Guyana chronicle 07 04 14

GUYANA No. 103791

MONDAY APRIL 7, 2014

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

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Opposition bullying looms

... over Budget debate

Minister Manickchand slated as first speaker today

O pposition MPs raise a ruckus in the H ouse Friday

First Lady’s Foundation sponsors Autism Walk

Page 2

3 Starving GuySuCo can be regarded as ethnic cleansing Page

centre

–MP Odinga Lumumba

President Donald Ramotar and First lady Deolatchmee Ramotar as they are about to lead the Autism and Health Walk 2014.

Opposition MP Bullied off NCN programme Page 3 by Opposition Chief Whip

APNU Member of Parliament, Sydney Allicock

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Uncertainty looms over Budget debate

Minister Manickchand slated as first speaker today

By Vanessa Narine THE debate on the 2014 Budget continues today, but a measure of uncertainty looms over the progress of the National Assembly’s proceedings, given the controversial actions of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Members of Parliament (MPs) last Friday, and whether they will allow Education Minister Priya Manickchand to address the House.

The Opposition provoked chaos in the National Assembly when its MPs defied the ruling of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, to allow Manickchand to speak - effectively reneging on their agreement that saw no problems with the minister making her presentation.

Last Tuesday a ‘heckle’ by the Education Minister drew a protest and she

was barred by the Speaker from speaking during the ongoing debates. However, on Wednesday following an agreement brokered by the Speaker with the Government and the Opposition, Manickchand repeated agreed words in the House, which were accepted by the Opposition as a prerequisite to their non-protest of her being able to contribute to the 2014 Budget debates. On the following day the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jaipaul Sharma resigned from his post in the House, stating that his resignation was prompted by Manickchand’s comment and the fact the he considered himself “incompetent” as an aggressive debator.

The Justice for All Party, which Sharma represents, has reportedly since pulled out of the APNU coalition and Sharma was replaced in the National Assembly by

former People’s National Congress (PNC) MP, Earnest Elliot.

On Friday night when the Education Minister rose to deliver her address on the 2014 Estimates, which allocates $32.3B - the lion’s share - to the education sector, APNU MPs protested with loud rapping on their desks, chanting “Apologise to Sharma”.

Several calls by the Speaker for order were ignored and the Opposition’s protest grew louder, forcing Trotman to rule that the sitting be suspended.

See page 3

Minister Priya Manickchand in the National Assembly on Friday

Much more remains to be done to eradicate vector-borne diseases - says First Lady Madame Deolatchmee Ramotar in World Health Day 2014 message WORLD Health Day this year is being observed today (April 7). The focus for this year’s observances is on the control of the spread of vector borne diseases.

And on the occasion, Guyana’s First Lady Madame Deolatchmee Ramotar says she wishes to join with all those who are using the occasion of World Health Day to call attention to the incidence of vector-borne diseases and to use this opportunity to support the

many global, regional and local initiatives that are being taken to address the spread of these diseases.

She noted that Guyana has had experience with these diseases and has made considerable strides in reducing the incidence and deaths associated with vector-borne diseases such as malaria, lymphatic filariasis and dengue fever. “Much more, however, remains to be done to eradicate these and other vector-borne diseases,” the First Lady declared.

First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar “We as citizens of Guyana can play our part in the global campaign to arrest the spread of these diseases. We can contribute to this thrust

by following the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) and our local health authorities,” she said.

“Specifically, we can help by ensuring that our surroundings are kept clean, reducing the breeding sites for mosquitoes near our homes by covering water storage containers, eliminating stagnant sources of water, properly disposing of unusual containers, and properly disposing of garbage,” Mrs Ramotar stated.

She said not only will these assist in helping to reduce the transmission of vector-borne diseases but they will also improve the personal health and hygiene of citizens.

Happy Word Health Day 2014!

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Starving GuySuCo can be regarded as ethnic cleansing … MP Odinga Lumumba in the National Assembly

By Vanessa Narine GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament Odinga Lumumba, in his presentation last Friday, attracted the ire of Opposition MPs when he juxtaposed two comments – the talk of “closing sugar down” and the fact that, according to historical references, such statements had inspired civil war in the 60s,particularly since it could have been interpreted as economic and racial discrimination.

His comments were made in the context of the age-old criticism that the current Administration is paying more attention to Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne), where it has a major support base, than in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice) where the Opposition has its stronghold.

He said, “We must not allow ethnicity and economic

Uncertainty looms over Budget ...

From page 2 During the suspension MPs on either side of the aisle were loud in registering their respective viewpoints.

On the resumption of the sitting, the Speaker acknowledged that the protest was as much against him and his ruling, as it was against Manickchand, but stressed that according to last Wednesday’s agreement the issue was dealt with.

He acknowledged Manickchand and asked her to proceed with her presentation.

However, the position of the APNU MPs remained unchanged. With every attempt by the Education Minister to make her speech, the Opposition’s pounding and chanting grew louder. Each time Manickchand halted her presentation, the Government MPs stood up in protest, which was the case three times within a few minutes.

A warning, from the Speaker that the sitting would have to be adjourned went unheeded and Trotman ordered that the Budget 2014 debate be adjourned for continuation today.

In addition to Manickchand, APNU’s MP James Bond and Government MP Manzoor Nadir were slated to speak last Friday, but didn’t have the opportunity in the ensuing chaos.

MP Odinga Lumumba in the National Assembly on Friday

genocide to be part of this budget discourse…we must put an end to these gestures now. I am saying that some of these pronouncements (as have been made in the past) have similarities. For centuries these economic tactics have been used as a weapon. “…it is imperative that we resolve the issues without setting the stage of one race favouritism and allowing another to flourish, even when the economics says that we must all be treated equally.”

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) objected to the inference that the party was inciting civil war and demanded that the statement be withdrawn.

The Deputy Speaker, Basil Williams, who took the chair during a brief absence of the Speaker, Raphael Trotman, in commenting on the issue, resulted in objections from peeved MPs on the Government side.

Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, moments before, had called on APNU’s Renis Morian to name the minister to whom he was attributing charges of discrimination against Guyanese in different regions. Williams ruled that Morian did not have to name the minister.

As such, in light of Lumumba’s comments, the Government side contended that no explicit reference was made, See page 11

APNU MP almost hauled off NCN’s Live Programme by Opposition Chief Whip A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) of Region 9, Sydney Allicock has landed himself in hot water, after he accepted an invitation to appear on the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) for a live Television Programme, from the Parliament Buildings.

Allicock, who was invited by the network last Friday night to appear alongside Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, on the live programme ‘Budget In-Depth’, was instructed

by APNU’s Chief Whip Amna Ally to “get off that TV”.

While on the programme being aired from the lower flat of the parliament buildings, Ally was overheard shouting from the upper flat: “Sydney, Sydney get of that TV!”.

Allicock, however, defied the instruction and continued on the programme. Malika Ramsey, who identified herself as APNU’s Public Relations Officer, showed up and queried as to why the Opposition MP was appearing on an NCN Programme without the “permission” of

Ms. Ali or herself (Ramsey).

She also reportedly demanded that the programme be cut and Allicock be removed from air.

However, she was asked why an MP had to be given permission from the PRO to appear on an NCN programme and if they are not free to express their views.

Ramsey was also reminded that it was a contradiction of APNU’s position of not having access to NCN, when they themselves are instructing their MPs not to appear on the state-owned television station.

She was later joined by another APNU MP John Adams, who was attempting to disrupt the programme and evict Allicock. Adams was, however, prevented from doing so.

For years now NCN has been inviting the Opposition APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC) on various programmes, but both parties continue to refuse to appear.

Since the beginning of the 2014 budget debates, NCN has been making efforts to have MPs from the APNU and the AFC appear on the programme.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Pro-Russia protesters seize Ukraine buildings, Kiev blames Putin

(Reuters) – PRO=RUSSIAN protesters seized state buildings in three east Ukrainian cities on Sunday, triggering accusations from the pro-European government in Kiev that President Vladimir Putin was orchestrating “separatist disorder”.

The protesters stormed regional government buildings in the industrial hub of Donetsk and security service offices in nearby Luhansk, waving Russian flags and demanding a Crimea-style referendum on joining Russia.

Protesters also later seized the regional administrative building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Interfax news agency

reported. All three cities lie close to Ukraine’s border with Russia.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov vowed to restore order in eastern Ukraine without using violence and also accused Ukraine’s ousted president Viktor Yanukovich, whose political base was in Donetsk, of conspiring with Putin to fuel tensions.

“Putin and Yanukovich ordered and paid for the latest wave of separatist disorder in the east of the country. The people who have gathered are not many but they are very aggressive,” Avakov said in a statement on his Facebook page.

“The situation will come back under control without bloodshed. That is the order

to law enforcement officers, it’s true. But the truth is that no one will peacefully tolerate the lawlessness of provocateurs.”

Acting President Oleksander Turchinov called an emergency meeting of security chiefs in Kiev and took personal control of the situation, the parliamentary press service said.

Mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in tensions since Yanukovich’s overthrow in February and the advent of an interim government in Kiev that backs closer ties with the European Union.

Russia has branded the new government illegitimate and has annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region, citing threats

to its Russian-speaking majority - a move that has sparked the biggest standoff between Moscow and the West since the end of the Cold War. Around 1,500 people protested in Donetsk on Sunday before breaking into the regional administration building, where they hung a Russian flag from a second-floor balcony, a Reuters witness said. Protesters outside cheered and chanted “Russia! Russia!”.

In the Luhansk protest,

Ukrainian television said three people had been injured. Police could not confirm the report.

Talking to the crowd over a loudspeaker, protest leaders in Donetsk said they wanted regional lawmakers to convene an emergency meeting to discuss a vote on joining Russia like the one in Ukraine’s Crimea region that led to its annexation.

“Deputies of the regional council should convene before midnight and take the decision to carry out

a referendum,” one of the protest leaders said, without identifying himself.

A local Internet portal streamed footage from the seized building, showing people entering and exiting freely. Soviet-era music was being played over loudspeakers outside.

The building houses the offices of Serhiy Taruta, a steel baron recently appointed by the interim government in Kiev as governor of a region with close economic and historical ties to Russia.

Chinese, Australian ships try to verify potential ‘pings’ from Malaysia jet (Reuters) - CHINESE and Australian ships hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner have picked up separate acoustic signals in different parts of a vast Indian Ocean search area and are trying to verify if one could be from the plane’s black box recorders.

Australian search authorities said on Sunday a Chinese patrol vessel, the Haixun 01, had picked up a fleeting “ping” signal twice in recent days in waters west of Perth, near where investigators believe Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went down on March 8.

More planes and ships were being sent to assist in that area. Meanwhile, Australia’s HMAS Ocean Shield had reported a separate “acoustic event” some 300 nautical miles away.

The Ocean Shield is carrying sophisticated U.S. Navy equipment designed to pick up signals sent from the black boxes, which may hold the key to why the aircraft ended up thousands of

kilometers off course.

“We are treating each of them seriously. We need to ensure before we leave any of those areas that this does not have any connection with MH370,” Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the operation, told a media conference in Perth.

A black box detector deployed by the Haixun 01 picked up the signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz per second - the same as emitted by flight recorders - at about 25 degrees south and 101 degrees east, Xinhua reported on Saturday.

Australian search authorities said such a signal would be consistent with a black box, but both they and Xinhua stressed there was no conclusive evidence linking it to the Boeing 777.

“The 37.5kHz is the specific frequency that these locator pingers operate on,” said Anish Patel, president of Sarasota, Florida-based Dukane Seacom, which made the black box locator.

“It’s a very unique frequency, typically not found in background ocean noise,” such as whales or other marine mammals, he told Reuters.

A U.S. government source close to the MH370 investigation said on Sunday that the “pings” have not yet been validated. The source also said that no additional, trustworthy information had turned up to explain why the plane disappeared.

Blast kills at least 29 Syrian rebels in Homs: monitoring group

(Reuters) – AT LEAST 29 Syrian rebels including two field commanders were killed when a vehicle exploded in the central city of Homs on Sunday, a monitoring group said.

To the south, the capital Damascus saw heavy fighting as warplanes pounded an eastern suburb and a mortar strike hit the city’s heavily defended center, killing two people at the Damascus Opera House.

President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are in firm control of the capital’s center, but rebels have been able to launch mortar and rocket attacks into downtown districts, sometimes hitting heavily secured upmarket areas and embassy grounds.

“Two citizens were martyred and eight others wounded ... by mortars fired by terrorists at the opera house,” the state news agency SANA said, without specifying when the attack occurred or whether the theatre was in use at the time.

The explosion in Homs was at the al-Jaj market near a police base, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the death toll was expected to rise.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the blast.

The anti-Assad Observatory, which monitors violence on all sides through a network of sources in Syria, said at least five people including three children had also been killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma during shelling by government forces.

Government war planes bombarded the eastern suburb Mleiha during heavy fighting with rebels, the group said.

Elsewhere, government helicopters dropped barrel bombs in the northern province of Aleppo, in Deraa in the south and Latakia in the west, the group said.

Assad’s forces also shelled an area around Kasab, a village in the north of Latakia province that rebels seized about two weeks ago.

While rebels confronted government forces across the country, rival anti-Assad groups fought one another in the easterly Hasaka province.

Late on Saturday, two fighters from al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, were killed around the town of Markadah during fighting with an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Observatory said.

SOUTHERN AREA BACK IN FOCUS Houston said analysis of earlier satellite data had again led investigators to refine the search area towards the southern part of the corridor.

“The area of the highest probability is, what we think, the southern part where Haixun 01 is operating. That is why we are really interested in the two acoustic encounters that Haixun 01 has had.”

The water was around 4,500 meters (14,764 ft) deep in that part of the search area, Houston added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

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GLENN IN SEX PROBE …Central mother reports fired minister to police;

alleges being forced to perform sex acts for HDC house (Trinidad Express) Police are investigating a report by a 47-year-old woman alleging that she was made to perform sex acts on fired government minister Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh when she went to him for assistance to fast track a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) application.

The Sunday Express has learned that the woman, Patricia Singh, accompanied by her attorney Nizam Mohammed, went to the Port of Spain CID office last Friday and reported the matter.

According to the police report, the two sex acts occurred at the Ministry of the People and Social Development at the corner of Independence Square and Abercromby Street, Port of Spain office in 2011 and eight weeks ago.

The report, the Sunday Express learned, contains explicit details of the sex acts, corroborating an earlier interview Singh had with the Sunday Express on March 24.

Singh told police officers in spite of her objections she was made to perform the sex acts on Ramadharsingh.

Inspector Mervyn Edwards and WPC Sandra Phillips David are conducting investigations.

Sunday Express investigations have revealed that the alleged sex acts were brought to the attention of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar after midday

on March 25 just before her decision to fire Ramadharsingh who was then publicly accused by Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) flight attendant Ronelle Laidlow of disorderly conduct on a flight from Tobago to Trinidad The Sunday Express learned that up until March

harsingh and began lobbying for him to be fired, expressing concern about the negative impact it would have on the Government.

Ramadharsingh was summoned to a 4.30 p.m. meeting with the Prime Minister on March 25 and told that his ministerial appointment had

Carina Villarroel and Soledad Ortiz said that baby Umma’s baptism was a sign of “social change” in the Catholic Church

Argentine leader becomes godmother for gay couple’s child Patricia Singh poses for a photo with then minister of the people Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh at his former office on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, in 2011.

23, Persad-Bissessar had considered demoting Ramadharsingh instead of giving him the boot.

However, Cabinet sources told the Sunday Express the Prime Minister had a sudden change of mind and opted to fire Ramadharsingh after she learned Singh had been interviewed by the Sunday Express on the sexual allegations.

Sources told the Sunday Express several Cabinet ministers were also informed of the nature of the sexual allegations against Ramad-

been revoked.

Ramadharsingh remains the elected Member of Parliament for Caroni Central.

Singh contacted the Sunday Express at 11.30 a.m. on March 24 asking to tell her story.

