Guyana chronicle e paper 05 31 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

THURSDAY 31st May, 2018

No.105291

Don’t abuse alcohol, fast foods

…President calls on Guyanese to separate themselves from the causes of lifestyle diseases 03 PAGE

Guyana Trade Investment Exhibition launched

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Trio faces murder charges for separate incidents 3&11 PAGES

President David Granger (left) assisting this schoolboy in cutting the ribbon to open the Health Expo on Wednesday. Also in photo are Ministers of Public Health, Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings; Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and Mrs Nagamootoo; Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock ; Minister State Joseph Harmon and Minister of within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson

UG gets US$149,985 grant to build new library 14 PAGE

Suriname piracy attack…

Alleged mastermind charged with murder

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

Suriname piracy attack…

Alleged mastermind charged with murder

NAKOOL Manohar called “Fyah”, 39, the alleged mastermind of last month’s massacre of Guyanese fishermen in Suriname, was on Wednesday charged with the murder of one of the dead men.

The massacre occurred on April 27, 2018. Manohar appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh on Wednesday to answer to charges of piracy on the high seas for which he was previously remanded. However, he was instead slapped with the murder charge. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge that stated between April 26th and May 3rd, while in Guyana’s territorial waters, he murdered Tilacknauth Mohabir called ‘Caiman’.

He was refused bail and remanded to prison until June 13th when he will make his next appearance. He was also further remanded on two previous charges of robbery on the high seas committed in

2015 and 2016, respectively.

Manohar, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Joel Edmond, was initially being charged with two counts of murder for that of Mohabir and Mahesh Sarjoo called “Cooba”. However, due to

placing improper documentation before the court, since the law does not permit for the two charges to be “lumped” together but rather individual charges and moved that the charges be struck out and his client be discharged.

Relatives of one of the victims, Denesh Persaud called Vicky

both murder charges being filed together, Edmond argued that in a haste to pin charges to his client, the police are

However, Police Prosecuter Orin Joseph asked that the name be amended on the charges and had the name of

Sarjoo struck out. The request was granted and the magistrate re-read the new charge.

It is, however, expected that the other murder charge will be filed at a subsequent date.

The bodies of Mohabir and Sarjoo were the only two

Further, the defence attorney raised the issue of his client being involved in piracy in Suriname and being tried here in Guyana to which the prosecutor cited the Piracy Act of 2008 under Chapter 14 which states: “Where an

Nakool Manohar, called ‘Fyah’ as he makes his way into the Springlands Magistrate's Court

that were positively identified by relatives in Suriname after the deadly piracy attack on 27th April last on four boats with 20 men. One other body that was found in Surinamese waters is still to be identified via DNA testing while the body of Gowkaran Outar called Gavin was found on the #63 Beach on May 10th and was positively identified by a tattoo on his chest by relatives. Five persons survived the ordeal while 11 are still missing and feared dead.

offence under this Act is committed outside Guyana, the person committing such offence may be dealt with in respect of the commission of the offence as if the offence had been committed at any place within Guyana or its territorial waters.’ Thus, Attorney Edmond’s application for the charge to be dismissed was disallowed and Manohar was remanded.

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom there was tension as relatives of the victims and

those of Manohar exchanged words. Nandanie Sukra, called Annie, the mother of Ralph Couchman called “Burnham”, was asked by the mother of Manohar why she was present in court, to which she replied “You son Fyah kill me son; wha you mean wha me a do hay?” this caused an uproar as other family members of Manohar jumped to attack the woman in a bid to silence her from hurling abuse. Police quickly intervened and managed to calm things down. Sukra and relatives of Denesh Persaud called “Vicky” eventually filed a report at the station. The drama continued as Manohar was on the stand when Tarmattie Abrahim called “Kavita’’ the wife of Dinesh Persaud called “Vicky”, stated loudly to Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh “this man nah innocent”. She was told this was not the forum and should air her views with the media.

Speaking with the media, the attorney for Manohar is questioning the readiness of the police as it relates to the file, since he is ready to move forward with the matter and believes the actions of the police are a deliberate attempt to stall justice and keep his client in custody. He noted that since the last appearance, the police had asked for two weeks and that time has elapsed and he is now ready to move forward but was surprised to know the file was not ready for the proceedings at the court earlier in the day.

Edmond’s comments came on the heels of the prosecution seeking a further three weeks to prepare, since they are in the process of getting witnesses from Suriname into the country for statements.

It has been over a month since what is described as one of the deadliest piracy attacks within recent times occurred. The incident had gained international attention and placed tremendous pressure on the law enforcement authorities of both Guyana and Suriname.

Investigators are working on the theory that the attack was an act of revenge in an ongoing disagreement among Guyanese fishermen who are the main suppliers of fish to the Suriname market. A brother of Manohar was killed in a drive-by shooting allegedly at the hands of other fishermen.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

‘Don’t abuse alcohol, fast foods’

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…President calls on Guyanese to shun the causes of lifestyle diseases

By Svetlana Marshall President David Granger said prevention is always best as he called on Guyanese to separate themselves from the causes of lifestyle diseases when he declared open Guyana’s inaugural Health Expo at the Sophia Exhibition Centre under the theme “Reaching for a Better Life with Good Health.”

Excessive alcohol, smoking and addiction to fast foods are among key factors contributing to the rise in Non-Communicable Diseases (NDCs) such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure, President Granger pointed out as he addressed the large gathering.

These diseases, however, can be prevented if active healthy lifestyles are adopted.

In keeping with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDH), every citizen of Guyana, under the Constitution of Guyana, is entitled to free medical attention. And while the Government through the Public Health Ministry is moving to further decentralise health services, allowing for critical services to be accessed at the level of each region, and within towns and neighbourhoods, President Granger emphasised that prevention is key to primary healthcare.

Primary healthcare is the provision of medical services within communities. In Guyana, primary healthcare is a pillar of the National Public Health Strategy dubbed

President David Granger

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

President David Granger visiting one of the booths at the inaugural Health Expo

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo visiting a booth set up by a Chinese Medical Team serving in Guyana

Health Vision 2020 and at the centre of that is prevention. “Prevention of lifestyle diseases is part of the human socialisation process,” the President said while positing that it begins in the home and is enforced at the level of the community. Abuse of alcohol, smoking, and excessive use of fast food coupled with inactivity are not only unhealthy but results in economic burdens for families and even the healthcare system.

“So we need at the level of the school, at the level of the home to discontinue the use of sugar water, however it is bottled; discontinue the use of preserved and processed food which … (contains) sodium, and other chemicals which contribute to hypertension and obesity, diabetes and …heart diseases,” the President urged. He noted that the fastest and most effective way of reducing those costs is by ensuring that as Guyanese, at the

over a bicycle. Both men attacked each other but in the end, Bevaney was killed.

Munroe told the court that he resides at Lot 40 Two Friends, Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara. He told the court that he has no children in this country but does have one outside of Guyana.

Asked about any previous offences and charges, he confirmed that he was charged with assault and also spent one year in jail.

The Police Prosecutor told the court that the probe into the matter is not yet completed as further statements have to be taken and the police need to receive the postmortem

individual level, separate themselves from the causes of lifestyle diseases.

Like the President, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, in addressing the gathering, called on Guyanese to embrace lifestyles that would allow the country to become the healthiest nation in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Healthy active lifestyles, she explained would impact significantly on the reduction of the NCD risk

factors, and more importantly would be pivotal in helping the ministry and by extension the country to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly SDG #3.

“Attendees, Guyanese will be on the fast track to transforming our lives health wise,” Minister Lawrence said optimistically while alluding to the fact that President Granger is the only President in the Caribbean Region heading

a Presidential Commission on NCDs. Government, the Public Health Minister noted, has supported tangibly the Ministry’s advocacy for quality healthcare by providing the necessary finance to allow for the building of its human capacity. “…so we have to enhance the skills of our doctors, nurses, specialists and our support staff in our clinics and facilities to promote improved services throughout all our communities and regions in this our beloved country,” the Public Health Minister pointed out.

Alluding to the inaugural health expo, the Minister noted that it would allow for Guyanese interface with the ministry.

“The Expo will provide greater insight into the seven programmes which span Disease control – filarial, HIV and AIDS, TB, STIs among others; Family Health Services – umbrella for Maternal and Child Health; Adolescent, Men’s and Elderly Health; Dietary Policy, Mental Health; Regional Health Services…

Health Services Education…

Standards and Services…and Rehabilitation Services and Policy,” she explained.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Ministry of Public Health Permanent Secretary Collette Adams, Government officials, and members of the Diplomatic Corps were among those present at the opening ceremony. The-three day expo will conclude on Friday.

Ann’s Grove man charged for killing friend over bicycle

Thirty-five-year-old Rawle Munroe, a father of one, had his day in court on Wednesday where a charge of murder was read to him.

He appeared at Sparendaam before Magistrate Zamilla Ali. The court heard that on May 26 Munroe and Edward Bevaney were involved in a fight

Akeem Rajkumar

report. Magistrate Ali asked the accused about an apparent injury on his hands as she observed it while dealing with the matter. The man responded by informing the court that he sustained that wound and another one to the chest during the altercation with Bevaney.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Film producer Weinstein indicted for rape Movie producer Harvey Weinstein was indicted on Wednesday on charges of rape and a criminal sexual act, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said, the first case to emerge from a slew of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

“This indictment brings the defendant another step closer to accountability for the crimes of violence with which he is now charged,” Vance said in a statement on the charges against the disgraced 66-year-old co-founder of the Miramax film studio and the Weinstein Co. The grand jury indictment follows his arrest and court appearance last Friday on charges related to two among about 70 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, all of which Weinstein has denied.

Vance’s statement said

Film producer Harvey Weinstein stands with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman (L) inside Manhattan Criminal Court during his arraignment in Manhattan in New York, U.S., May 25, 2018 (Steven Hirsch/Pool via REUTERS)

Weinstein was charged with rape in the first and third degrees and a criminal sexual act in the first degree.

Ben Brafman, the head of Weinstein’s legal team, said his client would plead not guilty and defend himself against the charges.

If convicted on the most serious charges, Weinstein could face between five and

25 years in prison.

Earlier on Wednesday, Weinstein declined to testify before the grand jury after a judge denied a request by his lawyers to postpone the appearance. Brafman had argued Weinstein was denied access to information about the case and lacked preparation time.

“Mr. Weinstein intends

Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, U.S., May 25, 2018 (REUTERS/ Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

to enter a plea of not guilty and vigorously defend against these unsupported allegations that he strongly denies,” Brafman said in a statement after the indictment.

“We will soon formally move to dismiss the indictment and if this case actually proceeds to trial, we expect Mr. Weinstein to be acquitted.”

The grand jury indictment spares the prosecution the step of having to go before a judge to demonstrate there is enough evidence to bring Weinstein to trial.

The indictment follows a months-long investigation with the New York Police Department. Police have not identified the two women, but said the crimes took place in 2004 and 2013.

Weinstein remains out on US$1 million cash bail ordered by a judge last Friday. Weinstein surrendered his U.S. passport and agreed to wear a monitoring device that tracks his location, confining him to the states of New York and Connecticut.

Some of the allegations date back decades. Weinstein has denied ever having nonconsensual sex.

The accusations, first reported last year by the New York Times and the New Yorker, gave rise to the #MeToo movement, in which hundreds of women have publicly accused powerful men in business, government and entertainment of sexual misconduct.

Actresses who have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct include Uma Thurman, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan and Salma Hayek.

(Reuters)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Colombia dam: ‘the river took my house’

“I WAS in Puerto Valdivia when the first alarm sounded. It was very chaotic. Noone knew whether to run for the hills or along the road, whether to grab the children or grab the elderly.

Everyone was going crazy,” says Teresa Jaramillo recalling the moment on 12 May when flash flooding hit her small riverside community.

Puerto Valdivia is just one of the communities affected by a series of emergencies which have hit Colombia’s largest hydroelectric dam project, Hidroituango.

Tens of thousands of people living downstream from the dam have been evacuated and the emergencies just keep coming.

The Hidroituango dam over the river Cauca, about 175km (110 miles) north of the city of Medellín, was just months from completion when on 28 April a landslide near the site blocked a tunnel built to divert the river’s flow while construction was going on.

As the project was almost finished, two other tunnels built for the same purpose had already been sealed by the company building the dam, Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM). This meant that the tunnel blocked by the landslide was the only remaining outlet.

Further landslides followed and with water levels rising and all outlets now blocked, EPM decided to flood the dam’s turbine rooms on 10 May to release the river’s increasing pressure on the structure.

While the move caused irreparable damage to transformers and other systems which had already been installed in the turbine room, it did reduce water levels.

But only two days later, one of the sealed tunnels naturally unblocked, causing water to gush through it and creating flash floods further downstream.

CUT OFF Puerto Valdivia lay in the path of the flash foods. Fifty-nine homes, a school and a health centre were destroyed and more than 600 people were displaced.

León Taborda is one of them. “The Cauca river took my house. What do I do?” he asks.

“My wife doesn’t want to return to Puerto Valdivia anymore, even if we could.

The peace of mind I had there, I won’t ever be able to regain it, not living there or anywhere else.”

And Hidroituango’s troubles seem far from over.

Experts have warned that

there is a renewed risk of landslides from nearby mountainsides which could block the water-intake tunnels for the turbine room, as well as the spillway, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire hydroelectric project.

Almost 24,000 people living downstream of the dam

have already been evacuated due to this risk. Another 380 people living upstream have been displaced by the premature filling of the dam’s reservoir.

And the residents of Ituango, the town nearest the dam, have been left cut off after the only bridge connect-

ing it to the rest of the country was submerged by the rising waters on 4 May. Community leader Teresa Jaramillo says the situation is particularly critical in rural communities which have been isolated for three weeks now.

Even the areas not di-

The risk of landslides from the steep mountainsides remains (BBC)

Riverside communities are at risk of flooding after a string of emergencies at the hydroelectric project (BBC)

rectly at risk of landslides or flooding have begun to feel the effects of the mass evacuation of the riverside communities and the lack of trade.

“We only produce plantain and yucca. Everything else is beginning to run out, all other goods,” rural leaders say.

Many have so far ignored calls for them to evacuate their land but they say the lack of food is becoming an issue.

“If we have to go to the camps, well, we will have to, but Valdivia is also collapsing with so many people,” one man said.

CONTINUING RISK At a recent news conference, EPM’s CEO Jorge Londoño said that communities near the dam would continue to be at risk until the company had figured out a permanent solution.

He suggested that in order to fix the problem, EPM would have to construct a new tunnel to reduce the levels of the flooded river in a controlled fashion, a process likely to take several months.

Environmental activists, who have long opposed the hydroelectric project because of what they say are the in-

herent dangers in damming Colombia’s second-largest river, complain about a lack of oversight.

“How can it be that the same company that is causing so much damage is the one pretending to provide the solutions?” asks Isabel Zuleta, leader of local environmental organisation Ríos Vivos.

“What does that tell us?

That in Colombia there is no one that controls the big corporations,” she says.

With the entire workforce evacuated from the site again on Tuesday because of new warnings of landslides, many people living both upand downstream from the megaproject are in a state of fear.

