Guyana chronicle e paper 02 22 2018 by Guyana Chronicle

Surinamese brass band 04 for Mash Day PAGE

‘Have no fear’ No. 105193

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Price: $80 (VAT Inclusive)

President says frontline villages have nothing to fear – as GDF intensifies security at Kaikan village

PAGE

Efforts to sell baby thwarted by relatives 04 PAGE

Guyana Stores warned about 12 workplace breaches PAGE

Illegal foreign miners granted 11 amnesty to regularise PAGE

President David Granger and a delegation during a visit to the border community of Kaikan, Region Seven on Wednesday (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

$15B to reopen estates

PAGE

…Gov't seeks funds to restart operations at Skeldon, Enmore 02

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

$15B to reopen estates

…Gov’t seeks funds to restart operations at Skeldon, Enmore – workers to be rehired, estates to operate until sold By Navendra Seoraj THE government through the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is looking to secure a loan of $10-$15 billion to fund the operations of the Skeldon and Enmore sugar estates that will soon be reopened on a miniature level, said Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan. NICIL through its Special Purpose Unit (SPU) took control of the Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales estates when government decided to close operations early this year in order to maintain the viability of the sugar industry. Since January 2018, the SPU was tasked with having the estates valued and preparing them for sale, but Minister Jordan believes that in order to add to the process of selling the estates or at least attracting a buyer(s),

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan

the two estates should be reopened. “We cannot keep them closed and moth-balled, because when the buyers come they would probably not be as impressed if they were working… once in operation they [investors] could also see that they are valuable properties to acquire,” he explained during an interview with reporters

on Wednesday. In essence, their intent as explained by the minister is to open the estates until they could secure a buyer. He said they hope to conclude the buying process within six-nine months. Jordan went on to say that NICIL is looking to get financing from a commercial bank by mid-March, so that the estates could be up and running again. Government, he said, will use the revenue from sale of the estates and land to repay the loan within three to five years. “This will be a government debt, so that when we get a buyer we will service the debt,” he said, adding that the negotiations to secure the loan are ongoing at the level of the SPU. In the meantime, Jordan said the estates will be operated in a miniature way as a prelude to the sale. “Some workers will be rehired to work at these estates, which will be producing sugar but not high volumes, but will focus mainly on molasses,” the minister explained. As opposed to the original model of operation, there will be a temporary model of operation for the Enmore estate prior to its diversification. The finance minister said Enmore will be supplying the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) with molasses, while there is a different arrangement for Skeldon. “Once DDL could take it off, the molasses from Enmore will be going to them, because we do not want them to import when it could be produced locally,” he said, referring to DDL’s announcement that they might have to import the product. Government believes

Sugar worker, Nazir Hussein spoke to the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday

that the finance needed to fund the miniature operations is nothing compared to what they would have needed to keep the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo)’s model opened in terms of staffing and so forth. Jordan explained that the proposed model will send signals of what government wants from investors. “The original model of keeping these estates under GuySuCo, knowing they are not cost-efficient would not have been able to attract a buyer of the kind you are looking for…here [proposed model] will pull them [estates] away from GuySuCo and try to make them efficient and the balance sheets look better in order to attract investors,” said the minister. Since NICIL took control of the estates, they became separate entities as opposed to being under the purview of GuySuCo. This, he said, means that equipment would not be moved from one estate to the next, as what had happened under the GuySuCo arrangement. Once the assets remain within their respective

estates, the United Kingdom-headquartered Price Waterhouse Coopers would be able to value the assets properly, so that investors would know what they are getting. Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder, in a separate interview said government was informed that under the previous administration some big companies were interested in taking over the sugar industry. “Government then apparently didn’t go along with that and so these companies pulled out. Some of them are expressing interest,” he said, echoing the sentiments of Minister Jordan, who said that the SPU would get a better deal for the estates if they are operational. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had said that he supports this move and called on the administration to admit that it was wrong to initially close the estates. The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) had also expressed the view that reopening of the Skeldon and East Demerara estates was a “ray of sunshine between dark clouds” hovering over workers since the estates were closed. “This was a matter we strongly stressed during our engagement with the administration on January 19, 2018 and we are heartened that it has accepted our suggestion, obviously recognising their grave misstep, and decided to resume operations at the estates in question,” a recent statement from the union read. Sugar workers from the Enmore estate also expressed their happiness to hear that the estate will be

reopened. “Me still get a lil job hay, but I glad that my friends them might get back they job…people already start talk here that it gon open back,” said a sugar worker, Nazir Hussein during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday. Earlier this year, the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had to lay off some 4,000 workers in order to keep the sugar industry viable, but government had forged ahead with training for those former employees, with support from the Small Business Bureau and other stakeholders. Retrenched sugar workers had since called on the government to reopen the sugar estates on the basis of no job opportunities, worsening societal conditions and the daily shrinkage of severances as they struggle to support their families. A Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar industry had revealed that not a lot could be done on government’s part, since all of the corporation’s earnings were being spent on wages and salaries, a situation which could not be sustained by government bailouts. “When the government came to power in May 2015, it didn’t realise the extent to which GuySuCo was in trouble. GuySuCo was being bailed out by the previous administration for years. We had to find, in the first six months, $16B just to keep GuySuCo going, paying wages and salaries,” said Minister Holder in a recent report. The SPU was since established to manage divestment of the Skeldon Factory and other GuySuCo assets.

‘Have no fear’

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

President says frontline villages have nothing to fear – as GDF intensifies security at Kaikan village PRESIDENT David Granger said that Guyana depends on ‘frontline’ villages such as Kaikan, located in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven), a stone’s throw from the border with Venezuela, to be the watchmen of Guyana’s borders. He said these villages must be strong, stable and their citizens, safe. “I have come here with a promise to ensure that Kaikan is fully integrated into this region and this region is fully integrated into Guyana. Have no fear, if we are united, we will prevail. We will be able to live in a strong, secure and stable country…Frontier communities are guardians of Guyana’s territorial integrity and national security. They are our first line of defence against any attempt at incursions and invasions,” he told residents at a community meeting held at the Kaikan Primary School. The residents, who have had a number of terrorising encounters with the notorious ‘Syndicatos’ gang, welcomed

the Head of State’s visit as well as the boosting of security in the area by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). The community now benefits from 24-hour security. This was necessitated by the situation in neighbouring Venezuela and aggravated by the age-old border controversy, which was recently referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by the United Nations. “Venezuela is claiming that the boundaries are wrong…but that is not true. If you go to Mount Roraima you will see the markers; if you go in the Barima-Waini [region], you will see the markers; if you go along the CuyuniMazaruni, you will see the markers. The markers were put down there 110 years ago. Venezuelans are wrong and Guyanese are right and the international court will decide…but believe me, you are safe,” President Granger assured. Like the village of Whitewater in Region One, which the President visited last

week, Kaikan too has been seeing an influx of Venezuelans, particularly traders and persons seeking health care. During a briefing with GDF ranks deployed in the area, the President was told that Venezuelan civilians and even military personnel come over to the Kaikan health post to seek medical attention for malaria and other diseases, while the traders come over to sell or to barter their goods with villagers from communities such as Kaikan and Arau. Toshao of Kaikan, Mr. Claude Anselmo, said that while these might be seen as legitimate activities, a number of illegal activities are also taking place. He informed President Granger that he has received reports of smuggling of illegal substances such as marijuana and cocaine. This the GDF pledged to eradicate at all costs. Turning to the residents, President Granger said that while the army and the police will intensify their efforts to ensure their safety, they have a significant role to play as

President David Granger interacting with residents of Kaikan

they are the eyes and ears on the ground. “In weeks and months to come, I am asking you to join the People’s Militia, we are not making war with anyone, but I want you to be prepared…My brothers and sisters, we have to protect ourselves… People bring illegal guns into the country and they commit crimes with those illegal guns, unregistered guns. These crimes make us feel very unsafe… We can’t only rely on the police; we have to look after our own families, our own communities,” the President said. The President spoke of his 10-point improvement plan for frontier villages which aim at ensuring access to public services in the areas of citizenship, registration and immigration, education, human safety, information and communication technology, national defence, public health, public infrastructure, social cohesion and social protection. “You will be able to get the best public services and I assure you that as long

as you respect the three levels of government, your local level through your Toshao Anselmo, the regional level through Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford and your central level, we will be able to resolve most of these issues,” he said. Speaking of community development, the Head of State urged the residents to work closely with the three tiers of government, local, regional and central, to find solutions to some of the problems the community faces in terms of socio-economic development. He called on the regional chairman to work closely with the community to devise plans to add value to their food production through agro-processing, which will enhance their competitiveness and boost their village economies. Education was another major area on which the President focused. He noted that while Kaikan is far-flung, no effort should be spared to ensure that every child attends school. “We want to make sure that we improve your infrastructure…We will improve your ability to get

children to school, improve the ability [of] farmers to get to market…Once children have to get to school, I will do everything that is possible,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Bradford in his remarks said that the regional administration has a vision for the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region, which will see residents benefitting from all of the public services and programmes about which the President spoke. He also assured the village of Kaikan that in 2019, he will make sure the needs of the community are budgeted for. “Services should be easily accessible to frontline communities; you should be given the necessary service because you are our eyes and ears on the ground,” he said. The President was accompanied to Kaikan by Minister of Public Affairs, Ms Dawn Hastings-Williams, Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Patrick West and other senior officers of the Force. This visit follows a similar outreach to Region One last week. (Ministry of the Presidency)

President David Granger and his delegation received a briefing about the situation on the ground

Hugo Chavez Centre catches Mash fever Providence duo remanded on gun, THE beautifica tion of buildings is an integral part of promoting the festive atmosphere for Mashramani celebrations and Region Five does not intend to be left behind. It never has and never will, regional officials say. Throughout the region, public officials are beauti-

ammo charges

fying public building with the colours of Mashramani and the administration of the Hugo Chavez Centre

at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, is leading by example as seen in photo above.

TWO men appeared in a city magistrate court charged with being in possession of an unlicensed gun and ammunition. They two, twenty-six-year old Sherwin Wrights and 21-year-old Akeem Simeron are both of Providence, East Bank Demerara. It is alleged that on February 20 at Providence, the

men had in their possession one .9 mm pistol and 29.9 mm rounds of ammunition. The Prosecutor objected to bail because of the nature of the offence and the fact that the defendants had knowledge of the firearm and ammunition and had placed them in the ceiling. The defence attorney stated that other persons

occupied the house and that the day when the police entered the house, the defendants had just arrived home. Both of the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were refused bail and remanded to prison by Magistrate Fabayo Azore until March 21.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Surinamese brass band for Mash Day

By Anthony Layne MESSRS RICARDO Yip and Patrick Esejas of Suriname will add a different dimension to the Costume and Float Parade when their band, the Parbo Brass Band, hits the road on Mash Day. The 35-member band comprises dancers, drummers and a six-piece brass section. According to Esejas, the ensemble grew out of a small “marching band” in a scout troupe, in which he and Yip are senior members. The two Surinamese visited Guyana recently to finalise arrangements for their participation. They met Director of Culture (ag) Ms Tamika Boatswain, whom they said enthusiastically welcomed their proposal to participate in the event. All arrangements have therefore been completed and their participation is a certainty. Yip, whose wife is Guyanese, is no stranger to this country, having already vis-

Ricardo Yip, manager of the Parbo Brass Band, meets Director of Culture (ag), Ms Tamika Boatswain to discuss the Parbo Brass Band’s participation in the Mashramani Costume and Float Parade. At right is Assistant Manager Patrick Esejas

ited on numerous occasions. It will, however, be Esejas’s first visit, as it will be for other members of the contingent. Relating their reason for wanting to be part of the event, Esejas said the band has participated in events farther afield, including in

Holland and Belgium. Additionally, they tour French Guiana every year, so why not Guyana, another neighbour? So, having heard about Mashramani, they decided that it would be a great opportunity for the young mem-

bers of the band in particular to experience Guyana’s premier cultural event. He said that they will also explore the possibility of conducting tours to Guyana. The contingent is due to arrive today and they are reportedly all agog with excitement.

