Guyana chronicle e paper 04 23 2018

MONDAY 23rd April, 2018

No.105253

Linden is poised for better days PAGE

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­–Harmon tells opening of Linden Town Week Security guard killed by drunk driver 07 PAGE

Little Diamond NDC uncovers 14 bogus receipts PAGE

These young dancers perform at the opening of Linden Town Week 2018 on Sunday (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

DPP will dismiss charges against ministers

–Ramkarran says 07 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Linden is poised for better days –– Harmon tells opening of Linden Town Week

By Vanessa Braithwaite LINDENERS received only good news of a blooming future by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who on Sunday revealed in his charge to officially open Linden Town Week 2018 that the mining town is poised for better days.

Harmon, who was the featured speaker, said Linden will be the beneficiary of projects under the International Solar Alliance Agreement that was signed

by President Granger a few weeks ago in India.

He said information he received revealed that the mined-out areas in Linden will be transformed, to green tourism and conservation facilities. The minister of state revealed to the residents and local leaders that Conservation International has expressed interest in the project and particularly mak-

Members of the Guyana People’s Militia participating in the march past at the opening of Linden Town Week Sunday evening (Ministry of the Presidency photo) and land-titling issues will also soon be a thing of the past.

Harmon then charged the residents to use the 10 days of town week activities as a time to come together, reflect

Minister of State Joseph Harmon makes his entry to the Georgetown Bus Park, Linden, for the opening ceremony of Linden Town Week 2018 (Ministry of the Presidency photo) ing the erosion issue plaguing the community of Coomacka a thing of the past. Lindeners were told that land allocation

and celebrate; for residents to demonstrate solidarity with local leaders and for local leaders to plan and set

new benchmarks for the next year, while recommitting themselves to the task of development. One task the minister of state highlighted is to continue following the President’s mandate of moving the town from a mining town to a manufacturing town.

“I am happy to see that the residents of Linden are pursuing this mandate given by His Excellency and venturing into various forms of manufacturing,” Harmon said. He added: “Continue to develop your town as a model town, so as we continue to forge ahead in creating capital towns in every region; Linden will be a positive point of reference for all of these other towns.”

Lindeners, he said, are fully appreciative and in sync with the developmental thrust of the government to establish Guyana as a green state. Alluding to the diverse list of activities on the LTW 2018 calendar, Harmon said that Linden’s rich cultural heritage and diverse business opportunities will be on full display.

He, however, hopes that much more will be in store by 2019.

“As Linden continues

Representatives from the other towns across Guyana were also present at the opening ceremony (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

along the road of regional economic diversification and economic development, I look forward to seeing a wider range of products of the “Made in Linden” brand and that range of products as I see it, must be part of the Guyana brand. I will also like to see by Town Week 2019, the Linden business community, the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, indeed the entire town of Linden in the process of repositioning themselves to take advantage of the process and opportunities that will come with the influx of visitors and business enterprises that will result from the completion of the highway between Guyana and Brazil.”

He charged the local leaders to have greater collaboration amongst themselves and greater dialogue with stakeholders, while strengthening ties with Lindeners living in the diaspora.

Mayor of Linden Waneka Arindell, spoke of all Linden would have achieved and the various tests that were endured during the 48 years of Linden’s existence.

“I urge you, do not quit, do not stop fighting, keep believing, keep dreaming,

Minister of State Joseph Harmon delivering the feature address at the opening of Linden Town Week 2018 (Ministry of the Presidency photo) keep hoping, because what you are fighting for is not just for now, but for our future generation,” Arindell posited.

It is imperative, she said, that Linden continues to uplift its core values, and to allow every resident to play their role in transitioning Linden, while shaping and strengthening our core values.

Despite many struggles, protestations and trials in the past, Arindell said she is proud of what Linden has achieved.

“I am proud and you should be too, proud of our accomplishments and even our failures, which would [have] taught us some hard and valuable lessons and celebrated them equally.”

Bringing greetings were Deputy Mayor of Georgetown Akeem Peter and Mayor of New Amsterdam Winifred Haywood. The opening ceremony commenced with a military procession and

guard of honour. Several cultural items also kept the crowd entertained. Following the ceremony was a mayor’s ball and award ceremony. In the morning hours, a LTW church service was held, which saw several churches collaborating and praying for Linden’s success and development.

LTW is being celebrated under the theme, “Celebrating Culture, Talent, Creativity, in a clean, green 2018 ”.

Almost 60 events will be held during the 10-day span.

There will be several parties, fairs, sporting activities, luncheons for the elderly, the big, bold and beautiful pageant, tours around Linden and Region 10, concerts and educational activities, thus meeting the needs of everyone.

The Linden Trade and Exhibition Fair will also be held during this 10-day period.

The two newly acquired garbage trucks for the Mayor and Town Council of Linden, which will help in the garbage-collection efforts (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

El Dorado’s no longer a legend --It’s a museum in Colombia!

One of the scenes from a special room dedicated to storytelling

The Golden Raft of the Muisca Peoples

Story and photos

by Rabindra Rooplall COLOMBIA’S Museum of Gold brings to life a treasure-seeking pirate’s wildest dreams as an almost endless array of auric objets d’art take visitors to a place back in time where gold occurred in great abundance.

The Museum of Gold (El Museo del Oro) in Bogotá, Colombia has more than 30,000 pieces of gold artifacts, and 20,000 pieces of ceramics and textiles from pre-Columbian cultures in that part of South America.

It’s also one of the most visited of the country’s tourist attractions, in that it sees some 500,000 tourists annually.

Tours are conducted in both English and Spanish.

The English tour always be-

gins at 11:00hrs and 16:00hrs, while the Spanish one is done at 10:00hrs (Saturdays only), 11:00hrs, 15:00hrs and 16:00hrs.

The museum incorporates a modern auditorium, gift shop, restaurant and café, and is rightfully ranked among the world’s best.

The power of gold lies in its propensity to attract, and The Gold Museum, with its modern infrastructure, excels at this.

On entering the Museum, one can immediately sense the magic and aura of the environment, as the feel of the mysterious cultures are enshrined in fragments of wonders.

The treasures are the remains that survived the test of time, as they comprise artifacts belonging to 13 Pre-Hispanic societies.

Those societies are the

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Muisca, Urabá and Chocó, Malagana, Zenú, Tairona, Tumaco, Nariño, Cauca, Calima, San Agustín, Tierradentro, Tolima and Quimbaya.

At the facility, which

boasts four floors, the world’s most important collections of Pre-Colombian metalwork enhance the glow and sense of pleasure that assails one at first glance.

A piece titled “Muisca Raft” is one of the highlights of the museum, as, discovered in a cave near Bogotá, it may be the key to the myth of El Dorado.

The Muisca Peoples were one of four advanced civilizations of the Americas (apart from the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas), and were best known for their craftsmanship with gold.

The piece depicts a chieftain standing on a flat raft and surrounded by priests and oarsmen. The image recalls the ceremony recounted in the legend of El Dorado, in which a new chieftain would sail with important members of the community to the middle of the Guatavita Lake to leave gold offerings to an underwater-dwelling god, by tossing the precious metal into the water.

According to legend, the chieftain would also cover himself with gold dust and dive into the water. Legend also has it that Muisca people valued gold in spiritual rather than monetary terms.

I would surely advise anyone visiting Colombia to take a tour of the Gold Museum, as the memory is priceless.

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Other pieces on exhibit at the museum

And while metal tends to bring the old world to the new, it is also a substance upon which most of the global economic system is based.

The mineral of historical nightmares and modern dreams also has a special room on the fourth floor, which enables visitors to be awed by the mysterious storytelling and magnificent use of sound and light to focus on various artifacts at different scenes.

The golden treasures that survived the Spanish Conquest are a combination of body decorations and armour, ornately decorated figures, armbands, breastplates, ceramics, ancient metalworks and textiles amongst other artifacts.

There are also a mixture of animals in gold such as jaguars, frogs and eagles.

The artifacts found in the spacious museum, which is organised into four exhibition galleries, depict the great metals that were used in religion and politics.

The galleries set out to achieve a close relationship between the visitor and the objects, their colours, textures and designs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Six arrested in guns, cannabis find The firearms and cannabis that were found

SIX miners have been arrested after police found two firearms and several grams of cannabis in the backlands of the Potaro River, during a search of a mining camp there on Sunday.

Reports indicate that police on patrol in the backlands stopped at the mining camp where they met six persons.

A search was conducted and the firearms and the cannabis were found.

When contacted, the police confirmed the arrests and noted that one of the suspects confessed to ownership of one of the weapons.

The men were taken to the Mahdia Police Station where they remain in custody.

Pharmaceutical, medical suppliers must submit manufacturers’ authorisations SUPPLIERS of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are now required to submit recent manufacturers’ authorisations offered to them.

In a public advisory published in the Guyana Chronicle newspapers on Sunday, the Ministry of Public Health said it has made “major changes to the way business is conducted with suppliers of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies”.

In the advertisement,

the ministry, which has been plagued with serious procurement issues, said special attention is now being given to the way procurement is processed.

“As such, one very important measure taken to enhance the efficiency of the evaluation of bids and other due-diligence processes is to now request for each of our pharmaceutical and medical suppliers to submit recent manufacturers’ authorisations offered to

them,” the public advisory stated.

The Ministry of Public Health said the recent manufacturer’s authorisation or Marketing Charter Agreement is considered to be one which is an original parchment of the manufacturer, and is dated no earlier than six months to date.

“These instruments of authorisation are intended to expedite the verification process during the evaluation period,

LIAT CEO: Taxes on flights too high

BARBADOS NATION - Caribbean governments are being encouraged to revisit the level of taxation on airline tickets.

The issue came up earlier this week as LIAT, Air Antilles and Winair announced the CaribSKY alliance, which will see the use of codeshares and interline agreements to make regional travel easier and cheaper.

The event was held at La Creole Beach Hotel & Spa in Guadeloupe.

LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer, Julie Reifer-Jones, said taxation was a “ticklish issue” but a solution had to be found.

She said a recent study showed that intra-regional travel had declined significantly. LIAT, she said, was now moving 750,000 passengers annually in comparison to one million in the past.

“When we tried to get behind the numbers and

look at some of the factors impacting that decline, the taxes – and this includes both airport and the taxes directly from the government – are acting as a significant deterrent to travel across the Region.

“Because we are connecting passengers across several territories, we are actually picking up taxes from three or four territories every time somebody flies from one destination to the next, and we also have the issue of intransit taxes because we’re stopping at St Maarten or we’re stopping in St Vincent or we’re stopping in Barbados,” Reifer-Jones said.

The CEO revealed that while LIAT had raised its base fare by about three per cent between 2009 and 2016, taxes had increased by about 56 per cent.

“What the passenger sees is not the base fare.

They are going to see the total package and their reaction to buying a ticket to travel to Guadeloupe or travel to Dominica is going to be impacted by that total bottom line picture,” she said.

