Guyana chronicle 28 11 14

GUYANA No. 104025 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2014

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More than 500 graduate from GTI

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After claims by APNU Leader…

AG jettisons talk of constitutional crisis as a result of prorogation Page 2 Nagamootoo pledges no AFC pre-election alliance with APNU against PPP Page 9

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Cricket world left heartbroken by death of Phillip Hughes

A section of the graduating class

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

After claims by APNU Leader…

AG jettisons talk of constitutional crisis as a result of prorogation TALK of a constitutional crisis, following the prorogation of Parliament on November 10 by President Donald Ramotar, has once again surfaced; this time in comments made by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger.

In recent comments to the media Granger contended that the prorogation of Parliament represents a “serious constitutional” problem.

However, Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, maintains that a constitutional crisis cannot be created by

acting in accordance with provisions made in Guyana’s Constitution.

“I reject the notion that there is anything unlawful or undemocratic about prorogation,” Nandlall told the Guyana Chronicle, in an invited comment.

Article 70 (1) of the Constitution states that: “The President may at any time by proclamation prorogue Parliament.”

He added that Prorogation has been a concept with the British Constitutional

system for nearly 1,000 years.

“It was bequeathed to every country in the British Commonwealth upon their attainment of Independence.

It has been widely used over the years without the big hue and cry, which it has generated in Guyana. In Canada, for example, it has been used twice over the last seven years. Only last year it was used in Australia. I do not recall those who are critical of its use in Guyana, being similarly critical when it was employed in these countries,” he said.

CONSTITUTIONAL RECOURSES The Attorney General contends that in the same way the Alliance For Change (AFC), supported by the APNU, sought to make use of the constitutionally provided for recourse of a no-confidence motion, President Ramotar sought recourse in another constitutionally provided for mechanism, which is prorogation.

He said, “The very constitution which provides for a no-confidence motion provides for prorogation. One

resumes. All the other oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in respect of the monies spent during this period.

The role of the Auditor General, the role of the Judiciary and of the other oversight agencies are unaffected by prorogation,” Nandlall stressed.

In proroguing Parliament, President Ramotar was

Anil Nandlall

option cannot be right and the other wrong, one option cannot be democratic and the other undemocratic.

“The truth is that the no-confidence motion was intended to defeat the Government and it is lawful, democratic and constitutional to do so. The Government took a pre-emptive strike. It prorogued Parliament and defeated the no-confidence motion and it is equally lawful, democratic and constitutional for the Government to do so.”

He also dismissed the hullaballoo created by the combined Opposition over illegal spending, among other issues.

“Significantly, all monies spent during this period will have to be accounted for whenever Parliament

David Granger

also emphatic that the move to prorogation would have kept the 10th Parliament alive, which currently has several critically important matters before it.

The effect of ending the first session of the 10th ParTURN TO PAGE 3 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

More than 500 graduate from GTI ...as the Institute plans to offer higher-level programmes

WITH the pride of 63 years of excellence behind them and a pass rate of 61 percent in one of the nation’s most prestigious technical institutes, more than 500 students last evening graduated from the Government Technical Institute (GTI).

“Across the industrialised and developing world, economic growth is increasingly linked to skilled training necessary to raise labour productivity and average labour standards,” so said GDF Chief of Staff Brigadier, Mark Phillips, who delivered the feature address to the graduates.

He added that the forces of global integration and technological change have “increased the focus on the importance of education and training in the competitive process.” Phillips plugged the need for technical training as he said, “In Guyana, we too are now faced with the dilemma of whether to concentrate investment in general education or technical/vocational education.”

The Chief of Staff assured the graduates that in the competitive world, there is always space for their levels of expertise, especially in Guyana, as he encouraged them to consider being part of Guyana’s great “economic takeoff.”

GTI Valedictorian Mark Gomes receives his prize from Major General (Rt’d), Norman Mc Lean

“Technological vocational education must be viewed as an essential prerequisite for socially balanced economic growth,” he stated.

The GTI began operations in May 1951 to provide training in craft skills; but in July of 1956, technician level courses were introduced into the institute, which further developed into diploma level programmes.

With a current student population of 1,785, Competency Based Education

and Training (CBET) are now offered in masonry, plumbing, furniture making, and motor vehicle repairs, to name a few.

With a pass rate of 61 percent, GTI Board Member, Major General (Rt’d.), Norman Mc Lean, expressed dissatisfaction with the pass rate. He said, “The results were not stellar in my view,” as he urged students to push for a 66 percent pass rate, reflective of two-thirds of the entire graduating class.

On another note, the

AG jettisons talk of constitutional...

From page 2

liament via prorogation is the termination of the business of the National Assembly.

As a result the AFC sponsored no-confidence motion was not considered. Also, APNU had, prior to November 10, signalled its intent to support the push through of the motion. Had it not been for the proclamation to prorogue Parliament, if the no-confidence motion was passed, Guyana would have been headed to early general elections within three months.

However, President Ramotar has made it clear that if these efforts prove futile, there will be a move to early general elections; the last general elections having been held in November 2011.

MERITS IN DIALOGUE The Attorney General was firm in stressing that there are merits in dialogue, the intention of the President’s decision to prorogue

Parliament.

“If the opportunities that prorogation presents for constructive engagement and dialogue are rejected by the Opposition then the nation would have seen whether they are really interested in dialogue and consensus building or whether their public pronouncements of these matters are idle rhetoric,” he said.

Despite some optimism within the current Administration that the door to dialogue is not closed, the APNU and AFC has repeatedly publicly said that there will be no talks unless Parliament is reconvened.

The combined Opposition has also rejected President Donald Ramotar’s invitation, issued via a letter on November 18, for talks.

Some of the matters currently before the 10th Parliament include the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism

(AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill, which is in Parliamentary Special Select Committee; the second readings of the Education Bill 2014, the Land Surveyors Bill 2014 and the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2014 are up for a second reading. Also among the Bills scheduled for a first reading are the Food Safety Bill 2014 and the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) (Amendment) Bill 2014.

Other important matters before the National Assembly include the appointment of members for the Rights of the Child Commission (ROC) and the Women and Gender Equality Commission.

“Clearly, prorogation offers opportunities and indeed a mechanism for dialogue and constructive engagements on a number of issues that are of critical importance to the country,” Nandlall concluded.

Institute recorded exceptional performances at the level of the National Awards given to students throughout the Technical Institutes in the country, where GTI Georgetown managed to walk away with six of the seven awards.

Commenting on the progress of the Institute and where it could be, GTI Principal, Carl Benn spoke of incremental steps as the Institute creates greater partnerships, both locally and internationally.

“We are anticipating the delivery of higher level programmes in the nottoo-distant future, where

we will move from offering Level One and Two, and moving onto offering Level Three, that is equivalent to an Associate Degree,” Benn added, as he hopes the Institute will be re-branded to the standard of a Polytechnic Institute.

By all appearances, the evening belonged to Valedictorian Mark Gomes, who not only passed with distinc-

tion as he read for a Technician Certificate in Electrical Engineering Pt. II, but also walked away with a National Award upon completion of the Guyana Technical Education Examination.

Gomes attributed his successes to his mother for her guidance, and to his father and grandfather, from where he seemed to have drawn his inspiration, since, according to him, both of them are employed in technical fields.

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits are sweet,” a humbled Gomes read in his address to an appreciative graduating class who warmly embraced his presence with loud applause and a standing ovation.

Delivering the final charge to the graduates, Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam urged them to reshape the social fabric of this society as they ought to be keen on what they stand for, not to allow themselves to accept substandard payment and conditions.

“Let this be only one step in your educational achievements, and structurally realise a way that will afford you the opportunity to engage in lifelong learning,” the Chief Education Officer noted conclusively.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Ferguson shooting: Calm returns on snowy Thanksgiving

(BBC News) A LEVEL of calm has returned to Ferguson’s streets following two nights of unrest.

There were a handful of protests and a heavy police presence, but no major incidents as Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday began, marked by snow and rain.

A jury’s ruling not to charge a police officer for killing a black teenager sparked violence in Missouri’s St Louis suburb, and protests across the US. Michael Brown’s family have said they felt “crushed” by the decision.

Their son was killed after being shot six or seven times

by Officer Darren Wilson in August.

The policeman said he feared for his life but some witnesses said Mr Brown, who was unarmed, had his hands up when he was killed.

The decision by the grand jury not to press charges and bring the case to trial has triggered a nationwide debate over relations between black communities and law enforcement.

Wet and snowy weather kept people away Wednesday night’s protests in Ferguson were peaceful, with about 100 people marching as the snow fell.

The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan said the weather could have been a factor in keeping the numbers down.

Police officer Darren Wilson has told US media that he had a “clean conscience” over the killing on 9 August.

Taliban kill 5 in Kabul in attacks on British embassy car, foreign compound

(Reuters) - THE Taliban bombed a British embassy vehicle in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday morning, killing five people, and attacked a foreign compound in the city center in the evening, officials and witnesses said.

The suicide attack on the British embassy car in the east of the Afghan capital killed two embassy workers including one Briton and wounded more than 30 others in the vicinity of the explosion, officials said.

The second blast, targeting a compound run by a contractor for the U.S. aid agency in Afghanistan, shook buildings in the diplomatic quarter and was followed by an hour-long gun battle between insurgents and Afghan security forces.

One foreign national was injured and two suicide bombers were killed in the second attack, which started when a car loaded with explosives detonated outside the guesthouse just after 7 p.m, according to security officials.

“There are no casualties among the Afghan security forces and the foreigners are in a safe room,” said the

commander of 111 Military Corps Kabul, Qadam Shah Shaheem.

A Western security official said the explosion failed to breach the compound walls, which were well fortified.

Thursday’s incidents were the latest in a wave of bombings to hit the city as the majority of foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.

Taliban insurgents, who were ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001, claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying the embassy car bomb “targeted foreign invading forces”, while the compound was an “important center of the enemy”.

Attacks aimed at foreign diplomats and civilians are less common than the daily strikes against Afghan and international military forces on the country’s roads.

More than 4,600 Afghan police and army personnel have been killed in the war against the Taliban since the start of the year, a figure recently described by a top U.S. general in Afghanistan as unsustainably high.

Saudis block OPEC output cut, sending oil price plunging

(Reuters) – SAUDI ARABIA blocked calls on Thursday from poorer members of the OPEC oil exporter group for production cuts to arrest a slide in global prices, sending benchmark crude plunging to a fresh four-year low.

Brent oil fell more than $6 to $71.25 a barrel after OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna left the group’s output ceiling unchanged despite huge global oversupply, marking a major shift away from its long-standing policy of defend-

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ing prices.

This outcome set the stage for a battle for market share between OPEC and non-OPEC countries, as a boom in U.S. shale oil production and weaker economic growth in China and Europe have already sent crude prices down by about a third since June.

“It was a great decision,” Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said as he emerged smiling after around five hours of talks.

OPEC said in a statement that

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members had agreed to roll over the ceiling of 30 million barrels per day, at least 1 million above OPEC’s own estimates of demand for its oil next year.

“It is a new world for OPEC because they simply cannot manage the market anymore. It is now the market’s turn to dictate prices and they will certainly go lower,” said Dr. Gary Ross, chief executive of PIRA Energy Group.

The wealthy Gulf states have made clear they are ready to ride out

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the weak prices that have hurt the likes of Venezuela and Iran - OPEC members which face big budget pressures, but cannot afford to make cuts themselves. Venezuela and Algeria had been calling for output cuts of as much as 2 million bpd.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez said he accepted the decision as a collective one and hoped that lower prices would help drive some of the higher-cost U.S. shale oil production out of the market.

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Workers march in Tunapuna over ‘owed backpay’ (Trinidad Guardian) ACTING treasurer of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and president of the local government section, Heston Lambert, says the Government owes workers at the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation millions in backpay. Daily-rated workers at the corporation yesterday protested, demanding arrears they said were still outstanding since negotiations were settled last year.

The workers chanted “we want the money right now” and marched in front of the corporation’s office,

Centenary Street, Tunapuna. They bore placards that said: “Who give those corrupted contracts, after six months they can’t complete none”; “Doh feel ah how, we want we money now”; “If allyuh cyah run de corporation go and work Cepep or take VSEP”.

Workers shouted at the side of the road: “They eating ham, lamb and jam and in they big office and not studying nobody.” Another worker said: “Christmas coming and people have children to mind and things to buy.” The workers said the amount they were due to receive was noted on their last pay slip two weeks

ago but the money was not included. In an interview outside the corporation’s office, Lambert said negotiations were settled in November 2013.

He added: “The purpose is in regard to how the arrears is being allocated in various corporations but there are others that did not receive any arrears and we are telling ourselves, as a union, that it is time to get

Daily-paid employees of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation protest over unpaid backpay outside the corporation’s headquarters, Tunapuna, yesterday. (PHOTO: JEFF MAYERS)

Cane farmers to fight illegal sugar imports (Jamaica Gleaner) THE executive of the All-Island Jamaica Cane Farmers Association on Friday reiterated its support for what it described as the “brave decision” by Agriculture Minister Derrick Kellier to re-instate the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) as the sole importer of refined sugar and warned that it would resist any and all attempts by influential members of the business community to get the minister or government to rescind his decision.

Cane farmers had welcomed the surprise announcement to delegates which came during their 74th annual general meeting at the Jamaica Pegasus on Wednesday, November 5; a decision the minister

said was taken to address the “alarming problem of leakage of government revenue under the current system, whereby duty-free imported refined sugar intended for the manufacturing sector finds its way into the retail trade”.

Describing the new measure as a “retrograde decision”, the following day, the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA) issued a release announcing that it had reached out to the prime minister, as well as the agriculture and investment ministers to request an urgent meeting to resolve the matter.