Ms Zuleta says trust has been eroded. “They said there was no problem, that there was no danger, that everything was under control.”

She says that people do not want quick fixes but a river which is allowed to flow freely.

But with the project far advanced - it was due to be completed by the end of the year - and its backers maintaining that it will account for about 17% of Colombia’s power capacity, that is unlikely to happen. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Mae’s incident

IT would be flying in the face of reality if we say that living together in a multi-cultural society, with its diverse cultures and customs is not without its challenges. We have had our own experiences, exacerbated at some specific junctions and always a lingering latent factor in our political-social life. But nevertheless, as a people we have managed to fashion our own ways of co-existence, accepting the fact that despite cultural differences, we are Guyanese and are comfortable with each other as citizens of a beautiful country. In fact, we do celebrate with each other on most occasions.

It further explains why throughout the decades there have been laudable attempts at fostering a better sense of understanding, acceptance, and appreciation for each other, by the observance of each other’s national festival days, ever since enshrined as part of our cultural calendar as

national holidays. These occasions are often highlighted by the staff of some corporate entities, government ministries and related institutions, wearing the appropriate cultural clothing.

We have no doubt that this would have engendered a better sense of understanding of our rich cultural diversity.

Truth be told, there is hardly an artistic cultural display at our National Culture Centre which is not a blend of our diversity.

The addition of a cultural day in our national schools’ curricula was an important advancement where, particularly the very young segment, dresses in garments representing their individual ethnicity.

Indeed, it was another step in the right direction of educating early the youngest segments in their right to cultural embrace, while appreciating others.

Guyana is a country where all of its peoples, as ethnic groups or as individuals, have the inalienable right

of cultural adherence, with free and unfettered practice of observance to customs with all that the latter entail.

It is a right, fully enshrined in our constitution; therefore, it is a fundamental human right for every Guyanese citizen, irrespective of ethnicity, and whether old or young, for which there must be no denial.

Thus, one can appreciate the pride and joy that our very young Indigenous lad exuded as he left home all dressed in his cultural outfit for his school’s Culture Day at Mae’s School. What transpired when he arrived, as is being reported, was unbelievable for its occurrence.

Certainly, the schoolboy would have been mentally traumatised, and confused, given the fact that he was proud of his heritage, accepted its customs, only to realise that what he accepted and understood about himself and culture were not recognised and were rejected. Further, to be laughed at by his young

peers, apart from being disrobed for the preference of dress worn on a normal day, was an insult to his youthful dignity and pride that was as painful as if suffering physical trauma.

It would be correct to conclude that the young lad suffered a horrible case of cultural discrimination, because he dared to exhibit by wear, his cultural garment which seemed not to be recognised as a right in his instance, as well as not being accepted in that particular school’s understanding of Guyana’s multi-cultural society.

We must ask whether there is a comprehensive understanding of Culture Day by this school as is observed and practiced in other educational institutions in Guyana. If so, why the pupil had been so callously and disparagingly treated, causing him to have a lesser view of himself?

Such a policy, for it is seen as such, which reduced the lad to tears must unreservedly be condemned and

Suicide is neither a selfish nor cruel act Dear Editor A RECENT Op-ed article in the local media stated, “Suicide is one of the most selfish and cruel acts that any human being can commit…”.

Nothing is further from the truth and such a response reveals absolute ignorance about mental health problems. The Caribbean Voice fervently wishes that journalists and columnists would do the research and get the facts before writing about social issues such as suicide since, writing from a basis of ignorance is insensitive to suicide victims and survivors and causes more harm, no matter how well meaning..

The reality is that suicide is a desperate act by someone who is in intense pain and wants the pain to stop. That is a human response to extreme pain, not a selfish one. And over 90 percent of the people who die by suicide have a mental illness at

the time of their death, so they are not thinking clearly or logically. In effect, a normal person cannot apply his/her thinking process to label suicide victims or survivors because a normal person’s thinking would be entirely different.

As a suicide survivor stated in an article in Huffington Post, October 12, 2014, “Suicide is a decision made out of desperation, hopelessness, isolation and loneliness. The black hole that is clinical depression is all-consuming. Feeling like a burden to loved ones, feeling like there is no way out, feeling trapped and feeling isolated, are all common among people who suffer from depression.”

This statement also makes it clear that suicide is not an act of cruelty to loved ones but an act that seeks to relieve loved ones of a burden and all that is associated with that burden.

The writer of that Huffington Post article, Katie Hurley, also states, “Until you’ve stared

down that level of depression, until you’ve lost your soul to a sea of emptiness and darkness... you don’t get to make those judgments. You might not understand it, and you are certainly entitled to your own feelings, but making those judgements and spreading that kind of negativity won’t help the next person. In fact, it will only hurt others.”

As loved ones of suicide victims, as suicide survivors, as suicide prevention activists, and as clinical psychologists and counsellors, various members of The Caribbean Voice know, through experience, the realities of suicide and so we beg all and sundry who want to write on or speak about suicide to not do so without knowing the facts, without speaking with suicide survivors and without understanding how mental health issues affect the thinking process.

Regards The Caribbean Voice

rejected, regardless as to the social status of the school. For it was unjust and unfair that while his fellow students were in their Culture Day clothing, without any objections, his was objected to and he was refused his rightful place in the school which his parents’ hard-earned cash paid for.

Multi-culturalism and diversity must always be encouraged, be nurtured, and be allowed to develop among our Guyanese nation of six peoples. Moreover, given the fact that it is our very young who will be

the future citizens--men and women--and leaders of this rich mosaic tapestry of diverse peoples, there is no better time to commence this understanding of all ourselves, than at the young schoolboy’s age. Hence, an incident such as what occurred at Mae’s must not be allowed to re-occur; It is clearly an insult to all the efforts that the coalition government has been making to bring about a closer understanding and appreciation for each other as Guyanese.

Members support gov’t takeover of GPSCCU Dear Editor, WE, the members of the Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union (GPSCCU) wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Social Protection for acting in the best interest of the entire membership.

We have been crying out for help for some time now, finally our voices have been heard.

Mr. Editor, over half of the current directors work directly for Mr. Patrick Yarde, with two other directors being employed directly by the credit union.

This is a clear conflict of interest, since as directors they are governing the operation of the credit union and answering to them-

selves. It is in this regard, we are calling on the honourable minister to call the Annual General Meeting (AGM) so that members of the GPSCCU can access their dividends and elect a management committee that will function in the interest of its members. We also are requesting that an audit be done for the years 2011 to 2017.

We have seen our monies being mismanaged without proper accountability in the form of continuous travelling globally by these directors. When questioned about the travels, members were told that it was to attend conferences, but no forum was presented for members to learn about the information gathered from these confer-

ences. Therefore, we stand firmly behind the decision taken by the ministry.

Mr. Editor, we are aware that these directors will fight at every level to continue to have the power to mismanage our monies. However, as promised during the campaign leading up to the 2015 General Elections, ALL corruptions MUST stop!

Regards S. Greene S. Smith-Wilson C. Graham M. Ramtahal J. Kerlligan A. Welch S. October M. Layne K. McKennon C. Loyola C. Anderson

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Carnival is doing this nation We are literally sleeping more harm than good on a gold mine of Dear Editor, WE have recently celebrated 52 years of Independence after a great struggle from British Colonialism to Independence fought for by our founding fathers, Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham. I saw the flag-raising ceremony on television, but I noticed the PPP/C was absent; the same happened when the PPP was in office, the APNU/PNC was also absent at the flag-raising ceremony, but our motto reads: ‘’One People, One Nation, One Destiny’’ but that is the opposite of what I am seeing here from our political leaders who always fight among themselves.

I have many concerns about this nation, but I will address a few here and others in subsequent letters. My first concern is this Carnival that was introduced into our recent Independence celebrations last Saturday. I saw a real display of vulgarity, immorality and backballing in our streets in Georgetown by people of all races scantily clad, gyrating and wining down to the most lewd and disgusting music. These people see Independence as a free-for-all immoral game.

I am told, but I wonder if it was Mr. Al Creighton advocating these Carnival activities, judging from the article he wrote about it. Independence is free but it cost Jagan

and Burnham something who fought and suffered for it. If Mr. Burnham and Jagan were alive today, this Carnival would have never been here.

I am calling on President Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo to stamp out this wicked carnival culture at Mashramani and Independence; it is doing this nation more harm than good.

I want President Granger to know that we serve a God of Holiness and sin is a reproach to this nation.

President Granger said these words when he won this election: ‘’This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.’’

Psalms 118:24 This Lord we serve is a righteous God and a Holy God who hates sin and wickedness. Here is what God said in His Word: ‘’If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’’ 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Last year I wrote several letters calling on our current administration to ban songs

by Alkaline and all these dancehall and reggae ‘cuss words songs,’ not one of our ministers responded to me. Just yesterday, I was travelling in a minibus and the conductor was playing a ‘cuss word’ song by Alka-

line, full of lewd cuss words to degrade women. Children going to school have to hear these songs and women going to work and when passengers talk, the conductor pulls out a knife and the driver abusing the passengers in some cases I am told pulled out a gun.

Where are we heading to as a nation? There is no law and order in this land. I am calling on the traffic chief, the Minister of Public Security and the Police to ban all music from minibuses and all vehicles because these immoral music that degrades women, loaded with cuss words, have degraded our women and children. I am calling on this government again to ban all dancehall and vulgar music from Guyana.

Where are we heading as a nation? Are we willing to face the judgement of God that is already here? Do we fear God as a people? Or do we want God to judge us like Sodom and Gomorrah?

My last point I want to make is for President David Granger and the Prime Minister to say no to Gay Pride Parade, that is organized by SASOD to be held in Georgetown on June 2, 2018.. How can permission be granted to an organization to break the laws of the land?

Regards Rev. Gideon Cecil

“green” materials

Dear Editor WE talk about creating jobs and having Guyanese be self-sufficient, yet law enforcement is going around arresting ganja growers with an automatic three years for a non-violent crime. An 18-year-old was also arrested [and given] a three-year sentence in the same breath.

In an industry that generates over 50,000 jobs globally, we need to wake up, get out of our 1920s mindset, stop depending on the prospects of oil to be the saviour of an already resource-rich country and look to implement regulation or perhaps even the legalisation of hemp and its sister product, marijuana. With over dozens of by-products

including clothing, paper, beauty products, hemp oil and seeds which are rich in vitamin A and B and omega fatty acids and versatile textiles such as rope and building materials, we are literally sleeping on a gold mine of “green” materials, which go in hand with our “going green” initiative.

Or are we going to wait again for foreign interest and investment within this industry before we consider making a move?

We keep wondering why Guyana’s crime rate is up when people are out here hungry, starving, looking for a way to make ends meet. Many are without resources, connections or a proper education and we keep arresting them for petty crimes instead of

addressing real issues such as lack of adequate skills, resources or education.

Cannabis and hemp alike have proven medicinal benefits and healing properties when compared to alcohol which in many cases are the cause of numerous deaths, murders and accidents due to over consumption. You cannot incarcerate the masses, not provide a plan to create jobs, then wonder why the country is in shambles.

Legalizing the naturally grown plant won’t have any more adverse effects than the over consumption of an 80-proof bottle of rum would have within Guyana.

Regards Stephanie Persaud

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Gov’t launches probe into Guyana gets anti-Tobacco Mae’s culture wear rejection Award from WHO

THE Education Ministry has launched an investigation into the allegation that a nine-year-old student was barred from entering Mae’s School dressed in a traditional Indigenous wear.

The Administration of Mae’s School has since refuted the claims, contending that clear guidelines inclusive of a dress code, were given to students ahead of the May 25, 2018, Culture Day at the School. However, the child’s mother, Karen Small, with support from Indigenous Organizations in Guyana, is demanding that the school issue a public apology for allegedly discriminating against the child who chose to embrace his Indigenous heritage.

Speaking to reporters on the issue on Wednesday, Vice President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, said that the Education Ministry is addressing the issue. “They are already on the ball,” he told Guyana Chronicle when asked if an investigation has been launched into the allegation.

Minister Allicock said he was taken aback by the incident which resulted in the private school being condemned for the incident.

“Personally, it is something that I would not have expected, since we are embarking on social cohesion and unifying of the country and are a multi-ethnic, multi-racial community and we should be more understanding, more respectful for the citizens of this country,” the Indigenous

Karen Small (left) and a relative holding up a placard with the photo of her son at the centre bordered by Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on Tuesday in front of Mae’s School.

People’s Affairs Minister said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) said the alleged action of the school goes against the Constitution of Guyana. “The action by the school to single out and publicly humiliate the student, while other students were allowed to wear their cultural clothing, is disgraceful. As a person of indigenous heritage, the young student had a right to dress in his indigenous wear without discrimination from the public, but especially from an educational institution like Mae’s School,” the APA stated.

It said that traditional indigenous clothing should not be deemed inappropriate in a country that celebrates its rich cultural diversity. “It is enshrined in the Constitution of Guyana that every citizen has a right to their religion, cultural beliefs and practices.

The Constitution specifically states in Article 149G that

indigenous peoples “have the right to the protection, preservation and promulgation of their languages, cultural heritage and way of life,” the association pointed out.

Additionally, it pointed out that Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Anchor and Producer, Natasha Smith said for far too long indigenous people of Guyana have been discriminated against. “People have to stop disrespecting us. Mae’s School is just an example of the daily discrimination that we receive in this country. It may not be as blatant but 2018, the 29th of May, we are still having this fight; it should tell you something about what is really happening,” Smith said. According to her, there have been similar incidents in other parts of the country, and teachers and parents must teach children to be tolerant of each other’s culture.

M&CC sends amended parking meter by-laws for Min Bulkan’s signature WHILE citing the need for regulatory parking measures to be implemented in the city, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council has dispatched the amended parking meter by-laws to Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan for his signature.

According to a release from the M&CC, the parking meter re-negotiation committee has made adjustments to several parts of the controversial parking-meter contract including price, payment for space, sanctions and how

profits would be shared.

According to the M&CC, “there is serious problem of traffic congestion” in several parts of Georgetown, including the central business district.

As such, it cited the urgent need for the Council to implement regulatory parking.

The Council said that it has received the endorsement of many private citizens and some companies on the implementation of the project. In addition, it was noted that other benefits of the project would be the provision of

employment for approximately hundreds of persons, reduce traffic congestion, improve mobility and increase parking space availability. “The City of Georgetown will collect revenue and re-invest it into local communities,” the council said.

It stated that the Greater Georgetown Development plan endorses regulatory parking. The Municipal and District Council Act 28:01 empowers the Municipality to regulate and control parking in the City of Georgetown.

GUYANA is the recipient of the World No Tobacco Day Award conferred by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence disclosed on Wednesday at the launch of Health Expo 2018.

The minister made the announcement on the eve of World No Tobacco Day. “Tomorrow (today), May 31 is designated World No Tobacco Day and Guyana has much to celebrate. Less than a year ago, Guyana took a strong stance against the use of tobacco and today our efforts have been duly awarded,” Minister Lawrence told the gathering as she made the announcement.

In August 2017, the Tobacco Control Act became law after the bill was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President David Granger.

It took effect on December 11, 2017, following the issuance of a commencement order by Minister Lawrence. However, the initial focus is on the Tobacco Industry.

