Guyana chronicle e paper 10 09 2017

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‘It’s not my call’ No. 105060

MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2017

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Page 3

–– U.S. envoy says it’s not for him to say how much to spend on policing

New Bagotville bridge moving apace Page 2

Ongoing work on the Bagotville bridge.

Inset is the flow of traffic Sunday on the bypass bridge (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

Got him!

–– police capture alleged mastermind Page in Bourda double murder 10

High tides breach Kitty seawall Page 3

Teen dies in Strathspey accident Page 12

DEAD: Mark Arjune

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

New Bagotville bridge moving apace –bypass bridge completed, in use

A close-up of the work on the bridge CONSTRUCTION of the new bridge at Bagotville on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) is moving apace, Managing-Director of GAICO Construction Incorporated Komal Singh said on Sunday.

GAICO Construction Inc.

was awarded a $97M contract to build a new bridge at Bagotville after the main access bridge in the area started to sink.

Besides the bridge’s support beams being damaged due to erosion and heavy rains, heavy-duty vehicles

also helped add to the deterioration.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the project site on Sunday, work on the new structure was in full progress, as commuters utilised the newly built bypass bridge parallel to the old structure.

The new bridge is being built exactly where the old one was.

Singh said work on the bridge began on September 21 with the intention of having it completed on or before November 30.

He said the new bridge will be “strictly concrete” with steel beams, and that the concrete piles have already been driven into the ground.

“We have just completed driving two sets of clusters, the north abutment and the north main span section,” he said, adding: “Today, we actually poured one of the abutments, and by Wednesday, we will pour the second pile cap.

“We are hoping that by the end of next week, we will have all the other piles in position.”

An abutment is a structure built to support the later-

al pressure of an arch or span at the ends of a bridge.

The GAICO ‘bossman’ said that once all goes well, by the end of the month, focus will be placed on the surface of the bridge.

He noted, however, that the timely completion of the project will depend on the timely supply of the steel girders, which are being provided by the government.

Singh has a total of 20 persons working on the multi-million-dollar project.

“We have two shifts; we start at 4am and finish working at 8pm,” he said.

Ahead of the construction of the new bridge, the company has built a temporary bridge to allow the free flow of traffic. “Around September 16,” he said, “we started a bypass bridge and we finished that within four days to allow traffic to run

GAICO Managing Director, Komal Singh (Photos by Samuel Maughn) smoothly. “We also have a pedestrian walkway on that bridge.”

The temporary bridge is made of greenheart.

‘It’s not my call’

3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

–– U.S. envoy says it’s not for him to say how much to spend on policing

By Ariana Gordon

“T’S a slow process, but it’s coming around,” says U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Mr Perry Holloway of the correlation between the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and local anti-narcotics agencies.

But the one fly in the ointment, however, seems to be the limited human resources to fight crime.

“Guyana doesn’t have enough police people, whether it be CANU, GRA investigators, police anti-narcotics,” Ambassador Holloway said.

“If you look at the number of police per capita in Guyana, it is one of the lowest ratios in the whole world.

“We are going up against bad guys who are well funded, have motivation, and don’t have to play by the rules, and you are already understaffed, then that’s a problem,” he told the Guyana Chronicle in an exclusive interview recently.

But the issue, of course,

is not limited to that of sourcing human resources, but having them properly trained to do the job as well.

On that score, the ambassador commended those persons who chose to join the Guyana Police Force and related agencies such as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

“It is a constantly evolving game, this fight against narcotics,” he said, adding: “These guys are changing their methods, networks and everyone has to be in marine mode all the time.”

FUNDING A KEY FACTOR And while there is a dire need to boost human resource capacity within the police force, the ambassador believes that funding is another crucial factor in the fight against crime.

“But that’s a decision between the people of Guyana and their government;

about how much money they want to spend on policing,” Ambassador Holloway said, adding: “I can’t tell you what the amount of money is, but I can tell you that by any standards you look at, the number of police Guyana has per capita, and dealing with crime, is very, very low, especially when you factor in the size of this country, which is very, very large, and the infrastructure for the police to project their presence… it is a very difficult job they have. There is no silver bullet.”

But to get back to the matter of the working relationship between the DEA and the local law enforcement agencies, particularly CANU and the GRA, Ambassador Holloway said it couldn’t be better.

“We see from those institutions, and the government, a commitment to want to cooperate and collaborate… So that is going well,” he said.

As to the public’s anxiety

often take years of information-gathering and intelligence-sharing before you see any hard results,” he said, adding: “The DEA’s job here is not to kick down doors or be the policeman of Guyana; they are here as law enforcement attachés primarily, to work on cases that have a U.S. connection.”

U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway at the sloth where arrests are concerned, Ambassador Holloway said he can well understand the frustration, but that’s just the way it is; that narcotic cases are complicated matters that can sometimes take a number of years before any arrests can be made and prosecution can be done.

“Those investigations

THE BIG PLAYERS It’s no secret that the majority of drugs coming into Guyana are destined for the U.S., and it is those cases and large organisations that are being monitored by the DEA, and not necessarily street-level drugs.

With the presence of the DEA here, since its office opened last February, there have been increased levels of information-sharing.

“It is a two-way street: they share information with us as is legal and appropriate, and as often as we get infor-

mation that has nothing to do with a U.S. nexus or U.S. case, but is very useful to the local police, we share that very freely,” he said.

Additionally, the U.S. government and the DEA have been facilitating lots of training and technical assistance for personnel in the anti-narco field. Over the last year, the U.S. State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau has also provided much-needed training.

“We send Guyanese police, CANU and other officials to different parts of the world for training. We do training here via video conferencing; we bring trainers in,” Ambassador Holloway said.

“I’d say overall, things are going well. But unfortunately, the bad guys have a lot of money; they have a lot of motivation and don’t have to follow the rules, so it is a very tough battle in any country,” he added.

High tides breach Kitty seawall –– cause minor flooding elsewhere along the coast

UNUSUALLY high tides on Saturday night caused several reinforced parts of the Kitty seawall to collapse, resulting in sections of the public road on the lower East Coast Demerera to be flooded on Sunday.

The roadway close to the Russian Embassy turn was flooded during the morning hours on Sunday following the tidal activity on Saturday night.

Reports are that several slabs of concrete which were

built to stem the water from entering the roadway broke down under the pressure of the waves.

The authorities have since replaced the structures, and by dusk the tide was seen to be on the rise again.

An inspection is expected to be done today by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) of the concrete structure along the seawall.

Elsewhere, residents at the villages of Windsor Forest and Harlem on the West

Coast of Demerara also reported unusual tidal activity as the waves pounded the sea defence there on Saturday night.

One West Coast resident reported that the waves caused a minor flood in the

The breach at the Kitty seawall (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

areas at reference on Sunday afternoon when the tide was at its highest.

There were also reports of flooding along parts of the Essequibo Coast, as the tide took effect on Sunday afternoon.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Trump sets tone to new ‘Dreamers’ deal

THE White House has outlined measures, including funding for a controversial border wall, that US President Donald Trump insists should be part of any new deal on young undocumented immigrants.

Mr Trump is also asking to speed up deportations, and hire thousands new immigration officials.

Last month he ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), that protected nearly 800,000 immi-

grants. Leading Democrats in Congress immediately rejected the new plan.

The list of “principles”, delivered by the White House to Congress on Sunday, includes the following requests: * Construction of the wall across the border with Mexico * Employing 10,000 additional Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers and 1,000 attorneys for the agency * An extra 370 immigration judges and 300

federal prosecutors * Banning immigrants from bringing their extended family members to the US * The use of the E-Verify programme by companies to keep illegal immigrants from getting jobs “These priorities are essential to mitigate the legal and economic consequences of any grant of status to Daca recipients,” Mr Trump’s legislative affairs director, Marc Short said.

The Daca programme

was a scheme set up in 2012 during the presidency of Barack Obama to protect young undocumented immigrants, socalled Dreamers (mostly Latin Americans), from deportation.

They were able to apply for work and study permits under a policy which, critics said, amounted to an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In September, Mr Trump told Congress it had six months to agree new legislation to help the

Dreamers.

His new proposals were swiftly rejected by leading Democrats.

“The administration can’t be serious about compromise, or helping the Dreamers, if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans,” H o u s e o f R e p r e s e n t atives Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.

“The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations. If the president was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so,” they said.

WHAT IS DACA? The Daca programme

protected roughly 750,000 people in the US from deportation and provided temporary permits for work and study.

In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 submitted personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.

They had to go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in education, recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.

In exchange, the US government agreed to “defer” any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.

The majority of socalled Dreamer immigrants in the US are from Mexico and other Latin American countries. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Argentine Airlines pulls out of Venezuela

ARGENTINE Airlines has become the latest carrier to suspend flights to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The company said it had concerns over security in Venezuela, because of increasing criminal violence and political uncertainty.

It joins dozens of airlines who have taken similar action.

IATA, the trade body

for the world’s airlines, says Venezuela is becoming increasingly isolated.

Peter Cerdá, vice-president of Iata, said last week: “The situation has become increasingly difficult; most of Iata’s members have left Venezuela. There are only six or seven carriers left operating a very low flight frequency.

“Venezuela is becoming disconnected; it’s practically

disconnected from the rest of the world, above all by air, and we can’t see any solution in the short term.”

Since 2003, Venezuela has operated a series of currency exchange controls managed by the government.

Airline companies have been attempting for years to change the local bolivar currency it receives when it sells tickets in Venezuela into

dollars.

But the government strictly controls the amount of foreign currency it allows onto the market.

Mr Cerdá said passenger traffic in Venezuela had dropped by 75% in the last four years.

Most of the airlines that have left reported disputes with the Venezuelan government over unpaid contracts,

and worries over crew safety.

In August, the president of the Panamanian airline, Copa, Pedro Heilbron, told AFP that the company would continue to operate in Venezuela despite the difficulties.