However, Allan Rickards, chairman of the All-Island Cane Farmers Association, made it clear during a press conference at the

North Avenue, Kingston head office on Friday that its members, who number in excess of 6,000 and whose operations directly or indirectly touch the lives of an estimated 250,000 persons in rural Jamaica alone, would engage all industry stakeholders to resist any reversal of the minister’s decision.

“If I hear any MP (Member of Parliament) or councillor opposing this new regime, we going to make sure that our sugar people in any election disavow support for them, and is 23 constituencies (in which there are sugar communities), and we not joking about this thing,” he told The Gleaner after the meeting.

“Some of them (parliamentarians) have two

mouth; when them having lunch in Parliament, them wheel and forget, and I don’t care which strip it is - green or orange, we tired of it.”

Rickards had the support of the executive which endorsed his sentiments on the grounds that it was necessary to stem the estimated annual $1 billion loss in tax revenue, as a direct result of abuse of the system which allows for the duty-free importation of imported sugar as raw material.

In its release, JMA had countered this allegation, declaring that: “Whereas leakages had been reported, no data have reported to confirm a significant amount comparable to usage by legitimate manufacturers to warrant such action.”

their arrears.” Lambert said the money was allocated in the national budget and the money was already approved by the Ministry of Finance. He said Tunapuna was the largest corporation under local government with 1,000 workers.

Chairman of the corporation, Edwin Gooding, and CEO Loris Jones-Romany could not be reached for comment.

Organised criminal networks still a major threat to Jamaican State KINGSTON, Jamaica: THE Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) says, despite serious inroads in dismantling, organised criminal networks involving major gangs, remain the greatest threat to the security of the Jamaican State.

OCID head, Senior Superintendent of Police, Clifford Chambers disclosed in an interview with The Gleaner that so far this year, seven gangs have been seriously disrupted and several ‘senior’ members taken into police custody.

However, he says there are still 99 active gangs among the 250

gangs that have been identified in the country.

The SSP, however, declined to name the major gangs, citing concerns about possibly encouraging criminals.

SSP Chambers is heaping praises on the anti-gang legislation which is being used to dismantle criminal gangs.

He says since the enactment of the law in March, more than 30 persons linked to criminal enterprises have been brought before the courts.

Meanwhile, SSP Chambers is urging patience from the public, noting that investigations take time.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

EDITORIAL

GUYANA

Do Guyanese want a repeat of the past?

GUYANESE from the Diaspora, domiciled in Toronto, Canada, Mike Gomes, back in his homeland for a visit, wrote glowingly of Guyana’s progress since the PPP/C took office in 1992. He was among those who fled the Burnham regime and he recalled the state of Guyana 19 years after Burnham’s dictatorship began, when the World Bank and IMF declared Guyana a bankrupt state as poor as Haiti.

He went to adumbrate some of the atrocities committed under Burnham’s illegal regime: “No electricity. As soon as night fell Burnham’s goons were out in full force dressed in military fatigues raiding people’s homes along the East Coast, West Coast, East Bank and West Bank corridor robbing them at gunpoint.

Wherever street corner meetings were held by the main Opposition party, or any other minor party, his goons appeared in truck loads armed with sticks and bottles, led by Rabbi Washington (real name David Hill, a known criminal in the United States) and beat everyone. We have just seen similar behaviour played out once again in Linden and Agricola, which were organised by the APNU and the AFC in 2012 (with both parties now jointly representing a one-seat majority political Opposition).

The sewer system backed up, filth oozing out the manholes, trenches and canals in the city stink with putrid water that created a haven for mosquitoes.

Corruption was at an all-time high, hence a complete breakdown of law and order. I remembered waiting at the Trans-

port and Harbours Department (THD) wharf for my shipment of casareep, the transport ship ‘The Lady Northcote’ ran out of diesel. On Burnham’s command by phone to Sprostons, a tugboat was sent out to the rescue.

Burnham was the law!

Our entire railway system was sold out. This included two brand new engines that were presented as gifts from Ottawa, Canada to the state of Guyana on attaining our independence.

A colossal shame was brought on us when Jim Jones from the People’s Temple murdered 914 men, women and babies in our jungle.

Our airport facilities were in shambles and in a deplorable state.

Two flights per week by B.W.I.A to ferry out the mass exodus of Guyanese migrating to foreign lands. This aircraft had to be refuelled in Trinidad.

The dictatorship passed a deliberate “show no mercy act” against our country by banning over 400 food items and medical supplies. The line-ups were long for scarce food items, even for sugar and rice, which were produced locally. Having a loaf of bread in your home was enough to land you in jail, while Burnham and his cronies enjoyed life in abundance.

The astute and great narrator Burnham said in one of his many famous speeches, and I quote: “Comrades, you better don’t get sick eh, they ain’t got no drugs and I ain’t bringing none in, if yuall get sick and go inside deh you ain’t coming back out alive; and comrades, I possess highly tempered steel and I give no quarter and I want none in return”. This

was broadcast simultaneously on both Radio Demerara and G.B.S radio stations. As fate would have it, LFS Burnham became ill, was admitted to “deh” Georgetown Hospital and did not make it out alive. This is poetic justice.

Rigging of elections continued even after Burnham’s demise by his successor Desmond Hoyte who grabbed 85% of the votes (in elections of ‘85.)

The deliverance of our great nation that possesses so much wealth came in October 1992 when the ‘Poverty Nakedness and Crime’ (PNC) was voted out from office.

Please note that Hamilton Green, David Granger, Robert Corbin, Carl Greenidge and Raphael Trotman are all dead beats from Burnham’s illegal regime and are now under the disguise of APNU and AFC. They must never be voted into office ever again!

Keep them out at all cost!”

Mr. Gomes’ missive continued in like vein; and then he went on to write in glowing terms of the absolutely transformed Guyana that he discovered on his return visit recently, a 100% turnaround from the wreck he and other Guyanese had fled from decades ago, leaving homes and properties, and even family members behind in desperate attempts to escape the reign of terror of the PNC regime.

Today, Guyanese are returning home in droves, eager to experience the re-vitalised and transformed Guyana. They are eager to invest their savings, and even their pensions in the country that is their heartland; but which they had to flee for mere existence in strange lands across the globe.

The only deterrents are the

criminals and the violent and destructive Opposition-driven ‘protests.’

When one considers the continuum of inter-related activities between criminal elements and actions by leaders of Opposition political parties, then one cannot fail to come to the conclusion that criminal gangs and activities are Opposition-sponsored, like army guns being given to political leaders that are unaccounted for until today, but which are occasionally discovered when criminals are caught in the act of murderous rampages; PNC glorifying and draping with Guyana’s flag, creating a ‘hero’ out of Linden “Blackie” London, one of the most murderous criminals in the history of this country; the open and secret collaboration between the murderous members of the ‘Buxton resistance’ and leading members of an Opposition party; Nigel Hughes’ free defence of self-admitted killer of the innocent people – including sleeping babies in Lusignan and Bartica, as well as other deadly criminals; the violence, including shooting by an unlicenced firearm-holder within the bastion of the PNC – Congress Place, with the per-

petrator going free; among an endless list of atrocities committed on the people of this land. The theatrics and fruitless gerrymandering in the Tenth Parliament, meant to derail developmental initiatives are an indication of what the governance of Guyana would be like under the current Opposition ‘leaders’, most of whose personal and professional lives, politics and financial transactions cannot stand public scrutiny.

Among the achievements of the PPP/C Government listed by Mr. Gomes is the approximately US$700M sitting in the Central Bank.

He wrote: “Finally, I am proud to say that, as the LIAT aircraft that I travelled in approached the coast line of Georgetown coming in from Barbados, I looked down and was in awe at the amount of lights. For a moment Georgetown appeared to look like Puerto Rico; what a lovely sight.

Can one imagine what would happen to this reserve if the Opposition manages to get into Government? The lights that Mr. Gomes exulted in would be doused forever and Guyana would once again be plunged into the darkness of the past.

PPP lashes back at Granger over comments that he will punish wrongdoers if elected President ACCORDING to media reports, the People’s Progressive Party said in a statement that is not surprised at the Leader of the Opposition, David Granger’s recent statements that, if he and his Party were to become the administration, he would punish persons “who have been alleged to have committed illegal or criminal acts.”

“The PPP notes too that Mr. Granger is fixated on immediate past President, Bharrat

Jagdeo, and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh,” the statement noted.

The PPP says it is taking this warning and threat seriously. Well, I reiterate my previous comments that they better take their threats very seriously. This is the time to stop pussyfooting with these Opposition hate-mongers.

If by any chance the PNC comes to power through a rigging arrangement, because that party has lost much support from its con-

stituents, then the court will be on the side of PNC; so will the USA, UK, OAS, CARICOM Countries, S/News, K/News, Guyana bar associations, Red Thread, ACDA, etc.

These PNC/AFC/APNU people are chomping at the bit to jail, not only Drs. Bharrat Jagdeo and Ashni Singh, but all PPP members. I have said repeatedly that if the PNC colludes with the AFC and with the support of GECOM achieves, PPP support-

ers will have to flee this country like they did in the past. PNC has a point to prove and, if given the chance, they will spare no one.

Granger, Hammie Green, Greenidge and others should be hauled before the ICC to answer to charges of crimes against humanity, but these are the same ones who will continue to haunt PPP members.

TED KING

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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Tribute to Comrade Omar Khan

COMRADE Omar Khan, a father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and genuine friend of the working class died and was buried at Grove on the East Bank of Demerara.

Omar Khan was the father of nine children and he leaves to mourn five of them, along with his grandchil-

dren, brothers, sisters and his real and genuine friends in the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union, along with thousands of comrades in the People’s Progressive Party.

Omar Khan was a champion sugar worker. He was a clean and genuine representative of the sugar work-

Dialogue would have given the Opposition an opportunity to better represent its constituents IT is my belief that the combined Opposition missed an opportunity when it rejected the President’s call for dialogue, which causes me to think that the Opposition is not serious about the development of our country, nor the uplift of its people.

An opportunity for dialogue between the Government and Opposition would have created an atmosphere for the members of the Opposition to better represent their constituents, instead of engaging in street protest, knowing fully well our history as it relates to protest. The call to protest action over dialogue can only be seen as a cheap, narrow-minded attempt to interrupt the peace our people now enjoy and to damage our now repaired image abroad.

The Opposition has accused the Government many times of not being flexible to their needs. This call to dialogue would have given them a fresh chance to have those demands laid out on the table, and would have created an opportunity to negotiate their positions and to find common ground on the issues they purport to represent.

It is my firm belief that APNU, in particular, has no sense of direction, nor doesn’t seem to know the direction towards progress. One day they are out demanding Local Government Elections, the next day they are demanding fresh General Elections, knowing fully well that GECOM is not in a position to hold either at the same time or within a year of each other. I believe this is one of the reasons they continue to reject dialogue because they don’t really want those unreasonable demands to be discussed. Their politics is not one of compromise and flexibility but rather politics that is confrontational, one sided and anti-developmental.

None of this augers well for our country, and this can only lead to anarchy and confusion. I read with absolute outrage the demand by APNU members for a boycott of businesses that do not show its support for APNU’s position. This in itself is a crude reminder of the dictatorial practices that were unleashed on the business community and the wider society when the PNC held power. Demands like these strongly support the notion that this party has the proclivity to engage in intimidation. The business community has a right to be free of fear and intimidation. This notion of “what I say is the only thing that matters” is of a bygone era and has no place in today’s political arena. The Opposition must now seek to put the nation’s business ahead of vindictive politicking. They must realise that they were elected to represent the interest of the constituents for the common good of all.

The combined Opposition must now decide where their priorities lie and seek to engage the Government on the way forward. To head into another election with this same attitude will be catastrophic for the leaders of AFC and APNU. What can be the response when the question is asked: Why have you closed the door on talks, which could have led to more job creation, stronger legislation and enforcement against money launderers and drug traffickers, a modern airport that meets international standards and improvement in the Health Sector, among others?

OSSIE RODGERS

ers. He was a powerful and well-respected friend and Field Secretary of GAWU. He earned respect where he worked at the Diamond Estate on the East Bank of Demerara and at LBI on the East Coast of Demerara. This honest and genuine comrade is a person that our youths must emulate.

Omar Khan struggled in the sugar industry for the betterment of our sugar workers. During the struggle for recognition of GAWU in 1975, he was kicked and punched in the stomach, lost several teeth, locked up during the 135 days sug-

ar strike.

My brother and friend, Omar Khan and a group of us pledged our unflinching support to the sugar workers and struggled for GAWU to get recognition in 1975.

Omar words on that night, and I quote “Burnham dropped the wages way down below the knees and tried to dig as deep as possible.” Omar was a jovial comrade. Like our brilliant leaders Boysie Ramkarran and Mackie Hamid, he kept us alive. In the rough times, as we were hiding in trenches and in the backdam, Omar kept us lively.

We drank

dirty black water, shared ‘sada roti and bigan choka.” We went hungry, but we kept the 135 days strike on to recognition.

Omar Khan was elected to the General Council of GAWU and he was rewarded when he was elected to be a Vice-President of GAWU. Omar Khan was an active member of our Party, the People’s Progressive Party. He was Chairman of the East Bank Party District Committee and also a member of our Party’s Central Committee. He was the elected Chairman of the Grove/Diamond Neighbour-

hood District Council and a member of the Regional District Council in Region 4.

This stalwart of the working class and the PPP will never be forgotten. He has left us a legacy that we must be simple and work in unity for what we want. Omar’s simplicity, his witty character, his love for people will always be with us.

To his children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, other family members, friends and his comrades, let us celebrate the rich life of our brother Omar Khan.

NEIL KUMAR

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

THE HORTICULTURAL REVOLUTION OUR bodies are not yet unchained. They are stolen from us by ideology, popular media and more frighteningly, by our actual bodily consumption: the food and liquids we consume, and the pharmaceuticals we digest.

