Guyana Chronicle E-paper 09-02-2018

2nd Septemeber, 2018

I’m not perfect No.105385

–– Ramnarine says his imperfections clashed with President’s expectations of a fit and proper person

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Heritage Month 05 launched PAGE

–– with President re-committing to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples

Dancers captivate the audience at the launch of Indigenous Heritage Month at the Sophia Exhibition Complex (Delano Williams photo)

Mother, 14 son killed in accident PAGE

Tessa Telford Ibrahim

All set for school 02 re-opening Monday PAGE

Marlon Mc Farlane

These parents were busy shoe shopping for their children on Saturday (Delano Williams photo)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

All set for school re-opening Monday

By Tamika Garnett and Vishani Ragobeer

ALL systems are in place for the reopening of school tomorrow following countrywide inspection exercises conducted by the Ministry of Education over the past

all systems are in place for school to proceed as normal.

“We’ve had no reports of anywhere not being fixed. I’ve received reports from all of my regional education officers and all of the schools were able to be in the shape required as of normal; some people have even gone over and beyond given the current situation,” the minister

said, adding: “We want to wish all teachers and students a very productive and successful academic year 2018/2019.”

Just last week, the ministry’s team met with parents and teachers and listened to their recommendations and concerns as they prepare to activate a ‘contingency See page 4

Parent Megalla Kellman few days and from all indications, a majority student turnout is expected.

“Preparations are coming along in keeping with what we would usually do for the new school year.

We are on track with respect to school being open on the September 3,” Education Minister Nicolette Henry said.

Some parents have been apprehensive about sending their children to school on Monday, but Henry noted the regional education officers have given her assurance that

A mother trying to get the shoes with the perfect fit for her son

Minister Henry meeting with parents earlier this week in light of calls by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) for teachers to strike on Monday

I’m not perfect

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

... Ramnarine says his imperfections clashed with President’s expectations of a fit and proper person

... mulls ‘numerous opportunities out there’

By Rabindra Rooplall ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine who was overlooked for the position of commissioner of police said “My imperfections seemed to have clashed with His Excellency’s expectations of a fit and proper person.”

Ramnarine will be proceeding on annualised vacation leave as he congratulated the new leadership of the Guyana Police Force.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, Ramnarine said, “I have always said policing is not for the faint of heart and in that regard, I congratulate all those who are part of the new team. I spoke to the commissioner personally and three of the deputies.

One of the deputies is out-Ms Graham--and when she returns I’ll speak with her also,” the former acting top cop said.

He said in the last two years of his career, there were some issues over which he had no control, but which seemed to have impacted the final outcome

of his profession.

“I cannot change that.

At the end of the day it’s not the end of my life or the end of the world…. As long as there is life there is hope and I never claimed to be perfect,” Ramnarine noted.

SATISFACTORY Underscoring that the force is much bigger and too important than any issue of an individual, Ramnarine reiterated his word of encouragement to the new leadership, emphasising the need for the team to fulfil President David Granger’s expectations of a new look for the force, along with enhanced public safety.

“What is done is done, I have had a satisfactory career thus far and there are numerous opportunities out there,” Ramnarine noted.

He did not say whether he will go off on early retirement or will resign.

He insisted that the decision was not totally unexpected and he had been preparing for it since last year. He hinted at certain matters that arose and affected his possibilities, but

did not want to talk about it in detail.

He asserted that serving the police force and Guyana has indeed been very satisfactory and it was a pleasure.

Ramnarine is confident of opportunities in new areas and said he will be contemplating his options.

JUSTIFICATIONS President Granger had said he can justify his appointment of newly installed Commissioner of Police Leslie James, while overlooking Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine who had acted in that capacity for several months.

The head of state was at the time speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday, when he noted that the selection of the commissioner of police is governed by the constitution and every stage is mandated.

He explained that the Police Service Commission (PSC) and its chairman had to be consulted and after deliberations, recommendations were put forward and after careful assessment

and examination, a final decision was made.

“The PSC conducted interviews, had access to files in the police force so that when you find officers who have been serving for 30 years, there has been a record of their performance over a long period of time and I relied very heavily on the advice I got from the PSC. So as far as the selection process is concerned, I can justify my decisions and I am sure the chairman of the commission can also justify his recommendations,” the President said.

James was appointed as the 12th commissioner of police with immediate effect on Thursday. He will be supported by four deputy commissioners, namely Lyndon Alves, Maxine Graham, Nigel Hoppie and Paul Williams.

The four deputies will be responsible for Operations, Administration, Law Enforcement and Special Branch/ Intelligence. The President said that the appointments pave the way for the force to be more efficiently managed, including having a system of succession planning, notably train-

ing others in preparation for high office. The head of state noted that security of the state and the safety of the Guyanese people rest on the police force and the officers who command it.

“Unless those officers are persons of integrity, intelligence and impartiality, this country will never be secure and our women and children will never be safe.

This country cannot move forward unless the Guyana Police Force preserves the environment, the peace and security of the state and the people to allow us all to go about our work without being harassed, without being threatened,” the President said.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, at a recent press conference lat-

Assistant Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine er, said that the President during the consultations, did not immediately give details for his decision, but said there were “specific reasons” for not choosing Ramnarine.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

All set for school...

From page 2

plan’ to prevent children from “feeling the squeeze” in the event of a strike.

“It is very important that we ensure that our children do not become pawns in any bargaining arrangements.

We need to keep our children out of this issue,” Chief Education

Officer Marcel Hutson said last week.

98 graduates of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE); 204 continuing teachers; teachers on practicum and retired teachers.

In addition, each region has been equipped with monitors and coordinators and a secretariat has been set up for management where a register sheet will be used daily to take record of attending teachers to determine where extra efforts will be needed.

The plan is not expected to be as widely needed, as many schools have seen teachers turning up as per normal last week, with only some 12 head teachers out of approximately 1000 schools handing over school keys, even though a nationwide strike was called to begin from August 27.

WORKABLE Henry reminded that although the plan is not a perfect one, it is workable.

The contingency plan will see some 400 teachers being deployed where needed and this includes

This young girl peruses these exercise books Several schools in Georgetown were opened with business as per normal.

On Saturday, Georgetown was a busy place for school shoppers.

LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING While the August vacation lasted for two months and some per-

sons used the time to do their back-to-school shopping, many others opted for the last-minute shopping.

For Megalla Kellman, from Kuru Kuru on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway, Saturday was the first day she began her back-toschool shopping.

“Things are reasonable for me,” she said. “I don’t

Back to School shopping on Wellington Street

have any problem; it’s just that the place is hot.... and the place is crowded like if it’s Christmas time.”

Her daughter attends the Soesdyke Secondary School and Megalla is excited for school to be reopened.

Tiffany Boston was one parent who avoided the last-minute rush -for the most part -- and only had to purchase a few minor items over the weekend.

But she had some reservations about the teachers’ strike, which up to the time she spoke to the Guyana Chronicle was still in effect.

“We’re [she and her daughter] basically just going with the flow, but we will be there [at school] on Monday,” Boston said.

Myrtina [only name given], a parent and teacher related that the last-minute back-toschool shopping is “really, really hectic” but because it is all about the children and making them happy, she too is very happy.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Heritage Month launched –– with President re-committing to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples

By Alva Solomon

GOVERNMENT is laying the foundation for greater equality in hinterland communities as it continues towards its aim of eliminating poverty in these areas.

This is according to President David Granger who was at the time addressing dozens of persons gathered at the Sophia Exhibition Complex for the official opening of Indigenous Heritage Month on Saturday.

This year, the celebrations are being held under the theme “Proud of our indigenous identity – celebrate

This vendor was busy knitting craft items during Saturday night’s event at the Sophia Exhibition complex (Delano Williams photos)

in unity” and among those at the launch were Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs , Sydney Allicock; Junior Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs , Valerie Garrido-Lowe ; and members of the diplomatic corps.

President Granger told the gathering that he has asked the National Toshaos Council (NTC) for a village improvement plan so that each village across the nation can benefit from the public services extended by the Government.

He said each village would conform to a systematic approach so that amenities such as running water and telecommunications can be provided.

The President noted that the plans would be able to also attract businesses -- persons interested in producing craft and agro-processed goods from those areas.

He said, too, that tourism can also benefit the villages once the plans are well organised.

“So ladies and gentlemen, the groundwork is being laid to ensure that inequalities in public education , in income , in access to public services between hinterland communities and the rest of the country are eliminated,” the President said.

He told the gathering that it is “painful” for him to see an entire school population in a hinterland community emerging from the institution in the afternoon barefooted. “We have to bring greater equality,” he said.

President David Granger receives a token from Glendon Allicock of the Surama Cultural Group on Saturday night

Earlier, he said that any Government must have as its prime concern the elimination of inequalities which exist. The President said that a plan of action which has been put into action by the APNU+AFC administration speaks to addressing the inequalities and provides guidance to the administration in empowering the nation’s first peoples.

Minister Allicock called on all concerned to use the opportunity provided by the month-long celebrations to unify the country while promoting businesses and pursuing recommendations to improve the livelihoods in each community.

“We are a powerful

country; we have natural resources; if we can find a way of understanding the value of this country we could all be able to benefit from those natural resources that we have,” he said.

Allicock also called on Guyanese to work hard to bridge the gap between the hinterland and coastland as the first peoples celebrate their heritage this month.

NTC Chairman Nicholas Fredericks called on the Government, the diplomatic community and other stakeholders to work with the indigenous peoples to bring an end to some of the pressing issues affecting them.

“It is a very important time as Guyana moves to

Obama, Bush hail McCain – at memorial service EX-PRESIDENTS Barack Obama and George W Bush have paid tribute to Senator John McCain at a memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral.

The Vietnam War hero, who became one of America’s most high-profile politicians, died a week ago from brain cancer at the age of 81.

His daughter, Meghan, was the first to speak, paying an emotional tribute to her father while also criticising President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Mr Trump did not attend the service.

The two Republicans had major differences, both personal and political, and Mr McCain’s family made

it clear that Mr Trump was not welcome.

Members of the Trump administration who were present included the president’s daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Following memorial services in the State of Arizona -- which Mr McCain represented as a senator, and where he died last Saturday -- and in Washington, a private burial service will be held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, today.

On Friday Mr McCain’s body was taken back to the Congress buildings, where he worked for decades, and lay in state in the Capitol rotunda overnight.

On the way from the

Capitol to the cathedral on Saturday morning, the cortège stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where his widow, Cindy, laid a wreath.

‘THE REAL THING’ Meghan McCain told mourners at the cathedral: “We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness.

“The real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who live lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.

“The America of John McCain is generous and welcoming and bold; she is resourceful and confident and secure; she meets her responsibilities; she speaks

quietly because she is strong.

“America does not boast, because she does not need to. The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great.”

Former President Obama paid tribute to the man he defeated in the 2008 US presidential election. He described Mr McCain as an “extraordinary man; a warrior, a statesman, a patriot” who embodied much of what made America great.

Mr Obama said that despite their many differences, “We never doubted we were on the same team.”

He added: “John understood that our security and our influence was won not just by our military might; not just by our wealth; not just by our ability to bend others to our will, but from our capacity to inspire others

preserve our country’s natural resources through the Green State Development Strategy,” he said.

Saturday afternoon’s proceedings saw performances from the Surama cultural Group and other groups from the Rupununi as well as a contingent from Suriname.

The celebrations will continue at the indigenous village at Sophia until September 5 when a cultural extravaganza as well as craft and food will be on display.

On September 15, all roads will lead to Shulinab Village in the Rupununi where Indigenous Heritage Village Day celebrations will be undertaken. with our adherence to a set of universal values; like rule of law and human rights, and an insistence on the God-given dignity of every human being.”

Mr Bush, who defeated Mr McCain for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, paid tribute to the senator’s courage, honesty and sense of honour.

“At various points during his long career, John confronted polices and practices that he believed were unworthy of his country. To the face of those in authority, John McCain would insist: ‘We are better than this, America is better than this.’

“John would be the first to tell you he was not a perfect man, but he dedicated his life to national ideals that are as perfect as men and women have as yet conceived.”

Other speakers included former Senator Joe Lieberman and former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, 95. (BBC)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

The new GPF administration GUYANA now has a new commissioner of police -- its 12th Guyanese -- in the person of Leslie Albert James, a former crime chief, who immediately prior to this appointment served as Commander of ‘A’ Division, and other command posts.

But there is also a most important addition–the naming of four deputy commissioners of police, who will be the new commissioner’s principal assistants and the GPF’s administrators, as they each will be responsible for the areas of administration, operations, law enforcement, and intelligence, which President Granger described as the, “four most critical areas of the police [force] and the appointments will serve several purposes.”

There is also a very significant appointment, that of Ms Maxine Graham, to the level of deputy commissioner. It is as seminal, since it is seen as a long-overdue instance for a female rank, but also another example of a government that has continued to advance the importance of gender equality in a nation that is not short of quality talent, competence, ability, and skills, among the category of female professionals.

The appointment of the four deputy commissioners of police signals the

restoration of a long absent, and critical administrative component which makes for competent administration of the GPF, thereby reducing greatly, operational hiccups and bottlenecks which no law-enforcement body should have to encounter in its daily management. In fact, we stand to be corrected, by recalling that this four-officer deputy commissioner structure, was first installed sometime in the mid-1970s, with officers of the calibre of Deputy Commissioners Haynes and Crandon, two of the four appointed officers. This was a departure from what used to be the singular deputy commissioner mechanism.

