Guyana chronicle e paper 01 11 2018 by Guyana Chronicle

Steps to modernise prison system ongoing Page 15

…Ramjattan tells opposition as gov’t defeats prison fires motion

No. 105151

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

$2B payout for sugar workers

Price: $80 (VAT Inclusive)

President David Granger

…money to be paid month-end ■ See stories on pages 3,

$100M set aside as loans for entrepreneurial activities

4, 9

PSC, workers hail Budget cuts for severance as a big help ministries

– as gov't moves to pay sugar workers

Cocaine gang smashed …four Colombians among eight charged with narco-trafficking ■ Page 2

The seven male accused heading through the chute of the court for arraignment before the chief magistrate

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Cocaine gang smashed …four Colombians among eight charged with narco-trafficking

FOLLOWING a recent cocaine bust in the Pomeroon River, eight persons -including four Colombians and a Venezuelan -- appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday, charged for cocaine trafficking. Gavin Adams is charged with trafficking 11.410 kilograms of cocaine between September 1, 2017 and January 2, 2018 at Grant Woodland, Pomeroon. He denied the charge and was remanded to prison until January 29, when he will reappear at the Charity Magistrates Court. Meanwhile, Yeison Sanchez, 27; Jesus Ameya,52; Reginaldo Jaramillo,36; Wilinton Reyes,36 all Colombians along with Guyanese national, Ian Matthias, 38 and Troy Piper,23 both of Moruca were jointly charged with aiding Adams to traffic narcotics. They were charged with aiding Gavin Adams to traffic 11.410 kilograms of cocaine between September 1,

Wilinton Reyes

Angelica Malave

Gavin Adams

L-R - Reginaldo Jaramillo and Yeison Sanchez

The seven male accused heading through the chute of the court for arraignment before the chief magistrate.

2017 and January 2, 2018 at Grant Woodland, Pomeroon. The men were remanded to prison until January 29 and the matter has been transferred to the Charity Magistrates Court.

L-R Ian Matthias and Troy Piper

Sanchez’s reputed wife, Angelica Malave, a Venezuelan was charged with aiding her husband and Adams to traffic the cocaine and also for overstaying in Guyana. The charge against Malave alleges that September 1, 2017 and January 2, 2018 at Barrow’s Avenue, Republic Park, East Bank Demerara, she aided Gavin Adams and Yeison Sanchez to traffic 11.410 kilograms of cocaine. The woman, who was represented by attorney Mark Conway, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded to prison until January 24. Malave was further charged with overstaying in Guyana from November 18, 2017 to January 2, 2018, after being granted to stay until November 17, 2017. She confessed to the charge and was fined $30,000 or four weeks imprisonment. According to reports, on January 2, police raided the home of Gavin Adams at Grant Woodland, Pomeroon. It is reported that Adams took ranks into a bedroom where the cocaine was being stored and gave a detailed report on how the drug got into the building and confessed. The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) participated in the operation Meanwhile, based upon information, the police went to 288, Barrow’s Avenue Republic Park, East Bank Demerara and apprehended Malave. Also, the police managed to seize US$87,134, Bs.F$1,081,605, C O L $ 2 0 1 , 0 0 0 , REAL$7,362 and GUY$82,820.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

$2B severance for sugar workers By Ariana Gordon

GOVERNMENT on Wednesday announced that it will be paying some $2B, representing 50 per cent of the severance pay, to all retrenched sugar workers at the end of this month. “The Government is committed to the welfare of sugar workers and their families. It has estimated for the expenditure of over $2.0B to provide fifty per cent of severance pay due to all redundant workers by the end of January 2018, the remainder being paid in the second half of the year,” said Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who read a statement prepared by President David Granger. In the statement, the President said the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) has been in a state of crisis for over 25 years and government has acted “resolutely and responsibly to protect the livelihood of workers, to preserve the viability of rural communities and prevent the further financial depletion of the country’s treasury.” However, he noted that government, not only his, has struggled to maintain the industry’s viability by engaging international advisory, technical and managerial corporations such as Booker-Tate Ltd., Bosch Projects (PTY) and Global

…money to be paid month-end …$100M set aside for loans for entrepreneurial activities Cane Sugar, between 1992 and 2015; erecting a new factory at Skeldon in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region at a cost of US$ 121M; expending G$48.02B in financial support to the industry since 2011 and G$32B over the past thirty months – at a rate of about one billion dollars a month. “This Government cannot sustain the sugar industry in its current state. It has had to make difficult choices in order to ensure the industry’s viability,” the President said in his message, while noting that several measures were employed, including the convening of a commission of inquiry into the state of the industry in October 2015; publishing a State Paper on the future of the industry in May 2017; creating a ‘Special Purpose Unit’ to manage the reform of the industry in June 2017. He reminded that in his address to the 71st Sitting of the National Assembly on November 2, 2017, he reaffirmed that the sugar industry is being consolidated and not being closed. “We will explore all options…to ensure a viable industry, mindful of its im-

pact on the nation’s rural economy and its residents,” the Head-of-State stated. The Government is committed to making the industry efficient and competitive by consolidating cultivation in East Berbice at Albion, in West Berbice at Blairmont and West Demerara at Uitvlugt. The Corporation will aim at producing 147,000 tonnes annually, preserving three enlarged estates and protecting the jobs of over 11,000 workers. “We embarked on an extensive review of expenditure in every sector to the extent of reducing ministerial budgets in order to find funds to enable sugar workers to receive their severance pay, and earmarked $100M to provide small loans for entrepreneurial activities which could open opportunities for employment after leaving the sugar industry,” the President said. He reiterated that GUYSUCO is not being dismantled and “It is working actively to ameliorate the impact of retrenchment on workers livelihood. Thus far, Government said it has established an Alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP), aimed at providing support

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo reading the President’s message to the House on Wednesday (Adrian Narine photo)

by enabling displaced employees to access available opportunities to function in other fields; embarked on the training of employees to work in new operational fields across the industry in places such as the field workshop and providing services. Additionally, the Presi-

Bauxite union up in arms against BCGI over tax refunds for workers THE Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) says the non-payment of 2017 tax refunds to workers employed at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) has absolutely nothing to do with their submission of tax returns. In a statement issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and carried in the Guyana Chronicle, headlined “Bauxite workers’ refunds delivered to GRA from RUSAL” (9th January, 2017), it is stated that bauxite workers are to submit claims to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for refunds and this was communicated to the GB&GWU and all the parties concerned.

The DPI attributed the instant statement to Minister Keith Scott, who has responsibility for Labour. However, the union said this is wrong. According to the union, the procedure for the refund was expressly outlined by the GRA via letter dated 30th November 2017, signed by Commissioner-General Godfrey Statia and addressed to BCGI Chief Accountant, Rafeek Khan. According to the union, the instant letter directed BCGI that the money deducted between January-November 2017 be refunded to the workers and the company will reclaim same when submitting future taxes on workers’ incomes to the GRA.

“In effect what the stated items mean is that: a) BCGI shall pay workers all monies deducted for taxes on overtime and premium hours for workers for the year 2017; and b) for the year 2016 the workers, individually, shall submit their returns to GRA which will be cross-referenced with the information submitted by BCGI in order for refunds to be effected. The issue presently under contention is the non-refund to workers for taxes deducted on overtime and premium hours worked in 2017,” GB&GWU said in a statement. The GB&GWU said it is concerned that BCGI has to date not complied with the GRA’s directive, which

demonstrates continued blatant disregard for this nation’s sovereignty, its institutions and citizens/workers. “The union is further concerned about Minister Scott’s seeming comfort, as attributed in the DPI’s statement, to continuously mislead on this serious matter that borders on laws and effective functioning of government that he, by oath, has obligation to safeguard, protect and defend.” GB&GWU calls on the Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, who has responsibility for Labour, to intervene and ensure this matter is treated with deserving seriousness and alacrity in order that the workers can receive what is duly theirs.

dent noted that his administration has engaged 500 employees from the West and East Demerara Estates with over 100 of them signalling their willingness to be retrained, in fields such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing, mechanical and electrical works and in small business enterprises. Government, he said, will continue to engage stakeholders such as GUYSUCO, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) and the workers. “The Government is cognisant of the invaluable contribution of the sugar industry to the development of Guyana. The Government will continue to work towards returning the reformed sugar industry to profitability and improving the personal income of sugar workers while seeking to provide a good life for current and future generations,” the President’s statement concluded. However, the announcement by the government was not entirely welcomed by President of GAWU, Komal Chand. Chand in an inter-

President David Granger

view with Guyana Chronicle after the announcement said, “I must say that the full bill is $5B; it is illegal to withhold the workers’ severance pay; the notice has expired on the 29h December, so what they are saying they are paying approximately half at the end of this month (January) and the other half in the latter half of this year. It is unfair.” He called on government to revisit its position and try to pay out the entire amount. Asked whether he believes government’s decision to pay out $2B as opposed to $5B is as a result of lack of finances, Chand said, “Well, that ought to be part of your consideration when you moved to the closure…what are the implications, what are the requirements?”

Teen charged for allegedly robbing Lamaha Springs sisters A 19-YEAR-OLD miner was on Wednesday remanded to prison by Magistrate Fabayo Azore for the $3.1M armed robbery committed on two mid-aged women who were bound and gagged during the invasion at their Lamaha Springs, Georgetown home last December. Kris Fernandez is charged for being in the company of others and armed with guns on December 13, 2017 at Lamaha Springs robbed Jacqueline Percival of a quantity of gold jewellery valued $456,000. He was further charged with being armed, robbed Elizabeth Percival of three cellphones, a television, a quantity of gold jewellery and other items totaling $2.7M. The unrepresented ‘C’ Field Sophia resident denied both of the charges and was remanded to prison until January 31.

Kris Fernandez

According to reports Jacqueline Percival, 52, and Elizabeth Percival, 50, both of Lamaha Springs, Georgetown were asleep on the day in question when they were awaken by three men, two of whom were armed. Their hands were bound with scotch tape by one of the alleged bandits who held them at gunpoint as two of the men ransacked the house for valuables. Jacqueline was able to untie herself and then her sister.

Great relief

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

…Sugar workers, PSC hail $2B severance payout

By Svetlana Marshall PRESIDENT David Granger’s announcement that $2B in severance will be paid out to the affected sugar workers by the end of January has been greeted with great joy in the sugar belt and the Private Sector Commission has hailed the decision as a step in the right direction, signalling that this will be a “big help” to the families. Hours after Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo made the announcement on behalf of the President in the National Assembly on Wednesday, sugar workers who spoke to the Guyana Chronicle though expressing disappointment that the full payment will not be made at once, said they are thankful that by the end of

this month, they will receive 50 per cent of their severance package. Abdullah Rahaman Majeed, 55, of Welfare Street,

Fifty-year-old Lilowattie Budhai, who had worked as a cook at the Rose Hall Estate for the past eight years, said the announcement brings a sense

her afloat until she secures a job. Forty-year-old Stephen Alexander Phillips, a cane harvester for 13 years, said since he received his redundancy

Abdullah Rahaman Majeed

Lilowattie Budhai

Stephen Alexander Phillips

Canje, said he is pleased that finally they will be paid their severance, but said it would have been better if they had received all at once. “It’s a great relief. It is better than nothing, but I would have preferred to get the lump sum of cash so that I can invest into something that will be able to sustain my livelihood,” he told this newspaper. Majeed was employed at the Rose Hall Estate as a labourer for the past 35 years and has big plans for the money.

of relief to the affected sugar workers. But like Majeed, the Coburg Street, Cumberland woman said they should have been paid their benefits all at once. “I only work eight years with the estate so meh ain’t get plenty money to collect and only half meh gon collect won’t do much. I have a sick husband to take care of and me jobless,” she told this newspaper. Since being laid off, Budhai has been in search of a job. Budhai remains hopeful that her severance would keep

letter, he has been relying on his savings to offset daily expenses including sending three of his four children to school. The Number 63 Village resident added that government’s announcement has brought a sense of relief. “I feel real good to hear this news. I am hoping the money I will be collecting will be enough to maintain until they can find us [sugar workers] another job,” Phillips told this newspaper. The cane harvester said he has no problem collecting half

of the money now and rest later, but government must keep the promise to pay the remainder. Phillips is encouraging other workers to be patient and make use of whatever they have until are in a better position. He was employed at the Skeldon Estate.

sugar workers] would be paid half of their severance by the end of the month and the remainder by the end of the year is a step in the right direction,” Dr. Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle. “While I support the government’s move to restructure the sugar industry, I felt that dismissing workers without a prior plan to relocate or compensate them was wrong-headed. At the end of the day, workers and their families must be protected at all cost--they should not be the victims of the restructuring,” the political activist stated. He is of the belief that the government erred by not making the payments earlier, but nonetheless should be commended for hearing the cries of the workers and others and acting. “Governments make mistakes, but responsible governments recognise their mistakes and move to correct them. This represents a belated victory for sugar workers and the working people in general,” Dr Hinds stated. “The lesson for the government here is that it has to be much more careful when it comes to the security of the poor and working people. Macroeconomic decisions must be balanced and informed by micro-economic considerations,” Dr. Hinds added.