The hospital and pharmaceutical healthcare bill of our Caribbean Governments will become devastatingly and debilitatingly massive. It will continue to eat up greater and greater proportions of our GDP, our productive pie. Our bodies are being stolen from us, alienated from us, by the vast amount of questionable or addictive food products we consume. Not just the physical food, but the food ideologies, the food concepts: fast food, café smoothies and café shakes, ritualised coffee and chocolaty-based drinks, carbonated drinks, pack-drinks and tin-drinks, health-drinks, energy-drinks, from-concentrate drink, sugar-laced chubby-shaped liquid doses for children.

Supply of goods and services are not, as some classical economists might avow, reliant on demand. Today, it is reliant on the imperatives of a global investor state, on the global marketing budget, the imperatives of imperial control of each molecule of human organic mass. It is reliant on the availability of bank cash, which could be manufactured electronically, or printed, or multiplied by fractional reserve banking. The system will not rest until each child is served with her little packet of sugary unction. In other words, whatever you can sell well, the masses will buy well. The law of marginal returns have taken a global pounding in a world of altered – the Food Channel - communication.

Add to this our regular diet of water and airborne diseases and pollution, life-style and hereditary ailments, stress in urban and rural districts, narcotic use, over consumption, obesity; our personal and public health debt in the foreseeable future

will skyrocket. Just as the drinks industry expanded, so has the pharmaceutical industry. Many of these products are of uncertain, negligible or no value. Many of our elderly consume pharmaceuticals unnecessarily; many use them excessively or confusedly. The expansion of pharmacies across the Caribbean and Latin America, as has been the case globally, over the past twenty years is phenomenal. This incursive industry puts a strain on personal and public debt.

In the Caribbean, there must be a Horticultural Revolution. This is not a ‘soft’ economic option. The best treatise on economic welfare and well-being were produced by men who had mental dispositions of nuns and nursemaids: Adam Smith and Karl Marx. They spent their entire lives methodically observing and creating cogent manifestos for human survival.

They desired systems of good husbandry for the nation, particularly the masse, their wage-workers, subsistence poor, serfs, journeymen, proletarian.

The Horticultural Revolution involves the development of an industry, labs, agrarian schools, universities, industrial parks to foster the germination of the widest variety of seeds, a seed bank, with seeds drawn, not just from our rich indigenous species, but from all Regions of our tropical planet. And through political action by our governance, the mobilisation of the polity, build a sustainable culture and economics of fruit and treecrop manufacture, consumption and trade. The objective is to produce a Caribbean cluster of industries dedicated to the local consumption and production, and global trade, of whole fruits and fruit-crops. The resources are all mostly here; the bane of the financial life of the entrepreneur is the high cost of raw materials produced in the international market, energy prices and import duties. In this industry, all the key raw materials

are located in the Caribbean; and it involves the populace at every level.

This is an inter-generational venture. What we sow today the generations will reap tomorrow. The institutions we create today will survive and grow tomorrow. So our seed banks will be used to grow and harvest fruits. Just as you might want to grow universal IT systems for the Caribbean, where each home is linked to internet, just so you might want to create a horticultural revolution. It will revive the withering bird, bee, bat and butterfly cultures; and create exponential growth. It is these working-creatures which germinate and germinate the more. It will encourage tourism, make our islands pretty, and add to the bio, organic and oxygen mass. It will help to re-populate our islands with the denuded kingdoms of animal species.

There are four architectures that could be developed: First, the planting of fruit trees and tree crops and flowering trees in clusters, that is, orchards. Second, the planting of them in ribbon formations, along roadways and on the fringes of settlements. Third, the planting of them in integrated forms, among existing hillside forests, woods and farms. Fourth, the planting of them inside communities, in backyards, gaps and front lawns.

What then will our GDP of Vitamin C, potassium, sucrose, complex minerals and trace elements be ten years from now, twenty, fifty, one hundred years? What will be our Horticultural GDP in proportion to National GDP or Hospital and Pharmaceutical Health care GDP? It will produce the greatest health boom ever in our republics and island states. It will be our greatest antibiotic yet; and save us our bodies.

WAYNE KUBLALSINGH

The IACHR should state what criteria and principles guide them when dealing with a complaint IT comes as no surprise to me that the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) would prematurely issue precautionary measures to the Government of Guyana over the impugned recording that was attributed to the Attorney General, even before the Government was given the opportunity to be heard.

It also comes as no surprise that the request for precautionary measures was facilitated by Mr. Christopher Ram who happens to be one of the attorneys-at-law representing Kaieteur News.

In a quest to perpetually have on their front page scandalous and misinformed news about the Attorney General to placate their agenda, the Kaieteur News has been enlisting the help of international bodies known for their partiality.

The IACHR should state

what are the criteria and principles by which they are guided when dealing with a complaint, because it is obviously not in keeping with recognised concerns of fairness, due process and natural justice.

I say this because the IACHR has said definitively based only on the information that was provided to them by the lawyer for Kaieteur News, that among other things the “Kaieteur News journal are in a serious and urgent situation since their lives and personal integrity face imminent risk of irreparable harm…In the present situation, the Commission considers that the requirement of seriousness is met, in light of the alleged threat expressed against the lives and personal integrity of the Kaieteur News personnel, within the framework of their right to freedom of expression.”

For a Commission to

make such reckless assertions without examining the information from both sides is, as I said, not surprising, since it was this same body that made such a misinformed decision before.

In the 2012 Linden shooting, it was the same IACHR that came out with a similar, impulsive and capricious statement holding the Guyana Police Force responsible for the shooting. This premature finding of theirs, which was obviously made without hearing the other side, contrary to the rules of natural Justice, was later debunked by an International Commission of Inquiry that could not connect the shooting to the police after hearing the facts of the case objectively.

The same position is being adopted here. It begs the question, whose interests is the IACHR representing? I am forced to ask the question. especially since the

AG’s public statement that he made concerning the impugned recording was ignored completely.

Had they been truly impartial as they claim, that would’ve factored in the AG’s public statement, where he claimed that he was having a private informal conversation with a long standing acquaintance whom he trusted, but unbeknownst to him, the conversation was taped, distorted and released publicly without his permission.

The IACHR should know about the severity with which the privacy of one’s communication is protected. It is protected by the US Constitution, the UN Convention and Charter on Human Rights, in

addition to the Canadian and OAS Charters. However, not a word about the invasion of privacy and breach of trust was ever spoken by the IACHR, despite the seriousness of its nature. Which civilised system of law or legal system would condone such conduct, which system of journalistic ethics will find such conduct acceptable?

Additionally, I would like to know which Principle of Law, Country of Law or System of Law did the IACHR apply to determine that threats were made by the Attorney General, on the impugned recording, to the lives of any person attached to the Kaieteur News?

I recall in his public statement the Attorney General

said “I wish to state clearly and unequivocally, that I am unaware of any planned violence or extra-judicial sanction against any individual, journalist or any newspaper.

Indeed, in my own case I have filed legal proceedings and have every confidence in our judicial system to conduct a fair and open hearing and to deliver justice at the end.”

Unless the IACHR can address these issues, I would advise the Government, the people of Guyana and indeed, the entire Region to disregard the statements emanating from this body which is supposed to be impartial.

FARUK MOHAMED

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

GWI ‘Free Pass’ campaign ends today – company to step up disconnection campaign THE Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) “Free Pass” campaign will end on Saturday, as such, the water company has strengthened its enforcement team with more than 25 field employees doing checks in all divisions as they step up their disconnection campaign.

Collections Manager, Roylene Fernandes told the media yesterday morning during an interview at GWI head office at the Shelterbelt located at Church Street and Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, that there are two contracted staffers supported by 25 employees within the divisions as Water Service Inspectors.

She noted that they will be doing door-to- door visits to all customers whose service was disconnected but who did not utilise the “Free Pass” to have their service regularised.

Fernandes pointed out that the GWI “Free Pass” campaign will come to an end on Saturday and that is when their enforcement teams will intensify their campaign on December 1, 2014.

GWI Collections Manager, Roylene Fernandes

She explained that disconnected customers who did not utilise the “Free Pass” campaign will have to pay $25,000 tampering fees plus penalties, that is, re-connection fees of $6,000 for domestic customers and $13,000 for commercial customers.

Fernandes added that disconnected customers in addition, will also have to pay their outstanding arrears and urged them to visit any GWI office in their areas and enter the Wallet Friendly Payment Plan.

She noted that once a customer is disconnected and did not pay, their service will be entirely removed and they will also have to pay a re-application fee of $16,000 to have their GWI water service restored.

The GWI official said if one is in arrears, at least pay something on the account so that the service will not be disconnected; and once one enters the Water Friendly Payment Plan, ensure payment is made on the contract due date to avoid disconnection.

The GWI “Free Pass” campaign was active for six weeks since it was launched on October 15, 2014 and about 2,000 customers have since made use of the opportunity.

F ernandes said they recently started their re-checking activity, in which all disconnected customers will be visited to see if they are tampering with the service.

She however urged all disconnected customers to visit any GWI office to have their service regularised and make payments on their accounts.

Works on new DiamondOgle by-pass road to commence shortly

Irfaan Ali, Housing and Water Minister

WORKS on the alternative by-pass road from Diamond, East Bank Demerara to Ogle, East Coast Demerara, will commence shortly as surveys and all required tests have been conducted.

During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali explained that works in terms of having draft concepts and the alignment of the road are finished. This project is currently being designed, according to Minister Ali. He explained that a feasibility study has been completed for this project and has since been submitted to the Indian Government for financing. As the ministry awaits the decision from India, it has been completing all surveys and designs for the project in the

meantime.

Ali noted that “We are presently awaiting financing from the Indian Government to have it [the road] completed.” He explained that to have the road constructed up to the Mocha access road will cost some US$50M; and this will also include high-span bridges to cover some major navigational canals.

The Housing Minister said that “The ministry has conducted and completed the feasibility report on the new highway that will connect Ogle and the East Bank. We have completed the surveys, all geotechnical tests and soil tests that will inform the draft designed surveys how to continue.”

The ministry is working on and has completed a number of road networks leading to Diamond and is also constructing a number of primary connectors (roadways), which will establish a link between the existing East Bank Demerara road and the new alternative highway/by-pass that is to be constructed.

“We have connecting roads between the existing East Bank to the main High Dam with 11 inter-connecting roads between the East Bank and to the end of our development,” he explained. These roads, he noted, will assist in alleviating some of the traffic build- ups and

since these communities are large, “we need to have proper road networks.”

Minister Ali outlined that there are five connecting, intersection roads that will lead all the way to Diamond, where four of these roads are at all-weather stages. “We are hoping that by mid next year two of these roads will be connecting in Diamond,” he said.

He added that the ministry is making sure that there are many options in getting into Eccles and between communities.

In relation to the supply of water, the subject minister stressed that “We have also been expanding our water supply since the demand is great for these communities on the East Bank.” He elaborated that the extended Eccles scheme alone has more than a 1000 house lots.

The minister disclosed that there are two completed wells, one situated in Providence and the other in Eccles. These wells have been assisting the existing supply as he noted the expanse of the communities. He added that “One more well is needed to be able to better cover this area with water supply and we have secured the area; works will commence in 2015 on this third well. The investment for this well will be approximately $350M.”

BBCI donates $150,000 to Canaan Children’s Home Nagamootoo pledges no AFC THE Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI), recently handed over a cheque for $150,000 to the Canaan Children’s Home, in response to a request for support to facilitate repairs to the roof of the Home.

The company’s Administrative Supervisor, Mr. Amarnauth Singh, presented the cheque to Mr. Sydney Kennard, Public Relations Officer, Canaan Children’s Home A statement from the BBCI said: “The company was privileged to have the opportunity to make a donation towards the Canaan Children’s Home, since it has made great progress in enabling the underprivileged children within the community to enjoy the benefits of a Family Home environment.

“The Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) not only plays the role of collecting tolls and facilitating vehicles crossing the Berbice River Bridge and vessels transiting through the retractor opening and under the high span, but also discharges its corporate responsibilities and more importantly, played an integral part in the development of education, sports, supported

pre-election alliance with APNU against PPP

Mr. Amarnauth Singh, Administrative Supervisor of the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. presents the cheque for GY $150,000 to the Canaan Children’s Home

national events and made donations to charitable and non – charitable organisations in close proximity of the Bridge or in Region 5 and 6. The company had also sponsored events in other counties as far as the hinterland.”

In the past, the company has sponsored many events that benefited communities both on the eastern and western sides of the Berbice River Bridge.

For the year 2014, the company has so far received 121 public relations requests and managed to approve 107

of these requests. Such requests were for sponsorship of Mashramani 2014 events; horse- racing events; donations of trophies to various non–profit and educational institutions. The BBCI also facilitated tours for various schools and waived toll charges for tour buses; sponsored cricket tournaments; made donations towards the Region 5 (Mahaica/ Berbice) cricket tournament and religious organisations, together with others too numerous to mention.

Alliance For Change, Presidential hopeful, Moses Nagamootoo, publicly expressed yesterday that his party will not enter a pre-election alliance with the A Partnership for National Unity. But he gave commitments that his party will work along with the APNU against the interests of the Government.

Political pundits have long speculated on a possible alliance between the two parties against the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration.

This was evident by the various attempts to ‘gang up’ against the Government in and out of the National Assembly.

Since the results of the 2011 general elections, the combined political Opposition, who controlled a one-seat majority in the National Assembly, have worked hand in hand against the interests of the elected Government and people of Guyana.

The combined Opposition

have successfully cut billions of dollars from budgetary allocations for every year since they held a one seat majority in the National Assembly.

Projects which have fallen jeopardy to this informal coalition include the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project which would have seen Guyana making significant strides in the energy and manufacturing sectors respectively.

Similarly, the combined Opposition have blocked funding for a number of Government programmes including the $1B Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) and $450M for loan subventions to University of Guyana students.

