Guyana chronicle 11 06 14

GUYANA No. 103855

WEDNESDAY JUNE 11, 2014

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

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Murder at Friendship...

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Mother of three found dead, with head in bucket of water Page

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–husband in police custody

Celebrating the 2 Queen’s 88th birthday Page

Shelly Persaud’s daughters who were at home when their mom was killed.

Inset is Shelly Persaud, 25, who was murdered at her home yesterday

Murdered Berbice 8 schoolgirl laid to rest Page

Prime Minister, Mr Samuel Hinds awaits his turn as British High Commissioner Mr. Andrew Ayre has the first go at cutting the traditional birthday cake in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 88th birthday

–amidst calls that history must not repeat itself

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Celebrating the Queen’s 88th birthday

GUYANA yesterday joined other Commonwealth countries, except Western Australia, in celebrating the Queen’s official birthday in keeping with a tradition going back more than 200 years.

The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: Her actual birthday, which is on April 21, and her official birthday.

The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately, but the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes at midday in central London: A 41-gun salute in Hyde Park; a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park; and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. In 2006, Her Majesty celebrated her 80th birthday with a walkabout in the streets outside of Windsor Castle to meet well-wishers.

On her official birthday, Her Majesty is joined by other members of the Royal Family to watch the spectacular Trooping the Colour parade, also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade.

The list of Birthday Honours is also announced on that day.

Here in Guyana, the event, which saw a number of local dignitaries and government officials in attendance, was held at the home of British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Andrew Ayre.

HEAR! HEAR! Toasting Queen Elizabeth II’s 88th birthday are British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr Andrew Ayre, and Prime Minister, Mr Samuel Hinds

At the Queen’s birthday bash last night at British Ambassador to Guyana, Mr Andrew Ayre’s Bel Air Gardens residence

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Sooba assures ...

Nothing will prevent City Hall restoration

By Leroy Smith ACTING Town Clerk Carol Sooba has assured that the ramblings with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council and the numerous efforts to have her run from the municipality will not stand in the way of the preservation of the historic edifice.

She told the media on Friday that City Hall will not be allowed to crumble, as she pointed to the monies which the Government of the day has committed for its restoration.

Asked about the figure to be pumped into the exercise, Ms. Sooba reminded that the Government had committed $200M to assist with the process.

On the question of whether the amount is sufficient for the works, she said the City Engineer informed that the last estimate done did not reach the $200M price tag.

She said, he was, however, quick to point out that the estimates do not necessarily reflect or produce an accurate figure for the works to be done, citing that it could be more or less when the actual work commences.

Restoring City Hall will see the repairing of the roof, inner walls, guttering and stairs. At present all the mentioned areas have been falling apart and, lately, the place has been struggling to hold the pieces together.

Police arrest some 80 suspected touts ––at city minibus parks

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has, within the past two weeks, conducted operations at the minibus parks in Georgetown, during which some 80 persons were arrested for soliciting persons for public transportation.

So far 65 of them have been placed before the courts while 15 of them failed to appear and arrest warrants have been issued for them. The other 50 matters are engaging the courts.

Meanwhile, the operation will be continuing in efforts to bring some order at the minibus parks.

The guttering, for example, is made of cast iron and parts of it would fall from time to time crushing into pieces but fortunately not injuring anyone.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES Sooba told the media that City Hall does not have the financial resources to deal with its physical state but admitted that the little which can be accomplished to hold the pieces together are usually done.

Very soon, there is to be a special meeting between the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, where the restoring issue will be discussed, she indicated.

Meanwhile, with respect to another facility controlled by City Hall and is literally falling apart, Sooba said the Council Town Clerk Carol Sooba will have to resort to public tendering to deal with it.

She said the Stabroek Wharf which was originally scheduled to be rehabilitated by in-house personnel will have to be done by a contractor.

She informed that the personnel from the Municipality who were to undertake the job at the facility are presently otherwise engaged at another location which is of equal importance.

Sooba said the Council will now have to outsource the work on the wharf but could not say when it will commence and at what cost.

According to her, the estimate for the rehabilitation of the Stabroek Wharf has not yet been submitted.

For years persons have been crying out about the condition of the Stabroek Wharf which is presently not able to accommodate vessels.

The boards on it are slipping into the Demerara River while the roofing is in such a state that when it rains it pours.

Yet Sooba has disclosed that the M&CC is in a better financial position than it was two years ago.

Guyanese is new General Secretary of Caribbean police welfare body

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POLICE Sergeant Brenton Smith of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was elected the new president of the Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Association (CFPWA) and W/Inspector Sheryl Hermonstine of Guyana the General Secretary when the body held its Third Annual General Meeting in St. Vincent at the Murray Heights Hotel from May 15 to 17, 2014.

The meeting was held under the theme “United We Stand, Together We Achieve” and among the matters discussed were the registration of the Federation, the relocation of the Secretariat and funding for the Federation.

According to a press release, the new executive comprises the following: *President – Sergeant Brenton Smith - St. Vincent and the Grenadines *Vice President – Acting Inspector Anand Ramesar - Trinidad and Tobago *First Vice President – Acting Corporal Camron Laure - St. Lucia *General Secretary – W/Inspector Sheryl Hermonstine – Guyana *Assistant Secretary - Constable Jefferson Drigo – Dominica *Treasurer – Sergeant Lendon Isaacs from Antigua *Public Relations Officer – Inspector Raymond Thom Trinidad and Tobago ?

Trustees are Corporal Martin James of St. Lucia and Station Sergeant Michael Sobers of Barbados while the Protocol Officer is W/Sergeant Dionne Pollard of Guyana.

According to the release, the Federation intends to be fully functional within a year of the new executive’s two-year term.

This organisation is a combination of Police Welfare Officers in the region with the common goal of collaboration and co-operation in the development of representation on behalf of its members.

They aim to: (a) Promote, foster and encourage high professional and ethical standards in pursuit of representation of the members; and (b) Assist the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) in the development of new and existing policies where necessary.

The Federation was established in May 2007 and has had its full share of ups and downs. However, the new executive has pledged their commitment to move the organisation forward and is hoping in the near future to present a strategic plan to the ACCP. The Guyana Police Association hosted the second Annual General Meeting of the CFPWA which was held between May 20 and 25, 2013, at the Kanuku Suites, Georgetown.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Mosul falls to militants, Iraqi forces flee northern city (Reuters) – AN AL QAEDA splinter group seized control of the Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, putting security forces to flight in a spectacular show of strength against the Shi’ite-led Baghdad government.

The capture of the northern city of 2 million by the Islamic State of Iraq and the

a half years ago, pledged to help Iraqi leaders “push back against this aggression” as the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki asked parliament to declare a state of emergency that would give him extraordinary powers to tackle the crisis.

But the battle, for the time being, seemed to be over.

seconds.”

The fall of Mosul, a largely Sunni Arab city after years of ethnic and sectarian fighting, deals a serious blow to Baghdad’s efforts to fight Sunni militants who have regained ground and momentum in Iraq over the past year, taking Falluja and parts of Ramadi in the desert west

Families fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Mosul wait at a checkpoint in outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, June 10, 2014.

Credit: REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

Levant - Sunni Muslims waging sectarian war on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian frontier - complements ISIL’s grip on key western towns and followed four days of heavy fighting in Mosul and the border province of Nineveh around it.

The United States, which pulled out its troops two and

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Some police were discarding uniforms and weapons and fleeing a city where the black flag of ISIL now flew over government buildings.

“We have lost Mosul this morning,” said a colonel at a local military command center. “Army and police forces left their positions and ISIL terrorists are in full control.

“It’s a total collapse of the security forces.”

A Reuters reporter saw the bodies of soldiers and policemen, some of them mutilated, littering the streets.

“We can’t beat them. We can’t,” one officer told Reuters. “They are well trained in street fighting and we’re not. We need a whole army to drive them out of Mosul.

“They’re like ghosts: they appear, strike and disappear in

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of Baghdad at the start of the year.

Control there, in Anbar province, as well as around Mosul in the north, would help ISIL and its allies consolidate control along the barely populated frontier with Syria, where they are fighting President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Shi’ite Iran.

A White House spokesman renewed U.S. calls for Maliki to do more to address grievances among Iraqis, notably the once dominant Sunni minority. Many Sunnis feel disenfranchised and some have made common cause with foreign Islamist radicals, first against the U.S. troops that overthrew Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 and now Shi’iteled Iraqi forces.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Differing reports from relatives, residents as cops kill cousins (Trinidad Guardian) BUL- attempted murder, breaking and you still kill them. They LETS flew in two separate and entering, sexual assault ain’t search them or check communities Monday, re- and larceny of a vehicle. them. All you buss my child sulting in the deaths of two The suspect who escaped skin if he was doing anyteenagers and the injury was also wanted, police thing wrong.” She said her of one police officer. In said. aunt, who lived near where the case that drew the In a telephone inter- the shooting occurred, saw most attention, two cous- view Monday, however, the incident and begged for ins were shot dead by the an eyewitness disputed the her nephews. police during an alleged police account of what oc“She was begging for shootout yesterday after- curred. “The police tell her nephews and they turn noon at Superville Hill, them to go on their knees the gun on her. That is beMorvant. Hakeem, 16, and and put their hands up. They yond outrageous. ‘Cause Tevin Alexander, 15, of ask them where they come somebody who seeing you Lezama Trace, Chinapoo from and they ain’t give do something wrong is begVi l l a g e , w e r e taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital nursing gunshot injuries after the shootout but were pronounced dead on arrival.

