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II
I’ll rise again
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Curtain call
SEE INSIDE
See inside:
A teardrop on the cheek of time
Donna Ramsammy-James bids farewell to the big stage
No. 105073
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SUNDAY OCTOBER 22, 2017
Price: $140
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Two years on...
NY City sends its love, finest – to join family in memorial service for fallen Guyana-born NYPD Detective
Page 3
Members of the NYPD and Randolph Holder’s family pay their respects at Le Repentir Cemetery graveside of the fallen hero on Saturday (Photo by Adrian Narine)
Barticians counting the days
Page 15
– to opening of multimillion-dollar beach-front boulevard
Health official rubbishes myths surrounding HPV vaccine Page 11
Repurposed items can look pretty
Page 20
– Craftsmen,recyclers say
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
They love what they do
By Alva Solomon When one enters an aircraft to travel overseas or around Guyana, there are several persons who combine to ensure that you get to your destination. In fact, many persons would sit back, relax, plug their headphones into their ears and wait until the plane is ready to land. For some, the pilots and the air hostesses are seen as the more important persons on the flight. However, there is another professional who carries the responsibility of not only ensuring a flight arrives safely, but dozens of flights daily; in some cases hourly.
ATC Manager, Courtney Frank
He/she happens to be the air traffic controller. But who exactly is an air traffic controller? According to the official definitions, an “ATCO” can
be described as a personnel responsible for the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. He/ she is usually stationed at an airport’s control tower and the services are provided to flights which are landing, taking off or overflying a country. The controller speaks directly with the pilots of aircrafts, issuing clearances and instructions at all times to ensure flights are separated from each other. He /she is required to be highly specialised with adequate knowledge of Guyana’s terrain, the rules of the air, how to respond to an aircraft in an emergency and
ATC Manager , Roy Sookoo at the console in the tower alongside the junior air traffic controllers
even being able to undertake the job regardless of personal problems. Seasoned air traffic controllers, Roy Sookoo, and, Courtney Frank, are among the men and women who ensure each aircraft takes off and land safely at their respective destinations. The two have been on the job since June of 1988, and having started on the same batch, they are looked up to as mentors by the younger brigade of controllers at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the body which regulates aviation here. For “Mr. Frank” as he is called, he had higher aims as a teenager. ”I wanted to be an astronaut,” he said, but being poor and unable to reach those heights at the time, he decided to fill a vacancy which was advertised by the Civil Aviation Department at the time. “I have no regrets,” he said, noting that he is able to function at all the facilities of the Air Traffic Services Tower at Timehri and at Ogle. “I love the job because no two shifts are the same, there is always something different,” he said. At the moment he is performing the duties of Manager, ATC Training, a position which can be demanding, since he is ultimately in charge of the younger persons being trained to man the controls. In Guyana, the profession can be viewed as one
Young trainee air traffic controllers in the tower at the CJIA
The air traffic control tower at the CJIA, Timehri
which requires a mammoth dedication to time, love for the job and being able to adjust to multiple situations be it a change in weather pattern at the airport, an aircraft accident and even being able to cope with personal issues. The job of a Guyanese air traffic controller is made even more hectic since there are no radar services available at the Air Traffic Services Tower facilities at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) or the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle. However , there is ADS-B Surveillance and through the use of repeater ground stations across the country ,a screen in the tower at Timehri is able to display each aircraft’s position thereby aiding the controller in separating the planes as they fly. For Roy Sookoo, currently the Manager of Air Traffic Services of the GCAA, the field is one which brings him much satisfaction. Sookoo draws his motivation from his ability to serve the citizens of Guyana, “wasith due diligence with safety being
paramount,” he added. As a public servant, over the years he has seen many good projects become a reality at the GCAA, the latest being the installation of the ADS-B project. He says the expansion of the CJIA is another project he admires. The transition from procedural to area control service in Guyana’s upper airspace and the training of new air traffic controllers are among other areas within the field which he embraces. On Friday, October 20, the aviation field observed International Day of the Air Traffic Controller and the GCAA recognised and honoured its air transport staff for their invaluable and untiring service. According to the aviation umbrella body, it employs 2010 persons directly and indirectly and contributes 20.7 billion dollars annually to the economy. “Our local team, together with air traffic controllers worldwide, daily guide 100,000 aircraft safely from departure to destination,” it noted. Without air traffic controllers, the GCAA said, 3.2% of Guyana’s GDP would not be realised, the Tourism Sector would have been almost non-existent and the goods and services upon which aviation depends would not have been had. The body said that together with the staff association, the Guyana Association of Air Traffic Control Officers (GAATCO) , it has collaborated as it has always done, to demonstrate its gratitude to the Air Traffic Control Officers, Air Traffic Control Assistants, Aeronautical Information Management Officers, Trainees, Technicians and administrative and other support staff, as the sector celebrated the 56th Anniversary of the International Day of The Air Traffic Controller.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
They love what they do
When one enters an aircraft to travel overseas or around Guyana, there are several persons who combine to ensure that you get to your destination. In fact, many persons would sit back, relax, plug their headphones into their ears and wait until the plane is ready to land. For some, the pilots and the air hostesses are seen as the more important persons on the flight. However, there is another professional who carries the responsibility of not only ensuring a flight arrives safely, but dozens of flights daily; in some cases hourly. He/she happens to be the air traffic controller.
ATC Manager, Courtney Frank
But who exactly is an air traffic controller? According to the official definitions, an “ATCO” can be described as a personnel responsible for the safe, or-
derly and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. He/ she is usually stationed at an airport’s control tower and the services are provided to flights which are landing, taking off or overflying a country. The controller speaks directly with the pilots of aircrafts, issuing clearances and instructions at all times to ensure flights are separated from each other. He /she is required to be highly specialised with adequate knowledge of Guyana’s terrain, the rules of the air, how to respond to an aircraft in an emergency and even being able to undertake the job regardless of person-
ATC Manager , Roy Sookoo at the console in the tower alongside the junior air traffic controllers
al problems. Seasoned air traffic controllers, Roy Sookoo, and, Courtney Frank, are among the men and women who ensure each aircraft takes off and land safely at their respective destinations. The two have been on the job since June of 1988, and having started on the same batch, they are looked up to as mentors by the younger brigade of controllers at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the body which regulates aviation here. For “Mr. Frank” as he is called, he had higher aims as a teenager. ”I wanted to be an astronaut,” he said, but being poor and unable to reach those heights at the time, he decided to fill a vacancy which was advertised by the Civil Aviation Department at the time. “I have no regrets,” he said, noting that he is able to function at all the facilities of the Air Traffic Services Tower at Timehri and at Ogle. “I love the job because no two shifts are the same, there is always something different,” he said. At the moment he is performing the duties of Manager, ATC Training, a position which can be demanding, since he is ultimately in charge of the younger persons being trained to man the controls. In Guyana, the profession can be viewed as one which requires a mammoth dedication to time, love for
Young trainee air traffic controllers in the tower at the CJIA
The air traffic control tower at the CJIA, Timehri
the job and being able to adjust to multiple situations be it a change in weather pattern at the airport, an aircraft accident and even being able to cope with personal issues. The job of a Guyanese air traffic controller is made even more hectic since there are no radar services available at the Air Traffic Services Tower facilities at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) or the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle. However , there is ADS-B Surveillance and through the use of repeater ground stations across the country ,a screen in the tower at Timehri is able to display each aircraft’s position thereby aiding the controller in separating the planes as they fly. For Roy Sookoo, currently the Manager of Air Traffic Services of the GCAA, the field is one which brings him much satisfaction. Sookoo draws his motivation from his ability to serve the citizens of Guyana, “wasith due diligence with safety being paramount,” he added. As a public servant, over
the years he has seen many good projects become a reality at the GCAA, the latest being the installation of the ADS-B project. He says the expansion of the CJIA is another project he admires. The transition from procedural to area control service in Guyana’s upper airspace and the training of new air traffic controllers are among other areas within the field which he embraces. On Friday, October 20, the aviation field observed International Day of the Air Traffic Controller and the GCAA recognised and honoured its air transport staff for their invaluable and untiring service. According to the aviation umbrella body, it employs 2010 persons directly and indirectly and contributes 20.7 billion dollars annually to the economy. “Our local team, together with air traffic controllers worldwide, daily guide 100,000 aircraft safely from departure to destination,” it noted. Without air traffic controllers, the GCAA said, 3.2% of Guyana’s GDP would not be realised, the Tourism Sector would have been almost non-existent and the goods and services upon which aviation depends would not have been had. The body said that together with the staff association, the Guyana Association of Air Traffic Control Officers (GAATCO) , it has collaborated as it has always done, to demonstrate its gratitude to the Air Traffic Control Officers, Air Traffic Control Assistants, Aeronautical Information Management Officers, Trainees, Technicians and administrative and other support staff, as the sector celebrated the 56th Anniversary of the International Day of The Air Traffic Controller.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Two years on...