When the Sunday Express met with Singh at her central Trinidad home at 12.30 p.m. that day she produced phone logs showing missed telephone calls from Ramadharsingh on March 24 at 11.14 a.m., 11.16 a.m., 11.17 a.m. and 11.19 a.m.

World Bank launches trust fund to assist Caribbean, other poor economies WASHINGTON, CMC - THE World Bank says the successful multi-donor trust fund has launched a new phase with commitments from donors for close to US$20 million to help the Caribbean and other poor countries manage debt.

The World Bank said the Debt Management Facility II (DMF II) programme builds on previous successes in debt-management advisory work and marks the beginning of a new partnership between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The partnership will be dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Caribbean and other developing countries to manage their debt in a manner that is sustainable and encourages economic development, the World Bank said.

It said the facility expects to raise US$40 million, adding that the “new pot of money” will extend the work of the first DMF, a US$22 million trust fund that the World Bank launched in November 2008.

The initiative was born out of a recognition that low-income countries graduating from debt-relief programs, such as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), might continue to struggle.

“There was a worry that they might fall into a vicious cycle of debt and assistance, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Jonathan Rothschild, senior advisor to World Bank executive directors, who was a senior economist with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a donor to the first DMF. Noting that the sovereign debt world can be complex, the World Bank said it realized that developing countries could improve their chances of staying on track with training on how to assess risks, better negotiate loan terms, and recognize the risks of borrowing from non-traditional creditors.

In five years, the World Bank said the DMF has reached out to more than 70 countries, and provided training to more than 600 client-country officials.

The DMF is currently funded by seven countries, the European Union and the African Development Bank.

(BBC News) ARGENTINA’S leader, Cristina Fernandez de Kirshner, has become godmother to the child of a lesbian couple who was baptised in a Catholic church.

Umma Azul, just over two months old, was baptised in the city of Cordoba.

One of the couple was quoted as saying that they approached President Kirchner to be godmother because they wanted to thank her for supporting gay rights.

The president legalised same-sex marriage despite opposition from Argentina’s Catholic hierarchy.

Officially, the Church remains firmly opposed to gay marriage.

However, some within the Church have argued for easing this stance.

Pope Francis, himself from Argentina, says all children may be baptised.

Since becoming pope, he has been associated with a more tolerant approach to homosexuality.

However, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had opposed the legalisation of gay marriage.

Ms Fernandez did not attend the ceremony in Cordoba, sending a representative instead.

Umma Azul is the first child of Carina Villaroel and Soledad Ortiz. The couple are not believed to know Ms Kirshner personally.

In approaching her, they adapted an Argentine tradition which allows any couple to ask the president to be godparent to their seventh child.

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GUYANA

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Address by Prime Minister Samuel A.A. Hinds, at the annual Cheddi Jagan Lecture - held at ‘Red House’ on March 28 (continued from yesterday’s edition of Chronicle)

EDITORIAL Budget debates now reduced to a seasonal theatrical production AS Guyanese at home, through the medium of television, and in the Diaspora through NCN’s live streaming witness the farcical comedy of errors being enacted in the National Assembly during debate (?) of the 2014 Budget, everyone is assailed by a feeling of déjà vue, because this immensely important feature in any nation for all the multiplicity of reasons too numerous to mention herein has seemingly been reduced to a seasonal theatrical production; or a soap opera so beloved of housewives (and secretively by their husbands) for the titillation of the Opposition and their supporters.

The serious business of the nation is now entertainment factor for the masses, with all waiting with bated breaths for the next episode as the Opposition drama unfolds. The tenth Parliament is drama no playwright or movie producer could dream of; and the mind-boggling scenes are putting ‘The Young and the Restless’ and ‘Pavishta Rishta’ to shame, because the daily performances are unscripted and highly original entertainment: non-stop laughs.

And some of the major actors in the AFC were once very high-ranking members of the PPP, at decision-making levels. Their somersault is therefore astounding, bearing in mind that the PPP/C Government’s development programme has been a consistent work in progress, based on PPP/C manifestos, the policies of which they championed at national and international fora for years. The annual budgetary allocations are merely to facilitate the implementation of developmental programmes of which they had been fully supportive; but which, conversely, they have joined with their new PNC allies to denounce and derail. Hindering national development under a PPP/C Government has now become a primary focus for former PPP members – all bitter and vengeful because they were denied something that they wanted, with no consideration that they are taking Guyana down a retrograde path.

Minister Irfaan Ali, in his Budget presentation, said, inter alia: “…PPP/C administration has sought over the years to restore the dignity of Guyanese; dignity which was lost during the period of PNC/APNU leadership, a period when our economy and the spirit of our people was broken.” The PNC/APNU combo is the new political ally of disgruntled former PPP/C presidential wannabes.

Minister Ali stated for their edification: “The 2014 budget represents another prudent fiscal presentation aimed at sustaining and expanding the economic opportunities of our people. The 2014 budget represents another effort by the PPPC administration to improve the social performance of our society, to continue the process of

AMERICAN LIBERALISM IN COLONIAL GUIANA Cheddi, being sure that change for the better in Guyana was needed and possible; full of optimism and taking on the task of driving change for National Unity and National Development, and for which he saw National Independence as a prerequisite, immersed himself in that self-imposed task from which he would never waiver. He paid his dues, was ever ready to pay the price, and was ever ready to pick up the pieces and try again.

The challenges to the national unity of us, the people of Guyana, are wide and deep, and each of us must make that journey along a road marked out by events in which intense feelings are aroused, as we open up to each other. The manner of speaking in describing Guyana as a divided nation and splintered society, is grossly misleading and misdirecting. We were never one; we were never a whole that became divided: rather, we are fragments from different distant societies, each fragment complete with its own peculiar package of different and differing cultures.

Having been thrown together, our challenge is in keeping together as one, as we journey onwards on the road of life, and living, in this land. I think in terms of the physical analogy of crystal growth in solids, or of magnetising a piece of iron - there is a lot of heat, explosive heat at times, in bringing about a common realignment of the axes of the individual crystals. With a population of less than one million, and taking account of all the different ways in which people could seriously differ across race, religion, urban-rural divide, class and language, we can recognise, potentially, a hundred separate and distinct groupings in our society, many of which would be occupied by only a few. To that extent, and to that extent only, is the connotation of splinters true.

KNITTING TOGETHER, LIKE A QUILT, A NATION FROM SIX RACES. In the time of Cheddi’s youth, and as sung in the third verse of our National Anthem, we Guyanese were conscious of ourselves as being within a land of six races. Whilst, from the split of the PPP in 1955 unto the present, we have been most conscious of the African-Indian contact, there would be fifteen contacts of any two of our six peoples, and many more, when considered in groups of three.

Unto the end of slavery, there would have been three races in Guyana, with three one- to-one contacts: firstly, the European-Amerindian contact; secondly, the European African contact – the story of African slavery; thirdly, the African-Amerindian contact, mostly thought of in early times, in terms of the capturing and returning of runaway slaves.

With the abolition of slavery in 1834, came the three other races - Portuguese, Indian and Chinese - raising the total number of one-to-one interfaces to fifteen. Of these, the African-Portuguese confrontation, as reflected in the Angel Gabriel and gil-bread riots of 1856 and 1889, were the racial conflict of my grandfather’s childhood.

Anyone with a sociological bent and interest, can discern at various times in our history, features of all the possible contact surfaces with their contestation, competition and building a productive and prosperous nation for all Guyanese.

“The 2014 budget is fiscal plan with measures catering to all Guyanese, measures to restore our dream that Guyana can and will be a place of prosperity and success....it is the hope of the PPP/C that our colleagues will see the rationale, purpose and objective of Budget 2014 and lend their support.

Our purpose is the purpose of all, to improve our nation’s wellbeing and restore prosperity to Guyana.”

Minister Ali has made erroneous suppositions and conclusions in his presentation - that the Opposition is willing to work and/or cooperate with Government to “…restore the dignity of Guyanese”; to sustain and expand the economic opportunities of the people; to improve the social performance of our society, to continue the process of building a productive and prosperous nation for all Guyanese.

The Opposition combo recognises that the 2014 Budget is a “...fiscal plan with measures catering to all Guyanese”; but

cooperation.

Of growing importance, now, is the coastlanders-hinterland contact, in general terms, within which there are the contacts of the Amerindians with the individual races from the coast. And the Amerindians, themselves, are of nine tribes, with their different languages and other historical constraints between themselves.

We have to be aware, too, that our peoples, in the 1940s, were each still in the midst of struggling with their own transitions, each going about his/her own business. Africans were finding their way in the public service, steadily replacing persons from England and looking to replace the English entirely, come independence. Other Africans were venturing into the interior, searching for gold and diamonds, and making the first Coastlander–Amerindian contact in this era.

You may recall Dr. Dale Bisnauth’s book, entitled “The Settlement of Indians in Guyana – 1890 to 1930”, during which time he perceives a change in view amongst Indians, from seeing themselves as migrant workers to seeing themselves as immigrants in Guyana. Many of our older citizens in the 1950s, like my grandparents, would have seen Indian immigrants arrive in Guyana, and many Indian families would have had older members who had been born in India.

As Independence came in the air in the 1940s and 1950s, as I understand Ravi Dev to argue, there was still much to be sorted out in us becoming a nation.

Knitting together all these pieces into a Quilt of a Nation, was going to be no easy task.

NATIONAL UNITY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARE TEN TIMES MORE CHALLENGING THAN WE IMAGINE. Before I am misunderstood, let me say that I have elaborated, in some detail, the contacts between different races from which Guyana is being made, not to over-emphasize race but to acknowledge the obvious differences in race amongst our fore-parents in order to illuminate the complications and complexities in the challenges of National Unity and National Development, so that we realize that though not impossible, it is not easy, maybe ten times more challenging than we might be thinking. Indeed, from my youth, my feelings have been that much of our frustrations, disappointments, and even feelings of treachery against each other, flowed from our thinking that the achieving of National Unity would be quick and easy.

Political parties in a society overlap with pre-existing groupings. Indeed, one may argue that political parties emerge from pre-existing groupings. Large overlaps of political parties with race, religion, language, class and the city-country and other geographical divides, can be seen amongst the political parties in all countries - including the most well-developed. That there would be such tendencies in Guyana, with its people still in the earliest stages of getting to know each other, would have been most natural. In our Guyana’s case, with respect to broad differences between the PPP and PNC, there is an overlap (PLEASE SEE PAGE 7) Minister Ali is erroneous in assuming that they are interested in “...measures to restore our dream that Guyana can and will be a place of prosperity and success.”

And they will never support the 2014 Budget, or any PPP/C Budget, primarily because they know that it is the hope of the PPP/C that they will see the “rationale, purpose and objective of Budget 2014” (and 2012 and 2013); and that is why they will never lend their support.

His conclusion, that “Our purpose is the purpose of all, to improve our nation’s wellbeing and restore prosperity to Guyana” is again an erroneous assumption, because the Government’s purpose is not the purpose of all – because Government’s purpose is to build, while it is the seeming purpose of the joint Opposition to destroy all the synergies that would make Guyana a country where peace, progress and prosperity prevails.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

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Address by Prime Minister Samuel A.A. Hinds, at...

(FROM PAGE 6)

would wonder whether we are not stupid: we pray that we would not, like Job, be tested.

We know that Cheddi’s commitment to the National Unity of all the people of Guyana, would be severely tested, particularly after the sweet success of the 1953 elections.

The happiness of that early success was not to be long-lived, was threatened even at its birth, starting with the small differences about the attire in which to appear at the opening of that Parliament, to more substantial differences on the naming of Ministers, and ending in the split of the party in 1955.

Cheddi offered compromises all the way to keep and later recover that Guyanese National Unity in the PPP, always maintaining his most desired political goal to “return to the spirit of 1953”. History records Cheddi’s recurring attempts, unto the end of his days, to find ways for “old comrades to be comrades again.”

1953 was a great place to have gotten to, and so quickly, in our journey to National Unity: a great place from which to develop. I think in terms of chemical-reaction models, a transition state in which atoms come together establishing some of the chemical bonds but which, also, may break apart in the ever-present turbulence.

Our first Parliament, elected on the basis of adult suffrage, in 1953, was suspended after just 133 days – the Americans and the English were in great fear of Cheddi, to them him being a socialist/communist who would provide to the Soviet Union and Cuba a foothold on the continent of South America.

However, against all the manoeuverings of internal and external groupings, Cheddi and the PPP were in Government when elections were next held in 1957 and in 1961. During the 1963–64 periods of disturbances and severe racial conflicts, Cheddi made several unsuccessful offers to Burnham for him to come into the PPP Government.

with not one but three potential differences - race, religion and urban-rural sentiment: rather than being bewildered by our history, one may well wonder why our society did not completely polarize and rush to partition. I would submit that Cheddi, in life and work, was our nation’s main bulwark against polarization and partition, and the reason why, today, we still have a chance at National Unity.

With respect to National Development, I had the good fortune to pursue the G.C.E., “O” Level, history course, “Modern Britian”, under Bobby Moore, who brought it alive. That course covered, admittedly with a broad brush, the period from about 1700 to the end of World War II, a period when Britain transformed itself from a feudal agricultural society based on manual and animal labour, with the first harnessing of steam, and through the agricultural and industrial revolutions, to Modern Britain. Very much a part of that period and transformation were the social and political revolutions - the American, the French - the movement from the countryside to the cities, the founding and growth of unions, the differing views of Adam Smith in 1776 and Karl Marx in 1867, the Soviet Communist revolution of 1917, and the World Wars themselves. I came out of that course sensing that our own Guyanese development would require transiting, albeit much more rapidly, the 250year transformation which took England from a manual- and animal-powered agricultural world, which I had experienced in Mahaicony, to a modern, developed nation.

Cheddi, in the classes in Civics, Economics, Political Science, Philosophy and Sociology in which he enrolled himself at the YMCA College A SORELY TESTING TIME: 1964– in Chicago, Illinois, would have 1992 learnt much more extensively Cheddi, during the years in which he DR CHEDDI JAGAN about this recent fascinating was kept out of office, from 1964 to 1992, history of humankind. Dentistry had all cause to be filled with righteous would have provided him with a living, but the Social Sciencindignation and bitterness: his rights trampled es would equip him for his calling. on by nearly everyone from the other races, and PRIME But I am getting ahead of myself, so let us return to Chedby some Indians also. His faith in national unity di’s return to Guyana in 1943! would have been so severely tested; it is amazing that he kept the faith. Not only had he to keep his own faith but he CHEDDI, NOT DAUNTED, PLUNGES would have to head off amongst his supporters understandIN, FOUNDING THE PAC AND PPP. able impulses to partition and to engage in violent protest Cheddi, on his return in 1943 to Guyana, whilst facing and revolt, which would have ended any chance for National up to the task of establishing himself as a dentist and earning Unity to be achieved. enough to support his immediate family and assist his siblings, I recall, in one of my Saturday morning gaffing sessions still found time to give free rein to his social and political at Freedom House, with the then Dean of Socialism, and now yearnings. His range of social contacts was wide, venturing our President, him relating that in his visits with Cheddi to to touch every person and corner of Guyana, recognising the polling stations of that blatantly rigged 1973 elections, no boundaries, not ever constrained to traditional ways and Cheddi remarked – you see many supporters of the PNC are niches. He worked early for the cause of forestry- and sawnot turning out to vote, choosing to stay at home; they are mill-workers – a piece of our society quite distant and differnot comfortable with this solution of rigged elections, to our ent from the sugar-estate society from which he had come. national questions. We must wait for the time when enough In his book, “The West on Trial”, in Chapter Four - “Getting of them will become sufficiently disenchanted and be ready into Stride” - we read of his perceptive analyses of the soto welcome a change. cial forces then at play in Guyana, the many personalities, Those were sanguine words, coming nine years after and the many groupings, and his ventures to find and make Cheddi’s unfair removal from office in 1964. There would be common cause with many, in Guyana and in other colonies 19 years more of the same, before the expected development in the Caribbean. would be realized in 1992. A number of you would recall Cheddi, from the beginning, was always working to bring the story in the Old Testament, when Solomon, the man of the pieces of our society together in a common cause. The wisdom, was asked to determine the mother of a child from make-up of the founding four of the Political Affairs Comamongst two women. She was the true mother who was mittee, the PAC, which was formed in 1946, just three years ready to give up her rights so that the child would remain after his return to the then British Guiana, is worthy of note whole. It is not far-fetched to see in that light, Cheddi’s – Cheddi, Janet, Jocelyn Hubbard, and Ashton Chase, the constrained actions during those 28 years as the actions of venerable Senior Counsel, the last of that four, still alive and the true parent of our Nation. well and working, and with us today. (Applause) Cheddi remained true to National Unity in all situations.