BIG HELP Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Edward Boyer told the Guyana Chronicle that the $2B payout will be a “big help” to the more than 4000 sugar workers whose jobs became redundant by the closure of the Wales, Rose Hall and Skeldon Sugar Estates. “It would more or less cushion the blow which we thought was a wait and see,” Boyer said, while noting that it is a “good start to the right direction.” With focus on the agriculture sector, Boyer said an array of jobs should be created for the affected, even as emphasis is placed on training and the facilitation of job fairs. While government has its part to play in creating opportunities for the affected workers, so too does the private sector, the Chairman said. “The PSC, we will definitely help,” he assured this newspaper. COMMENDABLE EFFORTS Working People’s Alliance executive, Dr. David Hinds, like Boyer, welcomed the announcement, stating too that it is a step in the right direction. “The President’s announcement that they [the

CARING GOVERNMENT In responding to the announcement, the National Front Alliance (NFA), in a

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Thursday, January 11, 2018 13:30 hrs Friday, January 12, 2018 14:00 hrs 1:00 hrs Saturday, January 13, 2018 14:30 hrs - 1:30 hrs Sunday, January 14, 2018 14:30 hrs - 02:30 hrs

DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 2018

8 15 22 27 10

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Inter-American Human Rights Court backs same-sex marriage T h e I n t e r- A m e r i c a n Court of Human Rights has ruled that same-sex marriages should be recognised. The court’s rulings apply to countries which have signed the American Convention on Human Rights. Some of the signatories already recognise samesex marriages while others recognise same-sex civil unions. But others, such as Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru do not recognise either and will be expected to change their laws. The court was established by the regional body, the Organization of American States (OAS), and signatories to the Inter-Amer-

ican Convention on Human Rights are bound by its rulings. Western hemisphere countries where same-sex marriage is legal: The ruling comes as a number of Latin American countries have changed or are debating changing their laws to allow same-sex couples to marry. Most recently, outgoing Chilean President Michelle Bachelet sent a gay marriage bill to Congress for debate. Other western hemisphere countries, such as Ecuador, have introduced same-sex civil unions. ‘WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION’ The judges said that governments “must recognise and guarantee all the

Great ...

statement, said the decision to help “retrenched” sugar workers is further proof of the coalition being a “caring government.” In a brief statement, the

Front said that it welcomes the offer of over $2B to pay half of redundancy benefits by monthend and the remainder later in the year. The NFA is a junior partner in the coalition gov-

rights that are derived from a family bond between people of the same sex”. They also said that it was inadmissible and discriminatory for a separate legal provision to be established just for same-sex marriages. The judges demanded that governments “guarantee access to all existing forms of domestic legal systems, including the right to marriage, in order to ensure the protection of all the rights of families formed by same-sex couples without discrimination”. Recognising the difficulty in passing such laws in countries where there is strong opposition to samesex marriage, they recommended that governments pass temporary decrees Continued from page 4 ernment, in which its leader Keith Scott is a minister with responsibility for labour. Chairman of the ailing Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Dr. Clive Thomas, said it was the corporation’s expectation that by the end of January, the redundant workers would have been paid their severance in full. “That was GuySuCo’s intention,” he told the Guyana Chronicle. However, he opined that government may have encountered financial problems. Another theory put forth by Dr. Thomas is that government may be staggering the funds until new jobs are created. He explained that there are approximately 4000

until new legislation was brought in. The judges issued the ruling in response to a motion brought by Costa Rica. The Central American government asked the court to give its opinion on whether it had an obligation to extend property rights to same-sex couples. The court ruled that it did. The Costa Rican government also wanted to know whether it should allow transgender people to change their name on their identity documents. Again, the court ruled that it should. Costa Rica’s Vice-President Ana Helena Chacón welcomed the court’s ruling, saying it would be adopted “in its totality”. (BBC) sugar workers to be paid a total of $5B, an on average, more than $1M will be paid to each of the affected. However, Dr. Thomas said: “Ideally, if we have all the money, we would have made all the payments right away.” GOVERNMENT IN BREACH Meanwhile, veteran Trade Unionist Lincoln Lewis and the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has criticised government over the decision to make only 50 per cent of the payment by the end of January. Lewis contended that “Government is in breach of all the principles, practices and the law, they must do better.” He said it must be made clear that

Police vehicle erupts in flames

The police vehicle on fire Wednesday

A police vehicle assigned to Sisters Police Station, East Bank Berbice, was completely destroyed after it erupted in flames just after 18:30hrs on Wednesday. Guyana Chronicle was informed that the vehicle, PMM 9646, had previously served the Reliance, East Canje District, but was reassigned to the East Bank Berbice location, following the donation of new vehicles by the Chinese Government.

Reports revealed that the pickup was defective and not much attention was given to complaints to have it fixed. Following the eruption, a fire tender responded from New Amsterdam, some six miles away. However, on arrival, the blaze was already controlled. The police station was not damaged, although the vehicle was parked close by. No one was injured in the fire.

this is not a retrenchment. “This is an issue where people’s jobs have been made redundant. Retrenchment and Redundancy are two different things. Their jobs have been made redundant; the jobs will not be there in the future. You have parted company with the workers permanently. They should have been paid in a lump sum at one time,” Lewis told this newspaper. He noted that the decision to close the estates were made effective although arrangements had been put in place to pay the workers their redundancy benefits – a situation that should have never happened. Former Minister of A g r i c u l t u re a n d P P P Member Dr. Leslie Ram-

sammy, in a statement, argued that government’s decision is in “total breach of the law.” “The Minister with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, must know that this announcement means that APNU+AFC stands indicted as breaching the labour laws of Guyana. He said workers had been promised their severance by the end of this month. “The severance payment to the terminated sugar workers is not an option for GUYSUCO and APNU+AFC. It is a legal requirement. The payments are due immediately, not in accordance with a timetable established by the government,” the former Agriculture Minister said.

Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Our future in science and technology IN today’s world, science and technology continue to be the driving force of development, with research unearthing ground-breaking discoveries, revolutionising the way we interact and significantly improving vital services. The 20th century has seen the greatest advancements in science and technological developments, but the majority of these occurred in the latter half of the century. Postal mail has almost been replaced by emails. Practically every aspect of business is moving into full technology mode, as there is e-commerce, e-medicine and e-governance, just to name a small few. Guyana, a developing country, has over the

years made great strides in development, but is some distance away when it comes to modern advancement in science and technology. This lag can be attributed to Guyana not doing enough to align its education system with this new course of development. It has been said time and again -- and the call needs to be heeded -- that the time has come for us to move away from the focus on the social sciences, and shift attention to science, technology, mathematics and engineering. From the pronouncements of public officials, there seems to be a general consensus that Guyana should be heading in this direction, but the will to move with alacrity has been absent. To the credit

of the Ministry of Education, some attention is being paid to encourage students to pursue the sciences and mathematics. While the effort to recognise the importance of the sciences and mathematics is encouraging, it is not good enough, and the Ministry of Education should look to do more in stimulating students’ interest in these subjects at the early-grade levels. This would entail the ministry’s experts revisiting how science and mathematics are being taught and promoted in the school system. Whatever the method or means used in doing this, whether it is through science fairs, essay competitions or documentary films, the story has to be told that life and

business in today’s world revolve around science and technology. And ethical harnessing of knowledge in these fields is paramount to improving citizens’ lives and catapulting development of their country. And in all of this, the University of Guyana has a leading role to play, but must be adequately supported by the government of the day, especially in the area of research. But the university must also pursue income-generating avenues to fund its operations, rather than relying on the government for its survival. The government on its part should make a concerted effort to ensure that Guyana’s premier tertiary leaning institu-

tion is aligned along the path of science, mathematics, engineering and technology. In this day and age, Guyana needs more chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, geologists, architects, environmentalists, forestry and plant experts and doctors, and this is not to say that economists, accountants and other persons of the social sciences are not important. Because of the issue of climate change and government pursuing a ‘Green State’ agenda and the rate of development of the world today, Guyana

has to adjust to stay afloat and keep abreast, and it needs to start by investing in producing a generation of experts in the fields of science and technology to chart a new destiny and to enjoy a secure future in the 21st century. These are the people who will deliver the innovations in science, technology and business that Guyana needs and reshape our thinking in the way we manage the environment, feed ourselves and sustain our livelihoods, while ensuring the advancement of our country.

Guyanese must resist an emerging gang culture Dear Editor, A WORRYING trend is beginning to develop in Guyana. There are signs and evidence of an emerging gang culture. A random drive through communities in and around Georgetown has revealed sneakers with the laces tied around electricity cables, the unsightly graffiti tattooed across public and private properties and groups of young men huddled together smoking marijuana. The incident involving the death of 16-yearold Brian Charles-Yearwood, who was mercilessly stabbed while attending a concert organised by his

school in April 29 last year drives home the point that Guyanese youths are adopting an affinity for gangs. Two young men, Shannon Cox, 20 and Andy Peters, 17, will now face a judge and jury to defend murder charges which sprang from this “gang-related incident”. There must be a concerted effort and a proactive approach to dealing with and confronting the emergence of gangs in society, but it must not be allowed to fester and flourish into disorder and mayhem as evident in other countries. A grassroots approach can be taken to address this issue before gangs take

over and cement their destructive tentacles deep inside communities, some of which may already be grappling with drug-running, a spiralling crime rate and many misguided, uneducated minds searching for acceptance and belonging. According to the U.S. National Institute of Justice 2014 report, gangs can be organized on the basis of race, ethnicity, territory, or money-making activities, and are generally made up of members ages 8 to 22. The members display specific paraphernalia or articles of clothing in order to create a distinction from other groups such as bandannas, hats, scarves of cer-

tain colours, or gang-related tattoos and other symbols. Gangs are known to be one of the leading factors for the spread of violent crimes both on and off school property. According to Carlie PhD, Michael K. “The Gang Culture.” Into The Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs, April 7, 2014, when joining a gang, oftentimes there is an initiation involved. The initiation is usually a violent crime that could include theft, murder, gangrape, or a drive-by shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in 2011 pointed out that there

were 33,000 violent street, motorcycle, and prison gangs active in the U.S., with more than 1.4 million members (a staggering 40% increase in just two years). In recent years, gangs have been participating in more non-traditional crimes such as prostitution, alien smuggling, and human trafficking, identity theft, and mortgage fraud. These crimes allow the perpetrators to operate below the radar with less visibility, while they secure higher profits. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, identifies several cities and areas where gang homicides are

prevalent, highlighting that neighbourhood-based gangs pose a highest threat for violence than national street gangs, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. The authorities must do all in their power to address this creeping scourge frontally, or run the risk of the country descending into a dangerous, gang-infested territory threatening our fledgling tourism base and undermining the efforts being made by security forces. Regards DANIELLE CAMPBELL-LOWE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