NY City sends its love, finest – to join family in memorial service for fallen Guyana-born NYPD Detective By Navendra Seoraj TWO years after he was laid to rest, the family and colleagues of Guyana-born New York Police Department (NYPD) Detective, Randolph Holder, aka Randy, still feel the pain they felt on the day he was buried. “It is still very sad, but we will be going forward,” said the hero’s father, Randolph Holder (Snr) during an interview with members of the media at Le Repentir Cemetery where he was buried, and where a memorial service was held on Saturday in remembrance of him. Holder said that although the family is coping well, with the support of the NYPD and other friends, Randy’s presence is still very much missed in their home. Other relatives expressed their grief in different ways. One of Randy’s relatives said
Fire! Ranks of the GPF pay tribute to Randolph Holder in their own way. (Adrian Narine Photo)
she could remember when he would occasionally travel to Guyana and change the atmosphere of their home with his presence. Holder was killed on October 20, 2015, after being shot in the head in East Harlem, New York. He and his partner had been chasing a man after
responding to a call saying that shots were being fired, and that a bicycle was stolen at gunpoint. Authorities alleged that the suspect hopped off the stolen bicycle and shot Holder in the head. The fallen policeman was born in Guyana but migrated to the USA at a very tender
age, and later enlisted in the NYPD, where he served for five years prior to his demise. His parents served as police officers here in Guyana prior to migrating. Described as their hero, family members said Holder always wanted to be a policeman, following in the footsteps
of his father and grandfather, who served as officers in Guyana. Holder joined the NYPD in 2010 and was assigned to a unit that patrolled the city’s public housing complexes. He leaves behind his fiancée, Maryiane Muhammad, father and stepmother, two brothers, a sister and many extended family members. Holder sought to be a role-model to his own family and embraced the opportunity to be a leader for the city’s youth. He wanted to take on that responsibility. NYPD Inspector Clint McPherson said Randy was an asset to the force and his loss was a tremendous blow to them. It however brought a few Guyana-born officers and those with Guyanese roots together to form an organisation. The organisation has been doing a lot of charitable work
to assist Guyanese. The organisation has been working closely with Randy’s family to support local clinics and orphanages. They recently donated 100 bulletproof vests to the Guyana Police Force (GPF). McPherson said the force and the organisation would continue to donate as long as they were able. Commissioner of Police (Ag.), David Ramnarine met with members of the Ex-Police Associations of Guyana and the NYPD led by Captain Kevin L. Taylor and Inspector Mc Pherson, along with a team during a courtesy call on Friday. According to a press statement from the GPF, the visit was part of a continuing engagement with the GPF which began some two years ago and since then, several officers including Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, had been warmly received while in the USA.
NYPD officers during their march past at Le Repentir Cemetery
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Donald Trump’s approval rating plunges … as popularity nears all-time low in latest polls
PRESIDENT Donald Trump had a week defined by tumult—but what else is new? Amid the usual flurry of controversy, his popularity has taken a dip, according to the latest approval rating polls Saturday. Notably, Trump’s approval rating neared his all-
time low in the Gallup poll. The latest figure in Gallup’s tracking survey, released Thursday, pegged Trump’s approval at just 35 percent, down from 38 percent at this point last week. He’s just one percentage point higher than his lowest rating ever of 34 percent. To make
matters worse for the commander-in-chief, Trump’s disapproval was nearing his all-time high, as well. It stood at 60 percent, just one percentage point off from his all-time high of 61 percent in early September. The Gallup poll surveys 1,500 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a meeting with Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto
Rico in the Oval Office at the White House on October 19, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Getty Images Trump fares a bit better in the tracker from data-focused website FiveThirtyEight. The site aggregates public polls and comes up with an average approval rating that accounts for each poll’s quality, recency, sample size and any partisan leanings. It had Trump at 37.8 percent approval Saturday, 1.2 percentage points higher than his all-time low of 36.6 percent in the FiveThirtyEight tracker. Trump’s disapproval stood at 56 percent Saturday, according to FiveThirtyEight. Still, the former reality TV star is the most unpopular president in recent history. In the history of modern polling, no other president had as low an approval rating on day 274 of his presidency,
U.S. President Donald Trump according to FiveThirtyEight. The closest was former President Gerald Ford, who stood at 38.4 percent at the same point in his first term. It’s worth noting that Ford’s popularity plummeted after he pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace amid the Watergate scandal. Ford’s decision was unpopular at the time but has largely been accepted as a correct and courageous
decision years later. And at day 274, Trump’s predecessor, former President Barack Obama, had an average approval rating of 53 percent. Trump has never really come close to even hitting 50 percent in the FiveThirtyEight tracker. (He got as high as 47.8 percent shortly after inauguration but quickly fell a few percentage points.) Trump’s approval rating has struggled amid a week in which his conversations, or lack thereof, with gold star military families were questioned. Most notably, he reportedly offended the family of a fallen soldier by telling the soldier’s widow he “knew what he signed up for.” Trump continued his insults Saturday of Florida Representative Frederica Wilson, who first detailed an account of the phone call with the widow. “I hope the Fake News Media keeps talking about Wacky Congresswoman Wilson in that she, as a representative, is killing the Democrat Party!” he tweeted.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
A call for more Barbudans to return home to improve clean up efforts After Irma ...
THE CLEAN-UP of Codrington has slowed to a crawl as National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) contractors await the return of the people who had to be evacuated from Barbuda after hurricane Irma last month. OBSERVER media visited the sister isle this week and spoke to some of the heavy equipment contractors.
One truck operator, Vaughn Francis says the public spaces have been cleared but, workers are not allowed to go into the homes where clean up is need. He says the team needs more people to return so that more can be done. “It isn’t going fast enough. We started in the morning for 6 o’clock, we did a few and when it hit
lunchtime, the people take a break. So, we just got to wait for them because we are not allowed to go into the yard. So, whatever they put out, we take up. If it was a case we could go into the yard and tear down the buildings, we could have moved a little faster,” he said. Barbudans are required to determine what they can salvage before Solid Waste can
simply gut their properties. This means that the clean-up effort is reliant on Barbudans actually being present on the sister isle. However, residents say they are very few Barbudans on the sister isle and even fewer sleep over. One woman, Frances Beazer says as a start, she believes more information must be given to Barbudans
Jamaica’s Most Wanted Man captured in Antigua ONE OF Jamaica’s most wanted men has been caught in Antigua, and he was ordered deported on the first flight out yesterday. The man has been identified as Jermaine Gordon, 33, also known as “Ding Dong” or “Dangles.” According to Antigua police, he was caught in the Cook’s Hill area late Friday. The police reported that they were alerted to his presence in Antigua some months ago and be-
gan searching for him right away. The sources tell OBSERVER media the operation was led by the Narcotics Department but no “wanted” bulletin was issued since the authorities felt it could “jeopardise” the effort to capture the suspect. According to local police, the authorities were informed that Gordon was wanted in Jamaica in relation to investigations into two murders and other serious crimes.
It was on July 5 this year that the Westmoreland police in Jamaica named the parish’s 10 most wanted men, many of whom are suspects in murders committed in the parish. Other offences include wounding with intent, house breaking and receiving stolen goods. Gordon was named on that list, which was published in the Jamaica OBSERVER. Police sources in Antigua said that when Gordon was questioned, while in custody, he admitted com-
ing to the country via boat and entering and living here illegally for some time. After his arrest on Friday, the police teamed-up with immigration officials to look into his records, and it was confirmed that he is not a lawful resident. As a result, he was taken before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh who granted the application for his removal from the state. He was to be deported on Caribbean Airlines.