It is an indication of how much our society has changed When the economy of our country was in serious trouble by since, that many people, today, would not grasp the signifithe mid 1970s, despite being kept out of office and being cance of the person, Jocelyn Hubbard, a mulatto, and a memmade to look foolish by the electoral rigging, he offered ber of an important piece of our society at that time. critical support to the PNC Government and proposed a In a similar and more extended way, the founding memNational Patriotic Front Government. For all that the PNC bers of the PPP, in early 1950, were constituted of persons had done to him and to the PPP, in the talks with the WPA, from as many corners of British Guiana as could be persuadCheddi maintained that a political solution had to include the ed by Cheddi – notable amongst whom was Linden Forbes PNC – the WPA, at that time, refused to consider involveSampson Burnham, roped in a few months earlier and proment of the PNC. vided with the post of Chairman.

It does appear that Cheddi, for the sake of National Unity, was ready to meet with Forbes again, when Forbes died THE SWEET BUT SHORT-LIVED SUCCESS OF 1953 suddenly in 1985.

It is difficult enough to proclaim a principled position which is new, untried, unproven, and which flies in the face FAILURE OF THE PCD: INNOVATION of the conventional wisdom, as was done by Cheddi: many OF THE PPP/C

With conditions steadily worsening, and after another rigged elections in 1985, Cheddi worked seriously within the Patriotic Coalition For Democracy, the PCD, a Coalition of all parties willing to work for the restoration of democratic norms at our elections. For various reasons which could be explored, the other organized political parties in the PCD could not then come to terms with Cheddi returning as President, returning as the Head of Government and State, and to the PPP having a major role: a position that would now be considered by most as unrealistic and impractical.

Cheddi, maintaining his commitment to National Unity, and conscious of the need to demonstrate so, moreso being aware of the quarter of a century of estrangement between our peoples, was ready to advocate new, bold, courageous alternatives for our National and Regional Elections scheduled for 1990, but which were eventually held in 1992. Cheddi reached out to a range of individuals of some standing, who were ready to work with him and the PPP, many of whom were not ever together before and may not have ever met each other before.

How was this new grouping to be named for the elections? It was Cheddi who came up with the name and styling “Peoples Progessive Party/Civic”, or shortened to PPP/C. The Civic members covered a wide range of the racial, religious, social, political and regional spectrum of Guyana.

There were a number of persons of high academic standing; some being even former leading members of the PNC; persons from various levels of all our religions; some from Trade Unions; Civil Servants; national business persons; doctors; and lawyers.

I recall how elated Cheddi was, when Jeffrey Fraser, son of the Honourable WOR Fraser of the post-1953 Interim Government, accepted to be put on our national slate of candidates. As Jeffrey Fraser proffered, there would have been a time when Cheddi and his father might not have seen a good bone in each other. One could see prodigal MINISTER SAM HINDS sons and daughters among the group of Civics, and also ‘outside pickney’ who had not declared their paternity. I use these analogies because they suggest readily the emotional challenges which Cheddi would have encountered and which he would have had to resolve and have reconciled, in putting together the PPP/C. Landing at Parika early one Sunday morning, from a meeting the night before in Leguan, an Indian businessman, with Saturday night’s rum still in his blood, berated Cheddi in the foulest of language for “running after black man – he run after Burnham and was not satisfied – he run after Lawrence Mann, and now he running after another black man again”.

Cheddi’s commitment to National Unity was exacting from him a great price, at many levels.

It was as the PPP/C, extended into our 6 Municipalities and 65 NDCs, that we faced the Local Government Elections of 1994, and with great success.

Early in 1997, on one of the last Saturdays in January, no doubt with the coming 1997 elections in mind, two or three weekends before Cheddi fell fatally ill, he reached out again, bringing together at Freedom House an even wider group of new persons to enrol themselves as CIVICS. One of the old PPP persons jokingly remarked on how pleased and happy Cheddi was, smilingly so, with so many old ‘crooks and vagabonds’ responding to his call.

Cheddi’s death was indeed untimely, with neither his work for National Unity nor his pursuit of National Development, done.

With the victory of the 1992 elections, in meetings of the Civic Members in Georgetown, there were some who called for the constitution of the Civics as a party, but this was not consistent with the fact that the Civics were invited individually by Cheddi and the PPP to work with them. Old George Fung-On (and I wondered whether on some things there was not a special rapport between him and Cheddi), however, advocated having the PPP open a second Civic register at each of its party groups.

One could wonder where Cheddi would have taken the PPP/C in his continuing drive for National Unity!

CHEDDI LEADING DEVELOPMENT AS HEAD OF GOVERNMENT Cheddi was ever satisfied, and rightly so, with the (PLEASE SEE PAGE 8)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Address by Prime Minister Samuel A.A. Hinds, at...

(FROM PAGE 7) national developments which he set in train in his first period of Government in 1957 to 1964: initiating the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Development Scheme (MMA), the banner for Agricultural Development. Cheddi would remark that after Independence, when the PNC promised every Guyanese a meal of milk and cassava before going to bed, it was milk and cassava from Cheddi’s agricultural programme. Cheddi initiated, as well, our first Industrial Park Estate, the Ruimveldt Industrial Estates Ltd. Quite likely, hearkening back to his attendance at the YMCA College in Chicago, Illinois, Cheddi founded the University of Guyana, even as he endured taunts of ‘Jagan’s night-school’, with classes held at evenings in the buildings of Queens College, in the first years. He advocated the start of hydro-power development in Guyana, starting with Tiger Hill and, then, at Tiboku, and obtained experts from the Soviet block to report on the potential for searching and finding petroleum resources in Guyana.

Cheddi was always on the side of the regular workers, and played a large role in our Trade Union Movement. GAWU was his base, and whilst he lived he was GAWU’s rock. At the same time, whilst being on the side of the worker, he was aware that the enterprise needed to survive, to earn enough profits so that it can sustain itself, and that there would be jobs for the workers. That is how I see his oft call to let us examine the books to see where we could find money, and how much money could be available for workers. Cheddi was not ever going to accept the books without questions. In examining the books, Cheddi would question debt re-payments and all transfer payments which he often saw as self serving.

He would question also the often huge disparity in pay and benefits between owners and managers and regular workers, pointing out that everyone had to go to the same shop counter to purchase goods.

At the same time, Cheddi recognized and accepted that workers needed to be disciplined and productive. Indeed, in the language of the time, independence and nationalizations were advocated to remove the alienation of workers and citizens, so they could identify with enterprise and country, not to ‘share up’ what had been previously accumulated but that workers and citizens should give of themselves, without any reservation, to the development of our country, striving to match the examples of Stakhanov, Iron Man Wang, and the people of Tachai.

Cheddi was known to be a disciplinarian, particularly in financial matters. Amongst us Civics, Dale Bisnauth opined that he saw much that was Puritan in Cheddi, and Cheddi’s PPP. Cheddi accepted that we needed to make some savings ourselves to contribute in financing our development. In February 1962, citizens of Georgetown were worked up against his Kaldor budget. Some not unusual taxes, were being utilized to provide a development fund. This budget proposal was met with almost universal protests in Georgetown and urban areas, and there were fires set in the commercial area of Georgetown.

It was thus, in February 1962, while sitting at home in Hadfield Street, near the back of Lodge Village, at a time when there was not yet Sheriff Street, as a youth just over eighteen years old, anxious for, and excited by, prospects for development, and trying to prepare myself for my G.C.E., ‘A’ Level, exams, while looking up from time to time, my attention was drawn by some bantering, only to see someone riding by balancing some prized items, - stove, fridge, furniture - on his bicycle; all around me, people worked themselves up with a self- righteousness against Cheddi and seized the opportunity to take what they believed they ought to have had. On my part, I felt that Cheddi was proposing the right thing - It was probably my first attraction to Cheddi.

Life requires great changes of us, as we move from stage to stage – as we can readily see in each of us growing from childhood through adolescence to adults. Similarly, having won Independence and nationalized the commanding heights of our industry and commerce, we had to take up the concerns and responsibilities of erstwhile colonial masters, sugar planters and bauxite managers, whether we were in co-ops or in state-owned enterprises.

It is with such a sense that I perceived Cheddi, when back in Government after 1992, and being always pragmatic, he accepted the privatization of many previously-nationalized entities. As an example with which I was associated, our electricity utility was totally ‘run down’ and needed huge sums of money for re-capitalization but for which, amongst ourselves, we could not, or would not, provide the money to finance the improved electricity service that we needed, and for which we called. Cheddi eventually accepted a 50:50 privatisation (with a golden share for the private investor) and an agreement which projected both state and investor selling, over ten to twenty years, their shares to achieve widely dispersed, but even, ownership of GPL’s shares throughout our

country. Cheddi wanted the Guyanese people to be in both positions as owners and consumers, to feel the pressures of each position, the contradictions between the two roles, and the resolving and reconciling of those contradictions.

NATIONAL UNITY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERTWINED For Cheddi, National Unity was an extremely desirable, if not essential, condition for National Development. They were interacting and mutually supporting – one hoped to get unto a virtuous spiral of increasing National Unity, hand in hand with increasing National Development. National Unity remains a requirement for National Development, and National Development is the reward which sweetens our sacrifices for National Unity. And so, although strife and disturbances were ever present, this is what Cheddi sought to attain in his 1957 and 1961 Governments - National Development coupled with National Unity.

What can we do today to continue our journey in Cheddi’s aspiration? We need increased free, voluntary socialization amongst our people. Free association is still too limited to people near to us and in our comfort zone: we are not reaching enough across the fences of our differences, as Cheddi reached out in the years following his return.

Recently, browsing through a Beijing Review magazine of February 20, 2014, I was attracted to the article, “Crossing Cultures, Crossing Languages” by a Valerie Sartor, on the expat page. I thought that I had found a kernel which we might find useful.

“The stories we tell about ourselves and others reflect the paradigmatic narratives we inhabit in our everyday lives.

Most Western people either consciously or unconsciously think about their lives in terms of Biblical narratives. Western children also learn and create ideas about reality from narratives in the form of fairy tales and fables. Such stories offer people of all ages significance as well as a framework to live by”.

How can we all get to the place of singing the same new common song in this land, where our fore-parents were thrown together? How can we get to seeing each other as “jihaji bhai”, journey brothers - sharing our common experiences in this land, our misunderstandings, our wrongs, with our forgivings of each other becoming our bond.

At times, I sense beginnings in the Bartica area, where we realize how few and puny we are as we journey on the mighty Mazaruni River and amongst the overwhelmingly giant greenheart and mora trees; in Sophia, out of their common, intense struggle in desperate squatting venture, a quarter century ago; amongst batch-mates from the teachers’ training college; among nurses, policemen, soldiers; from our national service, but not so, as yet, from our University of Guyana.

Thinking again of that quote from the Beijing Review magazine, I am emboldened to raise again a thought of some years ago – that it would be good if we would develop reading books like the Victorian Royal Readers of our great grand-parents, for each grade from nursery school to the end of University, entitled “The Religions of our Fore-fathers”, with the stories that we now learn separately as Christians, Hindus and Muslims, being provided all in one common reading book, so that our new Guyanese generations would have a common framework in which they might find significance and by which they might live.

CONTINUING CHEDDI’S WORK Persons ask how could Cheddi have stayed true to a commitment to Nation through all that was done to him. I think that it was based on the fact that Cheddi’s was not a narrow nationalism based on discrediting others but, rather, a nationalism based on his internationalism. Recall his quote from the United States Declaration of Independence – ‘All people are created equal’. He found joy in developing his ‘New Global Human Order’ (NGHO), which he completed in the last months of his life. Now a document adopted at the United Nations, it is instructive for us Guyanese that even whilst we continue to build National Unity and National Development, we must also be open to the world. We have to find our way amongst the two hundred independent nations of our world.

Inter-dependence and partnerships between peoples and nations, characterise our world, today. Armed with Cheddi’s NGHO, we can go forward boldly into the world, expecting that we will find good and bad - no more, no less, than we do amongst ourselves.

Cheddi’s work was not done – the work that he had begun is a work for a number of life-times – we who want to claim to be his disciples, must carry on. We have a certain challenge: we must recall the life and works of Cheddi as we do, but, at the same time, we must keep it alive – thinking of not only what Cheddi did on returning to the then British Guiana, in 1943, but what a re-incarnated Cheddi would do now, returning today to Guyana, in 2014.

Without a doubt, a re-incarnated Cheddi would be a revolutionary!

Revolutionaries would be revolutionary whenever they appear, to challenge whatever is the prevailing orthodoxy.

Samuel A. A. Hinds Prime Minister

Gov’t ‘big guns’in Budget debates today, tomorrow in Parliament

THE debates on the 2014 Estimates continue today and Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, at a press conference last Friday, noted that all of the speakers on the Government side to date have made exemplary contributions to the debates.

She said Government’s “big guns” will be featured today and tomorrow, when the debates are expected to conclude.

Teixeiraalso blasted the Opposition’s presentations as “vacuous” and indicative of a “disgraceful” level of debating, particularly considering the clashes between the parties in the House.

The Chief Whip addressed the live coverage of the debates and stated that the Guyanese people are better informed and aware of the kind of representation they are receiving in the National Assembly.

An impassioned Teixeira added that coming to the close of the 2014 debate, the true temperament of the combined Opposition is on show.

A record breaking 2014 Budget of $220M was presented to the National Assembly on March 24 by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, under the theme ‘A better Guyana for all Guyanese’ and includes a menu of measures to benefit the average Guyanese man and woman.

The Minister’s announcement that no new taxes will be

introduced was very welcome, as was his announcements that old age pensions would be increased from $12,500 to $13,600 – up from $3,500 in 2006; old age pensioners would receive an annual electricity assistance of $30,000, an increase from $20,000; and a $10,000 allowance for each child in the public education system.

Among other measures Singh announced were: the allocation of $3.2B to meet the cost of maintaining the electricity subsidy in Linden and Kwakwani, Region 10; the allocation of $100M to advance technical and other assessments for capital works to Port Georgetown; and $1B for rehabilitation of critical interior roads, including the Linden to Lethem road.

Allocations to other major sectors saw an increase in this year’s Budget and include $3.7B to the Guyana Power and Light Company, to support critical capital expenditure and avoid increased tariffs for consumers; $1B for rural enterprise development; $6B for the sugar sector, to achieve a badly needed reversal of fortunes; an injection of $500M into the rice sector to support efforts to increase competitiveness and resilience; $200M for advancement of efforts in other agricultural areas; and an investment of $800M into the tourism industry for the establishment of a Hospitality Institute.

The debates on the 2014 Budget began on March 31.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Old Kai: Chronicles of Guyana

A look at the embarrassing Opposition’s inability to debate effectively on Budget 2014 IF IT was not clear to you before that the combined Opposition is incapable of assuming the role of Government in our country, their pathetic effort to mount a debate against the 2014 national estimates brought home this fact.

This all started with the outburst by failed former Finance Minister Carl Greenidge and now APNU point man on finance, of all things, when he warned of a ‘bloody war’ over the 2014 Budget. Bear in mind that up to this point, APNU and the AFC had staunchly refused to respond to any invitations by the PPP/C Government to consultations during the preparation of the estimates, but now it was convenient to attack the Administration for not ‘consulting’ the Opposition.

What then followed has left Opposition supporters dejected as they have come to the realisation that APNU and AFC leaders could ‘pelt a good bluff’ but when it came time to match wits in the National Assembly, the gap is insurmountable. This was exhibited by the content or lack thereof of almost every Opposition member budget speech and even Old Kai felt a bit embarrassed as they looked like ‘sailors’.

