Guyana chronicle 24 12 2017

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 24, 2017

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Deepen cooperation No. 105136

(VAT Inclusive)

– President Granger urges South American states as he wraps up visit to Brazil

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Children perform at the Rotaract Club of Georgetown annual Christmas cheer at the Indian Monument Gardens on Saturday (Adrian Narine photo)

Refusing receipts to skip VAT can be costly $92M Bagotville Bridge re-commissioned Page 12

Child needs urgent help to save sight Page 2

Last flight to Kamarang Page 8

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Child needs urgent help to save sight

By Navendra Seoraj THREE-YEAR-OLD Crystal John of Linden will soon lose the chance of ever seeing again, if her family does not receive assistance to take her overseas for tertiary medical attention.

At the age of just two months old, the child had a bulb-like object in her left eye and after a medical check-up was done, doctors discovered that she had retinoblastoma.

As a result, Crystal’s left eye was removed in order to save her life, but almost two and a half years after doctors had assured her family that everything would be alright, the tumour has returned, but this time in the right eye.

Retinoblastoma (Rb) is defined as a rare form of cancer that rapidly develops from the immature cells of a retina, the light-detecting

tissue of the eye. It is the most common primary malignant intraocular cancer in children, and it is almost exclusively found in young children.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), retinoblastoma is the most frequent neoplasm of the eye in childhood and represents three per cent of all childhood malignancies.

It is a cancer of the very young; two-thirds are diagnosed before two years of age, and 95 per cent before five years.

The WHO recommended that for those reasons, therapeutic approaches need to consider not only the curing of the disease, but also the need to preserve vision with minimal long-term side effects.

Crystal’s mother LaShawn Daniels told this publication that after noticing a mass in the child’s

right eye, they took her to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she was diagnosed with the disease.

In order to minimise the symptoms of the disease while the doctors did a biopsy, Daniels said they took the child to Courts Optical where her eyes were tested and she received a pair of glasses, but within a few days, her eye started “straying away” from the glasses.

Daniels once again made the journey from Linden to the GPHC where she was advised that the eye needs to be removed in order for the child to live.

“I was hoping that they would not say that to me again, so in order to get a different response I went to the Balwant Singh Hospital, where I found out that in addition to retinoblastoma, my daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma,” said

Baby Crystal John who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma

the distraught mother.

She said that she was still not convinced that the only route to giving her daughter a chance at life was to remove her eye, so she sought further advice but was told that in order to get more advice, she had to

go to a tertiary institution in either Canada or the United States of America (USA).

The mother of three relayed that she was traumatised after learning what her next option was. When asked if doctors advised her which hospital would be the most suitable, she said she was only told to go to those countries in order to get further advice.

As time passes, the concerned mother continues to think that she will have to resort to the local option, because her family cannot afford to travel abroad to get treatment for her daughter.

In addition, a doctor’s letter revealed that the child has been partially blind for close two months and will soon be fully blind unless something is done.

Daniels said doctors advised her to get the child into a medical institution that offers chemotherapy but

according to her, the total sum for that form of treatment if US$30,000.

“I am stuck in between two rocks right now because I can’t afford to take my daughter abroad, nor pay for her to receive chemotherapy, so I don’t know what can be done… I really want my daughter to see again,” she said.

The woman believes that the universe is against her because no other member of her family was ever diagnosed with such a disease.

But, with no other option left, she is calling on the public to help her financially in order to save her daughter’s life and help her see again.

Persons who are interested in knowing more about the child’s condition and how they can help could make contact with Daniels on cellphone number 687-7171 or 690-0866.

Rotaract Club reaches out to the less fortunate SCORES of children were treated on Saturday when the Rotaract Club of Georgetown (RCG) hosted their second annual Christmas cheer programme at the Indian Monument Gardens.

The children who were brought from five local or-

phanages and the Sophia Literacy Programme, indulged in an afternoon of togetherness, joy and the Christmas spirit.

According to the club’s President Dynutha Adonis, the Rotaract Club aimed to provide Christmas cheer to 200 children as against their

total of 124 last year, but was only able to treat 183.

“It’s Christmas time and we would like to spread some Christmas cheer,” Adonis said and mentioned that the group targeted would have enjoyed the treat last year, and effort was made to extend the number this year.

Children from the Creative Arts and Drama group performing a Christmas nutcracker tale dance at the party

Unlike last year, when the group also distributed ‘care packages’ to residents of the night shelter, this year the children’s Christmas cheer was the focus of the group’s drive.

She also related that the club was cognisant that the children would not have the “opportunity” like most persons to enjoy a traditional, family-oriented Christmas, and as such a greater focus

was placed on them.

The children were treated to an afternoon of fun games, goodies, a mini-concert and presents from Santa Claus and his elves.

Boys from the St. John Bosco Orphanage in Plaisance surround Santa Claus after receiving their gifts from him at the Rotaract Club of Georgetown Christmas Cheer programme

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Deepen cooperation SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

– President Granger urges South American states as he wraps up visit to Brazil PRESIDENT David Granger has committed to ensuring Guyana realises its continental destiny while strengthening relations and cooperation among South American states.

On Thursday, the President assured members of the diplomatic community and Guyanese in Brasilia, Brazil, that relations between Guyana and Brazil can only get stronger.

He was at the time attending a reception hosted in honour of his state visit to Brazil by Ambassador George Talbot, Guyana’s diplomatic representative in that country.

The President described his meeting with Brazil’s President Michel Temer as a reaffirmation of the warmth which characterises the relationship between the two countries.

“This is a visit of friendship; this is a visit of cordiality; this is a visit of partnership. So my visit today has been very significant not only in terms of the signing of agreements, but also with renewing the cooperation with Brazil, looking at our borders, looking at education and also looking at the role that the Brazilian army has

been playing in Guyana, a peaceful role and not an aggressive role,” he said.

The President said too that the prosperity of the states on the continent is dependent on it remaining a zone of peace and noted that continued cooperation and good relations will have a positive economic impact in the region.

“We should not sit on our hands. We should not allow other regions of the world, other continents to simply dominate the world’s economy. Brazil, which occupies 50 per cent of the land space of this continent is already a member of the BRIC [acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China], which are described as being in a state of newly advanced economic development community, but there is no reason why the other 11 states in this continent should not share the bonanza. “We do not need to be poor, but I do believe that with better cooperation, prosperity can be shared more evenly throughout this continent,” he stated.

President Granger reminded that Brazil has been a reliable partner in the defence of its territorial integrity. The country

Brazil’s President Michel Temer greets President David Granger on his arrival in Brazil last week (DPI photo)

has always maintained its support for Guyana in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.

“I’ve referred rather extravagantly, but rather correctly to Brazil as being the guarantor of Guyana’s territorial integrity. Brazil has borders with every country in this continent

except two; and Brazil from the outset has stated that it has no interest in upsetting or revising any border, which has been determined by international law and that has been the bedrock of our relationship with the Federative Republic of Brazil for nearly half of a century. I’m very confident,

given the consistency and the continuity that we’ve always seen in Itamaraty, that we’ll always be able to rely on Brazil as a friend and a neighbour,” he said.

M eanw hile, Brazil’s Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Marcos Galvão, said in 2018 the two countries

will be celebrating 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The anniversary, he said, will come with an unprecedented increase in bilateral relations between the two countries.

“Brazil attributes the utmost importance to the bond of friendship and cooperation that unite our peoples and countries. Today’s presidential meeting has set another milestone in the deepening of our bilateral partnership, which has focused on common interest and areas of great potential, such as infrastructure, economic and commercial development, energy, technical cooperation, and border integration. At this time of international uncertainties, there is nothing more encouraging than a partnership based on shared principles as the one between Brazil and Guyana,” he said.

Guyana and Brazil established formal diplomatic ties on December 18, 1968. Both countries have a shared respect for democracy as a universal value and a shared commitment to the protection of international human rights. (Ministry of the Presidency)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Philippines storm kills more than 180 More than 180 people are reported to have been killed as a tropical storm swept through the southern Philippines, with dozens more missing.

Storm Tembin brought flash flooding and mudslides to parts of Mindanao island.

Two towns badly hit were Tubod and Piagapo, where a number of homes were buried by boulders.

Tembin, with winds of up to 80km/h (50 mph), has passed across Mindanao and reached the resort islands of Palawan, and will now move further west.

The Philippines suffers regularly from deadly tropical storms, although Mindanao is not often hit.

Tembin, known as Vinta

in the Philippines, started lashing Mindanao on Friday, with a state of emergency declared in some areas including the Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur regions.

Regional officials quoted by the Rappler website said there were 127 fatalities in Lanao del Norte, up to 50 in the Zamboanga peninsula and at least 18 in Lanao del Sur. Tubod police officer Gerry Parami told the AFP news agency that there had been at least 19 deaths in the town, which is in Lanao del Norte.

The remote village of Dalama was wiped out by flash floods.

"The river rose and most of the homes were swept away. The village is no lon-

Rescuers evacuate residents in Davao on Mindanao

ger there," he said.

He said volunteers were digging through mud to try to recover bodies in the village.

Another official told AFP that at least 10 people had died in the town of Piagapo, 10km east of Tubod.

"We've sent rescuers but

they're making little progress," Saripada Pacasum said.

More deaths were reported in the towns of Sibuco and Salug.

Power cuts and the loss of communication lines have hampered rescue efforts.

Andrew Morris, from the

UN children's agency Unicef in Mindanao, said in some areas there were big risks for disease, particularly for children, and restoring clean water supplies would be a priority.

"Lanao del Sur prov-

ince is the poorest in the Philippines, and in the past seven months there have been around 350,000 people displaced in that province because of fighting," he told the BBC, referring to battles between government forces and Islamist militants in Marawi.

"So the priority yesterday and this morning has really been to check their situation."

Storm Tembin made a second landfall on Balabac island in the Palawan archipelago and is forecast to travel west, south of the Spratly Islands, reaching southern Vietnam in about three days.

A week ago, Tropical Storm Kai-Tak hit the central Philippines, killing dozens.

The region is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and affected millions in 2013. (BBC)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

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Venezuela expels Brazilian ambassador

Mr Maduro is expected to seek another six-year term in 2018

Venezuela has expelled the Brazilian ambassador to Caracas, Ruy Pereira, and Canadian charge d'affaires Craib Kowalik.

The move was announced by the head of Venezuela's powerful Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez.

Ms Rodriguez accused Canada of interfering in Ven-

ezuela's internal affairs and Brazil of violating the rule of law.

Canada imposed sanctions on senior Venezuelan officials a few months ago.

The decision to expel Ambassador Pereira may have been triggered by Brazil's recent complaint that President Nicolรกs Maduro

was "constantly harassing the opposition".

Venezuela's diplomatic relations with Brazil have deteriorated since Brazil's centre-right President, Michel Temer, replaced left-wing leader Dilma Rousseff.

Her impeachment was described by Mr Maduro as a "right-wing coup".

More than 120 people have been killed during anti-government protests this year

"Diplomatic relations with Brazil will not be restored until the government reinstates the constitutional order it has effectively broken," said Ms Rodriguez at a news conference on Saturday.

She also accused Mr Kowalik of "permanent and insistent, rude and vulgar interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela".

Relations with Canada have been difficult for months.

Ottawa imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials earlier this year for alleged human rights violations and corruption.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in November that the sanctions were illegal and accused the Canadian government of "shameful and utter submission to Donald Trump's administration".

Canada and Brazil are among many countries critical of Mr Maduro's decision to convene a Constituent Assembly, which effectively replaced the opposition-con-

Delcy Rodriguez said Canada has repeatedly meddled in Venezuela's internal matters

trolled National Assembly.

The announcement prompted mass street protests, which killed more than 120 people in four months.

The opposition boycotted the poll in July and also held an unofficial referendum in which they said more than seven million Venezuelans voted against the constituent assembly.

The European Union and major Latin American nations have said they will not recognise the new body.

The US imposed sanctions on Mr Maduro and

the Trump administration labelled him a "dictator".

Mr Maduro's six-year term ends in 2019. He is due to run for re-election next year.

The opposition has accused Mr Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, of destroying the country's economy with their socialist policies.

