Guyana chronicle e paper 01 05 2018 by Guyana Chronicle

Garbage contractors back on the job Page 9

LGE in last quarter No. 105145

FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018

Price: $80

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1000 boxes of smuggled chicken seized

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Former SWAT boss has chequered career Page 2

The truck and the boxes of chicken that were seized by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Thursday

AG bolsters team for GECOM challenge â€Ś Barbadian QCs admitted to bar for todayâ€™s hearing

Female miner cries bullyism

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Repossession of unoccupied lands begins Page 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

GRA wants former SWAT Boss handed over

THE Guyana Revenue Authority has written to the Guyana Police Force requesting that the law enforcement body hands over Deputy Superintendent, Motie Dookie, to anti-smuggling agents of the GRA. This move comes even as Dookie, who was busted with thirty cases of Johnnie Walker Whisky on Saturday, continues to be the subject of a police investigation. The Guyana Chronicle has been informed by sources within the Guyana Police Force that the police officer, who was detained on Saturday night, is now being questioned by ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department of the GPF. A senior functionary within the Guyana Revenue Authority confirmed that a letter was dispatched to the Guyana Police Force on Wednesday requesting that

Dookie be handed over so that he can be questioned by enforcement agents of the GRA in relation to the matter. This is even as the other persons who were in the vehicle at the time with Dookie when the whisky was discovered, has been the subject of constant grilling by members of the GRA anti-smuggling and enforcement arm. Dookie on the other hand has been changing his story constantly as it relates to his involvement in the transporting of or facilitating the movement of the smuggled alcohol. The senior police officer is already on record as admitting to ranks on the night in question, that he was aware of the presence of a quantity of alcohol in the vehicle of which he was a passenger. Dookie was supposed to be confined to the police station on the night in question but

was allowed to leave during the course of the night and returned the following morning. Sources within the investigative arm of the police force are contending that Dookie’s absence from the station might have been to facilitate the clearing of his tracks in the alleged illegal operation which he is said to have been involved in for some time now. Contacted on Thursday, head of the Police Office of Professional Responsibility

indicated that the file on the matter is not engaging his attention, since it is a criminal investigation. On Wednesday the force identified a new head of the SWAT Unit in the person of Assistant Superintendent, Amit Das, while Rovin Das, another Assistant Superintendent who is attached to the SWAT Unit and is currently on leave, would be posted to a division. This newspaper understands that the posting of Rovin Das to a

division is to ensure that two officers of the same rank are not serving in the same unit. Several years ago, ranks were paid half their salary whenever they were fingered in wrongdoings and placed before the courts. However, two years ago, the force took a decision to cease payments to ranks who are embroiled in certain categories of court matters and they are relieved of their duties. They are, however, usually reaccepted into the

Deputy Superintendent Motie Dookie force, depending on the outcome of their respective court proceedings.

Former SWAT boss has chequered career

… was once demoted, charged for discharging firearm FORMER head of the SWAT Unit, Deputy Superintendent Motie Dookie appeared to have been tracing luck for most of his career as a policeman. He was fingered in several incidents which under normal circumstances would have resulted in his dismissal from the Guyana Police Force. While serving the organisation as a police sergeant, Motie Dookie wrote to then Commissioner of Police, the late Henry Greene, requesting to go on the Cadet Course. It was during this period that former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had directed that the force be staffed with a certain number of cadet officers. The persons who were identified in most cases to go on the course were constables, subordinate officers, sergeants and inspectors. Dookie was successful in his application and as part of the process, was required to submit several pieces of documentation to substantiate his

claim of academic achievements. Upon completion of his cadet course, Dookie returned to the Guyana Police Force and it was while he was serving in his capacity as the “CO” that the force got wind that he allegedly lied about his qualifications regarding the certificates he submitted to the force to be considered for the training; they allegedly were all false. As a consequence the matter was investigated and he was demoted from his rank as a Cadet Officer and reverted to that of a sergeant. The controversy for Dookie did not end there. As a sergeant he was sent to the Timehri Police Station as the station sergeant. However, under mysterious circumstances, Dookie’s weapon “accidently” went off and a round hit another police in his chest. Sources indicated that Dookie and the rank might have had a misunderstanding, but Dookie told detectives that he was cleaning the weapon and the round went off. Persons within

the organisation questioned the logic behind cleaning a weapon with rounds still in the breach or barrel with its magazine attached. For that Dookie was charged and placed before the courts but before the matter could have been properly tried by the court, the policeman accepted a settlement from the relatives of Dookie and that prompted him--the injured rank--to indicate to the court that he no longer wished to offer any evidence against Dookie. That move saw the court throwing the matter out and Dookie was spared of a criminal conviction or being dismissed or disciplined by the Guyana Police Force. The incident, however, resulted in his weapon being seized and after repeated failed efforts to have same back after the matter was discharged, Dookie through political connections, reportedly sought the intervention of then President Donald Ramotar to have the weapon returned to him. After that incident, Dook-

ie continued to serve the force and began moving up through the ranks and finally attained the rank of Deputy Superintendent. He was placed as the second in command of the SWAT Unit and then moved up to head the unit after the former head of the unit found himself in an embarrassing situation in which his vehicle was hijacked and several items, including a GPF issued firearm were stolen. If the law is allowed to take its course in this instance, the Deputy Superintendent could find himself answering a criminal charge as early as next week and also face the risk of being fired from the Guyana Police Force. The latter course would, however, have to be recommended by the Police Commissioner to the Service Commission, the constitutional body which is tasked with disciplining senior members of the force and a body which at this point is not constituted as its term has expired.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

LGE in last quarter By Alva Solomon

LOCAL Government Elections (LGE) are expected to be held in the last quarter of 2018 and Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan said the authorities are hoping for citizen participation to climb above 50 per cent. He was at the time speaking at a press briefing at Herdmanston Lodge on Thursday in the presence of agency heads of his Ministry. According to the minister, in the 2016 Local Government Elections, the overall participation figure stood at 43 per cent. He said while the 50 per cent figure may seem low, a similar figure occurs in terms of local elections in other jurisdictions. In the 2018 National Budget, an allocation to facilitate the holding of the elections was made to the tune of $2.9B, which Bulkan described as a “huge investment”. He said it represents an “equivocal commit-

ment and determination by this administration to ensure that there is democratic governance”. As regards the date of the elections, Minister Bulkan said it will be held during municipal and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils’ (NDCs) elections. These elections will be held between the end of November and December 7. He said there is no specific timeframe regarding municipalities. According to him, the intention is to harmonise the legislation that seeks to allow for the holding of the municipal elections at the same time of the NDCs as provided under the Local Government Act. The minister noted that it is the responsibility of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to undertake voter awareness campaigns regarding the elections. He stated too that the ministry will continue with public education campaign on the constitutional and legal provisions of the local government organs.

He admitted that there is still a “great degree” of a lack of understanding of the responsibility of the local organs. This is still a mindset that Central Government is responsible for the conditions with communities, he noted. Recounting the work of the Ministry in 2017, Minister Bulkan said institutional strengthening and capacity-building, as well as financial security of councils are paramount on the Ministry’s agenda. In this regard, he said that among the gains of 2017 was the establishment of the Local Government Commission. The order that led to the establishment and the commencement of the functions of the body was also issued late last year. The Guyana Association of Municipalities was resuscitated and there was also the hosting of a mayoral conference in 2017, as well as training seminars in financial management and administration within local councils.

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, as he addressed agency heads of his Ministry and members of the media on Thursday

1000 boxes of smuggled chicken seized SOME 1000 boxes of smuggled chicken was on Thursday seized by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) as it was making its way across the City in a 14- foot container. The container with its contents and the truck which was rented to tow the container have all been seized by the GRA and arrests have been made. The Guyana Chronicle was informed that a popular City businessman rented the truck for two days at a cost of $90,000 to a man who claimed he resides at Kuru Kuru on the Linden Soesdyke Highway. That man has been identified as George

Calario, who according to the company from which he rented the truck, would have also rented trucks in the past, at least on two other occasions. A representative of the company confirmed that while the truck which towed the container might have the company’s logo, the contents inside the container and the incidents surrounding the seizure of the truck and the container have nothing to do with that company. The company representative also stated that on two previous occasions the truck was rented, the man claimed that he needed the truck to provide services in Linden and

on the other occasion, Berbice, both on a return basis. The Guyana Chronicle was informed that now that the truck is off the road and in the custody of the GRA, the man who rented same may likely have to pay the company for the days the vehicle will be laid up and off the road. It is unclear at this point how soon the enforcement body will discard of the smuggled chicken. In normal circumstances, seized items are usually reissued to the Georgetown Public Hospital, Guyana Defence Force and the Prison Service. In recent weeks the GRA has been

stepping up its anti-smuggling campaign. Just last month officers seized a quantity of illegal beverage which mysteriously left its Berbice warehouse and was on its way to an unknown West Demerara location. The information was shared with personnel inside the GRA and that operation was thwarted and an investigation commenced. The GRA is awaiting the assistance of the police in complying with an order to hand over the SWAT boss to them so that he can be questioned in relation to the matter before the file is sent to the DPP for advice.

Repossession of unoccupied lands begins By Alva Solomon THE Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has commenced the process of repossessing lands from private land developers. This is according to CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lelon Saul, who noted during a briefing organised by the Ministry of Communities at the Herdmanston Lodge on Thursday that the lands are located along the East Bank of Demerara. In the past, the CH&PA had warned private land developers, who were allocated tracts of lands under the previous administration to build on the lands or face repossession. The CH&PA has the authority to review the use of lands that were disbursed to private and other landowners, but which to date remain undeveloped. Such moves are aimed

at ensuring that the agency meets the demand for house lots by the population as well as to expand its pilot projects. On Thursday, Saul said that in 2017, a total of 1131 house lots were allocated countrywide by the CH&PA. The lots were distributed is Region One (52), Region Two (28) , Region Three (77) , Region Four (513) , Region Five (20) , Region Six (99), Region Nine (132) and Region 10 (201). Regarding the body’s electrification programme, he said the initial phases of the project has commenced in areas such as Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast; Zeelugt on the East Bank of Essequibo; Covent Garden, Farm and Peter’s Hall on the East Bank of Demerara, as well as at Paradise on the East Coast of Demerara. The CH&PA has made significant progress regarding the project, he said, noting that the body’s man-

date is to install electrical hardware while the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is expected to supply the line for connection to the power grid. GPL must also certify that the power network in the area meet the required standard. Saul also answered questions on the squatting of persons on state lands. He said that the much publicised Sophia squatters, some of whom had their homes dismantled last year, will not be relocated until adequate systems for their relocation are put in place. Elsewhere, he said that some persons squatting in the vicinity of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) may have to be relocated. Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan reported that between 2000 and 2005, some 66,000 house lots were allocated, and of that sum, some 28,000 were unoccu-

pied. He said more recently, from May 2011 -2015, 38 housing schemes were developed in which 20,000 house lots were allocated but only 4000 of such allocations translated into built housing units. He said close to $12.7B was spent on those areas and at the moment they require a further $16B to complete. “It makes no sense to invest huge sums of money” in areas where the rate of occupancy is less than 20 per cent and where no proper infrastructure such as roads, drains and electricity networks are provided, he said. The minister said the current administration embarked on constructing built units so that persons can occupy the homes. He said too that information suggests that there are deeper problems within the sector and the need for “realignment”, which the Government is pursuing.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Fewer family visas approved …as Trump toughens vetting of immigrants

President Donald Trump is ramping up calls on the U.S. Congress to stop legal immigrants from sponsoring extended family members who want to move to the United States, saying so-called “chain migration” poses a threat to national security. Even without legislative action, however, the number of immigrants approved for family-based visas has dropped this year to the lowest level in more than a decade, a Reuters review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data shows. The drop has not been previously reported. The Trump administration has taken a series of measures to more closely scrutinize legal immigration. These steps have been overshadowed by Trump’s more public efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, such as his calls for a wall along the Mexican border and more arrests of people living in the country illegally. Lately though, Trump has

allows a single immigrant “to bring in dozens of increasingly distant relations,” with “no real selection criteria.” He said a Bangladeshi man who set off a homemade pipe bomb in a crowded New York City commuter hub in December was a prime example of the dangers of the system. Immigration advocates counter that no one automatically qualifies for a visa because a relative is already in the United States. All immigrants undergo security vetting and can face years-long waits before they are given a green light. The intensified focus on chain migration has been accompanied by an overall slowdown in adjudications of family-based visas, known as I-130s, the Reuters review shows. The number of approvals dropped by nearly a quarter in the first nine months of 2017 to around 406,000 compared to the same period a year earlier when approvals were more than 530,000, despite a similar num-

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increasingly been taking aim at chain migration, saying it

ber of applications during both periods, USCIS data showed. DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 2018

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The drop was even starker when looking only at I-130s approved for relatives who were not immediate family members. Those fell by 70 percent in the same period, from more than 108,000 in the first nine months of 2016 to 32,500 in the same period in 2017. (Graphic: http://tmsnrt.rs/2CaWNJb). The entire 2017 fiscal year had the lowest number of approvals for extended family visas since 2000. USCIS said that since there are a limited number of visas for this category, it prioritizes processing visas that are more immediately available. The agency also said there are normal year-to-year fluctuations in the number of visas that are filed and decided. At the core of the administration’s longterm policy goal is a belief that immigration should be merit-based. “Those people are just coming in based on connection to a family member,” the new director of USCIS, L. Francis Cissna