The fact that President David Granger, also commander-in-chief of the nation’s armed forces, and very forthright on matters of state security, would have sworn in the new commissioner so soon after his naming and announcement of the latter, underlines not only the seriousness with which he views the portfolio and its supporting offices as critical for ensuring the nation’s security. It is also the key necessity of leading the security sector reform process which is so vital for a police force that must be urgently led into the new day of modernisation, for confronting the numerous social challenges that abound; and professionalism, where service will be

seen as a duty, a call to national service in the aid of defeating crime, thus bringing its perpetrators, irrespective of social class/ status to justice.

In his post-swearing in address, President Granger was quite unequivocal when he underlined that the office is “not a toy”, a “trinket”, or a “tool of political favour or patronage.’’ It is as well that this particular aspect, a hallmark of existence that was responsible for the havoc and declining standards of the police force during the last People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), be again highlighted.

Not only was the existence of what seemed to have been the deliberate policy of the political directorate of extending the tenure of some police commissioners; but that this did not augur well for both the seamless transition, as had formerly been the case. This resulted in the ruination of the plan of succession which every security force must have; and disgruntlement by many senior ranks who felt shortchanged and cheated. The inevitable then set in: loss of morale, the decline of professional standards, with all of the shortcomings that have affected the proper management of the local law- enforcement agency.

It is evident that this stagnation will not re-occur, as the appointed management

structure will henceforth allow also for third-tier officers of the rank of assistant commissioners to have reasonable expectations of succeeding to the upward level of deputy commissioners, a fact which President Granger pointed out.

There is no doubt that all Guyana, its citizens to be specific, welcomes this new and important chapter in the annals of the GPF, and will entrust their safety to the new commissioner and his managers. Of course, we must want them to succeed, as much as they would also want themselves. But this calls for continued cooperation between the two sides, and an understanding of the plethora of challenges, as pointed out by President Granger, which are present at the moment.

It therefore further explains the absolute necessity for the successful implementation of the security sector reforms, which is high on the agenda of this new GPF administration, and which the President has reminded is a serious and major priority for this new team, for a modern police force.

As a nation, we offer them sincere congratulations, especially to the first female deputy commissioner of police, and best wishes as they guide the process of reforms for a better police force, and a more secure society.

An awkward and unusual development Dear Editor I SEEK space in your newspaper to publicly articulate my concerns related to the decision by the University of Guyana to award honorary doctoral degrees at its convocation later this year.

I listened to the Vice-Chancellor as he presented the VC’s 2018/19 Welcome Message and most recently to his pre-

sentation at the official opening of the 2018/19 Academic Year, and on both occasions he clearly announced this awkward and unusual development.

This decision has been made at a time when there are serious questions being raised related to the deteriorating quality of the institution’s graduates, and its inability to retain and attract qualified staff,

among other issues.

As an alumnus and former lecturer at UG, I must make it clear at the outset that in my respectful view, the university’s major focus at this time should be the consolidation of its undergraduate programmes, the gradual introduction of well-designed and staffed graduate programmes, and the development of the institution as a centre of excellence in teaching and

research.

While I have no problem, in principle, with the award of honorary degrees, the award of an Honorary Doctoral Degree from a university which has never awarded an academically-earned doctoral degree is highly irregular and must raise concerns.

I have been reminded that universities usually confer their highest degrees on persons who,

though not completing academic degrees, have in their own fields distinguished themselves with the rigour which can be considered equivalent to the university’s highest academic degree holders: The Ph.D graduate.

I reiterate that UG has never awarded an academically examined Doctoral Degree, and I ask the UG Council to publicly state the major factors which

influenced the decision to approve the award of honorary doctorates at this time.

I am disappointed; not livid, that the Chancellor and the University Council have approved this award, and I wish to recommend an immediate reconsideration of the decision.

Regards Mark Kirton

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Another year, another bailout for M&CC –no surprise here Dear Editor, WITH reports appearing in some sections of the media that another showdown is looming between the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown and the two largest garbage collection agencies which are contracted to provide refuse collection services to corporate, residential and industrial customers, certainly no citizen of Georgetown should be surprised.

Absolutely no one should be startled that payments to the two companies by the Council could be slipping into arrears again. Without an audit done of the Council’s fi-

nancial records in over two decades; with the profusion of financial scams over the years; and with the profuse and improvident spending that the Council is so well known for, how could one expect anything other than insolvency, defalcation and total bankruptcy at the Council?

It will not be much longer that the Central Government will be asked to jump in and bail them out again. This especially so since the Local Government Elections is scheduled in a matter of weeks.

Mendicancy, impecuniousness and indigence are the order of the day at the Georgetown Mayor & City Council.

Further, the the city’s two largest

waste collection service providers working for the Georgetown Municipality should not be the least surprised at the plan being hatched to jettison them from the garbage collection arrangements involving the capital’s nursery, primary and secondary schools in favour of another ‘well-connected contractor.

This is just another barefaced, crude and open attempt at massive corruption, malfeasance and nepotism at the Council.

Everyone knows who this ‘well-connected contractor’ is, who he is connected to, and why he is treated specially. A movie can be made of the goings-on of the Council that would rival The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Departed and Scarface.

Regards Sambu Jacobus

$50M in fines, penalties recouped from errant remigrants Dear Editor, THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) wishes to respond to a letter by Mr Robin Singh in the Friday, August 31, 2018 edition of the Stabroek News, titled, “Questions for government policy making keep piling up.”

The letter writer insinuates that the positions of the GRA and that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the granting of concessions for re-migrants, is the “source of much confusion.” He made reference to the recent views expressed in the press by the Honourable Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge and the commissioner-general of the GRA. The authority wishes to state categorically that the views of the two agencies are in no way at odds. The agencies are tasked with differing roles and responsibilities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures that the remigrant meets the criteria set out in the said scheme for being a remigrant, while the Ministry of Finance through the GRA is responsible for administering the tax concessions. This administration allows the GRA to withhold, suspend or cancel the concessions when the remigrant is in breach of the conditions of the scheme.

In the case of motor vehicles, the exemption of duties on motor vehicles is granted on conditions pursuant to section 23 and 36 of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01. These clearly state that the re-migrant must: • Maintain legal residence in Guyana, in accordance with Section 2 of the Income Tax Act Chapter 81:01 for five (5) years from the date of registration of the vehicle • Report to the GRA in person every six (6) months with the motor vehicle certification of road worthiness/ fitness, insurance and registration of inspection • Reside at least 183 days for each year until the five-year period has expired • Use the vehicle as a primary mode of transportation and ensure that it remains in his/her possession within the five (5) years without being leased, transferred or sold.

The commissioner-general’s remarks of the breaches are factual.

There have been blatant breaches in the remigrant conditions specified. The statement that “one in every three” of the concessions is breached can be borne out by the figures and visits to remigrant residences, where the “high end” vehi-

cles cannot be found and the remigrant cannot be located. Investigations have revealed that funds are provided to prospective remigrants, who buy the said high-end vehicles and transfer possession by means of power of attorney, then return overseas during the stipulated period that they are required to remain in Guyana. Some of these high-end vehicles include Rolls Royces, Hummers, Range Rovers, and Ferraris. To curb this practice, the GRA has been requesting the source of funds for these applicants.

These acts constitute serious offences that warrant the commissioner-general under Section 36 of the Customs Act to imposing penalties, inclusive of forfeiture or fines in lieu of forfeiture. In December 31, 2017 alone over $50M in fines, penalties and duties were recouped from these individuals.

Lastly, the commissioner-general’s views on tax credits versus exemptions are well known.

These views are in keeping with international norms and those of the Tax Reform Committee of which he was a member.

Regards Godfrey Statia Commissioner-General

BURDEN AND BENEFIT 8

WITH neither the government nor the Guyana Teacher’s Union closing the door to talks tomorrow, when the new school term begins, could mark a new phase in industrial relations should a fullblown strike by teachers be averted. It does not appear, from statements made by President David Granger as well as union leaders Mark Lyte and Coretta McDonald, that a confrontation is looming.

However, there are dissident forces that have been stirring strife, hoping that a strike by the estimated 10,000 teachers in Guyana would not only shut schools, but would shake and sabotage confidence in the coalition government.

As the academic year

starts tomorrow, children who are now starting school will be looking towards a new life-long experience of meeting their teachers, and settling down in their classrooms, which is why the decision by teachers whether or not to be there for these children would be an agonising one.

It is in the best interest of the children that contingency arrangements be put in place to ensure their safety, and not allow opportunistic elements to hijack the teachers’ cause for mischief.

LIFE-TIME BURDEN While teachers have carried seemingly a lifetime burden to educate our Guyanese generations and their fresh off-spring, there is a consensus that they have not been given adequate benefits for doing so.

This would be true also for nurses and state security

ranks. This runs counter to the principle, more applicable in land matters, that he who runs with the burden, should take (or reject) the benefit.

No one can doubt that for many years public servants, including teachers, have been owed a “wage debt”, as the renowned Guyana-born economist, Dr Clive Thomas, once described it. In post-independent Guyana, public servants invariably carried the burden of structural adjustments, wage restraints, austerity programmes and deferred entitlements. Those collectively had formed the underlying reasons for what had appeared to be a permanent “five percent” syndrome, which must be brought to an end in this new era when Guyana looks forward to oil wealth.

Predictably, the opposition leader has blurted out that the coalition government has money to give teachers a big salary hike.

But it was under his stewardship as Finance Minister that a stiff back was given to demands for decent salary increases. His standard diktat was: “5%; no negotiation; no arbitration.”

His inflexible, dogmatic, anti-working class position resulted in a lengthy strike in the public service. While he had rejected my advocacy for a 12% interim payout in 1999, which could have ended the strike, he readily embraced the Armstrong Arbitration recommenda-

tions of 20% for 1999 and 30% for 2000. By then, Janet Jagan had handed the presidency over to him.

POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM Today, smelling fresh blood to feed his political opportunism, he is resorting to mischief that the coalition government had helped itself to a hefty salary increase at the expense of teachers. But the facts are indisputable that between 1998 and 2014, while salaries for public servants increased by 164.72%, the pay of PPP Ministers went up by 220.5%. The salary of the then President increased by 386.5%.

His political sidekick Mr Anil Nandlall, in a media letter published yesterday, repeated much of what his handler has said about the 50% salary increase for coalition government ministers.

The opposition has peddled and spread this 50% distortion that it now appears like the dreaded foot and mouth disease.

The truth is that in 2015 there was no across-theboard 50% salary increase to government ministers.

Nor has there been a cent increase since then, and over the past three years!

The increase in 2015 was a one-off adjustment to the pay mostly of junior and senior ministers, numbering under two dozen officials, and the fixing of salary for three first-time vice-presi-

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

dents. The salary of junior ministers was adjusted to the level of a permanent secretary; and that of senior ministers to the level of a government adviser.

The salary of the prime minister was adjusted upwards to be on par with that of the attorney general, who continues to receive a tax-free package.

MINISTERIAL BUREAUCRACY The salary of the ministerial bureaucracy has been subjected to periodic adjustments over many years. In 1992, the prime minister was getting just over $28,000. In comparison, the attorney general was taking home $78,000.

By 2015, when the coalition took office, the salary of the prime minister was $1,549,000 and the attorney general to $1,630,000 (taxfree). Over that period the president’s salary went up by some 500%!

Those huge increases were doled out by the Jagdeo regime, not the coalition government. And there were no tears for teachers!

At that time, selected persons were catapulted to sinecure political advisory positions and, like fat cats at GPL, Guysuco and at the e-Governance project, they were getting multi-millions in salaries.

Since November, 2011, when I first entered the National Assembly as an AFC “opposition” parliamentarian, we called for national concord on the wages issue.

We had specifically called for an across-the-board, 10% salary increase to teachers as we recognised their critical role in nation-building.

The expectations that, that would happen since 2011 did not materialise, and after seven years it cannot be

said that the demands for a wage adjustment is not justifiable, except that it should be reasonable and within the ability of government to pay, at least at this time. The government had set up a task force to examine a comprehensive approach towards improving the conditions and incentives for teachers but, as President Granger explained, their findings were deficient.

Instead of leaving teachers empty-handed, government placed some $900 million on the table.

BETTER OFFER The GTU has said that it is open to a better offer, which suggests that the search for a mutually satisfactory solution has not ended. It makes sense to leave all options open.

On its part, it may be useful for government to look closer at other non-salary issues such as clothing allowances which, if addressed and monetised, could come close to a percentage payout that would far exceed the cursed 5% straitjacket that this government had inherited.

Teachers cannot allow themselves to fall for the silly strife of the political opposition that they would not get bigger salaries unless the government “dismantles the policy which allows ministers to take spouses on overseas trips at the expense of taxpayers.” While I am not aware that there is any such policy, this seems puerile and a vendetta against ministers who have spouses.

The classical wisdom has been captured in the proverb, “those in glass houses should not throw stones.” But old people would advise that those without stones should keep away from glass houses.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Sugar experts for GuySuCo board –– President Granger optimistic sugar can return to profitability

By Svetlana Marshall

THE Board of Directors of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will comprise experienced persons in the area of sugar production, President David Granger has said, while stating that the industry must be treated as a business.

The sugar industry, which over the years has fallen on tough times, was among issues brought to the fore when the President hosted his first press conference for the year at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday.

“GuySuCo is important to us. We have said that we are not shutting down the sugar industry, it is being reformed,” the President told reporters, while noting under his government the larger estates in East Berbice, West Berbice and West Demerara are being maintained.