The brass section of the Parbo Brass Band during a performance in Paramaribo, Suriname

Efforts to sell baby thwarted by relatives AN alleged plan crafted a few months ago to sell a newborn was thwarted on Wednesday by concerned relatives of the child. According to the relatives of the newborn baby girl, a deal was made to sell her to a Surinamese for $1.5M by her father. According to relatives, the parents of the infant have four other children, ranging from 2-12 and are experiencing financial difficulties supporting them, and the addition to the family will only make things worse. The relatives continued that it was during one of the many rough days that the father, who operates a tractor, was approached at their No.68 Village home by someone from neighbouring Suriname and the father allegedly agreed to sell the child upon birth. This newspaper

Thursday, February 22, 2018 - 9:00 hrs

understands that on the 18th February, the 24-year-old mother gave birth to a baby girl and shortly after, the Surinamese showed up with documents that were signed with the intention to deliver payment upon the handing over of the baby which was scheduled on the day of her discharge, Wednesday. However, relatives got wind of the story and invited the media who notified the relevant authorities. The discharge of the mother was subsequently delayed and an investigation was launched. The mother of the child is now saying they no longer wish to sell the infant and is blaming the father for accepting the deal. Relatives have since come forward and offered to support the infant and her family to avoid the sale.

DATE: DATE: 26/11/2016 21/02/2018 3 26/11/2016 21/02/2018 06

15 12 19 12 14 18 21 19 18 24 26 02 6 N F 11

13 9

14 19

21 24

24 11

21/02/2018 26/11/2016

04 7

07 9

03 3

26/11/2016 21/02/2018

05 5

04 2

01 8

26/11/2016 21/02/2018 02 15 09 2010 7 116 13 21 14 10

1 18

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Plans afoot to make importation, exportation easier

Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin addressing the gathering at the Pegasus Hotel during the ESW workshop (Samuel Maughn photo)

By Navindra Seoraj THE government continues to explore models for the implementation and development of the Electronic Single Window (ESW) system which aims to expedite and simplify information flows between trade participants and the government. That was the topic of discussion when the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) collaborated with the Government of Guyana to host its first ESW workshop at the Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday. The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) defined the ESW as a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. Locally, the Ministry of Business has included the

implementation of the ESW as part of its action plan for 2016-2020. Subject Minister Dominic Gaskin said it is important to adopt and implement the initiative locally, especially when considering the competitiveness in the global market environment. “The country can face severe consequences if it cannot facilitate trade effectively… so our workshop is geared at identifying and analysing challenges and global practices for the development of the system,” he said. Gaskin believes that the project can revolutionise the business practices in Guyana, since the country needs to facilitate trade and other business transactions in a way that is efficient and cost-effective. “We have an important mission... I am not suggesting that we alone have to develop the single window system, or that we have no friends or partners to help us in how we develop this system,” said

Some of the participants at the ESW workshop on Wednesday (Samuel Maughn photo)

the minister, pointing out the significant assistance from the South Korea Technical Corporation and the IDB for funding the preparatory work of the project. He urged stakeholders to grab the opportunity and help to transform the way business is done in Guyana. The Trinidad and Tobago model of the ESW was discussed during the workshop on Wednesday. Their model was touted as one that Guyana should consider in order to improve the process and shorten the time of importing and exporting. Finance Minister Winston Jordan, however, pointed out that according to the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking, Trinidad and Tobago was at 126 while Guyana was ranked 142. “My point is the flaw in some of the arguments --

both in the indices that are put together… the Caribbean, as a group, does not openly object to the way the rank-

ings are arrived at, but individual countries do so whenever it is not in their interest,” he said.

No bail for businesswoman A businesswoman appeared before magistrate Fabayo Azore charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. It is alleged that Anesha Daniels, on February 19 on Durban Street, was found with two kilograms and 800 grams of cannabis in her possession The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor objected to bail based on the nature of the charge and based on the fact that the defendant had admitted that the substance belonged to her. Her attorney, however, told the court that there wasn’t sufficient evidence that the substance belonged to his client, based on the fact that she was not at home when the police made the find. He said his client was a hard-working woman and the allegation was going to stain her character and that she should be released on bail. Daniels was refused bail and she was remanded to prison until March 21, 2018

Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Working with citizens and their communities THE mechanism of local government as the name implies, is about governance at the grassroots levels, which provides citizens the opportunity of meaningful participation in socio-economic matters that impact their daily affairs. It is a system that functions best without political interference, because it allows for genuine inclusivity in the process of decision-making, where all voices should be heard. In its correct form, it is about the exercise of democracy in a manner that could only redound to the benefit of all citizens. It explains all the reasons why its absence of two decades or more, affected the quality of life in communities, depriving citizens of critical services that were necessary for their material and spiritual comfort. Neglect and indifference reflected communal life in many places. That its focus as a seminal promise of the APNU+AFC 2015 electoral campaign and manifesto promises was not surprising, because it was recognised as critically important to the socio-economic development prospects of Guyana. The rest is now history, the coalition won, and without much delay, local government elections have been held, with elected mayors at the helm in their respective municipalities and chairpersons in Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).

Firstly, a new dispensation now underlines a different kind of local government system, because of the establishment of a Local Government Commission that has the constitutional mandate to manage such a system in conjunction with the municipalities and NDCs. Secondly, for the first time in the history of local government, communities and their citizens are being allowed to practise local democracy in their best interests. But this will necessitate an entirely different maturity and approach to genuine self-government, and an understanding of its requisite responsibilities. Thirdly, such governance can have no place for personal rivalries, petty community quarrels, and attempts at personal dominance, on the part of any citizen, or group of citizens, because of affluence or social standing. For any display of the aforementioned instances can only stymie the general welfare and development of the community and citizens whose interests such elected members have been sworn to serve. Fourthly, although it is recognised that overwhelming, political party influence has been the traditional brand of the local government system, especially during the past two decades and one half, it must be accepted that this has not been in the best interest of providing solutions to the many social issues at the community level. But, we are a democratic society, therefore every Guyanese is entitled to his/her polit-

Who are these forked tongues fooling? Dear Editor, LISTENING to some of the statements from members of the opposition People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C), has only served to remind me that some types of government when occupying the seat of state power, are cognisant when they choose to deliberately resort to actions that amount to infringements in numerous ways against the laws and people of this country. And they do so with great impunity, often with contempt from those on whose behalf they govern. Take for example, leader of the political opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, when he boldly declared at a few of his press conferences, that it has always been his line that those who steal from the state should be prosecuted. This has to be one of the biggest laughs, albeit about the very serious issue of state theft, that

was born, nurtured, and flourished under his then presidency and government. Is he pretending that he was not aware of what had been taking place under his very eyes and nose when he was Head of State/government? Such sudden realisation of the need for prosecution is nothing but an insult to this nation that is aware of the deep involvement of Jagdeo’s friends, cronies, and some high state officials and functionaries, some of whom are before the courts at this time. Another case in this category of sudden realisation and convenience on the part of the PPP/C is the recent media statement by none other than Manzoor Nadir, former Minister of Labour, giving his views on the land-lease issue involving the stakeholders and the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (Ogle International Airport). Where was Nadir when Jagdeo’s best pal, was given free rein with regard to the monopoly of

the nation’s importation for drugs supply? How does he explain the pre-qualification conditions tailor-made for this most “favoured prince”, and reported to have been made privy in advance to him? Surely, Nadir was in the PPP/C party, as I believe he still is, and government. Where was his voice in support of the other bidders who protested bitterly about such blatant cronyism? Editor, Nadir is one of this country’s politicians who is least trusted, much less respected; not for what he has done to the TUF as a party, so much did he crave for a cabinet position in the then PPP/C government. It was one of the most disgraceful acts of political selfishness, I submit, ever committed by a Guyanese politician. Who are these forked tongues fooling? Regards Troy Garraway

ical affiliation; however, this must not be allowed to become a part of the consideration of the governance of communities, in terms of the dispensing of community improvements being undertaken on the basis of the narrow aspect of political party support/ethnic considerations. All communities, and all citizens, must benefit. Fifthly, since every municipality will now have the opportunity to raise its own funds for their respective communities development, we implore that careful attention be paid to this most vital aspect, in terms of accountability, whilst ensuring that citizens do pay their fair share of taxes. The non-payment of the latter has been and still is, a constraint for many communities being unable to derive the most basic of services. We have no doubt, that within our local government system that there are committed elected officers, men and women, patriotic enough in wanting to effect the changes for improved and better communities that the historic March 2016 local government elections has facilitated. However the municipalities and NDCs working together with citizens hold the key for resounding success.

Double standards from the Guyana Bar Association

Dear Editor,

SO, the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has made a statement warning the government not to go ahead, with the unconstitutional appointments of a chancellor of the local judiciary and a chief justice, in an acting capacity. Editor, if one is to be guided by statements emanating from the Ministry of the Presidency on this very important issue on the nation’s two seminal judicial positions, there is the understanding that the President will be seeking legal guidance from the Minister of Legal Affairs on the way forward. With such a pronouncement from the government, such a statement from the GBA is misleading, and moreover mischievous and irresponsible, designed to create uncertainty in the nation’s judiciary. Editor, I do not pretend to be legally learned; however, my layman’s understanding of the law

interprets that consistency should be the guide in legal decisions, and when such is absent, then there has to be cause for grave concern. And I do repeat this, in light of what is definitely a double standard on the part of the GBA’s failure to demand from the leader of the opposition, his reasons for his refusal of the two proposed nominees. After all, not only did this representative body request the President to make public his reasons for rejecting the leader of the opposition’s submitted list of nominees for the chairmanship of GECOM, but had also filed a High Court motion against his decision not to do so. Why the silence with regard to the opposition leader’s refusal? In fact, does the latter really have any credible reasons for refusal of the two distinguished nominees? Regards Earl Hamilton

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Placement of counsellors in schools Dear Editor THE University of Guyana is set to launch its Diploma in Psychology on February 24. The Caribbean Voice (TCV) notes that tuition costs are $250,000 plus facilities fee of $50,000, application fee of $1000 and other possible fees, with fees also subject to change. TCV has been at the forefront of calls to bring back the Diploma in Psychology that was first offered in the 1970s. Even though UG had indicated to TCV that it has no record of this programme, we did confirm its existence with a number of then graduates who provided details of the programme and indicated that they still have their certificates. Now we sincerely hope that the government has provided assurances of employment to encourage students to register, as repaying that kind of student loan will be a disincentive. We also hope that the government has facilitated the enrolment of current teachers as was done previously. However, even as we await this first batch of graduates, the public has not been informed whether that batch of 30 who graduated in December with Diplomas in Psychology from the American University of Peace Studies, has already been placed in public schools. If they are still struggling to find jobs, then anyone de-

sirous of enrolling in the UG programme may have second and third thoughts. As well, the public would wonder about the government’s seriousness with respect to the mental well-being of the nation’s students, especially given that arguments that trained personnel are not available and that government cannot afford to train such personnel, are no longer valid. Besides, it is to be noted that some private schools already have counsellors on staff. Meanwhile, NGOs (including The Caribbean Voice) that have been working with teachers and students, are deluged with cries for help to deal with a range of issues currently impacting the teaching/learning dynamics on a daily basis. These include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and self-confidence, lack of coping skills, increasing use of drugs and alcohol, increasing sexual permissiveness fuelling the rising teenage pregnancy rate, bullying, including cyber bullying, self-harm, especially cutting, various learning disabilities and increasing overall violence. The fact is that research clearly shows that better academic and behavioural outcomes result when mental health problems are identified and addressed early. On the other hand, students struggling with depression or other mental illnesses have a harder time feeling motivated, learning, concentrating, taking tests, and so on.