“That lack of selectivity; it takes us away from where we want to go as a country.” Cissna said no specific policy guidance has been put in place at USCIS to change the way family-based visas are issued. He also said there were no plans to restrict visas for immediate family members and pointed out that approvals of visas and citizenship applications overall are still high. He has said, however, that his agency is looking closely at all visa categories to root out fraud. USCIS said separately that closer scrutiny could lead to longer processing times. For example, H-1B temporary work visas for highskilled workers are facing more hurdles, and applications are receiving far more requests for evidence, slowing down the whole program, according to immigration lawyers and data provided by the government. USCIS has also put in place new interview requirements for U.S. citizens seeking to bring

of fiancé visas dropped by 35 percent over the same period a year earlier, the Reuters data review found.

said in a telephone interview, referring to chain migrants.

over their fiancés. In the first nine months of 2017, approvals

legal immigration occupy key positions in the administration.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

They include Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who remains vocal on the issue, and his long-time aide Stephen Miller, who is now one of Trump’s closest policy advisers. The current USCIS ombudsman Julie Kirchner was previously the executive director of FAIR. The White House and the Department of Justice did not respond to questions about the influence of the groups, which critics say are anti-immigrant, on administration policy. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at CIS, said she and her colleagues “are in fairly regular contact with various administration officials as they solicit suggestions and ideas to improve policies.” She said she had also spoken to officials in the Obama administration, but only occasionally. Earlier this month NumbersUSA launched a national advertising campaign against chain migration. A day later the White House posted a presentation on the same subject making many of the same points. NumbersUSA director Roy Beck said any similarity in the points was just a coincidence. Still, he is thrilled that his group’s ideas on restricting legal immigration have been “catapulted onto the main stage in an unprecedented way,” he said in an interview. In April, Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to draft new rules and guidance for the legal immigration system. In August, the White House backed the RAISE Act, proposed legislation sponsored by two Republican lawmakers, that aimed to cut legal immigration by 50 percent over 10 years. (Reuters)

‘ONTO THE MAIN STAGE’ Immigration supporters said any efforts by the administration to restrict the entry of family members of migrants was shortsighted. They “bring drive and entrepreneurial spirit to the United States,” said Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert at Cornell University. Chain migration has long been a target of groups that favor more restrictions on legal immigration. The idea, supported by organizations like NumbersUSA, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), failed to gain much traction at the highest levels of power in Washington before Trump took office. “We have been talking about this for a long time but we were kind of out there in the wilderness” said Ira Mehlman from FAIR. “It was never at this level of discussion before.” Now supporters of the ideas of restricting chain migration and tightening standards for

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Female miner cries bullyism By Svetlana Marshall

AFTER months of allegedly being bullied by a larger miner, 44-year-old Rhonda Roberts has turned to the natural resources ministry to intervene, saying that she will not sit idly by and allow her blocks to be raided of billions of dollars in gold. Roberts, a female miner for the past 12 years, received her Mining Licence from GGMC in 2011, after first securing her Prospecting Licence. In an interview with Guyana Chronicle and Capitol News on Thursday, Roberts, with supporting evidence, said she is being barred from accessing two of her mining blocks in Oko, Cuyuni, District Four, although being the legal owner of the properties. A largescale miner (name given) has reportedly seized the blocks but not before raiding it of more than one billion dollars’ worth of gold. Roberts explained that after issuing a Power of Attorney to Gregory Brandon in 2016, it was revoked in 2017 on neutral grounds. Upon realising that the rental fees for the mining blocks had not been paid, the miner, through her Attorney Nigel Hughes, wrote the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to issue the payments in May, but was asked to wait to allow for legal advice, although documents at the commission confirmed that the blocks belong to her. It was during that period that Roberts learnt that her properties for a period of approximately two years had been consistently raided by a well-known large-scale miner. A complaint was filed on August 22, 2017, resulting in a mines officer visiting the mining blocks and issuing a cease work order to the large-scale miner. “They stopped working at the time but they continue maintaining their presence there, their security, their rangers, unto this date and they are terrorising other people who are working there, cutting down their boxes, taking away their gold,” Roberts told Guyana Chronicle. In September, upon confirming that the blocks were indeed issued to Roberts, she was allowed to pay the rental fees for the two blocks, which totalled more than $700,000. TO NO AVAIL With the large-scale miner maintaining security presence on the blocks, the 44-year-old miner made a second complaint to GGMC on November 29, 2017, but to no avail. “I made several calls after then to meet with the (GGMC) commissioner… I made five calls. I spoke to the secretary and she kept telling me she will call me back, she will

call me back, never did.” Roberts noted that during this report, she made frequent visits to the Land Management Division, and spoke with the manager, who from all indications was very professional, asking her to allow the process to take its course. But the situation, Roberts noted, deteriorated on December 30, 2017 when the large-scale-miner ordered his heavily armed security personnel to “chop down the boxes” belonging to Melroy Benjamin and Richard Abrams--two smaller miners who had been working on Roberts’ behalf. Following that incident, Roberts was urged to make another attempt to meet with acting GGMC Commissioner, Newell Dennison, but the meeting, according to her, was nothing she had anticipated. “His exact words to me were, he thinks (the larger miner) chopped the boxes down because GGMC did not give me a written approval to operate,” she recalled. Roberts said much to her surprise and dissatisfaction, the commissioner told her to stay off the property until the matter is resolved.

Rhonda Roberts holding up documents issued to her by GGMC, which state that she is the owner of the mining blocks in Oko, Cuyuni, District Four

“So I asked him ‘why you allowed me to pay for my property and I cannot go on it until now’. My mortgage is 600, 000 a month. I put the bank on hold just to pay my commitment to GGMC so that I can go and work to accumulate money, to do what I have to do; now I can’t access it,” Roberts complained. Waving her Mining Permits and receipts for the rental fees paid, Roberts questioned why, as the legal owner of the properties, she is being prevented from accessing her blocks. FRUSTRATED The situation, she cried, is very frustrating, noting that she has financial commitments she must live up to. “That’s why I am here, because I am feeling bullied, frustrated, exploited. I am feeling everything because I paid since September and up to now I can’t go on my property,” the mother of two cried. Her lawyer said moving to the court is the next option, but Roberts said she should not be forced to turn to the court when GGMC has a responsibility to intervene. “I am asking GGMC to do their jobs. The commissioner is telling me ‘I should go to the court and file an injunction’. Why should I spend money on an injunction in the court when GGMC has its job to do? I think that is their job to go and stop him? Frustrated over the situation, Roberts filed a complaint to Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, but said that she will not stop there if the situation is not rectified soonest. She pledged to lodge a complaint to the Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, and even the Ministry of the Presidency if needs be. Speaking with reporters, Minister Broomes, in an invited comment, said she will request of the commissioner to launch an investigation into the matter and submit a brief report before she responds to Roberts. “GGMC has a solid part to play in it, and the part to play in it is a very simple one.

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes There are laws in which the commission is governed by, and you have to execute them regardless of who the person might be. It is a responsibility of the commission; it is not when a miner goes to make a complaint that we are doing them a favour; that is their right. They pay five per cent royalty; they pay their taxes and everything,” Minister Broomes said. The junior natural resources minister made it clear that illegal mining in the industry will not be tolerated. It was explained that the normal practice is that when such a complaint is filed, a cease work order can be issued and the equipment seized as well. Charges can also be instituted against defaulters, allowing for them to be placed before the court. The acting GGMC commissioner, when contacted by Guyana Chronicle on Thursday, said according to GGMC’s records, the mining blocks belong to Roberts, and as such, based on the situation, gave an undertaking to have GGMC officers on the ground intervene.

Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Saving today’s youth for tomorrow MANY from the younger segment of the country’s population have been making the news, especially for the past decade and for the wrong reasons. Ranging from drunk driving that has caused multiple deaths; armed robberies, in which some of the victims were killed; the all too common act of domestic violence; substance abuse, and sexual crimes – all personifying what is often described as today’s youths. As an important reminder, this transcends ethnic and social boundaries, as the numerous media reports so vividly illustrate. What is very troubling is that youths from as young as 12 years old are now behind bars, awaiting trial for murder, as exemplified by the shocking case of a female sibling,

along with her older sister, charged for the death of their father, with at least two others, at Coldingen. We are not social scientist experts; however, it is not difficult to trace this gradual degradation that have resulted in the frightening, and disappointing reality of many of today’s youths, armed with heavy calibre weapons, being the robbers and killers, taking the place of their once much older adult type. Years of bad governance, evaporation of societal morals and dishonesty supplanted hard work; becoming the pathway for material gain. All this would have taken place against the background of the flourishing of organised crime which resulted in death squads, and dead bodies. It is only

practical that this social descent with all of the psycho social consequences would someday have borne the bitter fruits that are today a troubling and challenging element of our society. We recall the advent of the Guyana National Service, and its visionary mission of producing a new kind of citizen that would have appreciated what it was to be Guyanese, be patriotic, and be of honest service to country. Despite its many detractors--and there were many-it was an initiative that bore prodigious fruit; for what it did for the many thousands across ethnic lines who entered its many centres situated around Guyana’s vast geographical space. So many were taught skills that later progressed

to tertiary level institutions; enabled entrepreneurial endeavours; and pointed the way to self-discovery of talents which became manifest in their later lives, and put to service of country. Many of those beneficiaries of National Service’s multiple skills programmes are still here, contributing to Guyana’s development. But there are also many hundreds who have taken such skills to other pastures. National Service became the victim of what can be described as the spiteful and vindictive act of political de-emphasisation. It was an error that became all too apparent as the instances of youth social ills began to rise. Many then began recalling what such institution had done for the thousands

during the 70s and 80s. Therefore, the an nouncement by President David Granger of the re-introduction of the Guyana Youth Corps, as from January 1, 2018, should not be a surprise, and is indeed welcomed. In fact, since coming to office, the President has been consistent in his administration’s concerns for the state of the nation’s youth. This is timely, as it is an absolute – an intervention that will begin to halt the slide of so many of our young, who have become victims of the fallout from the worst period of socio-economic dysfunctionality ever experienced.

So many would have lost fathers, even both parents, and left to their own devices to find their footing in a world that scarcely showed them any pity, much less mercy. And since it is universally agreed, and accepted, that youth is the future, and leaders of tomorrow, we must then accept that all youths, particularly those of unfortunate circumstance, with their exuberance, even if already channeled in the wrong direction, must be re-claimed and assisted on to the right pathway. It is not too late to commence this challenge.

Min Patterson clarifies misconceptions surrounding development of natural gas Dear Editor, REFERENCE is made to a letter published in the January 3, 2018, editions of Stabroek News and Kaieteur News, under the respective headlines “Guyana cannot develop natural gas without partnering with an outside investor” and “Another example of Minister Patterson putting the horse before the cart”. The author of the letter, Mr. Charles Sohan, has presented a number of assumptions, which present a distorted perspective on the vision and use of natural gas for our country. I therefore wish to make the following clarifications:

The Government of Guyana is indeed exploring the commercial use and development of natural gas, both for downstream power generation through the development of a new power generation facility and as a medium to long-term investment opportunity. The latter is foreseen to be realised through the design and mapping of an industrial park in close proximity to this power generation facility. It must be emphasised that these considerations are not based on a sole conceptual vision for the use of our resources; rather, the Government of Guyana has been engaged in a number of studies directed towards

the feasibility of bringing a pipeline onshore by assessing costs, economics, and implications of this proposal, including, but not limited to, an analysis of the composition of the associated gas. As has been stated publicly, the Government envisions this proposed initiative as a means to complement the use of renewable energy and to strengthen security of supply. Accordingly, data that has been presented to the Government has already been evaluated; as such, the Government continues to explore this developmental opportunity through continued discussions and completion of ongoing studies in assessing the future use

of this clean energy source, with the Inter-American Development Bank and other entities. Further, in exploring the use of this associated gas, the Government has remained cognizant of its own environmental priorities. Accordingly, I wish to reiterate that Guyana will not make use of gas flaring. The author should revise the apparent procedure, noting this position as all discussions and studies undertaken and proposed to be undertaken by the Government have already incorporated this fact so that there is clarity on project design considerations, based on the composition of gas, by-products,

and method of bringing to shore. I also wish to correct the misconception of the quantity of natural gas available. While the author has stated 300-500 cubic feet, the correct quantity is proposed at 30-50 million cubic feet per day. Thus, the author may now agree that this quantity is a realistic possibility for its development. As this quantity relates to Liza Phase 1 only, this quantity may not be exclusive, since there must be preparation and support planning for future industries as exploration continues in other blocks. At this time, the Government remains focused

on continuing developmental work based on a specific location for the landing of the pipeline and endorses creation of investment opportunities that are in good faith, underscored by our principles of national sovereignty over the use of our resources. To this end, the management of this significant resource will enable maximization of public interest, and to which the Government remains committed in directing the way forward. Regards Hon. David Patterson, M.P. Minister of Public Infrastructure

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Perturbed by Stabroek News’ editorial Dear Editor,

