same through 17 goals and 169 targets.

These goals identify element/s in man’s pursuit of happiness.

In examining, these persons will have singular or collective interests based on circumstances and pursuits. And where these exist, such ought to find expression and support as grounded in the Principal Political Objective of the State (Article 13- Guyana Constitution), wherein power is vested in the people through inclusionary democracy that ensures meaningful participation in the management and decision-making processes on matters that affect their well-being. And here is where government must take a leading and frontal role in creating, ensuring and sustaining the

and participated in several workshops that the Prize subsequently hosted to perfect my work; having done so over a period of time, I engaged Mr. Al Creighton, who advised that I could resubmit the edited work to the jury of the Guyana Prize. I did so in 2013 and this year. On both occasions my work failed to make the shortlist.

The obvious question here, Mr. Editor, is having received an Honourable Mention in 2007, and having participated in the prescribed methods of the Prize to strengthen the literary landscape, how is it my work was not good enough to be shortlisted? Are we saying,

therefore, that the training and workshops of the Guyana Prize are flawed mechanisms or merely a facade aimed at evading criticism for not fostering literary development? I believe these questions and more are what were at the centre of a Kaieteur News article that accused the Prize of “perceived biases in the Shortlists.” Mr. Creighton has since come to the defence of the sanctity of the Prize, but I believe his missive did very little to quell the cries of writers, who believe an injustice was done.

Respectfully, EDISON JEFFORD

enabling environment.

This can include the strengthening of institutions such as the judiciary, research and development, policing laws to ensure equality, dignity and opportunities for all, and improving the democratic pillars of society. Helping the justice system to recalibrate its role in making decisions that give society the comfort that justice is universal and will be served, regardless of whether it would be a step in the right direction. The Executive also bears a responsibility in giving leadership to and demonstrating zero tolerance for corruption, graft and nepotism. Laws, conventions and charters must reign supreme and citizens’ rights held sacrosanct. This creates the environment for equality and dignity in that all will be held to the same standards and play by the same rules.

Having recently come out of General and Regional Elections, whereby the people have expressed their will, vesting the day-to-day management of their affairs in various groups in these two tiers of government and in the legislature, the pursuit of Sustainable Development would ensure policies and programmes consistent with its goals. Upcoming local government elections provide additional possibilities for candidates and communities to also empower the people at the grassroots level, where poverty, hunger and discrimination are prevalent.

As a member of the UN, ours is the responsibility and vested interest to be aware of the goals Sustainable Development is driven by, which would lead to making informed decisions and ensuring the enabling environment is created. Given that the UN promotes: “The interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals are of crucial importance in ensuring that the purpose of the new Agenda is realised. If we realise our ambitions across the full extent of the Agenda, the lives of all will be profoundly improved and our world will be transformed for the better,” together we must achieve.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Region One outreach…

Santa Rosa residents urged to embrace diversity

By Ravin Singh AS Guyana continues striving to find strength in its cultural diversity and bridging the political divide, the village of Santa Rosa on the eastern shoulder of Guyana is engaged in a similar struggle, according to residents.

This revelation was made

by Sharon Atkinson, a prominent resident of the village during a recent outreach in Region 1 spearheaded by Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Gorrido-Lowe and Minister within the Ministry of Communities

Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings Dawn Hastings last Wednesday.

According to Atkinson, who brought out a menu of issues of concern to Santa Rosa residents,

political differences continue to stifle and hinder the developmental agenda of the village due to the lack of cooperation.

She decried the fact that most of these persons who were refusing to work in harmony were affiliated in some way with the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP). She cited the party’s loss at the May 11 General Elections as the possible cause of this lack of cohesiveness.

In this regard, she said that former toshao of the village, Basil Cornelius, whom she claimed was associated with the PPP, has been acting in a dictatorial manner since he lost the toshao’s post through dem-

ocratic means.

Earlier in the day, Cornelius had found himself in hot water at a meeting with regional officials and the ministers. It was revealed, that Cornelius, who resides in Karaburi - a satellite community traditionally considered as part of Santa Rosa – was attempting to pursue the option of having the community completely separated from Santa Rosa.

This was allegedly being done dictatorially as this move, according to residents of the said community, was not one which they supported.

DIFFERENT STORY However, at the meeting with officials, the former toshao

Small, medium-scale miners request tax amnesty

By Svetlana Marshall AS small and medium-scale miners struggle to keep their heads above rough waters, their representative, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has approached government requesting a period of amnesty to assist those who have failed to pay up their taxes.

Miners are required to pay property tax, tributors’ tax and withholding tax, as well as maintain a register of the names, addresses and Tax Payers Identification Numbers (TIN) of all employees. But many do not pay tributors’ tax, which is set at 10 per cent of their employees’ salaries.

As a result, they are unable to benefit from the concessions granted by government.

At its statutory meeting yesterday, GGMDA President Terrence Adams, Vice

President Andron Alphonso and Executive Secretary Tony Shields told scores of members that Finance Minister Winston Jordan has been written to on the matter.

BEING TAX COMPLIANT “The situation is that you got to be tax-compliant and not a lot of miners in the industry are tax compliant. So we are advocating for miners to become tax-compliant but we also want to meet with Minister Jordan to talk about an amnesty for those miners who are not tax-compliant,” the GGMDA Vice President explained to the media minutes after the meeting ended at the association’s North Road headquarters.

Currently, the association, Alphonso said, is awaiting a response from the Finance Minister. “We are open to discussion, we want to see what

Rental agreement… not a theft

TWENTY-SIX -year -old Ranford Williams of Grant Street, Bachelors Adventurer East Coast Demerara was yesterday placed on $150,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after he was charged with simple larceny.

The police report states that between September 14 and November 14, 2015, at Vendors Arcade, he stole from Lashawn Greaves, a laptop computer valued $60,000; a fan valued $15,000, APS back up battery valued $19,999, a quantity of cordless phones valued $75,000, a router valued $15,000, a modem valued $10,000 and a GTT landline phone-- all to a total value of $294,990.

The Administration of Justice Act was applied and he denied the charge stating that he was entrusted with the items by Greaves through a rental agreement.

Williams who was unrepresented stated to the court that he was incarcerated at Covent John Police Station when the incident accorded.

In his objection to bail the Police Prosecutor said that the defendant had brought back some of the items and that he was once convicted and fined for a matter of a similar nature.

He is expected to return to court on the January 13, 2016.

the minister would suggest and we will work with it.”

At the meeting, miners were heard encouraging their colleagues that if in default they must step forward and table proposals that would result in an amicable solution. In response, others shouted from across the room “Amnesty!

Amnesty!, give us Amnesty!”

Fuel concession has been reduced from 50 per cent to 10 per cent.

However, this has been granted for only six months.

According to the agreement with the government, tax exemptions on the acquisition of diesel fuel to be utilised in the mining sector shall be granted to beneficiaries for an initial period of six months, but miners are required to maintain proper records of receipt, distribution and usage of fuel.

“Diesel fuel must be used solely in the mining sector and all miners must be tax-compliant in order to benefit from the partial exemptions,” the agreement stipulates.

Mining equipment listed for exemption are ATVs, rock-drilling or earth-boring tools, including jack hammers, tubes, pipes and hoses of vulcanised rubber fittings, other carpet and textile floor coverings, articulated link chain and parts, pumps, impellers, pump housings, shafts, marine

propulsion engines and other engines.

Three categories of vehicles have received exemptions: Category A (declarants with 5,000 ounces of gold and above annually) are granted two double-cab pickup every five years, with no limitations regarding engine capacity, year or model; and one motorcar every five years, with maximum cylinder capacity of 2500cc.

Category B is granted one double-cab pickup every five years with no limitations regarding engine capacity, year or model.

This is offered for declarants between 2000 to 4999 ounces of gold annually.

Category C are offered one single-cab pickup every five years, with no limitation regarding engine capacity, year or model for declarants between 500 and 1999 ounces annually; while declarants under 500 ounces annually do not qualify for tax exemptions on a motor vehicle for use in the mining sector.

The mining industry, though the leading foreign exchange earner for years, has been struggling with the falling gold prices on the world market. This year, declarations have dropped by at least 20 per cent. The GGDMA has for years been calling on the administration to assist the industry.

Bartica Secondary teacher found hanging

ROMEL Benjamin, a 21-year-old teacher at the Bartica Secondary School was found hanging in his dorm yesterday morning by another teacher who shares the same room with him.

The Guyana Chronicle was informed that the teacher who hails from Region 1 had been teaching at the school for some time now. Officials at the Ministry of Education were not immediately available for comment on the matter but investigations are ongoing.

had a different story, relating that at a meeting with residents of Karaburi last Sunday it was agreed that the community should remain as it is, in terms of it being a satellite community of Santa Rosa.

But the reason the option of separation had been considered, he said, was because members of the community had complained about feeling neglected.

They feel neglected because they are not involved in the decision-making process. For instance, the council is calling for the communities to be incorporated into Santa Rosa, but they never asked if this is what they want. People believe that these smaller communities can be managed better, he added.

But the issues surrounding Cornelius was not limited to his involvement in this controversy.

In fact, Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley accused Cornelius of not attending Statutory Meetings of the Council.

Countering this, the former toshao stated that because of his involvement in the issue with Karaburi and its incorporation into Santa Rosa, time constraints prevented him from attending

the meetings. “It was not malicious or intentional,” he said.

An agreement was finally arrived at and the community will remain a satellite community of Santa Rosa. However, officials of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) are scheduled to visit the community next week to iron out issues which still exist.

In addition to the political divide, Atkinson lamented that the diverse religious beliefs, which should have been a good thing, is actually causing confusion and undermining the region. This, she said, has further contributed to confrontations which continue to impede an already fragmented region.

Speaking at the meeting which lasted a few hours, Minister Dawn Hastings implored residents to embrace diversity through tolerance as they seek to develop their region.

In that light, she assured that the Ministry of Communities stands solidly behind community leaders who, through their residents, are willing to take the task at hand to benefit not only themselves, but every member of their region.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

WCD road expansion progressing

By Leroy Smith

MINISTRY of Public infrastructure engineer Kester Hinds who is responsible for the approximately $US 44.3 million expansion and upgrade road works along the West Coast of Demerara, said despite some minor hiccups, works are progressing and are about 15 per cent complete.

The contract which is a Government of Guyana/Caribbean Development Bank funded one was signed off in 2014 by the previous administration and work commenced in January of this year.

The contract was awarded jointly to Surrey Paving and Aggregate Company Limited out of Jamaica and BK International from Guyana.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Mr Hinds explained that there were some initial startup problems with the contract which included the untimely delivery of materials on the worksite, dealing with encumbrances, identifying and relocating utilities and dust pollution which had begun to affect some residents.

All those issues have however been settled with the exception of identifying and relocating utilities which is an ongoing process and very time-consuming since its covers the resources of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Guyana Power and Light and the Guyana Water Inc. With respect to those companies there is complete provision in the existing contract to address them, but when it comes to the the Guyana Water Inc, the relocating of those resources could possibly see the contract cost spiking a bit.

Mr Hinds explained that there has been massive utilities relocation since the project started and already two lots of utilities have been replaced.

“As regards to GT&T infrastructure and the fibre-optic cables, we have divided those into separate lots. They are still part of the work, but in order to get those done we have been investigating where cables are located as well as where poles should be relocated to facilitate the widening,” Mr Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle.

In addition to the GWI and GPL utilities, there has also been the temporary removal of highway lights in order to facilitate the project.

The works which stretch between Vreed-en Hoop and Hydronie, saw contractors first working in the Hydronie area, which is just outside of

Public Infrastructure Engineer Kester Hinds makes a point during the interview

Parika. He explained that this was due to the very low traffic in the area and less encumbrances to deal with.

Most of the works are now being carried out in the Anna Catherina area, where workers are constructing the concrete drains and over the last weekend there were some works done at another location, which saw the establishment of the pavements.

PEDAL CYCLE FACILITIES In addition to the road expansion there is also provision for pedal cycle facilities and pavements for pedestrians but those would be featured at locations that are populated. That aspect of the work falls under a component that speaks to road safety and which is also catered for in the contract, according to Mr Hinds.