The most recent actions by the Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh in restoring sections of the budget from the contingency fund had incurred the wrath of the combined Opposition.

Although the move by Dr. Singh is provided for in the Guyana Constitution as well as the 2003 Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, the combined Opposition have threatened to put him before the Privileges Committee and have since threatened to pass a No Confidence Motion against the Guyana Government.

This move would see the end of the 10th Parliament and throwing the nation into early general elections. President Donald Ramotar, operating within his powers, has since suspended the National Assembly in hope that the APNU-AFC combined Opposition will engage the Government in talks on the way forward.

Those talks have since been abandoned by the combined Opposition who are adamant that no talks would commence without the lifting of the suspension of the 10th Parliament.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Eighteen-month-old child severely burnt with rice mar AN 18-month-old child of Walton Hall on the Essequibo Coast was severely burnt on Tuesday after he accidentally pulled down a bucket with hot rice mar.

According to reports the child, Avishka, known as “Alex” was playing by himself when he saw the bucket and pulled it down.

Reports said that his grandmother had just strained mar from a pot of boiling rice into a bucket when the child pulled it over on himself, inflicting serious burns on his belly, feet and hands. The child was said to be wearing pampers at the time and that saved him from further burns.

Reports said the

The badly burnt baby at the Georgetown Public Hospital child was rushed to the Suddie hospital and admitted, but was subsequently

transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

GPSU appeals to European Union against Govt’s ‘unilateral’ wages, salary increases THE Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has expressed frustration with the Guyana Government as it “continues to dishonour the legally binding Collective (Bargaining) Labour Agreement that exists with the union.

At a press conference yesterday, GPSU’s First VicePresident, Mortimer Livan told reporters it is now yearend and up to now “the Government has failed to engage the GPSU to bargain for increases in wages and salaries for public servants for 2014.”

In previous years, salary increases for public servants were done unilaterally whereby the Government, without consultation with the union, would impose a five percent salary increase. Increases of five percent were granted in 2010, and 2012. An eight percent increase was however given in 2011.

No increase was provided in the 2014 budget but, earlier this year President Ramotar had explained that he preferred to have a negotiated settlement on wages and salary increases with the unions.

The President said: “I would like to see them sit down at the negotiating table and come up with an agreement on wages this year,” Similarly, then Public Service Minister, Jennifer Westford in her address to the National Assembly said: “To say that there is no salary increases for public servants

From left, GPSU Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Dennis English; First Vice-President, Mortimer Livan; Second Vice-President, Dawn Gardener; and Executive Council Member, Janice Waldron is inaccurate and misleading.

The fact is that the quantum of monies to be paid to public servants will originate from the collective bargaining process between [the] PSM [Public Service Ministry] and [the] GPSU [Guyana Public Service Union].”

Reading the official position of the GPSU, Livan maintained the legitimacy of collective bargaining as a legal right of workers in labour relations and governance. “Collective bargaining is therefore enshrined in national and international laws and conventions... [in order] to come together in good faith to discuss and agree on terms and conditions for workers as

it relates to wages, salaries and working conditions.”

Livan asserted the authority of the union as a legitimate, legal representative of public servants mandated under the 1997 Trade Union Recognition Act. He also cited Article 147 (3) of the Guyana Constitution to say: “Neither an Employer nor a Trade Union shall be deprived of the right to enter into Collective Agreements.

“The GPSU believes the Guyana Government has violated a number of international labour legislation [sic] which it is has signed onto. “Instead of genuinely participating in the Collective Bargaining process... the Government has

been unilaterally imposing across- the- board increases in salaries and wages for public servants, in spite of strident and repeated protestations from the GPSU.” According to the GPSU, negotiations between the trade union body and the Public Service Ministry have ground to a halt, since there have been no engagements for this year except through letter correspondences where “PSM responded through the Permanent Secretary [Hydar Ally] that they were awaiting the response from the ‘relevant agencies’.” Efforts by the Guyana Chronicle to contact the permanent secretary were unsuccessful.

PPP calls on APNU to ‘walk the walk’ THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP), in a statement yesterday, called on A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to not just ‘talk the talk,’ but to ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to the issue of drug-trafficking in Guyana.

Following is the PPP statement: The APNU leader, Mr. David Granger, has on several occasions in the past described Guyana as a narco-state and has chastised the Government for not doing enough to tackle the issue of drug-trafficking.

However, it was only last week a senior member and Member of Parliament representing Mr. Granger’s party, attorney-at-law, James Bond, represented a confessed drug dealer, for whom he managed to secure a suspended sentence.

This is the kind of hypocrisy by the Opposition and this action is another indication of how disingenuous the Opposition can be.

While Mr. Bond was not representing the APNU in the trial, the fact of the matter is, he represents a political party which time and again sought to give the public the impression it is serious about tackling the drug trade.

Mr. Granger and the APNU are noticeably silent on this matter.

This recent incident is another case which further vindicates our longheld view that the OppoAs a result of their frustration, the GPSU has decided to appeal to the Delegation to the European Union in Guyana, “requesting their intervention.”

Livan expressed optimism in this action since, according to him, similar action was taken in Sri Lanka where the EU had reduced donor funding until the Sri Lankan Government had entered talks with labour unions.

sition had always been in bed with the criminal underworld.

It was the People’s National Congress (PNC) which had draped the casket of notorious criminal, Linden “Blackie” London with the Guyana flag; the criminals who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison on February 23, 2003 and brought a reign of terror to Guyana, were described by the PNC as “Freedom Fighters.” When criminal elements had held Buxton under siege, they received military training and other support from the PNC. Let us not forget that the surveillance video with evidence of the Buxton gas station shooting was removed by another prominent Opposition lawyer, who represented and secured freedom for a man identified as one of those who had cold-bloodedly murdered 11 innocent Guyanese, including sleeping children, in Lusignan.

Let us not forget that the Opposition Leader, Mr. Granger was photographed in the company of gun-toting bandit Kevin Fields, during the funeral of a criminal killed by police.

Is the Opposition really helping to fight crime and drug-trafficking in Guyana? The answer is a clear NO, because were they serious, then Mr. Bond would not have represented a man who confessed to being in possession of drugs.

The GPSU is proposing incremental increases in wages and salaries of 25% for 2013, 30% in 2014 and 35% in 2015, which they see as necessary, since according to their analysis using a “Basket of Goods” approach, the current minimum wage is not enough for the present cost of living.

This decision could influence the new standard for wages and salaries in both the public and private sectors.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

CARICOM Staff Talent Week continues

…with ‘An Afternoon of Musical Entertainment, Poetry and Palava’

T

HE array of skills and talents that reside within the walls of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretar-

iat Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, unfolded as they continued celebrations Tuesday.

An Afternoon of Musical Entertainment, Poetry and Palava’ gave the

staffers an opportunity to express their culture, talents and passion by showcasing their performing talents.

Among the staffers who participated were Petal Dodson, Seranne Isaacs, Sherwin Toyne-Stephenson and Chie Clark, who sang ‘Don’t save it all for Christmas’, ‘Hallelujah’, ‘I’m lost without you’ and ‘All of me’.

Other performances included poetry done by Schenelle Leonce who recited her own poem titled ‘For all its worth’, the song ‘Chosen Generation’ performed by Grantley Abrams and poems of ‘Ol’Higue’ and ‘Anansi and Busimama’ done by Riane de Haas-Bledoeg.

The staffers in the audience cheered and supported their colleagues, testimony to illustrating the cohesion and

opportunities for collaboration enhanced by the activities. On Wednesday there was a culinary exhibition which featured scrumptious dishes from CARICOM countries, while on Thursday staff from the Secretariat showcased pieces from Marcia Dos Santos, Sidney Francois and Street Styles in a Fashion Extravaganza. The curtains will come down today with a Grill Master and Mixology Competition as well as a karaoke and games night.

The CARICOM Staff Talent week of activities is an annual event now in its thirteenth year. This year it is held under the theme ‘Creativity and Innovation for a Better Tomorrow’. The activities aim to showcase the creativity and talents of the staff and encourage a work-life balance.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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GWI to provide retirement income plan for employees GUYANA Water Inc. (GWI) yesterday inked a contract with Assuria Insurance to provide a retirement income plan for employees of the water company.

The signing took place in the company’s boardroom at GWI Shelterbelt Head Office at Church and Vlissengen Road, Georgetown.

The plan is geared to provide a lifetime of income for the employees after they reach the retirement age.

The contract signing

was done between Assuria General (GY) Inc. and Assuria Life (GY) Inc. acting General Manager, Yogindra Arjune and GWI Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ramesh Dookhoo.

Dookhoo in remarks said GWI had a history and used to be GUYWA and it morphed into GWI and they always had a challenge in terms of how they can continue their pension scheme which was left from the old GUYWA days.

He explained that they

have had a disparity between the old GUYWA employees and the new GWI management and they are pleased to arrive at a contract which was signed after bidding, proposals and discussions with various insurance companies.

Dookhoo added that after they came to the conclusion that Assuria Insurance plan was the most attractive, they accepted and signed on.

He told reporters that he is pleased to see the pension plan in place for employees and they believe in the pro-

cess of retaining employees while ensuring that they have a bright future even after they are retired.

Dookhoo said that Assuria policies are in keeping with the Pension Act and their plan is solid and secure.

A team from Assuria was present yesterday which included visiting Director of Foreign Operations, Suniel Nand Persaud, Clyde Muntslag, Operations Manager, local acting General Manager, Yogindra Arjune and Agency Manager, Erwin Daniels.

In remarks at the signing ceremony, Surinamese Director of Foreign Operations, Suniel Nand Persaud said they are a Guyanese company since 25% of the shares are owned by a Guyanese investor and the pension plan requires that the premiums remain in Guyana.

He stated that they are also growing in the Caribbean Region but headquartered in Suriname, among other countries, and they are hoping to expand even further to an international level.

In response to questions from the media yesterday afternoon Assuria stated that they have a solid retirement plan and is not a ‘flyby night’ operation since they are established regionally.

He pointed out that Assuria gives a guaranteed 4% interest with 80% local investment with 20% abroad and they have well known investments in the Caribbean.

Persaud noted that they have a profit sharing scheme in place so 80% of shares goes back into the pool of funds to sustain it.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Report on NBS $69.9M fraud case…

HPS: Ombudsman either ‘ignored’ or ‘disregarded’ sub judice principle THE Ombudsman, Justice (rtd) Winston Moore, has publicly admitted that the controversial 25-page report on a $69M fraud case at the New Building Society (NBS) in 2006 was leaked.

However, Head of the Presidential Secretariat

(HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, maintains that the primary issue revolves around whether or not the former judge “ignored” or “disregarded” the sub judice principle, given that the matter is currently attracting the attention of the High Court.

He said, “This whole sub judice principle has been breached in this instance and I despair because the Ombudsman sat on the bench… this matter is being heard in the High Court right now. I suppose that the notion that it (the report) was leaked ab-

Dr. Roger Luncheon

Justice Winston Moore

solves the Ombudsman a bit.

“But the disclosure, whether leaked or not, spoke of an intervention that the Ombudsman has undertaken that would seem to be either ignoring or disregarding the sub judice principle.”

The report addresses what has been termed by the Om-

budsman as “wrongful” fraud charges against the NBS former Chief Executive Officer, Maurice Arjoon and two former senior managers, Kent Vincent and Kissoon Baldeo.

The fraud was said to have been committed in late 2006. The three men were fired in 2007 after an investi-

gation, which concluded that there was dereliction of duty, negligence and/or serious misconduct. Following that, charges were laid against them.

The managers have since challenged the Society’s decision to terminate their employment, among other things, and the matter is currently before the courts.

Following this, a complaint was made to the Ombudsman’s office and the subsequent Ombudsman’s report on the matter was released several days ago.

According to the HPS, the Ombudsman ought to have advised the complainant that the matter is before the High Court and the sub judice principle prevents his office from engaging in a “comprehensive investigation” as was done by Moore.

“How did you get involved in a matter if it is TURN TO PAGE 17 ►

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Labourer fined $10,000 on break-and-enter and larceny charge

HPS: Ombudsman either ‘ignored’ or ‘disregarded’...

From page 14

sub judice?” Dr. Luncheon questioned.

Dr. Luncheon also cited another breach that could pose challenges for the Ombudsman, which is the fact that NBS is a private entity.

“This is another concern that was raised,” he acknowledged.

ON VERGE OF LITIGATION The HPS added that given the concerns raised by NBS over the report, litigation seems to be the next step.

“I think that the clients went to a law firm…I think we are on the verge of litigation,” he said.

Dr. Luncheon’s comments follow the dispatch of letters to both him and Moore

by Attorney-At-Law Ashton Chase.

Chase, the Senior Counsel in the ongoing NBS fraud case wrote to both men to register concerns over the fact that the contents of the report have been publicised even before the report has been made public.

“Mr. Chase’s desire was to have the Office of the President aware of the concerns of his clients…it is clear in my mind that these are the concerns of his clients,” Dr. Luncheon said, adding that he does not expect Chase to stop at writing letters, given the magnitude of the issue.

Knowledge of the letters comes after the Ombudsman submitted the controversial 25-page document of a $69M fraud case at the NBS in 2006, to the Clerk of the National Assembly, last week.

The letter to the Ombudsman, seen by the Guyana Chronicle, states that NBS has been done a “grave injustice” in having the information of the report publicised before its public release.

“Our clients are concerned at being stigmatised by you and the comments made in a report by you, parts of which are published…our clients consider it most unfair that such comments should be made when they were never invited by you to give their versions of the matter. “…moreover, as you are no doubt aware, a case is currently being heard in the

court, the matter is sub judice and to be so subjected is a serious disadvantage to them (the clients), and a breach of the most basic judicial principles…a careful, if not sedulous, examination is expected of an Ombudsman, more so a retired judge.”

A copy of this letter was promised to be made available to Dr. Luncheon.