Hakeem represented T&T at the Carifta Games last year and Tevin was a Form Three student at Belmont Boys’ Secondary. Police Henry Alexander shows his son Hakeem Alexander‘s 2013 Carifta said they were 3,000m bronze medal while speaking to the media at his home after the shooting of his son in Chinapoo, Morvant,Monday. Inset is Tevin Alexresponding to a ander’s mother Lisa de Leon-Alexander PHOTO: ROBERTO CODALLO call about gunshots and heavily armed them time to say nothing ging you not to do it as a men in the area when they and they put bullets in their human being and you still encountered three people, belly. do it.” including the two youths, “I say that is an injus De Leon-Alexander as they arrived at the scene. tice and start to make noise. said Tevin was unable to One man was armed with All you not supposed to do go to school because she a shotgun while the youths that. The police that was had no money to send had handguns, they said. there look up and he look at him. “They (police) are Officers said one of me and let go some bullets trained to protect and the men ran through a track at my house like if that was serve us but they kill us. while one of the two youths me he would waste me the They (boys) not in nothopened fire on them. The same way. He riddled the ing. They were running other youth also opened boy after that and gone.” f ro m a m a n w h o w a s fire and attempted to run Lisa De Leon-Alexan- shooting behind them bethrough the track. The offi- der, Tevin’s mother, said her cause he wants them to cers said they returned fire son was innocent and was turn to Muslim. What part and the two youth suspects going to see his grandpar- of my child, if he wants to were injured. They were ents on the hill at the time turn to Jesus Christ and later taken to the hospital he was killed. “If they do not Muslim, you should where they succumbed to something talk to the par- shoot him?” The mother their injuries. Two revolvers ents,” she said. “The chil- denied Tevin was wanted were recovered at the scene. dren dropped to their knees by the police or known to Police said the Alex- and begged for their lives the police. anders were wanted for

Sao Paulo metro strike suspended for two days (BBC News) METRO workers in Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, have suspended a strike over pay to allow for negotiations.

The five-day stoppage had caused traffic chaos in one of the world’s most congested cities just days ahead of the football World Cup. The union warned that the strike would resume on Thursday - when Sao Paulo hosts the opening match - if its demands are not matched.

A strike would make it hard for fans to reach the stadium on Thursday.

Arena de Sao Paulo, where the tournament kicks off with a match between Brazil and Croatia, is located on the city’s outskirts and a metro strike could cause major disruption.

A spokeswoman for the union said they would meet again on Wednesday to consider their position but insisted that staff threatened with dismissal would have to be reinstated.

The stoppage began on Thursday as part of a wage dispute.

The state metro company offered workers an 8.8% rise but they are insisting on a 12.2% increase.

A court ordered them to return to work and when union members disobeyed, the company sent out dozens of dismissal notices to staff alleged to have been involved in strike-related disturbances.

Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin on Monday insisted the dismissals were irreversible.

On Monday riot police clashed with hundreds of striking workers at Ana Rosa metro station.

The BBC’s Katy Watson, who was at the scene, said authorities were not taking any chances, flying helicopters overhead and throwing tear gas to disperse protesters.

Union President Altino Prazeres said that ruining the World Cup was not the strikers’ intention and that they were willing to negotiate.

“I love soccer! I support our national team,’’ he told the Associated Press news agency.

Our correspondent says there is a great deal of bit-

terness about the money spent on the tournament among the workers.

Last year more than a million people took to the streets of major Brazilian cities to vent their anger at what they see as excessive spending on the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The government is keen to prevent a repeat of some of the violence seen at those protests.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said she would not allow violent demonstrations to mar the World Cup. Thousands of extra police and soldiers will be deployed to ensure the matches get under way smoothly.

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Freedom is PPP/C’s greatest gift to nation AS the Rodney Commission of Inquiry (RCoI) progresses, it is becoming more apparent that freedom is the PPP/C’s greatest gift to the people of Guyana.

This means freedom from political dictatorship; from domination by a small clique bent on racial and political oppression, social marginalization, and the widespread violation of human rights.

Under the dictatorship, it was difficult to trust someone, even relatives, because life was so unremittingly hard that for a few dollars or some basic household items or foodstuff, people were willing to sell out their friends and relatives, very much like Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

And the punishment was harsh – even the remotest suspicion of criticism of the despotic regime, or perceived disrespect shown to the dictator or his disciples, brought down the harshest of punishments on one’s head.

A case in point was what Burnham did to Mrs. Campbell, Confidential Secretary of then GUYNEC’s CEO, Capt. King.

Burnham had paid a surprise visit to the newly-nationalized, formerly Sproston’s Engineering, but renamed Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC or Guynec). As was the practice, every employee had to immediately leave whatever they were doing and stand at attention to pay obeisance to the supreme leader.

However, Mrs. Campbell had been trained in the old school of British Civil Service. Duty came first. Guynec was a shipping and engineering firm, and because of wharfage fees, demurrage charges and other killer overheads, ships needed quick turnaround, for which documentation had to be prepared. Mrs. Campbell was attempting to finish documents to enable the ship that had just off-laden its cargo to head out to sea before the tide turned, because the channel had needed dredging for years and low tide posed a danger to heavy ocean-going vessels.

Consequently, she was still working feverishly at her desk and did not genuflect to the dictator. She was fired on the spot. That was the mildest of punishments for disrespecting Burnham even in the minutest way.

Today, there is so much freedom in the land, that terrorists can openly call on their criminal-minded friends and supporters to attack police, Prime Minister and President – and consistently be ignored.

The PPP/Civic, led by Father of the Nation, Dr. Cheddi

Jagan, won the first (relatively) free and fair elections after decades, in October 1992, and put a stop to consistently rigged elections by the PNC, now re-configured as APNU. Free and fair elections in Guyana were won by the PPP being in the vanguard of that struggle.

Besides free and fair elections, there is due process of law, respect for the Constitution of the Republic, strict observance of human rights, freedom of association, freedom of expression, full freedom to travel, and unfettered freedom of worship.

Under the PPP-Civic Administration, the national economy has performed fairly well, generating positive GDP in most years. Guyana today has substantial foreign reserves, single-digit inflation, booming economic indicators, a thriving construction industry and sector, bumper rice harvests, increasing exports of agricultural produce, along with timber and mining products. A new wave of prosperity has gripped the hinterland, largely where gold mining is concerned.

Government’s sustained battle at home and overseas to rescue the sugar industry against formidable odds is being gradually won, despite the constraints and occasional hiccups.

Massive gains are being made in the fishing sector, as well as the manufacturing sector. The commercial banking sector is thriving and expanding and is solvent in every way.

Apart from the looming threat of FATF blacklisting because of Opposition recalcitrance in supporting the vital money laundering bill, there is no economic crisis in Guyana under the PPP-Civic Government, and the country has largely escaped the economic downturn that is still gripping most of the world caused by recession in the USA, Western Europe and Japan. Through the instrumentality and vision of the Government, Guyana has been spared the ravages of foreign recession.

Today, the ordinary people are better housed, better clothed, better fed, better educated; are provided with better medical and health services; are better paid where wages and salaries are concerned. The transport system is rising to the challenges posed by increasing numbers of people acquiring vehicles of their own with which to commute daily. Our highways are being overhauled and expanded to 4-lane status.

In addition, sustained efforts are being made to overcome flooding caused by seasonal rainfall and the inadequacy of drainage systems, taking into consideration huge swaths of land under cultivation, animal husbandry, housing schemes

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

GUYANA

EDITORIAL and industrial estates. It is confidently expected that the Hope Canal, now under construction, will help to put an end to this flooding problem in the agriculturally strategic East Coast Demerara area.

Social harmony and tolerance in Guyana have been nurtured and encouraged in all spheres of life. All our people, especially our Amerindian brothers and sisters, are an integral part of our development agenda and share equally in the nation’s prosperity.

The rights of and opportunities for our women have been expanded and is celebrated here and abroad as a model. The protection of our children and the enhanced welfare of our elderly and other vulnerable groups are today among the proud achievements for our country.

In the international sphere, including the United Nations and other such agencies, Guyana’s reputation is considerable. Under the PPP-Civic administration, Guyana has maintained cordial relations with our next door neighbours (Brazil, Suriname, Venezuela) and further afield (USA, UK, Canada, India, Russia, China, Japan).

Cordial relations and economic ties have been forged with influential Middle East and African countries, even as we deepen ties with South and Central Americas. Guyana’s work in advancing initiatives such as the Low Carbon Development Strategy has won our country and people international accolades and greater respect.

It is a known fact that several main developmental initiatives have been stymied, especially the massive hydro-electric project at Amaila Falls, which was intended to lay the foundations for major industrial take-offs in the economy and to secure Guyana’s unchallenged superiority in the Region, where industrial productivity is concerned. It was projected that, coupled with this project, should oil and gas be found, the social and economic situation for the Guyanese people would have been tremendously enhanced. Further, with the modernization of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the construction of the Marriott Hotel, Guyana’s prospect for tourism and other long standing potential will be realised.

Guyana today has never been so advanced and well-positioned as one of the Regions’ shining examples of good governance, so much so that it was hailed by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, as “The only shining star of the Caribbean.”

Unidentified man with multiple tattoos, stab wounds dies at GPHC

––after being found at Ogle

THE body of an unidentified man with suspected stab wounds was found on Ogle Access Road, East Coast Demerara on Monday night.

The deceased has the letters A, N, D, Y in

the form of a tattoo on the fingers of his right hand and is about 5’ 6” in height, medium built and brown in complexion. He also has tattoos of the names Sheila, Falicia, Bibi and Fara along with a cross and a rose on his chest.

Police said in a press release that at about 20:30hrs on Monday, a man of East Indian

descent was found with suspected stab wounds and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.

The body is at the Lyken Funeral Parlour as police investigations continue.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Jury frees ‘Black Boy’ of 2012 ‘Country’ murder

By George Barclay A DEMERARA Assizes jury yesterday found Omesh Chaitram, also called ‘Black Boy’, not guilty of the murder of handyman Wendell Fresco, called ‘Country’ after deliberating for two and a half hours.

Justice Navindra Singh had summed up the evidence in two hours in the trial of Chaitram who was accused of murdering Fresco on July 10, 2012.

And the shock came at 1:40 pm when the foreman of the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty in favour of the accused.

Some spectators in the courtroom who were expecting either a hung jury or a conviction grimaced as the foreman mistakenly said that the verdict was not unanimous and then apologised for the error by returning a unanimous Freed murder accused, verdict of not guilty Justice Navindra Singh Omesh Chaitram, called ‘Black Boy’, at court yes- told the freed accused: “The jury has found you terday not guilty for the offence.

I am going to discharge you. I ask you that when you go out for the second chance of your life, do something good. Fix yourself. You are free to go.”

Following the death of ‘Country’, the police had said that ‘Black Boy’ had confessed to the crime. But later he denied making the confession and accused the police of holding his hand and guiding it to formulate a signature which was not his.

The prosecution was conducted by Senior State Counsel Mrs. Judith Mursalin.

