Guyana chronicle e paper 06 19 2018

TUESDAY 19th June, 2018

‘We will proceed’ No.105310

…Guyana seeks ICJ ruling on border controversy …as Venezuela refuses to defend claims 03 PAGE

Wakenaam sea defence breach sealed 14 PAGE

PPP flip-flops on race claims at GECOM 17 PAGE

…files ERC complaint about management ethnic make-up

Hope for teen moms

…new policy to ensure full reintegration into education system 02 PAGE

First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger interacts with teachers and pupils of the F. E. Pollard Primary School during the launch of the ‘National Policy for the Reintegration of Adolescent Mothers in the Formal Education System’ (Samuel Maughn photo)

Vishnu denies misrepresenting qualifications 11 PAGE

…says masters obtained from accredited UK university

Man dies after GDF officer crashes into him

PAGE

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Hope for teen moms 2

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

…new policy to ensure full reintegration into education system Government on Monday launched a new policy which will ensure the full reintegration of adolescent mothers into the formal education system, even as First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger called for a more aggressive approach to health education for both sexes.

Titled ‘National Policy for the Reintegration of Adolescent Mothers in the Formal Education System’, the policy is being implemented by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). The goal of the policy is not only to increase the number of adolescent mothers who re-enter the formal school system to complete their secondary education but also to help reduce the number of pregnancy among teenage girls. The policy specifies regulations, mechanisms and procedures that are to be followed to ensure that the girls return to school in order to continue their education, explained Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer.

Speaking at the launch held at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston, First Lady, Mrs. Granger, expressed concerns about teen mothers and the way

Presenters from left, Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, Hon. Minister of Education Nicolette Henry, UNICEF representative Sylvie Fouet, First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger (Samuel Maughn photo)

UNICEF Representative, Sylvie Fouet (left) handing over a copy of the “National Policy- Reintegration of Adolescent Mothers into the Formal Education System” to the Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry (Samuel Maughn photo)

they are treated in society.

She highlighted a few unfortunate scenarios of how girls as young as 10 and 11 years old, get pregnant. “These are things we have to face as a nation and we have to be frank about it. We have to ensure their rights are recognised and upheld and that our legal and social protection agencies protect these children and allow a bright future for them.”

Mrs. Granger said.

“We have to speak of these things and see it as violence against our children.

We also have to… ensure that their rights are recognised and upheld; that our legal and our social protection agencies protect these children with the full majesty of the law… the children come first and it is their future that we have to ensure… That is enshrined in our Constitution,” she said.

The First Lady also called for a more aggressive approach to health education for both sexes which, she said, should start in the home. “We have to have equal responsibility… The girls do not impregnate themselves so… young men… have to take up their responsibility… This links… with comprehensive health and family life education throughout our school system, which should begin, I think, from nursery. Too often, I think, our parents believe [that] our teachers alone, our education sector, must be responsible for educating

the children. Parents also have a duty to make sure that children learn responsible behaviour in society,” she said.

Studies have shown that Guyana has the second highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in the Caribbean and South America, with 97 out of every 1000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth. This has resulted in a number of adolescent girls not being granted a second chance to reach their full academic potential. “So new approaches will have to be made to provide adolescents with purpose-driven lives,” Monitoring officer attached to the Ministry of Education, Eleatrice Davenport told the gathering at the launch.

Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry shared that the policy was formulated after a year of rigorous research, consultations and collaborations with a number of government ministries and agencies. She later told reporters that teachers will first have to be trained about the policy for it to be executed properly.

Minister Henry said that while the formulation of the policy is a significant first step, there is still much more to be done to protect the rights

of adolescent mothers. “I see this as the beginning of the journey to ensure that all adolescent mothers are protected by rights and supported by the legal framework. With this policy, the work begins to out all the necessary recommendations and mechanisms in place to support out young mothers... Adolescent pregnancy cannot and must not be the future that we prepare for our daughters… We must act now to ensure a better tomorrow for them, for their families, for their communities, and for this country.

As a Government, our motto is that ‘every child matters’.

With this policy there will be no need to repeat the past because the future for adolescent mothers in Guyana will become bright… The barriers that prevail will be a thing of the past,” she said.

UNICEF’s representative to Guyana, Sylvie Fouet said in her remarks that her organisation recognises that when girls and women are educated, their children are more likely to survive and to be healthier because these mothers become aware of the importance of better nutrition, immunization, healthcare and the importance of education.

She also stressed that gener-

ally, educated mothers tend to send their children to school which is a vital key to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. She also emphasised that adolescent fathers are also included in the policy to ensure that they too finish school.

Ms. Fouet added that the policy uses a holistic approach to adolescent parent education in order to bring Guyana close to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “This policy has two interesting factors…

The Policy will ensure the teen mothers will [be] given an opportunity to go back to school and receive support at home and within the community… The policy will also allow for teen fathers to engage, encourage, and complete school, [and] take [on] the role [of] ‘super-dad’ and the responsibility [of fatherhood]… We fully support the right of every child to critical information, skills, and a conducive environment [in] which they can grow and [achieve] their full potential… It is part of achieving the SDG… where there is a commitment to leave no one behind,” she said. (Gabriella Chapman)

Watchman on $250k bail for allegedly burglarising home of Imam Watchman, Mahendranauth Narine called Boyee, who allegedly stole $8,000,000 from the home of Imam (Muslim religious leader) Mohammed Haniff, was ordered to post $250,000 bail by Senior Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Court on Monday.

Narine, aged 48 years

of Patrick Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, was hired by the religious leader to guard his home at Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam, during the recently concluded Ramadan.

On June 11 last, at 01:00hrs, Mohammed Haniff, accompanied by his wife, secured their property before releasing their security dogs and leaving Narine behind to

guard their property.

However, on their return at 05:00hrs, the guard told them that there were intruders who tied him up before entering the building.

Haniff made checks and discovered a door to the garage and other doors were opened and the house was ransacked.

Further, he discovered

that the sum of $8,000,000 which was received as donations on behalf of the New Amsterdam Masjid were missing.

A report was made at Central Police Station, followed by subsequent charges.

Narine, who posted his bail, is expected to return to court on July 19.

‘We will proceed’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

THE Venezuelan Government has declined to defend its claim over the Essequibo at the International Court of Justice, saying that it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court in the matter, although calling it an “honourable international justice body,” in a statement issued on Monday.

However, Guyana says it intends to proceed with the case, noting that under Article 53 of the Statute of the Court, “whenever one of the parties does not appear before the Court, or fails to defend its case, the other Party may call upon the Court to decide in favour of its claim.”

Guyana has also said that it hopes in due course, Venezuela will reconsider its position and decide to appear in Court and defend its case.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement Monday evening, said that VicePresident and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge and Guyana’s Legal Counsel attended the meeting convened by the Honourable Abdulqawi Abdul Yusuf, President of the International Court of Justice on Monday to discuss with Guyana and Venezuela the scheduling of written pleadings in the case, the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela).

The ministry said that subsequent to this meeting, Guyana noted the issuance of a press release by Venezuela stating that it would not be participating in the case.

Said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement: “Guyana is fully committed to the rule of law in international relations, including the peaceful resolution of disputes in conformity with international law. It trusts that the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations, will resolve the controversy with Venezuela in accordance with the law in a manner that is fair and equitable. It hopes that, in due course, Venezuela will reconsider its position and decide to appear in Court and defend its case.

The Court’s rules allow for that.”

At the same time, Guyana said that if Venezuela persists in its refusal to participate in the matter, the rules provide for the Court to proceed, after a full hearing of the case, to a final judgment that is legally binding on both the participating and nonparticipating parties.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to reiterate that Guyana fully respects the decision of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to choose the International Court of Justice as the means of settlement of the controversy and is confident that the Court is fully empowered to decide the case,” the Foreign Ministry statement read.

Guyana-Venezuela controversy to the ICJ. He determined that the Good Offices Process had failed to achieve a peaceful settlement of the controversy. Guterres took a formal and binding decision, under Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Agreement, to choose a different means of settlement under Article 33 of the Charter.

Venezuela is claiming that the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award, which had given more than 90 per cent of an area to the then British Guiana (now Guyana), is null and void. Approximately 118 years after that award was issued, Guyana remains resolute in its position that a juridical course of action is the only means through which this matter can be permanently resolved.

In its Application, Guyana requests the Court “to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the Award Regarding the Boundary between the Colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela, of 3 October 1899 (hereinafter the ‘1899 Award’).”

Guyana is contending that the 1899 Award was “a full, perfect, and final settlement” of all questions relating to determining the boundary line between the colony of British Guiana and Venezuela.

It is also Guyana’s position that, between November 1900 and June 1904, a joint Anglo-Venezuelan Boundary Commission “identified, demarcated and permanently fixed the boundary established by the...

Award” before the signing of a Joint Declaration by the Commissioners on 10 January 1905 (referred to by Guyana as the “1905 Agreement”).

Guyana is further contending that in 1962, for the first time, Venezuela contested the Award as “arbitrary” and “null and void”.

This, according to the Applicant, led to the signing of the Agreement to resolve the controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana at Geneva on 17 February 1966 (the Geneva Agreement), which “provided for recourse to a series of dispute settlement mechanisms to finally resolve the controversy”.

Additionally, Guyana submits that the Geneva Agreement authorized the United Nations Secretary-General to decide which appropriate dispute resolution mechanism to adopt for the peaceful settlement of the dispute, in accordance with Article 33 of the United Nations Charter.

…Guyana seeks ICJ ruling on border controversy …as Venezuela refuses to defend claims

NO PARTICIPATION Meanwhile, a communiqué issued by the People’s Power Ministry for Foreign Affairs said Monday after meeting with International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf: “The Venezuelan delegation has informed the president of the court, through a letter signed by the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro Moros, of its sovereign decision not to participate in the procedure that Guyana intends to initiate, since the Court manifestly lacks jurisdiction over an action

ICJ Registrar, Mr. Philippe Couvreur (l) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Carl Greenidge at the ICJ, in the Hague, during a previous meeting

unilaterally proposed by the neighbouring country, which does not have the consent of Venezuela.”

Guyana had filed an application with the ICJ on March 29, 2018, requesting the Court to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela. As such, the ICJ invited representatives of both Guyana and Venezuela to meet at the ICJ in The Hague, seat of government of the Netherlands, to fix schedules for written pleadings.

On Monday, however, Venezuela, through its Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, made it clear that its decision not to participate in the ICJ matter “is consistent with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognising the jurisdiction of such international judicial body, in no case, and much less to settle this controversy where Venezuela shall make all efforts to defend its legitimate rights to the Guyana Esequiba.”

It then went on to say in its statement, “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela dwelled the occasion to reiterate to the Co-

operative Republic of Guyana the invitation to resume the good faith negotiations with the broadest, most sincere and best willingness to reach a settlement which may be practical and satisfactory for both parties, as intended by the 1966 Geneva Agreement.”

Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres referred the

Young woman denies stealing Super Bet money FELICIA Henry appeared on Monday before a city magistrate on a simple larceny charge.

It was alleged that on June 14, 2018 while being employed by Devindra Gangaram, the owner of Super Bet at 144 Regent Street as a clerk or servant, Henry stole $195,000 from her employer.

The 22-year old woman of ‘B’ Field, Sophia denied the charge and the prosecutor had no objections to bail which was granted

in the sum of $100, 000.

According to the facts that were given in court by the police prosecutor, the defendant used to work at the store as a cashier. On the day in question, the virtual complainant and the defendant were checking off the daily sales when he observed that part of the money was missing. A report was made and the defendant was arrested.

The matter has been adjourned to July 9, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

14 CARICOM countries ready themselves – to mobilise ‘Green Funds’ SANTIAGO, Chile, Jun. 18, CMC – Fourteen Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states will design multiple projects to mobilise resources from international sources, which will allow them to improve the resilience and adaptation of agriculture, food systems and rural communities to change climate.

The projects stem from a

new fund created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID).

The agreement, signed in Rome last week by Director General of FAO,José Graziano da Silva,, and Luis Videgaray, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico creates the fund, which will have an initial budget of US$500,000,

contributed in equal parts of US$250,000.

This capital will be used as a pre-investment resource that will mobilize millions of dollars for resilience and adaptation projects.

“Thanks to the support of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, 14 CARICOM countries will design 27 projects to mobilize resources against climate change,” ex-

plained José Graziano da Silva.

“We all know that the Caribbean is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. We saw it in the last hurricane season, when the islands of Dominica and Barbuda were practically destroyed,” said Videgaray during the signing.

The countries that will develop the projects are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis,

St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Ten of the projects will be presented to the Green Climate Fund, twelve to the Global Environment Facility and five to various European Union mechanisms. They will focus on vulnerable rural communities facing climate risks.

The fund between Mexico and FAO will also support CARICOM countries develop their institutional and technical capacities for

planning, decision-making and project management, to enable them to better cope with natural disasters and extreme weather events.

Mexican experts and specialists from FAO will work side by side with their Caribbean counterparts in the design and implementation of the projects.

“The fund is a combination of financial resources and human resources,” Videgaray explained.

ing for a clean Dream Act, aggressively advocating to keep families together to keeping vulnerable children with their parents, and fighting the Trump administration on their revocation of DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] and attacks on Diversity Visas.”

In addressing what she described as “the racist, xenophobia of the Trump Administration,” Clarke said she has also advocated for the ASPIRE Act, a bipartisan bill to provide individuals who have received Temporary Protective Status (TPS), legal permanent residency.

“This administration has no bounds, even children don’t seem to matter,” the congresswoman said.

“Therefore, I vow to continue to fight ferociously, along with my colleagues, against these grave injustices; and, we don’t plan to stop until justice prevails.”

Amid the profound outrage, US President Donald J. Trump on Saturday reiterated what political analysts and observers say is his erroneous claim that Democrats

were responsible for his administration’s policy of separating migrant families arrested at the US border.

“Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!” said Trump in a twitter post on the weekend.

On Friday, the Trump administration announced that close to 2,000 children were separated from their migrant parents in a six-week period, concluding in May, as part of its “zero tolerance” policy on immigration.

In expressing outrage over the Trump administration’s new policy, Democrats have said that the separation of children from their parents at the US border is just of the incumbent administration’s making – that they had not enacted any law or rule in that regard.

US Congresswoman joins the outrage – over separation of children from parents

NEW YORK, CMC – Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has joined intensified outrage in the United States over the Trump administration’s decision to separate migrant children from their parents at the

US border.

“There is no act lower than ripping innocent children from the arms of their mothers,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), on Sunday.

“We have hit an all-time low as a people and a country,” added the representative for the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn. “It is one of the most inhumane, cruel acts that could ever be taken by the Trump administration.

“As a second-generation American, the daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents, I take these assaults on immigrant communities personally,” Clarke continued, stating that she has been “a staunch advocate for immigration rights, from fight-

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

Trump: US will not be a migrant camp PRESIDENT Donald Trump has said he will not allow the US to become a "migrant camp", as he stood by his administration's immigration crackdown.

"The United States will not be a migrant camp," he said at the White House.

"And it will not be a refugee-holding facility; it won't be."