“We are becoming practically the only operator in the market but our intention is not to leave, not to abandon the market in Venezuela.”

He said Copa crews

would not stay the night in Venezuelan cities.

The United States airlines United and Delta, and the Colombian airline Avianca, suspended flights to Venezuela this year. The German airline Lufthansa left in 2016.

Air Canada, Aeromexico, Alitalia, Lan, Tam, and Gol left between 2014 and 2015. (BBC)

UN Secretary-General concedes...

Dominica was decimated by Hurricane Maria ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres described as “dramatic”, the devastation of Dominica following the passage of Hurricane Maria on September 18.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, Guterres noted that every community felt the impact of the powerful Category 5 storm.

“I have never seen anywhere else in the world, a forest completely decimated without one single leaf on any tree,” he said, adding: “And even if I have come from Barbuda, where most of the houses were destroyed, Barbuda is a small island linked to Antigua; and Antigua can support Barbuda.

“But your country, it’s the whole country that has been decimated; and it’s in every community. I’ve seen most of the buildings destroyed or heavily damaged.”

Decimation aside, Mr Guterres spoke highly of the resilience of the people of Dominica.

“I was impressed by the effective response that your government and your people were able to put together; a response that allows what I see today to be very different from what we could see immediately after the hurricane,” he said.

That said, he reiterated the need for the international community to recognise that the intensity of hurricanes is linked to climate change.

“The intensity of hurricanes in this season is not an accident; it is as a result of climate change. Sometimes people say ‘We always have hurricanes.’ It is true. But what we have never had is

the intensity; the frequency and the devastating impact,” he said.

He bolstered his argument by pointing to scientific proof of the link between climate change and the intensity of hurricanes in the Caribbean.

“It is clear that the level of support that Dominica requires cannot be achieved through the traditional instruments,” ther secretary-general said.

“Even if Dominica is a middle-income country, it is a middle-income country with enormous vulnerability that was proven now in a very dramatic way. There must be a review of the way middle-income countries are supported,” he added.

Guterres said there must be new financial instruments and bonds of different natures, as well as several forms of financing for the country to rebuild .

“The United Nations is entirely at your side,” he said. “We have been cooperating in your efforts with our limited capacity, but I’m proud that my colleagues are doing their best.

“But our voice will be together with your voice, calling for the world to assume its responsibilities in relation to climate change, and for the adequate financial instruments to be created, and with easy access for your reconstruction to become a real possibility for the benefit of the people of Dominica.”

Guterres’s trip forms part of a two-day visit to see the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

On Saturday, the UN Secretary-General visited Barbuda, followed by a tour of Dominica, where Hurri-

cane Maria killed more than two dozen people, and left thousands homeless.

For his part, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Dominica has the “unique opportunity” to show the world how a country rebounds from disaster.

“We can be an example to the world of how an entire nation rebounds from disaster, and how and entire nation can be climate resilient for the future,” he said.

“We did not choose this

opportunity, having had it thrust upon us; we have chosen to be that example to the world.”

Skerrit said Dominica is on the way to becoming the world’s first climate-resistant nation in the climate-change era.

“I see an important role for the United Nations in guiding us with good analysis on how to achieve and monitor national climate resilience. And we know we must do this all in a pro-

fessional and well governed manner that will encourage the international development agencies to invest their funds... We caution that this is not an academic debate first, it is real and present.”

Skerrit said a critical challenge, is having access to funds and the manifestation on the ground.

“This is one of the message we would like to echo to the international community – that we must work together to overcom-

ing the bureaucratic hurdles in accessing the funds quickly,” the Prime Minister said.

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Private Sector Commission’s initiative THE recent announcement by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) that this week it will host a business summit on private sector development, which hopefully will be incorporated into the Government’s National Development Plan is welcome news. It cannot be denied that this sector has a vital role to play in the country’s development and is categorised as one of the tri-sectoral members of the economy. Where our private sector has to play catch-up with similar sector s around the world, and closer home to that of Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados in terms of products, manufacturing development and ingenuity, this summit would be met with anticipation and dare it said, guarded scepticism.

Members of our private sector have not been spared such scepticism by society, wherein that some have demonstrated the inclination to be self-serving, taking political, hardline position, and by and large either sitting on the sideline of development, or staying silent in the midst of societal challenges, be they violations of the laws, corruption in the system, or breakdown of order. The private sector has also attracted the ire of society as it was ensnared in issues of supporting officials of the state in wrongdoings. Some members are also not seen as embracing the act of corporate social responsibility, which has become the universal expectation of the sector The optimists and pragmatists in our midst would want this summit to not only come off, but also to succeed, based on the goals the PSC sets itself. According to its release last week, the summit is to be held under the theme “Challenges and Opportunities for Business Growth and Expansion,” which couldn’t be more timely in a society where challeng-

es can be seen as many and growth and expansion in short supply. This country has been poised for take-off from independence, given its resources. Where we may be coming up short could be in the areas of vision to project and plan, for instance, where we want to see ourselves in another quarter century and beyond, thinking big, confronting and resolving challenges to unleash the potential.

One only has to visit our supermarkets to recognise how we are under-serving ourselves and wasting foreign currency in the importation of commodities that can be produced here for the markets, domestic and foreign. Our manufacturing sector having peaked in the 1970s lay primarily dormant or under-served. The traditional sectors, even as they continue to produce, some not without grave challenges limiting their growth and expansion, it is not to Guyana’s credit these sectors have not moved into areas of value-added production.

For instance, there is no furniture, gold and diamond, and confectionery industries despite the fact that the country produces lumber, sugar, gold and diamonds in significant quantities.

In the Information Age, ideas and opportunities abound and it is not an untrue statement to say that Guyana is lagging and cannot continue to rely on primary products as the sole determinants for growth and expansion. Where heads come together and there is acknowledgement that diversity is strength, bringing with it cross-fertilisation of ideas, the society could be in better stead. The apparent recognition by the PSC to invite wider participation such as members of the political opposition, donor agencies and civil society, with the opening remarks delivered by President Granger, who would most likely bring government’s input, is noted.

Within recent times, Government has embarked on a

programme of resuscitating the cooperative sector. This sector has in its control a significant amount of assets, and it portends well for making significant impact on human development and growth in the economy. Our history has shown that the principle of cooperatives has informed land acquisition, the establishment of the Village Movement, cottage industries, home ownership, other forms of wealth and personal development, including education, access to healthcare, savings/ thrift. In short, this sector has been the principal vehicle the small man has been able to use to further his development and it makes utmost sense to salvage, protect, and advance where the desire exists to eliminate poverty and its attendant ills.

To the APNU+AFC Government’s credit, since coming to office, it has embarked on a programme to improve the performance of the Public Service. This has been seen from the report of the Commission of Inquiry that was established to address the sector. It is the first time in decades that an effort of this nature has been put in place with the intent of optimising the delivery of public services. With this having been said and optimism held, it would help where efforts are being made to implement the recommendations therein.

The economy and people stand to benefit when all three of its economic engines are opened full throttle, and it redounds to the well-being of all to ensure that this happens.

Disgraceful attack on President Granger Dear Editor, I AM certain that the Ministry of the Presidency will, in due course, respond to the disrespectful attack made on the person of His Excellency David Arthur Granger, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

But, permit me, as a citizen, to respond to the perpetrator of a behaviour, that is not only synonymous with the leader of a party that has suffered electoral defeat, but of a former president whose general profile was/still is one of being a bully and in perpetual cuss mode.

First of all, about the lists that Jagdeo had submitted for consideration by President Granger for his consideration of a new chairman for the Guyana Elections Commis-

sion (GECOM). According to Jagdeo, he is of the opinion that those persons are very qualified, and “more technically” than the President, and some members of his cabinet.

He even had the temerity to opine that the Head of State is “probably not fit and proper” to make a decision.

What an attempt to insult the credentials of a most academically accomplished and well- rounded Guyanese, a known scholar, that is now our country’s Head of State and Government!

Retired Brigadier-General, David Arthur Granger, retired as commander of the Guyana Defence Force, in 1992, after 27 years of distinguished service. Of course, he was a product of Queen’s College, still the nation’s premier secondary school, that

has produced three of the Republic’s presidents, inclusive of Forbes Burnham.

It should also be stated that he had been a Queen’s College cadet, during his sojourn at that noted institution of learning.

His list of academic and scholastic achievements is many, beginning with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Guyana; Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations, from the University of the West Indies; a Hubert Humphrey Fellow/Fullbright Fellow at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.

Other academic engagements and accomplishments include: *Urban Policy Development Workshop, University

of California *Defence Planning and Resource Management course, National Defence University *Counter-terrorism Educators Workshop at the Joint Special Operations, University of Florida He also held the chairmanship of the Central Intelligence Committee, Co-chairmanship of the Border and National Security Committee, and held memberships of the Guyana Defence Board; the National Drug Law Enforcement Committee, and the Disciplined Forces Commission.

He was always associated with academic and scholastic affairs, and is duly recognised as an Academic/Historian.

Among the many related institutions which he headed, and actively participated as a

member were: *President of the History Society of Guyana *President of the University Guild of Graduates * President of the Guyana Heritage Society * Member of the University of Guyana Council *Member of the Association of Caribbean Historians *Member of the Caribbean Studies Association *Member of the Book Foundation As an accomplished academic, his publications have been many and comprise the following: * Co-editor with professor emeritus Dr. Winston McGowan and professor Dr. James Rose, on Themes of African -Guyanese History * Publisher of Guyana Review, and Emancipation

Magazine There are also monographs, inclusive of *Five thousand Day War *The struggle for Haiti’s Independence, 1789-1804 *The British Guiana Volunteer Force, 1948-1966 *The Guyana National Service, 1974-2000 *The Guyana People’s Militia, 1976-1997 *The Queen College Cadet Corps, 1889-1975 *Guyana’s Coinage, 1808-2008 *The Era of Enslavement, 1638-1838 *The Village Movement His many academic prizes, supported his distinguished academic life. These awards are: *President’s Medal for best graduating student (ValeTurm to Page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Withhold Agency Fees until GPSU shows financial accountability, says public sector employee I WOULD like to express a few concerns about the recently-concluded 22nd Delegates Conference held by the GPSU from September 27–29, 2017. The conference was held with the aim of installing the newlyelected executive members from the just-concluded, highly controversial elections.