Defence Counsel, Mr. Raymond Ali had urged the jury to disregard the confession statement and to return a verdict of not guilty.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 ––– 14:30 hrs Thursday, June 12, 2014 ––– 14:30 hrs Friday, June 13, 2014 ––– 05:00 hrs

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Detective, prisoners critical following Ruimzeight smash-up

By Asif Hakim SEVERAL persons were yesterday morning rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hosp i t a l , f ro m w h e n c e those listed as critical were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital following a collision between a minibus escorting prisoners and a motorcar on the Ruimzeight Public Road, West Coast Demerara.

The accident, which reportedly occurred at around 06:15hrs, saw the motorcar (PPP 6731) try to overtake another vehicle and end up in the pathway of the minibus (BLL 6398)in which the prisoners were travelling.

One man who was on the scene when the Chronicle arrived said that all he saw was the bus coming at a fast rate, and a car trying to overtake another at the same time.

Efforts yesterday to corroborate the story with Guyana Prison Service officials proved futile, since they either said they were unaware of such an occurrence, or did not have the information we sought at hand.

The two vehicles after the collision yesterday on the Ruimzeight Public Road, West Coast Demerara

Prosecution closes case in ‘Charlie Pants’ murder trial ACCUSED Roger Pilgrim, also called ‘Charlie Pants’ in an unsworn statement from the dock, after the prosecution closed its case yesterday, declared that he was defending himself against Shane Rowley, now deceased.

And he called as a witness, his mother ‘Ann’.

She told the judge and jury that she was present on January 22, 2011, when Shane was

chasing her son Roger with a chain all around the yard, causing her son to hit out at him with a knife.

Another witness for the defence will be called to testify today when the trial continues before Justice Dawn Gregory and a mixed jury.

Mr. Huckumchand is defending, while Ms. Natasha Backer and Ms. Mercedes Thompson are prosecuting.

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Murdered Berbice schoolgirl laid to rest

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

–amidst calls that history must not repeat itself

By Jeune Bailey-Vankeric

Another life should not be snuffed out in this way, but that can only be if you, the community, will look out and guide AS the murdered fourteen-year-old schoolgirl, Tamesha our youths, as it takes a community to mould a child!”

La Toya Adams was laid to rest at Friends Village, East Meanwhile, Schools Welfare Officer, Ms Roxanne La Bank Berbice, speakers at her funeral service called Rose, recalled being told by Tamesha’s close friend, “My on the community to be friend is in trouble.” But it ‘watch dogs’, so as to save had already been too late. “By another life from a similar the time we got there, it was fate. just too late,” La Rose said, Last Thursday, just after adding: 06:00hrs, Adams was dis“Tamesha was experienccovered lifeless with a knife ing death threats. The boy stuck in her neck, aback her (Kellon Sam) telephoned adoptive parents’ home at her friend, threatening to kill Sisters Village, East Bank Tamesha, but her friend did Berbice. On Friday, June 13, not know what to do...” she would have turned 15.

In light of what eventually Her boyfriend, 23-yearhappened to Tamesha, La Rose old Kellon Sam, called ‘Gadsaid: get’, who had lost his job “Do not take anything at the Cement Factory three for granted; if someone calls, weeks ago, was found hangyou need to respond quickly. ing from a mango tree behind You need to listen to your his parents’ home, just a children; listen to the cries stone’s throw from where her around you. Men giving lifeless body was found. them $200 or $500 does not At the ‘homegoing cergive them the right to own emony’ at the St Clemenst them, much less kill them.

Presbyterian Church where Fellow BEI students help bear the casket containing Money will last for a moseating accomodation was young Tamesha’s remains ment, but education should limited to just a few persons, be foremost… I therefore Juanita Burrowes, Director of the United Brick Layers, a call on the Ministry of Education, United Brick Layers New Amsterdam- based Non-Governmental Organisation, and all stakeholders to rise up and fight for our youths. rebuked the community for “turning a blind eye on issues God has permitted this tragedy so that many others can affecting young persons.” be saved.”

“Stop keeping secrets for the young people! Speak out!

Stop encouraging youths to be involved in adult behaviour; WALK AWAY you are responsible for her death! She said, adding: She also had a word of advice for the young men of “You saw, yet you said nothing; you need to be the today. “Our boys need to learn to walk away and live community watchdog! Stop discriminating and be vigilant! to face another day…,” she said. “Tamesha had her life;

Outside the packed to capacity St. Clements Presbyterian Church at Friends Village, East Bank Berbice, where Tamesha’s funeral service was held yesterday she wanted to walk away from the relationship, but he would not allow her.

“The children leave for school, and the car drivers prey on them. The older men want them, but we want them to be left alone… Men, leave our girls and women folk. Let them walk if they want to. They were born free. Let them be free.”

Head Mistress, Ms. Willa Batson described Tamesha, a Third-Form student of the Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), as being very fond, and one who would laugh even when she was about to be disciplined.

Recalling the events of June 6, Batson said “it was a very disturbing news, which had rippled through the walls of Berbice Educational Institute. We asked ourselves ‘why’, but had to be consoled by the fact that God knows best.”

Tamesha’s friend, Loretta Drakes, reading the eulogy, made everyone in the congregation smile when she recalled the many pranks Tamesha played on them, and blame her adoptive father for making her do it.

Officiating Minister, Reverend Cicely Crawford, whilst calling on the congreation to “break the curse of murder” that has plagued the community, urged the youths to be connected to the ‘Word of God’ instead of the many gadgets which are shepherding them away to a life of destruction.

“It’s so unfortunate how this life has been snuffed out.

It was only last week I gave Tamesha Holy Communion,” she said, adding: “It’s time for us to be on the lookout, and break this curse of murder that has plagued us.”

Ministry of Public Works to renovate access road to UG, CPCE

By Shivanie Sugrim M I N I S T RY o f P u b l i c Works officials have promised to effect repairs to the access road to the University of Guyana (UG) and

Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) from next Thursday.

Road Engineer Lawrence Mentin disclosed that works are scheduled for next week, possibly commencing from

Thursday and proceeding until Sunday, depending on the state of the weather.

This road is currently in a deplorable state, with enormous potholes that cause damage to vehicles travers-

The plight of the road in the UG campus

The access road to UG and CPCE is insanely potholed and becomes difficult to traverse after a heavy downpour ing it; and the current rainy weather makes it difficult for pedestrians to discern the full extent and depth of potholes when water has settled on the road after a heavy downpour.

Because it is the access road to the campuses of the two most important institutions of tertiary education, pedestrian and vehicular traffic on the road is mostly hectic.

Mr. Mentin noted that the initiative had been taken some time ago to repair this

road after pipelines had been laid under a pavement that stretches along the railway embankment to the UG entrance. The pipelines had been laid to improve drainage along the road, but this seemed to have failed.

The Works Ministry has since been merely “surfacing” the road, the engineer said, but is now prepared to fully rehabilitate same, thus the extant woeful condition would soon cease to exist.

Mentin also assured that

the Works Ministry is looking at the soggy conditions existing on the road constituting the major turn in the driveway on the UG campus.

He said the Works Ministry is awaiting finalization of contact with UG officials before commencing to renovate this passageway.

That project would tremendously benefit the entire communities of Cummings Lodge and Industry, besides those of UG and CPCE.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Old Kai: Chronicles of Guyana…

In article in Kaieteur News of June 8, 2014…

PNC/APNU’S Harmon attempts to intimidate and prevent witnesses from testifying at CoI OLD KAI will begin where he left off yesterday by a reminder that it appears the memory of the PNC leadership has suddenly returned.

How else can one explain their newfound eagerness to ‘clear their names’ before the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry as is being suggested by APNU’s spokesperson, Joseph Harmon? Contrast this with prior to the start of the CoI, when Mr. David Granger lamented, “Human memory, after 34 years, can be contaminated by political propaganda, prejudice, and partiality. Human memory is capable of playing tricks with the recollection of past events.”

Let us all hope that the memory of Granger and company does not ‘play tricks’ on them if they are called to give testimony before the CoI. On another equally serious note, Mr. Harmon’s comments, which are contained in an article published in the Kaieteur News on June 8, 2014, are clearly intended to intimidate witnesses from turning up to give testimony before the Commissioners.

How else can one explain him calling for the Police and the Army to question Joseph Hamilton on admissions he made during his testimony, specifically on the pistols he claimed were issued to the House of Israel by current opposition PNC leader, Robert Corbin. Harmon, justifying his efforts to intimidate witnesses, is quoted as saying: “…this has nothing to do with immunity from the Commission itself, this is now evidence which has emerged from the mouth of Mr. Hamilton that he had these illegal

weapons.”

This is a deliberate attempt by the opposition APNU leadership to send a warning message to those who might be contemplating coming forward to give testimony and make even more damaging revelations about the PNC and certain political leaders who are still active today, to stay away, less

Exposed: PNC/APNU’s Joseph Harmon attempts to intimidate and prevent witnesses from coming forward and giving testimony in the ongoing Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry

they face possible criminal investigation outside of the Commission of Inquiry.

No Guyanese should countenance such a desperate effort by the Opposition using the media as an avenue to intimidate witnesses to prevent the truth from emerging, so we can finally establish under what circumstances Dr. Walter Rodney was killed.

Shame on Mr. Harmon! Shame on the PNC/APNU! It will not work. These totalitarian tactics belong to a different era, a bygone era and they will not stop the truth from emerging.

All Guyanese have a duty to oppose any attempt to prevent

Tackling corruption…

President says ‘We are not sitting on our hands’

By Vanessa Narine PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has reiterated his Administration’s commitment to tackling corruption wherever it is spotlighted.

“We are not sitting on our hands,” he stressed last Saturday at a press conference at State House, responding to questions over the availability of technical assistance by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to tackle corruption.

The President stated that Guyana is open to the offer of support made by CDB Head Warren Smith at the recently concluded 44th annual meeting of the

them from knowing exactly what transpired in this dark period of our history.

Old Kai is familiar with Mr. Hamilton, I have interacted with him before and I know he is a man who says what is in his heart. At his age and level of political experience, he has no time for silly political mind games, such as those which are being attempted by the APNU. The nation deserves closure on this period of our history where significant portions of information are missing and he has come forward and has done his part. He must be congratulated for summoning the courage to clear his mind publicly, and any attempt to attack him by the PNC should be rebuffed.

This also shows that the dictatorship streak of the Opposition is still alive and kicking, even though they try to project a different image when the occasion suits their agenda.