Under this government, the sugar industry has been reduced to three estates and factories –Blairmont on the West Bank of Berbice; Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice; and the Uitvlugt-Wales Estate in West Demerara.

Earlier this month, the former Director of Agricultural Services, Dr. Harold Davis Jnr, was appointed GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and it is expected that soon, a new board will be appointed comprising persons knowledgeable in the field.

“There has been a tendency or a temptation in the past to put persons who might be socially prominent, but this is a business, this is an international industry, we have to compete with other sugar producers,” President Granger said.

CONFIDENCE Under the watch of Dr Davis and the incoming board, the President anticipates that the corporation will return to

profitability.

With a workforce of about 10, 000 persons, the President noted that GuySuCo is projected to produce about 147,000 to 150,000 tonnes of sugar annually. He believed that with better management, the sugar industry will stand the test of time, and return as a competitive

force on the international market.

Shortly after his assumption of office, Dr Davis had said that GuySuCo will be moving to increase its competitiveness with the production of high-value sugars – plantation white and direct consumption.

A precursor to this will be increased sugarcane yields to beyond 70 tonnes cane per hectare.

Already, a land-development programme, which commenced under Dr Davis’s watch while he was agriculture director, is being carried out in a highly technically sound manner, the Agriculture Ministry said in a release.

It noted that improving the capacity of the workforce through training and development is a high priority item on Dr Davis’ agenda, in addition to attracting high-quality skills to support modernisation of the corporation.

The tasks at hand for Dr Davis, the ministry stated, are to modernise the three remaining estates which are the production

centres. This will entail transforming infrastructure, agricultural and other practices and retooling factories.

In an effort to create and deliver more value, co-generation facilities will be constructed, the factory at the Albion Estate will be upgraded to produce plantation white

sugar and consideration will be given to the expansion of production at the Blairmont Estate to accommodate increased production of direct-consumption sugars, among others.

Feasibility studies on co-generation have been completed for two factories and a further study will be conducted on the third. The first co-generation project will commence on Albion Estate within the planned period.

“In terms of the process for achieving his goals and objectives, focus

will be on the establishment of a sound, highly skilled management team with a range of relevant expertise.

The production centres – estates– are the core of the business and strong teams will be built around providing the requisite support to achieve and surpass the

147,000-tonne production target by 2021,” the ministry explained.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL “This approach is guided by GuySuCo’s new ‘Sustainable Business Model,’ which focuses on achieving a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) – economic/financial, environmental and social and ensures more accountability in all three areas and adding more structure around becoming a more environmentally sensitive

business, as well as cost reduction.”

Dr Davis holds a BSc. in Chemistry from the University of West Indies and a PhD in Soil Chemistry from the University of Reading, (UK). He previously worked for Bookers Agriculture International in the United Kingdom, returned to Guyana in 1981 and has worked in various capacities in GuySuCo, before leaving in 2010 as the agriculture research director. Since then, he has undertaken consultancy assignments in several countries. In 2016, he consented to undertaking an assignment of agriculture consultant to GuySuCo and subsequently accepted the position as agriculture director. He brings a wealth of experience in agriculture and project management to lead implementation of the programme to modernise GuySuCo. Dr Davis takes over the reins from Paul Bhim, who was one of the members of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), established in 2015 to focus on

President David Granger redefining and to some extent redesigning a more sustainable pathway for GuySuCo; with particular focus on a direction for a more financially sound business.

Hence, the particular skills required for the IMC members were sound financial backgrounds, a good knowledge of the sugar industry and market-oriented competence.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Understanding Energy...

More discoveries mean more possibilities for Guyana

BASED on the size of our reserves and the huge investments being made, ExxonMobil and its partners will likely be in Guyana for the next two to three decades, at the very least. That means that there’s a very real possibility that Guyanese who are not even born yet may grow up and start their adult lives working in one of the most important oiland-gas plays in the world.

And new discoveries just keep coming.

Just last week, Exxon announced a new find at the Hammerhead-1 well. This is the production consortium’s ninth find to date, and “proof of concept” that a new and undeveloped area of the Stabroek Block could hold vast reserves.

Hammerhead was drilled in 1,150-metre-deep water to

a total depth of 4,225 metres and encountered 197 feet of “high-quality oil-bearing sandstone” southwest of the Liza 1 well.

Though the consortium has not yet fully assessed the amount of recoverable oil and gas at the Hammerhead site, this is about the same thickness of oil-bearing sandstone that was found at the Liza 4 well, which is set to play a crucial role in the development of Liza Phase 2. All indications are that this find is substantial.

According to Exxon’s press releases, the next steps following the discovery include an evaluation of reservoir data to assess reserves and how accessible they are, as well as physical tests.

During that time, a second exploration vessel, the Noble Tom Madden, will start exploring Guyanese waters.

The vessel will focus first on drilling exploratory wells at the less explored but now promising Pluma site in the southernmost region of the Stabroek Block near the existing Turbot well.

With additional well sites come a need for additional support and work.

Even before this latest discovery, Exxon was already seeking to bolster its Guyanese-born team. Currently, 20 new entry-level workers are set to be trained as operations and maintenance technicians. They will be responsible for maintaining facilities, pipelines, and telecoms.

Given the technical demands of these jobs, the learning curve could be relatively steep. Though it will take time for Guyanese who are new to the industry to get the level of experience

needed for supervisory or managerial roles, this kind of training is the first step in preparing Guyanese for increasingly specialised and high-paying roles. Many of the skills learned will be applicable to other critical parts of oil development, like FPSOs (floating production, storage, and offloading), and create an opportunity for knowledge-sharing which can benefit other Guyanese.

As more discoveries are made, these massive FPSO vessels and their support facilities onshore will need highly skilled crewmembers.

Already, the first FPSO for Liza Phase 1 is under construction at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, and two more are planned for the later phases of the Liza and Payara developments. These massive vessels represent

huge opportunities for employment as the production activity ramps up.

The current Guyanese receiving training to join the oil-and-gas industry workforce can be viewed as the tip of the spear. Guyana has an opportunity to establish training and experience programmes which will enable even more Guyanese to gain the skills necessary to work in the industry and capture the many opportunities presented by energy production offshore and the related developments onshore.

As discussed in our first local-content column, medium-to-long-term capacity-building is extremely important in spreading the benefits of oil-and-gas development across the wider population in a sustainable, long-lasting way. Again, Guyana has some competitive advantages to help

develop local expertise and industry. As more discoveries are made, like Hammerhead this week, Guyana’s reputation as an oil-and-gas hub will continue to grow.

Furthermore, Guyana’s low cost of living is a draw for foreign businesses. This international reputation and the related developing local expertise represent opportunity for Guyana.

Fostering a safe and stable investment environment is critical.

Furthermore, early oil-and-gas revenues can provide capital to make much-needed investments in education, jobs training, and infrastructural improvements. New discoveries,such as the one announced this week, only increase the opportunity for Guyana to benefit and grow.

THE clock ticks down and, moment by slow moment, we are coming to the first nationwide strike in years.

I think this strike represents the slow build-up of dissatisfaction teachers have felt for many years, under more than one administration and president.

Those frustrations are legitimate, as are the frustrations each and every Guyanese has felt for the past few decades. But these are the frustrations of a different time, and we seem to be struggling to come to terms with the radical changes the oil economy will bring.

Just as it makes little sense to talk about Guyanese education without referencing oil, it makes little sense to view the strike, from any perspective, without that multi-year mindset. The risk teachers run with such aggressive demands is that they will alienate the administration, and already we hear

the leader of the opposition alleging that government has the finances to pay for a massive increase in teachers’ salaries, throwing around words like corruption. These are distractions from the real question all concerned now need to ask: what is education going to look like in the oil economy?

I have previously written that the timing of such large demands is poor, because much higher increases might be expected in the longer term, as incredible increases in revenue begin to roll in.

More than this, however, teachers need to realise that the government is just now beginning to recraft its education policy in the face of more and more oil discoveries, and this recrafting will only bend in their favour.

What economy can develop with half of those writing mathematics at CSEC failing? What economy can develop with only 2.3% of

the population having bachelor’s degrees? Can’t we all see that in the oil economy, massive spending must take place in the education sector?

Rather than putting their energies into striking, this is the moment for teachers to express their vision for an ideal workplace, one producing a high degree of academic excellence. Teachers should strive to participate in this national deliberative process by highlighting important issues and themes, safe in the knowledge that all can be addressed when our education system experiences its renaissance.

Pulling away in the form of a strike will only harm the relationship between teachers and the administration, which no one wants, and the nation can seldom afford.

This is not to say I don’t respect the teachers’ right to strike, as labour movements are crucial to maintaining a stable national environment.

My hope is that the current strike will instead illustrate more than the monetary issues that grab all the headlines.

Teachers complain about classrooms, bathrooms, athletic facilities and the lack of modern technology such as projectors or computers, and these are the things we truly want to hear. For perhaps the first time in our nation’s history we can fix all of these nuisances, allowing our teachers and students to focus on the task at hand.

Perhaps, in the end, the GTU doesn’t trust that there will be pay increases, now or in the future, without a strike. This is a regrettable, misplaced fear, born out of the experience of preoil Guyana. It makes little sense for a government, flush with revenue, focused on

a vast education project, to neglect teachers’ salaries.

That would simply lead to a counter-productive future.

What we need to avoid, however, is a counter-productive present. Have a little faith, teachers, and dream big. Don’t let our past anchor our hopes.

And it is these hopes we need now to cultivate as we set national goals. A 50 per cent pass rate in mathematics will be totally unacceptable as the oil economy rolls forward, and we need a timeline put in place for when we expect to get that number up, and then eventually at the levels of Korea or other top academic nations.

Such a timeline can be linked to increases in teachers salaries’ to incentivise them to give even more in service of the nation; and

with that spirit of partnership, we will see progress.

The way forward is partnership.

Most critical, my fellow Guyanese, is that we ask ourselves what we want from our education system in the oil economy. Let us not wait until the oil has arrived to set minimum acceptable standards, but set those frameworks up now, and only adjust them if necessary.

Without preparation, without goal-setting and drawing up the basic requirements, progress will always be slow and achievement set back.

Guyanese often cry out for vision, but we each have some vision in ourselves for the nation we would like to see.

Together, let us raise our voices in preparation for this new future.

Partner for education

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Bill coming to remove custodial sentences for ‘possession’ …President Granger announces at press briefing

PRESIDENT David Granger said an amendment to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Control Act will soon be laid before the National Assembly to allow for the removal of custodial sentences for the possession of small amounts of marijuana – an announcement which has been well received by the Rastafarian community.

In response to a series of questions put to him by journalists during a press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday, President Granger said the issue was discussed at the level of Cabinet and an agreement was reached.

“We have taken a decision in principle that custodial sentences for the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use would be legally abolished after the National Assembly comes off of its recess, you could look forward to that legislation,” the President told journalists.

Several concerns still to be addressed -- Rastafarians On Saturday, immediate past President of the Guyana Rastafari Council and member of the Society of Marijuana Advocates for Reform and Treatment (SMART), Leon Saul told the Guyana Chronicle that the Rastafarian Community welcomes this announcement, but noted that there are several concerns that need to be addressed.

“We are fully in support of this move, except for the fact we felt that the procras-

tination was being manufactured by persons who hadn’t the interest of our community and general ganja-using community at heart. But right now we are heartened by the fact that he has again indicated that this will be so,” Saul told this newspaper.

The SMART member said the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government should detail what exactly the amendment will entail.

“What we are most concerned about is that despite the fact that he says that small amounts would not be ‘jailable’, we don’t know what exactly is this small amount, and we of the Rastafarian Community and representatives of SMART… we have been advocating for 56 grams which is two ounces for personal possession,” Saul explained.

‘Let us plant small amounts’ SMART and the Guyana Rastafari Council are also advocating for persons to be allowed to farm small amounts of marijuana plants, not for industrial purposes, but personal supply and use, medicinal, recreational and sacramental use.

Once the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act is amended, Saul said there should be no delay in its enforcement or implementation.

When President Granger had first announced the move to remove jail time for small possession of small amounts of marijuana in Guyana, he

found in possession of more than five grams of cannabis, a person can be sentenced to three years in jail.

‘Review marijuana status at your own pace’ - CARICOM Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), agreed that action should be taken at the national level to review marijuana’s current status with a view to reclassification, but at their own pace.

During their 39th Regular Conference, the CARICOM Heads of Government reviewed the Report of the Regional Commission on Marijuana and took note of its findings, conclusions and recommendations, particularly with respect to human and religious rights; the social and developmental impact of use among adolescents; the ecoPresident David Granger addressing reporters on his nomic benefits to be derived and issues related to its clasgovernment’s move to remove custodial sentences sification. Among the recomfor possession of small amounts of marijuana mendations was the call for the had made it clear that indus- states, we have challenges for decriminalisation of marijuana trialisation of the cannabis enforcement and challenges but in regulated amounts.

Chairman of CARICOM was a ‘no-no’ for the gov- for control of that land space, ernment. and it will be very difficult and Prime Minister of Jamaica, “We are not moving to- for Guyana to embark on that Andrew Holness, while refwards encouraging the in- course at the present time. erencing the report, said the dustrialisation of marijuana So we are moving towards regional leaders have admitted production,” he had told the the removal of the custodial that the current classification Guyana Chronicle on the sentences, we are not moving of marijuana as an illicit drug sidelines of the 39th Regular towards the encouragement presents a challenge in the Meeting of the Conference of the use of marijuana,” he conduct of research to fully understand and ascertain the of Heads of Government of had explained. the Caribbean Community Over the years, several medicinal benefits of cannabis.

