Guyana Chronicle 3-3-2019

3rd March, 2019

No.105565

Diamond trader shoots miner dead

Bajans 16 02 apprised of local investment opportunities PAGE

PAGE

Leakage blamed 10 for vehicular explosions PAGE

Region One chairman accused of rape

–– denies allegations; matter being 03 probed by CPA PAGE

‘EMPOWERMENT’

the buzz word

– at launch of Women in Business Expo 2019 02 PAGE

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin and Women in Business Expo founder Sonia Noel inspect one of the booths at the Pegasus Hotel on Saturday (Delano Williams photo)

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Diamond trader shoots miner dead

By Leroy Smith

A MINER was on Saturday shot dead in the office of a diamond trader who owns and operates Kay’s Diamond Enterprise Ltd. at 288 Middle and Thomas Streets, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

According to initial reports, Henry Johanison, the man who was shot, and some friends of his, three in number, showed up at the business place, but he alone entered the premises, while the

others waited in a car outside.

Persons in and around the community said that after Johanison had been in the building for a while, they saw the police pull up at the facility in a tactical manner and approached the three young men who were still sitting in the car and ordered them out.

One of the youngsters, who was on his cellphone at the time, was instructed to discontinue the call, after which the police frisked each of them and then placed them into the back of a police ve-

The body of the suspected robber being taken away by undertakers

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

hicle preparatory to escorting them to the police station.

The car in which they were sitting was driven to the station by a police officer where it was lodged and the suspects taken into custody.

It was shortly after that, sources say, that word got out that a man was killed in the building.

Initial reports had first suggested that the man was killed by security guards at the facility, but later, a police release confirmed that it was the businessman himself who shot the miner.

In their statement, the police said that the diamond dealer informed them that Johanison called him and indicated that he wanted to buy some diamonds, whereupon he set about to put arrangements in place to accommodate him.

When Johanison arrived, the police say, he was escorted to the businessman’s office, and after the two would have met, he asked to use the washroom.

According to the police, the businessman indicated in his statement that after Johanison returned from the washroom, he pointed a gun at him and told him not to make a sound, at which point he (the businessman) instinc-

tively reached for a gun he usually has in his desk drawer and is licensed to carry, and shot his assailant a number of times in the upper region of his body.

The businessman reportedly indicated in his statement that after the wounded man fell to the ground, an alarm was raised and the police were called in.

The police said that upon their arrival at the crime scene, they found a 9mm pistol, which they believe was Johanison’s, as it was still intact and had a bullet in the breach. They also found a magazine with a number of other rounds.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that the very businessman was robbed a while ago.

However, after elements of the police statement were reported on, speculation began circulating as to the real reason behind the shooting.

A relative of one of the three alleged accomplices in custody also contacted this newspaper, saying that aspects of what the police are saying about his relative are untrue.

The Guyana Chronicle itself, after reviewing their release, raised with the police a number of questions,

– in self defence during alleged botched robbery

Kay’s Diamond Enterprise Limited on Middle and Thomas Streets, where the incident occurred among them whether or not they’d managed to review the enterprise’s CCTV cameras, or check the phone records of either the businessman or the dead suspect, and most of all, whether or not a search was carried out on the man before he went up to the dealer’s office.

Unfortunately, up to press time, none of those questions were answered.

Johanison’s corpse, meanwhile, was taken away by the Lyken Funeral Parlour, where it will no doubt remain until the police have concluded their investigation.

‘Empowerment’ the buzz word ––at launch of Women in Business Expo 2019

By Svetlana Marshall THE 4th Annual Women in Business Expo 2019 opened on Saturday at the Pegasus Hotel with over 20 exhibitors showcasing their rich talent and entrepreneurial skills under the theme, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.”

Echoing the sentiments of Melinda Gates during the opening ceremony, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator (Guyana) Mikiko Tanaka said “when we invest in women, we invest in the people who invest in everyone else.” Those words resonated with the founder of Women in Business Expo, Sonia Noel, who has been championing the development of women in Guyana and beyond.

Noel is a John Maxwell Trained Coach, entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor, designer, speaker and bestselling author with a fresh

New World perspective on style and life.

Her efforts were recognised by Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, who applauded her for setting a platform for women to showcase their products and services. He said the spinoff benefits from such an initiative would be felt in the future, when the businesses begin to grow and partnerships are formed.

“It is not necessary about money today, and I think that is an important distinction to be made. It’s about long-term sustainability that will bring money and returns on your investment tomorrow and over a longer period,” Minister Gaskin said.

He said enabling and supporting women-led businesses help to narrow the gender gap when it comes to economic participation, and ultimately fosters economic See page 12

The Women in Business Expo in full swing on Saturday (Delano Williams photo)

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Region One chairman accused of rape

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

–– denies allegations; matter being probed by CPA

THE Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) is currently investigating an alleged case of rape of a 22-year-old young man by a high ranking regional official from Region One (Barima-Waini).

Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally on Saturday confirmed that the CPA has launched an investigation into the allegation. The alleged victim was medically examined recently. “We are about done with the medical report,” Minister Ally told Guyana Chronicle while noting that the CPA “will take it from there.”

Though the victim is no longer a child, the Social Protection Minister explained that because the young man hails from an Indigenous community and suffers ill health, the CPA took up the matter.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Chronicle, the 22-yearold, despite his speech impediment, detailed how he was allegedly taken to Georgetown from Mabaruma and lured to a hotel, bullied into sex and left stranded, allegedly by the Region One Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley.

Ashley, in a separate interview with this newspaper, refuted all allegations levelled against him. In the interview, the 22-year-old told this newspaper that Ashley, who is a ‘friend’ to the family, would often times assist his mother financially. According to the young man, Ashley, following a discussion with his mother, agreed to take him to Georgetown for medical attention. Peri-

odically, the young man would experience ‘fits’ or seizures, and Ashley offered to help.

The alleged victim said approximately two weeks ago, he left Mabaruma in the care of the regional chairman and once they landed at the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle, Ashley took him to the Amerindian Hostel in the city and promised to return the next day.

“The next day, he come back for us to walk and he carried me to drink. He bought a case of beer,” the young man detailed. According to him, Ashley, in a “drunken state” took him to a hotel.

“He start take off his clothes and deh naked skin, and start squeezing bumps on my face,” the young man alleged. It is alleged that the regional chairman then started to caress the body of the young man, including his private parts.

“I still had on meh clothes,” said the young man. It is alleged that Ashley then solicited sex from the 22-year-old.

“He bully me, he bully.

He bully and tell me how he gun tell meh [mother] on me,” the alleged victim contended.

During the incident, the young man said he made contact with his uncle in Mabaruma, who advised him to report the matter to the police. Upon hearing the 22-year-old speaking with his uncle, the regional chairman reportedly became angry and left after telling the alleged victim that he will “stay in town and punish and dead”.

Ashley reportedly left the 22-year-old stranded at the hotel, but using a

$100 he had in his pocket, the alleged victim made his way back to the hostel. The young man claimed that he visited the Brickdam Police Station on the third day and filed a report alleging that he was raped. “They (the police) said they will get back to me and they never get back to me,” he contended.

However, when the Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman was contacted, he said that no report of sexual contact between the alleged victim and the Region One chairman was made.

Crime Chief Lyndon Alves also indicated that he is unaware that a report was filed.

The alleged victim said when he told his mother what had happened and Ashley had taken advantage of him, she rebuked him, and accused him of being untruthful.

ALLEGATIONS UNTRUE Ashley, though admitting that he flew to Georgetown with the 22-year-old, denied all other allegations.

The regional chairman said the young man’s mother had reportedly complained about his ill health, which according to him, had caused him to attempt suicide once.

Ashley said after reaching out to other regional personnel, he was informed that there was a psychiatric department headed by Dr. Bhairo Harry that would have been able to assess and treat the young man.

“The regional health officer would have provided guidance that a cold case referral can be

given and through that health programme, he can be sent to Georgetown,” the regional chairman said, noting that in these circumstances, the medical personnel do not accompany the patients.

He said coincidentally, he was travelling to Georgetown on Friday, February 15, 2019, the same day as the young man and agreed to take him to Indigenous Hotel.

He said the referral was given to a welfare officer and a nurse.

“The nurse said if he had come the day before, we would have gotten him to the clinic on the Thursday, but the clinic doesn’t work on Friday.

So I said please assist him as much as possible because I would not be able to attend to him,” Ashley said.

The regional chairman said the young man’s mother later called and asked him to purchase a nutrophos tonic.

“After my meeting, I went to the barbershop where I met with Mr. Collin Croal, a Member of Parliament… and I told him he (the 22-oldyear) is there, let’s go see him. So Mr. Croal and I went to pick him up,; we did buy the nutrophos, we got something for him to eat and he was returned,” Ashley said.

According to him, all contact with the young man ended on the night of February 15.

Ashley said since February 16, he has been hearing rumours of him allegedly raping the young man. The regional chairman said the allegations were concocted by the young man’s uncle, who is a supporter of the coalition government.

He believes that the

allegation is politically motivated. He has reportedly filed a report at the Mabaruma Police Station for defamation of character by the young man’s uncle. Guyana Chronicle understands that the alleged victim was removed from the government’s facility, where he was being cared for, and taken to Freedom House on Saturday by his mother and the Deputy Mayor of Mabaruma.

After the visit, the young man during a phone call, confided in his uncle that he was

Region One Chairman, Brentnol Ashley questioned by a man at Freedom House. The man allegedly told him that he is Brentnol Ashley’s lawyer. He was accused of telling lies and was subsequently taken back to the government facility.

Bandits rob man who emerged from bushes GEORGE Narine, 43, a taxi driver of Huist T’Dieren, Region Two, was Thursday afternoon beaten and robbed at gunpoint at Red Village, Onderneeming.

The incident reportedly occurred around 14:45hrs in the backlands of the Region Two community. Narine was relieved of G$3000 by two armed mask men.

Information revealed that the taxi driver had dropped off two passengers at Onderneeming and while he was returning for them, he got a ‘pressing call of nature’ and decided to take to a nearby bush and utilise the big leaves he could find.

After he was finished, Narine headed to his car which was parked about 100 meters west of Red Village and much to his surprise, when he got there, two masked gunmen were waiting for him.

One of the robbers took away the $3,000 he had on his person, pistol-wiped him in the head and discharged two rounds, shattering the rear windscreen of his car.

Despite all the harassment, Narine managed to escape and reported the matter at the Suddie Police Station. Detectives visited the scene and found one 9mm Luger spent shell. The taxi was also search and another 9mm Luger spent shell was found under the left side of rear passenger’s seat.

Narine was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where he was thoroughly examined and discharged. Police are continuing their investigations.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

'Dead' Mali jihadist Amadou Koufa reappears in video (BBC) A senior jihadist leader in Mali has reappeared in a video, months after the authorities said he had been killed.

The death of Amadou Koufa was widely reported, after a raid by French forces

in November.

The video, in which Mr Koufa mocks the reports of his death, has been verified

by Site, a US-based monitoring group.

French forces intervened in Mali in 2013, pushing back jihadists who had seized swathes of territory. However, the militants remain a threat.

Parts of the country are still out of the government's control.

After the November raid, a Malian army spokesman and the French defence minister "confirmed" the death of Mr Koufa, a senior member of Mali's most

French troops helped the Malian army to push back jihadists from northern Mali in 2013

powerful jihadist group, JNIM, Now a 19-minute video being circulated in Mali shows Amadou Koufa, in a white turban, mocking the French and Malian military forces.

A French military spokesman said the authorities there were in the process of authenticating the video.

Mr Koufa is described

as a senior member of the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) group that has carried out frequent attacks in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso.

He is a preacher as well as a jihadist leader.

France, the former colonial power, has thousands of troops in the volatile region to stem the insurgency.

Donald Trump asks China to lift all US agricultural tariffs (BBC) US President Donald Trump has asked China to "immediately" lift all tariffs on US agricultural products.

In a tweet, the president said he made the request because "we are moving along nicely with Trade discussions".

Mr Trump has delayed tariffs scheduled for 1 March on Chinese goods due to progress in talks.

He has long complained about the country's trading practices, and has imposed tariffs totalling more than $250bn (£189bn) on Chinese goods.

China has responded in kind, placing tariffs on $110bn of US products and accusing the US of starting "the largest trade war in economic history".

Last month Mr Trump said the two countries were "very very close" to signing a new trade agreement, saying they had made "substantial progress" following a Washington summit.