Greenidge was critical of everything under the sun, but yet could not provide any meaningful alternatives to the programmes contained in the budget. Surely, if you want to project yourself as a possible alternative to the current Finance Minister, you must, at bare minimum, be able to come up with a handful of ideas as a counter and which will be used to rally your supporters. None was forthcoming.

Then there is APNU’s point man on infrastructure, Joseph Harmon, who said that the budget “was the worst ever produced by the Finance Minister” and added that “Dr. Singh and his budget team is tired and has produced an uninspiring document…”

Well, if presenting a document which will surely extend our country’s economic growth for a record period is “uninspiring” to this APNU Member of Parliament, it does not surprise Old Kai one bit. After all, it goes against their

‘making Guyana ungovernable’ plan; but equally, one can see that Harmon was speaking from a place of experience, given all the vast experience his political party had when they were in Government in reducing Guyana from the most progressive to the least progressive when they exited Government in 1992.

The genius even attacked “spending on public infrastructure” as being wrongfully prioritised. In the confusion, he inadvertently admits that several of the PPP/C Government projects, such as Amaila and the CJIA expansion are transformational ones but then goes on to attack efforts to realise them.

We are then joined by APNU Region 7 representative, Dawn Hastings, who announced that youths of the hinterland continue to be denied equal access to education and the obviously troubled woman was quoted as saying, “One of the cries is that there are still limited job opportunities for our young people…it is time our youth have access to technical or industrial centers.”

I can feel your ‘genuine’ concern Ms. Hastings, but it is a pity you did not realise this when your party, the APNU, teamed up with the AFC to cut a multi-million dollar project to train hinterland youths in small business enterprises/entrepreneurships. It is sad that you sat in Parliament and remained quite when the AFC threatened to cut funding last December for a project which will provide free transportation for Amerindian children to be taken to school. It is sad that you voted with your party to cut funding for the LCD’s for two consecutive years, and in so doing, denying Amerindians several projects which would have continued to address those concerns you spoke about. It is unfortunate that you voted to cut Presidential grants for each and every Amerindian community for two consecutive years, grants which usually go towards developing village enterprises, creating those hinterland jobs you speak of now.

Then we have our dear Amalia hydo power girl Kathy Hughes of the AFC talking about our ‘unrealised potential in tourism’ and during a deep period of reflection she questioned, “How can we expect the international marketplace to take us

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION

By Hydar Ally THERE is a saying that one cannot be educated and poor at the same time.

There is a considerable amount of truth in this saying. Implicit in this saying is the fact that an educated person is much more likely to take advantage of available options in his or her environment in order to live a secure and satisfying

The two main determinants of human development are education and health.

In both of these counts Guyana has made substantial progress not only by regional but international standards. life.

It is precisely out of this thinking that the current PPPC administration is de-

voting so much resources to education and skills development. The education sector continues to get the lion’s

HYDAR ALLY share of the social sector allocation followed by health care delivery. This indeed is how it should be. The two main determinants of human development are education and health. In both of these counts Guyana has made substantial progress not only by regional but internation-

seriously when initiatives to move this sector forward have been put on the back burner for decades?”

You have to give her credit, but it is sad she was not concerned about our tourism potential and the international community when she and her party were publicly encouraging unrest which led to the destruction of Linden.

What message was her party sending to potential visitors when her husband publicly called for ‘no peace’ and the destruction which soon followed along the Agricola public road? You can imagine the great impression her party left on the countless number of visitors who were stuck in the ensuing traffic jam along the East Bank, and as a result, missed their flights. They have such nice stories to relate about Guyana’s tourism industry after witnessing the beautiful scenes along the Agricola stretch, which were inspired by Mrs. Hughes’ party. At the same time, in all of her concern for tourism, she remained opposed to the expansion of the airport to cater for our visitors and the construction of our first ever internationally recognised hotel, the Marriott.

In closing, it has not missed Old Kai’s attention that the AFC is calling to be provided with documents on the Amaila falls hydro and other major projects, again. Recall when President Ramotar came to office he invited the Opposition to discussions on these projects where they were presented with the documents and their questions answered. Then they went to Parliament and called for the documents and they were again given them. Now the AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan is calling for the documents again, so it’s a rather pointless effort by Government.

It is not the Government’s fault that the Opposition does not have the capacity to read and understand a basic project document or at least they pretend not to.

The time has come for the Government to move ahead with its plan of development, as next year, the AFC will again be requesting the same documents and we would still be at square one with no progress which fits perfectly into their ‘collateral damage’ plan.

al standards. The country boasts a high literacy and numeracy rate that compares favorably with countries of both the developed and developing world.

A recent visit to several hinterland communities in Region Eight including Monkey Mountain, Kato and Kurukubaru only served to confirm this viewpoint.

Apart from the natural beauty of these mountainous communities, one of the noticeable feature of these villages is the changing infrastructure especially when it comes to public buildings such as schools, health and recreational facilities and living quarters for teachers, nurses and other government officials.

Several Amerindian homes are now made of lumber and corrugated zinc

sheets which are much more durable and secure. It is no exaggeration to say that the landscape of these communities are gradually being transformed due largely to the several government interventions including the capital programmes and annual grants to these hinterland communities.

The PPPC administration from the time it assumed power has put Amerindian development at the centre of its developmental agenda. It is no secret that these communities were highly neglected by the PNC regime when it was in power. Amerindians were treated as second and third class citizens. At the political level, elections for Village Captains were See page 10

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Investment in people and programmes displays vision – PPP/C MP Neil Kumar

COMMENDING the 2014 Budget, Government Member of Parliament Neil Ku-

mar expressed pride to be on the side of the House which led Guyana into

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ...

From page 9 rigged to install puppets of the PNC and opposition parties were denied access to these communities.

Today, all of that has changed. Amerindians are now put on the front burner of our development thrust and the government is investing heavily in the well-being of our hinterland peoples. This is true of all facets of development but more particularly in the area of human development. Take education as an example.

A new secondary school is currently under construction in Kato which will provide secondary education to all secondary school children with dormitory facilities. This facility is the largest in terms of expenditure totalling in excess of 700 million dollars. Prior to the PPPC administration coming to office there was only one secondary school at Paramakatoi which was, for all practical purposes, a Community High School with only a limited number of subject offerings only at the CXC Basic level.

To say that the condition and quality of life of our indigenous peoples have improved is an understatement.

This does not mean that there are not challenges that needed to be addressed and confronted. But progress have been made in several aspects of life which has greatly empowered our Amerindian brothers and sisters to take development in their own hands. Amerindian communities are no longer in the backwater of national development but are now an integral part of our development processes.

This is why the vast majority of our Amerindian and hinterland populations are solidly behind the PPPC administration. To show their appreciation for the Party and its leaders, a monument has been erected in each of the villages of Kopinang, Kato and Monkey Mountain in honour of the memory of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet Jagan, both of whom are highly regarded for the role they played in the liberation of the Guyanese people in general and the Amerindian people in particular against the yoke of deprivation and poverty.

The current budget presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh will further consolidate and enhance the quality of life and aspirations of these hinterland communities as indeed the nation as a whole.

One hopes that good sense will prevail and there would be no repeat of what transpired last year when the Opposition parties utilised their one seat majority to cut budgetary allocations earmarked for Amerindian development which included land titling and the provision of solar panels to our Amerindian people.

A wreath laying ceremony was recently held in each of these three communities recently which was well attended by villagers. I had the honour of participating in that ceremony which was also attended by Central Committee members of the PPP Vickram Bharrat and Ronald Harsawak who is also Regional Executive Officer of that Region.

Similar activities also took place in Region Nine and other coastal regions in honour of a man who could truly be described as a transformational leader whose vision continue to be a living guide to the PPP and the PPPC administration.

eight consecutive years of economic growth. He described the budget as offering an abundance of opportunities to the people of Guyana.

Kumar lauded the rice and gold sectors for exceeding their respective production targets. He also pointed to the economic status of the country, adding that the bauxite sector has been strongly supported by the current administration. He observed during his presentation on Thursday that the privatisation of the sector has proved profitable.

He accused the People’s National Congress of being responsible for the destruction of several programmes in Linden, observing that

MP Neil Kumar making his presentation during the 2014 Budget debate

the volume of support subsequently poured into the bauxite sector and Linden itself enabled its recuperation.

Regionally, the Government MP lauded the resources given to the education and other sectors noting the government’s promise that ‘development will never end.’

Pointing to the building of sports facilities around the country, he mentioned Alliance for Change’s MP Trevor Williams’ challenge to Min-

ister of Culture of Youth and Sport, Frank Anthony, about his leadership and vision.

MP Kumar suggested that Williams had none of his own, since he failed to offer an alternative vision.

He pointed to the development of the various sports facilities around the country, such as the National Stadium, the synthetic track, the aquatic pool, the squash court and lighting for the Albion Sports Ground. MP Kumar point-

ed out that the investment in people, programmes and facilities does indeed display vision.

He also lauded the National Sports Research Centre which is expected to provide information and guidance to athletes and other stakeholders.

The Government MP noted that while it is easy to criticise, it is difficult to propose alternatives, and he lauded developments in the Culture sector. (GINA)

Refusing automatic admission of 25 UG law students to Hugh Wooding Law School engages CARICOM action

By Vanessa Narine CHAIRMAN of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, has written to the Chairperson of the Council of Legal Education, Ms Jacqueline Samuels-Browne, QC, regarding the decision not to automatically place 25 University of Guyana (UG) Bachelor of Law (LLB) students at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

And the Government of Guyana is presently awaiting a response from the Chairperson of the Council of Legal Education, according to Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr Anil Nandlall.

In a statement released to the media yesterday, Nandlall said, “We expect that the response will be favourable to the Guyanese graduands. The Government remains ready, able and willing to work with the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies, the Council of Legal Education, and any other stakeholder to bring a speedy and long-term resolution to this matter.”

According to Minister Nandlall, the decision of the Council will jeopardise the automatic admission of LLB graduands from the University of Guyana into the Hugh Wooding Law School.

The Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM recently concluded its 25th Inter-Sessional Meeting, held on March 10th and 11th, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where President Donald Ramotar raised the matter.

Discussion on the issue resulted in Gonsalves’ letter to the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, which

said, “This matter is of grave concern to Heads of Government, as it effectively results in Guyanese students having no access to the Law Schools, notwithstanding that they would have entered the UG Programme in the expectation that at least the top 25 graduates were entitled to automatic admission.

“It is also of tremendous concern that, in the current scenario, admission to the practice of Law in the CLE member countries is restricted to the graduates of one institution.

“The implications of the decision by the Council and the law schools are far-reaching in terms of the provision of legal education services and access to the legal profession, in the context of liberalisation of trade in services and in a Community which has established a single market and free movement of service providers and skilled nationals. “…I write, as Chair of the Conference, to request that the Council accommodates the automatic admission of the top 25 Guyanese graduates for the academic year 20142015. I also draw to your attention that the Conference, representing the Heads of Government of the parties to the CLE Agreement, has mandated that the Council completes a thorough review of legal education in the Community before the next academic year, to resolve the deeper issues concerning legal education, including access and the role and function of the Council of Legal Education.”

The automatic admission was an arrangement that existed under a collaborative agreement between the University of the West Indies, the Council of Legal Education and UG. The agreement has expired, and has not been renewed for the year 2014.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Gov’t takes up case of Starving GuySuCo can denial of treatment for be regarded ... Guyanese in T&T hospital From page 3

or even implied, that the APNU was inciting civil war.

The House took a brief suspension of the sitting before Lumumba was allowed to continue his presentation.

QUESTION OF FAIRNESS The Government MP stressed that his presentation was underlining the consequences of allowing questions of race to creep into the 2014 debates by adopting positions on allocations that can be seen as unfair.

Lumumba said, “What is good for the goose is good for the gander. “…this debate has become a tale of two cities. We have to deal with bauxite and one city, Linden, the predominantly afro-Guyanese base of APNU. The other city is GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) and the predominantly indo-Guyanese support for the PPP/C. “…it is waste (wasteful allocations) when it affects a particular race and business as usual when it comes to another.

He called for a resolution to be reached in a sensible manner.

“We cannot provide milk and honey to Linden and Region 10 and coconut milk and hard bread to the people of Region 6,” Lumumba said.

He added that hints of unfair treatment have already sent “shivers” down the backs of many Guyanese.

The Government MP said, “Let us pull the debates back and let us deal with the hard issues, economic issues, that can clearly make comparisons as to where we were as a nation in 1992 and where we are in 2014 and move this discourse forward without isolating any race, class, or religious group.”

GUYSUCO INTERVENTION Lumumba staunchly defended the $6B allocation to the sugar industry and added that GuySuCo and bauxite represents the “right and left” arms of Guyana and neither must be focus of a debate that allows perception of ethnic or economic discrimination.

On that note, he called for the APNU to remove itself from its “destructive” path, particularly since it is “politically tainted” and biased on the issue of the sugar industry.

The Government MP said, “Any attempt to starve GuySuCo can be interpreted as ethnic cleansing…I do not have all the answers but apartheid and economic ethnic cleansing cannot be the answer.

“We cannot preach total support for one group and zero support for another group…I am in no way suggesting that things should not change at GuySuCo, but the end results of this process must not be destructive to the hard working citizens of Guyana, in particular the citizens in the sugar belt.”

Lumumba underscored the fact that unity and compromise must be the way forward.

The $6B allocation to the sugar industry, battling climate change and other challenges, was hit in day one of the 2014 Budget debates with APNU MPs maintaining that the monies represent a handout and contending that good monies are being thrown after bad.

However, despite its challenges, the industry, according to Government, remains relevant to the health of the national economy.

The sugar industry is projected to record an improvement of 15.6 percent in output to 215,910 tonnes in 2014, and among the measures to be undertaken to ensure a turnaround of the industry, for which the allocation addresses are: increased production and lower cost of production, diversified target markets, and expansion of value added production in order to survive.

In 2013, sugar exports accounted for 8.3 percent of total exports valued at US$112.2M, and the industry contributed 3.9 percent of the country’s GDP.

By Vanessa Narine THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yesterday, disclosed that the Honorary Consul General of Guyana in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Ernie Ross, has requested the Minister of Health Fuad Khan to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Guyanese national Jeetindra Sookram.

The 35-year-old man allegedly died from a suspected heart attack one hour after staffers at Trinidad and Tobago’s Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) denied him medical attention on the basis that

he was a foreigner.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry stressed its concern over the reported incident and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodriques-Birkett has assured that the matter is already under investigation and has also reaffirmed the principle that no one should ever be refused emergency medical attention at any hospital.

Sookram, after being turned away at EWMSC, was then rushed to a private clinic, Charlieville Medical Centre Ltd., but died in the backseat of the vehicle, transporting him, in the facility’s parking lot.

In a comment to the Trin-

idad and Tobago Guardian newspaper, Sookram’s wife, Vidya Baichu, said, “He could not sit and he could not stand because the pain was getting to him more. It kept getting worse so we took him to the hospital.

“When we got there, I went in with him and they took him straight to the place where they took blood and did tests. When I went to register him now, they asked for ID and I gave them his passport. They told me he is not a Trinidadian resident and so all the services, we would have to pay for it. We asked them how much was the cost, they said they were not able to say, but whatever

service they do we would have to pay for it.”

Meanwhile, Rodrigues-Birkett said that “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be aggressively pursuing the matter with the authorities of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is requesting that the bereaved family members make contact with Mr Ross at the Guyana Consulate at 16 Gray Street, St Clair, Port-of-Spain or on telephone number 868-6222913.

Sookram, a Wakenaam farmer, was on a two-week vacation in Trinidad and Tobago.

Harmon calls for work to be expedited on new Demerara Harbour Bridge

By Vanessa Narine THE Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) deserves special attention given the volume of traffic, with approximately 17,000 crossings moving along the decades-old bridge.

This was according to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Harmon, on Thursday night, in his contribution to the debate on the 2014 Estimates.