His futile efforts to defame me seem to know no boundaries Dear Editor,

FAR from debunking ‘all the misrepresentations,’ Mr Harri P. Beharry has now implicitly concurred with all that I have written in my letter. I am elated that Mr Beharry has now admitted that ‘he is not enslaved by any political party’, which is sufficient evidence to support my view that he has taken ‘trips’ with all the major and minor political parties. He may be using different words, but it all amounts to the same and it proves that he has no political loyalty. He is so ego-centric that he cannot bear the fact when anyone has a different view from his own. Hence his hasty departures from these parties. Mr Beharry as an elderly person who has wide experience should know that lack of loyalty is one of the major

causes of failure in life. I am sure that his current experimentation with the URP will produce the same results. Let me give him some advice on loyalty: ‘Those who don’t know the value of loyalty, can never appreciate the cost of betrayal’. It is easy to speak about ‘navel strings’ not buried in any political party, but if you want to be independent you should never undertake the role of a confidence trickster. You seem to feel that it is easier to change political allegiance rather than striving to put your own house in order (URP or which ever one). Am I the only problem you can find in Region Six? Why don’t you write about your grievances with the APNU+AFC coalition if you have any, instead of targeting me? Mr Beharry then tried in vain to vindicate himself by saying that the vehicles parked

on the road sides in front of his house do not belong to him. This is a blatant lie. The dam (Baker Shop Dam) he mentioned is a few hundred yards from his house, so I am not mistaken-- the vehicles and pumps belong to him. He manufactures water pumps for rice farmers and deals with heavy-duty agricultural machinery. Mr Beharry then seeks to promote me to ministerial status when he argued that I ‘should make certain decisions on the spot’. This man has to be badly affected by his geriatric afflictions. I have mentioned that I am the ‘ear and eyes of the various ministries and the mouth of the complainants’. It seems that he believes that listening to grievances and forwarding those to the relevant ministries and departments are a waste of time. He feels that all the min-

isters and government heads should traverse the country and make on-the-spot decisions to satisfy everyone. May I remind him that running a country is vastly different from running his little fabrication workshop. This great entrepreneur then went on in his characteristic abrasive and insultive manner to say that my job can be done by a ‘work study student’. This man’s penchant for mediocrity and ‘gutter’ attacks would make a lady of the night blush. Mr Beharry then in his innate puerile characteristic attempted to obliterate my input in exposing the theft of the 150 bags of fertiliser by claiming that, ‘a senior regional functionary’ told him that he called me to ‘see what best ‘ I could do about the matter. If this was indeed so, then why would Mr Beharry ask me to throw some light on the matter? Why would farmers ask

him, ‘ah wanda wha happen wid da fertiliser story’? I do feel that Mr Beharry is craving some relevance. The farmers have no interest in the fertiliser, it was not stolen from them and neither did they steal it. He should have contacted the relevant authority; I cannot give information to which I am not privy. I am wondering if he asked if this senior regional functionary’ gave information to me. This exposes this man’s lying and diabolical trait. His futile efforts to defame me seem to know no boundaries. However, I must observe that Mr Beharry’s attack is not motivated by his effort to save taxpayers’ dollars as he claimed, but it comes from his natural compulsive nature to attempt to thwart and frustrate my genuine efforts to improve the lives of the people of Region Six, hoping that in so doing he would el-

evate himself and gain some public recognition for which he so lustfully yearns. In conclusion, I invite him to work together with me for the betterment of Region Six. I am sure if he shed some of his negative traits he can make a valuable contribution not only to this region, but to the entire country. Probably if he writes again I would like to hear about his contributions, not his attack on me or an attack on the Minister of Agriculture who has visited Region Six and addressed problems, nine times in 2017 (three times on the Upper Corentyne where he lives, he never made an attempt to attend one of these meetings). Regards MR. GOBIN HARBHAJAN Regional Democratic Councillor

Where is your happiness, Lester Sealey? Dear Editor, “IF Welch can disclose publicly who tickled him causing him to whine, he can rest assured that I’ll drop the “lawsuit”. Well, Sealey did not even allow 48 hours to elapse before another letter appeared in the Guyana Chronicle, choosing not to even wait for my public disclosure to fulfil his promise to drop the “lawsuit”. In my letter captioned ‘Sealey struggling to convert thinking,’ I correctly spoke of his obsession with certain individuals, which has evidently become more comical than fear-provoking. Even though he has released me from the load of disclosing ‘who tickled me causing me to whine,’ I will nonetheless tell my supporters who the person is, and while many may know, including Sealey, I will say that it was Sealey’s jokey article of September 8, 2017, which appeared in the Kaieteur News that tickled me. So much for my public disclosure, Sealey. Now that he has provided a relief for my anticipated ‘day in court,’ I no longer care to respond further to his Sunday, January 7, 2018 article that appeared in the Guyana Chronicle. I sincerely hope that my response will find favour with the management of the national newspaper and be afforded timely publication. The former administrator, who according to him gave 28 years of service to the sport, has

exposed a mysterious obsession with me and my writing, and it was with some alarm that I found his threat to take me to court, since he has been guilty of accusing me of being a hired pen. I at no time contemplated taking him to court, even though he cannot find one iota of evidence to prove his accusation. That is where ability and maturity come in, and these two characteristics are sadly missing from Sealey’s repertoire. This sad figure who has referred to many quotes in the past from philosophers and other dignified human beings, with a famous one being, “if one were to ask me for the prerequisite of being involved in sports, I would say the first thing is to be happy,” is clearly acting contrarily to this notion that he mentioned in one of his confusing missives. Where is your happiness, Sealey? Sealey, you have attempted to slander nearly all and sundry in the football landscape, even those who did not allow “confounded nonsense” during their stewardship, and a certain principal of the Petra Organisation, so there is the argument of you being delusional and my favourite word for you, ‘giddy’. I was tempted to follow the advice of the outstanding former First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama, who said in the nottoo-distant past “when they go low, we go high”, but somehow I could not contain myself and allow your absurdity to go un-

noticed. I may have to apologise to the articulate First Lady whose intellect and charisma I adore. I am a different kettle of fish, Sealey, let us stay within the ambit of constructive exchange and not descend to threats of lawsuits. I implore you to think for yourself and not be goaded by those who are afraid to be known. As you may know, whenever I write I always put a name to it, because I believe that it is wrong to criticise someone or an entity and not offer a name or face. It is not my style, so you don’t have to wonder who the author is in response to your articles. On the subject of football and levy fees, I strongly feel that your articles have served to guide the Guyana Football Federation’s thinking, but in the absence of dialogue with stakeholders it is a big mistake, and time will bear me out on this. Sealey, it is clear that you have not released yourself from the period of iron-fisted rule, so your thinking is not in line with today’s philosophy. I may remind you and all those that support your notion, that even the fiercest battle zones always have a line of communication for ceasefire, should it be required. If your ideas are taken on board, then it may very well be a similar scenario of who has the bigger nuclear button on their desk. Can football, which is struggling at best to find its footing following years of negative publicity and hege-

monic rule, survive such state of affairs? If we decide not to fool ourselves, then the answer

is no. Eagerly anticipating future exchanges.

Regards RAWLE WELCH

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Ex-policeman accuses Radio at Aishalton soon serving ranks of theft

AN ex-policeman now attached to a mining establishment as a security personnel, is accusing a police corporal and two others of effecting an unlawful arrest on him as they were off-duty when they did so and they acted in a high-handed manner. Tramine Ross, 26, of 757 South Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Upper Demerara, claims that he was sitting in a vehicle with a female companion when a police corporal, who is attached to the traffic department and dressed in civilian clothing, walked up to his vehicle on Saturday and pulled open the door to the driver’s side, removed the keys to the vehicle and then told him that he was under arrest. “I asked for what, and they said when we get to the station I would know that. I was then escorted by the rank in uniform to the station.” Ross told the Guyana Chronicle that he complied with the instructions of the policeman as he knew that to do otherwise could result in them victimizing him. Ross

explained to this publication that when the person opened the door to the car and took out the keys, he initially thought that it was one of his friends playing a prank, but as he looked up he noticed the police corporal in his civilian clothing. During the ordeal when he and the woman were instructed to get out of the vehicle, Ross said that the young lady became scared. The vehicle in which Ross and the young lady were in is said to be heavily tinted. It is reportedly owned by a policeman and it was while at the station that Ross was informed that the person who was driving the vehicle on one of the days over the weekend, drove away from the police and failed to subject himself to a breathalyzer test. It is unclear why the police did not seek to find that individual or charge him with the more than five offences they levelled against Ross, namely: breach of insurance, tinted vehicle, breach of road services licences and two others. Ac-

cording to Ross, the vehicle at the time the police arrested him was stationary. He said that at no point did any of the policemen identify him as the individual who drove away from them on the night they initially encountered the vehicle and wanted to subject the driver to an alcohol level test. Meanwhile, it was while at the police station that Ross claimed that monies which he had in the vehicle were taken out without his knowledge. He contended that the money was left in the vehicle up to the period that the ranks invited him to join their vehicles to be taken to the station. “About 15 minutes after, I noticed the vehicle being driven into the compound and at no time did I permit anyone or any police to enter the vehicle in my absence with my belongings in it. While I was there, I asked to go and secure my money which is $ 100,000. He told the Guyana Chronicle that he made an official report on the matter and statements were taken.

GRA donates boat, engines to Indigenous People’s Ministry

WITH all things working as planned, a new radio station is expected to be commissioned at Deep South Rupununi Village, Aishalton, before month-end. Reports from Aishalton are that the station has been undergoing testing since December last year on the frequency 95.1 FM and residents have welcomed the initiative. The station is being built close to the Roman Catholic Church in the village and

persons from the area are expected to be trained to man it. In August 2017, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo noted on a radio programme on the National Communications Network (NCN) 102.5 FM, Voice of Guyana, that additional radio stations were expected to be set-up at several hinterland communities, including Aishalton. The Government has since commissioned several radio stations after assuming office in May 2015. These

include Radio Mabaruma, Radio Lethem, Radio Bartica and Radio Mahdia. In the 2018 national budget, funds have been set aside for the establishment of a radio station at Moruca in the North West District. A radio station is also expected to be placed at Orealla on the Corentyne River. The aim of the Government’s community radio stations project is to link the indigenous communities through communication.

Alleged trunkers get bail THREE alleged ‘trunkers’ were Wednesday arraigned before Magistrate Fabayo Azore for breaking into several cars which were parked in the vicinity of the National Park during the “Flashback” show” last week . Eon Thompson, a 35-year-old taxi driver of West Ruimveldt, Courtney Sabula, a 33-year-old mechanic of Republic Park, East Bank Demerara and Marlon Williams, a 38-year-old bus driver of “B” Field Sophia are all jointly charged for allegedly breaking into the motorcar of Ricky Nods and stealing a car battery, two rearview mirrors, a music set and other items totalling $375,000. It is further alleged that the trio, between January 6, 2018 and January 7, 2018 at Georgetown, broke and

Eon Thompson

Marlon Williams

entered the car of Kenneth David and stole a tape deck, amplifier and other items totalling $153,200. Additionally, on the same day, it is alleged that the trio broke into the minibus of Derrick Henry and stole a minibus

jack, a spanner and mirror total value of $78,900. The unrepresented men denied all the charges and were released on $25,000 bail on each count. The matter has been adjourned until February 7.