He said it was on that (CARICOM) in Jamaica last persons have been placed note that the 15 heads of July. behind bars for having small “I think that is a little amounts of marijuana in their government agreed action is premature in the context of possession– a move which necessary at the national level Guyana, and we have [a] vast has been frowned upon, by the relevant authorities landscape in comparison with given the overcrowding of to review the current status some of the Caribbean island the country’s prisons. Once of marijuana with a view to

Immediate past President of the Guyana Rastafari Council Ras Leon Saul reclassification.

‘Custodial sentences criminalise young people’ - AFC The AFC, which forms a major part of the coalition government, said it is time legislators move with alacrity to upgrade the laws of Guyana to ensure that custodial sentences for small quantities of marijuana are removed from the books in their entirety.

“Custodial sentences serve, in large measure, to criminalise young people, particularly young men who have been caught with small quantities of marijuana – an offence which is a mere error in judgment and not representative of criminal behaviour,” the AFC said earlier this year.

AFC Member of Parliament Michael Carrington, since 2015 had tabled a bill in the National Assembly for debate, but it has since been languishing on the order paper, being deferred time and time again.

Patterson happy with progress at CJIA arrival terminal

MINISTER of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has expressed his satisfaction with the operation of the new facilities at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), even as management continues to run tests to ensure all systems concerning passenger handling and service conditions are acceptable.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI) Minister Patterson, who arrived on a Caribbean Airlines flight at the CJIA this past week, stated that he is “quite pleased” with the operations at the new arrivals

terminal, noting that “it was very efficient” soon after arriving at the airport.

The minister said that the new terminal reduces the immigration processing time. He related that from the moment the aircraft landed, he began to time the process “as a passenger.” He said that the immigration process was completed in “eleven minutes” and it was “a better experience” for him.

He told the DPI, that while the infrastructural aspect of the arrival terminal has been completed, there are other aspects which must be put in place before the

facility is fully functional.

He explained that, “Immigration has to get their software ready, customs has to get all their scanners running,” as well as their payment systems.

The minister disclosed that on Monday, there will be a debriefing after which a decision will be made on whether the new arrivals terminal will begin operations, as planned or an extension will be granted so as to facilitate “a bit more fine-tuning.”

It was noted that the departure terminal of the CJIA is set to be completed in December of this year.

Minister of Public Infrastructure , David Patterson, soon after his arrival at the CJIA one morning this past week.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Granger endorses calls for GECOM reform –– says commissioners should be appointed by National Assembly

By Svetlana Marshall

PRESIDENT David Granger in endorsing calls for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to be reformed went one step further and added that Commissioners should be appointed by the National Assembly.

At a press conference at the Ministry of the Presidency on Friday, the President told reporters that the Carter Formula, which is in use, has “exhausted its usefulness.”

That formula, which is embedded in the Constitution, allows for the opposition leader, after consultation with other opposition parliamentary parties, to present the sitting President with a list of nominees from which he may choose one.

But last October, President Granger unanimously appointed retired High Court Judge, Justice James Patterson as chairman of the Guy-

ana Elections Commission (GECOM) after considering the three lists of nominees submitted by the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo as unacceptable within the meaning of the Constitution.

In addition to the chairman, the Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2000 provides for the appointment of six members of the Commission – three members appointed by the President, acting in his own deliberate judgement; and three members appointed by the President acting on the advice of the leader of the opposition after he has meaningfully consulted the non-governmental opposition parties represented in the National Assembly.

“It is like having a cricket match with one umpire from each team. It is not a formula for consensus, it is a formula for gridlock,” President Granger said, while reiterating the need for reform.

He proposed that commissioners be appointed to the Elections Commission in a similar fashion to those appointed to serve on the Guyana Police Service Commission and the Public Service Commission. Those commissioners are nominated and recommended through a parliamentary process.

“I’m in favour of reform but we must adopt the architecture, we must adopt the procedures which are in place for other constitutional commissions,” the President said.

For decades now, the Elections Observer Groups from the Commonwealth, the Carter Center, the Organisation of American States, the Electoral Assistance Bureau, the Caricom Secretariat, and the Union of South American Nations have been insisting that while GECOM’s purpose for existence is to administer free and fair electoral

processes, and while it is recognised that the commission has to be sensitive to and relate to political realities, its independence and impartiality must be protected.

POLITICAL AFFILIATION The current members of GECOM save for the chairman, are all tainted with the political brush, some of whom are also diehard party loyalists.

Bibi Shadick is a Central Committee member of the People’s Progressive Party; Robeson Benn is a former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) minister; and Sase Gunraj is also associated with the PPP. Additionally, there is Charles Corbin, who is the brother of former leader of the People’s National Congress Reform Robert Corbin; Desmond Trotman is a Working People’s Alli-

ance Executive; and Vincent Alexander, who was director of elections for the PNC during the 2006 General and Regional Elections as well as a former senior executive of that party.

The Carter Center following the 2001 elections had stated: “In advance of future elections, Guyana should consider reforms that would reduce the politicised composition of GECOM and move toward an Electoral Management Body (EMB) with a structure, composition and operations that are more consistent with international good practices and obligations, thus ensuring the independence and impartiality of the EMB.” The center had made similar observations in the 2006 and 2015 elections.

Additionally, the Commonwealth Secretariat on the same issue had recommended that “strong consideration should be given to ending the practice of having political

appointees as members of GECOM.” The Commonwealth had said that the present formula compromises the effectiveness and integrity of the commission, which needs to be independent and above partisan politics at all levels.

In its report on the 2001 elections, the Carter Center noted that the Carter Formula which was critical to the success of the breakthrough transitional elections in 1992 has allowed in subsequent elections, party interests to interfere with effective electoral administration.

In the said report, the center also advised that as part of electoral reform efforts, Guyana should give careful consideration to alternative models, possibly reducing or eliminating political party representation on the commission and increasing the role of the independent members of civil society and professional experts.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Bandits rob Mother, son killed Golden Grove in accident – four others injured EBD family

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE Linden community was sent into a state of shock after news spread of the death of GoldFields employee Marlon Mc Farlane, 30, called “Stoonks” and his mother, popular seamstress, Tessa Telford Ibrahim, 60.

They were both residents of Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, and were at the time heading to the mining town from Georgetown with other relatives when the car in which they were travelling ended up in a pothole in the vicinity of Moblissa, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

The driver, Maisha Ibrahim, 23, lost control when it ended up in a ditch, then collided with a tree some distance away.

Commander of ‘E’ Division, Anthony Vanderhyden, who visited the scene of the

Marlon Mc Farlane accident related that around 15:30hrs, motor car PNN 3987 owned by Michael Singh, was proceeding south along the eastern side of the road at a fast rate of speed and was crossing the Moblissa Bridge when it crashed into the pothole, then the ditch, then the tree.

Public-spirited persons rushed the occupants to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC)

Tessa Telford Ibrahim where Marlon and Tessa Ibrahim were pronounced dead. The other occupants, Roshana Mc Farlane, age seven years, along with the driver Maisha, was admitted to LHC while and Patricia Mc Farlane, age nine, was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, in an unconscious state.

Marlon, a former soldier and former student of the Mackenzie High School was

described by friends and family members as a jovial and outgoing person.

In the wake of the accident, residents of Linden vented their frustration over the deplorable state of the highway and the need for it to be repaired urgently before more lives are lost.

The several structural faults, eroded sections and indentations have been causing trouble to drivers, especially when it rains. Concerns continue to be raised as well with the highway being without lights.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure, however, has invited eligible bidders to bid for the feasibility study and design for its rehabilitation.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, said this is the first phase to major rehabilitative works.

THREE bandits pounced on a Block ‘Y’ Golden Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara family on Friday night and robbed them of various sums of cash, jewellery and mobile phones.

Reports are that around 19:45hrs on Friday night, the siblings including Nomina Ramdial and Robin Ramdial were robbed of sums of US currency, G$70,000 , mobile phones and gold rings by the men who attacked and injured their victims while armed.

The police said one of the victims was sitting on a bench facing the front of their home when the suspects held him at gunpoint and took him into the house where they attacked the other siblings.

They were beaten with guns about their bodies and were also tied by the men who ransacked the house, after which they made good their escape.

Neighbours responded and a report was made to the Golden Grove Police Station, while the victims of the attack were taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre for treatment.

The police are investigating the incident.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Prison wardens caught trafficking ganja –– resign after admitting to the crime

TWO prison wardens have resigned after admitting to trafficking marijuana into the Lusignan Prison. They have since been handed over to the Guyana Police Force.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that on Tuesday last, a rank, which was scheduled to work from 18:00hrs to 06:00hrs reported for duty at 20:04hrs. He reportedly had 398 grams of marijuana and several packs of cigarettes in his possession.

Realising that senior officers in the prison were tipped that the contrabands were in the prison, the gate keeper alerted the trafficker and they reportedly devised a plan to dispose of the ganja and cigarettes.

“The said gate keeper opened the gate to allow the rank to get rid of the contrabands,” the Guyana Police Force said in a press statement on Saturday.

According to the police, both ranks when confronted, confirmed the information was true and tendered their resignations. The errant prison wardens have been handed over to the police.

The matter is currently being investigated, and it is likely that charges will be institute.

The matter was however reported to the police for investigation and possible charges.

It was only in May that two prison officers were arrested after they collected a parcel containing seeds,

The parcels of marijuana which were trafficked into the Lusignan Prison by a prison warden who was aided by his colleague – the gate keeper

leaves and stems suspected to be marijuana from a civilian while on duty at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

GANJA IN SLIPPERS Meanwhile, a prisoner, who is currently behind bars at the Lusignan Prison for larceny, is now in hot water, after he was found with 71 grams of marijuana in his slipper.

Police, in a statement, said that the slipper the prisoner was wearing was not the one he left the prison with.

The discovery was made at about 13:45hrs on Saturday after prison wardens on duty conducted a search on the inmate after he returned from delivering meals at the holding bay.

The prisoner, whose identity was not disclosed, is currently serving a oneyear sentence.

MORE CONTRABAND At the New Amsterdam Prison, a civilian driver was also on Saturday at around 16:25hrs detained after he was reportedly caught trafficking cigarettes into the prison.

When a search was conducted on the truck he was driving at the time, by a policeman on duty at the prison, four packs of cigarettes were found behind the driver’s seat. He is a frequent deliveryman of dietary items to the prison. No declaration was made prior to the search.

The information was reported to the Central Police Station.

The slipper which was padded with packets of marijuana by a prisoner serving a one-year sentence for larceny

The packets of marijuana which were hidden in a prisoner’s slipper when he was caught

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Social cohesion ensures people are treated with respect – President

“SOCIAL cohesion isn’t a device for one ethnic group; it is a national means of ensuring people

are treated with respect, even at the level of the national festivals,” according to President David

Granger.

The President was at the time speaking at a press conference hosted at the

Ministry of the Presidency on Friday “We need to understand the condition different peo-

ple live under in various parts of the country and remove inequalities and try to eliminate poverty,

and this goes for whether people are Africans, Amerindians, Indians or any other ethnic group. Social cohesion isn’t a device for one ethnic group, it is a national means of ensuring people are treated with respect even at the level of the national festivals,” President Granger said.

Noting that earlier in the year, government participated in celebrating Chinese Arrival Day, Portuguese Arrival Day, Indian Arrival Day and African Emancipation Day. The President said through respect for each other’s culture, Guyanese will build social cohesion, not by sweeping away another culture or ignoring it.

He also added that, as of the first day in September there will also be a respectful observation of Indigenous heritage.

When being questioned about government’s alleged favouritism of Amerindians in terms of development, the President explained that the indigenous peoples who live in the hinterland experience more difficulty in accessing public services when compared to others in various parts of the country, especially on the coastland “That’s why we embarked on a policy of creating regional towns, capital towns in those hinterland regions like Mabaruma, Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem so that the towns can be vehicles for public services,” he said.

He underscored examples of real difficulties persons in the hinterland face which the average coast lander takes for granted.

The President noted that in some communities where there are schools, students have to stay weeks away from their parents in dormitories because of the distance they have to travel.

Noting that some persons live in denial and refuse to accept reality, the President said all citizens should benefit from all the benefits of the state and although there have been divisions in the country historically; government is working towards eliminating inequalities.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Commuters accuse minibus operators of exploitation

By Tamica Garnett

WITH new bus fares for public transportation taking effect from Saturday, some are in agreement that perhaps it is time for an increase in the fares; however, some are questioning what exactly the original bus fares were, since some of the current bus fares were part of illegal fare hikes a few years ago.

The Ministry of Business last Thursday released the new bus fare structures for minibus routes 31, 31, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48. The listing displayed old bus fares and what the new agreed bus fares would be.

However, many took to social media to dispute what was listed as the old bus fares, while some even commented that they had already been paying the new bus fares for some time now and may have been getting robbed.

Some also expressed dissatisfaction with loud music and overcrowding in some buses and want the authorities to look into these matters.

“A long time ago they increase the bus fare when they weren’t supposed to increase it, but they maintained that, so persons

Joseph Seguina were paying that extra $20 when they weren’t supposed to, and now they’re adding another $20, so this is actually an unnecessary amount they’re adding on,” said University of Guyana student Joseph Seguina.

In late 2013 and early 2014 many bus routes, including the 31, 32, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, and 47 bus routes started to implement fare increases.

At that time the fare was $60 for the short drop at routes 40, 41, 45, 46, and 47 and it was raised to $80; the 31 route was raised from $140 to $160, while the 32 bus route received varying increases for different distances.

