Guyana chronicle e paper 01 20 2018

House clears Witness Protection Bill Page 5

SATURDAY,JANUARY 20, 2018

No. 105160

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1600 for full severance …as House approves $1.9B Page 3

President David Granger addresses representatives of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) on Friday in the presence of several of his senior cabinet ministers at the Ministry of the Presidency. (MoTP photo)

Fruitful talks …GAWU, NAACIE pledge to work with Gov’t to fix sugar industry

GOVERNMENT and the sugar unions on Friday agreed to work together to resolve the issues within the industry and President David Granger urged all stakeholders to put aside all prejudices and partisan interests for the national good.

President Granger and some senior members of his cabinet, including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, met the President and members of the GAWU and the NAACIE to discuss the future of the sugar industry. According to the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), the meeting lasted ap-

proximately two hours and the stakeholders were able to find common ground.

The unions agreed to cooperate fully with government to find a solution that would benefit all stakeholders. In his address to representatives of the unions, President Granger said Friday’s

meeting represented the start of talks between the sides, so that consensus can be reached soonest on the way forward.

“This is a national matter. It is not a partisan one. It involves human beings, households Turn to page 3

WPA backs ‘Don’t lose Loans, training right-sizing faith’ - IUF available - Min Ally Page 4

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PPP fails in bid to send sugar CoI Report to ESC Page 9

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Regional development will not be held hostage -- Min Bulkan

By Ariana Gordon THE strengthening of regional pride and ownership will not be held hostage by recalcitrance, said Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan on Friday at the opening ceremony of the second National Regional Development Consultative Committee (NRDCC).

“Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) will lead, follow or stand aside,” he told the gathering of regional officials at the Marriott Hotel. Minister Bulkan made it clear that his administration is committed to “building bridges across the chasm which divides us. We will continue to practise collaboration instead of confrontation. We will foster the politics of inclusion and we will achieve those objectives by solidifying local democracy. We will continue to invest political and financial capital in this quest,” he stated.

Themed “Strengthening regional governance through leadership and human resource development”, The NRDCC serves as a mechanism for coordinating the developmental agenda of the three spheres of government (local, regional and national). And according to the Minister of Communities, the NRDCC is a step towards increasing the efficiency of the regional administrative structure to support the bottom-up approach to democratic governance.

Moreover, the minister said the NRDCC will facilitate collaborate financial planning and administration which will allow for more accountability, transparency, partnership among stakeholders and planning which will assist in the effective delivery of public services throughout the country. Additionally, Bulkan told the gathering of regional officials, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps, that the NRDCC will ensure that government’s agenda of decentralisation is seamlessly implemented as it will facilitate networking and allow for regional programmes.

During this process, the authority and autonomy of the RDCs would be respected. “The NRDCC will become an established conduit and key platform for discussions among national, regional and local leaders,” said Bulkan.

In outlining the history of Guyana, the Minister of Com-

munities said that after 135 years of British colonisation, and more so in the half a century since gaining political independence, Guyana’s progress continues to be “severely impeded by the makeup of its population owing to historical realities.”

President David Granger delivers the feature address at the Inaugural NRDCC on Friday

He reminded the audience that part of the country’s independence inheritance is a population comprising two major race groups which arrived from two different continents. “A natural fault line; a line ripe to be taken advantage of by politicians seeking a political throne.”

Bulkan pointed to the declaration of results of the 1997 general and regional elections when Guyana was reportedly described as two countries in one place. The results of the May 2015 elections which saw the first coalition government being elected to office suggests that the “phenomenon is virtually immutable.”

“This ugly and self-defeating position can likely be traced to the 1964 elections, where the electorate fell prey to the ferocious urging of the ‘Don’t-splitthe vote’ campaign that resulted in the total rejection of Balram Singh Rai’s Justice Party, a party that was committed to the pursuit of free enterprise instead of communism as the model for the development of our country.”

Bulkan warned that lack of social cohesion is the main contributor to Guyana’s under-development and significantly to the unchecked exodus, and the haemorrhaging of human resources. He noted too that founding fathers by necessity were forced to grapple with the type of governance arrangements that would be most suitable for

the peculiarities described.

“It is sad for me to acknowledge that the political opposition are either not listening or are uninterested in pursuing this model of governance,” said Bulkan, who pointed to an opposition Member of Parliament who described the meeting as sinister and one that usurps the powers of the RDCs. “This is sad and may I add, irresponsible,” the minister remarked, while commending the regional chair and vice-chair for the Upper Essequibo-Upper Takutu and Potaro-Siparuni regions for being present at the forum. He said their presence indicates that they do not share the view of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Bulkan said all mayors, regional chairs and vice-chairs were invited to the event, but a number were absent. The ministry has received only one excuse of absence from the regional chairman of the East Berbice region.

decision-making power directly into the hands of citizens, would more likely result in national healing, social cohesion, democratic inclusion, and the eventual forging of a truly united Guyanese identity.

“That model of governance was given shape in the new constitution enacted in 1980 and which provides for a decentralised form of government and one that places power in the hands of the people,” he stated.

Citing Article 77 of the Constitution of Guyana, the minister said the constitution prescribes that the development programme for each region shall be integrated into national development plans, and the government shall allocate funds to each region to enable it to implement its development programme. He noted too that while there is a constitutional provision along with elected councils- RDCs, municipalities and NDCs, “they were previously seen as representing

in over two decades of local democratic elections, retard the development of a vibrant system of local government,” the President stated.

The re-introduction of local democratic elections on March 18, 2016 renewed local

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan speaks during the opening ceremony of the NRDCC on Friday

President David Granger, Ministers of Communities, Ronald Bulkan and Valerie Patterson-Yearwood and Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings, joined regional officials from across the country for a photo at the end of Friday’s opening ceremony

He reminded participants that he had forewarned in his Budget 2018 speech to regional leaders that there will be repercussions should they decide not to participate in the scheduled activity.

“I did say that they either participate or be left out.”

BOTTOM-UP MODEL Meanwhile, he said the founding fathers determined that the said arrangements needed to reject the Westminster model of winner-takes-all politics and to embrace a bottom-up model of representative democracy. Central to that model is the concept of local democracy. Minister Bulkan shares the view that a model of governance which puts

cosmetic value and extensions of the central government.”

Echoing similar sentiments, President David Granger said local democratic organs, including municipalities, NDCs, community and village councils form part of the state’s democratic operations. He said by virtue of the constitution, local democratic organs ensure the efficient management and development of their areas and provide leadership by example.

“Our constitution demands therefore that local democratic organs be responsible for the management and development of their areas---the historical emphasis on strong central government control and the absence

democracy here and opened up local democratic organs and attempted to wean them away from excessive dependency on central government, said President David Granger.

“The new regional system therefore, must not embalm the obsolete colonial approach by perpetuating the arrogant attitudes of the past. The opportunity must be taken to abandon the colonial approach and adopt a consultative approach to public administration,” the President added.

As a result, he said his administration is continuously trying to strengthen the system of public administration by making each administrative

region more resourceful, and geographically and infrastructurally more integrated. “The government aims eventually at ensuring that each region would possess its own capital town; this is necessary to deliver administrative services and to promote economic development…We are coming out of an obsolete system which [did not work]…” the President noted.

“Your government today expects each region to develop the capacity and capability, creating employment opportunities for its young people.

Young people should not have to go across the border to look for work; there should be technical institutes in their own regions,” said the head-of-state.

President Granger said too that each region must develop the capability to attract investors; there must be friendly business districts, industrial parks and busy highways.

The establishment of the NRDCC he added allows for the achievement of common goals. The President reminded that government operates at three levels, local, regional and national and all three must work in unison to achieve the developmental objective.

He chided regional chairmen who refuse to attend important government functions and said it is time to end divisionism.

Friday’s opening ceremony was followed by a business session and caucus deliberation. The regional chairpersons were required to detail policy directions and plans for future development of their RDCs for the year, discuss specific issues of national importance and arrive at resolutions, report on challenges, lessons learnt and success stories and development in the region and propose policy recommendations to strengthen the system of regional administration.

Additionally, the regional chairmen were to report on the progress and timelines for the renaming of regions, regional flags and symbols, Regional, Agricultural and Commercial Exhibitions (RACE) and capital towns in the case of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Demerara-Mahaica and Mahaica-Berbice regions.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

1600 for full severance …as House approves $1.9B

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder has a word with GuySuCo executive, Paul Bhim as the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly debated the sums allocated to the sugar workers

By Alva Solomon THE National Assembly on Friday afternoon approved the sum of $1.93B to offset the payment of severance for sugar workers made redundant by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), and the opposition expressed appreciation to the government for the payout in a rare show of bipartisanship in the House.

The sum is an increase from the $1.75B initially tabled the day before, and Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan told the Committee of Supply, the figure was arrived at following Cabinet’s deliberations earlier in the day.

The government has made a commitment to pay a sum of $2.25B to the sugar workers before the end of this month, a figure that represents half of the $4.25B it plans paying the workers.

The balance will be paid before the end of 2018.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, in briefing the Opposition on the budgetary allocation, gave a breakdown of the sums to be paid to each sugar estate this month.

In the case of the Skeldon Estate, those workers will receive $609M, while those at Rose Hall will be paid $705M. The workers at East Demarara and Wales will be paid $815M and $150M, respectively.

Flanked by executives

Fruitful... and families. We are conscious of the foresighted nature and we cannot ignore the context of the issue that we face. We cannot continue something that is not competitive. We are bailing out the industry at $1B per month and that is simply not sustainable.”

WE ALL LOSE President Granger added: “If workers have to go home then we all lose, as it will have an impact on the economic growth of the country.

Government will not win, the unions will not win and the workers will not win if the industry is crippled. We will all lose. Nobody is against the sugar industry. The government and the unions should

of the sugar corporation, Holder told the National Assembly that the sums to be paid this month will see a total of 4,763 sugar workers being paid off, 1851 are from Skeldon; another 1181 from Rose Hall; 1480 from East Demerara; and the remaining 251 from the Wales Estate.

In the interest of the workers, Cabinet has put forward a proposal in which it has made a commitment to pay full severance to those workers whose total severance stands at $500,000 or less. Around 1600 workers in this category will benefit.

Minister Holder said that the severance payments include overtime and other allowances owed to the workers. He also noted that

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engage until the issue is resolved. Let us use this opportunity to show flexibility and ensure that livelihoods are saved,” the President was quoted as saying.

The head-of-state noted that while there are differences of opinion on the matter, he does not believe in walkouts or refusals to cooperate.

He made it clear that government and the unions must work together to formalise a solution that would impact positively, the lives of the affected workers. Observers said that the President’s presence at the meeting was strategic and effective.

GAWU SATISFIED President of GAWU, Komal Chand, expressed

much satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, and noted that the union is now committed to working with the administration to draft feasible solutions. “We have listened and we are satisfied that you are concerned with the issues. We are ready to work along with the government to explore the options and we are going to give our best to see the situation out.

You are right that there are no winners in this and we are willing… We are certainly pleased with this meeting.

This is the first meeting [for the year] we have been able to have with the government and we believe that the meeting took place in a positive atmosphere and we recognise that the government

the severance is being paid to workers, on condition of length of service, adding: “All benefits will be paid on the due date.”

Pressed further by the Opposition, Minister Holder noted that he is well aware of the laws governing the payment of severance, and that notices were served to the workers regarding severance.

He said, too, that there are personnel at GuySuCo, such as security workers, who are receiving their salaries as per normal. He said that of the total number of workers who were made redundant, 143 were senior staff members.

When the legislation approving the severance increase, appropriately named the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, was passed in the National Assembly on Friday afternoon, some members of the Opposition expressed ap-

preciation to the government for the payout.

President David Granger, in a message to the National Assembly earlier this month said that GuySuCo has been in a state of crisis for over 25 years, and that the 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.”

The President said he noted that the government, not only his, has over the years 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 Cane Sugar, between 1992 and 2015; erecting a new factory at Skeldon in

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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 30 months – at a rate of about one billion dollars a month.

The President also 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 small business enterprises.

The government, he said, will continue to engage stakeholders such as GuySuCo, GAWU, and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) and the workers.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo engages Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition MP, Clement Rohee after the National Assembly approved the monies to be paid to the sugar workers

itself pays attention and I think that it is a good beginning,” said Chand, a veteran trade unionist and politician.