At the conference, members were informed that the GPSU accounts for the year 2003 – 2004 have now been completed, despite the fact that rule No.13 states clearly that the accounts of the union SHALL be audited by the 1st May each year.

The only logical question that follows is: why has the union not been audited for the last 13 years?

To compound the problem, the contesting parties that had challenged the incumbent executives and President for leadership of the union were barred from attending the conference because they had asked for the union’s audit in keeping

with the rules of the organisation.

Isn’t it unreasonable for members to request an account in keeping with the rules of how their dues are being managed? Rather than dealing with the issues, the current president chose to take a subjective avenue rather than an objective one.

His answer to dealing with this was to read a letter that was written by one of his supporters to the conference, telling members that Karen Vansluytman had attacked the character of his supporter and that Ms. Vansluytman should be condemned and be held accountable.

During the elections, Ms. Vansluytman was branded by this same union leader as a non-member, yet a concocted matter which was a clear conspiracy was so important that it was ventilated in her absence without her being able to exercise her constitutional right to due process.

While the matter of the election and violation of

the rules have now engaged the court and a ruling is expected on the 6th November 2017, one cannot help noticing the hypocrisy of this leadership that expects the current government to reintroduce the Agency Fees agreement to an organisation that is not accountable for members’ finances and is plagued with dishonesty and corruption.

This union leader has banned all of the persons from the membership who have challenged him for leadership as well as potential challengers for the leadership of the Guyana Public Service Union. Any quick research will show that names such as Karen Vansluytman, Gregory Gasper, Jermain Hermanstyne, etc. are now no longer members of the union, because their dues are no longer accepted. Is this democracy?

This union leader is clearly running the organisation as private property.

I would like to appeal to President David Granger to

notice the many strides the government has made over the past year in stamping out corruption. Therefore, Mr. President, you cannot afford the credibility of your government to be tainted by a few who want to control the workforce by occupying the chairmanship of the Public Service Commission which is another highly controversial matter, since it is a clear conflict of interest as well as the GPSU at the same time.

Finally, I wish to warn that a movement seems to be in place to have the first vice-president run the GPSU if the government makes a decision that this union leader has to choose between the union and the commission.

That system will mean that he will continue to run one organisation from the background, while running the other in the forefront.

This must not be allowed to happen.

Regards, Jermain Hermanstyne, Public sector employee

Disgraceful attack on...

From Page 6

dictorian) *Denis Irvine Prize for greatest contributor to university cultural life *Council of the University Prize *Elsa Goveia Medal of Excellence *Guy de Weever History Prize *Mary Noel Menezes Award for History Department of History Prize Normally, one ought not to dignify persons who speak without even giving due thought to what will be said.

But, not Jagdeo. He is deliberate in this instance, and also wicked in his frantic attempt to denigrate the distinguished person of the current president, by his scurrilous statements that question both the

President’s qualifications and his ability to make decisions Do I need say more, Mr Jagdeo? Who on those three lists is more technically qualified than our President? And as an aside, that first list was meant as a provocation.

Surely, his understanding of the meaning of “technically qualified” and the ridiculous suggestion that the president is “probably not fit and proper” can only be derived from his dictionary of distortions.

Jagdeo should understand that it is the President’s prerogative to make a final determination, and a very fair and impartial one.

This is not about Bharat Jagdeo. This is about all of Guyana.

Sincerely, Earl Hamilton

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Ramnarine to attend security meet in Canada

–– as Cabinet approves a number of short overseas courses

A NUMBER of government officials will be sent overseas in October and November to attend various programmes.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon made the disclosure on Friday during his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Minister Harmon told reporters that Cabinet on Tuesday granted approval for Acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine to attend a CariSECURE exchange programme in Montreal, Canada from November 14 to 15.

CariSECURE is a project organised and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and

the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OCES) to develop a Crime Information Management System (CIMS).

With Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia being its pilot countries, the course will expose participants to global best practices and innovations in the automation of crime data collection and analysis, as well as afford them the opportunity to observe how data translates into evidence-based policy.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), on the other hand, will be represented at a Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Liaison Officers Meeting in Miami, Florida from November 1 to 2.

That seminar will discuss

common threats and current trends in the Caribbean, review Caribbean custom law enforcement practices, and plan joint future operational work.

Cabinet also approved Guyana’s participation in the 13th Annual Inter-American Network on Government Procurement (INGP) conference.

That conference was convened by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and held from October 3-5 in Santiago, Chile.

It’s primary focus was on value for money in public procurement, including methods on tools used to achieve value for money, digital economy, the use of technology, and challenges implementing value for mon-

ey in procurement.

Christine Singh, Procurement Officer at the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTA) attended the conference on behalf of Guyana.

Minister Harmon noted, too, that Guyana will be participating in the 10th UNESCO Youth Forum, which will be held at UNESCO’S Headquarters in Paris, France from October 25-26.

The forum will be convened under the theme, “Rethinking Youth Engagement with UNESCO”, and seek to foster long-term and meaningful engagements between youth and UNESCO’s operational strategy on youths 2014-2021.

UNESCO has also organ-

Acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine ised an orientation and capacity-building workshop on the education sector’s responses to school gender-based

violence in the Caribbean region. Guidance Counsellor attached to the Ministry of Education, Vikram Mohabeer, is expected to participate in the workshop to be held in St. Lucia from October 16 to 18.

Approval was also granted for a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the 2017 seminar on Chinese language and culture for South-South cooperation for developing countries scheduled to be held in Beijing, China.

The seminar will focus on a range of issues relating to China’s relationship with developing countries, including its open door policy, inter-cultural communication, Chinese culture.

Curl Fete delivers!

–– lives up to patrons’ expectations

By Tamica Garnett BRIMMING with young entrepreneurs dishing out advice and assistance on just about everything under the sun, from hair to make up, to fashion and so much more, Curl Fete, the second installation of Curl Fest, saw another successful year when it was hosted yesterday at the Promenade Gardens.

Beginning earlier in the day with the mini-expo, the curtains came down on the event late last evening with the enthralling hair show, which showed young ladies, and even young men, quite a few interesting ways to outstandingly style those natural locks.

Hundreds of persons flocked to the “Little Gardens” on down-town Middle Street throughout the day to support and be a part of

an initiative that begun last year by co-founders, Tamika Henry and Denisha Victor, both natural-haired young ladies.

Though not a lot of persons were out early in the morning, by afternoon the place was buzzing and jamming with patrons.

Though the event continued with its original focus of being a gathering for natural hair individuals to get together and learn more about their hair and expressing their style, it has also expanded as a general convention for business to showcase and promote their products that catered to other areas.

CIM Exotic Designs, which was actually launched at last year’s Curl Fest, was back out celebrating it’s oneyear anniversary with several deals this year. The business retails custom-made crochet bikinis and other clothing, hand

A young man getting his cut at Curl Fete (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

Hairstylist, Rhonda Marcus in action designed by 26-year-old Colita Ishmile-Mohamed.

A lot of the other proprietors participating are also very young.

Radiance Frank, 23, took up a booth to promote her leave-in conditioner and hair moisturizer, which she manufactures herself.

Selling in $1800 to $3500 recyclable jars, Frank was all smiles as she spoke of how much Curl Fete has provided a great platform for her to showcase her product to her target market.

There were also a number of booths dedicated to afrocentric fashion, including ‘Makeda’ and ‘Wrap Century’, but of course nothing was as popular as the hair salon and hair product booths, where persons flocked to learn of the secrets, if any, on how to tame their wild natural tresses.

“Perfect U’ Beauty Salon, manned by Rhonda Marcus, was abuzz with activity throughout the day as she moved from dealing with customers to preparing her models for

the night’s hair show.

“What I’m doing here today is a lot of promotion.” Marcus said. “I’m meeting customers, telling them a little bit about their hair.

“One customer got an on-the-spot style, so she can see just what her natural hair can do.”

Marcus’ booth was one of a string of hair salons that had their own strip, with a lot of interesting hairstyles emerging throughout the day. The men were not forgotten, and there was also barbers on site for that perfect haircut.

There were also a fitness show with local fitness instructor, Vanilla; a make-up show, compliments of Radiance Beauty; as well as a panel discussion on the natural hair craze and society’s reaction to it.

This show also saw a lot more diversity this year, particularly on the panel discussion head table, which included former Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan, and senior journalist, Nazima Raghubir.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

No new tourism director in time for Tourism Month

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– Minister Gaskin

By Vishani Ragobeer GUYANA will be observing Tourism Awareness Month in November but it is “unlikely” that a new Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) will be appointed in time, according to Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin.

The GTA had invited applications for the positions of Director and Deputy Director recently after the tenure of the former Director Indranauth Haralsingh had ended. It was stated that the appointed Director would commence working from November 1, 2017.

Minister Gaskin told the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday that it was “unlikely” that the new director would be appointed by November.

He explained that before a new director is appointed, there is a “process” that must be followed. This includes reviewing applications, shortlisting candidates and interviewing them to select the most capable person.

The general criteria of the GTA for the position states: “The successful candidate must be a person who has the regional and international connections needed to accelerate national tourism development. Prior work experience in the admin-

Minister of Business and Tourism Dominic Gaskin

istration, promotion, sales and marketing of tourism destinations will be a strong asset.”

Usually reliable sources from the tourism authority disclosed that there were four applications for the post of Director, including Haralsingh, who confirmed to this newspaper that he had reapplied for the position.