Venezuela has one of the world's highest inflation rates and for years has suffered from a shortage of basic goods, including medicines. (BBC)

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Editorial Christmas and poverty

TODAY is Christmas Eve -- the day before Christmas. On this day, we make our final preparations for the celebration of that special day. Because it is Sunday, many of us would also be going to church. In this season of celebration, of merriment and feasting, we remember and celebrate the best in our human tradition. We come together not just as Christians, but as humanity. It is a living testimony to our complexity that a religious observance could galvanise the universal recognition which Christmas does. The birth of Jesus is truly a commanding phenomenon that has survived the ages and has transcended our insularity and fragmentation.

This Christmas we urge serious reflection as a nation on the state of our society and how we can use the spirit of the season to better navigate the challenges in our society. We know only too well of our failings to live up to the Christmas creed, once the Christmas moment recedes into our memories. The indiscipline in all areas of our national life is known to us—the carnage on our roads, the wanton killings, the daily robberies, the disrespect for

rules and laws and the unchecked materialism are but a few of the ills that impair our ability to see beyond our narrow confines.

But perhaps more than anything other failing, it is the disregard for the least among us that must concern us this Christmas season. Most of us would be sharing gifts and making merry as families and communities. But there are many in our midst whose Christmas is not as bright and merry as the rest of us—the poor and the powerless. They are the ones without the financial capacity to buy gifts and prepare sumptuous meals and attend expensive Christmas functions. True, some of us would reach out to these less fortunate souls and share our bread with them. But we must do more than that.

There is something wrong about a world that celebrates the goodwill of Christmas, but pretends that all is well in the larger society. Poverty is not the fault of its victims—it’s a man-made phenomenon that is derived from deliberate social policies. Therefore, it takes policy interventions to turn back poverty. But mankind must

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

have the spiritual capacity to want to confront this scourge.

What better time to recommit to doing something about poverty and the conditions in which it is nurtured than at this Christmas time? The birth of Jesus is pregnant with the symbolism of progressive thinking and the plight of the least among us. Jesus was born at a time of anguish and pessimism. His birth was heralded as a new beginning for a world that was aimlessly drifting.

The Christian teachings tell us that he came to save the world—Christ the Saviour is born.

That he was born to poor parents is no accident.

That very fact must always point us to the plight of the poor—that poverty is at the centre of the Christmas narrative. It is why at this time we urge that our prayers be directed in defence of the poor and towards a commitment to do something tangible to slacken its stranglehold on our society. We should not make merry at Christmas without due recognition to the disquieting prevalence of poverty in our midst.

Taking back our streets

MY heart was delighted when I read a report in the daily newspapers that public-spirited residents of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara, had pursued, captured and detained one of the bandits who attacked and robbed the daughter of a parliamentarian.

According to one such report, the mother of four was making her way home on foot when the men, armed with choppers,

accosted her. It is unfortunate that she lost some of her valuables, but I’m grateful she escaped with her life.

It is indeed commendable when communities can band together to defend their territories and counter any type of assault on one of their own.

These callous, heartless robbers operate with impunity and without sympathy and have no value for life or limb.

These criminals must know that everyone will not condone their anti-social behaviour and stand idly by while they pursue their nefarious agenda.

It is time we take back our communities from these miscreants. The Guyana Police Force cannot do it alone, nor can the Community Policing Groups.

While it is not always advisable to approach and confront these armed and

dangerous men, whenever the opportunity presents itself, residents must capitalise on it.

It requires an all-encompassing approach, but until then Guyanese can come together to take back these streets from criminals by displaying the real meaning of community spirit.

Once again, kudos to the residents.

Danielle Campbell-Lowe

Beware of currency scammers

Dear Editor, ON Wednesday, December 20, 2017, my niece was travelling to Georgetown on a minibus. She was sitting next to a bulky guy and as they reached the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the man began to check some U.S. currency which he had in

a big white envelope. He pretended as though he knew my niece and formed a conversation asking her about her husband.

She told him that he was doing fine and he asked her if she could change a US$100 for him, since he has no local currency to pay the bus conductor. He took out a US$100

note and asked her to change it and she gave him G$20,000 and he gave her the counterfeit US$100. In his envelope were all these counterfeit notes,totalling about US$500 and he was so smart that he was enticing people to see it.

Apparently, he had others with him on the lookout for policemen. My niece was

going to Georgetown to do her Christmas shopping and was not aware that this man was a scammer.

The man was left sitting in the bus alone with the bus driver and conductor. To me this was a planned conning by the operators and the conman. My niece went into the GBTI bank to change the

foreign currency and was told by the cashier that the money was counterfeit.

What I observed is, since the policemen are all around in Georgetown patrolling, these crooks have moved their con business to the West Demerara just before the DHB from where these passengers are coming, especially Essequibo.

The commissioner of police should take note of this new operation and set up his new dragnet to catch these thieves. Passengers travelling on these buses should take warning of these scammers and not to be caught in their acts.

Yours faithfully, Mohamed Khan

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

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Plans on track for LTW 2018 --organisers aim to make it more memorable than the last THE Linden Town Week Secretariat, along with the Linden Mayor and Town Council, continues to work diligently to ensure that Linden Town Week (LTW) 2018 is a success.

With less than four months until the event, the Linden Mayor and Town Council has been advancing with ambitious plans to make the calendar of events unique, and to leave a positive mark on the mining town.

A ‘Visitors Park’ is to be established at the Kara-Kara Dyke, which will include recreational amenities, along with a three- dimensional ‘I Love Linden’ sign.

The Town Council, in collaboration with ‘Jai Signs and Auto Sales Supply’, will be setting up 14 street signs,

seven of which will be on the Wismar Shore, while the remaining seven will be placed

in Mackenzie proper.

In addition, events such as the All-Black Party, the

Linden Town Week Pageant among others will be franchised through bidding.

The ‘I Love Linden’ sign that will be located in the ‘Visitors Park’

Those interested in hosting particular events are expected to write a letter to the Town Council. Applications for bidding of events cost $2500 for stakeholders, while non-profit organisations can get theirs for just $1000.

Also, payment for vending spots will start on March 5 to 23 of 2018, with residents of Linden being given first preference.

This necessary public-private approach to the event’s planning and execution will allow the Council to shoulder responsibility for a few of the community-based events, while leaving the stakeholders to undertake others, in keeping with their corporate social responsibility to Linden.

Linden Town Week

(LTW) 2018 is slated for April 22 to May 1, 2018, and will have its own locally-produced jingle and song to showcase local talent.

The Linden Town Council is looking to have magazines done, which will be published during the week of activities, featuring highlights and popular personalities who have contributed to the development of the mining town.

The Council will also be collaborating with the National Communications Network (NCN) and other popular media outlets, the Ministry of Business, the Linden Chamber of Commerce and other major stakeholders to increase awareness of the event, locally and internationally.

I salute Guyana’s vote on the Jerusalem issue Dear Editor, I MUST salute the Government of Guyana for its vote on Thursday in the United Nations on the issue of Jerusalem. I must however express my disappointment that the 14-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) did not vote in unison in favour of this UN resolution. Seven members abstained or did not vote.

Prior to the vote, both U.S. President Trump and the U.S. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley had issued warnings that America would take note of the names that voted for the resolution and that aid to those countries would be negatively affected in the

future.

So, was this threat the reason why seven CARICOM member states abstained or did not vote at all?

Was it CARICOM’s strategy to have half the member states support the resolution, thereby making it difficult for the Trump administration to “punish” the Region as a whole, should it choose to carry out its threat?

In my view, this split vote provides for the current U.S. administration to “pick off” CARICOM member states individually, thereby making it hard for us in the diaspora to lobby as a collective Caribbean against any possible “punishment” against the seven countries that supported the resolu-

Might is not always right

Dear Editor,

THE principled stand taken by the Government of Guyana in the UN Jerusalem vote must be commended.

Though we are small in comparison, we will not be

easily swayed and might is not always right.

Good for Guyana and all Caribbean states that stand united in this just cause.

Yours sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

tion.

As much as I am disappointed in the way some CARICOM member states voted on this issue, I still maintain an abiding faith in the regional integration process. I suppose our unity in CARICOM does not preclude a plurality of positions on key issues, it pre-supposes it.

Jean Kirkpatrick many years ago while serving as the U.S. ambassador to the UN in the Reagan administration had suggested that U.S. aid to developing countries should be in keeping with their percentage of votes consistent with the

U.S. vote in the UN system.

Her suggestion was inconsistent with the shared values which form the foundation of the relationship between the member states of CARICOM and the U.S., and so too does the threat from the Trump administration.

I hope that should the U.S. administration attempt to “punish” Guyana in any way because of its principled position as represented through last Thursday’s vote, the Guyanese diaspora in the U.S. will mount a vigorous lobby to avoid any “punishment” that might be contemplated. I am committed to being part of that

lobby, should it become necessary.

Sincerely, Wesley Kirton

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Last flight to Kamarang

– the disappearance of George Grandsoult and his co-pilot

By Alva Solomon THE day was November 26, 1986. Air traffic controllers at Timehri were alarmed when the Cessna 206 single-engine aircraft failed to land at Kamarang in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni area.

Today, more than three decades later, the memories still haunt the relatives of George Alexander Grandsoult, an experienced navigator who was never heard from again after his midday transmission that fateful day in 1986.

Co-pilot, Emile Khan, who was married and the father of a six-month-old baby at the time, was on board the Cessna 206 Super Skywagon aircraft which bore registration 8R-GAG. It is believed that bad weather may have played a

Emile Khan

role in the disappearance of the aircraft and according to reports at the time, Grandsoult’s last position report was some 18 minutes prior to his destination. He was last heard from at around 11:57hrs that Wednesday.

But did George’s aircraft crash, or was the crew held captive somewhere?

In April 1987, four months after their disappearance, George’s wife, his son Maurice, and other siblings had alerted the Venezuelan Embassy by letter of infor-

run out of gas. Later, the residents said the two were placed in “a soldier house”, which they suspected was a prison. It is unclear if the concerns of the family were ever addressed.

MEMORIES OF GEORGE George is described by

of the stories on her father’s disappearance ever since he went missing.

Dinah Alexandra Hooker, nee Grandsoult, remembers the day as if it was yesterday. It was mere days before her graduation from the St Joseph High School that her father George was never seen nor heard from again.

in a dance item “as a mark of respect.” She said she was 16 at the time.

EXPERIENCED AIRMAN Grandsoult, a son of Guyana’s soil whose parents had UK roots, is said to have been the first person to own a Britten-Norman Islander (BN2) twin-engine aircraft in Guyana. The model is

George Alexander Grandsoult

mation which the family received. The family was told that George had landed his aircraft in Venezuela, and was later held captive by soldiers there.

The family said that in March 1987, the captain of Kamarang Village, Albert Reed, reported that he had received information from persons in Venezuela that George was seen with an “Indian man”, believed to be Emile Khan, at a military airport base near the Rio Apongua (Apongua River), some 74 kilometres north of the village of Santa Elena in Venezuela.

The village captain’s sister-in-law, Joyce Hunt, who was interviewed by broadcaster Naim Chan for the then Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in April of 1987, recounted that in December 1986, a month after George and Khan disappeared, she travelled into Venezuela from the border village of Kaikan to spend Christmas. She said she was told that an aircraft had circled four times over the Rio Apongua area and later landed during bad weather.

Locals said a tall, whitehaired man with a “limp” and an “Indian man” came out of the aircraft. The descriptions fitted George and his co-pilot. The relatives reported that the Venezuelan solders assumed that the airmen had

George standing next to his Britten- Norman Islander aircraft

widely respected for its durability. He acquired that model aircraft after years of flying his first aircraft, a Cessna 207, across the country.

That Cessna 207 crashed at Ekereku Bottom in Region

George with daughter, Dinah and his wife Helen

today’s generation of pilots as the true pioneer of aviation in Guyana. Some describe him as the man who taught many not only to fly, but the general know-how of aircraft. His daughter has been saving newspaper clippings

George refuelling the Britten-Norman Islander aircraft at Manari in the Rupununi

She told the Guyana Chronicle from the UK where she resides that those memories of her father are etched in her mind, and almost daily she would think of his kind and cheerful character.

“He loved his head being rubbed with Limacol; nobody got away from doing it. He loved animals, too, hence we had so many dogs,” she said.

“Dad went missing on November 26, 1986. It was my mom’s birthday on the 17th of November. I was due to graduate on the 11th of December, 1986,” Dinah said, adding that while she attended her class’s graduation ceremony at St Joseph, she chose not to participate

Dinah Alexander Hooker

Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) during his early years of flying here. While information on that crash is sketchy, the remains of the aircraft are said to be still visible at Ekereku to this day. George then acquired the Britten-Norman Islander, and reportedly transferred his famous registration “8R-GDJ”, known

to many as the “Delta Juliet” in aviation terms, from the crashed Cessna to his Islander aircraft.