While a rise in import duties on Chinese goods from 10% to 25% was due to come

into effect on 1 March, the US is now planning a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mr Trump's Mara-Lago resort in Florida.

The trade war has prompted worries in financial markets about the impact on the global economy.

The International Monetary Fund warned the trade war risked making the world a "poorer and more dangerous place" in its assessment on world growth last October.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Lula to be released from prison for grandson's funeral

(BBC) Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been granted leave from prison to attend his grandson's funeral.

The seven-year-old died of meningitis on Friday, and the jailed ex-leader will be allowed to go to the burial in Sao Paulo on Saturday.

Lula, as he is known, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges last year.

The ex-leader says his conviction was politically motivated.

An iconic figure for the

left in Latin America, the former trade unionist led Brazil between 2003 and 2010.

But he was convicted for work done on a beach front property, and in February a court doubled Lula's sentence after he was found guilty of taking renovation work from a company implicated in a corruption scandal.

His lawyers said he would appeal against the new conviction.

Lula had asked permission to attend his brother's funeral in January, but the country's Supreme Court did

not grant the request until the funeral was under way.

However, Paraná state government said Lula would be allowed to attend his grandson Arthur's funeral in Sao Paulo.

Arrangements are being made to fly him to the city, roughly 340 kilometres (211 miles) away.

The former leader is currently jailed in a federal prison in Curitiba, capital of Paraná state. This will be his first time out after his conviction last April.

Lula's was the most

Lula, as he is known, was jailed on corruption charges last year

high-profile conviction from a sprawling anti-corruption investigation known as Operation Car Wash - dubbed "the largest foreign bribery case in history" by the US Department of Justice.

His supporters have insisted he is the victim of political persecution, with his left-wing Worker's Party petitioning for his release.

President Jair Bolsonaro said he hoped Lula "rots in prison" in a video address in October.

Rowley, CARICOM to meet Pompeo (Trinidad Newsday) “There goes my Carnival.” Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley quipped that his Carnival celebration would be cut short after the Caricom delegation on Venezuela was invited on Tuesday to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Ash Wednesday.

He was speaking to reporters at a briefing following his return from an Inter-sessional meeting of Caricom in St Kitts and Nevis on Thursday night. The Caricom delegation is headed by the group’s chairman, Dr Timothy Harris, PM of St Kitts. Rowley said he had also scheduled some other meetings on the trip.

Rowley, an avid mas player will likely be unable to get a quick Tuesday jump-up as the delegation is scheduled to head to Washington DC that morning.

Rowley admitted that Caricom had requested a meeting with Pompeo around the time the delegation had requested a meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres in January. The group did not immediately hear back, and had actually forgotten about it, until they received the invitation from Pompeo. Rowley said he believed the meeting was “a step in the right direction.” He added he would be addressing the media on Sunday to elaborate more on his trip.

Pompeo and US Vice President Mike Pence, have been some of the strongest voices advocating for a change in the government of Venezuela. The US has even endorsed incumbent Nicolas Maduro’s challenger, Juan Guaido, as the rightful president of the country in the interim, until fresh elections are called.

In a statement following the meeting, Caricom reiterated its postion of non-interference and non-intervention, while also advocating for a greater involvement of international bodies, like the UN, especially in distributing humanitarian aid. It also called for meaningful dialogue between the conflicting parties in Venezuela.

“Caricom is deeply concerned by the recent further escalation of tensions in Venezuela and the ensuing increase in hardship and suffering of the population exacerbated by the imposition of sanctions.

The people of Venezuela must be allowed to decide their own future in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter non-intervention, non-interference, prohibition of the threat or use of force, respect for the rule of law, human rights and democracy.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Civility in public office THESE past weeks have been turbulent, in large part stemming from the current political fallout following passage of the no-confidence motion and the operations of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). There exists no interest in this editorial to get into the nitty-gritty and back and forth, save to saying that the expectation is that the Appeal Court will adjudicate on the matter expeditiously.

What has been most instructive in this period is how much civility has been disregarded in our public sphere. Last Thursday's crass behaviour by leader of the opposition (LOO) accusing the government of fraudulent behaviour and also attacking the President personally, referring to his religion, was the most vulgar we have seen from this former president in recent times. Known for this kind of behavior, Mr Jagdeo's hasty conclusion as to the motive of the President sending two letters to the chairman of GECOM without properly reading them is most unfortunate. Despite

being exposed, he refused to acknowledge his wrong and proceeded to make other wild, unfounded claims, even threatening to boycott a meeting proposed by the President.

Guyanese were known for and took great pride at being a civil people. Respect shown for others was not singularly due to familial relations, but also for the office persons held. There were ethics, nurtured and ingrained from infancy, such as “manners maketh man.” Ethics, according to the online dictionary, is synonymous with “moral code, morals, morality, values, rights and wrongs, principles, ideals, standards (of behavior), value system, virtues, dictates of conscience.”

It was this universal culture that set the tone for acceptable standards, norms and practices, by which persons are judged, accepted or rejected. The blurring of lines or unconcern to retain these values did not start yesterday, but instead of making determined efforts to halt the erosion, there is a sense that this is no longer considered

important.

There was a time when adults, particularly those in public and influential offices, were ever so mindful of how society sees and judges them, often feeling compelled by such observation and critique to be on their best behaviour or put their best foot forward. Equally of value was not to disgrace the family or do anything that would cause children -- including theirs-- to see them in a less than positive light. When these values are no longer considered sacred or are being discarded, condemnation of any untoward behaviour of the younger generation comes hypocritical.

Children learn what they see and model themselves after their elders/seniors.

Society bemoans the fall in education standards and expresses concern about school drop-outs, functional illiteracy, rising illiteracy and juvenile delinquency, attributing these dysfunctions to the education system. Learning is holistic, i.e. formal and environmental. Even with the best of educators/teachers and full

complement of teaching aids, best techniques and physical environment, children are not insulated from what happens outside of the classrooms.

When persons holding offices of esteem behave in undignified manner as did our LOO, their decisions and actions impact children-including theirs -- in deciphering right and wrong behaviours. In this school or university of life, this creates confusion in the minds. Some will emulate and others reject, setting in train clashes of influences, re-defining new ‘norms’ and ‘ethics,’ invariably contributing to lowering standards in society by making unacceptable behaviour acceptable.

Of concern too is the seeming or determined behaviour of being unable to separate not liking the leaders to respecting their offices and right to discharge their responsibilities. Correspondingly, leaders have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a respectful manner, given that uncivil behaviour lowers ethical standards, thereby bringing shame and disrepute to the

offices they hold.

Public and influential office holders play a very significant role in society and it would help should they reflect on their importance and live up to society’s expectations of them. They are not only there to serve the public good, but also to be role models for others. And where civility is losing its pre-eminence in society, our children suffer, given that they can only be what they learn, see and are exposed to.

Our education was once touted among, if not, the best in the Caribbean.

It was an education not necessarily that of achieving higher formal learning such as attending university or college, but that of the pre-eminence placed on knowing and practising the three “Rs”- i.e. reasoning, writing and arithmeticregardless of the level of education attained. While reiterating no interest in getting into the intricacies of the GECOM issue, it cannot go unnoticed that the three “Rs” are no longer held in esteem or are being totally disregarded.

For instance, the world has been socialised to see the Rule of Law as intrinsic to democracy. Thus, it is more than passing strange that applying the letter of the law in government utilising the courts to challenge the no-confidence vote there is loud rejection, accompanied by accusation of undemocratic behaviour and a violation of the constitution. It needs not be repeated here, the uncivil manner with which such expressions are being accompanied.

Current bombardment from leaders and influential voices and organisations can be likened to a drone, making it difficult for a climate to facilitate reasoning and civility to shine through. This is why it is so important to have the court expedite soonest, what it has been asked of soonest. Hopefully, its decision could help restore some semblance of civility to the public sphere, but in the meantime, it is not too much to ask of each and every one of us to make a commitment to do so.

Is it a case of failing memory, Madame Teixeira?

Dear Editor GAIL Teixeira’s letter,"GECOM has no authority to state it is unable to hold elections prior to date being announced, President knowingly causing constitutional crisis" (Stabroek News, March 1, 2019) is highly disingenuous, especially from someone who has been in public life as long as the Honourable Member of Parliament has.

The Honourable Member has served as minister in several ministries as well as Chief Whip and Presidential Adviser on Governance over the life of successive PPPP/C administrations.

Ms. Teixeira should be in possession of the facts

above the level of the common man, or at least be in a position to acquaint herself with same.

However, in her missive, institutional memory seems to have abandoned the Honourable Member, or she does not care to avail herself of a reflection on our political history of recent vintage. But facts are stubborn things.

Firstly, in 2006, General and Regional Elections were constitutionally due on August 4, under the Presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo. I refer the Honourable Member to Stabroek News April 11, 2006, "GECOM agrees to poll delay".

The article reads, "The Guyana Elections Commis-

sion (GECOM) yesterday decided by a majority vote that elections would be delayed past the August 4 constitutional deadline; a situation that now calls for arrangements to be put in place to extend the life of the government.

“After weeks of protracted discussions on a date for the upcoming elections, the Commission has identified August 30 as the possible election day, following a four-to- three vote at yesterday's statutory meeting.

“Sources said GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally cast the deciding vote, after a split between the six commissioners nominated by the ruling PPP and the parliamentary opposition

parties.”

The Jagdeo government on April 13, 2006 then used its majority in Parliament to pass a "controversial constitutional ammendment that allowed for an extra month for the holding of elections."

That very night, President Jagdeo dissolved Parliament.

In a press statement at the time, the PPP/C said that it was "forced" to proceed with the constitutional ammendment on its own to accomodate the delay in the election date: "The attempt by the opposition to exploit a critical situation for a partisan political agenda, which has arisen through no fault of the government's, to extract political concessions

and limit the government's capacity to deliver services to the Guyanese people was unacceptable."

Secondly, in 2001, under the CARICOM-brokered Herdmanston Accord, which had been incorporated into the country's legislation, elections were to be held by Janurary 17, 2001. When GECOM could no longer meet the deadline, elections were deemed 'no longer practicable'.

GECOM had been aiming for a poll date of Janurary 15, 2001, but was tied up in wranglings pertaining to the passage of key legislation [Election Laws (Amendment) Bill No. 11/2000] for a new electoral system and there was also

contention among GECOM commissioners on the distribution of 25 seat among 10 regions.

In November 2000, under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration, it was the GECOM which formally told political parties that elections could no longer be held by January 17, 2001.

I refer the Honourable Member to Stabroek News, December 8, 2000, "Polls for March 19": "President Bharrat Jagdeo in an address to the nation last night announced March 19 as the date for elections which were postponed from January 17, on the advice TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Stop your griping, Mr Jagdeo!

–– Prove yourself a true ‘Champion of the Earth’ Dear Editor, WITHIN a few months, in October 2019, Guyana will be observing the 30th Anniversary of a magnificent gift of nature: The Iwokrama International Rainforest Conservation Project.

This natural gem, a portion of our giant emerald-green rainforest, was brilliantly conceptualised and presented to the world at the 11th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations, in the great city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 1989 by former President Hugh Desmond Hoyte.

According to the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment, which was issued at the end of the Summit on October 21, 1989, “The main environmental problems facing the world are the 'greenhouse effect' (which may lead to severe climatic changes that could include floods, drought and rising sea levels), the depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, marine pollution, land degradation and the extinction of numerous animal and plant species. Some developing countries also face distinct environmental problems arising from poverty and population pressures. In addition, some islands and low-lying areas of other countries, are threatened by the prospect of rising sea level.”

At that crucial meeting, President Hoyte, in recognising the importance and urgency of ‘Climate change,’ offered to the world, on behalf of the people of Guyana, “to set aside part of Guyana’s rainforest for study under Commonwealth auspices, for

developing and demonstrating methods of sustainable management of tropical rainforest and conserving biological diversity” (Commonwealth Secretariat, London UK). This gift of approximately 1 million acres of pristine rainforest, has cemented Guyana’s role as a Global Environmental activist and leader in sustainable development. It was a gift that was given long before the landmark UN Conference on Environment and development also known as, ‘The Earth Summit,’ which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992. It was given at a time when it was not so popular politically to do nor when Guyana could really have afforded to do so economically.