Venezuelans in strip club raid charged for illegal entry

The two boats donated by the Guyana Revenue Authority

RESIDENTS in riverine and far-flung hinterland communities will soon benefit from two boats and engines which were donated to the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs. The 250 feet vessels and 70 horsepower outboard engines were presented to the Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, by the Guyana Revenue Authority yesterday at the Marine police wharf, Ruimveldt. The donated vessels will be distributed to

those indigenous communities that have pressing transportation issues that need to be addressed. “…We intend to make good use of this of course after we would have had a discussion with the most needed communities in those areas and we know that transportation is of great importance to our hinterland communities,” Minister Allicock told the Department of Public Information (DPI). The minister said consideration will also be given to residents in communities

along the Berbice and Demerara rivers and Region One who are in dire need of assistance to transport their produce from the farms to the markets. This is the first of several transport vessels that will be handed over to hinterland communities in 2018. Some six villages will receive outboard engines and ten villages will receive grants to construct boats. Moreover, four ATVs will be bought in 2018 to serve the communities of Regions Two, Eight and Nine.

FOLLOWING a raid at the Diamond Hotel and Night Club, George Street, Werk-en-Rust, three Venezuelans were charged and appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for entering Guyana illegally Carlos Bannos admitted that on January 8 at the Cuyuni River, he entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer. Bannos was fined $30,000 or in default eight weeks jail. Maria Machingo was charged for entering Guyana illegally on September 20,2017 at Lethem without presenting herself to an immigration officer. Machingo was released on $20,000 bail and the matter has been adjourned until

Carlos Bannos

Maria Machingo

February 12. Meanwhile, Mia Gonsalves was charged for entering Guyana illegally on December 23 at Essequibo. She confessed to the charge and was fined $30,000. The raid was carried out at the Diamond Hotel and Night Club just after

07:00hrs on the day in question and 49 persons were taken into custody, including eight employees. The other persons are believed to be club dancers who were brought in from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and other countries.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Budget cuts for ministries – as gov't moves to pay severance packages to sugar workers By Ariana Gordon FINANCE Minister Winston Jordan has said that government will have to cut several budgetary programmes to facilitate payment of severance packages to over 4000 retrenched sugar workers as it takes steps to consolidate the operations of GuySuCo. In a statement to the National Assembly on Tuesday through Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, President David Granger said $2B will be paid to the workers this month-end, while the remainder will be paid in the second half of the year. Jordan said the administration will ensure all workers get their severance, but noted that it is a case of where the government has to find resources to make the total payment of $5B. “It was a sudden and large amount and we had to find creative ways to do this… we will have to

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

re-examine our 2018 budget which will very well result in cuts to programmes, so as to release money to pay the severances,” he said. This is why the severance is being paid in parts, he said. “We don’t know how these ministries programmes would be affected, but in the interest of human dignity and the workers we are attempting to make the first payment at the end of January,” the

finance minister said. Minister of State Joseph Harmon had told the National Assembly during the consideration of estimates and revenues in December that government has budgeted for the payment of severance to the retrenched sugar workers. Though the amount reportedly budgeted by the administration was not disclosed, Harmon had assured that there was a “huge chunk” of money allocated in the 2018 National Budget for that purpose. He assured that the workers who have been laid off by GuySuCo will receive severance. “There is a huge chunk of money in there [budget] for severance,” he declared, while members of the governing side of the House shouted “we are a caring government”. The minister of state had criticised the parliamentary opposition for trying to tell the public and in particular

sugar workers that the APNU+AFC coalition government is uncaring. That is far from the truth, he said. “Budget 2018 contains a provision to offset severance pay for GuySuCo workers. The opposition must communicate this to workers,” the minister of state said. Meanwhile, subject Minister Noel Holder reminded that it was only when the coalition government took office in 2015 that a true understanding of the state of the sugar industry became apparent. Government in 2015 bailed the sugar industry out with $16B. He told reporters that government tried to bring the situation under control, noting that there have been a number of downsizings of sugar estates. “It obviously had to be rationalised, we couldn’t continue this way,” stated Holder on Wednesday in

the corridors of Parliament Buildings. In rationalising the industry, Government has been able to keep 11,000 workers involved and find placements for many of the remainder through job enhancement programmes, said Holder. “We think we got it to the right size, we think the markets we’ve got, the 147,000 tonnes will largely be supplied to the CARICOM market, which is a high-priced market and we think with further improvements as we go along with co-generation and going back to ‘plantation white sugar’, the sugar industry will rebound much stronger than before,” Holder continued. Similarly, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin said it is impossible for the administration to continue bailing the sugar industry out. It is not a profitable exercise, he said, noting that common sense must prevail. “It cannot afford to year after year subsidise an entity that is not profitable and

sustainable and that is making increasingly growing demands for government support,” stated Gaskin The decision, he said, had to be made and stressed that it was not an easy decision. “I don’t think government is completely unconcerned about the welfare of the workers… that is a total farce… severance pay is an entitlement and our government will ensure the workers get their entitlement.” Many agencies are engaging the workers with a view to providing support, including the Small Business Bureau, which has been training some 150 GuySuCo workers to open and manage their own businesses. The minister of business also noted that more training is on the cards for the affected workers. “Government is extremely concerned about the welfare of the workers, but our government will not shy away from tough decisions,” Gaskin reiterated.

President holds talks with top environmental economist PRESIDENT David Granger on Wednesday held talks with Pavan Sukhdev, a leading global environmental economist who is also President of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and a member of the Board of Conservation International (CI) during a courtesy visit at State House. Minister of Public Affairs, Ms. Dawn Hastings-Williams; Executive Director and Vice-President CI Guyana, Dr. David Singh; Senior Technical Director CI Guyana, Mr. Curtis Bernard; Country Manager WWF Guyana, Ms. Aisha Williams; Country Representative of WWF Suriname, Mr. Laurens Gomes; Regional Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Ms. Adriana Zacarias; Head of the Department of the Environment, Ms. Ndibi Schwiers; and Mr. Eustance Alexander of the Department of the Environment, were also present at the meeting which was held at State House. Dr. Singh of CI Guyana explained that UNEP is cur-

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon poses with Pavan Sukhdev, President of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other top officials

rently assisting Guyana in detailing its Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) and that Mr. Sukhdev’s visit is part of that effort. During the discussions, the President and the visiting delegation discussed a number of issues including the creation of ‘green’ jobs, sustainable farming, transitioning into a ‘green’ economy and the country’s oil-and-gas prospects.

President Granger explained that Guyana is building on a record that was established since 1989 when the then government committed Iwokrama to the international community for the purpose of research into sustainable management and development of tropical rainforests. He also noted that as the country proceeds along a ‘green’ development trajectory, it looks at like-minded

states and international agencies for continued support and collaboration. Following the meeting with the President, the team met with Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon at the Ministry of the Presidency. During that meeting, Minister Harmon said that he is happy with Dr. Sukhdev’s visit as his expertise and experience in the environmental field will allow Guyana to benefit

significantly, as the country continues to make strides with regard to the pursuit of a ‘green’ state. Minister Harmon noted that the ‘green’ state must take not only the environment and protection of biodiversity into account but the social, economic and cultural well-being of all citizens as well. It is on this note he said, that the Government of Guyana is committed to

working with all stakeholders to ensure that the best courses of action are taken in pursuit of the ‘green’ state. During his stay here in Guyana, Dr. Sukhdev will be facilitating several lectures and forums, including the “We Own This Thing: Natural Capital in a Resource Rich State” at the Theatre Guild on Thursday, January 11, 2018. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Push-cart music vendor jailed for killing colleague PUSH-CART music vendor Quincy Massiah, 29, was on Wednesday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the 2014 fatal stabbing of his colleague after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. He appeared in the Georgetown High Court before Justice Navindra Singh who told the court that having listened to both sides, he has a better understanding of the case, and took note of the troubled past of the accused, adding that it does not justify what he did on the day in question. The judge added that he can relate as to how things escalated since the accused was reportedly physically abused by some people and comments made about his mother triggered his aggressive behaviour. Justice Singh was however, pleased that the accused is utilising anger management classes in jail and will try to lend some assistance as it relates to his attorney’s request for him to benefit from counselling to get over his troubling past. From the 10 years sentence, time served will be deducted. In his plea of mitigation, George Thomas told the court that the accused grew up in the West Ruimveldt area and at a young age his mother passed away and he went to live with his grandparents. He stated that after his grandparents died, Quincy was left to fend for himself. Thomas added that the

Sentenced to 10 years: Quincy Massiah

accused has shown willingness to accept his wrongdoing and asked for a lenient sentence. The defence attorney said that the accused has been in jail since his arrest in 2014 and asked the court to take that into consideration, since he has shown remorse and admitted responsibility for the incident. Thomas told the court that the accused also made an early plea and did not waste the court’s time and asked that he be counselled via the services of Dr. Bhiro Harry to assist him to get over his past. The accused in a very quiet voice told the court that he is sorry for what happened and admitted that he has some mental issues that he needs to overcome. He told Justice Singh that he was a victim of physical abuse at the hands of some people, including the deceased. State Prosecutor

Abigail Gibbs, in response, acknowledged the troubled past of the accused, his lack of education and maybe the absence of a mother “but these things were no excuse for what he did--took a life-and the state believes he should pay for his actions,” Gibbs stated. In leading the state’s case, Gibbs said that Quincy Massiah, called ‘Akeem’, on November 28, 2014, murdered Trevor Raghubir, called ‘Fineman’. She said that the deceased and the accused were known to each other and they both worked as push-cart music vendors and slept at the same premises, located at Lot 9 Camp and D’urban Streets, Georgetown. Gibbs related that on the day in question, the duo had an argument over a hammock and the deceased made comments about the accused’s mother and dealt him a lash. She stated that there were an exchange of words, then the accused, who was unable to control his anger, proceeded to stab Raghubir in the region of the abdomen with a knife, which was about 20 centimeters long. Gibbs said at this point, Raghubir fell to the ground. Later,when the accused was confronted by the police, he indicated that “Is me juk this man” and also admitted responsibility via a caution statement. The post-mortem report gave the cause of death as perforation of the aorta due to stab wounds.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Judge throws the book at – for senseless 2014 murder ‘Rambo’ of female taxi driver By Michel Outridge

SYLVESTER Bristol, called “Rambo”, was on Tuesday sentenced to 16 years imprisonment, minus time served, for the 2014 murder of female taxi driver, Savitri Palmer. An expressionless Bristol stood in the dock and told Justice Navindra Singh that try as he might, he cannot remember what transpired on the day in question, but begged for mercy. Justice Singh told the court that in arriving at his decision, he took into consideration Bristol’s early plea. What he couldn’t understand, however, was Bristol’s reluctance to talk about what happened, and why he did what he did, considering that he was gainfully employed at the time he committed the offence. In his plea of mitigation, defence attorney George Thomas told the court, among other things, that while on remand, the accused was a model prisoner; that he did not get into any conflict with his fellow inmates or prison authorities. He had also worked in the kitchen, and had surrendered himself during both prison fires at the Camp Street Prison, and cooperated with prison officials. Thomas asked, too, that the judge take into account that the accused has shown remorse, and chose not to waste the court’s time and used the opportunity to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. He related that the accused has already spent four years in jail, and he has accepted what he did and asked for the minimum sentence. In response, State Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken asked the court to give the maximum sentence, since the deceased has two young children who are left without a mother. She stated that the gruesome way in which the act was committed needs to be considered and the fact that when the act was committed a young child was nearby. The State’s case is that between February 15 and 16, 2014, Bristol allegedly murdered Palmer, called “Maya”, in the County of Demerara. Palmer’s nude body was reportedly discovered at Yarrowkabra, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, with marks of violence. She was last seen alive on February 15, 2014. Lyken related that a post-mortem ruled that the cause of death as ligature strangulation.