Photos over the week-

end showed undocumented children being held in fenced enclosures at a Texas facility.

The UN human rights chief has condemned the policy as "unconscionable".

Mr Trump said on Monday: "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places.

"We cannot allow that to happen to the United States; not on my watch."

Earlier, he said European countries had made a big mistake by allowing in millions of migrants.

Mr Trump criticised Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in particular, saying her people were turning against their leaders because of the issue.

Mrs Merkel is in a migration dispute with her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, who wants to refuse migrants

if they have already registered for asylum elsewhere in the EU. The Republican president blamed Democrats for not coming to the table to negotiate immigration legislation.

Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents at the border between mid-April and the end of May. The administration's "zero tolerance" policy en-

tails criminally charging those entering the US illegally, including asylum seekers.

This has led to parents being separated from their children, who are not charged with a crime.

As a result, hundreds of children are being housed in detention centres, including warehouses and converted supermarkets.

Some shelters and foster homes have said they are

running out of space.

On Sunday, Father's Day, Democratic lawmakers visited shelters and processing facilities in New Jersey and Texas, demanding to see detainees.

Officials have also announced plans to erect tent cities that will hold hundreds more children in the Texas desert where temperatures regularly reach 40C (105F).

Stock markets fall amid trade fears STOCK markets have fallen amid fears of a further deterioration in US-Chinese trade relations.

Tensions in Germany's coalition government over migration policy added to investors' uncertainty.

Wall Street's Dow Jones and S&P 500 were 0.4% and 0.2% down, although shares pulled back from steeper losses.

Earlier, Frankfurt's Dax fell 1.4%, while Paris' Cac fell 0.9%, and Madrid shares slipped 0.8%. The FTSE 100 recovered from early falls to end flat.

It followed a fall on Asian stock markets after US

President Donald Trump's decision on Friday to impose 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese goods.

China retaliated, saying it would impose an additional 25% tariff on more than 600 US products worth $50bn.

There were no signs of the trade row easing on Monday, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling China's trade practices "predatory economics 101".

In remarks to the Detroit Economic Club, he said statements by Beijing in recent weeks that it was moving to open its economy were "a joke".

Earlier, Japan's Nikkei

had closed 0.8% lower on Monday, while South Korean shares fell 1.1% and other Asian markets also declined.

However, stock markets in China and Hong Kong were closed for a public holiday.

"Tensions between the US and China are escalating, and we are not any closer to an agreement being reached.

With neither side willing to back down, investors are caught in the middle," said David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets.

Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR in New York, said: "The trade war is definitely on the front

burner right now, and will continue to be in the absence of news catalysts and unless something substantially changes."

European investors are also wary of political factors in Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel has clashed with leaders of her coalition ally in Bavaria, the CSU, over her refugee policy.

"With the US-China trade war already creating an uncomfortable trading atmosphere, the brewing political tension between long-time allies the CDU and CSU in Germany has caused some bloody losses in

the eurozone," said Connor Campbell, financial analyst at SpreadEx. Sterling continued to struggle, trading against the dollar at $1.3241 - close to the seven-month low of $1.3205 hit late last month.

The pound has fallen 8% since mid-April as traders become less confident that the Bank of England will follow the US Federal Reserve by raising interest rates in August.

Oil prices gained ground after earlier falls, with Brent crude up more than $1 to $74.50 a barrel despite suggestions that Opec would increase production later

this year.

Countries in the oil-producing cartel led by Saudi Arabia - along with other big producers including Russia will meet in Vienna later this week. Both countries want to boost output.

Commerzbank commodities analyst Carsten Fritsch said: "That production will be increased in the second half of the year is considered certain - the only question is by how much."

Goldman Sachs expected Opec and Russian output to rise by 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2018. (BBC)

Trump threatens China with more tariffs US President Donald Trump has threatened to levy a 10% tariff on $200bn (ÂŁ151bn) of Chinese goods in a tit-for-tat trade row with Beijing.

Mr Trump said he asked trade advisers to identify additional Chinese products on which to impose new tariffs.

Last week Mr Trump announced the US would impose 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese goods.

Beijing responded by saying it would hit 659 US goods worth $50bn with a similar tax.

The US president released a statement on Monday night saying "these tariffs will go into effect if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced".

"If China increases its tariffs yet again, we will meet that action by pursuing additional tariffs on another $200 billion of goods. The trade relationship between the United States and China must be much more equitable," he said.

Earlier on Monday, stock markets fell amid fears of further deterioration of US-China trade relations.

The Chinese product lines that have been hit range from aircraft tyres to turbines and commercial dishwashers.

In response, China announced tariffs on $34bn of US goods including agricultural products, cars and marine products which will also take effect from 6 July.

Tariffs on other US goods will be announced at a later date, the Xinhua

news agency reported.

US tariffs that affect more than 800 Chinese

products worth $34bn in annual trade are due to come into effect on 6 July.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

Marketing our tourism products ANYONE who follows international news online will note that news websites, in particular the most reputable ones, will often feature advertisements from various luxury companies. This, one can imagine, is largely due to the hefty price tags such billing must surely attract, reaching audiences the world over as they do.

This background explains what was so surprising about the numerous recent advertisements on CNN’s website for the Parintins Folklore Festival, billed as the second largest festival in Brazil, only surpassed of course by the infamous Rio de Janeiro Carnival.

That the Brazilian authorities were both willing and able to afford this sort of widespread coverage speaks volumes about that country’s commitment to tourism. Even further, it also yields insights Guyana can learn from regarding marketing local cultural events internationally. The Guyana Carnival, the newest addition to local festivities, certainly performed reasonably well but it was clearly aiming at Guyanese locally and abroad, if the attendees of events are any indication.

That Brazil’s advertisements were promoted on such a broad platform as the CNN website, however, is strongly indicative of a more general and larger scale approach to

tourism. This echoes Guyana’s own challenges at attracting unique visitors to the country, rather than just locals who currently reside abroad. While there are certainly sizeable numbers to draw from in the United States, Canada and Britain, this is nonetheless a finite pool, whose interactions locally are likely to be limited and specific to a certain type of experience.

Getting the tourists who are truly adventurous to travel here is much the same, as the challenge the Brazilians face in getting tourists to travel all the way to the relatively remote Amazon town hosting the Parintins Folklore Festival. And so, the question we must now ask, and really have always needed to ask, is how to market Guyana effectively outside of our core tourist group. Is focused online advertising like Brazil’s the best approach for us?

Even further, observers of international tourism news will note the Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s efforts to promote that country by donating to the English Premier League club Arsenal. While certainly attracting much attention to tourism to Rwanda, and perhaps therefore satisfying its objective, the donation has stirred a great deal of controversy given the Rwandan regime benefits from aid from the United Kingdom, and that this money could arguably be put

toward the African country’s more pressing needs. Merely attracting attention, therefore, is far from a full solution.

Perhaps a better way to think about tourism is neither through large specific donations nor, expensive broad spectrum advertisements. Wealthy United States cities, as an example, where Guyanese reside can provide a concrete population to target with more specific advertisements.

These should be supported by a drive to have our own Guyanese abroad advocate for domestic tourism, generating and reinforcing marketing between word of mouth and advertising within the cities. Further, this approach’s success is quite measurable, as a record of the home address of visitors is available through multiple avenues.

Learning from our Brazilian neighbours should certainly help move local tourism in the right direction, even though directly copying other nations might not be the best fit, as Rwanda seems to demonstrate. Nonetheless, a strategy that targets a specific population, and is measurable and accountable, must surely be worth an attempt. And, as with any new attempt, if it is successful it can be expanded and mirrored, and if not, easily and painlessly reversed.

Congratulations to the police

Dear Editor,

I READ with much pleasure in the print media that 21 members of the Guyana Police Force, ranging from the rank of constables to deputy superintendents, recently successfully completed a three months training course in leadership. According to the media the course was sponsored by the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Programme.

Ms. Alexandra King, Political and Economic Chief at the United States of America Embassy in Guyana; David Ramnarine, Commissioner of Police (ag); and Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security addressed the graduants at the graduation.

They all raised some apposite issues and concerns.

The report stated that Ms.

Alexandra King called on the participants to share what they have learnt in the last three months with their colleagues in an effort to bring positive change among them. The acting top cop cautioned the ranks to put what they have been taught into good use, and to use the knowledge and skills for the good, as the force is increasingly under the microscope.

The honourable minister urged the ranks not to be vessels to be filled, but rather as lamps to be lit and shine. He posited that many times he noticed that nice programmes come and that when the players leave, the passion and so on die. He yearned for people who will ensure that it flows from there. Training in the Guyana Police Force is a sine qua non. It is the lifeblood of the organisation. It is the main root of

development in the GPF. Other sectors even though very important are but the branches of the tree. Cut the main root and the tree dies.

The police have boasted and quite rightly so of exposing hundreds of their ranks to training conducted by the police themselves; at the University of Guyana and other institutions of learning; done locally by overseas facilitators from the ABC and other countries as was the case of the just-concluded leadership training under review; and training overseas. These training inputs although commendable invite many unanswered questions: How do the police identify training needs?

Does the training satisfy the needs of the GPF? Are there benefits for the individuals officers? Are there benefits for the supervisors/ manag-

ers? Are there benefits for the department, the community they serve and the country as a whole? Or is it that history will record that an innumerable number of police ranks were exposed to some kind of training and nothing else happened?

According to Alice in Wonderland, if you do not know where you are going any road will take you there. Sometime ago I wrote that the ideal thing for the police to do is to conduct a Job Task Analysis countrywide, to identify training needs as it relates to a vastly changing and dynamic environment they are now required to serve and protect. The process is a time consuming and expensive exercise, but it is indispensable. However, in the interim there are other areas the police can be guided by to identify

training needs. Space does not allow me to go into greater details but I had outlined several areas in an article in the last edition of the Guyana Review.

In addition, there must be a fit and proper system in place to evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of the police training. It is imperative that the training activities be evaluated.

Bumgarner (2001) suggests, " In doing full-fledge training evaluation, favourable evaluation results can be used to demonstrate the usefulness of training and the appropriateness of expending training dollars."

The Kirkpatrick Model of training evaluation can be very instructive. It has four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. The reaction level focuses on the participants’ perception of the training.

This is the most common type of evaluation.

The learning level focuses on the knowledge or skills required, ideally through a pre and post test. The behaviour level looks at whether or not the knowledge or skills is actually applied to the job by observing the participants use what was learnt. The results level focuses on the department's return on investment or cost benefits analysis, for example cost savings, increase in work output or quality. Bumgarner recommends, "For criminal justice managers to know that the organisation has truly benefitted through the training of its employees, all four levels should be examined."

Regards Clinton Conway

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

There are those who want to see this country balkanised

Dear Mr. Editor,

THE headline blazoned on the first page of the Kaieteur News edition of Friday June 15, 2018 proclaiming thusly: “GECOM hiring policy concerns not about race, but fairness.”

Those are the words of Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition.

The Leader of the Opposition adumbrated the same concerns as I have, perhaps more elegantly, hence this letter to the editor. No, I am not accusing the leader of larceny of my idea but rather I do applaud him for having

the courage and indeed gonads to enunciate a principled position.

To advocate for the contrary by promoting ethnicity before ability and subjugation for suitability, or any other platitude is to coronate ethnicity king of this domain, ordained by the crown prince Institutional Racism. It would be maladroit and explosively dangerous to enunciate otherwise. The following came to me from a FACEBOOK follower.

“Lest we forget this was the ethnic make-up of GECOM in 1999 Senior Managers 1999

Doodnauth Singh – Chairman Stanley Singh – CEO Gocool Boodoo – ACEO Administration Albert Ramsaroop – Chief Accountant Arnold Depoo – Advisor to IT Department Arun Mangar – IT Manager Totaram Mohabir – Manager GECOM Stores and Purchasing.

On the face of it these gentlemen appear to be from one common ethnicity. A few conclusions follow. My first impression was that my friend “Dood” (the Chair-

man), must have had a very fertile catchment area from which to choose his team hence the apparent racial imbalance. I have the honour of sustaining that tradition.

Today there are those who are crying ‘foul,’ ‘unfair’ ‘we wuz robbed’ merely because the Chairman of GECOM gave his casting vote in hiring a senior manager “…not about race, but fairness” as per Dr. Jagdeo.

This is the system that was in place for decades. I challenge anyone to dispute my claim that GECOM is the best run bureaucracy in Guyana. I suppose my good friend Mr.

Movie Towne: More questions Dear Editor, FIRST off let me correct Mr. Dereck Chin, the Government did not build my road, we took a dam, and build it into what it is now, at a cost of over GY$ 400,000,000, four hundred million of our own money, this includes, sidewalk, drainage, and street lighting along with a bus shed.

Our Government was kind enough to apply a thin asphalt top on our finished road, Mr. Eddie Boyer whose housing development has fought and won the rights to make full use of our roadway access, instead of developing his own, knows better and should have advised him so. Also for Mr. Chin’s information, roads, sewerage,

fiber optic cables, sanitation and all amenities have been paid for, and to date are being maintained by Giftland, and we are not harassing the Government for services that would put a strain on our already overtaxed infrastructure. Mr. Chin as an overseas Guyanese should be cognisant of these facts.

Recent disclosures have raised many questions which would be enlightening to know.

1- GRA has stated that there is a breach of China Harbour contract and they have misused their concessions and duty-free equipment to supply these to Movie Towne. Isn’t this fraud on the government, if concessions were granted for the airport then

how can the materials and equipment end up at Movie Towne? It is in the public’s interest to have a detailed list of these and what fines are being charged for this attempt to rob the country of revenue, knowing that this act was illegal. Was Movie Towne also complicit in this arrangement, a thorough investigation by the C.I.D is required here to determine intent.

2- Mr. GRA, Commissioner Godfrey Statia mentions that equipment that was used illegally on MT would be paid for later after MT opens. Can Mr. Statia share with us how this will be done, having paid all my duties and Vat upfront and now finding that there was

fraud to supply MT. I would be very interested to know what fines are being levied, as it now stands that MT is getting credit on duties and Vat which we paid up front.

3- Mr. Statia mentions that “equipment “was used

by China Harbour on the MT project, he does not mention materials. Having paid hefty

Doodnauth Singh is turning in his grave right now at the concerted efforts of those who would wish to undo his good work.

Democracy and free and fair elections are conjoined Siamese twins and the sine qua non of any stable democracy. There are those who want to see this country balkanised.

Their modus operandi is to sow seeds of discord and division. I urge you, nay I adjure you to keep a safe antiseptic distance from such counterfeits. We are abiding in an environment where truth is distorted and

integrity is put in a blind trust pending its ultimate evacuation from polite society. To those who would continue in the mirage of fake news be warned that there is that possibility that you may be taken to your ultimate destination elsewhere by a murder of crows.

duties and Vat on all my imports not related to the cinema component, I would be grateful for the proof that cement, steel, escalators, elevators, glass, shop fronts, doors, washroom, electrical, plumbing and all other items which we paid duty for, including our generation sets were equally duty paid by China Harbour and MT, as it appears that China Harbor worked at that time period with inbuilt duty free, it would be reasonable to

surmise that this would have applied to these other items as well, having shown that they already done this with “equipment for MT” The Giftland Group is opened for competition of whatever kind as long as the playing field remains level, this is all we are requesting.