The Vreed-en-Hoop to Parika route was raised to

the $300 that the Ministry of Business is quoting as the old fare.

However, at the time, those fare increases were deemed illegal by the then government and passengers were advised to make complaints and refrain from paying the increases.

Nonetheless, in some routes, passengers were strong-armed by the drivers and relented.

The fare hikes for the 44 route was eventually sanctioned by government; however, the other routes were never given the green light on their increases.

“The original old fares was $60 for short drop so it’s now supposed to be $80, but I now seeing that they saying a $100.

The bus men them had unofficially raised it to $80 for short drops, when it was supposed to be $60, so they probably told the ministry representatives at the meeting that that’s what the fare is, when it isn’t,” remarked Kerwyn Murray, who said he remains confusedover the new fares as it would mean a $40 increase not $20.

WORRYING Murray, who lives on the West Coast, uses mostly the 32 and 44 bus

Tessa Fernandes routes.

He also questions how this rise in bus fares would affect the afternoon bus fares, since, after certain hours bus drivers take the bus fares at their own discretion.

“At nights from when

evening set in around 06:30 -07:00 hrs, the West Coast buses charge $300 a head to go up to Tuschen, when it’s supposed to be $200, so I’m wondering what the fare will be when I get off work tonight to go home.”

Shemicl Jordan from Den Amstel, also utilising the 32 bus route, also expressed concerns.

“I am against the raising of fares. Sometimes going to class I don’t have enough, because I though the fare was $200, but then at nights they’re taking $300, and that affects me badly, and now with the fare raising to $340 [to Parika] I don’t know what will happen,” she noted.

Using most the 44 route buses and short drop routes around Georgetown,

Tessa, a school teacher who uses the route 44 buses, said she is in agreement with the fare hike but slammed some operators for increasing their fares even though an increase was not sanctioned.

“Bus fare raise from today, but since last week up the East Coast you were paying additional $20, we used to pay $120, but we paid $140. But I don’t mind because as everything else high, the cost of living is high and everybody would want something to suit their business, to make a profit.

It would not affect me much though, because I drive most of the time, I travel by bus because I want to see sometimes how things are on the bus,” said Fernandes.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

Blind, visually impaired kids benefit from four-day camp

CHILDREN who are blind or visually impaired have been able to benefit from a four-day camp that sought to make them more independent and sociable.

The camp is a collaborative effort between the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities, the Guyana Blind Cricket Association and Young Voices Guyana.

This is the second year that the camp is being held. It is being coordinated by Executive Member of the Guyana Society for the Blind, Ganesh Singh.

“The main objective is to equip the children with inde-

pendent living skills that are needed to survive in everyday society. Over the years, we have observed that these children lack the skills to socialise; how they can be independent and build interpersonal skills,” Singh told this publication.

Speaking on the sidelines of one of the events at the Tower Suites Poolside, he said some of the activities planned include blind cricket, indoor motivational sessions, a formal lunch, a visit to a fun park and games.

“It is really to expose them to things they have not been exposed to; building their confidence, their mobil-

ity skills. We can’t do everything, because it’s a four-day camp from 9 am to 3 pm but at least we’ll make a start.”

Singh thanked the Ministry of Education and all others who significantly contributed to hosting the 15 children, ages eight to 17, this time around. Next year, Singh said he hoping the initiative can be held both in Georgetown and Linden.

Speaking about the effect the camp has had on the children, Singh expressed: “We saw a difference with the kids last year. They seem a little more confident and some of the skills they were taught

were incorporated into everyday living. It’s something that they look forward to because they started asking since April when we will have the camp.”

Melieka Crawford, one of the four volunteers at the camp, told this newspaper that she decided to offer her

services because she especially likes to help those who are in need.

“I love working with persons with disabilities and I also have a disability. It’s fun interacting with other youngsters like myself.”

Crawford is partially blind.

Camp coordinator Ganesh Singh

The students were allowed the free use of the Tower Suites pool as part of their activities

Some of the students, ranging from ages eight to 17, who benefited from the camp

Volunteer Melieka Crawford is also visually impaired

One of the volunteers assisting a child

21

SUNDAY CHRONICLE September 2, 2018

War veteran Benjamin Durante turns 100 … ‘be kind to the elderly’ – urges Mayor Patricia Chase-Green

By Shirley Thomas GUYANA’S oldest surviving war veteran, Mr. Benjamin Durante who served during World War II (1939 to 1945) and who is currently celebrating his 100th birth anniversary, was on Wednesday honoured and presented with a huge birthday hamper

by Mayor of Georgetown, Ms. Patricia Chase-Green.

The occasion was a gala luncheon for more than 100 senior citizens drawn

from about eight senior citizens retirement homes in Georgetown. Held at the Mandela Avenue Gymnasium, it was hosted by Guyanese born Lynette Scotland, President of Teionett Foundation, with Mayor ChaseGreen as Special Guest of Honour.

Mayor Chase-Greene congratulated Mr. Durante for his patriotism, bravery and indomitable will to survive during the war period and beyond.

He reciprocated by

Ms. Lynette Scotland presents maternity hampers to expectant mothers.

saying a prayer for her.

“BE KIND TO THE ELDERLY, YOU WILL GET THERE.” Mayor Chase-Green also admonished citizens to be kind to the elderly and to make time for them, adding that there is much to learn from them.

“Make time for them; try to be with them; show them love; it brings joy to their hearts and who knows – maybe you’ll reach out to them at a point that it is needed most.”

Noting that there are people who consciously evade or fail to make time for the elderly and others who put them in homes, she urged; “It’s a bad practice to try to stay away from the elderly. We often try to condemn them and put them in homes and all of that.

But I urge you, if you have an elderly person –a mother, father, uncle or someone like that, you should try to really cherish them.”

APPEAL TO MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATORS Wrapping up, Mayor Chase-Green made a clarion call especially to conductors and drivers of minibuses who pass senior citizens on the road, urging them: “Even though you might be looking for a fast dollar, treat them with respect and compassion.

Remember, they were

Mayor Patricia Chase-Green (extreme left) along with Ms. Lynette Scotland presents a birthday gift to World War veteran Mr. Benjamin Durante. Receiving the gift is Mrs. Lynette Durante (at left) once young, and it is over time that they get to that stage. Would you like someone to treat you the same way when you would have reached that stage? Would you like to be standing at the

corner for hours and other buses pass you by? And would you like your mom to stand at the corner and buses fly pass her?” she asked.

“I call on the young people to make time for the

seniors.

Try to be with them; show them love; it brings joy to their hearts and who knows – Maybe you’ll reach out to them just when it is needed most.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

Buttler helps England push lead to 233 on wearing pitch SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) - An enthralling fourth Test between England and India remained intriguingly balanced at the end of the third day, as hosts edged to 260-8 and a lead of 233 on a wearing pitch that should continue to cause problems for the batsmen.

A battling 69 from Jos Buttler and an unbeaten 37 from Sam Curran ensured England reached the close just about on target for the win that would clinch the series.

But India remain very much in the game, particularly after Mohammed Shami trapped Adil Rashid lbw for 11 in the final over, and will look to knock over the final two wickets cheaply today.

Much will rest on the 20-year-old shoulders of Curran who, after top-scoring in England’s first innings, will look to push the lead up towards 300 today, when conditions are forecast to be overcast and favouring the seamers.

“We’ve got plenty to work with already but anything about 250 would be a great number to try and eke out this morning. That would give us plenty of runs on a challenging pitch,” said Buttler.

Scoreboard ENGLAND first innings 246 INDIA 1st innings Shikhar Dhawan c Jos Buttler b Stuart Broad

23

Lokesh Rahul lbw Stuart Broad

19

Cheteshwar Pujara not out

132

Virat Kohli c Alastair Cook b Sam Curran

46

Ajinkya Rahane lbw Ben Stokes

11

Rishabh Pant lbw Moeen Ali

0

Hardik Pandya c Joe Root b Moeen Ali

4

Ravichandran Ashwin b Moeen Ali

1

Mohammed Shami b Moeen Ali Ishant Sharma c Alastair Cook b Moeen Ali

0 14

Jasprit Bumrah c Alastair Cook b Stuart Broad 6 Extras: (b-9, lb-1, nb-3, w-4) Total: (all out, 84.5 overs)

17 273

Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-50, 3-142, 4-161, 5-181, 6-189, 7-195, 8-195, 9-227.

Bowling: James Anderson 18-2-50-0, Stuart Broad

18.5-5-63-3 (w-1), Sam Curran 16-

4-41-1 (w-3), Keaton Jennings 2-0-4-0, Adil Rashid 7-0-19-0, Moeen Ali 16-1-63-5, Ben Stokes 7-1-23-1 (nb-3).

ENGLAND 2nd innings Alastair Cook c Lokesh Rahul b Jasprit Bumrah 12

Jonny Bairstow’s poor form in the series continued, as he fell first ball after lunch. (Getty Images)

For India to win, and level the five-match series 2-2, they will need to improve on their poor record of winning only three Tests outside Asia when set a target in excess of 200.

England had resumed on six without loss in the morning - a deficit of 21 - with their openers finally hoping to post the sort of partnership that has eluded them all series.

Once again they failed but several batsmen dug out valuable contributions each time India’s attack sensed they might be getting on top.

After Alastair Cook and the promoted Moeen Ali fell cheaply, Joe Root and Keaton Jennings provided the first resistance before the opener was trapped lbw by Shami for 36 to the final ball

of the morning session.

Shami claimed another success with the first ball after lunch when he bowled Jonny Bairstow with a delivery the batsman completely misjudged.

Shami then ran-out Root on 48 with a direct hit from mid-on to reduce England to 122-5.

But Buttler has provided terrific value down the order for England, top-scoring in three of his 10 innings since winning a recall this summer.

His half-century was his ninth in 24 Tests and third of a productive summer during which he also scored a century. After sharing partnerships of 56 with Ben Stokes (30) and 55 with Curran, he fell lbw late in the day to the new ball which Ishant Sharma moved back into his pads.

Keaton Jennings lbw Mohammed Shami Moeen Ali c Lokesh Rahul b Ishant Sharma

36 9

Joe Root run out Mohammed Shami

48

Jonny Bairstow b Mohammed Shami

0

Ben Stokes c Ajinkya Rahane b Ravichandran Ashwin

30

Jos Buttler lbw Ishant Sharma

69

Sam Curran not out

37

Adil Rashid c Rishabh Pant b Mohammed Shami Extras: (b-7, lb-1) Total: (8 wkts, 91.5 overs)

11 8 260

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-33, 3-92, 4-92, 5-122, 6-178, 7-233, 8-260.

Bowling: Ravichandran Ashwin 35-7-78-1, Jasprit Bumrah 19-3-51-1, Ishant Sharma 15-4-36-2, Mohammed Shami 13.5-0-53-3, Hardik Pandya 9-0-34-0.

Sharma proved a real handful after earlier being twice warned for running on the pitch, a transgression that would have led to his removal from the attack if repeated.

Clearly concerned, skipper Virat Kohli voluntarily removed him from the attack just when his threat was at his most potent, allowing England to regroup at a key moment.

Shami was the pick of India’s bowlers with 3-53.

Serena crushes Venus in flat family U.S. Open showdown

By Steve Keating

NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - Serena Williams crushed older sister Venus 6-1, 6-2 in a shockingly subdued third round clash at the U.S. Open on Friday to stay on track for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.

The meeting between the famed tennis siblings had been hyped as the biggest night of the U.S. Open but turned into a flat, uninspired spectacle as Serena simply outclassed her sister.

The only moment of suspense in a contest all but devoid of drama came in the second game when Serena rolled over on her ankle, drawing gasps from the sellout crowd.

Serena was able to continue but at the first change-

Serena Williams (right) registered her ninth victory over Venus in their last 11 meetings.

over called a medical timeout and had her ankle heavily strapped.

In the end, though, the only pain being felt was by Venus, who suffered the equally worst defeat in 30 matches against her sister.

“I roll my ankles a lot so I just wanted to get it taped as tight as I could for the rest of the match and see how I feel tomorrow,” Serena said in an

on-court interview.

“This was my best match since my return. I’ve worked really hard for it ... and hopefully everything will keep paying off,” she added.

Seven-time a Grand Slam winner, Venus held her opening serve but it was all downhill from there as a ruthless Serena swept through the next seven games to take the opening set in a breezy 31 minutes

and a 2-0 lead in the second.

Venus stopped the skid holding her serve at 2-1 before Serena resumed the mugging by building a 5-1 lead, before finishing off her sister with a thumping forehand winner.

The win was met with polite applause, a hug at the net otherwise there was no evident joy in the outcome.

The sellout crowd that surrounded Arthur Ashe Stadium was kept waiting to enter as world number one Rafael Nadal and Russian Karen Khachanov battled inside in a breath-taking clash that set the bar high for the main event.

The buzz was electric as the stadium filled and continued to build as the sisters arrived on the court under spotlights and rock music giving the contest the full big event treatment.

Danns makes Golden Jaguars return for Barbados clash on Thursday … Ronayne Marsh-Brown lone debutant in 23-man squad

By Rawle Toney NEIL Danns, the former Leicester City and Crystal Palace midfield maestro, will be making a return to the ‘Golden Jaguars’, after being named in head coach Michael Johnson’s 23-man squad for Guyana’s September 6 encounter against Barbados, at the Leonora Track and Field Centre, for their opening game of the CONCACAF Nation’s League.