He said, “The Budget allocates $338M for critical works to extend the life of the Demerara Habour Bridge. We are aware of the condition of the Bridge… time has run out on the Bridge and the regular patching would not extend its life significantly.”

The APNU frontbencher called on the Government to expedite work on the new structure and make full disclosure of the details of the project.

Harmon also called for the establishment of a Bridge Authority to deal with issues related to the new structure.

“Take Winston Brassington, NICIL (National Industrial & Commercial Investments Ltd.) and the former President Bharrat Jagdeo out of the process,” he stressed.

DHB General Manager Rawlston Adams, in February this year, had explained that the feasibility study for the new bridge has already been completed, with Versailles on the West Bank, and Houston on the East

Bank, being determined as having the best advantage in terms of location. Also Good Hope on the East Bank, and Patentia on the West Bank were cited as possible locations.

Government has indicated that it will invite Expressions of Interest for a public-private partnership for the construction of the new bridge.

Transport Minister Robeson Benn, at that time, reported that any such arrangements will be handled by NICIL (National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited) and not his ministry, since that is the agency which attends to such matters.

He further explained that the reason such an arrangement is being sought

is because the Government does not have the kind of money it will take to finance the venture.

Benn also reported that a freshwater environment is the perfect habitat in which to relocate the current Demerara Harbour Bridge, when its replacement comes into operation, with the Kurupukari Crossing on the Upper Essequibo River being listed as the likely candidate.

The new bridge will be made of reinforced concrete, have four lanes (some 20 metres wide) for vehicular traffic; a walkway for pedestrians; a cycle lane; navigational clearance (100m wide); navigational aids; and an estimated length of 2,250 metres.

Release the details of the planned Corentyne Bridge, says Harmon

By Vanessa Narine MEMBER of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon on Thursday night acknowledged the collaborations between the Governments of Suriname and Guyana to build a bridge across the Corentyne River.

And he called for full disclosure of the details of the planned project, given that resources are budgeted to prepare the Bridge terminal.

In his presentation on the 2014 Budget, he said, “An agreement with a foreign state is reached, an unspecified amount is budgeted, work is to commence and the Minister (Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh) has not yet provided the details to the National Assembly.”

According to him, the House has a right to “demand” that the Finance Minister does the right thing.

See page 12

12

Release the details of the planned Corentyne ...

From page 11 CORENTYNE RIVER BRIDGE In February this year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett reported that plans are well underway, in that engineers are currently working on what the bridge will look like in terms of design.

Construction will be funded by the Chinese Government, according to her.

She said, “Guyana, at the request of Suriname, has informed the Chinese Government that we are supportive of the bridge across the Corentyne River.

The Guyana Government has also sent ‘No Objection’ letters to the Foreign Ministries of Suriname and China in support of the construction of the bridge.

In 2010, then President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and his Surinamese counterpart, Desi Bouterse, signed an accord for the undertaking of a feasibility study on bridging the Corentyne River, with both countries pledging to pursue a closer working relationship.

During another meeting in Suriname in 2012, Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar and Suriname’s President Bouterse had agreed to move to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to seek joint financing for construction of the bridge. At that meeting, the two Heads reiterated the significance of building the structure, noting that it would considerably enhance trade and economic relations and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the two nations.

The bridge across the Corentyne River has been identified as one of the projects that would further physically integrate the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), of which Guyana is a member.

It remains, therefore, a key area of focus for the governments of both countries.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Harmon urges no spending without aproval of National Assembly

By Vanessa Narine

A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) frontbencher, Joseph Harmon, rejected the notion that any person or entity can authorise expenditure from the public purse without the approval of the National Assembly.

His comments on Thursday night, in the National Assembly, were made in the context of the ruling by acting Chief Justice Ian Chang on the 2012 budget cuts.

In January this year, Chang ruled that the National Assembly has no right to cut the national budget. The Chief Justice handed down his decision in the High Court on January 29. In the Preliminary Ruling given in June 2012, the CJ had ruled that the National Assembly had a role to either approve or disapprove of the National Estimate, not to cut them.

Following the ruling, the Parliament Office issued a missive claiming that the ruling is an interpretation that would have far-reaching ripples and effects throughout the Commonwealth parliamentary systems and

procedures.

According to the statement, the right of the National Assembly to approve, including the right to amend budgetary estimates, is a long established right.

An appeal of Chang’s controversial 2012 Budget cut ruling has since been filed in the name of the Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman. The Notice of Appeal of Chang’s decision was filed in February by lawyer and Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, on behalf of the Speaker of the National Assembly.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, subsequently acknowledged that the right to appeal decisions of the court is an enshrined right. However, he expressed his optimism that the ruling of the acting Chief Justice will stand.

REAL IMPACTS QUERY Harmon argued that for the “vast majority” of Guyanese people, life in Guyana is still a hard one and questioned where the

real impacts of development were.

According to him, Budget 2014, like the last two national Estimates, have an underlying “golden thread” - never concede anything to the Opposition, stay on course, more of the same.

“If we had even a modicum of movement in the majority of measures proposed by the Opposition, we would certainly have had a different kind of Budget and the people of Guyana must know this,” he said.

The APNU frontbencher bemoaned the unemployment, above the other challenges, being faced by the Guyanese people and made it clear that “selective use of statistics” and “jerry-meandering” with macro-economic fundamentals will not change this reality.

He underscored the role and importance of public infrastructure to development one of the key focuses of his contribution to the ongoing Budget debates.

Harmon said, “We have consistently stated that we do not believe in the current pattern of development,

which sees large sums of the people’s monies being spent on projects that have the appearance of providing jobs and are only benefiting segments of our population. “…the budget team is locked into a budget matrix set by this Government, in which the bulk of the public purse is spent on so-called transformational projects… even if this Government intended after eight years to respond to the call of the people for change, they cannot do so without causing a budget disaster.”

The MP in delivering a blow to Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, called on him to “give it up” and find another job.

He also reiterated the need for a focus on public infrastructure and an understanding that this must serve human development.

“The Guyanese people can be assured that an APNU Government will act on your behalf,” Harmon said.

The APNU frontbencher stressed the need for the urgent priorities of roads, bridges, regional airstrips, and water transport to be the focus.

Region 3 is thriving - Komal Chand informs National Assembly

MONDAY APRIL 7 - 10:00 TUESDAY APRIL 8 - 11:30 TUESDAY APRIL 9 - 13:00

GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament Mr Komal Chand has assured members of the National Assembly, on Thursday last, during the ongoing budget debate, that Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) is thriving and continuously growing despite ‘ups and downs’.

Chand shared with the National Assembly that with Region 3 being rather extensive and being the third most highly populated region in the country, it is even harder for administration and representational work to do be done.

However, he added that it is a region where citizens are enterprising and with ease of access to

our capital, the region’s residents are main contributors to Georgetown’s many-sided activities.

The region in itself, he noted, is thriving with workers, farmers, self -employed and small family enterprises being the mainstay of its economic life. These factors, he added, make invaluable contributions to our overall growth and up-keeping of a vibrant economy.

Chand revealed that “social and physical infrastructure works by the government and regional administration are today standard activities within the regions.” He explained that over the years, such activities have served, to change the environment and general looks of various villages, while, at the same time, enhancing our

citizen’s well-being.

“The focus on infrastructure, in practical terms, means paved streets, excavation of canals, extension and equipping health outposts and hospitals to facilitate health services to reach more people; rehabilitation and constructions of schools going side by side with expanding water services and distribution of house lots, more so at Parafaite-Harmonie and Tuschen,” he said.

He highlighted that this budget promises projects that will continue to see improvements to Region 3 and usher in more changes.

He eagerly awaits the completion of the athletic track at Leonora, the construction of a new power plant at Vreed-en-Hoop and the beginning of works on the road from Vreed-en-Hoop

PPP Member of Parliament Komal Chand to Parika. He concluded by adding that progress might be seen on the stated intention to build a new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Komal Chand is a representative of Region 3 for the Peoples’ Progressive Party in the National Assembly. (Vanessa Narine)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

During Budget Debate…

Komal Chand calls for tax reform

By Vanessa Narine

GOVERNMENT Member of Parliament (MP) Komal Chand has bemoaned the delays in addressing the promised review of Guyana’s tax system.

Last Thursday night in the National Assembly, Chand said: “I feel constrained to express my disappointment that the income tax threshold has not been further adjusted. I am also disappointed to learn that the tax reform alluded to two years ago has not been realised.”

Accordingly, he called on Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh to intervene and, by Budget 2015, ensure that the long-awaited reform process sees the light of day.

In 2012, President Donald Ramotar had reaffirmed his commitment to reviewing the country’s system of taxation, and had announced that the tax reform process was expected to be completed within the next three to four months.

“We are working on it, and we hope to finish it in another three to four months,” the President had then said.

He announced in 2011 that the issue of tax reform was being addressed by a panel comprising Chartered Accountant Ronald Ali, Businessman Clifford Reis and Economist Dr. Cyril Solomon.

However, in March this year, the Head of State, in an update, disclosed that the committee was in the process of concluding the work it had undertaken, working closely with experts from an overseas university.

President Ramotar has said that the work of this body would advise the Government on the way forward in regard to the tax system.

“Tax is the lifeblood of Government revenue, so it has to be handled very carefully and not in a piecemeal manner,” he said.

The promise of a tax regime review, including an appraisal of the Value Added Tax (VAT), was pushed during his campaign in the lead-up to the 2011 general and regional elections.

The PPP/C manifesto that was launched on October 23, 2011 had promised to examine options for making the tax system more family-friendly, including through personal income tax relief, conditional on the number of dependent children.

Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had noted that the manifesto had proposed a taxation system that provided enough resources to address concerns of poor people, rather than acting as a disincentive to them.

13

Gov’t to work along with GPSU on salary negotiations for 2014

that the reason there was no increase in wages and salaries for public servants in the 2014 Budget was because he prefers THE Government will work with the Guyana Public to have a negotiated agreement between government and the Service Union (GPSU) to set mutually agreed deadlines unions this year. to complete negotiations for salary increases for public He made the disclosure while speaking to media operaservants this year. tives at Office of the President. He said he wanted a negotiThis was disclosed by Public Service Minister Dr. Jennifer ated settlement on wage increases.

Webster who said in the “I would like to see National Assembly last them sit down at the ne“To say that there is no salary increases for public week, that the fact that gotiating table and come servants is inaccurate and misleading. The fact is that no increases in wages up with an agreement on the quantum of monies to be paid to public servants for public servants were wages this year.” announced in the 2014 He had then asked will originate from the collective bargaining process budget did not mean that rhetorically: “What else between PSM and GPSU” - Webster there was nothing for do you want me to do? workers this year.

Announce for the public She said: “To say that there is no salary increases for servants and then you would come here today to me and public servants is inaccurate and misleading. The fact is that say that I am a dictator?” the quantum of monies to be paid to public servants will originate from the collective bargaining process between PSM and GPSU.” She disclosed that the PSM and the GPSU have recommenced meeting to discuss workers’ issues.

“We, the PSM and the GPSU, are now piloting an arrangement where we restructure our negotiation formations and we will soon introduce a dispensation as to how we deal with salary increases,” she said.

She said that the way the PSM and the GPSU proceed to manage the impending negotiations will be a test case on rebuilding the trust seemingly lost between Government and organised labour.

To this end the Government has every intention to reach agreement with the GPSU on deadlines for the completion of the process of fixing wages and salaries for the nation’s public servants for 2014.

She reiterated that the PSM will continue to work with the trade unions to ensure that staff are accorded maximum available employment benefits and so mprove the welfare of the entire workforce.

Minister Jennifer Webster Last month, President Donald Ramotar had publicly said

By Clifford Stanley

Lance Hinds is new GCCI president

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally MR LANCE Hinds of The BrainStreet Group was elected President of the

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday last in the boardroom

of the GCCI’s Waterloo Street headquarters building where a 21-member council was also elected.

Proud of the accomplish-

Kwakwani Park man on $75,000 bail …over break and enter and larceny TROY Leacock of Kwakwani Park, Upper Berbice River was placed by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on $75,000 bail on a break and enter and larceny charge last Friday.

The defendant denied the allegation that said between March 21 and 22 at Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River, he broke and entered the shop of Bertram Welcome and stole $40,000 in cash.

Police Inspector Michael Grant, prosecuting, said the facts are as charged and he did not object to the pretrial liberty of the defendant. The case was transferred to the Kwakwani Magistrate’s Court for April 14.

From left are: Nicolas Boyer, Vishnu Doerga, Lance Hinds, Padma Prashad, Clinton Urling and Eon Grant

ments made under his stewardship, former GCCI president Mr. Clinton Urling said: “It has been a tremendous honour to lead GCCI for the past two terms, and I would like to express how grateful I am to have been given this tremendous honour.”

The committee executive members are Senior Vice-President Vishnu Doerga, of Doerga Business Enterprises; Junior Vice-President, Padma Prashad; Secretary, Nicolas Boyer; and Treasurer, Eon Grant. They will serve the GCCI for the period 2014-2015.

It is expected that the new committee will prioritise holding its first executive committee meeting sometime this week, when reconstruction of its headquarters building is expected to be high on that agenda, as would be the work plan for the period 2014-2015.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

First Lady’s Foundation spon

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally

IN EFFORTS to promote autism awareness, the First Lady’s Foundation organised an autism and health walk yesterday beginning at 6:00hrs.

President Donald Ramotar, First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar , Minister Jennifer Webster and other ministers joined dozens of stakeholders for a walk through the city.

Emphasising yet again the government’s support at a brief ceremony after the walk, which began at the Bank of Guyana and ended at the Children’s Monument in the National Park, President Ramotar said that good health is important to the nation’s development and it is important to take away the stigma associated with Autism.

The president stated, “I believe that if these things are recognised and the earlier they are detected , the quicker it is to receive treatment and this can help children to live more useful and more healthy lives, in many, many cases”.

The teachers, caregivers, and especially the parents of the children with disabilities were commended by the president.

“I don’t think any amount of money will be able to pay those who work with these children in particular, to try to help them to live useful lives. I want all of you to understand and give them the appreciation that they deserve”. He also expressed his pleasure at the fact that government is able to assist the Ptholemy Reid Rehabilitation Center.

The efforts of First Lady Deolatchmee were congratulated by Social Services Minister Jennifer Webster. She said,

“Our First Lady has taken the lead through her foundation, and she had dedicated her time toward working to promote affected families and to make our people more aware about autism which affects our country”.

Minister Webster said that Guyana has come a long way with initiatives, since decades ago, Autism was hardly known.

“Our government is committed to ensuring that all our citizens and our children who have disabilities are provided for in a special way”.

She also called on persons to offer support to those afflicted and the families of those affected, as she also pledged the government’s and the Ministry of Social Service’s support in doing the same “Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate Autism Awareness Month, let us through our acts, at least during April, look to see what programmes we can undertake to support those persons and to continue the work to raise awareness throughout Guyana”.

Autism is a spectrum of disorders that ranges from mild to severe. It is a mental condition that can be detected from early childhood, usually during the first three years of life.

Signs of autism can be identified by children’s inability to communicate, poor social skills and repetitive behaviour.

Autistic children tend to have difficulties making eye contact and in engaging people.

Boys are more likely to suffer from autism than girls.

According to Autism Speaks, an organisation dedicated to the promotion of awareness on this disorder, autism affects one in 183 girls and one in 42 boys.

In recent years, the rate of diagnosis has been increasing

EBB highway reconstruction to begin in October

By Clifford Stanley

Minister Robeson Benn in Parliament Friday

MINISTER of Transport & Hydraulics Robeson Benn announced that the much anticipated reconstruction and upgrade of the East Bank Berbice (EBB) highway will begin in October this year.

He disclosed too that Government also plans to carry out improvements on the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue roadway for a distance of 7.2 kilometres (KM) at a cost of US$25M with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

He made the announcements last week during his

Budget presentation to the National Assembly With respect to the EBB highway, he said: “We had initially anticipated that earlier in this year we would have started works with respect to this road but because of the funding requirements for the design that is required, changes in the allocation of funding had to be made.”