Gaskin said, however, that many more persons have applied for this position and presumed that four applicants were probably those shortlisted. He said also, “My information is [that] a lot of the applicants are not persons who reside in Guyana and that makes it more

complicated.” As such, the process of selecting someone as tourism director will take more time.

Gaskin, however, gave the assurance that the appointment of the new director is “moving ahead as planned.”

In the meantime, sources also disclosed that Carla James-Chandra, the former Deputy Director under the Haralsingh administration, has been acting in the capacity of director.

As Guyana observed World Tourism Day on September 27 this year, Minister Gaskin acknowledged that this country is a relative newcomer to the family of global

tourism destinations. In light of this, Tourism Month is used to tout Guyana as the ideal tourist destination for nature-based, community and even adventure tourism, cognizant of the country’s immense natural resources and diverse cultures.

With the recent rebranding of Guyana as “South America: Undiscovered”, the GTA has sought to promote the destination for both locals and tourists.

Moreover, the economic significance of the month has been underscored during the observances each year, as the industry is one that is highly sustainable.

Mocha Men’s Ministry do their bit –– to enhance their community

THE Men’s Ministry of the Mocha Seventh Day Adventist Church on Sunday came together to spruce up the community’s bus shed and its environs.

According to group leader, Mr Carl DeMattos, seeing that they’re usually involved in community service, they decided that this time around they would repaint the bus shed,

clear the bushes, and plant a few decorative plants.

The Men’s Ministry comprises about 40 males from Mocha, aged as young as 15.

Previously, the group had done street-cleaning and services for homeless persons.

They’re also the driving force behind the village’s “Welcome to Mocha” sign.

Hard at work on the Mocha bus shed and its environs (Photo by group member, Samuel Maughn)

Teachers mandated to supervise schoolchildren at all times ACCORDING to a circular disseminated by the Ministry of Education, school teachers are required to supervise students at all times during play and at lunch time while they are at school.

The circular follows the recent tragic event in which six-year-old Glensean Skeete lost his life after a goal post fell on him during a sports practice session.

The circular was sent to the 10 regional educational

officers and the principal educational officer in Georgetown, as well as the principals of schools, for immediate implementation.

School teachers have the responsibility for supervising school children during contact and non-contact periods during the school day, which officially begins at 08:45 hours and ends at 15:15hours.

However, with this mandate, teachers are now even more taxed with supervising stu-

dents during their lunch hour.

The circular stated: “The students must be supervised at all times during play and at lunch while at school. You must ensure that a schedule is developed identifying those teachers who will facilitate this process on a daily or weekly process.”

This responsibility has become quite taxing since, according to one teacher at Queen’s College, teachers must now accompany stu-

dents to food outlets outside of the school to purchase their lunch during the lunch period allocated for both students and teachers.

Furthermore, according to the circular, if children are taken to events or activities outside of the school, there must be a ratio of one teacher to every 20 students and at all times parental consent must be sought if students are required to leave the school for such activities. A report must also

be submitted to the respective heads of departments for perusal by senior officials of the central ministry if necessary, detailing the activities that require students’ participation.

While many teachers may not mind going ‘above and beyond’ for their students, this mandate seems to clash with the labour laws of Guyana. The Labour Act in Chapter 99:03 details the conditions of employment of certain workers. Section Five

of this chapter states: “… the employer of any worker shall, on each working day, allow to such worker an interval from work of not less than one hour for luncheon or dinner…”

This circular was signed by the Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson.

When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle over the weekend, however, the CEO was unavailable to respond to questions on the issue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Keeping your kids safe PARENTS, the main reason you have to be ‘on the ball’ where your children are concerned is because they are constantly exposed to danger and they are vulnerable.

If you don’t take the time to teach them valuable lessons in life, they would not know how to react at the crucial time when they need to have their wits about them and could be enticed, fooled and/or led astray by those of bad intent.

Here are some tips to help you to help your child stay safe: 1) Always communicate with your child when he or she returns home from any venture. Ask pertinent questions that allow you to paint a picture of what took place. Listen without interrupting. If there is something you disapprove of, or are concerned about, continue to speak calmly without a sense of alarm. Strive to maintain a reasonable level of parental concern within your child’s life, as this will encourage your child to confide

in you, and you will get the opportunity to put your child on the right track. If you shout or become angry at anything your child says, he or she may ‘clam up’ and desist from telling you things in the future that he or she thinks may annoy you. If this happens, you will never get a clear picture of what goes on when your child is not in your care, but a mere tainted rendition of what he or she believes you want to hear.

2) Teach your child ‘road sense.’ So many young children walk to and from school without adult supervision, and during their journey, they are exposed to so many things.

The streets are always filled with one sort of drama or another, and children take all of it in.

How does the environment to which they are exposed affect them? Children need adults to consistently teach them a sense of wrong from right, and good from bad; to explain to them to keep walking and not to get involved when there is commotion or a fracas in the

street, and how and where to seek help if needed. There are many elements of danger for children alone on the streets, therefore, children must be street-wise. Being streetwise is crossing the road at the right place and not fooling around with friends near heavy traffic. It is also about not taking things (money, gifts) from strangers, or ‘straying’ about the place and ending up in strange people’s homes.

3) The best way to instill a sense of responsibility and level-headedness in your child is to build a relationship, whereby the child is allowed to think for him or herself. Parents tend to reprimand children by talking down to them, admonishing them, scolding them or embarrassing them, when all that really needs to exist between parent and child is a mutual understanding and respect. This means helping a child to see and understand where he or she went wrong, and the consequences of his or her actions. The child must work things out, with

parental guidance, and when it makes sense to the child, he or she will not repeat the action.

All children make mistakes or do things that are somewhat out of character; it is part and parcel of growing up, and/or stretching boundaries. Children subconsciously check for their parents’ love and attention by doing ‘silly’ or ‘naughty’ things. Many times, they simply do not know how to express the varied emotions they are experiencing.

As adults, we simply need to be watchful, attentive and alert where children are concerned each day. Every gesture, every smile, every look, every word we exchange with them can help them grow into better-rounded individuals; as adults, we have that influence, and we need to use it wisely.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, ring the CPA hotline on 227 0979 A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

‘Christ is the Answer’ turns 56 THE popular radio programme, “Christ is the Answer,” produced by the Central Assembly of God, yesterday celebrated 56 years of bringing the Word of God to the nation on a daily basis.

To mark this signature milestone, the church held a special celebration and thanksgiving Service at its Church and East Streets headquarters and place of

worship.

The event was hosted and presided over by Bishop John Smith, presenter of the radio programme, and had as its guest speaker, Bishop John Cummings from the United States of America.

A history of the ‘Christ is the Answer’ broadcast was slated to be delivered by Elder Jean Smith, whilst Ms. Marcia Parker of the National Communications Network

(NCN) paid tribute to the programme.

The afternoon’s proceedings were richly spiced with praise and thanksgiving led by the church’s worship team, and instrumental renditions by its steel orchestra among other cultural items.

The broadcast initiative was reportedly launched back on August 1, 1961 at a mighty healing crusade held at the British Guiana Cricket

Club (BGCC) ground adjacent to Queen’s College, at which the Rev. Morris Cerullo was the main speaker.

At that time, Pastor Smith told the Guyana Chronicle, the event was referred to as a double-header, in that it was a live broadcast of a crusade.

Needless to say, it was a tremendous success and turned out to be the start of something phenomenal, which has since blossomed and bloomed.

Coincidentally, one of the leaders of the Central As-

sembly of God Church at the time was the chief operator at Radio Demerara, the then national broadcasting station.

The earliest presenters of the broadcast were: Rev. Paul Palser (1961-1965) who was then in charge of the Central Assembly of God Church; Asst. Pastor David Guenther (19651969); Dr. Errol Bhola (1969- 1976); with Pastor John Oswald Smith taking over with effect from July 1976.

Pastor John Smith

Got him!

–– police capture alleged mastermind in Bourda double murder

LESS than a week after two elderly women were brutally murdered at their Bourda home in the city, the police on the Essequibo Coast have managed to capture the alleged mastermind behind the plot.

Reports are that the 37-year-old man, who goes by the names “Christopher Persaud”, “Christopher Narine” and “Imran Khan,” was captured by police ranks in the Pomeroon River on Sunday .

The man reportedly fled to the area following the grisly murder, presumably during the wee hours of the morning last Tuesday, of 89-year-old Constance Fraser, and her niece, Phyllis Caesar, 77.

The two women, both pensioners, were found lying face down in separate bedrooms at their Lot 243 Albert Street and South Road, Bourda home on Tuesday

morning with their hands and feet bound and mouths gagged. According to a relative, the house was ransacked, and items appeared to be missing.

Reports from the police have since revealed that a door of the upper flat of the two-storey building was opened.

Relatives said this was the third time the women had been robbed. One recalled that during the last robbery, the intruders had made off with cellular phones and money.

It was also the second time they had been robbed after receiving their monthly pensions.

Several persons were subsequently captured by the police in connection with the incident, and charges are expected to be laid against the suspects this week.

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Jordan urges IDB to be more –in dealing with Guyana innovative GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

FINANCE Minister, Mr Winston Jordan, is looking to innovation to address the myriad problems affecting infrastructure development here.

He said as much recently, when he met with IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) top brass, among them the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Ms Julie Katzman.

Minister Jordan was particularly keen on pointing out that new and more innovative solutions must be found to ensure the success of the portfolio.

He listed as being among the challenges crippling Guyana’s ability to build its capital stock, poor implementation skills, weak planning structures,a paucity of human resources,and the pressing need for international contractors to execute infrastructural works due to a shortage of quali-

fied local contractors.

He said all this during a cocktail reception in Katzman’s honour, seeing that it was her first visit here since the APNU + AFC Government took office.Her two-day sojourn is also regarded as timely, given the international attention Guyana has been receiving of late.