There were many critics who felt it was a giveaway of our natural resources, causing future generations of Guyanese to be robbed of their national patrimony. Today, as Guyana gears up to become a major oil producing nation, history is being repeated with many of those same short-sighted critics making the same spurious claims that the Government would cause Guyanese to be robbed of their natural resources. They argue that the multi-national companies, particularly Exon Mobil, are short changing us with agreements that are not favorable to Guyanese. They criticize the Government’s preparedness and expertise in Oil and Gas, despite expert advice on international best practices from around the world, including the prestigious Chatham House of London. They ignore all the precautions being undertaken be the Government to prevent the Dutch disease

and Resource curse. They are transfixed and salivating as Guyana is about to harvest one of the world’s biggest oil and gas reserves that will redound to the benefit of all Guyanese and swiftly transform Guyana into the Malaysia of the Caribbean. There is a unique link between that magnanimous act by Guyana 30 years ago in Malaysia and what is occurring in Guyana today.

Iwokrama was a seed that was planted. It was a sacrificial giving. The foundation was laid for the prosperity of Guyana with the planting of that emerald green gift to the world.

In a sense, Iwokrama, is the genesis of the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) being implemented by the APNU+AFC coalition government which will establish Guyana as a Green State. As the green state is about to take off, Guyana is about to reap a bountiful harvest from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

The advent of oil and gas has imposed upon Guyana another concept of development known as the ‘Blue Economy’.

What is the Blue economy? According to the Commonwealth Secretariat, “The ‘Blue Economy’ is a concept which encourages better stewardship of our ocean or ‘blue’ resources. It underpins the thinking behind the Commonwealth Blue Charter, highlighting, in particular, close linkages between the ocean, climate change, and the wellbeing of the people of the Commonwealth. At its heart, it reaffirms the values of the Commonwealth, including equity and public participation in marine and coastal decision-making. It supports all

Is it a case ...

FROM PAGE

of the Elections Commission."

According to the newspaper, the president stated that his government, "will fufil its constitutional obligation through the Elections Commission to deliver to the people of Guyana a free, fair and credible elections..."

I refer the Honourable Member Gail Teixeira to the Stabroek News of January 18, 2001, "Voluntary government limits on from today". The PPP government decleared "the business of the government continues as normal". The events flowing from the Election Petition ruling of January 15,

2001, which voided the 1997 General and Regional Elections overtook what was already a grave political situation and catapulted the nation into its worst constitutional crisis to date.

There was no political agreement on what that post-January 17, 2001 governance would entail. What was certain, however, was that there would be no elections, as expected and mandated, in January 2001.

In a then statement, the Office of the Pesident said it will always be opened to dialogue and consultation on issues of national importance with the Leader of the

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Opposition. Mr. Jagdeo was President. Today as Leader of the Opposition Mr. Jagdeo seems to want to unilaterally set the agenda for such "dialogue and consultation" with the President.

Again, I find the Honourable Member Gail Teixeira's memory selective on these matters of national and constitutional importance especially as regards the role of PPP/C governments and GECOM in them.

Regards, Sherod Avery Duncan

of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG14 ‘life below water’, and recognizes that this will require ambitious, coordinated actions to sustainably manage, protect and preserve our ocean now, for the sake of present and future generations.” In short, it has to do with the wealth of the Ocean and the health of the Ocean.

For Guyana, the ‘Green’ revolution must be the blueprint for the Blue economy.

Guyana must embrace the blue economy as the flipside of the Green economy, with the Green economy being terrestrial based and the blue economy being aquatic based.

The concept of the blue economy may strike many as being strange since the color blue has never been associated with Guyana. It’s not even in our flag! Blue waters and white sandy beaches has never been a feature of our coastline like the rest of the Caribbean. The brown waters which washes our shores flow from the mighty Amazon and is immortalized in our national song, O beautiful Guyana; ‘the great Atlantic blowing to a fury or asleep.’ Alas, we

can now have the last laugh, as our hidden blue waters lie afar offshore, over a hundred miles from our coast where no one could ‘bad-eye’ it! So, all along we have had beautiful aquamarine waters which remains un-spoilt and pristine just like our emerald-green rain forest. It contains one of the world’s richest reserves of oil and gas which we are about to harvest. It is therefore the Blue economy that will bring lasting prosperity to all Guyanese which President David Granger refers to as ‘the good life.’

With the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS2040), Guyana is well on its way to becoming the world’s first Green State with a Blue economy. All the indications are there; the establishment of the Sovereign Wealth Fund, Educational initiatives such as Masters, Bachelors and Associate degree programs in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Guyana; the establishment of the Department of Energy; the appointment of technical experts and overall general capacity building activities.

Every patriotic Guyanese should support the Coalition

Government as it establishes the world’s first Green State with a Blue Economy under the leadership of President David Granger. All stakeholders across the public and private sectors as well as Civil Society organisations should call on Opposition Leader Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo to stop the hostility and to stop seeing only ‘Red’.

If he is truly a Champion of the Earth, Mr Jagdeo will cease stirring up strife in the society, and meet with President Granger ASAP to fulfill his constitutional duties and use his ‘Environmental Laureate’ to promote Guyana’s version of a Green New Deal with President Granger, thereby showcasing Guyana’s true colors to the world.

Yours sincerely, Standhope Williams

8

Silly season for scandals

I HAVE seen a recent news conference

by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in which he scandalously labelled sections of the non-government media as “paid press”.

As the independent media bludgeoned him after he accused President Granger of committing a fraud, he proceeded to cynically name journalists such as Julia Johnson and Gordon Moseley, the latter having been banned from presidential media conferences under the former regime.

As I watched his pathetic performance, I realized that the silly season for scandals has returned, and the image of the foul-mouthed politician came back from a period when Jagdeo himself had invented “cuss-down politics”.

VULTURES AND CARRIONS That was the period when journalists were labelled as vultures and carrions; when a journalist was assassinated and another jailed for five years after being tried for treason. Then an out-spoken media critic was doused with fresh faeces at a time when no one thought that a journalist could be dismembered, a la Jamal Khashoggi.

The Opposition Leader tried to beat a retreat from his tasteless tirade against the president and the press but soon found himself in another defamatory dead-end.

He declared that certain government ministers had travelled overseas “to collect

bribes”. He repeated the bare-faced slander, even though it is public information that the named ministers were in Texas on official business.

Hours after those outbursts, one of my daughters shared with me a quotation which I modified, and it goes like this: A parrot makes lots of noise but cannot fly high; The eagle does not squawk aloud or cry, But can touch the sky!

It is clear that the former president is momentarily disoriented by charges against him of misuse of state resources, and the many counts of fraud and sleaze against several of his ministers. But this is no time to play the silly game of catch- up by accusing the sitting President with fraudulent conduct.

PRESIDENT’S LETTERS It appears that the parrot-like noises were a response to two letters sent by President Granger to Justice James Patterson, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on February 25, 2019. The Chairman has admitted that he had received both letters, but that he considered the first to take precedence.

That letter was in response to the Chairman, who is on record as saying:(1) The Elections Commission does not have the capability to deliver credible

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

General and Regional Elections (GRE) by March 21, 2019 – just one month away; (2) Additional funds are needed by GECOM to hold these elections; and (3) The National Assembly has to make provision for allocation of the necessary funds.

President Granger acted politically correct as a statesman should. He assured the Chairman that (a) the Government of Guyana is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the Commission is provided with the financial resources needed; and that (b) the Commission has sufficient time to conduct credible elections.

In that letter, the President urged the Commission “to commence preparations for the conduct” of General and Regional Elections.

Under the Guyana Constitution, it is the Elections Commission that has “general direction and supervision” over all elections of members of the National Assembly.

This responsibility includes registration of electors and the administrative arrangements for the elections. (See Article 161 (1)(a) of the Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana).

LEGAL APPEAL With a legal appeal underway, and for other obvious reasons, all parties have accepted that there could be no elections by March 21, which falls within the Hindu festive celebrations of Phagwah, and is marked as a national holiday.

There are constitutional requirements that call for consultations with both the Elections Commission and the parliamentary opposition and, I would add, the Speaker of the National Assembly.

To hold elections beyond March 21, it requires approval by the National Assembly of a resolution supported by a two-thirds majority. More problematic is the process by which monies could be appropriated for GECOM. Our Constitution provides that no monies could be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without the recommendation or consent of the Cabinet. (Article 171 (2)(ii) ). If the ruling of the Chief Justice (ag) were to be followed, then Cabinet has been “resigned” effective from December 21, 2018!

It is reasonable to suggest that both the Government and the Opposition are fully aware of this legal conundrum.

On its part, the government has approached the Guyana Court of Appeal to stay the Chief Justice’s ruling, primarily as it reaffirmed a date that has since placed Cabinet in a coma. Only a stay could ‘unresigned’ the Cabinet to give consent, in a situation of utmost necessity, to a financial Bill for monies

from public funds.

MISLEADING ARGUMENT The Opposition is wrongly insisting that monies have already been allocated.

According to its new legal eagle, Gail Teixeira, a lump sum of $5,371,061,000 was approved by the National Assembly on November 16, 2018. She argued in her characteristic dogmatic, inflexible, Stalinist manner, that GECOM could lawfully use up the lump sum to prepare for, and hold elections by March 21, 2019.

That argument is deliberately misleading. The lump sum was not voted for the holding of elections. I refer to a Stabroek News article on 28th November, 2018 under the headline, “Gov’t budgets $2.9B for 2020 poll preparations”. It quoted the finance minister as saying that of the $5.4 billion for GECOM, “2.9 will be for the preparation of the 2020 General and Regional elections”. No mention was made that that sum or any other sums were for holding of elections.

It may be useful to share the decision on point from the Australian case, Brown v West [1990] regarding appropriations authorised by the Constitution. The High Court held that an appropriation “must designate the purpose or purposes for which the money appropriated might be expended”. That principle was stated by Latham C.J: “…there cannot be appropriations in blank, appropriations for no designated purpose, merely authorizing expenditure with no reference to purpose.”

There is much learning in this case that suggests that while no item by item debate is allowed on estimates for constitutional agencies, (i) no money can be taken out of the Consolidated Fund except under a distinct authorization from Parliament itself; and (ii) once money has been appropriated, it restricts the expenditure to the particular purpose for which authorization to withdraw it has been given.

SOBER STATESMANSHIP Both Jagdeo and Teixeira, as Guyanese would say, are barking up the wrong tree.

They have to move far away from that culture of fiscal lawlessness that had led the PPP government to spend billions of taxpayers’ money without the approval of parliament, and also in defiance of objections by the National Assembly.

That was the reason for the motion of no-confidence against the minority PPP government in 2014. It cannot now be the recipe to lawfully secure funds for holding fresh elections after a national consensus on a date beyond March 21.

More than any time before, sober statesmanship, not scandal-mongering, is needed.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Understanding Energy

Local companies arising to meet new demand in oil industry WITH the government’s local content policy reportedly in the final stages of drafting, it’s important to look now at where Guyanese companies are already participating successfully in Guyana’s new oil and gas industry and examine what has worked both here and abroad in other countries that have had similar oil booms.

Many Guyanese firms, like GCX Energy and GAICO Construction, have entered into joint ventures with international firms that serve the oil and gas industry— something that has been actively encouraged by bodies like the ExxonMobil-funded Center for Local Business Development (CLBD) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).

These efforts are aimed at seizing opportunities in the economic boom that is accompanying Guyana’s rapid progress towards first oil production in 2020. And with more than 5 billion barrels discovered on the Stabroek Block so far across a dozen different well sites, development by the ExxonMobil-led consortium of oil producers is likely to provide business opportunities well into the future.

Many of these opportunities will be with what the industry terms “Tier 1” contractors—the largest and most established companies that provide key services like well drilling, underwater seismic and geological surveys, and operation of giant and sophisticated floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels.

Some Guyanese will already be familiar with firms like Saipem, Schlumberger, and TechnipFMC because they have been in-country aggressively hiring personnel and establishing physical presence. These firms aim to support the oil operators who are embarking on a hiring binge of their own.

Many companies are actively pursuing joint ventures with international companies to combine specialized international expertise in the energy industry with local knowledge and manpower.

Since much of the work done on drillships, production vessels, and support vessels and

facilities are highly technical, the kind of training and experience that more established firms can provide is essential to helping Guyanese firms gain a long-term foothold in the industry.

This sort of capacity-building is widely regarded as a sustainable approach, increasing local content by helping local companies and workers to gain the skills needed to compete for contracts regardless of specific policy or legislation around local content.

Guyanese companies will hope to follow in the footsteps of firms like Norwegian oil and gas service firm, Aibel, and Malaysia’s Wasco Energy. Both were initially formed as small local firms or ordinary industrial companies outside the oil industry, but both saw the opportunity provided by a local oil boom and took advantage of it.