Reifer-Jones said regional governments should be implored to help boost regional travel.

“I think that in this conversation we all have to try to influence our governments to make a commitment to the Region … and to put some measures in place that will help to stimulate that intra-regional travel, because when it happens, there will be economic growth and we will all benefit,” she said.

and also to mitigate [sic] against any uncertainty,” the missive stated.

Suppliers are required to submit their documents to the ministry’s permanent secretary on or before May 25.

L a s t y e a r, P u b l i c Health Minister Volda Lawrence had committed to revising the country’s drug-procurement system which she said would assist with many of the procurement woes facing the health sector.

A number of initia-

tives have been implemented by the ministry, among them being the computerisation of medical records and drugs and materials inventory.

The computerised system is geared at having detailed information on medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. This includes the procurement stage to the distribution stage.

Annually, billions of dollars are spent to purchase drugs and other medical supplies

for the public health sector. Over the years, there have been significant issues plaguing the country’s procurement system, which has resulted in the APNU+AFC coalition government putting measures in place to curb the many challenges which exist.

Editorial

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Tackling malaria GUYANA has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling malaria, with President David Granger in his recent address to the Malaria Summit in London, proposing a four-pronged international approach to tackling the dreaded disease that kills millions annually.

“It involves preventing and limiting vector-borne infections by the dissemination of quality health information, it involves providing improved tools for diagnosing and identifying active cases and finally by procuring high-quality combination Malaria treatment to ensure full cure of infected persons and to avoid drug-resistant Malaria,” he told the summit.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death in Guyana and the president has committed to halving the number of malaria cases

and related deaths by 2023.

Over the years, significant strides have been made in tackling this scourge.

Malaria cases in Guyana today are less of a headache in terms of volume, compared to what obtained about two decades ago.

It is a story which would be amiss if it does not begin with praise for the outstanding work of local health professionals, even though much still remains to be done. Guyana has been able to reduce the number of malaria cases from around 85,000 in 1995 to just about 32,000 cases in 2012.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease commonly caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms usually occur at least seven to nine days after a bite by an infected mosquito

and include fever, chills, sweating, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

In Guyana, two types of malaria are common, namely plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum. If the plasmodium falciparum infection is not treated promptly, it may result in kidney failure, coma and even death. Malaria is widespread in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the planet and is responsible for over 600,000 deaths every year.

Through diligent work, health professionals have, over the years, managed to eradicate the disease-carrying mosquitoes from the coastland but the pests have shown tenacity in survival by migrating to more favourable grounds.

Wi t h t h e c o a s t l a n d largely no longer safe to call home, due also in part to a

change in climate, whereby weather conditions are much hotter these days, the Anopheles mosquitoes have moved to the hinterland regions where the climate is cooler and more conducive to its growth.

There, their existence has been made much easier by the unsustainable environmental practices of mining operators. It is little wonder that of the 30,000 new cases reported by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in 2013, the overwhelming majority were persons involved in mining.

While updated statistics on malaria are not available, or out in the public domain, the 10,000 Amerindians, 9000 persons of mixed race, 7000 Afro-Guyanese and 3,000 Indo-Guyanese found to be infected point to the need for serious action.

The Public Health Min-

istry should have a permanent presence in mining communities or ensure medical outreaches are held regularly there by health professionals.

This is necessary to effectively sustain the fight against malaria and to have the upper hand in the battle.

Timely diagnoses, treatment and raising of awareness are essential in preventing the spread of the disease.

From mining operators adopting environmentally-sustainable mining practices, to residents and local government officials keeping the environment clean, to support from government and the private sector, all have to work in tandem to make areas that are most

vulnerable malaria-free.

If not, the government’s efforts in providing Long-lasting Insecticide Net, Vivo tests, and anti-malarial drugs, among other support measures to the some 112,000 hinterland residents this year would not help in effectively curbing new cases.

It is also important for the ministry to continue to put the spotlight on all vulnerable areas. In this way, Guyana will continue to be ahead in the fight against malaria and serve as a model to her sister CARICOM nations as well as countries the world over in keeping the mosquito-borne disease at bay.

Guyana has opportunity to be global model Dear Editor,

WHAT should Guyana do if offered $US100 Billion to keep its oil in the ground?

This is a great question to consider as the country continues its endeavour to be a benchmark location for sustainable habitats rooted in renewable energy sources.

As the world becomes more serious about the prevention of climate change and are willing to prevent the increased use of fossil fuels while fostering the use of renewable energy sources, the posing of this question becomes more feasible.

First, the investment of the total $US100 Billion amount could be jointly managed externally with the UN

allowing for the creation of a supplementary fund based on investment earnings, to also assist smaller low-lying states to transition to renewable energy sources.

Thus allowing the benchmark location of Guyana to also share in the responsibility of implementing best practices across other affected countries. The Caribbean is a great location for such a focus and the existence of the Caribbean Community Secretariat in Guyana is quite an enabler.

Such a responsible posture towards energy investment and consumption could be duplicated in other regions of the world, via the creation of additional benchmark countries that would also leave their oil in the ground,

while embracing renewable energy sources and its implementation in affected countries within their regions.

This proposed global systematic approach could quickly propel the agendas of members of the UN and signers of the Kyoto Protocol. With the world taking such a leadership position on climate change with shared preventative funding that positively alters the climate change curve, a profound impact on how countries approach their energy investment policies will be accomplished.

Second, let’s consider the amount and its associated time period. Currently, the Guyanese economy is approximately US$3 Billion in size annually; and if we look

at the contracts currently in place with oil companies, the $100 Billion is very attractive. Further, considering the time period associated with the extraction of the oil we can estimate a 20 to 30-year time frame, thus making the annual amount close to an estimated US$4 Billion.

However, it would be more appropriate to have an annual influx of US$1Billion, thus allowing for the government to increase its capabilities and capacity to manage the additional funds through the still developing ministries.

This would alter the time period to 100 years, thus allowing a long-term position on Investment. In addition, the country would be able to reduce its debt levels while repaying the oil companies

for their current investment and the responsible closure of the drilled wells. Guyanese would also be able benefit from strong, long-term fiscal improvement via both currency appreciation and responsible structured investments.

The location of Guyana, it’s historic role in the Caribbean Community and in the Commonwealth and the small size of its economy, allows for measured economic long-term growth over the century that is both positive on a national scale, while also providing an internationally modelled solution for the climate change phenomenon.

As a global body, the UN has spoken extensively on the need for addressing the pressing issue of climate change and the countries es-

pecially within the Caribbean geographical area have seen the devastating impact of hurricanes in the recent past.

The creation of such a fund for Guyana to leave its oil in the ground and the successful implementation of a sustainable habitat agenda rooted in renewable energy sources would also encourage such preventative funds to be created in other regions, where additional benchmark countries should be created for the usage of renewable energy.

This proposed approach will help to positively impact the key variables that are creating unwanted climate change.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

DPP will dismiss charges against ministers - Ramkarran says

Ralph Ramkarran, SC.

THE charges brought against Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence and Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton, who served as Public Health Minister are likely to be disallowed by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack.

The duo has been charged with misconduct in public office contrary to the common law. Former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington, were charged by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for misconduct in public office, contrary to the common law.

This is the view of Ralph Ramkarran, SC, who in his weekly blog published on www.conversationtree. gy described the move to charge the government ministers one week after Dr Singh and Brassington were charged in absentia as “Titfor-tat politics have arrived with a vengeance.”

Ramkarran said, “It is hardly likely that the charges against the Ministers of Government will be allowed by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to stand. No doubt, the director will enter a nolle prosequi, which in effect would mean withdrawal of the charges.”

“This is likely to occur before April 24, so as to en-

sure that the ministers do not have to suffer the potential indignity of having to appear in court and sit in the dock while the charges are read to them,” said Ramkarran, a former Speaker of the National Assembly.

He explained that after the charges are withdrawn, Ali-Hack will have to answer to the claims that are likely to be made on behalf of Dr. Singh and Brassington in legal proceedings as to why the charges against them should proceed, while the charges against the ministers were not allowed to proceed.

“A whole host of difficult legal questions will emerge which the director (DPP) will be forced to answer; and it is possible that the answers might not be legally sustainable,” said Ramkarran, who noted that the “conflict between the two major political parties have now entered into a new, more intense and more bitter phase.”

He said the move was from the exchange of hostile words, to the possibility of imprisonment of persons who were especially close to former President now Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Ramkarran recalled that the last time such occurred was more than 50 years ago when the British imprisoned without trial several members of the PPP at Sibley Hall, which continued under the PNC-UF Government after it took office in 1964.

However, he noted that when the PPP took office in 1992, after 28 years of PNC rule, it not only adopted a policy of ‘no recrimination’, but also abolished that part of the National Security Act that allowed detention without trial.

FIGHT MUST BE ADVANCED “It will no doubt be seen by the opposition and its supporters that the threat of imprisonment as a political weapon has returned,” the senior counsel opined, while stressing that the fight against corruption against “blatantly criminal acts” must advance. He warned however that where the fight against corruption is seen as politically tainted, the consequences would be dire.

Charges against former Finance Minister under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration, Dr Ashni Singh and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington on April 12, 2018, were filed for three counts of misconduct in public office, contrary to the common law.

The duo is required to appear before Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan to answer to three charges of misconduct in public office, contrary to the public law on May 7.

According to the charges filed by the SOCU, Dr Singh and Brassington “acted recklessly” when they sold to National Hardware Guyana Limited lands amounting to 103.88 acres, property of the state for the sum of $598,659,398 (vat exclusive) without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

The second charge alleged that the duo “without due diligence” sold to Scady Business Corporation state land, located at Liliendaal, ECD amounting to 4,700 acres, for the sum of

$150,000,000 knowing that the said property was valued at $340,000,000 by Rodrigues Architects Associate.

While the final charge alleges that Dr Singh and the former NICIL CEO “acted recklessly” when they sold to Multi-cinemas Guyana Inc. 10, 002 acres of state land located at Turkeyen, ECD, for the sum of $185,037,000 without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

One week after, attorney representing Dr Singh and Brassington, Anil Nandlall, filed private criminal charges against two sitting ministers of the coalition government.

He has also written the DPP requesting that she review the charges and withdraw same.

“The APNU+AFC police has charged PPP supporters and the PPP has struck back by charging APNU supporters.

The charges against former members of the past PPP/C administration will be seen as a political vendetta and will kill any possibility of movement towards a political solution,” said Ramkarran in his blog.

A SURPRISE The attorney said the announcement of charges against Dr Singh and Brassington came as a surprise, given the length of time before charges were brought. “…the charges were no longer expected. The public had grown suspicious that the allegations of corruption against the past PPP/C government appear to be unfounded.

The commissions of inquiry had produced little and investigations dragged on.”