The project engineer explained that additionally, works have also been done in the area of accessing and clearing culverts to ascertain which ones need to be repaired. He said that since they have started that exercise they found approximately three culverts which would have to be completely replaced.

Over the last weekend the contractors also worked on having several metres of sidewalks constructed. He was not hesitant to speak on the issue of dust pollution, which residents along some sections of the West Coast Demerara have complained about.

According to Mr Hinds, immediate efforts have been made to address the situation.

He said now that the rains have come, that has assisted to some extent, but whenever the dry season returns, systems would have already been put in place to alleviate that issue. This was the assurance given to the ministry by the contractors.

On the issue of traffic congestion during the construc-

tion period, Mr Hinds said all the systems have been well worked out in keeping with international standards.

He stressed that when agencies, especially international donor agencies, put monies into a project they tend to ensure that the logistics for every single aspect of the project that facilities its smooth running are employed.

“We have a very proper and efficient traffic management system in place to ensure that there is limited disruption to the traffic flow and today I must say with this project we have not seen much challenges in terms of getting the work done, allowing the traffic to flow past the areas we are working and also liaising with the community,” the engineer told this publication.

The stipulation in the project also comes with a community-engagement component, which requires the ministry and the contractors to constantly engage the communities and that has been happening, Hinds assured.

He said that they have been in talks with the residents and that is how they were aware that dust pollution was a problem in some areas where the construction is ongoing.

A BIT SLOW Outside of the final six kilometres where works are to be done, the contractors are presently putting down concrete drains but reminded that the work in that area is not moving as fast as they hoped it would, given the utilities which are also being replaced.

Another problem which they have encountered in that stretch of the work is the presence of some encumbrances including fences and other obstacles.

Some are naturally on the government’s reserve, while others are rightfully placed, but because of the right away of the expansion those fences would have to be removed and that requires consultations with the owners of the properties.

Asked about a possible “Robeson Effect,” whereby those who are encroaching on the government’s reserve had those obstacles unceremoniously removed with bulldozers and other heavy machinery, Mr Hinds refused to comment.

He did however point out: “That is something that will pose some challenges and we are trying to resolve those.

We have to communicate with some residents and let them know that they are encumber-

A section of the completed drain and pavement being attended to by workers

Dug out dirt being placed in the tray of a truck at Anna Catherina

ing and it is something that we have to be careful with and if fences are in the right away we have to see how we can relocate those and reconstruct them so those are issues that form another phase of the contract,” Mr Hinds carefully stated.

He stressed that in the new year there was the expecta-

tion that the works along the stretch would be accelerated as he pointed to the recent purchase of an asphalt plant by the company, which would be used to pave the road once the drains and other infrastructure are in place.

The engineer stated that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is pleased with the

performance of the contractors. Additionally, he said that the ministry has also found that the consultancy firm has been performing well and carrying out its mandate according to the guidelines of the ministry.

There are two consultancy firms, one from Trinidad and one from Guyana.

Gov’t grants title to Uncle Eddie’s Home UNCLE Eddie’s Association, which runs the home for the elderly at Jackson Street, Tucville, Georgetown, has been granted title to the 3.1127 acres of State land on which the building sits.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon made the announcement during a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday.

“The Government has found it necessary to grant title to the Association of Uncle Eddie’s Home, to facilitate the further development of the home for care

of the elderly.”

The Uncle Eddie’s Association was registered as a friendly society in April 1973, and has since been occupying the State land on which the home sits.

Development of the home had been stymied because the land was not titled, Harmon added.

“It is Cabinet’s hope that with the granting of this deed of gift so that the Home can have a title, it will facilitate better facilities for our elderly who live there,” Minister Harmon said.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Commemorative Bandit loses bicycle medal bestowed in robbery on Defence Board

By Alva Solomon

A ROBBER who attacked a University of Guyana student on Wednesday evening suffered reversed fortunes after he was forced to abandon his bicycle during a scuffle with the student.

According to reports, the third year student was walking along the University Of Guyana Road from the Turkeyen Campus, heading for the Railway Embankment to catch a bus.

As he walked past First Street Cummings Lodge, the burly bandit rode up on a bicycle and demanded his belongings.

A relative of the traumatised young man told the Guyana Chronicle that the

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo being conferred with the GDF’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal as President David Granger looks on (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

PRESIDENT David Granger and the members of the Defence Board were yesterday presented with the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Commemorative 50th Anniversary Medal.

The medal was presented to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams and Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan.

GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips conferred the medal on the board members after the reading of a

citation by Colonel Nazrul Hussain.

Following this brief presentation, President Granger congratulated the GDF on their golden jubilee which was celebrated with a series of activities in November.

“The GDF has come of age and the actual conduct of the celebrations... [was] appreciated by the entire country. The population loved it and I think it is a demonstration of support for the Defence Force, which has been at the forefront of the defence of the country and [Guyana’s] territorial integrity,” the Head of State said.

Noting the anniversary celebrations occurred at a time when Guyana was facing renewed threats to its borders, the President said the Force was able to move effortlessly from ‘operations to celebrations’.

“We were very encouraged by the quality of the performance and I think it reached a high standard,” he said.

The GDF celebrated its 50th anniversary under the theme, “Commemorating the past, celebrating the present and carving the future”. (Ministry of the Presidency)

President meets with Tullow Oil official PRESIDENT David Granger yesterday met with the SEA Manager of Tullow Oil plc John McKenna, who was introduced to him by British High Commissioner Greg Quinn to discuss exploration opportunities.

Tullow Oil is an independent oil and gas exploration company that operates in over 20 countries. The company is looking at pos-

sible exploration opportunities in Guyana.

McKenna said Tullow Oil has been interested in examining investment opportunities in Guyana for quite some time, a Ministry of the Presidency release said.

The company is headquartered in London. Its largest offshore exploration activities are in East and West African countries like Uganda, Kenya and Ghana.

President David Granger in conversation with British High Commissioner Greg Quinn and the visiting official from Tullow Oil plc John McKenna at the Ministry of the Presidency (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

bandit placed an object at the young man’s right side, and demanded his mobile phone.

Reports are that the young man grabbed the object which turned out to be a plastic gun, and in the process, drew a small knife he had on his person.

He then attacked the robber who dropped his bicycle and bolted from the scene.

The incident created a traffic build-up at the location as persons ran to the student’s assistance.

Reports are that the robber returned to the scene with a piece of wood but he was chased from the area by persons who came to the student’s rescue.

The student then slashed

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the tires of the customised bicycle, stopped a taxi and headed home with the two-wheeler in the car’s trunk.

Relatives reported that while the mobile phone is not as expensive as the bicycle, the young man was concerned about personal information he had stored on the phone’s SIM card.

A report of the incident was expected to be made to the police yesterday.

In recent months there has been an upsurge in criminal activities. The authorities have since launched a countrywide operation, code-named “Operation Dragnet”, which is aimed at combating the crime situation as well as protecting the country’s borders and port-of-entries to prevent acts of terrorism.

Sukhdeo’s murder trial…

Caution statement tendered as evidence AS the murder trial of taxi driver Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo continued in the High Court yesterday before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury following a voir dire, the caution statement was admitted and tendered as evidence in the case.

Sergeant Nigel Stephens, who was stationed at Providence Police Station, told the court, reading from the caution statement that after he had showed the accused Balram Singh the flyer of the deceased which contained his name and photograph after he was arrested and he told him something.

According to Stephens, who recorded the caution statement of Singh in the presence of another officer in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Providence Police Station, Singh had blurted out to him: “Dis is the taxi driver we tek the car from and kill.”

Stephens then asked Singh if he wanted to put into writing what he had said and he responded in the affirmative and he elected Stephens to do so and mentioned that the accused did so of his own free will.

Stephens reading to the court yesterday from the caution statement he penned on January 28, 2010, said he and other ranks had accompanied Singh to Agricola and he directed them to a sideline dam where Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was killed.

Sergeant Stephens stated that he along with the party of policemen in company of Singh went to his Second Street, Agricola home and conducted a search, after which he took them to Indus-

trial Site Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

Stephens said according to the caution statement, Singh directed them to an area on the street at the side of the road where the body of the deceased was placed.

Giving evidence from the caution statement, the police witness told the court that on January 19, 2010 Singh and Travis David came to Georgetown and he waited in the vicinity of Silvie’s Store at the bus park, while David went and returned in a white wagon car driven by an Indian man.

Stephens said Singh went in the back seat of the said car and they went to Agricola sideline dam, where Davis pulled out a .38 revolver and shoot the deceased to the left side of his neck and then put Sukhdeo in the back seat of the car.

The caution statement read

by Stephens stated that he then went in the front seat passenger side of the car while the vehicle was driven by David and they drove to Eccles Industrial Site where they placed the body of Sukhdeo in the bush at the side of the road and left.

Stephens said they then drove to Singh’s house and parked the car and that night at 18:00 hrs David came and they drove to Industrial Site Eccles and collected the body and went to the Mocha- Arcadia Access Road where they dumped it.

According to the caution statement, Stephens told the court that he did ask the accused if he had burned the body and he said “no.”

Under cross-examination following the reading of the

caution statement, Defence Counsel Jermaine Jervis suggested to Stephens that at no time did the accused give such a statement and also put to him that the police wrote it and asked Singh to affix his signature.

The State is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Narissa Leander and Teshanna James-Lake, while the Defence Counsel is Jermaine Jervis and Clevann Humphrey.

In her opening statement at the commencement of the trial, Leander told the court that the deceased was a taxi driver who was last seen alive on January 19, 2010, after which a search was launched for him and his car.

She added that on January 27, 2010, the car was found at a body workshop in Herstelling New Scheme, East Bank Demerara and later the badly burnt body of Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was discovered at the Mocha- Arcadia Access Road, also on the East Bank of Demerara.

Leander said the accused Balram Singh was arrested and charged for the offence.

The indictment stated that between January 19 and 27, 2010 in the county of Demerara, the accused, Balram Singh allegedly murdered Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo. The car was hijacked and sold to a taxi service owner in Grove. The charred remains believed to be that of taxi driver, Bhomeshwar Sukhdeo was found at the Mocha- Arcadia Access Road. It is believed that he was shot in the head and set alight, after which his body was dumped.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

More skilled workers needed for Guyana’s development

By Rabindra Rooplall

THE Government Technical Institute (GTI) gained an overall 75 per cent pass rate at the Guyana Technical Education Examination, with about 359 students writing this national examination.

This was disclosed yesterday at GTI’s Annual Graduation and Prize Giving ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre.

The Mechanical Department emerged as the Most Outstanding Department in the academic year 2014/2015, with an overall pass rate of 93 per cent.

However, the valedictorian for 2015, Kevin Corrid, pursued studies in the Science Department and read for a Diploma in Science, gaining a pass with distinction.

Meanwhile, giving the charge to the graduands, business magnate and Gafsons Industries Limited Chief Executive Officer, Sattaur Gafoor said because of hard work the students who first entered the institute’s door two years ago now have a profession which enables them to earn a livelihood.

“Today marks an historical day in the annals of the Guyana Technical Institute.

For the first time almost 500 graduands will be given certificates, confirming they have been certified in competence in the various fields in which they have studied,” Mr Gafoor said.

“You have earned your certificate and you have brought joyful happiness not only to your educators but also to your parents, to your families and to your friends.

A section of the GTI graduating batch of students who received certification Business magnate and Gafsons Industries Limited Chief Executive Officer Sattaur Gafoor

Congratulations to you all.”

PROVE TO YOUR EMPLOYER He pointed out that the certificates they have received would tell the potential employer that the applicants have theoretical and some amount of practical experience.

Over 100 Lindeners benefiting from short-term employment

By Vanessa Braithwaite OVER 100 desperate faces flocked Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian as he attempted to organise a clean-up campaign on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway early Sunday morning.

The campaign slated to be completed in five days, will see a thorough tidying of the 65-Mile Road that links Region 4 to Region 10.

The highway which serves as a passage of commute for persons between the two towns and several villages and Amerindian settlements is located on both sides.