Having first played for Guyana in 2015, Danns has featured four times for the country’s senior men’s national team, finding the back of the net three times, including twice against St Vincent and the Grenadines in Guyana’s heartbreaking and controversial home game result in the last World Cup Qualifiers.

He’s considered a clinical and important piece to Johnson’s midfield, as the former Jamaican International and Guyana’s national team coach attempts to make history by seeing the Golden Jaguars to their first CONCACAF Gold Cup berth.

Johnson, in an invited comment, said the squad is “strong and competitive”, adding, “We have a positive blend of Guyana and international-based players in the squad but they all understand they have to earn the right to wear the badge.”

Danns will have debutant Ronayne Marsh-Brown, an England-based solid left-side defensive option as his teammate; the older brother of Keanu and Ky Marsh-Brown.

Ronayne Marsh-Brown has played a season professionally for RKC Waalwijk in Holland under former Tottenham Hotspurs coach Martin Jol. Kai McKenzie-Lyle, the 20-year-old Barnet FC goalkeeper who, according to reports, was on coach Jurgen Klopp’s radar for a move to Liverpool, will also be making his return to the Golden Jaguars lineup.

Defenders Terence Vancooten, Samuel Cox and Jake Newton are the ‘UK bunch’ included in the team, while the other overseas-based players named are Brandon Beresford (Portugal), Andrew Murray (Trinidad), Sheldon Holder (Trinidad), Trayon Bobb (Portugal) and Jelani Smith (Canada).

Jason Cromwell (Buxton United), Akel Clarke (Western Tigers), Kevin Layne

(NA United), Kevin Dundas (Den Amstel), Kester Jacobs (Den Amstel), Delwin Fraser (GDF), Vurlon Mills (Western Tigers), Daniel Wilson (Western Tigers), Delon Lanferman (Den Amstel), Kelsey Benjamin (Western Tigers) and Pernell Schultz (Western Tigers) are the other players named in the squad.

Johnson also announced a standby list of players: Sese Norville (Milerock FC), Cecil Jackman (Fruta Conquerors), Rashaun Ritch (Fruta Conquerors), Kurtez Kellman (Western Tigers), Ryan Hackett (Fruta Conquerors), Domini Garnett (Fruta Conquerors) and Delroy Fraser (GDF).

Ian Greenwood, the GFF’s Technical Director, explained that the standby list was chosen after the recently-concluded preparatory ‘Train and Play’ camp in Brazil, which he said enabled the technical staff to assess the players in the pool through a variety of exercises including fitness.

“While it was a competitive process to shortlist the 23-man squad, it was felt that these players had enough of what is required to wear the badge at the highest level of football in Guyana and therefore, are being called to be available in the event of injury or any unforeseen circumstances,” Greenwood noted.

According to the GFF, the Golden Jaguars’ international-based players and the technical squad are scheduled to arrive today, while Barbados team is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.

Early-bird tickets for the Thursday’s event are available at the GFF Secretariat for $1 000. Tickets will also be sold at the gate.

Guyana have been matched against Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands, French Guiana and Belize and will host Barbados and Belize in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively while Turks and Caicos Islands and French Guiana will host Guyana in October and November 2018.

With matches being played on the FIFA dates between September 2018 and March 2019, Guyana, after their clash with Barbados on September 6, will then travel to Turks and Caicos for a meeting between the two countries on October 13, followed by an encounter against French Guiana on November 20, before hosting Belize in March, 2019.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

Liverpool, Chelsea maintain perfect starts; City win

By Martyn Herman

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Liverpool’s new goalkeeper Alisson suffered a nightmare moment but it failed to prevent them maintaining their 100 percent start to the Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory at Leicester City yesterday.

First-half goals by Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino ultimately proved more important than Alisson’s ill-advised fancy footwork after the break, as Liverpool made it four wins from four games to stay top on 12 points along with Chelsea.

The London side had struggled to break down a stubborn Bournemouth outfit at Stamford Bridge but goals from substitute Pedro and Eden Hazard in the last 20 minutes secured a 2-0 win to make it four in a row for new Blues manager Maurizio Sarri.

Champions Manchester City got back to winning ways after their surprising draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers by beating Newcastle United 2-1 at home with Kyle Walker scoring the winner after DeAndre Yedlin had cancelled out Raheem Sterling’s opener.

City have 10 points although either Watford or Tottenham Hotspur - the two other clubs apart from Liverpool and Chelsea – to win their opening three games,

King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - Leicester City’s Rachid Ghezzal scores their first goal. (REUTERS/Darren Staples)

can move above Pep Guardiola’s side with a victory when they meet at Vicarage Road today.

While Liverpool have won their first four league games of the season for the first time since 1990, big-spending West Ham United suffered a fourth consecutive league defeat and remained rooted to the foot of the table.

It seemed they were on course for their first point of the season but Wolverhampton Wanderers substitute Adama Traore struck in stoppage time at the London Stadium.

While promoted Wolves enjoyed their first top-flight win since February 2012, West Ham’s woes continued as they have lost their first four league games for the second time.

“I don’t think it is a bad start, it is a very bad start,”

manager Manuel Pellegrini said.

“Here at home to lose we must be very worried.”

SAINTS WIN Southampton beat Crystal Palace 2-0 away for their first win of the season - Liverpool loan signing Danny Ings and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on target for the Saints.

Brighton & Hove Albion hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home with Fulham thanks to Glenn Murray’s second-half double after former Chelsea player Andre Schuerrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic had put Fulham in control.

Everton drew for the third time in four games after being held 1-1 at home by Huddersfield Town.

Liverpool were not at their best at Leicester and Alisson’s error was a nasty reminder of the Loris Karius

howler that proved so costly in last season’s Champions League final loss.

Instead of clearing the ball midway the second half the Brazilian opted to try some clever footwork and was robbed of possession

by Kelechi Iheanacho, who centred for Algerian Rachid Ghezzal to give Leicester a lifeline.

Manager Juergen Klopp said Alisson’s mistake was “not cool” but he was happy that Liverpool still “ticked the box”.

“In the end, if Alisson with the first touch puts the ball away, everything is fine,” he said. “For some reason, he didn’t do that, he dribbled and they scored the goal.

“That’s it. I said to him, it’s the best game to do it because we still won the game.”

Chelsea have been equally impressive since the start of the season and once again yesterday they showed patience to score late goals, as they did in wins against Arsenal and Newcastle.

“I’m really very happy with my players. For us now it’s not important to think of match day four, it’s important to think of the next match,” Sarri said.

“They (Bournemouth) were very organised and they defended very well, but usually in this match you have to be patient because you can win in the last 20 minutes.”

Rohit Sharma to lead India as Kohli is rested for Asia Cup

Rohit Sharma set to lead India in the Asia Cup 50-over tournament.

(REUTERS) - Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the Asia Cup starting on September 15, with fellow batsman Rohit Sharma set to lead the team in the 50-over tournament in the United Arab Emirates, the country’s cricket board announced yesterday.

Kohli recently overcame a back problem that had troubled him during the second Test of their ongoing fivematch series against England.

He also missed a stint with English county championship side Surrey before the tour due to a neck injury.

“The (all-India senior selection) committee in consultation with the team management took a unanimous decision to rest Virat Kohli for the tournament” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.

“Rohit Sharma will lead the side while Shikhar Dhawan has been named vice-captain.”

Despite his injury issues amid a heavy workload, Kohli has excelled in England scoring two centuries in the Test series.

After losing the first two Tests, India sealed a 203-run win in the third match to cut England’s lead to 2-1 and are confident of levelling the series in Southampton where the fourth Test was going into its third day yesterday.

India begin the defence of their Asia Cup crown on September 18 with a match against a qualifying team.

They play arch-rivals Pakistan the following day.

India squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed.

Kohli reaches 6,000 Test runs milestone INDIA’S superstar batsman overhauls Sachin Tendulkar and Viv Richards in list of quickest to the mark, but trails way behind Bradman INDIA’S batting maestro Virat Kohli has peeled off the six runs he needed to overhaul the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Vivian Richards to be quicker to accumulate 6 000 Test runs.

He has bypassed Tendulkar but Sunil Gavaskar remains the fastest Indian batsman to the milestone, taking just 117 innings in 65 Tests. Kohli is playing his 119th innings in his 70th Test match, and 39th as captain.

After his second century of the series put India in com-

mand of the third Test against England at Trent Bridge, Kohli was out for 103, leaving him with a career aggregate of 5 994 Test runs at 54.49 from 118 innings.

He was off the mark with a classical cover drive on the second morning of the fourth Test against England at Southampton’s Rose Bowl.

He reached the mark with a four, edged wide of the slips cordon and down to the thirdman boundary.

The overall mark for the fastest man to 6 000 belongs to Sir Donald Bradman, who reached the Test runs milestone in a preposterous 68 innings. Earlier this year, then Australia captain Steve Smith levelled Sir Garfield

Virat Kohli becomes second fastest Indian batsman to reach 6,000 Test runs

Sobers in second place on the list (111 innings).

Tendulkar was averaging a tick over 56 when he passed the milestone as a 26-yearold, against South Africa in March 2000. The Little Mas-

ter remains the only played to have scored 6 000 Test runs prior to turning 27.

But Kohli is busy making history of his own, having emphatically put to bed suggestions he struggles in

English conditions with 200 runs in each of the first and third Tests, including centuries in both.

“You would be hardpressed to argue against him being seen as the best player in the world at the moment,” said England assistant coach Paul Farbrace.

“He’s a high-quality player, and has shown he’s learnt a lot on this tour alone.”

Beyond that, the air is particularly rare; only Englishmen Herb Sutcliffe (1929) and Denis Compton (1947), as well as the incomparable Bradman (1930) have scored four hundreds in a Test series in England.

Fastest to 6 000 Test runs Sir Donald Bradman

(Australia) - 68 innings Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies) - 111 innings Steve Smith (Aus.) - 111 innings Wally Hammond (England) - 114 innings Sir Len Hutton (England) - 116 innings Ken Barrington (England) - 116 innings Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 116 innings Sunil Gavaskar (India) 117 innings Virat Kohli (India) - 119 innings Viv Richards (West Indies) - 120 innings Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 120 innings Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) - 120 innings

27

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

Ex-head of South American soccer governing body sentenced to nine years

By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - A former head of the governing body for soccer in South America was sentenced to nine years in prison by a U.S. judge last Wednesday for crimes stemming from the bribery scandal that engulfed the sport three years ago, prosecutors announced.

Juan Angel Napout, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, New York, who also ordered him to pay more than $4.3 million in financial penalties, according to a state-

ment from the office of U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.

“Napout’s conviction, as well as the successful prosecution of other high-level soccer officials, has struck at the core of corruption in soccer and underscores the need for continued vigilance against fraud and bribery in the sport,” Donoghue said in a statement.

“Of course we are disappointed with the nineyear sentence and plan to appeal both the verdict and sentence,” Silvia Pinera-Vazquez, Napout’s lawyer, said in an email.

Napout had served as the

head of the national soccer federation in his native Paraguay and, later, of South America’s soccer governing body CONMEBOL. He was found guilty by a jury last December of racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.

Napout was tried alongside Jose Maria Marin, a former head of Brazil’s soccer federation, who was also convicted last week and sentenced to four years in prison.

A third defendant at the trial, former Peruvian soccer official Manuel Burga, was cleared of all charges.

The three men are the

Afghanistan beat Ireland to win ODI series in Belfast

U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen also ordered Juan Angel Napout to pay more than $4.3 million in financial penalties.

Eastman turning in impressive performances on USA Circuit TEAM Coco’s cyclist Hamzah Eastman has been in ominous form on the USA circuit, more specifically the ‘I Will Foundation’ Tuesday Night Series in New York. He is currently second on the points table of the Category 1-2-3.

However, Eastman is not alone in his participation as he is one of 10 Guyanese who are competing in the series.

He is currently second on 51 points after 12 races with two second-place finishes in the last three events.

The table is topped by Talent cyc;es’ Edwin Morel who has accumulated 71 points. However Eastman is the lead sprinter, having garnered 25 points in that category.

Another Guyanese, United We Stand cyclist, Jermaine Burrowes, is also in the top 10 on the points table. He is currently eighth with 36 points while his countrymen, Scott Savory and Raynauth Jeffrey are 13th and 14th respectively with a win each.

day.

Friday’s decider was expected to be a tight encounter but it became a one-sided affair as Ireland struggled once again with the bat.

The three quick wickets of captain William Porterfield, who elected to bat first, Niall O’Brien and Andrew Balbirnie saw the Irish slip to 39-4.

Kevin O’Brien (16) and Wilson put on a 32-run partnership before the wickets began to tumble again and a total of 124 was always going to be tough to defend.

Spinner Rashid was ably backed up by Aftab Alam (2-

22), Mohammed Nabi (2-26) and Gulbadin Naib (2-34).

The early dismissal of captain Mohammad Shahzad

by Boyd Rankin left the Afghans at 3-1 to give Ireland a glimmer of hope.

Janat and Rahmat Shah Zurmatai (33) added 50 before Tim Murtagh (1-39) took the second and final wicket of the innings.

Hashmatullah Shahidi (34*) and Janat, who smacked two sixes, steered Afghanistan to an impressive win to follow up their 2-0 victory in last week’s T20 series at Bready. (BBC Sport)

RACING TIPS South Africa Racing Tips Scottsville 08:40 hrs I Fly 09:20 hrs Rae’s Dyna Jet 09:55 hrs Checkpoint Charlie 10:35 hrs La Ferrari 11:10 hrs Panza English Racing Tips Brighton 09:00 hrs Terri Rules 09:30 hrs Finch Hatton 10:00 hrs Pour La Victoire

Afghans celebrate taking an Ireland wicket in the final ODI at Stormont on Friday,

AFGHANISTAN cruised to an eight-wicket win over Ireland to clinch a 2-1 victory in the ODI series at Stormont.