The Public Health Ministry had said that the Act would be gradually enforced.

Part VI of the Act addresses the issues of advertising, promotion and sponsorship. According to Section 19 “All advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products and electronic delivery systems are prohibited.”

It was stated that the prohibition includes any tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship that promote or are likely to promote the tobacco industry, directly or indirectly.

PAHO/WHO National Consultant, Attorney-at-Law Kesaundra Alves had explained that the comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship is in keeping with Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), noting that it was critical to block all loop holes the local tobacco industry may want to use to its advantage.

“The tobacco epidemic is one that is not spread by infection but by promotion and advertisement. Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) glamorizes tobacco use by associating the use of tobacco products with positive social and personal images,” Alves had

Health Minister Volda Lawrence

posited. According to her, stamping out all forms of TAPS is the only way to eliminate the tobacco epidemic. The Act provides for a ban on smoking in indoor public places, indoor work places and public transportation, and only in specified outdoor places including the premises of schools and health facilities, and places for the commercial service of food and drinks.

The Tobacco Control Act regulates where persons can smoke tobacco products in order to protect others from exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke, but it does not ban smoking.

Diamond taxi drivers, bus operators raise fares over high gas prices TAXI drivers at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) have hiked their fares this week, citing an increase in gas prices, among other factors.

At the same time, minibus passengers who travel in the route 42 buses between the city and Diamond, are now made to pay an additional sum on the fare as the bus operators have also hiked the fares to the city.

Reports are the bus fares have been increased from $ 160 to $200. One passenger was furious about the sudden rise in the fare on Wednesday. “Drop to spot is $240, so everything raise by $40 with the minibus, “he said.

Meanwhile, Route 44 minibus operators on Wednesday pulled their buses off the road, citing the high gas prices. Reports are that the operators have raised the fares by $40 this week while some protested that the gas

A notice which the hire car drivers have been sharing with passengers at Diamond .

price climbed thrice this month. The hire car and bus operators are calling

on the authorities to address the increase in the gas prices.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

Blacklisted engineer arrested at airport

…Investigation into works on GMC building After fleeing the jurisdiction for less than two years, the project engineer behind the low-graded rehabilitation works done on the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), building at Robb Street, Georgetown was on Wednesday arrested and charged.

Hanniel Madramootoo, 35 of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara along with his brother Phillip Madramootoo and his friend Nizam Ramkissoon, Directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Limited, Trinidad and Tobago had fled the country in 2016 following an investigation into works done on the GMC building.

However, early Wednesday morning Hanniel Madramootoo was arrested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport upon his arrival to Guyana. He was blacklisted in Guyana after an arrest warrant was issued for him along with his two other co-accused.

Madramootoo was placed before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to answer to the joint charge while arrest warrants were issued for the two other accused.

The charge read that between October 28, 2010 and April 25, 2012, Madramootoo conspired with his wife Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo, Phillip Madramootoo, Ramkissoon and General Manager of GMC , Nizam Hassan to continuously approve payments which were made to the contractor of the engineering firm for works that were incompetently and incorrectly done with inferior materials to rehabilitate the GMC building at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda, Georgetown; knowing that such works should not have been approved.

Police Prosecutor Richard Harris told the court that Nizam Hassan, and Felecia De Souza-Madramootoo were earlier charged with the same offence and were before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. However the case was dismissed due to the prosecution’s failure to prove its case.

Harris noted that efforts were made by the Government of Guyana who contacted the Trinidad and Tobago Government for the trio to be arrested and deported to Guyana to face the charges.

used to construct the roof of the building,” the report said. It noted that the bill of quantities of the contract for the construction of the office building stipulates Greenheart lumber for the floors, walls and frame, and PVC for the two ceilings of the building. However, it was later observed that

Hanniel Madramootoo

The efforts proved futile since the men were reportedly hiding in Trinidad.

The prosecutor objected to Madramootoo being released on bail on the grounds that he posed a flight risk since he had already fled the jurisdiction.

Madramootoo’s attorney, Glen Hanoman, did not take the prosecution’s claims lightly and told the court that his client was never hiding in Trinidad but was studying engineering and came back to Guyana after completing his studies.

Hanoman explained that that the charges since of a civil nature and begged the court for his client to be released on self-bail.

Magistrate Daly had granted Madramootoo $1M bail but later reduced it to $500,000 bail after the attorney pleaded with the court.

He was also ordered to hand over all his travel documents to the court and have to report to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) headquarters weekly.

The matter was transferred to Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for June 29.

In October 2016 SOCU completed its report into the investigations on the construction of the building, which had been contracted out in 2011. A forensic audit report submitted by auditor Saykar Boodhoo back in April had flagged the faulty work on the building.

DEEPER INVESTIGATION The forensic audit report was submitted to Cabinet, where it was decided that the findings of the report were serious enough to warrant a deeper investigation, not only into the work done on the building, but also the handling of hun-

dreds of millions of dollars in fertilisers.

The auditor contended that the principals of the company should be charged for using substandard building materials, and be barred from executing projects for the Guyana Government.

Searches, according to the report, uncovered no trace of the existence of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services, located at #55 Calcutta Road, #2 Freeport, Carapichaima, Trinidad.

The company won the bid for a contract worth almost $24M for the construction of a new building for the GMC head office and the Guyana Shop. On February 10, 2012, the contract was amended to include an additional $7,620,984, for which there was no tender.

The auditor was unable to review the bidding documents, since the head of tender board said he could not find any evidence in his files that showed that the tender board had been involved in the tender process, even though the contract indicated otherwise.

Shortly after the contract was amended, the contractor announced to the GMC that he would be unable to complete the project, and to date, it is unclear how much money was paid to Constantine Engineering. Thus another contractor was called in to complete the electrical wiring and relevant works to the building.

LEAKING ROOF The report said that, within months of the handover, the entire roof of the GMC building was leaking; and as such, a contractor had to be brought in to effect repairs.

It was discovered that “old lumber and old zinc sheets with euroband were

mixed hardwood, including “second quality lumber”, had been used for the walls, and plywood had been used for the ceiling. Plywood is significantly cheaper than PVC panels.

The audit report said it was the Agriculture Ministry’s engineer who had certified the payment vouchers for the plywood, even though there was no amendment for this material to be used in the construction.

The auditor had, in this regard, recommended that the police be called in “to investigate the fraud of using incorrect materials and fraudulent billing for the construction of the building”.

It was also recommended that since it was the engineer who had certified the payments, “he should be charged criminally, and brought before the courts for his participation in conducting fraud against the Government of Guyana.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

Hemp can boost Region 10 agri drive … GHI chairman

By Vanessa Braithwaite EXECUTIVE members of the Guyana Hemp Industry (GHI) are of the view that with officials of Region 10 pushing for the resuscitation of the region’s agricultural industry, the production of hemp can be a big boost to their agriculture drive.

GHI Chairman Vernman Bedessee and team on Tuesday held an outreach in the mining community as part of Hemp Awareness Week activities, to sensitise officials and more so farmers there of the

plethora of benefits that can be had from the production and manufacturing of hemp.

Several by-products of hemp, including hemp milk, hemp flour, hemp fabric, shampoo, toothpaste, snacks, medicines, sneakers, power etc were on display in Linden as the executives met with regional officials including the President of the Linden Chamber of Commerce, Victor Fernandes, and representatives of the Region 10 Hemp Association.

Region 10 farmers were also told about how hemp can be grown.

GHI Chairman Vernman Bedessee showcasing by-products of hemp

Surgeries to resume at the National Ophthalmology Hospital AFTER an almost threeyear hiatus the National Ophthalmology Hospital at Port Mourant, East Berbice-Corentyne is once again functioning.

Laser cataract surgeries as well as those for normal cataracts are currently being done.

Regional Health Services Director of Region Six, Jevaughn Stephen, recently made this disclosure to the Department of Public Information (DPI) in an interview.

He noted however that the operations have not yet fully resumed.

He explained, “Work has not picked up to the full pace as we would have liked. We have new equipment and new personnel, so, as we are get back on stream and being mindful of the loads of the machine, we don’t want to overload the work schedule as yet. However, I do believe within the next 14 days we

should be back at full peak.”

Stephens noted that as a result of the break in operations, there was a buildup of over 2000 cases requiring surgery and every effort is being made to clear the backlog first. This is being done even as new cases are coming in, however each case is assessed and based, on the evaluations, priority is given to the more critical cases.

Additionally, to help better boost efficiency, the Guyana Medical Relief Mission made a donation of Ophthalmology equipment, drugs and medical supplies on May 24. Despite the facility had been unable to conduct surgeries for the past three years, screening, testing and other services were still offered. Previously drugs, equipment and medical supplies were supplied to the facility through the Cuban Government, but this ceased after that contract was

halted suddenly, the Regional Health Director noted.

Efforts to understand why the contract was stopped were unsuccessful, however recognising the important role of the Ophthalmology Centre to Berbice residents, the regional administration and the government decided to purchase the necessary drugs. They also wrote to the Guyana Medical Relief Mission for assistance and were successful in covering the initial startup, through assistance from donor agencies and the regional health budget.

The National Ophthalmology Hospital was constructed in July 2009 and has treated thousands of patients from Guyana and the Caribbean. The facility has the capacity to conduct some 10,000 surgeries annually. (DPI)

“Without the farmers being aware with what it can do and how to grow it, we would not be able to take that next step,” Bedessee said.

Over 300 farmers residing in several communities across Region 10 are linked to the Region 10 Hemp Association and are willing to commence production, once it is legalised. They believe that it will create jobs for the hundreds of unemployed youths across the region and most importantly fortify the green initiative in which the government is pushing.

While the farmers have been made aware, Bedessee said things are at a standstill since the herb is considered il-

legal. “The strides are all about lobbying, if the government is not legalising it to pass it to grow, all we do is waiting in vain. Every day, every month; delaying the process, the farmer is getting poorer.

Whatever we do, we can’t pass that point in growing it because it is classified as illegal. We need the government to lift the ban because it is not a narcotic product,” he said.

The GHI would have met with the Ministry of Agriculture and other major stakeholders to push the call for the legalisation of hemp. Several awareness campaigns have also been held around Guyana.

Prison officers charged for ganja trafficking

TWO serving members of the Guyana Prison Service were on Wednesday remanded to prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus for trafficking almost 500 grams of cannabis.

Cleveland Cross, 22 of Graham Street, Plaisance and Abdool Farook, 24 of #11 Village, Corentyne, Berbice were jointly charged with having 434 grams of cannabis in their possession for the purpose of trafficking on May 27 at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.

Both men denied the charge.

Farook’s attorney, Moti Singh told the court that no drugs were found on his client but on the other prison officers in the vehicle.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield stated that on the day in question, Director

L-R Cleveland Cross and Abdool Farook

of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, acting on information received, contacted the police.

The officers then proceeded to Avenue of the Republic and contacted Cross and Farook.

A search was conducted on Cross and the drugs were found in a haversack he had in his possession. When questioned by the police,

Cross told ranks that Farook gave him the drugs to keep.

Prosecutor Mansfield told the court that both defendant gave caution statements admitting to their involvement in the drug trafficking charge.

Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus remanded the duo to prison until June 8.

Accused of going on a shooting/ robbery spree A 27-year- old Leopold Street man, who pleaded not guilty to four charges that were read to him in court, was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

The court was told that on April 30, 2018 at Leopold Street, while being in the company of others and armed with a dangerous weapon, Akeem Rajkumar robbed Rodney Agar of $89,000 cash, property of Damion Elliot.

It is also alleged that on April 30, 2018 at Leopold

Street, Rajkumar discharged a loaded firearm at Damion Elliot.

It is further alleged that on April 30, 2018 at Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, Rajkumar robbed Arvin Croft of $185,000 cash .

Another allegation is that on April 27, 2018 at Cross Street, Werk-enRust, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, Rajkumar robbed Jannel Walters of jewellery worth

$340,000, one Samsung phone valued $50,000 and $60,000 cash.

Rajkumar denied all four charges that were placed before him.

The police prosecutor objected to bail based on the gravity of the charges and the penalties they attract and the fact that a gun was used.

Rajkumar was represented by Attorney George Thomas.

Bail was refused by the magistrate and Rajkumar was remanded to prison.

The matter was adjourned to June 20, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Minister Greenidge engages diaspora, investors in Atlanta Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge last week engaged the diaspora and prospective investors in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

The Minister met with the Guyanese diaspora in Atlanta at the AEI Start-up Factory, where he highlighted the diaspora’s importance in defending the country’s territorial integrity. “Our diaspora policy is intended to ensure that we utilise even in something like territorial integrity the skills experience energy and voices of the diaspora to help us to defend that territory”, Minister Greenidge said.

He added that the skills of the diaspora are as equally important as the resources they send home. The Minister also met with The

Minister Greenidge meeting with Thomas Verbeek, CTO, VP, Strategy and Business Dev. NCR Government System

NCR Corporation during his two-day trip to the United States. The tech company pitched how its services can be utilised in Guyana’s developmental agenda. “It

has certainly made an impact on me. It is perhaps of special interest to see the extent to which you are committed to working with other entities particularly

Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge engaging the Guyanese diaspora in Atlanta, Georgia

those which might have special experience, skills or links to Guyana”, Minister Greenidge noted following

the presentation.

NCR is a company that makes self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, auto-

mated teller machines, check processing systems, barcode scanners, and business consumables.

Guyana on track to submitting Father, son remanded for murder first EITI report

GYEITI’s National Coordinator, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat

THE Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) is preparing to submit its first report since becoming a candidate member to the global standard for good governance in the extractive sectors.

GYEITI’s National Coordinator, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) the final draft of the progress report has to be reviewed by the Multi-stakeholder Group (MSG) before submission.

The report has to be submitted to the EITI Secretariat by July 1. “I feel very confident not only in my ability to manage the process, but my vision,” Dr Jadoopat said.

Guyana’s first annual

progress report will detail efforts leading up to becoming a member of EITI up until December 2017, Dr Jadoopat explained. The report also outlines challenges and recommendations by the GYEITI. The progress report will be published on the GYEITI’S website, https://gyeiti.org/, following its submission.

Meanwhile, the GYEITI is in the final stages of hiring an independent administrator to compile the country’s reconciliation report.

This report is due 18 months after a country becomes a member of the EITI. Dr. Jadoopat explained the GYEITI has completed the bidding process and is in the final stages of selecting

the company that will conduct the audit for the report.

Five bids were submitted to the National Procurement and Tender Board, three of which met the requirements.

A final selection is expected to be made in the next three weeks.

The independent administrator will have to prepare an inception report, carry out scoping and gathering information on the extractive sectors from related government agencies as part of its work.

“We already had some meetings with the government agencies. Our secretariat is moving ahead with the process, we’ve been collecting information and data”, Dr. Jadoopat added.

The reconciliation report will include information on operations and procedures of Guyana’s mining, forestry and oil and gas sectors. This report has to be submitted by April 2019.

These reports are critical to advancing transparency in the extractive sectors.

“Greater transparency and accountability would benefit everyone. The desire is to have anti-corruption mechanisms in place, and transparency and accountability mechanisms assist in that process,” Dr Jadoopat further noted.