Ramkarran said too that the government “surprised the public by finally making good

its threats by charging two of the most prominent officials of the last government.” He noted that the government’s promise that more persons would be taken to court for corruption, the opposition changed its tone from gleefully claiming that the talk about corruption was “mere propaganda” to “sharp criticisms of persecution.”

In response to the charges laid against Dr Singh and Brassington, it appears that the PPP has taken a decision to respond in like fashion.

“At the time of writing, the defendants have not been served with the charges because they were alleged to be not available. They would only be required to appear in court if they are served,” said Ramkarran.

It is alleged that Lawrence, while performing the duties of Minister of Public Health between January 16, February 16, 2017 “wilfully misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when she authorised or caused the unapproved single-sourcing and purchase of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, in the city of Georgetown from ANSA McAL Trading Limited… for the excessive sum of $605,962,200”. Lawrence was however cleared of any wrong doing by the Public Procurement Commission.

The charge against Dr. Norton alleges that while “performing the duties of Minister of Public Health of the Government of Guyana, June 1, 2016… wilfully misconducted himself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when he

Security guard killed by drunk driver A 60-year-old security guard attached to the West Demerara Regional Hospital died on Sunday morning after he was struck down by a drunk driver on the Pouderoyen Public Road, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

Dead is Keith Redmond of Bagotville, WBD, who was returning home on his bicycle around 05:15hrs when a 37-year-old driver of motorcar PMM 1895 lost control of his vehicle and collided with the man from behind.

Redmond was flung some 30 feet away from the point of impact and his cycle was found about 15 feet away from his body.

The force of the hit caused the man’s body to smash into a nearby vending stall and land in the gutter, while the car crashed into the gate of a resident, damaging a utility post and uprooting a small tree

along the way.

According to a police re-

port, the motorcar driver resides in La Parfaite Harmonie, WBD

and following a breathalyser test, his alcohol level was found

Dead: Keith Redmond

The car following the accident Sunday morning

to be “exceedingly above the legal limit”.

After the accident, both the cyclist and the driver of the motorcar were taken to the regional hospital where Redmond was pronounced dead on arrival, while the other is nursing a broken shoulder.

Relatives of the victim are demanding justice and alleged that this is not the first time the driver has caused a fatal road accident.

authorised or caused the rental of the property known as and situated at 29 Sussex Street, Albouystown, in the city of Georgetown from Linden Holdings Incorporated… for the sum of $12,500,000 exclusive of VAT, per month, by way of a written Agreement of Tenancy at an excessive rate of rental”.

Government immediately responded via Minister of State Joseph Harmon who said the opposition is “clutching at straws.” Harmon in an interview with the Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Information and Press Services Department described the charges against his colleague ministers as frivolous and represented a clear attempt to tarnish the reputation of the duo.

“These talks of corruption are without any proof and the opposition is now seeking to grab at straws… The security agencies, the Police Force and so on have their work to do and when they find as they have been doing, evidence of corruption, evidence of malfeasance and they will take the necessary steps,” Minister Harmon said.

The minister of state contended that the charges brought by the PPP MPs is a strategy aimed at tying the government ministers up in court, so that government can be distracted from its development agenda.

On Saturday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC described the move by the opposition as “malicious”.

“To countenance partisan, political, private criminal charges coming out of Freedom House is a recipe for returning Guyana to the status of a failed narco-state as it was under Presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar,” Williams stated.

“This man was stink of alcohol in the hospital! It’s like the whole rum shop was on him. We’re trying to get some kind of justice, because I heard this guy killed two persons right on this same road and this guy still has a licence.

If his licence was revoked, he wouldn’t have been able to kill my uncle and nobody else,” said niece of the deceased man Monica Redmond.

She pointed to where a bag of bread her uncle was carrying could still be seen in the drain.

Redmond was a father of five girls and would have celebrated his 15th wedding anniversary this month, had it not been for the accident, his wife told this newspaper.

“He was a loving husband, I had no problem with him, we were happily married so I will miss him a lot,” she said.

Redmond’s body is at the mortuary of the hospital awaiting a post-mortem, while the police reported that the driver is in custody assisting with the investigation.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

PPP wants DPP review her own charges

–– urges fairness in cases against ministers, Dr Singh and Brassington

THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Sunday said it expects Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack to act fairly and non-discriminatory when assessing requests made for a review of criminal charges laid against current and former ministers of government.

“Whatever actions the DPP takes, the PPP expects it to be fair, even-handed and non-discriminatory,” the PPP said in a statement.

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had filed criminal charges against former Finance Minister under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration, Dr Ashni Singh and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington for three counts of misconduct in public office, contrary to the public law on April 12, 2018.

The duo has been accused of selling three plots of land at costs outside that which was recommended by valuators.

They sold to National Hardware Guyana Limited lands amounting to 103.88 acres, property of the state for the sum of $598, 659, 398 (vat exclusive) without first procuring a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

The second charge alleged that the duo “without due diligence,” sold to Scady Business Corporation land, located at Liliendaal, ECD amounting to 4,700 acres, also the property of the state for the sum of $150,000,000 knowing that the said property was valued at $340,000,000 by Rodrigues Architects Associate.

The final charge alleges

that the former finance minister and NICIL’s CEO on Saturday, May 14, 2011 by way of agreement of sale and purchase “acted recklessly” when they sold to Multi-cinemas Guyana Inc. 10, 002 acres of land located at Turkeyen, ECD, property of the state for the sum of $185, 037,000 without first procuring a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

Five days after, attorney representing the duo, Anil Nandlall, wrote the DPP requesting that the charges be reviewed and discontinued.

to discontinue the said charges, forthwith,” said Nandlall in a letter dated Tuesday, April 17, 2018 and addressed to Ali-Hack.

Dr Singh and Brassington, who both reside overseas, have been given three weeks to appear before Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan. They are to make a court appearance on May 7, 2018.

Last week, Nandlall, a former attorney general who described the charges against his clients as “bizarre,” filed private criminal charges on behalf of two PPP Members

Former head of NICIL Winston Brassington

Former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

“I respectively invite a review of the said charges for the purpose of specifically considering whether the particulars of the offences disclose any offence at law, more particularly, the offences for which the accused persons have been charged and if not, I further invite you to consider exercising the powers vested in your office by Article 187 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and

of Parliament against Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, and Minister of Social Cohesion and former Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton.

MALICIOUS The government ministers have been charged with misconduct in public office and abuse of public trust; a move which the APNU+AFC coalition government has

deemed to be “malicious”.

The ministers are to make a court appearance on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

It is alleged that Lawrence while performing the duties of minister of public health between January 16, February 16, 2017, “wilfully misconducted herself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when she authorised or caused the unapproved single-sourcing and purchase of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, in the city of Georgetown from ANSA McAL Trading Limited… for the excessive sum of $605,962,200”.

Lawrence was however cleared of any wrong doing by the Public Procurement Commission.

The charge against Dr Norton alleged that while “performing the duties of Minister of Public Health of the Government of Guyana, June 1, 2016… wilfully misconducted himself in a way which amounted to an abuse of public trust without reasonable excuse or justification, when he authorised or caused the rental of the property known as and situated at 29 Sussex Street, Albouystown, in the city of Georgetown from Linden Holdings Incorporated… for the sum of $12,500,000 exclusive of VAT, per month, by way of a written Agreement of Tenancy at an excessive rate of rental”.

On Saturday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, S.C. called on the DPP to review the said charge.

“The government would expect no lesser treatment for the charges she (DPP) did not

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence

institute, lest the floodgates open to create a festival of private criminal charges even against the leader of the opposition,” said Williams, S.C. He noted that establishment of the office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) by the constitution empowers the holder of the office with total power over all prosecutions, whether initiated or undertaken by her or some other authority.

“If charges are initiated by others, the DPP can discontinue them if she so desires, or take them over and continue them,” Williams said, while explaining that the DPP has the “powers of quality control” over all prosecutions here.

He said the DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack, also has a proactive duty to patrol the corridors of justice to ensure her domain is not polluted by “jaundiced interlopers”.

The attorney general stressed that there is no comparison between the cases where the DPP charged former Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and former head of the

Minister of Social Cohesion Dr George Norton

National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington for misconduct in public office, contrary to the common law and the private charges laid by Edghill and Bharrat.

However, on Sunday, the PPP said it notes the government’s expectation that the DPP would review the private criminal charges filed by PPP Members of Parliament (MPs) Juan Edghill and Vickram Bharrat against Ministers Lawrence and Dr Norton for Misconduct in Public Office Contrary to Common Law. The party has also acknowledged the request made

by Nandall to the DPP, for which a response is yet to be forthcoming.

“The PPP recalls that the DPP did not intervene when frivolous private criminal charges were filed against former President Bharrat Jagdeo two years ago, by Christopher Ram,” the statement said. Ram had accused Jagdeo of making racial statements at a public forum at Babu John, Berbice.

PNCR chair meets Florida Chapter

PEOPLE’S National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman Basil Williams, SC., last week met with the Florida Chapter of the North American Region (NAR) of his party to update them on developments in Guyana, while encouraging them to return home to invest.

Williams stressed the need for members of the diaspora to return home to not only cash in on the opportunities which exist, but to contribute meaningfully to the country with their acquired skills.

Williams, who is also Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, reminded party faithful that Guyana will benefit significantly in the future from oil revenues.

Guyana is expecting significant economic growth when oil production starts here in 2020.

As a result, he stressed that a number of opportunities will become available not only to locals, but also to those who are from the diaspora.

Several members of the Jamaican and Trinidad diaspora also attended and Williams promoted Guyana as an excellent investment destination for CARICOM nationals.

The meeting, scheduled for 90 minutes at Lallo’s Caribbean in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, 18 April, 2018, lasted over three hours and saw executives of the Florida NAR and

other members of the diaspora fielding questions about Guyana.

“The enthusiasm of the attendees affirmed continuous support for Guyana’s coalition government,” a statement said. According to the statement, the attorney general was called to explain the depth of his portfolio which was compared by many in the diaspora to that of the attorney general of the US. Questions pertaining to charging members of the former administration with acts of corruption relative to the theft of state assets, was a prominent feature of the meeting. Williams explained how the judicial system works in Guyana and the challenges which currently exist.

Additionally, his chairmanship of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) was discussed, along with the role he is playing to ensure that Guyana remains compliant with Anti-Money Laundering regulations.

The meeting was chaired by Vice- Chairman, Florida NAR Jerome Bulkan, Treasurer Keith Eric Munroe and Secretary Lynette Roberts.

Upon the conclusion of the three-hour-long meeting, Williams was presented with a plaque by the executive members of the Florida NAR group of the PNCR.

Chairman of the PNCR, Basil Williams, SC., receives a plaque from the Florida NAR group of the PNCR

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IMF unveils new corruption policy for member states

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) will systematically address corruption and its impact on economic growth with all its member countries under new guidelines launched on Sunday.

The stricter new policy also aims to tackle how rich countries contribute to corruption in the developing world by failing to prevent bribery and money laundering, or by allowing anonymous corporate ownership.