They took the expertise they gained at home and exported that, becoming major players in the industry over time.

Wasco, in particular, was a medium-sized industrial company in Malaysia that rose through that nation’s oil boom into an international

oilfield service conglomerate.

It now operates worldwide and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and North America and works on high profile pipeline projects like the Gorgon liquified natural gas project in Australia.

Many of Guyana’s most promising new players in the industry have benefitted from training and support from CLBD, which provides guidance and information to companies looking to participate in the industry and gain contracts—something that Guyanese companies will hopefully continue to take full advantage of on the road to first oil.

As our energy industry matures and expands with more production and new discoveries, Guyanese companies will, hopefully, continue to grow with it.

By adapting to the needs of a new industry and even forming new companies to meet demands, Guyanese entrepreneurs can continue to gain the experience they need to be significant players in the energy industry, not just here at home, but potentially around the world.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Leakage blamed for vehicular explosions

By Vishani Ragobeer

RECENTLY, a number of vehicles have caught fire and while many persons have speculated that these fires were caused by the ‘new fuel’ being imported by the government through the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil), experts disagree.

On February 4, the Ministry of Finance and GuyOil announced a significant reduction in the cost of motor gasoline and Gasoil (LSD), owed to the lower fuel acquisition prices.

Following the closure of the Trinidadian

only days after the new fuel was introduced to the local market, many speculated that it was the cause of the problem.

NOT A FUEL PROBLEM Martin John, a mechanic at Bonedry Autoworks, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, indicated that it is “largely unlikely” that the fires were caused by the fuel for a number of reasons.

John explained that when fuel is put into a vehicle, it goes into the gas tank, where it is stored for use. There is a fuel pump in that tank which is responsible for pushing the fuel through pipes (also called fuel lines) to the engine of the vehicle. Before it reaches the engine; however, the fuel must pass through the fuel filter, which, as its name suggests, removes any impurities from the fuel. The fuel then goes through the vehicle’s injector to the combustion chamber of the engine.

In simple terms, what the engine does is burn the liquid fuel to create a heat that

is then burnt.

There is an electrical switch that controls the canister and the excess vapour from the gasoline, and in his opinion, maybe a strong vapour from the gas could burn the electrical switch and cause some sort of combustion.

But even so, he said that was also a farfetched possibility.

“The only other problem I could think about is that if in some way the vapour in the gas is so strong that it burning a hole in some hose or anything but that should hardly be possible because of the materials they make these things with,” he related also.

“I don’t see any other possible way that a spark could take place and just ignite a car,” he stressed.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Fire Chief Marlon Gentle related that investigations into the first two fires proved that it was not the fuel that caused the fires.

Rather, he explained that it was found that one vehicle was modified in such a

The second vehicular fire that occurred on February 6, 2019 (Adrian Narine photo) company Petrotrin – Guyana’s main fuel supplier, the government had approached Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET). CARICOM’s approval of this allowed Guyana to acquire fuel elsewhere and at a reduced cost.

The acquired fuel, Super 95 Gasoline, was wholesaled at $208.00 per litre, while the Gasoil (LSD) was sold at $207.00 per litre. These represented a 27.44 per cent and 15.85 per cent reduction, respectively.

On the other hand, retail customers would pay $218.00 per litre of the Super 95

Martin shows the switch of the charcoal canister (Vishani Ragobeer photo) Gasoline – which is a $30.77 reduction from the current prices, and $217.00 per litre of Gasoil (LSD), a $19.72 reduction.

But days after the reduction was announced and drivers began filling up their tanks, two vehicles caught afire.

The first incident occurred at around 08:30hrs on February 6. A minibus contracted to work with the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) caught fire on Sheriff Street on the western carriageway. At 09:00hrs that same day, in another part of Georgetown, on the western carriageway of Avenue of the Republic, motorcar PJJ 5656 burst into flames. In both instances, it was reported that the drivers noticed the vehicles emanating smoke from the bonnet.

A third vehicle, a minibus carrying passengers, also caught fire the next day, but this vehicle had collided with a utility pole.

With these vehicular fires occurring

Fire Chief Marlon Gentle Oil was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mahender Sharma.

On Friday, when contacted by this newspaper, Sharma related that the GEA has been monitoring the vehicular fires and was advised by the fire service, that these fires were “triggered by factors other than fuel quality”.

“For each shipment of fuel imported by Guyoil, a Certificate of Quality is provided,” Sharma explained, and indicated that it was no different with the ‘new’ fuel being imported.

But even so, in light of the incidents, he disclosed that the GEA reviewed the certificates of quality from two different laboratories and was satisfied that the specifications were within the national standard for gasoline.

Furthermore, Sharma indicated his confidence in the quality of the fuel and shared that he uses GuyOil fuel in his own vehicle. Asked if the GEA also uses this fuel in their vehicular fleet, he stated: “Yes and we continue to do so.”

REGULAR MAINTENANCE More recently, a vehicle burst into

Mechanic Martin John explaining how fuel travels through a vehicle (Vishani Ragobeer photo) works in conjunction with other parts of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move.

What is important to note, is that fuel travels throughout the vehicle along sealed lines that are manufactured to prevent combustion.

“Some leakage has to happen; the fuel can’t catch afire just like that. A leak would happen maybe if one of the [fuel] lines are rotten or if one of them gets porous… it isn’t easy for it to get a leak just like that,” the mechanic said.

Martin, who has been a mechanic for about 22 years, had repaired one of the vehicles that caught fire and was able to provide insight into the matter.

A leakage was not found in the vehicle he was repairing and Martin shared that he has been racking his brain to find some possible cause for the fire.

What he was considering at the time of Guyana Chronicle’s visit to his repair shop on Saturday, was that there is a problem with the charcoal canister system of the vehicle.

He explained that some cars have a “return line” from the injector that takes back the excess fuel to the tank, while some do not.

“What happens is that some of the cars don’t have a return line and so they use another system that has a charcoal canister,” he said.

The charcoal contained in the canister controls the vehicle’s emissions by absorbing and trapping fuel vapour and later releasing this back into the engine, where it

way that caused fuel to spill from the lines onto a part of the electrical circuit, causing combustion. In the other case, the vehicle was also modified after initially suffering from a fuel starvation problem, which led to fuel spilling on the hot exhaust and again, resulting in the combustion.

However, many persons believe that the new fuel was the sole cause of the fires.

One local newspaper published an article on February 9, with the headline: “Questions mount over quality of GuyOil fuel”, which fuelled the contention that the problem was with the fuel.

“GuyOil categorically rejects the reckless conjecture contained in the article, and wishes to reassure its customers and the general public that fuel sold by the company is subjected to rigorous quality control tests and is certified to have met all required specifications,” a release from the oil company said.

The release added: “Contrary to the claims made by the article, GuyOil has not received any reports from its customers or franchise holders which indicate that they have experienced any challenges in the operation of their vehicles as a result of fuel purchased from its service Stations.”

GuyOil highlighted that it would be pursuing legal action against the newspaper and the article was later removed from the newspaper’s website.

GEA APPROVES Adding to the statement made by Guy-

The car that caught fire at the workshop; the most recent occurrence of a vehicular fire flames on March 1, at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara while at a mechanic shop. This vehicle was taken to the shop for overheating and suspension problems.

The overheating problems were fixed but the suspension issues were not.

According to Fire Chief Gentle, the vehicular fires call for persons to exercise greater diligence with their vehicles.

Reflecting on the first two fires, he stressed that too often persons would modify their vehicles without consideration of the consequences of doing so.

As such, he called for motorists to only have their vehicles repaired according to the manufacturer’s specifications and by persons who have knowledge of auto repairs.

He also stressed that all motorists equip their vehicles with a small fire extinguisher to safeguard against emergencies.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Governments come and go

TO what extent is the government responsible for George’s five “child- mothers” and the concomitant pressures that will inevitably flow from this reality?

Some would dare to argue that it is the government’s fault, insofar as depressed communities exist with broken families and poor education systems.

The other side of the argument can be found submitting that individual decision-making has nothing to do with government and govern-centric thinking is a manifestation of a form of laziness. This writer finds himself, comfortably, in the corner of the latter.

Decision-making can be regarded as a problem-solving activity with the view of yielding a solution; it is a process that can be rational or irrational. We may make

some rash judgments in the heat of the moment and the outcomes may be insurmountable. Where governments have no clear policy connected to a specific social issue, there is no basis to apportion blame to the government for your condition.

Perhaps an illustration of the direct connection between government and the ability or inability to choose would efficiently elucidate this point. The case of China and its ‘one-child policy’ comes to mind. In 1978, the Government of China introduced the ‘one-child policy’ to address the economic and demographic challenges presented by China’s 1.3 billion population. To remedy this situation, there was a restriction on most couples, from urban areas, to one child.

Hefty fines and penalties met those who dared to defy this

policy. As a result, by 2009, the average number of births for a woman in China was only 1.8.

The aforementioned demonstrates a scenario where it is perfectly justified to blame the government for individual decision-making; there is no escaping this fact in such cases. If there is a state policy that says you must have five “child-mothers,” or you must not work, then you can blame those in authority for your plight.

Barring the existence of a policy that restricts your ability to pick yourself up by your bootstraps, you really have no excuse. The state has three key primary responsibilities: protect and provide, create an enabling environment to develop talent and to maintain the general infrastructure of an average country. It does

not include solving every problem that pops up in the lives of citizens. It also does not include cleaning up poor decisions of citizens.

In conclusion, it is folly to practise the approach of blaming the government for everything and anything that goes wrong in your life; governments come and go, but the consequences of your actions will remain.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

‘Empowerment’...

From page 2

diversification and innovation.

“This is not just the celebration of women’s achievement, it is a celebration of diversity and inclusivity, which I believe, are generally desirable of all aspects of human development,” the business minister said.

In the words of Noel, the expo not only allows exhibitors to network and promote their businesses, but it is also an inspiration to the young and old that they

too can become owners of their businesses, and leaders within society.

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator, gave a holistic view of progress made by women in the global business community. The UN official said women possess the ability to deploy the six competencies of leadership critical to successful development of business opportunities, in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Those competencies are: long-term thinking, innovation, collaboration, transparency, environmental management and social inclusiveness.

VISION AND TENACITY “A long-term vision and the tenacity to ‘make it happen’ – are essential to doing business in line with SDGs,” the UN resident coordinator said.

She noted that based on

Sonia Noel (seated second left) surrounded by some members of the coordinating team and supporters of Women in Business Expo 2019. In photo as well is Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin (standing at the centre) and Jernej Videtic, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation (third from left) and UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka (standing behind Ms. Noel) (Delano Williams photo) research, “businesses with more women in high-level management positions, particularly on corporate boards, are better able to shift from maximising short-term profits to focusing on longer-term growth goals.”

According to her, an increasing number of companies that have placed women at the helm of their operations are reaping the benefits of such a move, because they are now better tackling complex issues.

“There is considerable evidence of women identifying new technologies, business models, products and services, that are critical to meeting consumer needs, while also solving societal problems,” she noted.

Noting that collaboration is critical to achieving all the SDGs, Tanaka said research also suggests that women leaders tend to be collaborative and ready to engage in building consensus. They are proactive and efficient, she emphasised.

“Women have an ability to ‘connect the dots,’ because they are living it. They have a unique and critical role to play in building the kind of innovative solutions we need, and they are vital change agents in implementing them,” Tanaka said, as she quoted Chief Executive Officer and President of Ceres, Mindy Lubber.

The resident coordinator said UN Women observes that gender equality has a multiplier effect on all of the

SDGs and recommends that companies prioritise Goal 5 – Gender Equality.

Jernej Videtic, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation and his wife and Vice- Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, were among the dignitaries present during the opening.

Women in Business Expo 2019 covers a variety of areas including Art and Craft, Child Care Services, App Development, Catering Services, Salon and Spa and Body Therapy Services, Laundry Service and Agro-processed goods.

An array of locally made hair, face and skin products are also on show.

The expo continues today at the Pegasus Hotel.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Taking oxygen out of human trafficking

By Svetlana Marshall

WITH human traffickers generating hundreds of billions of dollars in profits globally, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan said successful prosecutions can aid in putting a major dent into the trade of humans.

“We have to ensure that we cut the profits out of the trade, one such tool of course, is deterrence through successful investigation and prosecution,” Minister Ramjattan has said.

Though Guyana is making strides in its fight to combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), Minister Ramjattan, who sits at the helm of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, said there is a need to address the factors affecting successful prosecution of human trafficking.