Not only does the campaign aim to clean up this long span of road so as to make it safer, brighter and to beautify the landscape, but to create employment for those who are in dire need of financial assistance as the year comes to an end.

“We are looking to open opportunities for persons who are unemployed to have some income to assist them

with Christmas preparations and so we have created several short-term employments such as this,” Morian said.

Those being in the employ of the campaign will be remunerated $40, 000 upon completion of the work.

Hundreds of Lindeners who need the opportunity displayed immense appreciation and interest by flocking the Regional Office daily to secure their names on the list.

The Regional Chairman was surrounded by additional persons whose names were not enlisted but were willing to be placed on standby for those who did not show up on time.

“This is just to show how bad people want jobs in this place as they would settle for any job” concluded an organiser amidst the confusion.

Persons were placed into groups and were assigned a group leader who would supervise their work. The beneficiaries of the campaign also include bus drivers who

were hired to transport the workers to their assigned territory. Persons were asked to be equipped with the necessary tools as a requirement for the job and they did so. Many were armed with cutlasses, weeders, slashers and saws.

The Regional Chairman, along with other stakeholders, is currently in discussions with several investors on setting up industries and companies in Linden and Region 10.

It is hoped that these discussions will materialise and the 70 per cent employment rate in Linden will be decreased significantly. In the interim, the Regional Chairman is using his office to create small employment opportunities in the region.

Apart from this clean-up campaign, the re-launch of the DNI clean-up programme has seen over 200 persons in its employ. Both men and women are benefiting from these initiatives.

Remanded for abusing Gilhuys Twenty-year-old destitute woman Tamika Kennedy was yesterday remanded by City Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court when she appeared to answer to three count of breach of the peace. It is alleged that she abused former Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys.

The charges that were read to her stated that on December 1, 2015 at Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, she used abusive language towards Gilhuys and also threatened him.

Following those charges, she behaved disorderly at the Brickdam Police Station.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges and she was remanded until the December 17.

“Do not feel that because you do not have a university degree that you are disadvantaged. On the contrary, based on my own experience, skilled people earn more than those who have studied at university for over four years and leave with a BSc degree in Sociology. Seldom can they find a suitable job to pay as much as you will earn” - Sattaur Gafoor “The bottom line, you now have to prove to your employer that you have the competence and the acumen in the actual job situations and that you will contribute to the profits of his organisation.”

And noting that Guyana is in the throes of development, Gafoor said development needs the human resource as a factor to propel the various advancements in all sectors.

“It is almost certain that the government will pursue the hydro-electricity project – the Norwegians are pushing the government to have this in place…. Solar power is the way for the future as computerisation was two decades ago. This is yet an untapped source for employment…. Exxon is moving forward with its exploration for oil and natural gas resources… and once the price of gold returns to its former glory we will see a plethora of activities.”

He emphasised that all of these industries will need welders, electricians, electrical engineers and mechanics among others.

“If we put together all of our qualified people to provide for all the skills required, only for these areas, I doubt whether we will be able to fill 50 per cent of the required vacancies.”

Guyana needs skilled workers, the business magnate said, so people need to put their hands and their backs to keep the wheels of industries grinding.

“No country with vast natural resources as ours can develop without technical skills. Yes, we do need accountants, yes we do need managers but the real people

to develop any country are those with the skills. You are the ones who will provide employment to the accountants, the managers,” Gafoor declared.

“Do not feel that because you do not have a university degree that you are disadvantaged. On the contrary, based on my own experience, skilled people earn more than those who have studied at university for over four years and leave with a BSc degree in Sociology. Seldom can they find a suitable job to pay as much as you will earn.”

He advised the students to plan their careers and get help while having a vision of what they want to achieve over the next five years and what is to be achieved year by year.

“From time to time challenges will be faced but remain steadfast and never lose sight of your ultimate goal.

These challenges will help you build determination,” Mr Gafoor said.

HAVE A VISION The eminent businessman said knowledge and dedication will aid one’s vision, and one of the greatest men who walked the earth during our lifetime never lost sight of his vision. Even in prison enduring humiliation and great hardships, he continued his law studies and wrote exams.

That person was the late Nelson Mandela who said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. He changed apartheid in South Africa through education and humility.

“Congratulations on your graduation, you have a great future, have a vision, strive for its attainment, never lose

sight, never compromise and let humility, integrity and perseverance be your guiding star,” Gafoor advised the 2015 graduating class.

Meanwhile, GTI is celebrating its 64th year of existence and is continuing in its dedicated service of helping the youth achieve professional success though personalised career support with specific educational programmes in technical and vocational education and training.

HISTORY The GTI began operations in May of 1951 in temporary accommodation in the Queen’s College compound. By July of the said year it was removed to its present location. The original purpose of the institution was to provide training in craft skills but by July 1956, technician level courses were introduced and by September 1961, diploma level programmes were included, bringing the total number of courses offered to 38.

Courses are conducted on full-time, day-release and evening bases.

In addition, in September 2012, the institute commenced skills training in Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) in 10 areas – masonry, plumbing, furniture making, motor vehicle repairs, metal work engineering, metal welding engineering, data operations, and general office administration.

In 2014, motor vehicle engine systems, motor vehicle chassis systems, and light metal fabrication were added to the list of programmes offered. The academic year 2015/2015 also saw the offering of Level 2 competencies in electrical installation, welding, data operations and masonry. These participants can be trained in an occupation and be certified by the national body (TVET) and regional body (CANTA) and obtain employment throughout the Caribbean and further afield.

For the academic year 2014/2015, the total enrolment of students was 1,763.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Murder accused admits lashing ‘defenseless’ man

THE STATE yesterday closed its case in the High Court murder trial against the accused Patrick Anthony Balgobin before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow.

The charge is that he allegedly murdered 72-yearold poultry farmer Rudolph Moonsammy between June 7, 2010 and June 10, 2010 at St Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo.

In his defence, Patrick Anthony Balgobin elected to give an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s dock and told the court that on June 7, 2010, he was at work and at about 15:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs, he left to go to a nearby shop to purchase a “sweet drink.”

He added that he later left the shop and returned home and had a chat with his wife after which he went to bed.

Balgobin explained that he retired to bed early because he had to wake up during the night and tend to his chickens.

He told the court that he woke up the next morning and two policemen greeted him and he was told that he was wanted for questioning at the Parika Police Station.

He was arrested and placed in the lockups.

Balgobin added that he was later taken out of the lockups and asked whether he knew anything about Moonsammy and he said no.

The accused stated that he was placed back in the holding area and once again taken out and a policeman put him to sit in front of a desk; he took out a pen and paper and began writing.

Balgobin said he was asked if he could read and he said ‘no’, but told the police he could sign his name. He was placed in the lockups and on June 11, 2010, he was passed through court and was remanded to prison for murder.

‘RUSH JUDGMENT’ The Defence Counsel Maxwell McKay in his closing statement lead a case of ‘rush judgment’ on the part of the police and an eyewitness, a neighbour citing circumstantial evidence.

During his address to the 12-member jury yesterday, McKay narrated a scene painting a picture of innocence on the part of the accused and stating that he was not the person who killed Moonsammy. He asked the jury to look at the logic of the evidence presented in court.

Meanwhile, State Prosecutor Diana Kaulesar in her closing address to the jury said the State had proven its case against Balgobin –who killed Moonsammy who died three days after he received injuries inflicted by the accused.

She explained that during the unsworn statement by the accused, he never once said he did not kill Moonsammy, because he did not have the guts to say it knowing that he had committed the act of murder.

Kaulesar told the court that the state led a case of direct and circumstantial evidence which must be considered after the testimonies of Turn to page 20 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

The chase that ended in death

MAGISTRATE Judy Latchman is expected to make a ruling today in the matter against a bus driver who is accused of causing the death of a suspected thief, whom he allegedly struck off a motorcycle during a chase.

Mahendra Moonsammy, 29, of Barr Street, Kitty is accused of driving a vehicle dangerously and hitting Devon Forde’s motorcycle on January 15, 2015, in Kitty.

Forde was hospitalised and succumbed four days later. The bus driver was granted $125,000 bail by former Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Moonsammy was informed of his judgment day, when the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Both the prosecution and Moonsammy’s lawyer, Mr Mandan Kissoon made their closing submissions. As such the matter was adjourned so that Magistrate Latchman could hand down her decision.

On January 15, 2015 at Barr Street, Kitty around 04:30hrs, Moonsammy was at home when he heard an alarm go off. He made checks outside and saw a man next to his vehicle.

Upon seeing the defendant, the man jumped onto his motorcycle and sped away. The accused gave chase with his

minibus which eventually collided with the motorcycle.

Forde was knocked off the motorcycle and suffered injuries which led to him being taken to the hospital. He died while receiving medical treatment.

On September 5, last, Forde along with two others were granted $100,000 bail.

The men were accused of hijacking a businessman’s car at Cross Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown, on August 31, last.

According to information received, the trio had reportedly trailed Ramanand Jagdeo from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, and caught up with him on Cross Street, near Guytrac, where he had stopped to talk to a friend.

They then approached Jagdeo and pulled him out of his car which had more than $1.2 million in goods and $300,000 in cash. A day after the robbery, police arrested Forde and his alleged accomplices and the vehicle was recovered in Sunflower Avenue, South Ruimveldt.

The hijackers were positively identified by police officers who had viewed a business entity’s surveillance camera which recorded how Jagdeo was pulled out of the vehicle before escaping.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Social media to push discussion on arts, culture

By Alva Solomon SOCIAL media may be utilised soon as a method to kick-start a national discussion on the development of arts and culture in Guyana and long-awaited copyright laws may be on the horizon as the discussion on the development of a national cultural policy continues.

During a consultation workshop at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre yesterday to continue the discussion on the policy, music producer Birchmore Simon suggested the use of the Internet to assist in the discussions. His suggestion won the approval of Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, who was involved in the deliberations.

“Let us do something on the Internet”, Simon said, adding that questions, suggestions and comments can be publicised using social media to gather information from those involved in the creative industry, as well as John Public to decipher the perceptions and thoughts of all.

He said that a database can assist in development of the policy. ”It’s a cheap, effective way and as broad a base as you can get,” he said.

The Education Minister fully supported the idea, noting that it was one which should be taken into account as soon as possible.

The lack of copyright laws was also tied into the discussions yesterday. The issue was one which has affected the music and film industries among other art groups for years and many persons within the country have been calling on the authorities to implement stringent copyright laws to protect their creative pieces from the hands of pirates.

Dr Roopnaraine noted that the issue of copyright protection was one which will be discussed before the relevant legislation is crafted.

DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEGUN He said that the discussions have begun on this subject and at the end of the process, “we do need to ensure we can get the necessary protection for artists and cultural workers to have necessary legislative framework to enable them to benefit from their own work and their own creativity and production”.

Simon told the gathering that the Kross Kolor studios recently launched a Christmas album and some 800 copies of the CDs had been sold. “This was done in an

environment of piracy,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ruel Johnson, Cultural Policy Adviser within the Education Ministry noted yesterday that there are several areas which have to be examined as the cultural policy takes shape.

He said that the overall timeline for the policy to be fully operational is within the vicinity of 10 years, but there was a two-year plan to have concrete developments of aspects of the process. He said in the short-term, which he posits to be in the next six months ahead, the plans and processes should become more stable. During the discussions, Johnson asked how the stakeholders could balance the indifference which exists, where there is a culture of conservation in the interior regions, while there is a culture of consumption on the coastland. He said that it is this balance which needed to be examined and actively pursued.

Subraj Singh, a recent awardee of the Guyana Prize for Literature, stated that while there are periodic goals, mechanisms needed to be installed to foster and develop the sector in the short-term.

He said that persons in the industry may want to see initial movements in the direction of development of the relevant processes.

During yesterdays’ discussions, the economic benefits of the arts and culture were also brought to the fore.

Barbados–born Denis Ward noted that many products which can be branded “Guyanese” would suffer on the international market because of the absence of copyright protection. He said he has been following the cultural industry for years and as far back as 1994, there were commitments made by the government of the day to have certain aspects of legislation streamlined by the year 2000.