I REFER to a Stabroek News editorial “Street Warriors” published in S.N.20.12.17, which while offering some meaningful insights into: “Administrative inefficiencies, poor marketability, inherent and escalating debt(s),”nevertheless failed to comprehend the statutes that govern the sport of football, which is the world’s largest spectator sport and the most emotional and financially lucrative. A timely reminder entails: “The level of any sport is normally determined by the level of administration in place”, which makes relevance to the ongoing issue of regulating/ regularising all formats of

football”. Surely, if for some strange reason this can’t be addressed, then, “private promoters in tandem with corporate sponsorship can undermine the competent authority of the sport,” with the GFF at the helm as the governing body, and private promoters having their own way. The creation of a “parallel federation, answerable to no one, would become imminent”. Would Stabroek News editorial be supportive of this? Would they be supportive of inadequate non-police security, sale of alcoholic beverages after 02:00 hrs and 5-a-side football still being played at a government controlled facility? What about school- aged children that may be playing

at this hour? For the love of the game and the world, what’s love got to do with it? Or for the love of money? Editor, there was a time when former journalists were very critical of the Kashif & Shangai year-end tournament. But now the very brothers are private promoters. Isn’t this duplicity, or hypocrisy? Maybe, my humble suggestion should be entertained. “From 2018, all registration forms for clubs, with players’ particulars included, must have a clause affixed, consisting of: No objection certificate for participation in 5-a-side/street football, with the basic understanding when this occurs, national and club representation ceases”! Once again, is it fair for the GFF,

via associations and clubs through the instrumentality of FIFA and CONCACAF, [to] invest in developing players and officials for private promoter’s benefits? What a sad day this would be. Moreover, when journalists in tandem with private promoters give extensive coverage of activities, photo(s) included at the expense of organised football, is any care and consideration being given to other corporate sponsors? Of course the very sports writers and definitely not sport journalists are assured, before the first ball is kicked, of their financial remuneration. Does Stabroek News Sports Department have one of these goodly sports writers? Are the core values of

Freedie Kissoon must put his knowledge to work Dear Editor,

KINDLY permit me to respond to another [of] Freddie Kissoon’s article dated January 3, 2018. During the festive season, Freddie called me on my cellular phone, laughing about the article in which he took my Christmas joke and turned it into a column. I told him very frankly that I was upset with him and that I am loyal to the coalition government. I then asked him why he is constantly

attacking the AFC party. To this question he started laughing on the phone continuously. He then said to me that AFC is an ungrateful party. I told him we aren’t. Mr. Editor, I then said to Mr. Kissoon that I was reliably informed by a wellplaced politician that both himself and wife were offered jobs and he (Freddie Kissoon) refused both offers. Mr. Editor, Mr. Kissoon then asked me to name the source and I refused to do so. He then became

very furious. With respect to the job offer for his wife, he admitted that he has knowledge that something to this effect was brought up with [the] leadership of the AFC by one of its executive members, but he cannot say what the current position of the matter is. With respect to himself and the job offer, he categorically denied this. Mr. Editor, on this occasion unlike the previous one, Mr. Kissoon asked my permission to quote me in relation to the job

offers which is commendable, but, he has done so quite partially with a deliberate omission. Mr. Editor, the time is ripe for Mr. Freddie Kissoon, with his wealth of knowledge, [to] assist in fixing some of our major problems in Guyana and not throw up his hands in disgust and pessimism over matters such as blackouts which have been with us from time immemorial. Regards CARLYLE GORING

sports journalism being maintained in high esteem that the publication daily prints? Finally, within every Constitution of FIFA’s affiliates worldwide, which at the last count was 212, has an imprinted clause in relation to “Aims and Objectives” that by extension entails regularising football. As a consequence, to act contrary or simply turn a blind eye can have a devastating impact on the sport, in any country. As a consequence, the GFF has to toe the line, or the likelihood of being sanctioned. Nevertheless, I’m not in agreement with the terminology describing “street football” as the poor man’s game, since, were it so, prize money would have

never been in the vicinity of $500,000. Editor, since you may not be aware within a budgetary framework, i.e. street football, apart from prize monies, other expenditures consist of referees fees, preparation of playing area, purchase of balls, trophies and medals, advertising, bibs, laundry, beverages (water), goals, mobile lavatories and sound system. It must be noted that I have not included medical personnel/physiotherapist, workers and construction of movable walls and transportation which, at the end of the day, are all expenses. Regards LESTER SEALEY

Toddler seen drinking Guinness at bar Dear Editor, PERHAPS it was the first amusement for me in 2018 after witnessing quite an unusual occurrence. Around 19:30hrs one evening recently, I was in a bar when a gentleman and a toddler walked in and sat just next to me. Immediately, the kid was adored by other patrons there and got offerings of his wish. Surprisingly though, the gentleman whom I later learnt was the father of the child, called at the bar and purchased two Guinness. At first I thought he was being generous to offer me one, even though I didn’t know him; instead he looked confident and proud as he handed the bottle to his son. I

was stunned as the oneyear and six months old boy drank the liquid. He didn’t seem upset either as he sipped the liquid many times and with some degree of expertise. Fascinatingly, the father concurred that the boy can drink as much as three Guinness whenever he is in the mood. It was just an amazing sight as even the bartender was stunned. While I felt a sense of bewilderment at that point, it struck me too that parents in many instances act irresponsibly without knowing the consequences that it may have on their children later in life. In this case, is it an act of abuse or neglect? Regards ELROY STEPHNEY

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

AG bolsters team for GECOM challenge … Barbadian QCs admitted to bar for today’s hearing By Lisa Hamilton

AHEAD of today’s crucial hearing in the court challenge against President David Granger’s appointment of Justice James Patterson as chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, the chambers of the Attorney General has strengthened its legal team with the inclusion of two Barbadian Queen’s Counsel- Ralph A. Thorne and Hal Gallop. The attorneys were admitted to the local bar on Thursday after their petitions were presented to High Court Judge James Bovell-Drakes by Solicitor General Kim Kyte. They will join Kyte, Attorney General, Basil Williams SC, and Principal Legal Advisor at the AG Chambers, Judy Stuart to defend the state’s case. At the last hearing of the case on November 16, 2017 Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George had cautioned lawyers involved not to try the matter in public. At the said hearing Justice George-Wiltshire had outlined a timeline for the filing of submissions by both sides. The PPP through its Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, had until December 18 to file its submissions to the court, while the Attorney General’s Chambers had

Attorney General, Basil Williams, SC until December 18 to file its response. The PPP then had until January 3, 2018 to file its response. The hearing today will deal specifically with clarifications and oral arguments. Thorne was awarded his Legal Education of Certificate (LEC) in 1984 and practices in the areas of Criminal, Civil and Public Law litigation; Real estate; Commercial advisory/Incorporations; General legal practice and Administration and Estates. Notably, in 2007 he was appointed as the Queen’s Counsel and has been admitted to the bar in several Caribbean

countries during his lifetime such as Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Grenada and the Turks and Caicos Islands. One of Thorne’s most noteworthy cases is ‘Elvis Alexander v. R’ in which portions of the Barbados Firearms Act were declared unconstitutional in 2014 The former Chairman of Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and lecturer on legal and social issues, says that the similarities between the two countries outnumber the differences which makes him delighted to begin his work locally. For his part Gallop says he looks forward to practicing in the country and being able to further take part in the molding of the Caribbean jurisprudence. “It is indeed a privilege and an honor to be called to the bar in Guyana, a country which has traditionally had very strong links to Barbados…a country which has had a very rich jurisprudential tradition,” Gallop stated. Being appointed as one of her Majesty’s Counsel and admitted to the Inner Bar was a 2013 highlight for Gallop while, in addition to his law qualifications, he has attained a Diploma in Educational Studies and a Teacher’s Training Certificate. This enables the attorney

(from left) Attorney-at-Law, Ralph A. Thorne; Justice James Bovell Drakes and Attorney-at-Law, Hal Gallop (Photo by Samuel Maughn) to lecture on Administrative, Constitutional and Human Rights law, while he serves as the External Examiner at the University of the West Indies (UWI) LLM Programme. Gallop was involved in the Commission of Inquiry to several matters such as the burning of Her Majesty’s Prison and the Winston Hall escape from the said prison in Barbados. DUPLICITOUS Mustapha back in October last year had moved to the High Court to declare that the appointment of Justice (ret’d) James Patterson as Chairman of the GECOM is unconstitutional and null, void and of no legal effect. Additionally, he has asked the Court to grant an order “rescinding, revoking, cancelling and setting aside the appointment” of Patterson and further asking the High Court to choose a person from the 18 nominees sub-

mitted to the President by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. Jagdeo submitted six names on three lists all of which were rejected by President David Granger who deemed the nominees unfit for the post. However, the Attorney General, Basil Williams has argued that the opposition was being duplicitous in their challenge to the appointment of Justice Patterson, pointing out that on almost all of the grounds they deem him to be unfit, leading nominees submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo fell down in. He also contended that for the judicial arm to entertain and grant such an application would encroach on the very principles of separation of powers and the spirit and intendment of the constitution and an affront to the rule of law. “I will further contend that such a direction would be tantamount to a usurpation of the powers of the executive

arm of government by the judiciary, who cannot govern,” Williams said in his affidavit submitted and sworn to by Solicitor-General Kim Kyte. He argued that the immunities of the President are enshrined in the Constitution, by virtue of Article 182(1). “It directs that His Excellency the President shall not be personally answerable to any Court for the performance of the functions of his or her own office or for any act done in the performance of those functions and no proceedings, whether criminal or civil, shall be instituted against him or her in his or her personal capacity in respect thereof, either during his or her term of office or thereafter.” Williams described the contentions by Mustapha as irrelevant, speculative, malicious, frivolous, and vexatious and ought to be struck out forthwith. Mustapha is being represented by Attorney, Anil Nandlall.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Puran Brothers, Cevons resume work today – City Hall promises to pay every month By Telesha Ramnarine

THE two main garbage contractors of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) have indicated that they will resume their services from today (Friday), following an engagement with top city officials on Thursday. Both Puran Brothers Disposal Services and Cevons Waste Management had put a pause on waste collection in the city as of last January 1st because the City Council had failed to contact them on the way forward in 2018. This was after Government had bailed the municipality out of millions of dollars in debt owed to the said contractors and even paid for services up to the end of the year 2017. Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen, Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran and Town Clerk Royston King met with rep-

resentatives of the two companies, along with other officers of the municipality and councillors. The five-year contract with the two companies was reactivated and the City Council has promised to pay for services at the end of every month. Jaikarran, in his capacity as Chairman of the Markets and Public Health Committee, told Guyana Chronicle following the meeting, that the City Council proposed certain amendments to the contract and that the contractors were given some time to respond. Some of the amendments have to do with reducing the frequency of waste collection in certain areas from twice to once weekly, Jaikarran informed. The contractors had opted to pull their services last August when the City Council had racked up more than

$400M in debt to the two companies. Although the companies had agreed to wait for payments for the years 2015 and 2016, the municipality was not even keeping up with its current balances for 2017. Government stepped in and paid the contractors all of the outstanding balances and even went further to create a special arrangement to cover services up to the end of the year. During this time, the contractors had anticipated that the City Council would make some effort to contact them on a new system beginning 2018. But no such contact was made. Garbage has begun piling up again at various quarters in the City. “We are aware that we have an obligation towards the city to ensure there’s an effective and efficient collection and disposal of the city’s wastes. The committee

Taxi driver knocks down student

A DRIVER is in police custody and his vehicle lodged at the Springlands Police Station after he crashed into a nine-year-old student of the Number 68 Primary School on Wednesday. The student was identified as Christina Lakeram of Lot 111 Number 68 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. The 25-year-old driver of the taxi HC 7751 was identified as Seenarine Shamlall. Reports indicate that the motorcar was proceeding south along the east-

ern side of the Number 68 Village Public Road at a fast rate of speed when the student suddenly ran from east to west and into the path of the car. She was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Skeldon Hospital where she was treated and referred to the New Amsterdam Hospital for further treatment. The child was eventually transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was admitted.

Wedding house shooters surrender TWO suspects called “Rambo” and “Bara” wanted in connection with the shooting of three persons at a wedding house at 89 Hampshire, Corentyne, Berbice on Saturday, December 23, 2017 surrendered to police on Thursday accompanied by their attorney. The incident occurred about 00:30hrs on Saturday morning during a fight. Three persons were shot and later hospitalised; two were discharged as the other is listed as being in a stable condition. The victims were identified as Samuel

Samaroo, 28, a salesman of 63 Hampshire Village; Terry Ramsammy, 21, a labourer of the same village; and Nicholas Beharry, 24, an unemployed man of Hampshire Squatting Area. Samaroo was shot once to his right arm, Ramsammy sustained three gunshot wounds in the abdomen, while Beharry sustained two gunshot wounds in the back. The suspects, known by the call names names “Rambo” and “Bara”, had fled the scene in a vehicle minutes after the shooting.

City residents have been struggling to dispose of their garbage is considering inviting other small contractors to be part of the whole arrangement to provide solid waste management infrastructure and also to help with the collection and disposal of wastes,” the Town Clerk told this publi-

cation last week. Within the first quarter of 2018, King said the City Council will be moving to charge residents a fee for the collection and disposal of their household waste. “We are now moving

to ask residents in local communities to help us, as we subsidise the collection of waste, by paying a small fee. I understand that they are looking at perhaps $200 a barrel,” he informed.

