Guyana chronicle e paper 02 08 2018

Republic Bank gives $2.8M for steel pan contest 13 PAGE

No. 105179

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Price: $80 (VAT Inclusive)

ICJ ruling will be binding

– on Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, says Sir Shridath O3 PAGE

Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman cuts the ribbon to signal the opening of the oil and gas exhibition being held at the Marriott Hotel, while his colleague ministers and other officials cheer (Delanao Williams photo)

‘It’s Guyana’s time’

…Min Trotman urges local businesses to get in line for oil

Unpatriotic

– Gov’t slams 11 anti-investment ad PAGE

PAGE

O2

Mother of heroic Jagdeo no show 7-yr-old found 13 ...rejects nominees for in NA drug yard top judicial posts 03&09 PAGE

PAGES

It’s Guyana’s time 2

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

…Min Trotman urges local businesses to get in line for oil

By Alva Solomon ‘Our faith tells us Guyana’s time is now.’

MINISTER of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman on Wednesday urged Guyanese entrepreneurs to be prepared for an increase in investments and a hive of business activity as the country’s petroleum sector evolves.

Trotman was at the time addressing hundreds of delegates at the opening of the inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit & Exhibition (GIPEX) at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel. The audience included hundreds of foreign and local delegates and among the special guests were ministers of government including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge who was performing the duties of Prime Minister, Minister of State,

Joseph Harmon, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes and Junior Minister of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, among others.

Trotman in his address called on locals to upgrade their skills and

the gateway into and out of South America, noting that Guyanese are an innovative and indomitable people who have provided their skills globally.

The subject minister noted too that the nation has arrived at an important juncture in its history and according him, what is undertaken at this point in time will determine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, who is performing the functions of Prime Minister, speaks at the opening ceremony

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman during his address to the gathering

GO-Invest chairman Patricia Bacchus addresses the gathering

knowledge, improve the standards of their businesses and form alliances and partnerships as 2020 nears.

“In boardrooms across the world, Guyana is the talking point,” he said, noting here is the place to be.

He said that Guyana‘s aim is to be Shariq AbdulHai, an organiser of the event and managing director of Valiant Business Media addresses the gathering

A section of the gathering at the forum

the country’s future. He stressed that the citizenry must recognise its right to own and possess and to enjoy the bountiful resources of Guyana. ”In all humility, as we look proudly at what we have today, ”he said as he mentioned the 3.2 billion recoverable barrels of oil which exists offshore and the immeasurable wealth which has been bestowed on Guyanese and the manner in which such wealth has lasting impact on

the population.

Minister Greenidge told the gathering that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has a responsibility to welcome and provide information to companies which are interested in operation here, as he welcomed the companies, both local and foreign which have undertaken such steps. ”Our interest is in having strategic partners, companies that have an interest in working along with the Guyanese authorities in the longer term to exploit resources in a manner consistent with our own ambitions.”

He said that thus far, notwithstanding the naysayers, the government has been able to work with a number of companies and it is pleased with the announcements by other petroleum companies within the past few days of their plans to assist in exploiting the country’s natural resources. This week French oil firm announced its interest in the petroleum sector here.

Minister Greenidge expressed the hope that GIPEX will be able to provide a framework for understanding the resources here, the policy framework in which they are to operate as well as the plans and possibilities that the international and local companies have for the exploitation of the nation’s resources.

Minister of Public Telecommunication, Catherine Hughes during her address, noted that Guyana has had its fair share of hard times like many other developing countries but she noted that the citizens have proven their resilience. “For far too long Guyanese would leave what they call the land of promises to find the promised land mostly in places like North America.” Hughes said, this is Guyana’s time now, noting that, ”we cannot be so blighted, Guyana must have oil and we are excited that we are now on that path to development.”

Patricia Bacchus, Chairper-

Turn to page 3 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

ICJ ruling will be binding – on Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, says Sir Shridath

By Svetlana Marshall DISTINGUISHED Guyanese diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal has said that the final judgment handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Guyana/Venezuela territorial controversy will be binding.

The long-standing territorial controversy between the two South American countries was referred to the ICJ at the end of January by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, effectively bringing an end to the Good Offices process. Since 1962, Venezuela has been contending that the 1899 Arbitral Award, with which it had agreed, is null and void.

Speaking to reporters on the matter on the margins of the Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX) at the Guyana Marriott on Wednesday, Sir Shridath, who was present at the signing of the Geneva Agreement on February 17, 1966, said Guyana will be

moving to the ICJ to have the age-old controversy settled.

The World Court’s decision, he said, will be obligatory in nature, while making it clear that it will not be simply an opinion as suggested by some political analysts here.

“The decision of the court will be binding… it is not going to be in an advisory capacity…. Unfortunately, some pretty wild things have been said in Guyana which are far from legally accurate,” Sir Shridath said.

It was explained that the ICJ’s ruling will be made under the 1966 Geneva Agreement and Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations. It was under the Geneva Agreement that Guyana and Venezuela had conferred upon the UN Secretary-General the power and responsibility to choose a means of peaceful settlement from amongst those contemplated in Article 33 of the Charter.

The distinguished Guyanese diplomat is urging his fellow Guyanese not to be misled.

Distinguished Guyanese diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal

WILD OPINIONS “Don’t be misguided by these wild opinions. This is not a time for Guyana to argue these issues in Guyana with Guyana,” he said.

In moving forward, Sir Shridath said it is important that the country approaches the matter with some degree of caution and professionalism.

“I think that it is very important that we are modest,

we are not celebratory, [and] we are not triumphalist. We are going to be modest, serious, and professional and move forward.”

The Guyana Government has disclosed that US$15M has been set aside for legal fees. Legal expenses, Sir Shridath said, is necessary for the process, but pointed to the fact that a lot is at stake.

“If you go to the court there must be some legal expense, but what is at stake for Guyana is everything, so legal expenses are minuscule to what is at stake and what I think we are likely to do is reassemble the team that was successful in [the] Suriname [matter] and this is not about discussing those details, but they will be released in due course,” he told reporters.

Foley Hoag was the law firm that successfully spearheaded the case for the Government of Guyana in the maritime boundary dispute with Suriname.

UNWISE However, he warned that once the controversy engag-

es the attention of the World Court, it would be unwise for political leaders and/or the legal team to discuss the matter in public.

“As Guyanese you must not expect the political leadership or the legal team to engage in public conversations when in court. You don’t as lawyers when you are in court talk at the same time to the press,” Sir Shridath said, while urging that Guyanese be understanding of the situation.

Asked how long it could take before a ruling is handed down by the ICJ, Sir Shridath, while positing that it is a difficult question to answer, said, in part, it depends on the actions of Venezuela.

“It can depend on what Venezuela ultimately does, that can determine the length of the entire character of the proceedings … if it’s a full-time hearing, it could be longer, but you are talking about a matter of years,” he explained.

The Government of Venezuela, in a public statement, rejected the UN Secretary-

General’s decision, stating that it remains firm its historic position – that the matter be resolved at the level of the Good Offices.

But Mr. Guterres, in making his decision, concluded that no significant progress had been made at the level of the Good Offices process.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge and Minister of State Joseph Harmon have confirmed that on Tuesday, Cabinet received a report from the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the border controversy.

“We are very happy with the conduct of the negotiations so far on behalf of Guyana; and we are looking forward to good results when the matter goes to the ICJ,” Minister Harmon told reporters on Wednesday.

On Monday, Minister Greenidge had noted that his ministry with support from its team of advisors and lawyers would present Cabinet with broad options to consider in the form of a report.

Jagdeo rejects nominees for top judicial posts …finds favour with candidates for Integrity Commission OPPOSITION Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has rejected President David Granger’s nominees for the two top judicial appointments here, saying that after requisite due diligence, he is unable to offer his support to either candidate. He has, however, found favour with the four nominees put forward to sit on the Integrity Commission.

The nominees for this consti-

tutional body have not been made public.

President Granger had nominated Justice Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin as Chancellor of the Judiciary and Madam Justice Yonette Decina Cummings-Edwards as Chief Justice following recommendations from a panel of eminent jurists who had conducted interviews with a number of candidates for the

Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice, Turn to page 4

It’s Guyana’s...

Justice Kenneth Benjamin

President David Granger greets Opposition Leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo upon his arrival at State House at their last meeting (MoTP)

considered the two (2) nominees for whom you seek my agreement for appointment as

posts. The Guyana Constitution provides for full agreement between the President and Leader of the Opposition for the appointment of both the Chancellor and Chief Justice.

Now with Jagdeo’s rejection of the nominees, President Granger can go ahead and appoint them in acting positions as provided for in the constitution or maintain the status quo, with Cummings-Edwards as acting chancellor and Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire as acting Chief Justice. The Opposition Leader has said that he

Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

is committed to continuing the search for suitable nominees.

Jagdeo’s office on Wednesday released three letters which were dispatched to the Ministry of the Presidency; one of which dealt with the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice in accordance with Article 127 (1) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. In his missive the opposition leader said: ”Pursuant to our meeting held on January 3rd 2018, I have duly

son of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) told the large gathering that the country has recorded stable, macro-economic growth over the past eight years and she noted that the advent of the oil and gas sector is regarded as a significant step in the country’s economic diversification efforts. She said that it is hoped that this becomes the springboard from which wider economic diversification can be facilitated. Bacchus said that with a young economy, Guyana provides immense opportunities for investors and she urged participants to view the gaps in the country’s economic activities not only as shortcomings but also as opportunities. She said the exhibition provides a forum through which the petroleum sector can be carefully explored to lead to exploring the various economic opportunities

From page 2

along the value chair which are ripe for investment.

Private Sector Commission chairman, Eddie Boyer told the audience that during his lifetime, he struggled to understand why each neighbouring country produced oil, but Guyana did not.

He said his realties have been confirmed with the world class discoveries amid ongoing exploration.

He deemed the forum a foundation and conduit for success. The forum will run until Friday and a number of workshops and panel discussions are expected to be undertaken during the three day event. A number of companies, both local and international, are taking part in the activity. On Friday the exhibition will be open to the general public from 1600hrs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

Jagdeo rejects nominees...

From page 3►

respectively, in accordance with Article 127 (1) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.” He added: “As promised, I have done the requisite due diligence. It is with deep regret that I inform you that I am unable to offer my agreement to the appointment of Mr. Justice Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin, as Chancellor of the Judiciary and Madam Justice Yonette Decina Cummings-Edwards O.R., as Chief Justice.”

Jagdeo said that he remains cognisant of the fundamental importance of securing substantive appointments to these two high constitutional offices. ”As a result, I am committed to continuous engagement with your Excellency until there is due compliance with Article 127 (1) of the Constitution.” Jagdeo however, has offered no objection to the four persons who have been identified for appointment to the Integrity Commission in accordance with section 3 (4) of the Integrity Commission Act Cap. 19:12, Laws of Guyana. “I consider the totality of our engagement on this issue to be in satisfaction of the requirements of “consultation “as contemplated by the letter and spirit of section 3 (4) of the Integrity Commission Act Cap. 19:12, Laws of Guyana,” the Leader of the Opposition said in a letter to the President.

It has not been revealed who are the nominees for the Integrity Commission.

Meanwhile, observers say the Leader of the Opposition’s rejection of the judicial nominees is significant, given

the enormous pressure that has been brought to bear on the lack of a substantive appointment of either posts over the years. Justice Benjamin had served as a magistrate in Georgetown in 1980 and 1981, and subsequently as an Assistant Judge Advocate for the Guyana Defence Force. The Guyanese scholar has served 17 years as a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Court (ECC). If appointed chancellor, Justice Benjamin will replace Justice Cummings-Edwards, who has been acting in the post since March, 2017.

Justice Cummings-Edwards has previously acted as the chief justice.

The nominees were selected and recommended to the President by a panel comprising former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh; Justice James Patterson and Professor Harold Lutchman. The President had written to the Opposition Leader, informing him of the two persons to be appointed as Chancellor and at their last engagement back in January, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had informed that the Opposition requested more time to conduct their own due diligence regarding the two nominees.

“He requested a month to do due diligence which the President graciously agreed to…and we expect to meet again on February 7, when we will have that matter finalised,” the Ministry of the Presidency quoted the Minister as saying. Article 127 of the Constitution of

Guyana states that the Chancellor and the Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition; it is as a result of this constitutional provision that President David Granger is bound to meet with the Opposition Leader on the matter.

It was expected that at Wednesday’s meeting, the Opposition Leader would have indicated his position on the nominees put forward by the President. Guyana has been without a substantive Chancellor since 2005, when the then Chancellor, Desiree Bernard, retired and took up the post as judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) the same year. The non-appointment of a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice is a result of the government and opposition sides not agreeing to the candidates for the post. Should the Opposition Leader reject the initial nominees of the head-of-state, he (the President) may very well have to return to the drawing board and make additional nominees. Meanwhile, during his press conference in December, President Granger said every effort is being made to have the appointment made. President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Sir Dennis Byron, during the Bar Association dinner in November, had underscored the importance of having a substantive chancellor of the judiciary and chief justice in place soon.

Row and blows over baby pampers AGOWA Wellington, of lot 10 North Sophia appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore for assaulting his child’s mother Temika Canady, with whom he shared a home.

It was stated that the couple had an argument and exchange of words over the

purchasing of baby pampers, as a result of which the defendant assaulted Canady, causing her bodily harm.

Wellington pleaded not guilty to the charge and the matter was transferred to another court. He was placed on $40,000 bail.

Fined $25,000 for ‘broken down’ cart

TWENTY-ONE-year-old Kevin Bob and 57-year-old Ramesh Ramnarine, of 72 North Sophia were both accused of stealing one horse cart worth $ 140,000, property of Oneil Gentle .

They both appeared in the magistrate’s court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty.