in Antigua about what accommodations are available in Barbuda. Beazer says this is the only way anyone will have the confidence to return and more importantly, to stay
overnight. She says Barbudans are not going to give up living in Antigua where there is certainty, to return to uncertainty in Barbuda.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
The President’s appointment of the GECOM Chair NOT unexpectedly, there is divided opinion of the President’s decision to unilaterally appoint the chair of GECOM. After all, when it comes to politics, ours is an acutely divided society—a division that is compounded by our ethnic divide. This is a condition that has been with us since the splits of the independence movement in 1955 and 1956 and shows little sign of decline. In fact, some observers have argued that our country is much more divided today than at any time in our recent history. Indeed, the very outcome of the process to select the GECOM chairperson, to a large extent, reflects the difficulty in managing that divide. To understand how we got to the point where the President felt compelled to break with tradition and appoint the chair on his own, one should reflect on our larger political process. As in any other country, elections in Guyana are a high-stakes undertaking. Hence, the mechanism used to oversee those elections and the staffing of the institution to do so are highly contested. At the end of the day, our Elections Commission is party-centred—the members are appointed by the political parties. In such circumstances, one cannot expect independent, collective decision-making and given our sharp political divide, there is little chance of bi-partisanship. So, the chairperson becomes a pivotal process. This officer is expected to play a mediatory role and to be an impartial arbiter. Since citizens generally have partisan
biases, the challenge has always been to find someone with the courage to perform that function in a manner that is satisfactory to both sides of the political aisle. By the time we got to the 1990s and the return of free and fair elections, there was the general acknowledgement that the mechanism previously used to select the chairperson was flawed, in that it was not premised on meaningful input by all the political parties involved. So, at the urging of President Jimmy Carter, the political parties of that time accepted a formula whereby the opposition Leader after consultation with other opposition parliamentary parties, presents the sitting president with a list of nominees from which he may choose one. The success of this system, then, assumed that the opposition would present the president with a list of persons acceptable to both sides. In that regard, it was assumed that, at the least, the list would be bereft of persons who are openly aligned with any of the political parties. From all indications, the lists presented to the presidents during the PPP’s tenure in office, met this minimum standard—they chose their preferred person without much fuss or any controversy. One curious observation during that time was that the Indian Guyanese-based PPP always chose an Indian-Guyanese candidate. That, as others have observed, is not a fact to be ignored. It indicated two things. First, that ethnicity was an important factor
as far as the PPP was concerned. Second, that the opposition lists allowed the PPP the scope to make such a choice. We make this observation to make the point that the PPP, perhaps unintentionally, was adding a new element to the Carter formula. Fast forward to the present. Upon Steve Surujbally’s resignation, it was now the PPP’s turn to present a list to the President. Opposition Leader Jagdeo presented three lists, all of which contained the names of persons who were either known to be supporters of the PPP or to be hostile to the government. This is where we think the process broke down—the inability of the PPP to honour the basic requirement of presenting lists devoid of persons who were not known to be politically aligned. There is the view that the president’s unilateral appointment flies in the face of the constitution and violates our democratic ethos. We obviously differ with that view. Our reading of the constitution is that the President has that right—a reading that is supported by the recent ruling of the learned chief justice. To argue to the contrary, as the PPP has done, is nothing short of partisan political propaganda which should be called out for what it is. Others have pointed to the President’s departure from the norm and the negative perception that such a move feeds. That is indeed a much more plausible argument that is worth debating as we move forward. That the President has made a political gamble by erring on the side of a strict interpre-
tation of the constitution is beyond doubt. The political correctness of that position is also open to debate and scrutiny by our opinion-shapers and commentators. The opposition for its part has vowed to take the matter all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and to engage in non-cooperation with the government. Engaging the court on the matter is part of the democratic process that should be honoured and respected and we do so. But the threat of non-cooperation does not get the same support. It should be noted that ever since this government came to power, the PPP has withheld its cooperation. So, this new policy is really a continuation of an already entrenched approach. As we have previously opined in these pages, such an approach is, in the final analysis, counterproductive to the national interest—a position that we reiterate. In the last analysis, the president’s action must be evaluated within the context of its constitutionality and its threat to the stability of the democratic foundations of our political process. We are satisfied that on both counts the president is on the right side. But that does not blind us to the fears expressed by important sections of our society, some of which are grounded in our lived history. It is a concern that should not be ignored. Hence, it would be in the interest of the President and his government to do all they can to calm those fears.
Bad public policy decisions Dear Editor, SUCCESSFUL public policy application usually requires bold, courageous decision-making. Timid and hesitant approaches in resolving public policy issues will bring stagnation, waste and regret. I say that to say that the results of the recent feasibility study rendered in the new Demerara Bridge situation are unacceptable and a huge disappointment. The Demerara River needs at least one bridge that is high enough so that
all river traffic could freely and easily pass underneath. Our short experience with retracting and other types of mechanically operated openings on bridges brought us nothing but nightmares, although we concede that they served, and still serve, to be of tremendous usefulness to commuters. But that is hardly the point. When was the last time that something grand or bold was undertaken in this country? If my memory serves me correctly, I would say the MMA-ADA project, the Linden and Corentyne high-
ways and the introduction of Social Security through NIS were the only successful major projects undertaken here, and they were done between the ‘50s and ‘70s. I would not classify the Marriott Hotel, the Providence Stadium, or the two floaters at Demerara and Berbice as major or bold, since the floaters were bad public policy. I really think it is time for the people of this country to feel that warm feeling of pride that you feel when you accomplish something big (and pay for it with either your sweat, your cash or
both). Of course, it will take vision (which is in very short supply around here), leadership, commitment and courage – as all good public policy decisions require courage. Bad public policy decisions take no effort or skin and we all know only too well what the consequences of those bad decisions look like. We see the manifestations of them around us every day, especially when we look at the suffering of the working people as they spend hours after a long and hard day’s work waiting to get a place on a mini-bus to get home
instead of going to a relaxing bus stop, knowing that they will get home safely and in relative comfort because of a dependable mode of public transportation that their government has either boldly provided or courageously invested in on their behalf. Do I need to mention here the need for bold and courageous intervention into the dire electricity situation that has the country in a death grip? That proposed new low bridge across the Demerara River is certainly shaping up to be yet another bad public policy decision which will
only continue the nightmares of commuters and bring disappointment and regret. Guyana needs a shot of something, anything, either in the arm or down the hatch, to jolt it awake and get its developmental juices flowing (maybe for the first time) and that low, mechanically opening bridge is not going to do the job. Go Bold! Go Big! Be courageous and build a proper bridge and watch Guyana awaken. Dennis Northe DIASPORA
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Employees mental health critical
THE Caribbean Voice (TCV) absolutely agrees with the Director of Mental Health, Dr. Util Richmond-Thomas, that smart employers do foster their employees’ positive mental well-being. Such employers develop policies that support employees by ‘normalising’ mental illnesses as health conditions that carry no shame; facilitate access to care and adopt effective work re-entry programmes for individuals with mental health problems. Employers who want to maximise work productivity need to know that they will have greater success when they spend some time and resources on addressing mental health at the office. The fact is that six in 10 people say poor mental health has impacted their concentration at work -meaning that they are physically present, but seriously underperforming. And then there are millions of workdays that turn into sick days each year due to mental health problems - 70 million in the UK, 32 million in France, 18 million in Germany. One in 10 employees have taken time off work for depression. One in five employees will have a mental health condition over the course of their careers that impacts performance and requires time away from
work. And workers have partners, parents and children who also may have mental health conditions requiring extra attention at some point. Addressing employee mental health needs comes with a cost but ignoring mental health in the workplace is not an option; the costs triple and quadruple when we turn a blind eye - which doesn’t make any cents. The fact is that just $1 of investment in treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of $4 in better health and ability to work. Stats are not available for Guyana but each year in the U.S., mental illness accounts for the loss of 217 million workdays and costs $193.2 billion in lost earnings. And the World Economic Forum estimates that the cumulative global impact of mental disorders in terms of lost economic output will amount to $16.3 trillion between 2011 and 2030. A 2008 World Health Organization report on Guyana stated that, “75,000 to 112,500 Guyanese suffer from mental disorders and require some level of mental health care services. Of these, approximately 22,500 to 37,500 would be expected to suffer from severe mental illness. One can easily estimate the massive losses to employers and the economy
because of this reality, especially since today, those figures would be significantly higher. It is in recognition of these realities that TCV launched our Employees Mental Health Workshops last year, which like all out other workshops is offered for free to businesses. Among the issues addressed in the workshop are depression and anxiety, self-esteem, coping strategies to handle stress and challenges, self/wellness care, abuse in all forms and suicide. The workshop is interactive and uses the facilitative delivery method and the KISS approach, that includes ice breakers; diagnostic and self knowledge questionnaires; use of fact sheets, posters and other ancillary materials; role play, simulations and games; Q&A; case studies and anecdotes; use of enabling technology such as power point slides, videos, virtual charts and graphs. While we urge businesses to take advantage of our workshop we also once again call on the government to heed the WHO’s call for mental health care to be decentralised and integrated into primary health via a coherent and concerted national process. According to the WHO, “By making (all) health care workers sensitive to the presence