Regards Justice (Ret'd) James Patterson Chairman Guyana Elections Commission

Regards Roy Beepat Chairman Giftland Group

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

Magistrate orders counselling for murder accused CHIEF Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday ordered that 28-year-old Melissa Cylus, who is accused of strangling her husband to death, undergo counselling for anxiety disorder.

Cylus, who is six months pregnant was charged last month with manslaughter and was released on $200,000 bail for the indictable offence. It was alleged that on May 13, 2018 at Lot 14 Soesdyke Back Road, East Bank Demerara, Cylus unlawfully killed her reputed husband, 32-year-old Julian Anthony Reberio.

However, when the matter was recalled on Monday before the chief magistrate, it was disclosed by Police Prosecutor Inspector Neville

Jeffers that the post mortem report was still outstanding and he requested a threeweek adjournment.

The magistrate adjourned the matter until July 4 and assigned Cylus to a probation officer to be counselled for anxiety disorder.

Cylus had told investigators that her reputed husband went home intoxicated and fell in the house. As a result, she said she rushed him to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he died.

In another statement she said she tried waking him up but he was unresponsive. But what raised eyebrows and blew the case wide open, were the findings of an autopsy done by Government Pathologist Dr. Ne-

Melissa Cylus

haul Singh, in which it was found that the victim died of asphyxiation caused by compression injuries to the neck… in other words death by strangulation. There was no head injury listed on the

autopsy report.

After hours of interrogation at the Timehri Police Station, Cylus reportedly said that she and Rebeiro got into an argument and in anger she strangled him.

Four years’ jail for possession of drugs

A FATHER of four was Monday sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Magistrate Judy Latchman for possession of marijuana.

The charge stated that on June 14, 2018 at 135 King Edward Street, Albouystown, Kevin Clarke had in his possession 184 grammes of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

The 35-year-old, unemployed man pleaded guilty to the charge that was read out to him in the court.

The police prosecutor said on that June 14, 2018 cops from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on information, went to the defendant’s home where a search was carried out in the defendant’s room and the police came across a haversack in a clothes barrel.

A big plastic bag with small transparent bags containing stems and leaves which was

suspected to be narcotics was found.

At the time of the search the defendant’s step-daughter was at home. When the search was conducted in her presence and the said narcotics were shown to her, the step-daughter told the police that the marijuana belonged to her step-father who was not at home at the time. He was later arrested and in a caution statement admitted that the narcotics belonged to him.

Before sentence was passed, a tearful Clarke told the court that it was his first offence and that he did it to provide for his children after his work contract had expired. He said he was a good father and expressed his deep regret.

After listening to his plea, the magistrate sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment along with a $30,000 fine.

Fathers are the foundation of the family Dear Editor, FATHERS all over the world were honoured on Sunday June 17th, which was a very special day for fathers. Let me give a brief history pertaining to Father’s Day which I believe would be of great interest to readers.

Sonora Dodd, of Washington first had the idea of ‘Father’s Day’. She thought of the idea of Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924 supported the idea of a National Father’s Day. Then in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

Father’s Day has been a very old tradition since the beginning of time. About 4000 years ago, a young boy named Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health and long life by carving a father’s day message on a card made out of clay. No one knows what happened to Elmusu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day honouring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.

The fifth commandment in the Bible is: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the

land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Exodus 20:12) The word father in Hebrew is ‘Abba’ meaning father along with the following definitions in Hebrew for father: “source, sustainer, nourisher, supporter, foundation of that which comes out”. From this Hebrew definition we can surely say that the father is the source and foundation of the family. The family is something very sacred before the eyes of God, and must not be taken for granted as many do today in ‘live home & common law relationships’.

We cannot separate the father from the mother or separate the husband from the wife. Marriage is a very sacred institution ordained by God since the beginning of time. God created marriage to be an expression of himself.

When God created marriage he created it absolutely perfect. Man failed God because of sin. Man is really and truly the spiritual foundation of the family.

The first man created by God, Adam, was fathered and mentored by God himself.

When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, God came down in the garden and called for Adam not the woman Eve. That was because God gave instructions to Adam and not his wife Eve. Because of the sin of disobedience since the beginning of time man died spiritually, physically, and

eternally. Adam died spiritually because he was expelled from the presence of God, he died physically because of disobedience to God, and he died eternally by being separated from God eternally.

Today we have seen a great moral breakdown in the home and family. We have seen domestic violence caused by so many drunken and immoral fathers. We have seen family separation where husbands and wives are going their separate ways.

Divorce and more divorce every day, child abuse by parents, poverty, and separation of children from parents.

Why all these social ills?

It’s because men have turned their backs on God. They have failed to take up their responsibility as a father who is the source and foundation of their family income. A woman is not looking for a sex champion to be a husband. She is looking for a father in her husband, the source and sustainer of her financial and emotional needs. A true father doesn’t only just produce; he sustains, protects, nourishes, loves and supports.

No marriage becomes great if either the husband or the wife is nothing but a taker. Great marriages are built by great givers. Both partners have to learn how to truly love one another according to Holy Scriptures. When you get married you don’t automatically live happily

ever after.

In fact, if you and your spouse refuse to change wrong attitudes after you get married, you won’t live happily for two hours. Marriage is supposed to be a covenant relationship in which two people learn how to complement each other. This kind of marriage is achieved when both marriage partners maintain a sense of love and compassion for one another.

Husbands need to show their wives that they are important, they must show them that they care and concern for them as well as their children. Wives need to be loved not beaten and abused. Our wives need to be loved. They need to be cared for. They need to be given security and closeness without sex. The driving force in a marriage is not sex, that’s why most marriages failed.

Love and affection and sex will work together.

Wives need conversation from their husbands. When a married couple is continually conversing with each other, they are forming a closer bond between them.

That should always be their goal, because God did not call them to live two separate lives in one house.

The father’s role as well as the wife is:’ “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 21:6). The word ‘train’ in this verse of scripture means to

instruct, educate, discipline, etc. Every father should remember that one day his children will follow his example.

Parents are teachers of their children. When I see a child ‘cussing’, I realise he learnt to cuss from his parents. I read a quotation by Anne Geddes: “Any man can be a father but it takes a special person to be called dad”.

That is quite an interesting quotation because there are so many running fathers in the world today. It takes a special person to be called dad. I feel very special when I go shopping with my wife and children. My children see me as their financial source.

My daughter can pick up a lot of stuff in a supermarket when we are shopping and just have to say ‘daddy will pay for it’. It’s because she has her trust and confidence in me as her father, nourisher and sustainer. William Shakespeare wrote: “’It is a wise father that knows his own child”. A father will only know his child when he takes on the responsibility to care for that child.

Father’s Day was a very sad day for many fathers because they really don’t know their children. They did not get love and affection from their children because they had deserted them from a very tender age.

Some fathers were blessed by their Heavenly Father because they have taken up their responsibility to care for

their family. The true essence of fatherhood is for fathers to take up the leading role in their homes because they are the foundation of their families. Bad fathers will produce bad children and bad children will create a bad society and bad societies will create a deplorable country, all because of poor fathers who are the foundation of their families.

I am very happy when I stand on my church stage looking at fathers coming into the house of God with their wives and children.

If every father would attend church regularly and involve with their priests and religious leaders in church activities we would have a more morally upright society and stronger family values. Modern psychologists have proven that children that came from good families are the brightest in schools; they also discovered that children that came from broken homes perform badly at schools. It’s about time our fathers of this country start leading their families and become better role models for their children.

I realise that I am getting old because I begin to look just like my father. May God bless all our fathers in Guyana? My prayers are with you.

Regards Gideon Cecil

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Murder convict slams jury, appeals to God A MAN convicted of murder on Monday at the Berbice High Court has criticised the jury’s decision and is instead asking God to be the judge, after declaring that because he is poor, the court had ruled against him.

Justice Brassington Reynolds on Monday ordered a probation report on the background of the convict, Stafford Harry, called Bilall, after a 12-member jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict against him.

Sentencing has been deferred to July 3.

Harry had been on the run for five years, having fled to Suriname following the March 28, 2010 murder of New Amsterdam Market vendor Hasrat Samaroo, called Watermelon.

In 2015, Troy Holligan and Ojay Gourie, who were initially indicted for Samaroo’s murder were freed after the judge upheld a “no-case submission”, and directed the mixed jury

Deceased: New Amsterdam Market vendor Hasrat Samaroo

Convicted murderer: Stafford Harry. called ‘Belall’

to return a verdict of “not guilty” in the men’s favour.

They were represented by Attorney-at-law Peter Hugh, who is now a Magistrate.

However, at Monday’s hearing, there was a deafening silence before the convicted Harry erupted in mournful wails, proclaiming his innocence and blaming his poverty for such a verdict.

“I am innocent! I am

innocent!” he wailed. “Is because I have no money for a top lawyer, the jury finds me guilty while I am innocent.

“How can I live my life!

I do hope that none of the jurors have children who may have to face the courts, and they are found guilty when they are innocent!

“The Samaroo family lie on me! This same jury went to the scene of the crime and whilst there they

say Samaroo wife lie; now they saying me guilty! God! Wheh yuh deh!”

Recreating the scene for the benefit of the court, State Prosecutrix Tuanna Hardy in her opening address said that it was around 19:00hrs on the evening of March 27, 2010 that Samaroo and his wife, Kumarie, were at their home at Hampshire Village, Corentyne.

Hansraj was watching television in the living room in the upper flat of the two-storey building, Hardy said, whilst his wife was cooking in the kitchen downstairs.

The lights were on in the house, and as Kumarie was cooking, she was confronted by a man with a gun.

And as Kumarie called out to her husband, the man with the gun quickly mounted the inner stairs to get to him before he could come down, and no sooner had he done that than she heard what sounded like a gunshot.

Staying with the story, Hardy said when Kumarie went upstairs to see what was going on, she saw the said man with the gun and her husband standing there bleeding from his groin.

Kumarie also saw two other men, Hardy and they, too, were armed with what appeared to be guns. She was relieved of a total of G$600,000 and US$1500 which she had in her wardrobe, and the five gold bangles and five gold finger rings valued $400,000 which she had on her person.

According to the State Prosecutrix, the post mortem report revealed that Samaroo’s death was consistent with his injury, as among other things, he died of a laceration of the femoral artery. What was interesting however, was that no mention was made of a gunshot injury.

Another witness, one Detective Sergeant Lawrence Thomas, in his evidence in chief, recalled

that whilst being stationed at the Whim Police Station on September 2, 2015, he contacted the accused who was in custody, having been earlier deported from Suriname.

And he said that when the allegation of murder was put to Harry under caution, he denied killing Samaroo. Thomas recalled, too, that after Samaroo was killed, checks were made for Harry but reports had revealed that he had vacated the area.

Responding to a certain line of questioning by Legal Aid Defence Counsel Sasha Roberts, the detective said the accused did not tell him that he was working with his brothers, Dwayne Ridley and Sherwin Terrence, in neighbouring Suriname.

Further, Thomas said he did not cause a confrontation between the accused and the Samaroos, and that neither was an identification parade held or did anyone point out the accused as the person who committed the crime.

PAC asks Finance Secretary to investigate Region 5 – as region gets higher value of drug procurement documents drugs than they warranted THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked Finance Secretary Hector Butts, to examine the drug procurement documents submitted by the regional administration of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), given that the region received a higher value of medical drugs than what was warranted from the Ministry of Public Health.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) of the region, Ovid Morrison, in response to questions during a PAC meeting on Monday, said the region had warranted $135 million for drugs in 2016 but received $154 million instead.

Morrison admitted that he did not enquire why they received a higher value in drugs but directed the PAC to the ministry for answers.

After almost an hour of back and forth between the PAC and the region, PAC Chairman Irfan Ali, after consulting with the advisors and members of the body

Members of PAC and its advisors consult with the Chairman of the Committee, Irfan Ali before a decision was taken on Monday. (Adrian Narine photo)

REO of Region Five Ovid Morrison, responding to questions during the PAC meeting on Monday (Adrian Narine photo)

decided that the Finance Secretary will examine the facts surrounding the issue and take necessary administrative actions that are provided for under the law.

“We sent this region away before for specific issues, and asked the Finance

Secretary, the Auditor General and Accountant General to do specific things and after a meeting with the REO, the Accountant General had indicated to the region what must be done and it has not been done,” said Ali. In addition, the Auditor

General Deodat Sharma had written a letter to the REO on May 22, 2018, asking for information to be submitted for auditing purposes, but the AG was denied access to the information.

“You were sent away to get the information after consultation with the PAC ,but we are of the view that you have not made any attempt to correct your ways or to be prepared for us,” the chairman lamented.

He expressed the PAC’s

dissatisfaction in the response from, and performance of the region but noted that the committee would not be able to continue the examination of the region until the finance Secretary completes his task.

“I can’t say it wasn’t a decision that the Chairman is aware of, since the letter he referred to was seeking documentation for audit for the year 2017; as a result I had requested that they give me time for the document to be submitted,” said the REO

on the sideline of the PAC meeting.

Morrison said he had written to the Auditor General, informing him that the document would be submitted by June 15, 2018 and it was done.

Asked if he was dissatisfied with the decision of the PAC, he said that he has respect for the committee and would not comment unless he is certain that the right information was filtered to the PAC.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Cabinet to decide on changes to plan

– for new Demerara River Bridge

POSSIBLE modifications to the design of the new Demerara River Bridge is to be considered by Cabinet before a decision is made on the way forward, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson told the Guyana Chronicle Monday.

Patterson explained that a report on the proposed

modifications to the new bridge has been prepared for Cabinet’s consideration.

“No formal decision has been arrived at presently, since this has to be a decision of Cabinet,” he said.

“A report has been prepared for their consideration, however, a sub-committee having reviewed the sub-

mission has recommended an enhancement, based on the excellent response from the bidders of two types of options,” he said in response to questions from the Guyana Chronicle.

The minister offered no other comment on the matter.

“That’s all I will say until Cabinet has taken a final de-

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson

cision,” he said.

On Monday, Stabroek News, in an article headlined “Enhanced bridge over Demerara River likely: Source” disclosed that an upgrade is expected for the planned New Demerara River Bridge.

According to that article, a four-lane bridge is being considered.

Last year, preliminary findings for the first phase of the feasibility study for a new Demerara River Bridge indicated that a three-lane design is up for deliberation, since it would ease traffic flow in the area. Lievense CSO conducted the feasibility study for the new Demerara River Bridge and according to Lievense CSO Traffic Expert, Jacqueline Mouws, though a

two-lane option would be cheaper, it would result in similar traffic congestion currently faced with the existing Demerara Harbour Bridge.

She said that if one of the lane becomes inoperable, then there will be a heavy buildup of traffic in the area.

The Traffic expert was at the time speaking at a consultation on the feasibility study at the Pegasus Hotel. She explained that with a four-lane bridge, there would be two lanes in different directions, which would provide more capacity.

However, the amount of traffic that would travel with the four-lane structure would be too much for the road network, which would also lead to traffic snags.