“We know that corruption hurts the poor, hinders economic opportunity and social mobility, undermines trust in institutions and causes social cohesion to unravel,” IMF Managing-Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement.

“We have now adopted a framework for enhanced engagement on governance and corruption that aims for a more systematic, even-handed, effective and candid engagement with member countries.”

Corruption and poor governance sap economic growth and exacerbate inequality, according to the IMF, and the new policy

framework attempts to ensure that the institution will hold all members to the same standards -- something the fund said it had not always done.

The new policy comes as Ukrainian authorities work to implement stringent new anti-corruption reforms at the behest of the IMF, which has held up the latest instalment of a US$17.5 billion aid package.

The revised good governance guidelines, which take effect on July 1, follow a recent review of the IMF’s 20-year-old policy framework which concluded the fund had sometimes employed euphemisms when discussing corruption in member states -- leaving local officials unclear about IMF concerns.

And IMF analyses sometimes failed to apply the same standards evenly to all members.

Under the new guidelines approved by the IMF board on April 6, the fund will discuss good- governance concerns in all annual economic reviews of member countries.

IMF officials however, say they do not expect the policy will lead to more stringent

Truck falls into Berbice River DOZENS of shop owners and entrepreneurs in Kwakwani are counting their losses after a goods transport truck lost balance on a pontoon and fell into the Upper Berbice River.

Information reaching this publication indicated that the incident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning, while the pontoon was attempting to cross the Berbice River with the truck.

A heavy-duty machine was used to haul the truck out of the river. Though spoiled, residents tried to save some of the goods and supplies including cement, chicken feed, rice, sugar and bleach.

One Kwakwani shop owner Samuel Harris estimates his losses at $700, 000. He lost four bales of cement that was in demand at the time in Kwakwani.

Even though the cement was retrieved, it

Residents of Kwakwani trying to pull the truck out of the Upper Berbice River The truck, which was loaded with dry goods and hardware supplies for shop owners in Kwakwani, toppled after the driver tried to balance it on the pontoon.

The truck was the only vehicle on the pontoon crossing at the time and the driver managed to swim safely ashore.

Upon hearing about the tragedy, scores of residents of Kwakwani and neighbouring villages rushed to the scene and tried to get the driver out of the water.

was hard and had to be thrown away.

The driver of the truck is reportedly recovering from the ordeal at home. Some residents are claiming that the truck was overloaded at the time of the accident.

Calls were made for stricter monitoring to be enacted by authorities on vehicles using the pontoon to cross the river.

The driver and the pontoon operator are assisting the police with their investigation.

conditions on loans, which go to a minority of the fund’s 189 members and which already include anti-corruption provisions.

The fund also will rely on the findings of outside transparency campaigners who have criticised the existence of tax and corporate havens in advanced economies as a conduit for illicit financial flows, to and from poorer countries.

However, the IMF will not investigate specific instances of corruption.

Rather, it will focus on the strength of key economic institutions: fiscal and central bank governance, market regulation, the rule of law and policies on money laundering and

countering terrorism financing.

IMF analysis suggests that falling 25 notches on a corruption index could shave as much as 0.5 percentage points off a country’s annual growth -- amounting to tremendous economic losses over multiple years.

In unveiling the new policy on Sunday at the close of the IMF-World Bank spring meetings, Lagarde said the fund’s board supported a “more intrusive” approach to member state evaluations.

“Because it is a macroeconomic issue, the IMF is really perfectly legitimate in acting, especially when we have a programme in a country,” she said.

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Are you a victim or survivor of childhood sexual abuse?

(THE use of the word ‘victim’ in this article is purely for descriptive purposes and therefore should not be confused with a helpless person).

THERE are many adults going about their daily lives harbouring a secret about the physical or sexual abuse they endured as children. Some adults have locked away their pain and trauma, while others have become perpetrators of the same abusive behaviour that was meted out to them. There are also victims of childhood abuse who, with help, have learned to cope and manage their childhood dilemma. Nevertheless, the memories of childhood abuse linger on and can arise quite randomly or be triggered by something unexpectedly.

When a child has been abused, it shows. Social workers and child protection officers work with abused children every day, they know the signs and hear similar stories of abuse on a weekly basis.

Their work is to ultimately protect the child, while working in the child’s best interest: to investigate the severity of the abuse and report to a senior officer who will initiate appropriate action.

Among the varied cases that they deal with there are children who are victims of domestic violence, children who have been neglected and left to fend for themselves and children who have been severely beaten. However, the type of case that reaches their desks on a regular basis are those of sexual abuse.

In these cases there are confused children (especially girl children). Some of them refuse to speak about the abuse, even though indicators and evidence clearly prove that the child is a victim of an adult (usually male) perpetrator. If the perpetrator is a family member or the child’s father, she may not want to betray

him or bring shame on her family. Sometimes victims even feel guilty because their bodies (naturally) responded and partook in the (sexual) abuse. Little do these child victims understand or realise that what happened to them will be with them through the coming decades as they grow and develop into adults.

Whatever warped sense of loyalty victims may feel towards their perpetrators, or whatever guilt complex they may hold as a child, will eventually diminish as they mature and one day they will either need to talk about their ordeal in order to start the ‘healing process’, or they may decide to bury it deeper inside. Although burying the trauma or memory of abuse is an option, to a skilled counsellor or social worker it is still apparent.

It will show in the way a past victim behaves or reacts in certain situations. It will show in things they say, views they hold and sometimes even in the way they raise their children. You may be surprised to learn that generations of abuse exist in some families.

Professionals advise that the best way to overcome the childhood trauma of sexual abuse is to confront it. Unlock the past and lay it out in front of you so you can examine it and see it for what it truly is. It is always better to get things out of your system rather than keep them bottled up inside (for years). Trained counsellors can help a victim put the past in perspective. They can help victims to understand what took place in their lives and how it has affected them.

Some victims waste years of energy, holding on to the hurt inside or hating themselves and putting themselves down over childhood sexual abuse. But they are survivors and as survivors if they learn to channel their negative

Good Hope Bridge opens

THE Good Hope Bridge, East Coast Demerara (ECD) has been reopened to traffic Saturday after being closed for almost three weeks for repairs.

According to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Road & Maintenance

Engineer, Sherod Parkinson, the bridge is now 95 per cent completed with a few minor works left to be done.

The contract for the project was awarded to BK International at a cost of $23.5M.

energy, into positive energy, they can, not only empower their lives, but also serve to strengthen and educate their families. If you are an adult, you can speak to a counsellor at the Probation and Social Services Dept., Ministry of Social Protection. Children who are in need of help can contact the Childcare

and Protection Agency on 227 4082 If you are concerned about the welfare of a child you can ring the CPA hotline 227 0979 or email childcaregy@ gmail.com A Message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection

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AG dismisses Jagdeo concerns about CCJ

ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, SC, on Saturday dismissed statements attributed to Opposition Leader and former president Bharrat Jagdeo which suggested that statements made by government ministers on the term-limit case which is currently before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is likely to prejudice the outcome.

“I am surprised that Mr Jagdeo has problems with the CCJ. I would not get into that type of discussion.

I did my talking during the hearings and I feel confident that we could leave the panel of eminent judges which adorn that bench to discharge their responsibilities,” Williams said in response to questions posed by this newspaper.

The attorney general said that there is a general concern about statements being made about court cases that are before the courts.

“Yes, there is a general concern,” he told reporters while referencing a recent press conference held by

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge on the same subject. Greenidge warned that matters placed before the courts are sub judice, meaning they are under judicial consideration and ought not to be reported on or be the subject of public discourse.

“Persons who want to have an insight into what happened in the court, they could go to the CCJ website and listen for themselves and they don’t have to be subjected to PPP propaganda,” said Williams.

However, Jagdeo at a media briefing this week referenced a recent political meeting in Berbice where Vice-President and Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, reportedly suggested that the CCJ will rule in the government’s favour in the term-limit case.

“I don’t know whether it’s loose talk or they do have inside information as they say, but either way this could affect the credibility of the court. If they claim they have inside knowledge, it could also be entirely false,” Jagdeo stated.

Meanwhile, back in March, Williams and a battery of lawyers appeared before the full bench of the CCJ where the court was informed that two former top judicial officers here had erred in applying the Basic Structure Doctrine in the ‘third-term case’, even as he asserted that the term-limit act is valid.

Government has challenged a Court of Appeal ruling in the case brought by the relatively unknown Cedric Richardson on the presidential term-limit. The ruling was initially challenged by both the state and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman. Trotman has dropped out of the case.

The state is being represented by Williams SC, Solicitor-General Kim Kyte-Thomas, State Counsel Uteika John and Barbadian Queens Counsel, Hal Gallop and Ralph Thorne, while Richardson is being represented by Douglas Mendes of Trinidad.

KEENLY WATCHED The case is being keen-

ly watched and many feel that Jagdeo, who served two terms as president, has played a big role in the challenge of the term-limit, but he and his party have always denied this.

Richardson of Laing Avenue, Georgetown, in a constitutional challenge just before the May 2015 General and Regional Elections, contested the amendments made to Article 90 of the constitution that were enacted in 2000 following a bipartisan Constitutional Reform Process.

Article 90 (2) states that “a person elected as President after the year 2000 is eligible for re-election only once.” He argued that that the term-limit infringes on Articles 1 and 9 of the constitution, wherein Article 1 states that “Guyana is an indivisible, secular, democratic, sovereign state in the course of transition from capitalism to socialism and shall be known as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana” and Article 9 states that “Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it through their rep-

resentatives and the democratic organs established by or under this constitution.”

However, Williams argued that amendments made to Article 90 are not unconstitutional. The attorney general told the CCJ that the High Court and Court of Appeal of Guyana applied the Basic Structure Doctrine in the case. He pointed out that the doctrine does not apply to Guyana and any other CARICOM country that has a constitution that mirrors the Westminster model. The Basic Structure Doctrine is an Indian judicial principle that the constitution has certain basic features that cannot be altered or destroyed through amendments by the Parliament. The doctrine applies only to constitutional amendments.

But Williams argued that “where legislation is passed in accordance with prescription -- in terms of manner and form -- the court ought not to inquire as to the propriety, the substance of that legislation.”

He rejected outright the use of the concept of Basic

Structure Doctrine, noting that it does not apply to the Guyana Constitution. “The Act was validly passed. The only question is whether it conforms to the constrictions on Article 164 (2) (6) of the constitution. Our submission is that it did,” he posited.

Meanwhile, Solicitor-General Kyte-Thomas raised the issue of delay.

She argued that while the issue of delay was not initially raised in the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, it is important.

“We acknowledge your honour, that there was no limitation in other constitutions in respect to the bringing of constitutional claims and seeking constitutional relief. However, the courts around this Region have spoken.”

She pointed to case law where it was ruled that a litigant cannot sit idly by and then years after go to the court seeking redress. She reminded that the court found in many instances that delay may defeat a constitutional motion.