Also, it is to be noted that boys, especially those at the lower socio-economic levels, are likely to be both victims and perpetrators of the negative behaviour that flow from untreated mental problems. In a study on Jamaica, Dr. Herbert Gayle, University of West Indies (Mona Campus), social anthropologist, found that boys are three times more likely than girls to be beaten in homes; they account for up to 95 per cent of the child victims of violence, including murder; are more likely than girls to be neglected by fathers; and in up to a quarter of working-class and inner-city homes, are expected to hustle to help boost the family income. These findings may very well be accurate for Guyana (and other Caribbean nations) as borne out by empirical evidence. In effect, the government cannot afford not to invest in the mental health of our young. This investment starts with the placement of counsellors in schools. As well, TCV urges the establishment of an annual Mental Heath Awareness Day in all schools as a way of bringing parents into the mental health care process and establishing partnerships between schools and other stakeholders in mental health care. Regards The Caribbean Voice

The nonsense at Zeeburg Secondary School must stop

Dear Editor

AFTER reading a number of letters in the press regarding Zeeburg Secondary School and the actions of teachers, I wish to highlight a few issues which are cause for great concern amongst parents, students and teachers alike. Mr. Editor, recently students were barred from participating in career day activities because they did not contribute to the school’s fund-raising activities. These events are held to help students make sound decisions in choosing subject streams and careers that are related; it also serves as an instrument to have students set goals and to motivate them to become meaningful contributors in society. The act of the teachers of Zeeburg Secondary School is a clear case of discrimination against students who are poor and simply cannot afford the large sums of monies that these teachers squander on security cameras, expensive food and pastries supplied by the head teacher at exorbitant prices and a particular teacher who is also the school’s photographer. Can you imagine on sales day students are asked to pay $800 for a lunch and $160 for a Trill, when at the Madina Restaurant you can get a lunch and a Trill for far less? The head teacher uses her office to run a very lucrative cook house while at the same time demanding and squeezing monies from parents to sustain this new industry at Zeeburg Secondary School. Fifth Form students were

told that if they don’t pay up, they will not be writing mock exams; how stupid can someone be to purchase security cameras worth close to $1,000,000 and can’t afford to execute their primary function of curriculum delivery. Are they running a security firm, or a correctional facility? The school’s uniform is now being changed from green to a new green of the HM’s preference and students are forced to remove their socks if they are not black -- a most unhealthy practice. Certain ethnic groups are being targeted because of their hair and told to cut it low at the discretion of the head teacher. They are suspended and sent home from school for up to three days and parents are notified when they have been already punished. It is obvious that her level of care for children and the development of their intellects are unacceptable; teachers are there to help our students and not to break them, not to treat them as prisoners, not to abuse them and make unreasonable demands of them for financial gain and publicly humiliate parents and students for not being able to act on the demands. Students’ names were printed on a board at the last PTA meeting for a raffle sheet which as a parent I had no idea was given to my child. My child reported that at the assembly, threats were made to have the names of students posted on the internet by the head teacher and then sing Jesus loves her. As a parent we cannot voice our concerns, since the head teacher and other staff label our children; they are barred from school

activities such as field trips, career day, work studies etc., our children are being targeted “ For a few Dollars More.” Mr Editor, at the last cleaning exercise, students were seen climbing and clinging to walls of the school; in fact, one female student wearing her Muslim head dress was wiping the ventilation bricks some 13 feet off the ground (a picture has been included). How can the Ministry of Education preach about the safety of our children under their care when these acts are done in schools without parents’ approval? I can say this: I have never received any slip requesting my consent for my child to participate in any cleaning exercise. Certain religious groups are marginalised. Recently, the three main religious organisations were invited before school was reopened to have a day of prayer, but on the first day of school when the population was at its high, the head teacher had a worship session at the school assembly and no other religious group was invited to pray or even sing a Bhajan or recite a prayer This head teacher is trying to impose her religious beliefs on others. It was also reported at the PTA meeting that the Ministry of Education and the welfare department are in support of all the issues I have highlighted, so how are we the parents to get justice for our sons and daughters when we become victims for standing up for our rights. The nonsense at Zeeburg Secondary School must stop.

Regards Concerned Parent

Heartened that sugar workers received their severance pay Dear Editor, I WAS pleased to see that the government has followed through with their promise and paid over 2 billion dollars of severance to sugar workers from plantations no longer operating. It is a heartening thing to see politicians keeping their word. After having already supported the sugar industry with 32 billion dollars, or a little more than a billion dollars a month since coming to office, the administration again has tightened its belt and found even more money for the industry. Two billion dollars is no mean sum, and we should all not forget that these funds are coming from our individual pockets. But the thing that is most important is that during a difficult period of transition for the industry, the government has demonstrated that it continues to be with sugar workers throughout. Severance is not being withheld for spiteful or vengeful reasons, but paid as soon as available, and that says something. Regards Malcolm Marshall

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Rice miller Doerga denies owing farmers …says protest action politically motivated A NUMBER of rice farmers from the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara and Dr Turhane Doerga are at odds over outstanding payments for paddy supplied over a number of years, with the latter denying owing anyone of them “a single cent” and charging that protest action by the farmers are all politically motivated. The farmers are accusing Dr Doerga of defaulting, but the businessman is denying the allegation being peddled against him, stating that the protest action is the work of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). On Wednesday, approximately 14 rice farmers picketed the Rumzeight Rice Processors/Alesie Facility on the West Coast of Demerara on the basis that Dr Doerga allegedly owes them a collective sum of $31.8M. However, there is reportedly another rice farmer in Essequibo who claims that he is owed in excess of $50M. Dr Doerga reportedly owns or is closely associated with the Rumzeight Rice Processors/Alesie Facility, and the rice farmers are calling on government to seize the property until the monies are paid over to them. According to the farmers, Dr Doerga, who owns or is closely associated with approximately 28 rice mills or processing facilities across the country, initiated a number of purchases, many of which date back to 2016, and the paddies were supplied to either Ruimzeight Rice Processors or Associated Rice Exporters Inc as agreed, but to date they are still awaiting their payments. Jeetlall Ramraj, a rice farmer for more than 20 years, said though the court has ordered Dr Doerga and four individuals and entities

which was presided over by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, ordered the defendants in the matter – Turhane Doerga (personally and in his capacity of Chairman of Alesie Group of companies), Vijay Doerga, Ruimzeight Rice Processors Inc., Ruimzeight Rice Industries Ltd., and Associated Rice Exporters Inc – to pay Ramraj $12,

matter alluded to by Jeetlall Ramraj, Dr Doerga said there is a rehearing today (Thursday February 22). In defending his position, Dr Doerga posited that Jeetlall

Dr Turhane Doerga (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

to disburse payments to the tune of $12.4M for paddy supplied, a payment is yet to be made. Ramraj, who led the protest on Wednesday, said in 2015 he started to supply Rumzeight Rice Processors based on commitments made by Dr Doerga. “He asked me, he come beg me, he and his son was holding meetings with me on a daily basis and promised to pay me,” the rice farmer said. According to Ramraj, an initial payment of $8M was made to him for dried paddy supplied but before he knew it, the Rumzeight Rice Processors Facility had in excess of $36M outstanding for parts of 2015 and all of 2016. “He always paid cash. He had this girl Latchmie, signing all the time for him but he ah personally draw the cash and bring it,” Ramraj recalled. It is alleged that that Dr Doerga paid part of the money owed to Ramraj and had some $12.4M outstanding. The matter was taken to court. According to a High Court document seen by the Guyana Chronicle, the court,

The disgruntled rice farmers protesting at the Ruimzeight Rice Processors Facility on the West Coast of Demerara (Photo by Adrian Narine)

Girjadial Mangra (Photo by Adrian Narine) Jeetlall Ramraj, one of the rice farmers who protestedv over money owed (Photo by Adrian Narine)

478,129.57 ($12.4M) together with interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum from July 4, 2017 to September 13, 2017 and thereafter at the rate of 4 per cent until fully paid. The defendants had not been present to present their case before the court. Judgment was on October 10, 2017. I owe no one But in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, a few hours after Dr Doerga, who was backed by Jinnah Rahaman, denied the claims, stating that neither he nor Alesie owes anyone. Referencing the court

Kawall Ramraj (Photo by Adrian Narine)

Ramraj, the rice farmer, did business with a manager of Ruimzeight Rice Processors Inc., but the deal went sour. “He went to court and without anybody being heard, how he did it we don’t know, we got a court ruling and that court ruling will be reheard tomorrow,” Dr Doerga said Maintaining that he does not owe anyone, Dr Doerga said there are 22 rice farmers who are claiming to be owed by Ruimzeight Rice Processors Inc. The Ruimzeight

Mill is owned by the Alesie Group, for which he (Dr Doerga) is a co-owner. According to him, the mill was closed more than one year ago, and is now being rented to a group of processors. “I put in some money in that but I lost all that money,” he posited. Dr Doerga said he should be made to pay monies allegedly owed by companies that rent the facility at Ruimzeight. According to him, the rice farmers were set up by the PPP to bring his name into disrepute over their loss of the 2015 General and Regional Elections. “Each one of them which is there are members of the PPP…it is a political matter. Mr Seeraj said…we owed a $100M, he is confusing that with a $100M he stole from

GRDA, and is not paying it back,” Dr. Doerga alleged. He said rice farmers should follow in the footsteps of Jeetlall Ramraj and take their concerns to court. However, he is maintaining that neither he nor Alesie owes anyone and all debts have been cleared. “It is said that Turhane Doerga owes, Turhane Doerga owes nobody a cent. Alesie left this shore a long time ago and owes nobody a cent, we paid all our bills. The properties are rented to companies and those companies do business, and if they don’t pay their bills, that is their story,” he maintained. Meanwhile, Kawall Ramraj a rice farmer, also claimed that he has been doing business with Dr. Doerga for more than 20 years, but the payments were never consistent. “This man begged me for my paddy in 2016 and meh bring meh paddy and meh give am, and this man promise me to pay meh by the 15th November, 2016, by the 15th November, he close up this place and go ah Suriname,” Kawall Ramraj contended. PPP member Dharamkumar Seeraj, who was identified as the farmers’ representative, had joined the protest and called on Dr Deorga to pay money reportedly owed.