At the time of his disappearance, the 62-year-old pilot had some 20 years’ experience flying with an accumulated log of 14,000 flying hours. He was described as a capable and veteran jungle pilot by fellow flyers and others in the aviation world.

He was well known for navigating in harsh weather conditions, and flying below the clouds was one of his best known traits.

George started his aviation career as an engineer in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The late pilot flew in many other countries prior to setting up his own company here, which traded under the name, “Guyana Aviation Group.”

“He was a true ‘bush pilot’ and a pioneer, training many pilots and also finding those who may have crashed,” his daughter recalled.

Hooker said that her father did indeed walk with a limp, and may have sustained the injury from a plane crash in Nairobi, Kenya, back in 1960. According to the family, it was in Kenya that the airman honed his skills as a well-known “bush pilot.” His daughter recounted that after the crash in Kenya, a metal pin was placed in his hip and according to her, he was very uncomfortable walking with the metal in his body.

INCIDENT IN BRAZIL The Daily Chronicle of Wednesday, June 12, 1974, had reported that Grandsoult and several others were in custody of the Brazilian authorities, while his Britten-Norman Islander was grounded after he allegedly landed there without permission.

The pilot and passengers had gone to Lethem on an outing. Among those on board the aircraft were wellknown lawyer, Donald Robinson; an engineer; a rancher, Frank Eagle, a naturalised Guyanese; and Grandsoult.

The incident was said to have occurred due to a mix-up in information on the Brazilian side, and the crew and passengers were allowed to leave, while the aircraft was impounded, but later released.

Dinah recalled another incident, this time at Lethem, during which her father expeTurn to page 12 ►

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IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME! SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

TOMORROW, Guyana will celebrate Christmas in observance of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a significant religious event that is observed by Christians around the world.

Here in Guyana, Christmas is observed as a national holiday. It is not just a day, but both the reason for and a part of the festive season. The relaxation of the 2 am curfew on entertainment venues, between December 22 and January 12, is partly to free up the festive mood!

When the Police Force band on Thursday took the Christmas spirit to State House, I reminded the gathering of something that I have read that said that Christmas is a state of mind. In this state, we wish for the ideals in life – love of humankind, peace and goodwill, and joy to the world.

For some of us, it is when we become children again.

We re-live simple pleasures, remembering what had been, when we were swirling in the sweet smell and smiles of our caring parents, and bonding without inhibitions with our siblings.

As a village-boy, I enjoyed being in a bare-footed, rag-tag juvenile band. We used a discarded cooking pot as a drum, as we walked towards the big houses, singing carols on Christmas Eve at their doorsteps. We also wore cardboard masks and did an improvised jig as un-tutored masqueraders. Either of those

would earn us a cupful of pennies, chunks of cakes, and enormous joy at Christmas time.

STACCATO OF PAPER BULLETS We didn’t know real toy guns then, unless we went to the yards of the couple of rich folks in the nearby village. There, kids were dressed as cowboys.

They wore gun-belts strapped to their waists, and sported Zorro’s masks. They “fired” at each other, hiding behind trees and posts, with the staccato of paper bullets being drowned only by shouts, “I got you! I got you!”

We also made noises of our own by placing chunks of carbons into an empty Ovaltine cup, with a single nailhole at the bottom. We spat heavily into the cup, closed the lid and gave it a robust shake. With cup anchored firmly under the bare foot, a lighted match was put against the hole and, boom! our improvised bombs would go off. Simultaneously and triumphantly, our unrestrained happiness would explode!

Yes, our Christmas time was flavoured with both black and white cakes, the key ingredients for which were bought from teacher Nathoo’s shop – mostly raisins, prunes and currants.

Those would be delivered to the village baker who would mash the dough in an elongated, open wooden trough. The dough would

be parcelled out and laid on silver trays, which were pushed deep into a huge, clay oven. We went home with the warm trays of cake on our heads and in clothes saturated with the aromatic scent of essence and burnt sugar.

MAGICAL MOMENTS Christmas then and now brings not only sweet nostalgia, but magical moments in an unreal world of twinkling lights and bright hopes. It is the hope that a toy is hidden away somewhere that would bring sparkling smiles on the faces of grateful children. For the elders, our soul is intoxicated with the joy of giving back the kindness and hospitality that we once enjoyed during our childhood.

Today, I send greetings on behalf of my Family and my Government to all Christians everywhere on this auspicious occasion, and to all our Guyanese brothers and sisters who observe this day as a national holiday, and as part of the season of peace, joy and goodwill. I share with you that special Guyanese

feeling of home and family, of hospitality and grace.

BURY THE HATCHET Christmas is a time when we try to bury the hatchet, suspend old hate, shake hands and make up. We extend the Olive Branch to our detractors and, as we switch on our festive lights, we share a thought for the less fortunate among us.

We celebrate with those who have achieved something new or special, whether for themselves or their communities during this year. We rejoice with our students who graduated from high school, from teacher-college, specialised institutions and from our university. And we celebrate the triumph of justice for Maurice Arjoon, who was unlawfully dismissed due to a political vendetta.

And we continue to light a candle for comfort for those who face momentary challenges and insecurities. Yes, our thoughts are with sugar workers who need all the help they could get soonest to keep them on their feet.

Half-baked, bald-headed, 2020 elections promises can’t work.

Our government funnels some $32 billion or roughly $1 billion monthly to keep the industry from sinking.

An additional $6.3 billion is earmarked for 2018 as a new lifeline to the embattled Guysuco, from which affected workers should get severance pay, even if made incrementally. Guysuco must additionally extend a relief package that includes an option for access to leased land for independent farming activities.

Life for retrenched sugar workers would not be easy, but all stakeholders should focus on the silver linings on the horizon and not allow ourselves to be lost in the politics of gloom and doom.

CROSSING MAJOR HURDLES Getting to Christmas 2017 was not without many troubles, as were evident on the pavement and in parliament, as well. We held on tenaciously and patriot-

ically to our sovereignty, our territory, our Guyana – all of it. We also crossed major hurdles such as the Georgetown fires and prison breakout. We tackled the municipal parking meter initiative, tax on private tuition fees, non-payment of solid waste contractors, bottled-up misunderstandings over wage adjustments for public servants, teachers, as well as sweepers/cleaners, etc. But we navigated around them and found solutions that were not entirely acceptable, but workable.

In the end, we all can look back and smile, as only Guyanese could do, that ours may not be the best place in the world. But Guyana is all that we have, that we love, and must cherish. So, when we say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” to family, friends and strangers, we do so feeling that we are blessed to be who we are – proud Guyanese, content with what we have, and hope for better days ahead.

Merry Christmas, Guyana!

GAWU in desperate bid to halt sugar estates closure THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has turned to the highest judicial body in the Region, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to stop the Government of Guyana from closing sugar estates in a few days.

GAWU resorted to the CCJ after the local Supreme Court adjourned an appeal filed by the union and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) against a ruling of Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George-Wiltshire, to deny its application to stop the decision to close the Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates.

“Ours lawyers, one in Guyana and one in Trinidad, hurriedly approached the CCJ in Trinidad…I cannot confirm this, we are reli-

President of GAWU, Komal Chand, and other members of the union at a press conference on Friday

ably informed that the CCJ will immediately organise a panel of judges to hear the arguments of NAACIE and GAWU through our lawyers why this must be granted,” said President of GAWU, Komal Chand, during the union’s end-of-year press

conference on Friday.

Although the matter came up before the local Court of Appeal on December 21, 2017, it was adjourned to January 15, 2018, which means that the year would end and the estates would be closed. He explained that,

with that in mind, their lawyers decided to approach the CCJ in order to find an alternative way of addressing the matter before the year ends.

“If the closure takes place and the matter is heard afterwards, then it might not be a fruitful exercise,” Chand

said. The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is expected to lay off over 4000 workers by the end of the year as part of the restructuring of the sugar industry.

In addition, the Wales, Skeldon, Enmore and Rose Hall sugar estates are expect-

ed to be closed by the end of the year. Minister of State Joseph Harmon had said at a cabinet press briefing in November, that the scheduled year-end closure of the Rose Hall and Enmore estates would be delayed until 2018, since no system had been put in place for the sugar workers following the closure. Harmon said his administration is committed to ensuring that the best interest of the sugar workers is taken into consideration before decisions are made regarding the sector.

The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Special Purpose Unit (SPU) processes, which involve valuation, surveys, inventorying and other assessments of the sugar industry are still to be completed, the state minister disclosed.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

What the Caribbean brought with it at independence A FEW weeks ago, I gave the 12th annual Patrick Emmanuel Lecture at the University of the West Indies campus at Cave Hill, Barbados. I used the lecture to reflect on Caribbean independence as a process of becoming.

In the wake of my column last week, which drew attention to the degeneration of the Guyanese society and which disturbed some Guyanese patriots, I share a short excerpt from that lecture as a means of refreshing our collective mind about the importance of

keeping our eyes on our independence promise.

We Guyanese, more than others in the Caribbean, become so consumed with our narrow tribal politics that we often forget that we are part of a Region and a world and that we come from a history that should instruct us about the pitfalls of ignoring that larger world.

As the Caribbean approached independence after the Second World War, we were entering a world that was not created for us. When the big countries at the end of the Second

World War got together at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, they constructed a world order for themselves. Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Guyana and the Caribbean were not on their minds. So, we were becoming independent in a world that was not made for us.

That was a big challenge!

But, we were coming into that world with some things that would become important for us in the Caribbean and important for the world. First, we brought a history of bondage--never forget that. Most of the history of the Caribbean

has been a history of bondage. We cannot define who we are outside of that; to do so is suicidal and nonsensical. And out of that history, we were able to carve an identity and a praxis that would help us to see oppression when others failed to do so.

We also brought a history of overcoming. We often talk about slavery and colonialism, but do not often talk enough about how we overcame slavery and colonialism and we are here today. Four hundred years, and we are still here. The history of overcoming and the link between bondage and overcoming is the history of resistance. We in the Caribbean wrote the primer for resistance-- always resisting and overcoming.

And if you are in bondage as I said, you are constantly thinking about freedom. So, we brought to the world a freedom instinct-an instinct for freedom.

Professor Rex Nettleford reminded us that we have not built towers and pyramids and skyscrapers, but that we brought to the world what he describes as our” creative intellect” and our “creative imagination.”

When you look around the world and you see Caribbean people doing things and building the world, and informing the world and teaching the world, and sensitising the world it is no accident. It is the fertile Caribbean mind at work. It is why a Bob Marley, a little boy from rural Jamaica could speak to the world, all over the world, to all kinds of people in the world and get them to listen-- in the middle of the dancehall amid their celebration, getting them to think about humanity. That was our gift to the world.

And if we are thinking about freedom, we are also thinking about democracy.

Often, we think about democracy as the invention of the Greeks—that the Greeks gave us democracy. And we teach that to our students all the time.

If people say that you are unequal and treat you as unequal, you are constantly struggling for equality; and if you are nurtured in an unjust space, you are constantly thinking about justice. If you are beat down, then in order to stand up, you have got to link hands and link minds. We gave the world democracy. We too gave the world democracy. And we must own democracy. For our democracy comes out of our yearning for freedom and for equality and for justice.

When our foreparents were planning to escape from the plantation, they sat around the fire, sat wherever they could find space and they planned. They were engaging in democracy. Let us not surrender these things to other people. We too are democrats.

We brought to independence a sense of integration; they enslaved us and colonised us -- not just as Barbadians and Grenadians and Guyanese. It was a plantation system in these Caribbean waters. Slavery and colonialism were the epitome of what they now call globalisation. We in the Caribbean understand what globalisation is and was. We have always been globalised. Again, I borrow from Nettleford, who reminded us that what they now call globalisation is “a new designation for an old obscenity.”

So, if you are suppressed and oppressed by a global framework, you resist that suppression and that oppression with a global resistance -- a resistance of integration. Integration did not start with the Federation in 1958-- integration

started on the plantations.

As they were planning to break out of the planation, they made sure that they did not plan to escape from one plantation. They sent the message to other plantations. They were integrating, always seeking to be plural.