Florida sees snowfall

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

–– as winter weather, cold air grips East Coast

THE South became a winter wonderland on Wednesday when flakes fell in northern Florida, part of a larger storm system that spread freezing rain, snow and sleet into Georgia and the Carolinas in the afternoon. The storm is forecast to keep moving further north, and is threatening to drop more than a foot of snow in New England this week. The snowstorm is rapidly strengthening through a process called bombogenesis, which is described as a coastal low that intensifies

quickly, and has brought the unusual weather to states in the Southeast. Additionally, it is bringing fierce weather conditions up the East Coast through Thursday, followed by extreme cold. The cold weather has been linked to the deaths of at least 20 people in the U.S. since December 26. Airlines cancelled more than 570 flights in the U.S. on Wednesday, and a whopping more than 2,500 flights for Thursday, according to flight tracking website, FlightAware. Boston’s Logan Interna-

tional Airport was among those affected, along with Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, according to the website. LaGuardia Airport in New York City said that more than 90 per cent of its flights scheduled for Thursday were cancelled due to the forecasted snow storm. American Airlines said it cancelled more than 630 Thursday flights. Freezing rain turned to snow on Wednesday afternoon in east Georgia and South Carolina, and was making its way into parts of North Caro-

lina, according to the Weather Channel. Power outages affected tens of thousands in the South. As of Wednesday evening, there were still more than 12,400 Georgia Power customers, more than 10,200 Florida Power & Light customers and more than 2,700 South Carolina Electric & Gas customers affected, the utilities reported. Tallahassee, Florida, measured 0.1 inches of snow Wednesday morning, in the first measurable amount in the area since 1989, the National

A house in a Florida neighbourhood blanketed in flurries Weather Service said. system intensifying off the A winter storm watch is- East Coast, according to The sued Tuesday by the NWS Weather Channel. was the first that Tallahassee A blizzard warning was had received in almost four issued on Wednesday for Noryears. Although Florida’s folk, Virginia, and parts of panhandle saw snow in De- coastal Maine and Massacember, this latest bitter blast chusetts. left many awestruck at the rare “What we’re really worweather event. ried about are these strong Astonished Floridians winds that will result in blowquickly began posting videos ing snow and whiteout condiof the snowfall on Twitter, tions,” Pugh said. showing thick flurries landing Virginia Gov. Terry in backyards and swimming McAuliffe declared a state pools. of emergency in response One person tweeted a pho- to the impending storm on to of snow accumulating in a Wednesday afternoon, and pair of sandals and atop fire urged Virginians to prepare. ant hills. The system could dump up Although Florida won’t to a foot of snow in portions receive much snow, the mois- of east Virginia, he said in a ture mixed with the cold could statement. still create treacherous con“With this forecast in ditions. mind, all Virginians should “There could certainly be take the necessary precausome slick spots on the road tions now to ensure they are that could impact travel, and prepared for the travel disrupin a region that doesn’t see tions, power outages and other it often, they’ll need to take threats to health and safety care,” NBC meteorologist that could arise during this Sherri Pugh said. significant weather event,” On Wednesday, the office he said. of the mayor of Tallahassee, Meanwhile, Massachusetts Andrew Gillum, urged locals Gov. Charlie Baker urged to be careful while travelling. people to stay off the roads “#WinterStorm update: and people to stay indoors on after our dusting this morning, Thursday, saying he was “anwe are still asking everyone ticipating white-out conditions to exercise significant caution for part of the day” during and stay off the roads as much a news conference. Earlier, as possible. Still very slick,” officials announced that all the office tweeted. Boston public schools would In South Carolina, 77 in- be closed on Thursday due to cidents were reported between the impending weather. Jasper and Charleston as of And in New York City, 11am ET, the South Carolina Mayor Bill de Blasio anHighway Patrol tweeted. Since nounced that all public schools some of those incidents were would also be closed Thursday due to icy roads, drivers were due to the storm. urged to stay away from coastExtreme lows, coupled al areas. A stretch of Interstate with the potential for a loss 95, near the Georgia border, of power could make for a was iced over, and trucks were dangerous combination, mehaving a hard time travelling teorologists warned. on it, creating delays. As of Wednesday, most Georgia Gov. Nathan states in the storm’s path Deal declared a state of emer- were not experiencing ungency in his state for 28 coun- usual lows. However, the ties, and in North Carolina, Northeast will see single-digit Gov. Roy Cooper declared temperatures during the early a state of emergency for all mornings, and overnight on eastern and several central the weekend. counties. “It’s chilly, but what’s The winter storm, impact- really going to be a big iming 41 million people from pact is that after this storm northern Florida to Maine, moves out, the Northeast was expected to intensify in is expecting extremely cold the already-frigid Northeast temperatures this weekend,” over the week. The strip of Pugh said. “Any power outice and snow stretching up to ages will be exacerbated by New England is being caused potential daily record lows.” by a powerful low-pressure (NBC News)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Driver jailed for causing death of pensioner

A 35-YEAR-OLD man was on Thursday sentenced to four years jail for the recent fatal accident which claimed the life of a 73-year-old woman as she was crossing the Brickdam Public Road, Georgetown. Kenneth Johnson of ‘A’ Field Sophia, Georgetown admitted that on January 2, 2018 at Brickdam Public Road he drove motor car PLL 2838 in a dangerous manner which caused the death of Jocelyn Joseph. Johnson was also charged with using motor car PLL 2838 for the purpose of a hire car when he was licensed for private purpos-

Kenneth Johnson es. He was fined $10,000 or default four weeks jail. The unrepresented man begged Joseph’s relatives for forgiveness as he explained that he is a grass cutter employed at the Cyril Potter College and works as a taxi driver at nights since he is the sole breadwinner for his family. According to reports on the day in question about 04:30hrs Johnson was proceeding east along Brickdam Public Road allegedly at a fast rate, in anticipation of passing the stop light at the intersection of Winter Place since the light was reportedly showing “green” with a few second remaining and in the process struck down the pedestrian who was said to be crossing the road from south to north. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Emergency Medical personnel. As a result of the impact the pedestrian was reportedly dragged about thirty-nine meters; the vehicle came to a halt some one hundred and fifty-eight meters from the point of impact as recorded by investigators.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Training programme to manage disaster launched

IT is no doubt that droughts, floods and other disasters caused by climate change have increased rapidly in the past several years, affecting the agricultural sector in many countries and putting them at risk of growing food insecurity. Guyana’s flood experience of 2005-2006 is an important example of the impact climate change can have on the agricultural sector—animals and plants did not survive the flood, causing many farmers countrywide to lose their livelihood. To prevent these disasters from happening again, the National Agricultural

Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the Guyana Rice Development Board, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority and the Guyana Red Cross Society have collaborated and launched a training programme. The exercise, “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption of Good Practices for your community,” was launched on Wednesday at Lovely Lass, West Coast Berbice (WCD). It will be launched in four other communities including Number Four Village, D’Edwards, Fyrish and Now and Never. The training will see of-

ficials from the above-mentioned agencies looking at smart agricultural practices for each community which can assist in coping with adverse climate conditions. The most suitable approach will be selected and a demonstration exercise will be done with farmers. It is expected that farmers will then transfer the new knowledge to their farm in an effort to reduce and manage disasters. NAREI will be building capacity of extension services and staff to employ the disaster risk reduction tools, practices and approaches in their daily work and to promote field implementation

Suspect in Brazilian murder to be charged soon ALMOST one year after Brazilian gold miner Naldinho De Costa Souza was found with his throat slit at Fish Creek, Cuyuni River, Region Eight, a suspect cornered by homicide detectives has admitted to committing the gruesome act. On Tuesday, detectives arrested a 25-yearold male resident of Joshen, Essequibo River and during interrogation he admitted to be one of four persons who committed the crime. Police said a very close family member of the suspect, who is currently an inmate at

the Mazaruni Prison serving a sentence for robbery under a name other than his own, has been implicated as one of the three persons involved in the murder. Reports indicate that during a confrontation, the suspect confessed to being the one who used a sharp instrument to slit the victim’s throat De Costa Sousa was killed on February 9, 2017, at Fish Creek Backdam, Cuyuni River. Police are continuing their investigation before laying charges.

Training Manager Benjamin Frank, addressing participants during the launch of disaster risk reduction measures. The agency’s Training Manager, Benjamin Frank told the gathering that in the event of a disaster, while you can move animals, plants cannot be moved from one spot and taken back there when the situation becomes normal. “We have to look at smart practices that can assist you in coping with

these adverse condition like shade houses—but while this might be applicable in one area, it might not be suitable in other places so we have to arrive at the most suitable practices,” Frank said. “We are targeting farmers in specific communities in Regions Five and Six. Observe what we are doing because it will be practically demonstrated. We expect all

farmers to take what they learn back to their farm so that your livelihood is not greatly affected in the event of a disaster,” he added. The training officer concluded by informing farmers that NAREI will continue to assess communities at risk and implement good training programmes to help overcome these hurdles farmers face year by year.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Business undergrad set to launch novel App –– to facilitate, give new twist to bartering

By Michel Outridge A FOUR-member team is all set for the launch in March of their innovative user-friendly App, called “Swopp”, which is intended to give new meaning to bartering. Team member, Shemar Spencer told the Guyana Chronicle that while the idea is his, the App is being created by the local technology firm, Intellect

Storm, and funded by the Ministry of Education. Other members of the team are Kevon Spencer, Jamal Layne and Trestonne Headley. The 22-year-old, who is pursuing a degree in business management at the University of Guyana (UG), explained that he came up with the idea while at his aunt’s restaurant, and seeing the adverse affect the stench

from the build-up of garbage was having on her business, owing to the garbage disposal problem the city has been having. Reaching out to a pig farmer he knew, Spencer said he began bartering the leftover food from his aunt’s restaurant for fresh fruits, and the farmer was able to feed his pigs, and they got fresh fruit juice for the eatery. The La Parfaite Harmo-

nie, West Bank Demerara resident told the Guyana Chronicle that the mobile App is a platform through which persons can barter things they have no need of in exchange for something else. He stated that with the App, they will get the opportunity to exchange their stuff for other things, since the objective is to move away from the ‘throw away’ attitude we have developed.

Spencer said it will enable people to re-use and re-cycle their stuff without throwing it out. Spencer said he is hoping that the app will be a big ‘hit’ here, as it is downloadable, compatible with just about any SmartPhone, and simple to operate. He said that at the launching in March, they will demonstrate how the app is used.

The enterprising Shemar Spencer

PI in ‘murder-for-gold earrings’ trial set for Monday Mahdia house gutted COME January 8, the preliminary inquiry into the murder of 18-month-old Ronasha Pilgrim, who was killed by her teenage uncle over a pair of gold earrings will commence before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Sherwyn Roberts called ‘Big Head’ after being on remand since his first court appearance before the Chief Magistrate on September 5, 2017 was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The psychiatric report, done by Dr. Bhairo Harry returned on Thursday and deemed Roberts mentally fit to stand trial. Roberts is charged with the indictable offence which alleged that he on September 1, 2017 at Lot 98 North Sophia, Georgetown, murdered

Murder accused, Sherwyn Roberts his niece Ronasha Pilgrim. According to reports, on the day in question, the toddler along with her brothers, aged 10 and 12 years, was left in the house by her fa-

ther, a security guard, while he went to work. It is alleged that the accused, her 18-yearold uncle, at about 03:30 hrs the said day, broke a window, and gained entry into the house where he tried to relieve the child of her earrings. But in trying to do so, the child started to scream and the man tossed her through a window into the swamped yard. He then hurried away from the area, but not before placing a pile of wood on top of the child, who was submerged in 18 inches of water and slush. When the child was discovered by her father shortly after, she was in a motionless state and was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Dead: Ronasha Pilgrim The suspect was arrested at his ‘B’ Field Sophia home shortly after the incident. He reportedly confessed to the police at the Prashad Nagar Police Station and explained to ranks that he was “high on weed.”

Battered, demoralised woman cries for help By Michel Outridge

The house on fire Thursday evening (Ivor Caeser photo) A fire of unknown origin Thursday evening has left a family at Mahdia, Region Eight contemplating their next move. Homeless are Nalini Bisnauth, her children and grandchildren. There are no reports of causalities. Residents watched in shock as the house was gutted within matter of minutes. The house reportedly stood on a piece of disputed land.

SALLY KHAN, a mother of two was not prepared for the beating she received at the hands of her ex-husband and his girlfriend on Wednesday when she went to his Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, home to pick up her children. Khan told reporters that she is now very fearful for her life, pointing out that her children witnessed the savage beating she received. The abuse started during

an argument with her husband. At the time she had journeyed to her ex-husband’s residence to collect their two children, ages five and 11 years old. During the argument, she was pulled into the yard by her hair. Khan related that she was then thrown to the ground and her ex-husband’s girlfriend sat on her and began slapping her in the face. After the slapping finished, she was reportedly tied to a chair and beaten in the head and face with a gun by

her ex-husband, causing her to lose consciousness. He then tried to strangle her by placing a rope around her neck, but decided to throw water on her after recognising she was in an unconscious state. The girlfriend of the ex-husband then swept way the blood in the yard and when Khan regained consciousness, she found herself outside the yard. The police were summoned. The ex-husband, the girlfriend and the victim were

taken to the Providence Police Station where they were all charged and placed on $10,000 bail each and made their first court appearance at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. They will make their second court appearance at the same court on January 15, 2018. Khan is calling for justice. Also, being a single mother, she is unable to hire a lawyer to represent her in court and is asking for assistance in this regard.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Much ‘edutainment’ at Mash 2018

THE Ministry of Social Cohesion plans to ‘edutain’ Guyanese with this year’s Mashramani costume and float parade. Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain said there is much that the public can be educated about, through the various costumes that will be displayed. During an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Boatswain observed that among these are ways to embrace the Government’s drive for a green state, diversification of the sugar industry and the many advantageous offshoots of Guyana’s recent oil find. “Mash as we knew it in the old days, used to be something where we celebrated our achievements, it used to be where we addressed topical issues through the costumes. You used to have subjects such as HIV/AIDS; you had even sugar,” the culture director explained. According to Boatswain, over the years, the country has moved away from what the celebration of Mashramani is really about. Taking into consideration the theme for this year’s celebration “Let’s Cooperate and Celebrate Republic 48”, she said, “The hope is that we can get back to that place where we

focus on issues that relate to us as a country and not get carried away with the image of a skimpy carnival swim piece.” The concept behind the initiative, according to Boatswain, is not to limit the creativity of designers but rather to ensure that the younger generation is not only entertained but

Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain

also educated. She highlighted that the Ministry will soon be meeting with the various designers where they will be informed about what is expected come February 23. “We do not want to restrict creativity in any way but want to encourage them to create costumes that we will be proud of and that sends a message to the young people looking on that says, this is important to us,” Boatswain explained. Social Cohesion Minister, Dr. George Norton, has also endorsed this move. The minister underscored that Guyanese must be cognisant that Mashramani is not a carnival. “Mashramani is Guyanese branded, so to speak and I think I like the idea of using the costume as a message medium for message sending. I remember the days when agriculture was emphasised a whole lot and we can do the same still.” Mashramani is a national event; therefore, the image that Guyana displays to the rest of the world is very important, according to Minister Norton. Mashramani 2018 marks 48 years since Guyana became a Republic in 1970.