He explained that there has been an increase in TIP cases in court. However, language barriers and the absence of interpreters at times, refusal by victims to testify and the altering of statements by victims and witnesses due to fear, are among factors that cause cases to fall apart in some instances, even before they reach court.

Minister Ramjattan, at the time, was delivering the keynote address during a discussion forum on the Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons Cases in Guyana at the Regency Hotel on Saturday.

Weighing in on the issue was Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, who attended the forum alongside Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally. Justice Cummings-Edwards said that based on a report from Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, the Guyana Police Force has been instituting charges against suspected traffickers but has been unable to complete the files in a timely manner; this has resulted in victims being unwilling to give evidence and dismissal of cases for want of prosecution.

The chancellor, like Minister Ramjattan, underscored the importance of having interpreters, and noted that some foreign nationals who legally enter Guyana but overstay their time are oftentimes reluctant to testify, either because they fear deportation, or are fearful of being charged. In some cases, foreign nationals who were trafficked, returned home before giving evidence or before providing sufficient information for prosecution

–– requires successful prosecutions, says Minister Ramjattan

From left to right, seated in the front row: Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally; and Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, with participants at the one-day forum (Delano Williams photo) of the suspected trafficker.

Another factor affecting the successful prosecution of cases is settlement among the victims and the suspected traffickers.

“Many victims are poor and settle for payment and therefore never appear to give evidence,” Justice Cummings-Edwards explained, while noting that many human-trafficking cases are not reported.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN Painting a picture of the overall situation in Guyana, Justice Cummings-Edwards said women and children are oftentimes the victims.

“Our young people and our women are lured with offers of well-paying jobs and are subsequently exploited and controlled through threats, withholding of pay or insufficient pay, and even physical violence. We have incidents of these occurrences predominantly in our interior and mining regions,” she explained and underscored the need to address loopholes in the system that prevent the suspected persons of these heinous crimes from being successfully prosecuted.

The Ministerial Task Force with support from the Countering-Trafficking in Person Unit, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) and the International Organisation for Migration, among other organisations, has been equipping police investigators and prosecutors with the requisite skills and knowledge needed to prosecute TIP cases, while raising much-needed awareness among school-aged children, young people, and persons operating within the country’s interior.

In keeping with the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act 2005, victims and witnesses are provided with

the necessary support.

“We feel that all of that though necessary is not sufficient and will not be sufficient, unless of course we start further training of our police prosecutors and other key stakeholders inclusive of magistrates and judges and social workers, so that they can increase their capabilities and capacities to help prosecute traffickers…,” Minister Ramjattan said.

It is believed that additional work ought to be done on several grey areas, including the need for more efficient prosecutions, victim identification and support and referral. Faster response times and more vigorous investigations are areas that ought to be improved to allow the country to remain on Tier 1 in the U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons’ Report, and attract greater investors and tourists.

The Minister of Social Protection expressed similar sentiments. “We recognise that the problem of human trafficking requires welltrained law-enforcement officials, prosecutors, social workers and medical practitioners among others who are sensitive to the issues, conversant with the criminality, familiar with the law and attuned to best practice at the international level for us to be successful in all areas of combating trafficking,” Minister Ally said.

The social protection minister strongly believes that successful convictions of offenders, redress of grievances of victims as well as the protection of the rights of victims and prevention of crimes of trafficking are possible when first responders and particularly law-enforcement officers, prosecutors and magistrates perform their tasks diligently.

She said this could only be done if they are informed, trained, and prepared to effectively handle

such sensitive cases.

HARMONISED WORK For Minister Ally, it is important for all stakeholders to work in a harmonised fashion – such a move is necessary to produce the

desired results.

According to stats provided by the public security minister, in 2018, 32 Trafficking in Persons reports were recorded, involving 243 alleged victims and 57 suspected traffickers. Of the

243 alleged victims, 11 were under 18.

Minister Ramjattan further detailed that 162 of the alleged victims hailed from Venezuela, 21 from Guyana, 49 from Cuba, and 10 from The Dominican Republic. Others were from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica.

According to him, the Guyana Police Force filed 36 charges; however, only 10 were directly related to TIPs. Also in 2018, there were two convictions based on cases from 2014 and 2015.

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan was also among the participants on Saturday; participants were drawn from the Judiciary, the Guyana Police Force, the Department of Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Social Protection.

14

Dozens displaced after city fire

A NUMBER of persons were rendered homeless on Saturday morning after a fire of unknown origin destroyed several shacks at the corner of Lombard and Broad Streets in Georgetown.

The fire is the third of its kind at the said location, with the most recent being approx-

imately five years ago.

The occupants have been living there for years after that earlier fire destroyed the original structure.

They improvised and resorted to constructing minishacks where a number of families were living and even operated small businesses such as shops.

The fire service responded to the blaze with a number of tenders and according to what persons reported, the response was swift as it saved a number of other shacks from going up in flames.

One man told the Guyana Chronicle that he was at work on the East Bank of Demarara when he received a call that

the house was on fire.

He said that his reputed wife was asleep when the blaze started and she received a number of burns about her body but nothing life-threatening.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the location, families were pondering their next move even as the fire service was conducting the mopping up exercise.

A number of scorched household appliances, clothing and other personal effects of those who lived there and

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

The aftermath of the fire at the corner of Lombard and Broad Streets, Georgetown have been displaced were among the rubble.

The Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, was also on the scene and could

be seen interacting with the residents.

It is unclear what immediate relief would be meted out to the affected families.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Sandra knows how to ‘sauce it up’

IMAGINE this. You know how to prepare a decent barbecue, but you have special guests to impress and you need an ingredient with a power-punch to boost your dish from nice-enough to eye-popping good.

What do you do?

Sandra Craig assures that her sauces will add the flavour you require.

Marketed under the label “SS B-B-Q Sauce”, Sandra’s products are a huge hit among local barbecue lovers, from expert chefs to backyard grill-and-gigglers.

Barbecue connoisseurs agree that a good, thick, flavourful sauce is essential to get the best out of grilled meats. Some use just a smattering of sauce for a gentle, subtle flavour; others believe a good dollop is the only way to guarantee finger-licking goodness.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the “smattering” kind or fall into the “good dollop” category; Sandra promises great results.

Many satisfied users swear that the unique flavour, texture and taste of Sandra’s sauces have a magical power to supercharge barbecues. This reputation seems to be richly deserved, and it is a fitting reward for a resourceful Guyanese entrepreneur who has been able to transform her homemade-sauce recipes into a range of top quality sauces suitable for both local and international markets.

It all started in 2014 when Sandra, a food vendor at the time, had a wonderful idea. She wondered what would happen if she added carefully selected natural flavours to enrich the deep flavours of her homemade barbecue sauces. With this in mind, she added pineapple to store-bought sauce and …voila! She knew she had a winning flavour.

Encouraged by this success, she continued to experiment by adding honey, other sweet local fruits and a few secret ingredients. Since testing —and tasting— the results, Sandra hasn’t looked back. She had invented a remarkable range of new sauces with unique, delectable flavours, which she knew would add visual interest plus a burst of flavour to any barbecue.

She resolved to produce a distinctive local product that people would want to buy again and again, and she thought incorporating her sauces in her food vending business was the best way to go.

Sandra said people loved her barbecue sauces and were captivated by their unique

smokiness and exotic, balanced tastiness.

“People are shocked when they come across them… when people taste the sauces, they are amazed,” she said.

Sandra said she quickly established her initial range of sauces, which included pineapple, golden apple, tamarind, sour-soup, mango, passion fruit and a version made with ginger and garlic.

Recently, she expanded her product range to include a special sauce for chicken wings called “Spicy Fusion”, as well as a sweet-andsour sauce that can be used primarily as a dip or marinade. She has also introduced a type of pepper-sauce that contains bilimbi (known as ‘souree’) and pineapple, which has a flavour similar to pickled ‘achaar’.

Sandra pointed out that her sauces have a distinct competitive edge because they are prepared for wider use than enhancing barbecued meats. In fact, she expects them to be used as marinades, delicious dips, as well as to augment stews and roasts. Additionally, she only produces her products with fresh ingredients from the market.

It is probably no surprise that the pineapple sauce is Sandra’s favourite and she promises that it adds a new dimension to the ever-popular chowmein dish.

Giving her preferred preparation method, she said she marinates chicken with the pineapple sauce, and then stir-fries it until it is thoroughly cooked and golden brown.

After mixing the fried chicken with stirfried vegetables into boiled and strained chowmein noodles, she adds more sauce for even more flavour. “It’s delicious…” she said.

UNCAPPED Based on her customers’ positive reaction to her sauces, Sandra was finally ready to scale up production.

She decided to test the market by putting them on show at GUYEXPO, and she was pleased with the public interest, acclaim and increased sales generated by the exposure.

When she heard of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association “UncappeD” event to promote the products of local entrepreneurs, Sandra made sure she got on board.

She decided to market her sauces as a line of authentic and flavourful Guyanese condiments and, in the process, reinforced the fact

Sandra and her ‘magical’ sauces that Guyanese have the ability to produce, package and market high-quality products.

And her sauces were an even bigger hit. People who attended the event now look forward to her participation and many ensure they take home at least one bottle of her sauce.

With this success under her belt, Sandra is preparing to participate in this year’s Marketplace UncappeD at the National Stadium on March 31, 2019, when she will also once again market one of her latest products—coconut water with lemon, a product she calls ‘Lemon Burst’.

Sandra has come a long way since she first started concocting homemade sauces in her kitchen. Through a long and slow process of elimination, she has tested and adapted her sauces to better meet the demands of her customers. She can now bottle and label her products in larger quantities, but it is still a small-scale business.

One of her main challenges as an entrepreneur in the agro-processing sector is getting enough capital to expand her operation. This would allow her to produce ample quantities quickly enough to fill large orders, to supply supermarkets adequately and even look at opportunities to explore overseas markets.

Humble, natural ingredients are central to Sandra’s sauces, and she has to be very conscious of food safety. She knows that expanding her business will also warrant a significant investment in safety measures to eliminate potential points of risk. It all comes down to getting capital, and this is where she sees the biggest future benefit of her participation in Marketplace UncappeD. Sandra knows that the UncappeD event attracts financiers and investors along with potential customers. As she sees it, sooner or later, someone who can help her to get the capital she needs to take her business to the next level will attend the event and be impressed by the popularity and quality of her sauces.

Meanwhile, Sandra is producing enough sauce to earn a living. She also wants to help other agro-processors and is encouraging them to bring their products to be sold at her shop in Orange Walk, between Regent and Charlotte Streets.

Her advice to agro-processors is, “Whatever is your dream, bring it to reality. Put your stuff out there…do not give up. Life is about trials and tests. I never gave up on my dream.”

Young pilot cremated after moving service

By Paul Mc Adam THE body of Captain Randy Joseph Liverpool was cremated after a simple but moving service at the Wortmanville Congregational of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Norton Street, on Saturday.

The cremation took place at the Kaashi Dhaam Ruimzeight Crematorium, West Coast Demerara.

Hundreds of family members, friends and members of the aviation sector packed the church to pay their final respects to the 33-year-old pilot, many of whom expressed shock at his sudden demise.

On Thursday, domestic Airways Cessna 206 aircraft, bearing registration 8RGHB, crashed upon approaching the Eteringbang

airstrip at approximately 17:45hrs.

Captain Liverpool, who was the only person in the aircraft, died. He leaves to mourn his wife Karen Liverpool, a twomonth-old and his parents.

Liverpool’s death sent shockwaves throughout the civil aviation fraternity, including the GCAA. Captain Liverpool, who lived in Norton Street, Georgetown, started flying several years ago while attached to Wings Aviation, Ogle Aerodrome.

He started his career as a pilot after undergoing training at the GCAA’s ATC facility at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fatal accident.

Colleagues and relatives bear the body of Captain Randy Joseph Liverpool following his funeral service at the Wortmanville Congregational of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Norton Street, on Saturday

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Bajans apprised of local investment opportunities PRESIDENT of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, last Wednesday addressed the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on “Doing Business in Guyana” at a breakfast meeting.

The event was as a collaborative effort between the BCCI and the GCCI with the aim of strengthening bilateral trade between the two sister CARICOM states, Guyana and Barbados, the GCCI said in a release.

The event also served as an opportunity for the two business support organisations to examine areas of mutual interest with a view to establishing strategic partnerships within the private sector.