Berbice women bemoan poor treatment by security service THE Department of Labour, headed by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Keith Scott, is on a campaign to ensure strict compliance with laws relating to industrial relations and occupational safety and health. In 2017 there were 458 complaints of labour violations placed before the court and over 300 of those cases were prosecuted and closed. That is representative of a 65% closure of cases for that year; a 180% increase in prosecutions, when compared

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott

to 2015; and over $19M was recovered. In a release, the department said it continues to receive reports of non-compliance and is currently engaging Integrated Security Services for allegedly paying salaries below the national minimum wage and in other cases withholding salaries completely. Minster Scott, Chief Labour Officer Mr Charles Ogle and Assistant Chief Labour Officer, Mrs Karen VanSluytman-Corbin recently travelled to New Amsterdam, where they con-

ducted a strategic inspection accompanied by labour officers in that region. The team also held short meetings with regional officials. The minister had previously stated that he is prepared to go to any part of the country to correct injustices and defend the rights of workers. The release stated that while meeting with the minister, the security company indicated that after recently acquiring a contract that was lost by another security service, they are facing administrative difficulties that

resulted in several complications. They were urged to fix those as soon as possible, while the minister ordered immediate compliance with the minimum wage. They were also ordered to submit their time and wage sheets to the department for review. Mr Neville Nicholes, Senior Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officer in charge of Regions Five and Six, said that the Labour Department has already begun in-house training with senior supervisors of the security service so that they would be

au fait with the regulations and what is required. This is in addition to several other training programmes planned for both regions. According to the Labour Department, during a meeting with employees of the security company, they complained about being unable to meet their living expenses, being unable to support their families and having to borrow money just to get by. Some employees mentioned that based on varying amounts of money they would receive, Turn to page 9 ►

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Total forest production for 2017 GRO registration process 7% over 2016 – GFC transparent – Minister Felix up …several large concessions reverted to the State MINISTER of Citizenship Winston Felix on Wednesday refuted claims against Member of Parliament Richard Allen’s involvement in the outreach activity last week, which was conducted by the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) in Barima-Waini (Region One) to provide registration services for residents there. Minister Felix was at the time responding to allegations made by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and published in Wednesday’s edition of the Guyana Times against Mr Allen. The Opposition claims that Mr Allen has compromised the integrity of the GRO’s work by discriminately facilitating registrations and subsequently handing out birth certificates to selected civilians. In an invited comment at his office at the Ministry of Citizenship, Waterloo Street, Georgetown, Minister Felix said that the allegations are without truth. “None of the allegations mentioned has any truthfulness behind it…I Winston Gordon Felix, Minister [of] Citizenship has authorised Mr Allen since last year to mobilise and assist the GRO staff with moving around…MP Allen has not interfered in the work of the GRO staff. He is of help to them,” he said. The Citizenship Minister said that the GRO is obligated to register all citizens and will not display any partiality to some persons being registered over others. “We are ensuring that this is a transparent process. It is done in the open. The public

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix

is invited. No one is there to discriminate as to who should be registered and who should not be registered. The registration process takes place in the full glare of the public… We are endeavouring to ensure that the public’s interest is served by having children registered… That is what we’re after. We’re not after any other ulterior motive. Each child that is born in Guyana must have a birth certificate,” he said. Minister Felix also stressed that only registrations were made during the outreach, thus demonstrating the illegitimacy of claims that Mr Allen had handed out birth certificates. “Mr. Allen, in this year, 2018, could not have issued or could not have handed out, or could not have received any birth certificate from anyone, because there were no birth certificates handed out or to be received from anyone in those areas,” he said. Deputy Registrar-General Mr Louis Crawford explained

that the GRO’s registration process, in this case, does not allow for the immediate release of birth certificates, further denouncing allegations of Mr. Allen distributing birth certificates. “They do not take birth certificates with them. They receive the applications from the field and [they are] brought to Georgetown where it is processed. That process takes sometimes… some months… Having discovered crosschecks and balances that the person’s birth was not registered, then we will proceed to register that birth and the certificates are returned to the persons in the area. It is by way of mail,” he said. Mr. Crawford also clarified that Mr Allen’s responsibilities were focused on logistical and mobilisation support for the outreach. “We seek help in mobilisation… so whenever we go on those outreaches… we capture most of the persons there… Yes, Mr Allen was used… because of his knowledge of the area and the assistance that he provided the general registrar to having the staff moving around and in terms of accommodation. In terms of the actual work, he plays no part in it,” he said. The outreaches, being a function of the GRO, are essential to the Ministry of Citizenship’s ultimate goal to raise Guyana’s 89 percent registration rate to 100 percent. The GRO has held outreaches in all administrative regions in Guyana, with Region One being the area of greatest disparity.

THE Guyana Forestry Commission recorded for 2017 a total production level of 377,111m3 as compared to 353,495m3 for 2016, representing a 7% increase in the 2017 total production level. The Commission also projects that for 2018, production will be 400,000 m3. According to the GFC Performance Report for 2017 released earlier this week, Guyana’s forest sector faced several challenges in 2017, among them being a lower overall global demand, lower prices for tropical timber products and a general contracting of international markets. “Concurrently, several large forest concessions have reverted to the State for reasons including: following expiration and non-renewal, and actions taken on others which were noncompliant with the terms and conditions of contractual obligation to the State,” said the GFC report. It said too that over the

prison by Magistrate Fabayo Azore until March 21. According to reports, the victim left his North Haslington home at around 08:45hrs with $400,000 in his possession. When he reached the city, he reportedly made a stop at a bank where he withdrew $1.4M which was to be sent overseas. He then went to another city bank where he planned on making the transfer, but was told that he needed some additional information before he could do so. This necessitated his having to leave the bank. The court heard that the

pastor was at first reluctant to go, knowing that he had so much money on him, but in the end decided to. It was while he was driving east along Church Street on his way to get the information that he was rear-ended by a silver-grey Toyota Spacio. Upon getting out of his vehicle to inspect the damage, he was reportedly approached by the men, one brandishing a gun, demanding that he turn over to them all the cash he was carrying. The robbers assaulted him before searching the car and eventually finding the money.

value for forest produce was US$39.1M, down from US$41.9M in 2016 – a decrease of 6.7%. The GFC projects that for 2018, export value will be US$41.5 M. For 2017, the total revenue was approximately $ 1.1B compared to the budget of $ 1.34B. “It should be noted that the 2017 revenue budget was based on the assumption that the stumpage value system of charging revenue would have been implemented. However, the actual system that was applied in 2017 was the existing revenue system of charging royalty and acreage fees and this was a significant reason for the shortfall,” the GFC stated in the report. For 2017, total expenses were approximately $ 1.287B compared to a budgeted $ 1.327B. The GFC partially met this shortfall from its savings. Further, the GFC has projected for 2018, revenue of $ 1.366B and expenses of $ 1.365B.

Muslim scholar expected back of sexually in court today …accused molesting nine boys children. He was placed on a total of $1.3M bail at the time. The acts were allegedly committed while Ali was in a position of trust, being a religious teacher, and knew or could be reasonably expected to have known of the trust in relation to the boys. The boys had been attending Arabic and Koran classes at the time. Following a preliminary

Beaten, robbed of $1.8M A 39-year-old man appeared in court charged with robbery. It is alleged that on November 22, 2017, Mark Prince, armed with a gun and in the company of others in the vicinity of Church Street, robbed Elder Anderson of $1.8 million in Guyana currency. Prince, who resides at La Parfaite Harmonie, pleaded not guilty to the charge The prosecutor objected to bail based on the seriousness of the offence and the fact that a dangerous weapon was used. The defendant was refused bail and remanded to

past 10 years, the forest sector employed about 20,000 persons with approximately 4,500 persons employed at the community forestry association level. It noted that the sector contributed approximately US$40MUS$60M in export value over the past 10 years. The sector has produced annually timber and plywood of 400,000m3 to 500,000m3. Total log export for 2017 was recorded at US$14.6M and this compares to US$16.2M in 2016. The GFC said sawn lumber--the highest revenue earner for the year for the forest sector--recorded US$16.5M, compared to US$18.8M in 2016. The GFC said the main products that saw increases from 2016 to 2017 are splitwood, which increased from the 2016 total revenue position of US$1.9M and moved to US$3.6M in 2017; and plywood which increased from US$1.3M in 2016 to US$1.4M in 2017. In 2017 the total export

Muslim scholar, Neezam Ali

THE case against Muslim scholar, Neezam Ali, who is accused of allegedly sexually molesting nine boys, is expected to be recalled at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Alex Moore today. Ali, also known as ‘Mufti’, an Imam of Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, was committed to stand trial in the High Court on nine counts of engaging in sexual activity with nine boys under the age of 12, back in 2012. The charges alleged that between December 2011 and January 2012, Ali, being a teacher attached to the Turkeyen Masjid, engaged in sexual activity with the

hearing at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Alex Moore, Ali was committed to stand trial at the High Court. But his attorney, Nigel Hughes, had challenged the paper committal on several grounds. The matter was subsequently sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice, and was later reopened before Magistrate Moore.

Berbice women bemoan... From page 8

they do not know what their correct salaries were. They went on to say that the company should not be Integrated Security, but should be renamed “Integrated Science” for the technicalities involved in computing their salaries. Ms Vanessa Hope, who resides in the vicinity of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, said she was retained by the guard service after it acquired the security contract of her previous employer. She said in December the company paid

her just over $16,000 while she was given $25,000) for January. She said based on her calculation of the hours she had worked, her salary should be $50,400. The team also conducted inspections across several New Amsterdam businesses where several infractions were found. Those infractions include bad lighting, deplorable washroom facilities, the absence of first aid kits, fire extinguishers, time books and cases of employees not receiving pay slips.

Vandals strike at Hope Estate ONE person has been arrested for the poisoning of coconut trees at Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara and is said to be cooperating with the police. Recently, 18 bearing coconut trees were vandalised by persons at Hope Estate. The Ministry of Agriculture has since warned that it will not sit idly by and allow the vandalism to continue. Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, in condemning the action, said vandalism remains a cause for concern, since it undermines the progress made at Hope Coconut Industries Limited (HCIL). According to the minister, all efforts will be made to ensure that the incident is an isolated one, and is calling on the public to exercise maturity. “Government will not tolerate people who vandalise any structure, and in this case, it’s our coconut farms. While we are willing to work in rebuilding our coconut farms, incidents such as these can only hurt the industry,” the minister said. The HCIL and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NA-

A section of the bearing trees that were poisoned

REI), have been working around-the-clock to ensure farmers have readily available top-quality coconut seedlings. Already, nurseries are being managed in the Pomeroon with farmers from the coconut-growing regions taking full advantage of the programme. Only recently, the Ministry of Agriculture through assistance from the Mexican

Government, received 450 tissue culture samples as part of the first phase of the programme to aide diversification. The second batch of tissue culture is expected to arrive in Guyana by July. HCIL General Manager Rickey Roopchand expressed disgust at the incident and called on members of the farming community to work with HCIL to ensure that the

work of the ministry is not stymied. He added that already much is being done at the level of the board to enable farmers to not only benefit from quality coconut seedlings, but to also expand their services to include value-added commodities. The HCIL this year will commence the construction of a coconut water bottling factory, which will be used to process coconut water for export. This venture by the HCIL, according to Roopchand, will see the ministry buying coconuts from local farmers to supplement the production of bottled coconut water, which will be sold to local, regional and international markets.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Case of GBTI directors vs SOCU adjourned THE trial of eight directors of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), accused of failing to comply with a production order issued by acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire is adjourned until April 10. Those on trial are: GBTI directors, Edward A Beharry, Suresh Beharry, Kathryn Eytle-McLean, Richard Isava, Carlton James and Basil Mahadeo; its chairman Robin Stoby and acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaleeza Shaw. The accused being placed before the courts resulted from an ongoing Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) investigation into the US$500M fraud at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). The trial is being presided over by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, with evidence being led by SOCU prosecutor, Patrice Henry. The GBTI directors are represented by Ian Chang, S.C., Roger Yearwood, Nigel Hughes, Steven Fraser and Edward Luckhoo. The final witness--forensic financial analysts Sherronie James--who is attached to SOCU, was giving her evidence in chief when a defence attorney objected to the woman testifying in the matter. The attorney contended that the witness’ evidence

had nothing to do with the particulars of the charge. However, the magistrate overruled the defence’s preliminary submission and will allow James to continue her testimony on April 10. In a previous hearing, Court Marshal Nelisha Peterkin; Superintendent of Police, Robert Tyndall; Sydney James, Head of SOCU; and Superintendent Brian Vieira testified. The eight directors are jointly charged with failing to comply with a production order issued by the acting Chief Justice and served by a marshal of the High Court, ordering them to produce certain named documents, within seven days to SOCU head, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sydney James. It is alleged that they contravened the order without reasonable cause. SOCU, as part of its probe into the fraud case, had moved to the court to obtain an order instructing GBTI to produce all the required documents to aid in the investigation. Under tough anti-money laundering laws, once court orders are granted, financial institutions are reportedly bound to provide information. In this case, the moneys are not from private accounts, but rather from the U.S. dollar and other accounts of GRDB--a state entity.