We brought to independence a radical instinct--getting to the roots. Not the top, not the surface, because to beat the system you had to uproot the system. Slavery was not about half slave and quarter people, or half slave and half people-- you were a full slave in the eyes of the slave master; you were not a human being. And so, to beat slavery you had to get to the root. And so, we brought radicalism, a radical instinct to our independence.

And finally, we brought knowledge of the world.

Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican leading the largest black mass movement, a global movement in the early part of the 20th century.

Many of the leading Pan Africanists from Henry Sylvester Williams, George Padmore, Garvey himself, Frantz Fanon coming right through to Walter Rodney, they are thinking locally and globally. They had a sense of the world. When the trade unionists came back in the early part of the century from a conference in Europe, they were not talking about Barbadian independence and Trinidadian independence. They were talking about Caribbean independence.

More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Blue Christmas for military and workers LAST Christmas in this very column, the story was told of an encounter with a police officer who expressed a view that has become prophetic. That officer stopped me on the streets and said, Mr. Lewis during the PPP/C government at Christmas time the military received a yearly tax-free bonus, which was the equivalent of one month’s salary.

He was concerned that since the APNU+AFC government,for which he and many of his colleagues had voted in 2015, reduced that bonus by 50 per cent; it was only a matter of time before they received none. He went on to proclaim that the bonus would come to an end during the life of this government.

That officer is not known to me personally. Chances are we may not necessarily meet again. But wherever he is, should he be reading this column I can say to him, were I a gambler for money I would have lost.

Bonuses, whether negotiated or put in place by the employer, becomes a condition of one’s employment and cannot be taken away arbitrarily by the employer. The question may be asked-in the absence of the military being unionised, how could this have been avoided? There exists the Police Association which prosecutes issues on behalf of the members of the force and is recognised by the state. As such, issues of this nature the association should have been engaged with a view to discussing same.

The unilateral decision by the government to remove the bonus is wrong.

Were members of the military unionised, the union would have fought this matter tooth and nail and for as long as it takes. Cases such

these bring to the fore my disagreement with the law that says members of the disciplined services cannot be unionised. This law denies these workers the right to freedom of association with is fundamental and constitutionally protected. It should be tested in court and it is hoped that there is an attorney-at-law desirous of ensuring civil liberties prevail in society and will volunteer his/her service to have a judicial determination.

Most workers look forward to the year-end bonus.

Where the majority, including rank- and-file officers in the military, can be categorised as the working poor, that bonus is usually seen as a necessity. For it not only aids in ensuring the traditional Christmas festivities -- special food, decorating and gift-giving -- but also making the sacred holiday enjoyable, memorable and the enhancing of relationships between colleagues and loved ones.

There is also an empathy factor or management/worker relationship often taken for granted, but must never ever be underestimated in decision-making. Workers are not beasts of burden.

Without them, the production-to-consumption stage would be nothing because workers are not only producers, they are also consumers.

When workers feel their labour is valued and rewarded, they take seriously their jobs which enhances production and productivity.

Information advises me that our men and women in uniform were not told that this year the bonus would have been taken out of the system. Common courtesy would have expected that the government make an official announcement rather than remain silent, which

also suggests that they know the act is unconscionable and will not be countenanced by the workers who will be affected.

Given that a bonus is considered an incentive for performance and other factors, the performance of the force this year, barring few exceptions, has improved.

This is a dichotomy in the system in that as performance improves you remove the incentive, which is one of the pillars in bringing about improved results. When you take away a bonus, outside of it being agreed upon, you dis-incentivise or weaken the system.

This one-month bonus was also in the system for public servants and teachers and it has been systematically removed, gradually stripping workers of their dignity by reducing their earnings, purchasing capacity and ability to make ends meet.

Even removal of the taxes on low wage earners cannot compensate for the arbitrary removal of the bonus.

We are talking about three important areas this callous decision has impacted 1) dignity, 2) economic circumstances and 3) the manner in which this administration treats with workers.

There is a domino effect which is bound to send ripples to all and sundry.

That worker will have less disposable income. With less disposal income there is reduced purchasing power.

With reduced purchasing power commerce and VAT are impacted, and additional burden is placed on overseas loved ones or kindred spirits to help in the supplementation of income. A disgruntled worker will find it challenging to give of his best.

Before making the decision to withdraw the bonus, all the aforementioned should

have been placed on the table and studiously analysed.

As an aside, but not incidental to the issue of income, for those sugar workers who are being placed on the breadline, there must be an urgent coming together of stakeholders to address their dislocation. GuySuCo and government must meet with the sugar unions to hammer out a way forward.

The PPP/C must be called on to put forward feasible solution/s on the industry’s future. Likewise, we must call on them to stop playing partisan politics with the workers’ welfare. Times are hard. The ordinary man and woman are catching hell and it is harder for those who don’t know from where their next dollar or meal is coming.

The situation of those workers who were employed at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), having to enter the ninth year without any strident redress on the government’s part to address the transgressions they have suffered at the hands of for-

eign management must too be condemned. Many are still without work, having been placed on the breadline by a vicious management for taking a stand in protection of their fundamental rights and freedoms. These workers and their loved ones continue to catch hell. The group that gave assurances that should they be elected to office workers will no longer be disrespected and collective bargaining will be restored are proving their words cannot be trusted.

People cannot live on empty promises and wind. Government continues to abrogate its duty and responsibility to the workers and the industrial landscape is littered with cases too much to mention.

This government has to stop fooling itself that it can guarantee the confidence of citizens/workers as it sits on its hands, talk glibly and allow foreign forces to trample our laws and the sovereignty of its people. Acceptance of disrespect for the nation’s laws by any government that is custodian of them adversely reflects on the incumbent.

Outside of the beginning of a school year when workers have to dig deep into their pockets to ensure their children get the needed school supplies, Christmas is the single most important financial event for them and loved ones. It is a calendar event that cuts across religions and ethnicities.

Adding stress to the working poor, who are already financially burdened, will ensure a blue Christmas, not the promised ‘Good Life.’

Let me end by wishing the citizens/workers of Guyana a Blessed Christmas. Here’s hoping amidst the spirit of merry-making and reflection, the reason for Christ’s birth will also see the redoubling of efforts and commitment to uphold the values by which he lived and for which he gave His life. For His was a birth signalling new beginning, exemplified in the philosophy of leadership by example and treating all with respect and dignity, be they red, yellow, black or white, lowly or esteemed.

12

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

$92M Bagotville bridge re-commissioned Residents and commuters can now travel in and out of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, with ease, following the re-commissioning of the Bagotville bridge on Saturday.

Ministers of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson and Annette Ferguson, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Region Three, Dennis Jaikaran and Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) GAICO Construction, Komal Singh, unveiled a plaque at the bridge commemorating its opening.

Minister Patterson told the gathering that a $92M contract for the emergency project was signed with GAICO Construction and General Services Incorporated on September 15.

He said works commenced on September 21 and was completed at the end of November, two weeks earlier than the scheduled December 15. Two additional $7M contracts were also signed for the provision of steel.

The public infrastructure minister urged residents to take great care of the new

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, (third left) cuts the ribbon at the ceremonial opening of the upgraded Bagotville bridge on Saturday.

Also in photo are Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; REO, Region Three, Denis Jaikaran and other officials (Regional Administration- Region Three photo)

bridge, especially during the holidays and cautioned them not “to drink and drive.”

Junior Minister Ferguson also appealed to the residents to care the bridge, which she observed carries new safety features.

“We at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure are aware of the discomfort you experienced over the past

months but nevertheless, you stayed with us and you ensured the reality of the new bridge here in Bagotville.

I know that the previous bridge did not serve you well, but you made your plea and the ministry delivered,” she said.

Minister Ferguson noted that the bridge allows for easier mobility, free travel

GUYOIL spreads Christmas cheer to lucky customers

and less discomfort. She disclosed that the construction of the bridge also created employment for over 12 persons from the community.

REO Jaikaran described the event as a significant

one for the region, noting that the government not only promises new and improved infrastructure, but delivered on its promises.

He pointed out that “a bridge like this was able to be completed within six months, not only because of the effectiveness of the contractor, but also because of good governance of the government in the country”.

Jaikaran said the new features of the bridge are important, because “we are moving in a direction where safety comes first.”

The REO used the opportunity to highlight other infrastructural projects slated for 2018. He indicated that the region will benefit from $470M in capital works which would include roads, bridges and buildings.

“Between capital and recurrent next year, we are going to benefit from at least $5B investment…. We were in a state of distress, now we

Overseas-based holidaying Guyanese robbed A TAXI that stopped on the Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road due to a punctured tyre, resulted in the robbery of a U.S.Abased Guyanese couple Saturday morning.

The victims were identified as Manboad Shivran, 62, and Kamala Shivran, 60, both of Texas, U.S.A. Reports indicate that the couple was heading to Ec-

cles, E.B.D, when they were attacked by three men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The men exited a white, tinted Toyota Premio motorcar that reportedly drove up from the opposite direction and stopped alongside them.

The gunman exited the vehicle and held the couple and the taxi driver at gunpoint before relieving them of their

Last flight to...

Jeffrey Harry, one of the lucky customers who won a grocery hamper

FIFTY-five lucky customers drove away with prizes as the Guyana Oil Company Limited held its first Christmas promotion presentation on Friday.

Twenty-five customers received $5000 worth of free fuel, 20 others received grocery hampers and 10 lucky persons received $100,000 each.

The drawing took place at the GUYOIL Regent Street branch. GUYOIL

Marketing Sales Manager, Eric Whaul, congratulated the winners on behalf of the company.

He noted that for the New Year, the company will continue to give back to the country and its customers.

According to Whaul, despite the fluctuations in gas prices, the company will continue to maintain its low prices.

The GUYOIL Christmas promotion which was launched on November 6

and will run until January 6, 2018, will be giving away a total of $3M in cash and prizes to lucky customers who made purchases at its various service stations.

Customers who purchase $5,000 worth of products, can fill out a coupon and drop it in the entry box. Winners will be drawn weekly. The final $1M will be distributed among 10 winning entries.

(DPI)

are in a state of happiness in two years. Our government has been supporting this region tremendously and we have had many interventions from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure apart from our regional budget,” Jaikaran explained.

GAICO’s CEO Komal Singh, who is also a son of Bagotville, praised the government for responding promptly, after conducting a review of the bridge with his team.

“The minister [David Patterson] was able to represent the case to the government who responded timely,” Singh said, adding “… I am sure we have many more developments in our community that we will see from the government, so we can have a better life.”

The CEO noted that from the 12 villagers employed for construction of the bridge, 10 are currently employed with GAICO.

rienced “a hard landing.”

“Dad circled the runway; no way to tell if either was closed. The left strut hit a pile of sand and dented the left wing,” she recalled. She said her father then flew to a ranch which he operated at Crystal Springs. He left for Ogle without her to fix the aircraft. Sometime later, an army “Skyvan” was in the area, and she was able to travel back to Georgetown.

It was a few months after that incident that George “went down” at Kamarang, she noted.

DAY OF DISAPPEARANCE The Guyana Graphic reported at the time that on the day of George’s

valuables. The bandits then made good their escape with the couple’s suitcases.

The couple was robbed of electronic gadgets, jewellery, passports, bank cards and drivers’ licences.

Over US$9,000 in cash was also taken, along with over $US6, 000 in valuables. The matter was reported as police continue their investigation.

From page 8

disappearance, the Cessna aircraft departed the Ogle Aerodrome at 10:53hrs that Wednesday morning for Kamarang with fuel , on a routine flight. Air traffic controllers said they were in contact with the aircraft up to 11:57hrs.

At the time, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) officials recalled that George was just about eighteen minutes before he should have landed at Kamarang when he last transmitted from the aircraft.

CAD officials described weather conditions as extremely rough on the day of the incident.

After George failed to file a landing report, a search-and-rescue operation

involving the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) aircraft from Ogle and the Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) failed to turn up any clues about the aircraft and its occupants. Subsequent fly-overs of the dense jungle also proved futile.

Dinah noted that her brother, Maurice, an engineer with Bell Textron in Texas in the United States, even attempted to scour the area with a heat-seeking device. However, that exercise also proved futile.

The family remains hopeful that one day, someone somewhere may be able tell the family about the disappearance of George, his passenger, Khan and the missing Cessna.

13

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Coomacka to set up block-making factory – using readily available resources THE natural resources with which the village of Coomacka is blessed will not go to waste, as they will be utilised for the new and upcoming block-making factory that has been projected for the village.