As such, Mouws said, “On a three-lane bridge, you would have the option to do the double-lane opening that you do now, but still make it possible for people to do the counter flow so you would have the same system as now; you would have a doublelane opening.

“It’s just that because you don’t have to stop the traffic on the other side, they can still drive over in the morning from the East Bank to the West Bank, and you wouldn’t get the block-up that you have now at the entrance of the bridge.”

The estimated traffic flow on the three-lane bridge includes two lanes going from West Bank Demerara

(WBD) to East Bank Demerara (EBD) in the morning, and one lane going from EBD to WBD. In the evening, there will be two lanes going from EBD to WBD, and one lane going back from WBD to EBD. In the event of an emergency, there would still be more capacity to facilitate the traffic flow, Mouws said.

In 2013, the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), in collaboration with the Central Transport Planning Unit of the then Ministry of Public Works, conducted a pre-feasibility study. That study concluded that a fixed high-level bridge was the best option to pursue.

The proposed Demerara River Bridge is approximately 2 kilometers north of the existing floating bridge, spanning from Houston on the eastern bank of the Demerara River to Versailles on the western bank of the Demerara River.

The proposed bridge will be an essential part of the road network, and will also have a significant impact on marine traffic passing under it.

The project will see the construction of an approximately 1,500m long fixed bridge with a movable span, and two approach roads of a total length of 600m. It is envisaged that the project will commence this year, and will be completed in 2020.

Farmer to lead defence in death by dangerous driving charge Sixty-seven-year-old rice farmer, Cromwell McDonald is expected to lead his defence on the charge for dangerous driving, after Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman found that a prima facie case was made out against him.

McDonald was initially charged for driving motor vehicle PHH 5516 in a dangerous manner, thus causing the death of Narine Persaud on October 28, 2017 at

Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

However, on Monday the magistrate ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charge of causing the death by dangerous driving, but that there was evidence for him to lead a defence in the case of dangerous driving. The matter is adjourned until June 20.

McDonald, meanwhile, indicated to the court that he

would be calling his daughter as a key witness during his defence.

According to reports, on the day in question McDonald was driving along the Grove Public Road, when it is alleged that he swerved from a motor lorry that was in his pathway and collided with Persaud who was standing at the side of the road.

The accused is out on $400,000 bail.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Vishnu denies misrepresenting qualifications – says masters obtained from accredited British university

FORMER Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Vishnu Persaud has refuted allegations that he misrepresented his qualifications while employed at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

He’s also rubbished claims that he received a Masters in Elections Management from the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) or any other affiliated institution.

In a letter to the editor published in Saturday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, Persaud said, “I read for, and was awarded, a Masters of Business Administration by the Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom.”

On June 15, 2018, the Guyana Chronicle, in an article titled “Vishnu obtained Masters from a Training Centre”, eroneously noted that Persaud’s Masters is a combination of elections-related training courses which he obtained from the ICPS and not an accredited university. **The error, for which the Guyana Chronicle sincerely apologises, was based on information provided the Guyana Chronicle by a source at GECOM, and elicited an immediate response from Persaud.

“This is an outrageous, malicious and outright lie, which is obviously aimed at discrediting my suitability for the position in question.

I do not have, and I never claimed to have, a Masters in Elections Management from the ICPS or any other Institution,” the former DCEO said in his letter to the editor.

On Tuesday last, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (ret’d) James Patterson used his casting vote to reject the hiring of Persaud, an act which the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has deemed to be discriminatory.

One day later, longstanding GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle that Persaud was rejected on the grounds of his past performance, his history of misrepresenting his qualifications to the Commission, and the fact that Roxanne Myers, the second-ranked candidate for the post had “better qualifications” than

Alexander assured this publication that Persaud’s “past performance” came into question.

He said, too, that in the case of Persaud, his Master’s Degree average stands at ‘D’, while Myers’ stands at B+. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Former GECOM DCEO, Vishnu Persaud

he.

THREE-THREE SPLIT Alexander said that Justice Patterson’s decision arose because three commissioners supported Persaud’s appointment, while the other three supported the appointment of Myers.

“It was left up to the Chairman to cast his vote, and he casted his vote in favour of Myers,” Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle.

He, however, conceded that Persaud did have the highest average score among the interviewees, but sought to explain the interviewing process.

The interviewers were Opposition Commissioners Bibi Shadick and Robeson Benn, while Alexander and Desmond Trotman represented the government. A recommendation was not made as to whom to appoint to the post, given that there was a split in votes. Initially, on the sub-committee, there was a two-two split, and when the matter was placed before the Commission, there was a three-three split therefore leaving it up to the Chairman to cast his vote.

“He [Justice Patterson] objected to Vishnu based on past performance, based on the other candidate having better qualifications and based on the history of misrepresentation of qualifications to the Commission,” Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle.

He also acknowledged that both Persaud and Myers are the holders of Masters Degrees.

The PPP has described the former DCEO as eminently qualified for the post and a person who has an unblemished record, but

BETTER QUALIFIED But Saturday, Persaud said the notion that Myers has better qualifications than he was uttered without a comparison of the qualifications on the two candidates in relation to the criteria outlined in the advertisement for the post of DCEO. He explained that the Commission asked for candidates to be holders of a post-graduate degree.

Said he: “It is confirmed that both of the concerned candidates have Master’s Degrees. I have a Master’s in Business Administration from the Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom.”

And in the area of qualification in Elections Management, Persaud said he holds a Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership, with specific expertise in electoral processes. This certificate was issued by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – UK through the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) in the UK. “This is a successor qualification to the Professional Certificate in Electoral Processes which is conducted by the ICPS and in which I participated in London, UK. The Level 5 Certificate is equivalent to Higher National Diplomas (HND) in the U,” Persaud explained.

He said, too, that he attended two Commonwealth Secretariat one-week training courses in Elections Management in New Delhi, India, and in Kingston, Jamaica respectively.

And as it relates to experience in the management of national elections, Persaud sought to remind his detractors that he was the substantive DCEO for three years, with responsibility for Operations, during which the 2015 General and Regional Elections and 2016 Local Government Elections were conducted.

“It is important to re-

mind here that I also carried the full responsibilities of C&VE, and Human Resources to a lesser extent, during my tenure as DCEO. Also, I beg to submit that all of the responsibilities as described above speak to my knowledge experi-

ence in electoral processes,” Persaud said in his missive, while noting that he has excellent oral and written communication skills.

He also holds a Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and served over

12 years as GECOM’s Public Relations Officer.

Given the aforementioned, Persaud has called for the “facts be put forward to prove that the “other candidate has better qualifications”.

Turn to page 13 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

NGOs making inroads on suicide prevention ...several centres set up countrywide in EU-funded project

By Svetlana Marshall YOUTH Challenge Guyana (YCG) and its partners Merundoi and Family Awareness Consciousness Togetherness (FACT), are making steady progress in improving access to mental health and emotional wellness services in Guyana under their joint civil society European Union (EU) funded project.

The 463,000 Euros project is designed to increase the number of protective services accessible to people at risk of suicide through a collaborative network. In providing Guyana Chronicle with a progress report, Executive Director of Youth Challenge Guyana, Dmitri Nicholson, said since the signing of the multimillion-dollar agreement in February, 2017, 11 counseling sites have been established within key organisations in Region Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10. There are two Hope for All counseling sites in Region Two; Exceptional Centre for Children and Youth in Region Three; Monique’s Caring Hand and Merundoi in Region

Four, United Bricklayers in Regions Five and Six; Comforting Hearts, Mibicuri Community Developers and FACT in Region Six; and Linden Care Foundation in Region 10. Youth Challenge Guyana offers much needed support to the counselors who are dispatched to the 11 organisations.

According to Nicholson, since the launch of the project in 2017, the response to the services provided has been promising, with trained counselors not only assisting persons who are prone to suicide but also those experiencing emotional distress as a result of domestic issues and other related matters.

For 2017, over 1000 persons were counseled under the project, the majority of them completing at least three sessions. “We have thwarted maybe 12 to 15 attempted suicides, because not all self-harm is considered suicide but we would have had maybe like 50 selfharm cases where we intervened,” the YCG Executive Director told this newspaper.

It was further explained, that many of the clients that accessed counseling with-

Executive Director of Youth Challenge Guyana Dmitri Nicholson

in the identified regions, do so through the Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Prevention Help Line. The help lines are operational 24/7 and include 223-0818, 223-0009, 223-0001, 600-7896 and 623-4444.

“The help line is primary number that is promoted for our counselors. Persons who have emotional distress or suicidal thoughts or persons who have attempted suicide,

can call the help line, and the help line will refer them to one of our counselors,” Nicholson said, while noting that the help line is the link between the clients and the counselors. The Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Prevention Help Line has been working closely with Youth Challenge Guyana since March 2017 on the project.

Though more persons are now receiving counseling, Nicholson said counseling is still very much taboo in the country, and the next phase of the project, which will be rolled out by Merundoi, will tackle just that by promoting behavioral change. Merundoi will be producing a number of television serials raising much needed awareness about counseling and its usefulness in tackling some of the issues faced by persons in today’s society.

“We want people to know that it is ok to get counseling,” he told this newspaper, while underscoring the importance of removing that perception that counseling is for the weak.

“We have created an image where people who go to

counseling may be weak and fragile, but we are trying to change that image because professionals go to counseling as well, and yes, you can talk to people in your community but if they don’t have the skills, if they don’t have the kind of tools, they could only talk, but with a counselor you might be able to get some tools on how to cope, how to manage yourself and improve your own self-awareness,” Nicholson said.

He assured that the counselors under the project have received the necessary training to provide the required service.

“Most of the counselors that we have are persons who have been working in the NGO environment for a very long time, so they understand community mobilisation. They understand the communities in which their organisations are functioning, they understand the people who they are interacting with on many of the occasions, so they have quite an adept grasp of the issues,” he explained.

Many of the counselors underwent a number of train-

ing programmes in the area of counseling, some of whom gained valuable experience under HIV Prevention Counseling Programmes. Additionally, there are quality control mechanisms in place to ensure persons utilizing the services under the project receive the best. In some cases, clients are referred to Government institutions specialized in areas of interest.

Turning his attention to FACT – a non-governmental organisation – based in Region Six, the YCG Executive Director said the organisation plays a key role, noting that when they were writing for the project in 2016, suicide was prevalent in the Region Six, in addition to domestic abuse.

“Because FACT has the tools and the reach, FACT is the partner that helps us to understand and navigate that region, so it has also cultural peculiarities, that ‘me’ as a city person might not understand,” he explained.

At the end of the project in 2020, it is expected that at least 3000 persons in the age range of 14 to 45 years would have benefited from counseling.

$320M submersible dredge pump to fast-track drainage THE National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will now be able to drastically increase and improve its drainage capacity with the acquisition of a new submersible dredge pump.

The pump was procured at a cost of GY $320M and will be mechanically commissioned and fully functioning shortly. Chief Executive Officer of NDIA, Fredrick Flatts, said that the dredge will aid greatly, the authority’s drainage operations.

“Currently, NDIA has three pontoons, each having two excavators but they are no longer sufficient to cater to the drainage needs. This dredge will be moving from one outfall channel to another and was designed to be far more efficient since it can move to the outfall channels in a shorter period of time.” Flatts said.

The submersible dredge pump consists of a highly efficient and compact dredge pump, powered by a hydraulic motor via a gearbox and mounted in a protective casing. The main component of

The fully-equiped dredge

this versatile dredge tool is a highly efficient and compact dredge pump with a large spherical passage to allow relatively large objects to pass. Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder, indicated that the addition of the dredge to the drainage process comes at a time when government is placing greater emphasis on managing the country’s drain-

age system more effectively.

“Government is constantly looking for ways to increase the nation’s drainage capacity. With the coast being below sea level and climate change adding to rising sea levels, we have to increase our efforts when it comes to drainage. This is just another step in ensuring the coast has sufficient drainage at all

times.” Holder said.

The Guyana National Industrial Company Inc. (GNIC), who was responsible for outsourcing a number of components for the project, acquired the equipment from Damen Shipyard; one of the leading producers of drainage equipment in the Netherlands.

It has a pump speed of 900 rpm with a suction diameter

Minister Holder and other officials while taking a closer look at the dredge pump

of 25mm.

NDIA engineer, Kenny Seurattan, indicated that a pump of this magnitude was required to cater to the needs of the authority considering the magnitude of work required in the area of drainage. “The entire

dredge is a modified version of what would be considered a normal dredge. The pump is basically a combination of a cutter and a suction system which will see us being able to cut drainage down from days to hours.”

Seurattan said.

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Man dies after GDF officer crashes into him A Guyana Defence Force coast guard captain is in police custody after he allegedly crashed into a 35-year-old man who was crossing the De Willem Public Road, West Coast Demerara on Sunday night.

Dead is Roopchand Ramkellawan of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo.

Reports indicate that the drunken 28-year-old gazetted officer of the Joint Services and of South Ruimveldt Gardens was driving a Nissan X-Trail vehicle PWW5680.

He was identified as Lieutenant Eson Trim.

A breathalyser test revealed that his alcohol level was above the legal limit.

Investigations revealed that the victim was crossing the road from south to north when he was struck by the X-trail which was proceeding east along the northern carriageway.

Ramkellawan was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital in an unconscious state and was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said an unlicensed pistol with four live rounds was found on his person.

The body was taken to the Ezekiel Funeral Home and a post-mortem was performed on Monday by Dr. Nehaul Singh. The post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple injuries to the body due to motor vehicle accident.

Meanwhile, one relative said that Ramkellawan left Seventh Day Adventist Street, Tuschen EBE at 15:00hrs on Sunday and they were called after 22:30hrs and were told that he was crossing the road to head over to his car PWW

Dead: Roopchand Ramkellawan

The illegal gun found on Ramkellawan’s body

1180, when a vehicle crashed into him.

“In fact the police had a road block and Ramkellawan was pulled over for a breathalyser test and after the process was finished he was crossing the road to head over to his vehicle and that is when the other vehicle crashed into him,” his sister said.

Another relative said that Ramkellawan was with his cousin in the car when he was stopped by the police at a road block. “He had just exited his vehicle and was walking across the road towards the ranks when he was struck down.”

The GDF in a statement noted that the Lieutenant (Coast Guard) is assisting police with their investigations into a fatal accident which occurred on Sunday night at around 22: 00 hours on the De Willem Public Road.

“The Chief of Staff, Officers and Ranks of the Guy-

ana Defence Force regret this unfortunate incident and extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” the Army stated.

The Nissan X-Trail which was driven by the coast guard captain when the fatal crash occurred

Fly Jamaica warns against bogus ticket promotions JAMAICA-based airline, Fly Jamaica is warning its customers against a fake website claiming to offer ticket promotions on the company’s behalf.

According to a public notice from Jamaica, the company is advising that no such campaign is ongoing, nor does it have any affiliation with the dubious website. “Please be advised that Fly Jamaica Airways is not running any competition or giving away free tickets at present. Fly Jamaica Airways has no connection

with the website http://www. fly-jamaica.win/ .”