Ms. Katzman was accompanied by Vice-President of Countries,Alexandre Meira da Rosa and other IDB officials, all of whom, while here, met with senior members of Cabinet and private sector representatives, to discuss the IDB’s support for Guyana’s social and economic development.

In her response to Minister Jordan’s observations, Ms. Katzman while she conceded that the process is fraught with challenges, spoke of the lingering perception abroad about

Guyana.

That perception has to do with corruption and its impact on the country’s Ease of doing Business Index, which at the last check has seen Guyana move up 16 places to 124.

That aside, she has committed to exploring solutions that are more unique to Guyana, and called on the government to continue to improve and implement its transparency and accountability initiatives.

Ms. Katzman has overseen the bank’s efforts to help Latin American and the Caribbean countries reduce poverty and inequality by financing sustainable development in the Region.

The visit, which came to an end on Friday, also saw the IDB delegation undertake site visits to Guyana’s first overhead bypasses, the Audit Office, Annai, and the University of Guyana.

As one of Guyana’s old-

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, meeting with the IDB’s Ms. Julie Katzman est development partners, the IDB continues to have significant impact on the development agenda of the country.

Presently, it is engaged in financing a number of catalytic projects in key economic sectors such as the Highway Improvement - East Bank Four Lane

Senior members of the Cabinet and technical officers from the Ministry of Finance meet with the IDB delegation

Road (Providence to Diamond); the Road Network Expansion Programme (Sheriff Street and Mandela Avenue); the Power Utility Upgrade Programme; and the Water Supply and Sanitation Infrastructure Improvement Programme,

among other major interventions.

The government has extended its appreciation to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the years of support in Guyana’s development journey.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Teen dies in Waramuri residents Strathspey want action–fast –– not happy with shoddy work done on new secondary school accident

NINETEEN-year-old Mark Arjune, of Strathspey, East Coast Demerara (ECD), lost his life on Sunday morning when the car in which he was travelling ran headlong into a utility pole.

The accident reportedly occurred at Strathspey around 04:45 hrs, and according to the police, the driver of car, the registration number of which has been given as PPP 6666, apparently lost control of the vehicle.

The police also say that based on their investigation, the driver, a 21-yearold from Georgetown, was DEAD: Mark Arjune under the influence of alcohol, and was “doing it” when the accident occurred.

Arjune was reportedly pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), while the other occupants of the vehicle were all treated and sent away, except 36-year-old Allen Batson, of Georgetown, who was admitted.

Arjune’s remains are currently at the Lyken Funeral Home here in the city awaiting a post-mortem.

WHEN the new Waramuri Secondary School opened its doors for the new school term recently, several uncomfortable realities were observed.

To date, despite several promises made to the school’s administration as regards remedial works to the building, residents of the Region One (Barima-Waini) village are yet to see them being fulfilled, and are at their wits end as to where to turn to next.

A senior village official told the Guyana Chronicle that the regional authorities along with the contractor visited the area in August before the reopening of school for the new school term and promised to address the situation.

The building, which benefits more than 200 students within the Moruca sub-region, was constructed at a cost of G$15M by the firm,

Sattaur Mohammed and Son Construction and Hardware Supplies of the Essequibo Coast.

However, the problems were observed soon after its completion and include the use of wooden lattice instead of glass windows at the back of the building, the end result of which is that whenever it rains, the children get wet and are discomfitted.

The school’s administration was reportedly promised that that particular problem would have been remedied, but to date, nothing has happened.

In addition, the two ends of the building were supposed to have been adjusted to accommodate windows and other vents for air, but to date, that, too, has not been done.

And neither has the building been painted as promised. According to one resident, “It is very dark and very hot inside.”

The new school was built by the government in order to facilitate those students who had to travel some 25 miles to the Santa Rosa Secondary School located farther inland at Moruca.

The new Waramuri Secondary School

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Woman assaulted by taxi driver advises on ‘safety protocols’

By Clestine Juan

AFTER a night out with friends to celebrate the weekend, a 20-year-old woman thought taking a taxi would be the safest way to get home. But when the taxi driver arrived at her Providence, East Bank Demerara home, he leaned over and kissed her while attempting to place his hands on her leg.

“I pushed him off…. I was shock and I didn’t know what more to do because I was afraid,” Susan (not her real name) told the Guyana Chronicle.

According to Susan, the taxi driver laughed at her and said: “Is what wrong with you? I does pick up plenty other girls from around the place and do the same thing but they don’t mind.”

“The thing that really scared me was the way he was breathing heavily. It felt like he was getting more aggressive and wanted to do something else if I let him. But I wasn’t going to let him do that to me,” she added.

After pushing him off her, she managed to escape and get inside her home . “I ran upstairs and didn’t look back,” she said. “I didn’t want anything to do with him.”

However she did not report the matter to the police since she had hailed the cab on the street and didn’t know the licence plate number nor did she have enough information to identify the driver.

As recently as August, a 12-year-old girl from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) was reportedly raped by a taxi driver.

The teen, who attended an event with three friends, caught a taxi of the type commonly called a ‘$100 car’ or ‘short drop car’ at Co-op

Crescent, Mackenzie, Linden at about 22:00h to go to her home.

The taxi driver reportedly drove past the destination and the three friends who were seated in the back seat forced their way out of the car, leaving the victim who was seated in the front seat.

According to reports, the victim was taken to a lonely road at Lower Kara Kara by the taxi driver where she was allegedly forced out of the vehicle and sexually assaulted. The suspect reportedly then dropped the victim off at the Kara Kara bridge where she was left to walk home. The family of the victim then began looking for her after her friends alerted them about the incident.

Susan used this incident as an example of how common these attacks are in today’s society and she decided to speak out because she believes many women hesitate to come forward since they fear they would not be believed.

“I’m pretty sure this happens to a lot of women,” she said. “And no one speaks out about it because they think no one’s going to do something about it.”

SAFETY PROTOCOLS Susan said that she is still unsure whether she’ll report her case to the police. She feels that she doesn’t have enough information to identify her attacker. After her attack the woman stated that she is now more aware of her surroundings and is following a series of safety protocols when using a taxi.

These are: 1. Call a taxi company in advance rather than hail a passing taxi on the street.

2. Sit in the back seat, even when invited to sit up front next to the driver.

3. Write down or take a photo of the taxi’s number plate.

4. When possible, share a taxi with a friend.

Additionally, Howard is urging parents who arrange for their children to be picked up from home and school by taxi to be extra vigilant.

The woman noted that a taxi driver was

recently charged for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl after he was hired by her mother to pick her up from school and drop her home daily. However, on one occasion when the child was in the car the taxi driver allegedly fondled her.

“Parents need to be more vigilant! ….know what is going on, make sure the person transporting your child is someone you can trust,” Susan warned.

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Sri Lanka on top despite late drama in Dubai

PAKISTAN hit back with five late wickets on a dramatic third day of the second Test after capitulating with the bat but Sri Lanka hold a healthy lead as they scent a series victory

Sami Aslam (39) was on his way when he was trapped leg before by Dilruwan in the next over and Pakistan were in trouble on 115-4 at tea after Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam fell cheaply.

Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera took three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka pocketed a 220-run lead (Getty Images)

in Dubai.

Sri Lanka claimed a first-innings lead of 220 after Pakistan collapsed from 180-4 to 262 all out, spinners Rangana Herath (3-84) and Dilruwan Perera (3-72) taking three wickets apiece.

Azhar Ali (59) and Haris Sohail (56) made half-centuries, but Pakistan’s innings fell to pieces before Wahab Riaz (3-10) did the bulk of the damage as Sri Lanka slumped to 34-5 at stumps on a day in which 15 wickets fell.

Despite such a woeful start to their second innings, the tourists will fancy the chances of sealing a 2-0 whitewash when they resume on day four with a lead of 254 after seeing Pakistan struggle so badly with the bat on Sunday.

Debutant Lahiru Gamage (2-38) struck in the sixth over of the day to end an opening stand of 61, getting one to nip back in and bowl Shan Masood for his first Test wicket.

Sohail smashed his second ball from Herath for six over long-on and hit the spinner over the ropes for a second time, while Azhar

played a composed knock at the other end and both players passed 50 in a much needed stand of 71.

It was no surprise that it was the ever-reliable Herath who got the breakthrough, Azhar sent on his way after Sri Lanka reviewed when he was hit plumb in front and that sparked a collapse.

Yasir Shah (24) produced a couple of lusty blows before he was cleaned up by Suranga Lakmal (2-41) and Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 82 runs before giving themselves hope in a stunning final session.

Dimuth Karunaratne played on to a Wahab delivery, just as he did on 196 in the first innings, after Mohammad Abbas set the tone by snaring Kaushal Silva caught behind.

Sadeera Samarawickrama and nightwatchman Lakmal also departed before Wahab got skipper Dinesh Chandimal lbw with what proved to be the last ball of an eventful day.(Omnisport)

SCORECARD

SRI LANKA 1st innings 482 (D. Karunaratne 196, D. Chandimal 62, D. Perera 58, N. Dickwella 52; Y. Shah 6-184) Pakistan 1st innings (Overnight: 51-0) Shan Masood b Gamage 16 Sami Aslam lbw b D. Perera 39 Azhar Ali lbw b Herath 59 Asad Shafiq c K. Mendis b Lakmal 12 Babar Azam c Samarawickreme b Herath 8 Haris Sohail lbw b D. Perera 56 Sarfraz Ahmed c K. Mendis b D. Perera 14 Mohammad Amir lbw b Herath 7 Yasir Shah b Lakmal 24 Wahab Riaz c Samarawickreme b Gamage 16 Mohammad Abbas not out 1 Extras: (b-4 lb-2 nb-4) 10 Total: (all out, 90.3 overs) 262 Fall of wickets:1-61 S. Masood, 2-65 S. Aslam, 3-92 A. Shafiq,4-109 B. Azam,5-180 Az. Ali,6-199 S. Ahmed,7-214 M. Amir,8-220 H. Sohail,9-250 W. Riaz,10-262 Y. Shah

Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 17.3 - 5 - 41 – 2, Nuwan Pradeep 9 - 2 - 21 – 0, Lahiru Gamage 15 - 2 - 38 2(nb-4),Dilruwan Perera 26 - 3 - 72 – 3, Rangana Herath 23 - 3 - 84 – 3.