Road closure to facilitate Mashramani Parade THE Guyana Police Force has announced that some intersections will be closed to vehicular traffic from 06:00hrs until the end of the day’s activities relating to the Mashramani Float Parade. These intersections are Camp Street and Thomas Lands; Albert Street and Woolford Avenue; Sandy Babb Street and Vlissengen Road; Sandy Babb and J.B Singh Road; Barr Street and Vlissengen Road; Dowding Street and Vlissengen Road; Station Street and Vlissengen Road; Lamaha Street and Vlissengen Road; Woolford Avenue and Vlissengen Road; Woolford Avenue and J.B Singh Road; Anira and Irving Streets; Laluni and Irving Streets. The following roads will also be

closed to facilitate the float parade: Crown and Irving Streets; Almond and Irving Streets; Forshaw and Irving Streets; Church Street and Vlissengen Road; North and Vlissengen Roads; Regent Street and Vlissengen Road; South and Vlissengen Roads; Brickdam and Vlissengen Road, Homestretch Avenue and Vlissengen Road, Hadfield Street and Vlissengen Road; and Mandela Avenue and Vlissengen Road.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Illegal foreign miners granted amnesty to regularise ILLEGAL foreign miners are being given a chance to regularise their status here, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix announced Monday. Felix, during an outreach to the Mazaruni, Mining District Three, said “We are giving you a chance to come to the office in Georgetown with your passport and apply for your extension of stay. If you came to work and your initial visa was an employment visa, you can have that extended as well as your work permit.” Minister Felix was part of a team led by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, to Puruni Landing. The team met with miners and business operators to discuss regularising operations in the area.

Foreign nationals, particularly Brazilians, had raised the concern of legalising their status with Minister Broomes last year during a visit to the said area. While they do not require a visa for entry into Guyana, they do need a landing permit and work permit. These permits are granted by the Ministry of Citizenship. A work permit is valid for three years, however, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has to submit applications to the ministry for processing. It takes about three to four business days for the ministry to process the landing permit, which begins upon legal entry to Guyana. Other foreign nationals who require visas to enter

Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix and Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Simona Broomes speak with miners and members of the business community at Puruni landing Monday. (Kawise Wishart photo)

Guyana legally have to apply for an employment

visa on arrival and a work permit subsequently. All these transactions have to be done at the ministry’s

office, located at 146 Waterloo Street, Georgetown. The foreign nationals were also warned by the

minister, that this application process has to be done in person. “Don’t allow anybody to take money from you to do it, they can’t do it for you; you have to come and apply for your own registration, your visa, the minister informed them. Foreign nationals who overstay their time in Guyana are classified under prohibited immigrants’ status ,Minister Felix explained. This basically means they are illegal and could be brought before the courts and deported. “Like I said, we are not here to round up anybody and to get them out of the country, no, we are not doing that. We want to let you know what you need to do,” Minister Felix assured the miners. (DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Eyewitness to 2014 Quamina St murder testifies via skype THE state on Wednesday closed its case in the 2014 murder of Nigel Lawson on Quamina Street, Georgetown, after the conclusion of the testimony from a key witness via Skype. Lawson was allegedly killed by Kelvin Chisholm during an argument on May 14, 2014. He has since pleaded not guilty to the offence. The decision to close the case came after the state’s star witness, Rolin Sarrabo testified via Skype that he witnessed the incident which took place in front of his yard. The key witness told the court that on May 1, 2014 he used to live at Lot 250 Quamina Street, South Cummingsburg and at about 21:20hrs he left his house and was going to purchase a bag of chips when he saw two men and they were engaged in an argument. As the men were getting close to him he recognised one as being Nigel Lawson, the deceased, who was saying “stop borin me, stop

juking me” then followed by “aww bai you bore me” after which he took off his jersey and placed it at his chest. He then collapsed to the ground. At that point, Sarrabo said the accused, who was on a bicycle, rode off into Thomas Street. He(Sarabo)then joined a bus and followed the man. He then identified the accused in the courtroom as the man whom had he followed. At the Thomas Street location, the witness told the court he told the accused to take the deceased to the hospital but he did nothing but said “Did you see me stab the guy” and he replied in the affirmative after which he called the police. Sarrabo testified that he was about 15 feet from the two men and he was able to see them clearly since he was facing them and the lighting condition was good. He identified the man on the bicycle as the accused who has one leg shorter than the other and walks with a ‘hop and drop’ and knows

the men by seeing them in the neighbourhood. Sarrabo added that he knows the deceased as the guy who used to do odd jobs around the area and he was always on Quamina Street asking for money. As for the accused, he used to see him from time to time. He recalled that on the evening in question, the argument was loud and he saw the accused swinging his hands but stated that he did not see the deceased cuff the accused who was at the time on a bicycle. Sarrabo related via Skype from the United States that the deceased was trying to get away from the accused and he heard him say ‘put down my bag’ before the deceased collapsed. The witness added that he did not see the man on the bicycle fell off same nor did he see him pick up anything from the ground. Sarrabo said he cannot recall seeing any cell phone or iPod in the hands of the deceased but remember telling the accused to leave

Nigel alone. He told the court he did not see what weapon was used to commit the act and did not see Nigel fighting back, instead, he was trying to get away from the accused. Under cross examination by defence attorney Compton Richardson, it was suggested to Sarrabo that he was not telling the whole truth about what he witnessed that night. He responded by saying that is incorrect since he has no reason to lie to the court. It was put to the witness that since the deceased was his friend, he fashioned his story in favour of him and he said he didn’t agree, since he is speaking the truth. Sarrabo told the court that he heard Nigel telling the accused to “stop borin me, stop jukkin me” three times. Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, testified that he performed the post-mortem on the body of the deceased, Nigel Lawson, and gave the cause of death as perforation of the lungs and heart due to a stab wound at the left side of the chest. He added that a sharp instrument, likely a knife, was used to inflict the wound on the deceased and he did not observe any fractures on the arm of the deceased. Detective Inspector Herbert Henry also took the stand and testified that during

May 2014, he was stationed at the Kitty Police Station and relative to a report of an alleged murder committed on Nigel Lawson at Quamina Street, he received certain information. As such, he instructed Constable Thomas, who was under his supervision, to go to the location after which Constable Thomas told him ‘something’. Henry said he then headed to the Brickdam Police Station and met Cadet Officer Arjune who is now Assistant Superintendent of Police and he told him ‘something’ after which the accused was pointed out to him. He was seated in the Enquiries Office and he escorted him to the CID office where he was put to sit. In the presence of Constable Thomas, he put the allegation of alleged murder to him and he said “dis man thief me thing, I went behind he, he cuff me and we had a scuffle. I tek meh knife and bore he.” He was cautioned after which he elected Henry to write a statement for him on a caution statement form and he was told of his rights. The accused affixed his signature after reading the caution statement and also signed the first and second declaration and certificate which was attached to the caution statement. Henry told the court that he revisited the scene and retrieved the bi-

cycle, the iPod and the cell phone which were lodged for safe-keeping. He added that he interviewed several persons in the area and he was the investigating rank who also obtained statements. Henry stated that the accused was escorted to the Prashad Nagar Outpost where he was placed in custody. Several other witnesses testified, including Assistant Superintendent of Police, Stephen Telford who read the deposition of ex-cop Maxwell Grant who is overseas after an application made by the state was granted. A total of 16 photos were taken by ex-Constable Grant which were marked, tendered and admitted as evidence in the trial. In her opening address, state prosecutor Tiffini Lyken told the court that on the evening in question at about 08:30hrs, the motionless body of Nigel Lawson was found on Quamina Street with a wound to the body. She related that he was taken to the GPHC where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Lyken added that a post-mortem on May 7, 2014, revealed that Lawson died as a result of perforation of the heart and lungs due to stab wounds. She added that the police conducted an investigation and the accused, Kelvin Chisholm, was arrested and charged for the offence.

Guyana Stores warned about workplace breaches

…given three weeks to rectify situation FOLLOWING a workplace inspection conducted by the Ministry of Social Protection just over one week ago on the Guyana Stores Limited (GSL), the commercial enterprise was issued with an ultimatum to rectify the breaches which were observed. The inspection which was spearheaded by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Mr. Keith Scott, unearthed infractions of the Labour Act Chapter 98:01 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Chapter 99:10. Those breaches include the absence of a Health and Safety Policy, the absence of required records such as accident

and wages registers which are required by law to be kept by employers, and a failure to have a fire extinguisher in place. Most disturbing of all the breaches were the unsafe and insanitary working conditions which obtained. For example, there were holes in the walls of the ablution area which also had stagnant water on the floor, posing a danger to the health and safety of employees, and non-functioning toilets and few working fans and lights. Notwithstanding the issuance of oral advice to remedy all observed breaches; the management of Guyana Stores Limited (GSL) was issued with a written

ultimatum to correct the infractions within three weeks beginning 15th February, 2018 or face prosecution for same, the Department of Labour said in a statement. “The Ministry of Social Protection wishes to reiterate that it has no intention to compromise with the Health and Safety of the nation’s workforce and will do everything possible to enhance workers’ protection. Apart from Guyana Stores Limited being asked to make good all infractions, other employers are being encouraged to enhance the level of Social Protection which they provide to their employees,” the statement concluded.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Region Two children ‘positively diagnosed’ with Mash fever

CREATIVITY was at its best at this year’s Children’s Road March and Float Parade organised by the Region Two Department of Education. The beautiful floats transformed the township of Anna Regina into a sea of colours as hundreds of per-

sons converged on various routes to witness the children parading on the roadway. The road show commenced at 10:00hrs at the Three Friends Bridge with secondary, primary and nursery school students joining the procession at various

points, converging at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground. Twenty-five schools participated in the parade. Leading the parade was the Department of Education float which was led by the regional education officers. Most of the participating

Students of Huist T’Dieren Primary School put on a colourful show

Students of Lake Mainstay Primary School having a good time

schools made costumes that matched with this year’s Mashramani theme, “Let’s co-operate and celebrate Republic 48”. As the energetic procession made its way to the Anna Regina Community Centre ground, hundreds of persons converged to get a

glimpse. With small Golden Arrowheads in their hands, the children danced energetically to the Soca and Chutney music which blared from various sound systems. The floats and parade were supervised by teachers from the various schools.