Bob stated that on January 18, 2018, at Bel Air, Georgetown, he saw the cart broken on the roadside, so he and Ramnarine decided to fix it and sell it. Magistrate Fabayo Azore found Bob guilty and he was fined $25,000, while Ramnarine was placed on $25,000 bail.

Brazil police arrest sect members for enslavement

Brazilian police have arrested 13 members of a religious sect on suspicion of enslavement, human trafficking and money laundering.

Sect leaders are accused of seizing the possessions of followers and making them work unpaid. Police raided several businesses as part of an investigation into the sect, known as The Evangelical Community of Jesus, the Truth that Marks. The church is estimated to have 6,000 followers. Police are looking for nine more people including the leader of the sect, known as "Father Cicero". Investigators said vulnerable and fragile people who attended a church in Sao Paulo were persuaded to leave their families behind to start a new life in the countryside.

They were told the sect was totally egalitarian and that they had to hand over all their possessions to the community. On the farms and in the sect's rural businesses they would work unpaid and were supervised by sect members if they went into local towns. "The reality is this, it's the manipulation of the mind. The guys can totally undo your life, make you leave your family," one follower told Brazilian news channel Globo G1. "When I opened my eyes it was too late. And there were lots like me. And they had handed over everything." Police say the church's hierarchy converted the huge profits from donations and unpaid labour into land, houses and luxury cars. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

CDB projects 2% growth for Caribbean

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is projecting regional economic growth of 2% in 2018. This follows a return to positive figures last year, during which the Region experienced overall growth of 0.6%--despite the devastation caused by the Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Director of Economics at CDB, Dr. Justin Ram, says that all of CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) are expected to contribute to the positive movement.

“This is mainly driven by the return to growth in Trinidad and Tobago and a 2.3%

…but resilience-building measures needed

uptick in Jamaica, which accounts for about a fifth of regional GDP. The highest growth rates are anticipated for Anguilla and Dominica as they rebuild from the damage caused by the 2017 hurricanes. Antigua and Barbuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands are also expected to have strong growth.”

Dr. Ram was speaking at during CDB’s Annual News Conference on Wednesday.

He noted, however, that although a return to growth is encouraging, the Caribbean

still lags behind other small developing states. In the Region, growth has averaged 0.8% since 2009, compared to an average of 4.8% in other country groups.

The Director of Economics said that in order for Caribbean countries to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth and development, measures to improve resilience are needed. During his presentation to media, Dr. Ram recommended a framework that could help countries build resilience.

It is built on four pillars: macroeconomic resilience; productivity and competitiveness; human development; and environmental resilience. “Any blueprint for building resilience in the Caribbean must take into account all of the key elements identified in the four pillars. In addition we must ensure that we consider regional integration and gender equality—cross-cutting themes that support and reinforce the four elements.

It is important that we build

resilience in all four areas, which are interconnected,” said Dr. Ram. With respect to specific policy actions, Dr. Ram noted that at the macroeconomic level, fiscal rules that encourage governments to save should be implemented; and debt-to-GDP limits should be introduced. The Director also recommended that countries adopt reforms that make it easier to do business, thus setting the environment for private-sector-led growth.

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Resilience at the environmental level will mean stricter compliance with stricter building codes, and the development of indemnity insurance markets, he said. “We believe that all of this can be strengthened if there is greater gender equality particularly within the labour market. Regional Cooperation will also reinforce this for example, free movement of labour and capital which could assist with overcoming diseconomies of scale associated with small size,” added Dr. Ram.

Police still awaiting file on Branche’s murder AFTER months of investigations, the police are yet to complete the file concerning the murder of schoolteacher Kescia Branche and are still awaiting the phone call record between her and her alleged killer, Mathew Munroe.

Munroe, a 47-year-old taxi driver is currently on remand since December 2017, for the alleged killing of Branche on November 7, 2017 at Georgetown.

During Wednesday’s report before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, police prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers said that the court was still awaiting the DNA

results on the matter and relevant phone records from the phone company.

The magistrate further adjourned the matter until February 27 for report on the file.

Branche, a mother of one, who resided in Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, was last seen alive on November 4, 2017 when she left for a night out with her friends.

However, her unconscious body was found in the vicinity of Princes Street and Louisa Row the following day. Her left leg was broken and there was evidence that she’d sustained multiple head

injuries.

The Richard Ishmael Secondary School teacher died at the Georgetown Public Hospital two days after being found battered in the city. A

129 hinterland youths benefitted from gov’t scholarships in 2017 IN 2017, a total of 129 hinterland students were granted scholarships to pursue secondary and tertiary level education on the coast.

Seventy-six of these scholarships were granted to secondary aged students, while 53 were granted to individuals desirous of pursuing tertiary education. According to Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, the secondary students are housed at the Hinterland Student Dormitory (HSD) at Liliendaal.

There are also students attending secondary schools in their respective communities and those attending the residential President’s College on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) who are boarding there.

Tertiary students under age seventeen (17) are also housed at the dormitory, while those from 17 years and over reside with a guardian or at the Indigenous Residence in Georgetown. These students are pursuing their studies at institutions such as the Government Technical Institute (GTI), the Carnegie School of Home Economics, Burrowes School of Art, the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), Guyana Industrial Training Center (GITC) and the University of Guyana (UG).

The government is in the process of

constructing a new $183M dormitory. Once completed, the facility will include sixteen apartments, each housing six students. The apartments will contain a kitchenette, toilet and bath area and also a study area, while the dormitory itself will also have a cooking area, a library, and a play room. It will house 120 students in total.

Minister Garrido-Lowe noted that the hinterland residents are enthusiastic about the new dorm which will also be located at Liliendaal. “The parents are happy to know that they can send their children to a safe and comfortable environment,” she said.

Secondary aged students are granted scholarships through the government’s Hinterland Scholarship Programme (HSP). To qualify for a regional scholarship, students are required to obtain 470 marks at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA); while at the national level they must obtain more than 480 marks, to be awarded schools in Georgetown and its environs. Scholarships for the tertiary students are obtained through the Public Service Ministry.

In recent years, an estimated 600 hinterland students have benefitted from scholarships to attend tertiary institutions on the coast, while under HSP over 2,000 students have benefitted. (DPI)

post-mortem indicated that she died as a result of brain haemorrhage.

During police investigations, three suspects who were being questioned re-

garding the death of Branche, were released. The father of Branche’s three-year-old son was released on November 14 and placed on station bail, along with two police constables. The two officers were later charged departmentally for neglect of duty, consuming intoxicating liquor while on duty, improperly entering licensed premises and acting in a manner likely to bring discredit to the reputation of the force.

At the time of the trio’s release, police were seeking to contact a taxi driver whose cell phone number appeared repeatedly on Branche’s mobile device.

The taxi driver’s car was impounded at the Brickdam Police Station after he had reportedly left the country after Branche was found with a broken leg and in an unconscious state on November 5.

Investigators are of the opinion that the driver may have been the last person to see the teacher alive.

When arrested, the taxi driver claimed that his car was involved in an accident after he drove into a pothole, and according to a police report, the damages to the car are not consistent with the injuries Branche received.

GRA launches eServices to cut time in filing tax returns THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has launched some of its long awaited electronic services (eServices) platform to enable individual taxpayers and companies to submit tax returns with the click of a button.

The way was paved, following the amendment to Section 3 of the Income Tax Act Chapter 81:01 which gives jurisdiction to the Commissioner-General to “authorise the use of electronic technology” and also “require electronic, documents and electronic signatures.”

After signing up to enable user access, monthly and yearly Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), Individual Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Individual Company and Property taxes, and Value Added Tax (VAT) returns can be filed via the website https://eservices.gra. gov.gy. The launch comes at an opportune time as employers who are required to submit Employers Returns/Form 2 (a list of their employees’ names, payments, allowances and tax deductions) before February 28 can do so online and simultaneously make use of a utility capable of converting the said content into accurately completed income tax returns for each employee in bulk “pdf” format. Employees can thereafter uplift the forms from their employers, include other sources of income, if any, affix their signature and thereafter submit to the GRA using the drop box system.

Taxpayers in all categories, particularly individuals with multiple sources of income, those who have been approved for Mortgage Interest Relief (MIR) and others who file returns on their own volition, are encouraged to sign up to eServices in order to file with ease and convenience. Sensitisation sessions have commenced to ensure employers are fully au-fait with this revolutionary approach to tax compliance. The GRA will also be partnering with the E-Governance Unit to provide assistance to various taxpayers at Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs across the country.

Taxpayers are being reminded that Income Tax Returns must be true and correct and to ensure that their emolument (7b) slips are attached and a current email address is provided when submitting. The GRA is also encouraging taxpayers to make use of the online fillable forms that are available on its website. The filing of Income Tax is a requirement of Section 60 of the said Act which states that “Every person shall on or before the prescribed day in every year deliver to the Commissioner-General a true and correct return of the whole of his income from every source whatsoever for the year immediately preceding the year of assessment, and shall if absent from Guyana give the name and address of an agent residing therein.”

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

Justice for all

EVERY case that commences in the Magistrates’ Courts follows a certain procedure, as far as is understood.

There has to be a complaint made to the relevant authorities, investigations carried out, and once satisfied that an offence had indeed been committed, charges are laid. Of crucial importance in such matters, are the written statements from all the principals, essentially broken down into those from the virtual complainant and supporting witnesses if any; and from the accused, and also witnesses.

Sometimes, there are only the individual statements from the two parties, which from a layman’s view, makes the process easier for adjudication. Also, vital to every court trial, are the written statements, given by all parties, and which will be referred to for corroboration. Remove any of them, particularly those that are vital to establishing the case against the accused, and the case is likely to be dismissed, with the latter going free.

This scenario is well known in the local court system -- though intermittently -- as evidenced by the instances of

documents reportedly missing from case files. It was recently highlighted when a charge of death by dangerous driving made against an attorney-at-law had to be dismissed, because of a missing statement from the State’s file. Objectively, this case is as much about who was on trial, as against the missing page, as far as society’s perception goes; it would seem that citizens of certain professions, irrespective of offence, always manage to escape the sanction of the law.

And even though it is coincidental that the vital missing page happened to have been related to the case, the mere fact that it did, only helped to solidify the public’s traditional mindset. But, we ought to focus on an occurrence that should have no place in the criminal justice system, as it serves to defeat all the preparatory work that usually entails the bringing of cases to court.

In simple terms, documents that are reported missing from any case file can only be removed as part of a concerted attempt to influence a certain outcome of a trial. It is a practice that is unfair to the trial process, and serves only to undermine

Social media use and the alleged abuse of power Dear Editor, ONCE again the issues of social media use and the flagrant abuse of power by public officials have come to the fore. In an article dated January 31, 2018, the Guyana Chronicle reported, inter alia, that criminal charges were recommended by the Department for Public Prosecutions (DPP) against The Bishops’ High School teacher, Coen Jackson. Within hours of this publication, and following a strongly worded refutation by the DPP, the Guyana Chronicle made an “unreserved” retraction of the “erroneous article” and offered its “sincerest” apologies to Mr. Jackson, his attorneys, and the DPP via its online platform.

Apart from the obvious legal challenges that may beset the Guyana Chronicle stemming from the aforementioned publication, there is perhaps the more pressing issue of ethical misconduct by the newspaper’s management. Mr Editor, is it mere coincidence that the Guyana Chronicle was the only media outlet which had access to what has since been exposed as misinformation, and that Mr Ruel Johnson, who first raised the allegations levelled against Mr Jackson, is a sitting director on the newspaper’s board? Is it also a chance occurrence that the Chronicle carried an op-ed article penned by Mr Johnson on Dec 6, 2017, titled, “On the school system, Predators and Society’s Good People,” in which he sought to forward what appears to be a malicious campaign against Mr Jackson?

That the newspapers would, over

a period of months, allow Mr Johnson to leverage state resources to meet his own narrow ends, without any formal sanctions, represents a serious case of mismanagement and ethical misconduct.

Both the management of the entity and Mr Johnson should be made to give account for their misuse of state assets.

What is equally troubling is Mr Johnson’s personal role in this entire affair.

When he first reported the allegations against the teacher on his Facebook page, his claims were several and varied.

The public was told that what he had reported was “worse” than the Boston Sex scandal; where there were more than 1,000 reported cases of sexual abuse. We were later informed by Mr Johnson that what happened at The Bishops’ High was in fact, “the biggest public school sexual predation story in the history of the Caribbean”, and “worse” than the Larry Nassar case. These outlandish claims would no doubt fall short of Mr Johnson’s literary capacity to produce fictional characters and story lines.

Further, he suggested that there could well be more than 100 victims of sexual assault and abuse, and that he had in his possession a dossier of 30 “documented cases”, all of which he had submitted to the “relevant authorities”.

With the passage of time, it was revealed that the only reported case against Mr Jackson was one made by a young woman with whom he shared a relationship for several years and with whom Mr. Johnson is currently involved.

We were also made to understand that Mr Jackson and the young lady were friends

just months prior and that it wasn’t until meeting Mr Johnson that she was convinced that she was a victim of “sexual predation”.

Given that Mr Johnson would seek to conceal these pertinent facts when he first brought this story to our collective attention, casts doubts about the authenticity of his claims and his motives for doing so. Because of his vested interest in what is clearly a personal issue, Mr Johnson has effectively brought his roles as Cultural Advisor to the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Director of the Guyana Chronicle into disrepute. He can no longer be trusted as an independent and unbiased public commentator in this matter. Indeed, it is precisely because of Mr Johnson’s behaviour that private and public organisations have designed codes of conduct and social media policies for those under their employ. Social media outlets such as Facebook have the potential to spread scandals, uncorroborated claims, and create PR nightmares, and if the entity isn’t careful, social media can end up hurting its reputation, damaging public trust. Unfortunately, this has been the avoidable outcome of Mr Johnson’s rants.