The second letter to the Head of the Presidential Secretariat says: “It seems that the publications arise from an initial report of the Ombudsman into our clients’ (NBS) business, a report that has not yet been made public. In the first instance, until made public, the report should not be published and appropriate steps of restraint ought to be taken by the authorities, including the Ombudsman. “…moreover, certain statements and comments made by the Ombudsman are prejudicial to our clients, especially bearing in mind that they are part of proceedings before the High Court….the Ombudsman, having regard to his career, should know the damage inflicted.”

MOVING TO COURT Last week, it was indicated that Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul would move to the High Court this week to contest the grounds on which the Ombudsman compiled the 25-page report on the case of a $69M fraud case at the NBS. Regarding the Labour Minister ’s move to the High Court, after the Ombudsman’s report was made public, the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed by a source close to the matter that the relevant court documents have already been prepared by the lawyers.

The source added that the grounds on which the matter is being contested include the fact that the NBS is a private entity; the Directors of NBS are elected from its membership; the Ombudsman cannot investigate the actions of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), since that office is insulated by the Constitution; and that the Ombudsman failed to observe the sub judice rule.

F I F T Y- O N E - Y E A R OLD Purandeo Ramdeo, a labourer of Lot 38 Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, has been fined $10,000 on a break-and-enter and l a rc e n y c h a r g e a f t e r appearing before City Magistrate Ann McLennan Tuesday.

T h e c h a rg e d e t a i l e d that on Sunday, November 23, at Campbellville, Georgetown, he broke and entered the storeroom of Joy Thomas and stole one 50-pound gas cylinder valued at $15,000.

Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones told the court that the virtual complainant (VC) lives in a two-storey home and stores her gas cylinder and other items

in the lower flat. At approximately 14:30 hrs on the day in question, she went downstairs after her nephew raised an alarm, having caught the defendant red-handed with the gas cylinder, and a scuffle between the intruder and her nephew ensued. The police were summoned and the defendant was arrested and charged.

The unrepresented de-

fendant pleaded guilty to the charge with the excuse that he had been sent by the virtual comp l a i n a n t ’s n e p h e w t o purchase a cylinder of gas with the promise of a $200-dollar reward.

Ramdeo was accordingly fined, and a default in paying the fine will result in him serving 14 days’ imprisonment. (Geeta Rampersaud)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Travelling exhibition on ‘Heritage’ launched at National Museum

THE Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports yesterday launched a ‘travelling exhibition’ at the National Museum.

Since 2010, the IIC in partnership with Newcastle University, UK, and the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) implemented a project titled ‘Encompass - An International Diamond of Cultural Dissemination, Capacity-building with countries from the North, East, South and West’.

The project is focused on heritage management and preservation in Guyana

(North Rupununi), Kenya (and Anglophone Africa), China (Hainan Province) and in the UK (Newcastle).

INDIGENOUS CULTURE Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony in his remarks said that “due to the increasingly fast globalising world and dominant cultural expressions, products and services have become internationalised to the detriment of local cultural diversity. The key purposes of the project were to strengthen local indigenous culture through increasing access to tangible and intangible cultural heri-

tage expressions and products and services in the various selected counties, and to encourage improved management and safeguarding these resources.”

KEY ACTIVITIES D i r e c t o r, R e s o u r c e Management and Training, Iwokrama, Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar noted some of the key activities supported by this project were exchange visits of heritage and culture experts in 2010-2011 where Guyana was represented by Glendon Allicock (music and culture specialist) who elaborated on his Encompass experiences at the launch;

Visitors to the museum viewing the exhibition

Benita Roberts (Makushi Researcher) and renowned sculptor, Ozzie Hussain. The team visited Newcastle (UK), China and Kenya and in return, teams from those countries visited Guyana.

The research team contributed to a travelling exhibition which was already shown in Kenya. Guyana is the second stop and it then goes to Newcastle and China.

Other activities supported included internal country workshops held in the North Rupununi which was facilitated by Dr. Aron Mazel from Newcastle University, in December 2011.

HERITAGE EDUCATION From 2012 to 2013, three indigenous Guyanese, Anil Roberts, Sabanto Tokoroho (Grace Roberts) and Guy Marco attended Newcastle University and successfully read for their masters in Heritage Education and Management.

Those present at the launch included representatives from the Ministry of Culture, the Amerindian Research Unit of the University of Guyana, the NRDDB, the ICC, members of the diplomatic corp, and prominent artists.

The Iwokrama Interna-

tional Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is an autonomous non-profit institution established by Guyana and the Commonwealth.

Managing the nearly one million acre Iwokrama Forest in Guyana to show how tropical forests can be conserved, the Centre sustainably uses it for ecological, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities.

The travelling exhibition on ‘Heritage’ will run until December 13 at the Guyana National Museum.

Dr. Frank Anthony addressing the gathering at the National Museum

Coffee Bean Café & Eatery celebrates four years of success THE Coffee Bean Café & Eatery yesterday celebrated four consecutive years of serving the Guyanese society and tourists to a wide range of delicacies and splendid coffees at its convenient location in the centre of the city.

Like every business, the Coffee Bean Café & Eatery started at a small scale with coffees, pastries and wraps but it now serves a variety of lunches alongside salads. Founded by mother and daughter, Sita Dewnath and Narvini Dewnath, the idea of the café was birthed to provide an excellent service for Guyanese as well as tourists with the aim of making it a “home away from home” café.

With its cosmopolitan nature, the café aims to expand in diverse locations “once the

ends today.

Additionally, the café will be opened half day every Sunday during the Christmas season to accommodate tourists as well as Guyanese with a proper “kick-start” for breakfast.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support throughout these four years and we at the Coffee Bean Café & Eatery are looking forward to your continuous support,” Narvini noted happily.

Narvini Dewnath (left), founder and owner of the Coffee Bean Café & Eatery, happily poses with her staff as they commemorate their 4th Anniversary

feasibility exists,” says proprietress Narvini. At present, the café is renowned for its “all-day” breakfast service as well as its marvelously baked chocolate brownies and freshly brewed coffees that are served all day long.

‘NEW LINE’ MENU However, Narvini told this publication that plans are in place for the coming New Year to expand their menu to feature a “new line” of coffee milkshakes as well as unique

dishes and delicacies.

Humbly celebrating its fourth anniversary yesterday, customers were privileged to receive red velvet cupcakes and a free cup of the café’s special coffee to commemorate the day. The celebration

The Coffee Bean Café & Eatery’s specialty: chocolate brownies

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Man who stole from debtor employer bonded and reprimanded MICHAEL Bertram of Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River, appearing Monday before Georgetown Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan charged with break and enter and larceny, was reprimanded and discharged of the offence.

The 54-year-old man pleaded guilty to a charge detailing that on Friday, November 21, at Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River, he broke and entered the store room of Arnold Barcoy and stole therefrom one Fitzburg tool kit and one cutting torch, together valued at $308,000.

Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones told the court that the virtual complainant (VC) was the defendant’s employer, and on the day in question, the VC secured his home and went out to conduct other business when he received a phone call that his store room had been broken into. He made checks and discovered that the articles mentioned in the charge were missing. A subsequent inves-

tigation led to the defendant, who was later charged.

Bertram said he had been working with Barcoy for several weeks and was receiving no payment, although he had tried many ways to get his employer to pay him. Nevertheless, he accepted that what he had done had been fuelled by passion.

He confessed to stealing the tool kit, but denied stealing the cutting torch.

He added that the stolen item is at the police station, and noted that the allegedly stolen cutting torch had been missing sometime before that incident, and he said he has no knowledge of its whereabouts.

The rank who had sworn to the truth of the information before the matter had been called indicated to the court that the cutting torch had indeed been reported missing sometime before this incident.

The unrepresented Bertram was thereafter bonded to be of good behaviour.

Man found with chalice to spend Christmas in jail FORTY-YEAR-OLD Ricardo Fernandez of Lot 64 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was caught with a utensil for smoking illicit drugs, and will now spend his Christmas holiday in prison.

The unrepresented Fernandez was Monday sentenced to one month’s imprisonment by Georgetown Magistrate Ann McLennan after acknowledging the charge that was read to him, particulars of which detailed that on Friday, November 21, at Albouystown, G/town, he had in his possession a utensil

that is used in connection with the smoking of cocaine.

Police Prosecutor, Dinero Jones told the court that on the day in question, at about 20:50hrs, police on duty at their security booth in Albouystown saw the convict nearby acting in a suspicious manner. A subsequent search of his person unearthed a transparent blue plastic object that had been hidden in his pants, and he was told of the offence and arrested and charged. (Geeta Rampersaud)

Friday, November 28, 2014 - 09:00 hrs Saturday, November 29, 2014 - 10:00 hrs Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 11:30 hrs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Telephone contact#: 616-0301 or 699-6156

Carib Soca Monarch 2015 launched Telephone contact#: 616-0301 or 699-6156

Some of the 2015 Carib Soca Monarch contestants were present at the recent launch

ANSA McAL, via its Carib Beer brand, yesterday launched the 11th Annual Carib Soca Monarch Competition.

Public Relations Officer Darshnie Yussuf said the competition continues to be amazing for the company, and expressed continued commitment towards the venture.

“It shows you that we are committed, that we are here to support entertainment, to support culture and to support music,” she said.

Guyana’s reigning Carib Soca Monarch, Kwesi Ace, will be heading to Trinidad & Tobago to participate in the 2015 Soca Monarch Competition there in February.

The semi-finals for Guyana’s Soca Monarch Competition will be held on January 31, 2015 in Berbice, while the finals are set to take place on February 14th at the National

Park in Georgetown.

The prize money will remain the same as last year: $1.5 million dollars first prize, $500,000 for second place, and $250,000 for third place winners. Additionally, there will be a People’s Choice Award that will involve a ‘texting segment’.

Entry forms are available at the Mashramani Secretariat in the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports building on Main Street, Georgetown, and at the ANSA McAL Trading Ltd Head Office at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.

Coordinator of the Carib Soca Monarch Competition, Nigel Worrell, said it is important for artistes to remember that all entries must be submitted by January 5, 2015.

‘Fashion into the Night’ for Princess Hotel on December 30th COME Tuesday, December 30th, Nadia Thomas-Winter and her niece, Natalya Thomas, will be launching their clothing line at the Princess Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The red carpet event is dubbed “Fashion into the Night”, and will feature a runway show, wine-tasting and art viewing segments.

The ‘Fashion Duo’ plans to give a portion of the proceeds from this event to the Cancer Institute to aid in its fight against Cervical Can-

cer. This is very impressive, considering that cancer is a matter that is close to their hearts, their having lost family members to that dreaded disease.

Tickets to this impressive event are already on sale, with regular admission being priced at $3000 and VIP seating going at $5000. The fashionistas are hoping to have more sponsors come on board to help them pull the event off successfully and give to a worthy cause. Their designer brand outfits will also be on sale at the event.

Interested persons are urged to contact Miss Thomas on telephone # 678-4451, or Ms Janel Lindie on # 6544107 for more information on the event.

Ms Nadia Thomas-Winter is a proud descendent of Guyana’s Indigenous people.

The last of ten children, Nadia is a wife, mother, educator, artist and designer. She graduated from ER Burrows School of Art as the Best Textile Student, and went on to the University of Guyana, from where she graduated with BA in Fine Arts. She is a mother of three children, currently heads the Visual Arts Department of a high school in the BVI, and is a freelance artist/designer who has been designing for more than a decade. She designed a wide range of spectacular costumes for the Mashramani celebrations and for BVI’s carnival, and showcased striking pieces to high praise at numerous Caribbean fashion events.

Her aesthetic is modern classic meets trendy, and she caters for all women.

Telephone contact#: 616-0301 or 699-6156

When designing, Nadia is inspired by the everyday woman. She strives to bring the everyday woman’s eclectic characteristics and natural beauty to light through art and fashion. She ensures her designs flatter the woman’s body, and uses her innate creative abilities to produce stylish and wearable clothing which empowers any everyday woman to be confident.

While 24-year-old Natalya Thomas, currently a Public Relations Officer/Fashion Designer, wants to elegantly

dress women in an effortless fusion of current obsessions and eccentric cultural flamboyance, her clothing line is not just inspired by different cultures, but also by an exotic expression of unique experiences, timelessness, genuine individuality, and adventure.

“I love designing ‘wearable’ clothing for my clients.

My target market fits all silhouettes. I believe that all body types are beautiful, and I am tasked with the duty to help you, the clients, stand

out in a phenomenal way,” she disclosed.

In the year 2012, she was the winner of the Sonia Noel competition Model Search and Designer’s Portfolio.

She was then exposed to the public through television shows and ads.

“I love my country, and I would not trade it for any other. I believe that we have great potential in the creative arts industry; it is just a matter of love and support of our own…,” she contends.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

‘Boombastic’ Concert update

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Golden Boy to hold special Black Friday Promotion for last minute fans ALL Guyana must for sure be getting ready for the five-band treat promised by Golden Boy Entertainment as international acts Shaggy, Baby Cham, Christopher Martin, Kranium and Lady ‘O’ get ready to tear the National Stadium apart tomorrow.

To cater for those fans who prefer to purchase their tickets at the last moment, the entertainment fraternity is rock-

Five-a-side Floodlight Cricket and Bar-b-Que Fantasia set for Ruby Ground tomorrow

-over $500,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs SEVERAL entertainment fraternities on the West Side have seriously and rapidly upped their game in preparation for the massive Five-a-side Floodlight Cricket and Bar-b-Que Fiesta to be staged at the Ruby Ground tomorrow, November 29.

Amongst them are the likes of entertainment icon ‘Sundar’ and ‘Promoter Blackboy’. Come tomorrow on the West Side, the two will be staging the massive five-a-side showdown that will showcase fiery clashes among some of the hottest sporting teams in the West Demerara District.

Music, of course, will be provided by Slingerz Family, and each team is expected to pay a $15,000 entrance fee before they can compete at the event.