After the grand parade, children socialised with one another at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground, creating an atmosphere of unity. The parade concluded the regional education department’s Mash activities for 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

GDF rank robbed on Sea Wall road

A 37-year-old Guyana Defence Force (GDF) sergeant who is a part-time chef at Pegasus Hotel, was robbed of his valuables by an armed bandit after completing his shift at the hotel on Tuesday. Reports indicate that the soldier was robbed of his haversack containing cash, a cell phone and national and GDF identification cards while he was walking on the Sea Wall Road in the vicinity of the bandstand after 21:00hrs. Enquiries revealed that the soldier had just completed his shift and was heading east on the Sea Wall Road, when the robber approached him with a firearm drawn and pointed it in his direction. The perpetrator then instructed him to hand over his haversack and he complied. The bandit then returned to a waiting car and escaped. The soldier then visited the police station and made a report. The police have confirmed the robbery and said an investigation is in progress.

‘Satan’ to know fate girl strangled, drowned in canal March 7 14-year-old

Alvin Reid called ‘Satan’

Dead: Malika Hamilton

COME March 7, 2018 Magistrate Peter Hugh, presiding at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court, is expected to rule on whether a prima facie case has been made out against Alvin Reid, called ‘Satan’ who is accused of killing a 14-year-old girl. Reid of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) is currently undergoing a preliminary inquiry for allegedly killing Malika Hamilton between August 8 and 9, 2016 at Hope, ECD. The matter is being prosecuted by Corporal David Goodridge. According to reports, the deceased and the accused were known to each other and on August 8, 2016, they both went to swim at Hope Canal and the teenager was not seen until her body was discovered the following day in the canal. A post-mortem examination revealed that the teen died of asphyxiation due to drowning.

An investigation was launched and the accused was arrested and charged for the offence of murder. Reid, who is a known felon, was considered the prime suspect in the murder of the Ann’s Grove girl. Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh conducted an autopsy on the body of Hamilton and found that she was brutally bludgeoned to her head, strangled and dumped alive in the canal. The second-year Hope Secondary School student died of ‘asphyxiation’, a condition of severe deficiency in the supply of oxygen to the body as a result of abnormal breathing. An example of asphyxia is choking. The ‘Miss African Calabash 2014’ beauty queen had left her home at Two Friends Village, Ann’s Grove, ECD but never returned. Her body was fished out of the canal the following day, when it was spotted by the canal’s ranger.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Georgetown, WBD prevail in low-scoring encounters By Rajiv Bisnauth

BOTH Georgetown and West Bank Demerara prevailed in separate low-scoring encounters yesterday when play in the Demerara Under-17 Inter-association tournament continued at two venues in Georgetown. Georgetown edged East Bank Demerara by eight runs at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground while West Bank Demerara triumphed over East Coast Demerara by two runs. Batting first, after a late start, the City side’s innings never gained any sort of momentum, as they lost key wickets along the way to slump to 56-5 in the 26th over. Medium pacer Sachin Singh (1-11), provided the first breakthrough with the wicket of Kareen Whitney (5), after he tried to accelerate the scoring. A mid-pitch mix-up between Thameshwar Permaul and Garrick Persaud saw Per-

maul run-out for five, at 21-2. However, things went further uphill for Georgetown when left-arm spinner Sourav Singh (2-12) was brought into the attack. He trapped both Dwayne Dick (7) and Ariel Tilku (0) leg-before-wicket off consecutive deliveries to leave the City side at 37-4. Persaud, in company with Jeremiah Benjamin, then stitched together a 19-run partnership before Georgetown lost three more wickets to decline even further. Despite an unbroken eight-wicket stand of 39 between Wayne Bollers (16 not out) and Raynoldo Mohamed (12 not out), the innings limped to a close. Marlon Boele (1-15) and GCC left-arm spinner Zakary Jodah (2-12), were the other successful bowlers. In the run chase, Singh and Navindra Persaud added 29 before both were dismissed in the space of eight deliveries.

Dick removed Persaud for seven before Singh was run-out in a terrible mix-up with Yudister Persaud for 16. Furious about his dismissal, Singh hurled his bat against the dressing-room walls after storming off the field. His action immediately caused the venue staff to express their disappointment. Meanwhile, those dismissals created panic in the batting side’s camp, as East Bank were bowled out for 98 in 39 overs. Mavindra Dindyal topscored with an unbeaten 16. Niron Bissu was the most destructive bowler, grabbing 3-16. Earlier, the East Coast Demerara bowlers were able to keep a tab on the runs after their opponents decided to bat first. It was a total bowling effort, as the West Demerara batsmen, barring Andre Seepersaud who attempted a positive innings, hitting four boundaries in his 29, all failed

to make any impression. Nicholas Rajpot (13) and Avinash Gurdyal (10) were the other batsmen to have reached double digits. Off-spinners Andrew Samaroo and Aaron Beharry shared five wickets, with Samaroo claiming 3-19 while Beharry had 2-12. Medium pacer Trevon Charles, who began the destruction finished with 2-24. In reply, East Coast struggled, and were eventually bowled out for 108 in 43 overs. Charles top-scored with 23, while Beharry chipped in with an unbeaten 22. Joshua Reddy and Usaardiva Balgobin were the most destructive bowlers, grabbing 3-11 and 3-33 respectively. Seepersaud took 2-11 while Rajesh Budram and Dominic Hissain took one wicket apiece. The tournament concludes today with East Bank Demerara playing West Bank Demerara at the GCC ground.

GFF kicks off youth tournaments in Region One THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) held a twoday training course for a total of 47 coaches and referees of the Moruca Sub-District as part of strengthening the capacity of the Region for football development. The programme, held from February 17 to 18 in Moruca, was led by Lyndon France, GFF Coaches’ Education and Development Officer and Stanley Lancaster, GFF’s Head of the Refereeing De-

partment. Among the key areas covered by the facilitator were the Coaching Philosophy and Objectives and Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) teaching technique. Amber Enyart, a Peace Corps and Health Worker based in Moruca, complemented the session by providing a talk on nutrition, alcohol and substance abuse. The referees addressed the Laws of the Game and its application. Additionally, Lancaster implored the 25 new candidates to look beyond refereeing in Moruca, Georgetown and Guyana. He shared his career experiences with them as a form of encouragement. France urged coaches to be patient. He advised that they should develop the love to teach and share knowledge to all, as he delivered the South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:55 hrs Fredrico’s Dream 09:35 hrs Battle Creek 10:10 hrs Dragoon 10:45 hrs Great Shaka American Racing Tips Gulfstream Park Race 1 New Atlas Race 2 Bull Dozer Race 3 Somedreamscometrue Race 4 Herecomesyourman Race 5 Rogue Patriot Race 6 Wanda Girl Race 7 Royal Blessing Race 8 Paden Arab Emirates Racing Tips Meydan

technical and tactical aspects of the game to them. Meanwhile, on Sunday, February 17, the Region witnessed the official start of two nationwide Intra-Association youth tournaments at Moruca – the GFF-Pele Alumni Frank Watson National U-15 tournament and the GFF-NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National U-17 Intra-Association Tournament respectively. It was on the final day of the training programme that participants were able to exercise their skills at these two tournaments. Among those addressing the gathering at the official launch, following a march past, was Toshao of Santa Rosa Village, Sherwin Abrams, who stated that the region has been dreaming of this opportunity and urged the participants to respect the rules of the game. This capacity-building 10:30 hrs Ertijaal 11:05 hrs Pirate’s Cove 11:40 hrs Kimbear 12:15 hrs Light The Lights 12:50 hrs Bay Of Poets 13:25 hrs Drafted 14:00 hrs Gold Star Irish Racing Tips Thurles 09:55 hrs Jett 10:25 hrs Kate Appleby Shoes 11:00 hrs Not Many Left 11:35 hrs Castlebrook 12:10 hrs Sir Carno 12:45 hrs The Ballyboys 13:20 hrs Kilbarry Calling English Racing Tips Sedgefield 09:40 hrs Aaron Lad 10:10 hrs Wood Pigeon

initiative is part of the mandate of the GFF executive committee to integrate Region One as a Regional Member Association of the GFF and follows the establishment of a steering committee in December, 2017. The president of the GFF at that time had said the steering committee is considered an ad hoc committee under the GFF Constitution, with a six-month lifespan and with the ultimate goal of proposing same to the May 2018 Congress. “Our goal is to propose Region One’s membership to Congress in May 2018 but, of course, that will be based entirely on the work the steering committee does to demonstrate to the Executive Committee that they’re worthy of being inducted as members of the Guyana Football Federation,” said Forde. 10:45 hrs Bulkov 11:20 hrs Instant Replay 11:55 hrs Delegate 12:30 hrs Derryname 13:05 hrs Roxyfet Huntingdon 09:50 hrs Now Listen Here 10:20 hrs Brecon Hill 10:55 hrs Walsingham Grange 11:30 hrs Alberta 12:05 hrs Got Away 12:40 hrs Must Havea Flutter 13:15 hrs Voie Dans Voie Southwell 10:00 hrs Kommander Kirkup 10:35 hrs Silchester 11:10 hrs Ray Purchase 11:45 Harry Hurricane 12:20 hrs Clayton Hall 12:55 hrs Great Return

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Unbeaten Australia USA cricket combines will claim T20 tri-series unveil next generation, AUCKLAND, New Zealand (Reuters) - Australia claimed the trans-Tasman Twenty20 tri-series after Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch helped secure a 19-run win against New Zealand under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the rain-affected final yesterday. Maxwell scored 20 while Finch was 18 not out as they combined for 37 runs after Australia had lost three quick wickets in the middle of their innings to give the hosts and their fans at Eden Park slim hopes of an upset victory. The Australians, who won all five of their matches in the series that also included England, were 121 for three when they were forced off for rain for the second time during their innings. They had restricted New Zealand to 150 for nine. ”Right from the start we played superb cricket,“ Australia captain David Warner said. ”I just asked the guys to execute with energy in everything we did and they have. ”People talk about us not taking T20 seriously, but this bunch have come ... with superb form and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys. “It proves the great depth in Australia cricket.” Both sides had scored more than 240 runs each on the same pitch last Friday, but Australia ensured that would not happen again as they bowled a fuller length, cleverly changed their pace and set up the victory. A STAR-STUDDED Kendall’s Union Sports Stars (KUSS) emerged champions of the recently concluded Ramnarine ‘Brother’ Appiah T20 one-day tournament played at the Kendall’s Union cricket ground, No 19 Village, Berbice. They defeated arch rivals Kendall’s Union Sports Club (KUSC) in a close finish by seven wickets in a game reduced to eight overs-a-side due to fading light. KUSC batted first, reached 60-3 off the allotted overs with Errol Garnett scoring an unbeaten 23 and Seecharran 16. Tayah took two wickets. In reply, KUSS made 63-3 in the final over. Debiden, Mahadeo and Rudolph Baker made double figures. Meanwhile, in the first semi-final, Seawell won the toss and took first strike, scoring 71-9. Martin Baker and J. Chunilall made 15 runs each. Bowling for KUSC, Samuel Baker and Ravin Seecharran took two wickets apiece. In reply, KUSC raced to 74-1`off 7.2 overs with Daniel Baker leading the way with an unbeaten 45. E Garnett sup-

The hosts had actually got off to a flying start with Martin Guptill (21) and Colin Munro (29) smashing 48 from 4.3 overs before their dismissals in the space of five balls robbed the innings of momentum. New Zealand were unable to establish any partnerships until they had been reduced to 110 for eight with 6.2 overs remaining. Ross Taylor (43 not

batsman Chris Lynn, who dislocated his right shoulder while diving in the field. The 27-year-old has had three surgeries on his left shoulder and appeared to be protecting it in his dive but landed awkwardly, jarred his right shoulder and was immediately assisted from the field and taken to hospital for scans. “His shoulder was able to be put back into place

assessment and from there we will have a better understanding of the ongoing management, along with the return to play timeframes.” Openers D‘Arcy Short (50) and Warner (25) put on 72 runs to set the foundation before they fell in quick succession, but Finch and Maxwell settled the innings down to ensure victory after rain forced them off after 14.4 overs.

claims Ricardo Powell

Former West Indies batsman Ricardo Powell

Australia celebrate after winning the International Twenty20 Tri Series final. (Fox Sports photo)

out) and Ish Sodhi then put on 38 to ensure they saw out their full complement. Left arm-spinner Ashton Agar, who ripped the heart out of New Zealand’s middle order, was man-of-the-match after he finished with three for 27. Australia’s run chase was not affected by an injury to

at the ground and he was consequently sent for X-rays which revealed no major bone injury,” Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement. ”At this stage Chris will not travel to the Pakistan Super League in Dubai. “He will return to Brisbane to undergo further scans and

“We didn’t assess as well as we could have,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. “The wicket was quite different from the last game and I think another 20 runs could have made it competitive. “But congratulations to David and his team, they deserved to win.”