Ireland were 34-1 before three wickets fell for five runs to spark a collapse and Gary Wilson (23) top-scored as the hosts were dismissed for just 124.

Rashid Khan took 3-18 in a sun-kissed Belfast and opener Ihsanullah Janat hit an unbeaten 57 as the tourists cruised to 127-2 with over 26 overs to spare.

Afghanistan won the opener before the Irish levelled the series on Wednes-

only defendants so far to go to trial out of more than 40 people and entities charged

by U.S. prosecutors since 2015 in connection with the corruption scandal surrounding FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. At least 24 others have pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors have described a sprawling scheme involving payments of more than $200 million of bribes and kickbacks in exchange for marketing and broadcast rights for soccer matches.

The prosecutors said that Marin and Napout each personally took millions of dollars in bribes.

10:30 hrs Miss Celestial 11:00 hrs Lightening Dance 11:30 hrs Roy Rocket 12:00 hrs Red Charmer Worcester 09:15 hrs King Muro 09:45 hrs Flying \Tiger 10:15 hrs Alsa Mix 10:45 hrs Included 11;15 hrs Talent To Amuse 11:45 hrs Balkinstown Hamzah Eastman is second on the points table of the ‘I will Foundation’ Tuesday Night Series in New York, USA.

12:15 hrs Settimo Milanese

England’s two-month tour to West Indies starts in January ST JOHN’S – England will arrive in the West Indies on January 11, 2019 to start the biggest International Home Series between the two teams since 2009.

The two-month tour, comprising three Test matches, five One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals, will be played in five of the region’s top tourist destinations, with the tour starting in Barbados and ending in St Kitts.

Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia will host the threematch Test Series, Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia will share the ODIs, while St Lucia and St Kitts will host the T20Is. With the recently announced ICC Future Tours Programme for 2019 to 2023, this will be the last three-format England Tour to the Caribbean for the foreseeable

future.

There is incredible history between the two teams stretching back over 90 years. The teams will again contest the Wisden Trophy where Windies hold the advantage of 55 wins to 48 with 51 drawn out of 154 Tests.

The last series on West Indies’ soil ended in a 1-1 draw. England retained the trophy 2-1, but the Windies bounced back to victory at Headingley in 2017, after Shai Hope scored centuries in both innings to inspire the five-wicket win.

In ODIs, the Windies seek to reverse a 12-year series losing streak against England, the current #1-ranked team in ODI cricket, as preparations build towards the 2019 ICC World Cup. For the T20Is,

casion for cricket fans and we are pulling out all the stops for a successful series on and off the field. West Indies fans create a unique spectator atmosphere and not only do England fans add to this, they bring in a significant tourism boost to the region as thousands will travel here to enjoy the cricket and experience the unique Caribbean culture and hospitality.”

CWI president Dave Cameron has expressed thanks to the governments that have invested their resources as they have shown that they “recognise the economic impact the tour will have on their respective countries”.

Online ticket sales to the public will start on November 1 through both www.

WINDIEScricket.com and exclusive Windies ticketing

Cricket West Indies chief executive officer Johnny Grave

the Windies, as current ICC World T20 champions, aim to build on recent victories against England.

Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Grave, underlines the importance of the series for the Windies and for the region’s economy.

“England coming to the region is always a special oc-

US Open tennis

Federer storms into fourth round with a ruthless display

By Steve Keating

NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - Roger Federer handed Nick Kyrgios a 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 tennis masterclass by storming into the fourth round of the U.S. Open yesterday with a ruthless display that left the Australian talking to himself and waving the white flag.

With all three of their previous meetings requiring a third-set tiebreak to decide the winner, a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium had expected high drama but instead witnessed a rout as Federer recorded his third win against the unpredictable Australian.

The match was an intriguing contrast not only in styles but also in temperament, with Federer, tennis’s ultimate good guy, taking on Kyrgios, the sport’s undisputed bad boy.

While the 37-year-old Federer has mined the most out of his immense skill to capture a record 20 Grand Slam titles, including five U.S. Opens, Kyrgios remains one of the sport’s great enigmas, widely viewed as one of tennis’s great talents and biggest underachievers.

While Federer is usually all business and Kyrgios the showman, the roles were reversed midway the third set yesterday when the Swiss

Roger Federer of Switzerland hits to Nick Kyrgios of Australia in a third round match on day six of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis tournament yesterday, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sport)

produced a trick shot that left the Australian wideeyed and open-mouthed.

Chasing down a cheeky drop shot, the Swiss hit it inches off the ground and curled it around the net post for a ridiculous winner that earned him a standing ovation from the hollering crowd.

“If anyone else is doing those shots against me, I’m probably not too happy. But it’s Roger,” smiled Kyrgios. “It was almost unreal.

“Almost got to the point where I wanted him to start making shots like that, and I finally got it.”

Cool, controlled and clinical, Federer fans can count on the very best

from the Swiss each and every time he steps onto the court.

Kyrgios, on the other hand, is a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment, all power and fury one minute, disinterested clown the next.

The Australian had already found himself at the centre of a Flushing Meadows controversy this week when umpire Mohamed Lahyani felt it necessary to get down from his chair during Kyrgios’ second round match against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert to urge him to show some interest.

Yesterday, umpire James Keothavong stayed in his chair and watched

on with the rest of the 23,000-capacity crowd as the big-hitting Australian mumbled away to himself while facing an array of exquisite Federer winners that kept flying past his racquet.

The match got off to a promising start with neither player able to gain an advantage.

But the tide quickly turned in Federer’s favour when Kyrgios could not convert any of four break chances at 3-3 in first.

After Kyrgios held at 4-4 Federer seized control and never let go. He roared through the next seven games, breaking the crumbling Australian to take the opening set then breaking him twice more in the second for a 5-0 lead.

“At 3-3, love-40, I take one of those points, the match is wide open,” said Kyrgios. “He’s not going to play as well as he did towards the end of the first set or into the second set.

“Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

“I know how to beat him. I have beaten him before. Obviously not today!”

By the third set Kyrgios was running out of ideas, as Federer kept up the pressure and broke Kyrgios for a 6-5 lead.

An ace on match point finished off the job.

partner www.Kyazoonga. com/WestIndies Commercial and Marketing Director, Dominic Warne, says, “We know how exciting this International Home Series will be for both Windies and England fans.

Matches against England bring the heart and soul of West Indies cricket to life.

So, we have chosen a broad range of official Windies tour operators catering to different audiences with different packages and a range of ticket prices to meet every fan’s needs.”

SCHEDULE: 1st Test: January-27, Kensington Oval, Barbados 2nd Test: January 31-February 4, Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua 3rd Test: February 9-13, Darren Sammy Sta-

dium, St Lucia 1st ODI: February 20, Kensington Oval, Barbados 2nd ODI: February 22, Kensington Oval, Barbados 3rd ODI: February 25, National Cricket Stadium, Grenada 4th ODI: February 27, National Cricket Stadium, Grenada 5th ODI: March 2, Darren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia 1st T20I: March 5, Darren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia 2nd T20I: March 8, Warner Park, St Kitts 3rd T20I: March 10, Warner Park, St Kitts (PR/ SAT)

Australia test hopefuls fail to fire in India MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia’s hopes of rebounding quickly from the sandpaper scandal in South Africa have hit a rough patch, with few players staking their claims for a spot in Tim Paine’s side ahead of the Pakistan test series in the United Arab Emirates.

With five vacancies on the Test team due to suspensions and injuries, tour hopefuls have had a round of auditions for a strong Australia ‘A’ squad in a four-team one-day series in India.

Most have fluffed their lines, however, leaving coach Justin Langer and selectors with a number of unanswered questions before the UAE tour kicks off in less than a month.

An Australia A team featuring Test batsman Usman Khawaja and spinner Ashton Agar were thrashed by an India B team — the nation’s equivalent third XI — by nine wickets on Wednesday.

Injuries that ruled fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out of the Pakistan series had left the door open for some of the nation’s young talents to emerge in India yet none have really put their hands up.

Billy Stanlake, among the candidates, went wicketless in three matches in the ‘A’ series and was left to rue his missed chance.

“I bowled really well at times, but was probably too inconsistent with my line and length at other times,” he told

Cricket Australia’s website (cricket.com.au).

“The really disappointing thing for me was I wasn’t able to take wickets.”

With captain Steve Smith, and openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all suspended after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, selectors have a huge headache piecing together a new top order.

Usman Khawaja scored an unbeaten century in the final group match against India B to suggest he will be in the frame but he managed a total of 46 runs in his other three innings.

Australia’s middle order, which was shaky in the 3-1 series loss to South Africa, remains a concern, with Peter Handscomb’s form slump continuing with twin failures in India.

Handscomb will need some decent time in the middle in two four-day matches against an India A side over the coming two weeks to have any hope of booking his ticket for the Pakistan series, which starts in Dubai on Oct. 7.

Having come off a dismal 5-0 whitewash in a one-day series by England, Australia have precious little time to build team cohesion for the test series in the UAE. Should no players step up to perform in the absence of he suspended Smith and Warner, the effects of the ball-tampering scandal may continue to smart when Australia host India for a test series in the home summer.

29

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

Real Madrid extend perfect Cibulkova upsets Kerber to reach U.S. Open fourth round start, Atletico lose at Celta

By Rory Carroll

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fourth seed Angelique Kerber’s bid for consecutive Grand Slam titles ended when 29th seed Dominika Cibulkova defeated the German 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the U.S. Open third round on Saturday.

Momentum shifted firmly in feisty Cibulkova’s favour in the third set

By Richard Martin MADRID (Reuters) Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the Liga season by thrashing neighbours Leganes 4-1 at the Bernabeu helped by a Karim Benzema double, while Atletico Madrid slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Gareth Bale scored for the third game running to give the hosts the lead in the 17th minute but Leganes pulled level with a penalty as Real debutant Thibaut Courtois was powerless to stop Guido Carillo’s spot kick in the 24th.

Benzema headed Real back in front shortly after the interval although the goal was only given after the referee consulted the video assistant referee (VAR) to determine whether the French striker had committed a foul.

Benzema then struck his fourth goal in two league games from a delightful backheel by newly-crowned UEFA Player of the year Luka Modric, moving to within one strike of equalling his tally of five league goals over the whole of last season.

The Frenchman had the opportunity to complete a hat-trick when Madrid were awarded a penalty after lively winger Marco Asensio was tripped by Unai Bustinza, but captain Sergio Ramos took responsibility for the spot-kick and completed the rout by scoring for the second game in a row from the spot.

Gareth Bale scored for the third game running to give the hosts the lead in the 17th minute but Leganes pulled level with a penalty as Real debutant Thibaut Courtois was powerless to

Cibulkova broke again and comfortably held for the rest of the match.

“I had my chances, but I couldn’t take them, especially in the third set,” Kerber told reporters. “She hit the balls really well and played the winners when she had to.

I think that was the difference in the match today.”

Cibulkova said that after losing to Kerber twice this year, in June

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Javier Barbancho

stop Guido Carillo’s spot kick in the 24th.

Benzema headed Real back in front shortly after the interval although the goal was only given after the referee consulted the video assistant referee (VAR) to determine whether the French striker had committed a foul.

Benzema then struck his fourth goal in two league games from a delightful backheel by newly-crowned UEFA Player of the year Luka Modric, moving to within one strike of equalling his tally of five league goals over the whole of last season.

The Frenchman had the opportunity to complete a hat-trick when Madrid were awarded a penalty after lively winger Marco Asensio was tripped by Unai Bustinza, but captain Sergio Ramos took responsibility for the spot-kick and completed the rout by scoring for the second game in a row from the spot.

Things got worse for Atletico after 70 minutes as Montenegro defender Savic was dismissed for a second booking and a minute later they thought they had conceded again but Gustavo Cabral’s effort was ruled offside by the video assistant referee (VAR).

Atletico have four points

from their opening three games and are already five adrift of local rivals Real in the title race.

“I’m not worried about this result, I’m calmer than ever, because this is a wakeup call for us. I’ve no doubt this is the best thing that could happen for us,” Simeone told reporters.

“We didn’t play well, Celta were lethal, while we had chances at the end of the first half which we could have done better from. We didn’t take them and in the second half they killed the game off in five minutes and they deserved to win.”

Celta’s Argentine coach Antonio Mohamed said the result should make his side realise what they are capable of.

“To beat a team as great as Atletico you have to play a perfect game and that’s what we did. Today should motivate us to believe in ourselves and believe that we can do great things,” added Mohamed, whose side have seven points after three games.

“This is a very tough league but we will keep improving. This win is a huge boost in confidence for us.”

Angelique Kerber

when she broke to take a 4-2 lead and held for 5-2.

The Slovakian fell to the ground and let out a scream when Kerber sent a backhand wide to end a quality match between two of the game’s premier counter-punchers.

The speedy 5 foot 3 inch Cibulkova was strongest in the longer rallies, nimbly moving across the court to extend points during the two-hour 13 minute affair at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The pair split sets in an evenly matched fight and began the third with routine holds but Cibulkova drew first blood by breaking Kerber’s serve to take a 3-1 lead.

An energised Kerber struck back to break in the next game and close the gap but the comeback was short-lived as

at the Eastborne International and in January at the Sydney International, she adjusted her approach to the match.