The company says it is unaware as to who is running the website, and is warning customers that they are not communicating with the company or its agents when engaging the bogus website.

Customers are also being asked to take care when sharing personal information Online, and to pay attention as to whether they are on the correct website when conducting business.

Fly Jamaica says that the

offer to win free airline tickets is also being circulated via Whatsapp with the company’s original link posted on the fake website; www. fly-jamaica.win.

“The offers are not from Fly Jamaica Airways, and we would like to emphasise that Fly Jamaica Airways is in no way affiliated with this site or the associated Facebook page,” the statement says, adding: “If you are approached about the offer by friends or loved ones, please advise them to not use the site as the site seems to be part of a phishing scam to get unsuspecting persons’ personal information.”

Fly Jamaica said it has contacted the host of the website to have the site removed, “but we are still awaiting action on their end.” In the interim, customers are advised to check Fly Jamaica’s official website www.fly-jamaica.com for any special offers they might see on the Internet.

The company also says it can be emailed at info@ fly-jamaica.com for further information. The ongoing scam has targetted thousands of persons moving between the routes where Fly Jamaica operates. These include Guyana, Jamaica, the New York and Canada.

Toronto manager’s death

Police file still incomplete THREE weeks after a 20-year-old mechanic of Middle Road, La Penitence, was charged for the murder of the 42-year-old supply chain manager of Aurora Gold Mines, the police file is still incomplete.

Last month, Anthony Ragnauth was charged for allegedly killing Neil Whyte of Ontario, Canada on May 21 at Thomas Street, North Cummingburg. He is currently on remand.

When the matter was recalled before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday, it was disclosed to the court by Police Prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers, that the post mortem report for Whyte was still outstanding. The chief magistrate adjourned the matter until June 26.

According to reports, the body of Whyte of Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was found on Monday, May 21 in an apartment at Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown. The naked body bore several visible stab wounds to the neck.

According to the police, the victim was staying at the upper flat of an apartment of a three-storey concrete building on Thomas Street, after returning from the hinterland the same day he was found dead.

Residents said that earlier in the night, the man came downstairs and told a friend that he would be meeting someone at the corner of Thomas and Middle Streets.

He subsequently returned to the building with an

Anthony Ragnauth

ex-employee, who later left.

The guard at the premises, knowing that it was the protocol of the complex that a visitor of a guest must be checked out of the building by the guest, later went up to Whyte’s room and saw him lying in a pool of blood on the bed. He appeared to be dead and was naked and bound. The guard informed his superiors who subsequently informed the police.

The murder is reported to have occurred between 22:22hrs and 23:45hrs on May 21. The police had arrested a 25-year-old ex-employee of Whyte at his Vryheid Village, West Canje, Berbice home but he was subsequently released.

However, acting on information received, the police arrested Ragnauth and he reportedly confessed to killing Whyte. He then took the police to a house at Fifth Street, Alberttown where he handed over several items that belonged to Whyte. He also handed over a knife, which is suspected to be the murder weapon.

Vishnu denies...

NO MISREPRESENTATION Meanwhile, the for mer GECOM DCEO made it clear that he has never misrepresented his qualifications at any time to GECOM. He said that during Alexander’s tenure as Commissioner at GECOM, he submitted applications with Curriculum Vitaes twice for the post of DECO, this being in 2014 and 2017 respectively. “On both occasions,” he said, “I presented to the Commission certificates in support of my qualifications documented in the respective CVs. “Should I have misrep-

From page 11

resented myself in any manner, I submit that would have been sufficiently egregious a transgression to warrant my immediate dismissal with prejudice.

“Let it be known, this was not done, and I have no reprimand on my personnel file.”

Persaud maintains that he has always conducted himself professionally without fear or favour, and without bias in any area or level of his responsibilities.

“This was, and will always remain, the definition of my core as a human being and a professional which I will steadfastly defend,” he stated.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

UG in week-long consultations –in quest to revive interest in learning foreign languages

By Lisa Hamilton

THE University of Guyana (UG) is on a mission to revitalise foreign languages in the country for the benefit of the business and other sectors and to this end commenced a weeklong consultation seminar on the matter.

The consultation is focussed on enhancing and developing language programmes at the university, and began Monday at the Education Lecture Theatre at the Turkeyen campus.

Present were stakeholders from the Ministries of Education, Social Cohesion and Foreign Affairs; representatives from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and Deans of faculties, lecturers and other overseas participants.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith in his opening remarks made the telling observation that Guyana will continue to limit its options development-wise, if it does not extend its linguistic domain to include the rest of the world.

He stated that many opportunities for business relations lie not only in the recent influx of foreigners to the country, but with Guyana’s continental neighbours and those who have assisted in the past.

“This is a world in which Russian and Chinese investments are significant in Guyana. This is a world in which

return allow the university to gain financially.

Added to this, the consultation also seeks to design and develop curricula for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dutch and Mandarin.

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry, who commended the institution on its initiative to revive foreign languages in the county, asked that special interest be placed on teachers as a main target group, so as to ensure that children become familiar with bilingualism from an early age.

mitted to restoring languages to their rightful place in the school curriculum.”

The consultation meeting also seeks to develop a framework for support of language development from primary through tertiary levels, and to review and update present curricula for French, Spanish and Portuguese programmes.

Apart from the foregoing objectives, Minister Henry spoke on the benefits of being able to communicate in multiple languages, which she agrees adds value to

and to thrive in the modern economy.

“We certainly need a paradigm shift around language leaning here in Guyana and I believe that the University of Guyana is well position to lead and, perhaps, is the ideal change agent,” she said, adding: “For this to happen, our education providers and employers must work to increase awareness of the importance of gaining proficiencies in foreign languages.”

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry speaks on the importance of foreign languages to the education and business sectors

the perimeters for education and economic development with Brazil are grand,” Dr Griffith said, adding: “We have market potential; cultural connection potential with the rest of South America. This is a world in which we are limiting ourselves if we limit ourselves to English.”

Over the years, the university itself has seen a significant decline in enrollment to the foreign language programmes, the impact of which is reflected in the diminishing number of Guyanese that are functional in one or more foreign languages.

Asked later about the private sector’s response to the programme, Dr Griffith told the Guyana Chronicle that as far as

he knows, the Americas Bankers Association has commended the university for recently making it mandatory that students of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) be functional in a second language before they can graduate.

In addition, Guyana’s geographical location as the only English-speaking country in South America presents several opportunities for the university, which, through the consultation, intends to design and develop a curriculum for English as a second language.

This means that non-English-speaking foreigners, including students and business professionals, will have the opportunity of learning English and in

Participants at the opening on Monday at UG of week-long consultations on Enhancing and Developing Language Programmes (Samuel Maughn photos)

“It is my view that enhancing and developing the language programmes will assist in supporting our teachers in taking up modern and foreign languages,” she said, adding: “The Government of Guyana is 100 per cent com-

conducting business on the global scale.

Even as the Government seeks to provide 21st century level education to its citizens, Henry says that the education system must support learners of all ages to become global citizens

Throughout the consultation, participants will provide feedback on the aforementioned matters which will lead to the university’s implementation of a robust foreign language programme in the 20182019 academic year.

Wakenaam sea defence breach sealed Region 3 REO calls for investigation

By Indrawattie Natram RESIDENTS living in San-Souci and Meville- two villages on the Island of Wakenaam, Region Three, were on Monday busy cleaning their houses and yards as flood waters continue to recede after excessive high tide over the weekend, breached the sea defence in the area.

According to information reaching the Guyana

Chronicle, the breach had been sealed and residents are returning to a life of normalcy.

The affected households were on Sunday given detergents

by Region Three officials to use during cleaning. According to Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikarran, a team from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, CORE committee, is presently on site assessing the situation and assisting residents in cleaning and moving items. Jaikarran

also said, a medical team is on the Island making checks on residents ensuring that no one is affected by any water-borne diseases.

Speaking on Sunday’s breach, Jaikarran said he is calling for a thorough investigation to be launched into the massive Wakenaam flooding. “I would like for an investigation to be launched into the flooding to ascertain the real cause. I have viewed pictures and footage of the

flooding and to date I cannot comprehend the real cause that led to the erosion. With the investigation, we would be able to say directly if it’s the contractor’s negligence or anyone else,” Jaikarran said.

The Region Three REO said that he visited immediately after reports were made and met with residents. He is however pleased with the response that was given by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to assist residents. This

The area that was breached on the sea dam has been sealed

newspaper was told that the contractor has made a commitment to replace the floor mats of a mosque that was flooded as well as to assist the play school that is nearby.

The mosque and the school have been closed since to the

flooding.

Residents are currently in the process of cleaning, after which the second phase will see officials from Civil Defence Commission (CDC) making an Turn to page 15 ►

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

‘ASPIRE’ sets Linden youths right – on questions about sexual reproductive health, rights nity from the law. We need to really be careful or just abstain.”

Consequently, a string of questions emerged from the youths on topics ranging from the reason for an age of consent to masturbation to follow-ups on the Sexual Offenses Act. Said he: “The Mackenzie High School experience was one in a million. There was practically a packed auditorium, and you can tell that there was some level of excitement to actually get someone to answer these questions that they have about sex.

“We received a ton of

questions. The yearning for, or the interest in knowledge is there, and it is very evident that young people really want to know more about this rather than just going and experiment.”

To those who believe that children should not discuss the topic of sex, Glasgow says that in Guyana, where the age of sexual initiation varies between 12 to14, there is need for sexual health information to be easily accessible.

“The content that we are sharing is not a content that promotes promiscuity or encourages young people to have sex, but it is more so on

the premise that the more educated young people are, the more informed our decisions will be about sex,” he said.

The country tours will resume in September, with hopes of visiting out-of-town areas such as Berbice, Essequibo and Bartica, and tackling such additional topics as teenage pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

The Aspire Youth Network is almost one year old, and is made up of a local group of some 20 youths seeking to create a platform for discussions on a number of societal and health issues.

Mackenzie High School students listen closely as their sexual reproductive rights are explained

A RECENT outreach in Linden has found that despite high levels of early sexual activity in the region, youths still have questions about their sexual reproductive health and rights.

But with the help of the organisation, Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity (ASPIRE) Youth Network Guyana, many of those youths were last week able to obtain the answers they sought.

This was made possible through the group’s recent launch of its ASPIRE for Greatness Country Tour in collaboration with Linden’s Regional Education Office and several headteachers.

During the tour, the

group visited with students at the Mackenzie High, Harmony Secondary, New Silver City Secondary School, and the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School.

Group Chairman Dennis Glasgow told the Guyana Chronicle that the reason Linden was chosen to pilot the programme was because if the many calls they’d received from the town for assistance in that regard.

“We would have been in conversations with persons who are from Linden,” Glasgow said, “and they noted that there have been a lot of issues arising among young people in regards to sexual behaviours.

“They wanted somebody to come in and give some

input, and we decided that we would start there and see how best we could continue to support the current programmes that Linden already has.”

Glasgow said the group took the time to explain to the kids the various rights a human has, such as the right to say no, the right to abstain, and the right to privacy and also discussed the county’s Sexual Offenses Act. “On the outreach,” he said, “we would have even heard from teachers that there have been issues where 13-year-olds were accused of raping other 13-year-olds.

So they wanted us to address the Sexual Offences Act and how, as young people, there is not necessarily an immu-

Region 3 REO calling ... assessment of residents’ losses. Thus far, there have been no reports of illnesses and the health centre is providing residents with assistance.

Head of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Lieutenant Kester Craig, who was on the island to conduct an assessment and deliver cleaning supplies to the 49 affected households, said that the highest tide was at 17:30hrs this evening and checks in the affected communities have indicated that the remedial works have been effective so far.

There were no breaches or overtopping. He, however, noted that the CDC was able to provide supplies to the af-

fected families to aid in their clean-up efforts while the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) will be conducting further checks in the coming days to assess the damages per household.

Colonel Craig said that the rapid response by the regional administration was due to the Regional Multi-Hazard Preparedness and Response Plan, which the CDC had helped the region to formulate. The RDC was able to activate its Disaster Risk Management Committee and actively respond to the affected areas.

As such, the CDC was only tasked with dispatching

supplies and offering guidance. This is the first time that the CDC has been able to respond, conduct assessments and provide supplies in the same day. The Director General said that this supports the Commission’s mission of formulating Regional Multi-Hazard Preparedness and Response Plans and putting Disaster Risk Management Committees in place in all of the regions. “The Civil Defence Commission is extremely pleased with the work of the RDC. They have mobilised and this is why the Regional Multi-Hazard Preparedness and Response Plan is important. CDC is just here to lend support to the region

A few students from the New Silver City Secondary School along with facilitators of the ASPIRE Youth Network-Guyana

From page 14 ►

and respond to the situation.

We have provided the necessary cleaning and hygiene supplies,” he said.

Affected resident, Irfaan Ali, who lives next to the mosque, said that his house was severely affected by the flood waters. He estimated that his damages amounted to more than 2 million dollars. Ali, with the help of relatives, managed to put all the damaged appliances outside and has cleaned his house. He is questioning who will compensate his family for the damages and how soon it will be done. Like Ali, other residents are asking similar questions. Residents are calling for the removal of

A member of this Masjid cleaning one of the several mats that was damaged during the floods

the sea defence engineer, saying that he seldom visits the project and as such, it is alleged that the contractor does what he wants.

They are contending that

if the project was properly supervised then Sunday’s flooding could have been avoided. The breach in the seawall has affected close to 100 residents in the area.

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

National dialogue on domestic violence billed for August

…First Lady tells self-reliance workshop in Region Three FIRST Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, on Monday opened the second Self-Reliance and Success in Business Workshop for residents of the Essequibo Islands- West Demerara Region (Region Three), where she informed that there will be national dialogue centred on domestic violence in Guyana.

This event which is slated for August 3, 2018 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre will see the participation of persons from across the 10 Regions. “This [domestic violence] is a scar on our national life… I have been in discussions with some people about how we really go about addressing domestic violence in Guyana…We also have to deal with the issue of under-reporting or non-reporting of issues of domestic violence in our hinterland and our rural areas…We are planning to have a national dialogue…I think we have to face up to it and make it clear that we cannot tolerate this any longer,” Mrs Granger said.

Turning to the participants of the workshop, Mrs. Granger urged the participants to see the many opportuni-

ties a workshop like this can bring, in terms of small and micro-enterprise development and reminded them that the certificates that they will be receiving at the end of the pro-

this programme] not only to the persons who would have participated, but to their families and their communities as well. It is what I would call a holistic approach to success,”

remarks, said that the first Self-Reliance and Success in Business Workshop led to the establishment the Region’s first salted fish factory. He expressed his ap-

First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger

gramme is recognised by the Small Business Bureau and other micro-financing organisations. “I saw the benefits [of

she said.

Regional Executive Officer of Region Three, Mr. Denis Jaikaran, in his

preciation to the First Lady for taking the workshop to the Region for a second time and pledged to assist the

GRDB working to secure payments from Panama for millers The Guyana Rice Development Board’s (GRDB) General Manager Nizam Hassan, said the board is currently working with officials in Panama to ensure that the outstanding payments to rice millers here are made available at the earliest possible time.