That aside, Old Kai is encouraging those who have information to shed further light on this period and those particular events, to come forward and let our people know. Let us know so that, as a nation, we will never allow ourselves to return to such a reality. Let us know so that we can all have closure, especially the wife and children of a patriot who was brutally taken away from all of us in 1980. Do not attempt to cheat history from recording the facts. This is the opportunity for us, as a nation, to finally put the past behind us, after being satisfied that we now truly know what had transpired.

certainly if they (borrowing member countries) request that kind of assistance, the CDB would be more than happy to help.”

According to President Ramotar, the successive People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administrations have addressed the implementation of “elaborate systems” to address corruption.

However, he acknowledged that there continues to be challenges going forward and emphasised that these are engaging the attention of officials.

“Where there is corruption we will deal with it,” he said.

PRESIDENT DONALD RAMOTAR

Board of Governors.

Smith said: “We certainly recognise and insist that good governance is part and parcel of the development of a country. We want to see and ensure that the persons we elect exercise good judgment and also good governance. I think that there is sufficient evidence out there that when these principles are not observed it hampers the growth and development of a country. “…there is no country in this world, and I dare say, that has not had issues with corruption. It is important that countries continuously adopt measures that will reduce the incidents of corruption in their domain…

SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTED The President referenced the open public procurement process, as well as the current scope of the Auditor General’s office, as some of the systems implemented by the ruling party, systems and processes that were absent pre-1992, when the party took office. Also, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly scrutinises the Auditor General’s report and identifies area for additional investigation to move towards prosecution.

Noteworthy too is the fact that Guyana is signatory to two significant anti-corruption conventions: the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption; and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), ratified in 2000 and 2008 respectively. Guyana is also one of 31 countries that signed on to and ratified the Inter-American Convention against Corruption in 2001.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

PAHO spearheads sensitising workshop targeting food industry

By Sandy Agasen

THE Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD) started a Food Nutritional Labelling and Water Testing Workshop last Friday, in aid of sensitising the stakeholders in the food industry.

The programme, at the Institute of Applied Science & Technology (IAST) Building on the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara Campus,

saw 44 participants from the various regions, including food inspectors and representatives of other organisations.

The initiative will continue through Friday, June 13.

According to the Director of Food and Drugs, Marlan Cole, lectures on nutritional labelling ingredients, label information and instructions, health claims, biotechnology, caloric value and nutritional label development would be done by Professor Reid, Director of the Sickle Cell Unit, Tropical Medicine Research Institute (TMRI) at University of the West Indies and his team of Sasha Thomas

and Sardia Morgan from the Scientific Research Council Jamaica and Nestle Jamaica.

Professor Reid, in his address to the participants, expressed appreciation for his involvement and that of his team in the exercise.

BILATERAL FLOW He mentioned that “the expectations from our side are that there is a bilateral flow of information…we will learn from you, since, in your own right, you are all experts. You know all the conditions that are on the ground and from outside.”

Cole explained that the

workshop is being conducted with the aim of “safeguarding the health and well-being of consumers.”

He emphasised that this training could not have come at a better time due to the ongoing issue pertaining to counterfeiting of products in Guyana.

Cole pointed out that this seminar is also to target the GA-FDD food inspectors, public health officers, health environment officers and environmental health assistants.

He noted that, with the aid of this programme:” The Food and Drug Department, with support from members

of the National Food Safety and Control Committee and Environmental Officers, we must be able to bridge that gap between the manufacturers and the consumers since, with counterfeit products, the labels contain many fallacies.

Cole concluded his remarks by stating that demonstrations will be conducted, by staff of the Food Microbiology Laboratory of the GAFDD, to show officers of the Region the application and maintenance of the portable water testing kit.

He expressed gratitude to PAHO for donating the testing kits and providing the

required training.

Speaking at the opening ceremony also was Dr. William Adu-Krow, the new PAHO/WHO (World Health Organisation) representative in the Guyana Country Office.

He pointed out that PAHO donated six water testing kits to the Environmental Health Unit and one to Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).

Adu-Krow placed particular emphasis on the fact that the fate of the nutritional labelling now lies in the hands of the officers and the consumers.

Gay rights activists picket outside Vigilance Court SEVERAL gay rights activists picketed outside the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on East Coast Demerara last Monday during the hearing of a case involving a juvenile charged with assault.

The protestors were actually members of the Society Against Sexual Orientation (SASOD) and Guyana

at a dance in Buxton, also on East Coast Demerara because he looked quite feminine to them.

Magistrate Lovell postponed the case to June 30 after Andrews gave a reason for not appearing the first time, last week Friday.

Executive member of SASOD, Joel Simpson explained that Andrews was

such a Police move since no summons had been issued before an arrest warrant in the teen’s case.

He added that the boy had never before missed a Court date although he is studying and working.

Simpson said the boy’s relatives and other activists are further peeved because they are asked to vacate the

Gay rights activists as they picketed outside the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court

Trans United (GTU) who were picketing against what they deemed the unfair treatment of 16-year-old Michael Andrews before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell.

Reports suggest that Andrews was arrested on Saturday, June 7, after missing his Court date last Friday when he was expected to appear to defend himself against allegations that several young individuals attacked him last August

of the belief that he was scheduled for the appearance on Friday, June 14, instead.

According to Simpson, Andrews had voluntarily visited a Police station to enquire whether an arrest warrant was issued for him but ranks there held him until Monday.

Was angered Simpson said his organisation was angered by

courtroom whenever the case is called.

Simpson said the action is shocking because the case does not necessitate an ‘in-camera hearing’.

Those protesting outside the courthouse held placards stating, among other things, ‘LGBT Guyanese Demand Fair and Equal Treatment under the Law’ and ‘Human Rights and Equality for All: No exceptions.’

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Murder at Friendship...

Mother of three found dead, with head in bucket of water –husband in police custody

By Asif Hakim A TWENTY-five-year-old mother of three children of Friendship, East Bank Demerara was found dead outside her home in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, and her 31-year-old husband is in police custody assisting with investigations.

Dead is Shelly Persaud, of 34 Friendship Public Road, East Bank Demerara, whose body was found at

reeking of alcohol, were heard arguing, but moments later, there was an abrupt silence.

The woman’s three children -- eight-year-old Lisa; Ashley, four; and Arianna Siriram, two -- who were reportedly home when the incident occurred, were so traumatised, they had to be taken to an uncle’s house.

Father of the deceased, Mr. Orin Morris, an ex-policeman, said his son-inlaw visited him yesterday

of water, at the back steps.

“When I see my daughter, I could not believe it

Only last Wednesday, a murder/suicide rocked East Berbice when just days before her 15th birthday, schoolgirl, Tamesha La Toya Adams, called ‘Toya’, was knifed to death

aback her adoptive parents’ home at Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice.

Her 23-year-old boyfriend, Kellon Sam, nicknamed ‘Gadget’, who had lost his job at a Cement

Factory three weeks ago, was found hanging from a mango tree behind his parents’ residence, just a stone’s throw from where the lifeless body of the teenage girl was found.

The house where the murder took place

Shelly Persaud and her husband, Krishna, in happier times

the bottom of her back step, with her head in a bucket of water.

According to neighbours, she and her common-law husband, Vindra Krishna Siriram, who went home at about 01:45hrs

morning and told him that his daughter was dead, but he didn’t know who killed her.

Morris said when he arrived on the scene, he saw his daughter’s body on the ground, her head in a bucket

was her! She was so blue!

And her neck looked as if it was broken. If my sonin-law was home at that time, he supposed to know how this happen. My granddaughter told me that her father told her that ‘We nah gon see we mother; that tonight is her last night,’” Morris said, adding: “Anytime my daughter and her husband fight, they always make up back within minutes;they were like two lovebirds; everybody in the village know that.

I don’t know what could be the cause, and why this happen...”

The husband’s mother, Ms. Davedea Singh, said she always knew the couple to be very loving, so news of her daughter-in-law’s demise, allegedly at the hands of her son has so shocked her, she can hardly speak.

“I was at home in Sophia when I get the call; I was told that my daughter-in-law had died, but I could not believe. I was so shocked, I fell to the ground in tears.

I don’t know why this happen,” Singh said.

Shelly’s father, Orin Morris demonstrating how he found his daughter

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GECOM’s Vincent Alexander opposed to vesting mayors with executive power

By Derwayne Wills COMMISSIONER of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Mr. Vincent Alexander, has expressed concerns about establishing an Executive Mayoralty, which would not only produce an autocratic approach to local government and municipal governance, but would “deflate the value of people’s involvement, in the democracy that we are trying to build.”

According to Alexander, in any local government system, there are strong mayors who are directly elected by the people with a responsibility to the citizens for the conduct of the affairs of an elected council.

Similarly, he said, there are weak mayors who operate as the principal councillor among a council of equals.

The GECOM Commissioner was speaking yesterday during a public forum

At the GCCI public forum yesterday: Seated at the head table are, from left: Senior Vice-President of the GCCI, Mr. Vishnu Doerga; Chief Elections Officer and Commissioner of National Registration of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Mr. Keith Lowenfield; GECOM Commissioner, Mr. Vincent Alexander; GCCI President,Mr. Lance Hinds; and GCCI Immediate Past-President, and BLUE Caps Founder, Mr. Clinton Urling

would have contested and won a seat in the council would be overwhelmed by the ‘majority rules’ politics of the council.

The founder of BLUE Caps, a new social change organisation, noted that the powers of the Local Government Commission, which is provided for within the constitution to appoint and quash such appointments of high ranking officials in the administration, ought to be vested in the mayor.

Urling said, “He or she [the mayor] should have the prerogative to hire whom he

‘I am not an advocate for the Executive Mayor! In our case, I know that there are mayors who want to be, who try to be, and who pretend to be; and you could imagine if they were’- GECOM Commissioner, Mr. Vincent Alexander hosted by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Guyana’s Local Government system at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown.

Those at the head table included Senior Vice-President of the GCCI, Mr. Vishnu Doerga; Chief Elections Officer and Commissioner of National Registration of GECOM, Mr. Keith Lowenfield; GECOM Commissioner, Mr. Vincent Alexander; President of the GCCI, Mr. Lance Hinds, and Immediate Past-President of the GCCI and Founder of BLUE Caps, Mr. Clinton Urling.

Alexander, at the time was responding to concerns posed

by Urling, who called the Commissioner out for being a part of the Task Force for the Local Government reform process, and bemoaned the electoral process for selection of the mayor, which could only be done by the members of the council who were appointed from various constituencies.