GAWU’s President said it is important that stakeholders are engaged and are seeking positive solutions. “We are pleased. From GAWU, we are very pleased and it spells out that the future engagements are in the interest of the workers, the industry and the country,” he said.

In a subsequent statement, GAWU said the President’s remarks were welcomed and noted that the unions (GAWU and NACCIE) have recognised the importance of working along with the administration to find acceptable solutions to the sugar situation which affects thousands of Guyanese.

GAWU said since February 2017 it shared its ideas with the government on se-

curing and saving the industry but to no avail, but added that the union “recognised that financing could be a challenge.” That aside, the body maintained its position against the privatisation of the Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara estates, but expressed hope that should government go ahead with its plan, there must be “purposeful measures to ensure that the arrangements involved in the sale of the costly assets were transparent and above reproach.”

ASSISTANCE TO WORKERS The union also spoke of possible assistance in ensuring that the workers’ sustenance and remuneration are protected under new ownership. Protection of the workers’ rights through collective bargaining and

recognition of the labour laws were also discussed.

“In this event, we did note that provision of land to workers for agricultural purposes may arise, since all workers may not be re-employed. Similarly, there was strong need for adequate safety nets to be provided to this group of workers,” the union stated. The meeting was also attended by Vice-President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder; Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan and Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma. Government and the unions will meet again at a date to be determined.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Micro-financing, training available for sugar workers -- Min Ally

By Ariana Gordon

MINISTER of Social Protection Amna Ally on Friday urged displaced sugar workers to tap into a micro-financing scheme being managed by her ministry and also take advantage of the various training opportunities that exist, as they seek to rebuild their lives following the closure of some estates.

Ally in a presentation made before several senior government ministers and representatives of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NACCIE) at the Ministry of the Presidency, said her ministry is deeply concerned with the “realities of the current situation facing GUYSUCO.” She said her ministry stands ready to provide as much assistance as it can to the affected workers. “We are cognisant that many workers will now have to explore the idea of entering a new realm of employment and already we have given great consideration in a number of areas to go forward.”

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Minister Ally outlined

a few areas in which both the unions and government can assist the workers. She called for the hosting of workshops to guide workers in investment opportunities.

“The bottom line is, persons must be given opportunities to invest in areas that are economically sustainable; this is a key factor given the current outlook,” she stated.

The minister said public health facilities in various areas will remain operational to persons working there and the Ministry of Public Health and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) are engaged in working out the modus operandi. Additionally, the minister said the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has been conducting training in several areas such as engineering, building-masonry, carpentry, information and communication technology, forestry, home economics and health services.

“This certainly will provide opportunities for alternative skills by equipping persons with the necessary knowledge, skills and training relevant for employment.

These types of training will be continuous,” said Ally, who noted that her ministry will be collaborating with the Ministry of Natural Resources to provide additional training opportunities with a focus on oil and gas.

The Port Mourant Training Centre will be adequately utilised for this purpose.

The Social Protection Minister said too that her ministry’s micro-credit unit located on Lamaha and East Streets can also be of assistance to affected sugar workers as the unit provides micro-financing for start-up projects. “Already, some workers from Wales, West Bank Demerara have been engaging the project department and we are working with them,” she disclosed.

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally

Minister Ally said while it is not her place to tell the redundant sugar workers how to utilise their severance payments, she suggested that the workers be advised on how to utilise their funds by investing in farming, manufacturing and other rele-

vant economic activities that would be appropriate and beneficial to them. “It cannot be detrimental to anyone to think of making lives better; so my dear comrades, all is not lost. Let us not politicise this. Let us help those affected, so that economically they can see a good future ahead of them.”

The Minister of Social Protection called on all stakeholders to work together to provide positive solutions which would in turn ensure maximum economic gains for all concerned.

“I want to assure you that as far as practicable, the Ministry of Social Protection will make every effort to assist in cushioning the effects of the current situation with regard to the sugar industry,” Minister Ally assured.

VERY POSITIVE Meanwhile, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told the Guyana Chronicle that the meeting which comprised the unions and government was very positive. He said the parties have agreed to work in the best interest of the sugar workers and that proposals were put to the unions in relation to the payment of severance to redundant workers. Harmon explained that it has been agreed that at least 46 per cent of workers earning

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ister of Finance to work out.

“We carried through with the initiative in the National Assembly, we listened to presentations from GAWU and NACCIE and more particularly GAWU, and they have set out a number of issues we could work on,” he said, pointing to the issue of land for sugar workers, training, marketing for products, re-employment within the industry in some related areas, and new collecting bargaining arrangements.

The prime minister said Friday’s atmosphere was cordial, friendly and constructive and “leaves the basis for the continuation of this engagement, so that they should not be any unilateral decisions on major issues that these should come about on the basis of consultations.”

The move by government to alter its supplementary budget to cater to some workers receiving all of their severance payment, the prime minister said is as a result of a compromise. “The compromise was within the affordability of government,” he told the Guyana Chronicle. “It augurs well and I agree with those who said it was a new beginning and of course we have our moments of politicking on issues, but the meeting stayed away from the politics and it was to the serious issues we were discussing,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo stated.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder told the Guyana Chronicle that he is pleased with the outcome of the meeting with the unions, while echoing similar sentiments to that of his colleagues. Minister Holder assured that the workers will be paid by the end of this month as government did not have the authority before Friday to pay the workers. “The money would be transferred to GUYSUCO, perhaps next week,” he disclosed.

NEW BEGINNING Similarly, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo described the meeting as “very cordial” and noted that it was the President who set the tone for the meeting. He said there was a “new beginning” for constructive engagements between the two trade unions and the government. He said the President committed to ensuring that as much as possible, his administration could relieve the workers of their worry and that was left up to the Min-

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$400,000 and under will receive their entire severance at the end of this month while the remaining 54 per cent, entitled to $500,000 and over will receive half of their severance now and the remainder during the latter half of the year.

On Friday, the National Assembly approved $1.931B to offset severance payments to the sugar workers. The government through a supplementary budget amended the initial allocation of $1.75B originally tabled for that purpose. Some 4763 workers stand to benefit from four estates (Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara and Wales). Harmon said government is pleased that both sides (unions and government) sat at the table and worked together.

“The President himself set the tone for the meeting and indicated that what he wanted to see is both sides working in the best interest of the worker and in the best interest of the industry. We have committed ourselves in government to allocate the necessary resources to ensure that workers who are severed that they receive their severance pay. I believe that the meeting was characterised by good faith on both sides and that the unions were very forthright and represented the interest of the workers and we appreciate the way in which the meeting went,” said the Minister of State.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

House clears Witness Protection Bill

By Alva Solomon

GUYANA is positioned to join other CARICOM countries in providing a programme to protect witnesses following the passage of the Witness Protection Bill by the National Assembly on Friday evening.

The Bill, which was piloted by Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Basil Williams provides for the establishment of a witness protection programme and three agencies, namely an administrative centre , an investigative agency and a protective agency , to administer the programme.

The attorney general told the National Assembly that the bill will be instrumental in the government’s fight against corruption. He said the bill comes on the heels of the State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) Act as well as the Protected Disclosures Act, termed the Whistle-blower Act , the latter which was passed by the House on Wednesday .

Williams said that the legislation gives effect to the CARICOM Agreement estab-

lishing the Regional Justice Protection Programme 1999, which came into force in the year 2006.”As a government, we are committed to fulfilling our international obligations with respect to corruption,” Williams said.

organised crime as offenders will often make attempts to prevent witnesses from providing information or evidence.

He said that leadership is pivotal in the fight against corruption and to this end,

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams addresses the National Assembly on the Witness Protection Bill . (Adrian Narine photo)

He said that the bill is especially important in the fight against corruption and

the attorney general noted that President David Granger has “led the charge “ in

eradicating the scourge in all its forms . He noted that corruption undermines development, destroys public trust, weakens institutions and wreaks havoc on the poor.

The attorney general also noted that the victims and witnesses in situations are often reluctant to provide information and evidence, because of perceived or actual intimidation and threats against themselves or members of their families and other associates. He said that the programme is geared at addressing these and other challenges.

The attorney general also noted that the bill will establish a system for protecting witnesses and persons who collaborate in ongoing investigations and trials, both criminal and civil. He said the bill is “comprehensive “in that it secures not only the protection of the witness but “any [other] person involved in investigations or the court process and their associates.”

He added that the legislation provides for a register of participants which shall contain detailed information

Two killed in sand quarry mishap PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Rescue teams Friday said they had found the bodies of two men killed after a sandpit collapsed on them on Thursday.

The incident occurred less than 72 hours after the authorities had announced that sand mining operations had been prohibited in the Morne à Cabri area because “of the anarchic exploitation” of sand quarries.

The National Police of Haiti (PNH), firefighters and volunteers of the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) said they had recovered the two bodies, and that the search is continuing for a third man after the operations had been suspended, due to the high risk of further rock-fall.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of the Environment warned that because of the dangers presented “by the anarchic exploitation of sand quarries at the Morne à Cabri and alarmed by the significant risk that this situation poses to the

environment,” it had prohibited sand mining operations as of January 15.

It said the measure was also taken to preserve the roads and the high-voltage pylons that supply the capital, Port-au-Prince, with electricity.

“Pending the holding of a meeting between the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Public Works, Bureau of

Mines and Energy with the sand operators for the definition of a credible alternative, the Direction of the Agency National Protected Areas (ANAP) has been instructed to use the Protected Areas Security Brigade (BSAP) to protect the Morne à Cabri and this in close cooperation with the judicial authorities,” the statement noted.

in respect of each participant.

In addition, it provides for the protection of the participant in the programme as well as the maintenance of the witness protection centre.

The legislation also provides for termination of the participant’s involvement in the programme if conditions are breached.

The legislation was supported by Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, who noted that many hands were involved in the crafting of the bill. He said that an interesting point on the programme’s ability to work was raised by the opposition. ”While we recognise that this is no easy task , on the other hand we have to recognise that its time has come , and we cannot wait until we get oil revenue “, Trotman said, noting that such money will create a whole new range of threats and challenges to the country’s security.

He noted that other countries in the Region have

made witness protection programmes work, as he noted the nature of regional and trans-national crime and its ability to spread around the Caribbean Region. He said that collaboration is important, as he noted that it is a CARICOM initiative.

Opposition MP Gail Teixeira noted that the legislation is similar to a Justice Protection bill, which was passed in 2006 in the National Assembly, but which was not assented to because of several challenges. She supported the need for the legislation, but suggested that it needed tweaking. Opposition MP Odinga Lumumba in brief remarks also supported the need for the legislation.

The attorney general noted that the provisions made in the legislation are adequate to protect the lives of witnesses, noting that at the moment, the justice system in Guyana needs to guarantee witnesses their protection.

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Regional integration and the CSME CARIBBEAN integration (CARICOM 1973) was conceptualised and developed primarily on the Region’s historical, political, social, economic and cultural experiences, which shouldered the necessity of ensuring the collective survival and development of its peoples.

Given that change is inevitable and that challenges are presented therefrom, for the Region and its peoples to avoid extinction or new form of colonisation, we have to ensure our relevance and independence by strengthening linkages through development of a common programme geared at safeguarding and enhancing our well-being.

The decision in 1989 to establish the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) emerged from a desire to provide more and better opportunities among participating member states and their peoples to pro-

duce and sell our goods and services and to attract investment through one large market. During 13th and 14th January, leaders from the trade union, business and civil society communities met in Georgetown to discuss and sensitise themselves on CARICOM’s instruments governing free movement of skills -- a component within CSME that is aimed towards ensuring clarity with regard to responsibility and impact.

It should be said that where development is now not determined by a nation’s Gross Domestic Product, but other measurements -- such as poverty reduction and respect for human rights -- the conceptualising, developing and successful implementation of programmes cannot lose sight of these realities. Today’s development requires input/feedback from those who would be affected by decisions. Consequently,

the greater utility in this approach to the success of the CSME, as against calling leaders together and engaging in talk, needs to be examined. At a people-centred level, ours is a culture that respects engagement such as community/town hall meetings and call-inprogrammes, where feedback/ input can be derived from those most required for its success -- the masses.