Regards Sherry Thomas Editor’s Note: The information for the erroneous article mentioned above was provided to this newspaper upon request by a communication staff of the DPP Chambers.

the true intent of the justice system – the sanctioning of the guilty party.

We are cognisant of the many efforts that are being made to modernise our criminal justice system for a better quality of service; however, those that are responsible for manning its sensitive operations must understand what the seriousness and importance of their daily functions mean to a system that affects the lives of citizens. Their moral rectitude has to be above board at all times and must not in anyway, lend toward acts that will impugn the quality of justice offered.

Also, they must be reminded that acts of impropriety serve only to undermine society’s confidence in the system of justice, which must be seen to work for all, regardless of status and class.

How can the Council be allowed to veer so far from government policy?

Dear Editor,

FROM talking to persons from all walks of life, there seems to be one significant concern shared by many, which is the alarm as to why central government seems not prepared to hold the Georgetown City Council to standards, values and ethics to which it holds itself.

It is confusing as to why the central government, which ensures in most cases that their ministries, public corporations and other government departments submit themselves to the rules and guidelines of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, just casually turns a blind eye to the Georgetown municipality which ignores all the rules of tendering and procurement, instead giving contracts to friends and relatives willy nilly, of procuring goods from single sources at overinflated prices, etc Then we have the confutation where the central government has a clear green agenda for the country and the Minister of Communities, writing on his own behalf and on behalf of the Cabinet, to the mayor laying out the procedures that the M&CC must follow in respect of green spaces in Georgetown

and alarmingly, the response was a telling-off even accusing him of meddling, whilst the Council continued in a brutal way the ecological destruction of the green spaces in the city, including the Bel Air Park Playground and the possibility of similar actions on the Farnum Playground.

Shouldn’t persons at City Hall be brought to book?

Since the coalition government came to power in 2015, a policy has been established whereby public officers are required to take the leave due to them. It is felt that this would encourage the development of a good career system in which the subordinates are allowed to act.

At City Hall however, the town clerk and some of his cohorts are allowed to sit on years of stockpiled leave, refusing to proceed on it because they know that all hell can break loose if they go on leave and an investigation is launched into the corruption, maladministration, the nepotism, cronyism, the wasteful spending etc. How could the Council be allowed to veer so far from the government policy on public officers being required to take their leave.

Regards Magagula Jackson

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

7

Managing power effectively

Dear Editor,

MOST have heard the saying, “Power corrupts absolutely.” Those memorable words were spoken by the 19th century British politician, Lord Acton. Most would agree with the sentiment. Certainly, Guyanese are all too familiar with the negative effects of having power – people who have power often display objectionable behaviours.

Power is defined as, ‘The ability or capacity to direct or influence the behaviour of others, or the course of events, while themselves remaining uninfluenced.’ Leaders such as those in business, politics, and even the breadwinner of a home have such power. That said, politicians in positions of power are of particular interest because

of the immense scope of the influence that they wield, and the many types of power that they possess: positional power – because they may occupy a high office, referent power – because they have other powerful colleagues, coercive power – because they can threaten or punish people, and reward power.

Political leaders necessarily need to have power to enable leadership and allow them to do their work effectively; the truth of this fact is self-evident. However, experts agree that the possession of power often brings out the worst in people; many powerful people feel superior to others, they feel different or unique; they may develop a sense of entitlement (the arrogant belief that they deserve special privileges).

Those sentiments may result

in undesirable behaviours, to put it mildly.

Scholars tell us that such people may begin to believe that social rules and laws do not apply to them, they may lose the ability to feel empathy, and they may become heartless. According to a study conducted by Professor Dr. Gerben van Kleef of the University of Amsterdam, powerful people usually hold the irrational belief that they are better role models than others. This is but one example of the accepted fact that the possession of power almost always distorts the powerful person’s perception of reality. The fact that people who interact with powerful people are usually afraid to contradict or correct them only intensifies the problems.

Worse still, as the pathology progresses, powerful

City Council needs a CoI

Dear Editor,

AS a property owner, resident and business owner in our capital city, I would like to enquire of the powers that be, when would they relieve the citizens of Georgetown from the oligarchy that exists within the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown, formerly known as the “Fantastic Four” and now known as the “Terrific Trio”.

The level of venality, duplicity and mismanagement there is simply unbelievable and it just keeps getting worse and worse. If there is an entity

in the country that needs a commission of enquiry it is the Georgetown municipality.

Could you imagine an entity receiving and spending billions of dollars each year and not being audited?

It is complete anarchy at City Hall, where senior officials ‘buse out’ the minister who is responsible for the Council, and ignore court rulings and the wishes of the government. It is a serious affair when officers undertake major activities without the Council’s knowledge or fiat.

And we cannot forget the numerous hair-raising scandals that have occurred over the last two and a half years

at City Hall, from the parking meters ignominy , to the stun gun fiasco, to the attempted cover up of the rape of a juvenile, to a firearm going missing, to inappropriate sexual conduct by a senior official in the Engineer’s Department, to the granting of permission to a vendor to build a two- storey structure without Council’s knowledge or permission, something that will change the aesthetics of the Stabroek Market without consultation with the National Trust, to the building of model homes on the city’s reserves.

Can citizens be told what tangible benefits were derived

people may actively seek to get rid of subordinates who are objective, and they may choose instead to surround themselves with meek and docile sycophantic underlings. Accompanying this, powerful people may treat their staff and other supporters with scant regard, and make unreasonable demands; they may behave socially inappropriately; and they may become bullies. And as time progresses, such behaviours – left unchecked – may become worse.

Those undeniable facts have long been recognised.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Editor, fortunately, all is not lost; the experts say that a powerful person can impede the development of

such negative traits by actively working to disrupt the degenerative process. This necessarily requires that the powerful person recognise, acknowledge, and accept the truth of the matter, engage in wilful introspection and take positive action.

Such action, say the experts, include developing a team approach to problem-solving; abandoning the “I” mentality in favour of a “we” attitude. They must foster a personal philosophy of interdependence and co-operation. And importantly, they must consciously, constantly strive to remain humble, and rooted in reality.

Editor, I take this opportunity to point out that I, personally, became outspoken in politics because I saw for myself how power can negatively affect otherwise ‘normal’

people, much to the detriment of those over whom they exert influence. I point out too, that it is as a result of that outspokenness and other actions of persons such as yours truly that change has, and can continue to be realised. In other words, we the people have power as well; we have the power to elevate the owner of a business, or to install a person into political office. And, it follows, that we have the power to demote or remove such persons if we, for our own reasons, choose to so do.

With this in mind, persons in positions of power may wish to think very carefully about their attitudes, approaches, and mental states, and they may be well advised to conduct themselves accordingly.

as a result of all of those many luxury trips abroad?

Can citizens be told why the City Police Training School was allowed to go to rack and ruin, even though it was totally rehabilitated during the term of the last Council? Can citizens be told when the Stabroek Market clock will work again, having received foreign funding a long time ago and

when will works will begin on the restoration of City Hall?

Just look at the Stabroek Market wharf that collapsed years ago and instead of fixing it, they hang some lights at the front for window dressing.

Council has an administration that refuses to recognise or to engage the vendors’ union, who farms out a part of the Farnum Playfield in Subry-

anville to a private individual and attempts to sell the Bel Air Park Playfield to a private developer -- all against the covenants associated with these properties. The greed in this attempt is palpable, as at least one of these individuals owns multiple homes and is attempting to grab more.

Regards Mark Roopan

Regards Mark DaCosta

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

Work continues on LCDS projects GGDMA calls for speedy converting of Prospecting Licences into Mining Permits

…restates commitment to working with MNR and GGMC THE Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association [GGDMA] is rejecting what it calls delays in converting Prospecting Licences into Mining Licences and disagrees with the notion that such a conversion must be tied to performance.

In a press release yesterday, the GGDMA said it has secured a legal opinion by independent counsel, “which reaffirms that the previous action by Ministers responsible for Mines and Minerals, the Boards and Commissioners of the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) since 1994, in allowing portions of or all the lands held in valid Prospecting Licences held by Guyanese to be marked of and applied for as Mining Permits [Medium Scale], is legal and grounded in the Mining Act and the Regulations.”

The entity further submits that while this has been happening since 1994, there was no publication of notice to the public that the applications and subsequent grants of the Mining Permits under Section 35 of the Regulations, were illegal, unlawful or offended the Mining Act of 1989.

“The GGDMA accepts the right of the minister under Section 133 of the Mining Act 65:01 to exempt anyone from the provisions of the Act in order to give effect to any Mining Policy the Minister desires to put in force. We note with concern that the actions of some senior staff at the GGMC seem to suggest that they reject this right of

the minister to exempt. We are advised that the staff of the GGMC appear to reject the decisions of the commissioner and challenge his right to implement policy as stated by the minister. We know that the GGMC Act gives the minister the right to advise the commissioner on mining policy to be implemented,” the GGDMA said.

The GGDMA said it categorically rejects the “ongoing, inordinate delays” in processing of the requested applications. We reiterate that the GGMC has an implied duty to process applications without undue delay; some applications are pending for more than 24 months.

A deliberate attempt at maximum administrative delay could not have been worse.

The GGDMA also categorically rejects the suggestions of the commissioner that applications for conversion must be tied to performance criteria set by the staff, commissioner, or board of the GGMC. “The GGDMA is advised that the only criterion for conversion is that the PL must be in force.

We are further advised that if the PL holder is in default, he is notified in writing by the GGMC of the default and is requested to remedy same.

The performance criteria, we submit, impinge on the performance bond and due process related thereto. The PL continues in force until cancelled by the competent authority. The PL holder must not be subjected to administrative dicta which result in frustration of the PL

Holder,” the release said.

The GGDMA said it welcomes the recent decision by the GGMC to offer a waiver of interest on monies owed by medium-scale miners for late payment of rent. “We recognise that this amnesty follows a rich tradition by the GGMC to give meaningful support to the mining sector.

We note that such positive actions flow from an understanding of the vagaries of the sector. Likewise, we commend the minister for his policy which provided special approval, by way of Order, for small miners in need to obtain special mining permits from the Closed Area Reserve. We too are of the view that from time miners need a helping hand and even now, some of our larger miners have begun lending sums of money to syndicate members to assist them to get back on their feet.”

The body called on mining administrators to continue to temper justice with mercy “as we pursue development of the mining industry in particular and Guyana as a whole.”

“The GGDMA re-states its commitment to a continued mutually beneficial and harmonious working relationship with the government, the senior minister responsible for mines and minerals, the Junior Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources, the staff of the ministry, the Board of Directors and commissioner and his staff of the GGMC,” the release concluded.

Porter killed in accident at Kuru Kururu FORTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Dexter Conway was killed after being hit by a motor car on the Kuru Kururu Public Road, Soesdyke/ Linden Highway Tuesday night.

A report from the police indicated that around 23:00hrs on Tuesday, Conway who works as a porter was assisting the driver of motor lorry GVV 427, Elroy Savory to fix the vehicle that was experiencing mechanical problems.

Police investigations revealed that the lorry with the trailer was proceeding east along the northern carriageway when it encountered a mechanical problem. As a result, the driver and Conway exited and were positioned along the right side of the vehicle trying to fix the problem when they were struck down by motor car PRR 378 which was driven by a 28-year-old of Kuru Kururu.

The driver of the car alleged that he was blinded

by the lights on a vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction. The injured men were taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where Conway was pronounced dead on arrival. Savory was treated and sent away.

Police reported that the suspect is in custody assisting with the investigation.

He was tested and no alcohol was detected in his breath. The post-mortem of Conway is scheduled for Friday, February 09, 2018.

THE Office of Climate Change (OCC) continues to implement and execute projects articulated in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), mainly since these are tied to the bilateral agreement between Guyana and the Kingdom of Norway.

Head of the OCC, Janelle Christian, speaking recently on the advancement of several of these projects, said: “The whole thing is what is good for Guyana, what is good for the country and how we manage our resources, how do we address the gaps in governance and other legislative and policy areas”.

She noted the office is building on all the work conducted over the years under the LCDS, while ensuring that development is approached across all sectors along a low-emissions path, as stipulated in the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS). The OCC is ramping up all the work started under the LCDS with the focus on Guyana emerging into a truly ‘green state’.

Christian informed that the Project Management Office, which leads the process with respect to identification and elaboration of proposals for submission to the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) Steering Committee, had successfully, in 2017, received approval for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hinterland Connectivity Project.

The office has also advanced the process of the National Opt-in Mechanism, successfully completing consultancy in 2017, which has led to the development of a framework document.

“We are looking to con-

Office of Climate Change Head Janelle Christian

tinue that initiative in terms of having more countrywide engagement with communities and also seek to do some piloting,” Christian said.

Another priority of the LCDS which has progressed is the recently launched Sustainable Land Development Project, which deals with land-use planning and governance, Christian highlighted.

Importantly, the OCC with support from its partners has conducted work in the Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo region in the area of water-resource management. A pilot project is being financed under the Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (JCCP).

According to the OCC Head, “we are going to be undertaking the assessment, the Ground Water Hydrology Assessment to have a better understanding of water resources in that area and then come up with the best solution to address the scarcity that the communities experience there”.

Information and data coming out of that pilot project will then inform a larger programme. Christian alluded to several other important

projects coming out from the LCDS, which fall under the Ministry of Natural Resources such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Guyana’s application to become an EITI candidate was approved in October 2017 during the 38th Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Board Meeting held in Manila, Philippines. Government is also advancing work under the European Union/Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (EU/FLEGT) Programme.

The LCDS is a national strategy launched in 2009, under the previous administration, which seeks to create a low deforestation, low carbon, climate resilient economy with the objective of transforming the economy while combating climate change, mainly through incentives to avoid deforestation.