In a brief interview with promoters yesterday, we were informed that the organizing committee has at stake over $500,000 in cash and prizes to be won by contesting teams.

This event is sponsored by Mackeson, Classic Culture Gas Station and Super Market, Parboo & Sons General Store, To-To Gas Station ‘Super Market’, Sand & Stone Depot, and Sarah’s Fishing Company.

Patrons will be able to benefit from tonnes of giveaways that will be distributed throughout the duration of the event.

A man kills a deer and takes it home to cook for dinner. Both he and his wife decide that they won’t tell the kids what kind of meat it is, but will give them a clue and let them guess. The dad says, “Well, it’s what mommy calls me sometimes.” The little girl screams to her brother, “Don’t eat it! It’s a damn fool!

ing a scorching ‘Black Friday Special Promotion’, which is being staged only at Ashmin’s Trading entity. This initiative will see promotes making available a limited amount of early bird tickets, which will be sold at the Splashmin’s location for a mere $2,800 apiece -- but only for today!!

Come on folks, this is your last chance to grab those early bird lucratives. The first batch of early bird tickets for the “Boombastic” Concert have been sold out, and, as such, the promoter, Golden Boy Entertainment, has released another 1500 early bird tickets yesterday. These tickets were also made available at Ashmin’s on High Street, Georgetown.

With just one day to go before the concert, Golden Boy Entertainment has confirmed that ALL PLANS are in place for the mega event. Preparations at the concert venue (the Guyana National Stadium, East Bank Demerara) have been ongoing, the final tasks are expected to be completed today.

The show, slated for tomorrow, will be an epic with the smooth grooves of Mr Boombastic himself, Shaggy, and his entire band.

Apart from Shaggy and his band, there will be Christopher Martin, Baby Cham, Lady ‘O’, Kranium, and the locals, including Jory, Lil Million and a host of others.

The artistes are known for their energetic and versatile performances, and patrons can expect the best in Soca, Reggae, Dancehall, R&B and other genres of music.

As the event draws near, Golden Boy Entertainment is making all the necessary arrangements to have one of the safest concerts ever, whereby patrons will be well protected as they party down to the vibes. Thanks to the elevated 31foot x 31-foot LED screen which will be set up, everyone will be able to see what is happening on stage. It is the first time such a large screen would be erected at the Stadium for a concert.

In addition, there will be 250 new stadium lights to create that party-like atmosphere on stage.

So fans, dedicated party animals that you are, Golden Boy Entertainment has everything ready and set for you; just rush down there tomorrow and have a blast!!!

Miss Guyana Talented Teen for pageant in St Kitts MISS Guyana Talented Teen, Reesa Sooklall, is expected to wing out of Guyana on December 27, in the company of the franchise holder and Simpli Royal Director Pamela Dillon, to compete in the Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant.

The pageant, which will see fierce competition among the delegates representing the Caribbean nations, will take place in St Kitts and Nevis on December 30.

In St Kitts, our queen is expected to compete in the talent, introductory, evening wear, and intelligence segments. The talent competition will be in the form of a theatrical presentation, while the introduction will require an ambassadorial speech.

Sooklall, born on October 8, 1999, is described as an outgoing, compassionate, vibrant, talented, and down-toearth teenager who is full of energy. Her upbringing in the quiet village of Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara definitely shaped her outlook. She has an older sister, who is her companion and guide.

The 15-year-old Sooklall is a proud third-form science student of Queen’s College, and dreams of one day becoming an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist. She had her early education at the Starter’s Nursery School and Graham’s Hall Primary School.

During her spare time, she enjoys playing the guitar, dancing, skating, painting, playing with her pets, or playing outdoor sports (her favourite outdoor sport is cricket). She also has a special interest in photography and making bracelets.

As Miss Guyana Talented Teen 2014, she has been able to meet with other teens, and has been inspiring them with talks on self-esteem building. She hopes to create a positive impact on other teenagers’ lives.

Reesa Sooklall

Sooklall is also living a childhood dream of being a model after signing with Traits Model Management.

The talented young woman is also an advocate for raising awareness on global warming and its effects, since it is a major concern in promoting a safe earth.

Her advice to other teens is: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Be confident in yourself and never doubt your potential. Beauty isn’t only about having a pretty face; it’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart and a pretty soul.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Ricky Sawh celebrates Prince JP 50th milestone in releases Persian style One Woman Lover

-considered his best work thus far

S

The Persian King (Ricky Sawh) relaxes in regal glory as the Persian Queen (Miss Mala) hovers nearby

P

RINCE JP has released his latest single, titled “One Woman Lover”, just recently on Mega Mix Reload at 15:00h with WR Reaz.

Expected to create a stir on the airwaves, the song will also be released in Trinidad and Tobago and on a few radio stations in New York.

Prince JP has written this new single, which was produced and mixed by Avenash Roopchand, the lead keyboardist of the Shakti Strings Orchestra, and recorded in the Shakti Strings Studios.

The song admonishes persons in relationships to remain faithful to their partners, despite each partner having a past; the new and future life must be one that is based on trust and honesty. The song, according to the young artiste, is based on his personal experience.

With the release of this new tune, Prince JP is still to decide whether or not to participate in the upcoming Chutney Competition organised by the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry in observance of Guyana’s Republic Anniversary in February.

However, he said he would continue to release songs to please his fans, who have been his driving force.

“One Woman Lover” has the potential to reach the top. Prince JP has several hits under his belt, but based on initial reviews, this is the best thus far. The artiste is in the process of recording another song, titled “Guyana”, which will be done in a slower rhythm.

OME men are just lucky to have the best of wives, and Ricky Sawh has certainly found himself a diamond.

Each year, the feisty and bombastic ‘Miss Mala’, as she is popularly known, comes up with intriguing party concepts that are quite a thrill; and this year she topped it all when she hosted a lavish ‘Persian-Style’ birthday bash for her husband Ricky Sawh at the Park View Hotel at Herstelling, East

Bank Demerara.

The guests numbered closed to two hundred, and of course they were the very elite of society. When the Persian King (Ricky Sawh) arrived with a roll of drums and a blare of trumpets, he was escorted by two provocative belly dancers, who created havoc at the venue. As the dancers - ‘Crystal Wayne’ and ‘Hefty Momma’ -- twitched, trembled and shook their hips enticingly, the king and queen arrived, followed by the Persian princes and princesses.

With fifty exotic dishes to sample, the guests marvelled as they enjoyed succulent delicacies, dances, speeches, songs and poems from well-wishers and close relatives.

GT&T’s ‘Feel the Beat’ Dancer Ean Spelling was also quite a hot item on the agenda. And our own Alex Wayne created tropical shock waves as the MC of the event, much to the delight of the jovial invitees.

This year, we will just let the photos speak for themselves.

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

Argentine Embassy to host first wine-tasting event on Dec 2, 2014 THE Embassy of Argentina will be hosting its first wine-tasting event in Guyana -- presenting the Wines of Argentina -- on Tuesday 2nd, December 2014, at the Cara Lodge Hotel (Ballet Room), from 3pm.

Showcased at the event will be a number of Argentine wine producing companies mainly from the Province of Mendoza, the largest wine producing region in the country. These wineries are “Trapiche”, “Trivento” and “Cavas del 23”.

There will be different categories of red and white wines, including premium line “Grand Beviam Special Reserve Malbec

2008”, made from the famous grape “Malbec”.

Members of the media, importers, distributors and other interested stakeholders in the Guyanese market are cordially invited to attend the event, which will provide the opportunity to learn more about the wines of Argentina, strengthen potential business developments, and network with clients and associates.

His Excellency Ambassador Luis Martino will commence the event with a brief presentation on the background of world wines and, more specifically, on the development of wines in Argentina.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

KI delivered as promised C

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-fans satiated as per expectation

Hot gyals certainly must showcase a hot beer

Miss Guyana Universe 2013 Katherina Roshana could not resist the Carlsberg pull

Totally engulfed by the Carlsberg Fever.

HUTNEY Sensation ‘KI’ indeed sizzled at the Carlsberg Official Launch, hosted recently at the 704 Lounge, and fans were served up a blistering showcase of pulsating chutney and bubbling bottles of ‘Carlsberg’, the beer of the sophisticates.

This week, Southland International Inc will be taking things a notch higher in that they will be staging two massive bars at the ‘Boombastic Concert’ slated for the National

Stadium tomorrow night. These bars will feature seven-foot-high screens depicting the Carlsberg commercial specialties.

Fans are to urged take photos in front of these screens and post same to the Southland International Inc Facebook Page to win tonnes of Carlsberg giveaways.

Meanwhile, we feature below the names of some of the lucky persons who did not waste time last weekend to soak up the Carlsberg Experience’.

You can be next… Just ensure you attend the ‘Boombastic Concert’ and your Carlsberg Dreams can come true…

Just relishing the Carlsberg flavour

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Cricket world left ...

From Back Page

edly raise questions about safety standards in the game.

Hughes was wearing a helmet but the ball slipped through a tiny gap between his shoulder and the base of his protective hard hat.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former International Cricket Council chief, told Reuters safety standards would have to be reviewed in light of Hughes’ death.

“Injuries are part of cricket but precautions should be taken so that such incidents do not happen,” he said.

The outpouring of grief that followed the news of the player’s death was elevated in part by his enormous popularity.

Raised on a farm, Hughes was a throwback to cricket’s golden era, self-taught through hours of monotonous practice in his backyard.

He made his first-class

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debut at 18 and was picked for the Australian team at just 20, scoring twin centuries in his second test match, against South Africa.

Despite his unconventional technique, he scored a mountain of runs and was compared to Don Bradman, cricket’s greatest ever batsman.

But his vulnerability to short-pitched bowling stalled his career, though not his popularity.

From his 26 Tests, he scored 1,535 runs at an average of 32.65, with three centuries. He has also scored two one-day hundreds and seemed certain to be part of the Australian team that will co-host next year’s World Cup. He was dropped three times but never once complained and was on the verge of being recalled when his life was suddenly taken away, and leaving an entire game inconsolable.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

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Meet the GRFU National 7’s Team - The redemption squad departs today for Mexico

By Rawle Toney Called the ‘Redemption Squad’, Guyana’s National 7’s Rugby team departs today for Mexico City where they will compete in the 2014 North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 7’s Championship from December 3 – 4.

Captained by the experienced Ryan Gonsalves, Guyana’s 12 man team is said to be one of the best 7’s squad ever assembled as they seek to regain the title held for six consecutive years (2006 – 2011).

Captain: Ryan Gonsalves Age: 30 Club: Pepsi Hornets Position: Scrum Half/Fly Half

Avery Corbin Age: 30 Club: Guyana Defence Force Position: Forward

Kevin McKenzie Age: 29 Club: Sunshine Coast Falcons, Australia Position: Wing

Claudius Butts Age: 30 Club: Harvard RFC, Trinidad Position: Centre

Isiejah Allen Age: 26 Club: Maryland Exiles, USA Position: Wing/Centre

Leon Greaves Age: 32 Club: Pepsi Hornets Position: Scrum Half

Dwayne Schroeder Age: 31 Club: Guyana Defence Force Position: Forward

Peabo Hamilton Age: 26 Club: Trinidad Northerns Position: Fly Half/Centre

Vallon Adams Age: 22 Club: Yamaha Caribs Position: Forward

Ronald Mayers Age: 29 Club: Trinidad Northerns Position: Utility player

Patrick King Age: 25 Club: Guyana Defence Force Position: Wing

Richard Staglon Age: 29 Club: Trinidad Caribs Position: Forward

Coach: Theodore Henry Age: 35 Club: Yamaha Caribs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Hughes’ death hard to digest for India’s survivor Nari Contractor

By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, (Reuters) More than five decades after his near-fatal head injury in the Caribbean, former India captain Nari Contractor could not believe Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes lost his life despite wearing a helmet.

The left-handed Contractor was stuck on the skull by a Charlie Griffith bouncer in a practice match against Barbados during India’s tour

of the West Indies in 1962.

The injury during the pre-helmet era left him unconscious for days and he miraculously survived after multiple operations and blood transfusions.

But he could never represent India again.

“This is so unfortunate.

I never thought something like this could happen,” Contractor, now 80, told Reuters yesterday.

“With the advent of helmets, I never imagined a

Nari Contractor batsman could be injured so seriously.”

Many found the nature of Hughes’ injury similar and Contractor, who played 31 tests for India, said his phone had not stopped ringing over the last couple of days.

Hughes was struck on the neck by a shortpitched delivery when batting in a domestic match on Tuesday, with the force of the blow piercing his veterbral artery and causing blood

to gush into his brain. He died in hospital yesterday aged 25.

Contractor felt the death would be an even heavier blow for Hughes’ family.

“These days I get to hear about a lot of cuts and bruises but batsmen often take bouncers on their helmet,” he said by phone. “The right equipment should be able to save cricketers from such incidents.”

British sports firm Masuri Group Ltd, which

made the ‘Original Test’ helmet worn by Hughes, said its new ‘Vision Series’ model released about a year ago offered more protection.

Contractor said authorities must ensure that cricketers wear the right protective gear at all levels of the sport.

“We did not have helmets in our time. But now that it is available, it should be compulsory for everyone to use it,” he added.

Abbott’s hospital visit to Hughes THE global cricket community has continued to rally around bowler Sean Abbott following the shocking news of the death of batsman Phillip Hughes.

It was revealed yesterday that Abbot had visited St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Wednesday, where Hughes lay in intensive care and fighting for his life.

Abbott delivered the ball, a short-pitched delivery not unlike ones Hughes had faced hundreds of times previously, that so fatefully and lucklessly struck Hughes during Tuesday’s NSW-South Australia Sheffield Shield match.

Sean Abbott Cricket Australia’s team doctor Peter Brukner said Abbott had visited St Vincent’s and spoken to a member of the Hughes family, as well as a lengthy chat with Australia captain Michael Clarke.