“We have the sand available, we have the cheapest current in the country, and we have all the natural resources around us, so I’m just painting the picture to see the potential in our community,” said Dexter Harding, CDC Chairman of Coomacka.

Harding explained to the Guyana Chronicle that the initiative will generate funds for the community, create jobs for residents of the village and will be a great form of independence as a community.

Also in the plan is the making of pavement blocks,

which can be used for the upgrading of roads.

According to Harding, while 10 persons will be

directly employed at the factory in eight-hour shifts, others will be used to either relieve them or source raw

materials.

“In the sourcing of the sand, water and other things, we would employ other people,” he said.

The project has been

estimated to cost around $6.5M, and is scheduled to commence by either late 2018 or early 2019.

Harding is asking that government officials and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) look into the project.

Back in November, Food For The Poor commissioned the Coomacka Resource Centre, which was made of blocks manufactured right in the village of Coomacka. Construction of the building was also

done by young people of the Coomacka community.

In addition, Harding noted that the project will make it unnecessary for residents of that community to travel to Linden to acquire blocks.

“The residents don’t have to go down to the centre of the town, which is Linden, and buy their blocks, but they would buy it from the factory which means the money will remain in the community,” he said.

The Coomacka Resource Centre that was built with blocks made in Coomacka and constructed by residents of the community

14

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Sugar: T a viable President David Granger BY 2015, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had amassed a debt of more than $82 billion. But how did sugar, which was once king, become such a strain on the public purse, draining billions of dollars from the national budget in bailouts and subsidies from 2015 to 2017 alone totalling approximately $32Billion?

This week on Government in Action, we begin a two-part series whereby we will take an in-depth look at how opportunities to take care of the well-being of thousands of sugar workers were squandered after the European Union (EU) announced the removal of preferential prices since 2006. We will also look at the deep concern the current administration has for the growing number of displaced workers and what is being done to help prepare them for a future beyond the fields and the mills.

EVOLUTION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY At the start of the 20th century, there were 11 estates located in Leonora, Uitvlugt, Wales, Diamond, Enmore, La Bonne Intention, Ogle, Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall and Skeldon. The sugar industry remained at the heart of the economy and accounted for more than 63 percent of agricultural output and more than 20 percent of the gross domestic product in 1976.

GuySuCo was producing 337,776 tonnes of sugar and had a workforce of 28,406 persons at that time.

Over the last decade, the sugar industry has had to be propped up by bailouts at the expense of the provision better quality education and social services for the people of Guyana.

GuySuCo incurred total losses of $40 billion with sales of $230 billion from 2008 to 2015.

By 2015, the management of the company had accumulated a mere $11 billion in internal equity and had decreased working capital by $25 billion. Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder, while delivering his 2018 Budget speech, said production of the sweetener is expected to fall to 152,000 tons this year, a 17.2 percent decline over last year’s output.

“GuySuCo is the single, oldest and continuous industry in Guyana and it is haemorrhaging. Government cannot afford to keep on bailing it out. There has to be change,

the very nature of the change is something that is still to be decided, but the model that we inherited and the plantation model that we have used for three and a half centuries have failed. The sugar corporation is costing us billions; “If I can put that money into the school system, the public health system and the University of Guyana, you would have seen a transformation,” the President said on the Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Interest Programme on November 4, 2016.

According to the ‘State Paper on the Future of the Sugar Industry’, which was presented to the National Assembly by Minister Holder, the sugar industry trails mining, construction and the rice industry in its contribution to the national economy. The State Paper noted that other industries such as the wholesale and distribution trade, transportation and storage and information and communication technology also contribute more than the sugar industry to the output of the country.

The sugar industry had for many years been operating in a largely protected market from 1959 to 2009, since Guyana was among nine countries that benefitted from the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement. Secondly, along with other African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, it benefitted from the Sugar Protocol under the ACP-EU Preferential system. Preferential sales to the EU market accounted for 50 percent of the company’s sugar output and 70 percent of its revenues. In 2005, the European Agriculture Council decided to reduce the guaranteed price for sugar by 36 percent over a four-year period that begun in 2006. The EU was forced to withdraw the preferential treatment, because of global pressures to liberalise trade.

As a result, the EU allocated more than €1.2 billion for the restructuring and diversification in the 18 countries that had been affected. These funds allowed counties to invest and add to the value of their products as in the case of Mauritius, or to diversity their industries as was done by Trinidad and Tobago. The EU provided a total of GYD$348.5 billion from since 2006 in budgetary support to compensate for the 36 percent cut in the preferential price. It was not clear how much of an impact those funds had in terms of preparing the local sugar industry for the

The Skeldon Sugar Factor has largely been a white

Government meeting with stakeholde

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

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Towards e future Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

elephant since completion of construction in 2009

ers on the way forward for the industry

inevitable and there are questions about the previous administration’s decision to plug $47 billion dollars into the failed Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project.

Little was done to stop the slide and today the management of GuySuCo estimates that the Government of Guyana would have to provide annual subsidies averaging $17 billion over the next four years to keep the estates open and operating, an expense that the economy cannot bear.

So what’s next? The government has issued a White Paper, which outlines its plans to modernise, contract and diversify the sector. A small but profitable sector will serve Guyana better than a cumbersome and faltering industry, which has lost its profitability.

Minister Holder in his 2018 Budget presentation pointed out as much, noting that the industry cannot function in its current state.

“The country’s framework for governing the sugar industry has to evolve. It must become more in tune with reducing vulnerabilities, resolving institutional and legacy issues and diversifying away from sugar to more industries. “Mr. Speaker, despite the magnitude of subsidies, there will be no positive impact on the financial state of GuySuCo. The economy simply cannot afford it,” he told the National Assembly.

Before any decision could be made, though, the government installed an Interim Management Team to manage the company’s affairs in June 2015. In that same year, the corporation sold the Skeldon co-generation plant and a portion of land under its control for $5.1 Billion. Those proceeds were used to meet operating costs and a part of the capital expenditure. Further, an urgent injection of $12 Billion was needed to reap the crop in season and government was forced to provide a bailout.

“Since taking office, the government has supported GuySuCo with $32 billion with a $6.3 billion allocation in 2018 and another $2.3 billion estimated for 2019. Capital investment at $12 billion will be required over the next three years to ensure that the sugar production targets are met,” he said.

As part of its plan to return the industry to profitability, government ordered the closure of the Wales Estate and reduced the work-

force at other underproducing estates in order to bring down operating costs. Government has indicated that it is focusing on creating three large estates; Blairmont, located on the West Bank of Berbice, Albion, located in Rose Hall in East Berbice and Uitvlugt, on the West Coast of Demerara.

“Guyana is trying to preserve its industry. That is why there will be a Blairmont and that is why there is going to be an Albion; and we will preserve as many of our plantations and estates as possible. Uitvlugt will remain, but we have to deal with the problems of cost,” President Granger said at the opening of the Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s Expo and Trade Fair at the Bath Settlement Community Ground, West Coast Berbice, in April this year.

With the near bankrupt position of the corporation being recognised by the government, a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) was established by the administration to examine the situation in the sugar industry and determine what needed to be done to make it viable again. Government believes that the sugar industry is too important to the people of Guyana and to the country’s economy to be treated like a political football. A consultative approach to decision-making, which included all stakeholders is the guiding policy of the administration. It embarked on discussions with the opposition, GuySuCo, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), to determine the course of action for the future of the corporation GuySuCo in the interest of all stakeholders.

That the opposition and unions came together with the government to brainstorm a solution and a way forward is testament that the gravity of the situation has been realised by all.

In part two of Government in Action, we will take a look at the work of the Special Projects Unit, its successes in attracting foreign interests in the privatisation of the industry and how the industry will be preserved to contribute to the GDP. In addition, we will discuss important considerations for the future of displaced sugar workers.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Garrido-Lowe spreads Christmas cheer at Santa Rosa

Residents turned out in large numbers for the event

Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, presents a gift to a little boy during the event

EXCITEMENT was high on Wednesday when junior Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe shared close to 600 toys to children at Santa Rosa village in the Moruca sub-district, Region One. The gift-giving exercise was a collaborative effort between Minister Garrido-Lowe and her Cabinet colleague, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman.

According to a release from the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry, more than 570 children and parents bearing infants gathered at the Kumaka Area to receive their presents and other goodies from Minister Garrido-Lowe, who was ably supported by her “elves” and members of the Mora Youth and Women’s Groups.

Among the toys shared were dolls, remote cars, trucks, building blocks, scrabble, several toys representing famous action figures, toy cameras and tablets, teddy bears, other educational materials, cookies and sweets.

Minister Garrido-Lowe, who has responsibility for children, youth and women, is “Mrs Claus” for the season. It was her third visit to Region One for the Christmas season.

Following Wednesday’s gift-giving exercise, Min-

ister Garrido-Lowe said “Christmas is the time for giving, a time to be joyful and to spread joy to others so they too can feel happy.

Christmas is also a Guyanese tradition, so the Government of Guyana, through its ministers is reaching out to the children in different parts of the country to spread some Christmas Cheer.”

According to the release, Santa Rosa is the largest indigenous village with a population of approximately 10,000 people and ensuring the children there are given the much-needed support and attention is at the core of the ministry’s and Minister Garrido-Lowe’s mandate.

She said Minister Trotman, who could not make the trip due to ministerial commitments, would have been pleased to see the joy on the faces of the children.

Several parents said their children were very excited when they heard that they would be receiving gifts and did not mind the distance they had to travel to receive their presents.

“Mrs Claus” is expected to make her way to Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) before Christmas Day, and she is expected to meet with tomato farmers.

Next week, she is expected to visit Region Nine (Upper Essequibo/Upper Takutu), where the senior citizens there will be a part of the Christmas cheer.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Nisi Order dismissed in Tain murder case HIGH Court Judge, Justice Navindra Singh recently discharged the Order Nisi in the murder case involving Indira Outar, of Corentyne, Berbice.

Outar was charged on February 28, 2017 with the murder of domestic worker, Lelawattie Mohamed, who was gunned down in her Tain, Corentyne, home on February 7.

The murder accused--a business woman--of Lot 8, Block 4, Tain Settlement, had appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Whim Magistrate’s Court where she was represented

by Attorney Mursaline Bacchus.

It is alleged that Outar procured five persons namely: Oliver Permaul, 34, and his wife Nazeema Permaul, 42, both of Lot 100 Tain Settlement; Andre James,

26, called “Tatoo man”, of Lot 46 George Street, Rose Hall Town; Rohan Johnson, 39, called “Jamaky” of Clarendon, Jamaica, and of 107 Second Street, Rose Hall Town; and Shabiki Alert Thompson, 28, the common law wife of Johnson, to kill Mohamed.

The five persons were jointly charged with the woman’s murder on February 15, 2017. It is reported that on February 7, two men stormed into Mohamed’s home, and killed her in the presence of her son and daughter.

Meanwhile, Outar had appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga who remanded her to prison. As a result, the murder accused filed an application on July 11, 2017, seeking Writs of Certiorari and Prohibition against the Director of Pub-

lic Prosecution (DPP), the Commissioner of Police and Detective Corporal Stacy Yearwood (Respondents) to quash the decision of the respondents to institute the murder charge, unless cause is shown why the orders/ writs should not be made absolute.

However, Justice Singh, after reading the submissions of the Attorneys-at-Law for the Applicant (Mursaline Bacchus) and the Respondents (Utieka John) it was ordered that the Nisi Order granted be discharged.

The judge held that the DPP acted within the confines of her statutory and/or Constitutional authority in instituting criminal charges against Outar.

Additionally, it was also ordered that cost be awarded to the respondents in the sum of $100,000.

Ally fetes children of Mahaica Home IN keeping with the holiday season, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, on Friday donated toys to the children at the Mahaica Children’s Home.

The minister told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that her visit was simply to “bring cheer to the children of this home and to share the joy and happiness, especially in the festive season”.

Minister Ally also expressed a desire to continue bringing happiness to the children in the future.

The home’s Social Services Assistant, Patricia December, thanked the minister for making time to meet with each of the children.

“It feels good to know that the minister would come and meet the children, particularly, the children who would feel good to know that the higher levels

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, making sure the little ones are not forgotten

would come and interact with them,” December said.

The children thanked the minister for her generosity and wished her a wonderful holiday. Estab-

A section of the gathering at the Mahaica Children’s Home

lished in 2012 and refurbished in 2013, the Mahaica Children’s Home houses 60 children, from new-born to 18-years-old.