Magistrate Zamilla Ali who sits at the Sparendaam Court remanded to prison 23-year-old Andrew Singh and his 50-year-old father Suraj Singh for the murder Brayon Dewarkar aka Blackie of 128 South, Mon Repos East Coast Demerara, which happened last week Saturday.

The men were not allowed to plea to the indictable charge which read that between May 26 and 27 they murdered the 23-year-old at Mon Repos.

Andrew told the court that he works as a mason and has no children. When asked if he had any previous matter before the court the man responded in the affirmative.

His father, Suraj Singh told the court that he is married and has three children.

He described himself as a businessman. Both men reside at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. The senior Singh told the court that he and his son were locked away by the police and were unable to make contact with their lawyer regarding the court appearance.

The Magistrate however remanded the men to prison until June 26 and told them that they have enough time to secure the services of an attorney. The duo reportedly stabbed the Dewarkar to death while playing a ‘chic, chic board’ game during at a barbecue that was being held in the community at the time. Dewarkar reportedly died on the spot.

Andrew Singh

Suraj Singh

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Guyana Embassy in Washington hosts Independence Anniversary reception OVER 200 persons, including diplomats, American friends and members of the Guyanese Diaspora in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia tristate area, gathered in the Hall of the Americas at the Organization of American States to celebrate the 52nd Anniversary of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, at a reception hosted by the Embassy of Guyana.

In a release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Guyana’s Eighth Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr. Riyad Insanally, in his remarks, expressed pleasure that Guyana-US relations have

been growing from strength to strength and reaffirmed the close ties between the two countries. In this respect, he welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s strong Independence Day message of friendship and cooperation couched in unambiguous terms regarding recognition of Guyana’s territorial integrity.

Ambassador Insanally also acknowledged the role of the Diaspora in cementing these relations and called on the Diaspora groups to use every opportunity to remind their elected Congressional Representatives of the importance of the US-Caribbean relationship, of building

economic prosperity in the Caribbean, and of the enormous value the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act brings to the region and the need to press for its renewal before it expires in September 2020.

Turning to developments in Guyana, the Ambassador reminded the gathering that the Government of Guyana is working assiduously to ensure that the transition to being an oil and gas producing country is managed well and highlighted the ongoing work on initiatives such as the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, the establishment of a Petroleum Commission, ca-

pacity building to optimise the benefits of the new industry, infrastructural development, and the pursuit of a Green State Development Strategy in order to pave the way for a sustainable future for all Guyanese.

Ambassador Insanally extended gratitude to all those who had contributed to the event, including the Master of Ceremonies Mr. Cornel Ferdinand; Reverend Eion Greaves, who sang the National Anthems of the USA and Guyana; Mr. Peter Humphrey and the Oasis Island Sounds Inc., Mr. Imam Baksh, winner of his second CODE Burt Award for Young Adult Literature, who did a reading; and the staff of the Embassy of Guyana. A special award was made to Ms. June Sumner-Dublin, Executive Officer III, who this year marked 50 years of unbroken and exceptional service at the Embassy.

His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Riyad Insanally (center) and Deputy Chief of Mission Mrs. Lesley Dowridge-Collins (r.) present a plaque to Ms. June Sumner-Dublin (l.) in light of her 50 years of unbroken service to the Embassy

CDB renews programme to promote growth, reduce poverty Attendees at the 52nd Independence Celebrations

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)Monday announced that it will renew support for a programme designed to help countries in the Region strengthen their human and institutional capacity to design and implement policies which promote growth and reduce poverty.

The Bank’s Board of Directors approved USD$1M towards the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) programme until 2022.

CARTAC is one of 10 regional technical assistance centres operated by IMF around the world. In the Caribbean Region, the Centre has supported capacity-building in public financial management, tax and customs policy and administration.

Also, it has contributed to improving the quality of statistics in the real and external sectors to strengthen policymaking.

“Since 2002, CDB has provided strong support to

CARTAC’s operations, acknowledging the pressing need to foster sustainable growth and reduce poverty across our Borrowing Member Countries. The Bank is pleased to renew its support for the programme’s fifth phase, and looks forward to a continued partnership with IMF and other CARTAC development partners, who share a common goal of addressing skills gaps to improve institutional quality in our Region,” said Dr. Justin Ram, Director of Economics, CDB. CARTAC has provided assistance with the implementation of Value Added Tax as a reliable and efficient revenue source in eight regional countries. Also, the Centre has supported the development of modern revenue administrations, including large taxpayers units; efforts to cross-match data to enhance tax compliance; and the implementation of the Automated System for Customs Data Acquisition, post-clearance audits, and

trade facilitation. All of these initiatives contribute to improved fiscal resilience in the recipient countries.

CARTAC’s objectives include: strengthening fiscal administration, with specific attention to tax administration and budget management, in order to promote greater public sector savings; improving the scope, quality and timeliness of economic and social statistics, in order to enhance capacity for analysis, policy formulation, and for investment planning and implementation; and helping to bring accounting, regulatory and supervisory regimes in line with international practices, in order to facilitate continuing integration into a competitive, globalised trading and financial environment.

CARTAC is guided by a Steering Committee comprising representatives from financial contributors to the Centre, namely its 22 member countries; development partners, including CDB; and the IMF.

Assault charges Two men appeared Wednesday before Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Marcus on assault charges.

It was alleged that on May 26, 2018, Lawrence Smith assaulted and maliciously wounded Orin Keith.

The 46-year-old man denied the charge that was placed before him.

Fifty-year-old Keith was also charged with assaulting Smith. Keith was placed on $10,000 bail while Smith was placed on $30,000 bail for malicious wounding.

The matter was adjourned to May 31, 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Guyana Trade Investment Exhibition launched

By Lisa Hamilton SEVERAL local and international stakeholders have voiced their confidence in the Guyana Trade Investment Exhibition (GuyTIE) which was launched on Wednesday.

This new expo comes as a result of collaboration between the Ministry of Business, the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) and the Private Sector Associations in Guyana.

The launch was hosted at the Marriott Hotel which revealed that GuyTIE, dubbed a ‘Business-to-Business (B2B) Trade show, will run from September 19-22 at the Marriott Hotel.

It aims to promote local investment opportunities; to prepare export-ready firms for export markets and to highlight Guyana as a profitable business destination.

The main targets are buyers and investors from select markets such as the United States (US), Canada, Latin America, the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Businesses participating in the event can arrange to receive VIP booths packages which include being featured in the exhibitor catalogue, featured news coverage exhibitor training in marketing, packaging, pricing and more.

Present at the launch were Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin; junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma; members of various business associations, heads of international organisations, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps and several sponsors.

According to Minister Gaskin, for some time now

the Ministry of Business and Caribbean Export have been working to shape GuyTIE into existence.

business-to-consumer type of event,” he explained.

After reaching out to Caribbean Export, the Finance

an Export, Damie Sinanan, said as Guyana is poised for significant growth in the near future, GuyTIE has become an

A section of the audience at the launch of GuyTIE (Samuel Maughn photos)

He stated that such an event was necessary in Guyana as reviews proved that the national trade show, GuyExpo, was insufficient when it came to presenting the country as an investor hub.

IMPROVED MODEL “We’ve been thinking for some time on how we can improve the GuyExpo model and it’s not that we had anything against GuyExpo, but I don’t think that GuyExpo was achieving the kind of outcomes that we, as the government, are looking for.

“It was successful in its own way but we wanted a model that is more focussed on matching exhibitors with potential international buyers and promoting exports, and GuyExpo was more like a

Ministry was able to arrange financial, technical and training support to significantly improve standards and efficiency at the new expo.

However, Gaskin stressed that in order to achieve the event’s main objectives, partnership is key, which is why the government welcomes support received from the private sector and sponsors thus far.

“I want to encourage businesses who have not yet registered to participate, to sign on early in order to benefit from the capacity building and preparation that goes along with participation which would increase your chances of success,” Gaskin Meanwhile, remarks from Senior Advisor of Competitive Export Promotion at Caribbe-

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important component.

“This is the most opportune time for Guyana to significantly push into the international trading and investment realm by establishing export and investment linkages in the global economy and, we see GuyTIE as an important first step in making this happen,” he said.

He added that research reveals that while GuyExpo has “significant cultural value and market testing value”, it offers very little in regards to building and promoting Guyana’s exports and attracting investments.

WIDER AUDIENCE Sinanan assured that the expo has the potential to promote Guyana as a serious business destination as it

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin at the GuyTIE launch at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday

reaches a wider audience of investors.

Speaking too was chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Edward Boyer, who said that GuyTIE is very timely and important for Guyanese businesses.

“This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase trade and investment opportunities available in Guyana. It is important that we recognise the fact that we are no longer isolating ourselves from the rest of the Caribbean or the world at large, but have come to terms with the fact that to be a successful nation we must be willing to compete in the global market,” he said.

Boyer said for the success of the event, local and foreign contracts must be adhered to

and respected; all stakeholders must work together and all aspects of the environment must be business-friendly.

Brief comments also came from the heads of the company sponsors: Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), E-Networks, Banks DIH, Brass Aluminum and Cast Iron Foundry, Massy Group of Companies and GTT. The undertaking aligns itself with the ministry’s fiveyear strategic plan to increase sustainable private sector investment and to increase value-added production and exports.

It is expected that GuyTIE will be a reccurring event and Minister Gaskin said it will be improved as the years go by.

Valmiki hosts cultural symposium

By Shirley Thomas THE Valmiki Vidyalaya High, Guyana’s premier Hindu school, last Wednesday hosted its first Annual Symposium and Mini Exhibition under the theme: “Promoting Learning in a Cultural Environment”.

The school offers quality education from nursery to secondary, in a cultured and religious environment.

The Hindu school located in Queenstown, Georgetown was established in 2010 by Hardesh Tiwari, as a non-profit institution with the aim of providing academic excellence at the same time instilling in students the Hindu culture and religion. Today, the institution offers a wide variety of subjects ranging from science and business to Hindi, yoga and cultural classes.

According to Principal Kasree Ramphal, the school strives to enhance the capabilities of its students through academic subjects such as science, business and technology. Students are also exposed to religious

teachings, cultural classes, dancing, yoga and Hindi - all in a spacious and conducive environment.

Coordinator Pandit Yogeshwar Mathoo explained that the symposium held on Wednesday was an open forum, not exclusively for Hindus, by which means, the institution aims

at making the general public aware of what the school offers at the secondary level.

The school, which initially housed just the nursery and primary levels, now has three departments. The secondary department was introduced in 2010 and has grown by leaps and bounds.

Interestingly, the school started with just one child but now has about 100 children, with others showing an interest in coming on stream.

An eminently delighted Pandit Mathoo said, with a sense of satisfaction: “We pride ourselves on the discipline and respect that is instilled in every

Students of the science department carry out scientific experiments (Adrian Narine photo)

student that walks the corridors of our institution.”

He explained that in a changing society and one that is driven by technology, institutions such as The Valmiki Vidyalaya High School are needed, to ensure that youths of the future generation stay focused and culturally-oriented.

Several other schools were invited to make a tour of the secondary department and witness the students as they engaged in practical work in their respective disciplines or streams.

Subjects taught at the school include science, science and technology, home economics, business education, culture and religion.

In the science department, a wide range of subjects including agriculture, human and social biology and biology are taught.

Meanwhile, viewers were treated to practical demonstrations by students, in areas such as science and home economics.

In the home economics department, students were engaged in demonstrations of

cooking and serving visitors ‘hot bigani’ and ‘pakoora’ and other delicacies.

Teachers, for their part, were busy arranging booths showcasing mathematics, business and science and technology. Above all, what was immediately evident was the warmth and goodwill between the teachers and students.

To students who are desirous of joining the Valmiki Vidyalaya High School to pursue a balanced secondary education, Principal Ramphal and staff extend a warm welcome.

Giving credit to the school, Ramphal recalled that the school started with a single student, whose name is Javier Narine. Today he is pursuing aeronautical engineering at the Ogle Airport.

The principal also outlined that the institution has in its employ a number of skilled teachers in almost every subject area and who are ready to go the extra mile to ensure the aims and objectives of the school are met.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Four Amerindian villages to get titles by October … Minister Allicock blames political division for sloth

THE move to address land issues in the hinterland could take as many as 10 more years, Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, told reporters on Wednesday shortly after appearing before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources.

In the chambers of the Public Building on Wednesday, Minister Allicock informed the committee, chaired by Opposition Member of Parliament Odinga Lumumba, that only 26 per cent of the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) Project has been achieved to date with US$2.5M or 25 per cent of the US$10.7M budgeted for the project expended.

With funds from the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) under the Government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, the Amerindian Land Titling Project was launched in October 2013 to fast-track the Amerindian Land Titling process in Guyana within a three-year framework but Minister Allicock said the country would need another extension, come October.

Within the three-year framework, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, now known as the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, was expected to issue land titles and complete the demarcation process for all Amerindian villages that submitted requests, including those that requested extensions; strengthen existing mechanisms to deal with

unresolved land issues; and improve the communication and outreach efforts.

However, the ministry was unable to meet the October 2015 deadline.

A three-year extension was subsequently granted but according to Minister Allicock, the revised deadline would not be met. However, he assured the Members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources that though his Ministry has not issued a single land title since he took office. Four villages including Karasabai and Four Mile will be completely demarcated by October, 2018.

Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock

In his presentation, he noted that under the Land Titling Project, 13 communities applied for ‘Absolute Grant’ for the first time of which six namely Karisparu, Kariako, Tuseneng, Batavia, Katoonarib and Riversview have been completely demarcated.

It was further noted that for the villages that requested ‘Absolute Grants’, 14 were

demarcated namely Kamana, Manawarin, Waramuri, Kurukabaru, Taruka, Sawariwau, Massara Extension, Yakarinta Extension, Kato Extension, Pupunau, Baramita, Konashen, Paramakatoi and Chinoweing.

However, with the extension Sawariwau and Paramakatoi Certificates of Title have been issued. Chenapou, Arau, Kaikan, Jawalla, Kamarang, Paruima, Kako, Waramadong, and Phillipai are villages yet to be demarcated under this category.

with the progress made thus far under the watch of Minister Allicock.

According to Kumar, the Amerindian Land Titling Project appears to be at a standstill since the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNUA+AFC) Government took office.

Sukhai, a former Indigenous Affairs Minister under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), said though millions of dollars have been spent, little has been accomplished.

Lumumba has requested that Minister Allicock submit a report on the challenges being experienced in communities such as Rockstone in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

Outside of the Chambers, Minister Allicock reiterated that his Ministry, with support from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC), and other organisations, has completed 45 investigations. How-

Opposition Members of Parliament, Pauline Sukhai, Neil Kumar and Yvonne Pearson

Minister Allicock noted that the ministry had received 32 applications for new extensions before the start of the Amerindian Land Titling Project, and based on those applications conducted a total of 45 investigations all of which have been completed.

Opposition Members of Parliament, Pauline Sukhai, Yvonne Pearson and Neil Kumar expressed disappointment

But those claims were shot down by Minister Allicock, who said, despite many challenges his ministry has been making progress, reiterating that before October, 2018 demarcation of four villages will be completed. He posited that if these demarcations are completed way ahead of October, other demarcations for other communities could also be completed.

ever, at the moment, he was unable to say how many villages were demarcated under his watch.