Hughes died on Thurs-

day afternoon, peacefully and without pain, having never regained consciousness following the blow.

Dr Brukner said the impact of the ball with a vulnerable part of Hughes’s neck had caused an extremely rare medical condition.

He explained the “freakish” injury was the result of the blow compressing one of the main arteries leading to the brain, causing it to split.

Dr Brukner said there had only been 100 cases of such a condition in medical records, and only once previously in cricket.

The rarity of the injury and the unluckiness that be-

Helmets have made batsmen feel too safe, says Boycott (REUTERS) - Helmets have given a false sense of security to batsmen, who no longer have the necessary technique to deal with fast bowling, according to former England opener Geoff Boycott.

The death of Australian Phillip Hughes yesterday after being struck on the head by a short-pitched delivery has fuelled debate about safety in cricket.

“Most of my career I batted on uncovered pitches without a helmet,” Boycott wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

“This taught me how important it was to have a good technique against fast bowling.

“You required judgement of what to leave, when to duck and when to play the ball.”

Boycott believes batsmen

now feel impregnable at the crease, rather than playing with a genuine fear factor as used to be the case.

“Helmets have unfortunately taken away a lot of that fear and have given every batsmen a false sense of security,” he said.

“Even tail-enders come in and bat like millionaires, flailing away and having a go at short balls with poor technique and lack of footwork.

“Helmets have made batsmen feel safe in the belief that they cannot be hurt and made batsmen more carefree and careless.”

Boycott believes that injuries are inevitable, whatever improvements are made in the standard of helmets and safety equipment.

“There are no guarantees,” he said. “Unless we batsmen

wear a suit of armour there are always going to be injuries in cricket.”

Former England captain Mike Gatting believes the sport has done everything possible to maintain the highest safety standards.

“We’re always very mindful that we have to have equipment at the highest standard and certainly in June this year we had the new standards come in,” said Gatting, who is now the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Managing Director of Cricket Partnerships.

“So it’s very, very interesting that people say well we don’t look at it, but we do because, you know, when you get up to the sort of the speeds of 85, 90 miles an hour, a projectile coming at you that quickly, you need the best equipment,” the 57-year-old told reporters.

fell Hughes would have been of little comfort to Abbott, a 22-year-old allrounder who most recently toured with Hughes during Australia’s visit to the UAE in October.

Abbott and Hughes made their Twenty20 international debuts together on that tour, and the allrounder later spoke about receiving his first international cap alongside his friends.

“I’m pretty close mates with all four guys that made our (T20) debut on the same day,” Abbott told cricket.

com.au in Dubai in October.

Cameron Boyce and Kane Richardson also were on debut in Australia’s six-wicket win.

“To share something like that with guys that you’re friends with and played a bit of cricket with was something special.”

Dr Brukner struggled to keep his emotions in check when speaking about Abbott on Thursday.

“Sean came to the hospital yesterday (Wednesday),” he said.

“He’s been receiving a lot of support from Cricket NSW and his teammates.

“When he came to the hospital yesterday, Michael Clarke came down and spent a significant amount of time with him.

“And then Phillip’s sister Megan came and deliberately spent time with Sean.

“Obviously what Sean has gone through is an incredibly traumatic experience as it has been for everyone who was present on the field on that day.

Hughes death casts doubts on first India Test (REUTERS) - The shocking death of batsman Phillip Hughes yesterday has cast doubts on whether the first Test between Australia and India will go ahead in Brisbane next week.

A two-day tour match between India and a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide was called off following the announcement of the 25-year-old’s death, while New Zealand and Pakistan suspended their Test match in Sharjah for the day out of respect.

The first of four Tests between Australia and India was due to start at the Gabba on Dec. 4.

Before his tragic death, Hughes had been hotly tipped to take the place of injured captain Michael Clarke in the home side’s starting lineup.

“To be honest, the Test match next week we haven’t thought that far ahead and we really don’t think it is appropriate at this

time,” Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland told reporters at the Sydney hospital when asked if it would go ahead.

“The whole of Australian cricket is grieving and all we want to do is to provide the Hughes family all the support we can right now.”

Hughes was batting on 63 for South Australia when he was hit by a short-pitched delivery from New South Wales bowler Sean Abbot.

Opening batsman David Warner, all-rounder Shane Watson, offspinner Nathan Lyon and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin were all in the New South Wales lineup for the Sheffield Shield match. The quartet are in the Australia squad for the first test.

The current round of Sheffield Shield matches was abandoned following the fatal injury, with a procession of the 25-year-old’s team mates holding a bedside vigil.

Prior to the announcement of Hughes’ death, former Australia test batsman Damien Martyn said organisers should consider delaying the first test, while former fast bowler Brendon Julian said he could see it being abandoned altogether.

Ex-skipper Allan Border said he thought the match would go ahead but said selectors should be sympathetic about the players’ mental state.

“Particularly the guys that were out on the field at the time, that are named in the test squad, they mightn’t be feeling like playing cricket at the moment,” Border told Fox Sports.

“I think it’s one of those situations where the Australian cricket board would probably let them stand down.”

However, former captain Ian Chappell said Hughes would have wanted the first test against India to go ahead as planned.

33

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Champion of Champions Dec 20-21 -Poole THE Guyana Boxing Association will bring the curtains down on activity for the year with the Champion of Champions competition scheduled for December 20 and 21, at the Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis Gym in Albouystown.

The Champion of

Terrence Poole

Champions will follow closely on the heels of the DDL Under-16 tournament to be staged one week before at the same venue. GBA Technical and Tournament Director Terrence Poole reported that fighters from the 10 divisions would be taking part but was unsure of USAbased super heavyweight Quincy `Biggy’ Small’s participation.

“We have had a good year of boxing and it is my understanding that the ex-

ecutive of GBA want to close off the year with a bang. We expect participation from most of the gyms in the country,” said Poole.

“At this point in time I cannot say definitively if Quincy Small would be participating. I have been informed that the president (Steve Ninvalle) is expected to have a chat with Mr. Small soon. A decision on his participation would be made then.”

Small, the younger broth-

er of former WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne `Big Truck’ Braithwaite, returned home for the first time in 12 years in October and contested the National Open. He defeated Jason ‘Ak 47’ Barker in his opening fight, then John Champaign in his second to be crowned National champion.

The Technical Director explained that the Champion of Champions competition is contested by boxers from two competitions held

earlier in the year.

“It is basically the winner and runner up in each division of the National Intermediate, and the National Open competitions participating in the Champion of Champions.

The four boxers will meet to decide who is champion of a particular division.”

The last Champion of Champions was held in Bartica. According to Poole, approximately 30 fighters are expected to participate this year.

BCB/NBS 2nd Division….

King, Allen ecstatic Boodram slams 119 about International for Cotton Tree but 7’s Rugby debut Moore’s 98* sees Corriverton through

By Rawle Toney

– To clash with D’Edward in final

CORRIVERTON completed a successful run chase of what seemed like a challenging target to beat Cotton Tree Die Hard by three wickets and earn their place in the final of this year’s Berbice Cricket Board/New Building Society second division competition where they will meet D’Edward.

In the semi-final played at Cotton Tree ground in West Berbice and which

was reduced to 37 overs a side because of rain, Cotton Tree Die Hard soon found themselves on 19 for 3 before Permaul Singh and Abdul Subhan staged a recovery by adding 33 for the fourth wicket before they both fell to leave their side on 76 for 6.

Romaine Boodram, who had scored an even and unbeaten 100 against Chesney in the play-offs, took charge putting on 53

Notable Dates

BANTAMWEIGHT Michael Parris made his professional debut on November 28, 1982 against Ronald McBean.

Parris would outbox McBean for six rounds to win on points. It was two years after the quick-fisted fighter won a bronze medal at the Moscow Olympics. The diminutive Parris would stay in the sport for 13 years.

He had his last fight in November 1995 when he TKOed Paul Lloyd in the fourth round in England.

Also making his debut on November 28, 1982 was Anthony `The Pearl’ Andrews who started out as a bantamweight but ended his career as a middleweight. In his first fight Andrews knocked out Godfrey Barrett in round four.

On the same night, light heavyweight Charles Crawford won against Mike Pitt over six rounds via a points decision.

On November 28, 2004, bantamweight Leon `Hurry Up’ Moore quelled Trinidadian Craig Storm in two rounds at the Splashmins Fun Park and Resort.

Storm was knocked out at one minute and 22 seconds of the second round.

for the 7th wicket with Ishwar Singh (7) and 71 for the 8th wicket with Nashad Gafoor (16) before he fell for 119 (11x6, 9x4) at 200 for 8., while Cotton Tree were later dismissed for 216.

Faoud Bacchus took 3 for 14 and Jermain Reid 2 for 41 for Corriverton whose response was given a 32 runs opening partnership

by Jeremy Moore and Errol Byass (6) and after Byass left, Moore put another 30 for the second wicket with Imran Jabbar (8).

After losing two quick wickets, Corriverton were left on 63 for 3 and slipped to 97 for 5 when Moore was forced to retire hurt, enabling Jermaine Reid and Amzad Appalsammy to add 61 for the 6th wicket, before Appalsammy fell for 25.

Moore returned and added 66 for the seventh wicket with Reid who fell for 49 at 197 for 7, but Moore carried on to see his side to 220 for 7 off 32.5 overs, hitting an unbeaten 98, a knock that included 11 fours and five sixes, as his side move into Sunday’s final, which will be played at the No.69 Vikings cricket ground.

THE GUYANA Rugby Football Union (GRFU) on Tuesday last named what many are calling the strongest 7’s team to represent Guyana at the North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 7’s Championship in Mexico next month.

Amongst the 12 names are two players making their international debut in Guyana Defence Force (GDF) winger Patrick King and Isiejah Allen from the Maryland Exiles Rugby Club in the United States of America (USA).

“I did hear about Guyana’s success and that’s one of the many reasons why I wanted to play for Guyana,” the 26 year-old Allen said.

In fact, this is Allen’s first visit to the birth place of his mother and the player who is known for his toughness and sensational burst of speed in the USA’s top tier of the sport, said “I feel I can bring to the table my versatility and I can gel with any style of play my teammates have; if its Kevin McKenzie, a big powerful guy, I think I can complement their style and that’s what I bring to the table”.

Asked to compare the players in Guyana to that of the USA where he competes, Allen said, “There’s more athlete on the field down here, as compared to America; not to take anything away from them (Americans) but the speed and the aggression is not the same, so when you come down here and you mix that with the heat, the weather and the conditions, you get a great team”.

Allen, a standout football player with the NCAA Division One Fordham University, had decided a few years ago to make the transition from the Grid Iron Game to the manly game of Rugby and stated that it’s the best decision he’s ever made in the life of sports.

“Rugby is an Olympic sport, it might be considered minor on a world level but it’s actually an elite sport because you have to push your body to the next level and keep thinking on the go. My mother and my grandparents are from Georgetown and the rules are you have to have at least one parent born in the country, so I’m blessed and I’m happy to be here,” Allen said.

Meanwhile, for King, being selected for the National 7’s team is a success story for one of Guyana’s dominant 400M athlete and Long Jump specialist.

While he’s considered ‘the king of the track’, his speed, coupled with his agility is one of the primary reasons why Patrick King was selected.

“Most teams we’ll be playing they don’t know me, so I’m kind of like a surprise attack but I’m just looking to add a lot of speed to the team, along with the experience we have, I’m looking to go out there and do my best,” King said.

Quizzed on his switch from athletics to rugby, King said, “It’s not that hard, because in athletics you have to be fit and it’s the same thing for rugby, you just have to put the basics of the game to it and it becomes easier with the people around, the coaches and the senior players so I learn a lot from them” .

The Guyanese will depart today and return next Friday, December 5.

34

GTTA awaiting word from Puerto Rico THE Guyana Table Tennis Association is awaiting word from Puerto Rico on the staging of the Caribbean Mini Cadets and Pre Cadets Championships.

The tournament is scheduled for the Spanish speaking island from December 16 to 20 but the GTTA is yet to receive the “prospectus” General Secretary Linden Johnson said yesterday.

“We have not heard anything concrete about the hosting of the tournament as yet. As such, we will have to await official word. The deadline is two weeks before the tournament so we still have some time,” Johnson said.

Guyana has had no international matchesin the mini and pre cadets category this year and the Puerto Rico competition is being looked at as much needed exposure for the nation’s nursery. The locals were slated to participate in the Latin American championships in Dominican Republic in September, but had to withdraw because of lack of funds.

Last year Guyana placed second in the Caribbean Championships staged at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Trinidad and Tobago emerged the winning team

LABA to hold discussions with clubs on Christmas tournament THE LINDEN Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) will tomorrow hold an emergency meeting with the affiliated clubs at the Mackenzie Sports Club Pavilion from 18.00hrs.

Plans for the Linden Open Challenge Christmas basketball championship set to bounce off next Friday at the MSC Hard Court and culminate on January 3rd 2015, will be disclosed and the format of the tournament will be finalized.

The release also informed that referees and table officials are also invited to participate in the discussions which will also include steps to assist in the repairs for the MSC hard court bleachers.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Friday November 28, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Alvin Kallicharran-100* (vs NZ, 1972) (2) Faoud Bacchus & Jeff Dujon Today’s Quiz: (1)Which WI player was known as ‘Big Bird’?

(2) Who is the first WI to take a five-wicket haul in an ODI game?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Guyana Jaguars face Barbados Pride in third round WICB/PCL fixture today Guyana Looking for win number three

By Calvin Roberts HAVING chalked up back to back victories over Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Windward Islands Volcanoes, the Guyana Jaguars will be looking to make it three out of three when they oppose Barbados Pride in the third round of the West Indies Cricket Board/Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence from 09:30hrs.