Sylvester Bristol being led away to jail

The accused was arrested when some of the deceased’s personal belongings were found in his possession. And while in custody, he gave a caution statement in which he admitted having sex with the deceased, before strangling her and running away from the crime scene. According to the prosecutor, he later pleaded not guilty to murder but to the lesser count of manslaughter, a plea that was accepted by Justice Singh on Tuesday afternoon. Palmer’s body was discovered in a clump of bushes some two miles from where her vehicle had been found at the back of a resort on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. The 31-year-old woman reportedly left her Soesdyke home at around 20:30hrs on February 15, 2014 with the intention of dropping two persons at a loam pit in Timehri, and had taken along her eight-year-old son for the ride. The child was found sleeping in the rear seat of the abandoned vehicle hours later by his father, Kissoon Palmer, who had decided to go in search of his wife when she failed to return home.

Region 5 REO, chairman hammer out working relationship THE Regional Executive Officer of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice)and top officials of the Regional Democratic Council have hammered out a working relationship agreement which is intended to prevent the conflicts and frictions which marked the relationship between the administration and the Chairman of the PPP/C dominated Council last year. REO Ovid Morrison made the disclosures at a media briefing on the work of the Regional Administration in 2017 on Tues-

day. Regional Chairman, Vickchand Ramphal was absent from the media briefing which was held in the Boardroom of the RDC at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice on the grounds that he had to address some mechanical problems which developed with his mode of transportation. During last year most of the Statutory Meetings of the RDC were not held due to the walkout of APNU/ AFC Councilors in support of the REO who said he had been offended by “disrespectful” actions of Mr.Ramphal. Both Morrison

and APNU/AFC Councillors had accused Ramphal of bias in favor of the PPP/C Party of poor leadership and poor governance of the Council. During most of last year Morrison and Ramphal had not been communicating. Despite the friction however the administration achieved its operational objectives for 2017 because the budget had been approved at the level of the Council before the tensions emerged. On Tuesday Morrison disclosed that the “working relationship agreement” had been ham-

mered out during a meeting between himself, Ramphal and Regional Vice-Chairman, Rion Peters. Morrison said that during the meeting it had been recognized that there may have been some misunderstanding among members of the Council on the roles of the REO as against the role of the Council itself. He said that he pointed out that it is basically the role of the Council to make policies and make decisions on programmes and basically the role of the REO to execute these policies and programmes.

“I stressed that I would like to see the policy-makers make the policy and allow the Administration to execute the policies and directions. The Council should not cross over into carrying out the management duties of the REO. You cannot make a policy and execute it. Council makes the policy and it is my responsibility to carry out that policy. You can’t want to make policy and also carry out that policy, that would be wrong,” he stressed. “The agreement essentially means that myself as REO and Mr Ramphal as

Chairman of the Council will be working together once again, communicating with each other as often as necessary in the interests of harmonious relationships between the Administration and the leadership of the Council. There should be no cancellations of statutory meetings this year.” Morrison said he hoped that the relationship would remain amicable this year due to respect on his behalf of the role of the Council and respect from the Chairman of the Council for his role as the Regional Executive Officer.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Sittlington urges GBTI to cooperate with SOCU IN light of the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry’s (GBTI) refusal to provide the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) with documents requested to conduct an investigation into the US$500M Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) fraud case, Irish Financial Investigations advisor to SOCU, Sam Sittlington believes that the bank needs to act sensibly. He said while he understands the bank’s position on the matter, that it is mandated to comply with banking confidentiality laws that govern the protection of information to third parties which concern

account holders, the bank has an obligation to act differently in criminal cases. “There is a legal argument in relation to this particular case but that does not prevent the bank from using common sense and doing what they ought to do under the obligations. They may have a point but it is something I don’t want to discuss,” said Sittlington. Several former senior officials of the GRDB were charged as the probe into money transfers of hundreds of millions of dollars to a prominent Essequibo rice farmer intensifies. But as a result of the bank’s refusal

to provide information requested by SOCU, the Unit approached the high court seeking Productive Orders. Those orders were issued by the judge compelling GBTI to hand over all information requested by SOCU on the GRDB officials. The Financial Investigations expert said too that the problem is not unique to Guyana but can pose serious problems for Guyana. “This is a very serious problem for Guyana because this GBTI case has international press that has consequences on the Central Bank of Guyana because the FATF in its evaluations will mark Guyana down because of their non-cooperation, particularly in the financial structure.” He continued: “I think sometimes, institutions read

228 cases before Demerara Assizes THE Demerara Criminal Assizes at the Georgetown High Court opened on Tuesday with a parade hosted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in which was Justice James Bovell-Drakes inspected the ranks in the company of his colleague judges. The parade, held in front of the Georgetown High Court, was punctuated with much pomp and ceremony. It was also witnessed by Chief Justice Roxane George.

Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, Justice Navindra Singh and Justice James BovellDrakes will be presiding over the criminal sessions. Justice Bovell-Drakes will preside over 44 criminal matters; Justice Navindra Singh will take on 42 criminal cases; while Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall will sit in the Sexual Offences Court where she will hear 142 rape cases.

Members of the Guyana Police Force Band in action on Tuesday

Justice James Bovell-Drakes inspects the parade at the opening of the Demerara Criminal Assizes on Tuesday

into things too deeply and put up barriers not to do something as opposed to doing something and being more positive.” He assured that with cooperation, money laundering, corruption and the financing of terrorism can be reduced. Moreover, he said that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has made

new recommendations about banking procedures. That he said would be of great assistance if banks are more robust in their due diligence and in reporting of suspicions of money laundering. Meanwhile, Sittlington said he will be reaching out to the banking sector once again to

reiterate the importance of their cooperation to fighting money laundering and corruption. He said in the past he has held a seminar on money laundering, doing enhanced due diligence to ensure customers are who they say they are and the like. All banks participated, he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Lucky to be alive --West Dem girl recalls brutal attack

By Navendra Seoraj SANGEETA GOPAUL, 23, of Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), who was brutally chopped by a 58-year-old man, Samuel Williams, said she “felt like it was the end”, but is counting

her lucky stars to still be alive. Gopaul was a sales clerk at a store at Parika at the time of the incident. She was in tears as she recounted the gruesome incident that occurred on November 21, 2017, in an interview with Guyana Chronicle on

Monday at her mother’s home. Mustering the courage to speak, she told Guyana Chronicle that the incident was the “scariest moment” of her life. “Was Sunday and I went to work and arrived home around 09:30pm.

When I entered my yard and reached by these two water drums, he came out and start chopping me,” the young lady related. She said the gate to the yard is usually locked, but it was not locked that night and the lights were switched off.

Sangeeta Gopaul

“I fell on my knees after he did it and ran away. I managed to get up and went upstairs to my apartment which I shared with another family. I knocked on the door and when they opened [it], I fell in front of the door,” she said. Although she was losing blood, she said her neighbours lingered for a while before they called her mother, Babita, to collect her. Eventually, Gopaul said she was taken to the local cottage hospital, then to the West Demerara Regional Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Guyana Chronicle was told by Babita that her daughter had to spend the entire holiday season in the hospital. Although she is still not back to full strength, Gopaul said her injuries are healing slowly and she is optimistic of a full recovery. COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED Prior to the incident, Williams reportedly terrorised Gopaul’s family. “It could have been avoided because he came to my workplace twice and threatened to kill me and I reported the matter to the police at Parika, but they never took the matter into hand,” the young lady said. According to Gopaul’s mother, the man had threatened to kill her family several times because they chased him from their shop. Williams was called a miscreant by several of Gopaul’s relatives and friends

who were at Babita’s house during the interview. “He would come to the shop to buy beer and so, then he gon cuss up and get on… we does can’t encourage them things here because we have a church right next door,” said Babita. Williams, who reportedly did farming in the area, would usually boast about being rich and used those claims to belittle others who would be at the shop, villagers said. Gopaul said she is not the only woman who is a victim of violence and calls on the police to treat these matters with the seriousness they deserve. The young woman said oftentimes men who commit those crimes do not face the appropriate penalty, contending that they should be placed behind bars for the rest of their lives. “I’m scared for my life because if somehow he gets off, he might want to do the same, because he did not kill me. Anyone who attempts to take the life of a women, or even someone else, should be behind bars for the rest of their lives,” she said. Williams, a resident of Ocean Gardens, MetenMeer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), appeared in the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool, charged for unlawfully wounding Gopaul. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was remanded to prison until January 9, 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Linden on way to going green -- outgoing Mayor Carwyn Holland

By Naomi Marshall LINDEN is well on its way to being a part of the national thrust to ‘Go Green’ Initiative, says outgoing Mayor Carwyn Holland. He made the announcement after he met with head of the Office of Climate Change, Janelle Christian, on Tuesday to discuss the town’s involvement in the initiative. “Linden needs to go green on the fact that for years we’ve been doing bauxite mining, but we need to go look in the areas of energy efficiency, etc. We put together a proposal which we would have sent to the Office of Climate Change, and I’m happy that today we are seeing some

favour. Linden is ready to go green,” Holland noted. Meanwhile, Christian highlighted that the brown economy is changing to the green economy, not only with respect to energy saving, but also in terms of efficiency. “Greening is about changing the way we pursue our development to ensure that it’s done more sustainably with no harm to environment, to ensure that we use our resources efficiently, protecting it for future generation and also ensuring equity,” said Christian. The Office of Climate Change is the national agency which is responsible for shaping climate change policy with respect to Adaptation

Mitigation Resilience Building. “We have a responsibility to ensure that national plans are also implemented at regional and local level and so we had a broader conversation here today to discuss with the mayor and his team how we can work closer, what are the priorities and how we can engage the township in the other work that we doing. We have a particular interest in working with the youth to ensure that there is climate change education and awareness.” Aside from this, attention will be paid to building institutional capacity, addressing legislative policy gaps and implementation of community-based pilots with respect to

energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Office of Climate Change has been engaging the Linden municipality on the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action. In crafting the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action, consultants are working to identify priority areas within each township to get on the road to greening, reducing emissions and ensuring greater energy efficiency. The areas that have been chosen are transport, energy, solid waste management, waste water and water management. The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action plan is expected to be completed by March 2018.