The policy document titled ‘Framework of the Guyana Green State Development Strategy and Financing Mechanisms’ was completed in April 2017 and is intended to provide guidance on the prioritised areas to be developed in the GSDS. The document represents a roadmap for Guyana’s development along a reduced- emissions pathway and builds on the successes of the LCDS and several other national documents, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions, Climate Resilience Strategy Action Plan (CRSAP), Draft National Energy Policy, and National Adaptation Strategy for the Agriculture Sector (2009 -2018).

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

‘What is happening here is incredible’ – former TT Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine FORMER Energy Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kevin Ramnarine believes that the projected daily production rate of both Liza Phases 1 and 2 will be incredible.

He was speaking at a press briefing held in the media room at the Guyana Marriott Hotel on Wednesday following a break in the presentations at the Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX 2018).

Earlier in the day, it was announced that ExxonMobil and its joint venture partners HESS and CNOOC Nexen were eyeing the development of Liza Phase 2 with an estimated daily production of 220,000 barrels. This is on top of the Liza Phase 1 which is projected to have a rate of production of 120,000 barrels per day.

“So you are looking at 340,000 barrels per day by 2022…Trinidad’s highest ever oil production was

229,500 barrels [per day] in the year 1978. So the scale of what is happening here is incredible,” he said.

He noted that after Liza Phase 2, Payara is next to be developed…“and then there are other fields in the inventory to be developed, such as the Turbot field and Snoek and of course Ranger 1,” he said. “I don’t have a figure but we are looking at something very large [in terms of] barrels per day,” Ramnarine pointed out. “Guyana is going to have a spectacular rise in production and that is going to fundamentally transform this place,” he said.

With regards to the lessons Guyana can learn from Trinidad and Tobago, Ramnarine said there were things his country got right and things that they did not.

“Guyana has to study that.

Guyana has to study other things too,” he said. In highlighting what Trinidad did not get right, he not-

ed productivity was one of them. “We have been losing our competitiveness in our oil and gas industry and a manifestation of that is that in 2017, BP was supposed to have fabricated a new platform in Trinidad and the decision was taken to move that to the United States because fabrication yards there are so much more competitive and productive,” he said.

He noted too that the industrial relations climate around the energy sector was another downfall of that country and one of the things Guyana must get right. “We have had a situation where for the last month we had protests outside a plant which is being constructed in South Trinidad,” he said. Another pitfall Guyana can avoid is to start its sovereign wealth fund early, unlike Trinidad which established theirs in the 1990s and with over 100 years in oil. “I think

Former Energy Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kevin Ramnarine

we started that too late… we should have started it much earlier. I think Guyana is planning to start it from day one,” he said.

“We started our fund in 1999 and we now have US $5.2 billion. I think with the benefit of hindsight we should have started it decades before,” he said.

Gov’t to establish Guyana Youth Service – to consolidate youth programmes, organisations PRESIDENT David Granger on Wednesday convened a ministerial meeting to discuss the establishment of the Guyana Youth Service (GYS), the body that will be responsible for consolidating all youth programmes and organisations, to offer a standardised education and training curriculum and is expected to significantly improve youths’ marketability and prospects for gainful employment.

The ministers who at-

tended the meeting at State House were Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Mr Sydney Allicock; Minister of Social Protection, Ms Amna Ally; Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry; Minister of Public Affairs, Ms Dawn Hastings-Williams and Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, under whose responsibility the GYS will fall.

President Granger said that at the end of the training offered by the GYS, a graduate must be able to employ

him or herself, as well as be qualified to find employment in any organisation. He noted too, that while the GYS will fall under the purview of the Social Cohesion Ministry, there will be formal and informal liaisons with ministries that are currently involved in implementing youth programmes.

Some of the youth programmes to be consolidated include the Hinterland Employment and Youth Services (HEYS), the Youth Entrepreneurship

and Skills Training Programme (YEST), the President’s Youth Choice initiative (PYCI), the President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG), the Youth Apprenticeship and Entrepreneurial Programme (YAEP), the Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) Initiative, the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) and the Guyana Youth and Social Entrepreneurship Programme (GYSEP). (Ministry of the Presidency)

President David Granger meeting with his ministers at State House to discuss establishment of the Guyana Youth Service

Opposition no show!

AFTER requesting a month for consideration of several matters, the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, failed to show up for a follow-up meeting with the President at State House on Wednesday. He however later sent three letters one rejecting the President’s nominees for chancellor of the judiciary and chief justice.

President David Granger, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Attorney General, Basil Williams were all seated waiting for the arrival of their guests, who failed to put in an appearance.

In a terse statement by the Ministry of the Presidency, there was no indication as to whether Jagdeo had contacted the President’s office on his failure to show up.

The meeting was convened to discuss the appointments of the Chancellor and Chief Justice, the Integrity Commission and the Teaching Service Commission.

The Attorney General, in an invited comment, said that it is unfortunate that Mr. Jagdeo failed to show up at the meeting, despite the President’s decision to grant his request for a month to consider the issues. He noted that the Leader of the Opposition has put the nation’s business at a standstill. Minister Williams said that it was minutes before the commencement of the meeting that the Leader of the Opposition sent three letters, which communicated his standing on the three matters. However, at no time did those letters indicate that the Leader of the Opposition

would not be attending the meeting.

“We waited and the Leader of the Opposition was granted an entire month for due diligence and it is unfortunate that he hasn’t seen it fit to attend this afternoon or to indicate earlier his disagreement with such appointment so the nation is waiting and we will have to move on from here. Unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition sent a short while before our meeting, three letters in which he indicated that in respect to the appointments of the Office of Chancellor and Chief Justice, that he was not in agreement.

In relation to the appointment of the Teaching Service Commission, he is asking for further time to identify a nominee but he has agreed for the President to go ahead with the appointment with the members of the Integrity Commission. The question of giving him further time for the TSC will be up to the President and in relation to the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice we will have to continue to look at that matter,” the Attorney General said. Pursuant to Article 127 (1) of the Constitution, President Granger, on January 3, met with Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo to discuss the appointments.

The provision of a name by the Opposition Leader will signal the end of the necessary consultations on the TSC. The President will then consider the Opposition’s nominee, paving the way for the appointment of this Commission.

19-yr-old miner on $50,000 bail for theft A 19-year-old miner was on Wednesday charged and granted bail on two breakand-enter and larceny charges.

Johnson Charlie appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and made not guilty pleas to the charges.

Particulars of the first charge allege that Charlie, on November 25, 2017 at Jawalla Village, Mazaruni River, broke and entered the dwelling house of Camille Hunter and stole a Samsung cell phone and memory card valued $47,000.

It is also alleged that Charlie, between December 6, 2017 and December 7, 2017 at Imbaima-

Johnson Charlie

dai Landing, Essequibo, broke and entered the shop of Sheldon Williams and stole $110,000 in cash and items.

The unrepresented teen was released on a total of $50,000 bail and the matter was transferred to the Kamarang Magistrate’s Court for March 19.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

Guyanese engineers undergoing training in deep-water subsea operations in Brazil GUYANESE engineers are currently undergoing training in neighbouring Brazil and will be working along with ExxonMobil’s contractor offshore Guyana in the production of oil.

This was noted on Wednesday by Lisa Waters, Vice-President of ExxonMobil Development Company during her presentation at the inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit and Exhibition (GIPEX) at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston.

Waters told the gathering that manufacturing work has begun on the Liza subsea equipment in Brazil; the equipment will be used to transport oil on the seafloor during production to the floating production storage offshore (FPSO) unit.

She said the Guyanese engineers were recently hired by Exxon’s sub-contractor, Technip FMC, and they are undergoing training and working in Brazil on

the projects. She lauded the efforts of the engineers thus far in their quest to gain knowledge and experience, noting that the skilled workers will work with Exxon throughout the installation phases of production.

She told the gathering that the oil discoveries to date provide the foundation for world-class oil development that will bring substantial benefits to Guyana and these include new sources of revenue that will improve the overall quality of life. She said that Exxon will undertake meaningful and sustainable community projects, which have the potential to positively impact the livelihoods of all Guyanese. Waters said that based on consultations with stakeholders and a community needs assessment,” our support in Guyana is directed towards education and training the environment and economic empowerment.”

She said that as an exam-

ple, that Exxon was happy to initiate a partnership with the Iwokrama International Centre for rainforest conservation and development.

Exxon plans to relaunch the centre’s science programme and last November on the occasion of World Science Day , the company pledged a sum of G$62M in that regard.

“So you can see the Liza development can bring significant benefits to Guyana,” Waters noted, adding that the revenue earnings for Guyana begin from the very first day of production.

Waters said that Exxon is proud to be a part of the Centre for Business Development, noting that the South Road facility is already assisting small and medium-scale businesses in terms of capacity-building and the general improvement of competitiveness.

She said that in the first five months of operations, many persons have been taking part in activities at

the centre .

“Local suppliers are very important to the success of these projects and to the growth of operations in Guyana,” Waters said. She noted that the centre is an investment in the people and the future of the country.

Waters said Exxon is committed to working with the authorities in the development of the country’s resources in a safe , responsible and mutually beneficial manner. She said that the company has an overriding commitment to safety and environmental excellence in everything it does, noting that it is a core value of all its employees and partners.

“To ensure that today we protect the environment for tomorrow and the future,” Waters told the audience.

She said Guyana can be proud to be a part of the solution to meeting the growing demand for energy.” Guyana will be helping to fuel economic growth around the world.

Lisa Waters, Vice-President of ExxonMobil Development Company, during her presentation at the inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit and Exhibition (GIPEX) on Wednesday at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston.

(Delano Williams photo)

Unpatriotic

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

By Svetlana Marshall

DESCRIBING the move as unpatriotic, senior ministers of government on Wednesday slammed the masterminds behind a paid advertisement, which appeared in two local newspapers, discouraging investors from investing in Guyana.

The ad was published in the Kaieteur and Stabroek newspapers on Wednesday February 7 – the same day hundreds of international, regional and local investors were converging at the Marriott Hotel for the opening of the Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX 2018) – a first for the country.

On the sideline of GIPEX 2018, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, though expressing disappointment, said Guyana is nonetheless on the move.

“It is disappointing that the Opposition would sink to [a] new dark depth by placing an advertisement to discourage investment in Guyana, when the world’s top industries are in country seeking partners. Thankfully, they are not fazed and things are moving. Guyana’s time is now!”

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who was also among ministers of government present at the GIPEX 2018 opening ceremony, told reporters that boundaries were crossed.

“If we have a difference in the family, I am sure we can solve it, but when you bring it nationally so as to bring harm and put our country into disrepute, I think everybody, every right-thinking Guyanese, should be able to say no, we

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan

have our differences but no, we don’t need to carry it this far,” Minister Jordan said in response to the ad.

He said Guyanese should reject any move to destabilise the country. Minister Jordan said while there is provision for freedom of speech, the ad and the authors of it went beyond the boundary and should not be tolerated.

“Anything that can damage the economy as opposed to damaging oneself or even a narrow group, is cause for concern,” the finance minister posited.

But like the Natural Resources Minister, Minister Jordan believes that the paid ad will not stop Guyana from progressing.

“I don’t think it is going to hurt us essentially... really don’t think that they (the investors) are going to be worried about it,” he posited, while adding that the country “will not lose sleep over such a thing”.

Minister Jordan said GIPEX 2018, which creates a platform for networking and partnership opportunities for local, regional and international investors at a time when Guyana is gearing up for production in early 2020, creates a win-win sit-

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

uation for all.

WIN-WIN “It is a win-win for all of us. We are winning here, because of the fact that we have so many people in Guyana at this time, adding to our growth, adding to our GDP, helping us create jobs.

We are winning in the sense, because we are getting part of the proceeds to educate, so that [we] can make Local Content a reality and also ownership in terms of the revenues and the management of those revenues.

“And the participants are winning because they are getting an opportunity to showcase what they have to Guyana, to the Caribbean and to the rest of the world.

So it is a win, win all around and this is what I call a partnership,” the finance minister explained.

He noted that this is the beginning of greater things to come, and the government will put the necessary systems in place to maintain an enabling environment for citizens, investors and business operators here.

“We will continue to do what it is we have to do, which is try to create a stable political environment in Guyana, try to stabilise

Cop fined $10,000 for slapping woman POLICE Constable Robert Hendricks was Wednesday fined $10,000 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after being on trial for slapping a woman in a minibus.

Constable # 22919 Hendricks, who is attached to the Impact Base of the Guyana Police Force, was found guilty of the unlawful assault charge.

Particulars of the charge alleged that Hendricks, on January 26 at High Street, Georgetown, unlawfully assaulted Shonnette Smith. He was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine or, in default, spend three weeks in jail.

According to reports, on the day in question, both parties were in a minibus.

Hendricks was sitting in the conductor’s seat and the victim was seated next to him.

It is alleged that Hen-

dricks put his hand around the woman and she pushed it away. However, Hendricks put back his hand which was brushed away a second time

by Smith. The officer became annoyed and put his hands around the victim’s waist and said: “Move my hand again and I guh put two box on you.”

The victim removed the man’s hands and Hendricks dealt her three slaps to her face.

– Gov’t slams anti-investment ad the macroeconomics of the country, try to as far as possible bring about some level of social cohesion... they [investors] are looking for political maturity and stability, they are looking for an economy that is growing and that has promise and they are looking for people who appear to be united, if not united, that the country is socially stable,” Minister Jordan further noted.

In a separate interview at the Guyana Marriott, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters that in spite of the “negative vibes” that are coming from certain quarters, the government in partnership with the private sector is moving with full force to develop Guyana to its true potential.

“Some people their comments are becoming irrelevant to the development of

Guyana. We as a country, we will continue to press on.

The government, the private sector, all of the stakeholders, we will continue to press on to develop the resources of this country for the benefit of all of our people, including those who have negative comments to make,” Minister Harmon stated.

He warned that the world is looking at Guyana.