Ward said that his concern lies along the lines of the economic benefits of the cultural industry for the individual who invests his/ her time into the arts. He said the issue needed to be examined to ensure the man/ woman investing in the industry reaps the benefits of his/her energies.

PROMISE Dr Roopnaraine, who has been supporting the development of creative arts for some time, was adamant that the legislation will be actively pursued.

“At the end of it I hope that we can have a set of pro-

Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and other stakeholders listen in as Cultural Policy Adviser Ruel Johnson makes a point

posals to take to Parliament to enact the necessary legislation,” Dr Roopnaraine noted.

The Education Minister expressed hope that proposals can be made to the Ministry

of Finance.

“I think that we need to invest in the cultural

industries if we want to see the kind of progress that we want.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

Chase’s Retirement Home residents cry for help AFTER decades of providing domicile for women in their twilight years, Chase’s Retirement Home, formerly known as Chase’s Indigent Home, located on Robb Street, Bourda, is about to close its doors, and the word is that the building has been sold and is soon to be demolished.

Such information has put the residents at their wits end, and from eight persons on record as at mid-March of this year, the numbers have dwindled, with a good many seeking alternative accommodation.

This is compounded by the poor and insanitary conditions at the facility, which is in a virtual state of disrepair.

And so today, there are only two remaining.

Those already having left include the former matron of the home, a spunky 92-yearold, Ms Beryl Austin, who is now accommodated at another private senior citizens home.

The residents say that about two weeks ago they received a visit from someone who claimed to be an official of the Mayor and City Council (MCC), saying that the M&CC had recommended that the building be

torn down; hence, they would have to vacate the premises.

The women, who are largely around 78 to 92 years, and all provided quality service at various institutions during their active years, would have been living there or at other senior citizens’ homes for more than a decade. Pathetically, they are now finding it difficult to find accommodation they can afford, or guaranteeing them the privacy, peace and quietude so much needed in their lives at this time.

Ever since then, the two women have been on a desperate search for a resolution to their plight. They have checked out several senior citizens homes, but with their only guaranteed income being their pensions, they are nowhere even close to being able to meet the financial requirements.

The rentals are between $30,000 to $35,000 which will cover accommodation, meals and electricity.

However, a deposit of $32,000 has to be made to cater for eventual illness, while others still are reported to be requesting the down payment to the approximate cost of burial, in the event they should die while at the

facility.

These demands associated with house-hunting, continue to take a great toll on the women – Avril Gordon, 78, and Ann Vieira, 80, who over time, have begun to show visible signs of grief.

duce others to the handy work she did when she was blessed with perfect vision.

A member of the Jehovah Witnesses body, she says she still tries with great faith to be able to read her Bible and Daily Text, but admits, “The eyes getting weaker.”

FEARFUL Avril has gone from an able-bodied, witty and even fashionable personalFOND MEMORIES ity to a pensive and introVieira, who hails verted woman who seldom from Aruka,a riverine utters a word, but fearful area in the North-West of what is soon to come, District, has fond memis hoping and praying that Ann Vieira displays a piece of her ories of growing up at God will make a way for that location, then later, cherished handicraft them. moving with her parents taken a turn. A few years Meanwhile, Ann, until Martina and Frederick recently, always had a ready ago she developed cataract Mc Lennon and siblings, to smile, and always had a sto- and had surgery. Over time Morawhanna, where she had ry to tell about her youthful she continued to have vision her schooling. Morawhanna, days; the times she spent tests, only to be told one day an estuary outside the Atlanworking with the Guyana by the ophthalmologist that tic, was the gateway to the Pharmaceutical Corpora- she has glaucoma coming North West District. tion (GPH) and GuySuCo out from behind the cataract.

She has had much expoat Matthew’s Ridge before That condition has left her sure to plants such as sugar retiring. She tells of setting severely visually impaired. cane, the various types of Throughout her days, pineapples and pasture grass, up a thriving cottage industry producing pineapple chunks; never a dull moment or wast- such as lakunta, pangola and pineapple syrup; pastries and ed time, Vieira, when not elephant grass. She knows other finger foods and the catering or preparing pastries the art of making cassava good relationships she forged for sale, was engaged in nee- bread and other by-products, with customers while liv- dle work – doing smocking and delights in telling stories ing for 18 years in Forshaw and the like. To date she has of catching crab on the banks samples which she cherishes of the Morawhanna River.

Street, Queenstown.

But with age, things have and keeps to remind or intro- But what she found disgust-

ing about the crabs was that once they enter the farm, they would eat and destroy the crops of corn of whatever was within their reach.

She and each of her siblings had their own stocks which they attended to: “We each had our own pigs, fowls, ducks and we found such pride and joy taking care of them,” she now recalls.

Such memories, Vieira says, serve to rejuvenate and give her a sense of having had a good life. She was married to Bertie Vieira who passed away about 30 years ago. They have five children, two of whom are deceased.

The three alive have their own families, but keep contact with her and help her financially and otherwise.

“But they have their families and space is the problem, especially since I have my own basic home furnishings,” she lamented. Vieira says her one desire is to be able to find a home into which she could settle before her sight deteriorates further, and where she would not have to be a bother to anyone.

“But I guess it cannot happen in a day, but I need to get out of here in less than a week,” she sighed with resignation.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

NDIA engineers rescue flamingo TWO engineers attached to the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) on Wednesday rescued a stranded flamingo from the Essequibo River.

According to reports, the engineers were conducting routine field visits in West ern Hogg Island and noticed an object in the river between

Hogg Island and Liberty Island.

Upon investigation, they discovered that it was a flamingo. They then carefully retrieved the animal since it appeared to be unable to fly due to heavy rainfall in the area at the time.

“We noticed something in the water and decided to

turn back and found out that it was a flamingo so we decided to save it because it was unable to fly because of the weather,” Engineer Rudolph Persaud explained.

Another engineer that was a part of the team that rescued the animal recalled embracing the bird as they brought it onto the boat.

The team saw it best to donate the bird to the Guyana Zoological Park so that it can be cared for and seen by the Guyanese public. The management of the park applauded the NDIA engineers for the rescue and safe delivery of the animal and noted that this was the first time they would have one of these birds

in their care since the Zoo was opened in 1952.

The animal is currently being housed at the zoo and facilities are currently being prepared to safely house the bird. The engineers also plan on having follow-up visits to check up on the animal’s housing condition and care in the future.

15 The rescued flamingo

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

‘Know Your Consumer Rights’ campaign launched

By Svetlana Marshall

THE Consumer Affairs Division (CAD) yesterday launched its ‘Know Your Consumer Rights’ campaign aimed at equipping the populace with the requisite knowledge needed to make good purchasing decisions in keeping with the Consumer Affairs Act 2011.

The campaign is based on the eight inalienable rights of every Guyanese consumer which include the Right to Choose, the Right to Safety and the Right to receive redress for grievances over

consumer products.

The launching took place at the Tourism Ministry, Colgrain House, in the presence of Tourism Minister Catherine Hughes, Director General of the Tourism Ministry Donald Sinclair, CAD Director Muriel Tinnis and Education Officer Kushana Archer.

Minister Hughes, while delivering the feature address, made it clear that the ‘Know Your Consumer Rights’ campaign is not anti-vendor or anti-business, but said the Consumer Affairs Division cannot turn a blind eye to the difficulties

consumers often experience with regard to the poor quality of goods and services available on the market.

Complaints have ranged from faulty household appliances to substandard technological devices, industrial machinery and even clothing. This continuing trend, the Tourism Minister said, is a hint of disrespect and a laissez-faire attitude that seems to be creeping into the commercial sector.

“We have to nip this in the bud,” she emphasised.

“This campaign is more about sensitising the public

From left to right: Tourism Minister Catherine Hughes, CAD Director Muriel Tinnis and Education Officer Kushana Archer at the launch of ‘‘Know Your Consumer Rights” campaign yesterday

to the rights that they have in any buyer-seller scenario.

It offers a set of advisories and know-how tools. It is

meant to build consumers’ confidence to accept and pay for only services and products that they are satis-

fied with,” Minister Hughes further explained, noting that it encourages businesses Turn to page 17 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 4, 2015

‘Know Your Consumer Rights’... to provide consumers with quality products.

CONSUMER SENSITIVE “Everyone wins when we cultivate a consumer sensitive business environment because the spinoff effects would benefit the entire Guyanese economy.”

During the campaign, consumers will be educated on the two levels of protection they are entitled to under the law – protection provided by the Consumer Affairs Division and protection by

the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC).

LEGAL JUSTICE It was explained that both regulatory bodies assist consumers in seeking redress if they encounter difficulties during and or after sale. Unlike the Consumer Affairs Division, CCAC is empowered to pursue legal justice for aggrieved consumers.

For 2014, the Consumer Affairs Division received 32 complaints from consumers, many of whom would have

purchased appliances online.

Of the 32, 24 of the cases have been closed, while CCAC on the other hand recently concluded a $4 million case in which a dealer had sold a defective vehicle to an individual. Through the intervention of the CCAC, the customer was able to retrieve a great percentage of the $4 million paid for the vehicle.

CONSUMER-RELATED AGENCIES “The Consumer Affairs Division in collaboration with our support consum-

From page 16

er-related agencies such as the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department, CCAC, the Public Utilities and NGOs like the Guyana Consumers’ Association has been developing a coherent strategy and focal point for consumer education. The beneficiaries will be consumers and enterprises across the globe,” the CAD Director said.

Tinnis said research has shown that many consumers in Guyana do not have basic knowledge about their rights

as consumers, hence, the launch of the campaign.

“They are often unwilling to seek more information when dealing with critical purchasing decisions and very few make an effort to shop around for the quality and goods they need,” she added.

Therefore, the Education Officer said, the campaign seeks to increase consumers’ awareness and understanding of their inalienable rights.

She said that in turn it would lead to greater con-

fidence and more effective markets.

The campaign, Archer explained, will be executed using all forms of the media including social media and will target everyone from low-end to the high-end consumers.

“The target audience for this campaign is consumers from low to medium socio-economic areas since they are traditionally less likely to know and exercise their rights than those from the higher socio-economic brackets.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

QC student receives top award at CXC confab CECIL Cox, the Queen’s College student who became the first Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) regional top awardee to win a regional top award at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) was honoured yesterday.

It happened at the annual governance meeting of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) in Belize.

Belize is the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) only participating country in Central America.

The CXC governance

meetings are held annually in one of the CXC participating Countries. Belize last hosted a CXC governance meeting in 1993.

The council meeting opened with a formal ceremony at the Best Western Hotel, Belize City.

During the opening ceremony, nine CAPE awardees and eight CSEC awardees from Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were presented with the regional top awards.

Belize’s Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture

Patrick Faber delivered the feature address at the ceremony, which was also addressed by CXC Chairman, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and CXC Registrar Mr Glenroy Cumberbatch.

Brandon Judnarine, the Most Outstanding Candidate Overall in the May/June CSEC examinations spoke on behalf of the awardees.

Cox, who won the regional top award for outstanding performance in science at CSEC in 2013, was awarded the winner of the 2015 Dennis Irvine Award, the symbol of academic

Cecil Cox

excellence at CAPE. He achieved Grade I in 13 CAPE Units: Applied Mathe-

matics Units 1 and 2, Caribbean Studies, Chemistry Units 1 and 2, Communication Studies, Computer Science Unit 1, Digital Media Units 1 and 2, Physics Units 1 and 2 and Pure Mathematics Unit 1 and 2, and Grade II in Computer Science Unit 2.

The awardees paid a courtesy call on Sir Colville Young, Governor-General of Belize; Dean Barrow, Prime Minister; Mr Faber; and Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca.

The awardees also visited historical sites in Belize, in-

cluding Xunantunich Maya Archaeological Site, and the Old Belize Museum; and interacted with students from schools in Belize.

These activities gave the awardees an opportunity to interact with students from the host country and gain a better understanding of Belizean history and culture.