It should be said, too, that such is not dissimilar to the universal principle of the right to involvement.

To this end, the developing and drafting of the CSME/ free movement of skills, which were done in offices and boardrooms by technicians without engagement/input from the masses, ought to be examined. And this is in light of evidence where protocols on these issues, while embraced by member states, still see the awareness of the applications remaining among a

privileged few.

And even where there exists the notion that the CSME is about trade, it ought to be said that for trade to be successful, the people must be depended on, be they the worker/ citizen from the productive, distributive or consumptive levels. With the absence of people’s input and understanding, an environment has been created in which citizens of member states feel threatened or less welcoming to the movement of other citizens into their territories and their being given equal access to employment/economic opportunities.

There are instances in which migrant workers/ businesses would secure employment/opportunities under conditions locals would not accept. These scenarios create potential for friction among the people, and inequitable development among participating

states.

It also ought not to be lost sight of that, in developing a single market and economy, success is reliant on a single development plan that factors in the provision of goods and services to meet not only the needs of the indigenous population, but also those of the importing population. For instance, in planning for education and housing, a country should not confine its decisions to the indigenous population’s growth, but should also factor in migrant influx.

Failure to do so can result in shocks to systems/ infrastructures that can

create upheavals, inner city slums, compromised healthcare, and functional illiteracy, among other ills. These are factors that regional development must consider important in moving forward, as against the current approach. For while leaders are cocooned in boardrooms and conference centres deliberating, the people have already designed ways and means of moving which are not necessarily consistent with universal principles and laws. These pose threats to the well-intentioned objective of the CSME, the Region’s growth, and its peoples’ development.

GTUC executive distances self from statement on sugar industry Dear Editor,

ON page 14 of the Sunday edition of the Guyana Times Newspaper (14.01.2018) there was a story captioned ‘50% Severance payment not enough -- GTUC.’ As a Vice-President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, I would like to make it pellucid that the executive of our organisation never had any discussion on the closure of the sugar estates and the resulting effects same would have on the workers and the economy, among other things.

Those concerns expressed are obviously that person’s

personal view, which is his or her constitutional right to self-expression. What is dangerous about his or her exuberant excursion into such matters is that such singular utterances could well fuel Guyana’s simmering political and racial insecurities, therefore it is of utmost importance that the GTUC treat with this matter as a collective. Even though severance payment is earned consistent with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, there could be circumstances that may well determine if an employer has the’ Means’ to make a one-off payment.

What is honourable and

quite clear, is the present government’s public declaration that the sugar workers will be paid half of their severance now and the other half later in the year 2018. A public statement was made, thereby cementing a guarantee, which is much more than some labour organisation can match, since they owe many of their retired staff severance and salaries earned. Many years have passed and they are still to be paid.

It is indeed very honourable of that person whom I am sure is a GTUC executive to show solidarity with the severed sugar workers and more so the Federation

of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), the labour organisation under whose umbrella the sugar worker unions fall. The GTUC needs to have internal discussions as a collective, then have discussions with FITUG, followed by a joint press release, if necessary.

However, one ought not to forget that under the previous government FITUG was treated with royalty comparably to what Roman ruler Caligula had conferred on his horse. 1) What is also worthy of note under the same government, when the bauxite industry was being dismantled the affected workers did not receive

their severance immediately.

What they got was the money from their pension plan.

2) With Rusal, a former chief labour officer was employed there as a labour consultant who seemed bent on ensuring that there was a counter to every labour violation that the workers objected to.

3) The former government had stopped the Critchlow Labour College subvention, but ensured that GAWU got subventions for their Labour College in Kingston, Georgetown.

Under the PPP government, there were many brutal labour violations including the three mentioned above and ironically

with its open assault on labour and the GTUC in particular, FITUG was silent. The question is asked, Were they patiently and quietly awaiting the death and burial of the GTUC? In closing, I would like to see this ‘Standard Bearer’ of trade union militancy and solidarity, display the same passion on behalf of the Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers Union members (An affiliate of the GTUC), who are presently fighting for their very survival.

Regards EON ANDREWS Vice-President, GTUC

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Guyana is a safer place Dear Editor,

BY now, it is very well established that the PPP/C will resort to any tactic or means to criticise the coalition government; even if it means employing foul means.

Editor, this is part of their strategy of “oppose, expose, and depose”, according to one of their former chief spokespersons.

We have seen so many of these half- truths that they need not be mentioned here, since it delays what is to be said about this desperate opposition party’s continuous attempts to regain power, by any means.

Through one of its chief spokespersons Gail Teixeira, a call was recently made for what seems to be an urgent meeting of the Oversight Committee on Security, “to discuss… some of the concerns of the Guyanese people, including the concerns of the prison and public safety.”

Despite the destruction of the prison that provided a conduit for the escape of some dangerous inmates, it can safely be said that the authorities have managed to restore normality to the prison system, in terms of urgent construction being carried out at the Mazaruni penal end that is being

Kudos to President Granger Dear Editor, IT is with much satisfaction that I write to commend President David Granger on the fulfilment of his promise to annually appoint deserving attorneys to Senior Counsel. The President, a right-thinking leader, re-started a tradition that was halted for about 20 years under the former administration.

Recognition of the contributions made by attorneys to the system of justice here must be acknowledged and is worthy of high commendation. It is pleasing to see that we are returning to a state where our traditions are not cast aside for political purposes and that eminent attorneys are given respect where same is due.

In 2016, President Granger announced the appointment of nine distinguished attorneys in the names of Neil Boston, Charles FungA-Fat, Justice Alison Roxane McLean George-Wiltshire, Clifton Mortimer Llewelyn John, Rafiq Turhan Khan, Vidyanand Persaud, Rosalie Althea Robertson, Justice Claudette Margot Cecile Singh; and Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams.

Holding firm on his promise to make such appointments annually, the President late last year an-

nounced the appointment of four new Senior Counsel; Kalam Azad Juman Yassin, Fitz Le Roy Peters, Andrew Mark Fitzgerald Pollard and Josephine Whitehead. The quartet received their instruments of commission on Wednesday.

As is the case with the re-introduction of the National Awards in 2016, the appointment of senior counsel must be applauded. The President would be failing in his responsibility as headof-state should he not uphold the tradition which represents a symbol of nationhood.

The coveted title of Senior Counsel is one that can see junior counsel lifting the bar with the hope that one day they too can be appointed Senior Counsel.

Those bestowed with the title Senior Counsel are erudite, articulate, and au fait with the ever-evolving legal framework not only locally, but farther afield.

Kudos to President Granger for upholding the tradition and congratulations to the recipients who are distinguished men and women of the soil, deserving of their silk. This is indeed the culture of a good society, Mr President.

Thank you for restoring a tradition that was lost.

Regards TROY DOUGLAS

expanded with a view to accommodating more inmates.

There are also urgent plans being assembled to usher in very long overdue prison reforms that will serve to neutralise what had occurred in 2017.

Ms. Teixeira, I am sure, is aware of these and other measures.

I stand to be corrected when I say that, significantly, all the escapees except two have been re-captured. And this was done within a very short time of the break-out from Lusignan, especially. This was unlike the mayhem and terror caused by the now chronicled 2002 Camp Street prison break-out

which heralded the most frightening reign of criminal terror ever recorded in the annals of this country’s social history.

Certainly, Ms. Teixeira cannot claim amnesia of any type in not being able to recall what that phase, which caused police stations to close their gates before twilight; robberies being committed with impunity; and policemen being targeted and shot down in the streets, in an era when crime and lawlessness ruled the land. And it all occurred during her party’s administration. So bad it was that a certain notorious drug lord advertised via a newspaper ad that he and his murder squad as-

sisted the then government to combat crime.

It is a fact, that the gun is the weapon of use in the criminal landscape, and Ms. Teixeira should be reminded that such a use proliferated during the PPP/C’s destructive two-decade reign. In fact, the latter witnessed an introduction of every conceivable crime that once used to be confined to foreign climes. While one will agree that crime is still a cause for concern in Guyana, statistics will show where law enforcement has done a commendable job in the reduction of serious crimes, according to stats.

Gone are the times when citizens were made

to cringe with fear in their homes, waiting for the inevitable. As a country, crime is being managed better than the unfortunate and sad situations in Jamaica and Trinidad. Our police force is much more pro-active; is aided by a more cooperative community spirit that had clearly dissipated during Ms. Teixeira’s party’s tenure in office, but now very much present, yielding very, very commendable results. There is not the hysteria, as Teixeira and clique are seeking to perpetuate.

Regards EARL HAMILTON

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

Mining lands set aside for displaced Marudi Mountain miners

THE Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, following a given commitment, have earmarked several blocks of mining lands for miners who are part of the South

Rupununi Miners’ Association and former occupiers of Romanex Mining lands in Marudi, Region Nine.

In a release, the ministry said of the blocks earmarked, some will be al-

located to the Rupununi Miners’ Association while another is identified for administration by the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation (GWMO) members who are operating in Mining District Six. The new lands

being made available are contiguous to the Romanex Concession.

According to the ministry, given the difficulties faced by a number of small miners after they were required to vacate the Romanex property, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman had committed to working with the GGMC to find a long-term solution that would see the miners enjoying the use and benefits of their own concessions.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to impress on miners the importance of prospecting prior to the commencement of mining, since this can make the venture cost-effective and prevent unnecessary damage to the environment,” the release said.

The ministry also stressed the need for the observance

of sound environmental and mining practices including, land reclamation, to ensure that the lands can be used in an environmentally sustainable and beneficial manner during and after mining.

Lastly, miners are reminded that the well-being of residents of surrounding communities is of utmost importance and should not be disturbed or affected by mining activities. The move to new lands is part of an agreed menu of measures to facilitate the smooth conduct of an ongoing Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in the area, which Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited is required by law to complete before full-fledged operations can commence.

In April 2016, the Government of Guyana through Minister Trotman intervened

in a standoff between small miners from the Marudi Mountain area, representatives of Indigenous communities and Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited, and facilitated a historic mediation process with the help of Major-General (retired) Joe Singh. The successful mediation resulted in all parties signing the ‘Mediation of the Marudi Mountain Mining Dispute Agreement’ that would guide future engagements to finalise a solution.

Minister Trotman plans to have a consultation with the relevant stakeholders including representatives of the South Rupununi Indigenous communities, during the second week of February 2018, to receive further feedback with a view to guiding the process forward.

Ex-cop, partner face slew of charges

Ex-cop Timothy Waldron

Two men, including an ex-police, were on Friday charged with armed robbery that was committed on a miner on Old Year's Day. Shawn Archibald, a 38-year-old construction worker and Timothy Waldron, a 29-year-old ex-police man, both residents of Unity Place, South Ruimveldt appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the allegation.

Particulars of the charge state that on December 31 at Republic Avenue, McKenzie, Linden, the duo while being armed with a gun robbed Trevor Campbell of five gold chains valued

$740,000.

The men pleaded not guilty to the charge and their attorney Melville Duke made an application for bail.

Duke during his submission, told the court that there was a party in Linden and a brawl erupted where the victim’s gold chain was pulled off his neck.

Police Prosecutor, Sumeil Evans objected to the pair being released on bail since there was an ongoing investigation against the men and more charges were likely to be laid.

The magistrate remanded the men and transferred the matter to the Linden Magistrate’s Court for February 6. ?The men were then taken before Magistrate Fabayo Azore to answer to more charges.

Archibald was charged for being armed with a gun on January 1, at West Ruimveldt, and robbing Roy Jaundoo of two gold chains along with an iPhone totalling $406,000.

He was further charged for using a fake number plate on motor vehicle PTT 233 on December 5, at Festival City knowing same to be false.

He denied both of the charges and was remanded to

Shawn Archibald

prison until February 2.

Meanwhile, Waldron was charged for using a fake number plate on PTT 1946, knowing same to be false. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $156,000 bail and the matter adjourned until February 2.

The ex-cop, following his appearance before two separate magistrates in the city, was then taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to face a charge for the theft of a motor vehicle.

The vehicle was hijacked during an armed robbery at Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara on December 30, 2017.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

PPP fails in bid to send sugar CoI Report to ESC

A MOTION presented by the parliamentary opposition on Thursday asking for the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to be sent to the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services was outvoted by government, with Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder stating that the time for that has long passed.

Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Bishop Juan Edghill, presented the motion on behalf of Chairman of the Economic Services Committee (ESC) Irfaan Ali. However, despite his arguments in support of the call, a rebuttal by Minister Holder concreted government’s decision.

According to the Agriculture Minister, the CoI report which was laid in the National Assembly in December 2015, laid out that while the amalgamation of sugar estates for the purpose of efficiency should continue, it did not recommend the closure of estates at this time. He said this fact was not considered in the arguments put forward by the opposition MP. He added that the inquiry had also recommended that the industry be totally divested within a three-year period. He spoke too of the recommendations coming out of the Task Force which was established back in June 2016. Minister Holder reminded the House that all documents relating to the sugar corporation, including the GuySuCo CoI report and the State Paper are all public records. “We have shared information. We have held meetings, shared our proposals and have given the opposition time to submit their proposals”, Minister Holder stated.

He also said the recommendations of the CoI and the State paper offer many options, “It is the government’s view that the future of sugar is important to the fortunes of Guyana and its people,” continuing that “the good book says, for every time there is a season. But I respectfully

submit that the time to send this report to the committee has passed.” He opined that it is a time for the country to move forward. It was on this ground which he stated that the passage of the motion could not be recommended.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who also spoke on the motion described it as an opposition conspiracy to stall reforms in the sugar industry. According to Prime Minister Nagamootoo, to send the report to the ESC would result in suspension of all the efforts to save the sugar industry, including 11,000 jobs. “This argument, that the committee was not allowed to look at the CoI report has no merit, because I have quoted and I maintain my argument in submission that this report has been discussed in depth at the Committee level and that the White Paper was laid, and there was enough information on the policy which could have been debated, [at that time]. I believe strongly [that] this motion is without merit and does not stand on any premise…,” the prime minister said.

He further described the opposition’s argument that they were not giving documents as “a sham and fake” and that the PPP members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services’ call for a full cessation of GuySuCo’s operations as a ploy for political ambition.

“The opposition wants to hold up the work of GuySuCo. Hold up the work of the government. Hold up the efforts being made to save the jobs of sugar workers.

Hold up the payment of severance, to frustrate the workers and to capitalise on their needs, their grief and capitalise on a situation no one wants to happen, for political ambitions,” he emphasised.

The Leader of the Government’s side of the House added that the opposition can only resort to divisive tactics to create mass confusion, disenchantment and to frustrate all the efforts to

rescue the sugar industry.

“The truth shall be known about the sugar industry and I shall speak these truths whenever I stand on my feet about the sugar industry, and to show that GAWU (Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union) as a handler is trying to put the industry in a no-win situation, so that it can serve its own purpose in frustrating the workers and capitalising on them,” the prime minister concluded.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder

PPP MP Juan Edghill

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

‘EU’s assistance crucial to sustainable development’ ….CARICOM/CARIFORUM SG

CARICOM and CARIFORUM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in his remarks at the launch of the Tenth EDF CARIFORUM Crime and Security Programme earlier this week in Barbados, pointed to the “strength of cooperation” between the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean.

Calling the EU a “long-standing and staunch partner” in the Region’s thrust to attain sustainable development, Ambassador LaRocque said “its [EU] assistance has been crucial…” “The value of that contribution goes beyond the money, given its impact on the sustainability of our society”, he emphasised. Ambassador LaRocque singled out areas such as the

CARICOM Single Market and Economy, private sector support, agriculture, climate change, disaster management, human resource development and crime and security, for which support was received.

In the specific context of the launch, Ambassador LaRocque reminded the forum that crime and security are issues impacting all member states and that the trade in, and use of illicit drugs was a principal issue in this area. “[It is] a main driving force for the high rates of crime and violence in the Region… [and] has led to a steady increase in the availability of illegal firearms….

The reality is that neither the most trafficked illicit drug, cocaine, nor the firearms, is produced in our countries,

the secretary-general pointed out. Referring to the impact of this scourge, including “the toll on people and society and the adverse impact on foreign investment and tourism, Ambassador LaRocque said, “The greatest impact is on our human resources which we need to continue to build resilient, strong societies…..

“Our Region cannot afford complacency in the face of ever-evolving threats to our safety and security.”

He referred to the “diverse mix of interventions” which focused on reducing the demand for and dependence on illicit drugs and crime prevention, and emphasized, “whatever projects and programmes are put forward, the core of this battle must be fought in the home.

CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque converses with Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Daniela Tramacere

“Families have a vital role to play in turning the tide of this struggle’, the tried and tested values of love, hard work, honesty, character-building, belief in self and self-respect are key weapons.

The first intervention must be in the home”, he added.

He continued, to the gathering which included Fifth Form students, “In our streets, in our communities in our towns and villages, we must focus on the

development of social-resilience skills and demonstrate that drugs, guns, gangs, crime and violence are not the answer to a path of success and self actualisation.

It ultimately leads to social decay and destruction of lives at the significant cost to families and society as a whole.”

The secretary-general used the opportunity of the launch, which was held at the Regional Security Sys-

tem (RSS) Headquarters, to reiterate thanks to the RSS for its valuable contribution to the relief and recovery efforts following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September. “The RSS went beyond the boundary of its membership and support.”

That commitment to the task is a feature of the multi-faceted organisation, the RSS, which is playing a significant role in the crime and security structure of our Region, as well as in disaster relief, despite its limited resources and equipment’, he said.

The 10th EDF CARIFORUM focuses on three main thematic areas, these are: reducing the demand for and dependence on illicit drugs; advancing the thrust towards Drug Supply Control Initiatives with enhanced coordination and dialogue with Latin America, and addressing some of the critical factors for Crime and Violence Prevention and Social Development. (CARICOM Secretariat)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

WPA backs right-sizing

THE Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on Friday declared support for the restructuring of the sugar industry and saluted the government for taking this very bold step despite the political and ethnic sensitivities.

In doing so, the WPA said the administration has broken the cycle of political manipulation by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its allies and in the process, joins other countries in the hemisphere in squarely facing the challenges of sustaining an industry based on government subsidies. “Poor economies such as ours cannot carry that burden forever,” the WPA said in a statement.

Government has said in its State Paper on sugar that the future of the industry lies in a smaller sector, with reduced losses and cash deficits, but coupled with a separate and profitable diversified enterprise, which would ensure a viable future.

Government-proposed courses of action are to amalgamate Wales Estate with Uitvlugt Estate and reassign its cane to the Uitvlugt factory. The corporation furthermore seeks to divest itself of the Skeldon Estate. The estates of Albion and Rose Hall are to be amalgamated and the factory at Rose Hall is to be closed.

GuySuCo would then consist of three estates and three sugar factories. The estates would be Blairmont on the West Bank of Berbice, Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice and the Uitvlugt-Wales estate in West Demerara. The three estates will be complete with factories and will have cane supplied from all five locations.

The WPA said it makes no economic sense to continue producing sugar at a cost that far exceeds the market price. “The statistics in this regard are well known. In the end, financing the subsidy has had a negative effect on the rest of the economy. Indeed, over time it has become one of the barriers to economic growth. But given the centrality of the sugar industry to the larger economy, the WPA believed and still believes that the restructuring process should be well thought through and should be done in consultation with the workers and their representatives,” the political party stated.

President David Granger and a team of senior government ministers met with the sugar unions at the Ministry of the Presidency. He also said last week 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.

NOT AT EXPENSE OF WORKERS The WPA noted that while it supports restructuring of the industry, it has always held the position that it should not be done at the expense of the workers’ welfare.

“We still hold strongly to that position. We believed that special care should be taken to ensure that where possible, workers are relocated to other sections of the industry or sectors of the economy or be adequately compensated.

It is against this background that the WPA supported the Commission of Inquiry and endorsed most of its recommendations. We also supported the subsequent State Paper presented to the government

by GuySuCo. As a party founded and grounded in the defence of the poor and the powerless, the WPA would never be party to any plan that undermines workers’ interests. It was in keeping with this that we continuously urged the workers to ensure that their issues and positions are made known to the GuySuCo Board through their union representatives.”

Towards this end, the WPA said they are satisfied that GuySuCo has gone to great length to ensure that the sugar workers at the lower levels are adequately compensated and rejected accusations levelled at GuySuCo’s Board that consultations were not held with workers and their representatives on plans to right-size the operations.

“It is widely known that GuySuCo had on numerous occasions initiated discussions with the workers’ representatives on the future of the industry. Even the Guyana Times of Wednesday, 17 January, 2018 admitted that “Government has long made known its plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall sugar estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo”. Also, “GuySuCo which was saddled with billions of dollars in debt, is

currently engaged in divesting its assets to get cash to meet its operational and other expenses.”

The WPA said it is regrettable that funds for the severance payments were not catered for in the 2018 budget, but government must be commended for acting to ensure speedy payment of 50% of the amount promised. “WPA would be vigilant in ensuring that the government keeps its promise to pay the remainder in a timely manner.”

According to the party, it is public knowledge of “how we got to the point of right-sizing the sugar industry projected at around 150,000 tons by 2020, serving the most profitable markets given available labour supply (State Paper on Sugar, 2017).” In addition, GuySuCo plans to develop diversified enterprises to complement revenue from sugar. “We call on GuySuCo to make the req-

uisite investments in people, technology and managerial systems to sustain the competitive advantage of sugar and to stabilise employment at around 11, 000 workers.

We urge government to give GuySuCo the autonomy to make business decisions free from political interference and to ensure that managers are held accountable for those decisions. It has been noted elsewhere that our people use the income from employment in sugar to sustain the rural economy.”

KING SUGAR IN TROUBLE The party said of equal importance is the fact that when ‘king’ sugar was in economic distress from manipulation of sugar prices, changes in technology and trade policies or erosion of market access, our people demonstrated resilience in adding new economic activi-

ties such as rice, gold, balata, etc. “The WPA urges workers to demonstrate once again their capacity to develop alternative employment that do not depend on cheap labour.

Already, peasant cane farmers at Uitvlugt have increased their supply of cane from 0 % to 58 % under GuySuCo’s Farmers’ Land Leased Initiative. GuySuCo has also launched its own Alternative Livelihoods Programme for affected workers. We call on government to provide the necessary institutional and financial support to enable displaced workers to develop sustainable livelihoods in which government cannot be the only stakeholder. The WPA supports private-sector initiatives that promote economic linkage and provide quality jobs for working people. We call on government to observe all labour laws and collective agreements in dealing with the separation bene-

11

fits of displaced workers.”

Additionally, the WPA said the public should also be aware that government will have to meet additional financial commitments for pensions, NIS, taxes that GuySuCo was unable to pay because of the disparity between cost of production and sugar prices since 2006.

“This is in addition to the estimated G$4 billion for severance, the G$32 billion since 2015, the G$2 billion guarantee for operations in 2018. We believe that the incumbent Government of Guyana cannot be accused of neglecting sugar, and we urge the public to support the measures to make the industry viable and competitive. Our long-term view sees GuySuCo as a diversified publicly traded entity, financed and managed by Guyanese in much the same way as Banks DIH, DDL or Sterling Products Limited.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

AG holds talks with U.S. Embassy on Hague Convention on the Protection of Children THE Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Basil Williams held talks on Thursday with Consular Chief of the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Jerome Epping on Guyana becoming compliant with The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption.

The minister expressed his interest in ensuring that Guyana subscribes to this convention as the country aims to protect and safeguard all its children, a release from the Legal Affairs Ministry stated.

Epping, who was accompanied by the Political and Economic Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy, Alexandra King Pile, conveyed his

From (l-r) Ananda Dhurjon, Diane Woolford, Jerome Epping, Minister Basil Williams, Alexandra King-Pile, Joann Bond and Charles Fung-A-Fat

desire to see Guyana take on the processes which will ensure added protection for children against abduction and trafficking.

The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) is an international agreement to safeguard inter-country adoptions.

The Convention process provides additional protections to children, prospective adoptive parents, and birth parents. The primary principles of the Convention are to ensure that each adoption is in the best interest of the child and to prevent the abduction, sale, and trafficking of children. Also present at the meeting were Mr. Charles Fung-AFat, Chief Parliamentary Counsel; Ms. Joann Bond, Principal Parliamentary Counsel; Ms. Diane Woolford, Parliamentary Counsel and Ms. Ananda Dhurjon of the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

GRA warns against fake customs brokers THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Friday warned about the increase in con artists posing as licensed customs brokers.