According to Urling, the system “only perpetuates and continues the dominant party system that exists in Guyana.”

He said further that the important responsibility is shifted from the council and presents some discrepancy where an individual, who

or she seems fit to execute their mandate, as opposed to a local government commission dictating who they should hire and when they should fire and all sorts of other responsibilities.” Urling further urged that, “The entire situation (in) which we have a Local Government Minister should be abolished.”

Mr. Alexander, in his response to Urling’s concerns noted, “I am not an advocate for the Executive Mayor in our case. I know that there are mayors who want to be, who try to be, and who pretend to be; and you could imagine if they were.”

He added that there is a reason why there should exist a Local Government Commission, as “a commission provides for a comprehensive approach for staffing, which allows for lateral and vertical movement of staff.”

“I don’t agree that the commission will necessarily interfere with a mayor and his staffing; there is a meritorious system for staffing, not a frenzied system. This system gives security of tenure, provides for a career path, (and) I think it is relatively progressive.”

Commissioner Alexander, in acknowledging the role to be played by the Min-

istry of Local Government & Regional Development, observed that the ministry’s power should reside within the ambit of establishing the standards of operation for the local government authorities, which ought to be upheld in order to ensure the effective delivering of services from the local authorities to their citizens.

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Harvesting of rice crop 99% completed

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- but farmers complain about payment

By Sandy Agasen HARVESTING of the first rice crop is 99 per cent completed, with the exception of small acreages in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Region 5 (Mahaica/ Berbice) and Region 6 (East

Berbice/Corentyne).

General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (RPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj told the Guyana Chronicle Monday that to date, recorded production stands at 7.5 million bags of paddy, with the average production per hectare being five

tonnes. And the current crop’s production target is some 260,000 tonnes.

TIMELY PAYMENT However, according to Seeraj, the major chalSee page 18

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Harvesting of rice crop ...

From page 17

lenge with the winding down of this year’s first crop is the timely payment to farmers, a recurring challenge with each crop.

He said: “The prices (obtained at) the regular

mills range from $3,000 to $3,500, with those farmers who produce the extra A-grade rice getting the higher prices. We have a problem with farmers being paid because the shipment of rice is being exported.”

The RPA head noted

that farmers from Region 3, Region 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica), Region 5 and Region 6 are still to be paid in full.

He said that the RPA has been meeting with farmers, with sessions already held with farmers in Regions 2 and 5 in

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

order to reach a mutual decision.

“Today (Monday) we met with the banks and the millers to look at some sort of support for the farmers,” Seeraj said.

LAND PREPARATION He added that land preparation for the second crop has already commenced and the problem with timely payments is affecting the full-scale undertaking of these works.

“Farmers from Regions 2, 3 and 4 have already started sowing,” Seeraj said, adding that there have been a few delays due to the heavy

RPA General Secretary, Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj rainfall in the five rice producing regions in Guyana.

Meanwhile, when asked about the Venezuela agreement, Seeraj said Guyana’s market in the neighbouring country (Venezuela) has been “moving smoothly as per shipment and allocation” specified in the agreement.

The 2014 rice deal with Venezuela stipulates a shipment of 150,000 tonnes of paddy and 50,000 tonnes of rice, a total of 200,000 tonnes. Last year, Venezuela took more rice than paddy, with a shipment of 80,000 tonnes of paddy and 120,000 tonnes of rice.

The rice industry contributed about five percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 and accounted for more than US$240M in export earnings. Some $500M was allocated to the rice sector in the 2014 Budget.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Chaos erupts as T&HD Georgetown wharf steps collapse

By Alex Wayne

CHAOS erupted at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) stelling yesterday as the wharf steps collapsed, forcing commuters to disembark vessels from makeshift precariously placed steel ladder.

It was utter confusion and as the passengers who crossed the Demerara River by speedboats from Vreed-en-Hoop arrived to find that several treaders that facilitated their exit from the boats had fallen into the water.

As a result, officials there were forced to make an alternative route by which the passengers could exit vessels, by climbing up a steel ladder. It led to confusion and cries of protest as overweight and pregnant women as well as elderly men refused to climb the ladder for fear of injury or falling into the river.

The steel ladder was dangling a few feet above water level but there were men helping passengers by almost pulling them up the slippery ladder.

In the area where the steps had collapsed, an alternate and very shaky step was being used and it greatly slowed the speedboat traffic and resulted in a huge build-up of protesting passengers fretting loudly at the lengthy delay.

Many feared they would lose their jobs while others were complaining about being extremely late for crucial appointments and yet more claimed to have missed very important job interviews.

The spectacle was very disappointing as it presented a scene of several speedboats just idling on some huge waves, passengers shouting atop of their voices, boat captains using obscenities, and extremely large crowds converging on the pier as they too were compelled to wait for boats going to their West Demerara locations.

While officials at the T&HD were tight-lipped about what caused the steps to collapse, at least two eyewitnesses said the treaders were jolted from the main frame when a speedboat hit them a little too hard as it attempted to moor alongside.

VERY ANGRY Vendors plying their trade on the stelling were very angry in expressing their disappointment about the con-

Workers attempt to administer repairs to the area of the stelling steps that had collapsed

dition of the entire structure although only the steps area was damaged.

Vegetables seller Sattie Singh felt that the authorities were too laid back and have been allowing the facility to disintegrate with no regard for the safety of persons who use it to facilitate transport.

“This is really terrible and I don’t know what is really going on. Look at the state of this stelling and it has been like this for several years now. Nobody ain’t making an effort to do repairs at all. The steps that the speedboat passengers are

using shaking like hell and is only time before both steps fall into the water.”

School teacher Iris Grant, who had to wait aboard a speedboat she had boarded, was fuming with anger and minced no words as she aired her disgust over the condition of the wharf and stelling.

“This is blasted nonsense! Those in higher authorities just sit around filling their pockets instead of concerning themselves with matters that are related to the safety of See page 22

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Blue CAPS launches l training for 24 youths

By Shivanie Sugrim BLUE CAPS (Change, Advocacy, Policy, Service) launched a Youth Leaders’ Leadership Development Programme workshop last Friday, which will be done over four weekends to instill the qualities and virtues of leadership and

community service.

The workshop will be utilising the BLUE CAPS ‘Building Communities Through Leadership Training’ (BCLT) curriculum from June 6 to June 30. The theme is “Creating the Future Begins with Cultivating the Leaders of Tomorrow”.

At the end of the classroom training,

participants will be involved in the YES! (Youths Experiencing Service) component of the programme, and would have to undertake a community development project after consultations with the residents of the selected community.

The Blue CAPS inaugural youth leadership development programme targets 24

youth leaders from various youth-focused organisations, with the aim of improving their capacity to lead their teams more effectively, and achieve organisational goals.

The programme is also expected to present a platform for youth leaders to practise life skills such as organising,

problem-solving and decisi Participants will have to think critically about s problems, and to share the and skills with others, in o a positive impact on their country and the world.

Additionally, by work

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

leadership s

ion-making. opportunities solving social eir knowledge order to make r community,

king in small

groups, students will also develop teamwork, cooperation and diversity skills, whereas the group reflection sessions will help them understand their decision-making style, strengths and weaknesses better.

Moreover, the programme is geared to aid in developing self-confidence and a sense of empowerment that would be

derived from assisting others.

President of Blue CAPS Clinton Urling said: “We are an NGO that has been active for two months now,” and the aim is to reinforce and further enhance leadership skills and knowledge for the various Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to succeed.

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At Friday’s launch of the Youth Leaders’ Leadership Programme. Addressing the event is Blue CAPS President, Mr. Clinton Urling (Photo by Sonell Nelson)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Chaos erupts as T&HD Georgetown wharf ...

From page 19

citizens. It’s not the steps of this stelling that need repairs, it’s the entire wharf! This whole structure is deteriorating and everyone just sits around doing nothing about it.

“And they would come with their normal flimsy excuses when the whole thing goes under water and hundreds of lives are lost. This is a matter of great urgency and it really beats me why the authorities are just sitting on their fat asses and doing nothing. Don’t worry with them, too late shall be the cry,” she declared.

Taxi drivers operating just outside the stelling were loud in protesting the state of the wharf, each opining in one way or another that repairs to the structure are long overdue.

However, while most of them shunned media approaches with echoes of “Not me; me ain’t talking to no media,” Michael Forde called them

Angry speedboat passengers were made to wait for ages as the collapsing steps created utter confusion at the Georgetown Stelling

foolish and stepped forward to have his say.

“Look boss those in higher authorities or those responsible for the maintenance of this should make its repairs a priority before something even more serious occurs. This structure is really old and I think it should be condemned and have a new one built instead. What are these people waiting for? I have no idea. The place is rotten and shaky and still they would not do anything about it. Is the day when the whole thing cave in and kill people, then yuh gon hear people talking about how sorry they are. They need to repair this facility so as to prevent a major disaster.”

When a few T&HD officials were approached for a comment on the issue yesterday, the reporter was told that they were busy engaging repairs to the steps that had collapsed and could not readily comment.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday June 11, 2014

Green, Sooba controversy continues at City Hall GEORGETOWN Mayor, Mr. Hamilton Green on Monday failed, once again, at a statutory meeting at City Hall, to acknowledge the presence of acting Town Clerk, Carol Sooba.

It happened after he disclosed to other councillors in attendance that he “doesn’t hear properly.”

Green, at the statutory held in the Chambers of City Hall, did not acknowledge the post of the Town Clerk after he opted for a silent prayer and, subsequently, leading prayers which are usually done by her.

A few times after proceeding with the minutes, the Mayor completely ignored Sooba’s input into the proceedings after being urged

by Councillor Kamla Ross to recognise the Town Clerk’s contribution.

Ross’ request, however, proved futile, as Green continued to ignore Sooba, lamenting that he “doesn’t hear properly,” hinting at a remark previously made by the Town Clerk.

Meanwhile, work which is about to be executed on rehabilitating the Town Clerk’s office that is in a deplorable state, is not to be executed at the request of the Mayor, following legal advice secured.

According to Green, July 1this year will commemorate 125 years since the establish-

is about to be executed, was agreed upon and monies have already been spent on materi-

Georgetown Mayor, Mr. Hamilton Green

ment of City Hall and he was unaware of the technicality of its structure.