One of the objectives of the regional top awards programme is to promote regional integration and build life-long relationships among the awardees and students in the host country.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Governments need to take action to end modern slavery -- ILO Director-General

D I R E C TO R - G E N E R AL of the International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, has called on governments to ratify the ILO’s Forced Labour Protocol to make a real change in the lives of the 21 million people worldwide who are trapped in modern slavery.

Slavery is a fundamental abuse of human rights and a major obstacle to social justice, and it’s an affront to humanity and it has no place in the 21st century, the ILO Director said in a statement to mark International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on December 2.

He said 21 million women, men and children are still trapped in forced labour all over the world, generating US$150 billion in illicit profits for those who exploit them.

“There should be no need for the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery to exist. However, each day, men, women and children are tricked

ILO DirectorGeneral Guy Ryder or coerced into abhorrent situations including bonded labour, prostitution and exploitative domestic work,” Ryder said.

FALLING FAR SHORT Emphasising that global commitment to combating modern slavery has increased but current responses still fall far short of addressing the entirety of the challenge or its root causes, Ryder said ending

See Page 23

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

Flexible arrangement for approved U.S. visas

THE Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown on Thursday announced via its Facebook page that as of December 7, all approved visa applicants will no longer return to the embassy to uplift their approved visas.

The service is being provided by DHL located at 50 E Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown.

The announcement is a notable change to the non-immigrant visa process.

“Applicants will be able to pick-up their passports Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm,” the advisory said.

The introduction of the “offsite Document Return Service is new to Guyana” but has been implemented at U.S. Embassies worldwide as part of the Global Support Strategy for Visa Services.

“Visa applicants will benefit from the flexibility the service offers by being able to uplift documents at days and times that are convenient to them,” the local U.S. Embassy said.

Murder accused admits lashing ...

From Page 11 both police and civilian witnesses which were more than credible.

She said a neighbour testified that he had heard noises coming from Moonsammy’s house, after which he saw Moonsammy walking hurriedly from his residence with Balgobin in stride with him.

He noted that the witness (Nandram) saw Balgobin with a piece of wood and a cutlass in his hand and he first dealt Moonsammy several blows to his head with a piece of greenheart, after which Moonsammy tried to block with his hands. Kaulesar said the incident lasted about three to five minutes and it was only after Balgobin’s wife told him not to ‘chop the old man again’ he turned and left.

SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE She told the court that sufficient evidence was presented in the case and it must be acted upon because it was Balgobin who inflicted those injuries on Moonsammy which led to his demise.

Kaulesar said on June 7, 2010, a report was made to the police and the next day the accused was arrested and told the police: “Sir, Moonsammy lashed me first then I lashed him three times.”

The State Prosecutor told the court that Moonsammy died on June 10, 2010 and the next day a post-mortem was performed, and in June 12, 2010, he was cremated.

She said the deceased was 73 years old, a defenceless old man who was struck repeatedly to the head by his young attacker who was significantly armed – an act which was deliberate and calculated.

Kaulesar told the court that Balgobin committed a grave offence for which he must be held accountable.

At the commencement of the case yesterday an amendment was made to the date from June 7, 2010 to state from June 7, 2010 to June 10, 2010, the application was granted since the date of the death is unknown.

A post- mortem performed by Pathologist Dr Vivikanand Brijmohan gave the cause of death as (a) shock and haemorrhage due to lacerations to the brain and (b) fractured skull.

There were five witnesses who testified under oath in this case. The charge was re-read to the accused which states that between June 7, 2010 to June 10, 2010, he allegedly murdered Rudolph Moonsammy.

The accused Patrick Anthony Balgobin has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is being represented by Attorney-at-law Maxwell McKay. The State is represented by Diana Kaulesar and Tuanna Hardy. During the opening address, Tuanna Hardy told the court that the accused allegedly murdered his employer during a quarrel, they lived in the same yard and he followed Moonsammy to a dam.

There he dealt Moonsammy several blows to the body with a piece of wood and after the wood broke he chopped the man with a cutlass.

Moonsammy, although mortally wounded, managed to crawl into his house after which he was discovered by a neighbour.

Moonsammy died three days later from extensive injuries to the head.

A verdict in this murder trial is expected on Monday morning.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

GCSM seeks to help Cuba’s overdue development IN recognition of the release of the last three members of the Cuban Five on December 17, 2014 and the new era of relations between Washington and Havana, the Guyana-Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) will be joining the International Committees to redouble their efforts to change American policy to allow Cubans to choose their own economic and political destiny.

This is according to President of the GCSM, Haleem Khan who said, “The International Committee is organising a Tuitazo! A tuitazo (pronounced “Twee-ta-zoe”) is an ongoing series of mass tweets around an event or issue. We’ll be using the hashtag #D17CubaVa for our tuitazo, which will begin with tweets on December 4 to mark the day Gerardo Hernandez was moved from the maximum security prison at Victorville, California, to a prisoner transfer centre in Oklahoma, the first small step in his journey home to Havana.”

Khan explained that on the days leading up to the release of the last three members of

the Cuban Five (Gerardo, Ramon and Tony), tweets will be sent out to mark key moments in the progress of that journey, as well as their arrival in Havana and the national celebrations that followed.

Each tweet will link back to more information -- text, images, videos -- about the event and its context.

He explained that some of the tweeted issues will be that “On December 16, for example, one day before Antonio, Ramon and Gerardo landed in Havana, the United States government fined the German Commerzbank $1 billion simply for doing business with Cuba in violation of its blockade.”

On December 24, one week after their return and the

Top brass of Transparency Institute resign

THE Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI) has announced the resignations of President Calvin Bernard and First Vice President Ayana McCalman effective as of December 1, 2015.

Bernard and McCalman had served in the capacity of the respective positions following their appointments at TIGI’s June 8 Annual General Meeting this year.

They have both been long-standing members of the organisation and continue to be part of the general membership, the organisation said in a release.

Bernard, TIGI said has served on the board since July 2013.

“As a Director he has contributed significantly to the general work of the organisation and on the natural resource and environment sectors. He served as TIGI’s point person on the EU-FLEGT negotiations process and the EITI. As President, Bernard contributed meaningfully to promoting the vision of TIGI and has well represented the organisation on issues of governance and transparency.”

According to TIGI, Bernard took a decision to resign from the TIGI Board prematurely to attend to personal health issues and to give attention to the recovery process at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, following the fire of Tuesday 24 November 2015.

That fire destroyed institutional as well as personal resources, and as Dean of the affected Faculty, Bernard now faces the challenge of leading the recovery process while attempting personal recovery having lost his own teaching and research materials. He has nonetheless committed to continue to provide support to the work of the Institute.

This was McCalman’s second appointment to the TIGI Board, having served a previous term. She had been responsible for TIGI’s current strategic planning process, but has had to leave the board to attend to personal health matters.

TIGI now comes under the stewardship of Reverend Compton Meerabux, appointed President, and Mr Christopher Ram, appointed First Vice President.

“TIGI thanks Mr Bernard and Ms McCalman for their contributions to the organisation through their tireless work while on its Board and wishes them well in the future,” the release stated.

Obama promise of a new era of relations between Washington and Havana, the U.S. State Department announced it would spend another US$11 million on regime-change programmes aimed at Cuba.

“And on December 17, 2014, the last three members of the ‘Cuban Five’ returned home to their country and to their families after 16 long years in American prisons.

HIGH HOPE Their triumphant, historic homecoming was coupled with the hope that the United States would finally normalise

relations with Cuba after more than 50 years of hostility. That hope has not been realised.

“However the two countries re-opened their respective embassies in 2015 and the U.S. State Department ended its designation of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

However, the GCSM President noted that the 54-yearold U.S. blockade of Cuba not only remains in place, but the United States government has also continued to vote against United Nations resolutions calling for its end.

And the United States continues to refuse to return the

Guantanamo Bay naval base to its rightful owners, or halt regime-change programmes intended to overthrow Cuba’s legitimate government.

The Cuban Five, also known as the Miami Five (Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, and René González) are five Cuban intelligence officers who were arrested in September 1998 and later convicted in Miami of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities in the United

States.

René González was put on parole for three years starting 2011. He was allowed to return to Cuba for his father’s funeral on April 22, 2013. Fernando González was released on February 27, 2014.

He returned to Cuba and campaigned for the release of the remaining three. In December 2014, the last three prisoners were released as part of a prisoner swap for an unnamed American intelligence agent held by Cuba.

American Alan Phillip Gross was released by Cuba at the same time.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE FRIDAY DECEMBER 4, 2015

FRIDAY DECEMBER 4, 2015

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday December 4, 2015

ECLAC decries femicides in Latin America, Caribbean

AT least 1,678 women were killed for gender reasons in 2014 in 14 Latin American and three Caribbean countries, according to official data compiled by ECLAC’s Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We cannot allow Latin American and Caribbean women to keep dying due to the mere fact that they are women,” the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, said on Tuesday on the eve of the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Bárcena called on the Region’s countries to improve their administrative records to find out the real number of femicides and to foster adequately funded programmes for prevention and victim reparation.

Femicide or feminicide is the most dramatic expression of violence against women, which must be faced comprehensively by States, taking into account the factors of economic, social and cultural inequality that play out in society and in the power relations between men and women, ECLAC states.

Currently, 20 Latin American and Caribbe-

ECLAC bathed in orange the façade of its headquarters in Santiago, Chile, to raise awareness about femicides in Latin America and the Caribbean

an countries have laws on violence against women, although only eight of them allocate specific resources in their national budgets, which is to say, 40 per cent.

In addition, 14 of the Region’s countries have penalised the crime of femicide (Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru), while Argentina and Venezuela have introduced the concept of aggravated murder for gender reasons into their legislation.

ECLAC also draws attention to the abuse perpetrated in the streets and in city transportation systems, which constitutes “one of the most minimised and naturalised forms of violence against women”.

Peru was the first coun-

try to promulgate, in March 2015, a law to prevent and sanction sexual harassment in public spaces, while Argentina, Chile and Paraguay are in the process of implementing legislation on street harassment.

Similarly, the United Nations regional organisation warns about political harassment, “which infringes upon the achievement of gender equality, the autonomy of women and the quality of democracy”.

For female candidates seeking popularly elected positions, ECLAC says that some manifestations of political harassment include being assigned to districts that will clearly be lost, a lack of material or human support, and threats and aggression during the campaign period.

In the case of elected women, the harassment may

Governments need to take action ...

From Page 19

modern slavery requires strong legislation, strict implementation, joint commitment of countries and social partners, along with effective support systems for the victims.

He added that effective measures on prevention, protection and access to justice are exactly what the ILO Forced Labour Protocol adopted by its conference last year addressed.

“It’s now time for governments, who overwhelmingly voted for the protocol, to take on their responsibilities by its ratification and application… African countries have led the way, with Niger being the first to ratify and countries of the Southern Af-

rican Development Community all calling for immediate ratification,” he noted Following the second ratification by Norway in November, the protocol will enter into force in one year’s time. If fully implemented, the protocol’s provisions on remedies and compensation will not only provide justice to the many victims of forced labour - through damages and unpaid wages won back from perpetrators, it will also make it less profitable to use forced labour and help to combat unfair competition.

NON-NEGOTIABLE He continued: “Today we reflect on what we can do better together to achieve our common goal of elimi-

nating modern slavery. We launched the 50 for freedom campaign as a first step, targeting 50 ratifications of the protocol by 2018. If we want to achieve social justice we simply have to eliminate forced labour. This is not negotiable.”

One of the targets of SDG Goal 8 on promoting Decent Work and inclusive and sustainable growth calls for “immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking”.

“To make a real change in the lives of the 21 million men, women and children in forced labour - let’s not just be angry at slavery, let’s make change happen,” the ILO Director urged.

entail their appointment to commissions or areas with little or no budget, discriminatory treatment by news media, greater demand for accountability compared with their peers, and intimidation, threats and physical and/or sexual

violence against them or their families.

To date, Bolivia is the only country in the Region that has approved a law against harassment and political violence against women (2012). Another four countries are in the process of debating similar laws:

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Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.