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Lindeners march against sexual violence

By Vanessa Braithwaite

INSTEAD of competing for the Linden Town Week 2018 crown, the delegates held hands together and participated in a ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’ march in an effort to raise awareness of the ills surrounding violence against women and children and how society can play a role in alleviating this social phenomenon.

The delegates were joined

by Mayor of Linden Waneka Arindell, Municipal Councillors, representatives from the Ministry of Social Protection, youth groups, women’s organisations and other stakeholders in the mining town of Linden.

The procession marched from the Bayroc Community Centre Ground on the Wismar shore to the Linden/Georgetown bus park in Mackenzie, where onlookers enjoyed a raising-awareness programme and the delegates were all crowned as ambassadors against violence on women in Linden.

Mayor of Linden Waneka Arindell, while crowning the

Two delegates leading the march denouncing violence against women and girls delegates, encouraged Lindeners to stand together and to look out for women and children.

“Let us stand together as a town of Linden, let us stand against violence in all forms, women speak up, speak out, you have a right to take care of yourself and no one is expected to disrespect you,” Arindell said.

She revealed that the LMTC is currently working on a safe home for women, while

continuing to advocate for the law to play its role in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The delegates have started a “fix her crown” initiative, which seeks to lend support to persons experiencing any form of abuse. Speaking on behalf of the Muslims was Brother Jafar Muhammad, who said the failure of men to love and protect women, stems from lack of spirituality, morality and social life. Muhammad advocated for stricter laws to

be enacted in the judicial system to bring the perpetrators of sexual abuse against women speedily to justice.

“In Islam, you won’t get a trial, they would take your neck, I hope that that day would come when I can say, bring me the head of the man that rape a woman, whoever is in authority we have to push for this,” Muhammad exclaimed.

A man who disrespects a woman Jafar said, disrespects

an entire nation.

Councillor Nikisa Noel posited that men were created as the head and leaders of women and not their abusers and therefore should act the role correctly.

“A man should love his wife as Christ loved the church, are you going to die for me or are you going to hurt me, call me names, hit me and take my dignity… tonight women, arise, we will stand together against every

form of violence against our women and our girls” Noel encouraged.

A representative from the Ministry of Social Protection revealed that the ministry over the last three years has implemented several programmes to deal with violence against women and many strides were achieved since then. The matter of violence, he said, cannot be one-sided and a holistic approach needs to be taken, since men are also being abused in society. He also encouraged women to do not stay in abusive relationships, since it can end with their death.

The decision to cancel the LTW pageant came after allegations of sexual misconduct by a popular Linden businessman on a delegate seeking sponsorship surfaced. The incident allegedly occurred at the businessman’s home on March 3, 2018.

Commander of ‘E’ Division, Anthony Vanderhyden, told this publication on Sunday that the director of public prosecutions has advised that no charges should be laid against the businessman.

Communities being consulted to develop REDD+GRM

COMMUNITY consultations have started to involve Guyanese in developing a Grievance and Redress Mechanism (GRM) for

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) implementation in Guyana.

Consultations were held

at Linden, Port Kaituma and Bartica and are moving to Mahdia, Anna Regina and Annai. At these engagements, REDD+stakeholders, includ-

REDD+GRM consultation in Bartica, Region Seven

ing indigenous peoples and residents of forest-dependent communities, are helping to come up with recommendations for a REDD+ GRM. They are doing this by examining existing mechanisms, identifying gaps and suggesting ways to address same for better functioning.

The stakeholders are also being updated on the historical analysis of REDD+related grievances and existing GRMs. The activities are led by a local firm, The Consultancy Group (TCG), which was contracted in December 2017 by the Ministry of Natural Resources under the Forest

Carbon Partnership Facility Project (FCPF).

By the end of the consultancy, the firm is expected to develop a national coordinating structure and procedures to receive; process and investigate complaints from affected parties/communities under the REDD+ implementation in Guyana.

This mechanism, based on engagement and dialogue, must be accessible, transparent, rights-compatible, fair, accepted and must benefit from continuous learning.

A review of grievances surrounding REDD+ and natural resources management in Guyana over the last five

years, indicated that REDD+ related grievances can be classified in two categories: institution-related grievances and land-related.

Institutional grievances refer to stakeholder concerns about the functioning of specific government agencies, its officers and management, and the overall management of natural resources in Guyana. Land-related grievances involve miners, foresters, farmers, and indigenous communities.

The FCPF project is ensuring that a GRM is available from the earliest stages of REDD+ Readiness in Guyana.

Little Diamond NDC uncovers bogus receipts AN employee of the Little Diamond / Herstelling Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is under scrutiny for suspected fraud after several bogus receipts surfaced in the name of a taxi service with her signature.

According to reports, the receipts for trips from the office of the NDC to a commercial bank on the East Bank of Demerara were observed by councillors late last year and were brought to the attention of the employee.

It is unclear if the authorities at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) at Triumph

were made aware of the actions of the employee.

The receipts, copies of which were seen by this newspaper, state $1000 per trip between the NDC office and the bank at Diamond.

However, when checks were made with popular Herstelling entity, Suresh Taxi Service, the owner told the NDC officials that they did not own or operate cars bearing the registration numbers HB 476 and HC 1706 which appeared on the receipts.

The owner of the taxi service told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday that he received calls

on the issue and that officials of the NDC visited his office with the receipts recently. He said that he was unaware of the cars mentioned in the receipts.

Closer checks by this newspaper of some of the receipts revealed that they were written to reflect services provided by “Sunil Taxi Service” as opposed to “Suresh Taxi Service” at Herstelling.

The issue came to light late last year and earlier this year, it was raised again at the NDC; however, no action was taken against the employee.

The incident has reportedly led to a breakdown in

One of the bogus receipts seen by this newspaper communication at the NDC during the week of Easter,

which led to field employees receiving their fortnightly

salaries later than they had expected.

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Idea of oil refinery still viable –– but gov’t more in favour of modular variety

By Navendra Seoraj MINISTER of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has said that the government is not entirely opposed to the idea of a local oil refinery, as they are open to suggestions about modular types.

“We have not closed the door to a refinery,” he said Friday. “The Japanese Government, through its oil-andgas master plan, will produce some studies for us about the possibilities.”

The plan has as key objectives the development of Guyana’s domestic oil industry; the creation of a balance in the domestic usage and exportation of products from indigenous oil and gas; the harmonisation of the industry in keeping with Guyana’s ‘green’ development agenda; and the quantifying of the economic feasibility of the plans.

In addition to suggestions contained in the plan, Minister Trotman said the government is open to looking at proposals from the private sector about modular refineries.

He said they need to look at every available possibility, because the local market is small, so they would have to explore international markets and possibly build a refinery to produce oil for export.

It has been reported time and again that when production starts in 2020, there will be an estimated 120,000 barrels of oil per day, which will increase to 320,000 per day by 2022, and at least 500,000 by 2025.

According to the minister, Guyana utilises only 12,000 to 15,000 barrels of oil per day, and most of it goes to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the mining industry.

Government also anticipates that local fuel consumption might very well drop when they start producing natural gas and hydro-power.

“So we do not need that much fuel locally,” he said, adding: “Having a refinery is one thing, but we must have markets…

“For instance, we need to see whether it would be in the best interest to ship it out to the furthest market and use the earnings for local development.”

One of the suggestions that have been put forward so far, he said, is to build a small refinery with the capacity to produce about 20,000 barrels of refined oil per day.

He said that with production from that small refinery, they would be able to supply the mining industry as well as a presumably large market in northern Brazil.

Although there have been discussions about such possibilities, the minister reiterated that the government had said no to a large refinery because of the estimated large amount of money that would be spent to construct it.

Director of Advisory Services at Hartree Partners, Pedro Haas, who did a feasibility study, said the construction of an oil refinery here to process some 100,000 barrels daily would have to be a political

Dominican miner killed at Black Water Backdam

THREE armed and masked bandits attacked and killed a Dominican miner at a mining camp at Black Water Backdam, Cuyuni River, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, police have confirmed.

Dead is Pedro Pablo Rosario, 55. Reports indicate that the Dominican was relaxing in a hammock, in the watch camp about 30 feet from the dredge, when one of the suspects discharged a round hitting him.

The suspects then proceeded to the mining dredge, held other employees at gunpoint, removed two mats from the sluice box and made good their escape.

Police are investigating the matter.

decision.

He had explained that it would cost up to US$5B to construct a local refinery, and that Guyana would be likely to see a negative rate of return on its investment at approximately US$3B. While the adviser said

the large facility would cost a lot, the Stabroek News had reported that local company GuyEnergy was expected to build a modular refinery in Region 10 at a cost of about two per cent of what a paid international consultant to government had said might be

needed here.

According to ‘Stabroek’, it was expected to be completed “way before” ExxonMobil’s 2020 estimated production start date; and GuyEnergy is forging ahead, stating that the venture would cost about US$100M.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman

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CXC promises speedier services

LONG waits for documents and results from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) have been cut down.

Public Relations Manager Cleveland Sam, during the CXC organisation’s launch of its customer service charter at its Prince Road, Pine Plantation Road, St Michael headquarters on Saturday, said rather than weeks, it will now take days in some cases.

“In the charter we have outlined all of the services we offer to our external stakeholders and the standards we will meet in the delivery of those services.

One of the most critical services we offer is the issuing of certificates, the issuing of transcripts and the issuing of results.

“The charter would speak to what timeline you can expect to get a transcript processed from us.

In the past, this process took weeks, [but] in the charter it is five business days. We have worked with the examination’s administration department to come up with a system where students who request transcripts, can get those transcripts turnaround to institutions in a five-day period. And that is the promise we’re making in

the charter,” he explained.

Similarly, examination results would be available to students four days after they have been sent to the respective ministries of education, certificates would be available three months after results have been posted and all syllabuses to be taught in September would be available from the end of January of the respective year.

“We also have the regular everyday things like answering the telephones, and we are promising that when you call CXC you should get your call answered within three rings. Media requests will be acknowl-

edged within one hour . . . while for the rest of the public, all correspondence will be acknowledged within one business day, with an answer within two to three business days,” he said.

The charter could be found under the media centre on CXC’s website.

(Barbados Nation)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

King of the Strip 2 Drag race meet…

Team Mohamed’s Goliath steals show

By Stephan Sookram

NOT even the inclement weather could rain on the parade of team Mohamed’s Enterprise ‘Goliath’ GTR who clobbered the competition in

yesterday’s second King of the Strip Drag race meet.

‘Goliath’, Guyana’s current strip record-holder reset its own record against the competition from Trinidad and Tobago, bettering its 7.55 second time

by three-hundreds of a second.

Goliath’s driver, Terrence Cox was no games as he launched his way to victory, beating Trinidad’s Andy Bissesar and his rail car in a close contest which finished

just a hundredth of a second apart.