of mental health problems and by equipping them with skills to deal with those problems, much wastage of efforts in general health care can be avoided and health care can be made more effective.” In fact this approach has been highly successful in Zimbabwe and Uganda in particular, among many other nations. In Zimbabwe, lay health workers screen for common mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. For those who screen positive, a lay health worker delivers problem-solving therapy with education and support. Those who receive the intervention improve and look better six months later, compared to usual outcomes. As well, local community members without formal mental health education can be trained to deliver basic psychotherapy services as is happening in Uganda. One of the first randomized, controlled trials for mental health in low and middle-income countries was a landmark study of group interpersonal therapy in war-affected Uganda. The intervention led to large and significant reductions in depression for participants. Also, an innovative study in Chile demonstrated that stepped-care for depression in primary care works better than treatment as
usual. The Chilean government translated the research into policy and depression is now a priority health condition, with depression treatment included in Chile’s national insurance plan. In Guyana, depression and anxiety treatment should also be covered by the National Insurance Scheme. As well, we urge the Ministry of Public Health to make sure that mental health professionals are available 24/7 at public hospitals, and where there are psych wards, mechanisms, including signage providing directions, must be put in place to make access to such wards easy and quick for anyone seeking help, given that delays and consequential frustration/anger can lead to loss of lives. Also, the media recently reported the case of an individual with mental health issues sentenced to imprisonment in the court. This begs the question as to whether magistrates and judges should not first mandate psychiatric evaluation and treatment for such persons, if deemed necessary. Perhaps government should ensure such a mandate is in place. Meanwhile TCV is thrilled that the Public Health Ministry has decided to offer counselling to family members of teenaged rape/murder victim
Leonard Archibald. We also hope that this marks the beginning of a policy that would embrace all families of abuse -- sexual, gender-based, child, alcohol and drugs - as well as suicide survivors and that the offer of counselling would not be selectively offered. We also urge that all regions follow the example of Region Two, which, in collaboration with The Caribbean Voice, recently set up a committee to visit families of suicide and abuse victims in order to ensure that any necessary counselling be offered as needed. Towards this end, the region also recently acquired the services of a psychologist. Finally, we believe that Guyana should join other nations such as the U.S. and the UK and mandate counselling in all cases where mental health issues are identified, especially at workplaces, schools and homes. This would ensure that employers, in both the private and public sectors, become responsible for the mental well-being of their employees and consequently become the smart employers that Dr. Util Thomas referred to and who are desirable. Sincerely ANNAN BOODRAM The Caribbean Voice
Term limits on the presidency
THE People’s Progressive Party has to disregard the constitutional question that is in the public domain on whether a person could serve as President of the Republic of Guyana for more than two terms. This contribution ignored whether that question was settled law or not and chose to look at the dilemma of the PPP from both perspectives. If the question is already settled law and no one can serve as President for more than two terms, (consecutive or otherwise) then this craziness that
we get exposed to every day, in Parliament, in the newspapers and on television with Bharrat Jagdeo should stop right now. On the other hand, if the question is already settled law and a person can serve as President for more than two terms, then the circus being ring-mastered by Bharrat Jagdeo should also stop right now, and here is why. While Jagdeo was serving his two terms as President, Guyana was moving into the Digital/Information Age where it is required that participants conform to many writ-
ten and unwritten rules of conduct – ethical, moral, political, cultural, social, etc. and where societies became more and more knowledge-based – and perhaps he and his party never noticed or believed that Guyana and Guyanese could choose to stand proudly in a world where things were done because they just felt right ethically, morally, politically, culturally, socially, etc. Term limits on the presidency happen in the majority of countries around the world and of that majority, a majority have the limits on their
presidency set at two terms. Exceptions are monarchies (hereditary succession), the Philippines and South Korea (among one or two others) whose presidents could only serve for one six-year and one five-year term respectively, and while a few countries have their two terms last for four, six and seven years each, the huge majority chose five years to be the standard for each of their two terms. So, for the PPP to attempt to offer Jagdeo up for the presidency of this republic for a third term would be just as insulting as when the
party forced Janet down the political throats of the Guyanese People. That raises many questions, such as who advises this political party or does the party listen to advice other than Jagdeo’s? Has he commandeered the leadership of the PPP without resistance? Has he placed members of the PPP under duress, considering that he was president twice already and was privy to any and all information? Are all the members of the PPP oblivious to their dilemma with him hanging around? Can any other member of that party
say anything that makes commonsense to Guyana without offending Jagdeo? These are all serious questions that the People’s Progressive Party must address sometime soon. And even if the constitutional question hasn’t been settled as yet, it would serve as a timely (and valid) reminder to those who advocate to extend the presidential term limit beyond two, that all Guyanese remain proud and active participants in the Digital/ Information Age. THOMAS JOHN
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DECISIVE DECISION President averts constitutional crisis JUST a few days ago, Opposition Chief Whip Mrs. Gail Teixeira blasted American Ambassador Perry Holloway for saying that without a chairman, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was “not at crisis point yet.” Reminiscent of the infamous and belligerent “feral blast” by a PPP Minister against former Ambassador Brent Hardt, in her presence, sight, hearing and possibly with concurrence, the PPP’s tzarina reminded Holloway that he was not Guyanese. That was a not-so-veiled description of the friendly American envoy as alien, a foreign meddler. FLASH-POINT She did, however, see the failure to have a Chairman for GECOM as potentially problematic. It could cause a “flash-point” in the future since, without a Chairman, the work of the Elections Commission would be stalled. Such work includes a new round of voter registration and preparation of a preliminary voters list ahead of local government elections in 2018, and general elec-
tions in 2020. There is no doubt therefore that a constitutional crisis was looming. In this case, the appointment of a Chairman of the Elections Commission was key in averting such a crisis which could derail elections schedules. The appointment of a Chairman of the Elections Commission is a constitutional issue. The procedures that guide the appointment process, styled the “Carter formula,” include submission by the leader of the opposition of a list with persons who fit certain defined qualifications. CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS Under Article 161 of the Guyana Constitution, the Elections Commission comprises six members and a chairman. Three of the members are appointed by the President in his own deliberate judgment; and the other three, by the President on the advice of the leader of the opposition.. That Article was amended in 2000, under then President Jagdeo to give the
leader of the opposition the responsibility to submit a list of six persons from among whom the President could appoint a chairman. The caveat is that the list has to be not unacceptable to the President. In a case where the leader of the opposition failed to submit a list, as provided by the Constitution, the President would appoint as GECOM Chairman, a judge, a former judge or a person qualified to be a judge,. The President is not required to go beyond these qualifications, not even to explore finding someone who would otherwise qualify as a “fit and proper” person. The President is not required also, to consider or extract any names from the failed lists. When the selection process reaches this stage, names do not matter. What matters is the intervention of the President under the relevant constitutional provision, guided by the principle that
the person is qualified and competent. POLITICAL NIGHTMARES By appointing Mr. Justice James Patterson, a retired judge in both the Guyana and Caribbean jurisdictions, the President has acted within the Constitution. He has averted the “flash-point” to which Mrs. Teixeira alluded and possibly, also a constitutional crisis, the spectre of which Mr. Jagdeo had harboured in his political nightmares. The simple truth is that Mr. Jagdeo was given a long rope to hang his expectations of an impending crisis. He thought that he could create this crisis by fixing the lists in such a way that would force the President to reject them, consecutively. His lists were unlike those submitted by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mr. Desmond Hoyte when they served respectively as leader of the opposition. Jagan and
SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Hoyte had submitted clean lists. In comparison, Jagdeo’s lists looked like an “indecent proposal,” which is the title of a Robert Redford movie. It is my view that the leader of the opposition had sought to limit the President’s choice when be planted in each of those lists several names of persons who could not reasonably be expected to act impartially. Those included a former PPP elections candidate, backers, financiers, and a couple of persons who had a declared interest in Jagdeo running for a third term as president. The ordinary Guyanese would see through Jagdeo’s unimaginative stratagem as that of the proverbial smart fly. More cynically, they would conclude that Jagdeo had either deliberately and cunningly cooked up or “cocked” the lists, or both. Granger couldn’t fall for that folly. He must have known that in an Elections Commission where the PPP and PNC each hold an even three members, the chairman has to be someone in whom he has full confidence to be impartial and non-partisan. The President knows that the chairman holds a casting vote that could decide the fate of elections. For the opposition leader, this is classical Russian roulette – the final, last election that could restore his place in power, privilege and perks. As one writer described it, Mr. Jagdeo “salivates” over potential oil wealth. This would explain why Mr. Jagdeo acted in bad faith, and failed to deliver on his constitutional duty to submit a list as required by law. POWER VERSUS PEOPLE We all heard Mr. Jagdeo threatening non-cooperation and declaring that he is working to create a constitutional crisis in Guyana. Of course, if there is a constitutional crisis, the coun-
try would be in lock-down mode. This is reckless and exposes the vintage Jagdeo who sees power as being more important than people. This is the same Jagdeo, who climbed to power on the back of Mrs. Janet Jagan then discarded her as a “private citizen.” Mr. Jagdeo is calling for a civil uprising which the racist falang of the PPP has been espousing on the ground of alleged marginalisation of Guyanese of Indian origin. This is an opportunity for him to mount this unruly horse of ethnic fear and to adopt as revolutionary, such slogans as non-cooperation and civil disobedience. The PPP would be expected, again, to boycott Parliament. The RDC, towns and NDC which the PPP controls, would sabotage infrastructural and development programmes. They would deny essential services to their respective communities, to make the government look bad. This is literally playing with fire, and Jagdeo knows only too well what could be the outcome if this campaign reaches the sugar belt. SINISTER AND TREACHEROUS More sinister and treacherous is his unilateral announcement that the PPP would not cooperate with the work of the Borders Commission. This could only mean that the PPP would hold back support for efforts to defend Guyana’s territorial integrity against Venezuela, which has falsely claimed the entire Essequibo and all of our mineral and oil resources. This would be the final act by which the PPP would be judged; but I will come back to this issue more fully in another article. For now, I urge all Guyanese to look at the broader picture of national unity, social cohesion and the prospects of Guyana blooming and booming again!