SRI LANKA 2nd innings Dimuth Karunaratne b Riaz 7 Kaushal Silva c S. Ahmed b Abbas 3 Sadheera Samarawickreme c S. Ahmed b Riaz 13 Kusal Mendis not out 8 S u r a n g a L a k m a l lbw b Shah 1 Dinesh Chandimal lbw b Riaz 0 Extras: (lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total: (for 5 wickets, 14.3 overs) 34 Fall of wickets: 1-3 K. Silva, 2-22 D. Karunaratne, 3-26 S. Samarawickreme, 4-33 S. Lakmal, 5-34 D. Chandimal To bat: N. Dickwella, D. Perera, R. Herath, L. Gamage, N. Pradeep Bowling: Mohammad Abbas 4 2 - 6 – 1,Yasir Shah 7 - 2 - 17 – 1, Wahab Riaz 3.3 - 0 - 10 - 3(nb-1).

India triumph in rain-hit first T20

(REUTERS) - India beat Australia by nine wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rain-truncated first Twenty20 international at Ranchi on Saturday.

Chasing 48 in six overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the hosts reached their target with three deliveries to spare after the loss of Rohit Sharma for 11.

India captain Virat Kohli brought up the winning runs with his third boundary in his innings of 22 off 14 balls.

Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, who missed the one-day international series against the same opponents to be with his ailing wife, remained unbeaten on 15 off 12 deliveries.

The rain came down with Australia struggling on 118 for eight in 18.4 overs after being

tied down by India’s spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Kuldeep YadavZ

Australia, who handed a debut to left-arm paceman Jason Behrendorff, were not able to complete their innings and India’s target was adjusted.

Kohli won the toss and with the expectation of rain later,

opted to field against the tourists, who had lost the five-match ODI series 4-1.

David Warner, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Steve Smith, fell in the first over after hitting two boundaries off seamer Bhu vneshwar Kumar but Australia seemed to have recovered through Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell made 17 before once again falling to leg-spinner Chahal, who had dismissed him in all three matches he played during the ODI series.

Left-arm wrist spinner Yadav then dismissed the dangerous Finch for 42 and also all-rounder Moises Henriques, earning excellent figures of 2-16 off his four overs.

The second T20 will be played at Guwahati on Tuesday.

Somwaru voted in ...

Continued from back page

candidates, four clubs were not allowed voting rights since they failed to meet the constitutional requirements, according to one observer.

The observer noted that each non-playing club must pay their respective fees in order to retain voting rights.

However, after failing to adhere to that requirement, Kildonan, Fort Canje, Guymine, and Mt Sinai were not allowed to cast their votes.

This left the other clubs, along with the three sub-associations candidates to exercise their voting rights.

The nomination for president was then opened, with Somwaru being the first to be nominated. However, the process was closed immediately after by the Returning Officer, despite Dennis DeAndread of the Upper Corentyne sub-association signalling his intention to make a nomination.

This left Somwaru’s rival, Hilbert Foster, with no chance of entering the race. Thereafter, Chronicle Sport was told that the three sub-associations along with candidates from Albion, Port Mourant, Blairmont, Police

and Chesney, casted their votes. Candidates from Whim were absent from the elections.

Subsequently, candidates from Upper Corentyne, Blairmont, Police and Chesney informed Chronicle Sport that they did not take part in the elections because they were unhappy with the process.

After Somwaru was voted in, Imtiaz Bacchus, David Black and Winston Roberts were elected as the three vice-presidents while Vickram Seubarran (Secretary), Carol Nurse (Assistant Secretary), Godwyn Allicock (Treasurer) and Leslie Solomon (Assistant Treasurer) were then elected.

Black and Bacchus are the BCB’s representatives at the national level. Following the elections, Secretary of the GCB, Anand Sanasie said the elections were held in accordance with the Cricket Administration Bill.

The elections were held following a ruling delivered

by Justice Navindra Singh on September 8th last. Yesterday’s elections were the first since 2014.

WIFBSC Championship ... takes the fraction of the top shooters and eliminates until there is a core group that shoots for the title.

After the end of the grand aggregate for the three days and the WIFBSC Champion is crowned, the top sixty shooters will then shoot together in one detail at 300, 500 and 600 yards.

After lunch on that day, this number will be reduced to 30 shooters who will move onto the 900 and 1000 yard ranges where the winner will

South Africa Racing Tips Flamingo Park 08:20 hrs Pampierstad 08:50 hrs Master Runner 09:25 hrs Weskus Klong 09:55 hrs Devout 10:25 hrs Razzle My Dazzle American Racing Tips Belmont Race 1 Big Mara Race 2 Divine Miss Grey Race 3 Connie Race 4 Pound Note Race 5 Stubolt Race 6 Pioneer Spirit Race 7 Harlan Punch Race 8 Forge Race 9 English Soul English Racing Tips Pontefract 08:55 hrs Austrian School

Continued from back page

be crowned the 150th Anniversary champion.

Friday will be used for the WIFBSC meeting and some relaxation while on Saturday there will be the Milex/ Crown Mining sponsored long-range shoot. Sunday will be WIFBSC short range shoot.

In addition to that, the local long-range trophy has been sponsored by Queensway and the Short range

by International Safety Supplies Limited.

09:25 hrs Rastacap 09:55 hrs Heatongrad 10:25 hrs Transpennine Star 10:55 hrs Mama Africa 11:25 hrs Mirimar 12:00 hrs Munthany Salisbury 09:05 hrs Beyond Equal 09:35 hrs High Seas 10:05 hrs Air Of York 10:35 hrs Rolling Dice 11:05 hrs Global Applause 11:35 hrs Flood Defence 12:05 hrs Moabit Windsor 09:15 hrs Paint 09:45 hrs Prerogative 10:15 hrs Low Profile 10:45 hrs Holiday Girl 11:15 hrs Lawless Secret 11:45 hrs Alemaratal Youm 12:15 hrs Sweet Pursuit 12:45 hrs Cruise Tothelimit

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Rabada makes history, mops up Bangladesh

Nadal beats Kyrgios to take sixth title of the season

...Bairstow, Ball and Punkett given written warnings

… becomes youngest of 16 South Africans to take 100 Test wickets Pacer Kagiso Rabada had Mahmudullah caught for his 100th Test wicket (AFP).

FAST bowler Kagiso Rabada led a ruthless bowling performance as South Africa completed an innings and 254-run win on the third day of the second Test against Bangladesh at Mangaung Oval on Sunday.

It was the biggest win in South Africa’s Test history, surpassing the innings and 229-run victory over Sri Lanka in Cape Town in 2000-01.

Rabada took 5-30 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 172, a slight improvement on their first innings of 147 in reply to South Africa’s 4-573 declared.

Rabada, 22, who had match figures of 10-63, became the youngest of 16 South Africans to take 100 Test wickets. He was playing in his 22nd Test. Only Vernon Philander (19) and Dale Steyn (20) of his compatriots have achieved the feat in fewer matches.

It was Rabada’s third 10-wicket haul in Tests. He

took his tally of Test wickets in 2017 to 54, the most by any bowler this year.

It was another poor performance by Bangladesh on a pitch which had bounce but was not especially bowler-friendly.

A small group of Bangladesh supporters cheered during a bright fifth-wicket stand of 43 between Mahmudullah, who top-scored with 43, and Liton Das, who made 18. But their team gave them little else to applaud.

Rabada and Duanne Olivier were aggressive from the start of play, when Bangladesh resumed on 0-7. They sent down numerous short-pitched deliveries and three batsmen were struck on their batting helmets, including captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who had lengthy treatment on the field after ducking into a bouncer from Olivier with his score on 11 soon after the mid-morning drinks break.

He was hit on his helmet near the temple area.

Rahim was dazed and lay

down next to the pitch while the Bangladesh team physiotherapist and South African team doctor attended to him.

He carried on batting for another 50 minutes until he was lbw to Wayne Parnell for 26 in the last over before lunch.

The Tigers skipper was reportedly back in hospital for further scans following his innings.

It isn’t the first time the diminutive batsman has been

struck in Test cricket; Rahim was stretchered off the field after being hit behind the left ear by a bouncer from New Zealand’s Tim Southee in Wellington in January but was released from hospital the same day.

Mominul Haque was hit by a bouncer from Rabada two balls before hooking the same bowler to be caught at deep square leg for 11, while Mahmudullah was hit by Olivier before he had scored.

SCORECARD

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 573 for 4 decl (A. Markram 143, F. du Plessis 135no, H. Amla 132, D. Elgar 113) Bangladesh 1st innings 147 (L. Das 70; K. Rabada 5-33) Bangladesh 2nd innings (Overnight: 7-0) Imrul Kayes c de Kock b Olivier 32 Soumya Sarkar c du Plessis b Rabada 3 Mominul Haque c Maharaj b Rabada 11 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Parnell 26 Mahmudullah c Elgar b Rabada 43 Liton Das b Phehlukwayo 18 Sabbir Rahman c du Plessis b Phehlukwayo 4 Taijul Islam b Rabada 2

Rubel Hossain b Rabada 7 Subashis Roy not out 12 Mustafizur Rahman b Phehlukwayo 7 Extras: (lb-6 nb-1) 7 Total: (all out, 42.4 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-13 S. Sarka r, 2 - 2 9 M . H a q u e , 3 - 6 3 I .