In the end, the Guyanese did well to hold off both their Surinamese and Trinidadian counterparts in the event which was

sponsored by Tropical Shipping, Mohamed’s Enterprise, STAG, JAPARTS, BM Soat Auto Sales, Prem’s Electrical and Trans Pacific Auto Sales and Spares.

‘Kipchoge and Cheruiyot win London Marathon titles, Farah sets British record

By Peter Hall

LONDON (Reuters) - Eliud Kipchoge won the London Marathon for the third time on Sunday, with Mo Farah breaking the British record as he finished third, while there was a surprise victory for Vivian Cheruiyot in the women’s race.

Kipchoge, who skipped last year’s race to attempt a sub-two-hour marathon in Italy, could not break Dennis Kimmetto’s world record as high temperatures made running conditions difficult in the English capital.

Women’s favourite Mary Keitany attempted to break Paula Radcliffe’s “mixed race” record — assisted by male pacemakers — but the Kenyan strug-

gled late on in the race, eventually finishing fifth and unable to add to her three London titles.

That allowed Cheruiyot in to take her first London crown, having won her first career marathon in Frankfurt only in October.

Radcliffe’s record, set in 2003, did seem under threat at first as Keitany comfortably led for the majority of the race but the conditions got the better of her in the end.

The men’s race went out at a blistering pace, with early leader Guye Adola clocking four minutes 22 seconds in the first mile, and Farah stayed with the group until a bizarre incident when he missed his drinks bottle

around the 10-mile mark, which delayed him after a heated exchange with a steward.

“The drink station was confusing, I was table four, I went to pick it up,” Farah told the BBC. “The staff were helpful at the end but at the beginning they were trying to take a picture rather than giving me the drink.”

Kipchoge overtook Adola early on and led from the front, with the pace remaining on course for a world-record time until the second half of the race, when the heat intensified.

Tola Shura Kitata of Ethiopia stayed with Kipchoge until close to the end but the 2015 and 2016 champion strode clear to win with a time of 2:04:17

T&t International Ataulla Guerra.

his side a share of the points.

The draw left Charleston 12th in the Eastern Conference on five points with just one win while Penn lie 14th on three points and without a win for the season.

Battery dominated the opening half, out-shooting Penn 6-2, with the best chance coming just before the half-hour mark when goalkeeper Romuald Peiser saved from the feet of Patrick Okonkwo from close range.

Penn showed more composure in the second half but squandered a few opportunities to take the lead early in the period.

from the race, Keitany slowed dramatically, with her 5:50 22nd-mile time proving costly as Cheruiyot stormed past her fellow Kenyan to snatch a surprising victory in 2:18.31.

“The reason it was so good for me today was because I started slowly,” Cheruiyot said. “I saw Mary and I got her and I thought: ‘yes, today I am going to be a winner of the London Marathon’.”

In the men’s wheelchair race, Briton David Weir stormed to a eighth London victory after a thrilling finale with three athletes racing for the line, while Australia’s Madison de Rozario won a shock first title in the women’s event.

Pelicans reach second round, 76ers take 3-1 lead and T-Wolves down Rockets

Guerra strikes but Battery denied full points

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago international, Ataulla Guerra, scored his second goal of the United Soccer League season but Charleston Battery were frustrated in 1-1 draw against Penn FC on Saturday.

Playing at FNB Field, Guerra struck in the 77th minute to give the visitors a crucial lead with less than a quarter of an hour left in the contest.

However, Ken Tribbett broke Charleston’s hearts when he produced a spectacular equaliser in the dying moments of the game, to earn

-– two minutes 20 seconds off the world record.

Officials initially gave Kipchoge’s time as 2:04.27 but revised the times after discovering a computer error.

Farah came home in third, finishing with 2:06:21 and breaking Steve Jones’s British Marathon record which has stood since 1985.

“I enjoyed the race very much,” Kipchoge said. “I still enjoy the win and I’m happy to be able to win for the third time in London.”

Keitany was a colossal 32 seconds ahead of Radcliffe’s 10-mile time, with Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba for company.

However, after Dibaba pulled up and withdrew

Guerra made them pay for their profligacy when he put the visitors ahead with 13 minutes left in the contest.

A smooth move down the left saw Tah Anunga pick out Guerra with a beautiful through ball, the 30-year-old racing beyond the Penn defence, rounding Peiser to tap in from close range.

Battery appeared set for their second win of the season until the 89th minute when Mauro Eustaquio’s cross eluded the Battery defence and found Tribbett who finished off the move with a spectacular bicycle kick past goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper.

THE New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 131-123 as they swept their Western Conference first-round playoff series, while the Philadelphia 76ers moved a step closer to advancing.

New Orleans claimed the series 4-0 thanks to Saturday’s victory, which was inspired by Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.

Davis scored 33 points in the second half as he finished with a franchise playoff-record 47, while Rajon Rondo added 16 assists.

The 76ers dropped the Miami Heat 106-102 in game four behind a triple-double from Ben Simmons.

Philadelphia now lead 3-1 in the Eastern Conference matchup following another physical clash in Miami.

Simmons got into a scuffle with Miami forward James Johnson which left everyone talking. The two players butted heads in the first half after Robert Covington fouled Goran Dragic hard.

That was not the end of it, either. Just seconds after Simmons’ altercation with Johnson, the rookie gave a shoulder to Dwyane Wade on a pick for an offensive foul.

Things never cooled down, but the 76ers went on to over-

come 25 turnovers to earn the victory.

HOLIDAY LIFTS PELICANS Pelicans guard Holiday tied a franchise playoff record with 41 points, but Davis broke it. Portland’s C.J. McCollum finished with 38 of his own.

Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio posted a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115-102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, who now trail 2-1 in the series.

Jimmy Butler had 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. James Harden had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Houston Rockets’ 121-105 game-three loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who stayed alive in the playoffs.

WINSLOW STRUGGLES FROM THE FLOOR Justise Winslow shot just three for nine from the floor with seven points. He finished with five fouls as well.

EMBIID SAYS NO! Wearing his mask, Sixers star Joel Embiid had possibly the most violent block of the postseason on Goran Dragic.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Bounty Paper Towels Hockey League

Old Fort, Sequel level in top spot after weekend action

WITH only a match remaining in the first round of the Bounty Paper Towels men’s second division league, Old Fort shares the top spot with Sequel while Bounty GCC have made a late surge to close the gap on the front-runners.

Saints U-19s made a good start to their match against Bounty GCC with the influential Ezekiel Springer controlling the tempo from the back. While the more experienced GCC enjoyed greater possession, it was Saints to strike first when Shakeen Fausette latched onto a loose ball in the scoring circle and eased it past goalkeeper Rahim Oliver for the opening goal in the 17th minute.

Oliver had a solid performance for GCC as did teammate, Samuel Woodroff at full back and the duo made certain that Saints would be denied on every subsequent attempt.

Team captain Kareem McKenzie calmly flicked in the GCC equalizer just before the half through a penalty corner which was one of a number of such opportunities for the Bourda side. Shaquille

Ezekiel Springer (right) put in a controlled-performance for Saints U-19s.

Leung’s blistering shot in the 25th minute and a Meshach Sargeant rebound goal four minutes later put the game beyond the reach of Saints. The

3-1 victory elevated Bounty GCC to third position and within contention for the title.

Senior Saints enjoyed a successful afternoon against

the Hikers Cadets, giving them their first win of the competition. With time running down in the first half and the scores still deadlocked at 0-0, player-coach Robert Fernandes opted to move out of his deep defensive position and move into midfield to guide the attacking play.

The move paid dividends in short time as Saints managed their first goal three minutes before halftime through Kevin Edwards. Fernandes himself would seal the victory for Senior Saints with a penalty corner goal in the 30th minute and a final field goal two minutes before full-time to see the game end 3-0 in favour of Saints.

While Sequel and Old Fort are tied at the top of the table with 12 points each, Old Fort has the final remaining match of the first round to play against the lowly Hikers.

Bounty GCC holds the third spot with 9 points, while Saints U-19 has 6, Saints Senior 3 and the Hikers are still to earn their first point.

Matches continue every weekend at the Saints ground until May 20.

Barcelona hammer Sevilla 5-0 to win Copa del Rey LUIS Suarez scored two goals as Barcelona produced a masterclass to beat Sevilla and win the Copa del Rey final for the fourth successive season.

Sevilla were 3-0 down at half-time, Suarez tapping home Philippe Coutinho’s pass to open the scoring in Madrid.

Lionel Messi doubled the lead before setting up Suarez for the third.

Andres Iniesta added the fourth before Coutinho’s penalty sealed Barca’s first trophy since Ernesto Valverde took charge last May. Sevilla, who had beaten Atletico Madrid on their way to the final, were completely outplayed in Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano.

At 1-0, Joaquin Correa missed a good chance from 10 yards out while Sandro Ramirez fired straight at keeper Jasper Cillessen after racing clear.

However, chances were few and far between as Barca eased to victory.

Sevilla have not beaten Barcelona in the last nine attempts

This victory helped ease the pain of losing to Roma in the Champions League in astonishing circumstances.

Barca conceded a 4-1 first leg quarter-final lead as they lost the second leg 3-0 in Italy.

Yet there was never any doubt they would blow this game once Suarez made it 1-0 from inside the six-yard area.

Valverde’s side turned on the style on the way to the club’s 30th Copa del Rey triumph.

Iniesta hit the bar before Jordi Alba’s sublime backheel allowed Messi to add the second, the Argentine’s 40th goal for Barca this season.

Suarez produced a composed low finish to make it 3-0 before the interval. arca refused to ease off

in the second half, Iniesta finishing off another sublime move for the fourth goal after rounding keeper David Soria.

Coutinho completed the rout from the penalty spot after defender Clement Lenglet had handled inside his area.

Sevilla have not won since knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League on 13 March.

County cricket would improve my game - Kohli

Virat Kohli

VIRAT Kohli remains eager for a spell in county cricket ahead of India’s tour of England later this year after it was confirmed last month that the BCCI had granted permission for him to seek a deal.

Test success in England remains the one major missing piece to Kohli’s stellar career after he endured a torrid series in 2014 where he made 134 runs in five Tests at 13.40.

He was strongly linked with Surrey recently but a deal has not been confirmed. The county are in need of overseas cover, however, having lost Mitchell Marsh to injury.

They have signed Dean Elgar for the first two months of the season but a window in June which fits with Kohli’s schedule after the IPL remains a possibility, although that would mean Kohli missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

“Playing county cricket will help me improve my game,” Kohli told NDTV. “I think it makes things more challenging and more competitive and there are no guarantees whether you are going to do well even if you go in advance.

“It’s just about giving yourself more opportunity to get used to the conditions that you are not used to.”

Two of India’s senior Test players, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma, are already playing county cricket for Yorkshire and Sussex respectively. Pujara’s first outing, against Essex, was abandoned without a ball bowled at Headingley but Ishant impressed with five wickets against Warwickshire.