According to Christian, the meeting with the outgoing Mayor, Deputy Mayor (mayor elect) Waneka Arrindell; Deputy Mayor (elect) Wainwright Bethune and councillors, sought to get a sense of the larger projections and plans for the township. It was also geared for them to engage with the consultants who have been working with the mayor and his team to better shape and elaborate the pilot project for the township, with the hope that it will be financed under the Global Environment Facility. The proposal for the threeyear project is expected to be approved by the end of March 2018. The Office of Climate

The tomb that was vandalised

the police and after they checked the casket the body was intact but the jewellery and the money she was buried with was missing. “It’s really hurtful to see after so long she buried, somebody would do something like this. I feel sad about this whole thing, it made us all feel sick.” The family explained t h a t f ro m b i r t h L a c y Jagroop Mohanlall called “Sarah” was diagnosed with a disability and a brain tumour but lived a life full of energy and happiness until her last moment. The

Bandits raid tomb of Hampshire girl …cart off jewellery and cash

THE family of a six-yearold girl who died after a prolonged illness in May 2017, was shocked to find her tomb vandalised and jewellery and cash stolen on Sunday last some seven months later. The discovery was made when the family visited the tomb of Lacy Jagroop Mohanlall called “Sarah” at

Hampshire Village Corentyne. Bharat Jagroop called “Blackie”, 45, the father of the deceased said during the Christmas holidays the family visited the site and as is customary took her favourite toys and candies and everything was intact. He explained that the final touches to the tomb was scheduled for Friday but

upon arrival to complete the job the family was shocked to find the resting place of their “angel” vandalized. “Last Sunday I decide I gon finish the last part of the tiling and everybody went, the shock we get was hard to see the whole tomb bruk up. My wife fainted; she couldn’t bear to see what happened”. He said he left to inform

Number 43 Village fishers ‘choked’ financially -- due to clogged drains, call on authority to remedy situation

Fisherman Nakool Manohar (right) points at the waterway that needs to be cleared (Photos by Adrian Narine)

FISHERFOLKS of Number 43 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, are facing a challenge to work since the channel which they use to access the sea is clogged as it has reportedly not been cleaned and cleared for months. Several fishermen told Guyana Chronicle that they are dissatisfied with work being done to maintain the channel. One fisherman, Nakool Manohar, said the channel

is blocked by bushes and a mud bank and that he and his colleagues have to wait for hours for high tide in order to get out to sea. “This thing really dangerous because when the tide drops again, we got to wait in the sea until it rises for us to return to shore… during that time we fish spoil and so,” lamented Manohar. He said if the channel is not dredged soon, fishers will continue to incur severe

Two of the propellers that were damaged after they reportedly hit the mud bank

losses since, in addition to losing their catch due to spoilage, their boats also get destroyed when they hit the mud bank. Several fishermen complained that they have had to change the propellers of their boat frequently. A propeller costs at least $80,000. This newspaper was told that the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which is responsible for clearing the channel, has been clearing the front part

of the waterway and neglecting the mouth of the channel. Some of the fishers said even though they raised this matter with the NDC, nothing has been done to remedy the situation. Manohar is calling on the relevant authorities to address this matter, which will allow fishers to ply their trade without obstruction. Efforts to contact the NDC for a comment proved futile.

Change started work with the township of Bartica which was announced as the first model ‘green town’. “His Excellency President Granger would have said the expectation is that what is done in Bartica will be replicated in other parts of the country and so for 2018, the Office of Climate Change has identified the township of Linden and another municipality, to forge a closer working relationship with respect to municipality, so that we can work along with them to get an idea of what are the priorities with respect to their short and long-term plans, to transition to become green,” Christian said. mother Parhbattie Sahadat called “Sita”, said losing her young child was very difficult and to know she was laid to rest and then had her resting place disturbed is alarming. Mr. Jagroop, said the entire incident has left the family mourning all over again and is also calling on the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC), to clear the overgrown bushes around the cemetery. Police were notified of the incident and have since launched an investigation.

Korner Kick accountant was murdered —autopsy POLICE Divisional Commander, Marlon Chapman, on Wednesday afternoon told the Guyana Chronicle that the post-mortem (PM) examination conducted on the body Tevin Parris indicates that the man’s death was not consistent with suicide. Police subsequently noted in a statement that the autopsy, which was performed by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh revealed that Parris died as a result of a single gunshot, where the warhead entered his right nostril and exited the middle of the head. It was not self-inflicted, the police said. The body was handed over to relatives for burial. The 21-year-old accountant of the popular Korner Kick bar was found in his home in Garnett Street in the city on Monday morning. Following the discovery of the man’s body, relatives maintained that the young man was murdered. Chapman said the police are treating Parris’ death as a homicide and investigations into the matter are ongoing. Reports indicate that Parris was living alone in the building and he was last seen alive by his uncle on Sunday.

Tevin Parris

On Monday his cousin, Allister Parris, who is the owner of Korner Kick Bar located at Lime and Bent streets, tried contacting him via his cell phone, but was unsuccessful. As a result he decided to visit the young man at home. The cousin, who has a key to the building, entered and found the accountant lying motionless on his bed. Parris’ hand was clutching a 9mm pistol and there was blood on a pillow next to the body. The man’s cousin quickly summoned the police. The area was cordoned off and, according to relatives, a spent shell was found under the body and there was no forced entry into the building.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Region 5 completes 99% of 2017 works programme THE Region Five Administration (Mahaica/Berbice) completed 99% of its current and capital programmes of delivery of services to the people within the Region and carried out additional works from savings accrued in 2017. The disclosure was made on Tuesday last by the Regional Executive Officer

Mr. Ovid Morrison during a media briefing on the performance of the Region in 2017. He disclosed that at the start of 2017 the Region was allocated a total of $3Billion dollars for its programs under the heads of Administration ($145M) Health ($625M) Education ($1.5B) Agriculture ($198.3M) and Public works ($156M).

Major developments for the people of Region Five resulting from the use of these funds included improved drainage from flooding caused by excessive rainfall in flood prone communities; the construction and upgrading of several farm to market roads to drive agricultural development and growth in several communities; up-

grading of community roads in several communities and major improvements in its healthcare capabilities. Of interest too he added, was that in addition to these works, the Administration provided a total of $699M to the ten Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) in support of developmental projects for the benefit of

their residents. “We may have juggled our priorities in some instances but there was no discrimination against any NDC, that is People’s Progressive Party controlled as is being alleged by some of our detractors,” he said. He stressed that the sums the NDCs benefited from were additional to the $4M subvention giv-

en to each NDC by the Government as a form of subvention last year. He said that the residents of Region Five can expect further improvements in services which affect the quality of their lives with the prudent spending of Central Government allocations of approximately $3.3B this year.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, January 11, 2018

Steps to modernise prison system ongoing …Ramjattan tells opposition as gov’t defeats prison fires motion By Ariana Gordon GOVERNMENT on Wednesday voted down a motion brought by opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Edghill for the National Assembly to call on government to “accept collective responsibility” for the prison fires of 2016 and 2017. Edghill, who was absent from the House due to a suspension, also called for government to make full disclosure of all aspects of the tragedy at the Georgetown Prison on July 9, and to declare what actions have been and are being taken to reduce the opportunities for such situations re-occurring. His motion was presented by opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira. Additionally, the opposition MP called on government to disclose the circumstances surrounding the escape of prisoners on July 24, 2017. Subject Minister Khemraj Ramjattan in his rebuttal of the motion, said the motion is of no substance as his administration has not kept any detail a secret about the 2017 prison fire and jail break. Expressing deep concern for what he considered to be misinformation peddled by the opposition, Ramjattan made it clear that “I am not keeping you in the dark; I never do that.” According to the minister, from the first instance of prison disturbances which led to fire in the Camp Street prison and the death of 17 inmates, all questions posed by the opposition have been answered. He pointed to the Security Committee that the opposition stated is dysfunctional, noting that it was at that same forum that the police commissioner and Heads of Prison and Fire Services provided detailed information to the opposition members. “Do not come here and say the committee is dysfunc-

tional,” he said. “There have been communication with and serving of documents requested, so they must not come here and say the security committee under Ramjattan is keeping them in the dark,” he continued. That aside, the Public Security Minister dismissed criticisms of his government not implementing recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Camp Street Prison, chaired by Jus-

esf mostly wooden structures. He explained that because of the outdated prison structure, his administration is in the process of making changes, but noted that such matters take time. “It is very important that we understand that we have done the number in relation to the recommendations.” Trinidad Company Kee-Chanona Limited in collaboration with Nabi Construction Inc. has been

Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira (Adrian Narine photo)

tice (ret’d) James Patterson. In response to opposition member Priya Manickchand, Ramjattan said, “almost everything [recommendation] in the Commission (report) to a certain extent was adhered to.” He disclosed that there are a number of consultancies that are to be completed as a result of that CoI and made it clear that calls for another CoI into the July 9 and 24 prison fire and jail break will only be heeded when the two remaining prison escapees are captured. Ramjattan reminded the opposition that while they are casting blame on the government, the prison infrastructure here is old as many of the prisons were built over 100 years ago. The prison infrastructure compris-

awarded a $3.5B contact for the construction of the new Mazaruni Prison. “Indeed it takes time…you can say what you want, at least we are moving ahead,” said an unmoved Ramjattan. He disclosed too that government single-sourced a firm out of the U.S. that has built over 300 prisons and even built the Guantanamo prison, steel cell. “Mr Speaker, we are doing that which has to be done,” the minister stated. He said too that works for the modernisation of the outdated prison structures are ongoing. Accepting full responsibility for the prison fires and jail breaks, Ramjattan made it clear that taking responsibility does not mean he has to resign. “I don’t understand why you are trying to set precedent

for me when you yourself did not live up to that which you are talking about.” Efforts he said are continuing by his government to ensure that the country’s security apparatus is strengthened. He explained that the strategic management department of the prison service is in place to ensure there is better administering at the prisons because of the number of rogue prison officers. “…These things take

You had to lock them up in the swamp; it was difficult because we didn’t have a place,” said Ramjattan, who noted that the situation was an unusual one that required quick action. Nevertheles, the minister made it clear that things will get better with time. Stop pretending Meanwhile, Opposition Chief Whip Teixeira, who presented the motion on behalf of Edghill, described it as being

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

money and time and all came as a result of what it was recommended by Mr Patterson,” said Ramjattan, who acknowledged “we ought to have done better”. In response to criticisms by the opposition as to where the prisoners were accommodated after the Camp Street prison was flattened, Ramjattan said, there were about 1000 prisoners who were out of their holding facilities. He said the necessity of the situation required that the prisoners be transported to the Lusignan facility. “We tried to be humane with them and brought them across to the next building opposite the road and they burned that too, so what we’ll do…we had to line them up on the road. The necessity of the situation demanded that.

of extraordinary importance. “We have to stop pretending this is just business as usual… this government promised to fix crime and security; this has not been done,” said Teixeira. She argued too that the events of July 9 represent the worst prison fire in the history of the prison system, as it destroyed over 80 per cent of the infrastructure at the Camp Street penitentiary. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) through its members who spoke, repeatedly called on government to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the July 2017 prison fire and jailbreak. “Ramjattan should have been made to resign after the death of the prisoners,” said Teixeira, who stressed that more information needs

to be made available to the public. “This is an issue of national importance…no action was taken by the government on any of the recommendations of the CoI… the issue of non-disclosure and having to force you by public pressure,” declared the opposition Chief Whip. She opined that there was an indication that “something was brewing” in the Camp Street prison last year, but due to lack of diligence things spiralled out of control quickly. She noted to that several measures that ought to have been in place were not. She pointed to the lack of simulation exercises as an example. As Teixeira made her points, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels sat across the room paying keen attention. Teixeira said that as a former Minister of Home Affairs who served through two prison disturbances, she is disturbed by the events of 2016 and 2017 at the Camp Street Prisons. “The issue is leadership and concern, and acting responsibly. You give leadership and you didn’t on that day…if you didn’t do what you were supposed to between March 2016 and July 2017, what you expect to happen?” asked Teixeira. “…The situation that happened on July night was avoidable, could have been managed but you did nothing,” she accused Ramjattan even as she accepted that when her party was in government it “didn’t do enough.” “We won’t say we were the greatest…but we did a lot,” declared the opposition Chief Whip. Other speakers from the opposition included Joseph Hamilton, Pauline Sukhai, Harry Gill, Allister Charlie, Yvonne Pearson, and Gillian Burton.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday January 11, 2018

Anson Green/Keithland King bout added to GBBC ‘Bad Blood’ card By Rawle Toney GUYANESE Anson Green will make his return to the ring against Barbados’ Keithland King on January 20, with the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) announcing that the bout was added to their ‘Bad Blood’ boxing card, set for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The two fighters will meet over four rounds in a junior middleweight bout and it would be Green’s first time back in the ring since he was knocked out by Jamaican Michael Gardener in the Land of Wood and Water on July 2, 2016. It would be Green’s eighth appearance in the ring, after winning just two of his previous outings and losing five. For King, the clash against the Guyanese fighter would be just his second time in the ring, following his debut win over American Rob Mitchell last August. Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques, Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry, Shawn Corbin and Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves will defend the ‘Land of Many Waters’ against the invasion of fighters from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Venezuela, at the GBBC’s ‘Bad Blood’. 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’. Dharry, the WBC CABOFE and IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight champion, will face Venezuelan Jesus Vargas Garcia. No doubt the fiery pugilist would want to extend his unbeaten run, which is currently at 18 fights. His last defeat was 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.