SUSPENDED UNTIL He said he is recommending that work be suspended until the City Engineer is “advised” by those suitably qualified.

Sooba, though, in an invited comment yesterday disclosed that the current state of her office is life-threatening, and, as such, she has bought materials to have it rehabilitated.

She continued that, seeing this, the Mayor now wants his office to be rehabilitated and, as such, insists on work to be rescheduled after “expert advice is sought.”

Councillor Ross also rejected Green’s statement, affirming that work which

CARICOM to Observe Antigua/Barbuda elections THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will observe tomorrow’s general elections in Antigua/Barbuda.

CARICOM has mounted an eleven-member Electoral Observer Mission, led by Jamaica’s Director of Elections, Mr. Orrette Fisher.

The team, with nine officials drawn from CARICOM Member States and two from the CARICOM Secretariat, began arriving in Antigua/ Barbuda on Friday last.

Other members of the mission are: Ian Browne,the deputy Chief Elections Officer of Barbados; Barrette Woodye of the Belize Elections and Boundaries Department; Henry George, former Dominica Parliamen-

tarian; Chester Humphrey, trade unionist and former Senator in the Grenada Parliament; Pauline Welsh of the Electoral Office in Jamaica; Windgrove George, Supervisor of Elections in St. Kitts Nevis; Lena Champa Sahadeo, deputy Chief Elections Officer of Trinidad and Tobago; and Dennisia Francisco and Serojnie Seetaram of the CARICOM Secretariat.

Antigua/Barbuda is part of the fifteen-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Caribbean Community was established through the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973. A revised Treaty was signed in 2001.

als for the purpose.

She also requested that, if work is to be suspended,

Green should advise and inform the Town Clerk.

But Sooba maintains that

she will continue with the rehabilitating so as to not jeopardise her safety.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

Nishimura to referee the opening match of Brazil 2014 J A P A N ’ S Yu i c h i Nishimura has been assigned as the referee for the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia tomorrow.

He will be assisted by compatriots Toru Sagara and Toshiyuki Nagi, with Alireza Faghani of Iran designated as the fourth official.

Referee designations have been made for the first four matches of the World Cup and are available via accessing the PDF associated with this article.

Nishimura, 42, is set to become the third Japanese referee to have officiated at two World Cup finals after Shizuo Takada (1986 and 1990) and Toru Kamikawa (2002 and 2006).

At South Africa 2010

Yuichi Nishimura

he handled four matches, including the quarter-final encounter between the Netherlands and Brazil.

Since making his international refereeing debut in 2004, Nishimura has been assigned to numerous other finals tournaments: the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 (including the final between Spain and Nigeria), the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2009, the

FIFA Club World Cup 2010 (including the final between TP Mazembe and Internazionale), the Olympic Football Tournament 2012 and two editions of the Asian Cup in 2007 and 2011. In addition, Nishimura was selected for the finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2008.

In 2012 Yuichi Nishimura was named AFC Men’s Referee-of-the-Year. (FIFA. com)

From page 38

Chanderpaul, Gayle fail...

NEW ZEALAND 1st innings 508 for seven decl.

WEST INDIES 1st innings (o/n 19 without loss) C. Gayle c wkp. Watling b Southee 64 K. Powell lbw b Craig 28 K. Edwards c Taylor b Craig 0 D. Bravo c & b Sodhi 0 S. Chanderpaul not out 84 M. Samuels lbw b Southee 0 D. Ramdin c wkp. Watling b Southee 39 K. Roach c Fulton b Craig 4 J. Taylor c McCullum b Boult 7 S. Benn b Craig 17 S. Shillingford c wkp. Watling b Southee 14 Extras: (lb-2, w-1, nb-2) 5 Total: (all out, 81.2 overs) 262 Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-60, 3-61, 4-104, 5-104, 6-176, 7-185, 8-194, 9-223.

Bowling: Boult 19-3-67-1 (nb1, w-1), Southee 16.2-9-19-4, Craig 24-3-91-4 (nb-1), Neesham 6-1-14-0, Sodhi 16-1-69-1.

NEW ZEALAND 2nd innings P. Fulton c wkp. Ramdin b Taylor 0 T. Latham not out 8 K. Williamson b Roach 2 I. Sodhi not out 4 Extras: 0 Total: (2 wkts, 13 overs) 14 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-7.

Bowling: Taylor 4-2-4-1, Roach 6-3-4-1, Benn 3-1-6-0.

Position: New Zealand lead by 260 runs.

Racing Tips

Haydock 09:10 hrs Montbazon 09:40 hrs Tigrilla 10:10 hrs Baarez 10:40 hrs Magic Of Reality 11:10 hrs Lady Yeats 11:40 hrs Sea Meets Sky Beverley 09:20 hrs Penalty Scorer 09:50 hrs Adiator 10:20 hrs Bond Club 10:50 hrs Ardmay 11:20 hrs Thankyou Very Much 11:50 hrs Mitchell 12:20 hrs Laftah 12;55 hrs Nam Ma Prow

Chris Gayle makes 64 in his 100th Test, but does not prevent New Zealand from ending the third day in a dominant position at Sabina Park..

Chanderpaul picked his battles shrewdly, batting for nearly four hours, facing 138 deliveries and striking 13 fours while Ramdin’s 39 came from 77 balls and included six fours.

Chanderpaul played freely, flicking Boult off the legs to the mid-wicket boundary and also sweeping Sodhi behind square for another boundary, as West Indies inched towards 150.

Ramdin also took his chances, sweetly driving Boult past cover and also depositing Sodhi over the same region for another boundary.

He picked up pace with two more boundaries off Craig’s 15th over and appeared set to take the Windies to tea before being deceived by a slower ball from Southee – operating in the third over of a new spell – and glancing a leg-side catch behind on the stroke of the break.

On 176 for six at tea, the Windies lost a cluster of wickets afterwards to slide to 223 for nine, before Chanderpaul and Shane Shillingford (14) put on 39 for the last wicket.

Unbeaten on 43 at the interval, Chanderpaul raised his 63rd Test half-century with a single to point off Craigg and then opened up, punching three fours in an over from Boult to race into the 80s.

Southee fittingly ended the innings in the second over with the second new ball, removing Shillingford to a catch behind, with Chanderpaul eyeing a 30th Test hundred.

16:00 hrs Greatness Yarmouth 09:30 hrs Burning The Clocks 10:00 hrs Stout Cortez 10:30 hrs Lady Red Oak 11:0 hrs Foxy Forever 11:30 hrs Specialty 12:00 hrs Katawi 12:30 hrs Honeymoon Express

South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:40 hrs Cognac On Ice 09:20 hrs Sacred Jewel 09:55 hrs Ms Brooks 10:35 hrs Toss The Dice American Racing Tips

Irish Racing Tips Fairyhouse 12:25 hrs As Good As Gold 13:00 hrs Intensical 13:30hrs Photo Call 14:00 hrs Local Flier 14:30 hrs Lily’s Prince 15:00 hrs Pyromaniac 15:30 hrs Colla Pier

Belmont Race 1 Pretty Like Me Race 2 Star of Sarava Race 3 Grand Arrival Race 4 Pep the Champ Race 5 Tree Fire Race 6 My Donna Jean Race 7 Bartiromo Race 8 Run of the River Race 9 Purling

GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

35

UEFA gives Blatter the cold shoulder in Brazil

By Mike Collett SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter endured a tense and frosty reception from UEFA delegates yesterday, who stood alone from other confederations in not backing his intentions to run for a further term as FIFA president again next year.

Michael van Praag, the president of the Dutch FA and Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English FA, openly challenged Blatter after he addressed the European delegates at their national association meeting before the FIFA Congress which began last evening..

After Blatter had told the assembled UEFA delegates he was seriously considering standing for a fifth term, van Praag addressed the Swiss head of world soccer, the Dutchman later told reporters.

“Mr Blatter, this is nothing personal but if you look at FIFA’s reputation over the

last seven or eight years, it is being linked to all kinds of corruption and all kinds of old boys’ networks things,” van Praag said he had told Blatter in the meeting from which reporters were barred.

“FIFA has an executive president and you are not making things easy for yourself and I do not think you are the man for the job any longer.

“I told him ‘I like you very much ... this is nothing personal. But you are now saying that Qatar was the wrong choice (for the 2022 World Cup), but you are not blaming yourself you are blaming your executive committee’.

“Yesterday you said something about racism against Qatar and people are not taking you seriously anymore. This is not good for FIFA and it is not good for the game.

“Yes you are leading the reforms at the moment, but all these problems occurred in the period before the reforms and you were still

president and you were responsible and I believe you should not run anymore.”

On Monday, Blatter branded some of the criticism of the Qatar World Cup award for 2022 as racist and launched a scathing attack on those he said were “plotting to destroy” world soccer’s governing body.

Blatter’s comment came in the wake of a series of fresh allegations made by Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper about the award of the Cup to Qatar and rumblings from sponsors who are unhappy with the current trouble FIFA is facing. van Praag said the furore had “nothing to do with racism” while Dyke branded Blatter’s comments as “offensive”.

“I said ‘could I say that I regard the comments you made yesterday about the allegations in the British media in which you described them as racist is totally unacceptable’,” Dyke said.

“The allegations being made have nothing to do

Dutch FA president Michael van Praag

with racism, they are allegations about corruption within FIFA.” van Praag said that Blat-

ter had misunderstood what he said when he addressed him.

“He thought I was calling for him to resign today. I wasn’t. That was not what I meant to say at all, but that’s what he thought I said and he (Blatter) said he would not resign he had another year of his mandate to run.”

Asked if UEFA had an alternative candidate to Blatter, van Praag added: “No. (UEFA chief) Michel Platini has discussed this with many members but has not made up his mind yet.

“Since that is the case UEFA does not have another candidate.”

UEFA took no resolution against Blatter, but the

mood of the meeting had been “tense” according to a UEFA spokesman who said Blatter received only polite applause at the end.

After the meeting former UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who lost a FIFA presidential election to Blatter in 1998 told reporters: “It is time he went. He has done some good things for football and FIFA but 16 years is enough.”

Asked if UEFA were the only confederation who would like to see him go, UEFA executive committee member Karen Espelund of Norway said: “We will see, he has had some clear messages today and there is still a year to go.”