Social Cohesion Minister, Dr. George Norton

Fort Wellington Hospital Consultation to commence on land policy upgrades X-Ray services THE Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) will conduct its first round of consultation on the National Land Policy during the course of this year. GL&SC Commissioner Trevor Benn told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the board of the Commission has a draft policy that will be distributed to stakeholders. “We intend to fan it out to various stakeholders across the country in 2018, so that we could get a feedback from all concerned in relation to what that land policy should look like,” he explained. The National Land Policy is important for the GLSC to effectively identify where the best lands for agriculture, mining and conservation can be found, Benn explained. “The policy is all-embracing and… either prescriptively or descriptively, will tell us these are the areas we should focus if you want to do a certain kind of business,” Benn added. The creation of the policy is being undertaken under the four-year Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Development and Management (SLDM) project, which is being funded by the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) at a cost of US$14.8M. The SLDM project will be officially launched at the end of this month. The completion of the National Land Policy is part of component one of the project which seeks to mainstream SLDM in policy, institutional

GL&SC Commissioner Trevor Benn and governance mechanisms to prevent degradation and restore degraded lands. Apart from the countrywide consultations with stakeholders, Benn said the policy will also take into consideration recommendations from the Land Commission of Inquiry that was commissioned by President David Granger. “I’m sure that they are going to have recommendations which the land policy is going to take into account; so we look forward to receiving that sort of recommendation from them as well,” Benn said. The GL&SC is targeting the end of 2018 to complete the National Land Policy. However, Benn said the commission will be opened to additional input over the course of the four-year SLDM project.

THE Fort Wellington Cottage Hospital, Region Five has upgraded its X-Ray Services from the conventional filmed X- Ray to a state-of-the-art Digital X-Ray processor. Regional Health Officer, Dr. Stephen Cheefoon said the new equipment which is the first to be put into use in a regional hospital was acquired late last year. It will be put to full use by mid-month. Dr. Cheefoon explained that the machine with the brand name : Care Stream Processor, produces high-resolution capture of structures inside a patient’s body and uses advanced software processing tools to provide a clear and unobstructed view of these structures for quicker and more accurate diagnoses than the conventional X-Ray machine. Whereas the conventional film takes time to be produced having to be taken to a darkroom and be washed and developed among other necessary procedures, the digital image is processed and produced instantly. Additionally, the image produced by the Digital X-Ray machine is then sent to a computer monitor next to the bed of the patient or to even the cellphone or email address of the doctor who requested the image. A similar system is in use at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) but is not known to be in place at any of the regional hospitals. “So here at Fort Wellington, no more washing of films, no more darkroom, no more chemicals for X- Rays,” he said. The X-Ray Department has also been equipped with a thick lead shield to prevent the escape of X-Rays being processed by the Care Stream processor and with a dressing room for patients. Dr Cheefoon said the acquisition of the machine is in keeping with the thrust

of upgrading the health care services at the hospital using cutting edge Information and Communications Technology (ICT). “At Fort Wellington,” Dr Cheefoon said, “Our overall thrust is to provide private hospital care in a public hospital setting. The computerisation of services at the Hospital has been ongoing since last year and makes the use of this machine now possible.” Dr Cheefoon disclosed that departments of the hospital are connected by a network of computers. ICT in place includes a computerised stores inventory management system using a bar code scanner and Quick Book software and a bio-metric time keeping system for staff, among others. The Digital X-Ray Machine will be connected to monitors at the bedside of each patient and will be able to immediately transmit X-Ray images of that patient to these monitors through the use of Wi-Fi hubs which have been installed in the hospital. The laboratory of the hospital is also connected to the network so that lab results are transmitted directly to the monitor alongside the bed of the patient for viewing by the doctor who made the request. The digital X-Ray machine is also connected to a printer so that hard copies of images can be obtained if necessary and medical images can be stored digitally so they can be viewed by all members of the healthcare team within the same health system and compared later on with future imaging exams. Dr Cheefoon also disclosed that similar upgrades to the services at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital in Region Five, through the use of ICT, are slated for this year.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Odessa Primus is the Last Woman Standing

Takes first place at ‘Uncensored 9’ The voluptuous Odessa Primus truly repped the sisterhood last Friday night at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) where, as the only female competitor in this year’s Uncensored 9, she stood above the men and grandly took first place in annual standup comedy competition. Standing before a brutal audience that earlier relentlessly booed another competitor into a premature exit off the stage,

Odessa Primus in her winning performance at Uncensored 9

Primus had the crowd in fits from the moment she entered the stage decked out in a Mashramani-ready ensemble. The penultimate act of the night, the crowd was prepared for nothing but the best as their night winded down. And Primus delivered. Definitely quite the step up from her last year performance at the show, when it was the rained filled program at the Giftland parking lot. The judges thought her 10 minutes on stage was the best among the 12 acts of the night, to see her land the first place

position, which saw her Michael Ignatius going home with $300,000 cold hard cash, along with a $200,000 gift voucher from Giftland’s Giftronics, and a gold chain and gold ring from Elegance Jewellry and Pawn Shop. A performance that included some stunning split-in-the-middle gyrating action from Michael Ignatius landed him the second place. Ignatius produced big laughs when he solicited the assistant of Stage Manager, Sonia Yarde to deliver a thrilling wine down that left many females in the audience wanting for more. Mark “Lo li” Kazim and his “Chiney Man” impressions, returned to winners circle. After finishing fourth last year, he found himself bumped up to third, proving that his consistent Chinese impersonation is not getting old anytime soon. He threw in several Mark Kazim of his now signatory “Loli” jokes for good measures, and also proved that Guyanese won’t stop rolling over with laughter for phallic puns, or raunchy jokes anytime soon either. Opening by poking fun at the government’s recent employment of elderly citizens, Mark Luke-Edwards also featured among the top four for yet another consecutive year. Dressed in a tight skinny jeans tucked into his socks, Luke-Edwards tickled the funny bone even before his first words came out. And as per norm not even the judges were spared. Among the night’s judges line up were news anchor Tra-

vis Chase, radio personality Nigel Worrell, and Al Creighton, all of whom came under fire by varying comedians, and of course when the jokes were good everyone had a good laugh about it. But it was not all laughs for everyone who stepped out on stage last Friday night. Some painfully miscalculated vagina jokes from second timer Randolph Critchlow drew the ire of the audience, and what would start out as intermittent antagonistic disagreement from a few in the crowd evolved into a full fledge unified call for his removal from the stage before he could even get a full three minutes in the limelight. Within seconds the booing drowned out Critchlow’s mic and he could do nothing but retire from the stage, not at all enjoying the resounding applause that followed his exit. Another comedian that confounded the audience during the night was Kirt “Chubby” Williams, who also had a premature exit. Though not altogether clear it appeared that the veteran jokester started to forget his lines and as his jokes began to falter, Chubby, in convict prison uniform outfit, made an abrupt exit. The night’s MC, Lyndon Jones, explained it away. The fact that Chubby preceded Critchlow may have been what left the crowd so sour to Critchlow. Though he did not space, another classic act of the night was delivered by Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson, who can seriously joke as good as he can sing. Laying down some foul-mouthed jokes from the minute he touched down on the stage, Edmondson landed some big hits as he regaled the audience with a tale of date when he took a young lady to Palm Court. A few politicians also came under fire from him including Minister of Infrastructure, David Patterson; Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo and former President Donald Ramotar. This year’s show also saw two new comers, in Paul Burnette and famed promoter Marlon Jacobs.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Terick Clarke and his Cardi B has three songs on inspiring ‘Journey’ billboard hot 100 top 10 Creates history again

By Michel Outridge

For Terick Clarke better known as “Journey” the sky is the limit for this upstanding individual who comes from a family of singers. This songwriter/singer is all about putting out ‘conscious’ music that people can relate to and he hopes he can with his newly-released song titled “Band balling in the ghetto”. The reggae/dancehall song is available on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon and all local music outlets and at Vizion Sounds recording Studio in Georgetown. At 28, Clarke is the father of two but unmarried and is hoping to tie the knot in the near future but his real passion is song writing as well as singing. Clarke said, “I write music relating to what people wants and I have been doing it for a few years now and I can safely say I have matured but still learning, an experience I cherish and with writ-

Terick Clarke called “Journey”

ing one can only get better.” Growing up in a Rastafarian background with many siblings, Clarke said that he benefitted from a proper upbringing but was never a ‘church boy’ so to speak, but have cousins who are singers themselves. He is originally from Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara but presently resides at Non Pareil and will be launching his new song “Baker Shop” which is dancehall soon. These days when Clarke is not writing song he is in the recording studio in what he

Selena Gomez’s “Complicated” Relationship With Her Mom Goes Beyond the Justin Bieber Drama Selena Gomez’s reported reunion with Justin Bieber is a footnote compared to what E! News reports as a “complicated relationship” between the singer and her mom Mandy Teefey. According to one source, the mother-daughter pair have endured “a lot of ups and downs” on top of an “entire year” of not speaking to each other after Mandy was let go of her managerial duties in 2014. As the source explains, things got so bad Selena wasn’t even allowed to talk to her 4-year-old sister Gracie. E! News’ source says that Mandy had a “really hard time” making 13 Reasons Why happen after the firing because she was so “emotionally and professionally” affected. “It caused a major rift in their relationship but they eventually reconnected.” Flash forward to March 2017: the show is an instant hit on Netflix and at the premiere, mother and daughter happily pose for photos together on the red carpet. Earlier this month, TMZ

reported that Mandy was briefly hospitalised in Los Angeles after she having a “heated” conversation with Selena about her relationship with Justin. At the time, sources said police performed a welfare check on Mandy after being contacted by a family member. According to E! News, Justin and Selena’s reported reconciliation has caused “so much angst” in her family, who are allegedly “very sad” about their reunion. “Selena is dealing with some family issues at the moment and Justin is there for her,” adds a source. “He doesn’t want to cause any problems between Selena and her mom… Justin and Selena are still together.” Believe what you will, and take all of this with a grain of salt (or several grains). Just know that it’s completely acceptable to listen to “Mistletoe” even if Christmas was three days ago. It’s a great song and don’t let anyone take it away from you during this latest iteration of Jelena.

considers ‘his thing’ which is singing which he describes as bringing out the best in him. Nicknamed “Journey” he has no problem with the name since he is of the opinion that the name represents that path he navigates as he llives his life, so the alias suits him just right. For Clarke, music is life and for him, he has a long way to go and he anticipates the strides he will make along the way.

Cardi B is dominating Billboard Hot 100 to kick off her New Year. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper became only the third artist in history and the first rapper to have their first three Billboard Hot 100 songs to chart in the top ten simultaneously. The only other two artists to achieve this are Ashanti and The Beatles, according to Billboard. Cardi B joined the elites among artists last year when her debut single “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” topped the chart making her the first female rapper since Lauryn Hill in the late 1990s to top the chart with a solo record. Now Cardi B is making more history for herself once again on the most recognised music chart on the planet, the Billboard Hot 100. Her song with G-Eazy and ASAP Rocky, “No Limit” jumped

one place this week to No. 4, while Migos’ “MotorSport” with Cardi B and Nicki Minaj holds firm at No. 7 on the chart. That’s two singles in the top ten where she is a guest artist on, but her debut single “Bodak Yellow” saw some resurgence over the holidays and jumped two places from No. 12 to 10 on the chart. “What a great way to start my Year. Thank you Lord,” Cardi B wrote on Instagram. “Only you and I know how much I pray to you. These last few weeks been too much for me but my Lord always find a way to uplift me. Thank you to my fans ,DJS ,Team for the support. Thanks to all the artist who featured me In these songs and thanks guys for showing my second single BARTIER CARDI some love I love you.” It’s very much possible

that she can achieve four songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 if her new single “Bartier Cardi” continues to gain momentum. The song made its debut on the chart at No. 14 and over the holidays it was a top trending song on some major streaming platforms. Further down on the chart, Cardi B can be found on another song “La Modelo” with Latin singer Ozuna which entered the chart at No. 52.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