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Oil, insecurities, the ‘noisies’ and economic sabotage

IN his book, ‘Out of the Desert: My Journey from Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil’, Ali Al-Naimi, the former Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources (1995-2016) and who was previously the first Saudi President of oil giant Aramco, reports that, “[i] n the spring of 1933, even before Saudi Arabia was a

year old, our king granted a concession to Standard Oil of California (Socal) to explore for oil across much of the vast Kingdom.

To fulfil its mission, the oil company created a subsidiary, California Arabian Standard Oil Co., referred to as Casoc. This was the small seed from which today’s mighty Saudi Aramco has grown.”

In this same book, the United States Secretary of State and former CEO of ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson is quoted as saying, “I spend all of my time thinking about what it is going to be like in 10 or 15 years, because I have to start working today.

I think Ali Al-Naimi is very much of the same mind.”

There are lessons therein for us as Guyanese. What has

been found by ExxonMobil to date, is not the be all and end all of oil and gas for Guyana. We are at the tip of the iceberg of discoveries, not at the tail end. And yet, being at the tip, what we know we will earn from what has been confirmed below our waters will allow us the prospects of rapid national infrastructural and social development, hitherto unimaginable.

Yet, we bicker.

Rather than heeding the advice of Tillerson and AlNaimi and being consumed with how we will ensure that the transformative wealth, soon to be at our disposal is utilised based on our national priorities and needs, we have a chorus of persons who have chosen to be obsessed with being enveloped in a perpetual state of pessimism. This ought to concern us all and lead us to question motives.

Following the discoveries of 2015, Guyana has been on the fast track to first oil by 2020. We are progressing at breakneck speed, bucking industry trends, of 7 to 10 years from discovery to production.

There is building excitement among our people.

This excitement, shared, whether openly or guardedly by all, is not being telegraphed by all.

While there are those who have raised valid and credible concerns and reservations, the plethora of negative ‘noisies’ comprises persons in three general categories: (i) those engaged in the usual playing of partisan politics, (ii) those who occupy a certain status quo, who feel threatened and have launched a campaign aimed at the zealous protection of their turf and, (iii) those who want in on the action and are using the backdoor stratagem of raising hell in an effort to demonstrate their worth.

The political opposition and oppositionists are doing what oppositions the world over in politics do–oppose.

It is their business and purpose. They do this with the

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

sole aim of achieving or reclaiming lost power. This is the nature and demand of opposition politics. The PPP impulsively opposing everything under the sun which is engaged in by this Coalition Government is not to be met with surprise. It is who they are, intractably and even unreasonably so.

There is one unequivocal caveat however. That caveat being that acting against the national interest, under any circumstances whatsoever, cannot be countenanced.

Whether it is the suggestion that there should be consideration of ceding our patrimony and granting our western neighbour “access to the sea,” or any activity which can be considered economic sabotage, there can be nothing but zero tolerance for such posturing.

In the global context, Guyana is still at the stage of a small seed, as Saudi Arabia once was, and can grow to being an influential hemispheric power if we, as a nation, agree that the national interests are sacrosanct and are not to be subject to partisan politics.

Guyana’s social space is not vast. There are those, based on tradition and the social construct, who have wielded influence and who believe that such influence is an entitlement of theirs.

They have sensed that oil will result in major shifts in this status quo, narrow or obliterate their perches and leave them with considerably less influence. In simple terms, they are quite satisfied with being big fishes in a small

pond. Oil will expand Guyana’s pond and will allow for greater empowerment of a wider cross-section of our population.

The social elite is evidently threatened and there is a convergence of interests to wage a war of dissonance against Guyana’s emerging economy and prospects entering new and bold vistas.

And then there are those who are desperate to be facilitated, even by improper political means and who have been rebuffed when attempts were made by them to collude.

They now feel ostracised (as a result of their own unwholesome actions) and are using the public space to act up and throw barbs and tantrums, while engaged in disinformation, hoping in the end to be appeased by being brought into the fold.

The sickening paid advertisements in yesterday’s editions of Stabroek News and Kaieteur News is evidence of these interests having little, if any regard, for what is best for Guyana. As our nation’s largest oil and gas summit opened, they sought to scare investors. What would motivate anyone or groups of persons to pursue economic sabotage and injure the interests of the country and its people? The pursuit of political power? The protection of the status quo? Getting in on the oil action at any cost?

Surely maturity, patriotism and the national interest must take precedence.

Otherwise, where will we be in 10 or 15 years? Still politically divided? Still a small seed?

Accused of stealing jewellery TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Sandra Griffith of Third Street, Sophia appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore Wednesday, accused of stealing a gold chain worth $500,000, a white diamond finger ring worth $250,000 and a pair of gold earrings worth $ 45,000 on November 11, 2017 from Keon Howard.

She pleaded not guilty and was placed on $75,000 bail.

She is expected to return to court on February 28, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

Republic Bank gives $2.8M for steel pan contest THE Ministry of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport on Wednesday received a $2.8 M cheque from Republic Bank to support the 2018 Pan-O-Rama Steel Pan Competition.

The competition has been one of the key competitions on the Mashramani calendar of events for quite a number of years. The cheque was handed over in the ministry’s boardroom, on Main Street.

Republic Bank Water Street Branch Manager, Ms Celine Davis, who presented the cheque to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Melissa Tucker, said that the sponsorship is a part of the bank’s corporate responsibility to giving back to the art form of steel pan and also back to the youths who participate in the culture.

“Republic Bank is proud to sponsor this programme in terms of art and what it does

for the youth, we are also very much interested in our youth…so with…our power to make a difference we do encourage our youth,” Ms Davis said.

According to Mashramani Coordinator, Mr Andrew Tyndall, this is the 10th year that the bank is sponsoring the competition. He further added, that the bank’s sponsorship is not only limited to the competition, but also in the promotion and development of the art form.

“The bank has invested in a number of training programmes that provide lots of opportunities to young people to become involved in the art form, as well as to develop the skills and the capacity of the trainers and the ranges of the bands and for that we are really thankful,” Mr Tyndall said.

He also noted the significant strides the government has made in keeping the steel

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Ms Melissa Tucker, (second from left) receiving a $2.8M cheque from the Manager of Republic Bank, Water Street branch, Ms Celine Davis, for sponsorship of the ministry’s Pan-O-Rama activities. In photograph are also Mashramani Coordinator Mr Andrew Tyndall and Communications and Public Relations officer of the Bank, Ms Jonelle Dummett. The handing over of the cheque was done on Wednesday in the ministry’s boardroom

pan art form alive throughout a five-year period by implementing a ‘School’s Steel Pan Development Programme,’ which serves to

train students throughout the country. Permanent Secretary Ms Tucker, while thanking the bank for its generous contribution towards this year’s

Pan-O-Rama competition, also took the time to appeal to the rest of corporate Guyana to make donations towards other Mashramani events.

“There are quite a number of other activities to be funded and we have had several other corporate sponsors coming on board, but there is still room for other members of corporate Guyana to lend assistance towards this national event,” Ms Tucker said.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Mr Tyndall said that the donation will aid in offsetting the expenses of the competition in the area of prizes and other needs and necessities of the event. He added that a total of 13 school bands, three large bands and a number of other small groups are expected to participate in this year’s competition, competing in five categories, namely the LargeBand category, School Band, Pan-Jazz, Pan Duet and the Junior and Senior categories. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Mother of heroic 7-yr-old found in NA drug yard ALMOST two days after she left her two under aged children home alone, Kemila Henry, aged 24 years, was found at a known ‘drug yard’ at St Ann Street, in New Amsterdam Berbice, just after 09:00 hrs on Wednesday.

Following a tip off, her mother, accompanied by personnel from a Non-Government Organisation, swooped down at the location where the

Kemila Henry has been detained by police

young mother was hiding.

She is currently in custody at Central Police Station,

in New Amsterdam, where she is being processed for a Court appearance.

Henry of Lot 740 Glasgow, New Housing Scheme, went into hiding after her home went ablaze, and authorities discovered that her two under aged children were left unsupervised on Monday evening.

It was after 21:00hrs that the home, which sourced light from a candle, went up in flames,

trapping Kissoon and Kyle Henry in the padlocked building. However, the quick thinking Kyle, aged 7, grabbed a sheet, in which she strapped her brother before letting him

down to the ground from the upper western window.

However, she sustained a fractured tibia, after jumping to safety. She received medical treatment at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Residents in the East Bank Berbice community were high in praise for the quick response from the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

750 new houses to be built --single units at Onderneeming taking shape

By Navendra Seoraj CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Lelon Saul, has said that the authority will soon form a joint venture with private investors to construct 750 houses across the country.

Saul made the disclosure during an interview with reporters after a tour of the housing solutions at Onderneeming, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on Tuesday.

The CEO said more details about the project will be provided by Minister

within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams, at a later date, but highlighted that the authority is moving apace to complete their target of 247 homes for the year.

“Houses will be constructed in Bath/Experiment on the West Coast of Berbice, Perseverance, Onderneeming and Cummings Lodge,” said Saul.

Construction of single-unit houses has already commenced in Perseverance, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and Onderneeming on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).

Construction has also started on 10 of 19 houses in Onderneeming.

Project Manager at Onderneeming, Deron Mckinnon, said the new housing solutions comprise elevated two-bedroom houses.

Mckinnon explained that four contractors were hired to construct the 10 buildings, which are being built using the same method of construction. The houses are made of reinforced concrete and timber floors.

“We are making sure that the beneficiaries get their money’s worth… so we did testing specification and Project Manager at Onderneeming, Deron Mckinnon, inspects one of the houses at Onderneeming, West Bank of Demerara,where work is ongoing (Delano Williams photo)

Some of the houses under construction at Onderneeming (Delano Williams photo)

even carefully considered the placement of the house,” said the engineer, who added that persons will have an additional five feet in front of their homes to extend forward and a lot of space at the back and sides.

Beneficiaries will have ample yard space, because the lots are all 46 x 100.

The engineer explained that there was no specific reason

for building elevated houses, but those will be the new style going forward.

Construction of the houses was expected to be finished by March, but due to inclement weather, they are now expected to finish

by May. Director of Operations at the CH&PA, Denise King-Tudor, said the houses cost $8 million, with $7.5

million being the cost of the house and $500,000 the cost of the land.

She explained that interested persons could apply for those houses through the normal application process.

“Nine more houses will be built in the area… some will be two-bedroom and three-bedroom, but those will be flat houses,” said Tudor.

Critical pump stations to be ready by mid-march -- over 114,000 households to benefit from better drainage, irrigation

By Navendra Seoraj THE construction of three critical pumps along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) at Lusignan, Buxton/Vigilance and Hope/ Enmore are expected to be completed by mid-March, said officials of the Agricultural Sector Development Unit (ASDU).

“Works on the three pump stations are more than

90 per cent completed at all three locations and it is expected to be completed before the actual project completion deadline,” project coordinator, Dhaneshwar James said during an interview with Guyana Chronicle.

The project is being funded by a line of credit from the World Bank at a cost of $2,378,000,000.

Construction of the pump stations is part of the Gov-

ernment’s Flood Risk Management Project which is expected to end by January 2019.

According to the officials, the remaining work on the pump stations includes landscaping, fencing and construction of access roads to the respective sites.

The project will also see the rehabilitation of a portion of the North Eastern section of the East Demerara Water

The access road to the Enmore/Hope pump station taking shape

The massive pump station at Enmore/Hope that will soon be fully operational

Conservancy Dam, James said.

In addition to the three state-of-the-art pump stations at Lusignan, Buxton/ Vigilance and Hope/Enmore, the ASDU will rehabilitate approximately four km of the dam from the Hope intake structure to the Enmore intake structure.

The pump stations, he

said, once completed will have the drainage capacity of three m/s³ while the pump station being constructed at Buxton will have the drainage capacity of 2 m/s³.

“Additionally, we commenced rehabilitation works to the dam in February 2017 and have completed 31 per cent of that aspect of the project,” said James.

Once completed, the pump stations are expected to bring much needed flood relief and improved drainage to farmers and residents along the East Coast of Demerara. James said approximately 114,000 households along the East Coast of Demerara are expected to benefit from better drainage and irrigation.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

Mangal not authorised to speak for President THE Ministry of the Presidency has put on record that Dr Jan Mangal, Presidential Adviser on Petroleum, is not authorised to speak on behalf of President David Granger or the Government of Guyana.

The ministry’s terse statement comes hours after Dr Mangal on Wednesday made comments to the media at a forum at the University of Guyana on the oil contract with ExxonMobil. He

stated that it is “natural” for contracts to be reviewed with the availability of new information, provided that there is agreement between the parties.

Dr Mangal was speaking on the sidelines of a forum on Guyana’s petroleum sector held at the University of Guyana. He was at the time responding to questions regarding the many concerns raised by civil society and other stakeholders on

the 2016 Petroleum Sharing Agreement (PSA) between the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited.

When asked whether the contract should be renegotiated, Dr Mangal said that this is a question the people of Guyana would have to address. “I obviously have a view on it. I am not at a stage yet where I am sharing that view publicly, but it is

under discussion,” he said.

Noting the shift in focus from the call for the contract’s release to the call for it to be renegotiated, Dr Mangal said the process is just starting, given that the information was released just December 2017. “So it will probably take some time for people to do analyses,” he said.

Dr Mangal said that it is part of his remit to push for transparency. “We don’t want to be in a situation

Dr Jan Mangal, Presidential Adviser on Petroleum

where information is withheld from citizens and then they develop further mistrust of the industry. We need Guyana and Guyanese to be comfortable with what they have and the direction they take…the way to do that is by putting information out there,” he said. “There is a lot of suspicion, but we need to get to [the] point where Guyanese are comfortable,” he stressed.

The petroleum adviser said that he is pushing to have reviews of the PSA done by multinational agencies such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Following the release of the PSA, a number of stakeholders, including the media, have made their criticisms clear on several aspects of the agreement – from the percentage of royalty to the signature bonus and on issues such as local-content provisions among other issues.