KUSS claim Appiah Memorial T20 title

FORMER West Indies batsman Ricardo Powell has announced the return of regional selection player combines in a bid to identify the best talent in the Americas region. Despite being a common feature of other USA sports, combines, where athletes are given various exercises to prove their speed strength and skill, are not a common feature of cricket. The last such event was held in 2016. The combines will be held in eight different locations across the United States, with leagues permitted to put forward up to four players in each of the three categories - Senior men, Senior women and Under-19 - even though individual player applications will also be considered.

The combines are again scheduled to be held in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and for the first time, a junior-combine will be held in North Carolina. “The combines provide a crucial platform for us to see the raw talent that is spread around the country. With the combines taking place this year, we believe that we’ll be in a fantastic position to spot the next generation of USA players in the Women’s, Men’s and Youth squads and I would implore anyone who thinks he/she has what it takes to get involved in the 2018 Cricket Combines. I look forward to seeing what talent we can unearth this year,” Powell said. (Sportsmax)

Guyana Association of Women Police horse race meet set for Sunday

Mukesh Appiah (left) presents the trophy to captain of the winning team in the presence of jubilant players and spectators.

ported with 26 not out. In the second semi-final, KUSS plundered Jai Hind’s bowling to amass 126-2 off 10 overs with former national Under-19 player Khemraj Mahadeo smashing an unbeaten

47. He got support from former national wicketkeeper/batsman Delbert Hicks with 46 and Dasrath Debiden 23. In reply, Jai Hind struggled to 69-5 with Khemraj Sumair 22. Joshua Tayah took two

wickets for the winning team. Mukesh Appiah thanked everyone who made the event possible. The tournament was sponsored by Mukesh Appiah and family in honour of his father.

WITH over $2M in prize money up for grabs, turfites and race horse owners will be seeking to cash in on the Guyana Association of Women Police (GAWP) seven-race horse race meet which is set for Sunday at the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC). The feature event which carries a first prize of $350 000 is open to horses classified `G’ and Lower over a distance of eight furlongs. Already, over 60 horses have been registered for the event and among them are: Perfect Return, Red Jet, Ready, Plain Land, Release the Beast, Touch Gold, Puppy Tail, Red Regent, Secret Escape, Big Man in Town, Not This Time, Cresending Cat, The Final Line, Princess Shoma, Irish Boy and Ready to Romance. There will be a seven-furlong race for horses classified `I’ and Lower and it carries a first prize of $200 000. `K’ Class and Lower and the `L’ Class Open animals will compete in six-furlong races and the winners in each class will be rewarded with $160 000 and $140 000 respectively. The `L’ Class Division Two and the Unclassified animals will contest five-furlong races for cash prizes of $100 000 and $90 000 respectively. Rules of the PMTC will be in effect and interested persons can contact Compton Sancho on 691-1194 for more information.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Super de Gea shuts out Sevilla as Man United earn draw

Klaasen, Duminy blast fifties to set up T20 decider

Heinrich Klaasen launches it out of the ground. (BCCI photo)

Manchester United’s David de Gea makes a save. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)

By Richard Martin SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) - Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea added another heart-stopping save to his collection as his team held a highly impressive Sevilla side to a goalless draw away from home in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie yesterday. The Spain international foiled the home side’s Colombian striker Luis Muriel from point-blank range at the end of the first half not long after tipping over an overhead kick from Argentine defender Gabriel Mercado as the Spaniards created far more chances than

Jose Mourinho’s side. United forward Romelu Lukaku spurned a rare clear opening in the first period when he punted a pass from Alexis Sanchez well over the bar and the Belgian had a goal ruled out for handball late in the second. Mourinho’s relationship with Paul Pogba was left open to more scrutiny when the Portuguese left his record signing out of the starting lineup, although he was forced to throw on the French midfielder when Ander Herrera pulled up injured early in the game. Pogba did not manage to answer his many recent critics, who have questioned

his influence over the last two months. He was unable to engineer many attacks and sent a long, hopeful shot well wide of goal in the second half. United’s latest star signing, Alexis Sanchez, also had a night to forget in his first European game for the club since joining from Arsenal in January, as he saw little of the ball and was hauled off for Marcus Rashford in the 75th minute. Muriel paid tribute to de Gea for denying him and said he was disappointed his side did not take their chances. “He moved his body well, I could have hit it in the corner but I went for power over

placement and he’s a great goalkeeper,” Muriel told reporters. ”When you play matches like this the key is scoring in these little chances like that, but in general the team played very well. We played exactly as you should: we were disciplined in every stage of the game but we leave here feeling a little bitter that we couldn’t score. “When you look at this performance you have to think we can play like that at any ground, but in the second leg it’s vital we stay organised.” That match takes place at Old Trafford on March 13.

South Africa’s Alfonso Thomas named Windies bowling coach

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) has appointed former South African fast bowler Alfonso Thomas as the bowling coach of the senior men’s team. The board made a number of changes to the coaching and support staff for the current squads, keeping in mind the World Cup Qualifiers and the Women’s World T20 scheduled for later this year. Former West Indies leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, who previously worked with the side as team operations manager during their successful World T20 campaign in 2016, was named the team manager. Thomas, who represented South Africa in a sole T20I in 2007, has held specialist roles in Championship cricket in the UK. The former Somerset lim-

ited-overs captain, who is ninth on the list of most successful T20 bowlers, has also played in the IPL, BBL and the BPL, with 263 T20 wickets to his name. “We are focussed on im-

proving team performance, as well as broadening and deepening the coaching expertise in the region,” CWI director Jimmy Adams said. “We know we’ve got vital games and tourna-

Alfonso Thomas poses after taking four wickets in four balls. (Getty Images)

ments this year and we’re confident that these appointments will strengthen the Windies squads for this year and our future plans.” The other new inclusions in head coach Stuart Law’s crop are team physio David Kershaw and strength and conditioning coach Corey Bocking. In relation to specific changes, CWI chief executive Johnny Grave said, “Joel Garner has agreed to become an Ambassador, supporting the fundraising IT20 match at Lord’s at the end of May and helping us launch the Windies Foundation planned for later this year. Ronald Rogers will remain in the region working with Alzarri Joseph on his rehabilitation programme following his stress fracture.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

HEINRICH Klaasen and JP Duminy blasted half-centuries as South Africa set up a Twenty20 international series-decider against India with a six-wicket victory in the rain at Centurion. Manish Pandey, who made a highest T20 international score of 79 not out from 48 balls, and MS Dhoni (52 n.o. off 28) put on 98 off 56 deliveries to get India up to 188-4 in wet conditions. It looked like that might be enough for the tourists to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, but Klaasen’s devastating 69 off only 30 balls - including seven sixes - and an unbeaten 64 from captain Duminy got South Africa home with eight balls to spare. It proved to be a miserable night for Yuzvendra Chahal, whose figures of 0-64 were the worst by an Indian in T20Is. Shikhar Dhawan successfully reviewed after being given out lbw first ball, but Junior Dala removed Rohit Sharma lbw with his first ball. Duminy dismissed Dhawan (24) when he was looking ominous and Dala produced a beauty to claim the prized scalp of Virat Kohli caught behind (1) - reducing India to

45-3 in the sixth. Raina and Pandey consolidated the innings before the latter cut loose, slog-sweeping Tabraiz Shamsi for a couple of sixes in an over and reaching his half-century off only 33 balls as the rain fell after Raina departed for 31. Pandey struck Morris for a huge six into the crowd at midwicket and Dhoni took Dane Paterson apart in the final over to make a 50 of his own after he was dropped by Dala on 29. Jaydev Unadkat and T20 international debutant Shardul Thakur, in for the injured Jasprit Bumrah, dismissed JJ Smuts and Reeza Hendricks respectively as the Proteas were reduced to 38-2 after five overs. Klaasen stepped up when they needed him, though, smashing a couple of slower balls from Unadkat over the ropes before taking a liking to Chahal - hitting the spinner for five sixes - as Duminy ticked over nicely at the other end. Unadkat returned to end Klaasen’s brutal knock and South Africa needed 47 from the last five overs with six wickets in hand after David Miller fell cheaply, but Duminy hit his third six of a brilliant knock to square the series. (Omnisport)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Packed cricket season in Berbice forthcoming AFTER a two-year absence of any major Inter-club cricket action in the Ancient County, the newly-elected President of the Berbice Cricket Board, Hilbert Foster, is urging all cricket clubs to prepare for a packed cricket season. Foster indicated that teams would be involved in tournaments at the junior, senior and females levels, as he urged clubs to get their teams and respective venues in shape. Foster stated that cricket would be played

at the schools, while tournaments would also be played in each of the sub-associations at the second division level in an effort to support the development of village cricket. He further mentioned that clubs must register with the Berbice Cricket Board. Foster, who served as chairman of the Berbice Cricket Board Special Events Committee from 2007 to 2014 disclosed that, barring the weather, cricket matches would start by mid-March. The BCB since Sun-

Newly-elected Berbice Cricket Board president Hilbert Foster

day’s electoral process has already received commitment for six major tournaments. The BCB would also be working with the Ministry of Education to organise tournaments and coaching programmes for primary and secondary schools. Further, a comprehensive coaching programme, including the hosting of a Berbice Cricket Academy, is on the cards for 2018. The Under-15 tournament would be played two innings per game while the Under-17, Under-19, Un-

der-21 and Females would be 50 overs per side. First division would benefit from at least five T20 cricket tournaments in addition to limited overs 40 and 50 overs cricket. P l a n s a re a l s o o n stream for various Berbice teams at the different levels to tour Guyana as part of the developmental programme. The BCB would also be putting together a pool of cricket coaches to visit different areas to work along with clubs to develop new talents.

While the emphasis in 2018 would be cricket on the field, the BCB would also be undertaking several off-the-field activities including Annual Review Magazine, Cricket Academy, Award Ceremony, First Aid Clinic, Elite Training Programme and the publication of Cricket Educational Materials. Foster, committed himself to being a president for all Berbicians and stated that under his leadership all clubs, players and officials would be treated equally.