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Weinsteined! ON October 5, 2017, the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke. The American film producer and former studio executive has since seen more than 50 women, many of them famous actresses, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong’o, Rose McGowan and Angelina Jolie accusing him of at minimum, unwanted sexual advances and, at worst, rape. Weinstein’s modus operandi it seems often included a bathrobe, private screenings, desperate requests for massages and thinly veiled career promises and threats. Each accusation reads like the diary of a serial predator, who had become emboldened by the silence of his victims and on the few accusations in which they felt empowered enough to at least speak out, they found that there were very few that were willing to listen and worse, act on it. It was Hollywood’s well known secret for more than 20 years. Hollywood is worlds away from our reality here in Guyana. We can discuss Weinstein almost dispassionately if we just don’t dig to deeply into the internal discomfort we feel when we read the alleged victims’ stories and we recognise the initial naivety, the vaguely uncomfortable feeling, the shock, the rising horror, the internal negotiation and desperate acts of self-preservation and then the shame. Weinstein argues that he has not had non-consensual sex or sexual contact with any woman and I have no doubt that a man in his position and with his power has had a supply of willing debutantes. Many would be unwilling to admit it, but
there are women who are willing to exchange favours for access, opportunity and promotion; transactional sex, if you will. But this is not about them. This is about the many women, who laugh awkwardly in uncomfortable situations, because they don’t want to be that one woman who spoils everyone’s fun, while she cringes internally and hopes that the aggressor does not cross that single imperceptible line she has mentally made, the moment she realises that the interaction has strayed into inappropriate territory. Take Nyong’o’s experience for example. According to her essay in The New York Times, headlined, “Lupita Nyong’o: Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein” on October 19. She described the exercise of power when he demanded that she have an alcoholic beverage because he was paying. That, by itself, can seem harmless, because what harm can one vodka soda in a public place cause? The issue at hand though is that Weinstein established himself as the figure with the money, the power and the right to tell his subordinate in the industry what she could have on his dime. Later when Nyong’o describes visiting his home for the screening of a competing film, for which she was invited, and he interrupted her just 15 minutes into viewing the film with the need to ‘show [her] something’ and escorted her away from his young children to his bedroom, then proceeds to offer her a massage, I am immediately triggered. Many might ask, why didn’t she leave his house in that moment? The answer is simple. He was
a powerful industry figure; successful and powerful. He could make or break her career as a young actress, still in school. In that moment a woman considers how she can remove herself from a situation, without damaging her career and hopes within her heart that she is wrong and that this man will not cross her imperceptible line. She does not want to be assaulted, she is hoping against hope that her polite but obvious reluctance will be enough so that she does not have to make a scene and create a powerful enemy. Nyong’o reasons herself into giving him the massage, rather than letting him touch her and only left after he decided to get up to remove his pants, even after she had told him not to do that. Her line had been crossed and she fled. While I have no story that exactly reflects what happened to her, I can relate to every single emotion. I understand the thought process and I know the shame that must have followed that interaction. I understand the self-blame. Why did I go to his home? Why didn’t I leave as soon as I felt uncomfortable? Why didn’t I slap him when he touched me inappropriately? When I was in my early 20s and just embarking on my career, I met a powerful man at a Christmas party. All of my other female colleagues were meeting powerful men of their own and frankly we were all giddy with the excitement of the moment. For me, I was being introduced to a world I scarcely knew existed and in that room I was ‘fresh meat.’ One of my work colleagues remarked
‘girl Lloyda, you getting the rush tonight.’ I had my eye on an international guest, who had his eye on me, but I was in a committed relationship so I did little more than smile and simper like a schoolgirl in his presence. He, too, was not pushy or aggressive, but it was a powerful local figure who turned his attention toward me and changed my experience that night. I knew immediately that I was not attracted to him, but I knew who he was so I smiled and laughed awkwardly at his sweaty compliments about how sexy he found me. As the night went on and his interest did not wane, I avoided his groping hands as best I could, still laughing off every inappropriate touch. I knew that I would do well not to anger this man, so when he asked for my number, I gave it to him. So began months of being aggressively pursued. After my experience that night at the party, I knew for sure that I would not go out with him. He had not left his intentions in the dark and I had left the party that night feeling mildly dirty and ashamed of myself for encouraging him. His pursuit of me ended only when one night I turned down his umpteenth invitation to go out, indicating that I was leaving work early because I was unwell. Later that evening, feeling much better after some sleep, I ended up at a quiet night spot with a friend, only to look up and see the malevolent glare of this very powerful man. I will never know if my then boss’s anger at me the next morning for leaving work early the day before, then still being ‘seen out’ was related in any form to vin-
dictiveness from this man, but I do not doubt it. He was my boss’s superior and he was livid. I was grateful, though, that despite a reprimand in the office, I had escaped the situation mostly unscathed and my powerful man stopped calling me altogether. Later, as my career grew, I committed to being extremely business-like with my superiors. I have fielded advances since then, but never in a way that has caused me to feel afraid or threatened. But do we excuse away advances in the workplace as par for the course? In almost every place I have worked, there has always been that woman, who everyone says ‘slept’ with ‘so and so’ in order to get the job that she has. There is a special level of disdain and spite, which people hold in their chests for any woman they believe has ‘slept her way to the top’. That disdain is never as vicious for the man or men they believe she might have slept with to achieve upward mobility. I try to be careful these days to avoid perpetuating such rumours. As a young professional, I know what it is like to have the accusation levelled in my direction, despite not so much as an ounce of evidence, much less proof. No one ever stops to consider how many unwanted advances she has had to turn down or worse, whether she has had to smile through instances of sexual harassment. For professionals, the workplace is where people often meet their spouses or engage in other consensual romantic and sexual liaisons. I think we have to make a distinction here. But how do we define the grey areas where
a person may acquiesce to an advance out of fear? The fear of dismissal or being passed over for promotion, is a real thing. Recently, I was told the story of a young store clerk who was granted a period of vacation leave. A temporary staff member was hired in her absence. When she returned to work, the store owner indicated that he no longer needed her services and when she asked why, he told her that the temporary staff ‘goes upstairs’, she doesn’t. In the Prevention of Discrimination Act, Chapter 99:09 of the Laws of Guyana, sexual harassment is defined as the “unwanted conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace or in connection with the performance or work which is threatened or is imposed as a condition of employment on an employee or which creates a hostile working environment for the employee.” Unfortunately, for the most part the burden of proving a prima facie case of discrimination under this Act falls under the responsibility of the person alleging the violation. This can prove problematic if an unwanted advance is shut down, but not recorded or reported and discriminatory action is taken much later on and appears to be unrelated to the prior act. In the whole discourse women are cast mainly as victims and men the aggressor. The assumption in our male-dominated hypersexual culture is that a sexual advance from a woman is never something that would be unwanted by a man. Then what about men who are preyed upon by other men? Recently, a male-dominated Turn to page 13 ►
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
The President did not violate the constitution
…but his decision is politically counter-productive By Dr. David Hinds WE should have seen it coming, but as we are prone to do, we hoped it wouldn’t happen. I always felt that the best outcome for the PPP and the one they craved was for the president to unilaterally appoint the chair of GECOM. At some point I also got the feeling that the President did not mind this outcome. I dreaded the latter and hoped that the President would resist this temptation. I felt that while it would be beneficial to the president’s partisan interests, it would in the broader scheme of things be counterproductive. The President and his government needed to find a way short of unilateral action to get the person they want. I wish to make a few observations. First, we have seen in the past that the role of the GECOM chair is pivotal in an institution where the two political sides have equal representation and they vote along party lines. The vote of the chair could indirectly affect the outcome of an election as far as standing in the way of