Last year during an interview with the media, Mangal had stressed that there was need for Guyana to enforce legislation, policies and regulations in the emerging oiland-gas sector that cannot be easily influenced by politicians. Dr Mangal, who has

a Doctorate in Offshore Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Edinburg, said, “You need legislation that can transcend political cycles, that will protect the industry from coming to a standstill when there is a change of government.” He had pointed to Ghana as an example of a change of government, which saw experts in the oiland-gas sector aligned to the previous government being replaced. “That is not good for the industry. This industry is a long-term industry, it is a 20, 30, 50- year industry – we need regulations and management of the industry that transcends [sic] electoral cycles,” the petroleum expert added.

Mangal said too that since taking up his post as adviser, he has stressed the importance of transparency and reminded that without transparency, the oil-andgas sector can quickly become unsuccessful. He believes that the independence of the commission is to have a consensus-based approach to management as opposed to decision-making being overly centralised.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

New structure for Charity wharf – REO REGION Two Regional Executive Officer, Rupert Hopkinson has announced that a new structure will be built to replace the old dilapidated Charity Market Wharf.

He made this disclosure during a press conference held with media operatives Tuesday morning at the Regional State House. Hopkinson said plans are in the pipeline to construct a new structure for vendors. He said that the construction of the new wharf falls directly under the Regional Administration and as such an engineer’s

estimate for the project was also submitted.

He said the structure would require extensive works and asked vendors to vacate since it is unsafe for them to continue to vend on the “obsolete” structure.

Hopkinson said that several conversations were held with vendors to move and as such a request was made for another area for them to relocate.

He said he will be visiting the Charity area to identify the spot Tuesday evening.

“As it is it is not safe for vendors to continue, it’s a threat to their lives and they

must abide, we at the Regional Administration are doing everything possible to ensure that things are put in place to sustain vendors’ livelihood,” Hopkinson said.

In January Region Two Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt had raised his concerns regarding the condition of the wharf in the media calling for the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to pay attention to the structure.

However, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson had said that it is the responsibility of the Regional Administration to construct

Four ‘illegal’ Venezuelan women to be aid of an interpreter, deported pleaded guilty to the charges and told the CHIEF Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday fined four Venezuelans for entering Guyana illegally.

Maria Brito, 23; Edis Herrera,21; Yisneidi Sidian, 23 and Sinai Herrera, 22, were separately charged for entering Guyana illegally on February 2nd ,2018 at Eterbang, Cuyuni River.

The women, with the

court that they were being prostituted in the Bartica Mines by a man named “Junior.”

The Chief Magistrate fined them The four Venezuelan women $30,000 each or, in default, eight women be deported after weeks’ imprisonment. The magistrate paying their fines or servfurther ordered that the ing their sentences.

same.

Ramdatt during a prior interview on the matter had said last year August that the Region had communicated with the Ministry about the structure and the urgency for remedial work to be conducted. At the moment the pillars of the greenheart structure are rotted and are currently shaking.

Meanwhile a report presented by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Engineer at the recent Works Committee meeting revealed

that the structure had dropped 6 inches into the water and the marketing centre itself has numerous cracks. The engineer’s findings also revealed that most of the piles beneath the structure can no longer support it. The solid concrete wharf is sitting precariously on a few remaining piles that are likely to collapse. The structure is 32 years old and requires urgent attention as over 30 persons utilise it to earn a living by vending.

During interviews con-

ducted with vendors they said they have accepted the decision to move but they questioned where they will go. Many vendors related that they depend on vending to support their family and call on relevant authorities to take that into consideration. Guyana Chronicle understands that the Charity/Ursara Neighborhood Democratic Council had placed bars in an effort to block vehicles from traversing on the structure.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

‘Uncertainty’ surrounds CHS board – board members stage protest, call on Gov’t to clear the air THE Board of Directors of the Central High School is calling on the Ministry of Education to clear the air on the future of the school, since they were informed that the institution will soon

be moved from its location at Smyth Street, Georgetown.

Officials of the school were informed that the ministry has plans to “phase out” the school but students and

teachers were not told where they will be housed once the process commences.

“We had several meetings with ministry officials… last year we met with the current Minister of Educa-

tion but we have not heard anything positive as to where they are going,” said chairperson of the school’s Board of Directors, Ruth Howard on the sidelines of a protest on Wednesday.

Members of the school’s board and parents conducted a peaceful protest in front of the Ministry of Education on Brickdam.

Howard said the protest is their last recourse in an

attempt to get the attention of the ministry and other relevant authorities.

Howard told Guyana Chronicle that the board intends to protest every Wednesday for one hour until the ministry makes a substantive decision on the future of the school.

She contended that the school’s performance at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exam has been exceptional for the past few years.

“In addition, we have suggested to them to move us to the Enterprise Primary School which was built for 1000 students but only has 200 students… that idea was rejected,” she lamented.

Howard said parents of the over 1000 students at the school are beginning to worry about the future of the school and their children. She urged the ministry to meet with them and talk about the plans for the future.

Central High School Board Chair Ruth Howard (left) on the picket line Wednesday (Samuel Maughn photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 8, 2018

Faulty door grounds MV Kanawan MANY passengers who utilise the ferry service at Good Hope, Region Two,

had to divert their travelling plans and use water taxis instead after the

door of Chinese ferry MV Kanawan encountered a problem on Wednesday.

Workers trying to fix the faulty door of the MV Kanawan on Wednesday

Bandits terrorise Berbice family A FAMILY of three was robbed and injured by bandits at their home in Ogleton Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, Berbice on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), three males, all armed with knives, invaded the family’s home and beat and robbed

them.

The victims managed to subdue one of the bandits and handed him over to the police, who responded promptly to the robbery report.

A sum of cash and several pieces of gold jewellery were reportedly taken from the victims who had to receive

medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Police reported that the detained bandit resides in the same community and has since admitted to the crime. He has also named his accomplices who are known.

Detectives are making efforts to apprehend them.

The boat had a scheduled 05:00 hrs departure, but after sitting for almost an hour in the boat, the passengers realised that something was amiss and became impatient.

Not long after, they learnt that the door of the ferry

had a problem and workers attached to the Transport and Harbours Department were working to fix it.

The passengers, who were not apprised of the problem, on learning of it, walked out of the ferry and asked for refunds before heading to the

Supenaam Stelling to board water taxis there.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited, workers were busy trying to fix the faulty door.

The ferry had some 200 passengers and 15 vehicles on board.

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Guyana’s female team in Group B of CBC Championship

By Rawle Toney GUYANA’S female basketball team were drawn in Group ‘B’ of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) tournament, which will bounce off in neighbouring Suriname, from June 15 to 22.

The tournament this year, which will serve as a qualifier to FIBA’s AmeriCup, will see the Guyanese placed alongside rivals Suriname, Dominican Republic and Barbados, while in Group ‘A’, regional powerhouse Bahamas will face Cuba and St Vincent and Grenadines.

While the male team’s highest placing was second (1994 Georgetown), in 1996, behind Karen Abrams and head coach Linden ‘Sancho’ Alphonso, the Guyanese women won the coveted female CBC (then known as CARICOM Basketball Championship) title, defeating Jamaica 67-55 in the final at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Nigel Hinds, president of the Guyana Armature Basketball Federation (GABF) said he’s happy to see the Guyanese female basketball team back in regional tournaments and pledged his association’s every effort in ensuring that they be given the same preparation as the men’s team.

According to Hinds, the GABF will be looking to the Diaspora for Guyanese-born female players, just as it looks to recruit the men, in order to strike a balance with the local players.

Meanwhile, with regard to the men’s team Hinds said the GABF will be making efforts to reach out to Indiana Pacers point guard Dar-

ren Collison, whose parents are former track and field stars for Guyana.

“We had tried before, and I think we will make another pitch again,” Hinds added.

“What we want is the best team to represent Guyana. There are still some restrictions with regard to how many non-nationals we could have and so on, so we’re looking for Guyanese-born players,” said Hinds.

Guyana teams featured at every tournament under Hinds’ tenure at the helm of the GABF, with their best finish being fifth place in 2015, behind former Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks shooting guard, Rawle Marshall.

Marshall, 35, went undrafted in 2005 after a stellar collegiate career with Oakland University in the NCAA, but was picked up by the Mark Cuba-owned Dallas Mavericks to start his NBA journey.

“Rawle is a pretty gifted player, one of the best I’ve seen suit up for us and is a really fit player, so once he’s still playing and healthy, we would love to have him,” the GABF boss reminisced.

Hinds also mentioned that the Gordon Brothers, who play in Europe, are also strong targets for the GABF to blend with the GABF’s local selections.

As it relates to coaches for both teams, Hinds said that will depend on the calibre of players they are able to attract.

Guyana men’s team are placed in Group A with longtime rivals and hosts Suriname, along with Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Group B will bring together Haiti, Bermuda, Montserrat, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda.

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scored in the 14th minute to secure a 1-0 win for Back Circle over MBK. Meanwhile, Kingston and Buxton Diamond played a 2-2 draw, while the same result was seen in the clash between Linden’s NK Ballers and Leopold Street.

Ol Skool Ballers, with goals from Ronell Roberts (10th) and Fabian Crawford (18th) pulled off a 2-1 victory over New Market and in the evening’s final game, North East La Penitence and Alexander Village settled their clash in a 1-1 draw.

The tournament will continue tonight with a number of matches, starting at 19:00hrs, when the National rugby team will look to rebound from their opening night’s 2-0 defeat to West Front Road.

After tonight’s encounter for the teams, they will return to action on February 10, 11, 12, semi-finals on February 14 and final on February 18.

The team to finish second will go home with $200 000, third-placers $100 000 and fourth-placers $50 000.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

Virtuoso Kohli century leads India to big 124-run victory

By Nick Said CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - India captain Virat Kohli continued his excellent recent form by smashing a sparkling unbeaten century to lead his side to a comprehensive 124-run victory over South Africa in the third One-Day International at Newlands yesterday.Kohli made 160 not out from 159 balls as India, who had been put in to bat, posted 303 for six in their 50 overs, before restricting their hosts to 179 all out to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

South Africa’s brittle batting lineup, without injured stalwarts Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, were stifled

once more by the Indian spinners as Kuldeep Yadav, who took career-best figures (4-23 in 9 overs), and Yuzvendra Chahal (4-46 in 9 overs) strangled their innings.

The fourth match will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The imperious Kohli now has four centuries in his last six 50-over innings.

He survived being given out leg-before-wicket to Kagiso Rabada before he had scored when a review showed he had got the faintest of edges to the ball.

After that he was sublime as he put on 139 for the second wicket with Shikhar Dhawan (76 from 63 balls) to lay the platform for India’s sizeable score.

“You’re always looking

Virat Kohli soars to his 34th ODI hundred to take India to 303 for 6. (BCCI)

for someone to bat until the end and it’s amazing if you do it as the captain,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.

“I was cramping towards the end but I knew I had to stay until the end to get us to 300. These are the times

you’re tested mentally as well as physically.”

When South Africa captain Aiden Markram (32) and innings top-scorer JP Duminy (51) put on a rapid 78 for the second wicket, the hosts were given hope.

Yet the introduction of

Maxwell smashes 58-ball century as Australia beat England

GLENN Maxwell hit an unbeaten 103, after taking 3-10, to give Australia a five-wicket win in England’s opening game of the T20 tri-series.

Set 156 to win in Hobart after Dawid Malan made 50, the hosts fell to 4-2 in the first over as David Willey removed David Warner and Chris Lynn.

D’Arcy Short, who made 30, and Maxwell rebuilt with a stand of 78.

Maxwell kicked on despite further losses, sealing victory and bringing up a 58-ball hundred with a six.

Australia, who won with nine balls to spare, have won their opening two games of the tri-series following victory over New Zealand last Saturday.

England face Australia in Melbourne on Saturday at 08:20 GMT. All-rounder Maxwell, 29, was surprisingly dropped for the one-day series against England, with his approach to training questioned by captain Steve Smith, but once again he proved his worth to Australia’s white-ball sides.

American Racing Tips

10:10 hrs Simple Steps

Aqueduct

10:45 hrs Or Jaune De Somoza

Race 3 Sounds Delicious Race 4 Summer Bourbon Race 5 Daring Prospect Race 6 Regalian Race 7 Frost Wise Race 8 Road to Perfection

From back page ►

and leave the court through the front door.

BEN Stokes’ hopes of avoiding the spotlight when he attends court next week appear to have been dashed.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Stokes, who is set to appear in Bristol Magistrates Court on February 13 to answer charges of affray, requested permission to leave the court via a back door in the hope of avoiding an anticipated media scrum.

That permission has been denied, however, meaning Stokes will have to

09:40 hrs Le Martalin

Race 2 Irst

With one run needed, Maxwell - who was on 97 - smashed a six to raise his hundred © Getty

enter and leave the court through the front door.

Stokes was arrested following an incident outside a bar in the city on September 25. Two other men, Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali, have also been called to attend court on the same day in connection with the incident. Stokes has intimated that he will plead not guilty.

Stokes missed the Ashes after the ECB decided he would not be considered for selection until a decision had been made over whether he was to be charged. They have subsequently cleared him for selection and he is

expected to depart for New Zealand shortly after his appearance in Bristol Magistrates Court.

It had initially been hoped that Stokes would link up with the squad for the start of the T20 leg of the tour in New Zealand, but a day after he was made available the court date was confirmed for February 13 which is when England play in Wellington.

He will face the ECB’s disciplinary committee following the culmination of criminal proceedings.