Kicking off the 16 days of activism launched by the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign, ECLAC bathed in orange the façade of its headquarters in Santiago, Chile, to raise awareness in society about this scourge that jeopardises women’s human rights and country development. “Paint YOUR World Orange – LEAVE YOUR MARK” is the UN invitation through December 10.

Confronting violence against women is one of the main subjects that will be addressed at ECLAC’s XIII Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will take place in 2016 in Montevideo.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Miss India Guyana aims to educate the young MISS India Guyana, Lieve Blanckaert, is about to embark on a mission to educate the young in Guyana.

Already set on a path to make a positive difference in their lives, she is keeping in tune with her platform, ‘Educating the Orphanage’, and will, in the near future, conduct a book drive at the Joshua House for orphans under the title, ‘The People Care Book Drive’.

The very talented beauty ambassador is calling on corporate donors and other individuals to make this activity a resounding success by donating books to the cause.

Lieve is presently building a classroom from scratch, remodelling and painting the area where she will teach the young about issues that are important to their growth.

The initiative allows participation of persons from age three to 18, so all are welcome to help Lieve achieve her objective.

Kindly donate to this programme the books you no longer need; they will be used to tutor children in the afternoon programme that will commence in January 2016.

The aim of this book drive is to create a new initiative that promotes literacy and lifelong learning.

Besides the books, some volunteers will help to create an after-school tutoring programme.

Lieve says that “with your help, we can create a better future for these aspiring young children. Thank you in advance for your support!”

The Buzz would like to congratulate Lieve on her excellent performance at the recently held Miss India Worldwide Pageant in Mumbai, India.

Being the youngest contestant, at 17 years old, and having been crowned just two weeks before the international pageant, Lieve did an awesome job for herself and Guyana.

Because of strict time constraints, the evening gown and top 10 segments were eliminated from this pageant, and about ten sub-titles were awarded.

Miss India Guyana, Lieve Blanckaert, won the Miss Beautiful Skin award!

Miss India Guyana, Lieve Blanckaert

Bulletin!!! Bulletin!!! Bulletin!!!

Artiste of the Week...

Errol ‘Ejaay’ James

Keeping the fire burning

ERROL ‘Ejaay’ James, born in Georgetown, Guyana on November 30, 1994, is known for his smooth voice, rigid discipline, and courteous attitude.

He was signed up by his school for the junior calypso competition a few years ago, and he secured the second runner-up spot.

Not long after, he migrated to the Caribbean island of Montserrat, where he spent another three years as a calypsonian, performing mostly in hotels, nightclubs, and for private functions.

He has performed various genres of music, including R&B. A singer as well as a songwriter, ‘Ejaay’ has, to date, recorded six songs of his own, titled ‘Just You and Me’, ‘Last Dance’,

‘Ready to Party’, ‘The One for Me’, and ‘Tonight’. Of course, he has also composed the hit single, ‘With her’, which is chalking up notable successes in the world of entertainment.

He is currently signed to Vizion Sounds Records, and is working on his latest album.

He is soon to release two more singles, titled ‘Better Than You’ and ‘Lies’.

This artiste has inherited his talent from his father’s side of the family. His father, Errol Lambert James, is also a singer/songwriter and drummer.

‘Ejaay’, as he Errol is popularly known, is the eldest of three children.

Look out for the release of his new album, which promises to be exciting.

Fly Jamaica spreads Xmas cheer FLY Jamaica Airways has just made life merrier for folks from the Organising Committee of the 2015 Miss Guyana Universe Pageant.

Last Wednesday at its Ogle, East Coast Demerara office, airline officials, in the spirit of giving back during the Christmas season, presented return tickets to Las Vegas to Miss

Guyana Universe 2015, Shauna Ramdyhan; Artistic Director Dereck Moore; and Committee Member Pat Coates.

While Moore and Coates arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday, the new queen arrived the following day. She and her party are expected to return to Guyana on January 02, 2016.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Lisa Punch among ‘Top 30’ ––at Miss World Talent Showcase

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Lisa Punch delivering a heart-warming performance at the Miss World Talent Showcase

OME-girl Lisa Punch seems to be doing quite well at the activities leading up to the December 19 Miss World Pageant in China.

She recently caused quite a stir in the ‘Talent Showcase’ segment of the pageant when she belted out one of her original songs in her inimitably melodious voice, landing herself in the coveted top 30 position amongst some 116 other beauties from around the globe.

Punch left for China on November 20, 2015, and is expected to participate in a number of activities in the lead-up to ‘pageant night’.

Those activities are: Beauty with a Purpose, Multimedia, Sports, Talent, and Top Model. The various competitions offer each delegate an opportunity to score important points.

Miss World Guyana, as an organization, and its 2015 title holder Lisa Punch, wish to thank the public for their sterling support as the Miss World finals draws closer.

The organisation says it welcomes feedback from the public, and as such, questions or comments about any aspect of the Miss World Guyana Organisation or its titleholder may be directed to its representatives at PS Media Group, or by calling phone number 223-5018.

‘G-Jazz’ festival for Theatre Guild December 11-14 THE International Committee of the Queen’s College of Guyana Alumni Associations (ICQC), in collaboration with Healing Arts Foundation and the Theatre Guild, will host its inaugural jazz festival, dubbed ‘G-JAZZ 2015’, from December 11 to December 14, 2015, in Georgetown, Guyana.

The event will be held at the Garden Theatre (The Theatre Guild) in Kingston, and it will be distinguished from other festivals by its developmental focus.

The festival is meant not only to provide enjoyment, but to project Jazz that is created, performed and inspired

by Guyanese.

This platform has also inspired the compiling of the Guyanese Jazz Songbook.

Guyana has a very strong tradition of Jazz music composition and recording, which, to some extent, is not remembered. Folks at SSignal Productions have been able to identify some early

Jazz music from Guyana, and have compiled it into the present Guyanese Jazz Songbook.

G-Jazz hopes to give new life to the Jazz genre of music by re-interpreting excellent works already published.

The organising body also expects to be able to augment and extend this songbook with entries from new artistes, some of whom will appear at the festival alongside overseas-based Jazz artistes Ruth Osman, Derry Etkins, David McAlmont, Courtney Fadlin and locally-based producers such as Mark Hall and Trevor John of the GT Jazz Project, who will also be hot items at the event.

Heavy emphasis will be placed on youth involvement. Tickets for the event are available at the Queen’s College Centre of Excellence in The Arts; the Joshua House Orphanage; Help and Shelter; Theatre Guild; the University of Guyana; the Lisa Punch Foundation, and the Tina Insanally Foundation.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK...

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ITH the trend still being to stigmatise guys who dare to be fashionable, we could not help but notice the likes of Alain Scott, who, despite all the odds, makes quite an entrance with his fashion trends.

He pays no mind to the fashion hang-ups of others, so negativity certainly does not bother him. No stranger to the world of fashion and ‘showbizz’, this dude continues to turn heads and cause many tongues to wag with his always excellent public attire.

He was kind enough to strut his stuff for The Buzz’s camera in this stunning outfit that certainly gives credit to his outstanding taste in fashion.

You also can rake in a coveted spot on our pages by just remembering to ‘dress to your best’ whenever you step out.

You never know where and when the Buzz’s cameras will be whirring.

Alain Scott

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Talking healthy living with Madame Cleo...

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Sleeping in your makeup

–the new fad

THE beauty sphere has, in recent months, been churning out a slew of products and stories that have touted sleeping in makeup for the sultry, rocker-chic effect that it tends to give.

From products that boast 12, 14, or even 16 hours of wear (Seriously! Who wears their makeup that long!) to tinted products like Dr. Jart+’s BB Night Beauty Balm made specifically for those looking for added coverage in their night-time skin care routine, it appears that sleeping in make-up is now in vogue.

But, contrary to what some will have you believe, the ‘pros’ have confirmed what we suspect you have always known: Sleeping in makeup is bad for your skin!

healing process and cellular turnover.

While sleeping in any kind of makeup can have negative effects on the skin, Dr. Nazarian believes the worst culprits are oil-based foundations and primers, which are “less-breathable and more pore-clogging than other products.” And leftover makeup residue (especially of the oil-based variety) can also “inhibit the absorption of skin-care products by creating a barrier that prevents beneficial ingredients from penetrating the skin’s surface,” says Dr. Gross.

But, every now and then, we all

In fact, according to Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, sleeping in makeup “is one of the biggest mistakes” a woman can make where her skin is concerned. “Doing so can block pores, leaving oil trapped inside,” he said. “This leads to bacteria build-up, breakouts, and enlarged pores -- which are many of the reasons women wear makeup in the first place.”

But it’s not just makeup; environmental factors come into play as well.

“Pollution from each day accumulates on the skin, mixing with makeup, dirt, and oil. This combination of free radicals and environmental stress has been shown to cause premature aging of skin,” says Dr. Nazarian. Plus, since skin renews itself at night, residual makeup and dirt on your skin can interfere with the skin’s natural

slip up and fall face down on our pillow in eyeliner, mascara, and whatever else. When that happens, ‘Madamme Cleo’ suggests that you nip in the bud the effects of last night by effectively removing all traces of your makeup first thing in the morning — and doing a little damage control.

If you’re prone to forgetfulness and find that you regularly fall asleep in your makeup, ‘Madamme Cleo’ recommends opting for lightweight, non-comedogenic products that are less likely to trigger pimples (although an eye irritation or infection is still a risk).

So while that “I’m with the band” sultry-smoky look is certainly desirable, we’d rather achieve it with precise smudging – and without doing more laundry.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

What’s cooking at Kross Kolor’s THE season of shorts, vests, flip flops, fun and frolic is in the air and the Kross Kolor team is getting ready to join in the jamboree.

Throughout the years the record label, known to many as one of the leading music producing houses in Guyana, has been consistent with the out pour of good Guyanese vibes for every season. And this time around will be no different as they are committed to satisfying their fans and playing a pivotal role in keeping the art alive.

Although one of the company’s main aim is to help create a distinguished sound which will be a true representation of our culture, these new productions are said to be that of a new age sound which appeals to a more international market and will take fans on a musical journey into the true potential of our Guyanese producers and artists. Fans can expect this and much more for the remainder of 2015 and beyond.

The company has also recently been collaborating with other producers in the country as we all working with and training young and upcoming artists who will be the new faces of local entertainment. This move plays a part in the plan of the restructuring of the company and their continued efforts to take Guyanese music to the Diaspora.

The ‘Buzz’ Beauty of the Week...

The delightful Rondell Leandra

STILL roving in the Ancient County of Berbice, we bumped into the delightful Rondell Leandra, who beamed with delight when she realised she was the focus of our attention.

But, not wanting to appear naive, she inquired of our portfolio and quite a lot more, and when she was satisfied that we were genuine, she lit up like a sunflower and began parading before the cameras.

Rondell is a cheery lass

who hails from Hopetown, West Coast Berbice. She enjoys reading, travelling, swimming, hiking, and interacting with creative people. Her personal motto is: ‘Women should be cherished forever’. She advises her peers never to settle for second best, and to avoid abusive, unhealthy relationships.

While pageantry is not a ‘must do’ item on her agenda, she said that come next year, she may very well try her hand at Miss Guyana World.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

We owe Linden this victoryMilerock’s Head Coach Joseph TAKING a similar route to that which their rivals Victoria Kings’ took, Milerock’s Head Coach Brian ‘Joe Boy’ Joseph told the media yesterday via telephone that he too is only prepared

Marathon great Radcliffe cleared by IAAF of doping claims

to predict a win, but not the strategies they will employ during Sunday’s final of the GTT / Limacol Round Robin / Knockout League set for the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

Joseph, whose team played its final domestic League game on Wednesday evening, said that all the focus right now is on preparing for Sunday’s matchup against the Kings, adding that they are relishing the opportunity to win for the very first time a competition which involves teams from other associations.

“We have a chance to write our little history should we win on Sunday because we’ve never won a tournament that involved teams from other associations,” Joseph noted.

Quizzed on what strategies they intend to employ against a Kings’ team that should be brimming with confidence after claiming the scalp of one of the better teams in the Mining Community of Linden in Topp XX, Joseph responded by saying that he does not wish to do that, but would only say that they’ve had the opportunity to watch their opponents play on at least two occasions during the competition and they know what line of attack they will implement.