36

GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

Meusa, Neto win Engineering & Construction Inc. One-Day Rapid N AT I O N A L s e n i o r champion Wendell Meusa continues to dominate the local chess scene after capturing last Sunday’s Engineering & Construction Inc. (ECI)-sponsored, Guyana Chess Federation-organised (GCF) OneDay Rapid tournament

at the company’s Friendship, East Bank Demerara-based Sports Club.

Meusa ended the day on six points from seven games, with his only defeat coming against former senior national champion Taffin Khan, who finished third, after he suffered loss-

es to Roberto Neto and Anthony Drayton to end on five points.

Drayton ended the day in second position with five and half points behind Meusa, while the junior category was captured by Neto ahead of Linden’s Carlos Rahaman and Saeed Ali.

GCF/ECI Rapid chess tournament winners

The final points standing: Seniors - Wendell Meusa 6 points, Anthony Drayton 5½ points, Taffin Khan 5, Craig Sylvester 4½, Errol Tiwari 4, Maria Thomas, Carlos Petterson and Alex Joseph all ended on two points each.

Junior Category points standing: Roberto Neto and Carlos Rahaman 4 apiece, Saeed Ali and Ron Motilall 3½ each, Davion Mars and Christian Shivrattan 3 each, Owen Mickle and Carsen Shivrattan 1½ each.

The GCF expresses a special thanks to ECI for the contribution towards this tournament.

GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

37

Successful Day of Interaction held in Region 2 THEY came in their hundreds – athletes, officials, supporters, government ministers and officials and regional officers.

They came from all over the region to participate in the Day of Interaction (DOI), organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport/National Sports Commission at the Anna Regina Community Centre, last Sunday.

From as early as 09:00hrs, persons began assembling from various communities and one hour later, the athletes and officials assembled.

They were addressed by Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony, Director of Sport Neil Kumar, Regional Chairman Parmanand Persaud and his deputy Vishnu Somaru, and the Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture Alli Baksh who were all appreciative of the turnout and were united in their praise for a job well done.

Ninety teams from 22 communities across the region participated in the day’s activities which included

Some of the hundreds who turned out last Sunday at Anna Regina are being addressed by Minister Anthony. football, softball cricket, volleyball (male and female), domino and table tennis.

Days before the activity, it rained heavily and consistently, but as the crowd grew bigger, the threatening weather gradually disappeared and the venue was blessed with bright sunshine, which enabled the proceedings to flow smoothly.

Dr Anthony took the opportunity to encourage the region to send two representatives to the Sports Management workshop scheduled

for June 18-20 at the National Resource Centre and also advised the Region to submit names of sports personalities to be selected for awards at the annual National Sports Awards Ceremony.

In the Female two-overs cricket matches, four teams battled it out, with Charity Secondary defeating Capoey by nine runs and Tapakuma beating Charity Sports Club in a Super Over, before Tapakuma won the final from Charity Secondary.

Twenty-five teams were

Volleyball action was hot all day. listed to compete in the male category and the qualifying matches for the final saw Pomeroon lose to Golden Fleece and Walton Hall defeat Better Success, before Golden Fleece won against Walton Hall in the final.

Volleyball action was hot all day with 14 male teams and 3 female teams, but in the end Charity Sports Club took home the gold in the female competition over Charity Secondary School.

Mainstay won the male category over Aurora, with the winning teams receiving vol-

leyballs and volleyball nets along with their trophies.

In the small goal 7-a-side male football tournament there were 10 teams, which saw NOC and Aurora start the competition quite nicely, before Aurora scored a goal in the last minute of play.

The remaining matches were determined by penalty kick-offs and in the final the GDF team were very aggressive against Charity whom they defeated 1-0 and as was done in volleyball, the winning teams got trophies and footballs.

Table tennis had 22 participants from across the region, with the players showcasing exciting matches, resulting in close victories.

In the semi-finals, Raoul Rooplall faced Sachin Persaud of NOC Sports Club, while Nathon Persaud drew the bye and advanced directly to the final, where he met and lost to Sachin Persaud, who had earlier defeated Rooplall, with the finalists receiving trophies and racquets.

Six teams participated in the dominoes competition: GDF, Charity, Bush Lot, Sea Defence Essequibo, Capoey and Reliance.

Three of the teams, Reliance, Charity and GDF made it to the final, where GDF finished in top position over Reliance and Charity.

Each team received a box of dominoes and a trophy.

Charity Secondary and Anna Regina Secondary were given circle tennis racquets to develop the game in their schools and at the end of the day an estimated 800 persons participated in another successful DOI.

GKRS continues partnership with Hikers Hockey Club AT A simple ceremony held at its Water Street location last Monday morning, Grace Kennedy Remittance Services’ Western Union, for the sixth successive year, renewed its partnership with the Hikers Hockey Club.

In an era where sponsorship is hard to come by, GKRS continues to demonstrate its benevolence towards the sporting fraternity by offering its unflinching support to another entity, following its continued support of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) and other sporting fraternities.

Representing the company were Marketing Manager Natheeah Mendonca and Marketing Assistant Nadine Luthers- Williams, while Hikers Hockey Club was represented by coach Robert Fernandes and play-

GKRS/Western Union Marketing Manager Natheeah Mendonca (3rd from right) is joined by some members of Hikers Hockey Club including coach Robert Fernandes (left) as she presents the cheque. ers Nicole Eastman, Robert Brummell, Leon Bacchus and Tekeisha DeLeon.

This year, GKRS/Western Union has pumped $300 000 into the club, a sponsorship package that will go towards the purchase of the team’s official Western Union-branded uniforms

and to offset the team’s travel to Trinidad and Tobago in November of this year, where they will compete in the Magnolias International Indoor tournament.

“Grace Kennedy is proud of these players, who, from the inception, have shown their determination and com-

mitment to the success of their team and displayed that at many tournaments in which they participated both locally and abroad,” a statement from the company read.

Fernandes said the club is particularly pleased to once again receive support from GKRS and Western Union.

A statement from Hikers read: “The partnership with Western Union has been instrumental in the development of some of Guyana’s top junior players.

This year, three members who benefited from this partnership since 2010 - Jamar Assanah, Andrew Stewart and Aroydy Branford - were instrumental in helping the national Men’s team win bronze at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay.”

Former Australia all-rounder Gary Gilmour dies aged 62 FORMER Australia all-rounder Gary Gilmour has died at the age of 62.

He shone brightest in 1975, taking 6-14 with his left-arm swing bowling as England were bowled out for 93 in the World Cup semi-final at Headingley, and then hit a match-winning 28 not out.

Gilmour took 5-48 as West Indies won the final at Lord’s, and also took nine wickets in an Ashes Test that summer.

He struggled with ill health in recent years, and ex-team-mates helped raise money for a liver transplant in 2005.

He died at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital from various complications following that transplant.

B o r n i n Wa r a t a h , Gilmour had a carefree attitude to training and hit a century on his debut for New South Wales, but his international career only spanned 15 Tests and five one-day internationals between 1973 and 1977.

He never hit the heights again after recording figures of 6-85 and 3-72 in that Ashes Test at Headingley, when he outshone star pace duo Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. (BBC Sport)

38

GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

Chanderpaul, Gayle fail to stop Windies rut

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Half-centuries from veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul and talismanic opener Chris Gayle did little to distract from West Indies struggles, as New Zealand installed themselves as heavy favourites to win the opening Test at Sabina Park.

Chanderpaul stroked an attractive unbeaten 84 and Gayle, 64, in his 100th Test but the Caribbean side were repeatedly hurt by bursts from seamer Tim Southee and debutant off-spinner Mark Craigg, and collapsed to 262 all out.

Southee, the persistent right-armer, was brilliant with four for 19 while Craig found traction from the flat surface and finished with four for 91.

With a lead of 246, New Zealand made heavy weather of their second innings, stumbling to 14 for two at the close – a lead of 260 heading into today’s penultimate day.

They were undone by key strikes from fast bowler Jerome Taylor who claimed Peter Fulton without scoring to a catch by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin diving in

front first slip, and new-ball partner Kemar Roach, who prised out Kane Williamson for two, bowled offering no shot for the second time in the match.

Resuming the day on 19 without loss in response to New Zealand’s massive 508 for seven declared, West Indies openers Gayle and Kieran Powell did well to weather a testing first hour against Southee and left-arm seamer Trent Boult.

Gayle and fellow lefthander Powell seemed to be laying the foundation for a respectable response, when they put on 60 for the first wicket.

However, the introduction of Craig changed the tone of the morning session as he removed Powell for 28 and Kirk Edwards without scoring, in his fifth over of the day, before leg-spinner Ish Sodhi accounted for Darren Bravo in the next over, also without scoring.

Powell had faced 76 balls and struck three fours when he played down the wrong line to one that pitched and straightened and was adjudged lbw.

Two deliveries later, Edwards poked at a good length

Shivnarine Chanderpaul slog-sweeps for another boundary in his unbeaten 84 for the West Indies at Sabina Park, yesterday. See story on page 38. (WICB Media/ Randy Brooks) delivery while anchored to his crease and edged to first slip for Ross Taylor to take a smart catch diving to his right.

Wobbling at 60 for two, West Indies suffered an even

harsher blow just nine balls later when stroke-maker Bravo chipped a simple catch back to Sodhi.

As has become the custom, Chanderpaul then helped to steady the Windies

as Gayle went about his business with his usual aplomb.

The Jamaican collected two consecutive boundaries off Craig in the next over, first sweeping through mid-wicket before hammer-

ing a short ball past point, to move into the 40s.

He then drove Sodhi to the straight boundary in the next over before reaching his 35th half-century with an uppish drive through cover for four off Boult.

Unbeaten on 59 at lunch with the Windies on 97 for three, Gayle was one of two quick wickets to fall after the interval, as Southee ripped through the innings.

Southee started the rut in the fifth over after lunch when he produced a delivery that seamed away beautifully from Gayle and clipped the outside edge, for wicketkeeper BJ Watling to take a regulation catch.

Gayle faced 125 balls, lasted 169 minutes and struck 11 fours, and fell three runs short of 7 000 runs in Tests.

Two balls later, Marlon Samuels found himself trapped on his crease, back when he should have been forward, and was palpably lbw without scoring.

In chaos at 104 for five, West Indies rebounded through Chanderpaul and captain Ramdin, who added 72 in a positive sixth-wicket stand.