The BCCI is keen to learn from the experience in South Africa earlier this year when India arrived with barely any preparation. “This time we have been pro-active because post the South Africa experience we felt that exposure was essential for the team,” Vinod Rai, the chairman of the committee of administrators, the body governing the BCCI said.

India have one fourday warm-up match, against Essex at Chelmsford, ahead of the fivematch Test series which begins on August 1. In 2014 they were 1-0 up after two matches, following victory at Lord’s, but ended up losing the series 3-1. (ESPN Cricinfo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Chelsea beat Saints to set up FA Nadal stays world number one Cup final against with Monte Carlo Masters win Manchester United RAFAEL Nadal beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters to retain his status as world number one.

The 31-year-old Spaniard won 6-3 6-2 in 94 minutes to claim a record-extending 11th triumph at the clay-court event.

Nadal has won 36 straight sets on his favoured surface after proving too strong for world number 36 Nishikori.

tournament outing after sustaining a hip injury at the Australian Open, Nadal won five straight games in the second set en route to his record 31st Masters title.

“I want to thank all my team and my family. We had some tough moments during the past five months after a couple of injuries in a row,” added Nadal.

Nadal withdrew from the Mexican Open, Indian Wells

Chelsea celebrating Álvaro Morata’s goal in the 2-0 win over Southampton | Getty Images/Dan Istite

By Clare Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - A flash of attacking brilliance from Olivier Giroud and an emphatic header from substitute Alvaro Morata earned Chelsea a 2-0 win over struggling Southampton at Wembley on Sunday and an FA Cup final date with Manchester United next month.

Giroud muscled and dribbled past three defenders and flailing keeper Alex McCarthy seconds into the second half to poke the ball home from a pass by the ever-busy Eden Hazard.

“I love to play here

(Wembley) and I have been unbeaten here so hopefully for the final we are going to keep it up,” Giroud, whose Arsenal side beat Chelsea in the final last year, told BT sport.

Morata, who came on for Giroud, made it two in the 82nd minute, nodding Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross into the net.

Relegation-threatened Southampton were outplayed for most of the match, but defended manfully during a dour first half, during which Chelsea forward Willian hit the crossbar.

The Saints were forced to move out of their half af-

ter Giroud’s goal and came close to equalising in the 72nd minute when Chelsea keeper Willy Caballero’s save kept out Nathan Redmond’s rasping shot.

They also had a possible goal not given when Charlie Austin was judged to have fouled the keeper. Austin then hit the post in the dying minutes of the game.

Chelsea will meet Jose Mourinho’s United at Wembley on May 19 after the Manchester side beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the first semi-final on Saturday.

The clash will have added spice because of the tension between former

Chelsea boss Mourinho and current coach Antonio Conte.

Hazard, who has played under both managers, said: “We gave everything, we played very good football especially in the second half and controlled the game.

“Now we go to the final and for the championship (Premier League) again and then we can think about the final against Manchester United.”

Chelsea are fifth in the league but Hazard said they had not given up hope of making the top four and getting a Champions League spot as well as winning the FA Cup.

Ed Smith named England national selector - ECB (REUTERS) - Former England batsman Ed Smith has been appointed as the team’s new national selector, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Friday.

Smith, 40, featured in three tests for England and retired in 2008 having also played first-class cricket for Kent and Middlesex, where he was captain.

He replaces James Whitaker, who left the position as part of a revamp of the team selection process in March after five years in the role.

Smith will choose another independent selector to work alongside him in a three-man panel with En-

gland coach Trevor Bayliss.

“I was very happy with what I was doing previously

but the chance to be at the forefront of this development in English cricket was

Former England batsman Ed Smith

too good an opportunity to turn down,” Smith said in a statement.

“Selection and talent ID have always fascinated me and I’ve explored extensively how they are evolving.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with Trevor, Joe (Root) and Eoin (Morgan), as we work towards ensuring that the talent in English cricket feeds into consistent performances in all formats of the game.”

The ECB also confirmed it will bring in a scouting system with “designated discipline-specific scouts” who will provide information to the selection panel.

Rafael Nadal poses with trophy after Monte Carlo final win over Kei Nishikori – (BBC Sport)

He had to win the Masters 1000 tournament to prevent Roger Federer overtaking him in the rankings.

“It’s always special for me to be back here, having this trophy. It’s one of the most important events of the year for me,” said Nadal.

He was pushed by Nishikori at the start of the first set and fell a break down, but the 16-time grand slam champion hit back to take the opener in 56 minutes.

And despite this week representing only his second

Masters and Miami Open because of the hip problem before returning at the start of the month for Spain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany.

Former world number four Nishikori only returned from a four-month absence with a right wrist injury in January.

“I want to congratulate Kei for a great week. It’s always difficult to be back from injury and I’m happy to see you again playing well,” said Nadal. (BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Solomon cops Muneshwers Travel Agency 10th annual golf tournament

Winners pose with the sponsor. From left Satrohan Tiwari; Avinash Persaud; Chatterpaul Deo; Mr Robert Hanoman; Maurice Solomon; Joaan Deo and Haresh Tewari.

BACK in the Champion’s seat, veteran golfer and winner of several tournaments, Maurice Solomon performed superbly on Saturday to edge out the keen competition in the Muneshwers Travel Agency’s 10th golf tournament at the Lusignan Golf Club.

Start of play was delayed to 1:15 p.m. due to transportation hitches for many golfers, but there was no hindering the excitement as the golfers took to the course.

A surprise performance came from Captain Chatterpaul Deo, who, despite being inactive for over two years, emerged in 2nd place.

Director of Muneshwers Travel Agency, Mr Robert

Hanoman, who participated in the tournament and performed creditably, congratulated the winners and expressed Muneshwers Travel Agency’s delight that despite the threatening weather, the course and the greens were in fine condition and on par with greens he has played on in the United States.

He praised Groundsman Avinash Persaud and Greensman, Papo Haniff for their effective contributions in that regard.

M u n e s h w e r s Tr a v e l Service of 45-47 Water St, Georgetown, telephone 2276992, the oldest and largest Travel Agency in Guyana, declared that, “Providing extremely high-quality and

personalised service is our number one goal and we can assist in coordinating every detail of your travel plan.” With a tradition of excellence, it is Muneshwers pledge to assist customers to travel seamlessly around the world.

The Agency maintains regular facebook updates to keep internal and external customers abreast of developments.

In attendance at the golf course during the day’s tournament were the finalists of the Miss World Guyana Pageant who practiced some of their paces in the club’s auditorium.

Also on hand were wine connosieurs, Seon and Mi-

chelle, and restaurateur, Shanti, who added their own lovely flavour to the activities.

The happy winners of trophy prizes were Avinash Persaud, for Best Gross score of 76; Satrohan Tiwari for Nearest to The Pin; Haresh Tewari 69/18 – 4th Best Net; Joaan Deo 69/18 – 3rd Best Net; Chatterpaul Deo 68/16 – 2nd Best Net; and Maurice Solomon 66/25 - 1st Best Net. Other golfers who placed in the top ten line-up were Ayube Subhan 71/18; Robert Hanoman (Sponsor) 71/28; Aleem Hussain 72/11; Kassim Khan 73/10; Bholawram Deo 73/18; Avinash Persaud 74/2; Roy Cummings 74/9, and Parmanand Persaud 74/12.

Americans Gatlin, Bowie take headlines with impressive wins ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, (CMC) – Reigning World champion American Justin Gatlin opened his 100 metres season with a victory at the Grenada Invitational on Saturday, making up for his absence last year because of injury.

The 36-year-old was timed at 10.05 seconds in winning the marquee event at the Kirani James Stadium, with fellow Americans Isiah Young (10.11) and Mike Rodgers (11.16) taking the lesser positions.

Gatlin had been expected to headline the inaugural meet here in the scenic Grenada capital but pulled out with injury.

Running out of lane three, he was unable to separate himself from the field over the first 50 metres but once he was into the drive phase, he eased ahead to beat fast-finishing Young to the line.

Gatlin produced a major upset last year at the World Championships in London when he beat legendary Jamaican Usain Bolt to win the 100m title.

His counterpart Tori Bowie, the reigning World champion, was also in winning form as she raced to victory in the women’s 100m, crossing the line in 22.75.

The United States also took honours in the men’s 200 metres when former World and Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt claimed victory in a time of 20.57.

Trentavis Friday, also of the US, was second in 20.91 while the Dominican Republic Yancarlos Martinez took third in 20.93.

Merritt, in lane five, had competition over the first 80 metres as Friday, next to him in lane four, along with Trinidadian Emmanuel Callender and Guyanese Winston George on the outside, all ran strong curves.

Once in the stretch, however, Merritt pulled away from the field to take a comfortable win.

There was a clean sweep of the distance hurdles for Jamaica as Andre Clarke won the men’s event in 49.09 seconds and Yanique Haye-Smith captured the women’s race in 56.38.

Hometown favourite Bralon Taplin, who finished fifth at the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this month, snatched the men’s 400 metres in a time of 45.29, with Luguelin Santon of the Dominican Republic taking second spot in 45.66.

Russell injury could be massive blow for KKR

Farah unhappy with marathon staff despite record-breaking result

By Peter Hall LONDON (Reuters) - Mo Farah was unhappy with the way staff at the London Marathon handled a mishap with his drinks bottle, even though he went on to break the British record on Sunday.

Farah finished third with a time of two hours six minutes 21 seconds in only his second London Marathon, behind Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge who picked up his third London title in unusually warm temperatures in the English capital.

However, Farah’s afternoon did not get off to a good start when he was involved in a bizarre incident where he seemed to miss his drinks bottle around the 10-mile mark and had to turn back for it.

In the aftermath, the multiple Olympic track champion was seen to be

having a heated debate with a steward on a motorbike.

“The drink station was confusing — I was table four, I went to pick it up. The staff were helpful at the end but at the beginning they were trying to take a picture rather than giving me the drink,” Farah told the BBC. “I was saying to the people on motorbikes to tell the staff to be a bit helpful instead of taking pictures. I wasn’t wasting energy, I just needed a drink. I had to get it right.”

The setback did not affect Farah though, as he went on to better Steve Jones’s British record — set at the Chicago Marathon in 1985 — by an impressive 68 seconds.

Farah was delighted with the result, while lightheartedly suggesting he could compete in the Athletics World Championships in Doha next year.

“I’m satisfied with the re-

sult. I can’t do any better than what I did,” Farah said.

“I learned the hard way today, running the hard way, but I’m pleased overall because if you looked at the field before we started that race you would never put

me in third place, you would put ahead of me so many other guys.

“My aim is to run another marathon in the autumn and then see what happens in the summer of 2019. Doha, eh?”

Britain’s Mo Farah reacts after finishing third in the men’s elite race REUTERS/Peter ...

KKR’s Andre Russell being assisted by Kings XI Punjab K. L. Rahul

THE Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will continue to worry about the fitness of Windies all-rounder Andre Russell after he sustained an injury in Saturday’s loss to Kings XI Punjab.