(DPI)

PSC presents Christmas in the Avenue The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has rented a part of the Main Street Avenue for small businesses to exhibit and sell their wares, including local craft, on Christmas Eve. The area will be open until 19:00 hrs, and the commission is urging the public to come out and get their Christmas

gifts.

The PSC said the initiative is part of its mandate to support its members and the members of the business associations, which are affiliates.

The objective of the exercise is to provide a means by which micro-businesses can promote and sell their products and services.

Spreading the Christmas spirit: These adults and children of Skeldon, Berbice, had a grand time at the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) toy and hamper distribution exercise on Friday

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

Refusing receipts to skip VAT can be costly – GNBS advises Christmas shoppers

Prime minister receives warm welcome PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Friday attended the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Christmas party and socialised with key members of the commission and diplomats.

The prime minister was warmly received by PSC Chairman Eddy Boyer and former top executives Norman McLean, Gerry Gouveia and Ramesh Dookhoo.

Mr Nagamootoo during the social, noted that it was a most friendly and cordial interaction, mixed with promises of stronger partnership relations between the state and the private sector in the new year.

One of the many shopping scenes around the city

By Rabindra Rooplall REFUSING to accept a receipt after a purchase in a bid to evade the Value Added Tax (VAT) could have daunting consequences for shoppers, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has warned.

Public Relations Officer Lloyd David is advising patrons not to refuse receipts, because when an item becomes defective, the supplier may not remember the consumer, and with no receipt, the consumer would not have a case During the busy shopping period for the Christmas holidays, shoppers, he said, must be very cautious.

Without a receipt, David noted that it would not be surprising if a supplier or proprietor does not accept the word of a shopper that he or she purchased a particular item on a particular date.

For this very reason, he said “receipts are very important” and must be collected.

The GNBS has been seeking to sensitise shoppers about the need to be vigilant while shopping during the Christmas season. And in this regard, David has been sharing useful tips via radio stations and the daily newspapers.

According to David, there

are many things that consumers need to be vigilant about, including hire purchase.

He noted that while shoppers may be forced into a hire-purchase contract because of their inability to pay cash, there is still a great need to take precautions.

“You need to be cautious when you are actually going through and signing all of those pieces of paper [hire purchase contract],” said David, pointing out that not only can contracts be wordy, but they can also include some fine print, to which shoppers may not be inclined to pay attention.

As such, he urged that shoppers “Read the fine print!

You need to be careful with that [the fine print] to know what it means to you… what is it going to do for you and so forth… go through the entire document before you sign; read the fine print once you can.”

He underscored that even if shoppers lack the capacity or are unable to read the contract for some reason, they should seek to have someone explain the various sections of the contract before proceeding to affix their signatures.

EXAMINE THOROUGHLY Added to this, he stressed

the need for shoppers to thoroughly examine the item they will actually receive. This is important, David said, since the item being purchased may be delivered in a few days and is likely to come from a warehouse.

“So you need to don’t just put that item in the corner and say [you will deal with it] when you are finished cleaning up the house. Have them check it when the delivery guys drop it. [If possible] let them install and prove that it is working before they go away. So don’t just tuck it in the box and wait until you are ready for it,” David urged.

But there are even more things shoppers should be vigilant about. These, according to David, include paying attention to the warranty on items being purchased.

He said when a shopper opts to purchase electrical appliances and big-ticket items that are costly, such as generators, what they do not know sometimes is that the manufacturer usually passes on a warranty to the business.

As such, he advised that when making such purchases, shoppers are well within their rights to ask for their warranty.

“Find out how much warranty you have….Whether it is one year, two years or three

years. You need to find out about your warranty…” David asserted, as he explained that a warranty should be a written document.

“Sometimes it is on the receipt and some cover repairs, replacement, refunds, and how long the warranty should be,” said David, as he pointed out that the Consumers Affairs Legislation requires suppliers offer a minimum of six months warranty.

However, some manufactures, he noted, have been known to give more than six months warranty.

“Some importers, what they do, [because] they know that they have a two-year warranty on the item, they make you decide if you want to accept one or two [years] warranty. Some take it a bit up and say you know what, ‘we can give you a four or five years warranty,’ but you are going to pay for that additional warranty… and that is the new practice,” David related.

He, however, cautioned that “it is up to you to say ‘no, I don’t want that warranty because it is going to add to my cost or my overhead’ or you can say ‘you know what, just in case this item goes bad, I need to know that I am protected.’”

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo shares a point with Private Sector Commission Chairman Eddy Boyer

Members of the diplomatic community in discussion at the party hosted by the Private Sector Commission on Friday

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo interacts with members of the private sector

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, December 24, 2017

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

Boult strikes Windies

CMC – West Indies’ bid for a series-levelling win over New Zealand was jettisoned by a career-best spell from left-arm fast bowler, Trent Boult, that handed his side a 204run victory in the second One-day International on Saturday at Hagley Oval.

Windies were bowled out for 121 in 28 overs to suffer their heaviest ODI defeat to the New Zealanders, as Boult claimed seven for 34 from his allotted 10 overs to reach 100 ODI wickets.

The result left the Caribbean side 0-2 in the threematch series, after the Black Caps also won the first ODI two days earlier at Cobham Oval by five wickets. The final ODI is on Boxing Day, Tuesday, also at Hagley Oval.

West Indies gave another insipid performance in the field, as a record sixth-wicket partnership between local boys Henry Nicholls and Todd Astle, along with other solid contributions from the top-order, carried New Zealand to 325 for six off 50 overs.

Nicholls hit a personal-best top score of 83 and Astle made 49, sharing 130 to establish a new mark for the sixth-wicket against the Windies, George Worker supported with 58, Ross Taylor made 57 and Colin Munro added 30.

Still reeling from the late-innings flourish from Nicholls and Astle that rescued the New Zealanders from 186 for five after the 33rd over, West Indies endured a horrific start to their chase, when Boult removed Kyle Hope, fellow opener Evin Lewis and fellow left-hander Shimron Hetmyer cheaply to leave them wobbling on 21 for three inside the first six overs.

Shai Hope stayed long enough with Jason Mohammed to carry the visitors past the 50-run mark before Boult had him caught behind for 23, as the Windies finished the first Power Play on 53 for four.

The wickets of Mo-

hammed and Rovman Powell for a first-ball duck to Lockie Ferguson off successive balls in the 16th over, and skipper Jason Holder to the same bowler in the 18th over, snuffed out any chance of the tourists scripting a comeback story.

West Indies lost their last three wickets – all to Boult – for 21 in the space of 40 deliveries, as the leftarm fast bowler entered the record books.

Boult became the fifth fastest ODI player in terms of matches to reach 100 wickets (56 games) and finished with the second-best ODI figures by a New Zealander behind Tim Southee (7-33).

Earlier, the Windies again saw Worker and Munro give New Zealand a flying start, bringing up the first 50 in the sixth over before Sheldon Cottrell, the visitors’ most successful bowler with three for 62 from 10 overs, made the breakthrough.

The left-arm fast bowler

had Munro caught at midon, but Worker would push onto a second consecutive half-century.

Cottrell had Neil Broom caught at slip for six in the 11th over and Worker shared 58 with Taylor before he was caught at deep fine leg off Ronsford Beaton.

Taylor continued to anchor the batting with a typically breezy half-century, but Holder removed him and Black Caps skipper Tom Latham within three overs to leave the hosts at the crossroads.

West Indies however, failed to maintain the pressure, as Nicholls and Astle came together on their home ground and put on a clinic in middle-over batting, manoeuvring the ball around and running well between the wickets to steer their side into a position to launch the final onslaught.

The Windies were almost powerless when they did ignite, as sixes and fours rained down to the delight of the crowd.

SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND G Worker c Powell b Beaton 58 C Munro c Mohammed b Cottrell 30 N Broom c Holder b Cottrell 6 R Taylor c wkpr S Hope b Holder 57 T Latham c wkpr S Hope b Holder 20 H Nicholls not out 83 T Astle b Cottrell 49 D Bracewell not out 5 Extras (lb3, w14) 17 TOTAL (6 wkts, 50 overs) 325 M Henry, L Ferguson, T Boult did not bat Fall of wickets: 1-50 (Munro, 6.5 overs); 2-66 (Broom, 10.4); 3-124 (Worker, 18.6); 4-169 (Latham, 30.1); 5-186 (Taylor, 32.6); 6-316 (Astle, 49.2) Bowling: Cottrell 10-0-62-3 (w2); Holder 10-0-52-2 (w1); Beaton 8-0-60-1 (w3); Gabriel 10-0-75-0 (w3); Nurse 100-45-0 (w4); Powell 2-0-28-0 (w1) WEST INDIES E Lewis c Bracewell b Boult 10 K Hope b Boult 4 S Hope c Latham b Boult 23 S Hetmyer c Worker b Boult 2 J Mohammed c and b Ferguson 18 J Holder c Munro b Ferguson 13 R Powell b Ferguson 0 A Nurse c Worker b Boult 27 S Cottrell c Latham b Boult 8 R Beaton not out 12 S Gabriel b Boult 0 Extras (lb1, w2, nb1) 4 TOTAL (all out, 28 overs) 121 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (K Hope, 1.6 overs); 2-15 (Lewis, 3.3); 3-21 (Hetmyer, 5.1); 4-52 (S Hope, 9.5); 5-70 (Mohammed, 15.3); 6-70 (Powell, 15.4); 7-86 (Holder, 17.6); 8-100 (Cottrell, 21.3); 9-121 (Nurse, 27.4) Bowling: Henry 7-0-36-0; Boult 10-3-34-7; Bracewell 5-0-19-0 (w2); Ferguson 4-0-17-3 (1nb); Astle 2-0-14-0 Result: New Zealand won by 204 runs Series: New Zealand lead three-match series 2-0

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

Starc ruled out of Boxing Day Test (BBC) - AUSTRALIA pace bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the Boxing Day Test against England with injury and will be replaced by Jackson Bird.

Starc has a bruised heel and has been on crutches for the past few days.

Australia have already sealed the Ashes, holding a 3-0 lead over England, who could hand a debut to leg-spinner Mason Crane in Melbourne.

Pace bowler Craig Overton is set to miss out for the tourists because of a hairline fracture of the rib.

Starc, 27, is the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 19. Fellow pace bowler Bird, meanwhile, has not played a Test for

a year.

Speaking before Starc's absence was confirmed, Tasmanian Bird said. "It would be unbelievable to play an Ashes Test on Boxing Day. I'll be ready and preparing as I normally would for any Test match."

Australia also have a doubt over wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who has not yet travelled to Melbourne after his father-in-law suffered a stroke.

Reserve batsman Peter Handscomb, a part-time keeper who has taken the gloves in one-day internationals, was going through keeping drills in practice on Saturday.

"It's a terrible time for Tim and his fam-

Barcelona thump Madrid 3-0 in El Classico (BBC) BARCELONA produced a superb away performance to secure a victory over Real Madrid that all but eliminates their arch rivals from the Spanish title race.

A second-half Luis Suarez strike and Lionel Messi's penalty, after Dani Carvajal was sent off for handball, helped move Barca nine points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, and increased their advantage over defending champions Real to 14 points.

Karim Benzema hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo missed two good chances in the first half, but the home side were blown away after the restart in the first El Clasico meeting of the Spanish league season.

Los Blancos started with Gareth Bale on the bench, and although he forced a save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen having come on following Carvajal's dismissal, the Wales forward was unable to spark a comeback.

Instead, late substitute Aleix Vidal added further insult in injury time with a third for Barca, as his shot from inside the box squeezed over the line after Messi's cut-back, despite the Argentine losing his boot in the build-up to his 200th assist for the club.

It is the first time Barca have won three consecutive league matches at the Bernabeu, and the result leaves Zinedine Zidane's side fourth in the table.

With the second half just nine minutes old, Madrid were left horribly exposed when Ivan Rakitic was allowed to run through the heart of a midfield that had been set up with the idea of containing Messi paramount there were roles for Casemiro, Mateo Kovacic, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Rakitic found wing-back Sergi Roberto, and Suarez finished the move off crisply for his 10th of the season to give Barca the lead - before the game's key moment arrived another nine minutes later.

After Messi found Suarez with a through pass, the Uruguayan twice had the chance to beat Keylor Navas in a one-on-one. He was first denied by the keeper, then saw his shot strike the post.

As the rebound came back, Paulinho lunged to head on goal and Carvajal instinctively thrust his hand in the air to block Navas would have considered it a fine save.