An age of greater individual awareness and perception enfolds us... We live like in no other age, in a time that requires understanding of the flow of ideas, good, bad and fraudulent that will outpour from politics. Religion and social media reaching to grip and shape our consciousness, the comfort zones of religion, our indifference to exploring, nor will superficial political banter based on untested hearsay protect or empower us. We have to accept the social evolution before us, because our physical human world is and have changed, to evolve and stay relevant we too have got to understand and clarify the logic of opinions thrown before us, by foraging for the truth that will explain the intentions behind so much that will seek to confuse and exploit us. we must compare the old and new text books, I refer to our books of religion and science and the metaphors of the humanities to reach for help, for to lose ones consciousness is tantamount to losing our souls, I want to engage you, if you’re reading this article, in a discourse of the age of belief and that of comparison with the contemporary. The Bible is a fantastic record of history and human nature if you read it and not allow it to be only read and interpreted to you, whether you are an atheist or sceptic, the God or Intelligence that inspired and guided the pool of diverse knowledge, both metaphoric, historical and geographic, gathered to compose the scriptures was profound and consistent. The Book of ENOCH the prophet was not included in the scriptures but it exists and is available, and is relevant because of Enoch’s narrative of the hyper-sapiential beings called the Watchers, whose nature permitted them to mate with human women, but were angelic in their abilities. Their leader Azazel and his kindred Watchers are accused of opening the faculties of homo-sapiens to an age of lawlessness, sexual perversion, genetic aberrations and magical aspirations, corrupting our species. Enoch describes the Biblical flood and the fall of the Watchers, leaving us with a metaphoric value template that divides social decline and its only cure, against the struggle for social development in our mundane world. Society or some societies understand the guidelines to upkeep to halt its decay, they hold this knowledge closely, and implement measures to enforce the balance, a simple reference is that a managerial promotion recipient must be married, the balance of man and wife, wife and husband must exist. A widower could become a world leader, but not an unmarried mature man, and not a person of questionable gender. Tolerance exists but there are cut-off points. We witness these manifestations, hardly pondering where the references came from. In Guyana we have experienced lawlessness and the criminalization of our society, the recruitment of the lazy into the service of perversions; many have become lassitude in spirit, in the failure of decades of administrative measures to be proactive, rather than eventually crawl to the table of initiatives, with ad hoc measures, while the vacuum is filled with the all that co’snstitutes the local term ‘Runnings’. The opportunistic grabble by deceptive persons for the seat at the head of the table, on the Magic Carpet of ‘Talking the talk’ has led to the rise of characters

at the helm of important social and political institutions and even with known failures they persist on the pretext that enough of the masses have forgotten or are clueless enough to not know the mechanisms for their own development to articulate it successfully, so though flawed they retain possessions of entities that they can no longer energise and have long betrayed for their own survival. Take the Trade Unions as a workable case study of the misuse of authority while cultivating misguiding rhetoric where useful honesty would have served workers interests better, a complete reversal of the historical foundations of Trade Unionism. Follow, and then ask working class buddies for verification of the following. Ask the Seamen in the case with the Norwegians which Union Head took a car and betrayed them? Then ask the brothers who worked at Omai what other union representative took a motorcar again and bartered their interests. I was in the vicinity of the PSU during the Customs protest in the 1990’s when another union head stabbed those workers in the back, then asked for protection from Leon Fraser and the ‘Death Squad’ to protect him from irate union members. A stab in the back that he tried to justify when I accosted him later in Church Street where I resided at the time, when he visited a colleague who lived in the back house. He was unapologetic and comfortable with his treachery, and in 2017 still mouths the empty self-serving rhetoric. But the worse betrayal of ‘believing folk’ comes from the union of the sugar workers, a union that was aware since the 90’s, with the public fully realising long before April 2015 that sugar was produced at US$ 800.00 per ton and was selling for US$ 300.00 per ton, an industry whose workers because of their limitations and false assurances given, needed immediate educating , training and divesting of human resources into viable projects, that union was aware that the EU sub venture was not used in the interest of its workers development by the former government it had pledged allegiance to, yet they maintained a political stance, rather than face the inevitable economic reality, that has now come to full maturity, and they still persist in the misleading gaff of sugar-worker victimhood. The variables of cultural, religious, historical and political experience exist, but the element of misguidance and purposely fashioned misrepresentations of these areas and the beating down of the inferior complexes of groups into hatreds for other groups for political manipulation, has from the infancy of this nation have brought us to where we are, the State policy of Cohesion is bold, but it requires brave confrontal consultations, we must discuss taboo areas of the ‘Guyanese being’ along with the differences that are there and are in some cases skilfully conceived mirages that must be diminished, forced changes in Guyana from the world around us, demand that we know and understand better, next week, with the grace of providence, I will attempt a reference to the bold task of Social Cohesion.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

WITH all the Christmas and Old Year’s/New Year’s parties, most places are taking a break after the festivities, so there’s not much going down around the town at the usual spots, though they will all still be open if you're looking to just pop in on your own. So it’s all going to be quiet at Palm Court, Tower Suites, 704 and Pegasus this weekend. Even up at Giftland things are going to be on the soothing side up at The Strip. But of course, this is Georgetown so there’s still something going on somewhere. The Old School party at the National Park on Saturday takes centre stage, while there’s also a barbeque and lime with lots of vibes at Transport. Blue Iguana gets popping on Sunday with a birthright bash, while things are shelling down over at City Vibes. TODAY Island Style Café and Wine Bar presents Karaoke Fridays with DJ Don and MarQ. You request it so they’re doing their best to perform it, or you can take the mic and just do your own thing! It’s Latin Night at The Vintage Wine Bar and Lounge. Get two Desperados Tequila Beers for $1,000 TOMORROW Guyana’s biggest old-school party returns! Golden Smile Family presents their 11th Annual Flashback Old Skool Party at the National Park Tarmac featuring the return of Super Sonic, Steelie, Bashment, O.C. Dread and the best line up of local DJs! It’s an All Band 12th Night Barbeque and Dance day and night event at Transport Sports Club. Barbeque served from 15:00hrs-21:00hrs. Music by Stitchie Vibes Machine; Super Cat; Murphy; Invasion; Love Vibrations; Errol One Man Band and Blue Ribbon the Boss Sound System. The Vintage Wine Bar and Lounge presents Dinner and Retro Night! Come out and enjoy a nostalgic environment with hits from the 70s and 80s, while indulging in some of the best cuisine SUNDAY Father Otis' Birthday Bash is going down at Blue Iguana! Roll out because the party turn up loud! City Vibes Sports Bar and Lounge presents Shell Down Sunday. Music by Evolution Fraternity and Guyana’s top DJs. Everyone free before 23:00hrs, $500 after.

Justin Timberlake announces “Man of the Woods” album release date Justin Timberlake revealed the release date for his new album Man of the Woods. The singer stunned fans earlier this week when he abruptly announced that he is dropping a new album on February 2. It’s been close to five years since the release of Timberlake’s last album, “The 20/20 Experience“, which was released in 2013. In March of last year, Timberlake tweeted “It’s on it’s way” and followed up in November to say the new album would be different. Timberlake credits the new album to his family, “the album is inspired by my wife, son, family and more so than any other album that I have ever written, where I’m from and it is personal.” The pop icon who was born and raised in Tennessee has fans wondering if he has put a country twist to his new music.

Justin Timberlake came on the music scene in 1995 as a member of the successful pop group NSYNC. He went solo in 2002 with his debut album “Justified” which landed him a Grammy Award. He sold more than seven million copies of that album worldwide. The singer continues his journey with his second album “FutureSex/LoveSounds” in 2006. Timberlake is not only known for his melodious voice but has also proved himself to be a talented actor. He landed rolls in films such as: Alpha Dogs (2006), The Social Network (2010) and In time (2011). For his new album, Timberlake is working with the likes of Timbaland, The Neptunes, Alicia Keys and Chris Stapleton.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

‘Bad Blood’ to be shed at GBBC’s ‘Sangre Malo’ on January 20 DEXTER ‘The Kid’ Marques, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry, Shawn Corbin and Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves will defend the ‘Land of Many Waters’ from the invasion of fighters from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Venezuela, at the Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC) ‘Bad Blood’ bout on January 20 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Marques, the reigning CABOFE and Guyana Flyweight champion, will headline the card against a Venezuelan Dionis Martinez Arias, and this fight is seen as a warm-up for his Commonwealth title shot against Jay Harris of Wales on March 31 at the Copperbox Arena.

Marques is the mandatory challenger for Harris, who is the current Commonwealth Flyweight title-holder. That fight is being promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. Marques currently has a record of 16-2-0, and is unbeaten in his last eight fights. His last defeat was against Dharry in May 2011. Dionis Martinez Arias holds a ring record of six wins, nine losses and two draws in his 17 outings in the ‘square circle’. D h a r r y, t h e W B C CABOFE and IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight champion, will face Venezuelan Jesus Vargas Garcia. No doubt the fiery pugilist would want extend his unbeaten run, which is currently at 18 fights,

his last defeat being way back in 2009. With a record of 21-5-1, the reigning Guyana bantamweight champion, who is based in USA, will fight in Guyana for the first time since February 2016. Gonsalves will also use the upcoming fight as preparation for a clash against Bahamas lightweight champion Meacher Major, and once the result goes his way the Guyanese could be in with a shot at the Commonwealth title. Felipe Larez Barcelo will be making his fifth professional appearance in the ring when he faces Gonsalves, with the Guyanese fighter already signalling an early night for his opposition from ‘across

the border’. Meanwhile, Corbin will be making a return to the ring for the first time since losing to England’s Nathan Cleverly in 2014, in the United Kingdom, for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title. In fact, it will be his first fight in Guyana since 2013 when he stopped Anthony Augustin at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden. Corbin has fought 22 times, winning 15 of those bouts, and losing five. His opponent on January 20, Sheldon Lawrence, a light heavyweight out of Trinidad and Tobago, is undefeated in his last four bouts and holds a record of 10 wins (eight by knockouts) and one loss.

Jaguars bundle out Scorpions for 106 on opening day KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Leaders Guyana Jaguars resumed the Regional Four-Day Championship in the same manner they ended it at the Christmas Break, by dominating the opening day of the eighth round match against Jamaica Scorpions here yesterday. Opting to bowl first at Sabina Park, they bundled out Scorpions for 106 and then reached 75 for three at the close – 31 runs adrift of the lead heading into day two. . The three-time defending champions were heading to the close strongly at 57 for one but lost two quick wickets to lose some of their momentum. Sent in earlier, Scorpions folded meekly, with Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood and wicketkeeper Aldaine Thomas getting the joint top score of 24. They were two of four batsmen in double figures but the only ones to pass

15.

Scorpions were undermined by returning West Indies left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer (3-21) and fellow pacer Keemo Paul (3-15) who grabbed three wickets apiece. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul extended his healthy form with two for 25. Scorpions were in early trouble when they lost John Campbell for one, with two on the board in the third over, but Blackwood anchored two small stands to revive the innings. He put on 29 for the second wicket with Assad Fudadn (11) and a further 27 for the third with Brandon King (13). Once he perished, however, the last six wickets tumbled for 43 runs in quick time. Jaguars too stumbled

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early when Akshaya Persaud fell without scoring in the second over of the innings but Chandrapaul Hemraj counter-attacked with 47 off 53 balls to repair the damage. The left-hander struck

eight fours and a six, adding 53 for the second wicket with captain Leon Johnson who made 13. However, both fell in the space of nine balls in successive overs, as Scorpions hit back late on.

SCOREBOARD SCORPIONS 1st innings J. Campbell b Paul 1 A. Fudadin c wkp. Bramble b Joseph 11 J. Blackwood lbw b Permaul 24 B. King c wkp. Bramble b Reifer 13 P. Palmer c Paul b Reifer 7 F. Allen stp. Bramble b Permaul 0 A. Thomas not out 24 D. Green c wkp. Bramble b Reifer 0 D. Jacobs b Paul 8 N. Miller c wkp. Bramble b Paul 2 R. Leveridge run-out 0 Extras: (b-5, nb-11) 16 Total: (all out, 36.2 overs) 106 Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-31, 3-58, 4-63, 5-67, 6-69, 7-69, 8-86, 9-90. Bowling: Paul 8.2-3-15-3, Joseph 8-2-39-1, Permaul 10-3-25-2, Reifer 9-2-21-3, Persaud 1-0-1-0. JAGUARS 1st innings C. Hemraj c Green b Miller 47 A. Persaud lbw b Leveridge 0 L. Johnson c Palmer b Green 13 V. Singh not out 10 S. Chanderpaul not out 3 Extras: (b-1, l-b1) 2 Total: (3 wkts, 22 overs) 75 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-57, 3-63. Bowling: Green 6-1-24-1, Leveridge 7-1-22-1, Blackwood 2-0-8-0, Miller 6-2-16-1, Campbell 1-0-3-0. Position: Jaguars trail by 31 runs with seven wickets intact. 12:50 hrs Symphony In Seven 13:25 hrs Out My way 13:55 hrs Bedazzled Joker 14:25 hrs Mumsy’s Jet 14:55 hrs Ouzo 15:25 hrs Defending Champion Irish Racing Tips Dundalk 13:00 hrs Oneoveryou 13:30 hrs Bluesbreaker 14:00 hrs Ship Of Dreams 14:30 hrs Invincible Ryker 15:00 hrs Commander Won 15:30 hrs Zaofu 16:00 hrs Pass The Ball 15:30 hrs Miss Mirabeau English Racing Tips Wetherby 08:40 hrs Take The High Road

09:15 hrs Dark Sunset 09:50 hrs Very First Time 10:25 hrs Jammin Masters 10:55 hrs Over My Head 11:25 hrs Up To No Good Southwell 08:55 hrs Magic Pulse 09:30 hrs Dawn Dancer 10:05 hrs Beautiful Artist 10:40 hrs Ghaseedah 11:10 hrs Declamation 11:40 hrs Alternate Route Kempton 13:45 hrs Inuk 14:15 hrs Mistry 14:45 hrs Pulsating 15:45 hrs Flight Of Fantasy 16:15 hrs Sparkalot 15:45 hrs Magic Mirror

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

India face fierce test in South Africa series INDIA’S status as the world’s No.1 Test team will face a fierce examination when they come up against second-ranked South Africa in a three-Test series starting at Newlands today. South Africa will be banking on their formidable fast bowling attack to dismantle India’s strong batting line-up but after nine successive Test series wins India are brimming with confidence – and a belief that they can thrive in any conditions.

losing the first two Tests before drawing the last two. “The tour to Australia is the one that laid a great foundation for this team,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli during his arrival press conference last week. Kohli hit four centuries in that series and it marked the start of his captaincy, initially in a stand-in capacity in two of the Tests in Australia but afterwards on a full-time basis when Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket.