SLOTH Questioned about the slow pace at which the project is moving Minister Allicock said among challenges faced was the issue of political division. “There is political divide in our communities which I

have never seen. It was never something I would have expected across the country but it was very, very divided, and that was a big hindrance to us moving forward,” Minister Allicock explained.

He noted that some villages were in some cases uneasy, due to the manner in which they were treated in the past.

“We had to say to them that ‘this is your community, you need to understand that we need to have village improvement plans which will allow you to understand your entire boundary, your entire resources and it would be better for your planning’,” the Indigenous Affairs Minister said.

He noted that it is important to get the by-in from villagers based on the fact that the majority of the adult population in Amerindian villages across the country have requested that the project be done based on the principles of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

Though the Lands and Life Commission has not affected the Amerindian Land Titling Project, more so the issuing of land, Minister Allicock expressed the hope that the National Toshaos Council (NTC) will buy into the initiative.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, APNU+AFC Members of Parliament Jermaine Figueira and Audwin Rutherford were among the Parliamentary Committee Members present.

UG gets US$149,985 grant to build new library THE Ministry of Finance has signed a Technical Assistance Grant with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to the tune of US$149,985 which will be used for the construction of a modern library at the University of Guyana.

The Technical Assistance Grant was signed by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan; President of the CDB, Dr Warren Smith; and UG Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ivelaw Griffith last Tuesday in Grenada.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the finance ministry said that the CDB had previously assisted the institution with technical assistance to examine its governance and other structures.

The US$149,985 grant was approved by the Board of Directors of the CDB at its Annual meeting held in March this year. Government and University will contribute approximately US$26,000

towards the full realisation of the project. “It will fund a comprehensive assessment of, and prepare final designs and cost estimates for the construction of a modern, gender-responsive, socially-inclusive and environmentally resilient facility,” the minister explained.

The grant will also help to address the adequacy and suitability of the current infrastructure. The new library will be constructed on a plot of land west of the existing building.

“Over the years, UG has had difficulty accessing funds to maintain the present library, its other buildings or to construct newer buildings to cope with its ballooning student population.

“Despite this though, UG has made incremental changes to the library including the removal and disposal of asbestos from certain areas of the library in 2009; the construction of a fire escape

in 2010; the renovation of the roof of the new wing of the library and grilling of windows in the general reading room in 2012; the rewiring of the library in 2015 and the physical upgrading of the learning resource centre in 2017.

“However, the library still

suffers from infrastructural challenges and weaknesses in staff capacity,” the minister further explained.

This multimillion dollar project will be executed by UG through the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Planning and Internation-

al Engagement. A Project Steering Committee (PSC) will have responsibility for the coordination and overall guidance of the project. The partnership between Guyana and the CDB most recently resulted in an agreement by the Bank to blend its resourc-

President of the CDB, Dr Warren Smith and Minister of Finance Winston Jordan signing the Technical Assistance Grant in Grenada on the sideline of the CDB 48th Board of Governors Meeting in Grenada.

es with that of the United Kingdom/Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF) to fund the waterfront renewal in Georgetown; upgrade the first phase of the much-anticipated Linden to Lethem Highway; and construct a bridge across the Essequibo River at Kurupukari.

The CDB has also committed an estimated US$6.145M to the 9th Cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund, which will be expended on projects and activities that contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth, reduce poverty in poor and rural communities, improve access to critically-needed services; and enhance the quality of life in the remote and interior areas of Guyana.

The CDB is currently hosting its 48th Board of Governors meeting in Grenada. In attendance are Minister Jordan, Dr Griffith and other senior functionaries of the finance ministry.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

LTI celebrates Diamond Jubilee

By Vanessa Braithwaite

EVERYONE was in celebratory mood on Tuesday as lecturers, staff members, directors and past and present students of the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) were joined by regional officials and stakeholders to recognise and celebrate the institution’s growth and development over the last 60 years.

Under the theme, ‘Providing wealth through the acquisition of skills’, the official ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary, saw a packed-to-capacity audience converge on the institute’s auditorium to reflect on what was, while visions of what must be were part of the programme which featured several cultural performances.

LTI was established in 1958 by the then Demerara Bauxite Company Limited (DEMBA) as the DEMBA Training Centre, with 12 intakes (apprentices) to be trained in primarily vocational skills needed in the bauxite plant.

Current Principal (ag), Ms Shurla Brotherson noted that since its establishment, the school had gone through a number of managerial and operational changes, some of which have been in response to the changing fortunes of the bauxite industry.

But in spite of those changes, she said, the institution’s primary focus is to train and mould the minds of Guyana’s future workforce.

“We are thankful for the legacy that we have inherited, and promise to leave an even richer one for the generations to come,” Ms Brotherson said. Linden Mayor, Ms Waneka Arrindell, noted that in 60 years, the institution has done pretty well for

itself.

“Linden Technical Institute is where the world is going,” Arrindell said, adding: “These skills are what you need to advance; I want to encourage you students to dedicate your time.”

HOMEGROWN AND GOOD Former Chairman of the LTI Board and Guymine Training Manager, Mr Gordon Gomes said that just about every conceivable skill needed in the bauxite industry was developed right at Linden at the very LTI.

ulate ourselves.”

But while it is good to reflect on the positives, Gomes said, what is needed more than ever is to put forth visions that will allow the institute to progress another 60 years, by equipping students with employable skills that are not part of the curriculum.

And among these employable skills of which he speaks are discipline, good work ethics, importance of punctuality, importance of occupational health and safety, development of interpersonal relations, communica-

LTI Principal (ag) Ms Shurla Brotherson sharing the 60th Anniversary cake with past student Mr Desmond Bacchus

These include skills in the fields of machinery, welding, mechanics, carpentry, joinery, electrical installation and maintenance and electronics.

“I have, however, been fortunate to see graduates from this institution in all parts of this and other countries; in the Caribbean and North America,” he said.

“So we have provided skills for the country and for the world during the last 60 years, and we must congrat-

tion as well as problem-solving and reasoning skills.

He also encouraged lecturers to conduct more field trips; to visit more industries and encourage successful past students to return to the institution and engage the current crop of students.

Noting also that more emphasis needs to be placed on workshops, Gomes said: “We need to have a culture to promote this institution not as a school, but as a

post-secondary educational institution; more of a bridge between trainee status and university.”

MEMORY LANE Several past intakes of the LTI had the opportunity of reflecting on either their two- or four-year stint at the institution. Seventyfive-year-old Mr Desmond Bacchus was one of the 12 apprentices of the first intake into the institution in 1958.

He said in his emotional short speech that he is happy to be amongst the trailblazers.

the Institution in an effort to learn a trade. Words are inadequate, he said, to describe how profoundly the institution had moulded him into the person he is today.

“During my two years’ experience at this prestigious institution, it imparted knowledge, real-life experiences, discipline and longlife friendships, which were indeed a privilege,” he said.

Member of Parliament Audwin Rutherford also reflected on the more than two decades he spent at the institution as a staff member, which also moulded him into

donated a concrete pathway to the school which was also commissioned at the ceremony.

The pathway, which was previously grass-strewn, now adds to the aesthetics of the school compound.

The name DEMBA Training Centre was changed in the 1970s to Guymine Technical Training Complex, which was later renamed the Linmine Technical Training Complex. Following that it was called the BIDCO Technical Training Complex, and in 1996 when it was transferred from the bauxite

A section of the audience at the official 60th Anniversary ceremony

“I am glad that I was able to blaze the trail for you students,” Mr Bacchus said, adding: “It wasn’t easy going; we just had two lecturers who used to take us through the programme. Nevertheless, we got through.” He encouraged the present batch of students to love what they do and to pursue more than one trade in the event one doesn’t work out.

Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira reflected on the two years he spent at

the person he is today. He said that the institution was a trailblazer in sports, and contributed significantly in this regard to making Linden the close-knit and resilient community it is today.

The creative skills he garnered were also noted by the MP, as he spoke about the penchant among students to make gifts for graduation rather than buy them.

Reflections also came from students of the 15th, 22nd and 23rd batches.

Members of the 22nd batch

company to the Ministry of Education, the name was changed to the Linden Technical Institute.

The 60th Anniversary celebration began in April, and will conclude on May 28, 2019 with an appreciation ceremony for staff members.

In the months ahead, there will be a march, cookout and games day, talent festival, mounting of a billboard and the repainting and upgrading of the institution.

Upper Berbice riverine communities elect new toshaos

Regional Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph presenting the toshaos of Kimbia and Calcuni respectively with their official documentation after the elections

By Vanessa Braithwaite NEW toshaos have been elected at Sandhills, Wiruni, Kimbia, Calcuni and Hururu, Upper Berbice River, Region 10 when toshaos and council elections were held recently.

The elections were held pn different days during last week and observers noted that there were no hiccups.

For Sandhills, Andre Lindee was elected as the new toshao. Wayvon King won 56 out of the 82 votes in Wiruni, making him the new toshao.

Fifty-eight of 96 votes in Kimbia went to Rickey Boye, who will serve as the new toshao.

Ken Campbell secured 32 out of 53 votes for Calcuni and Winsbert Benjamin obtained 75 out of the 164 votes for

Hururu. Hururu saw a greater population with five persons contesting the elections.

Overseeing the elections was Regional Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph, who said he is very happy that the elections are over and that democracy has been displayed in these communities with the holding of elections after three years.

He encouraged the new

toshaos to work together with the people to ensure development of their communities.

Residents in the election areas have raised issues of accountability of community funds and Adolph is encouraging the new toshaos to embrace transparency as their motto.

“They must be transparent, some toshaos believe that they are the boss over the finances,

many do not give proper accountability so I am pleading with them to work together to give proper accountability and to cooperate,” Adolph said.

Speaking on behalf of the newly-elected Council of Hururu was Elymewell Barkoye, who said he is very excited and feels good to be a part of the new council. The first order of business, he said, is to get a

report of funds that may have been misused.

“It’s a hard task we got there, I average about $20M (was misused),” he said. The community of Hururu normally garners funds from forestry operations royalty, use of the landing, hiring of engines, day care, private school and other community projects.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018 Representatives of the Ministries of Education and Public Health with colleagues from PAHO/WHO and the judging panel (Delano Williams photo)

Winners of health awareness competitions honoured

By Lisa Hamilton SEVERAL secondary school students from the country were awarded for their stellar performance in a recently-held essay, poetry, visual arts and debating competitions which promoted awareness on health issues affecting adolescents.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the rewards were handed out on Tuesday at the Adolescent Health

Unit’s Prize Giving Ceremony at the Regency Suits Hotel.

Aimed at changing attitudes and knowledge relating to health matters, the students covered a range of topics such as teen pregnancy, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine and the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) Programme.

Present were representatives from the MoPH, the Ministry of Education, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)/ World Health Organisation (WHO) and several secondary

schools.

In her opening remarks, Coordinator of the Family Health Programme, Dr. Oneka Scott said although the competitions could have seen greater participation, the quality of materials presented is commendable.

She congratulated the students, teachers and all others who assisted the students in their projects.

Her remarks were followed by comments from Director of Primary Health Care, Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton who said that

the competition also served as a means to intensify the spread of health education to the population.

She added that those who participated in the competition can speak knowledgeably on the topics they approached.

“Our main job is to ensure that we always provide the best services as it relates to health but also [to ensure] that you’re making decisions about your health based on a very solid knowledge base,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, in brief remarks,

PAHO/WHO representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow spoke of the effects of HPV and the need for greater awareness of this virus so that all can be protected against it.

The winners of the visual arts competition were Tywon Henry of Tucville Secondary School (first); Pauline Bamfield (second) and Kallanie Wills (third), both of Brickdam Secondary.

The winners of the poetry competition were Shaquille Barrington of Tucville Secondary School (first); Carlea Blair of

North Georgetown Secondary School (second) and Pauline Bamfield of Brickdam Secondary School (third).

For the essay competition, copping first place was Devanie Kalika of Mae’s Secondary. Desa Solomon of Lodge Secondary secured second place while Anand Ramgobin of Mae’s Secondary was placed third In the debating competition, Brickdam Secondary and the Marian Academy were placed first and second respectively.

UNICEF study finds high level of school dropouts in hinterland GUYANA is now the first country in Latin America to complete a study on indigenous women and children which the Government has indicated will help to monitor and improve the livelihood of Guyana’s ‘first peoples’.

This study which was made possible through the collaboration of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MOIPA) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) found among other things that there is a high level of school drop outs in the hinterland.

The official handing over of the full report and its accompanying Action Plan to Ministers of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock and Valerie Garrido-Lowe was conducted on Wednesday at the ministry’s boardroom.

The study was compiled over a one-year period and consists of in depth interviews, focus group discussions and qualitative and quantitative data collected from over 1,000 men and women from 12 indigenous communities and 9 regions.

It was embarked upon after the aforementioned parties decided that much more needed to be done to address the disparity between the hinterland and coast in health, education and socioeconomic realities.

Referring to the present situation as an “uneven playground”, Minister Allicock, said that in order for the Government to provide the

ssupport needed the study’s qualitative and quantitative data was a necessity.

He commended the work of UNICEF and other stakeholders stating that the document can help to strengthen the revision of the Amerindian Act to influence new legislation for better representation of the group.

“For us to be able to give support to these communities, we need the facts and this document is such a document that we need… we are going to use it and we are going to encourage other members of the indigenous communities and members of the Guyanese society [to use it],” he said.

He described the disadvantages that many of the Guyana’s indigenous people face some having never ventured to the capital while some speak only their mother-tongues eventually facing challenges in the education system.

The Action Plan formulated will allow for the realisation of children and women’s rights and the empowerment of indigenous women, children and adolescents.

Playing a crucial role in technical and financial support of the project was UNICEF, represented by Sylvie Fouet who reminded the gathering that Guyana has the largest population of indigenous people in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

She stated that the data provided can help to influence important decisions which form a part of

Representative of UNICEF Guyana and Suriname, Sylvie Fouet (second left) hands over the study to the Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock (second right) in the presence of Junior Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe (first right) and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alfred King (first left) (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

UNICEF’s dedication to ensure “no one is left behind”.

Some of the key findings from the study highlighted were high levels of school dropouts as it was revealed that out of 100 indigenous boys and girls, only 53 would reach the final years of secondary education.

Another finding shows that there are still high percentages of indigenous children younger than five years old who were not registered at birth while some are registered after birth but never receive their birth certificates.

Other findings go into detail on the presence of child mortality, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, inadequate facilities to accommodate persons with disabilities and more.

Similar remarks came from the Junior Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs; Valerie Garrido-Lowe said that the Government is committed to ensuring that indigenous women and children are treated fairly and equally.

“What we have had over the years were projects and programmes going into the communities and many of them were not sustainable, many of them failed and the indigenous people remained depended on Government and other agencies for lots of basic support.

“This study will help the ministries to design and help them to understand where to focus… the Government is serious about closing the opportunity gap. The hinterland must have the same opportunities as the coastland in regards to accessing health services, education, infrastructure and all the other services that would give them comfort and empower them,” she said.