Joseph said that the team needs no further motivation, having to claw their way back into contention after losing their two opening games and to meet where they are is enough inspiration to win.

He pointed to the prolific Clarence Huggins as the lynchpin in their quest for victory, but so too are Denzil Fordyce and Randy Jerome.

Jermaine Grandison and Akeem James will marshal the backline, while Martin Leacock will be stationed between the uprights.

Joseph closed by saying that they owe the people of Linden the win and they will be going all out to do that.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

P&P Insurance brokers to sponsor GSSF Practical Pistol Shoot this weekend

In Photo from left are Subrena Ishmile of P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd. hands over sponsorship funds to GSSF President, Vidushi Persaud in the presence of GSSF Board member, Dr. Pravesh Harry.

LOCAL practical shooters will participate in a Practical Pistol Match which has been exclusively sponsored by P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants Limited and hosted by the Guyana Sport Shooting Federation (GSSF) at the Guyana Defence Force’s Timehri Ranges.

President of the Federation Vidushi Persaud, in her remarks said the match will usher in the festive season and hopefully brings lots of cheer to the members and local pistol aces as they compete in the final competition for the GSSF’s calendar year.

According to a press release, competitors will be separated into two divisions based on their firearm setup: Production Division (for out of the factory firearms) and Standard Division (where some addons and higher end aftermarket parts are allowed.)

She went on to note that local Regional Director for IPSC, Mr. Harold Hopkinson has been instrumental in encouraging local shooters and the attendance of a number of practical shooters of Guyana will be facilitated to test their ability to balance the three elements of practical shooting: speed, power and accuracy. Built around safety, the sport

simultaneously measures the ability of the competitor to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full powered gun in a fun, fair, and competitive environment.

Match Director Ryan McKinnon noted with sponsorship from P&P Insurance Brokers & Consultants Limited, excellent prizes for the top three overall shooters in each division will be made available.

He also indicated that the stages for the match were designed to be dynamic and free style, in that there is no set arrangement of the targets, thus the shooter will have to choose their order of engagement as targets become visible. Safety for all will come first and will be monitored by several experienced range officials and ranks of the Guyana Police Force.

At the small ceremony at P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd.’s office located at North Road and King Streets, Georgetown, Persaud, in accepting the kind sponsorship, conveyed thanks to the Chief Executive Officer, Bishwa Panday, who un-hesitatingly came on board to support the sport shooting fraternity. She commended him for his support of various sporting disciplines in Guyana and thanked him for helping to promote sport shooting.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

CONMEBOL, CONCACAF President arrested in latest FIFA ‘drama’

LIGHTENING does strike twice at FIFA. Police for the second time this year swooped on the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich in dawn raids this morning arresting two more FIFA executive committee members.

The two arrested were CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout from Paraguay and CONCACAF’s interim president Alfredo Hawit from Honduras.

Hawit was standing in at CONCACAF for the second time as interim president after Jeffrey Webb was arrested in May in similar circumstances at the Baur au Lac. He filled the same role when Jack Warner was suspended following the cash-for-votes scandal in 2011.

Napout had only been elected as president of CONMEBOL in March this year.

The arrests will come as further hammer blows to the two confederations that were already reeling from the arrests in May that saw key officials from both confederations charged by the U.S. Department of Justice of racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering.

The arrests were carried out by the Swiss police on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Further arrests are believed to be either taking place or planned, though no details are yet forthcoming but pre-

dictions are for as many as 16 further people are to be taken into custody.

Neither suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter nor suspended FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke are among those arrested.

FIFA’s executive committee is gathered in Zurich for its final meeting of the year with a number of crucial issues on its agenda, including the approval of a set of reforms that will go before the

full FIFA Congress when it meets in emergency session February 26.

The urgent step up in the pace of FIFA’s reform process was triggered in May with the arrests of the ‘Zurich 7’ and charges against 18 federation and sports marketing executives from North and South America on corruption charges totalling up to $150 million.

FIFA says, “FIFA became aware of the actions taken today by the U.S. Department of Justice,” and that it “will continue to co-operate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General.

“FIFA will have no further comm e n t o n t o d a y ’s d e v e l o p m e n t s . ” The charges against the individuals are believed to be an extension of those made against the officials already in custody.

Those charges are of accepting millions of dollars in bribes related to the sale of marketing rights for World Cup qualifying matches and tournaments in Latin America, in particular the Copa America tournament.

A press conference took place this lunchtime to discuss the outcomes of the FIFA exco meetings and the reform proposals in particular that will now go through to FIFA’s Congress in February.

the GFA said on its Facebook account.

It further stated that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Officer briefed his superior in the fraternity on the GFA’s quest to enhance community football which is important to the country and the inclusion of veteran footballers who can be used as mentors for the younger blood in the sport.

Ambassadors for football, visible logos especially during tournaments, conflict resolution, badges for first division players and coaches were also discussed.

On the way forward Hicken made a recommendation for himself and the new GFF president to share a live on-air programme to discuss football at the level of Georgetown and Nationally while Hicken also spoke of plans for the GFA to approach the Ministry of Education’s Department of Sport for support in developing grounds within Georgetown.

GFF President Wayne Forde

the investigation so far which is said to have been going on for years and further arrests had been expected. They had not been expected to be a replay of the arrests in May at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich.

CONCACAF’s interim president Alfredo Hawit (left) and CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout.

This second round of U.S. indictments are expected to be unsealed this morning at a press conference in the U.S. to be led

by U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch.

The FBI and U.S. tax authorities have led

GFA streamlining plans for Banks Beer Cup

THE Georgetown Football Association (GFA) has announced that plans are in place for the hosting of their annual ‘Banks Beer Cup’.

Though an official release was not issued nor has President of the GFA Commander Clifton Hicken made a pronouncement, the association made the statement through their Facebook page yesterday.

According to information posted on the popular social network site, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde, met with Commander Hicken recently where assurance was given that permission will be granted to the GFA to host the popular end-of-the-year football extravaganza.

“Other issues which were discussed between the two presidents included ticketing for the GFA’s Banks Beer Cup, the constitution governing tournament approvals, security ar-

GFA President Clifton Hicken rangement at tournaments, projection for 2016, club licenses, players’ registration and the need to strengthen clubs and build their capacities”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Young Warriors Cricket Club Honours three outstanding Berbicians T H E Yo u n g Wa r r i o r s Cricket Club of Cumberland, East Canje, Berbice honoured three outstanding sons of the East Canje area – Ancel Hazel, Mortimer George and Attorney-at-Law Mursalene Bacchus – with life membership for their contribution to the game of cricket and community development in general.

Speaking on behalf of the club, cricketer Hubern Evans told the youngsters in attendance that they may not know

these gentlemen but they should read up on Berbice cricket history and then they will understand their massive contribution to society and cricket in particular.

He thanked the three gentlemen for the role they played over the years.

George was a policeman in his youthful days and a fearsome fast bowler who represented the county of Berbice after which he held several positions in the Berbice Cricket Board in

Bacchus is the president of the Young Warriors Cricket Club since it was resuscitated over 15 years ago while Hazel is a founder member of the Cumberland Cricket Club now Young Warriors and went on to play first division for Rose Hall Estate.

In response on behalf of all the recipients, Hazel thanked the club for the kind gesture and promised to help the further development of the club in every possible way.

Posing with token from left are Albert Smith on behalf of Mursalene Bacchus, Ancel Hazel and Mortimer Georger surrounded by officials and players of the YWCC

Guinness Greatest In Da Street…

Final eight face off tonight ON a night where every match had to have a winner, eight teams prevailed victoriously in the nerve-racking Roundof-16 Guinness Greatest In Da Street contests which were held on Wednesday at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac.

This year’s Georgetown leg quarterfinalists are East Front Road, North East La Penitence, Bent Street, North Ruimveldt, Channel-9 Warriors, Back Circle, West Front Road and Sparta Boss who will spring into action tonight at the same venue to determine the final four.

This evening’s proceedings get underway at 20:00 hrs.

In the first match tonight Bent Street will oppose North Ruimveldt, and then East Front Road tackle Back Circle.

West Front Road will engage Channel-9 Warriors in the penultimate match on the programme then Sparta Boss face North East La Pentience

to bring down the curtain.

On Wednesday, Upsetters must have been upset when they lost 3 – 1 to East Front Road in the opening match.

East Front Road were led by a double from Dillon Kelly (8th and 20th minute) with support from Shaka Jones who scored in the 17th minute, while Lorenzo Dewsbury managed to pull one back for the opposition but his effort was pointless.

In the game that followed, North East La Penitence needled Stevedore Housing Scheme, compliments of a golden strike from Gerald Gittens in the first half.

Old School Ballers and Bent Street battled to a stalemate which pushed the match into a penalty shootout where Bent Street were able to win 3 – 2.

West Back Road and North Ruimveldt played to a scoreless draw before the latter won 2 – 1 in the penalty shootout.

Joshua Fiffie scored in the 24th minute for Chan-

nel-9 Warriors in their 1 – 0 triumph over Leopold Street.

Back Circle steamrolled Jamoon Drive on their way to the final eight as they won 3 – 0. Andy Duke’s first goal 14 seconds into the match, along with another in the 13th minute and a Devon Harris third-minute goal was more than enough to get them the victory.

Michael Oie’s third minute goal spelled ‘EXIT’ for Shopping Plaza as the West Front Road team ensured they remained unbeaten for the fourth consecutive match.

In the last showdown of the evening, Sparta Boss defeated Holmes Street Tiger Bay in a nail-biter 4 – 3 on penalty kicks.

Darren Harris drew first blood for the Tiger Bay based team in the sixth minute but their jubilation ended the very next minute when Sheldon Shepherd equalised but the two sides could not be separated before the full time whistle sounded.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Leaders Guyana Jaguars look to extend their lead ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – F R O N T- r u n n e r s a n d reigning champions, Guyana Jaguars will look to run away with the lead, when the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament resumes tomorrow following the early-season break.

The Jaguars played outside of their home territory for the first time this season, travelling to Port-of-Spain, where they will face hosts and joint third-place side Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in a crucial fourth round match at Queen’s Park Oval.

At the same time, the second-placed Jamaica Scorpions will try to keep the leaders within reach, when they host Leeward Islands Hurricanes, and Windward Islands Volcanoes and Barbados Pride aim to get their seasons back on track when they meet in Grenada.

In St. George’s, Grenada: Both teams enter the match in different frames of mind following their results from the previous round before the break.

The Volcanoes got a boost with a sensational, eight-wicket victory over the Hurricanes inside two

days in a low-scoring affair, at the same time that the Pride were sliding to a nine-wicket defeat against the Jags.

Going into the game, the Volcanoes are further boosted by the return of Shane Shillingford as the only change to their line-up. The champion off-spinner has been a thorn in the side of the Pride’s batsmen on the last six occasions he has faced them, grabbing 58 wickets at 18.18 apiece, including seven hauls of five wickets or more.

The visitors line-up – unchanged from the previous round – has been decimated with the

Piedt spins ‘dream-come-true’ comeback against India SOUTH Africa off-spinner Dane Piedt says it was a “dream come true” for him to claim four wickets against India on his test return after eight months out with a career-threatening injury.

One of the three new faces in the South African squad chasing a pride-salvaging win in a series already

South Africa’s bowler Dane Piedt (L) and captain Hashim Amla (R) celebrate lost, Piedt claimed 4-101 to help restrict India to 231-7 on the opening day of the fourth and final test.

“It was quite a tough road. Guys came in, they did well... This was really, really tough on me emotionally and physically. Just to get back today, taking four wickets is really a dream come true for me,” the 25-year-old told reporters.

The spinner took eight wickets against Zimbabwe in his test debut to claim the man-of-the-match award but found his career at a crossroads

after hurting his shoulder during the Champions Trophy last year.

“I walked into (the surgeon’s) office and he said, ‘It either goes your way, or it goes the way that you won’t be able to bowl anymore,’ so that hit me quite hard.”