He added: “I want to assure the House and to assure Berbicians on the EBB that the works on this road will start in the fourth quarter of 2014, bringing much needed relief to them and opening up the agricultural lands there.”

During his presentation of the 2014 national budget, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh had said that the work to be done on the EBB highway will be the complete reconstruction of 6 km from Stanleytown to Everton and the upgrading of 11.5 km from Belle Vue to Light Town.

With respect to the CDB-funded Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue improvements, Minister Benn said that the Government has had consultations at the local and technical levels on it, and the prequalification of contractors for the civil works is in progress, while actual works will commence in June this year.

rapidly. This is likely as a result of the spreading of awareness, which aids in detection.

In Guyana, assistance is available through the Step by Step

Crowd after the walk being educated on autism a

Wife faces new $

- kidnappers also wan

By Leroy Smith

THE wife of kidnapped b u s i n e s s m a n 4 0 - y e a rold Rajendra Singh, also known as Sunil, is reportedly facing a new ransom demand of $25M for the safe return of her husband.

This latest development was communicated to this newspaper by a close friend of the business couple who confirmed that the kidnappers have been in contact with the woman.

According to information received, the kidnappers have allowed the woman to speak with her husband but insisted that she must not speak to the media or the police. In addition, she has

been ordered to have the money ready along with the video footage taken by security cameras at the business premises where the kidnapping occurred.

It was also reported that the lawyers for the family have instructed that there be little said by the family because of the sensitivity of the matter but assured that once the man is returned safely a statement will be made.

However, failure to comply with any of the demands will cause the businessman to be killed by the kidnappers who threatened to then go after his wife and child, the Guyana Chronicle was told.

The close family friend explained that the woman who witnessed her husband being taken away by the kidnappers

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

15

nsors Autism and Health Walk School in Bagotstown, Guyana Greenheart Autistic Society, Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Center, Gifted Hands in Parade Street Kingston, and the Ministry of Social services.

President Donald Ramotar interacting with an autistic child.

at the Children’s Monument in the National Park.

$25M ransom demand for businessman’s safe return

nt surveillance footage remains very traumatized and has since removed from her home in Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara to a safe place.

Rajendra Singh is in the business of selling spare

parts and purchasing crashed vehicles and the roadside business has been in existence for several years.

Recently, the businessman acquired other properties to store his spares which

were previously considered encumbrances.

After the kidnappers had forced the businessman on Saturday into his own car trunk and drove off, they then contacted his wife to demand a $50M ransom by midnight on Saturday.

However, they later revisited their demand and slashed the ransom amount in half.

This newspaper has been unable to confirm if the kidnappers have given the man’s relatives any deadline for the new ransom amount.

It was reported to the Guyana Chronicle that on Saturday night two men arrived at the Foulis, Enmore Public Road business and entered the store. The busi-

nessman’s wife observed the men but thought that they were there for legitimate business, according to the family friend.

The friend said that the woman related that the men then whipped out firearms and began beating her husband before ordering the man into his own car trunk. The men reportedly asked for the couple’s 13-year-old son who was fortunately not at the

business place at the time.

The police yesterday in ‘C’ Division continued their manhunt for the kidnapped businessman and were being assisted by a relative of the man who had worked in the Guyana Police Force during the 2002 - 2005 high profile criminal period.

However, up to late last evening there have been no confirmed reports of the man being found or the ransom being paid.

Rajendra Singh’s motorcar which the kidnappers used to whisk him away.

The business place from where the man was kidnapped on Saturday night.

The heavily secured gate to the family home of the kidnapped businessman.

Photos by Leroy Smith

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Aries March 21 - April 19

With so many positive signs coming your way, you may be a bit impatient with those who try to waste your time with their tales of woe. Even if their problems seem a little silly or neurotic, show some compassion and understanding. You never know when you might need a supportive shoulder in return. For now, the ground under your feet is solid and your steps are sure.

Taurus April 20 - May 20

A feeling of being hemmed in and constrained by circumstances could cause you to look for a way to break free of the ties that bind. Investing a large sum in a can’t-miss opportunity or a business deal that promises a stupendous return, however, could leave you holding an empty bag. You cannot buy your way out of a stranglehold, but you may be able to negotiate a loosening of the pressure. Think creatively.

Gemini May 21 - June 21

You have something to settle with your partner, and you may as well get on with it.

Starting the dialogue with a preachy attempt to influence future behaviour is likely to have exactly the opposite effect you desire. Show some restraint; invite the other person to go first and allow them to talk without interruptions until they’re finished. Respond rationally. Your intellect is your best negotiating tool.

Cancer June 22 - July 22

Words aren’t enough today. You may have everything you want to say worked out perfectly in your head, but as soon as you open your mouth it’s as if some trickster has grabbed your words and twisted them into unrecognisable knots. Others may try to be patient, but what they are hearing from you sounds nonsensical. Take a deep breath, pause and start over. Explain the situation as swiftly and succinctly as you can, and then put off further speeches until your lips are in sync with your mind.

Leo July 23 - August 22

Wanderlust has grabbed your fancy and won’t let go. Maybe your nose is pressed hard to the grindstone at the moment and you can’t whisk yourself away on an impromptu adventure, but you can liven up the day-to-day routine with some creative thinking. One option is to start planning for the trip of a lifetime. Just collecting travel brochures and reading about exotic places will help channel your longing. With the right planning, you can achieve this dream.

Virgo August 23 - September 22

The vision is tantalising, but you are having trouble. Something is preventing you from reaching out and grabbing what you want. Are you magnifying real restrictions into insurmountable obstacles? Perhaps you’re creating artificial constraints to help insulate you from failure. Remember, every new venture involves risk. When the potential payoff is good and the conditions are right, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

Libra September 23 - October 22

Don’t try to sugarcoat your message today. Say what you mean and mean what you say without dancing around the issue. That’s not to imply you should blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Collect and structure your thoughts first, but once you have them organised, don’t be afraid to lay your cards on the table. Responses from others will be just as direct, opening the door to a productive exchange.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21

Peer pressure and the pack mentality are hard to resist. But the fact that you prize your individuality and wave it like a banner will give you more than enough strength to resist any urge to fall in line. Nevertheless, the tendency to jump on the bandwagon is very powerful, especially if someone extends a personal invitation. It may be hard to hear your inner voice urging caution. Move away from the din, turn up the volume on your intuition and heed the message.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21

You have a good handle on what you need to do and the focus to get on with it. You may even finish the necessary tasks so early you have loads of extra time to devote to a favourite hobby or relax in a comfy chair with a good book. Your happy smile as you go about your business will spread sunshine and influence people’s moods today in ways you will not see.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19

Contending with wild mood swings, either yours or other people’s, could consume most of your energy, leaving you with little to show at the end of the day. Although stops and starts normally wouldn’t bother you so much, you’re feeling an intense urgency right now to push forward. Running in place leaves you frustrated and exhausted. Instead of fighting these conflicting forces, take control by making a plan of action. Write it down if you must and encourage yourself to follow it.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18

You just love being the centre of attention -- most of the time -- and you are definitely in the mood for performing today. Whether telling stories to coworkers in the break room, charming a sales clerk or flirting with a server in a restaurant, you leave them all wreathed in smiles. This surfeit of goodwill can serve you well, whether you’re throwing a party or approaching the boss with an idea. Keep everyone laughing.

Pisces February 19 - March 20

Trying to impose your agenda on others could backfire today, so think twice before getting up on your soapbox. Despite your conviction that you really know what’s best for everyone, the people around you might not be quite ready to buy into your beliefs.

Lead by example instead of lecturing. Concrete results will have much more persuasive power than criticism or grandiose pronouncements.

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Sri Lanka beat India to win maiden World T20 title … Sangakkara shines in T20 International swansong, Kohli hits breezy 77

By Amlan Chakraborty MIRPUR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Sri Lanka lifted their maiden World Twenty20 title at the third time of asking following their six-wicket victory against former champions India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.

Kumar Sangakkara hit an important 52 not out in his last Twenty20 international outing to help Sri Lanka chase down the 131-run victory target with 13 balls to spare and deny India, the reigning 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy winners, a record limited over treble.

“It’s been a long time. I can’t be happier or prouder because I think the side carried me all the way through to the final. I didn’t do much other than keep wickets,” a satisfied Sangakkara said at the presentation ceremony.

“I am pretty happy to be able to do something back for them. It means a lot to all of us.”

Sangakkara’s crucial 35-ball knock included six boundaries and a six. Another departing great, Mahela Jayawardene, contributed a run-a-ball 24.

Sri Lanka finally managed to break their jinx of losing the finals of global events, having gone down in the decider of the 50-over World Cup in 2007 and 2011 and T20 World Cup in 2009 and 2012 Sunday’s final was also a repeat of the 2011 50-over World Cup final which India won in Mumbai.

Put in to bat after evening drizzle delayed the start of the all-Asian final by 40 minutes, India posted a below-par 130 for four wickets despite Virat Kohli’s breezy 77.

The 2007 winners lost opener Ajinkya Rahane in the second over before Kohli added 60 runs with Rohit Sharma (29) to

Lanning leads Aussie ...

From Backpage

gla National Stadium.

“Bowlers did it for us, we had our plans and we executed well,” Lanning said. “Perhaps, we’re attacking in nature and we love to play our shots.”

She smashed two sixes and four fours in her sparkling cameo. Perry struck a six and three fours, also hitting the winning run before being mobbed by her team mates who rushed on to the pitch to celebrate.

prop up the innings and prepare for a late assault that failed to materialise.

Yuvraj Singh struggled to find the middle of the bat, taking up 21 balls to score just 11, which, coupled with Sri Lanka’s brilliant death bowling, restricted India to a total that left their bowlers little margin for error.

“In the middle overs, our batsmen tried their best to get going but it was one of those days when we couldn’t convert the kind of start we got,” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

“Virat was the only one who looked fluent but that was after he had played some deliveries.

“We could have always got

INDIA innings R. Sharma c Senanayake b Herath 29 A. Rahane b Mathews 3 V. Kohli run-out 77 Y. Singh c T. Perera b Kulasekara 11 MS Dhoni not out 4 Extras: (b-2, lb-2, w-2) 6 Total: (four wickets; 20 overs) 130 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-64, 3-119, 4-130.

Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-29-1, Mathews 4-0-25-1, Senanayake 4-022-0, Malinga 4-0-27-0 (w-1), Herath 4-0-23-1 (w-1).

SR LANKA innings

English Racing Tips Kelso 09:00 hrs Katachenko 09:30 hrs Landecker 10:00 hrs Edmund 10:30 hrs Sealous Scout 11:00 hrs Just Awake 11:30 hrs Or De Grugy 12:00 hrs My Flora 12;30 hrs King Of Strings Windsor 09:10 hrs Sport Lobster 09;40 hrs Stomp 10:10 hrs Tobacco Road 10:40 hrs Westminister 11:10 hrs Cannock Chase 11:40 hrs Greylami 12:10 hrs Afro Redcar 09:20 hrs Paddy Again 09:50 hrs Bond Club 10;20 hrs Rough Club

those 10-15 (extra) runs but cricket is all about those runs.”

Kohli, the tournament’s top scorer and player of the event, ran himself out on the final delivery of the innings after a 58-ball knock that included four sixes and five boundaries.

Sri Lanka pace spearhead Lasith Malinga dished out plenty of accurate yorkers as India managed just 19 runs off their last four overs.

“It was Mahela and Sanga’s farewell match and we had to do something special.

All the boys were looking forward to that before the match and that’s why we were successful today,” captain Malinga said.

K. Perera c Jadeja b M. Sharma 5 T. Dilshan c Kohli b Ashwin 18 M. Jayawardene c Ashwin b Raina 24 K. Sangakkara not out 52 L. Thirimanne c Dhoni b Mishra

7 T. Perera not out 23 Extras: (lb-2, w-3) 5 Total: (four wickets; 17.5 overs) 134 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-41, 3-65, 4-78.

Bowling: Kumar 3-0-18-0, M. Sharma 2-0-18-1, Ashwin 3.5-029-1 (w-1), Mishra 4-0-32-1 (w-1), Raina 4-0-24-1 (w-1), Jadeja 1-011-0.

10:50 hrs Al Muheer 11;20 hrs Latin Charm 11:50 hrs Elusive George 12;20 hrs Zanouska South Africa Racing Tips Flamingo Park 08’;20 hrs Secret Delight 08:55 hrs Tudor Star 09:30 hrs San Vicenzo 10:00 hrs Hostile Takeover 10:30 hrs Pole Dancer American Racing Tips Philadelphia Park Race 1 Surprise Storm Race 2 Wild Kay Race 3 Angelioc Lioness Race 4 True Awaking Race 5 Freeride Race 6 Foreign Potential Race 7 Dani’s Storm Race 8 Shaunna Alexander

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Hamilton wins Bahrain thriller for Mercedes

By Alan Baldwin MANAMA, (Reuters) Lewis Hamilton won a thrilling Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix yesterday after a duel with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg in a floodlit night race full of overtaking and wheel-towheel battles.

The win was the Briton’s second in a row, the 24th of his career and also a second successive one-two for a team in a class of their own and with two drivers free to race each other from start to finish.

Mercedes have now won all three races so far in 2014.

“Nico drove fantastically well. It was so fair but so hard to keep him behind me,” smiled Hamilton, the 2008 world champion who last enjoyed back-to-back wins four years ago with McLaren.

“I was on a real knife edge at the end,” said the Briton, who won by 1.085 seconds and described the race as the hardest since his 2007 debut season.

Mexican Sergio Perez took third place - 22.9 seconds behind Rosberg - as Mercedes-powered Force

Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain kisses his trophy next to teammate Nico Rosberg of Germany on the podium of the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, south of Manama, yesterday. (Credit: Reuters/Caren Firouz) India celebrated the second podium finish in their history.

Rosberg, winner of the season-opener in Australia, stayed top of the overall standings with 61 points to Hamilton’s 50 after three races. “ I s t ro n g l y d i s l i k e coming second to Lewis,

but it was definitely the most exciting race I have ever done in my entire career,” said the German, who had started on pole and whose disappointment was clear as he stood on the podium.

“I think today was a day for the sport, we put on a fantastic show.”

Mackenzie High and Wisburg to battle in Under-19 basketball opener

FOUR-time champions Mackenzie High School will start their campaign for a fifth championship when they face Wisburg Secondary in the opening game of this year’s 10th Linden Secondary Schools Under-19 basketball tournament which bounces off today at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court in Linden.

Mackenzie High will face Wisburg in the opening match at 14.30hrs while the second is between Linden Foundation Secondary and Linden Technical Institute at 16.00hrs.

The Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) released that the contesting schools namely Mackenzie High, New Silvercity Secondary, Wisburg Secondary, Linden Foundation Secondary and Linden Technical Institute will be tasked with playing throughout this coming week to ensure that the tournament is completed by month-end during the annual Linden Town Week celebrations.

Tomorrow, New Silvercity Secondary take on the defending champions Christianburg Wismar Secondary in the first game at 14.30hrs and the second will see Mackenzie High in action again this time against Linden Foundation Secondary at 16.00hrs.

On Wednesday, the round-robin format will see Linden Technical Institute confront New Silvercity Secondary and game two will be between Christianburg/Wismar Secondary and Wisburg Secondary.

On Thursday, Linden Foundation Secondary will take on Wisburg Secondary in the first game then Mackenzie High challenge Christianburg/Wismar Secondary. On Friday, Linden Technical Institute meet Mackenzie High in the first game then New Silvercity Secondary and Linden Foundation Secondary clash in game two.

In this year’s tournament, several United States-based Lindeners have sponsored all the trophies, replicas and medals along with basketballs and other individual prizes which will be at stake throughout the ten-day tournament. (Joe Chapman)

Hamilton, whose tally of wins pulls him level with the late Argentine great

Juan Manuel Fangio in the all-time lists, made the better start from second place on the grid and led into the first corner.

He was never able to shake off Rosberg though, with both jostling for the lead in a race that made a mockery of suggestions the new V6 turbo hybrid era had turned flat-out racers into fuel-saving taxi drivers.