Farmers have been complaining about the delays in their payments from some millers who in turn have blamed Panama.

Hassan stated that millers are aware that when they supply the Panamanian market, they will receive payments from GRDB when same is received from Panama. “The Panamanian market is a government market that pays

participants in rolling out future projects.

Meanwhile, Director of Interweave Solutions (Guyana) Incorporated, Mr. Sanjay Yohann Pooran, who

a higher price than other markets. However, payments are sometimes delayed due to government processes.

Millers are owed for the two contracted supply - the last contract for 2017 and the first contract for 2018 and not for contracts for any previous years.” Hassan said.

Many small millers, who supplied rice under the past two contracts, were recently paid by the rice board to the tune of US$1,270,901 from its own resources. Additionally, GRDB recently received US$550,000 from Panama, which is currently being paid to millers.

Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder indicated that the rice industry is doing

well but said that the millers should desist from using the farmers as a bank.

Generally, transactions are done through an established letter of credit. The Panamanian market offers a 30% increase in price for rice but given the existing arrangement and the fact that it is not an irrevocable letter of the credit agreement, the millers evidently want to enjoy both sides of the coin.

They want both the increased prices as well as the terms outlined in the line of credit agreement, Hassan reasoned.

He said millers have the option of paying farmers from funds they have or arrange payments through established banking agree-

ments and are urged to do so since the law stipulates that farmers are to be paid two weeks after paddy is supplied to the millers.

The General Manager further pointed out that reports of millers securing private deals through the Mexican market has nothing to do with the Board.

“Shipments to the Mexican market are done in a private capacity, henceforth; the Board is not handling any monies for rice supplied to that market.” Hassan said. Guyana exported some 540,000 tonnes of rice for 2017, which saw its highest numbers since 2015 when a total of 535,000 tonnes were recorded.

facilitated the workshop, provided the participants with an overview of the programme; indicating that the workshop's

main objective is to educate the participants on how to start, manage, and grow small businesses, help them to lead a balanced life and provide them with the opportunity to give back to their community through the formulation and implementation of a community action plan.

In an invited comment, Ms. Latoya Adams, a participant who is not a small business owner as yet, said that she was thankful for the opportunity to take part in the workshop and looks forward to the community action plan that will be established. “I see this workshop as a great opportunity and I especially look forward to the community action plan since I see the progress the last participants made in the establishment of a salt fish factory,” she said. The workshop is organised by the Office of the First Lady in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection and Interweave Solutions (Guyana) Incorporated. This is the third Self-Reliance Workshop for the year 2018. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Stole friend’s money to purchase ‘stuff’ for his kids A 35-YEAR-OLD man was Monday sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Judy Latchman on a simple larceny charge.

The charge alleged that between April 6 and June 17, 2018 at Durban Street, Georgetown, Winston Marshal stole a quantity of gold jewellery valued G$847,900; $200.00 in Guyana dollars; and US$300 currency.

The father of three who was a former security guard pleaded guilty to the charge.

Prosecutor Arvin Moore in presenting the

facts to the court said that the virtual complainant and the defendant are known to each other and share a relationship together. The victim had secured the said articles in a suitcase in her room and on June 17, 2018 when she checked her suitcase she discovered the articles missing. As a result she questioned the defendant who admitted to taking the articles to pay off his debts and to purchase “stuff” for his children.

A report was made and the defendant was arrested.

17

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday June 19, 2018

PPP flip-flops on race claims at GECOM …files ERC complaint about management ethnic make-up

AFTER contending that 90 per cent of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) workforce is made up of Afro Guyanese, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) appointed commissioners have back peddled on their earlier position, and are now claiming that it is the management of GECOM that is dominated by Afro-Guyanese. Back in 1999 all of GECOM top managers were Indo Guyanese.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Reverend Oswald Smith, the PPP-appointed GECOM Commissioners – Robeson Benn; Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj – called for an investigation to be launched into the employment practices at the Elections Commission, and the decision of GECOM’s Chairman, Justice (ret’d) James Patterson to use his casting vote to appoint Roxanne Myers to the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) over Vishnu Persaud – the former DCEO. The request was made pursuant to Article 212D (a), (d) and (p) of the Constitution of Guyana, which allows the ERC to “ a) provide equality of opportunity between persons of different ethnic groups and to promote harmony and good relations between such persons; d) foster a sense of security among all ethnic groups by encouraging and promoting the understanding, acceptance and tolerance of diversity in all aspects of national life and promoting full participation by all ethnic groups in the social, economic, cultural and political life of the people; and, p) investigate on its own accord or on request from the National Assembly or any other body any issues affecting ethnic relations.

In the letter seen by the Guyana Chronicle, the PPP Commissioners, in making their case to the ERC, alluded to the fact that Commissioner Benn had expressed concern about the lack of ethnic diversity in the composition of GECOM’s workforce; however, they attempted to shift the goal post set by their colleague. “Commissioner Robeson Benn, in a presentation in observance of Guyana’s Independence,

claimed that over 90 per cent of the senior management of GECOM is Afro-Guyanese descent,” the PPP-appointed

Roxanne Myers, as the second ranked candidate,” the PPP commissioners pointed out. According to them, con-

HOROCOPE FOR Tuesday June, 19, 2018 Aries Your confidence at work is contagious but it may lead you into trouble unless you curb your enthusiasm early in the day. The problem with your exuberance is it encourages others to overlook the same possible pitfalls that you are avoiding, too. You could inadvertently jeopardize your success by ignoring the whole story. Fortunately, your work will likely pay off if you acknowledge the pros and cons simultaneously. Denying the truth doesn’t change the facts.

Taurus You might be worried that circumstances are stacked up against you and all your good intentions can’t set things right. However, your fear may be the main obstacle you need to overcome. If you think your efforts won’t lead to success, you are probably correct. Fortunately, a surge of positive energy builds throughout the day and the sooner you can catch the wave, the farther it will take you. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Author Denis Waitley wrote, “It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.”

Gemini Your power of manifestation is so strong now that it could even surprise you. It’s almost as if pieces start to fall into place as soon as you visualize what needs to happen next. However, the apparent ease with which your dreams are turning into reality can lull you into complacency. Just because you encounter a few successes early on, don’t get lazy today. Your vision of the future is a powerful motivating force, but you must pay your dues if you want things to continue to go your way. Intention plus hard work equals magic.

Cancer Your rocket ship is on the launch pad today, ready to carry you to your dreams. But instead of concentrating on your looming success, you might be preoccupied with those things you need to leave behind. Nostalgia can be sweet, but it anchors you to the past and you can’t take excess baggage with you on the journey that’s about to begin. You can start the next chapter of your life only when you stop rereading your last one. Embrace the future and don’t look back.

Leo You are proud of your reputation for creating fun but may be frustrated today if unfulfilled obligations prevent you from pursuing pleasure. Your current inability to follow your heart might bother you

PPP-nominated GECOM Commissioner Robeson Benn

more than you prefer. The whole episode seems significant, almost as if your soul is being deprived of its destiny. However, that’s just your ego expressing its disappointment. Give yourself a moment to feel the let down and then go to work making your dreams come true. Katherine Hepburn said, “Don’t moan, don’t whine, don’t blame. Just get on with it.”

Commissioners pointed out, as they attempted to build their case for an investigation.

At a June 5, 2018 meeting of the Commission, Justice (ret’d) Patterson reprimanded Commissioner Benn, noting that unlike the information peddled by him, only 46 per cent of the workforce comprise of Afro-Guyanese. But without hesitation, Commissioner Benn objected.

In the letter, it was noted that following the June 5 meeting, which came to an abrupt end due to disagreements on the ethnic composition of GECOM’s workforce, a report was presented on the sixth and seventh of June, revealing an analysis done by the GECOM’s human resources manager. Though the commissioners referenced to the analysis, they fell short of disclosing the statistics to the ERC. Turning the ERC’s attention to the appointment of Myers as the DCEO, the PPP commissioners complained about the decision of the GECOM chairman to use his casting vote on the appointment of the DCEO, during a meeting on June 12, 2018.

“This was a result of a deadlock that arose in the recruitment process conducted by members of the subcommittee responsible for interviewing and ranking candidates; this process concluded with Mr. Vishnu Persaud, a person who served as the Deputy Chief Elections Officer for three years, as the first ranked candidate and Ms.

trary to what transpired at the June 12, 2018 meeting, in all other instances of recruitment, in recent times, all of the first ranked candidates were hired.

“The foregoing is clearly indicative of a larger issue at the Guyana Elections Commission, which can have an adverse effect on ethnic relations and harmony in Guyana,” the commissioners contended.

According to a source close to the ERC, Reverend Smith has acknowledged receipt of the letter from the PPP-nominated commissioners, and it is likely that a comprehensive investigation would be launched shortly. Once the investigation is launched, the GECOM Secretariat will be given an opportunity to make its case.

However, Vincent Alexander – a government-nominated GECOM commissioner – explained to the Guyana Chronicle that Persaud was rejected for rehiring on the grounds of his past performance, his alleged history of misrepresenting his qualifications to the commission, and the fact that Roxanne Myers has “better qualifications” than him.

Alexander said while both Persaud and Myers are both holders of master’s degrees, in the case of Persaud, his Master’s Degree average stands at `D’ while Myers’ stands at `B+’. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Virgo Although you need to balance your fantasies with a taste of reality today, you will survive, and even thrive, through this unpleasant process. Ultimately, your dreams fold back on themselves now, bringing resolution from within your heart and mind -- without requiring external corroboration. But complications enter the picture when the outer world makes demands on your time. Paradoxically, Elbert Hubbard was right when he wrote, “Responsibility is the price of freedom.”

Libra You’re more open-minded than some of your colleagues today, but you might not reveal your current preferences because you don’t want to defend them. It’s your experience that some people swing into attack mode when confronted with an idea that calls an existing belief into question. You feel vulnerable enough now to avoid putting yourself into such a position. Keep your feelings to yourself, but continue working on your plans until they are in order. Author Joyce Meyer wrote, “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”

Scorpio Your optimism is running the show today, leaving very little room for the expression of negativity or even realism. In fact, you may be entertaining possibilities that seemed totally out of the question as recently as yesterday. Fortunately, your odds for success continue to improve all day. Everything feels ultra-significant now but there's no need to choose one path over the others. Don’t eliminate anything prematurely from your current range of experience. You won’t likely slip back into Trivia Land to discuss the weather when such important issues are on the table.

Sagittarius You can see the bright side of any street today, even if it’s the middle of the night. Your current faith in humanity is unshakeable because you think everyone perceives the good in the world exactly as you do. But misplaced hope can be tyrannical because it shifts your perspective away from taking action in the present moment. Instead, you could sit around waiting to be rescued sometime in the future. Ben Franklin wrote, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Capricorn The distant horizon seems bright, encouraging you to extend your plans as far as your eye can see. But it’s nearly impossible to project data accurately into the future. Instead of relying on the facts today, listen to your intuition. There are magical parts to your spiritual leanings, blessing you with the undocumented power of time travel and shapeshifting. Trust your instincts; they are messages directly from your soul. Conservationist John Muir wrote, “The power of imagination makes us infinite.”

Aquarius Ironically, you are so focused on following through with your commitments that you may lose sight of your immediate objectives. Naturally, it’s crucial to deliver on your promises, but it’s just as important to refrain from agreeing to something you can’t deliver. Don’t blame anyone else if you’re in a predicament because your resources are spread too thin. Admit your previous mistakes and acknowledge your current temptations. Poet Maya Angelou wrote, “Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself.”

Pisces Although people appreciate your dreamy side, you may be more creative than anyone realizes now. It’s all too easy to turn yourself into a caricature today, but part of projecting your one-dimensional appearance is to throw everyone off track when they try to figure out the source of your power.

Be careful of falling for your own illusion; your game of misleading others is so expertly played that you can forget it’s not real. French painter Edgar Degas wrote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Region 6 REO admits to contract splitting for the purchase of gloves REGIONAL Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Kim Williams-Stephen has admitted that the regional

administration conducted “contract splitting” to purchase $8.3 million worth of medical gloves.

Although the decision

was taken by the previous REO, Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya, Williams-Stephen tried to defend the decision by saying that it was done to

purchase different sizes of gloves.

According to the Auditor General (AG)’s report for 2016, the gloves were pur-

chased seven times from the same supplier on the same day in April.

“You said the region bought seven different sizes

of gloves, but according to the report you submitted to the AG, most of the purchasing included 700 size 7 surgeon gloves,” said Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Irfan Ali, during a meeting on Monday.

Williams-Stephen, however, contended that different sizes such as 7.5, 7.0 and 8 were bought. PAC member, Jermaine Figueira in response, asked the REO why the information was grossly different from what was supplied to the PAC. She said the information was extracted from payment vouchers and regional tender board minutes.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour… you came back, submitted the documents and still trying to mislead us…contract splitting is a serious offence,” said the PAC chairman, adding that the matter should be investigated.

Bandits rob Kuru Kururu pensioner of car, valuables Three masked bandits armed with a shotgun, a cutlass and a knife respectively, robbed a pensioner and his wife of their vehicle, flat screen TV, cash, electronics and a United States passport in the wee hours of Monday morning at Lot 55 Kuru Kururu, Linden Soesdyke Highway.

Reports indicate that the victim lives in a one flat concrete building and at 01:55hrs Monday morning he was awaken by the three robbers who were in his bedroom.

The bandits demanded cash and jewellery after tying the couple’s hands, mouth and feet while placing them to lie on the ground in the bedroom.

The trio then searched the house for an hour before gathering the aforementioned valuables.

The men then picked up the pensioner’s keys to the silver Toyota Auris PVV 1491 and packed all the items inside the vehicle before making their escape.

A report was made to the police station.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

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LABA/YBG/ Powerade Schools Basketball Championship…

Rain forces today’s matches to be abandoned RAIN has caused a delay in the conclusion of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s organized LABA/ Youth Guyana basketball Guyana/ Powerade Linden Regional Under-19 basketball championship.

Initially set for yesterday, the final round of matches will be played today, weather permitting at the Mackenzie Hard Court.

The LABA plans to have the washed out Wisburg Secondary versus Mackenzie high school game on Saturday be played during the morning.

That will be followed by the Wisburg versus the

Linden Technical Institute be played in the afternoon to determine the finishing order of the preliminary round play ahead of the semi-final set for tomorrow at the same venue.

Already through with the number one billing is the Linden Technical Institute but the other orders are determinant on the final round.

The only other game which will not disrupt the top four going through is the one between Harmony Secondary and Christianburg Wismar Secondary who are still to record a win in this year’s

schools championship.

The LABA will seek permission from the Education Department of Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani to have the first game played at 9.00hrs and the other at 14.30hrs.

The Christianburg Secondary versus Harmony Secondary game between the winless teams will not be played because it would not affect the placing of the top four teams.

The top team will face the number four side and the numbers two and three will collide in semi-final action.

Federer Raonic to win the Mercedes Cup (BBC) - ROGER Federer beat Milos Raonic to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, his first event for two and a half months.

The Swiss had not played since the Miami Open in March, after choosing to miss the clay-court season, but the win in Germany gives him a 98th Tour title.