In Guyana’s population of 746,955 (2012 census), 10.3 percent are categorized as indigenous people while there are currently 9 indigenous nations settled across the country’s 10 administrative regions.

Soft copies of the Study on Indigenous Women and Children have been made available on the ministry’s website as well as on UNICEF’s for public use.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

Visual art and craft market generates overwhelming response – leaves vendors, patrons wanting more

By M Margaret Burke DIRECTOR of Culture, Ms. Tamika Boatswain has expressed satisfaction at the response received from both vendors and patrons who attended the recent Visual Arts and

Craft Market.

“We wanted to let the Guyanese people see the high quality of products we as a people are able to produce; what our heritage industry can produce, and to get Guyanese to support more from our local creative

industry,” Boatswain said.

The two-day event held on downtown Main Street last Wednesday and Thursday, was planned and executed by the Ministry of Social Cohesion.

Boatswain expressed the view that the artists who cre-

ated the visual art and craft that were on display at the market have done well and she would like them to continue to grow and develop the industry in Guyana.

“I want them to continue to improve on this industry, because I see it as being

very important for the development of the country’s economy, and also for the building of national pride,” she said.

Curator of Castellani House, Mr. Ohene Koama told the Guyana Chronicle that the idea of the Visual Arts and Craft Market came about due to a survey conducted during the Literary and Visual Arts Street Fair, held on February 15, 2018 for the Mashramani celebrations.

“During the event,” Koama said, “the survey showed that over 90 per cent of the people wanted more events showcasing the talented visual artists and crafts manufacturers, who especially exploit local materials.

“The survey among the visual artists and craft manufacturers who participated in the event, showed that over 97 per cent of them wished for this form of event to be more often and for two days instead of one.”

The findings, he said, were reported to Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton and based on those findings, a proposal was made to have the event for the 52nd Independence Anniversary, and Minister Norton supported it without hesitation.

OBJECTIVE ACHIEVED “The objective of the event was; 1) to give the Visual Artists and Craft manufacturers additional opportunities to showcase and market their product of the requisite quality; 2) to encourage the use of local materials while we are emerging as a green state and; 3) to encourage standard international packaging and branding,” Mr. Koama told the Guyana Chronicle,as he proudly informed that on evaluation of the event, 94 per cent of those objectives were achieved.

He said however that in the area of charisma and persuasive language for marketing skills, much more attention needs to be paid in order to help vendors do a better job with their products.

Meanwhile, Mr. Koama

told the Guyana Chronicle that the government had been doing quite a lot and the artists had to do their part to help themselves.

Additionally, all the efforts and opportunities to help the artists to sell their works were being put in place by the government. At the same time, Mr. Koama said, “we are not taking a cent from the artist to make these events happen.”

He said that he viewed the move by the government to help the artists as one that is needed, and wherever the opportunity arises for this kind of event to happen, he would personally encourage the Minister and the government to allow it.

EXCELLENT DISPLAYS The 2018 arts and craft market was mounted showing examples of the work it hoped would help raise both the economic, social and intellectual status of crafts, which include ceramics, textiles, metalwork, wood, wax, bamboo, straw, beads, leather and many more.

The arts and craft makers came from every part of Guyana and have displayed both revived and innovative art and craft, which are being created as employment for local people, as well as for the pleasure and enjoyment of many in the country and also overseas. This kind of economic and sociocultural development could mean that the market has not only endured the times, but is on a determined path towards a great and success journey at this juncture of the country.

Meanwhile, some of the artists told the Guyana Chronicle that they were very grateful for the opportunity to be able to display their work and wanted to let it be known that they appreciate the efforts being made by the government. At the same time many of the vendors, as well as patrons were of the view that this should be a regular venture. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday May 29 2018

2014 attempted murder trial…

Witness says he was shot nine times The 2014 Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, attempted murder trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon started in the Georgetown High Court on Wednesday in which several witnesses testified.

Leading the state’s case is prosecutor Lisa Cave, who in her opening statement said that on November 4, 2014 at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, the accused Dereck Jaisingh allegedly attempted to murder Sherwin Hamilton and Welton Edwards.

She related that Sherwin Hamilton planned on visiting the accused to ask him why he had beaten his nephew, Raymond Hamilton, in company of their uncle, Welton Edwards and without saying a word they were shot.

Sherwin Hamilton received nine shots to his body while, his uncle Welton Edwards was shot twice, Cave said.

The prosecutor stated that the duo was taken to the hospital and were treated after which the accused was indicted.

Cave said the men were not robbers and they were unarmed when they went to enquire why the accused had beaten their relative since they had no problems.

The state called its first witness, Raymond Hamilton who in his evidence-in-chief said he knew the accused by seeing him since they both

resided in the same village.

He recalled on the night in question at about 22:00hrs he was on his way home from work and went to a Chinese restaurant with the intention of buying two beers when he felt someone behind him.

The witness added that when he turned around he saw the accused who he said hit him and they had a scuffle after which he was then struck behind his head with a gun.

Hamilton told the court the incident took place in the eating house and the owner told them to go outside and fight after which he was assaulted..

The witness stated that at this point, he was on the ground in front the Chinese restaurant while, he was being beaten and began screaming for help then his brother, Sherwin Hamilton came to his aid.

Hamilton recalled that when his brother came he escaped to his home and about 30 minutes later he heard gunshots and sometime after he came out and saw his brother lying in front of the restaurant in a pool of blood and his uncle was in front of his house in a similar condition.

Under cross examination, defence counsel Nigel Hughes asked the witness if he was issued a medical certificate and he replied in the negative but said he made

Rape accused now a free man Abraham Brown walked out the Georgetown High Court a free man on Wednesday when a 12-member jury after deliberating for more than two hours found him not guilty of rape of a child under age 16.

The matter was before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow in the Sexual Offences Court where after the verdict was announced the seemingly relieved Brown exited the courtroom with his weeping mother.

Brown was represented by defence counsel Adrian Thompson while the state’s case was led by Tiffini Lyken and Abigail Gibbs.

Brown was indicted for the rape of a child under age 16 years old in the county of Demerara in which it was alleged

that on August 28, 2016 he engaged in sexual penetration with a girl child.

In her address to the court after the unanimous verdict was announced, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow said being found not guilty of the offence Brown would see it as nothing but he should use it as a lesson to better his life.

She told Brown that she was speaking to him as a mother and not a judge since he was a young man and should avoid certain things when under the influence of alcohol.

Justice Barlow told Brown that he should do the right things and become an example to his younger siblings and to use the opportunity to become a decent person.

a report to the police a day after the incident.

When questioned if he was there to rob the accused, Hamilton said he was not and never ‘cooked up’ a story with his brother and uncle about him being beaten.

The second witness, Sherwin Hamilton called “Nasty Man” took the stand where he recalled that on the night in question he was at home when he heard his brother’s screams and went to assist him.

He said before he went to the scene he saw the accused, whom he pointed out in the courtroom, either sitting or stooping over his brother while beating him with a plastic chair.

Hamilton added at that time his sibling was on the ground and he went up to the accused and pushed him off his brother.

The witness said the accused then got up and snatched his jersey and lashed him on his head with a gun.

Hamilton said he then ran off and was a few feet away from the accused when he pointed a gun at him but he escaped and went to his uncle’s house a short distance away.

There he related what had happened to his uncle Welton Edwards and they both returned to the scene.

The matter continues on Thursday before the same judge where more witnesses are expected to testify.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

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days to go

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Greatest unsung heroes in FIFA World Cup history

E

V E RY f o u r years for the last 88 years, the FIFA World Cup has created football legends.

Only a tiny minority of footballers in history have ever earned the accolade of World Champions.

Y e t most of those players are soon forgotten, while the few who are remembered get most of the credit. Some of them did ordinary things exceptionally well and consistently - such as England’s Bobby Moore or West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer. Others - like Brazil’s Pelé and Argentina’s Diego Maradona - were just extraordinary.

But what about the rest of their squads? No single player ever won a major tournament on his own - not even Maradona in 1986.

Here are some of the players who played vital roles in their teams’ successes.

Goalkeeper: Marcos (Brazil 2002) When Brazil won the 2002 World Cup, their devastating front three of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho understandably received most of the plaudits.

Few people seemed to notice that their keeper Marcos only conceded four goals in the whole tournament.

He also made a string of important stops in a tight encounter with Belgium, as well as saving brilliantly from Oliver Neuville and Oliver Bierhoff in the final.

Right Back: George Cohen (England 1966) When you try to remember England’s World Cup-winning lineup of 1966, it’s easy enough to recall the likes of captain Bobby Moore, midfield ace Bobby Charlton or hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst.

It’s far easier to forget Fulham right back George Cohen, and yet he played a vital role throughout the tournament. As well as defending with quiet efficiency, he regularly pushed forward to provide width and support in a side set up without conventional wingers.

Left Back: Julio Olarticoechea (Argentina 1986) You wouldn’t have thought that the chap standing third from left - positively dwarfed by goalkeeper Nery Pumpido -

would have been effective in the air. And yet Argentina wing back Julio Olarticochea produced an astonishing defensive header to deny Gary Lineker an equaliser in La Albiceleste’s quarter-final clash with England in 1986.

Without Olarticochea’s intervention, the two sides would likely have headed into extra time with England in the ascendancy.

Centre Back: Guido Buchwald (West Germany 1990) Although Maradona was no longer as devastating as he’d been in 1986, West Germany manager Franz Beckenbauer didn’t dare to take any chances in the 1990 final. He gave Guido Buchwald the unenviable task of man-marking Argentina’s talisman.

Like Italy’s legendary Claudio Gentile in 1982, Buchwald was imperious against Maradona, who had a match to forget - and the Germans won 1-0.

Centre Back: Gerard Pique (Spain 2010) When you think of Spain’s all-conquering side of 2010, former Manchester United defender Gerard Piqué isn’t the first player who springs to mind. He may even be pretty low on the list.

However, Piqué’s rock-solid defensive partnership with Carles Puyol was the bedrock of Spain’s triumphant campaign - La Roja conceded just two goals in seven matches, which owed a great deal to Piqué’s rare combination of physical prowess and technical accomplishment.

Defensive Midfielder: Dunga (Brazil 1994) Despite being one of the heroes of Brazil’s World Cup triumph in 1994, Dunga wasn’t so much unsung as positively derided at home. For many Brazilians, the captain epitomised everything that was wrong with their side’s cautious tactics.

Yet his unflappable displays in the holding midfield role gave his more creative teammates a platform to express themselves - such as the dynamic front two of Romário and Bebeto, who netted eight of Brazil’s goals between them.

Defensive Midfielder: Clodoaldo (Brazil 1970) The Brazil side of 1970 was arguably one of the most talented in history, with the attacking flair of Pelé and Jairzinho complemented by the midfield creativity of Gerson, Tostão and Roberto Rivelino.

Yet Clodoaldo’s contribution shouldn’t pass unnoticed.

As well as being a calm and composed defensive midfielder

(like Dunga), he was also capable of producing sublime moments of skill (unlike Dunga) - not least his stunning equaliser in the semi-final against Uruguay.

Central Midfielder: Giancarlo Antognoni (Italy 1982) For fans of I Azzurri, Italy’s unexpected World Cup triumph in 1982 is mostly remembered for Paolo Rossi’s goalscoring exploits, goalkeeper-captain Dino Zoff becoming the oldest ever World Cup winner at the age of 40 - and, of course, Marco Tardelli’s iconic celebration after scoring Italy’s second in the final.

Yet, according to influential Italian football journalist Sergio Di Cesare, formerly of the Gazzetta Dello Sport, creative midfield general Giancarlo Antognoni does not get the credit he deserves.

Right Wing: Daniel Bertoni (Argentina 1978) In this photo, we see the great Mario Kempes celebrating his iconic second goal in the 1978 final against the Netherlands. It’s easy to overlook his teammate Daniel Bertoni on the right.

Yet Bertoni combined brilliantly with his more illustrious teammate in that match, constantly tormenting the Dutch defence. He also played the final pass for Kempes’ second goal and netted the decisive third himself, after Kempes had turned provider.

Bertoni made two other vital contributions in the tournament, scoring the winner against Hungary in the first round and creating Kempes’ opener against Poland in the second round.

Left Winger: Mário Zagallo (Brazil 1958 and 1962) Now better known as a manager than a player, Mário Zagallo was the first man to win the World Cup in different capacities - as a player in 1958 and 1962, as a manager in 1970, and as an assistant coach in 1994.

He was far from being the most spectacular Brazilian forward in either 1958 or 1962, yet his rare combination of creativity and industrious defensive work were key to Brazil’s success, especially after losing Pelé to injury in 1962.

Striker: Jorge Valdano (Argentina 1986) Even a genius like Maradona needed a foil, and Jorge Valdano fulfilled the role admirably.

As well as scoring four goals - only one fewer than his more gifted teammate - Valdano distracted opposing defences, making it even more difficult for them to contain Maradona. This was a crucial, yet often overlooked factor in Maradona’s wonder goal against England.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

LeBron’s Finals challenge may be too tall an order, say pundits

By Frank Pingue (REUTERS) - Carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to this year’s NBA Finals is among the most impressive feats of LeBron James’ career but the challenge that now awaits the game’s greatest player may be more than even he can handle.

Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who are part of the ABC/ESPN broadcast team for the NBA Finals that start today at the home of the defending champion Golden State Warriors, are not convinced Cleveland can even win a game in the series.

“It will be interesting to see how competitive LeBron James can make this Finals, but any game they get in this Finals would be a huge upset,” former NBA coach Van Gundy told a conference call on Tuesday.

“This is the biggest difference that I remember between two teams heading into the Finals in my time in the NBA. I can’t

think of a bigger gap from a team perspective.”

The Cavs are the lowest playoff seed, No. 4, for a James-led team in a decade. They barely escaped a seven-game, first-round series against Indiana and then, after cruising past Toronto in four games, upset Boston in seven.

Next up is a Warriors team that have won two of the last three NBA Finals and boast riches few teams have ever claimed and can shoot the lights out most any night.

“The Warriors make you pay the price for making mistakes,” said former coach and player Jackson.

“So if you are to have any chance of beating them at all, you have to make sure that defensively you’re one accord.

“But they are clearly the favourite, without question, but the luxury of having the best player in the world in that situation, anything can happen.”

The Cavs and Warriors are meeting for the fourth

LeBron James straight year for the right to be crowned NBA champions while it marks the eighth consecutive Finals appearance for James as part of a stretch that dates back to his stint in Miami.

When the two teams met for the title in 2016, James used a superhuman effort to lead Cleveland back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship, marking the first time an NBA team had pulled off such a comeback.

James is playing some of the

best basketball of his 15-year NBA career, but that might not be enough considering he does not have much of a supporting cast going up against a perennial powerhouse like Golden State in a best-of-seven series.

“Obviously James is going to have to be great ... and they are going to have to be lights out from the three-point line to have a chance to win a game,” said Van Gundy.

He added that the only chance the Cavaliers have is if they can keep the high-scoring Warriors from reaching 100 points. That is a tall order considering the defending champions have scored at least 100 points in 13 of their 17 playoff games.

“I just don’t think Cleveland have the firepower to win shootouts,” said Van Gundy.