Kayes,4-92 M. Rahim,5-135 L. Das,6-139 Mahmudullah,7-145 Sa. Rahman,8-145 T. Islam,9-156 R. Hossain,10-172 M. Rahman Bowling: K. Rabada 11 - 1 - 30 – 5,D. Olivier 11 - 1 - 39 – 1, K. Maharaj 6 - 1 - 30 – 0, W. Parnell 5 - 0 - 31 – 1, A. Phehlukwayo 9.4 - 2 - 36 3(nb-1).

Rafael Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, won the French Open and US Open this year

WORLD number one Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 6-2 6-1 in the China Open final to win his sixth title of the season.

Australian Kyrgios began well but lost his way after he became frustrated by a line call in the first set in Beijing.

The temperamental world number 19 continued to let the incident bother him and later received a one-point penalty for continuing to complain.

French and US Open winner Nadal won nine games in a row on his way to reclaiming the trophy he won in 2005.

The two players looked set for a tight contest as Kyrgios battled to fend off five break points in his opening service game.

But having been angered by a line call, the Australian proceeded to complain to the umpire at

two changes of end, which eventually cost him a penalty point at the start of the eighth game.

Spaniard Nadal clinched his second break to take the first set, and despite a spirited response from Kyrgios, there was no stopping the 31-year-old.

GOFFIN WINS IN TOKYO At the Japan Open in Tokyo, David Goffin captured his second ATP title in a week with victory over Adrian Mannarino of France.

The Belgian fourth seed, fresh from his victory at the Shenzhen Open, beat the Frenchman 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 24 minutes.

Goffin has now moved into the final automatic qualification spot for next month’s ATP finals in London. (BBC Sport)

Stokes Ashes participation delayed, Steven Finn added to squad THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Ben Stokes will not travel to Australia with the rest of the Ashes squad “at this stage”.

Stokes was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm after an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September.

He has still been awarded a central contract, while pace bowler Steven Finn has been added to the tour party.

Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett have each been given written warnings for their conduct.

The trio were part of the night out in Bristol, but the reprimands are not connected to the Stokes incident, for which batsman Alex Hales volunteered to help police with their investigation.

All-rounder Stokes was arrested on a night out that followed England’s victory over West Indies in the third

one-day international.

Stokes and Hales were left out of the fourth ODI, but the 26-year-old was still named in the original Ashes squad.

After the touring party was named, the Sun newspaper published footage that allegedly showed Stokes involved in a street brawl.

The ECB then said that Stokes, who suffered a broken hand, and Hales would not be available to play for England until further notice, a stance it reiterated on Friday.

England leave for the fiveTest series on 28 October.

England director of cricket Andrew Strauss said: “We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudges the outcome of the ongoing police investigation or cricket discipline commission process, as can be seen by the award of central contracts.”

FINN LOSES TEST CONTRACT Finn’s addition to the Ashes squad comes on the day that he loses his central contract, with fellow pace bowler Mark Wood losing his Test deal but gaining a white-ball contract.

Only eight players are awarded Test contracts, a reflection of England’s uncertainty around their best XI in the longest form of the game.

Limited-overs specialist Hales is also included in the white-ball list and is joined for the first time by pace bowler Ball and wicketkeeper Bairstow.

Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance loses his incremental deal, but fast bowler Toby Roland-Jones is rewarded after his breakthrough international summer.

Central contracts give the ECB control over a player’s schedule, with the governing body picking up the majority of his salary.

Previously, they mainly fo-

cused on Test players, but were revamped in 2016 to give greater recognition to limited-overs specialists.

Test captain Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Bairstow and Stokes are the only players to receive both a Test and white-ball contract.

“With the Ashes just around the corner, it’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation,” said Strauss.

“This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and gives every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.

“Steven is a high-quality cricketer, with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions. The selectors believe he will add to the range of options and the squad will be further supported by the arrival of the Lions in Australia in November.”

Ball, Bairstow and Plunkett

punished There had been no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Ball, Bairstow or Plunkett until the ECB revealed the issue of the written warnings.

All three players have paid an undisclosed sum to the Professional Cricketers’ Association Benevolent Fund and the Hornsby Professional Cricketers’ Fund.

The ECB said that the internal investigation into that matter had been closed and that it will make no further comment.

Speaking before the warnings were issued to Ball, Bairstow and Plunkett, former captain Michael Vaughan said that the Stokes incident highlighted a cultural problem with the England team.

“Yes, Stokes is 26 years of age, he should be more mature, he has made a massive mistake and I have no sympathy for him whatsoever,” Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 live.

“But the management of the England team have to look

at themselves in the mirror and say: ‘Hang on a minute, could we have done a bit more? Could we have been a bit stricter?’

“I am not saying I want a headmaster and have a curfew and say, ‘you have got to be in your room by 11pm and you can never drink’ - but there is a time and a place and I just think now, with what has gone on this week, the culture of cricket has to change quickly.”

Centrally contracted players for 2017-18 Test contracts: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.

ODI/T20 contracts: Moeen Ali, Jake Ball, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Incremental contract: Toby Roland-Jones.

(BBC Sport)

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Hamilton wins Japanese NOC to host three-team Grand Prix after Vettel retires T29 competition in Essequibo

Lewis Hamilton gives a V for victory at the Japanese Grand Prix

LEWIS Hamilton took a huge step towards a fourth Formula One championship, winning the Japanese Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel’s woes continued.

Hamilton enjoyed a dominant weekend at Suzuka and the Brit turned that into a 61st grand prix win, holding off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Sunday.

The Mercedes star had

opened up a healthy lead amid struggles for the Scuderia in Singapore and Malaysia, and he will take a 59-point advantage into the final four races of the season after converting his first Suzuka pole into victory.

There are now just four races remaining this season and if Hamilton wins the US Grand Prix in two weeks and Vettel fails to

finish in the top five then Hamilton will retain his crown.

Troubled by reliability issues in recent races, Vettel’s bad luck continued, the Ferrari driver retiring after just four laps due to mechanical problems.

The German appeared at risk of not starting as his car was worked on before the race, but the issues remained and he quickly

fell from second before his retirement.

Verstappen produced a fine early move to get past the struggling Vettel and the Dutchman, coming off a win in Malaysia, held onto second as most drivers opted for one-stop strategies.

Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen’s team-mate, completed the podium.

(Yahoo Sport)

Jubilation in Egypt after first World Cup berth in 28 years CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt’s capital crackled with fireworks and blared with horns as the soccer-crazy country reached the World Cup for the first time in 28 years as rare scenes of joy took hold of city blocks celebrating a 2-1 victory over Congo.

Winger Mohamed Salah scored twice, securing victory with a last-gasp penalty to put Egypt four points clear with one match left in their African group E qualifying campaign.

The win clinched Egypt a long-awaited spot in Russia for the 2018 World Cup finals, where the Arab world’s most populous country will compete on football’s ultimate stage for the first time since Italy in 1990.

“It’s been 28 years and we’re finally going to enter the World Cup. Today is a day of celebration for the entire

country,” said 41-year-old Gaber Fathy.

The raucous mood spilling out on the streets marked

that have pushed inflation to record highs to a tough law on protests that has made public gatherings exceeding-

Winger Mohamed Salah

a respite for Egyptians after years of hardship, from IMFbacked austerity reforms

ly rare after two presidents were toppled since a 2011 uprising.

“You can look around and see how people are happy. This is something you never witness in Egypt,” said 23-year-old Gamal Mohamed in downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the iconic centre of the country’s once-active protest movement, which has since been quashed by tough security measures.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi congratulated the Egyptian people after the match as tireless fans draped in flags turned the streets into an impromptu parade of red, white and black.

Just across the border in neighbouring Gaza, where Egypt has led a political reconciliation process, thousands of Palestinians poured into an open-air park to cheer on the second Arab country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after Saudi Arabia.

TWO days of exciting T20 cricket is billed for October 21 and 22 at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) ground at Suddie, Essequibo Coast.

The participating teams include an Anthony Adams XI, representing current inter-county players, and a Beesham Seepersaud’s XI featuring past inter-county players, along with the Port Mourant Sports Club from Berbice.

The competition is the brainchild of National youth coach Michael Franco Hyles and Essequibo senior coach Forbes Daniels. Among the sponsors are Samad Baksh and Roy Rampersaud.

The organisers are also appealing for more corporate sponsors. Contact can be made with Pedrico Abrams 687-9617, Romario Mohabir 647-2210 or Leroy Austin 617-7223. A female 10/10 competition will also be played on the first

day and will feature current and emerging players from the county.

Meanwhile Anthony Adams XI reads: - Anthony Adams captain, Akine Adams, Vijay Surujpaul, Neiland Cadogan, Ricardo Peters, Joshua Jones, Eknauth Persaud, Nathan Persaud, Parmesh Parsotam, Avenesh Persaud, Shivnarine Hoorilall, Romario Mohabir, Ronsford Beaton, Weyon Friendz and Sheldon Charles.

Beesham Seepersaud’s XI reads:Beesham Seepersaud - captain, Patrick Rooplall, Linden Daniels, Devanand Madho, Royston Alkins, Royan Fredericks, N o r m a n F r e d e ricks, Jason Heyliger, Trevor Benn, Ramesh Narine, Richie Bishop, Basil Persaud, Vishwanauth Lall, Yogeshwar Lall and Vishal Jaigobin.

Cash incentives and trophies will be at stake. (Elroy Stephney)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday October 09, 2017) 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) Moeen Ali-8 sixes (Bristol) (2) Evin Lewis-7 sixes (The Oval) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many dismissals England’s Jos Butler ef

fected in the recent ODI series against the WI? (2) How many dismissals Shai Hope effected for

the West Indies?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, October 9, 2017

Silver for Phillips in 200M at South American Youth Games - King narrowly miss podium in Boys 200M

Guyana’s Kenisha Phillips during her 200M run at the South American Youth Games.

KENISHA Phillips’ memorable showing at the South American Youth Games continued yesterday, when she picked up another Silver, this time in the 200M. Phillips had won Silver in the 100M and narrowly missed a ‘top of the podium’ finish in the 200M, having ran 24.40 seconds, behind Colombia’s Angie Echeverria who copped Gold with 24.33 seconds.