Linden synthetic track... to the Ministry by Wednesday. Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, stated that he’s “happy to see another project that I was passionate about come on stream. It’s all about Linden. And we’ve been working closely with the athletes and winning the national championships without a stadium. So I know this will be very impactful for Linden.” Construction on the facility is expected to begin within this first quarter of 2018, and it is the desire and expectation of the team to have the track completed by

From back page

year end. The track will consist of field components - a football pitch, security fencing, drainage, rest room, among others. Back in October 2017, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, who has responsibility for Sport, disclosed that the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board has approved the award of a contract totalling $160M for the construction of two 400m synthetic tracks of which one will be placed in Region 10 and the other in Region 6. The $160M was awarded to BSW Regupol.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday January 11, 2018

Rabada set to wait for opening chance despite rapid rise By Nick Said CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - The world’s top Test bowler Kagiso Rabada says it is his ambition to open the bowling for South Africa, but he will likely have to wait for his chance ahead of the second Test against India starting in Pretoria on Saturday. Rabada’s thrilling display of fast bowling helped South Africa to a 72-run victory in the first Test at Newlands, and catapulted the young firebrand to the summit of the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings. He dislodged England’s Jimmy Anderson, a man 13 years his senior, with match figures of 5-75 that only tell half the story of a display brimming with pace, aggression and control. “Our bowling attack is very skilled, as we have seen in the past and in the last game. It feels great to be playing alongside these veterans,” Rabada told reporters yesterday. ”I just bowl wherever the team wants me to bowl, but obviously I would like to open. “It is very tough at the

Pacer Kagiso Rabada is the top-ranked bowler in ICC Test rankings. (AFP)

moment, though, because there are two very good bowlers doing that. I just like to do whatever the team requires me to do and set my own aspirations aside.” Since the start of 2016 he has taken 108 Test wickets at an average of 21.34 and has a career strike-rate of 39.2 that is better than veterans Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. Despite his form, Rabada was the fourth bowler used by South African captain Faf

Bramble, Singh, Fudadin fined for breaching Code of Conduct ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies (CWI) advised yesterday that Guyana Jaguars’ pair of Anthony Bramble and Vishaul Singh, along with Jamaica Scorpions’ Assad Fudadin were penalised for Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct during the eighth round of matches which ended on Sunday in the Digicel 4-Day Championship. Bramble, Singh and Fudadin all admitted to their respective offences – which occurred in the match between Scorpions and Jaguars at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica – and accepted the imposition of the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings. The charges were brought by umpires Jacqueline Williams and Johnathan Blades, along with reserve umpire Christopher Wright. Match referee Denovan Hayles imposed fines as per the Code of Conduct having considered the umpires’ reports. Bramble was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.2 of the Code of Conduct during Jaguars’ second innings, when he was dismissed. The umpires reported that Bramble pointed to his shoulder, indicating the ball did not

touch his bat, when he was given out caught-behind in the 13th over of his side’s second innings, displaying behaviour that could be deemed as showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse. Singh was charged 20 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.1 of the Code of Conduct during Jaguars’ second innings, when he was dismissed. Singh was reported by the umpires for slamming his bat into the pavilion wall on leaving the field after his dismissal and then hitting a bottle in the direction of the reserve umpire, displaying behaviour that could be deemed as abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings. Fudadin was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.2 of the Code of Conduct during the 38th over of the Jaguars’ second innings, when batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was ruled “not-out” following an appeal. The umpires reported that Fudadin threw the ball and his helmet to the ground in dissatisfaction following the umpire’s ruling, displaying behaviour that could be deemed as showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse.

du Plessis in the first innings against India, a bow to his team mates’ seniority. The 22-year-old has long been thought of as a special talent, particularly in his homeland where the desire for role-models for young black cricketers burns strong. But few thought he would deliver so much, so soon. There are many who believe he can still get quicker, adding further to his considerable weaponry. “I don’t know how fast I can get. Sometimes I don’t think the speed gun is telling the truth to be honest. I can feel when I‘m bowling quick and when I‘m not,” he added. The loss of Steyn to another injury setback means the burden will be greater on Rabada this season, with two more home Tests to come against India and then four Tests against the visiting Australians. “I need to do more, I am always striving for perfection, even though you will never reach it,” he said. “There is always something else you can work on and that is what I have done in my career so far. There is always a problem!”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday January 11, 2018

England are ‘scared’ of producing pace bowlers - Michael Holding WEST Indies legend Michael Holding says England are scared of producing pace bowlers and that their lack of them was the problem in the Ashes defeat. England lost the recent series 4-0 against Australia. Holding says English pace bowlers are “not encouraged to go fast” and that economy rates are favoured over pace. “If you’re taking wickets, that’s the important factor,” said Holding. “But I have seen over the last 10 years or so, England don’t seem to think that way.” In the Ashes, Australia’s Mitchell Starc averaged 89.1 mph, just ahead of team-mates Josh Hazelwood (88.8 mph) and Pat Cummins (88.1 mph), with Chris Woakes the fastest of the England bowlers at an average of 85.6 mph. Asked whether England are scared of producing pace bowlers, Holding told the BBC’s Stumped show: “Yes, definitely. “That was the problem with England in the Ashes, they didn’t have anyone with real pace,” added former fast bowler Holding, who took 249 wickets in 60 Tests. “England need people that can bowl 90 mph and stay fit. England have found them in the past and there’s no reason why they can’t find them in the future.” ‘ECONOMY RATE DOESN’T MATTER’ Holding cited Steven Finn as an example of an England bowler who has had his pace coached out of him. The 28-year-old was part

of the England squad that flew out to Australia for the Ashes but returned home just

matters.” Finn told BBC Sport his pace can drop, but said it

Pacer Steven Finn with 125 wickets in 36 Tests has not played a Test for England since October 2016.

nine days later with a knee injury. Finn, who has taken 125 wickets in 36 Tests, has not played a Test for England since October 2016. “Fast bowlers in England are not encouraged to go fast, because when you are fast you are more liable to leak a few more runs per over than someone who is bowling medium pace and showing great control,” said Holding. “I heard so much about Steven Finn that he was going at four runs per over, and that was too many. But he was taking wickets. At one point, he was taking more wickets than the big names. “The economy rate does not matter; it’s what’s in the fourth column, the ‘W’, that

is a result of a demanding schedule. “The amount of teams and cricket we have doesn’t particularly help fast bowlers being 100% fit to bowl fast all the time,” he said. “It takes an understanding from players and coaches to know that it’s not possible to bowl 90 mph every day for a whole county season, and I think that’s how young people who do bowl fast could potentially lose their pace. “In the past I’ve played a whole summer and a whole year, and your pace does drop - I’ve been a victim of that. “It’s my responsibility to understand when my body is at 100% and when it’s not.” (BBC Sport)

Chelsea spurn chances in League Cup stalemate with Arsenal LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea failed to make their home advantage count as they missed a string of chances to draw 0-0 with Arsenal in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Soccer Football - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg - Chelsea vs Arsenal - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - January 10, 2018 Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi and Arsenal’s Calum Chambers after

the match REUTERS/David Klein The hosts struggled to break down Arsene Wenger’s side despite enjoying the majority of possession and will feel hard done by after crafting the best of the game’s few openings in a lively game at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen wasted the best of the hosts’ opportunities, failing to find the target with two headers in the sec-

ond half after Cesc Fabregas had also spurned a headed chance before the break. Arsenal created little going forward but were obdurate in defence to leave the tie in the balance ahead of the second leg in two weeks time. The winners will face either Manchester City or second tier Bristol City in the final, with the Premier League leaders taking a 2-1 lead into the second leg.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday January 11, 2018

No letting up, says Griffith

By Rajiv Bisnauth

AFTER being confirmed as the Regional four-day champions for a fourth straight year last Saturday, Guyana Jaguars assistant coach/manager Rayon Griffith says there is no room for complacency heading into today’s start of the penultimate round against hosts Barbados Pride. The Jaguars edged the Jamaica Scorpions by two wickets in the eighth round and moved to an unassailable 135 points. Second-placed Barbados Pride (85.8), Leeward Islands Hurricanes (79.4), Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (76.76), Jamaica Scorpions (75.8), and Windward Islands Volcanoes (61.4) complete the points

table after eight rounds. The Jaguars have won six games in convincing fashion, drew against the Hurricanes and recorded a tied against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in round six. During an interview on social media, Griffith, the 38-year-old, said “Definitely there is no room for complacency. We will come hard at them (Barbados Pride); we will play tough cricket as usual, with the aim to end the season undefeated,” Meanwhile, all-rounder Sherefane Rutherford has returned to the squad. He replaced fast bowler Keon Joseph, who has a slight groin injury. Rutherford, who was surprisingly dropped for the last round, has played an integral part during the first seven

… Jaguars/Pride face off today in penultimate round

The Guyana Jaguars will look to continue their winning ways.

rounds. The hard-hitting Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) player amassed 239 runs with a top-score of

Ex-players ask BCCI to back Olympics push

(REUTERS) - The MCC World Cricket committee has asked the powerful Indian board to back the bid for the sport’s Olympics inclusion, saying it would greatly benefit the game. Cricket was last played at the Olympics in the 1900 Paris Games and the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) has said most of its members backed the inclusion of the 20-overs format in Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is open to cricket’s future inclusion provided all top teams compete but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the game’s richest and most influential board, has been rather reluctant. After the MCC Committee meetings this week, the panel of former players requested the BCCI to reconsider its stance.

Former England captain Mike Gatting

“It’s one of those things that have frustrated me,” committee chairman Mike Gatting told a news conference. ”We would like to urge the BCCI to have a look at it again and support the main body of boards that would like to get into the Olympics... “It seems strange that

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Thursday January 11, 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) Glen Phillips-4 catches/1 stumping (2) Chadwick Walton-2 catches Today’s Quiz: (1) How many NZ players made their ODI debut in the recent WI/NZ T20 series? (2) How many WI did so? Answers in tomorrow’s issue

everyone else seems happy to get in there because it’s just going to be so good for the game,” said the former England captain. “Free-to-air TV all over the world: It’s only once every four years. It’s not going to be a scheduling matter. It just seems they seem reticent to try and get involved.” The Indian board has not been keen on cricket’s Olympic inclusion partly because of apprehensions that BCCI might lose its autonomy and be answerable to the country’s Olympic committee. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who is part of the 14-person independent committee along with Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, Indian Sourav Ganguly and Rod Marsh of Australia, said the sport must be represented by its best players at the Olympics. “We’re very conscious of not lessening the product we’re putting out,” Ponting said. ”If cricket makes it into the Olympics it has to be the best players and showcasing the sport for what it is. “The players would want it because of how beneficial they would see that being for the game going forward.” The independent committee also discussed the wage gap in the international game, making helmets compulsory and DRS technology among a variety of other topics.