attempts to rig the process is concerned. We saw in both 2011 and 2015 how the PPP and its sympathetic GECOM officials were prepared to manipulate the system to favour a PPP victory. In such circumstances the chairperson becomes important. The President and the coalition, therefore, would want a chairperson whom they are sure would not be hostile to them and their interests. Second, during the PPP’s tenure, that party chose three Indian-Guyanese to fill that position. All three are/ were honourable men, but in our ethnically divided society, their ethnicity is highlighted. In our ethnically heightened situation, that matters whether we choose to say it aloud or not. Many observers are convinced that Dr. Jagan and Mr. Jagdeo were very deliberate when they made their choices. It is clear that they felt that the ethnicity of the chair was a means by which to secure some sense of security that their interests would not be subverted. That explains the deep hostility to Surujbally after the party lost
the 2011 and 2015 elections Third, it is reasonable then to expect that this new government would want to do the same—that is, to choose someone of their ethnic group in whom they have confidence. I think that was the unspoken position of the majority faction of the coalition. But they did not have the courage to say so publicly, because of the fear of being charged with “racialising” the issue. So, the plan was simple: use a narrow reading of the constitution to achieve a political objective. In that sense, the President’s insistence on a retired judge as the “fit and proper” person and the implication that the lists were flawed because they did not wholly or substantively comply with this criterion, was the perfect path to achieve this objective. Fourth, I think the PPP and Mr. Jagdeo knew Mr Granger and the government wanted their own person and set out to frustrate it. They were careful in all three of the lists not to give Mr. Granger an “independent” African-Guyanese accept-
able to him. In doing so, they were pushing him towards unilateralism, which they hope to use as fodder for their narrative that the government has a plan to postpone or rig the next election. Fifth, it is because of this obvious PPP ploy that I believe that the president should have avoided making a unilateral decision. In doing so he has given a weapon to the PPP and other independent interests which are skeptical about the coalition’s commitment to democratic governance. The President has not acted unconstitutionally as the PPP is bellowing—the constitution is clear about that and the chief justice has recently upheld that reading. But while the decision is constitutionally sound, it is politically senseless. I don’t think they had reached the point of last resort. There was still room for compromise on the matter. The president should have continued to negotiate with Jagdeo and let the process push him to unilateral action, rather than pre-empting the situation. Sixth, the fact is that the PNC has more of the authoritarian tag than the PPP. So, the coalition should always resist doing things that smell of authoritarian intent. The PPP, as it has indicated, will milk this development for all its worth. They now have a symbolic reason to make the country ungovernable. This decision will not cost the coalition votes, but it would damage their image, which is already suffering. And the PPP’s position would find common ground with sections of the society which are partial to the coalition, but suspicious of its democratic commitment. Seventh, President Granger made the final decision, but Mr. Jagdeo is equally responsible for the outcome. He did nothing to make consensus easier and everything to put obstacles in the way—and this to my
mind was deliberately done. This, in my view, was very insensitive on the PPP’s part—they showed absolutely no respect for ethnic balance and for the symbolism of ethnic give-and-take. Consensus-building is a twoway process and the opposition leader and his party have equal responsibility in this process. Eighth, I think the president’s decision reflects how poisoned our political environment is. The decision by the president represents another colossal failure on the part of our political leaderships. If the president and the opposition leader could not find consensus on this matter, then I am afraid that our political future as a joint nation is bleak. We should wake up to the reality that our leaders on both sides do not have what it takes to manage our difficult multi-ethnic society. That, to me, is the sad reality. Ninth, the president has made his decision and not unexpectedly, all hell has broken loose in PPP land. The PPP and its allies such as the Private Sector Commission have predicted doom and the PPP has vowed to fight the matter to the bitter end and in the process, withhold any cooperation with the government. The latter stance is nothing new, since the PPP has never cooperated with the government. So, this latest tantrum by the PPP is aimed at galvanising and maintaining anti-government sentiments among the party’s supporters. We can hope to see the usual litany of media interventions about the death of democracy and about the reincarnation of Burnhamism and PNC dictatorship. For all its partisan intent, such PPP media barrage will gain more traction because the government and the coalition are already on the backfoot. And in any case, they are very poor at political polemics and narrative-making. Tenth, some government
supporters are cheering the president’s actions as representative of constitutional correctness. I am afraid that such an argument will not change minds. Constitutional correctness does not always amount to political correctness. In the world of politics, the question is always whether your constitutional action is carried out within the appropriate political context. The politics of the President’s actions is bad. Eleventh, I wish to caution those government supporters who are cheering the bypassing of consensus about this—remember how it felt when for 23 years the representatives of African-Guyanese were forcibly and constitutionally excluded from decision-making. The negative consequences of that experience still haunt the African-Guyanese community. Consensus politics is not about rewarding Jagdeo and the PPP. It is about being sensitive to Indian-Guyanese security and guaranteeing African-Guyanese inclusion in the political process in a winner-take-all system that is loaded against them Finally, it was not helpful that the AFC has revealed that it was not consulted on this decision. I am sure the President would say that the AFC leader was consulted, since he was present at the meeting with Mr. Jagdeo. I doubt that the WPA was consulted. Maybe, the PNC as a party was consulted. In any case, once again we come face to face with the problem of little or no meaningful consultation within the coalition outside of the Cabinet. My views on this are well known. More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www. guyanacaribbeanpolitics. com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Health official rubbishes myths surrounding HPV vaccine – campaign to hit private schools next week
By Svetlana Marshall
THERE are many myths surrounding the vaccine that guards against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV); myths like: Girls are prone to become sexually active after taking the vaccine, or the vaccine has serious health implications. But, as the word suggests, they have no factual basis. At a time when the Public Health Ministry is gearing up to take the HPV campaign to private schools in Guyana, the Director of Maternal Child Health (MCH), Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton,is urging parents not to be swayed by articles or programmes that have no factual or scientific basis. In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Dr. Hamilton said some parents, during the outreach programmes, questioned whether there is a link between the HPV vaccine and early sexual intercourse among girls. “There is this myth that everyone is holding on to as it relates to girls becoming sexually active after they would have received the vaccine. Of course, we have been able to assure parents that there is no relation between getting the vaccine and a student becoming sexually active,” Dr Hamilton said. The Public Health Ministry has also taken note of the circulation of articles and videos on social media describing the HPV vaccine as “lethal”, but Dr. Hamilton is urging readers to check the sources, arguing that the sources in many cases are questionable. “Most of the sources that came up are not authentic sources. When you read something, go back into the headline that you see there, and you are going to see that half of them are not legitimate,” she said. “It’s just persons expressing their own views that most of the times have no scientific basis,” she added. Meanwhile, in a statement on Saturday, the Public Health Ministry disclosed that it will be taking its HPV vaccination campaign to the privately-owned primary and secondary schools next week. So far, 24 privately-owned schools in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) have been reached by the MCH. MCH has been explaining its current national drive to inoculate 36,000 nine to 13-year-old primary and secondary school girls against HPV, the disease blamed for cervical cancer,the second leading killer of Guyanese women. In the press statement, Dr. Hamilton said telephone calls to some private schools last week went unanswered, but the MCH, nevertheless, plans to send notices on the issue to all private institutions on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and Georgetown early next week. With guaranteed support from major international institutions such as PAHO/ WHO, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and local private sector and civil society bodies,the government on Monday re-launched its National HPV Vaccination Programme in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni).