In a statement, the GRA said over a period of one week there have been reports of persons impersonating licensed custom house brokers and officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority, demanding money for various services and disappearing into thin air. “The general public is hereby advised to be on the lookout for these imposters as many have fallen victim to their hoax. Officers of the GRA are NOT authorised to collect monies from taxpayers, since all payments are effected at the Cashier’s – GRA’s regional offices and its headquarters.”

An official GRA receipt should be obtained for all payments to the GRA. “Anyone who encounters these individuals are advised to request proof of identification, since all staff of the GRA and brokers are required to carry identification cards during the course of their

duties. Additionally, it is recommended that taxpayers note the identification number and name of any individual claiming to be from the GRA and requesting money or any other inducements.”

According to the GRA, the legitimacy of the exercise can also be verified by calling 2276060, extension numbers 3201-3208 and/or making a report or visiting www.gra.gov.gy for the complete list of licensed custom house brokers.

Additionally, the GRA is in receipt of information that there is a rumour being bandied around Social Media that “refund cheques which were not collected from the GRA by December 31, 2017 would be forfeited.” This is a falsehood – NO such information has ever emanated from the Authority. Currently, the Authority is fast-tracking efforts to process refunds for taxpayers in keeping with the law and its commitment to employees and other individual taxpayers who have tax refunds pending.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

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Toshaos Council condemns beheading of miner …urges thorough probe

THE National Toshaos Council (NTC) has condemned in the strongest terms, the gruesome murder of a miner recorded in a video.

A 22-year-old North West District miner was brutally murdered in Venezuela on Monday. Reports are that Otneil James, of Bumbury Hill, Mabaruma Sub-region, was cornered by gunmen called “Sindicatos” and beheaded by his captors over mining funds the men had demanded. The incident occurred at an area

known as “Terrol Landing” in Venezuela, close to the border with Guyana. A video of the gruesome incident has surfaced and residents of Region One communities have renewed calls for persons to return to these shores in the wake of the brutality meted out to Guyanese miners. The incident is one of several which have resulted in the deaths of local miners in Venezuela in recent months.

“We extend our most sincere sympathy to the family and friends,” the council said in a

statement.

The NTC further said while the video was posted on social media, “we had been following developments of someone missing in a mining district and never heard from, only to find a gruesome video of the young man on social media. We have attempted to contact the family and we ask that the public respect the privacy of the family at this time.”

The NTC said it is keen to highlight that there is no justification for such an act, and while the video claims that those are farmers who caught a thief, “we were reliably

informed that the young man was employed by his murderers and never paid. When he asked for his payment, his employers took to this process to address the matter and deter others from seeking fair compensation for their work.

“We wish to highlight that the difficulties in our neighbouring Venezuela should not be taken lightly nor taken advantage of. While we continue to ask that our leaders provide as much humanitarian support to those Venezuelans in need, we also ask that our hospitality is not [taken] advantage of nor taken for granted. For those who think of retribution,

we ask that you walk a higher ground and show respect for your brothers and sisters, regardless of nation. These are difficult times,” the NTC said.

The NTC called on the government, through the offices of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Protection, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation into this brutal act and to take the necessary steps to protect all our citizens from exploitation and murder, and to enhance security at our borders to

better protect the vulnerable Indigenous peoples in border and mining communities.

“We also call on the Ministry of Education to re-examine education in Indigenous communities and to develop clear policies that are aimed at bettering the education system in these communities that will see our peoples better catered for. Lastly, we call on all parents, sisters, and brothers to be ever vigilant, and to love and work with our children to ensure they are better educated to avoid paths that would lead them to this end.”

‘Don’t lose faith’ 14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

…IUF secretary tells sugar workers

By Lisa Hamilton AS the country seeks to find resolutions to the issues plaguing its sugar industry, Guyanese workers in the sector are being urged to remain steadfast and to not lose hope.

This appeal comes from Regional Secretary of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF), Clifton Grant.

He made these comments at the regional IUF two-day meeting which began on Thursday, January 18, at the Grand Coastal Hotel. There, the body met to discuss regional priorities and to deliberate on strategies for several matters

affecting workers in the Caribbean, such as the laying off of some 4,000 Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers.

Grant, a Jamaican national, said that Guyana is not alone in its struggles as his country has also experienced its fair share of sugar troubles, whereby the workforce was reduced by more than half by Chinese investors.

As such, he cautioned: “We are saying to our colleagues here that they need to really ensure that whoever is guiding the divestment process, that they do the necessary checks to make sure that whoever takes it over really contributes to the advancement of the industry.”

This was made in reference to the government’s plan

to cushion the impact of retrenchment in certain estates which will either be privatised,

Regional Secretary of the IUF, Clifton Grant, at the regional meeting of the IUF at the Grand Coastal Hotel

GWI promises to address concerns of Canje residents THE Guyana Water Incorporated GWI)has pledged to review and address complaints of high meter readings, and water with high iron content by residents of Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje, Berbice.

GWI will be flushing all lines and introducing SeaQuest, a product which will remove the presence of iron in the water so as to significantly improve its quality.

The product at reference, Dr. Van West-Charles said, will serve

Dr. Richard Van West-Charles addressing residents at Sheet Anchor, Berbice

Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, after listening to their concerns, reassured customers that GWI is committed to delivering potable water of World Health Organisation (WHO)standard.

He was at the time addressing residents at a public meeting held by the GWI at the Fort Ordnance Primary School.

He assured residents that the

as a temporary solution until such time as a treatment plant being constructed in Sheet Anchor is up and running.

He said, too, that in light of their testimonies, GWI management will be exploring ways of waiving a portion of the customers’ outstanding debts to reflect their normal rates.

It was also agreed at the meeting that residents will only

begin paying a metered rate, once they are satisfied with the quality of water they are receiving, following the introduction of SeaQuest.

“GWI will continue to install meters in the area due to the agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB),” Dr. Van West-Charles said, adding that GWI is also moving to meter the entire country.

According to GWI’s Executive Director of Operations, Mr. Dwayne Shako, “Prior to the upgrading and installation of water meters, GWI’s customer field representatives will be visiting residences and businesses to verify that the account information is in order to update or correct accounts on the GWI database.

“We are appealing to all customers to cooperate with the GWI staff and contractors conducting the survey, and those conducting the upgrades, since the programme will significantly improve the service provided by GWI.” GWI is also appealing to all domestic and commercial customers to support its country-wide “Metering Programme” in its quest to meter 100 per cent of its customers.

Teen mother killed by reputed husband at Baramita

AN 18-YEAR-OLD Baramita woman has reportedly died following a beating at the hands of her reputed husband on Wednesday night.

Dead is Lorinda Thomas, a housewife and mother of one, of Barama Line, Baramita, North West District.

Reports are that the woman left her home on Wednesday to visit with relatives to take a few drinks.

She was reportedly on her way home four hours later, when she was accosted by the man, known as “Abdool” while walking in Barama

Line, and an argument ensued.

It is alleged that in the heat of the moment, the man pushed Thomas to the ground and began kicking and stomping her in the abdomen, causing her to lose consciousness.

He then left her lying there and went about his business. When she regained consciousness, she got to her feet and made her way home, in spite of feeling a severe pain in the region of her abdomen.

By the following day, the pain had reportedly gotten

divested or diversified. In addition, President Granger had announced that some 500 em-

so bad that the woman could barely stand. She decided to go to the health centre where she was admitted for observation, but died while receiving treatment.

Reports are that the couple’s four-year relationship had been stormy and that the two people would often accuse each other of infidelity. Meanwhile, the reputed husband is said to have, since the beating the now dead woman,left the area and is being sought by the police.

A post mortem will be conducted shortly to ascertain the cause of death.

ployees from the West and East Demerara Estates have been engaged in regards to receiving training in other fields such as masonry, carpentry, mechanical and electrical work, plumbing and small business enterprise.

Thus far, over 100 of the employees have signalled their willingness.

The IUF regional secretary said that while it is unfortunate that upon laying off, the workers did not receive their severances immediately, he implores that they remain strong and do not give in to the pressures.

“The workers are out there and they are suffering and you hear the report that people are taking their lives… Losing hope to the extent that they are decid-

ing that they are not going to stay on this side of the world any longer…that’s very painstaking for all of us,” Grant expressed. He admonished: “I’m saying to the workers: Don’t lose faith. Together we stand… this is not the first struggle that we are engaged in and once we stay together we remain strong.” He then further re-established the IUF’s determination to ensure that the workers are properly represented by the necessary unions. “As a region we need to commit ourselves to continue supporting the Guyanese workers and Trade Unions to ensure that the workers are treated fairly,” Grant stated.

Ex-cop, partner face slew of charges Two men, including an ex-policeman, were on Friday charged with armed robbery that was committed on a miner on Old Year’s Day. Shawn Archibald, a 38-yearold construction worker and Timothy Waldron, a 29-year-old ex-policeman, both residents of Unity Place, South Ruimveldt appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the allegation.

February 2.

Meanwhile, Waldron was charged for using a fake number plate on PTT 1946, knowing same to be false. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $156,000 bail and the matter adjourned until February 2.

Particulars of the charge state that on December 31 at Republic Avenue, McKenzie, Linden, the duo while being armed with a gun robbed Trevor Campbell of five gold chains valued $740,000.

The men pleaded not guilty to the charge and their attorney Melville Duke made an applica-

tion for bail.

Duke during his submission, told the court that there was a party in Linden and a brawl erupted where the victim’s gold chain was pulled off his neck.

Police Prosecutor, Sumeil Evans objected to the pair being released on bail since there was an ongoing investigation against the men and more charges were likely to be laid.

The magistrate remanded the men and transferred the matter to the Linden Magistrate’s Court for February 6.

The men were then taken before Magistrate Fabayo Azore to answer to more charges.

Archibald was charged for being armed with a gun on January 1, at West Ruimveldt, and robbing Roy Jaundoo of two gold chains along with an iPhone totalling $406,000.

He was further charged for using a fake number plate on motor vehicle PTT 233 on December 5, at Festival City knowing same to be false.

He denied both of the charges and was remanded to prison until

THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has set out the conditions under which delinquent taxpayers can tap into the amnesty being offered by the government.

In a statement, the GRA said in keeping with the measures outlined in the 2018 budget presentation by the Minister of Finance, the amnesty relates to Interest and Penalties for Income, Corporate, Property, Capital Gains and Withholding taxes up to and including the year of assessment 2017 (Year of Income 2016) and will be applicable to the categories of taxpayers listed below: taxpayers who have principal taxes outstanding; non-filers, persons who are delinquent in the filing and payment; taxpayers who filed their tax returns, but may have mistakenly underreported

or understated their incomes or overstated deductions or credits; taxpayers who have deliberately not declared or under-declared their true incomes; and taxpayers who have been already subjected to completed audits and a determination made that additional taxes are owed to the GRA and the additional taxes are still outstanding.

This means that taxpayers who are delinquent in the filing of their true and correct returns and the payment of their true and correct taxes, will be able to voluntarily make their payments without having to pay the attendant interest and penalties.

According to the GRA, the principal taxes paid on or before June 30, 2018, will have all interest and penalties waived, while

principal taxes paid between July 1, 2018 and September 30, 2018 will have 50% of interest and penalties waived.

Taxpayers filing incorrect returns during the amnesty period will not benefit from the amnesty and will be subject to the attendant penalties.

Increased resources will be devoted to enforcement and all attendant penalties for failure to comply with the tax laws will be applied thereafter.

Taxpayers who are willing to make use of the amnesty period are encouraged to contact the Debt Management Division of the GRA, either in writing or in person and request a statement of the principal taxes outstanding.

Shawn Archibald

Ex-cop Timothy Waldron

The ex-cop, following his appearance before two separate magistrates in the city, was then taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to face a charge for the theft of a motor vehicle. The vehicle was hijacked during an armed robbery at Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara on December 30, 2017.