Federer, 36, beat Canadian Raonic 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the final.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion had already secured his return to number one in the world rankings with victory over Nick Kyrgios in the semifinal.

The only break of serve came in the third game of the match with Federer clinching it with a backhand winner.

The second set was again tight as both players’ serve dominated on the grass court but Federer edged it on a tie-break.

“I played very well throughout the tournament; it is a great comeback for me. I am so happy to have won,” said Federer.

“I was hoping to play a

couple matches here but I have played four and won them all. The last few have been very good.

“I hope I keep it up at Halle and Wimbledon. It will give me a boost as well being back at world number one.”

Federer also sat out the clay-court season in 2017 but last year lost on his return in Stuttgart before going on to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and claim an eighth Wimbledon title.

He will again compete at Halle next week, aiming for a record 10th title, before Wimbledon which begins on 2 July.

Elsewhere, Richard Gasquet earned his first title of the year and the 15th of his career after beating fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy to win the Libema Open at s’Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

The 31-year-old, who had not won a grass court title since the first two tournament wins of his career in Nottingham in 2005 and 2006, beat Chardy 6-3 7-6 (7-5).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19 , 2018

Griezmann extends Athletico Madrid contract (BBC) - STRIKER Antoine Griezmann has extended his new Atletico Madrid contract, while winger Thomas Lemar has signed a deal to join from Monaco.

Atletico sent officials to the France squad at the World Cup in Russia to get Griezmann, Lemar and defender Lucas Hernandez, to sign deals.

Griezmann, 27, has extended his contract for one

year until 2023.

The club have not revealed whether his reported £87.75m (100m euros) release clause has been increased.

Griezmann announced in a special TV show last week that he was staying, despite being widely expected to join Barcelona.

Atletico said last week they had reached a “preliminary

agreement” to sign 22-yearold Lemar.

The clubs have not formalised the deal and he is yet to pass his medical.

Hernandez, 22, extended his deal by two years to 2024.

Griezmann scored in France’s 2-1 World Cup win over Australia, while Hernandez played 90 minutes and Lemar was on the bench.

Trinidad injure Jamaica’s chances in CWI T20 Blaze ‒Barbados remain unbeaten

CMC – TRINIDAD and Tobago delivered a serious blow to Jamaica’s title hopes while Barbados maintained their perfect record during an action-packed fourth round of the CWI Women’s T20 Blaze on Saturday.

Playing at Sabina Park, the home side went under to last year’s champions T&T by 43 runs – to taste defeat for the first time.

Meanwhile, Barbados overcame Guyana by 27 runs to record their fourth consecutive win.

The Jamaicans were handicapped by the loss of skipper Stafanie Taylor, who suffered an injury while fielding and was unable to bat.

She left the venue holding her right side but the full extent of the injury was not known.

Anisa Mohammed mesmerized the Jamaicans with her off-spin to end with the impressive figures of three for 17 as the hosts, in pursuit of 136, were held to a total for 92 for seven off 20 overs.

Earlier, T&T were asked to bat first and made a challenging 135 for five off their 20 overs. The score was boosted by two key partnerships, both featuring veteran Stacy-Ann King, who held the innings together with 39 off 46 balls.

She added 43 for the third wicket with Rachel Vincent, who made 36 off 30 balls before putting on a further 40 for the fifth wicket with newcomer Shania Abdool, who chipped in with a run-aball 17 in the last four overs.

In the second match, West Indies opener Hayley Matthews played a number of breathtaking shots in a sizzling half-century, as Barbados thrashed Guyana

to maintain their unbeaten record and stay top of the points table.

The stylish 20-year-old hit seven fours and four towering sixes in a top-score of 61 off just 36 balls as Barbados rattled up 134 for six off their 20 overs – their highest score of the campaign.

She was well supported by opening partner, Danielle Small (21) with whom she added 44, and wicketkeeper, Kycia Knight (23) with whom she put on a further 55 for the second wicket.

Matthews won the Playerof-the-Match award for a boundary-studded 39 against Trinidad & Tobago and she again took the top award for another match-winning display.

Guyana were off to a shaky start, slipping to 32 for three in the seventh over, with leading run-maker and captain Shemaine Campbelle falling cheaply for 16.

They recovered to post 107 for three off their 20 overs thanks to an unbroken fourthwicket stand off 75 between Akaze Thompson (47 not out) and Shabika Gajnabi (31 not out).

Thompson hit four fours and a six in a good all-round match as she followed up earlier impressive figures of two for 22. Gajnabi supported well with a four and a six but they could not increase the tempo of the innings as Barbados were excellent in the field.

Shanika Bruce was the best bowler with two for 17 off her four overs, including the crucial scalp of the inform Campbelle.

In the day’s opening match, Windward Islands followed up their sensational

two-wicket win over Guyana last Thursday by easily brushing aside Leeward Islands by 62 runs for their second consecutive victory.

The defeat, however, was the fourth for the Leewards and it left them rooted to the bottom of the table.

Experienced off-spinner Cordel Jack proved the matchwinner, taking a career-best four for 19 as Windwards limited the Leewards to 81 for eight off their 20 overs.

Windies left-arm pacer Qiana Joseph was hostile with the new ball and ended with two for 18.

Earlier, opener Juliana Nero maintained her good form to pilot Windwards to 143 for six off their 20 overs.

The veteran right-hander, who turns 39 next month, topscored for the second match in a row with a forthright 44 off 42 balls with five fours to follow up her 34 in the win over Guyana. She added 80 for the first wicket with Rachel Cyrus, who struck 30, including three boundaries.

Nero, who played 76 ODIs, 45 T20s Internationals and one Test for the Windies between 2003 and 2013, is now among the leading runscorers and could be in line for a recall for the Women’s T20 World Cup to be hosted in the Caribbean from November 9-24.

The tournament concludes on Monday with three matches, all at Sabina Park. Barbados will face Jamaica in the afternoon in a match that will determine the winners.

Guyana will meet the Windwards in the morning fixture while T&T take on the Leewards in the nightcap match.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Lukaku double helps Belgium overcome Panama (Reuters) - A stunning volley from Dries Mertens and a Romelu Lukaku double broke the resistance of a brave Panama side on their World Cup debut as Belgium cruised to a 3-0 win in their opening Group G game on Monday.

Mertens hammered home a superb volley two minutes into the second half, sending the ball arcing over Jaime Penedo after Panama struggled to clear a cross.

Lukaku’s hard work up front was rewarded when he headed home Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant pass

off the outside off his foot to make it 2-0 in the 69th minute and the big striker latched on to an Eden Hazard pass to complete the scoring with a neat finish.

The announcement of the first team to represent the Central American nation at the World Cup finals was greeted by an ear-splitting roar from the thousands of flag-waving Panamanian fans dotted in clusters around the Fisht Stadium.

The debutantes endured a shaky start as Lukaku went close for Belgium in the opening minute after an incisive pass from

De Bruyne set Yannick Carrasco free down the left, but the striker fired wide.

Despite being forced to spend much of the game defending, the Panamanians showed strength, speed and trickery when they did break forward, and they created chances of their own in a scoreless first half.

Belgium wasted no time in the second period as Mertens quickly opened the scoring and as the underdogs started to chase an equaliser the space opened up.

The Belgians showcased an array of clever set-pieces and will be happy with

their performance against a physical Panama side ahead of games against Tunisia and England, who meet in Volgograd later on Monday.

“That first win in the World Cup is always a special moment. Panama, as we expected, played very organised, very well-drilled (but) we were patient,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez told reporters.

“The second half, that little bit of quality of Dries Mertens and then Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku with Kevin De Bruyne being instrumental in those attacks.”

Romelu Lukaku of Belgium celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Belgium and Panama at Fisht Stadium on June 18, 2018 in Sochi, Russia.

Kane double helps Sweden edge South Korea 1-0 England win opener

Andreas Granqvist of Sweden in action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group F match between Sweden and Korea Republic at Nizhniy Novgorod Stadium on June 18, 2018 in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Lukasz Laskowski/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images)

(REUTERS) - SWEDEN won an opening World Cup game for the first time since 1958 with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea, but they will need to find their shooting boots if they are to match their two other, trickier opponents in Group F. After dominating

the game but missing a string of chances, the Swedes won a 65th-minute penalty when Kim Minwoo brought down Viktor Claesson in the box.

Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar initially waved the Swedes away, before being called to consult the Video Assistant Referee system.

In the second VAR-

awarded penalty of the World Cup, Sweden’s 33-year-old captain Andreas Granqvist swept the ball low and left of impressive goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.

“The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it ... I was pretty sure,” Granqvist said of the wait.

The result brought wild celebrations from hordes of yellow-clad Swedish fans, fearful their team would draw another blank after failing to score in their last three games.

Sweden had not won an opening World Cup game since 1958, when they were the hosts and eventual runners-up. The Asians began the game brighter, harrying for the first 15 minutes against an initially sluggish-looking Sweden.

But the Scandinavians quickly found their poise, coping comfortably with Korea’s attacks despite the absence of defender Victor Lindelof through illness.

Swedish coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was “crystalclear”, adding: “I felt the wait for VAR was unnecessary.”

(REUTERS) - ENGLAND captain Harry Kane declared his arrival on football’s biggest stage when he scored twice, including a stoppage-time winner, in a dramatic 2-1 victory over Tunisia as his team launched their World Cup campaign on Monday.

Just when it looked like the ‘Three Lions’ were going to extend their disappointing run in World Cup tournaments, Kane stooped at the far post to head home in the 91st minute.

Mindful of Ronaldo’s hat-trick for Portugal against Spain on Friday and doubles for Spaniard Diego Costa, also in that match, and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, Kane is the first England player to score twice in a World Cup game since Gary Lineker in 1990.

Manager Gareth Southgate labelled him a “top, top striker” and said he knew the pressure the Tottenham Hotspur striker was under to deliver having failed to score at Euro 2016.

England had promised to launch their campaign with attacking football and they tore into Tunisia from the start of the Group G game, their red-shirted players buzzing into open spaces.

Harry Kane of England celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Tunisia came to Russia with a reputation for being hard to break down. Instead they were opened up repeatedly by England early on, especially on the right flank with Kieran Trippier posing attacking menace with his pace and incisive crosses.

Kane put England deservedly ahead in the 11th minute when Tunisia keeper Mouez Hassen could only palm a strong header by John Stones towards the striker who coolly netted.

But England were otherwise let down by a lack of composure in front of goal on a hot night on the banks

of the Volga river, with many players bothered by clouds of gnats.

England paid the price for their wastefulness when the North Africans, who had barely begun to press forward, were awarded a penalty before the break.

Defender Kyle Walker swung an arm behind him, catching Fakhreddine Ben Youssef in the face, and Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan pointed to the spot.

Ferjani Sassi, after appearing to whisper a prayer to himself, scored low to the right of England keeper Jordan Pickford in the 35th minute.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19 , 2018

All Seasons crowned ‘Champion of Champions ’ ALL Seasons Racing Service led by top scorer Sultan Rooplall, who registered the maximum 18 games cantered to an easy win in the recently staged ‘Champion of Champions’ Domino Tournament.

The tournament was organised by Senior Organising Secretary of the Georgetown Domino Association (GDA) Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire.

They ended the final on 89 games to cart off the first prize of $175,000 and the

winning trophy, while New Castello finished second on 67 games followed by Medi Care on 61.

They took home $75,000 and $35,000 respectively, along with trophies.

The top female player and the Most Valuable Player will receive $5,000 respectively.

Some of the sponsors included Dynasty Sports Club, All Seasons Racing Service, Tony’s Jewellery, CBB&L Import & Export and Boston Casting Jewellery among others.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday June 19, 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) Kumar Sangakarra-680 runs ( 8 Tests) (2) Brian Lara-706 runs ( 4 Tests) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which SL has taken most Test wickets against the WI in SL to date?

(2) Which WI has taken most Test wickets against SL in SL to date?

English Racing Tips Ascot 09:30 hrs Yoshida 10:05 hrs Sergei Prokofdiev 10:40 hrs Battash 11:20 hrs Without P[arole 12:00 hrs Whiskey Sour 12:35 hrs Sharja Bridge

American Racing Tips Fingerlakes Race 1 Dosage And Mimosas Race 2 Ready Dancer Race 3 Too Tough Dave Race 4 Dublin Express Race 5 Little Miracle Race 6 Side Tracks Race 7 Lucky Lou Pal Race 8 My Rose Of Savanna

South Africa Racing Tips Kenilworth 08:40 hrs Mac De Lago 09:15 hrs The Silva Fox 09:55 hrs Hall Of Fame 10:30 hrs Dayonaut 11:05 hrs Evelina Stratford 08:50 hrs Stylish Dancer 09:20 hrs Grageelagh Girl 09:55 hrs I See YOU Well 10:30 hrs Peruvien Bleu 11:05 hrs Isle Road 11:45 hrs Yensir 12:20 hrs Iniesta

Irish Racing Tips Sligo 12:50 hrs Pando 13:20 hrs Monkeylou 13:50 hrs Stormy Tale 14:20 hrs Bracebridge Hall 14:50 hrs Flindt 15:50 hrs Zoffanyia

Tournament winners All Seasons Racing Service team members pose with the winning trophy along with the first prize following the conclusion of the ‘Champion of Champions’ Domino Tournament.

Rain draw second test...

Then came the main Brathwaite-Hope stand.

Although obviously still sore, Hope negotiated a fresh short-ball examination with aplomb, even smacking a Lakmal bouncer for six in front of square. There were times when he played and missed, and others when he miscued shots, but the chances never went to hand.

Brathwaite seemed much more in control, getting plenty of bat even to the balls that surprised him either by staying low, or leaping alarmingly.

Inconsistent

bounce had become a feature of this surface through the day. It was the second session, in which West Indies only lost the wicket of Shane Dowrich to the offspin of Akila Dananjaya, that the hosts really laid the groundwork for this result.

Hope and Brathwaite put on 53 for the fifth wicket.

Fourth ball after tea, Lakmal got a ball to cut in at Hope and had it ricochet off his elbow into the stumps, but although suddenly Sri Lanka were alive again, the weather soon intervened. First the

rains washed out about 78 minutes of play. Although the teams took the field again, only 2.3 overs were possible before the umpires hauled them off again for bad light.

The final delivery was proof that there was still life in this pitch - Jason Holder struck in the box by a ball that jagged in off a length.

But before Sri Lanka even began bowling, Shannon Gabriel had imposed himself on the day again, as he has throughout these first two Tests. He blasted out the last two Sri

FROM PAGE 27

Lanka wickets, to claim an exceptional match haul of 13 for 121 - the third best in West Indies’ storied bowling history. He struck Suranga Lakmal in front of the stumps before Sri Lanka had got off the mark for the day, then bowled Dananjaya twice, in his second over. The first of those dismissals was wrongly deemed illegitimate, umpire Ian Gould signalling a no-ball, even though a sliver of Gabriel’s boot had landed behind the line.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Uncapped seamer Jayed named for West Indies tour

Abu Jayed takes flight on debut Associated Press

(ESPNCricinfo) - FAST b o w l e r M u s t a fi z u r Rahman has been named among the standbys for the two Tests in the West Indies next month, after he had been sidelined with a toe injury recently.