Turn to page 34

Russell wrecks Bangladesh-A to hand HPC one-day series LUCAS STREET, Barbados (CMC) - Jamaican all-rounder Andre Russell wrecked Bangladesh-A with a six-wicket haul to once again inspire West Indies High Performance Centre to a three-wicket win and an unassailable two-nil lead in the three-match One Day series yesterday.

Russell, bowling with pinpoint accuracy, ripped through the top- and lower-order batting as Bangladesh-A stuttered and stumbled their way to 179 all out in 46.5 overs at the Windward Cricket Club.

Russell, HPC’s hero in Sunday’s opening match with a powerful century that turned the tables against the visitors, finished with six wickets for 28 runs from 8.5 overs, which set the stage for the home side to overhaul the target losing seven wickets in the process.

An unbeaten top score of 45 from Chadwick Walton and 40 from Ashley Nurse led the run chase for HPC,

who slipped a bit but recovered to 180 for seven in 38.4 overs to seal the series.

Bangladesh-A, who won the toss and elected to bat, lost their openers cheaply to Russell and plunged to 48 for three by the 15th over.

However, an enterprising fourth-wicket partnership of 67 runs between Marshall Ayueb and Naeem Islam attempted to steady Bangladesh.

Ayued scored 45 while Islam, who also scored 45, featured in two crucial partnerships aimed at rebuilding the innings.

He also figured in a fifth-wicket stand of 36 with Sabbir Rahman who made 21 and was one of three batsmen who lost their stumps to Russell, the man-of-thematch.

Ashley Nurse also bowled impressively to grab two wickets for 38 runs including an important breakthrough for HPC when he had Islam caught five runs shy of his half-century.

biul Islam 3-59, Farhad Reza 2-22 and Muktar Ali 2-35.

The third and final one-

day game between HPC and Bangladesh-A will be played tomorrow

CRICKETQUIZ CORNER (Wednesday June 11, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda 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 Andre Russell grabs six for 28.

Bangladesh-A were always in trouble against the HPC attack led by Russell and the lower order could not stand up to the challenge as the last five wickets fell for just 28 runs.

HPC suffered an early set back to the chase when Johnson Charles lost his wicket in the second over without scoring but recaptured the momentum when Jermaine Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner put on 51 runs for the

second wicket.

HPC slipped again when they lost Bonner for 28 runs, to be precariously placed at 59 for four in the 13th over but Jonathan Carter and Walton brought them back on course by putting together 41 runs for the 5th wicket.

Blackwood scored 28, Nurse held the lower order together to be not out on 40 while Carter contributed 26.

The main wicket-takers for Bangladesh-A were Ro-

(1)

9

(2)

The Oval, 1975

Today’s Quiz: (1) Who were the captains involved when the WI and NZ played a Test match in the Caribbean for the first time?

(2) What is the highest individual score made by a WI player against NZ in an ODI match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

GUYANA CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY June 11, 2014

39

GRFU deserves praise and support for job done with team Says Calvin Roberts IT IS not easy to hold one’s composure under strain and stress especially when playing in front of one’s home crowd where support is overwhelming and still manage to come away with a commanding victory.

However, the National 15s rugby team of Guyana did just that last Saturday at the National Park against their nemesis Trinidad and Tobago, where over 450 persons, 75% of whom wore green, cheered them on to a commanding 15-8 victory in their North American Caribbean Rugby Football Association (NACRA) Caribbean 15s Championships.

The never-say-die attitude that was displayed by the Guyanese, who were dubbed the ‘Green Machine’ by their skipper Ryan Gonsalves, even when T&T went ahead 8-3 early in the second half, must be commended.

They had numerous opportunities to take penalty

kicks offered, but opted to use their hands and speed to outsmart their opponents, resulting in two resounding tries being scored by USAbased Vallon Adams and substitute Chris Singh, with the latter coming in the dying seconds of the contest.

Gonsalves himself set the tone for the team when he scored in the first half from a penalty kick taken from approximately 25 metres out for a 3-0 lead, but what was noteworthy was the way the Green Machine handled themselves in the face of unrelenting pressure from the T&T team.

Even when they were down 3-8, the Green Machine never gave up, as they attacked relentlessly to level the score and when they did, they did not stop there, as they took the attack to the Trinidadians in search of the commanding win, which they got through Singh’s try.

First of all, the executives of the Guyana Football Rugby Union (GFRU), led by president Peter Greene

Flashback! Chronicle Sport’s Sonell Nelson was in the perfect position to capture USA-based Vallon Adams (green) putting in the dive to score the game-knotting try against Trinidad and Tobago last Saturday. Third from right is Green Machine skipper Ryan Gonsalves, who scored the go-ahead conversion kick.

worked overtime to ensure the team was adequately prepared for the NACRA Championships, which began with a 48-19 win over Barbados.

Greene and the management team for the Green Machine, led by senior vice-president Mike McCormack and Assistant Manager Robin Roberts and others, had the guys in training on a daily basis in the National

Park prior to the all-important clash with T&T. In Greene’s invited comment after the win, he called on all and sundry to support the team since there are many necessities to be met ahead of their next round of matches, which will be much tougher than the previous clash.

There are things such as nutrition and even six-peg

boots for the players to wear in the event of rainy or wet conditions, as was evident last week Saturday when the condition was soggy underfoot and due to a lack of six-peg boots several players were sliding.

Said Greene “We have done everything within our power and limitation to ensure the team is adequately prepared for this matchup,

so it is no longer what if, but when, and I can safely say that the guys are bubbling over with confidence, fit and ready to go mentally and physically.”

Then came the corporate support from Banks DIH, who through their GT Genuine Lager Beer, backed the team to come away with the win against T&T, for which they duly delivered and now wait on the winner of the North Zone which comprises Cayman Islands, Bermuda and defending champions USA South.

Rugby is definitely on the move, but if Guyana’s Green Machine are to get past the next hurdle, then all and sundry have to put their hands to the wheel and emulate Banks DIH with their support; for at the end of the day, when the team win, all of Guyana would rejoice, something that was evident last Saturday, when the Guyanese, in jubilation, rushed unto the field at the sound of the final whistle.

Persaud brothers ecstatic about playing for Guyana

By Rawle Toney THE Persaud brothers, Damian and Tyler, were among the overseas-based players recruited by the GABF to form what they’re hoping to be a strong Championship contender squad, to represent Guyana at this year’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) tournament.

Tyler 21 and his 19-yearold brother Damian, arrived in Guyana last Sunday, making their inaugural visit to the homeland of their parents.

While most of their relatives live in Guyana the Persaud brothers were either too busy with school or just simply busy working on their craft and never found the time to visit whenever their parents did.

“We always wanted to come but it’s always something that kept us from doing so until now,” explained the older brother Tyler in an interview with Guyana Chronicle yesterday.

“I’m happy to be here and even more proud that I can get a chance at representing Guyana and teaming up with some of the talented players who all want to play for this country. I never got a chance at representing my country until now and I really would like to see us going there and actually winning this tournament,” Tyler said.

The younger Damian pointed out that for him, being just 19, there’s still plenty that he wants to learn from the game and playing here and trying out for the national team will also be a learning experience.

“I think I’m the youngest

Persaud brothers, Tyler (right) and Damien (Adrian Narine photo)

at the camp so for me, it’s all about learning. Learning from the other guys here about FIBA basketball and also me showing them a little about what I know about the game as well. So I think it’s

going to be great and I’m looking forward to actually playing with these guys,” Damian said.

Both brothers attended the prestigious Kiski Academy Prep School in Salts-

burg, Pennsylvania, which is among the top 20 basketball playing high schools in America.

While Damian is now being heavily recruited by some of the USA and Canada’s top colleges, Tyler has already begun to create a path and destiny of his own.

The 21 year-old forward attended the NCAA Division 2 Glenville State College and when he was drafted into the school, the university’s basketball head coach Stephen Dye, said “Tyler is a long and athletic player that can play several positions. He has the ability to really get to the basket as well as play from the perimeter.”

Tyler later transferred from Glenville and headed back to Canada and played at Windsor University in Ontario, where he continued to be one the top players in

the country.

Meanwhile, the brothers expressed delight at rubbing shoulders with players who had experienced life in the NBA with the aim of learning the game of basketball from them.

“We know that players like Rawle Marshall will be in the team and it would be good if Darren Collison can play as well, because it would be great for us to learn from those guys.

A number of players should be coming back to play for Guyana that would’ve played at some of the highest levels in the world and we’re hoping to learn a lot from those guys to make us better players as well,” Tyler said.

Guyana will play in both the men and women version of the championship which runs from July 1 – 12.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Nishimura to referee the opening match of Brazil 2014

See Story on page 34

National Stadium ready for 2014 Limacol CPL

By Rawle Toney DUBBED the biggest party in cricket, the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will bowl off on Friday, July 11, in Grenada with last year’s finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors taking on the Antigua Hawksbill.

But yesterday in the boardroom of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, CPL officials and the Government of Guyana, inked the contract which officially states that the Guyana National Stadium at Providence is ready for the 2014 matches.

Three matches will be played in Guyana starting on Thursday, July 17 with the Amazon Warriors taking on Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel then on Saturday July 19 the hosts face St Lucia

WE READY! (L-R) National Stadium manager Anthony Xavier (left) Permanent Secretary Alfred King, Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony and Guyana Amazon Warriors manager Omar Khan at yesterday’s signing. (Adrian Narine photo)

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

Zouks followed by a rematch against the 2013 winners Jamaican Tallawahs on Saturday, July 20.

With the signing of contracts which give full usage of the national stadium to the CPL’s local organising committee, Anthony Xavier who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the venue said that he’s more than happy that all requirements were met by his team to ensure a smooth running of the event in Guyana.

Xavier pointed out that the venue was already in preparation to host the third Test between West Indies and New Zealand which was eventually relocated, caused by an ongoing dispute between the WICB and the Government of Guyana over the passage of the Cricket Administration Bill in the National Assembly.

Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony highlighted his administration’s delight in hosting matches in what he says has developed into one of the most-talked-about event around the Caribbean.

Anthony opined that the CPL will bring some delight to cricket-loving fans in Guyana after the WICB pulled the third Test match from Guyana and called on everyone to embrace this year’s event, even more than they did the inaugural staging.

Apart from hosting the matches, Anthony is advocating that the public even show up at the Amazon Warriors’ training at the facility, to help motivate the players as they seek to better their 2013 performance.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014