Russell reiterates desire to represent Windies in limited overs format … available for Windies-A tour to England

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – All-rounder Andre Russell has dismissed claims about his lack of commitment to West Indies cricket and has again reiterated his desire to represent the Caribbean side in the limited overs format. The 29-year-old was one of four Windies players, along with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, who were criticised after opting out of selection for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe starting next month.

president, coach, directors, captain and I explained to them this is going to be the situation. Because I’ve been out of cricket for 14 months and to be coming back in at a crucial point when West Indies need to qualify for a World Cup … I didn’t want to hinder someone else who would be more match-ready and (to) disadvantage the team.” He continued: “So all suggestions out there that I purposely didn’t want to play for West Indies are not

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell

However, Russell said he had explained to Cricket West Indies (CWI) officials that having just spent a year away from the game serving an anti-doping whereabouts ban, it was important he first worked his way into match readiness. “I’ve seen the comments bashing me, saying that I am not interested in playing for West Indies and (had) turned my back on the team. I would never do that. West Indies made me who I am at this moment and I’m not going to burn my bridges,” Russell told the India-based Firstpost. “I had reached out to the

true. “I told them (board) that further down in (the) year I would love to be back in (the) team in that colour and have that badge over my heart.” In announcing the squad for the March 4-25 qualifiers, chief selector Courtney Browne seemed to take umbrage with the quartet’s decision not to stand for selection stating, “(They) indicated that they were unavailable to help us qualify as their priority was playing in the Pakistan Super League.” Russell, one of the most sought after players in the international Twenty20 cir-

cuit, will turn out for Islamabad United in the PSL which bowls off today. He will also feature for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League starting April, and praised the franchise’s input in his return to competitive cricket. “However, I feel good to know that having been out for so long, I am still a top priority to the Caribbean (side). It means a lot, but at the end of the day I am a fair person and I want to start off slow,” the Jamaican explained. “These Super50 games I’ve played – it was good that KKR remained part of my comeback process and sent a sports therapist to assist me in the tournament to make sure I was in top physical condition and I thank them for that. “These are sort of things going on behind the scenes. If I was playing some competitive cricket before the squad-selection, when they (West Indies selectors) approached me, then I would say yeah, I am ready for it (playing qualifiers).” Russell, however, stressed that his focus at the international level would be in the limited overs format as his dodgy knee would continue to make Test cricket difficult. And as a sign of his commitment, Russell said he had already made himself available for the West Indies-A tour of England later this year. “From the six games I’ve played in Super50, I don’t see any change in my knee,” he noted. “In the year-out I have done work on my knees, trying to get stronger in my legs but it may be something I may have to retire with. “Test cricket I think will

be too much. Right now I just want to make sure I can handle white-ball cricket. So I won’t say I’m not interested in Tests, but that’s one to re-evaluate in the future.

“Yes, I made myself available for A-team tour to England, if they pick me fine. I don’t have a problem using that platform before getting back into the senior

team.” Russell has scored 985 runs and taken 64 wickets in 51 One-Day Internationals and also played 43 T20Is.

Lynn set for further assessment on dislocated shoulder Australia batsman Chris Lynn will not play in the Pakistan Super League after dislocating his right shoulder against New Zealand.

CHRIS Lynn is set for further assessment on the dislocated right shoulder he sustained during Australia’s Twenty20 tri-series final victory over New Zealand on Wednesday. The electric Lynn was unable to bat in Australia’s 19-run victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method after injuring himself while diving to field the ball at Eden Park. Lynn was supposed to travel to Dubai to play for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, but will instead return to Brisbane. However, he hopes to be fit to start the Indian Premier League with Kolkata Knight Riders in April. “I’m disappointed to not go to the Pakistan Super League as planned, but I’ll now focus on rehabilitation and working as hard as I can, with the hope to still take part in the Indian Premier League

later this year,” Lynn said via a Cricket Australia news release. Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris added: “Chris dislocated his right shoulder after landing awkwardly on it when fielding the ball. “His shoulder was able to be put back into place at the ground and he was consequently sent for x-rays which revealed no major bone injury. “At this stage Chris will

not travel to the Pakistan Super League in Dubai. “He will return to Brisbane to undergo further scans and assessment and from there we will have a better understanding of the ongoing management, along with the return to play timeframes.” It marks a fresh blow for Lynn, who has had three surgeries on his left shoulder throughout his career, the last of which came last July.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday February 22, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to Tuesday’s quiz: (1) Steve Bucknor-128 Tests (1989-2009) (2) Rudi Koertzen-209 ODIs (1992-2010) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many teams contested the CWI Regional Super50 Tournament 2018? (2) Which were the non-traditional Caribbean teams? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 22, 2018

Sports is what made me who I am today, says Dr Vincent Adams By Joe Chapman THE Mining Town of Linden’s first-ever national cricketer Dr Vincent Adams has imprinted the importance of sports on the minds of young persons. Dr Adams was giving the feature address at a presentation ceremony hosted by Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland for the recently held Linden Games last Saturday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Lounge. “With all the academics, credentials and my accomplishments it would not have been possible without sports,” the revered engineer and former MSC sportsman said. In describing his life the academic said, “I practically almost lived at the MSC. I grew up in the alleys of Christianburg, as a matter of fact, playing cricket and table tennis almost all day and night.” Adams advised the young bright sportspersons, including the likes of national athletes Chantoba Bright and Daniel Williams and others in fields

of swimming, athletics, football, basketball, dominoes and cycling: “But I grew up in Christianburg and please be prepared, it’s a very low probability that many of you are going to make it to the top.” He cautioned them saying: “Don’t expect whenever you play cricket or table tennis you are going to - and I think a lot of kids want - be the next Brian Lara. The probability is very low, which means you have to have a back-up plan. Fortunate for me I had the right people around me to ensure I had a back-up plan.” He recalled: “I had a teacher by the name of Hector Parris. I got whipped for bringing third place in class and I never brought third again. But he made certain even if I was the best athlete, best table tennis player, best cricketer, I worked my tail off in the classroom.” “When I got into the Guyana team and I was just about with greats like Alvin Kallicharran and Lawrence Rowe: all three of us were about to get into the West Indies

team but when I was about to make that move, I got into an automobile accident right at Bamia on the highway.

wants to be around you, but that is only going to last until you are about 30 to 35 years. If you get an education, it is going to

Dr. Vincent Adams delivering his presentation on Saturday night last

The doctor said I could not play for two years and former outstanding West Indian batsman Basil Butcher called me into his office and told me, “You could play and everybody

last you a lifetime. And he was so right.” With the well over one hundred youngsters listening attentively Adams declared, “I am not going to ask you any

questions, but I went to the University of Guyana immediately. Butcher called the Faculty of Engineering at University of Guyana and spoke to a guy by the name of Dr Klautky and the rest of the story you know.” He continued, “But it was a lucky thing that I had that backup. So I tell you kids, it doesn’t matter what sport you play and how good you are, make sure you have that backup because the probability of you making it as a professional etc. is almost zero.” In hindsight the revered engineer said, “I hate to tell you this. But play for the fun of it. The one thing that sports have given me is the discipline. The discipline and focus. I used to be laughed at running the hills at Chritstianburg and I remember getting up regardless whether it is rain or sun running through the mud and people would be laughing, thinking that I am crazy.” Dr Adams obtained his BSc Degree in Civil and Public Health Engineering from the University of Guyana

and with scholarships he took post-graduate studies at Ohio University and the University of Missouri. He attained Masters Degrees in Groundwater Hydrology and Geological Petroleum Engineering respectively after which he completed a PhD in Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee. He was Site Manager, Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant; Chief Engineer, Savannah River Site Nuclear site; Office Director, US Department of Energy Engineering and Technology; Consultant, International Atomic Energy Agency; Chairman, International Conference On Remediation of Environment; Chairman, Air and Waste Management Association; Engineer, Amoco Oil Company. There is also his Bachelors, Masters and an exemplary career of academic excellence and service to the United States energy sector. He maintained that “Sports is what made me who I am today and I expect it will make a lot of future for you.”

Table tennis team to take on CAC qualifiers next week By Tamica Garnett AHEAD of their participation at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Australia and as part of their preparation for the event, male and female table tennis teams are set to attend a Central America and Caribbean (CAC) qualification tournament in Cuba which commences on February 28 and ends March 3.

Trenace Lowe

Table tennis has been allotted eight spots on Guyana’s team to the Commonwealth Games, for players and officials. So far the Guyana Table Tennis Association has shortlisted Christopher Franklin,

Shemar Britton, Nigel Bryan, Joel Alleyne for the male side, while Trenace Lowe, Natalie Cummings, along with Joyanna Blake and Priscilla Greaves, as standbys, are the female prospects, according to president of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe. The possibility of an overseas-based player is also being considered. However, the player’s availability is still uncertain. The coach/ manager for the team is expected to be Idi Lewis. The GTTA has until March 9 to submit the final team to the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA). It is also expected that from this list players for next week’s CAC qualifiers will be selected, and it is hoped that apart from striving to qualify for the July 19 – August 3 CAC Games, the team can gauge their performance against the regional competitors’, as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games. “I’m excited, (I’ve) been training really hard for three months now,” said Britton ahead of heading to Cuba next week. The 19-year-old is particularly hopeful of making the CAC qualifications

“And (I’m) really looking forward to playing, to see my level right now and also qualifying for CAC Games.” Only the top eight of men’s and women’s teams and the top four players of the men’s and women’s individual events, whose countries have not qualified in the team events will qualify for CAC. A former Caribbean silver medallist Britton should be among the final players. If selected, this would be his second time representing Guyana at the Commonwealth Games. He was the

youngest player on the team at the last Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Scotland. Britton has also played at the North American team championships and many other international tournaments. Munroe shared that he is pleased with the team selected, since they are the best players that Guyana has to offer. Apart from the main objectives, Munroe sees it as a critical opportunity for the players to gain experience.

Shemar Britton

Nigel Bryan

Natalie Cummings

Sports is what made me who I am today, says Dr Vincent Adams

See page 23

Demerara U-17 Inter-association tournament

Georgetown, WBD prevail in low-scoring encounters See Page 19

(From left) Aaron Beharry, Trevon Charles and Andrew. The trio efforts with the ball were not enough, as East Coast Demerara failed to defend the low total.

New FIFA regional director to visit Guyana

FIFA Regional Director Marlon Glean

RECENTLY-appointed FIFA Regional Director Marlon Glean will make his first visit to Guyana February 23-26, according to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). The Grenadian Glean will visit GFF president Wayne Forde and his executive committee, as well as the Federation’s National Training Centre and will participate in the youth development programmes. Glean, an Attorney-at-Law by profession, will also visit two GFF-Scotiabank Academy Training Centres (ATCs) and attend one GFF-Pele Alumni Frank Watson U-15 Intra-Association tournament. Among the highlights of the visit will be the launch of a partnership between the GFF and Guyana Beverages Inc. on Saturday at 11:00hrs, to see bi-weekly ‘Kool Kidz’ grassroots programmes being held in vulnerable communities. Additionally, as part of their partnership with the GFF, Scotiabank will issue vouchers to select footballers who have excelled academically and are part of the Academy Training Centres.

See Page 19

Niron Bissu claims 3-16 from eight overs for Georgetown.

GFF kicks off youth tournaments in Region One

One of the U-15 participating teams with Toshao Abrams, Lawrence Griffith (Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs) and Dr Allister Collins (Ministry of Social Cohesion PYARG MS)

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

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018