The Briton’s task was made tougher when the safety car came out 15 laps from the end, after Pastor Maldonado T-boned the Sauber of Mexican Esteban Gutierrez and flipped it spectacularly through the air.

With Rosberg on softer tyres and ready to pounce as soon as racing resumed, it looked like Hamilton was sure to be passed but he held on.

“With 10 laps to race, can we just make sure we bring both cars home,” tech-

nical head Paddy Lowe told both drivers over the radio and they did so but not without some heart-stopping moments.

Behind them, the others were fighting similar battles with team mates running in close two-by-two formation and scrapping for position.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth, despite starting 13th and behind quadruple champion team mate Sebastian Vettel, who ended up sixth and had to let his young team mate through early on.

Nico Hulkenberg split the two Red Bulls in fifth place with Williams team mates Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas seventh and eighth.

Ferrari’s pairing of past champions, Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, rounded off the scoring positions in ninth and 10th.

Liverpool back on top as Everton push on for top four

By Mike Collett LONDON, England -Reuters) - Steven Gerrard scored two penalties as Liverpool went back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at West Ham United to complete a Merseyside win-double over London clubs yesterday.

Earlier Everton crushed a woeful Arsenal side 3-0 at Goodison Park to boost their chances of a top-four finish and a possible place in next season’s Champions League for the first time in nine seasons.

The two vitally important games had a big bearing on the top of the table with Liverpool top with 74 points from 33 matches, two ahead of Chelsea who have also played 33.

Manchester City, who play Liverpool next week, have 70 points and two matches in hand, followed

by Arsenal on 64 from 33 and Everton 63 from 32.

Liverpool continued where Everton left off by chalking up their ninth successive league win after

Steven Gerrard put them ahead in the 44th minute with his first penalty after James Tomkins handled a Luis Suarez cross at close-range.

West Ham equalised a minute later with a controversial goal from Guy Demel after former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll appeared to foul Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet in the build-up.

The ball dropped to Demel who swept it in.

Referee Anthony Taylor had a long discussion with his assistant before allowing the goal to stand, but there

Gerrard was also controversy surrounding Liverpool’s next goal.

Taylor ruled that West Ham keeper Adrian brought down Jon Flanagan although TV replays showed the goalkeeper got a hand to the ball first.

Gerrard, who also scored two penalties against Manchester United last month, made no mistake with his second spot kick, blasting the ball past Adrian into the corner of the net.

West Ham remain in 11th place.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

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Thomas, Hamilton defy Guyana and keep Leewards afloat ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – An unbroken half-century partnership between Devon Thomas and Jahmar Hamilton frustrated Guyana and kept Leeward Islands in with a chance of victory in their sixth round Regional FourDay match here yesterday.

Set 279 for victory at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, the Leewards slumped to 28 for three before Thomas and Hamilton came together in a 73-run, fourth wicket stand to pilot the hosts to 101 for three at

the close of the penultimate day.

Thomas has so far struck 38 from 59 balls with six fours while Hamilton has been equally position with his 34 off 66 balls, including five boundaries.

The Leewards require a further 178 runs to win on today’s final day.

No such equation seemed likely when seamer Keon Joseph struck a couple of telling blows up front, to put the Leewards on the back foot.

He had Test batsman and

Regional Four-Day Guyana 1st Innings 240 LEEWARD ISLANDS 1st Innings 174 GUYANA 2nd Innings (overnight 47 for two) T. Griffith c Willett b Martin 58 T. Chanderpaul c Hamilton b Martin 9 A. Khan lbw b Martin 0 A. Fudadin c Martin b Walters 11 *L. Johnson lbw b Leonard 7 C. Hemraj c Powell b Leonard 34 +A. Bramble lbw b Leonard 47 Z. Shadir b Leonard 28 V. Permaul c wkp Thomas b Martin 3 R. Beaton lbw b Martin 3 K. Joseph not out 1 Extras (b4, lb5, w2) 11 TOTAL (all out, 87 overs) 212 Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-44, 3-85, 4-85, 5-102, 6-167, 7-178, 8-181, 9-202, 10-212.

B o w l i n g : To n g e 1 2 - 2 - 3 8 - 0 , Boatswain 5-1-25-0 (w2), Walters 12-7-25-1, Leonard 23-5-48-4, Martin 30-13-49-5, Powell 4-1-12-0, Willett 1-0-6-0.

LEEWARD ISLANDS 2nd Innings (target: 279) K. Powell c wkpr Bramble b Joseph 7 J. Liburd lbw b Joseph 11 O. Peters b Beaton 7 +D. Thomas not out 38 J. Hamilton not out 34 Extras (b4) 4 TOTAL (3 wkts, 26 overs) 101 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-24, 3-28.

Bowling: Beaton 7-0-28-1, Joseph 6-1-21-2, Shadir 7-1-27-0, Permaul 6-1-21-0.

Position: Leewards need 178 more runs to win with seven second innings wickets standing.

CCC vs Windwards CCC 1st Innings 225 WINDWARD ISLANDS 1st Innings 157 CCC 2nd Innings (overnight 66 for four) S. Thomas lbw b Sebastien 19 P. Palmer c wkpr James b Matthew 7 K. Corbin lbw b Matthew 10 K. Hodge c Bobb b Sebastien 12 +C. Walton c Theophile b Matthew 15 F. Reifer c and b Sebastien 4 *S. Jacobs c Ambris b Sebastien 2 J. Greaves c wkpr James b Bobb 11 A. Dewar not out 22 J. Warrican st James b Bobb 4 R. Austin timed out 0 Extras (b7, lb1, nb1) 9 TOTAL (all out, 58.5 overs) 115 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-32, 3-45, 4-55, 5-69, 6-71, 7-79, 8-97, 9-115, 10-115.

Bowling: Pascal 5-1-22-0 (nb1); Johnson 2-0-10-0; Sebastien 277-40-4; Bobb 11.5-3-21-2; Matthew 13-6-14-3 WINDWARD ISLANDS 2nd Innings

(target: 184) D Smith c Thomas b Warrican 16 T. Theophile c Jacobs b Dewar 31 S. Ambris c Jacobs b Warrican 8 K. Lesporis run out 23 R. Currency c Corbin b Warrican 1 *L. Sebastien b Austin 6 L. James c and b Austin 3 M. Matthew c wkpr Walton b Warrican 3 A. Bobb not out 1 D. Johnson c Corbin b Austin 2 N. Pascal b Warrican 3 Extras (lb1, nb3) 4 TOTAL (all out, 44.1 overs) 101 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-42, 3-62, 4-65, 5-82, 6-85, 7-92, 8-92, 9-95, 10-101.

Bowling: Greaves 2-0-9-0; Austin 16-5-37-3 (nb3); Warrican 20.1-534-5; Dewar 6-0-20-1 Points: CCC 16, Windwards 3 T&T vs Jamaica T&T 1st Innings 244 JAMAICA 1st Innings 180 T&T 2nd Innings (overnight 94 for one) A Barath lbw b Taylor 2 E Lewis lbw b Miller 43 D Bravo b Buchanan 45 J Mohammed c Jon Ross Campbell b Miller 9 K Pollard lbw b Miller 0 *R Emrit lbw b Buchanan 0 +S Katwaroo c wkp Baugh b Taylor 12 I Khan not out 56 M Richards b Taylor 5 S Gabriel lbw b Miller 1 R Jaipaul c wkp Baugh b Buchanan 1 Extras (b4, lb1) 5 TOTAL (all out, 66.2 overs) 179 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-94, 3-98, 4-98, 5-99, 6-111, 7-119, 8-155, 9-174, 10-179.

B o w l i n g : Ta y l o r 1 3 - 2 - 5 0 - 3 , Buchanan 12.2-3-34-3, Lambert 8-2-21-0, Miller 25-12-40-4, Jacobs 8-3-29-0.

JAMAICA 2 nd Innings (Target: 244) Jon Ross Campbell c wkp Katwaroo b Richards 11 John Campbell c Gabriel b Emrit 0 N Bonner c Khan b Gabriel 10 J Blackwood c Lewis b Richards 0 *T Lambert c wkp Katwaroo b Richards 0 A McCarthy c wkp Katwaroo b Khan 42 +C Baugh Jr lbw b Khan 14 N Miller c wkp Katwaroo b Khan 2 D Jacobs run out 7 J Taylor c Richards b Mohammed 4 B Buchanan not out 0 Extras (b4, lb2, w2) 8 TOTAL (all out, 33.3 overs) 98 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-20, 3-20, 4-20, 5-28, 6-52, 7-58, 8-89, 9-94, 10-98.

Bowling: Gabriel 8-1-23-1, Emrit 5-1-11-1, Richards 7-1-15-3, Khan 8.3-1-22-3, Jaipaul 4-0-18-0, Mohammed 1-0-3-1.

Points: T&T 16, Jamaica 3.

Devon Thomas

captain Kieran Powell caught at the wicket for seven, and trapped the other opener Javier Liburd lbw for 11, after newball partner Ronsford Beaton had bowled Orlando Peters for seven, to get the second wicket of the innings.

E a r l i e r, G u y a n a w e r e bowled out for 212 after resuming the day on 47 for two.

Trevon Griffith converted his overnight unbeaten 30 into a top score of 58, made off 101 balls in 239 minutes with eight fours. Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble hit 47, Chanderpaul Hemraj got 34 while Mohammed Shadir scored 28.

Leg-spinner Anthony Martin claimed five for 49 while left-arm spinner Yan-

nick Leonard picked up four for 48.

The left-handed Griffith completed his maiden first class half-century off 93 balls but was one of two wickets to fall on 85 after he had put on 41 for the third wicket with Assad Fudadin (11).

Guyana slipped further to 102 for five when captain Leon Johnson perished for seven, but Hemraj and Bramble added 65 for the sixth wicket to stretch the visitors’ lead.

Warrican, history-maker Austin bowl CCC to victory KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) - Spinners Jomel Warrican and Ryan Austin kept Combined Campuses and Colleges’ semi-final aspirations alive, bowling them to an 82-run victory over Windward Islands in the Regional Four-Day Championship inside three days here yesterday.

Warrican, a former West Indies Under-19 left-arm spinner, grabbed five for 34 from 20.1 overs and veteran off-spinner Austin captured three for 37 from 16 overs, writing his name in the record books, as Windwards were bowled out for 101 in their second innings in pursuit of 184, to win the sixth round match.

Opener Tyrone Theophile hit the top score of 31 and Keddy Lesporis made 23, but no other Windwards batsman reached 20, as Warrican, Austin and leg-spinner Akeem Dewar, to a lesser extent, benefited from appreciable turn and bounce from the Arnos Vale Multiplex pitch to weave a web around the home team’s batsmen.

Warrican formalised the result about 20 minutes past the scheduled tea break, when he deceived tail-ender

Ryan Austin Nelon Pascal with a delivery that spun sharply and bowled him for three, sparking onfield celebrations by the visitors.

The victory meant that CCC, who started the match in fifth place, earned 16 points – moving them to an aggregate of 46 – and Windwards, who were second in the table, gained three points – increasing their tally to 65, drawing them level with reigning champions and current leaders Barbados, who drew a bye for this round of matches.

Windwards captain Liam Sebastien, bowling his uncomplicated off-spin, had been the pick of his side’s bowlers, ending with four for 40 from 27 overs, as CCC were bowled out for 115 in their second innings about half-hour before the scheduled lunch interval, after

resuming the day on 66 for four.

Mervin Matthew supported with three for 14 from 13 overs and left-arm spinner Alston Bobb took two for 21 from 11.5 overs.

Akeem Dewar led the way with 22 not out for the visitors, whose innings came to a bizarre conclusion, when Austin etched his name in the record books in ignominious circumstances.

He was dismissed timedout for failing to reach the middle in the stipulated maximum time allowance of two minutes – but he later earned a place in modern Regional Four-Day history (from 1966 to present), when he became the third bowler to take 300 wickets, as the Windwards dramatically collapsed.

The lanky 32-year-old off-spinner reached the milestone, when he held a return catch to dismiss wicketkeeper/ batsman Lindon James for three, his second wicket of the innings.

Things had started to unravel for Windwards postlunch, when they resumed from 20 without loss. Veteran opener Devon Smith became the first scalp for Warrican, caught at forward short leg for 16 in the second over after the interval.

When Austin joined retired Guyanese leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo and injured Windwards and West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford in the 300-wicket club, the home team were 92 for seven.

Warrican had Matthew caught behind for three with the third ball of the following over and CCC captain Steven Jacobs claimed additional time to put the home team out of their misery.

Delorn Johnson was soon caught at slip, edging a big swish at Austin, before Warrican, playing only his fourth first-class match, brought things to a close, claiming five wickets in an innings for the first time in his career.

CCC’s success in this match has also enhanced their chances of sneaking into the semi-finals, especially if Jamaica – whom they play in the final round on home soil at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados – lose their ongoing match against Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain.

This was the Windwards’ final match of the preliminary competition. They are still highly likely to earn a spot in the semi-finals, but they may have frittered away home advantage with this defeat.

Jamaica suffer third straight loss to slip from top four

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Jamaica shockingly tumbled to their third consecutive loss of their Regional Four-Day campaign, when they crashed to a 145-run defeat to Trinidad and Tobago here yesterday.

On a day when 19 wickets fell at Queen’s Park Oval, the Jamaicans found themselves unable to arrest their alarming slide, surrendering late on the third day of the sixth round match, after being set 244 for victory.

Once again, only Andre McCarthy showed any mettle, top scoring with 42 to follow up his first innings 45, as Jamaica could muster only a mere 98 all out.

Pacer Marlon Richards,

with three for 15, and leg-spinner Imran Khan, with three for 21, led the Trinidadian attack admirably.

The writing was on the wall from early for the Jamaicans after they were reduced to 28 for five in pursuit if their victory target.

With just one run on the board, John Campbell was taken at fine leg off seamer Rayad Emrit without scoring and Richards then knocked over the next three wickets with the score on 20 to put T&T firmly on top.

He had Jon Ross Campbell taken down the leg-side for 11 and on the other side of a length rain-break, prised out Jermaine Blackwood in the same over without scoring. In his next

over, he claimed captain Tamar Lambert without scoring, caught at the wicket driving ambitiously.

Jamaica were further reduced to 28 for five when Nkrumah Bonner cut fast bowler Shannon Gabriel straight to Imran Khan at point.

McCarthy then struck three fours and a six off 69 balls in 85 minutes at the crease, to prop up the Jamaican innings. However, once he edged Khan behind to give Steven Katwaroo his fourth catch of the innings, all Jamaican resistance ended.

Earlier, T&T had also collapsed after resuming the day on 94 for one, their last nine wickets falling for just 85 runs,

to be 179 all out.

Test batsman Darren Bravo (45) and opener Evin Lewis (43) both failed to add to their overnight scores and it took Khan with an explosive unbeaten 56 from 63 balls, to lift the innings.

Khan counted seven fours and a six and helped to rally the hosts from a precarious 111 for six, after left-arm spinner Nikita Miller (4-40), and pacers Brian Buchanan (3-34) and Jerome Taylor (3-50) had ripped through the innings.

With the defeat, Jamaica slipped outside the top four in the standings, and are now in danger of missing out on the semi-finals with one round remaining in the preliminaries.

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

Hinds captures Banks DIH Powerade 50-mile road race ORVILLE Hinds returned one hour 56 minutes 55 seconds in winning the Powerade-sponsored 50-mile cycle road race yesterday.

Facing the starter from outside the Wales Police Station, the 53 registered starters stuck together and interchanged the lead on the journey to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo.

The veterans, and mountain bikers had already turned back at Uitvlugt when Persaud went on a break but Godfrey Pollydore and Delroy Eastman followed him and connected.

Shortly after connecting, Persaud, Orville Hinds, O’Selmo and Paul DeNobrega broke from the main pack and opened a sizeable lead which they maintained until the end of the event.

DeNobrega placed sec-

Prizewinners of the various categories pose of the sponsor, Banks DIH Limited. ond, O’Selmo was third fifth and sixth respectively.