Mustafizur had missed the T20I series against Afghanistan and was expected to take up to three weeks to recover when he was ruled out in the last week of May. Allrounder Mosaddek Hossain, who played the first Test against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year, was also among the standbys. Uncapped seamer Abu Jayed, who made his international debut this year, was picked in the squad while batsman Sabbir Rahman was left out.

Sabbir and Mosaddek, however, were named in the Bangladesh A squad that will taken on the visiting Sri

Lanka A side in the first of the three four-day matches from June 26 in Cox’s Bazar.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who was recalled to the Test squad after nearly four years for the Sri Lanka series was also dropped for the Caribbean tour, as were seamer Nayeem Hasan and legspinner Tanbir Hayder.

Instead, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam, who have not played Tests since the South Africa tour in 2017, were picked. Rubel had also played against Afghanistan recently while Shafiul finished among the top 10 wicket-takers in the Dhaka Premier League with a tally of 24 from 13 innings.

Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who made three 50-plus scores in his last three first-class matches and two centuries and a halfcentury in his last three one-day matches, also returned to the squad. He

had made his Test debut in Christchurch in January 2017. Nurul Hasan, who had also made his Test debut in the same game, found a place in the squad too. He is the third wicketkeeper behind Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das. However, it was Liton, who had kept wicket in Bangladesh’s last Test in Mirpur in February.

Shakib Al Hasan, who had taken a break from the Test series in South Africa and later missed the home Tests against Sri Lanka with injury, was back to lead the side. Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan and Mahmudullah are the other spin-bowling options in the squad.

The Caribbean tour will be Steve Rhodes’ first full series as Bangladesh coach.

They will play a warm-up match at the end of June before the first Test starts on July 4 in North Sound and the second on July 12

in Kingston. The Tests will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is. The last two T20Is will be played in Lauderhill in the USA. Bangladesh squad Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt.), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Litton Das, Mominul Haque, Mehidy Hassan, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Abu Jayed, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shafiul Islam.

Standbys: Yeasin Arafat, Abu Haider, Naeem Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.

IN: Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Abu Jayed, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Shafiul Islam OUT: Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Tanbir Hayder, Abdur Razzak, Sabbir Rahman

National Men’s Hockey team lose three match series against TT ‒Coach Fernandes closer to selecting final squad THE Guyana National Men’s Hockey Team lost the second and third games of their three match friendly series against Trinidad & Tobago over the weekend.

The second match was lost 0-4 on Saturday while the third was lost 2-5.

In the second game the Guyanese started much better than their first match, holding their own against a vaunted Trinidad setup.

Honours remained even throughout the first quarter and most of the second quarter, until Rayon Branford received a yellow card with five minutes left in the second quarter, which meant that Guyana would have to play with a man short for the rest of the half.

The Guyanese held Trinidad at bay until the 28th minute when they conceded a penalty corner and Daniel Byer deflected in a Tariq Marcano drag-flick.

Two minutes later, on the stroke of half time, a clinical Trinidadian counter

attack was finished by Kristien Emmanuel to make it 2-0.

Guyana started the second half strong creating several goal scoring opportunities which went begging. On one such occasion, debutant Edmond Chinian was awarded a penalty stroke after being fouled in the scoring area, but the opportunity went to waste as Andrew Stewart pushed the ball wide.

With Guyana pressing high to get on the score sheet, Marcano picked up the ball in space and eliminated one defender before sending a drive into the scoring which was deflected in by Dylan Francis in the 52nd minute.

Trinidad were awarded a penalty corner on the stroke of full time and Marcano finished off a man of the match performance with a clinical drag flick finish off the base of the left post.

The 2-5 loss was suffered by the Guyanese at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua on Sunday.

Robert France was one of the scorers for Guyana over the weekend in Trinidad and Tobago

Although it was their third consecutive defeat at the hands of their highly rated opponents, it was by far their most competitive showing of the series. The Guyanese players seemed

more comfortable on the artificial turf, playing a more fluid brand of hockey than in their first two matches.

It was Kristian Emmanuel who opened the scoring for Trinidad in the

seventh minute, somewhat controversially after the ball initially popped up off his stick, striking Guyanese sweeper Dwayne Scott in the face. Three minutes later Joel Daniel unleashed a powerful reverse shot past Medroy Scotland to double Trinidad’s lead.

Guyana made it 1-2 when Captain Robert France tapped in the easiest of finishes after a blistering Jamarj Assanah counter attack.

Shaquille Daniel then restored Trinidad’s two goal cushion in the 38th minute with a powerful penalty corner drag-flick into the bottom left corner, before Marcus James made it 4-1 in the 43rd minute.

Guyana were awarded a penalty stroke as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, when Jamarj Assanah was brought down

by Trinidadian goalkeeper Kwasi Emmanuel. Aroydy Branford converted the stroke to give the Guyanese some momentum heading into the final quarter.

However, in the first minute of the 4th quarter, Shaquille Daniel squashed all hopes of a comeback by pouncing onto a defensive error to seal the victory 5-2.

Meanwhile coach of the men’s team Robert Fernandes revealed, “I am pleased with the boys’ progress over this series. It always takes us some time to adjust to the difference in the speed of the game on artificial turf compared to grass, however despite the score lines we achieved our main objectives for this tour.”

He continued, “Those were to see how the players performed under pressure, while having the intelligence and tactical flexibility to adjust to different systems and combinations of personnel.

We now have more clarity on who will be our 16 for Colombia and how we will approach the next 4 weeks of training for the CAC games, to address our shortcomings.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19 , 2018

Outstanding fathers honoured by RHTYSC FOR the 25th successive year, the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club honoured outstanding fathers as part of their celebration of Father’s Day. The teams honoured dozens of fathers under their Annual Walter Nero Tribute to Fathers’ Programme, which is sponsored by the children of Walter Nero, in memory of the father of eight who died three years ago.

The Club provided food hampers to eighty fathers while Ravindranauth Kissoonlall was named the Walter Nero Father of the Year 2018 and received a trophy, a framed Certificate of Excellence and a

collection of gifts.

Earlier in the month, the ten cricket teams and the Over-35 group provided breakfast to dozens of fathers as they waited to collect their monthly Old Age Pension.

Three fathers also received special gifts from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster congratulated the fathers and urged them to share their experiences with the younger generation of fathers.

The long serving Secretary/CEO called on the parents to assist the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club to spread its Say No/ Say Yes Message.

Kissoonlall is a father

of two sons and also serves as the Cricket Manager/ Assistant Organising Secretary of the club.

Assistant Secretary of the club, 18-year-old Simon Naidu stated that the ten cricket teams worked hard to make the project a success.

He expressed gratitude to the Nero’s family for their cosponsorship. Gratitude was also extended to Bakewell, Bounty Farm Ltd, Ryan Tillack, Sham, Johnny, Deonarine Shane, Navin Raghoo, Food-for-the-Poor and R. Lawson.

Kissoonlall expressed thanks to his fellow club mates for honouring him and pledged to uphold the high standard he has set in the past.

Ravindranauth Kissoonlall received his Award from La Donna Nero and Troy Nero.

Thirty-six fast bowlers benefit from BCB Coaching Clinic

Participants and Coach Winston Smith at the conclusion of the Clinic.

THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday hosted a clinic for fast bowlers at the Albion Community Centre.

Thirty-six promising seamers from the Ancient county attended the clinic, which was conducted by level 3 coach Winston Smith.

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

BCB President Hilbert Foster described the clinic as a huge success and disclosed that the programme would continue this weekend for players in West

Berbice.

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

The clinic is part of Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Programme, which, is a half million investment into making sure that every cricketing potential is fulfilled.

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

Eleven Clubs to receive First Division Caps from BCB THE remarkable success story of Berbice Cricket (BCB) continues to expand on a daily basis with new programmes and activities being unveiled to develop the game.

On Saturday last, President Hilbert Foster handed over First Division caps for the eleven confirmed clubs in Berbice senior cricket.

The caps were donated

by Ansa Mcal under the Chief brand and would be used by the teams for the upcoming SKYY Vodka 20/20 tournament and the rest of the 2018 season.

Twelve caps each were handed over to the Upper Corentyne and Skeldon teams over the weekend.

Foster urged the players to wear the caps with pride and to play a major role in the restoration of Berbice Cricket.

He also expressed gratitude to Tami Khan and Kelvin Singh of Ansa Mcal for their cooperation. The other clubs that received caps are: West Berbice, Blairmont, Police, Young Warriors, Tucber Park, Albion, Rose Hall Canje, Port Mourant and Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club.

Meanwhile, more cricket clubs in the Ancient County are to benefit from the $1M Cricket Balls Project being spearheaded by Foster and former Berbice Cricket Board President Anil Beharry. Fifty Clubs have

already benefitted at the cost of $600 000 worth of red and white balls.

Another twenty clubs would receive $200 000 worth of balls next week.

The Clubs that would benefit are Flying Star, Edinburgh, Goed Bananen Land, Tucber Park, Mental Hospital, Sisters, Mount Sinai Cricket Club, Police, Betsy Ground, Guymine, Canefield, Young Warriors, Belvedere United, Courtland, Block 4 Tain, Big Star, Chesney, Rose Hall Tigers, Ramnarine Memorial and Jai Hinds.

Eight remaining Clubs in the Upper Corentyne area and those in the West Berbice would receive their donation next month.

Representatives of the Upper Corentyne and Skeldon Teams posed with their First Division Caps.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19, 2018

‘Papo’ finds rhythm in El Dorado golf tourney

The five winners poses with the Miss World Guyana finalists, DDL representatives and other dignitaries.

Rain draws second test against Sri Lanka (ESPNCRICINFO) - SRI Lanka had dismissed the stubborn Shai Hope soon after tea, giving themselves one final chance to surge to victory, but then the rains arrived, followed by bad light. In the end, West Indies drew the match with five wickets in hand, with 32.3 overs lost to the conditions.

Perhaps Sri Lanka will rue the two hours they had spent off the field, protesting the

ball-tampering charge on Saturday. Another 25 overs of play could have seen them scythe through the West Indies lower order, as they had in the first innings.

Though the rain clouds sealed the draw, it was Kraigg Brathwaite who had set it all up. He was secure in defense and resolute in attitude right through the day, refusing to be shaken by Sri Lanka’s short-ball bursts, declining to

SCORE BOARD SRI LANKA 1st Innings 253 WEST INDIES 1st Innings 300 SRI LANKA 2nd Innings (overnight 334 for eight) K Perera c wkp Dowrich b Gabriel M Udawatte c Bishoo b Roach K Rajitha lbw b Gabriel D de Silva c Smith b Gabriel K Mendis b Gabriel *D Chandimal c wkp Dowrich b Roach R Silva c wkp Dowrich b Gabriel +N Dickwella c Powell b Gabriel A Dananjaya b Gabriel S Lakmal lbw b Gabriel L Kumara not out Extras (b12, lb8, w3, nb11) 34 TOTAL (all out, 91.4 overs) 342 Fall of wicket: 1-32, 2-34, 3-44, 4-48, 5-165, 6-199, 7-298, 8-307, 9-334, 10-342.

Bowling: Roach 21-3-78-2, Gabriel 20.4-6-62-6, Holder 15-5-38-0, Cummins 13-1-44-0, Bishoo 11-0-58-0, Chase 10-1-38-0, Brathwaite 1-0-4-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 296) K Brathwaite not out D Smith c de Silva b Rajitha K Powell c Udawatte b Rajitha S Hope b Lakmal R Chase b Lakmal +S Dowrich c de Silva b Dananjaya *J Holder not out Extras (b10) 10 TOTAL (5 wkts, 60.3 overs) 147 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-8, 2-25, 3-55, 4-64, 5-117.

Bowling: Lakmal 17.3-3-48-2, Rajitha 13-3-23-2, Kumara 10-3-28-0, Dananjaya 19-7-33-1, de Silva 1-0-5-0.

20 19 0 3 87 39 48 62 23 7 0

59 1 2 39 13 8 15

be lured into loose drives, and capably defusing the spinners, who even on day five did not gain substantial turn off this pitch. Brathwaite’s innings soaked up 172 balls, moving to 58 not out during its course.

Hope resisted best in his company. The two of them saw out 35.5 of the 60.3 overs Sri Lanka bowled at them in the day. Hope’s innings was split into two, because he had had to go off after being hit in the ribs by Lahiru Kumara, but he nevertheless played a vital hand, batting out 115 balls while scoring 39.

Sri Lanka will likely be disappointed that even the overs that were available to them had proved insufficient.

By lunch, they had had three wickets, and seemed set to surge quickly to victory, their quicks running hot. The first West Indies wickets had not taken long to come - Kasun Rajitha seaming a delivery away from left-hander Devon Smith to have him nick one to second slip in the fourth over of the innings, before moving one into Kieran Powell to have him caught at square leg. Before they had even got to double figures, West Indies were two down. Later in the session, after Hope had been struck and forced to exit the field, Roston Chase had his off stump uprooted by Suranga Lakmal, who set the batsman up with a succession of awayseamers, before sneaking a straight ball through his defences.

CONTINUE ON PAGE 24

EXPERIENCED golfer Nazeem ‘Papo’ Haniff found his rhythm to cart off Sunday’s main prize in the Annual El Dorado Medal Play Golf tournament played at the Lusignan Golf Course.

Haniff shot net 68/9 to beat Balgobin Ragnauth with net 69/21 into second position.

Aleem Hussain 69/11 and Richard Haniff 69/11 rounded off the top four performers. In addition to the tie of Net 69 for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places, the Net scores up to 72 showed just how keenly the tournament

was contested.

Avinash Persaud had the best gross of 75, while nearest to the Pin was won

by Haniff.

Close Net scores were returned by Patanjalee Persaud 70/18; Munaf Arjune 71/9; Kassim Khan 71/9; Patrick Prashad 72/9; Troy Cadogan 72/25; Avinash Persaud 73/2; Lekhnarine Shivraj 73/18; and Brian Hackett 73/19.

Haniff who has not been in the winner’s seat for quite a while after he was the Guyana Open Men’s Champion some eight years ago.

On hand to formally open the tournament was Eldorado Brand Manager, Maria Munro, who expressed the company’s pleasure to be involved with the Lusignan Golf Club.

She assured of the company’s committment to continue to support to the club in its development.

On hand to assist with the distribution of prizes and hampers were five of the finalists of the Miss World Guyana pageant, including winner Ambika Ramraj, first runner-up Tracy Smith and second runner-up Joylyn Conway.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, June 19 , 2018

CONCACAF chief hails ...

Rain draws second test against Sri Lanka

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27 Kraigg Brathwaite flicks into the leg-side bowled on the final day of the second Test between WINDIES and Sri Lanka on Monday, June 18, 2018 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. © CWI Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography

Kane double helps England win opener Harry Kane of England celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/ Getty Images) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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23

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 Match Fixtures Colombia vs. Japan 8 a.m.

Moscow Saransk

Poland vs. Senegal

11 a.m.

Moscow

Russia vs. Egypt

2 p.m.

Saint Petersburg

TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2018