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis

Six of India’s winning series were played at home and the others – two in Sri Lanka and one in the West Indies – were in conditions where fast bowling was not a major factor. The last time India lost a series was when they were beaten 2-0 in Australia in a four-match contest in 201415 but it was a series which showed India’s batsmen could stand up to raw pace on hard, bouncy pitches. They scored more than 400 in each of their first innings,

India have a poor record in South Africa, losing five out of six series with one drawn, and winning only two out of 17 Test matches against eight defeats and seven draws. Significantly, though, they have pushed South Africa hard on their two most recent tours, in 2010-11 and 2013-14, sharing the first series and narrowly losing the second. Thirteen of the 2013-14 tourists are in the current party and they are a vastly more experienced squad who have be-

come accustomed to winning. Both teams have selection dilemmas. South Africa have to make room for returning captain Faf du Plessis in their batting order and will have to decide on their best bowling line-up. Fast bowler Chris Morris will vie with medium-pacer Andile Phehlukwayo as an all-rounder to augment an expected pace attack of Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada. India have to choose between Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan as an opening batting partner for Murali Vijay, while in pace-friendly conditions there may be room for only one specialist spinner, meaning that one of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, a match-winning combination in India, could miss out. South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, Vernon Philander, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel I n d i a s q u a d : Vi r a t Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wkp.), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel (wkp.), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah .(AFP).

Aussies drop all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for ODI series

AUSTRALIA have dropped all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the one-day international series against England. The 29-year-old, a World Cup winner in 2015, averages 20.68 in his past 21 ODIs and has taken only three wickets. “We want consistent performances from him,” said captain Steve Smith. “If he keeps switched on, trains well, and focuses on basics more than expansive things that will help him have consistency and if he’s doing that, you want him in the team.” Smith added: “Looking at the way he trains, he could train a bit smarter. “We’ve seen the way he can play and do all his funky stuff and be pretty cool with that, but when he puts his head down he’s a really good batsman.”

Explosive batsman Chris Lynn is included, while wicketkeeper Tim Paine is in line to play his first ODI for seven years after forcing his way back into the Test side.

day internationals is in Melbourne on January 14. Squad in full: Steve Smith (capt.), David Warner, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Chris

Glenn Maxwell has 2,035 runs and 45 wickets in 80 one-day internationals for Australia

Uncapped pair Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye provide pace-bowling back-up for Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. The first of the five one-

Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wkp.), Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa. (BBC Sport)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

Late strikes hand Aussies advantage By Nick Mulvenney

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Australia stunned England with two late wickets, including that of Joe Root for 83, to leave the tourists wobbling on 233 for five at the end of the rain-disrupted opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test yesterday. A day that started with rain washing out the first session had looked like ending with a packed Sydney Cricket Ground bathed in summer sunshine and England’s Barmy Army of fans in full triumphant voice. Root and Dawid Malan had combined for a 133-run partnership to help steer the tourists to 228 for three when Australia took the second new ball with two or three overs of play remaining. First, Mitchell Starc, back after missing the fourth Test with a bruised heel, induced Root into a half volley to square leg where Mitchell Marsh took a superb catch.

Then Jonny Bairstow, who had eschewed a nightwatchman, was removed caught behind by Josh Hazlewood with what turned out to be the last ball of the day. “It was great to get the late reward as a bowling group for our hard toil,” said Marsh. “Two three-hour sessions really took it out of us, certainly in that last hour, it felt pretty long. So to get those two wickets was great for our confidence and we’ve got a two-over new ball tomorrow, so hopefully we can get stuck into them.” Despite the Ashes already having been relinquished after the loss of the first three Tests in the series, the tourists had been determined to build on their performance in the drawn fourth Test and secure a consolation win. Malan, who survived a few scares to notch up his fifth Test half-century and reached stumps unbeaten on 55, said England were

Tiger to continue comeback at Torrey Pines January 25

obviously disappointed. “It sort of sums up where we’ve been in on this tour, we’ve been on top for so

long in games and then make a couple of mistakes and let the Aussies back in,” he said. “I thought Rooty played

jor champion swung freely and with no sign of back pain at last month’s Hero World Challenge, where he began his latest comeback and finished tied for ninth in a field including eight of the world’s top 10 golfers. After that event Woods was vague when asked about his plans for 2018, saying only that he would set his playing schedule around building up toward the golf’s four major tournaments. He will no doubt feel very comfortable when he tees it up at Torrey Pines, having won the event seven times. It is also the venue where he won the 2008 U.S. Open for the most recent of his 14 major titles. Woods fell flat in his PGA Tour return at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open where he missed the cut by four shots. He then played the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic and withdrew with back spasms after an opening-round 77. The Farmers Insurance Open begins on January 25 at Torrey Pines.

half-century and his partner five - and there were chances to dismiss the latter in particular. Root had just reached the 50 mark when he called for a single off Nathan Lyon only for Malan, who was on 28, to stand his ground and then set off very late. Marsh fielded the ball but fired it to the striker’s end and Tim Paine’s throw to Lyon caused the spinner to spill the ball, allowing Malan to make his ground.

SCOREBOARD

Pacer Josh Hazlewood then removed Jonny Bairstow with the final ball of the day to give Australia a huge lift. (Getty Images)

ENGLAND 1st innings A. Cook lbw b Hazlewood 39 M. Stoneman c Paine b Cummins 24 J. Vince c Paine b Cummins 25 J. Root c MR Marsh b Starc 83 D. Malan not out 55 J. Bairstow c Paine b Hazlewood 5 Extras: (lb-1, w-1) 2 Total: (81.4 overs) 233-5 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-88, 3-95, 4-228, 5-233. Bowling: M. Starc 16-4-63-1, J. Hazlewood 17.4-2-47-2, P. Cummins 17-4-44-2, N. Lyon 26-4-61-0, M. Marsh 5-0-17-0

Ponting named ODI Series Delhi Daredevils Fixture-List coach

Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut at The Riviera in 1992 at the age of 17.

(REUTERS) - Former world number one Tiger Woods will make his much-anticipated 2018 debut at this month’s Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, his first official PGA Tour event since missing the cut at the same tournament last year. Woods, who returned to competition last month in an 18-man exhibition after a near 10-month layoff during which he had spinal fusion surgery, will also play the February 15-18 Genesis Open at Riviera, which is run by the Tiger Woods Foundation. “I‘m very excited to be back at Riviera,” Woods, 42, said in a statement on his website yesterday. ”I haven’t played at Riviera in a tournament in a very long time. To be able to play in an event that I used to come to as an amateur, as a junior and now as the tournament host - that is on one of the most historic sites in all of golf - it’s a dream come true.” The American 14-time ma-

fantastically well to get to that position, obviously he was disappointed to get out and to be five down after the hard work we put in today is obviously not ideal.” Mark Stoneman, James Vince and Alastair Cook departed relatively cheaply before tea but Australia’s bowlers were unable to drive home their advantage until the dramatic climax. Both Root and Malan scored slowly - the captain had six boundaries in his

Ricky Ponting will return to the IPL this season.

FORMER Australia captain Ricky Ponting will return to the IPL this season, this time as head coach of Delhi Daredevils. Hemant Dua, the chief executive of Daredevils, made the announcement on Twitter. Ponting takes over from Paddy Upton and former India captain Rahul Dravid, who had stepped down after the previous season owing to BCCI’s conflict-of-interest regulations. While Upton’s contract wasn’t renewed, Dravid chose to coach India A and India Under-19 teams over the IPL franchise. Delhi were in contention for a playoff berth last season, only to taper off to-

wards the end of the group stage. They eventually finished the season sixth, with six wins in 14 matches. The franchise is yet to win a title in 10 attempts. Ponting had coached Mumbai Indians to their second IPL title in 2015, but the franchise chose to not renew his two-year contract when it expired in 2016. He had joined the franchise as a player in 2013, but stepped away midway the tournament due to poor form. Ponting also worked with Mumbai Indians in an advisory capacity in 2014. Prior to that, he was briefly part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition in 2008. (ESPN Cricinfo)

NEW ZEALAND v PAKISTAN 6 Jan – 1st ODI, Wellington 9 Jan – 2nd ODI, Nelson 13 Jan – 3rd ODI, Dunedin 16 Jan – 4th ODI, Hamilton 19 Jan – 5th ODI, Wellington AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND 14 Jan – 1st ODI, Melbourne 9 Jan – 2nd ODI, Brisbane 21 Jan – 3rd ODI, Sydney 26 Jan – 4th ODI, Adelaide 28 Jan – 5th ODI, Perth TRI-series in BANGLADESH 15 Jan – Bangladesh v Zimbabwe, Mirpur (d/n) 17 Jan – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Mirpur (d/n) 19 Jan – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Mirpur (d/n) 21 Jan – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Mirpur (d/n) 23 Jan – Bangladesh c Zimbabwe, Mirpur (d/n) 25 Jan – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Mirpur (d/n) 27 Jan – Final, Mirpur (d/n)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday January 05, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: 1 (Todd Astle) 2 (Shimron Hetmeyer & Ronsford Beaton) Today’s Quiz: 1 What was the result of the recent WI/NZ T20 series? 2 Who was named Man of the Series in the recent WI/NZ T20 engagement? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

GT Beer/ BFA tournamnet

Beacons FC to clash with Georgetown Police in final By Colin Bynoe

THE finalists for the GT Beer/BFA/Candy Boss Berbice eight-a-side football tournament were determined after the completion of semi-final action which kicked off on New Year’s Day and Wednesday respectively. Georgetown Police Football Club will do battle with Beacons Football Club today in the final that offers an attractive winning stake of $500 000. In the second semi-final which was played on Wednesday at the All Saints ground, New Amsterdam. Edinburgh Gunners FC came up against Beacons FC. Beacons exploded at the opportune point in the tournament to sink a hapless Edinburgh Gunners FC 7-2.

For the Beacons FC, Travis Lyken and Deon Alfred were in red-hot form as they both nailed a hat-trick of goals. The Gunners opened the scoring with a 5th minute Joseph Giddings goal early in the encounter. Nevertheless, Beacons then opened their account with an on-target shot from Lyken in the 14th minute, Alfred found his range in the 22nd minute, as Beacons started to dominate with their tactics. Lyken netted a brace in the closing stages of the first half that saw the score line 3-1 at halftime. At the recommencement of the second half, Gunners’ Sherlock Phillips gave his team their second goal in the 35th minute. This brought extra life into Beacons as they dominated proceedings

from that point. They blasted four additional goals compliment of Alfred’s brace in the 42nd,

Lyken’s third goal in the 54th minute, and Alfred responded with his third in the 60th minute.

The game was far gone for the Gunners at this juncture, 6-2. Kimba Braithwaite

Stakeholders at the launch for the GT Beer/BFA/Candy Boss Berbice eight-a-side football tournament

placed his name on the score line with a 63th minute goal to pull his team to a thumping victory as the final whistle sounded to leave the score 7-2. The total prize package in cash and trophies is $1M. While the winners are set to pocket $500 000, $300 000 and $100 000 will go to the runners-up and third-place clubs respectively. $50 000 each will be at stake for the best goalkeeper and the highest goalscorer - all under the sponsorship of the GT Beer Brand. The third-place playoff will feature Monedderlust FC against Edinburgh Gunners while in the final the lawmen Georgetown Police FC will do battle with Beacons at the All Saints ground, New Amsterdam.

Chase rescues Barbabos Pride with century on first day BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Roston Chase announced his return to the domestic scene with his seventh first-class hundred which propped up Barbados Pride’s batting against Windward Islands Volcanoes in the Regional 4-Day Championship yesterday here. The West Indies batsman survived two chances to lead a rescue operation for the Pride, gathering 114 and taking the

hosts to 296 for nine in their first innings at the close, after they were put in to bat on the first day of their eighth-round match at Kensington Oval. Chase struck 11 fours and two sixes from 225 balls in a shade over 5¼ hours, sharing important stands with club-mate Justin Greaves and newcomer Tevyn Walcott that pulled the Pride around from a treacherous 31 for five. Greaves scored 60 in shar-

WINDIES SLIP TO FIFTH IN ICC TWENTY 20 RANKINGS LONDON, England (CMC) – West Indies have slipped to fifth in the ICC Twenty20 rankings, following their 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in the threematch series which ended on Wednesday. The reigning World champions slumped to a 119-run defeat at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui to end a wretched series where they failed to win any of the internationals across the Tests and one-dayers. West Indies began the series fourth but lost five points to sit on 115 points, and are now below fourthplaced England whom they beat in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2016. The Windies went down by 47 runs in the opening match in Nelson while the

second game was rained off after only nine overs in Mount Maunganui. Since capturing the T20 World Cup, the Windies have now lost nine of their last 17 outings, including every full series against a higher-ranked nation. New Zealand, meanwhile, have overtaken Pakistan as the top-ranked side in the format, following their series triumph. They gained six points to move to 126 points, now two clear of the second-placed Pakistanis, with India third on 120 points. South Africa are sixth on 112 points, Australia lie seventh on 111 while Sri Lanka are eighth on 88 but only two points ahead of minnows Afghanistan in ninth.

ing 131 for the sixth wicket with Chase, and Walcott made 49, putting on a further 97 for the seventh wicket with the returning Windies star. The 25-year-old Chase reached his third regional first-class hundred from 188 balls, when he guided a delivery from Barbados-born all-rounder Kyle Mayers to third man for his 10th four. He, however, was dismissed in the closing stages of the day to left-arm spinner Larry Edward, whose 3-71 from 20 overs made him the Volcanoes’ most successful bowler. Watched by a crowd that included Cricket West Indies vice-president Emmanuel Nanthan, the Windwards Cricket Board president, and West Indies selector Lockhart Sebastien, Volcanoes carved up the Pride’s top-order batting in the morning session with disciplined, if not devastating bowling, after being greeted by a helpful, greentop pitch. Lanky left-arm fast bowler Delorn Johnson made the breakthrough, when he had Shayne Moseley caught at second slip for two from a loose drive. Shermon Lewis struck with successive deliveries to put the Pride on their heels at 15 for three, when he had Anthony Alleyne, the home team’s other left-handed opener, caught in the same position for seven, flirting outside the off-side, and bowled Jonathan Carter, another left-hander, with a well-pitched yorker.