Russell was forced to leave the pitch early in the team’s attempt to defend its first innings total of 191. The injury occurred when the 29-year-old strode in to deliver the fifth ball of the fourth over in KXIP’s innings but had to stop at the last minute before delivering the ball.

Russell fell to the floor clutching his thigh and was immediately removed from the attack. Another savage knock from in-form batsman Chris Gayle, who slammed an unbeaten 62, eventually led Kings XI to a nine-wicket Duckworth Lewis victory.

Russell, who only recently recovered from a one-year doping whereabouts violation suspension, was a major doubt for the IPL after sustaining a hamstring injury while taking part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The Jamaican, however, put in an extra shift to be ready in time for the tournament. The extent of the injury is still being assessed but losing Russell, who the team retained despite the suspension would be a Major blow.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

Archer and Gowtham combine for Dramatic Rajasthan Royals victory DEBUTANT Jofra Archer starred with both the ball and the bat as Rajasthan Royals beat struggling defending Indian Premier League champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets.

Archer’s death bowling (3-22) kept the Royals in contention after Suryakumar Yadav (72) and Ishan Kishan (58) mustered a partnership of 129 for Mumbai, but the hosts were soon in trouble with the bat in Jaipur.

Chasing a target of 168, Rajasthan were 125-6 with under three overs remaining - despite Sanju Samson’s 52 - but then Archer and Krishnappa Gowtham (33 not out) began finding the boundary.

Archer only made eight, but he ran well between the wickets and helped to turn the tide as Gowtham hit six boundaries, including the maximum that sealed victory

with two balls remaining.

MIXED MUMBAI START Evin Lewis’ tournament has been a mixed affair so

Suryakumar and Kishan stepped into the breach to carry the Indians to 130 with three sixes each, before the latter fell as he failed to ramp

Royals found an unlikely hero in Gowtham, whose unbeaten 11-ball 33 helped consign Mumbai to another last-over loss.

far and the West Indies big-hitter went for the first of three golden ducks in a bizarre Mumbai innings.

a ball over Jos Buttler.

That marked the start of a Mumbai collapse, with Suryakumar gone in the

Salah wins English PFA Player of the Year award By `Christian Radnedge

LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named Player of the Year by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) on Sunday, becoming the first Egyptian to receive the award.

Salah was rewarded for his performances which have yielded 41 goals in all competitions since joining from AS Roma last year, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League semi-finals and secure a likely top-four finish in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams, that also included league title winners in Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and David Silva.

Sane did, however, win the Young Player of the Year award while Fran Kirby of Chelsea Ladies was named women’s Player of the Year at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal on Saturday REUTERS/Andrew Yates

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday April 23, 2018)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Chennai Super Kings (2) Rising Pune Supergiants Today’s Quiz: (1) When is the group stage of IPL 2018 scheduled to be completed?

(2) When and where is the 2018 IPL final scheduled to be played?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

next over and captain Rohit Sharma following two balls later as he ran himself out.

The Indians still - in theory - had time to wrack up

Klaasen, and better was to come.

H a r d i k P a n d y a re sponded with a four, but he quickly followed his brother

Jofra Archer took a three-for on IPL debut ©BCCI.

a handy score, but their momentum was checked by Archer in the 19th over.

He removed Krunal Pandya (7) with the first ball, the batsman slogging to Heinrich

when Archer battered a ball against his pads and then onto the wickets, before Mitchell McClenaghan went with the next ball as a yorker struck middle

stump.

GOWTHAM GETS ROYALS THROUGH The Royals’ run rate was initially a little slow in response, however, even as Samson and Ben Stokes (40) struck up a partnership of 72 and Mumbai took their time to make progress with the ball.

When Hardik Pandya crashed a yorker into Stokes’ leg stump, the wickets started falling with some regularity - Jasprit Bumrah removing Samson and Buttler (6) in consecutive balls - and Rajasthan’s challenge looked to be quickly fading.

Requiring 43 from 17 balls, Archer and Gowtham spectacularly delivered to earn the Royals’ third win as the Indians - on one win - were left to reflect on another defeat.

Super Kings survive late onslaught to overshadow Sunrisers CHENNAI Super Kings joined Kings XI Punjab at the top of the IPL table thanks to a four-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

Ambati Rayudu smashed 79 from 37 deliveries to help the Super Kings post 1823 - a total that turned out to be just enough in the face of Rashid Khan’s late onslaught.

The Afghanistan leg-spinner belted a pair of sixes and a four from the first three balls he faced, but was unable to manage a maximum off the final delivery of the match, meaning the Sunrisers fell agonisingly short in their reply.

Captain Kane Williamson top-scored with 84 as Hyderabad recovered from Deepak Chahar’s devastating opening spell to take the see-saw contest down to the wire.

Chennai had meandered along in their innings until Rayudu provided some much-needed impetus, the right-hander clearing the rope four times, as well as hitting nine fours, as he took a liking to the Hyderabad attack.

A century appeared within his reach until he was needlessly run out. Trying to steal a second run after Manish Pandey’s poor throw from the deep, Rayudu was caught short of his

ground after being sent back

by Suresh Raina.

Still, despite the careless dismissal ending a third-wicket partnership worth 112, Chennai maintained the momentum to finish strongly.

including a rare maiden.

Yet Williamson received assistance in his recovery mission from Shakib Al Hasan (24) and Yusuf Pathan (45), sharing in respective stands worth 49 and 79 with the pair.

Ambati Rayudu smashed 79 from 37 deliveries

Captain MS Dhoni made an unbeaten 25 off 12 deliveries while Raina finished up on 54 not out, the India duo helping Super Kings score 128 runs off their final 10 overs.

RECOVERY MISSION Seamer Chahar claimed a wicket apiece in his first three overs, dismissing Ricky Bhui, Pandey and Deepak Hooda as he finished with impressive figures of 3-15,

The departure of their skipper - caught superbly

by Ravindra Jadeja after top-edging an attempted pull off Dwayne Bravo - seemed to end the Sunrisers’ hopes.

However, Rashid gave Chennai a scare with some lusty blows. Bravo went for 10 off two successive deliveries in the 20th over but crucially held his nerve with the game on the line, delivering a full ball outside off stump to only give away a single.

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 23, 2018

CONCACAF cancel rest of Women’s U-17 Champs due to violent Nicaraguan protests

Part of the action in the game between Nicaragua and Haiti

THE remainder of the CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship has been cancelled due to the ongoing threat of violence in host country Nicaragua.

According to a release issued by the regional football’s governing body on Sunday, the competition was put off

after consultation with the Nicaraguan Football Federation and local authorities. It was determined it was not in the best interest of the players and officials for the competition to continue.

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens injured as protests in Nicara-

gua continued into a fifth consecutive day on Sunday.

The demonstrations against the government of President Daniel Ortega kicked off on April 16 over alleged negligence in handling forest fires in the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve.

The movement broadened

and responses began to turn violent two days later with news of changes to the social security institute, known as INSS. CONCACAF promised to soon reveal what future steps would be taken in regard to the tournament and the subsequent qualifying process for the FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup.

Haiti the Caribbean’s representative at the tournament had accumulated 6 points after wins over Puerto Rico and Nicaragua. Mexico the other team in the group had also claimed two wins.

Group B consisted of United States, Canada, Bermuda and Costa Rica.

Hope says preparation already underway for Sri Lanka Test series B R I D G E T O W N , B a rbados, (CMC) – Elegant stroke-maker Shai Hope says West Indies have already trained their sights on the Sri Lanka Test series, as they target success in the three-Test rubber in June.

The 24-year-old has been among several Windies cricketers who have been preparing for the upcoming series which will see matches at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia and Kensington Oval here – which will be an historic first day/night Test in the Caribbean.

“Everyone has their eyes on the Sri Lanka series. It is something big for us as individuals and as a team,” the Barbadian told reporters here.

“We haven’t played Test cricket for quite a while.

Our last Test was in New Zealand in December so we want to get back out there and get back in the groove.”

West Indies suffered a disappointing whitewash on that tour of New Zealand,

losing the opening Test in Wellington by an innings and 67 runs and the second in Hamilton by 240 runs – both inside four days.

to play on home soil again.

Hope said the players were taking nothing for granted, and were ironing out any issues well in advance to en-

Wkindies batsman Shai Hope

The series was a culmination of three consecutive away tours, following on from trips to England and Zimbabwe, and the contest against Sri Lanka represents a welcome chance

sure they were well prepared.

“We have been working, preparing for the series.

The work never stops,” stressed Hope, who recently won the prestigious Wisden Cricketer-of-the-Year

award.

“You have to stay fit and keep fit and get ready for whatever cricket is on the horizon. The key to my preparations is to identify the areas where I need to improve and work to get better.”

The Windies are yet to name a squad for the series but once selected, the players are expected to assemble for a training camp to intensify preparation for the tour.

Hope is famous for his superb match-winning batting display against England in the second Test at Headingley last year.

He made 147 and 118 not out as the West Indies won by five wickets to stun the cricket world, especially after losing the first Test at Edgbaston by an innings and 209 runs inside three days.

Hope’s feat marked the first time in 127 years that a batsman made twin centuries in a first-class match at the ground.

West Indies last hosted Sri

Lanka back in 2008, when the series ended 1-1. Sri Lanka won the first Test in Guyana and Windies captured the second in Trinidad.

The Asian side have toured the Caribbean three times, winning one, losing three and drawing two of the six Tests played.

GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County 50 Overs

Berbice beat Select Under-17s in one-day format WITH Berbice emerging the winners of the three-day format of the 2018 GCB/Hand In Hand Inter-County tournament, yesterday saw the start of the oneday format in which Berbice and the Select Under-17 were engaged in a reduced 22 overs match over at the Tuschen ground.

Select Under-17 batted first and were all out for 61 in 18.4 overs.

Sachin Singh and Gevon Shultz were the only two batsmen to reach double figures, scoring 28 and 10, respectively.

Keith Simpson and Kelvin Umroa each collected 3 wickets for 14 and 1,respectively. Kevlon Anderson also contributed with 2 wickets.

Berbice in reply made 67 for 1 in 10.2 overs. Opening batsmen Alex Algoo and Junior Sinclair made 29 and 28 (not out). Javid Karim was not out on 6. Sylvian Williams was the lone wicket taker.

Round two matches will take place tomorrow from 9:00 hrs when Demerara take on Berbice at Lusignan and the Select Under-17 face Essequibo at Everest.

King of the Strip 2 Drag race meet…

Team Mohamed’s Goliath steals show See Page 26

Team Mohamed’s Enterprise Nissan GTR nicknamed ‘Goliath’ was ferocious in the face of adversity, resetting a strip record and winning the unlimited class (GTRidez Photo)

‘Kipchoge and Cheruiyot win London Marathon titles, Farah sets British record See Page 26

Prince Harry poses with Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya and Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya after they received their prizes. (Reuters photo)

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MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2018