“So it’s going to have to be grind-it-out games where the tempo is controlled and to do that you have got to have smart, tough guys on the floor.”

Convicted Russian soccer fan - We’ve been warned against World Cup violence

By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber TULA, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian soccer fan leader, jailed over clashes with England supporters at the 2016 European Championship, said he and other fans had been warned by police against engaging in violence at the upcoming World Cup in Russia.

Sergei Gorbachev spent seven months in a Marseille jail over the clashes before Russia’s match against England at the tournament two years ago in France, where punches were thrown, bottles flung and smoke bombs detonated.

Russian authorities, hoping to expunge memories of the Marseille brawls, have pledged to curb violence at the World Cup, to be held from June 14 to July 15 in 11 Russian cities.

Gorbachev, who heads the supporters’ association of Arsenal Tula, a Russian Premier League club, said police regularly dropped in on fans known to authorities, even though they are not officially banned from attending sporting events.

He said he had also taken part in meetings with police in which fans were told not to engage in stadium violence.

he studied French and read the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Mikhail Bulgakov while serving his sentence at Marseille’s Baumettes prison.

“I would want the same from them. I wouldn’t want to see same attitude and behaviour I encountered in Marseille.”

Russian fan leader Sergei Gorbachev poses for a photo during an interview in the city of Tula, south of Moscow, Russia May 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber) “The guys who are now in the fan world, they are feeling the effects of what the authorities are doing to ensure the World Cup is held without any trouble, including from the Russian fans,” said the 35-year-old.

At a bar in Tula, an industrial city about 170 km (105 miles) south of Moscow, Gorbachev is greeted by patrons and called the “star of Marseille” by the barman.

Speaking to Reuters, he said English fans travelling to Russia for the World Cup have nothing to fear - if they behaved themselves.

“If they behave in a civilised way, I will shake their hand,” added Gorbachev, who said

POLICE EVERY 20 METRES’ In the run-up to the World Cup, Russia has increased fines for violent stadium behaviour.

In some cases, fans are asked to make a written pledge that they will not organise or participate in fights.

A senior interior ministry official told Reuters there would be “a policeman every 20 metres” in host cities to prevent petty crime and drunken fights.

Officers have been told to pay special attention to English fans, who they fear could spark “mass fights, riots and provocations,” the official said.

Moscow and London have been exchanging information to prevent another Marseille scenario, with Russian authorities visiting England to watch soccer policing in action and British officials travelling to Russia to discuss tactics.

Gorbachev said he trusted

that Russian police would crack down rapidly on any troublemakers. Russian fan groups, he said, would resist provocations and any calls for a Marseille rematch.

When asked if Russian fans could take matters into their own hands if they encountered violent behaviour from other groups, he shrugged.

“I think our law enforcement will do their jobs,” he said.

“It’s not just for me to serve a sentence in France under their laws. English (who misbehave) should serve time here under ours.”

Gorbachev has yet to apply for a World Cup fan ID, a document needed to attend matches which proves that a ticket holder has been vetted by Russian authorities. He plans to do so in the coming days.

His name does not appear on an interior ministry blacklist that bars more than 400 people from attending sporting events, including for offences committed in Russia such as lighting flares and public drunkenness.

Reuters found this month that a blacklisted fan had been granted a World Cup fan ID, and that several other blacklisted fans had regularly skirted the ban.

from back page CONCACAF chief hails ...Continued

respectability back to the region,” said Montagliani.

“And I think we have done that through CONCACAF and through our member associations, and if you’ve seen the work that is being done by the 41 member-associations in CONCACAF, starting with your own president (Randy Harris) here in Barbados, he has been putting football first.”

Montagliani was elected president of CONCACAF – the governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean – a year following the explosive corruption scandal which led to the toppling of the previous head of the confederation Jeffrey Webb.

In 2015, the charismatic Cayman Islander, also a FIFA vice-president, was among several former and then current football officials indicted by the United States Department of Justice on racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracies.

Webb subsequently pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud conspiracy and three counts of money-laundering conspiracy, and is currently awaiting sentencing.

That followed the infamous cash-for-votes scandal of 2011 which also led to the resignation of then FIFA strongman and CONCACAF president Jack Warner, and the election of Webb.

FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura said transparency and accountability were now the focal points of global football administration, especially under FIFA’s ambitious new roadmap, FIFA 2.0.

“We have learnt lessons from the past and as part of the FIFA region 2.0, we are very serious when it comes to accounting for every single cent that is spent under the forward programme,” Samoura said.

“As a matter of fact, we have expanded to the 211 member-associations, the centre review. Before the new leadership of FIFA, hardly 40 per cent of the member associations browsed systematically through a centre review.

“Today a hundred per cent of the member associations receive on a yearly basis, a report from the audit, giving information on how the money is used.”

She added: “Our compliance division, which is also something new in FIFA to enhance the compliance law list reaching our entire region and the Caribbean region, is not an exception.

“Capacity building is also something that we have built within the FIFA forward programme and every single member association has the responsibility to acquire specific training to improve accountability within the administration also transparency as far as the use of funding is concerned.”

Under Montagliani’s One CONCACAF Vision, the confederation has sought to strengthen its structures, and he pointed out that all initiatives were now geared towards uniting the bloc of nations.

“No longer do we work in silos (isolation) of the Caribbean, in silos with Central America, in silos with North America,” Montagliani stressed.

“It is one region and the combination of that philosophy was the launch of our Nations League which starts in September, where everybody will be competing against everybody and at the end of the day, that’s what football is all about.

“Football is about the ability to unite cultures and unite people. It is not just about a region in itself and the region will compete amongst each other and we will compete internationally.”

Engineer Samuel Barakat ...

Continued from back page

ment every month, fund-raising activities to assist with players international travel and the development of coach training progression programmes, with the assistance of GOA, COTECC, ITF and government,” is also earmarked.

Over the last eight years, according to Barakat, not enough progress was made with regard to facilities, stating that he intends to work with Government to help provide “acceptable facilities for local playing and coach-

ing,” further relating that “all the state facilities are in deplorable conditions and not accepted to any standards.”

“This is disappointing especially since two recent facilities built were below standard, while private courts are well constructed and maintained. All the countries in our regions have acceptable facilities, Nickerie a little town in Suriname have facilities of acceptable standard that our country doesn’t have,” said Barakat.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

Yusuf, Rooplall make Egypt hopeful Salah will early impact in be fit in three weeks OSCL tournament

Uniss Yusuf (left) and Lloyd Rooplall

TORONTO, Canada – The Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) duo of Uniss Yusuf and Lloyd Rooplall made an immediate impact on the Canadian softball scene with brutal unbeaten innings of 76 and 65 not out respectively, as GTA Storm made light work of Ramblers when the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) entered its second day last Sunday, here.

Playing in the B Conference at the Lester Pearson ground, Scarborough, the pair who recently arrived from Guyana, shared in an unbroken opening stand of

151 as GTA Storm stormed to victory in 16.5 overs in the 20-over affair after Ramblers were dismissed for a challenging 149 in their allotted overs.

While Yusuf’s knock contained eight fours and five sixes, Rooplall cleared the boundary on nine occasions in his nononsense knock.

Earlier, Hardat Chabilall was the mainstay of Ramblers innings, smashing an undefeated 57 while Richard Rosan made 22.

For GTA Storm, Sheldon Burnett captured two for two from his four overs while Mohan Sahadeo claimed two for 19.

GTA Storm’s win followed their loss to

Wakenaam on Saturday’s opening day when Yusuf’s unbeaten 42 failed to take them home in a close encounter despite batting through the innings.

Yusuf, who represented Rems in last year’s OSCL tournament and All Stars in the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC), has taken over the captaincy of GTA Storm while Rooplall is enjoying his first stint with the team.

Meanwhile, another GFSCA player, Ramo Malone who also played his first match in the Ontario Masters Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) Over-40 competition on Sunday, led Impact to a narrow victory over Pegasus.

Malone, who also turned out for GTA Storm on Saturday and Sunday, slammed a top-score of 52 as Impact reached 110 for seven in 19.2 overs, overhauling Pegasus’ 109 for six in their allotted 20 overs.

GTA Storm and Wakenaam will clash once more on Saturday, as they battle for supremacy, in the opening round of the Caribbean Sensation 10/10 knockout tournament.

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt are hopeful that forward Mohamed Salah would recover from his shoulder injury in three weeks which would allow him to play in their final group game at the World Cup in Russia.

The 25-year-old suffered a heavy fall in a challenge with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos while playing for Liverpool in the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.

He left the field in tears amid serious doubts about his chances of playing for Egypt at their first World Cup since 1990.

But the Egyptian FA was more optimistic after Salah met the national team doctor in Spain.

“The (Egyptian) football association confirms once again ... Salah will be in the World Cup, God willing, and won’t be absent for more than three weeks,” it said on Twitter without giving further details.

Egypt begin their World Cup campaign against Uruguay on June 15, before facing hosts Russia on June 19 and Saudi Arabia on June 25.

On Sunday, Salah posted a message saying: “It was a very tough night, but I’m a fighter. Despite the odds,

Mohamed Salah scored 44 goals in a sensational first season for Liverpool.

I’m confident that I’ll be in Russia to make you all proud.

Your love and support will give me the strength I need.”

Egypt reached the tournament after Salah scored a 95th- minute penalty to help them beat Congo 2-1 in October.

Earlier yesterday, Liverpool physiotherapist Ruben Pons was quoted by the Spanish sports paper Marca as saying that Salah would be out for up to four weeks.

“He is sad about what happened but is totally focused on recovery, seeing

when he can be ready,” he said.

“In principle it will be between three and four weeks but we will try to reduce those dates, that’s the big goal,” Pons added.

Salah, who scored 44 goals in a sensational first season for Liverpool after joining from AS Roma, was voted Player-of-theYear by the Football Writers’ Association this month, completing a sweep of England’s individual prizes and becoming the first African player to win the prestigious award.

FIFA holds last-minute meeting Mixed results for overseas-based cyclists over the weekend with 2026 World Cup bidders Guyanese … Crawford victorious Brian Homewood

ZURICH¸ (Reuters) - FIFA held a last-minute meeting yesterday with the two candidates bidding to host the 2026 World Cup ahead of the publication of a report which could disqualify a bid rated not up to scratch.

A joint United States, Canada and Mexico bid is being challenged by underdogs Morocco for the right to stage the 48-team tournament with the hosts to be decided by the FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13.

A five-man FIFA task force has inspected both bids and its key evaluation report is expected to be published any time from tomorrow onwards.

Under new bidding rules, the task force has the power to disqualify a bid if it does not meet minimum technical standards, especially with regard to

stadiums.

“It was a very constructive meeting, a very positive meeting,” Hicham El Amrani, the CEO of the Morocco bid, told Reuters. “We gave them the extra information they were looking for and we look forward to the publication of the report.”

World soccer’s governing body FIFA and the North American bid did not comment on the meeting.

The task force will award each bid a score ranging from zero to five on six different aspects of their bid: stadiums, team facilities, accommodation, transport, telecommunications and locations for events and fan festivals.

A bid must achieve a score of at least two out of five in the categories for stadiums, team facilities and transport/accommodation to qualify for the Congress vote, as well as an overall score of at least two.

FIFA says the score for transport and accommodation is calculated on a combined basis.

The system was introduced after criticism during previous World Cup hosting campaigns that voters overlooked the technical qualities of respective bids and based their choices on an exchange of political and personal favours.

For the same reason, the franchise was extended to the FIFA Congress — where each of FIFA’s member associations each hold one vote — instead of being restricted to the now extinct executive committee.

Even so, outside influences continue to affect the process, as seen when U.S. President Donald Trump made clear in a Tweet that he expected countries that receive American economic and other forms of support to deliver votes for his nation’s bid.

GUYANESE cyclists suffered mixed fortunes over the Memorial Day weekend of racing in the USA (Tour of Sommerville).

Success came in the lower and Masters category with Romello Crawford winning the Category 3/4 event on Saturday before returning to place third in the Category 2/3 at Sommerville on Sunday.

Competing in the same event was Stephano Husbands. In the Masters category, James Joseph finished in second place on Saturday and third on Sunday.

In the Pro 1 race on Saturday, Scott Savory was forced to abandon the event due to inclement weather

– understandably so, given his misfortune at the 2017 Tour of Sommerville.

Hamza Eastman and Alonzo Ambrose failed to finish in the top placings. On Sunday, expectations were high amongst the large and vociferous Guyanese contingent of supporters. Hamza Eastman managed to place 13th, Alonzo Ambrose abandoned the race and Scott Savory suffered from cramps.

Meanwhile in Vermont, National champion Raynauth Jeffrey found the conditions difficult to handle and fell to 19th overall after being in the top 10 in the Killington Stage Race.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

to lead England Mangru confident female team can Morgan against Aussies, Scots do well at regional tournaments despite broken finger

Bharat Mangru

By Rajiv Bisnauth GUYANA’S national women’s team coach, Bharat Mangru, yesterday said that he was confident that the team will do well in the upcoming 2018 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional tournaments.

The ladies were encamped since last Saturday at the Chetram Singh indoor facility, located at LBI on the East Coast of Demerara, as they aim to have adequate preparation leading up to the tournaments.

While the squad is forced to take most of their training indoors, as result of the current bad weather, they managed to put in some turf practice over the past few days.

Chronicle Sport visited one of those sessions and caught up with Mangru, who said the players have been engaged in various aspects of training with regard to batting, bowling and fielding.

Mangru is hopeful that

the weather will give them leeway for more outdoor work, an area he stressed that is vital ahead of both tournaments.

He, however, stated, that his aim was to bring the female players up to scratch before they leave.

With regard to the team’s progress, the coach stated that the team, which comprises players from different parts of the country, were “gelling as a unit”.

In conclusion, the coach declared that the team is a well-balanced unit comprising a number of match-winners. Mangru feels it is the best chance for the Guyanese to win both tournaments.

The Cricket West

Indies (CWI) Women’s Regional T20 and 50-Over tournaments are scheduled to take place in Jamaica from Thursday June 7 to 25.

The 14 players selected are: Shemaine Campbelle (captain), Sheneta Grimmond, Mandy Mangru, Shabika Gajnabi, Lashuna Toussaint, Melanie Henry, Tremayne Smartt, CherryAnn Fraser, Erva Giddings, Kaysia Shultz, Subrina Munroe, Akaze Thompson, Plaffiana Millington and Katana Mentore.

The standby players are: Heema Singh, Shenika Campbell, Latoya Smith, Dian Prahalad, Althea Newark and Casey Charles.

The team manager is Carol Nurse.

Wicketkeepers benefit from BCB coaching clinic THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) last Sunday launched the Dr Tulsi Dyal coaching programme for youths in Berbice by hosting a wicket-keeping clinic.

Twenty wicketkeepers drawn from the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels attended the clinic, which was held at the Albion Community Centre.

Senior Level Three coach Winston Smith conducted the seminar with assistance from Pre-Level One coaches, Neil Rudder and Winston Rose. Among the participants were Berbice Under-19 ’keeper Junior Sinclair, Guyana Under-19 female ’keeper Uma Matadin and Berbice Under-17 ’keeper Kevin Sewraj.