The Spain defender was shown a straight red card, leaving his side hamstrung in their search for a way back in as Messi slammed the spot-kick into the corner, increasing his tally as the top scorer in El Clasico history to 25 goals in all competition One week after Madrid added a second successive Club World Cup title to the two Champions Leagues won in a row under Frenchman Zidane, any hopes of clawing their way back towards a defence of last year's league title must now be extinguished.

They are now only two points closer to Barcelona than they are to the league's bottom three.

Saturday's match, arranged for a 12:00 GMT kick-off to attract as wide a global TV audience as possible - Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo estimated there would be 650 million viewers - was a chance to narrow the gap on Barca to eight points with victory.

Those watching around the world and the 80,264 fans inside the ground saw the home side start the better, but fail to make their superiority count.

Inside two minutes Ronaldo nodded in off the crossbar but saw his effort correctly ruled out for offside, before the 2017 Ballon d'Or winner swiped at thin air in the box with his left foot when set up by Toni Kroos.

With Messi tightly marked, it was Paulinho who threatened for Barca, twice drawing good saves from Keylor Navas before Benzema outmuscled Thomas Vermaelen to stoop and head against the base of the post.

Bale, yet to force his way back in to a regular starting slot following his latest spell out injured, came on in one of three changes made by Zidane after his side went down to 10.

He perhaps should have been more composed when found free in the box late on, but this victory was a deserved one for Barca.

Ernesto Valverde's side remain unbeaten in the league this season - they have won 14 and drawn three since their 5-1 aggregate defeat by Madrid in the two-legged season-opening Spanish Super Cup in August.

ily," said Bird. "Hopefully we see him on Boxing Day, but it's fully understandable if he needs time with his family to get over that."

With the Ashes already gone, England are looking to avoid a second successive 5-0 whitewash down under.

They are also on eight consecutive defeats in Australia and have never before suffered nine successive losses.

"In our eyes it is now a two-Test series," said wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. "That's how we've got to look at it, to go out there and try to win both these Test matches.

"Let's try to put things right that we haven't previously and start with a clean slate."

Mitchell Starc has taken the most wickets in this Ashes series so far with 19

QUIZ CORNER COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Tom Blundell-2 catches (2) Shane Dowrick-7 catches

Today’s Quiz:

(1) How many times the WI & NZ have contested ODIs against each other to date?

(2) How many the WI have won? What of NZ?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

TIPS FOR BOXING DAY DEC 26TH

10:30 hrs Buveur D’Air

Leopardstown

AMERICAN

11:05 hrs Thistlecrack

08:15 hrs Debuchet

11:40 hrs Wolfcatcher

08:45 hrs First Figaro

RACING TIPS Gulfstream Park Race 1 Our Amazing Grace Race 2 He’s Got Talent Race 3 Mo Shopping Race 4 You’re To Blame Race 5 Dusty Bottoms Race 6 Unexpected Visit Race 7 Sunnysammi Race 8 Quality Time Race 9 King Power ENGLISH RACING TIPS Kempton 08:45 hrs Irish Prophecy 09:20 hrs Theo’s Charm 09:55 hrs Ballyoptic

09:15 hrs Espoir D’ Allen MARKET RASEN

09:50 hrs Champagne Pat

08:35 hrs Weebill

10:20 hrs Footpad

09:10 hrs Master Burbidge

10:55 hrs Blast Of Koeman

09:45 hrs Free Range

11:30 hrs Blackbow

10:15 hrs Cyclop 10:50 hrs Bridey’s Lettuce 11:25 hrs Shining Romeo Wolverhampton 08:40 hrs Windsor Cross 09:10 hrs King Kevin 09:45 hrs Bronze Angel 10:15 hrs Ocean Of Love 10:50 hrs Line Of Reason 11:25 hrs Dutiful Son 12:00 hrs Smugglers Creek IRISH RACING TIPS

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Greyville 08:20 hrs Hidden Thought 08:55 hrs Captain’s Girl 09:30 hrs Captain Ellio 10:05 hrs Redcarpet Captain 10:40 hrs Mirwa 11:15 hrs Son Of A Legend

24

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

City extends streak to 17 games unbeaten

(REUTERS) - MANCHESTER City extended their winning sequence to 17 and their lead at the top of the Premier League to 13 points with a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth on Saturday as Manchester United were held 2-2 at Leicester City and champions Chelsea suffered a goalless stalemate at Everton.

Pep Guardiola’s City slickers began their unprecedented run of domestic league triumphs away to Bournemouth in August when a 97th-minute winner from Raheem Sterling sealed the points.

They found the south coast side an easier nut to crack this time with Sterling again on target as City continued to turn the title race into a procession.

Sergio Aguero also scored twice and Danilo completed the rout as record-breaking City reached Christmas with 55 points and 60 goals.

They have now scored 101 goals in 2017, becoming the first top-flight team to do so in a calendar year since Liverpool netted 106 throughout 1982.

City are 13 points ahead of Manchester United, who were criticised by manager Jose Mourinho for “childish” mistakes in defence and attack after conceding an equaliser in the fourth minute of added time at Leicester.

Two goals by Juan Mata had put them in front after Jamie Vardy’s 50th Premier League goal for the home side, and Leicester’s Daniel Amartey was sent off.

But with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard having missed clear chances and Chris Smalling limping, United allowed Harry Maguire to poke home Marc Albrigh-

ton’s cross.

“It was an easy match to win,” Mourinho said. “Childish in their box and childish in our box, we were punished.”

Chelsea, three points behind United, were left frustrated at a misty Goodison Park after 25 goal attempts came to nothing.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane also continues to rewrite records, with his seventh hat-trick of the year in all competitions firing his side to a 3-0 win at Burnley that put the Londoners back above their hosts, and Arsenal, into fifth.

Kane struck a first-half penalty and produced two clinical finishes after the break to equal Alan Shearer’s record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year set in 1995.

Arsenal and fourth-placed Liverpool drew 3-3 on Friday.

At the other end of the table Newcastle United ended a run of nine league games without a win to beat West Ham United 3-2 at the London Stadium and move out of the relegation zone.

Marko Arnautovic opened the scoring for West Ham but Henri Saivet, Mo Diame and Christian Atsu were on target for the Magpies who moved up to 15th with 18 points, a point ahead of West Ham who slipped down to 17th.

Stoke City arrested their worrying slide down the table to beat second-from-bottom West Bromwich Albion 3-1 while bottom club Swansea City, who sacked manager Paul Clement this week, drew 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace.

Bournemouth joined West Brom and

Nigel Levine competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016

Sergio Aguero's first-half goal was his 100th at Etihad Stadium Swansea in the drop zone.

Brighton and Hove Albion eased their relegation fears as Pascal Gross scored the only goal against Watford to give the Seagulls a first win in eight games. Watford have now lost four in a row and five of their last six.

Huddersfield Town remained comfortably in mid-table as they came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Southampton.

City needed 27 minutes to take the lead against Bournemouth and it was fitting that Aguero was the man to score it with a diving

header as he registered his 100th home goal for the club.

“This side are always trying to find the striker,” Aguero said. “I only have to score the goal!”

City are unbeaten at home in 2017 and when Sterling made it 2-0 shortly after halftime for his 12th league goal of the season it was just a matter what the winning margin would be.

Aguero headed his second and substitute Danilo joined the party within three minutes of coming on.

Levine fails drug test BRITISH sprinter Nigel Levine has failed a drugs test.

Levine, 28, is alleged to have tested positive for the banned asthma drug clenbuterol and the Daily Mail reports he is waiting for his B sample result.

The European indoor gold medallist broke his pelvis in a motorbike crash in Spain in January - the accident also involved fellow Briton James Ellington.

Levine has returned to training but has not competed since and in April he told BBC

Sport he was coping "pretty well".

Clenbuterol is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list because it is deemed a performance-enhancing drug and can induce weight-loss.

Levine is no longer a client of Linford Christie's management consultancy Nuff Respect.

Ellington, 31, also broke his pelvis, as well fracturing his leg in two places, when the pair were hit by a car travelling towards them

25

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

Royals through to tonight’s GABF National Club Championship finals

THE Victory Valley Royals basketball club will play in tonight’s final of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) National Club Championships, following their 72 – 65 victory over Ravens in last night’s semi-finals at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

They will play the winner between defending Champions, Bounty Colts and Kobras, who were in action up to press time.

Kobras, the latest addition to Georgetown’s basketball, has been impressive in their first season, thanks

to the sensational performances of point guard Travis Burnett.

Burnett, the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 27 points per game, led the Kobras to the final four with a team-high 15 points, five rebounds and seven assists--performance in his team’s 67-58 win over Retrieve Raiders.

However, Burnett, along with Raiders captain Neil Marks, were both ejected for a scuffle on-court, but the Kobras back court star was able to feature in tonight’s game.

In the tournament’s final prelim-

inary game, the Amelia’s Ward Jets picked up their only win of the tournament over Rosehall Jammers (84 – 73). The victory resulted in Ravens advancing to the semi-finals.

The winning team will pocket $600 000, second-place team will collect $400 000 and third-place $200 000.

According to the GABF, individual prizes totalling $200,000 will be shared between the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardee, the player scoring the most points and the player with the most rebounds.

Josiah is Pouderoyen FC Head DELYON Josiah is the head of the Pouderoyen FC, following the club’s Annual General Meeting and elections held last evening at the West Demerara Secondary school.

The first Vice President is Ken-

neth Thomas with the second vice president being Adrian Giddings.

The secretary is Travis Bess and the treasurer is Delroy Benjamin.

The assistant secretary/treasurer is Cornel Hunte with the club manager being Patrick Barrington,

along with coaches Bess and Delyon Josiah.

The club captain is Marvin Frank with his deputy being Sherwin Bernard, while the disciplinary committee comprises Denzil Boyce, Benjamin and Giddings

Stage set for Boxing Day horse race meet - over 65 horses confirmed to participate

By Rajiv Bisnauth ALL arrangements are in place for the annual Boxing Day horse race meet, organised by the Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club.

In an invited comment yesterday, Justice Cecil Kennard, who is also the club president, confirmed that over 65 horses have been entered for the grand one-day meet.

The retired judge indicated that despite the current inclement

weather, the track at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice, is in fine condition.

“Everything is in place… we already put together all arrangements,” the former Police Service Commission head said.

He added “The weather is not too kind to us at the moment, but the track is in fine condition”.

The feature of the day is expected to be a hotly-contested affair with Golden Blue Echo set to defend its title from 2016. In

its way this time around would be Vera’s Finally, Brave Sky, Lady Budapest, Goodwill Boy, Honey Flow, Just Call Me Boss, Princess She’s Not and Storm Bird.

Other events carded for the day are, ‘L’-Non Winners, ‘F’ and Lower, two-year-old Guyana Bred Open, ‘L’ Class Open, ‘H’ and Lower, and J3 and ‘K’ and ‘L’ and Lower. The action will gallop off at 13:30hrs and admission to the venue is $1,200 for adults and $600 for children.

Essequibo through to GCB/Jaguars One-Day 50-Overs final ESSEQUIBO qualified for the Guyana Cricket Board/Jaguars One-Day 50-Overs League final after they ended the preliminary round of the League with the most points.

Essequibo ended on 36 points, after yesterday’s final round was called off.

According to the playing conditions, the team with the most points after the preliminary rounds automatically qualified for the final.

The playing conditions also stated that the second and third place finishers have qualified for the playoff, of which the winner of that game will be the other finalist.

Defending Champions and current second-place, Lower Corentyne, have been confirmed for the playoff.

However, the other team is yet to be decided, since Georgetown and West Demerara are in joint third-

place on the points standing, with 23 points each.

According to the GCB, the net run rate will be used to decide which team will face Lower Corentyne in the playoff, which is set for December 28.

The Albion ground in Berbice is the original venue with the Everest Cricket Club ground the alternative.

The final is billed for December 30.

‘Sons of Champions’ boxing card set for Boxing Night

By Michael DaSilva THE Guyana Boxing Association (GBA)/Briso Promotions Boxing Night card could see the outbreak of `World War Three’ as former national bantamweight champion, Clairmont Gibson, has threatened his nemesis, Keevin Allicock.

The threat came after Allicock defeated Gibson to take the Terrence Ali National Open Bantamweight title; a title that Gibson held for a year.

Allicock, however, is determined to hold on to the title, causing Gibson to declare `war’ on Tuesday night in the feature bout of the evening, which will have 11 amateur bouts, including one all-female clash.