Deodat delivered a comprehensive presentation to members of the BCCI, which outlined critical information pertaining to the work of the GCCI and its counterpart, the Private Sector Commission of Guyana (PSC), Guyana’s

economy; tips for navigating Guyana’s business environment; relevant laws and taxes; an overview of the oil and gas sector; and, most importantly, opportunities for investment.

and gas sector.

Indar added that areas for collaboration between Barbados and Guyana exist within the industries of tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, renewable energy and ser-

Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Barbados, Sandra Husbands, stated that the Barbados government is adamant about pursuing bilateral agreements with Guyana, and pledged the

GCCI President Deodat Indar addressing his Barbadian counterparts

A section of the gathering at the breakfast meeting

He urged the BCCI to take advantage of opportunities for investment in Guyana as the country’s economy is positioned to grow exponentially in the next two decades with the expansion of the oil

vices; he noted that Barbados is well positioned to provide training to Guyanese in the hospitality sector, which would substantially benefit the tourism and oil and gas sectors here in Guyana.

support of the ministry in that regard.

In his remarks, Executive Director of the BCCI, Carlos Wharton, noted that Barbados stands to benefit from improved trade relations with

Guyana, particularly in the area of food imports. Wharton stated that Barbados imports the majority of its foods from extra-regional sources, and improved trade with Guyana would provide an opportunity for the reduction of the country’s food- import bill.

In a quest to expand and deepen bilateral trade, the BCCI and the GCCI have agreed to a MoU to formalise their partnership, so that their members can quickly

commence working together.

The BCCI has also signalled its intention to organise a trade mission to Guyana in the coming months and the GCCI was well received by the BCCI and the Government of Barbados. Both chambers have expressed optimism as they seek to further establish linkages, and deepen trade and investment between the two countries.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

Lyte gets life imprisonment for murder

KENRICK Lyte, 43, of Good Intent, Lower Pomeroon, Region Two, will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of murder by a 12-member jury on Thursday.

Lyte was charged in 2014 for the offence of murder, contrary to common law, committed on Osmond Fiedtkou, 72.

According to the summary of the case, the incident occurred at Groete Creek, Essequibo River, between July 9 and 13, 2014.

The court heard that

the accused had owed the deceased some money and was not paying him and that caused an argument. During the argument, the accused shot the deceased to the chest while he was in a boat. It is alleged that the accused, after committing the act, threw away the gun and sank the boat to cover up his crime.

During the court proceedings, the accused maintained his innocence; however, the prosecution proved otherwise.

The defence counsel

agreed that on the day in question the accused and the deceased were last seen together. He noted, however, that none of the witnesses provided evidence to prove that the accused had an argument with the deceased and then shot him.

He further claimed that none of the witnesses saw the accused sink the boat and dumped the shotgun, which was used to commit the murder.

The prosecution, on the other hand, urged the jury to rely on the circumstantial

evidence of the crime when arriving at their verdict.

The prosecution argued that there was a motive to commit the act since the accused had owed the deceased money and the accused, in his caution statement, admitted that he indeed had an argument with the deceased.

The prosecution also pointed out that the defence failed to establish that the act was committed in self-defence or by accident since the post-mortem examination revealed an entire case of

pellets in the victim’s chest, which suggests that he was shot at close range. This deemed the act as deliberate.

After hearing both the prosecution and defence cases, the jury went into deliberation. After deliberating for almost an hour, the jury returned with a unanimous verdict, which found the accused guilty of murder.

The presiding judge, Sandil Kisson, handed down the sentence after pointing out that the accused deprived a 72-yearold gentleman of his life.

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Kenrick Lyte

Top waste companies feel ‘dumped’ TWO of the city’s main garbage contractors – Puran Brothers Disposal Services and Cevons Waste Management Inc – are disappointed that the companies were not hired for construction works at the Haags Bosch Sanitary Landfill Site.

Manager of Puran’s, Kaleshwar Puran, told the Guyana Chronicle on Thurs-

day that the two companies decided to embark on a joint venture to have the works done, but that they were later told that they would not get the project.

Since the companies have met all of the requirements needed for the construction of Cell No. Two at the said landfill site, Puran said the two companies have decided

to challenge the outcome of the bidding process.

He pointed out that the works were instead handed to S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services, whose bid was higher than that submitted under the joint venture by Puran’s and Cevons.

The Ministry of Communities wrote the two com-

panies, advising them that their bid for the project was evaluated and found to be non-responsive.

The Ministry of Communities had received funding from the Government of Guyana for the management of solid waste, and said it intended to utilise part of the funding for construction of said cell.

Following the ministry’s correspondence, Puran said the company has since written to Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, Chairman of the Procurement Commission Carol Corbin and Berkeley Wickham from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.

The two companies are

contending that they are unable to understand the reasons behind the awarding of the contract to S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services; they are therefore requesting an urgent review of the process. Furthermore, a representative from S. Jagmohan was absent from a mandatory site visit.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Lamaha Park community police show patriotism

THE Lamaha Park Community Policing Group last Sunday staged a flag-raising ceremony in recognition of Guyana’s 49th Anniversary as a republican state.

The occasion, which brought together a keenly enthusiastic gathering of patriotic residents of the close-knit community, was held at Lamaha Park’s ‘New Look Entrance’ launched one year ago.

The facility, indelibly etched in the fabric of the

community, is the brainchild of a 2018 University of Guyana Social Work Community Project, proudly maintained by residents, under the aegis of Kimberly Conway, chairperson of the indefatigable team dubbed the “Fabulous Five.”

Among the distinguished others joining the residents in celebration were Patricia Chase-Green (senior councillor, Constituency 12, Georgetown City Council); Community Leader, Reginald Brotherson; a represen-

tative of the East La Penitence Police Station who hoisted the national flag and Deon Fraser, chairman of the Lamaha Park Community Policing Group.

Commending the relations between the Lamaha Community Policing Group and the wider community, Brotherson outlined that community policing has a role to integrate public needs with police resources; he added that community policing promises to strengthen the

capacity of communities to fight and prevent crime on their own.

He congratulated too, the dedicated efforts of the two entities’ at keeping the ‘community spirit alive’, ultimately enhancing the ambience of the community.

“It is refreshing to see the community spirit ‘alive’ in our gathering at today’s flag-raising event to mark Guyana’s 49th Republic Anniversary. As we move forward as a community which can be considered as a frag-

mented and important piece to the collective, Guyana, as a country, it is fitting to reflect on how communities evolved before Guyana’s self-rule as a nation-state.”

Brotherson noted that

Lamaha Park’s community socio-economic development is a reflection of most communities across Guyana, which had its formation through colonialism, slavery and indentureship.

Youth's body recovered from Berbice River

THE body of Goodwin Petrie was fished out of the Berbice River, some two days after he was reported missing from his temporary home at Sand Hills, a riverine community.

His mother, Betlyn King, told Guyana Chronicle that following the death of her son's maternal grandmother on January 9, her remains were transported back to the Berbice River for burial.

On that occasion, her eldest son (now deceased) of High Dam, Plantation Mount Sinai (Angoy’s Avenue), New Amsterdam, had accompanied the body and opted to stay after he found employment in the coals industry.

On February 24, he attended a party at "Freddy" at Sand Hills and reportedly left at 02:30hrs the following morning to stay with his cousins, who live nearby.

Information gathered revealed that the youth boarded his paddle boat during the break of dawn and was last seen paddling away during the" falling tide".

Meanwhile, a younger

Drowned: Goodwin Petrie

sibling, upon awakening and not seeing his brother, visited their cousins before organising a search party.

The following day, Petrie’s boat was found tied at Gateroy, several villages away and hours afterwards the body was seen floating.

The police were alerted and the body was transported to New Amsterdam and is at the Stanleytown Cemetery where it awaits post-mortem.

Petrie leaves to mourn his parents, four siblings and a daughter. Police have launched an investigation into his death.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 3, 2019

EBD residents call for more police patrols … over heightened crime rate at McDoom/Agricola RESIDENTS of McDoom and Agricola, on the East Bank Demerara, are calling for the establishment of Community Police Groups (CPGs) along with more police patrols in the area to curb the growing crime activities, especially in the evening.

The villagers made this call due to the high rates of robbery and cellphone larceny at key areas such as Middle Road, McDoom; Flour Mill Road and ‘Road Head’, both located in Agricola.

According to the residents, the robbers, in most cases, would board Route 42 minibuses at the Stabroek Market and while inside they would seek their target.

The robbers, while approaching either one of three targeted areas, would ask the minibus conductor to stop.

While exiting, the robber would snatch persons’ cellphone or handbag and make good their escape.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday was Priya Ramdass, who was robbed of her handbag and cellphone while coming home in a route 42 minibus on Friday, March 1, 2019, at Middle Road, McDoom.

According to Ramdass, she boarded the minibus at the Stabroek Market and unknown to her the perpetrator, a male, was already sitting next to her.

When the minibus left the park, she took out her cellphone from her handbag to keep her company during the journey.

However, as the minibus approached Middle Road, McDoom, the male asked for the ‘corner.’

As the minibus came to a halt, Ramdass explained that she placed her cellphone back into her bag and came out so the male could have passed.

She noted that the same male grabbed onto her handbag but she fought back

while calling for assistance from other persons in the minibus.

“I scream for help but everybody just sat in the bus watching me while I was being robbed,” Ramdass said with tears in her eyes.

She explained that she let go of the handbag after the man brandished a firearm and watched him escape into the night.

“I turned to them (the passengers in the minibus) and asked why didn’t they help me and a man said to me that I must just thank god for life,” Ramdass recounted.

Ramdass’ story is followed by Earl Johnson, who was robbed at Flour Mill Road, Agricola last Friday by two males on a bicycle while he was waiting on a minibus to go to work.

Johnson explained that one of the robbers is known and is said to be a 16-yearold resident of Brutus Street, Agricola.

The victim explained that when he visited the home of his attacker, the teen’s mother told him that her son was not at home because he had left with this friend.

Johnson explained that such crimes in the area have become a norm and caused fear when traversing late at nights.

He along with other persons is calling for the commissioning of a community police group in the area which will work along with ranks at the Agricola Police Outpost to help curb crime.

Additionally, Middle Road and Flour Mill Road lack adequate lighting which Johnson explained is the perfect area for ‘kitchen cats’ (petty thieves).

Residents in the area are calling on the relevant authorities to increase police patrols, especially on foot in the evening, and to look into the situation in their village before the matter gets out of hand.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Police and City Council partner for market raid OFFICERS from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Saturday, March 02, 2019 carried out a three hour long raid at the Stabroek Market and its environs, which led to the arrest of several persons with narcotics.

The raid stemmed from

a meeting between Georgetown Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine and Police Commissioner Mr. Leslie James, DSS, DSM and a team of senior officers including the deputy commissioners and Commander of ‘A’ Division, Marlon Chapman.

The mayor, during the

meeting, raised a number of issues pertaining to effective policing of Georgetown and its environs.

Also a decision was made to see the commencement of a joint collaboration between the City Constabulary and the Guyana Police Force ‘A’ Division.

Officers from ‘A’ Division, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Canine Department, Crime Lab, Construction Department, Tactical Services Unit, Firearms Section, Public Relations Office and the Narcotics Branch, conducted the ‘Cordon and Search Operation’ at

Some of the items found during the raid at Stabroek Market

the Stabroek Market, Ferry Stelling Area and Route 31, 32, 40, 41 and 44 bus parks.

The officers found 128 grams of Marijuana seeds, 561 grams of cannabis, and a quantity of small-sized zip

lock bags.

Thirteen persons were arrested; three for narcotics possession and the others for questioning in relation to several offences.

SUNDAY, MARCH 03, 2019 - 3:00hrs & 05:00 hrs

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Coroner’s inquest into seawall shooting deaths to begin soon

THE coroner’s inquest into the shooting to death of three suspected bandits on the Georgetown seawall in 2018, is expected to commence soon before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had recommended a coroner’s inquest be held into the March 15, 2018, fatal shooting of the three men, whom police said were robbery suspects.

Dextroy Cordis, 46, called “Dottie” of Lot 4 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah, a former soldier, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, and Errol Adams, 57, called ‘Dynamite,’ of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast and also of Buxton, were fatally shot north of the Guyana National Service (GNS) sports ground after police said the

men had opened fire on them.

The men, the police said, were about to execute a robbery on a customer who had made a withdrawal from a bank.

The inquest was ordered after the completion of a probe by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) of the Guyana Police Force into the matter.

The shooting was thoroughly discussed at the level of the National Security Committee, following varying accounts of what had transpired on the day in question.