Pride sank to 25 for four, when their captain Shamarh Brooks was brilliantly caught by Roland Cato left-handed, low at second slip off Johnson for 10 before veteran off-spinner Shane Shillingford, making his 100th regional firstclass appearance, had Kevin Stoute caught at mid-on for four from a flawed on-drive.

Roston Chase struck 11 fours and two sixes in his 114.

Greaves came to the crease and started the operation to rebuild the innings with Chase, taking Pride to 61 for five at lunch. Chase was fortunate before the interval to have gained an early reprieve on one, when Johnson failed to hold onto a sharp, high chance. After lunch, Chase had another slice of good fortune on 14, when substitute fielder Josh Thomas muffed a skier at fine leg from a top-edged sweep off Shillingford. After this let-off, Chase buckled down and with Greaves gradually eased the tension in the Pride dressing room, both reaching the

half-century mark in the final half-hour before tea. But Greaves was caught at forward short leg off Shillingford just before the break after a 2¼-hour stay in which he struck nine fours from 94 balls. Walcott came to the crease and with Chase carried Pride to 171 for six at tea before they emerged from the break to continue the repair job. Chase continued to inch to his milestone, but Walcott was a revelation, playing some handsome strokes, including the shot-of-the-day, a sublime extra-cover push off Mayers for one of his nine fours. He stayed long enough to usher Chase to his milestone, but Edward, who has played the game domestically in Barbados for club champions University of the West Indies, was brought on for an extended spell from the northern (3Ws Stand) end with a day waning and he broke the partnership.

E d w a r d h a d Wa l c o t t caught at short mid-wicket before he added Chase caught at extra cover three overs later and Hayden Walsh, Jr caught behind for one in the final half-hour to put the game back in the balance before West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach, not out on 24, and fellow Test player Jomel Warrican, not out on four, batted through the final three overs before stumps were drawn. Johnson, who was stretchered off the field after sustaining a leg injury while executing a piece of fielding, ended the day with 2-21 from 11 overs, Lewis bagged 2-36 from 12 overs and Shillingford 2-92 from 22 overs. Pride – second in the table on 75.2 points before the match – have so far gained two batting points and Volcanoes – last on 52.2 points entering the match – have so far earned three bowling points plus 0.8 pace bowling points.

SCOREBOARD

BARBADOS PRIDE 1st innings A. Alleyne c Cato b Lewis 7 S. Moseley c Cato b Johnson 2 S. Brooks c Cato b Johnson 10 J. Carter b Lewis 0 R. Chase c Hodge b Edwards 114 K. Stoute c Johnson b Shillingford 4 J. Greaves c Hodge b Shillingford 60 T. Walcott c (sub.) Thomas b Edward 49 K. Roach not out 24 H. Walsh c wkp. DDH Smith b Edward 1 J. Warrican not out 4 Extras: (b-2, lb-10, w-6, nb-3) 21 Total: (9 wkts, 90 overs) 296 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-15, 3-15, 4-25, 5-31, 6-161, 7-258, 8-279, 9-281. Bowling: Johnson 11-5-21-2, Lewis 12-2-36-2 (nb-1, w-6), Mayers 20-5-53-0 (nb-2), Shillingford 22-1-92-2, Edward 20-3-71-3, Theophile 2-0-9-0, Hodge 3-2-2-0.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, January 5, 2018

The interest is still at heart, says Somwaru

New date for BCB elections in the making By Rajiv Bisnauth WITH new elections for the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) forthcoming, former president Dhierandranauth Somwaru says he still has interest for the game in the Ancient County. Somwaru made the disclosure yesterday, adding that he will once again run for president of the BCB. “Berbice cricket is still close to me, and while our programme is hindered somewhat by the court action and weather, the interest is still at heart,” Somwaru said. He added, “As a former national and regional umpire, I want to give back to the game because the game has given me a lot. The love for the game is still there, so yea, definitely, I will run for president again”. Asked whether there will be any changes to his slate for the upcoming elections, Somwaru, who is the president of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC) said, there is some possibili-

ty, taking into consideration the reform structure to the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA). Imtiaz Bacchus, David Black and Winston Roberts were elected as the three vice-presidents while Vickram Seubarran (secretary), Carol Nurse (assistant secretary), Godwyn Allicock (treasurer) and Leslie Solomon (assistant treasurer) were the other executives elected at the contentious October elections. Black and Bacchus are the BCB’s representatives at the national level. High Court Judge, Navindra Singh, had ordered a new election on December 18 after the election of office-bearers of the Berbice Cricket Board at its annual general meeting and elections in October was declared “unlawful, null, void, and of no legal effect as the entire election process was fundamentally flawed, unfair and undemocratic.” The judge had said that the new elections will be held this January on a date to be fixed by him.

Egypt’s Salah named African Footballer-of-the-Year ACCRA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt forward Mohamed S a l a h w a s n a m e d A f r ican Footballer-of-the-Year for 2017 yesterday, finishing ahead of his Liverpool team mate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Salah, 25, polled 625 points from a voting panel made up of national team coaches and captains, plus a selection of officials and journalists, to win the award.

scored 23 goals in all competitions for the Premier League club in 2017. “This is a dream come true for me. 2017 was an unbelievable year for me with the Egypt national team and my clubs. To qualify to the World Cup after 28 years and to have a great season at Roma and Liverpool were special moments in my career,” Salah said at the Confederation of African Football awards. Salah is the second Egyptian to win the award after

The case had been filed by the Guymine Sports Club, the Fort Canje Hospital Club and the Mount Sinai Cricket Club; who all argued that the

well as that of the Rose Hall Community Centre and the Kildonan Cricket Clubs, from the elections, also violated Schedule III of the Guyana

(which it did) the purported nomination of Drubahadur as Returning Officer for the said elections. The applicants had argued

Dhierandranauth Somwaru

High Court Judge Navindra Singh

Drubahadur

elections were null and void because it contravened Schedule III of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act. The applicants are of the opinion that the entire election process had been “fundamentally flawed, unfair and undemocratic,” and that the office-bearers could not have been properly elected. The respondents were successful in seeking a declaration that their exclusion, as

Cricket Administration Act. Among the more than 20 grounds on which their application was drawn, the respondents sought a declaration that the attendance, voting and participation of persons purporting to represent them were unlawful and contrary to Act. Amid the number of declarations also being sought by the applicants was for the court to pronounce unlawful

Red Force take honours as Hurricanes stumble PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Red Force produced a steady batting effort and an incisive burst with the ball late on, to take honours on the opening day of their eighth round match against Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

Fast bowler Jeremiah Louis (4-45) and Sheno Berridge (472) were the chief wicket-takers with four wickets apiece. At the close, Hurricanes were tottering on 36 for three, still requiring a further 185 runs to overhaul their target. Among those aready dis-

Mane finished second on 507 with Aubameyang third on 311. Salah helped Egypt reach the African Nations Cup final and qualify for this year’s World Cup. He also made an African record move to Liverpool and

Mahmoud Al Khatib in 1983. Salah and Mane were due to fly straight back to Liverpool by charter jet after yesterday’s ceremony, which finished at 2200 GMT. Liverpool play local rivals Everton in the FA Cup third round today.

before Ramdin and Ewart Nicholson (21) added a further 50 for the fourth wicket. When two wickets perished for seven runs in the space of 26 deliveries, Webster and Steven Katwaroo (21) put on 58 for the sixth wicket to revive the innings from 115 for five. Webster struck seven

fours in a 69-ball before he was eighth out in a slide that saw three wickets fall for four runs in 18 balls, as Red Force slipped to 177 for eight. Pierre then arrived to lash four boundaries in a 42ball innings, anchoring a 39run ninth wicket partnership with Daniel St Clair (11).

SCOREBOARD

Jeremy Solozano

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah

that his nomination was not put to a vote of the member-clubs present at the said elections. The court further declared that the decision by Drubahadur to close nominations for the post of President of the Berbice Cricket Board, immediately after Dhierandranauth Somwaru was nominated, was “manifestly unfair, thereby rendering the election process undemocratic and against the

rules of fairness.” A further declaration was made that Drubahadur’s refusal to accept other nominations for the post of President was also unfair. In his ruling, Justice Singh ordered that a list of all eligible representatives of the clubs and associations listed in Schedule III, Section 4 of the Act, be submitted to the court by today. It was also ordered that the representatives to be submitted to the court shall, after verification and approval by the court, be the delegates who will represent the clubs and associations in the new election for office-bearers. Additionally, the judge has ordered all clubs and associations intending to participate in the next elections, to pay their annual dues no later than January 16. Justice Singh has noted that his orders are not intended, and should not be construed as hindering, or affecting the general administration of cricket in the County of Berbice, pending new elections.

Opting to bat first at Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday, the hosts got up to 221 all out in their first innings with a number of players getting starts but failing to carry on. Lower order batsman Tion Webster top-scored with 38, opener Jeremy Solozano hit 37, while tail-ender Khary Pierre with 29 and captain Denesh Ramdin, 26, provided support.

missed was captain and West Indies opener, Kieran Powell who counted three boundaries in 15. Red Force had earlier recovered from losing Amir Jangoo without scoring with a single run on the board, to make good progress courtesy of three half-century stands. First, Solozano put on 54 in a second wicket stand with Yannic Cariah who made 14,

RED FORCE 1st Innings A Jangoo c Thomas b Louis 0 J Solozano c Saunders b Berridge 37 Y Cariah c Holder b Berridge 14 E Nicholson c wkp Hamilton b Matthew 21 *D Ramdin c Thomas b Louis 28 T Webster lbw b Campbell 38 +S Katwaroo c wkp Hamilton b Berridge 21 Imran Khan c wkp Hamilton b Berridge 4 K Pierre c Thomas b Louis 29 D St Clair c wkp Hamilton b Louis 11 A Phillip not out 4 Extras (b2, lb4, w6, nb2) 14 TOTAL (all out, 75.4 overs) 221 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-55, 3-58, 4-108, 5-115, 6-173, 7-177, 8-177, 9-216, 10-221. Bowling: Matthew 17-9-22-1, Louis 12.4-2-45-4, Holder 20-6-49-0, Thomas 2-0-5-0, Berridge 17-2-71-4, Campbell 7-1-23-1. HURRICANES 1st Innings M Hodge c wkp Katwaroo b Webster 11 *K Powell b StClair 15 K Carty b Imran Khan 0 D Thomas not out 8 +J Hamilton not out 0 Extras (w1, nb1) 2 TOTAL (3 wkts, 11.1 overs) 36 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-28, 3-36. To bat: S Berridge, C Holder, J Campbell, A Saunders, J Louis, M Matthew. Bowling: Phillip 4-0-18-0, St Clair 5-3-10-1, Webster 2-1-8-1, Imran Khan 0.1-0-0-1. Position: Hurricanes trail by 185 runs with seven wickets intact.

New date for BCB elections in the making

See story page 27

‘Bad Blood’ to be shed at GBBC’s ‘Sangre Malo’ on January 20 See Pag e 23

… Five bouts expected to ignite Sports Hall The fighters (L-R) Dexter Marques, Shawn Corbin, James Moore and Dexter Gonsalves, along with some of the ring girls, at yesterday’s press conference at the Giftland Mall. (Delano Williams photo)

Jaguars bundle out Scorpions for 106 on opening day See Page 23

Keemo Paul

RCB decide against retaining Gayle ROYAL Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have opted against retaining Windies star batsman Chris Gayle for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. There were serious doubts that the 38-year-old West Indian would be among the three players retained by RCB when the franchise released their list of protected players yesterday. When the list was finalised the T20 record run-scorer was indeed omitted, with the team opting to keep Indian captain Virat Kohli and South African superstar AB de Villiers along with the uncapped Sarfaraz Khan. Although the big left-hander will now head to the auction block for the January 27 IPL draft in Bangalore, he could still be retained under the franchise’s Right to Match (RTM) option, but option also seems unlikely based on the player’s recent form and injury troubles. Gayle, who was drafted in 2011 by the Bangalore franchise, had a subpar last couple of seasons where he played 19 matches in total and only managed to score 447 runs. The player was shockingly left out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last year but rebounded with a strong performance in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) where he led Rangpur Riders past Dhaka Dynamites in the final. Gayle scored 146 runs from just 69 balls. It was a destructive innings with 18 sixes, a world record for the number of sixes in a T20 match. The batsman, however, also failed to spark during the Windies tour of New Zealand, but was afflicted by illness at the start of the tour. (Sportsmax.com)

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Windies star batsman Chris Gayle FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018