The 18-year-old Albouystown resident Allicock, who will be fighting out of the Forgotten Youth Foundation Boxing Gym (FYF), addressed the media yesterday at the Windjammer Hotel, saying that he is in fine condition.

He said he is always prepared for any eventualities and come Tuesday night, he will give boxing buffs and his many supporters something to shout about.

Gibson, who represents the Guyana Defence Force, in response to Allicock, said this is a rematch.

Like Allicock, Gibson is urging boxing fans and supporters to come out in their numbers.

Present at the press conference yesterday were GBA president Steve Ninvalle; head of Briso Promotions group, Seon Bristol; and GBA’s technical director, Terrence Poole.

In opening remarks, Ninvalle said his association has been working very hard to make the card a reality with quality fights throughout the night (Tuesday), and while it is the association’s first approach, the partnership between the GBA and Briso Promotions will make it an annual one.

Ninvalle informed that what was to have been the feature bout on the night’s card between Dennis Thomas and Desmond Amsterdam, will be no more as Thomas has not been given time off from his employer--the Guyana Police Force-to prepare for the contest, due mainly in part to him being required to be on duty during the Christmas holiday season.

However, Thomas’ place will be taken by Aluko Best who lost to Thomas at the Terrence Ali National Open Championships last month and according to Poole, he (Best) would definitely not want to lose against Amsterdam.

Bristol in brief remarks said he is happy to be a part of the GBA’s first Boxing Day tournament, as he is here in Guyana to build amateur boxing. He said the pugilists will receive trophies, medals and a small token at the end of the contests.

Ninvalle also explained that over the past month the fighters that will be on show come Tuesday night have been exposed to two important competitions – the National Open Championships as well as the Caribbean Championships, where Guyana won three gold medals and a silver “and now they will be involved in the ‘Sons of Champions’ Championships.”

26

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

Forde rates 2017 as ‘remarkable’ for GFF Executive Committee

P

RESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde (WF) described 2017 as ‘remarkable’ for his Executive Committee, telling Chronicle Sport’s Rawle Toney (RT) in a ‘Question and Answer’ interview, that they’ve been able to deliver on promises made during their campaign in 2015.

Forde also offered some insight into the GFF’s attempt to regularize the game and how their affiliates will benefit.

See full interview below.

RT: How would rate your executive committee’s year and what would you consider your biggest accomplishment for 2017.

WF: It has been yet another remarkable year for the Executive Committee; we are delivering on every campaign commitment and beyond. We made commitments to implement a NEW Intra-Association Football model for the four critical development age groups: U-13, U-15, U-17 and U-20. We have delivered the NAMILCO U-17 and the Frank Watson U-15. We will announce the U-13 & 20 early next year.

We have created a stable football environment which is evident by three successful congresses we have had over the past two years.

Perhaps the commencement of construction of the Providence National Training Centre is the most significant accomplishment for 2017, simply because of the level of doubt that had crept into the minds of our stakeholders and the general public.

We are quietly and rapidly making fundamental changes to the operations of football in Guyana by laying strong foundations and building structures for the future of the game.

RT: What does 2018 holds for youth football, both male and female?

WF: In 2018, we will be focusing on improving and expanding the Scotia Bank Academy Training Centre programme. With the U-13 and U-20 Intra-Association Leagues coming online, the demand will be greater on the technical staff. The 13 Academies are managed by 35 paid coaches delivering standard age-specific weekly sessions.

The Academy coaches will be busy preparing the players for a planned U-15 Boys South America tour scheduled for February and an U-19 Boys European tour scheduled for June/ July. The U-15 and U-17 Girls will be very busy this year as well.

As it relates to the senior women, despite there being no official fixture announced thus far, we will most certainly be giving them some game time as plans are being made for a tri-Nation tournament in Guyana early this year.

RT: Regularising the game seems to be a point of focus for you, but since the

announcement, some concerns were raised that the GFF wants to control the game, and some fear victimisation. Could you elaborate on this process and providing a level playing field for all?

WF: The GFF wants to bring order to football which is severely lacking at this time.

We have developed a 2018 Competition calendar that seeks to streamline competitions.

The Federation has to assign specific periods for specific competitions; this is common throughout the football world.

But more importantly, the Executive Committee has a constitutional mandate to control football in all its forms for an unlimited period within the jurisdiction of

vicissitudes of the past.

RT: Street football, one of the most popular unconventional formats of the game, how does this fall into the regularisation scheme of the GFF? WF: The GFF Constitution is patently clear on this matter. Perhaps the question that should be asked is; who benefits from an unregulated version of the game. Who will adjudicate conflicts that may arise during the game? Who trains and develop the officials?

Who train the coaches that trains the players?

Who will ensure that the period approved for a competition will not be trespassed on by a competing organiser of equal size and reach?

Who will ensure that the Federation

GFF president Wayne Forde (L) and Rawle Toney Guyana; Article 1:1.

The Federation and its members are the original owners of all rights emanating from football competitions and events within the jurisdiction of Guyana. Article 77:1.

The Executive Committee shall decide how and to what extent these rights are utilised and draw up special regulation to this end.

Article 77:2.

The foregoing is a further illustration of our mandate and despite all of the empty talk about victimisation, the real issue seems to be the flagrant refusal to treat football with the respect it deserves.

My executive committee will not bend toward the will of anyone; we are here to represent the best interest of all stakeholder, i.e. members, sponsors and players, in a fair and transparent manner. These regulations that everyone seems to dread without the benefit of the details, will protect investments, secure time slots and improve standards of competitions.

We will continue to build partnerships that are characterized by mutual respect and respect for the rules and laws of the game. The game is bigger than everyone and must be respected by all despite the

and its member’s competitions do not overlap with unsanctioned competitions? Who will ensure that the safety of players, officials and fans are protected?

Who will ensure that the games are not manipulated and/or fixed and if such occurs, who will impose the requisite sanction?

While there is a definite need for a change in attitudes toward the game and the Federation, I am both surprised and disappointed by the waste of energy this decision has provoked. I would encourage all stakeholders to relax and participate in the consultation that will take place before the regulations are drafted.

RT: A 3% levy fee is now mandated, as approved by Congress. How would this be ‘policed’ by the GFF, to determine if the gate or prize money is greater?

I wish to first and foremost highlight the following points: (1) The Executive Committee recognized that the 15% levy that was in place for the past 10 years was prohibitive and difficult to impose, given the current sponsorship landscape.

We took a decision to reduce that amount by 12% and lock it in for the next two years.

(2) The GFF pays 3% levy to CONCACAF for international friendlies.

(3) The levy DOES NOT GO TO THE FEDERATION; it will be collected on behalf of the members and will be used to support football operations at the Association level and capacity building and administration programmes.

(4) The implementation of the Congress-approved levy will go to the regulation Committee where it will be drafted following an extensive consultation exercise, before it is presented to the Exco for approval.

The Committee will recommend what tournaments will attract a levy, when that levy should be paid and who MUST pay the levy.

RT: How much does the work at the GFF mirrors that to CONCACAF, given the fact that they too had made some structural changes to their operations, especially their club tournament?

WF: The GFF is generating ideas on how to grow and reform the game independently.

However, from a policy and regulatory stand point, we are aligning our operations with FIFA and CONCACAF. RT: Futsal and beach football have been two of the most inactive affiliates of the GFF; what is being done to see these associations reaching their mandate, and what is being done to properly put a structure in place for those two formats?

The 2018 football calendar has set out seasons for both beach and futsal. The GFF will be working much closer with these members to ensure that sponsorship and funding is provided for their competitions.

RT: Could you give an update on FIFA forward programme?

WF: Work is progressing well despite the inclement weather conditions. We have succeeded in our application to expand phase 1. The lighting has been upgraded to the CONCACAF tier 2 lighting standard; this will allow us to host major international games in Guyana.

We will also be renovating the existing building that is on the property to facilitate team encampment until the dorms are completed.

We will now be able to bring together our teams much more often and have longer periods of preparation, which is essential in our quest to become #1 within the Region.

This is a personal goal of mine that will be accomplished much sooner than most fans may wish to believe. Next year we will share with the public what phase 2 of the construction will entail.

I take this opportunity to wish our fans, sponsors, players, administrators and stakeholders a merry Christmas and a productive 2018. “We are here to serve football..!”

God Bless.

27

SUNDAY CHRONICLE December 24, 2017

‘Jackie Chan’ stars in Police FC win over Victoria Kings -Buxton United dumps NA United

GREGORY ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson scored a double as Police FC ‘arrested’ Victoria Kings 5 – 2 and Buxton United edged New Amsterdam United 2 – 1, when the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Corona Beer ‘Super 16’ Knock-Out tournament continued on Friday at the Buxton Community Centre Ground.

As per the GFF rules for the tournament, non-elite league teams are allowed to have ‘guest’ players, and as such, the Police Football Club ensured that they solicited the services of Richardson, touted as one of the best forwards of his generation, along with Daniel Wilson.

The two formed a formidable combination ‘upfront’ for the already solid Police side, as Dwayne Jacobs placed the side up 1 – 0 with his goal in the seventh minute, while Shemar Fraser hammered home a strike in the 22nd minute and Police ended the first stanza with a 2 – 0 advantage.

In the second half, the Victoria Kings seemed hapless as Police FC piled on the goals. Wilson converted in the 53rd minute while Richardson scored in the 72nd and 85th. The margin of victory could’ve been wider, but some good goalkeeping and a few untidy attempts by Police FC resulted in them having to settle for a 5 – 1 win.

Ruben Morris scored the lone goal for Victoria Kings in the 65th minute.

Meanwhile, the night’s second game saw the home side, Buxton United digging deep to hold off New Amsterdam United, after Ralph Moffat had scored in the closing minutes of the first half to put them in the lead, but in the 57th minute, Jamal Butts levelled the scoreline and brought the Berbicians back in the game.

However, Keoma Sulivan’s goal in the 77th minute proved to be the game-winner for Buxton United.

The tournament will continue on Christmas Day (December 25) at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, where Winners Connection will come up against Elite League ‘champs’, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in the opening game, followed by Milerock FC vs Den Amstel.

Buxton United FC

UDFA/ Gt Beer Football….

Eagles United and Silver Shattas reach semi’s

By Joe Chapman

Eagles United scorers, Kwesi Quintin and Kellon Fraser

REIGNING champions Silver Shattas were held to a nil-all draw by an improved showing from Kwakwani Strikers but still advanced to the semi-finals of the Upper Demerara Football Association’s GT Beer year-end football championship.

Meanwhile, Eagles United 2-1 win over Botafago also ensured that they moved into the semi-finals when play continued on Friday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground .

Eagles entered the final four play-offs after showing continued good form to come from behind to remain unbeaten.

D. Francis was able to send his side into the lead in the 27th minute as Botafago looked set to build from their 4-1 roll over of Hi Stars.

However, Eagles after trailing at the end of the first half 1-0, would knot the scores at 1-1 through Kwesi Quintin in the 39th minute.

As the game continued with both sides looking for

the deciding goal after the second half began, it would be Eagles’ Kellon Primo who struck home the decider in the 76th minute of play.

This made it 2-1 and the game would remain the same when the final whistle came, as Eagles United now seek a place in the final.

However, Botafago still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals as they would face Topp XX in a battle among the second best teams from their groups to advance with the three top teams from the three groups.

The second game saw champions, Silver Shattas, being held to a 1-1 draw which would allow them to remain unbeaten after their first game win against Topp XX by a 3-1 margin and this nil-all draw.

The championship will continue next Wednesday when Blueberry Hill faces Net Rockers in the first game to complete play in Group C. That game will decide who goes through as Blueberry Hill have a win while Net Rockers a drawn game, with Amelia’s Ward Panthers the third team in the group, out after a draw and a loss.

Boult strikes Windies see story on page 22

Trent Boult ran through West Indies' top order © Getty Images

‘Jackie Chan’ stars in Police FC win over Victoria Kings

‘Sons of Champions’ boxing card set for boxing night Barcelona thump Madrid 3-0 in El Classico

see story on page 25

see story on page 23

Stage set for see story Boxing Day on page 25 horse race meet - Over 65 horses confirmed to participate

Royals through to tonight’s GABF National Club Championship finals see story on page 25

–– Buxton United dumps NA United

see story on page 27

Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson

Part of the action between the Victory Valley Royals (Blue) and the Ravens (Delano Williams Photo)

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2017