GRA sets out conditions for amnesty

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

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Child rapist jailed for life

By Michel Outridge JUSTICE Simone Morris-Ramlall on Friday handed down a life sentence to Ganesh Chaitram who was found guilty by a 12-member jury of raping a child.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 45 years in jail. On Thursday, as the judge was about to sum up the case, the accused told his wife he was going to get something to eat and did not return to the High Court; as such, the summation was deferred to Friday after which the jury deliberated for about two hours before arriving at a unanimous guilty verdict.

However, the wife of the accused was present as the sentence was handed down and she showed no emotions.

She said she is unaware of her husband’s whereabouts and went looking for him all night on Thursday.

In her plea of mitigation, defence attorney Beulah Williams told the court that the accused is 38-years-old and he has a wife and is a father of five and from her discussions with him, he indicated that he was remorseful and sorry for what he did. She related that he wants to live a good life and take care of his family. As such, she asked the court to be merciful in sentencing and to temper justice with mercy since the accused is distraught.

However, Social Worker Saffina Campbell, who is attached to the Child- Care and Protection Agency, East Coast Demerara department, told the court that she is representing the complainant who is angry and did not want to attend

court.

Campbell stated that she got to know the victim in May 2016 and she spoke to her in relation to a statement which the victim had penned and asked that it be read in court.

The victim related that she spent most of her life with Chaitram, siblings and another relative.

She added that Chaitram used to drink and smoke, and hit and curse a member of her family.

She added that the worst part was being sexually abused by him and her mother not believing her.

The victim is presently living in a “group home” with strangers, as are her four siblings, and as such their lives, too, have been disrupted by the incident.

Noting that in her present circumstances she is devoid of love and attention, the complainant said she has suffered unbearable pain and wants Chaitram to be punished for what he did to her.

She also wants him to feel how she is feeling: a prisoner of her pain.

Justice Morris-Ramlall in handing down the sentence told the court that she has considered the nature and circumstances of the offence.

The judge said that the accused knew the victim and he had sexual penetration with her after waking her up in the dead of night, doing unspeakable things to her in the same bed where her siblings slept.

Justice Morris-Ramlall told the court that the incident has caused discomfort and pain, adding that four siblings of the victim herself are wards of

Labourer remanded for drug trafficking A 31-YEAR-OLD labourer of Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara was on Thursday remanded to prison after being charged with trafficking in narcotics.

Leon Hussain appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune and pleaded not guilty and was remanded until February 16.

Reports indicate that Hussain was arrested when police acting on information, visited his home and conducted a search of his premises and found in a basket 14 grams of cocaine and 134 grams of cannabis,

Leon Hussain

for the purpose of trafficking.

Police said he was also charged in 2015 for narcotics and in 2016 for wounding.

the state.

According to the state’s case, Ganesh was indicted for

the rape of a child, a family member, between the 1st and 31st of May, 2016, when the

child was only 10-years-old.

The state was represented

by Shawnette Austin, See-

ta Bishundyal and Orinthia Schmidt, while the defence attorney was Beulah Williams.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

487 students to participate in National Cadet Corps FOUR hundred and eighty seven students from six target schools have been identified to participate in the relaunch of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

This was disclosed by Training Officer of the Guyana People’s Militia Major Eon Murray during the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) launch of the NCC on Friday at Hope Secondary School, East Coast Demerara.

At the event were Ministers of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton, Minister of Education Nicolette Henry, Chief Education Officer Marcel Huston, Chief of Staff of the GDF Brigadier Patrick West, regional officials and special invitees.

The NCC is collaborating with the Ministry of Social Cohesion, the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Defence Force .

The programme is be-

ing viewed as a meaningful endeavour which is aimed at offering youths the opportunity to learn and expand their sources of interaction, other than via the use of social media.

It is structured to expose participants to academic and adventure training of a military nature and is geared at producing well-rounded individuals, good citizens and future leaders. The first phase of the programme will target

Social Cohesion Minister Dr. George Norton, joined Education Minister Nicolette Henry and Chief of Staff of the GDF Brigadier Patrick West at a booth which displayed the importance and use of medical equipment.

students aged between 1216 in selected schools in Regions Three, Four, Six, Nine and 10. It will eventually be expanded to other regions.

Major Eon Murray in his address said that the duration of the programme is intended to be for four years on a continuous basis, while training will be done using six-month blocks.

He explained that training will be conducted one day per week and some

litia.

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Brigadier Patrick West in his address urged students and parents to seize the opportunity presented, since the force will remain devoted to the success of the venture.

“Our commitment to development of youths in our society has always been evident. This corps marks another approach and involvement of our force through the Guy-

ulum as learning foreign languages will also be an important aspect of the course.

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry said when the ministry reviewed the proposed training, she was elated to see the range of areas covered in the materials.

Further, the Education Minister encouraged students to enrol in the programme as it would provide leadership qualities,

A section of the gathering at the re-launch of the National Cadet Corps. (Delano Williams photo)

weekends will be required and at the end of each block, participants will be identified to undergo leadership assessment in order to be promoted.

Adding that the method used for teaching will be basic, intermediate, advanced and elite level, the training officer said as the cadet company is formed it will also be featured on regional and international parades and ceremonial activities.

Further, the major said training will be conducted at identified schools, militia drill halls and other approved training areas.

He noted that the first year of training will focus on sustainability, feasibility and expansion, which will be managed by a national oversight committee.

Major Murray noted that the training instructors will consist of both males and females drawn from the reserve component of the Guyana People’s Mi-

ana People’s Militia with our youths in society,” the Chief of Staff said. “This pilot for the initial year will remain our primary project for a period of one year. We intend to extend to other areas and other schools as the programme grows, based on identifiable, focused areas.”

Brigadier West thanked the teachers, students, the GDF team and all stakeholders involved in the initiative.

Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton said the course appears to be quite exciting, especially the aspects of handling disasters and life-saving activities.

He said there will be skills sharing and aspects of hunting and training in the preservation of food and construction of improvised shelters.

Dr. Norton congratulated all those who had an input into the contents of the programme and curric-

capacity and character.

“No matter what field our cadets choose to provide service, it is important to have capacity and character. And this programme can certainly assist in preparing our young people for future service,” she said.

Minister Henry noted that students who attend the National Youth Corps at school will be leaders who will set examples to their peers and communities.

“Programmes such as this cadet corps, I have no doubt will assist our young people to better understand their role as the nation-builders of Guyana and I look forward to [a] fruitful and beneficial partnership between the Education Ministry and the GDF,” Minister Henry said.

She explained that the collaboration by all stakeholders thus far gives the ministry confidence that the programme will be a success.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

‘We are prepared for any oil spill’ --no matter the size, ExxonMobil assures Berbicians

By Nafeeza Yahya U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil on Thursday assured East Berbicians that they have nothing to fear, as the company is well prepared to take action in the event of an oil spill of any magnitude.

The assurance came from Operations Manager Doug McGhee as he fielded questions from the floor during a meeting hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the Number 66 Fishery on the Corentyne.

Noting that spills are categorised by size, called tiers, McGhee told his rapt audience:

identify mitigation and management measures for those possible effects.

According to the EPA’s Senior Environment Officer Ms Candacy Thompson, as part of the regulatory process Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd submitted an application to the EPA for environmental authorisation to execute petroleum exploration for a potential Liza Phase 2 development.

She said the potential concept involves a second floating, storage, production and offloading vessel (FPSO), and related subsea equipment, umbilical, risers and flowlines.

The proposed development,

messing with the sea bed will have an impact on the food that fishes feed on, and ultimately lead to the destruction of the fishing industry.

“I believe not enough study has been done to assess the food chains in terms of the nutrients from the sea that would be in contact with the fishes,” Jainarine said.

“No amount of reassurance from EPA or Exxon can ease our fears; it can and will happen, and we as fishermen will be losers. We depend on this industry for our livelihood,” he added.

Regional Chairman Mr David Armogan used the opportunity to tackle the eco-

proximately 600 persons will be required, while during the production phase another 150 will be needed, and that the expectation is that those po-

gas, and how can Guyanese benefit from it. To this, McGhee replied that while some amount of natural gas will be required for the op-

findings, 30 to 50 million cubic feet of gas could be brought to shore per day for a power project.

“So we are working

Part of the gathering at the Public Scoping Meeting hosted in Berbice on Thursday by the EPA

sitions will be predominantly filled by Guyanese.

NATURAL GAS Another issue that was raised on Thursday was the occurrence of natural

ExxonMobil’s Doug McGhee making a presentation at the Number 66 Fisheries Complex

“For Tier One, the spill can be contained on board, since all vessels are equipped with the capabilities to handle small spills.

“For Tier Two, or a large spill, local and regional personnel such as GDF and CDC were, and are being trained to help contain the spill; whereas in the event of a massive spill, a global response would be made, where personnel and equipment would be flown in from across the world on a special 747 plane within 24 hours.”

The purpose of the meeting that day was to have a stakeholder input in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the development of Liza Phase 2, so that the proposed recommendations can be included in development of the Terms of Reference (ToR).

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT For Liza Phase 2, the EIA will look at the impact it will have on the environment, and because it is in close proximity to Phase One, it will seek to identify what the cumulative effects of both phases may be.

The EIA process will seek to

Thompson said, is similar to that of Liza Phase 1 but larger, and as such the team has been tasked with looking at all the impacts it will have on the environment.

For the Liza Phase 1, an estimated production capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day is projected; however, for Phase 2, that figure is expected to be between 190,000 to 200,000 barrels per day (BPD).

COMPENSATION Chief among the concerns raised on Thursday, besides disaster preparedness, was the question of compensation, since an oil spill poses not only health risks but serious social and economic effects as well.

Ramlaghan Singh, a farmer, urged that insurance be considered as a requirement prior to drilling, to cover compensation for both fisherfolk and the general public, given that marine life will be disrupted.

On the other hand, Parmeshwar Jainarine, a fisherman, is calling on the EPA to do a bit more research on the matter, since he believes that

nomic viability of the project, in terms of job-creation for Berbicians specifically, and suggested cooperation between ExxonMobil and the University of Guyana for the introduction of a course on oil and gas, so as to allow locals to tap into the industry.

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT McGhee responded by assuring the chairman that while the company’s ultimate goal is to staff its operations with predominantly Guyanese employees, it will, however, take some time, as they will require training.

He said, too, that while in the initial stages, a few Guyanese will be employed in the technical areas, as time progresses, more and more will be added.

While on the subject of employment, he referred to the 10 University of Guyana engineering undergrads presently undergoing training in Brazil, and the four to five others in training in the United States as part of the Phase One aspect of the project.

He noted, too, that during the preliminary stages, ap-

erations, Exxon is working closely with the government to look at the possibility of using the excess for a power project onshore.

Said he: “Based on our

with the government on that, and you will hear more on it in the future; we are working to make it economical for both sides.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday January 20, 2018

70 years for premeditated killing

AN expressionless Rajesh Guyadeen called “BrucksMan” who murdered a man back in 2003, was on Friday sentenced to a total

of 70 years’ imprisonment

by Justice Navindra Singh in the Georgetown High Court after a 12-member jury found him guilty.

Initially, the judge had sentenced the accused to 60 years in jail but added 10 more for premeditation.

Justice Singh had told

the accused: “You got to tell me something better than you did earlier,” since he had ambushed the deceased.

Guyadeen told the court that

Sentenced to 70 years: Rajesh Guyadeen (dressed in a white shirt)

he was sorry the deceased, Nandram Manohar called “Nando” had died.

State Prosecutor, Abigail Gibbs said that the evidence which was clear was accepted by the 12-member jury.

She added that the deceased was only 26 years old at the time when the accused snatched his life. The accused showed no remorse, the prosecutor noted,and after committing the act had fled the country and returned 11 years after.Gibbs asked the court to consider those factors and impose the maximum sentence.

According to the state’s case, on May 3, 2003 at Unity, Lancaster, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, the deceased, a farmer, was in the company of four other men walking home at around midnight from a wedding house.

The group was walking because Manohar’s bicycle wheel had a puncture, and it was when he was heading into his yard he shouted out to his friends that “BrucksMan just stab me,” before he collapsed.

The deceased died before he received medical attention and was pronounced dead on arrival at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

A post-mortem report gave the cause of death as perforation of the aorta and left kidney due to a stab wound.