It is entirely possible that date could be anything up to 12 months away.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

INDIA innings Rohit Sharma c Heinrich Klaasen b Kagiso Rabada 0 Shikhar Dhawan c Aiden Markram b JP Duminy 76 Virat Kohli not out 160 AjinkyaRahane c Andile Phehlukwayo b JP Duminy 11 Hardik Pandya c Heinrich Klaasen b Chris Morris 14 MS Dhoni c Lungi Ngidi b Imran Tahir 10 Kedar Jadhav c Heinrich Klaasen b Andile Phehlukwayo 1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar mot out 16 Extras: (lb-3, w-12 15 Total: (six wkts, 50.0 overs) 303 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-140, 3-160 4-188, 5-228, 6-236.

Bowling: Rabada 10-1-54-1, (w3), Ngidi 6-0-47-0, (w-2), Morris 9-0-45-1, (w-1), Phehlukwayo 6-0-42-1, (w-5), Imran Tahir 9-052-1, JP Duminy 10-0-60-2.

SOUTH AFRICA innings Hashim Amla lbw Jasprit Bumrah 1 Aiden Markram stp.

MS Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav 32 JP Duminy lbw Yuzvendra Chahal 51 Heinrich Klaasen lbw Yuzvendra Chahal 6 David Miller c MS Dhoni b Jasprit Bumrah 25 Khaya Zondo c (sub.) b Yuzvendra Chahal 17 Chris Morris lbw Kuldeep Yadav 14 Andile Phehlukwayo c Virat Kohli b Kuldeep Yadav 3 Kagiso Rabada not out 12 Imran Tahir c Virat Kohli b Yuzvendra Chahal 8 Lungi Ngidi lbw Kuldeep Yadav 6 Extras: (lb-2, w-2) 4) Total: (all out, 40.0 overs) 179 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-79, 3-88, 4-95, 5-129, 6-150, 7-150, 8-158, 9-167.

Bowling: Kumar 7-0-41-0, Bumrah 7-0-32-2, (w-1), Pandya 8-0-35-0, (w-1), Chahal 9-0-46-4, Yadav 9-1-23-4.

RACING TIPS

Race 1 Ouro Verde

Stokes denied request...

By George Dobell

the excellent Chahal and Yadav, who took eight wickets for 69 runs between them, pegged the innings back.

Yadav had Markram stumped by MS Dhoni and Chahal ripped through the middle-order, including the wicket of debutant Heinrich Klaasen (six).

Dhoni’s stumping of Markram took him to 400 ODI dismissals, the first Indian wicketkeeper to reach that mark.

“Everything is disappointing about this. Yet again we were not up to the mark. We’ve only got ourselves to blame, we have to try harder,” Markram said.

“We’ve come across them (the spinners) before and if after all that time we’re still struggling to pick them, it speaks of their quality.”

SCOREBOARD

Arab Emirates Racing Tips Meydan 10:30 hrs Winter Lightning 11:05 hrs Mazeed 11:40 hrs Murarrab 12:15 hrs Dutch Masterpiece

11;15 hrs Didero Vallis 11:50 hrs Last Man Standing 12:25 hrs Bronco Bill 13:00 hrs Deal With It English Racing Tips Towcester 09:50 hrs Piton Pete 10:20 hrs Skipping On 10:55 hrs Red Indian 11:25 hrs Seaston Spirit 12:00 hrs Dontminddboys 12:35 hrs Silent Doctor Doncaster 09:55 hrs Powerful Symbol 11:00 hrs Paisley Park 11:30 hrs Cake De L’Isle

12:50 hrs Heavy Metal

12:05 hrs And The New

13:25 hrs Zaman

12:40 hrs Flow With Eve

14:00 hrs Earnshaw

Huntingdon

South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:55 hrs Last Chirp 09:35 hrs Vicomte 10:15 hrs Premier Show 10:50 hrs Witch King

09:15 hrs Argyle

Irish Racing Tips Thurles

09:45 hrs Midnight Target 10:15 hrs Vinndication 10:50 hrs Zipple Back 11:20 hrs Russborough 11;55 hrs Hoke Colburn 12:30 hrs Miss Honey Ryder

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

25

Torginol paints on board with Lusignan Golf Club

THE Continental Group of Companies, through its Torginol Paints, signed a partnership with the Lusignan Golf Club, yesterday morning, via the exclusive sponsorship of a tournament, set for later this year.

At a media event at its main office at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, top officials of the company presented a cheque for an undisclosed sum to executives of the Club, signalling the establishment’s commitment to the growth and development of the sport in Guyana.

Representing the Continental Group of Companies were Company Secretary M.S. Ally and Production Manager of Torginol Paints Inc., Fenton Persaud, while the Lusignan Golf Club was represented by newly-elected president Aleem Hussain, vice-president Paton George

and Public Relations Officer Guy Griffith.

The tournament is billed for June 2 at the country’s lone golf course at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.

“This is a continuation of a grand sponsorship; longterm sponsorship from Torginol Paints, who has been with the Lusignan Golf Club for over 15 years, and the management and staff of Torginol have committed to continuing and especially based on the plans and the future of the Lusignan Golf Club and where we’re headed,” Hussain said.

“We want to thank them for their sponsorship of this tournament and their longterm support and their future ongoing promise of support.”

Production Manager of Torginol Paints Inc., Fenton Persaud, said the company is proud to be associated with

Lusignan Golf Club VP, Paton George (fourth right) receives the sponsorship from Production Manager of Torginol, Fenton Persaud. Sharing the moment are officials of the two entities. (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan)

the Lusignan Golf Club - an alliance that will continue way into the future.

“We see ourselves as being an assistance in helping to promote golf in the country, and also to assist in improving the facility (at Lusignan) to make it better on a daily basis,”

Scorpions crush USA to snare first win ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Jamaica Scorpions easily brushed side USA Cricket by 98 runs here Tuesday night, to break out of their slump with their first win of the Regional Super50.

Without a victory in their first two encounters, Scorpions capitalised on perhaps the weakest side in Group B to claim their first major points.

Batting first in the day/ night affair at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Scorpions raised a competitive 254 for eight off their 50 overs, with captain Nikita Miller top-scoring with 52 not out off 41 balls.

Andre McCarthy struck 38, Odean Smith got an unbeaten 30 while Fabian Allen chipped in with 28.

In reply, opener Sunny Sohal gathered 67 and captain Ibraheem Khaleel, 37, but the remainder of the USA’s batting flopped to leave Scorpions with a relatively straightforward result.

Left-arm spinners Chris Lamont (2-20) and Nikita Miller (2-27), along with seamers Andre Russell (220) and Odean Smith (2-39) were the wicket-takers.

Opting for first knock, Scorpions had an uncertain start, slipping to 85 for four

Nikita Miller

in the 22nd over, after losing key wickets.

Chadwick Walton produced a cameo, lashing 25 from 18 balls with three fours and a six, in putting on 34 for the first wicket with Steven Taylor (22), before falling to pacer Elmore Hutchinson (3-40).

Taylor then combined with West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell (20) to add 41 for the second wicket before the innings stuttered as Scorpions lost three quick wickets for 10 runs.

Two crucial partnerships then kept Scorpions afloat.

Firstly, McCarthy put on 62 for the fifth wicket with Allen, striking six fours and a six in a breezy 48-ball knock.

Allen was equally brisk, striking three fours and a six

off 35 balls but he and McCarthy fell in successive deliveries to left-arm spinner Nisarg Patel (2-44), and when Peal Salmon perished for three and Andre Russell, 17, Scorpions were tottering on 169 for eight in the 40th over.

Miller came to his side’s rescue however, stroking a career-best knock to engineer a vital 85-run ninth-wicket stand with Smith, to put Scorpions in a position of strength.

The right-handed Miller faced 41 balls and counted four fours and a six while Smith clobbered a four and a six in a 32-ball innings.

USA were immediately in trouble in their run chase, slumping to 25 for three in the 13th over after Lamont struck twice in successive deliveries.

Sohal, who faced 111 deliveries and counted six fours and a six, then anchored an 83-run fourth-wicket stand with Khaleel whose knock required 75 deliveries and contained just two fours.

But the partnership was a sluggish one using up 137 deliveries and when it was broken, USA were drifting at 108 for four in the 36th over.

Wickets then fell steadily – the last seven tumbling for 48 runs – to deliver Scorpions easy points.

Persaud pointed out.

Meanwhile, Hussain used the opportunity to speak about the impact the partnership with Torginol Paints has had on the sport.

“They have been one of our stalwart supporters and without them I don’t think

the Golf Club would be in the position that they are in today,” he posited. “When you come out to their tournament, scheduled for June 2, you will see all their brands on display and Torginol has also committed that they will put their branding around the golf course.”

Company Secretary of Continental Group of Companies, M.S. Ally, said the establishment will provide whatever support is needed to build the sport in Guyana.

“This is the role we’re prepared to play. The masters at golf are the administration of the club and the administrators. We’re the ones who are going to be giving the background push and helping you guys to achieve. So in this role I hope Torginol will continue to be a tower of strength as we think we have been over the past years, and therefore you can count on us for the background support,” Ally asserted.

The Torginol tournament is just one of a number of tournaments scheduled for 2018, including four major ones, according to Hussain.

Kensington Oval to host first day-night Test in the Caribbean

SCOREBOARD SCORPIONS innings C. Walton c wkp.

Khaleel b Hutchinson

25

S. Taylor run-out

22

R. Powell b Kenjige

20

A. McCarthy c M. Patel b N. Patel 38 B. King c Netravalkar b Silva

4

F. Allen c Marshall b N. Patel

28

A. Russell b Hutchinson

17

P. Salmon c wkp. Khaleel b Hutchingson

3

O. Smith not out

30

N. Miller not out

52

Extras: (b-1, lb-5, w-9)

15

Total: (8 wkts, 50 overs)

254

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-75, 3-75, 4-85, 5-147, 6-147, 7-156, 8-169.

Bowling: Hutchinson 10-2-40-3, Netravalkar 10-0-42-0, Kejige 102-61-1, Silva 10-0-44-1, T. Patel 2-0-17-0, N. Patel 8-0-44-2.

USA innings J. Malhotra c wkp. Walton b Miller 9 S. Sohal c Russell b Miller

65

X. Marshall b Lamont

1

T. Patel lbw b Lamont

0

I. Khaleel b Russell

37

R. Silva c Allen b Russell E. Hutchinson b Smith

4 18

M. Patel c Powell b Salmon

7

N. Patel b Smith

2

S. Netravalkar not out

2

N. Kenjige c Miller b Taylor

3

Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-5) Total: (all out, 49.1 overs)

8 156

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-25, 3-25, 4-108, 5-116, 6-130, 7-147, 8-149, 9-150.

Bowling: Lamont 10-3-20-2, Russell 7-0-20-2, Miller 10-0-27-2, Smith 9-0-39-2, Salmon 10-1-29-1, Powell 3-0-18-0, Taylor 0.1-0-0-1.

A view of the Kensington Oval, Barbados (WICB Media Photo/Randy Brooks)

WEST Indies will host their first day-night Test match on June 23 when they play Sri Lanka in Barbados.

The game will also mark the first time Sri Lanka play long-form cricket at the iconic Kensington Oval.

The day-night fixture will be the third match of the series, which begins on June 6 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. According to the schedule announced by Cricket West Indies in December 2017, the third Test was to be played at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and the second at Kensington Oval. But a Sri Lanka Cricket release on Tuesday suggested the venues have been switched. St Lucia will now host the second Test from June 14.

This will be Sri Lanka’s first Test tour of the West Indies in 10 years. The last

one - in March 2008 - ended in a 1-1 draw, and was quite memorable for the visitors, who claimed their first win in the West Indies.

There have been eight day-night Tests since the first one between Australia and New Zealand in November 2015. West Indies have already been involved in two of them, without any success, whereas Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on their day-night Test debut.

Sri Lanka’s schedule in the West Indies Tour match: May 30 June 1, Brian Lara Cricket Ground, Trinidad First Test: June 6-10, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad Second Test: June 1418, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia Third Test: June 23-27, day-night match, Kensington Oval, Barbados

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

Hope century, Holder burst destroy Marooners

LUCAS STREET, Barbados (CMC) – Stylish right-hander Shai Hope stroked his fourth List A hundred as title-holders Barbados Pride continued their dominant march through the Regional Super50 with 183-run trouncing of Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners here yesterday.

Entering the contest at the Windward Sports Club unbeaten in Group A and with three wins on the bounce, Pride put themselves in a strong position when they gathered 254 for nine off their 50 overs, despite not being at their best.

Hope top-scored with 102 and fellow Test teammate Roston Chase hammered 72 but the remainder of the powerful lineup struggled and Carlos Brathwaite with an unbeaten 21 was the only other player to pass 20.

Former Windies all-rounder Ryan Hinds was superb with his left-arm spin, conceding a mere 22 runs from a 10-over spell that yielded two wickets.

In reply, Marooners’ weak batting once against proved their demise as they collapsed for a paltry 71 in the 33rd over.

Hope struck eight fours and three sixes and faced 135 balls while Chase was even more aggressive, smashing four fours and sixes in a 66-ball innings.

With the pair entrenched, Pride were eyeing a total well in excess of 280 but Hinds broke the stand when he had Chase caught at cover in the 39th over, leading to a slide where three wickets tumbled for 30 runs.

Hope fell in the 47th over, holing out to long on off off-spinner Jameel Stuart.

Marooners’ run chase started

disastrously as Chemar Holder struck twice to send them reeling to 26 for four in the 12th over.

Oraine Williams (2) nicked a push at Windies seamer Kemar Roach behind with the score on seven in the third over and with no addition to the total, Kjorn Ottley pulled pacer Jason Holder to Carlos Brathwaite at square leg to fall for four in the next over.

Chemar Holder then removed Yannic Ottley (4) and Kyle Corbin (10) both to catches at the wicket

by Hope, to leave the innings in strife.

Hinds temporarily propped up the innings in a 58-ball knock, striking two fours and a six in a 31run stand with Vikash Mohan (7).