51 while with the ball he snatched 19 wickets at an average of 20.36 with a best haul of 6-32. The Jaguars will return

home next week to wrap up the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Providence. In other ninth round

matches Windward Islands Volcanoes will play Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica while Jamaica Scorpions will host Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Sabina Park. Guyana Jaguars squad reads: Leon Johnson (captain), Vishaul Singh, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Keemo Paul, Akshaya Persaud, Raymon Reifer, Anthony Bramble (wicketkeeper), Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd and Sherefane Rutherford.

Reliance All-Stars cart off Shiv Madholall Memorial Trophy

THE fourth Annual Shivanandan Madholall feature softball match was played recently at the Anna Regina

In reply, Reliance AllStars, despite some nervous moments, reached 96-7 in the 14th over to claim victory by

Both teams also received trophies and medals compliments of the Mandolall family and sponsors who included

Reliance All Star team pose with the winning trophy and other prizes.

Drying Floor on the Essequibo Coast between the Reliance All-Stars made up primarily of the Mandolall’s family including brothers Narendra, Ravindra and Rovendra and former 10/10 GTT Champions, Wild Oats of Cotton Field. Despite the unfavourable weather conditions and a soggy outfield, a large turnout of spectators, well-wishers, family members and current and past Essequibo players graced the occasion in tribute to the late former national Under-19 all-rounder Shivanandan Madholall who died in 2013 at the age of 30. In the feature match Wild Oats won the toss and struggled their way to 93-8 in the allotted 15 overs with Parmanand Persaud striking 24 including 3x4 as the principal scorer. Ravindra Madholall had 3-12 from 3 overs to tame the opposition.

3 wickets as Cecil Shivambar 27 not out (4x4) engineered the exciting win for his team to retain the trophy. Earlier Mandolall’s XI defeated Reliance Masters at the same venue. Batting first, Mandolall’s XI made 72-7 from 10 overs with Narendra Mandolall scoring a brisk 26 with 4x4s. The Masters in reply could reach only 50-9 when their overs expired to lose by 22 runs, as Narendra Mandolall also proved destructive with the ball by taking 3-16 from 2 overs. During the presentation, Ryan Shivambar was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for the main event after hitting a 6, claiming a wicket, effecting a run-out and taking a catch - all at crucial stages. Narendra Mandolall was adjudged Most Valuable Player during the other match with both players receiving trophies.

Dent Wizard and PGI Ltd, Baksh Brothers, GE Plastics, Anil Sarwan, Sunrisers cricket team, Rems and Avinash Singh. Jerseys were also given to all the participating players who included former senior Essequibo inter-county players Elroy Stephney, Raul khan, Latchmikhant Narine and Cedric Beaton. Meanwhile, Ravendra Mandolall also announced during his brief remarks on behalf of the Mandolall family that the day’s proceedings was also held in memory of his father Seeram Madholall who died in 2017 at the age of 64. He further thanked all the teams and fans for making the event a success. Also gracing the memorable yet sombre occasion was Dorris Madholall, wife of Seeram Madholall and mother of Shivanandan Madholall as well as their sisters and uncle Dharam Rajah.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday January 11, 2018

GBBC/NexGen `Bad Blood’ boxing card

Cobra’s camp confident of victory over Venezuelan Barcelo By Michael DaSilva DEXTER `Cobra’ Gonsalves’ camp is confident of victory come January 20 when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, in collaboration with NexGen Global Marketing Inc., stages a 44-round six-fight card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Gonsxalves’ coach Sebert Blake said he is confident his charge will take care of the Venezuelan Filipe Barcelo, come fight night. According to Blake, with punch-time fast approaching, he has upped Cobra’s training regime and the boxer is responding positively. According to the experienced coach, it was just over a week ago that Gonsalves was given full time off from his job at the Georgetown

Dexter ‘Cobra’ Gonsalves

City Constabulary to prepare for his fight. “He has enough time to train and even more time to rest, so he should be in action mode, come January 20.” Asked how the camp plans to approach the fight seeing that Barcelo is kind of unknown, Blake was quick

to point out that he is in possession of a few fights of the Venezuelan on CD and he, Joseph Murray and Gonsalves have been viewing the fights and have observed certain weaknesses in Barcelo’s technique which they will exploit to the fullest. Blake, however, said that

Coach Sebert Blake

Barcelo is a solid fighter. “But we can handle him and I am confident we can win. We don’t want this fight to be a one-sided affair for Gonsalves, as his manager hopes to use this fight as a stepping stone for a Commonwealth title fight; so we want him to be extended.”

Blake urges government to resume JAAA funding

JAAA President Dr. Warren Blake

Jamaican sprint hurdler Yanique Thompson

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Local athletics chief, Dr Warren Blake, says the resumption of government funding is imperative if the national programme is to continue to develop properly. The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) was saddled with a deficit of $55 million (US$442 750) at the end of the last financial year in September, 2017, and Dr Blake said unless government cash became available, athletes care could be compromised. “This year, we spent far more on athletes’ welfare than we have in the past and we looked at the reason for this. In the lead-up to Rio 2016, the Government had put in place an

athlete support programme, which unfortunately wasn’t continued this year,” Dr Blake told the Gleaner newspaper here. “I think it’s absolutely necessary that the Government come back and give us some support and inject some cash into the programme because if that doesn’t happen, then it means that people like Yanique Thompson, who came fourth will not be able to train full-time. “There are others like her who can qualify, but they need that support.” The 21-year-old Thompson impressed at the last year’s World Championships in London, actually finishing third in the semi-final heats of the women’s sprint hurdles, to narrowly miss out on a place in the final. Dr Blake explained that once the government funding dried up following the Rio Olympics in 2016, the JAAA was forced to

supplement the programme with its funds “The Government expressed a wish to continue the programme but the funds were not forthcoming,” the administrator noted. “We had athletes who needed support, and in today’s world, you will not become a good athlete unless you can basically train full-time, because being a top-class athlete is a full time endeavour. “After having the support (ahead of) Rio and the funds not forthcoming from Government (last year), we had to dig into our reserves and utilise some money that we had set aside to finish our building and use that to help the athletes instead.” Jamaica sent a 56-member team to the London World Championships and Dr Blake stressed the JAAA’s vision was to ensure athletes who attained qualifying standards, were given every opportunity to develop at international competitions. “The teams have been getting bigger. When we have more athletes making standards, we try to give them the best opportunity,” he pointed out. “We don’t just send people who we think are medal prospects, we send people who we think can benefit from the exposure, but that puts a burden on the resources.”

Asked what role Murray is playing with Gonsalves’ preparation, Blake said he (Blake) decided to give Murray the job to work on Gonsalves;’ technique while he (Blake) is working on the boxers’ conditioning. Headlining the January 20 card is Guyana and the Caribbean flyweight champion Dexter `De Kid’ Marques who will be coming up against Venezuela’s Dionis Martinez Arias in a 10-round contest, while the main supporting bout is a 12-rounder between Shawn Corbin and Sheldon Lawrence for the World Boxing Council’s FECABOX light heavyweight title. United State-based Elton `The Bully’ Dharry will face off with Jesus Vargas Garcia of Venezuela. Guyana’s Anson Green will take on Barbados’ Keithland King in a four-round

junior middleweight bout and James Moore will match gloves with Sherwin Clarke in a heavyweight contest. Both boxers will be making their debut. Meanwhile, Marques will be using his bout against Arias as a warm-up for his Commonwealth title fight against current champion Jay Harris of Wales, U.K. and that bout will be held on March 11 at the Copperbox Arena. It is being promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions. Tickets for the January 20 card cost $1 000 for stands, $2 000 for ringside and $4 000 for the VIP area. Tickets are on sale at Giftland Stores, Assuria General Insurance offices in Georgetown, Diamond, East Bank Demerara, Berbice, Parika and Vreed-enHoop, WCD.

Rain forces abandonment of all four Under-19 warm-up matches

Rain put paid to all four warm-up matches scheduled for yesterday.

LINCOLN, New Zealand, (CMC) – Rain dealt a blow to West Indies Under-19s’ preparations for their opening match of the ICC Youth World Cup when it washed out their final official warm-up against Zimbabwe here Wednesday. Persistent rain in the Christchurch region put paid to all four warm-up matches, leaving several sides without valuable final match practice for the January 13 to February 3 campaign. West Indies Under-19s, the reigning champions, won their opening warm-up match on Monday when they beat Papua New Guinea by seven

wickets at Lincoln Green. They are set to do battle in Group A along with South Africa, Kenya and hosts New Zealand, and open the tournament with a clash against the Kiwis on Saturday in Mount Maunganui. Afghanistan, Pakistan and New Zealand all scored wins in their opening warm-up fixtures on Monday. The final set of preparation games are scheduled for today with former champions Australia taking on South Africa, Canada clashing with Ireland, India up against Kenya and England facing Sri Lanka.

Anson Green/Keithland King bout added to GBBC ‘Bad Blood’ card

Terrible pitches behind poor Windies showing - Sir Curtly

Page 19

Sir Curtly Ambrose

Anson Green (L) and Keithland King

Linden synthetic track to be completed by end of 2018 By Naomi Marshall MELISSA Dow-Richardson, Assistant Director of Sport, has disclosed that the synthetic track at the Bayroc Community Centre ground in Wismar, Linden, is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. Dow-Richardson, along with members of the Public Infrastructure Special Project team and Building team for the Ministry of Education, conducted their third site visit to Linden as it pertains to the synthetic track project on Tuesday. Dow-Richardson described the project as “unique”, adding, “it’s a two-site project, because we got synthetic in Region 6 and we’re placing synthetic in Region 10.” She highlighted that BSW Regupol would have sent their consultants and engineers to do the evaluation

Linden Mayor, Carwyn Holland, (centre) and Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow-Richardson, (second from right) pose along with members of the Public Infrastructure Special Project team and Building team for the Ministry of Education.

of both sites, noting that the Bayroc Community Centre was suitable and welcoming. Lawrence Mentis, Public Infrastructure Head of the Special Project Unit, explained that they will be involved in the surveying component of the project whereby the ground will be

totally surveyed with the use of GPS mapping. “The part of the special project we will be playing are two components, the surveying component whereby we go and get the ground totally surveyed. We will have the levels also to determine where the water will be

receiving and also we have the testing of the soil,” said Mentis. He further stated that the surveying stage should commence tomorrow and they are hoping that the soil testing and surveying components will be given Turn to page 19

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Fast bowling legend, Sir Curtly Ambrose, has blasted Caribbean pitches as “terrible” and believes they were behind the regional side’s poor showing on the recent tour of New Zealand. The Antiguan said the region needed to resort to the type of pitches which produced the outstanding players of the past and propelled West Indies to the pinnacle of world cricket. “We need to get back to the days when we were the best team in the world where we had good cricket pitches, where there is a little bit in it for the fast-bowlers, a bit for the spinners and if you’re a good enough batsman, you can score runs,” Sir Curtly told Guardian Media here. “The pitches in the Caribbean are terrible and that’s why when we go overseas and the pitches are bouncing, the players are all at sea. We need to get back quick, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean. It will make better players and fast-bowlers.” Windies batsmen struggled against the short ball on the bouncy pitches in New Zealand and failed to win a single match in the series. They were whitewashed in the two-match Test series and the subsequent three-match one-day series, before losing two of the three Twenty20s. The second match was washed out. “I didn’t watch much of it (tour). It is too painful to watch,” said Sir Curtly, who served as West Indies bowling coach until being replaced 19 months ago. “It’s been a disastrous tour and nothing really went well. I’m just hoping that the players and the coaching staff can go back to the drawing board, do some soul-searching and figure out a way to start winning.” He added: “It is not so much about coaching, in my opinion, because the guys have got the skills. We just need the coaching staff to instil certain discipline, and passion and pride and commitment in order to get results.” Sir Curtly grabbed 405 wickets in 98 Tests before quitting international cricket 18 years ago. THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018