The police subsequently went to the home of an uncle where the accused was staying, but he ran away to Suriname and returned to Guyana in 2014 and was later arrested.

The accused reportedly confessed to a villager that he “juk Nando”.

The State was represented by Abigail Gibbs in association with Narissa Leander while the defence attorney was Maxwell McKay in association with Sherise Dowding.

The Prosecution presented eight witnesses while the defence had two, one of whom gave his testimony via Skype from Paramaribo, Suriname on Thursday.

Festival City pair remanded on gun charges TWO men, who were earlier this week arrested by police in Festival City, South Ruimveldt with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, were on Friday remanded to prison by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore on two firearm-related charges.

Damion Favorite, 31, and Carl Lockhart, 29, are jointly charged with having a .38 Glock pistol in their possession on January 17 at Festival City, without being licensed firearm holders. It is further alleged that the men also had two live rounds of .38 am-

Damion Favorite

munition.

The unrepresented duo denied both charges and were remanded to prison until January 26.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

GBBC/NGGM boxing card

Threats issued as ‘D’ Day arrives for ‘Bad Blood’ boxing card

By Michael DaSilva WITH just a few hours before the Guyana Boxing Board of Control/NexGen Global Marketing six-fight boxing card gets underway, local boxers and their respective opponents from Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Barbados have issued threats to each other.

This make for some interesting fights that is scheduled to start at 19:00hrs at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall this evening.

Speaking to the media at the pre-fight press conference at the Giftland Mall yesterday, Guyana’s Shawn Corbin predicted that he will stop his Trinidad opponent Sheldon Lawrence in six rounds in their light heavyweight 12-round fight for the World Boxing Council’s FEACOBOX title.

However, Lawrence stated that Corbin’s prediction will be reversed, since he will be the one ending the fight within the distance.

Lawrence said he knows Corbin very well

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and knows also how he fights and this will be to his advantage.

Lawrence’s manager, Buxo Putts of Trinidad informed that Corbin is not only a Guyanese, “he is a Trinidadian too, I managed him while he was living, training and fighting out of Trinidad and I want to believe that he is seeing upside-down, as he might be seeing nine in Lawrence’s favour and taking it for six” Putts said.

Corbin interrupted stating “nobody comes to my home and beat me.”

Like Corbin, Gonsalves who will engage Venezuela’s Felipe Barcelo in a 10-round lightweight contest said he does not see the fight going past four rounds, but admitted that his Venezuelan opponent is a solid fighter.

Barcelo for his part said he is here to fight and used the opportunity to urge the Guyanese public to come out in their numbers and support the card which will be an exciting one.

Guyana’s United States based Guyanese Elton, `The Bully Dharry who will be

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fighting Venezuela’s Jesus Garcia said he is in excellent condition and rearing to go.

The WBC FEACOBOX and Inter-Continental bantamweight champion said he is aware that barcelo is a solid fighter who faced some very tough opponents during his career, but he (Dharry) is not worried as he is sure he will prevail.

The main bout on the six-fight card is a flyweight contest over 10 rounds and will see Guyana’s Dexter `De Kid’ Marques tackling Venezuela’s Dionis Martinez Arias.

While Arias was present at yesterday’s pre-fight press conference, Marques was absent due to him having to put in some extra road work, one day before fight time, in order to make his weight and like Marques, Guyana’s Sherwin Clarke was also on the road, seeking to lose some weight for his heavyweight debut against James Moore.

The other fight on the night’s card will see Anson Green (Guyana facing Barbados’ Keithland King in a junior middleweight bout.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

England sinks Australia 2-0 in ODI series (BBC) - England held their nerve to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day international series with a four-wicket victory over Australia in Brisbane.

Set 271 to win after Aaron Finch hit 106, the tourists eased to 119-1 only to be checked by the wickets of Alex Hales, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan.

Joe Root and Jos Buttler rebuilt before Mitchell Starc removed the wicketkeeper and Moeen Ali in quick succession.

But Root and Chris Woakes calmly guided England home with 34 balls to spare.

Despite those wobbles during the chase, it was a largely commanding performance

by Morgan’s side, who bowled superbly to restrict Australia on a good Gabba pitch that offered turn.

England can now clinch the five-match series with victory in the third ODI at Sydney on Sunday.

The basis for England’s victory was a self-assured bowling display, backed up by shrewd captaincy from Morgan.

After David Warner and Finch made an untroubled start against pace, Morgan turned to spin, with Moeen finding

turn straight away and removing Warner, who edged to Root at first slip for 35.

Adil Rashid was then duly introduced to the attack, before part-time off-spinner Root also came on and bowled brilliantly, trapping Australia captain Steve Smith lbw for 18 and taking an easy return catch to dismiss the skittish Travis Head for seven.

With Moeen and Root providing both control and threat, Morgan could keep attacking with Rashid even when the leg-spinner started to leak runs. The reward was the key wickets of Mitchell Marsh, stumped for 36, and Marcus Stoinis, caught behind by Buttler for four, to prevent the hosts making a late surge.

Liam Plunkett returned to remove Finch for his 100th ODI wicket, while Woakes bowled tightly at the death, also displaying fine footwork to run out debutant keeper Alex Carey (27) by kicking the ball onto the stumps as Cameron White (15 not out) tried to take an ill-advised single.

Woakes then also ran out Andrew Tye off the final ball of the innings to limit the hosts to 2709, once again 30 or so runs short of a challenging target.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 372 for the 2nd wicket (C. Gayle & M. Samuels

vs Zim, Canberra, 2015) (2) Gordon Greenidge, Chris Gayle & Ramnaresh Sarwan Today’s Quiz: (1) Name the West Indians that have taken a wicket

with their first ball in ODI cricket to date?

(2) Who is the only WI to stroke a century on his ODI

debut to date?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Australia, India and Pakistan storm into super league quarterfinals (ICC) - Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy took four for 20 and Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 90 to help India fashion a 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe as the ICC U-19 World cup continued in New Zealand.

In other matches, opener Nathan McSweeney slammed 156 and fast bowler Jason Ralston produced a record haul of seven for 15 as Australia thumped Papua New Guinea by 311 runs.

Both former champions progressed to the Super League quarterfinals from Group B on the seventh day of tournament.

Also joining in the Super League quarterfinals were former champions Pakistan who defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in a Group D match.

Pakistan will now wait for the outcome of the Afghanistan versus Ireland match on Saturday in Whangarei to find out if they will top the group or finish runners-up.

The three sides have now joined Afghanistan, England, New Zealand and South Africa, while the England and Canada match on Saturday will decide if Bangladesh also goes through to the Super League quarterfinals, which will start on Monday, 22 January.

Roy, who had finished with five wickets in the previous match against PNG, bowled an immaculate line and length as India dismissed the opposition for only 154 and got to the target in quick time with openers Shubman Gill and Aveet Desai returning unbeaten on 90 and 56, respectively.

The three-time champions finished with three wins, including a 100-run victory over Australia earlier in the league, which proved decisive in the final standings.

For Australia, who finished behind India in the group stage, Ralston ripped through the PNG batting, his seven for 15 the best-ever to date in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and

second best at the U19 level.

His effort came at the back of another remarkable effort, when opener Nathan McSweeney clobbered a punishing 156 to help post a huge 370 for eight.

SCORES IN BRIEF: Group B Australia beat PNG by 311 runs, Lincoln 3, Christchurch Australia 370-8, 50 overs (Nathan McSweeney 156, Jason Sangha 88, Param Uppal 61; James Tau 2-42, Leke Morea 2-59, Sema Kamea 2-63, Daure Aiga 2-89) PNG 59 all out, 24.5 overs (Jason Ralston 7-15) Player of the match: Nathan McSweeney (Australia) India beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, Bay Oval, Tauranga.

Zimbabwe 154 all out, 48.1 overs (Milton Shumba 36, Liam Roche 31, Wesley Madhevere 30; Anjukul Roy 4-20, Arshdeep Singh 2-10, Abhishek Sharma 2-22).

India 155 for no loss, 21.4 overs (Shubman Gill

90 not out, Aveet Desai 56 not out) Player of the match: Shubman Gill

Group D Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets, Cobham Oval, Whangarei Sri Lanka 188 all out, 48.2 overs (Jehan Daniel 53, Ashen Bandara 37; Suleman Shafqat 3-29, Shaheen Afridi 2-41) Pakistan 190-7, 43.3 overs (Ali Zaryab Asif 59, Mohammad Zaid Alam 28; Thisara Rashmika 3-47) Player of the match: Ali Zaryab Asif

SATURDAY’S FIXTURES: Kenya v Windies, Lincoln 3, Christchurch (Group A) New Zealand v South Africa, Bay Oval, Tauranga (Group A) Canada v England, John Davies Oval, Queenstown (Group C) Afghanistan v Ireland, Cobham Oval, Whangarei (Group D)

Nathan McSweeney of Australia celebrates his half century

Pride pacers rattle scorpions Batsmen CMC – BARBADOS Pride pace quartet of Chemar Holder, Keon Harding, Justin Greaves and Dominic Drakes brought to life a pedestrian day with hostile bowling in the final hour to put Jamaica Scorpions on the backfoot in the Regional 4-Day Championship on Friday here.

Extracting pace and bounce from the hard, true Kensington Oval pitch, the quarter rattled the Scorpions’ top order, claiming the prized scalp of West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood, and reduced the visitors to 93 for three, replying to Pride’s first innings total of 427, at the close on the second day of their 10th and final round match.

This followed close to five hours of dour play from the Pride batting which featured a career-best 166 from their captain Shamarh Brooks before they were bowled out about half-hour after tea.

No other Pride batsman reached 50, but overnight batsman Jonathan Carter

made 36 and left-hander Drakes, batting at eight, hit a brisk 33.

Scorpions’ batsmen approached their task with typical flair, but this hardly deterred the young Pride quartet and cheered on by the modest, but enthusiastic crowd they

reaped rewards.

Holder made the breakthrough, when John Campbell was caught off the top edge for 16 by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, running to gully, from a miscued pull at a short ball.

Three overs later, Andre McCarthy was caught

behind for three off Harding for three to leave Scorpions 38 for two.

Blackwood came to the crease and gave as good as he got from the pacers. He collected three boundaries from the first four deliveries he faced – all from Harding – and followed up with

Barbados Pride batsman, Keon Harding appeals successfully for Jamaica Scorpions batsman, Andre McCarthy lbw on the second day of the Regional 4-Day Championship match on Friday at Kensington Oval (Photo by Kerrie Eversley)

three more two overs later, debutant Drakes’ first.

Wa l t o n , w h o h a s played club matches in recent years here, kept his end going with a few meaty strokes of his own, including a rasping straight drive off Holder.

But the pacers kept coming and continued to beat the bat, hit the batsman’s pad and every now again produced the nasty rising delivery and Blackwood’s never-back-down attitude proved his undoing, when he tried flat bat Greaves and was bowled off a thick inside edge for 39.

Wi t h t h e s h a d o w s steadily encroaching, umpires Leslie Reifer Jr and Mike Burns offered Walton, not out on 26, and Paul Palmer, not out on nought, a reprieve, offering them light with 2.2 overs remaining.

Earlier, Pride, starting the day on 261 for two, batted inexplicably cautiously, reaching 299 for four at lunch and failing to earn more batting points before the 110-over cut-off mark.

They lost Carter lbw

playing defensively on the back-foot in the first halfhour before West Indies batsman Roston Chase was lbw for 10 offering no stroke to Marquino Mindley.

After the interval, the tempo increased a bit, but Dowrich was caught down the leg-side off Green for 12 in the sixth over.

Justin Greaves was caught at slip off leftarm spinner Nikita Miller, the Scorpions captain, and the pattern continued until Brooks was lbw to Campbell after batting for close to 8½ hours, facing 357 balls and striking 19 fours.

A few meaty blows from Drakes carried Pride past the 400-run mark before the tail-end eventually succumbed.

Pride entered the match second in the table on 94.6 points and have so far earned two batting points, one bowling point and 0.6 pace bowling points, while Scorpions, starting third on 91 points, have so far gained no points.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Seventh Annual Trophy Stall Doubles winners awarded

Awardees and sitting front left to right Assistant Director of Sport, Brian Smith, GLTA President, Jamal Goodluck, GOA President, K. A. Juman Yassin

THE 7th Annual Trophy Stall Doubles Championships showcased a grand closure one week ago during the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association’s ( G LTA ) 2 0 1 7 A n n u a l Awards Ceremony.