Hinds, Pollydore, Eastwhile Robin Persaud, Albert Philander and Godfrey man, O’Selmo, Delroy Hinds, Pollydore finished fourth, Raymond Newton, DeNobre-

with representatives ga and Robin Persaud each won one prime prize.

In the juveniles 10-lap race on the programme that was organised by National

Trophy Stall / EBFA U-15 League

Grove Hi Tech are champions, Soesdyke Falcons is runner-up

GROVE Hi Tech played flawless football to emerge as the top team in the inaugural Trophy Stall sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-15 League, which concluded yesterday at the Grove Playfield, East Bank Demerara.

The home team ended as the only unbeaten team of the two-round league with a 2-1 win over Herstelling, a much improved team that featured two female players.

Yesterday’s other game saw Soesdyke Falcons overcoming Diamond to take the second place with a 4-2 win. Soesdyke were in a must win situation going into the game and pulled out all the stops

against Diamond which defeated them (0-1) when the two sides met in the first round.

The Timehri boys never allowed Diamond to settle into a rhythm as they established their intentions from as early as the 7th minute when joint top leading goal scorer Shane Meusa rocked the nets.

Diamond fired back five minutes later through Teon Forde to draw level. Kevin Marshall who netted a double for Soesdyke fired in his first in the 33rd minute to restore the advantage for Soesdyke. He ensured that Diamond would not be a threat to their victory bid when he completed his double strike in the 39th minute.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Monday April 07, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: India Carlton Baugh and Kirk Edwards Today’s Quiz: Put these in order beginning with the man who took most catches in the just-concluded ICC T/20 World Cup 2014: Glen Maxwell, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, ViratKholi How many sixes were struck in the ICC T/20 World Cup 2014?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Grove, Trophy Stall 2014 U-15 Champions Diamond, kept on plug- the 69th minute when Ixios ging away in search of more Da Silva found the back of goals and were rewarded in the nets to reduce the ad-

cycling coach Hassan Mohamed, Michael Anthony was first while Alonzo Ambrose placed second and Raul Leal finished third.

Ozia McAully won the mountain bike category ahead of Lennox Dick and Clyde Jacobs respectively.

Talim Shaw won the veterans five-lap race ahead of Ian Jackson and Davendra Ramnarine respectively.

From the start of the event which pedalled off from outside the Wales Police Station, there were several attempted breaks but the only one that occurred was when Robin Persaud, O’Selmo, Orville Hinds and DeNobrega made a break just after turning back at Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo and opened a one-minute lead on the chasing pack that

was playing cat and mouse with each other.

As the four leaders entered Vreed-en-Hoop, the lead kept changing and it was at the 800 metres mark that DeNobre3ga attacked but Hinds and Persaud responded.

Eventually DeNobrega connected but was unable to out-do the eventual winner.

Pr4ior to making the presentation to the respective winners, race organiser Hassan Mohamed congratulated all the winners and losers for participating in the third annual Banks DIH-sponsored event.

Banks DIH’s Beverage Manager Jennifer Khan thanked the participants and said her company is committed to the development of sports in Guyana and will continue to support cycling.

vantage, but on the stroke of full time Shakeem Billson restored Soesdyke’s two goal cushion, with a goal of his own.

Grove were pushed by Herstelling which has improved leaps and bounds, and it was the champions closest margin of victory against the least experienced team of the league.

Simeon Richardson handed the home team the lead 29 minutes into the encounter but Hers t e l l i n g d re w l e v e l i n the 46th minute, compliments of an Adrian Sattaur strike. Even as Grove strove for goals, Herstelling put on the biggest performance of the competition as they stood solid in defence.

It took the effort of the

tournament’s joint leading goal scorer Threvon Pluck to guide his team to a hard fought win when he breached the Herstelling defence in the 67th minute to seal the win and maintain Grove’s unbeaten record.

The presentation of prizes to the teams and top individual performers will be done shortly. Trophies and medals will be awarded to the top three teams, while the fourth placed team will also be rewarded as will the highest goal scorers: Threvon Pluck of Grove Hi Tech and Shane Meusa of Soesdyke Falcons who ended with 7 goals each.

The Most Valuable Player, Best Goal Keeper and Best Coach will all be rewarded.

Demerara Fire and General Insurance U-19 Inter-Zone bowls off tomorrow THE Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) Under-19 Inter-Zone 50-Over competition, sponsored by Demerara Fire and General Insurance, will bowl off tomorrow with two first-round matches at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) and the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) grounds.

At GCC, East Coast will go up against West Demerara whose line-up includes Ewart Samuels, Ronaldo Renee, Nicoli Reddy and Travis Persaud, while a strong Georgetown line-up comprising Sherfane Rutherford, Tevin Imloch, Yenkini Favourite and Clitus Johnson, just to name a few, will oppose East

Bank at DCC. In the second round on Thursday, East Coast and East Bank will battle at Enmore Community Centre ground and Georgetown and West Demerara will lock horns at Wales Community Centre ground while in the third and final round, which will be played on Saturday, West Demerara and East Bank will clash at Wales while East Coast and Georgetown will contest at Everest.

The teams are as follows: East Bank Demerara: Daniel Barker, Deonarine Seegobin, Ryan Shun, Sheldon Chapman, Asif Alli, Michael Sultan, Andrew Chung, Suraj Sankar, Vinesh

Rampersaud, Ricky Debidial, Daren John, Irshad Alli, Delon Peroune, Abdel Bacchus, Stephon Browne, Julian Fortune. The manager is Johnny Azeez and the coach is Godfrey Edwards.

Georgetown: Michael Shalim, Sunil Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Tevin Imloch, Clitus Johnson, Cleon McEwan, Hakeem David, Keon Morris, Yenkini Favourite, Carlton Jacques, Rajendra Danraj, Steven Sankar, Kemal Savoury, Tariq Dharamlall. The manager is Robert Adonis and the coach is Quason Nedd.

West Demerara: Travis Persaud, Ronaldo Renee, Kevin Paul, Malcolm Hub-

bard, Kelvin Sewpersaud, Richie Looknauth, Narendra Persaud, Avenash Dhaniram, Keshram Seyhodan, Vickram Talmakund, Ewart Samuels, Chaitnarine Pooran, Rabindra Rooplall, Nicoli Reddy. The manager is Omar Hussain and the coach is Dhanpaul.

East Coast: Brian Sattaur, Rudolph Singh, Devraj Chunilall, Vishwanauth Ramlakhan, Gavin Moriah, Irfan Ali, Damian Waldron, Shanerick DaSilva, Satesh Jainarine, Sahadeo Ramkhellawan, Mathew Shivtahal, Ramnarine Chitura, Travis Marcellino and Vivian Albert. The coach is Latchman Yadram and the manager is Richard Albert.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 7, 2014

27

Marques retains WBC/CABOFE title with unanimous points victory over Hedge

By Calvin Roberts GUYANA’S World Boxing Council/Caribbean Boxing Federation (WBC/ CABOFE) Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques lived up to his pre-fight billing when he came away with a unanimous decision win over Jamaica’s Rudolph Hedge at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last Saturday night.

Also recording wins on the night were Guyana’s Richard Williamson over his fellow countryman David Thomas, Quincy Gomes over Jamaica’s Toriano Nicholas, while Jamaica’s Kemahl Russell and Devon Moncrieffe were too good for Guyana’s Romeo Norville and Mark Austin respectively.

Marques’ jab was a potent weapon and Hedge found it very hard to counter, going down by scores of 119-110, 117-111 and 117-111 in the headline bout of the five-card event, dubbed ‘Jamaican Invasion’ and organised by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC).

The 25-year-old Marques, started out in dominant fashion snapping the challenger’s head back with straight punches and staggered him with occasional combinations while Hedge, who vowed to put

… Wins for Williamson, Gomes, Russell and Moncrieffe

Jamaica’s Devon Moncrieffe (left) connects with a straight left hand to the midsection of Guyana’s Mark Austin, during their middleweight contest that was won by Moncrieffe. (Photo by Sonell Nelson) Marques away in the sixth round, looked sharp and aggressive, found it difficult to track down the champion, who remained at a distance and picked his shots to perfection.

Marques, whose win pushed his record to 14-2, jabbed his way to the leader’s position on the points table, and at the end of the eighth round, with the crowd chanting Dexter, Dexter, the scorecards read 80-74, 80-73

and 79-73 in his favour.

It was evident that Hedge needed a knockout to remove the title from Marques’ waist and during the championship rounds in which he was bleeding from a cut above his left eye, Hedge continued to throw power punches.

However, in true championship mode, Marques put any thoughts of an upset to bed when he stunned Hedge with thunderous combinations, thus putting an excla-

mation mark on his polished victory which was later confirmed by the judges - sending Hedge to his second defeat in as many outings in Guyana.

In the main supporting bout, Austin fought a game Moncrieffe, who signalled his intentions early from the opening bell of the first round in their eight-round contest, by using his jab well, keeping Austin at bay to come away with the win at the sound of the final bell.

Norville appeared to be aggressive against Russell, who was apparently feeling out his man in the first round, smiling when he was the recipient of a right to the head, while dishing out a few jabs that seemed to have little or no effect on Norville.

In the second round, Russell taunted Norville, at times licking out his tongue and calling on the Guyanese to step up to the plate and make a fight out of it but when Norville stepped forward to take the attack to the taller Jamaican, he was met by a vicious right hand that sent him to the canvas.

He got up, beating referee Franklin Brisport’s count, but was soon on the canvas again, this time from a

GCB/IGLOO U-15

Demerara easily retain title in drawn encounter with Berbice

By Calvin Roberts

DEFENDING champions Demerara easily retained their Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-15 title which is being sponsored this year by Sterling Products Limited’s Igloo Ice-cream range of products, yesterday, following their drawn match against Berbice at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

At the Demerara Cricket Club ground, the President’s XI scored a commanding 157-run victory over a hapless Essequibo lineup, to finish the tournament in third place on 25 points behind Demerara 43 and Berbice with 38, while Essequibo took the cellar position with 11 points.

At Camp Road, Demerara resumed the final day when play got under way at 10:45hrs due to some seepage on the pitch, on 102 for 6 - an overall lead of 196, with Sagar Hetheramani and Azim Ally unbeaten on 1 and 0 respectively.

… President’s XI defeat Essequibo

The victorious Demerara team pose with the Guyana Cricket Board/Igloo Under-15 Inter-county trophy after receiving same yesterday afternoon. Standing at right is manager Robert ‘Pacer’ Adonis, while the victorious coach Gavin Nedd is at left.

(Photo by Adrian Narine) Thanks to two authoritaHetheramani was untive drives from Hetheramabeaten on 21 and with him ni off Junior Williams (1 for was Bhojnarine Singh 5, 27), Demerara reached 137 as the home team added for 7 off 49 overs at lunch, a 35 for the loss of Ally’s lead of 231, losing Ally who wicket during the morning was caught by Steven Deonsession which saw Berbice arine off Kris Ramnarine (1 sending down 21 overs and for 35) for 9 at 126 for 7 in after the break, Berbice the 42nd over. removed Hetheramani who

was caught by Deonarine at mid-on off Williams.

He faced 106 balls and struck three fours in his 36 before he was the eighth and final batsman to be dismissed at 164, having added 38 with Singh who was unbeaten on 14 when the innings was closed with Demerara 166 for 8 off 58 overs.

Javed Karim took 2 for 9 to be Berbice’s best bowler, before his side struggled to 30 for 4 and later 79 for 4 at tea, chasing 261 to record a come-from-behind win, having lost Kevin Sinclair (10), Surendra Budhoo (22), Ramnarine (5) and Karim without scoring, with Deonarine on 31 and Kevon Anderson 4.

Budhoo had earlier retired hurt on 16 after missing a full-pitched delivery from Singh and resumed his innings when Karim was lbw to Hetheramani at 30 for 4, following which he added 18 with Deonarine before he was lbw to Hetheramani, playing back to one that kept low at 48 for 4.

Anderson joined De-

And the winner is! In this Sonell Nelson photograph, referee Andrew Thorne raises the hands of the victorious Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques, following his unanimous points decision win over Jamaica’s Rudolph Hedge, which allowed Marques to retain his WBC/CABOFE flyweight title last Saturday night. ning via a majority decision straight right hand jab to the (38-38, 39-37, 39-37) in the face, which he recovered lightweight affair, while in from but went down again the first bout of the evening twice, after being struck by which was an all-Guyanese affair, Williamson padded his Russell.

Following his fourth record via a TKO win after knockdown, Norville’s coach the referee reckoned that James ‘Sack’ Walcott threw Thomas was unable to conin the towel even as Bris- tinue after receiving a series port was administering the of thunderous combinations.

The fight was waved off count, but the referee ignored the towel in the ring, at 1m: 32secs of the fourth as the bell sounded to sig- and final round on a night nal the end of the round, at which saw sponsors for the which point Walcott quickly event being Banks DIH commenced removing his Limited, Courts, Digicel, Fly Jamaica, Giftland Ofcharge’s gloves.

Gomes got the judges’ ficeMax and the Guyana nod against Nicholas, win- Tourism Authority. onarine and together they added 31 runs until tea, increasing their partnership to 49 after the break, before Anderson was forced to retire hurt on 22 at 97 for 4, having suffered an abrasion to his left elbow, while diving to avoid being run-out.

Dutifully, Deonarine posted his half-century from 137 balls while batting for 169 minutes. He steered Anthony Antonio to third man for his third four, before Seon Glasgow was run-out for 8, at which time the game was called off with Berbice 133 for 5 off 55.2 overs.

Deonarine was unbeaten on 55 (3x4, 142 balls), as Hetheramani took 2 for 21, while there was a wicket each for Antonio and Singh as Berbice salvaged a draw in windy conditions, even as Ashmead Nedd was declared the man-of-the-match.

At DCC, President’s XI resumed the day on 71 for 1 with Mark Ramsammy and first-innings centurion Christopher Campbell unbeaten on 25 each and closed off their innings at 173 for 6 scored off 62 overs.

Ramsammy scored 26 while Campbell got 32, with the pair adding 55 for the

second wicket, while Robin Williams came in and topscored with his unbeaten 41 (4x4, 141balls) which together with Brandon Corlette’s unbeaten 27 (3x4) added 75 for their unbroken seventh-wicket partnership.

Besham Moses was Essequibo’s best bowler with his 2 for 29, but his side struggled to achieve the 246 they were asked to score to record a come-from-behind win, as they were bowled out for 89 off 66 overs.

Arnold Adams topscored with 17 (2x4) while Govindra Gobin 15 along with 11 each from Moses and Romesh Ramgobin were the lone batsmen to reach double figures, even as first-innings destroyer Stephon Wilson and Khemchand Hardyal took 3 wickets each for 15 and 18 runs respectively and Corlette 2 for 16.

For their win, Demerara received a trophy and $50 000 while Berbice were the recipients of a trophy and $25 000 with Demerara’s Ashmead Nedd being named the man-of-thematch for their encounter against Berbice and Campbell the same accolades in his team’s matchup against Essequibo.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Marques retains WBC/ (See CABOFE title with Story on page unanimous points 27) victory over Hedge

Sri Lanka beat India to win maiden World T20 title See page 23

The Sri Lankan players celebrate with the World T20 trophy.

Lanning leads Aussie women to world T20 hat-trick

Meg Lanning lifts the World T20 trophy with her team.

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MIRPUR, Bangladesh - (Reuters) - Australian women completed a World Twenty20 hat-trick after captain Meg Lanning led them to a comfortable six-wicket victory against 2009 champions England in the final yesterday.

Lanning inserted England after winning the toss and Sarah Coyte (3-16) and her bowling colleagues did an excellent job to restrict them to 105 for eight in a repeat of the 2012 final in

Sri Lanka.

Heather Knight (29) topscored for England, who did not have a single six and only eight boundaries in their innings.

Lanning returned to hit 44 off 30 balls, adding 60 runs with Ellyse Perry (31 not out) to lay the foundation for the team’s comprehensive victory with 29 balls to spare at the Sher-e-Ban-

(See page 23) MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014