“It is my instruction that on any occasion where there is the death of a person by unnatural means, that death should be investigated, particularly in the Guyana Defence and Police Forces,” President David Granger had said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

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Barcelona thump real Madrid 1-0 (BBC) - BARCELONA moved 10 points clear at the top of La Liga after a second El Clasico win in four days - Ivan Rakitic’s goal all but ending Real Madrid’s faint title hopes.

Rakitic kept his composure to beat Thibaut Courtois after a one-two with Sergi Roberto split Real’s defence.

Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane were denied towards the end but Real rarely looked like equalising at the Bernabeu.

They are third in the table, 12 points behind Barcelona with 12 games left.

Atletico Madrid, who are second, will cut Barca’s lead at the top to seven points if they win at Real Sociedad today (17:30 GMT).

Barcelona’s players formed a huddle as they celebrated on the pitch after the final whistle.

This was their 18th victory in 26 games in the league and, barring a disastrous set of results, they will retain the title they won by 14 points last season.

Having beaten Real in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, Ernesto Valverde’s side inflicted

further misery on their bitter rivals.

Barca showed their class all over the pitch. Croatia midfielder Rakitic raced clear of Sergio Ramos to score before Courtois produced a double save to keep out Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

At the back, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet were solid as Barca clocked up a fifth clean sheet in six games.

This will not go down as a classic but Barcelona emerged with their treble hopes intact.

City win to top table (BBC) - Pep Guardiola says Manchester City's win at Bournemouth was "one of the best performances we've ever played" as the champions overcame injuries to Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones to go two points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The champions lost de Bruyne and Stones either side of the break before Riyad Mahrez - on for Belgian de Bruyne - scored the only goal of the game early in the second half. "(It was) an incredible performance - one of the best performances we've ever played," said Guardiola.

"We didn't concede one shot on target, we were committed at set-pieces defensively; every time we lost the ball we had three or four guys going to recover it.

"It was incredible how well they played today - the way they helped each other was fantastic."

It was a second 1-0 win in the space of four days for City, who once again dominated possession but were forced to be patient against dogged and defensive opponents.

They only created one clear-cut opportunity in the first half, when David Silva met de Bruyne's low cross but could only side-foot wide.

Seconds before the break they suffered their first injury blow when de Bruyne went down unchallenged and immediately signalled to the bench that he wanted to come off.

It was the same scenario at the start of the second period, with John Stones walking off the field to be replaced by Vincent Kompany.

Despite those setbacks, City continued to push forward and deservedly took the lead after 55 minutes.

Charlie Daniels failed to properly clear Bernardo Silva's pass, the ball falling to Silva who teed up Mahrez to fire home at Artur Boruc's near post.

The Bournemouth goal-

keeper could possibly have done better, but made up for it with a series of impressive stops to keep the score at 1-0.

The 39-year-old showed great athleticism to tip Sergio Aguero's lofted long-range effort on to the bar before pushing Mahrez's header away from point-blank range.

Bournemouth offered little as an attacking force in reply, failing to have a shot at goal or force a single corner.

City's win puts the pressure back on title rivals Liverpool, who can return to the summit with victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park today.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday March 03, 2019) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALLBourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, 1986 (2) 9-0-46-5 Today’s Quiz: (1) What was the result of the recent WI/ENG ODI series?

(2) Who was declared ‘Player of the Series’?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Williamson’s double puts NZ in control (REUTERS) - KANE Williamson scored his second double-century as New Zealand achieved their highest innings total and continued to dominate Bangladesh at the end of the third day of the first Test in Hamilton yesterday.

The New Zealand captain finished on 200 not out as his side posted a record score of 715 for six declared in their first innings - a lead of 481 runs - midway the afternoon session at Seddon Park.

Bangladesh were 174-4 at the close of play, still 307 runs adrift from making New Zealand bat again and staring at a massive innings defeat.

Soumya Sarkar was 39 not out with stand-in captain Mahmudullah on 15 at the close of play.

New Zealand’s previous highest innings total of 690 was scored against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2014.

SCOREBOARD BANGLADESH 1st innings (59.2 overs) 234 all out NEW ZEALAND 1st innings Jeet Raval c Khaled Ahmed b Mahmudullah 132 Tom Latham c Mohammad Mithun b Soumya Sarkar 161 Kane Williamson not out 200 Ross Taylor lbw Soumya Sarkar 4 Henry Nicholls b Mehedi Hasan 53 Neil Wagner c Liton Das b Ebadat Hossain 47 BJ Watling c Liton Das b Mehedi Hasan 31 Colin de Grandhomme not out 76 Extras: (lb-7, nb-2, w-2) 11 Total: (163.0 overs, decl.) 715 Fall of wickets: 1-254, 2-333, 3-349, 4-449, 5-509, 6-605.

Bowling: Abu Jayed 30-5-1030. Ebadat Hossain 27-4-107-1 (w-1, nb-1), Khaled Ahmed 306-149-0 (nb-1) Soumya Sarkar 21-1-68-2 (w-1), Mehedi Hasan

49-2-246-2, Mahmudullah 1-03-1, Mominul Haque 5-0-32-0.

BANGLADESH 2nd innings Tamim Iqbal c BJ Watling b Tim Southee 74 Shadman Islam c Trent Boult b Neil Wagner 37 Mominul Haque c Ross Taylor b Trent Boult 8 Mohammad Mithun c Kane Williamson b Trent Boult 0 Soumya Sarkar not out 39 Mahmudullah not out 15 Extras: (w-1) 1 Total: (four wkts, 43.0 overs) 174 Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-100, 3-110, 4-126.

Bowling: Trent Boult 11-1-53-2, Tim Southee 13-2-54-1, Colin de Grandhomme 5-1-150, Neil Wagner 12-2-48-1 (w-1), Todd Astle 2-1-4-0.

Kane Williamson acknowledges his double hundred. (Getty Images)

Jadhav, Dhoni help India past Australia (REUTERS) - KEDAR Jadhav and Mahendra

Singh Dhoni struck unbeaten fifties to help India pull

off a tricky chase and beat Australia by six wickets in

the first one-day international yesterday.

Peter Handscomb is stumped by MS Dhoni after misreading a Kuldeep Yadav delivery. (Getty Images)

Needing 237 for victory, India slumped to 99-4 but Jadhav’s grit and Dhoni’s experience during their 141run partnership helped India reach the target with 10 balls to spare.

Jadhav made 81 not out, his fifth ODI fifty, off 87 balls while Dhoni was unbeaten on 59.

Earlier, Australia’s batsmen could not really rotate the strike and were restricted to 236-7 by India’s disciplined bowling attack.

Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bat, a decision that also pleased counterpart Virat Kohli who said he would have preferred to bowl first.

Mohammed Shami began with a maiden before Jasprit Bumrah struck with his third delivery to prolong Finch’s slump in form.

Bumrah’s good length ball kissed the shoulder of Finch’s tentative bat and nestled into Dhoni’s gloves as the opener perished for a duck.

Finch has not scored a fifty in his last eight ODI innings, which would be a major worry for Australia ahead of their title defence at this year’s World Cup in England and Wales.

Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis shared an 87-run stand to help Australia overcome the loss of their captain.

Part-time spinner Jadhav dismissed Stoinis for 37 but Khawaja made a fluent 50 before Kuldeep Yadav sent him back.

Glen Maxwell’s batting was instrumental in Australia’s 2-0 Twenty20 series victory against India and he made 40 before losing his off-stump to Shami.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey made 36 not out, adding 62 runs with Nathan Coulter-Nile (28) but Australian still fell short of the 250-mark.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy Round 5

Persaud is leading Guyanese scorer

provisional point standings for Round 5 of the Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy in Barbados.

PROVISIONAL results late yesterday evening showed Zachary Persuad as Guyana’s leading scorer in the fifth round of the Caribbean Junior Karting Acad-

emy Trophy (CJKAT) in Barbados.

The Guyanese finished round five having amassed the sixth largest total, provisionally, with 38 points.

He is one point behind Barbadian Kayleigh Catwell who has 39 with that country’s Adam Mallalieu leading the round after scoring 92 points.

Mallalieu (92 points)

crashed hard into fellow Bajan and second-placed Calem Maloney (59 points) on the last lap of race two but both drivers were able to continue throughout the day.

Nanthan’s tenure has been plagued with inefficiency and ineptitude - Shallow DR Kishore Shallow, president of St Vincent & the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc. and vice-presidential candidate for Cricket West Indies (CWI), is running to make a greater contribution in the boardroom, compared to the invisible tenure of incumbent Emmanuel Nanthan.

In the upcoming elections, Nanthan will be aiming for a fourth term. He will face an uphill challenge to accomplish this feat, with opposition from Information Technology and business consultant, Dr Kishore Shallow.

Nanthan’s tenure as vice-president of CWI has gone unnoticeable. In some quarters, this is construed as the domineering style by president Dave Cameron, while other evidence points to the ineptitude of the Dominican.

Nanthan’s lack of leadership has retarded the administration of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control (WICBC). He reluctantly called an AGM in January 2019, following failure to do so for nearly two years, despite many calls by his fellow board members.

In September 2018, Nanthan, who heads the Citizen by

Investment Unit for his native country Dominica, resigned as president of the Dominica Cricket Association (DCA).

His rationale at the time was heavy work commitments making him incapable of performing his cricket administrative duties.

Former West Indies Test wicketkeeper, Michael Findlay, believes that: “As a consequence, and in principle, Nanthan should also step down as president of the WICBC and vice-president of CWI and make way for someone who can provide the dedicated leadership required to move the Windward Islands and West Indies cricket forward.”

Ostensibly, such limitation of Nanthan was not unique to the DCA, as proved by an eventual relocation of a mismanaged Windwards Volcanoes franchise from Dominica to Grenada prior to his resignation. The exit from Dominica has resulted in excessive costs to the franchise due to inefficiencies and miscalculations, some of which have been credited to convenient dictatorship by Nanthan.

Vice-presidential candidate, Dr Shallow expressed: “Mr Nanthan has had an extended tenure as president of

the WICBC not due to any sterling representation or performance but due to reluctance of other senior members to challenge the status quo.

As a result, the latter period of his tenure has been plagued with inefficiency and ineptitude. This is a typical example where term limits can help a well-intended individual from damaging his reputation by trudging along after they have clearly run out of zeal and ideas.”

He continued: “My decision to challenge Nanthan is strictly in the interest of advancing regional cricket; this mission is more significant than any individual or our territorial boards. For sustainable success in CWI, fundamentally, we must have astute, committed professionals with an appreciation for all our stakeholders.”

CWI elections will take place in Jamaica on March 24, 2019. Former West Indies team manager, Ricky Skerritt, and Dr Shallow are challenging Dave Cameron and Emmanuel Nanthan for the offices of president and vice- president respectively.

Zachary Persaud (G79) trails Paige Mendonca (G15).

(Stephan Sookram file photo)

Third is Jamaica’s Ryan Chisholm (57 points) followed by that country’s Tommi Gore (54 points).

Nathan Rahaman has 31 points and finished the round

in seventh spot with Rayden Persaud (23 points) and Jeremy Ten-Pow (22 points) 10th and 11th respectively.

Paige Mendonca has 18 points.

Josiah-Tanner wins 3000m and one-mile races at US Masters National

Euleen Josiah-Tanner has already won two gold medals at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships.

BERBICE-born long-distance runner Euleen Josiah-Tanner is the fastest female over 3 000m and one mile in the 40-44-year-old category of the USA Track and Field (USATF) Masters Indoor Championships, which is currently underway at the JDL Fast Track in Winston, Salem, North Carolina.

The 44-year-old defended her 3 000m title with an 11:08.43 run on Friday for the Southern California Track Club (So Cal). She got past Teresa Inman (who finished in a time of 11:12.92) and Amy Begley (11:35.13) in her age division. Her time was only slower that the top finisher in the 35-39 age division (Emily Boles: 10:47.68), but better than all the 30-34 year-old runners.

Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon, she clocked 5:36.47 to win the one-mile race in her age category. Although she was not the fastest in the first lap, she paced her run well and finished with a blistering last lap of 38.39s (the only runner under 40 seconds).

Janeth Alder (unattached) finished second in a time of 5:41.90.

Josiah-Tanner, who is set to represent the USA at the World’s Masters Championships in Poland later this month, erased almost 10 seconds from her 3 000m time at the South East Indoor Championship in July, but was slower than her 10:48 personal-best time.

The mother of three, who has become a household name in the 3 000m (indoors) and 5 000m (outdoors), told the Guyana Chronicle that she has done a lot of work over the last two month.