vegetable intake, lack of physical activity and using tobacco and alcohol. “Vaccination is the number one public health success story” in Guyana, notwithstanding the prevailing sentiment among some Guyanese that those diseases do not exist, Dr. Hamilton said. She said, however, that the supposed skepticism disappears when the children of skeptics have to be enrolled in the education system. The Public Health Ministry has boasted that Guyana’s 40-year-old Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has been modified over time, and become more robust and efficient through the regular monitoring and evaluation by specialists. As a consequence, it has been very difficult over the decades for diseases to migrate across borders into Guyana
MCH Director, Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton
The health ministry stated that even though 21,600 persons voluntarily received the vaccine during the inaugural 2014 – 2016 campaign, it eventually ran out of steam mainly due to a lack of public education, negative local press, and counter-attacks from overseas-based interest groups through their local chapters. “There were no adverse effects from the administration of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, in Guyana, despite publicly-voiced fears that patients will suffer from injection-site pain, sore throat, swelling, itching, fever, headaches, nausea, tiredness, joint or muscle pain vomiting, insomnia (lack of sleep) runny or stuffy nose or tooth pain, fallouts from the immunising agent,” the Public Health Ministry stated. These side effects, the ministry argued, are associated with other vaccines publicly and widely embraced. A historical review of Guyana’s vaccination efforts reveals that in the 1980s, the percentage coverage for BCG used to be at 68 per cent. This figure climbed to 98 per cent by 2016. In 1995, polio coverage was at 87 per cent, and by last year, it is almost totally eradicated. Guyana moved its measles coverage from 67 per cent in 1995 to 100 last year. Globally, there are some 530,000 new cases of cervical cancer detected annually, which kills approximately 266,000 women or 50.2 per cent. In the Caribbean, Guyana ranks highest with an incidence rate of 46.9 per cent and a mortality rate of 21.0 per 100,000 persons. Cervical cancer kills an estimated 100 Guyanese women every year, making it the leading cause of mortality among Guyanese women. Some 33 per cent of these deaths are due to the five leading behavioural and dietary risks: High body mass index, low fruit and
from its South American neighbours because of the strength of the country’s immunisation programme, Dr. Hamilton pointed out. Success must also be attributed to the political will exhibited by successive Guyanese governments to guarantee the public is protected from all types of diseases. Currently, the Guyana EPI strategy provides coverage for 16 antigens: Polio virus, Pneumococcal bacteria, Yellow Fever, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza, Tetanus, Pertussis, Diphtheria, Varicella, Meningococcal bacteria, HPV, Rota virus, Tuberculosis. Guyana was among the first set of countries in the region of the Americas that eradicated Measles and Rubella. This was certified in 2016.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Appointment of GECOM Chairman and the politics of deceit and exclusion ARTICLE 161(2) of the Guyana Constitution allows for the application of two options in arriving at the appointment of GECOM Chairman. Option one, (outlined in paragraph one) speaks to the criteria of a judge (past, present or potential) “or any other fit and proper person,” and paragraph two allows for the appointment of a judge where there exists failure to achieve what paragraph one sets out. Every constitutional commission must be operational and a constitutional crisis exists when any is not established. The attention paid to GECOM makes it no more important than other commissions such as the Ethnic Relations Commission and Human Rights Commission that are still to be established. These commissions contribute to day-to-day governance and the welfare of citizens and every day they are non-operational our collective well-being and the nation’s stability are being compromised. The appointment of Justice James Patterson as chairman, though his credentials and abilities are not being questioned, only a fool would expect it not to create the fallout it has. From the inception the interpretation of Article 161 by the President was not consistent with the criteria that had informed identification of nominees and appointments of previous chairs. The court’s intervention was sought by a private citizen and it has pronounced on the specific contention and entire article. The departure from reliance on selecting a chairman from paragraph one creates new precedence and not un-
expectedly a furore, not only in the manner in which it was done, but suspicion from the inception that this was the path the President intended to pursue. Where the President by his action may have thrown gasoline on the matter, he has only himself to blame for giving the PPP fodder to refuel and recover. It is being observed that Patterson’s age to do the job has become an issue of contention which is called ageism. Government must take some responsibility here for making claim to the said discriminatory thinking in justifying its act to withdraw the service of others. I noticed a media story on this matter mentioning the cases of Justices Cecil Kennard and Prem Persuad, along with Hamilton Green, whose services were discontinued based on this discriminatory policy. What was also noted is the absence of Green’s picture, but the presence of Patterson, Persaud and Kennard, where in our racially charged environment opens itself for misinterpretation, playing to racial fears, and engaging in racial accusations. It too cannot be ignored the race of the nominee has attracted condemnation on the misplaced notion that given Indians are the numerical majority, it brings with it expectation that they must be at the helm of everything. This thinking too is discriminatory and it is being reminded that prior to Patterson this position was held by only one African, i.e. Rudy Collins. Where views of such sort are being allowed expression on mainstream media blogs with no moderating attempt to set the record straight, it makes it harder to help society in placing importance on
truth and treating each other with dignity and respect. It takes very little to further rend asunder this fragile nation and we all, where interest of country and people are foremost, must be careful of what we say and do. The PPP/C has said it will not cooperate with the government due to this incident, but to a great extent the society is failing to hold the PPP accountable for its abdication of constitutional responsibilities such as the non-appointment of its representatives on state boards and the refusal to elect one of its members to be Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly, which according to the Constitution must come from the opposition. Abrogation of these duties has been premised on that party’s argument that the 2015 elections were rigged and it has been cheated out of office. The condemnation in some quarters that democracy is now being threatened and the selective claims and fear of rigged elections because paragraph two has been applied in appointing a chairman are too ignoring elections, though important, represent an aspect of democracy and equally important to democracy is daily compliance with the Rule of Law that include practices of good governance, honouring civic duties and responsibilities, and respecting citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms. Society is being selectively reminded of events, real or perceived, in this nation’s history which is dangerous and will continue to fuel division, ethnic/racial upmanship and a misplaced sense of superiority. The court vitiated the 1997 elections because they were fraudulent (euphemism for rigged). The Organisation
of America States (OAS) deemed the 2011 elections not free from fear. In 2006, the AFC was denied its earned seat in Region 10, which GECOM erroneously awarded to the PPP. Were it not for the vigilance of Commissioner Vincent Alexander in 2011, the PPP would have again been awarded a seat by GECOM which it did not earn. Reminding the nation of 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 must not exclude reminders of 1992, 1997, 2006 and 2011. Instead of acknowledging the deficiencies in the system and seeking to fix them, emphasis is being placed on whipping up fear in society and refusing to hold the PPP equally accountable for electoral malpractices, clearly sending a message that some will escape accountability or their mis-steps deemed not as bad as others, when bad is bad and good is good. In our racially polarised society, the absence of universal approach in dealing with issues will continue to hurt and divide, more than help and unite. Each and every one of us, as organisation and unit, has a social responsibility. The concentration to focus on some period and whitewash or ignore other periods is dangerous to the unity of this society. The media have a responsibility to deliver truth and understanding and whereas they may be reporting what may be said, they carry responsibility to provide information that would help society to better understand the events and discussions at hand. There must be rejection of the comfort to solely dwell in an era when grave and worse things have been inflicted by those who are alive and should be held ac-
countable, lest the risk of these atrocities being repeated become prevalent and some feel free from reproach. To the PPP’s stance of non-cooperation and promised acts of public protests, let there be reminders that those who today are seeming to facilitate such conduct when Desmond Hoyte challenged the PPP government, they condemned him and labelled his act threats to democracy and destabilising to the economy. In this instance they are prepared to condemn David Granger, even as they continue to remain silent or supportive of Jagdeo’s discarding his constitutional responsibilities and acting untowardly. It was the PPP that first refused to have engagement with this government on governance because that party’s leadership opposed Moses Nagamootoo being leader of the government’s team. One would have expected that the PPP would have respected the right of the government to identify its representatives, bring and raise issues to the table that are of concern to the party and its constituents. This seems not to be its interest as its leadership remains angry the party has been placed in the opposition benches. Even on the issue of sugar, it refused to meaningfully participate in the commission of inquiry on the industry. Neither did the leadership bring any proposal to a stakeholders committee established to address the industry, which was headed by Khemraj Ramjattan. Instead, the nation continues to witness the pursuing of a strategy of using the supporters and sugar workers as guinea pigs to further the self-interest of a few. At the same time Granger
has to remember that he campaigned and won elections on the promise to practise the politics of inclusion and his government has a greater responsibility to work to make it possible. A conflagration, racial and political, is being courted in this society with the politics of deceit and exclusion. The media have to assist us in playing a meaningful role of tempering the desire of the provocateurs in our midst and also to avoid it. Politicians are failing to realise for what they were elected, who elected them and are paying them, and what we would like to see of them. The masses want civil and consensus politics based on the principles that would safeguard and defend their rights, freedoms and management of their resources and business in order that their condition of life will see improvement and harmonious relations with their neighbours. The politicians seem to be forgetting this or don’t care a damn about it, and we must hold them to account for seeking to divide us and hinder/retard our development. The PPP has communicated that it will challenge the chairman’s appointment in the court which is a step in the right direction to resolve conflict in society. At the said time, its leaders must not be insulated from performing their constitutional responsibilities and being held accountable for their stewardship of this country. There is no sacred cow, be it individual, race, party, government, etc. Once we function as members and organisations of society, all must be held to the same standards and must play by the same rules.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Region Five Bar Council seeks Chamber reasons for appointment calls for of new GECOM chair packaging plant THE Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana has said it is deeply concerned by the President’s unilateral appointment of the Chairman of the Elections Commission, and noted no President of Guyana, from either of the major parties, has made a unilateral appointment in more than 25 years. The body, in a statement, cautioned that the unilateral appointment of the Chairman can lead to a loss of public confidence in the electoral process which is entirely undesirable having regard to Guyana’s experience in past elections. It is the Council’s expectation that, in keeping with the ruling of Chief Justice George in the matter of Marcel Gaskin against the Attorney General, the President will provide reasons for the rejection of the 18 names submitted to him by the Leader of the Opposition as prospective candidates for appointment.