“We had to change something, and I think we had the great tactic with my coach, and I was able to do it,” Cibulkova told reporters. “Of course, I was aggressive going for my forehand, going for my shots. Just overall everything was working.”

Cibulkova faces last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, American Madison Keys, in the fourth round. Keys leads Cibulkova 4-0 in head-tohead meetings.

Kerber, who won Wimbledon in July, was the latest favourite to be knocked out of the women’s singles at Flushing Meadows after top seed Simona Halep and second seed Caroline Wozniacki.

McMaster thrilled with ‘perfect’ Diamond League finale BRITISH Virgin Islands hurdler Kyron McMaster has expressed satisfaction with a winning end to the IAAF Diamond League meet following a narrow triumph in Zurich on Thursday.

McMaster took top spot and the title by the narrowest of margins. It took a photo-finish to decide the race, which went to the line with Norwegian Karsten Warholm.

McMaster won in 48.08, with Warholm second in 48.10.

Third place went to Turkish Yasmani Copello who finished in 48.73. Having competed in seven races the win was the hurdler’s fourth win of the season.

Kyron McMaster

“I have been growing a lot. I really enjoyed every experience I have been through. I feel good about the race,” McMaster told BVInews.

“I am very tired of course.

It went exactly how I wanted. I got a good rhythm,” he added. McMaster is coming off record runs at both the Central American and Caribbean Games and the NACAC Senior Championships, which he added to a first place finish at the Commonwealth Games this year.

Elite League Season 111

Fruta Conquerors win, Victoria Kings held to 0-0 draw FRUTA Conquerors FC registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over Linden side Milerock FC while Victoria Kings were held to a 0-0 draw with New Amsterdam United FC when action continued on Friday evening in the Guyana

Football Federation’s (GFF) Elite League season III. Playing at the Guyana Football Club (GFC) ground, Fruta Conquerors faced Milerock FC and required two first half goals to ease to a comfortable victory. Elder states-

From left: Fruta Conquerors goalscorers, Domini Garrett and Anthony Abrams

man Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams netted for the victors in the ninth minute before Domini Garrett doubled their lead in the 45th minute on the stroke of halftime.

Earlier in the night, Victoria clashed with NA United and they played out to a tame draw to walk away with a point each.

The action continued last evening at the same venue with NA United facing Western Tigers in the first game while GDF clashed with Buxton United.

The results of those matches will be published in a subsequent report.

30

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

‘Slammer Jammer’ Table Tennis tournament - measuring stick for young talents

By Michelangelo Jacobus ACCORDING to president of the Titans Table Tennis Club (TTTC), Dwain Dick, the fast approaching ‘Slammer Jammer’ Junior Table Tennis competition is a ‘measuring stick’ of sorts not only for Guyana’s brightest young talents but also for coaches.

The Viva Water-sponsored tournament is set for September 8-9 and will feature competition in the U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15 and U-18 categories.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport, Dick pointed out that the tournament will “give us another opportunity to assess not just players, but coaches, and how the game itself is progressing locally.”

With creditable performances from some of Guyana’s best young talents at the recently concluded CRTTF Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Dick also revealed that ‘Slammer Jammer’ will also be the perfect opportunity to

make decisions and to plan for the future.

“From here (Slammer Jammer) we plan to really make some major decisions for next year in terms of looking at either bringing in high-level coaches or taking some of them (players) to camps overseas with the main objective being to access scholastic opportunities for them as well as to try to have them qualify for International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-sanctioned events.”

Returning players from the Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships will also feature at the tournament. Those players include Jonathan Van Lange, Kaysan Ninvalle, Krystian Sahadeo, Thuraia Thomas, Nkechi McRae. The TTTC president is of the opinion that these players will add to the quality of the competition and provide thrilling entertainment for fans and patrons at ‘Slammer Jammer’.

To this end, he said; “I guarantee the public will get to see some really competitive matches, because the best junior players, back from

the Dominican Republic, will be on show. This is our third tourney for the year so far, added to our summer camp and child protection seminar.

We have been using different venues, this time Marian Academy, in an attempt to spark interest and attract new

ness community, the association (Guyana Table Tennis Association) and the media have so far been very supportive of our events which goes a long way in helping to identify and nurture talent and spread the sport and keep it vibrant”.

Titans Table Tennis Club president Dwain Dick

Jonathan Van Lange will be one of the young talents on show at the ‘Slammer Jammer’ Junior Table Tennis tournament next weekend.

blood to the sport.”

In terms of support, he also revealed that the “busi-

The tournament, scheduled for Marian Academy over two days (September

8-9), has received sponsorship from Red Cross Guyana, Guyana Beverages Inc. through the Viva Water Brand, Netsurf Telecom, Beacon Snackette, Metro, Power Producers & Distributors Inc., General Industrial Supplies & Enterprise, the Outar family, Paul David (USA-based

player/coach), the GTTA, Woodpecker Products and Marian Academy.

The Titans Table Tennis Club, which is organising the tournament, was founded in October of 2011

by Dick who is a former National player and is currently a senior coach at the club.

Green Machine show fight, but fall 36-48 to Mexico DESPITE a spirited performance, Guyana’s National 15s rugby team fell 36-48 to Mexico in their final game of the Americas Rugby Challenge in Colombia yesterday.

The Ryan Gonsalves-captained team was hoping for a win against their Rugby

Americas North (RAN) rivals, after failing to impress in their two previous outings in Medellín against Colombia (71-7) and Paraguay (86-7).

Cloyd Prowell scored two tries, while O’Neal Charles, Claudius Butts, Richard Staglon and Lancelot Adonis all crossed the try line once for

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday September 02, 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)

26 matches

(2)

Shimron Hetmyer (GAW)

Today’s Quiz: (1) Which is the first team to defeat the Tallawahs in Hero CPL 2018?

(2) Which two teams have played the shortest game (in terms of overs) in Hero CPL 2018 to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Guyana, while Gonsalves and Daniel DeAbreu made good of the conversions that were scored.

The tournament, which was eventually won by Colombia, who played unbeaten, marked the first time Guyana faced teams from the South American region

in Rugby, in the 15s format.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport after the game, Gonsalves said Guyana should have won the game, but the easy tries that were allowed in the first half, came back to haunt the ‘Green Machine’.

Gonsalves admitted that

the level of rugby experienced in Colombia was unlike anything the Guyanese ruggers would have faced in the 15s format, but pointed out that “the more games you play at this level, the better you get. We saw the improvement, but we really should have won this game

(against Mexico). It’s just for us to build from this now.”

The scrum-half said, that looking ahead, the future is bright for Guyana who will host Cayman Islands later in the year at a date to be announced by the Guyana Rugby Football Union. (GRFU).

Caribbean Motor Racing Championship Round Three

Trueloves lock out front row in Barbados … Mark Vieira cops group 4 pole

By Stephan Sookram (in Barbados, compliments of Mohamed’s Enterprise, AMS and Miracle Optical) TEAM Mohamed’s Enterprise riding duo of Matt Truelove and his brother Harry have locked out the front row for today’s opening race of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) Round three in Barbados.

Matt Truelove sits on pole for today’s first race with his brother Harry Truelove second and Matthew

Vieira third.

Matt’s time of 1:02.937 is one of the fastest recorded in the CMRC superstock class with Harry’s 1:03.726 seconds just eight-tenths off.

Matthew Vieira’s 1:05.218 was third with Rovario Tucker, down in seventh after posting a 1:12.212.

Matt told Chronicle Sport that “it’s another great performance for team Mohamed’s Enterprise and I hope that we continue strong throughout the weekend”.

Meanwhile in the CMRC GP2, Rameez Mohamed was

able to qualify third with a time of 1:12.966.

“We got that car late yesterday (Friday) so we were not able to do a lot of testing.

We are now working on the suspension but we did manage to qualify third so we are looking good.”

Former champion and Trinidadian Marc Gill posted a pole sitting time of 1:10.106 with countryman Justin Sanguinette adding a 1:10.379.

In the group 3 class, Rameez Mohamed will start at the back of the pack after

not posting a qualifying time with group 4 being led by Guyanese Mark Vieira with a pole sitting time of 1:02.140 Vieira told Chronicle Sport, “The car has been working wonderfully since round two in Trinidad and I think that we are going to have a fantastic day tomorrow (today).”

Andrew King, who is also a member of Team Guyana, will start fourth behind Orry Hunte and Doug Maloney.

31

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, September 2, 2018

Tridents rooted at bottom of table after Warriors’ thrashing to 68 without further loss at the half-way stage, before putting on a further 71 for the fifth wicket with Pooran.

Smith faced 33 balls and counted five fours while Hope’s knock required 24 deliveries with an identical boundary count, before he found himself short at the wicketkeeper’s end on a tight

Tridents batsman Shai Hope is run-out by wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi for 34. (CPL photo)

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Guyana Amazon Warriors thrashed luckless Barbados Tridents by eight wickets to roar to the top of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) standings, as the home side lost their fourth straight at Kensington Oval to lurch towards elimination here Friday night.

Chasing a modest 166, Amazon Warriors made light work of their target, getting over the line with 20 balls remaining, courtesy of opener Luke Ronchi’s unbeaten 67.

His partner Chadwick Walton tasted form with 43 while exciting left-hander Shimron Hetmyer pummelled 30, in an entertaining run chase before a large Guyanese turnout at the packed historic venue.

Tridents had earlier struggled again to post a competitive total, with lefthander Nicholas Pooran top-scoring with 46, Steve Smith getting 40 and stroke-maker Shai Hope, 34, as they got up to 165 for seven off their 20 overs.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir (2-21), left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir (2-28) and barrel-chested seamer Roshon Primus (2-30) were picked up the wickets.

The victory put Amazon Warriors on 10 points – ahead of Jamaica Tallawahs on net run rate – while Tridents’ loss left them rooted to the bottom of the table with four points, with five defeats in their last six matches.

They now face the difficult prospect of winning their last three matches, beginning with a tough encounter against St Lucia Stars in their final home game today at 14:00hrs.

Not for the first time,

the hosts lost early wickets, putting the innings under pressure and leaving them short of a winning total.

With 19 runs on the board in the third over, New Zealander Martin Guptill drove an innocuous delivery from Sohail to Chris Green at mid-off to fall for eight.

Dwayne Smith, restored to the side after being dropped for last Wednesday’s, against Tallawahs, looked in good nick for his 28 off 16 deliveries, before flicking an ordinary ball from Primus off his legs and picking out Hetmyer at deep backward square in the sixth over..

When South African Hashim Amla (2) pushed the very next ball to point where Veerasammy Permaul took a simple lobbed c a t c h , Tr i d e n t s w e re slumping at 39 for three.

Steve Smith then aided a consolidated effort, adding 50 for the fourth wicket with Hope, as Tridents crawled SCOREBOARD TRIDENTS innings D. Smith c Hetmyer b Primus 28 M. Guptill c Green b Tanvir 8 H. Amla c Permaul b Primus 2 S. Smith c Green b Tanvir 40 S. Hope run-out 34 N. Pooran c Hetmyer b Tahir 46 J. Holder c Green b Tahir 1 A. Nurse not out 0 Extras: (lb-2, w-4) 6 Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs) 165 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-39, 3-39, 4-89, 5-160, 6-165, 7-165.

Bowling: Tanvir 4-0-28-2, Permaul 3-0-33-0, Emrit 4-0-37-0, Primus 3-030-2, Imran Tahir 4-0-21-2, Green 2-0-14-0.

AMAZON WARRIORS innings C. Walton c Smith b Nurse 43 L Ronchi not out 67 S. Hetmyer c Smith b Riaz 30 C. Delport not out 14 Extras: (lb-1, w-13) 14 Total: (2 wkts, 16.4 overs) 168 Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-146.

Bowling: Mohammed Irfan 3.4-029-0, C. Holder 3-0-32-0, J. Holder 3-0-40-0, Wahab Riaz 3-0-26-1, Nurse 3-0-28-1, D. Smith 1-0-12-0.

second run in the 13th over.

Eventually, Smith holed out to long on in the penultimate over and Pooran blasted four fours and a couple of sixes off 27 balls before picking out long off with two balls left in the innings.

Any hopes Tridents had of breaking their wretch-

ed run were quickly erased when Ronchi and Walton posted a rollicking 96 from 55 deliveries for the first wicket.

Ronchi smashed five fours and three sixes in a 40-ball knock while Walton crunched five fours off 34 balls.

By the time Walton cart-

ed off-spinner Ashley Nurse into Steve Smith’s lap at long on, Amazon Warriors were running away with the game and Hetmyer arrived to blast a four and three sixes in a typically aggressive 20-ball stay at the crease, to press home the visitors’ advantage.

Danns makes Golden Jaguars return for Barbados clash on Thursday

FLASHBACK!

… Ronayne Marsh-Brown lone PAGE debutant in 23-man squad

Neil Danns (first from left) celebrates after scoring his second goal against St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Guyana National Stadium. Also in photo, from left, are Samuel Cox and Trayon Bobb. (Samuel Maughn photo)

25

PAGE

30

Green Machine

show fight, but fall 36-48 to Mexico

Guyana’s 15s rugby team in Colombia Caribbean Motor Racing Championship Round Three

Trueloves lock out front row in Barbados

… Mark Vieira cops group 4 pole

PAGE

Mark Vieira leading Group 4 with a pole sitting time of 1:02.140 Photo: Stephan Sookram/GT Ridez)

30

Tridents rooted at bottom of table after Warriors’ thrashing See story on page 31 ►

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2018