According to past president of the GLTA, Grace McLennon, It was a fitting environment to display the most attractive trophies for the tournament to date.

Players were awarded

from four categories which featured 32 matches played over the span of one month.

These were Men’s Doubles, Ladies Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Mens Over-45 Doubles.

The tournament which started early December was once again delayed because of bad weather and a shortage of tennis facilities.

But this did not dampen the spirits of the players who passionately completed their

matches at the Le Ressouvenir Tennis Club.

Trophies were handed over by Trophy Stall representative, Eshwar Bharrat.

The GLTA intends to bring this tournament forward in 2018 to escape the inclement weather that usually plagues the smooth scheduling of matches during the tournament.

Men’s Doubles: Winners Phillip Squires/Joseph DeJonge, Runners

up Heimraj Resaul and Jordon Beaton. Women’s Doubles: Winners Afruica Gentle/Cristy Campbell, Runners up Shelly Ramdyhan/Fiona Bushell. Mixed Doubles: Winner Shelly Ramdyhan/Phillip Squires, Runners Up Afruica Gentle/Devon Gonsalves. Men’s 45 and over: Winner Godfrey Lowden and Anthony Ameerally, Runners up Dr. Steve Surujbally and Robin Singh.

LABA/ Magnum Tonic ‘Basketball meets fashion reload’ on tonight

By Joe Chapman

IT’S being termed ‘Basketball Meets Fashion-Reload,’ and the Linden Amateur Basketball Association hopes that the weather which badly affected the first initiative would hold for this second iteration.

Such is the case that the National Club Champions Bounty Colts are set to face their arch rivals Victory Valley Royals who the narrowly beat 85-83 in the National Club championship final in December, journeying to the Mining Town to clash I the main event tonight(Saturday) at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

Colts should be led by their captain Dave Causway and include such players like Stanton Rose, Shane Webster and Shelroy Thomas, while the Royals are banking on Chris Williams, Orlando Glasgow, Harold Adams and Yannick Tappin to see them past their rivals this time around.

The event conceptualized by the LABA President, Lawrence Simon will bounce off the 2018 basketball season with a bang as there will be an

east versus west Under 20 basketball supporting game on the night where fashion designers Ms. Setra Oselmo and Ms. Crystal Lam will be featuring their various pieces throughout the night.

The fashions will includes cheer leaders outfit for the basketball teams in Linden and also several sports persons who would have excelled in sports last year will be honoured.

At the same time a number of individuals who have contributed to sports over the years will also be awarded for their efforts. Ansa McAl Trading through its Magnum Brand is the major sponsor of tonight’s proceedings and while that tonic drink will be the main drink for the night there will be other products on sale along with several giveaways for some patrons in the stands.

A special 3 on 3 girls’ event will also be part of a night where the stars will be out.

The Under-20 game will bounce off the night’s proceedings from 19.00hrs and the big game is set for 21.00hrs on what should be a very relaxing but entertaining night with the stars.

MCC backs Young Windies, Stewart in appeal controversy (CMC) - UNDER-fire West Indies Under-19s and their embattled captain, Emmanuel Stewart, have found backing from the historic Marylebone Cricket Club, in the controversial ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal of South African opener Jiveshan Pillay, during their ICC Youth World Cup match last Wednesday.

The left-handed Pillay picked up the ball and tossed it to wicketkeeper Stewart, following a delivery from pacer Jarion Hoyte, in the 17th over of the South African innings.

Stewart immediately appealed and following consultation between the umpires, Pillay was given out under Law 37.4 of the Laws of Cricket.

While Stewart’s actions

drew strong rebuke from present and former international cricketers, the MCC said the player was well within his rights.

“The first thing to say is that the umpires were completely correct in their decision to give Pillay out obstructing the field,” the MCC, considered the guardians of the Laws of the game, said in a statement.

“Pillay did not seek, or receive the consent from a fielder and did use his hand to return the ball to the wicket-keeper. He was thus rightly given out on appeal.”

The MCC said while the specific law had been questioned, it was there to protect the integrity of the ball for the fielding side.

“The reason behind it is

that a fielding team will often take enormous care to maintain the condition of the ball – and they are allowed to do so. Any external influence on the ball – including a sweaty glove – could change its con-

dition unfairly,” the statement continued.

“Batsmen are therefore, instructed to leave the ball to the fielding side unless given specific consent to pick it up. It may seem harsh, but

West Indies Under-19s captain, Emmanuel Stewart (right) embraces his opposite number Raynard van Tonder following the defeat to South Africa Under-19s

a scenario in which batsmen could, without any punishment, interfere with the ball would be far more problematic.

“Instead, all a batsman needs to remember is not to return the ball to any fielder without consent – as the popular adage goes: batsmen bat, bowlers bowl and let the fielders field.”

Following the game which the Young Windies lost by 76 runs, Stewart said on reflection while his appeal had been within the laws, it had breached the spirit of the game.

Law 37.4 states: ‘Either batsman is out obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/

her person to return the ball to any fielder.’

Stewart also conceded he should have withdrawn the appeal but the MCC pointed out that the player should not be pilloried for not having done so.

“Pillay made a mistake – he acted in a way not permitted under the Laws. He was correctly given out on appeal.

While the opposing captain may withdraw the appeal, he should not be criticised for not doing so,” the MCC stressed. “ T h e s e p l a y e r s a re young and are still learning the game. It appears that both Stewart and Pillay learnt valuable lessons on Wednesday – faced with the same situation again, both would probably act differently.”

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, January 20, 2018

Jaguars flattens Red Force World Cup 2018

- As Rutherford, Reifer hit second day 50s

By Rajiv Bisnauth SHERFANE Rutherford narrowly missed out on a maiden century while Raymond Reifer is 15 runs short of his, as title-holders, the Guyana Jaguars completed another dominant day of Cricket West Indies Regional fourday first-class championships.

The Jaguars, playing at home took the stranglehold against a hapless Trinidad and Tobago Red Force line-up in the final round of the tournament.

Both Rutherford and Reifer grabbed the spotlight with innings of rare presence and sublime skill, as the Jaguars’ batting performance extended throughout the second day which swung the game firmly in the hosts’ favor.

Rutherford fell for a splendid 92 while the Barbadian-born Reifer is unbeaten on 85, when bails were lifted yesterday at the National Stadium, Providence. Reifer, the West Indies all-rounder, has so far faced 164 balls, smashing nine fours.

The pair combined in a

seventh-wicket stand of 161 runs, as the hosts reached 466-7, a huge first innings lead of 331.

the process.

Overnight batsman Tagenarine Chanderpaul added another two runs before he

Raymond Reifer is unbeaten on 85

Keemo Paul is the other not out batsman on 35. Resuming at 116-1, the Jaguars worked themselves into a lead of 63 by lunch, but lost three wickets in

chased Daniel St. Clair short and wide delivery and was caught in the slips for 36.

However, Shimron Hetmyer continued to bat resolutely in

partnership with new batsman Leon Johnson; the pair putting on 30 for the third wicket with the left-hander, Hetmyer smashing seven fours and a six before he was caught on the long-off boundary off Bryan Charles for 46.

Akshaya Persaud joined Johnson, but the hosts were further setback on the stroke of lunch when the Guyanese Captain was caught at forward short-leg from an inside edge off the bowling of Yannic Cariah.

After the interval, Persaud in just his second game at this level, was dismissed to a poor shot, bowled by Imran Khan, but Anthony Bramble who was joined by Reifer, never took his foot off the pedal and was in an attacking mood from the word go.

The right-hander played some attacking shots against Cariah, hitting the leg-spinner for a series of boundaries, included four sixes and two fours before he was finally dismissed, caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Cariah for 42.

The situation at that point

gave Rutherford full licence to attack, and he responded to perfection, hitting eight fours and a six to reach his second fifth of the season.

The pair provided it to put the hosts in complete command by the tea interval with an overall lead of 206 runs.

Soon after Reifer registered his fifty, but Rutherford was however unflustered. He moved into the 80s with consecutive sixes off Khan, as the game

went flat for the bowling side.

However, after collecting his 11th boundary, Rutherford was bowled off an inside edge the next delivery to medium pacer Tion Webster. His innings lasted for 133 balls, and apart for his eleven boundaries, the left-hander smashed four huge sixes.

Reifer and Paul have so far shared an unbroken eight-wicket stand of 55 runs. Play resumes today at 09:30hrs.

SCOREBOARD

Guyana Jaguars 1st innings T Chanderpaul c Charles b St. Clair 36 C Hemraj c St. Clair b Charles 72 S Hetmyer c Phillip b Charles 46 L Johnson c Solozano b Cariah 17 A Persaud b Khan 21 A Bramble c Webster b Cariah 42 R. Reifer not out 85 S Rutherford b Webster 92 K Paul not out 35 Extras: (b-8, w-3, nb-8) 19 Total: (for seven wickets; 133 overs) 466 Fall of wickets: 1-109, 2-134, 3-164, 4-198, 5-198, 6-250, 7-411 Bowling: Phillip 21-7-4-0, St. Clair 18-3-69-1, Charles 32-7-107-2, Webster 11-0-56-1, Khan 36-7-100-1, Mohammed 6-3-6-0, Cariah 9-1-68-2

Greenfield sets April deadline for completion of pitch at ‘Football Stadium’ - GFF ‘ok’ with shift in timeline

AS a result of the recent inclement weather, Greenfields, the company responsible for the laying of the turf at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) ‘Training and Development Centre’ and the country’s first ‘football stadium’, has shifted the deadline from the end of January to April.

The GFF’s president, Wayne Forde, second Vice President Rawlston Adams, first Vice President Bruce Lovell and Technical Director Ian Greenwood updated the media on the progress

of the work done on the 8.5 acres land which was leased from the Eccles/Ramsburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

Nabi and Sons was sub-contracted to work along Greenfields and upon visit, contractors were busy ‘back filling’ the area where the pitch will be laid.

Adams who also happens to be the project’s manager, told reporters that the GFF does not see the shift in completion as a ‘delay’, but rather one that was necessary and understandable, given the increased rainfall expe-

rienced.

Forde said that it is the hope of the GFF to have the facility functional, since it will be equipped with lighting in accordance with CONCACAF and to accommodate between 3000 to 5000 spectator until it’s fully completed.

“The lighting system that will go in will be specific and we have selected the lighting level and it being specked in accordance with the CONCACAF system. We have selected tier two lighting which would allow us hold high level CONCACAF

Backfilling exercise at the GFF’s providence facility (Adrian Narine photos)

tournaments at this venue once it’s completed,” Forde explained.

While there will be other modifications to the facility such as the addition of a technical department that will also see the instalment of various training apparatuses that will allow for the development of talent; according to Forde this will in turn deviate from the original plan to have various types of pitch-

es at the facility.

Forde said that in keeping the plans to turn the facility into training and development centre, the proposed modifications could see beach football and/or futsal having one of their several pitches removed.

Under the FIFA Forward Programme, National Federations are entitled to US$750 000 annually, but, in the case of Guyana, given the fact that it is the country’s

first, Forde said that FIFA wanted to ensure that as much resources as possible are available, and as such, it was not possible for him to state the estimated cost of the entire project.

The GFF president also noted that the Federation and FIFA will next look to build a similar structure in Linden, and then Rupununi, after which the other parts of Guyana will ‘fall in line’.

(L-R) GFF’s Technical Director Ian Greenwood, first VP Bruce Lovell, second VP Rawlston Adams and President Wayne Forde examining the on-going work on their ‘Training and Development Centre’

See

MCC backs Young page 30 Windies, Stewart in appeal controversy GBBC/NGGM boxing card

Threats issued as ‘D’ Day arrives for ‘Bad Blood’ boxing card See Page 27

Boxers appearing on tonight’s GBBC/NGGM `Bad Blood’ boxing card slated for the CASH this evening strike a pose for photographer Delano Williams

Jaguars flattens Red Force - As Rutherford, Reifer hit second day 50s See Page 31

Sherfane Rutherford acknowledges his teammates after reaching his fifty Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018