The Cape Cobras spinner shouldered most of South Africa’s bowling burden at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium on Thursday, sending down 34 of the 84 overs bowled.

None of his team mates bowled more than 17 overs but Piedt denied that he was overused.

“If (captain) Hashim (Amla) calls, you can’t really say no. I’m not going to turn down the option to bowl as I love bowling.

“I was out for eight months with a shoulder injury and I’ll take this opportunity to bowl as much as I can.

“The more I compete with the batsmen and the more overs I get to bowl; it will end up with me taking wickets for the team.”

India rolled out rank turners in Mohali and Nagpur and few are surprised that the five leading wicket-takers in the series are all spinners.

Piedt said he would have loved to play in the series earlier, pitting his wits against Indian batsmen known for their prowess against spin bowling.

“Obviously wickets in the series were turning quite a bit, so it would have been nice to play. But it’s my time now and I will try to make use of the surface now,” he said.

“It’s always great bowling against the best in the world. We have a guy called AB de Villiers in our team and I call him the best player of spin in the world. Going up against him in every net session, really tests my skill and it only makes me a better bowler.”

extraction of key players for the Tour of Australia

by West Indies and how much of an impact their replacements can make will ultimately decide the outcome here.

Expect a competitive battle, as both teams have recent history upon which to hold. In their last five matches, both sides have won twice, but the Pride could take heart in the knowledge that their two wins have been in their opponents’ backyard, including a 2012 victory at the venue for this weekend’s contest.

In Kingston, Jamaica: A similar proposition confronts the Scorpions and the Hurricanes.

The Scorpions have shot up the table following a six-wicket victory over the Red Force – but the Hurricanes have continued to find the going rough, having lost all three of their previous matches.

History strongly favours the home team.

They have won all but two of the 10 matches the sides have contested since 2008 – including four at the venue for this weekend.

But the visitors can hang their hat on a

four-wicket victory at the tail-end of last season – albeit at their home base in St. Kitts – to give them the confidence that if they can get things right they can overcome.

Veteran wicketkeeper/ batsman Carlton Baugh Jr returns to the Scorpions line-up after missing the previous match, and West Indies left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell makes an appearance for the first time this season.

The Hurricanes too, have been fortified with the well-travelled left-hander Chesney Hughes and wicketkeeper/batsman JahmarHamilton gaining the nod for the first time this season which should immediately help to shore up the batting.

In Port-of-Spain, Trinidad: It will be the first time that the Jaguars will be returning to the Queen’s Park Oval following their crushing defeat in the NAGICO Super50 Tournament last season.

Unlike that occasion, the home team is not stacked with a number of household names and so the visitors will enter the contest supremely confident, looking to continue

in the rich vein that has made them the most successful side in the past two seasons.

The Jaguars clipped the wings of the Pride in the previous round, at the same time their opponents let things slip against the Scorpions.

Complacency will be the only thing that Leon Johnson and company will have to resist, but the Jaguars have never given the impression that this is something which embeds itself in the way they operate.

The Red Force in the hope of finding the right combination to keep their season on course and fulfill the unenviable task of trying to slow the Jags, have taken the usual step of declaring a squad of 15 ahead of the game – including experienced batsman Jason Mohammed as captain and little-known, uncapped player Strassark Shankar.

The Jaguars welcome the return of Christopher Barnwell and can revel in the very recent history of matches between the two sides which shows they won the corresponding fixture last year by an innings and 60 runs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Guyanese Beach Volley teams begin ‘quest’ to Rio today GUYANA will today take to the beach in the South American Confederation Cup with the intention of securing a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Subrina Munroe will pair with Odile Broomes while Daniella Collier team up with Lambie Cave as Guyana’s representatives in Uruguay.

The tournament will act as a qualifying round for affiliated federations seeking spots in the Olympics. Guyana got past the first round in Brazil last year.

The two teams were involved in thorough daily training sessions in the National Park for the past three weeks prior to departure and

From left: Iambie Cave, Daniella Collier, Odile Broomes and Subrina Munroe

is determined not to let their inexperience in the beach version of the game be a

cause for concern.

Coach Ian Wills, expressed satisfaction with

the dedication and commitment shown by the ladies during training sessions

but he also outlined that the time he had with the two pair of women to prepare

them for a tournament of this magnitude was inadequate.

“The outdoor version of the game is totally different in many aspects and as such I would have needed a few months at least in order to acclimatise the ladies with the various differences and to make them competent to the level that beach volleyball comes naturally to them,” Wills said.

Despite all the short comings, Wills still expects good showings from his ladies as he pointed out that the team of Collier and Cave has vast indoor experience while the strength of the team of Munroe and Broomes is in their fitness.

The tournament runs from December 4 – 6.

GSA Farfan and Mendes Junior Christmas Team Tournament Islam Brothers Successful on Opening Night THE Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Farfan and Mendes sponsored Junior Christmas team tournament rolled off at the Georgetown Club with a number of exciting matches.

In perhaps the best game of the night, Daniel Islam (Team Minions) defeated Alex Cheeks (Team Tornados) for the first time in his career by a 3-2 margin in a hard fought game.

Cheeks quickly found himself behind the eight ball as Islam stole the early momentum in the match, taking a 2-0 lead, before the former won the third game

DANIEL ISLAM 9/11, and held on for the fourth to force a fifth game.

Islam regained his early composure and completed

the win 11/7.

Anthony Islam (Team Rising Stars) also held on for an intense victory to cap off a good night for the twins. He defeated Matthew Phang (Team Bungatuffies) in another intense five game match, which ended when he cinched the final game 11/9.

Anthony was off to a brisk start, winning the first game 11/7, before falling behind 2-1 as Phang won the following games by 15/13, 11/9 margins.

Islam however returned to win straight games to seal an impressive victory.

For team Bungatuffies James Mekdeci beat Mohryan Baksh 3-2 (11/9, 11/8,

3/11, 9/11, 11/4) in another game which went down to the wire, while Christiana Fernandes won the lone game for team Tornadoes when

With the establishment of gyms like the House of Pain at Port Mourant and like other gyms, under the instruction of managers like Raheem Alli, Powerlifter Murray from Skeldon, and ‘Chicken Boy’ lots of new bodies have been introduced to the bodybuilding scene.

These gentlemen have all helped to take the sport to new heights in Berbice.

four for team Bungatuffies and one for team Tornadoes. The tournament is expected to conclude on Sunday.

Complete Day One Results: Daniel Islam Def. Alex Cheeks 3-2 (12/10, 11/8, 9/11, 11/13, 11/7) Aliyah Persaud Def. Jason Gomes 3-2 (3/11, 11/6, 6/11,11/4, 11/4) Mikhail Persaud Def. Chad DeAbreu 3-0 (11/7, 6/11, 11/3) Christiana Fernandes Def. Noah Rahaman 3-0 (6/11, 11/7, 11/8) Haley Carpenter Def. Liam Carpenter 3-2 (11/6, 11/3, 8/11, 9/11, 11/2) Demetrius DeAbreu Def. Abosaide Cadogan 3-0 (11/5, 11/2, 11/9) Ben Mekdeci Def. Taylor Fernandes 3-0 (11/3, 11/3, 13/11) Makeda Harding Def. Michael Ramroop 3-0 (11/4, 11/7, 11/4) Anthony Islam Def. Matthew Phang 3-2 (11/7, 13/15, 9/11, 11/7, 11/9) Shiloh Asregado Def. t Louis DaSilva 2-0 (11/3, 11/9) Mashal Allicock Def. Beau Fernandes 2-0 (11/2, 11/2) Georgina Fernandes Def. Nathan Rahaman 3-2 (9/11, 11/9, 11/13, 11/4, 11/9) James Mekdeci Def. Mohryan Baksh 3-2 (11/9, 11/8, 3/11, 9/11, 11/4) Kirsten Gomes Def. Michael Alphonso 3-2 (0/11, 11/8, 11/6, 1/11, 11/9) Dominic Collins Def. Ethan Jonas 3-1 (1/11, 12/10, 12/10, 15/13) Rebecca Low Def. Maya Collins 3-0 (12/10, 11/5) Nyron Joseph Def. Alec Melville 3-0 (11/9, 11/2, 11/6)

Bacchus, Hamilton leading the Corentyne challenge at Flex Night THE Corentyne region has a long established tradition in the sports of Bodybuilding and Powerlifting, and in recent years some new personalities have been making their appearances in the competitive arena in both sports.

The new Tej Mohall Gym at Skeldon on the Corentyne has been one of the gyms at the forefront of this iron revival.

she beat Noah Rahaman 3-0 (6/11, 11/7, 11/8).

Overall there were seven wins for team Minions, five for team Rising Stars,

Flex Night 2015 will see a number of bodybuilders from the Tej Mohall Fitness Centre. Prominent among those are Zallim Bacchus, winner of the recent Mr. Corriverton contest, Alex Hamilton, past winner of Mr. Berbice Flex Night, and Chaitram Nagessar, veteran of numerous Mr. Berbice and Mr. Corentyne events.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday December 04, 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:

100 not out & 101 Albion, Guyana, 1977 (WI vs PAK)

Today’s Quiz:

Who are the only two men to make centuries in their solitary Test?

Which WI was the first to take a wicket with his first ball in ODI cricket?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

39

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 4, 2015

Guyana ‘sweep’ Antigua to take Goodwill Basketball series Visitors lose game four 71 – 69

AFTER blowing out the visitors in their three previous meetings, the Guyana men’s national basketball team won their fourth and final game against Antigua and Barbuda in a two-point thriller (71 – 69) on Wednesday, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

It was the Antiguans first Goodwill tour and third visit to Guyana. Their two previous visits were for participation in the then CARICOM Championships in 1981 and 1988, which is known today as the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship.

In their three games played prior to Wednesday, Guyana scored a total of 232 points and averaged 77.3 points per game, while restricting the Antiguans to a derisory 155 points in total at an average of 51.6 points per game.

But losing all their matches by an averaged 25.6 points per game, the Antiguan snapped out of vacation mode to play their best basketball of the tour.

Marlon Charles, who ended the night with a game high 19 points, carried his team’s scoring, mostly in the second half.

Charles was scoreless in the first quarter as Guyana’s backcourt once again being effective on both ends of the floor with Amaniki Archibald scoring seven of his team-high 11 points to give the Guyanese a one point (13 – 12) advantage.

Keon Cameron opened the second quarter with a basket from beyond the arch, by Antigua-scored back-to-back baskets;

which came from Charles but Guyana would counter with baskets from Centre Shane Webster (10), Cameron (9), Archibald and

Akeem Kanhai caught reaching for the steal.

Charles had a lay-in and Marcel Edwards’ triple kept the visitors in the game.

However, Head Coach Darcel Harris showed off why he’s regarded as one of Guyana’s best when he made several clinical changes that saw his troops closing the half outscoring the Antiguans 19 – 15 to lead 32 – 27.

In the penultimate period, Antigua scored nine unanswered points, all of

Captain Akeem Kanhai (10).

However, the third quarter turned out to be the Antiguans best; outscoring Guyana 22 – 18 but still trailed by one point (50 – 49) entering the fourth quarter.

Michael Turner scored four unanswered points for Guyana but Edwards, Charles and Adisa Harris carried the Antiguans run in the fourth quarter.

Once again, the Guyanese Head Coach turned to his back court to do the damage on the much slower Antigua and Barbuda

team.

In the end, Guyana would hold on for the win and take the four game Goodwill Series in

dramatic fashion, much to the delight of the small and appreciative fans who turned up at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Guinness Greatest In Da Street…

Final eight face off tonight

See story on page 35

Guyana‘sweep’ Antigua to take Goodwill Basketball series See story on page 39

Guyana’s Nikkoloi Smith goes strong to the basket against an Antiguan defending during the home side’s 71 – 69 points win on Wednesday (Samuel Maughn photos)

Guyanese Beach Volley teams begin ‘quest’ to Rio today See story on page 38

From left: Iambie Cave, Daniella Collier, Odile Broomes and Subrina Munroe

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015