But once Mohan was caught at deep backward square in the 19th over hooking at Carlos Shai Hope pulls during his Brathwaite, Marooners lost their Stroke-maker century against Marooners yesterday. (Pholast six wickets for just 14 runs. to courtesy CWI Media)

SCOREBOARD PRIDE innings K. Brathwaite c Y Ottley b Levy 2 K. Stoute c wkp. Maynard b Hinds 8 S. Hope c K. Ottley b Stuart

102

J. Carter c wkp. Maynard b Shields

13

R. Chase c Stuart b Hinds

72

J. Holder c K. Ottley b Y. Ottley 9 C. Brathwaite not out

21

A. Nurse not out

13

Extras: (lb-5, w-9) Total: (6 wks, 50 overs)

14 254

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-16, 3-43, 4-194, 5-210, 6-224.

Bowling: Levy 8-0-37-1, Hinds 105-22-2, Shields 7-0-49-1, Mohan 1-0-8-0, Yannick Ottley 10-0-54-1, Cottoy 6-0-47-0, Stuart 8-0-32-1.

MAROONERS innings O. Williams c wkp. Hope b Roach 2 K. Ottley c C. Brathwaite b J. Holder

4

K. Corbin c wkp. Hope b

Forbes Burnham Memorial Cycling Road Race set for this month

C. Holder

THE annual Forbes Burnham Memorial Cycling Road race has been set for this month and will pedal off on two days.

The first stage will see cyclists begin at Corriverton, Berbice at 07:00hrs and finish at Main Street, New Amsterdam on Sunday February 18.

The following Sunday February 25, cyclists will begin their race at 07:00hrs in the mining town of Linden and head to the finish line in front of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Office on Homestretch Avenue.

They will take a breather before pedalling off again at 14:00hrs from Homestretch

b C. Brathwaite

7

J. Stuart c Roach b C Holder

0

C. Maynard c Roach b Nurse

4

to Belfield, West Coast Berbice and return to finish at the point of origin.

The race, which has become an annual fixture on the cycling calendar, is sponsored by the Burnham Foundation and is supervised by the Flying Stars Cycling Club.

Transportation arrangements are as follows: On Sunday (February 18), transportation leaves the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Main Street, Georgetown at 05:00hrs.

On Sunday (February 25), transportation leaves the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Main Street, Georgetown at 05:30hrs.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

0

J. Levy not out

0

71

Bowling: Roach 5-2-6-1, J. Holder 7-1-13-1, C. Holder 7-0-31-3, C. Brathwaite 6-1-13-1, Nurse 5-3-7-

Cyclists will take to the roadways of Guyana in the Forbes Burnham Memorial cycling road race set for this month.

2, Benn 2.2-2-0-2.

Man-of-the-Match: Shai Hope.

Packed year for powerlifters as GAPLF releases 2018 Calendar

(1) Shubman Gill-372 runs (2) Anukul Roy-14 wickets

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

K. Cottoy stp. Hope b Benn

4-26, 5-57, 6-58, 7-66, 8-71, 9-71.

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

Who took most wickets?

V. Mohan c C. Holder

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-7, 3-22,

CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

•

R Hinds c C. Brathwaite b Nurse 32

Total: (all out, 32.2 overs)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) &

• Who scored most runs in the ICC Under 19 World Cup 2018?

Y. Ottley c wkp. Hope b C. Holder 4

O. Shields c wkp. Hope b Benn 0

(Thursday February 08, 2018)

Today’s Quiz:

10

Powerlifters in Guyana can look forward to numerous activities in 2018

JUST days after kicking off the New Year with their Novices/Juniors Championships, the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation

(GAPLF) has unveiled its calendar of activities for 2018.

The federation’s calendar has at least one activity for

every month of 2018 except January. The next event is an activity to be held in honour of International Women’s Day on March 10. The following month, the GAPLF will have a fundraising event on April 7.

Powerlifters will then gear up to strain and muscle their way to supremacy in the Intermediate competition on May 27, the day after Guyana’s Independence Anniversary.

In June, the next event on the agenda is the World Classic Powerlifting championships from June 5 to 15 while another fundraiser will be held either June 30 or July 1.

Also scheduled for July 30-August 4 is the North American Powerlifting Fed-

eration’s (NAPF) Championships. The next competition for local powerlifters will be the RAW Nationals on August 26.

The GAPLF will follow up that competition with a fundraiser set for September 29 while in October they will hold a Blood Donation drive set on the 20th of that month.

November 3 is set for another fundraiser followed

by Senior Nationals on December 2 which will crown the year off.

At the recently concluded Novices/Juniors Championships last Sunday (February 4), some 12 national records tumbled with Runita White, Noel Cummings, Nadina Taharally and Lisa Oudit all setting new records in their respective categories.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday February 8, 2018

27

GuyanaNRA/IPSC Level 2 Shoot

McKinnon, Qualander stand out at Production and Standard Division shoot WHEN the dust settled last Sunday afternoon at the Timehri Rifle Ranges after the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA)/Smallbore Section/IPSC Level 2, SixStage Shoot, Ryan McKinnon (Box Production) and Mohamed Qualander in (Standard Pistol) were the top guns of that meet.

International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Regional Director for Guyana, Harold ‘Top Gun’ Hopkinson, carried out the mandate of bringing off the Level 2 competition which was a big step from the Level 1 Shoots held in previous years.

Over 2 000 rounds were expended at the competition as the day was punctuated by constant reverberating gunfire from the 9mm, Glocks, CZ Shadow 2s and the lone Shay Akai Custom, STI 2011, Edge in 40 calibres.

Limited modifications were allowed in the two categories. On his way to winning the Production category, Ryan McKinnon secured a 100% with his Shadow 2 and was followed by Rajiv Latchana 78.8816 (Glock 17), Terry Milling 67.2490 (Shadow 2), Dr. Johan DaSilva 56.7680 (Shadow

2) and Leslie Lewis 33.9382 (Glock 17).

Likewise, in the Standard Division, Mohamed Qualander also garnered a 100% score with his Glock 35 and was followed by Harold Hopkinson 81.6220 (Akai STI 2011), Azaad Hassan 75.7796 (Glock 17), Surujbali Persaud 67.5275 (Glock 17) and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon 65.9857 (Glock 17) the lone female on show.

Of the 22 shooters who registered online, 18 completed the gruelling shoot.

Following are the full results: STAGE 1 - IPSC Qualifier C-5 PRODUCTION – First was Rajiv Latchana who won from Ryan McKinnon, Terry Milling, Lancelot Khan and Dr. Johan DaSilva.

STANDARD - Mohamed Qualander attained top honours followed by Surujbali Persaud, Harold Hopkinson, Gordon Richards and Erwin Chapman.

STAGE 2 - IPSC Classifier CLC- 65 – PRODUCTION - Ryan McKinnon turned the tables on Rajiv Latchana for the top spot with Dr. Johan DaSilva, Terry Milling and Lancelot Khan following in that order.

STANDARD – First was

Ryan McKinnon receives his award from vice-captain Gordon Richards.

the veteran marksman Harold Hopkinson who took this stage with the fastest time of 8.14 seconds. In the process, Hopkinson knocked off vice-captain Gordon Richards’ (8.86 seconds) who was followed by Mohamed Qualander, Surujbali Persaud and Michael Tang in that order.

STAGE 3 - PRODUCTION DIVISION Rajiv Latchana placed first and was followed by Ryan McKinnon, Terry Milling, Dr. Johan DaSilva and Leslie Lewis.

STANDARD DIVISION - Harold Hopkinson was the top marksman ahead of Mohamed Qualander, Surujbali Persaud, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon and Jermaine Softley.

STAGE 4 - PRODUCTION DIVISION – This was won by Ryan McKinnon from Rajiv Latchana, Dr. Johan DaSilva and Terry Milling in that order.

STANDARD DIVISION – The top shot was HassanAzaad Hassan who out-fired Jermaine Softley, Mohamed Qualander, Da-

Mohamed Qualander at the Ranges

vid Dharry and Surujbali Persaud.

STAGE 5 - PRODUCTION DIVISION - Ryan McKinnon was the top shooter ahead of Terry Milling, Dr. Johan DaSilva, Rajiv Latchana and Leslie Lewis.

STANDARD DIVISION - Mohamed Qualander took the top podium spot from Harold Hopkinson, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, Azaad Hassan and Surujbali Persaud.

STAGE 6 - PRODUCTION DIVISION - Ryan McKinnon topped this division and was followed

U.S. senators call for Olympic Committee probe after Nassar scandal

By Katanga Johnson

WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators yesterday called for an investigation into the handling of sexual misconduct allegations by the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, which have been criticised for not acting on complaints of abuse by former sports doctor Larry Nassar and others.

Nassar molested female athletes under the guise of medical treatment for nearly 20 years and has been given two prison sentences in Michigan of 40 to 125 years and 40 to 175 years. He is also serving a 60-year federal term for child pornography convictions.

The senators’ announcement comes two days before the House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to receive written explanations of the handling of sexual misconduct cases by USA Gymnastics (USAG) and other governing bodies of organised sports.

“There’s now significant bi-

Sports doctor Larry Nassar molested female athletes under the guise of medical treatment for nearly 20 years.

partisan support for establishing a special committee charged with the sole focus of investigating the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics,” said Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who announced the resolution with Republican Senator Joni Ernst as co-sponsor.

Victims and their advocates have criticised the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and USAG for

not acting on the complaints against Nassar, including a 2015 investigation. USAG’s board resigned under pressure from the USOC. There are many disturbing questions that remain unanswered as to how Larry Nassar was able to freely abuse young girls for decades,” Shaheen told reporters.

Six Republicans and 12 Democrats have also signed onto the resolution to investigate the USOC,

which operates under a federal charter. The Senate must vote on the resolution before a committee can be formed to hold an investigation.

While the House investigation is focussed on sexual abuse in organised sport, the Senate investigation will look into the extent USAG and U.S. Olympics were complicit in the criminal or negligent behaviour of their employees relative to sexual abuse.

A spokesman for Senator John Thune, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee that has been investigating Olympic sex abuse claims, said however that a select committee was unnecessary.

The initial results from the House investigation are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.

USAG said yesterday it had set up a fund to give financial assistance for counselling for gymnasts who were victims of sexual abuse. The fund, the size of which was not disclosed, will be administered by a third party to ensure confidentiality, the group said.

by Rajiv Latchana, Terry Milling, Dr. Johan DaSilva and Lancelot Khan.

STANDARD DIVISION - Mohamed Qualander won from Azaad Hassan, Vidush Persaud-McKinnon, Harold Hopkinson and Gordon Richards.

The organisers expressed thanks to the following sponsors for making the event a success; Queensway Group of Companies, Osric Hacker, Regional Director Harold Hopkinson and Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc.

Jamaica XI, England Lions play to a draw KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC) – Jamaica XI drew with England Lions on the final day of their three-day tour match at Sabina Park here Wednesday.

Scores: LIONS 263 for eight decl.

(Keaton Jennings 129 not out, Alex Davies 53; Reynard Leveridge 2-23, Damion Jacobs 2-63, Jamie Merchant 2-69) and 230 (Joe Clarke 87, Ben Foakes 37, Dan Lawrence 35; Jamie Merchant 5-35, Reynard Leveridge 2-38, Damion Jacobs 2-39) JAMAICA XI 236 (Aldaine Thomas 109, Gordon Bryan 29, Kennar Lewis 22; Jamie Porter 3-24, Toby RolandJones 3-37) and and 131 for four (Assad Fudadin 29, Aldaine Thomas 24 not out; Paul Coughlin 2-19, Jack Leach 2-31)

MCKINNON, QUALANDER STAND OUT AT PRODUCTION AND 27 STANDARD DIVISION SHOOT PAGE

Swag Entertainment, Showstoppers register impressive wins Legacy ‘Magnum Mash Cup’ Futsal tournament continues tonight

By Rawle Toney

Part of the action in Magnum Mash Cup Futsal Tournament at the National Gymnasium. (Delano Williams photo)

SHANE Luckie’s hattrick in Swag Entertainment’s 5-1 win over Albouystown-A on Tuesday evening, signalled the Linden side’s intentions of carting off the Legacy Magnum Mash Cup Futsal tournament’s $400 000 first-place prize, when play continued at the National Gymnasium.

In the second night’s action, Luckie, who netted in the 4th, 5th and 17th minutes, was supported by Romel Matthews (12th) and Colwyn Drakes (16th), as the Linden side, one of three in the tournament, coasted to a comfortable win. Malachi Nelson was the lone goalscorer for Albouystown-A. Showstoppers also picked up an impressive win. They defeated Sophia 4-3 in an entertaining en-

counter.

Dexroy Adams had opened the scoring for Showstoppers just two minutes into the contest, then Trayon Bobb scored his first of two four minutes later.

However, Dwayne Lowe in the 7th minute pulled one back for Sophia.

Bobb then made it 3-1 for the ‘west side’ team with his goal in the 10th minute, and Dellon Lanferman added the fourth goal in the 11th minute.

Akeem Jaikissoon scored in the 12th and 19th minutes for Sophia, but it was not enough as Showstoppers picked up the win.

Albouystown-B were 2-0 winners over Broad Street, with their goals coming from Sean Turney and Sherwin Fordyce, while Stephon McLean Turn to page 23

Guyana’s female team in Stokes denied request to Group B of CBC Championship use court’s back door …. GABF to make a pitch to NBA point guard Darren Collison PAGE

23

England all-rounder Ben Stokes

By George Dobell

Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison

Jada Mohan is Guyana’s leading female basketball player.

BEN Stokes’ hopes of avoiding the spotlight when he attends court next week appear to have been dashed.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Stokes, who is set to appear in Bristol Magistrates Court on

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February 13 to answer charges of affray, requested permission to leave the court via a back door in the hope of avoiding an anticipated media scrum.

That permission has been denied, however, meaning Stokes will have to enter Turn to page 24

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2018