The home team will be contesting this fixture without the services of skipper Leon Johnson and his deputy in opener Assad Fudadin and dependable middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who will all be departing these shores tomorrow for West Indies duties in South Africa.

To this end, Georgetown Cricket Club’s Vishaul ‘Cheesy’ Singh, who was overlooked for the first two matches, have been handed the reigns of captaincy, with Narsingh Deonarine, who has back to back tons in the first two matches, as his deputy.

While the 40 year old Chanderpaul has quietly gone about his business, scoring 45 against the Hurricanes and 62 and 44 against the Volcanoes, it has been the individual brilliance of Deonarine with the bat and his Albion Cricket Club teammate Veerasammy

Permaul that has stood out.

Deonarine has stood head and shoulders above the Jaguars batsmen, chalking up scores of 110*, 139 and 34 in his three innings for a total of 283 runs at an average of 141.50 holding the Jaguars’ middle order together with Chanderpaul.

No doubt, Singh would be looking for the same support the players give to Johnson, as he intends to go out there and do his best and with a lineup that includes teenaged openers in Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shimron Hetmyer, along with Trevon Griffith and Rajendra Chandrika, Guyana Jaguars’ selection panel would have a tough time selecting their final 11.

Deonarine will continue to bat at four, with Singh coming at number three, while in the absence of Chanderpaul, Christopher Barnwell can step up to the plate and shoulder the responsibility of the middle and lower order, along with Raymon Reifer and Anthony Bramble.

Spin twins Permaul and Devendra Bishoo will handle that department with worthy support from Deonarine who snared five first innings victims against the Volcanoes after chalking up a ton, while Ronsford Beaton will handle the new ball.

Unlike the first two games when the military medium of Barnwell and Reifer

Narsingh Deonarine were used sparingly with Beaton, this time around, the lively Keon Joseph, who as an Under-19 fast bowler was the talk of the town, will look to redeem himself as a senior player, offering double dose of pace to the Pride batsmen.

Like the Jaguars, Barbados Pride also lost four players in skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, fast bowlers Jason Holder and Kemar Roach and the lanky left arm spinner Sulieman Benn to West Indies duties, but their replacements are players with experience and fortitude.

Discarded West Indies fast bowler Tino Best, former captain Ryan Hinds, Kyle Corbin, and Roston Chase are the replacement players joining a squad that includes Dwayne Smith, Jonathan Carter, Omar Phillips and the man who lifted the WICB/NAGICO Super50 title earlier this year, Kevin Stoute.

Both teams will be keep-

ing a keen eye on the weather, especially the Bajans, who saw three days in their second round clash with the Jamaicans being abandoned due to a soggy outfield at the Windwards ground in St. Phillip, which had water lodged in some areas.

They can take some consolation knowing that the Guyana National Stadium is one of the fastest drying venues in this part of the world and as was evident in the last round against the Volcanoes, all that is needed is the rain to stop and play will commence within 30 minutes or the given time period by the match officials.

Nandkumar Shivsankar and Patrick Gustard will call play in this fixture, with Colin Alfred as the third official and Reon King the Match Referee and the final 11 for both sides will be chosen from: Guyana JaguarsVi s h a u l S i n g h ( C a p t ) , Trevon Griffith, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shimron Hetmyer, Rajendra Chandrika, Narsingh Deonarine, Christopher Barnwell, Raymon Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Keon Joseph and Ronsford Beaton.

BARBADOS PRIDE ( f ro m ) : C a r l o s B r a t h waite (captain), Tino Best, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Kyle Corbin, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Ryan Hinds, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Omar Phillips, Dwayne Smith, Jomel Warrican.

WICB pays tribute to Phillip Hughes KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC)- A minute of silence will be observed before the start of the third round of the Professional Cricket League (PCL), as a form of tribute to emerging Australian batsman Philip Hughes who died yesterday, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced Hughes, who was in a critical condition in a Sydney hospital, passed away two days after being hit on the head by a short ball from Sean Abbott during South Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales.

A WICB statement has called on all players and match officials to wear a black armband during their matches which begin today.

“To honour the memory

...players, officials to wear black armband during third round matches

Philip Hughes of our fallen colleague and show solidarity with our friends in Australia, we have asked that a minute’s silence be observed prior to the start of all matches in the third round of the WICB Professional

Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament tomorrow – and that all players and match officials wear a black armband during the match.” The WICB statement said.

“This is truly a tragic loss of a fantastic young player who promised to deliver so much for Australia and who has already done so much in proving his pedigree as a top flight batsman on the international stage”.

The WICB said that it was extremely sad to hear of the passing of the 25 year old cricketer following his injury.

“It was with a sense

of shock and sorrow that we learned of the death of Philip Hughes and I know that these feelings are shared by all who knew him and played with or against him,” WICB President Dave Cameron said.

“There is little one can say at such a time, but we would like to express our very sincere sympathy to his family, friends and all those involved with the game in Australia”.

Elsewhere, other former West Indies cricketers namely Brian Lara and Phil Simmons have given interviews paying tribute to Hughes.

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday November 28, 2014

Hosting Umada Cup is historic, says Dr Anthony THE prestigious Umada Cup chess tournament got underway yesterday morning in Georgetown, after Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony moved the first pawn to officially signal the start of the event, hosted for the first time in Guyana.

Moments before declaring the tournament open by engaging national junior champion Haifeng Su in a friendly game, Dr Anthony spoke glowingly of Guyana being able to host the event, which is in its fifth year.

“This Cup itself is a very historic one for Guyana. It’s the first time we’re having so many overseas players and it’s the first time we’re hosting the Umada Cup. We’re very grateful that the organisers have seen it fit for us to host the tournament here in Guyana and I’m sure the local chess federation would do its best to ensure that you enjoy our hospitality and of course you have the conducive environment to play some good chess,” Dr Anthony told the players -at the opening.

Trinidad and Tobago’s FIDE Master Ryan Harper is the double defending champion

Dr Anthony also highlighted some of the benefits that can be derived from

hosting the tournament, one of which local players were able to gauge their

progress against foreign counterparts.

“We always look forward to having our regional brothers here with us because it allows us to maybe get a good feel of where we are in the game…because when we play against other competitive players we are able to see how we’re ranking against those players.

A lot of times when we have our own local internal competitions, we’re not able to get that gauge of where we are in the game, but I think competitions like these allow us to set that benchmark,” Minister Anthony explained.

The tournament, set to conclude on Monday, will be contested in two categories: one for players in the Open Section and another for those in the Challenger Section. Both sections will be played under the Swiss System for nine rounds and will be FIDE rated.

First day update

Meanwhile, at the end of day one, the lone Guyanese in the Open Section, Taffin Khan, lost to Trinidad

and Tobago’s FIDE Master Ryan Harper.

In the other games of the Open Section, Vishnu Singh (T&T) defeated Roger Matoewi (Suriname); Orlando Husbands (Barbados) defeated Darvi Ferraras (The Dominican Republic); Martyn Del Castilo (Barbados) and Malaku Lorne (Jamaica) got half a point each from their clash, while Kevin Cupid (T&T) and Christopher Guzman (The Dominican Republic) earned a similar result in their game.

In the Challenger Section, seven Guyanese recorded victories on a solid showing by the host country. Wendell Muesa defeated compatriot Roberto Neto; Kriskal Persaud defeated Avikaar Malgie of Suriname; Keith Simpson defeated Guyanese Anthony Drayton; Haifeng Su defeated countryman Davion Mars; Glenford Corlette defeated Aditi Soondarsingh of Trinidad and Tobago; Ronuel Greenidge defeated fellow Guyanese Rashad Hussain; and Maria Thomas defeated Calvin Finkie of Suriname.

The other Guyanese in the Challenger Section- Errol Tiwari, Trenton Bennett and David Khan- suffered losses, while Loris Nathoo was a no-show for his clash with Jamaica’s Andrew Mellace.

In other results, Esan Wilstshire (T&T) defeated Reyna Frijde (Suriname), Suriname’s Joel Frijde defeated fellow countryman Ishvar Ramlal and Martin Mikel (T&T) defeated Alisha Jaipersaud (Suriname).

The tournament is being organised under the auspices of current president of FIDE, the world governing body for chess, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. A grand payout package of US$16,000 is at stake.

In the Open Section, the winner will cart off US$2,500, while the second place finisher will get US$1,500 and third US$1,000. The winner of the Challenger Section is entitled to US$1,500, with the runner-up copping US$1,000 and third US$750. In the case of a tie, the sum of the prizes involved will be shared equally.

Bronze for Women’s Doubles Squash team at CAC Games

By LeeronBrumell

THE first medals at this year’s Central American and Caribbean Games for Guyana came through Squash – Bronze.

It was awarded to the pair of Ashley DeGroot and Ashley Khalil in the Women’s Doubles. They are joint third with Guatemala.

In the semifinal round –Guyana lost in two sets to Colombia, who went on to claim gold, defeating Mexico. The Mexicans on Wednesday had defeated Guatemala in the other semifinal match.

Yesterday, in the Women’s Team event –Guyana came against Jamaica –

Ashley DeGroot

Ashley Khalil

Ashley Khalil opened with victory over Alyssa Mulings 11-8, 11-8, 11-6.

Mary Fung-a-Fat played Tracy Binnie and came away with victory in three sets as well – 11-8, 11-8, 11-6.

Ashley DeGroot, however, was made to work for her victory over Mary Mahfood, coming away 3-2 in a see-saw battle.

DeGroot, who also played hockey at these

games took the first set 119. Her counterpart roared back in the 2 nd with a 3-11.

DeGroot came back with an 11-9 win in the third to go down 8-11 in the fourth.

She’d however claim an 11-5 win in the fifth and final set; the victory coming in 32 minutes.

Later in the day they played Colombia, who beat them in the Doubles semifinal and the result would be the same.

Colombia took a commanding 3-nil victory.

Khalil lost to Catalina Pelaez in game one – 8-11, 2-11, ,8-11, Fung-A-Fat went down to Laura Tovar 4-11, 7-11, 7-11 and DeGrootwas outplayed by

Karol Gonzalez 2-11, 5-11 in the first two sets.

The Guyanese would however fight back in the third set, leading 7-5 at one stage, but Gonzalez ended the battle coming through to win 11-8 in 18 minutes.

Tovar and Gonzalez formed the Women’s Doubles team that won the title on Wednesday.

Today the women face Barbados at 12:15hrs (Guyana Time).

On the male side – Alexander Arjoon, Sunil Seth and Jason-Ray Khalil were scheduled to play against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 21:00hrs in Pool D. Today the trio faces the British Virgin Islands at

10:00hrs.

In Badminton, Guyana’s pair of Jonathan Mangra and Narayan Ramdhani did not start their match against Guatemala, who was awarded a 2-Nil victory for the walk-over. It’s unclear the reason the pair did not start their match. Efforts to get a response from Team Guyana in Mexico were unsuccessful.

On the track, Winston George, Stephan James and sprinters Adam Harris and Jeremy Bascom will try for a team medal in the 4x100m relay on Friday at 14:40hrs (Guyana time).

Jamaica won the last 4x100m event in 2012 in 36.84 seconds.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Guyana Jaguars face Barbados Pride in third round WICB/PCL fixture today

See Story on Page 34

Cricket world left heartbroken by death of Phillip Hughes (REUTERS) - THE cricket world was in mourning yesterday following the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, who died in a Sydney hospital, two days after being hit in the head by a ball.

A game that is synonymous with the values of fair play and sportsmanship was left heartbroken at the loss of one its favourite sons, a kid from a banana plantation who dared to dream big.

That he died surrounded by his family and friends after being injured playing the game he loved, provided little solace to the millions of people that follow cricket.

“It’s an understatement to say we’re completely devastated,” Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland told reporters.”The word tragedy gets used too often in sport, but this freak accident is a real life tragedy.”Australia’s pain was shared by the cricketing world. Cricket, perhaps more than most other sports, is played by a tight-knit community.

Only a handful of countries play the game professionally and opposing players spend months together, often dining and drinking together

Phillip Hughes brought up his maiden Test century in his third Test innings against South Africa in Durban in 2009, and followed it up with a brilliant 160 in the second. At 20 years, three months and nine days old, he became the youngest to record a century in both innings of a Test, a record he still holds. Here, Hughes celebrates as he reaches debut 100 through the leg side in Durban.

after matches.

Rarely has cricket been more united than now, the game’s saddest day.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Australia’s players were in tears as they filed out of St Vincent’s hospital after bidding farewell to their fallen team mate.

The Indian team, currently on tour in Australia, cancelled their two-day practice match that was due to start today. In Dubai, Pakistan and New Zealand aborted the second day of their test match, the players too distraught to take the field.

At Lord’s, the traditional home of cricket, flags were flown at half mast, a tribute that was replicated at stadiums around the world.

“For a young life to be cut short playing our national game seems a shocking aberration,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.

“He was loved, admired and respected by his team mates and by legions of cricket fans.”

The news of Hughes’ death came like a bolt from the blue. The 25-year-old had been in an induced coma

for two days after being struck by a bouncer from Sean Abbott at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a domestic encounter.

He had needed CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before undergoing emergency surgery to reduce the pressure on his brain.

FREAKISH ACCIDENT Cricket is not a sport associated with death, so hopes were high that he would survive but the injuries he suffered were catastrophic.

The ball hit him on the side of his neck, compressing his vertebral artery and causing it to split, forcing blood into the brain area.

Doctors removed parts of his skull during the operation but the damage was too severe and he never regained consciousness.

“This was a freakish accident because it was an injury to the neck that caused haemorrhage in the brain,” Cricket Australia doctor Peter Brukner said. “The condition is incredibly rare.”

His death will undoubt-

See Page 30

Hosting Umada Cup is historic, says Dr Anthony See Story on Page 35

Representatives of the various participating countries observe as Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony makes the first move against National Junior Champion Haifeng Su to signal the start of the tournament.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMVER 28, 2014