“I have been focussing more on effective pacing and speed work, I could have gone faster, but I still have more events.”

Over the three-day meet, the USbased Guyanese was scheduled to run five events: the two completed up to press time, and the 800m, the 4x800m relay and the 4x400m relay.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Pollard lauds GFF extensive training camp THE Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) extensive preparations for the crucial CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League qualifier against Belize have given Guyana-based stars a huge opportunity to prove themselves ahead of the final squad selection, says Golden Jaguars assistant coach Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard.

Under the watchful eyes of former national captain Pollard, Golden Jaguars, based in Guyana, have been engaged in an intense fitness, technical and tactical training regime since January.

Victory for Guyana over Belize at the Leonora Track and Field Stadium on Saturday, March 23 should guarantee a first appearance for the Golden Jaguars at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the history of the senior men’s national team. One week be-

fore the fixture, head coach Michael Johnson will select a final squad of 23 players from the Guyana-based contingent and overseas talent playing in North America and Europe.

“Thumbs up to the GFF – this is a massive camp for these local guys,” Pollard said in an interview after completing a training session at the GFF National Training Centre at Providence on Friday night. “It gives them the right chance and opportunity to be part of the programme and the history that is about to be made for Guyana.”

“Times gone by, we always called these local players a week before and tried to get them fit which we know is impossible for footballers.

Thumbs up to the GFF for this long 8-10-week preparation!”

Pollard, one of Guyana’s most capped players, said the completion of the nation’s

Charlestown only winners as Milo schools football continues … Matches continue today CHARLESTOWN were the only winners on overcast afternoon in Georgetown when the Milo schools football tournament continued at the Ministry of Education ground.

In the only game to feature goals, Charlestown were able to get by Tutorial Secondary 2-0 thanks to Raymond Bandhu in the 12th minute and Tariq Pryce in the 56th.

On the other two days, Golden Grove and Uitvlugt played to a goalless stalemate, as did the third game of the day which featured Friendship and St John’s College Matches continue today at noon with Vergenoegen and Tucville meeting in the opening game.

From 13:45hrs, Christianburg/Wismar Secondary clash with Ann’s Grove while at 15:30hrs, St Cuthbert’s Mission take on Cummings Lodge.

The tournament is sponsored by the Ministry of Public Health through their ‘Stop Gender-based Violence’ campaign.

first dedicated, international-standard, astroturf facility at Providence had also had a significant positive impact on the players and the scope for training.

“I told the guys I wish I could come out of retirement,” Pollard said. “I think this pitch is the best thing to prepare on. I played for Guyana for many years and we never had this kind of pitch to prepare on, with portable goals and a marked field. This is the exact pitch the players need to train on.”

A first appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup this year – the region’s premier international football tournament – has the potential to transform the fortunes of football development in Guyana, offering an international platform for players and the nation, and a boost for interest in the Guyanese game from

Assistant National squad coach, Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard (background), puts players through their paces at Providence.

scouts, corporate Guyana and young sporting talent.

“It will be a massive boost,” Pollard said. “These players could get the opportunity for scouts to look at them on an international level.

Guyana’s ratings will go up to the next level. And it’s an opportunity to get the scouts to come into Guyana and to look at some of our local games. I think (after the Gold Cup) they will be curious to

Nadir voted in unopposed to head Everest Cricket Club FORMER Minister Manzoor Nadir was elected as president of Everest Cricket Club (ECC) when the historic Georgetown club held its elections of office-bearers last Thursday.

Nadir, who previously served as treasurer of the 105-year-old club, ran unopposed. He will have former president Rajesh Singh as his second vice-president.

Saheed Mohamed was voted in as first vice-president, Ron Morris as secretary, Dwayne Adams as treasurer, Riyad Sattaur as assistant secretary and Prakash Balgobin as assistant treasurer.

Meanwhile, media personality John Ramsingh will serve as club captain while Rahaman Khan, Reyaz Husein, Bhageshwar Murli and Ramdeo Kumar are the committee members, with auditors Javed Rasheed and Javed Khan.

Nadir thanked the membership and pledged to continue the hard work with the help of the new executive and wider membership.

The Camp Road club is expecting a return of hockey and lawn tennis in the near future while it will look to maintain membership and activities in cricket, table tennis, squash and dominoes.

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come and see what is going on here.”

Qualification for the Gold Cup would offer Guyana the chance to test themselves against the strongest opposition in the North America, Central America and Caribbean region, including the already-qualified United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.

Ahead of the fourth

31

Gayle...

different from Grenada.

But from the moment Sheldon Cottrell bowled Jonny Bairstow for 11, England never looked comfortable with only Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, who both scored 23, looking capable of putting any sort of innings together.

England’s final five wickets went down for just two runs and the last three wickets without scoring, as batsmen formed a regular procession to the pavilion en route to England’s 14th lowest ODI total.

Gayle won a personal battle with Mark Wood after the paceman removed fellow opener John Campbell for a single.

That proved a mere inconvenience for the selfstyled ‘Universe Boss’, who struck a series of towering blows before he was finally bowled by Wood with West Indies in touching distance of victory.

The two sides now play three T20 games.

and final round of matches, Guyana currently lie 8th in the qualification table on six points, with Belize in 13th on the same number of points but an inferior goal difference. Both teams are among a group of about 15 nations who could still qualify for the Gold Cup, as the top ten sides in the final table standings will progress to the tournament.

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND innings J. Bairstow b Cottrell 11 A. Hales c wkp. Hope b Brathwaite 23 J. Root c Cottrell b Holder 1 E. Morgan c Cottrell b Thomas 18 B. Stokes c wkp. Hope b Brathwaite 15 J. Buttler c Cottrell b Thomas 23 Moeen Ali c wkp. Hope b Thomas 12 C. Woakes c Brathwaite b Thomas 0 T. Curran b Thomas 0 A. Rashid c wkp Hope b Holder 0 M. Wood not out 0 Extras: (w-9, nb-1) 10 Total: (all out, 28.1 overs) 113 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-18, 3-57, 4-63, 5-88, 6-111, 7-111, 8-113, 9-113.

Bowling: Cottrell 4-0-23-1, Holder 7-2-28-2, Brathwaite 8-1-17-2, Thomas 5.1-0-21-5, Nurse 4-0-24-0.

WEST INDIES innings C. Gayle b Wood 77 J. Campbell b Wood 1 S. Hope b Woakes 13 D. Bravo not out 7 S. Hetmyer not out 11 Extras: (w-5, nb-1) 6 Total: (3 wkts, 12.1 overs) 115 Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-93, 3-95.

Bowling: Woakes 6-0-56-1, Wood 6-0-55-2, Curran 0.1-0-4-0.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, MARCH 3, 2019

Jaguars thump Pride comfortably; move closer to fifth consecutive title

By Rajiv Bisnauth FOUR-TIME defending champions, the Guyana Jaguars returned to winning ways, beating Barbados Pride inside three days of their ninth-round Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Four-day encounter yesterday.

Man-of-the-match Raymon Reifer’s stellar bowling set up the comprehensive seven-wicket victory, as Jaguars continued with their dominant run at home. The 27-year-old Reifer finished with a match-haul of nine for 42.

Scores: Barbados Pride 76 and 238; Guyana Jaguars 201 and 118-3.

Jaguars, with six outright wins this season, have now opened up a significant lead at the top of the standings to remain firm favourites to win a fifth straight title with one game remaining, a day/night encounter against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, starting on Thursday.

After earning 17.6 points from the game, the Jaguars sit on 134.4 and will definitely fancy their chances of the title, despite their two closest

rivals, Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Pride, with two games to play.

Resuming yesterday’s penultimate day at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, in total command of the contest, Jaguars completed the crushing win just after lunch.

Set 114 to win, Jaguars completed the formalities in 29 overs with Chandrapaul Hemraj hitting his seventh first-class fifty - an attractive 51 off 63 balls with five fours and a six. Leon Johnson and Christopher Barnwell remained unbeaten on 20 and 23 respectively.

The tourists, resuming at 228 for six, a second-innings lead of just 103 runs with four wickets remaining, surrendered meekly for 238, as the hosts were in no mood to slacken their grip on the match and wrapped up the innings inside 25 minutes of play.

The home team started with the pace-spin combination of Reifer and Veerasammy Permaul, and they triggered the final capitulation in which they took two wickets each.

Permaul in his first over

SCOREBOARD

Chandrapaul Hemraj struck an attracting 51 in the Guyana Jaguars’ run chase.

of the day trapped overnight batsman Tevyn Walcott leg-before for 33 then removed Chaim Holder off a return catch to finish with figures of four for 62, to take his tally to 39 wickets, the second highest for the

season.

The left-arm seamer Reifer, who ended with figures of four for 22, had Jomel Warrican taken at the wicket before he bowled Miguel Cummins four balls later.

The home team then lost

BARBADOS PRIDE 2nd innings R. Boucher b Rutherford 14 S. Brooks b Permaul 44 S. Mosely lbw b Lewis 64 J. Carter c Chanderpaul b Permaul 47 A. Jones lbw b Reifer 15 S. Springer b Reifer 6 T. Walcott lbw b Permaul 33 J. Warrican c Bramble b Reifer 4 C. Holder c & b Permaul 0 M. Mindley not out 3 M. Cummins b Reifer 0 Extras: (b-3, lb-4) 7 Total: (all out; 75.5 overs) 238 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-93, 3-163, 4-177, 5-192, 6-205, 7-234, 8-234, 9-238.

Bowling: Shepherd 10-1-41-0, Reifer 11.4-4-22-4, Lewis 20-3-63-1, Rutherford 9-2-34-1, Permaul 24-6-62-4, Barnwell 1-0-9-0.

GUYANA JAGUARS 2nd innings T. CHanderpaul c Walcott b Springer 8 C. Hemraj c Cummins b Springer 51 V. Singh c Warrican b Springer 8 L. Johnson not out 20 C. Barnwell not out 23 Extras: (lb-4, nb-4) 8 Total: (for three wickets; 29 overs) 118 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-61, 3-82.

Bowling: Mindley 5-0-11-0, Cummins 4-1-24-0, Holder 4-0-13-0, Springer 10-3-29-3, Carter 6-0-37-0.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul (8) and Vishaul Singh (8), to Shamar Springer before lunch, at 64-2.

After the interval, the 25-year-old Hemraj brought up his half-century before he was also removed by Spring-

er, who finished with figures of 3for 29.

Johnson and Barnwell then shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 36 runs which eventually sealed the win for the defending champions.

Gayle slaughters England!

(REUTERS) - ENGLAND’S batting lineup imploded in familiar fashion before Chris Gayle inspired the West Indies to a seven-wicket triumph in the fifth and final ODI international in St Lucia yesterday to ensure the series ended drawn at 2-2.

The 39-year-old Gayle, playing in what may be his final home ODI, smashed 77 off just 27 balls after England had been skittled out for 113

in 28.1 overs, with Oshane Thomas doing most damage with five wickets.

Just three days after the visitors had posted 418 against the same attack, West Indies, who won the Test series between the two sides 2-1, this time needed just 12.1 overs to race to their target at 115-3.

Joe Root’s side had started favourites to equal Australia’s record of winning a 10th successive ODI series

but subsided limply amid a series of ill-judged shots on a pitch that offered help to the pacemen.

Eight of England’s batsman fell to short-pitched deliveries, with Thomas cashing in to take 5-21 from 5.1 overs.

When West Indies batted it looked a completely different game, with Gayle giving another explosive display of hitting to add to his 162 from the previous game and his

Chris Gayle and Oshane Thomas celebrate winning the 5th ODI, West Indies v England, 5th ODI, St Lucia, March 2, 2019 © Getty Images

135 from the opening match.

His nine sixes took his total to 39 across the four games, a record in a bilateral series.

Root had been keen to secure the win ahead of this summer’s World Cup and will be particularly disappointed in his batsmen, who

never came to terms with conditions which were radically TURN TO PAGE

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Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy Round 5

Jaguars thump Pride 29 Persaud comfortably; move closer is leading to fifth consecutive title Guyanese PAGE

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31 Chandrapaul Hemraj struck an attractive 51 in the Guyana Jaguars’ run chase.

scorer

Zachary Persaud (G79) trails Paige Mendonca (G15).

(Stephan Sookram file photo)

Gayle slaughters England!

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31

Charlestown only winners as Milo schools football 30 continues PAGE

Jonny Bairstow lost his leg stump © AFP

… Matches continue today Part of the action between Golden Grove and Uitvlugt (Delano Williams photo)

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SUNDAY, MARCH 03, 2019