Another Colombian, Shary Quiñonez (24.81 seconds) was third.

Jermaine King, who won silver in the 100M, just missed the podium in the 200M, placing 4th (22.11 seconds) behind Brazilian Lucas Vilar (22.02 seconds). Colombians Sebastian Berrueco (22.07 seconds) and Gian Carlos Mosquera (22.09 second) finished second and third respectively.

Meanwhile, in the Girls long jump, Guyana’s Annalisa Barclay’s leap of 5.12 metres was only good enough to see her finishing fifth in the event.

The South American Youth Olympic Games is a regional multi-sport event organized by the Organización Deportiva Suramericana (ODESUR).

The games are held every four years consistent with the current Olympic Games format and the first edition was held in Lima, Peru, from September 20 to 29, 2013. The age limit for athletes is 14 to 18.

Grenada’s goal-scorer, Saydrel Lewis Playing at the Kirani James National Stadium in the Island’s Capital, Grenada and Guyana met for the second time in as many years, but it was the Guyanese who wanted to exact revenge for the outcome of their previous meeting when FIFA over-turned a decision to award the game to the ‘Jab Jab posse’.

Reports out of the Spice Isle stated that Guyana controlled the bulk of the possession, but Grenada ‘parked the bus’, making it difficult for the Golden Jaguars team, despite their

superiority, to pierce their defence.

“It was a tough loss to accept at the stage of the game, having dominated for a long period” said Guyana’s head Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover, during his comment on the game. The late goal came as a result of a blunder by late-game substitute, 17-year-old Jeremy Garrett.

Dover described the loss as ‘devastating’, but said the team broke down in the final third, after the Grenadians threw all their men in the defence, thus making it difficult for Guyana.

“I would’ve like to see a bit more combination to unlock the defence; we tried the ‘long-ball’ which most of the times went to the keeper or in the path of a defender” Dover said.

Things didn’t went well for Guyana after Walter Moore picked up a red card, which gave the ‘Spice Boyz’ a little confidence to come forward.

Guyana started with Andrew Durant in goal, Jake Newton, Adrian Butters, Terrence Vancooten, Walter Moore, Samuel Peter Cox, Brandon Beresford, Christopher Bourne, Shaquille Agard, Neil Danns and Emery Welshman.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul WITH West Berbice defeating Georgetown on Saturday , Essequibo, East Coast, Upper Corentyne, East Bank, Lower Corentyne and West Demerara continued their battle yesterday in the sixth round of the GCB Franchise matches.

In the match between Upper Corentyne and East Bank, Upper Corentyne declared after 67 overs, scoring

New-ball bowlers Connell and Selman named in Windies squad to face Sri Lankans

Grenada humble Golden Jaguars 1–0 in St George’s A goal by Saydrel Lewis in the 90th minute was all it took for the home side to humble the visiting Golden Jaguars in their International Friendly in St George’s, Grenada on Saturday.

Win for Upper Corentyne; West Demerara & Lower Corentyne play to a draw

Shakera Selman ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – New-ball bowlers Shamilia Connell and Shakera Selman have been passed fit and included in a 13-member West Indies Women’s squad to face Sri Lanka in the three-match One-Day International series which bowls off next week.

The Barbadian duo had been named in the 19-member training squad last month subject to clearance from the Cricket West Indies medical panel, after both suffered tournament-ending injuries during last July’s Women’s World Cup in England.

Connell was limited to just two matches, picking up a hip injury in her second outing against India at Taunton while Selman suffered a blow to the head in

the opening match against Australia and never played again.

The pair will form part of a strong unit, all of whom were part of the disappointing World Cup campaign.

Chief selector Courtney Browne said while it had been intentional to keep the core of the squad together, selection had also been based on the attitude of players during the recent camp in Trinidad.

“The final squad as we mentioned previously, would have been based on a strong work ethic during the training camp that was held over the last couple of weeks,” Browne said.

“Focus was also placed on selecting a balanced squad, noting that some of our key players are all-rounders. We have maintained a core group of players that have performed before for the team, along with a few young players and we must now allow the coaching staff to drive performance.”

No place has been found again for experienced batsman Britney Cooper who was the only member of training group not to travel to the World Cup. Shanel Daley has also missed out after managing just 60 runs in five innings during the World Cup while Qiana Joseph, Felicia Walters

and Subrina Munroe have all been overlooked.

The squad will be led as usual by Stafanie Taylor with seasoned off-spinner Anisa Mohammed as her deputy.

Experienced campaigners Merissa Aguilleira and Deandra Dottin, both with over 100 ODIs, are also in the squad.

The series will be the first for the side since the wretched World Cup campaign where they managed just two wins in seven matches, and Browne said an improved performance was expected.

“We expect to see more of an overall team approach to the different facets of the game and to see more players taking responsibility for team performance, thus realising more of a team effort in winning matches,” he said.

The three ODIs to be played on October 11, 13 and 15 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad will form part of the new round of matches in the ICC Women’s Championship.

SQUAD – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Anisa Mohammed (vice-captain), Merissa Aguilleira, Reniece Boyce, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Kyshona Knight, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Shakera Selman.

291 for the loss of 3 wickets, with an overall lead of 313.

Kandasammy Surujnarine top scored with a hefty 150 off 191 balls, while Balchand Baldeo hit 79, and Rajiv Ivan 31. Keon Morris, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed and Mark Robe each collected 1 wicket off 51, 58 and 35 respectively.

East Bank, needing 314 for victory, were unable to reach the target, being dismissed for 227 in 67.1 overs.

Ronaldo Ali Mohamed top scored with 96 off 90 balls while Daniel Barker added 31 and Colin Benn 30.

Bowling for Upper Corentyne, Clinton Pestano and Eon Hooper picked up 2 wickets each for 23 and 53 runs respectively, while Sean Pereira took 3 for 72. David Latchaya and Kandasammy Surujnarine picked up a wicket each.

Upper Corentyne won by 87 runs.

Over at Young Warriors ground, West Demerara drew their game against Lower Corentyne with West Demerara declaring at 206 for 4 after 80 overs. Akshaya Persaud scored 101 not out, while Tevin Imlach hit 60.

Lower Corentyne tallied 153 all out in 77 overs with Alex Algoo making 68 not out and Kassim Khan 24.

Bowling for West Demerara, Akshaya Persaud, Richie Looknauth, Keshram Seyhodan and Mehendra Dhanpaul seized 2 wickets each.

In the day’s play at Tuschen, Essequibo in their first innings scored 258 all out with Wijai Surujpaul hitting 58, Kemol Savory 20 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 91.

Bowling for East Coast, young Bashkar Yadram took 3 for 52 and Royston Simon 2 for 40. East Coast in their second innings were 51 for 4, with Kevin Gordon taking 2 for 10 and Anthony Adams 1 for 12. East Coast lead by 82 runs with six wickets in hand.

Silver for Phillips in 200M at South American Youth Games

See Page 23

Somwaru voted in as BCB President - but cricket in Berbice likely to continue its tumultuous existence

Godwyn Allicock (blue shirt) seen verifying the legitimacy of the notices as some club members were seeking entry into the venue. (Rajiv Bisnauth photo)

By Rajiv Bisnauth CRICKET in Berbice and by extension Guyana is likely to continue its tumultuous existence following the Berbice Cricket Board’s elections which were held yesterday at the Classic International Hotel and Resort in Corriverton.

At the end of the highly contentious elections, president of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC), Dhierandranauth Somwaru was voted in as the BCB president, which created much debate among the majority of clubs and sub-association members, who are now contemplating legal proceedings.

Disgruntled club members are claiming that the

Dhierandranauth Somwaru (seated centre) is flanked by other executive members of the BCB. Missing is Winston Roberts. (Rajiv Bisnauth photo)

Hilbert Foster and other members of his team waiting patiently to enter the election venue. (Rajiv Bisnauth photo) elections were not held in keeping with the Cricket Administration Act, since according to them, some 22 voting delegates were debarred from or refused to take part in voting for various reasons.

While the media was not allowed to witness the elections, the day’s proceedings started on a sour note, with former BCB president Roy Baijnauth leaving the venue after there were some issues pertaining to the legitimacy of the notices as some club members were seeking entry into the venue.

Presidential candidate Hilbert Foster and Colin Bynoe, Chief Executive Office of the New Amsterdam Hospital, were also refused

entry to the venue. Bynoe was expected to perform duties as the Returning Officer.

However, when the situation returned to some normalcy, the elections got underway during which there were heated arguments which could be heard from a far distance.

It is understood that former Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) president Drubahdur was nominated as the Returning Officer by 18 members prior to the start of proceedings, an act which created the tension.

Thereafter, in checking the eligibility of potential

Turn to page 20

WIFBSC Championship and Guyana NRA 150th Shoot begin today

By Stephan Sookram

TOP riflemen from around the Caribbean and several other countries have gathered in Guyana for the 2017 West Indies Full Bore Shooting Council (WIFSBC) Championship and the Guyana National Rifle Association (NRA) 150th anniversary shoot.

The competition will feature shooters from Antigua, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, the Falkland Islands, the United States, Britain, Ireland and Scotland.

The event, which begins today at the Guyana Defence Force ranges, is expected to be opened by President Da-

vid Granger who will fire off the first shot, followed by the first batch of shooters.

What normally applies is three days of individual shooting after which the shooter with the highest aggregate will be named Caribbean Champion.

This is usually followed by two days of team shooting at both the short (300,500 and 600 yard) and long (900 and 1000 yard) ranges to determine both long and short range country champions.

But what the Guyana NRA is doing, as part of its 150th year in action, is mirroring the Queens shoot which takes place in Bisley, England which

Turn to page 20

See Page 20

Guyana’s marksmen stand ready to defend their turf when the West Indies Full Bore Championships commence today.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2017