The extended coaching clinic included both classroom work and practical on the field.

The young wicketkeepers were taught about equipment, the crouch position, glove work, footwork and concentration.

Special emphasis was also placed on physical fitness, speed and agility.

“A lot of practical work was done on how to keep

Some of the participants along with Winston Smith, Neil Rudder and Winston Rose

to the difference types of spinners, fast bowling and how to take a return from the outfield.

Smith, who is spearheading the Berbice Cricket Board outreach coaching programmes, urged the young wicketkeepers to work hard on their personal game and to put into practice what they have learnt from the clinic,” a release from the BCB said.

He spoke at length on the importance of physical fitness for wicketkeepers as they are always involved in the game. Wicketkeepers, he stated, have to have good eyes, fast legs and reflection, along with strong concentration. While other fielders might have periods of relaxation, wicketkeepers

are always involved in the game.

President of the BCB, Hilbert Foster, in a short presentation to the young cricketers, stated that attendance at all clinics organised by the Board shall be compulsory for those aiming to represent Berbice.

He stated that for the first time in its 79-year history, the BCB would be investing heavily into countywide coaching programmes and those who fail to take advantage of it would be left behind.

He urged clubs to place special emphasis on developing wicketkeepers as there is a shortage of good gloves-men around the county. The Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh coaching programme,

he stated, is a half-million investment into making sure that every cricketing potential is fulfilled and that Berbice continues to dominate junior cricket at the Inter-county level.

Other clinics will be held for fast bowlers, batsmen, left-arm spinners, offspinners and leg-spinners and the BCB intends to have players like Devendra Bishoo, Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul involved.

The Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh programme would also involve the hosting of four two-day cricket coaching sessions in each of the Zones – West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne. A total of 280 youths between ages 12 and 19 years are expected to participate in the sessions.

The BCB, at the end of the four sessions, would select the best 70 players to participate in one-week cricket academy from July 23 to 28 at the Albion Sports Complex.

The BCB would like to express gratitude to Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh for his continued support of Berbice Cricket.

(REUTERS) - England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has been included in the one-day international (ODI) squad to face Australia and Scotland despite suffering a finger injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board said yesterday.

Morgan fractured the ring finger on his right hand while fielding against Somerset in a Royal London One-Day Cup match and will not play for the World XI in today’s charity Twenty20 game against West Indies at Lord’s.

But the 31-year-old is expected to regain full fitness ahead of England’s one-off encounter with Scotland on June 10 before they face Australia three days later.

England have rested wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler for the match in Edinburgh, with Sam Billings drafted in as replacement in the 13-man squad.

Buttler and pace bowler Tom Curran will return to a 14-man squad for the fivematch series against Australia starting on June 13, while Billings drops out.

Limited-overs specialist Alex Hales and Adil Rashid have been selected in the two squads alongside all-rounder Moeen Ali, who was dropped from England’s Test side

during the tour to New Zealand in March.

England, who are number one in the ODI world rankings, beat hosts Australia 4-1 in a five-match series in January.

Squad v Scotland Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Squad v Australia Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Australia Tour of England June 7: Warm-up v Sussex, Hove (D/N) June 9: Warm-up v Middlesex, Lord’s June 13: First ODI, The Oval (D/N) June 16: Second ODI, Cardiff June 19: Third ODI, Trent Bridge (D/N) June 21: Fourth ODI, Durham (D/N) June 24: Fifth ODI, Old Trafford June 27: Only T20, Edgbaston (D/N)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday May 29, 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. Shane Watson (CSK) 2. Wriddhiman Saha-115* & Shane Watson-117* Today’s Quiz: 1. Who scored most runs in IPL 2018?

2. Who took most wickets in IPL 2018?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, May 31, 2018

PM Rowley says Cricket Australia talks provided insight for ICC meeting PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says his meeting with Cricket Australia (CA) officials last week has armed him with “valuable insight”, ahead of CARICOM’s meeting with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in November.

Speaking following his return from Australia, Rowley told reporters here Tuesday that his discussions Down Under had provided him with a new perspective, one which would inform the Prime Ministerial sub-committee’s plans to overhaul the governance structure of West Indies cricket.

The sub-committee, which is chaired by St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is expected to meet with the ICC during the Twenty20 Women’s World Cup scheduled for Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua, to convey what Rowley recently labelled as the “desperate urgency” of dealing with the governance issues in West Indies cricket.

“Our future is tied up not so much with talking to Cricket Australia,” Rowley explained.

“That was good to get the experience and solicit their support … but the key to it is the ICC. They gave us an insight as to how they dealt with the ICC in bringing about

Prime Minister Keith Rowley (left) with CEO of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland, during their meeting.

the re-organisation of their cricket.”

He continued: “I’m a member of the cricket committee of CARICOM; Prime Minister Gonsalves is the chairman.

We’re trying to meet with the ICC for a sit down, for a conversation.

“In London, that (meeting) was declined because of the unavailability of certain people but they indicated to us that an opportunity will arrive in November and we intend to avail ourselves of that opportunity. “… as a member of that (cricket) committee, I had valuable insight as to what went on in Australia where Australia now had cricket run by Cricket Australia.”

CARICOM, the powerful regional nation grouping, is pressing Cricket West Indies (CWI) to change its governance structure in order

to improve accountability and the overall management of the game.

But with the regional governing body having stoutly resisted, CARICOM has pressed ahead with creating what Gonsalves has termed the “broad framework” for the “legislative approach” intended to be pursued.

At the two-day Intersessional in Haiti last February, CARICOM leaders adopted legal advice which affirmed their position disputing CWI’s right to manage the “public good” of West Indies cricket.

Rowley said the Australian model of governance was one which should trigger an “interesting conversation” in the Caribbean.

“As a matter of fact, one of the things I discovered is that the board – Cricket Australia – how people get

there and how they function and whom they represent,” he pointed out.

“And it would make interesting conversation here in the West Indies as to how people get into that position in Australia, and why Australia cricket is where it is and why ours is where it is.”

Rowley’s meeting with Cricket Australia formed part of an official visit to Australia where he also met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and discussed several other matters including national security and border protection.

But he said it had been necessary to also have talks with Cricket Australia in order to get a sense of how they had restructured.

“I wanted to meet with Cricket Australia for the simple reason that I wanted to get a first-hand feel as to how they went about fixing their problem … and they did give us good insight and I can tell you across Australia, there is a sadness about the demise of West Indies cricket,” Rowley noted.

“Every person I spoke to, and they were many, speak about the great tragedy that is the loss of West Indies cricket and they all spoke very fondly about the years of rivalry with West Indies cricket and the days when that was the pinnacle of cricket as a game.”

Gayle sizing up big stage at Lord’s today LONDON, England (CMC) – While historic Lord’s will offer the perfect stage for today’s Twenty20 International between West Indies and the ICC World XI, there is only one player likely to provide the box office aura the occasion demands.

Superstar opener Chris Gayle, the world’s finest Twenty20 batsman, will suit up for the 18:00hrs (13:00hrs Eastern Caribbean time) contest and is expected to be a massive pull, as organisers seek to raise funds for five stadiums in the Caribbean damaged last September by the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“It’s good to be in this sort of an event, especially when you have to give back and we all know the cause for this based on what happened in the Caribbean,” said the explosive left-hander.

“So this is something to uplift

Twenty20 superstar Chris Gayle is highly motivated for today’s T20 International. the Caribbean and hopefully we can get our stadiums back up and Caribbean people can get home cricket back into their territories as well.

“We’re looking forward to it, all the guys are here so hopefully it can be a nice competitive game … and everyone tries to entertain the crowd as much as possible.

“The turnout, I have no doubt about it. I’m sure you’ll have

people coming out in their numbers which is fantastic so we just have to try and be the best we can be tomorrow.”

Gayle is the most successful ever T20 batsman with 11 436 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of nearly 149, while scoring 21 hundreds.

He is the only batsman to score in excess of 10 000 runs and also make more than 10 centuries, and is just one of four batsmen to hit two centuries in T20 Internationals.

In the twilight of his career as he closes in on his 39th birthday, Gayle is still highly motivated and especially so for this fixture.

“We’re playing at one of the best venues in the world, the Lord’s cricket ground,” he said. “(We have) good opponents in the World XI and that’s why it’s called the World XI so it should be a very, very competitive battle especially

with WI as World champions – we’ve won it (T20 World Cup) twice.

“So it should be very, very competitive and a good showcase for some youngsters to showcase their talent as well.

It would be good for them to make sure they do the best they can.”

He added: “They should actually enjoy the moment and enjoy the occasion. But I’ve played a couple of matches here and it’s nothing to be worried about. It’s just a one-off game – you see the ball, you smash the ball and the bowlers should just enjoy the moment as well.”

West Indies will be led by 2016 T20 World Cup hero, Carlos Brathwaite, with the likes of Andre Russell and Evin Lewis also included in the squad.

The World XI will be skippered by flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Chandimal warms up with 108 on opening day of Sri Lanka tour PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Captain Dinesh Chandimal warmed up nicely for next week’s start of the threeTest series against West Indies with a hundred, on the opening day of Sri Lanka’s three-day match against CWI President’s XI. The right-hander stroked 108 as the visitors, opting to bat at the Brian Lara Stadium, ended Wednesday on 318 for six.

Opener Kusal Perera supported with 65 while former captain Angelo Mathews struck 41, Roshen Silva, 28, and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, an unbeaten 26.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (2-67) and offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall (2-80) both picked up two wickets apiece.

The President’s XI struck success with the first ball of the day when fast bowler Miguel Cummins bowled Kusal Mendis without a run on the board.

However, Chandimal then anchored two successive century stands to put the innings back on course.

Firstly, he put on 130 for the second wicket with Perera, a

stand that steered Sri Lanka to lunch at 97 for one.

Unbeaten on 48 at the interval, Perera faced 93 balls in a shade under 2-1/2 hours and counted 10 fours and a six before perishing in the second session.

Chandimal found an ally in Mathews to add a further 114 for the third wicket, as Sri Lanka strolled to tea on 210 for two.

All told, Chandimal struck six fours and three sixes in an innings which spanned 216 balls and just under 4-1/2 hours.

Matthews, meanwhile, counted six fours in a 110ball innings that required 2-1/2 hours.

On 94 at tea, Chandimal reached three figures following the resumption before becoming left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer’s lone wicket of the day.

His dismissal triggered a small slump where Sri Lanka lost three wickets for 44 runs to slide to 288 for five.

Dickwella propped up the innings in a 30-run, sixth wicket stand with Dilruwan Perera who made 17 before playing back to the final ball of the day and going lbw to Warrican.

SCORE BOARD SRI LANKA 1st Innings K Mendis b Cummins

0

K Perera c Powell b Cornwall

65

*D Chandimal c Brooks b Reifer

108

A Mathews lbw b Cornwall

41

R Silva c Cornwall b Warrican

28

+N Dickwella not out

26

D Perera lbw b Warrican

17

Extras (b12, lb4, nb17)

33

TOTAL (6 wkts, 89.1 overs)

318

To bat: L Gamage, A Dananjaya, K Rajitha, L Kumara.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-130, 3-244, 4-263, 5-288, 6-318.

Bowling: Cummins 15-5-47-1, Reifer 13-1-51-1, Joseph 12-1-49-0, Warrican 23.1-5-67-2, Cornwall 26-6-88-2.

PRESIDENT’X XI – *K Powell, S Ambris, V Singh, S Brooks, J Campbell, J Hamilton, R Reifer, R Cornwall, M Cummins, K Joseph, J Warrican.

Mohamed’s Enterprise supports football player’s parent en route to Russia

By Rawle Toney JALADE Trim, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) junior female football player-of-the-year for 2017, will be joining players from 211 countries in Russia as one of Guyana’s representatives at the 2018 Football for Friendship.

The 10-day event (June 5-15) will see the young and aspiring football players being divided into groups, forming 32 teams, in the programme which encourages them to play the game while upholding the values of friendship, equality, peace and respect.

Organised by official partner of FIFA and major sponsor of the World Cup Russia 2018, Gazprom, Football for Friendship will climax in Moscow, as an exciting curtain-raiser to the World Cup. Meanwhile, yesterday, Managing Director of Mohamed’s Enterprise, Nazar Mohamed, made a contribution to Trim’s mother, Finola, to assist in her travel to accompany her daughter to the prestigious event.

Mohamed encouraged the budding player to keep working hard and stated that he was happy to play a part in helping to allow her mother to accompany her to Russia so that she could see her daughter live her dream.

Trim (Jalade), is touted as the future of women’s football in Guyana and had represented the ‘Lady Jags’ in the CFU U-17 women’s tournament, as well as playing at the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) in Suriname.

The GFF will make known the other details with regard to Guyana’s representation at the Football for Friendship programme in Russia.

The Football for Friendship programme is described as the perfect example of how football can be used to open doors for girls and boys from all backgrounds - a mission that FIFA supports actively.

The Football for Friendship tournament features 32 international teams of friendship, named after endangered animals, featuring players from different countries, different gender and different physical abilities.

Players are 12 years old and will be trained by young coaches aged 14-16. The tournament will be covered by global media including Children’s Press Centre of 12-year-old journalists.

Managing Director of Mohamed’s Enterprise, Nazar Mohamed (L), makes a presentation to Finola Trim at his Lombard Street establishment.

CONCACAF chief hails associations’ Engineer Samuel Barakat heads GLTA role in confederation’s resurgence

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – CONCACAF chief Victor Montagliani believes the embattled organisation has turned the page on the corruption scandals of the past, through a strong collective effort by regional associations, and says the focus will remain on uniting the confederation.

Speaking here at the opening of the FIFA Caribbean Development Office, the Canadian told reporters that the 41

member-organisations which constituted the continental governing body, had managed to make progress by prioritising football.

“The truth be told that (corruption scandal) was a long time ago and in football two years is a long time and at the end of the day, it really wasn’t up to FIFA to bring respectability back to the region, it was up to the region to bring

Turn to page 24

Samuel Barakat (fifth from right) is flanked by members of the recently installed executives of the GLTA.

ENGINEER/Businessman Samuel Barakat was voted in as president of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA), following elections at the National Resource Centre recently.

William Skeete was the other GLTA presidential candidate, but Barakat who gained the nod of the clubs will take over from former president Jamal Goodluck.

Barakat will have reigning female player-of-the-year Cristy Campbell and Robin Singh as his vice-presidents, while Molly Hassan will serve as secretary, Tina Rama is the assistant treasurer and Ramesh Seebaran is the association’s treasurer. William Skeete is the assistant secretary/treasurer.

Illeana Boodhoo, Nigel Niles, Dellon Fraser and Jason Andrews are the com-

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mittee members and Grace McCalmon was named a life member of the GLTA. In outlining his goals and objectives for his tenure at the helm of the GLTA, Barakat said emphasis will be placed on club development, allowing for the growth of the eight affiliated clubs in the area of coaching education and youth tournaments with support from

the GLTA. Barakat also pointed out that the GLTA under his watch will look to “establish tennis courts and clubs in all the regions with the support of all the relevant government administration”.

“Private sector involvement in sponsoring a tourna-

Turn to page 24 THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018