Also, that the reasons “be provided forthwith to avoid the necessity of further litigation on this issue on its part.” Referring to the Chief Justice’s ruling, the Bar Council pointed out that it was required that reasons were to be provided so that it is known why there is a rejection. Her Honour said that this is in order that the President may properly move to apply the proviso to Article 161(2) of the Constitution, which allows the President to appoint persons from the judicial category only, the statement added. Also, that the President’s power to make a unilateral appointment to the office is limited by the Constitution, only to the situation where the Leader of the Opposition fails to submit a list as provided for by the Constitution. In that context, the Bar Council remarked that “it should be obvious therefore that Guyanese cannot satisfy themselves that there is an
objective and lawful basis for the President’s unilateral appointment of Justice James Patterson to that office,” unless publicly stated reasons for the rejection of the 18 persons found by the President to be unfit to hold the office of Chairman of the Elections Commission are provided. “Only if clear and detailed reasons are provided which show cause, why each of the 18 rejected persons is unacceptable to the President for appointment to the office of Chairman of the Elections Commission, would it be possible to establish that the Leader of the Opposition failed to submit a list as provided for by the Constitution. “The ruling of the Chief Justice is that reasons are required is part of the law of Guyana until such time as it may be set aside by a higher court. The Constitution must therefore be read in light of that decision, the statement added. It further noted that the
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paper titled “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Let the Conversation Begin” that specific legislation, which clearly identifies what sexual harassment is, will provide clear guidance on what is acceptable and what is not for both male and female employees. I tend to agree with her here, especially since there are those that argue that western-styled similar legislation does not take into consideration the relaxed culture in the Region. I would argue that this is precisely why specific legislation is needed. Too much of the problematic behaviour is often excused away as part of culture. However, by clearly defining what falls within the bounds of sexual harassment and what does not, employees who are involved in consensual situations will be forced to clearly define their relationship so that no one is in a situation
in which they are being taken advantage of. Robinson also believes that specific legislation will also provide mechanisms for prevention, early response and fair treatment for both the accuser and the accused. Beyond the legal framework though, employers will need to focus their attention on knowledge and behaviour-change programmes, which prioritises the safety and comfort of all employees. We have to begin talking about these issues without fear or favour before we can clearly define the extent of the problem and possible solutions. We all need to assess our own conduct and that of our own colleagues to ensure that we arrive at consensual positions that safeguard all employees, but allows them to operate in an environment of camaraderie and goodwill.
Weinsteined!
organisation here in Guyana issued a sexual harassment notice to its staff members, aimed at the men. The intentions were good because, according to Tracy S. Robinson, Jamaican attorney and lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies (UWI), who has served as the Rapporteur on the Rights of Women since January 2012 for the Organization of American States (OAS), workers in sex-segregated industries tend to experience higher levels of sexual harassment because sexual harassment is a form of gender hostility that is often used to keep women in their places or out of certain workplaces. However, to direct sexual harassment policies at only one gender ignores a holistic approach to dealing with the issue. Robinson also argues in a
Chief Justice also ruled that “while the President is immune from suit his decisions and actions are not. Thus, whether in the exercise of his discretion there has been compliance with the Constitution is justiciable”. The Bar Council in noting the statement of the Alliance For Change (AFC) of October 20, that each of the lists supplied to the President fell short of what was required by the Constitution, said it regrets that unlike them, the AFC did not seek to provide assistance to the Chief Justice by providing legal submissions in that regard,so that the precise legal reason each of the lists fell short of what was required by the Constitution could be publicly known.
THE Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) Chamber of Commerce and Industry feels that the establishment of a packaging facility by the Government in the region will significantly boost its economic development. The view was recently expressed by President of the Chamber Mr. Imran Sacoor, who pointed to some statistics of agricultural production in the region which highlights its contribution to the national economy. He noted that Region Five produces approximately 40% of the rice grown in Guyana; 30% of the fish produced in Guyana;15% of the sugar and 35% of the dairy products.
He added: “ If you look at the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables that we produce we can feed the entire Guyana. We need to stop thinking about Guyana being the bread basket and actually make that a reality. This can be done in Region Five if government gives us the support.” He added that the region would make optimum use of support by central government and mentioned specifically the packaging facility as a badly needed tangible form of support for the region. “We made that call before for a government-provided packaging facility for Region Five and we are making that call again,” he said.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
GHRA opposes rejection of GECOM selection process THE Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has opposed President David Granger’s decision to unilaterally appoint Justice James Patterson Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The organisation is claiming that the abandonment of the constitutionally agreed process for selecting a new Chairman has plunged Guyana once again into an election-driven crisis. On appointing Justice Patterson on Thursday evening, President Granger said that in light of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo’s failure to present him with an acceptable list of names, he decided that it would be in the public interest to resort to the proviso in the Constitution under Article 161:2, which permits him to act independently and appoint a person of the judicial category to be chairman of the elections body. But the GHRA is up in
arms against the President’s decision. “The decision by President Granger to set aside the constitutionally agreed process revives memories of the previous PNC-led administration which, due to its flagrant rigging of elections, cemented Guyana’s reputation as the democratic pariah of the Caribbean during that period,” the human rights body stated. It expressed disappointment that both the government and the opposition would subject the country to “a prolonged, ethnically fuelled electoral campaign, sharpened by the winnertakes-all oil-and-gas bonanza.” “Whatever frustration the President may have endured over the more provocative inclusions on the lists presented by the leader of the opposition,” the organisation said, “he must now bear responsibility for what the country will have to endure over the next three
years.” The association also took note of the manner in which the announcement was made, and the alacrity with which the swearing-in ceremony was done. “Both the selection and the manner of its announcement raise disturbing questions about President Granger’s intentions with respect to national elections,” the organisation opined, adding: “Rejection of the constitutionally agreed process would have been hazardous, even if the person selected possessed impeccable credentials obvious to all.” Noting that the arbitrary selection of Justice Patterson leaves much to be desired, the GHRA said: “He attracted public notice for his involvement in the politically controversial Maurice Bishop murder trial in Grenada, and his record of public service, senior management or promotion of democratic standards and practices is unknown. This
calls into question whether he is indeed a more ‘fit and proper person’ than many of those on the three lists submitted by the leader of the opposition.” the GHRA further added. President Granger has, however, made it clear that he acted constitutionally, and Justice Patterson is a “fit and proper person.” In March, the President had pointed out that Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana states that “Subject to the provisions of Paragraph (4), the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth, or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who is
qualified to be appointed as any such judge, or any other fit and proper person...” Businessman Marcel Gaskin had, however, approached the High Court to interpret the Article, which resulted in the acting chief justice confirming that the President, acting on his own deliberate judgment, must determine whether a person is ‘fit and proper.’ Justice George-Wiltshire, in her ruling, advised that there is no legal requirement for the President to state reasons for rejecting a list. That aside, the GHRA outlined that the membership of GECOM is formed by three nominees from each of the two major parties. The chair is elected indirectly by a process in which the leader of the opposition proposes names
from which the President selects the chair. In Jamaica, the Elections Commission of Jamaica comprises eight Commissioners, two each drawn from the two main political parties and four nominated and appointed by the Governor-General from civil society, the association further pointed out as it a drew a comparison between the two CARICOM countries. The eight commissioners, the organisation says, appoint their own chair from among their number. The commissioners also nominate a director of elections, who is then appointed by the Governor-General and is entirely responsible for the conduct of elections. The director has the status of a commissioner and has a vote on the commission.
Farmers learn a few new tricks
– as ICCA, NAREI encourage enriching soil with charcoal THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) held its Open Day recently at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and one of the highlights was ‘The use of charcoal as a soil amendment on degraded soils in Guyana’. The project is being done in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). A number of primary, secondary and university students, along with crop and livestock farmers and stakeholders within the bioenergy fraternity were invited to witness the demonstration of Giant King Grass plants grown in charcoal-amended soil under shade house conditions in NAREI’s compound. When this project is completed by March 2018, farmers on marginal and degraded soils will be trained to improve their soil quality, using ground charcoal as a good agricultural practice. Spearheading the project are NAREI’s Research Scientists, Mr. David Fredericks and Ms. Tracy Persaud, with the help of Research Assistants, Denisia Whyte and Jadason Bess.
The team chose the Giant King Grass as a test crop to explore its potential as a feed for livestock, a biomass source for bio-energy and bio-char for the rehabilitation of marginal or degraded soil. The soil material used was sourced from the Kara Kara mining site in Linden. The first harvest was completed earlier this month, and the rationed regrowth for the second harvest is in progress. The project was introduced to Guyana last year, after IICA sponsored a training session on the ‘Management of Degraded Soils using Organic Matter in the Caribbean’, which was held in Jamaica. Persaud attended this training in which participants were expected to implement rehabilitation projects for degraded soils. NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Oudho Homenauth told his guests that since the Institute is promoting a ‘green’ economy, soils are very important to doing it successfully. “We are looking at hinterland areas, and Linden as well where there are marginal soils that are poor for agricultural production,” Dr Homenauth said. Dr. Homenauth explained
that with the necessary amendments, the soils could improve its quality. He said that ICCA has provided both financial and technical support for the project, which is currently in its trial stage. IICA Country Representative, Mr. Wilmot Garnett, advised the students that they, too, could try soil amendments in their kitchen gardens and grow healthy food. Soil degradation is a phenomenon that reduces the soil’s capability to provide sustainable environmental services. Currently in many Caribbean countries, the use of unsustainable agricultural practices are causing soil erosion, sedimentation in rivers, exhaustion and degradation of water sources, and loss of native vegetative cover and biodiversity, all of which represent higher vulnerability to climate change and a reduced capacity to produce agricultural commodities and services. These impacts can be lessened with the use of sustainable land management approaches. The soil amendment strategy aims at improving quality of soil and its resilience to climate change.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Barticians counting the days –– to opening of multimillion-dollar beach-front boulevard
Construction of the $41M Golden Beach Boulevard moving apace in Bartica BARTICA’S $41M Golden Beach Boulevard project is on stream, and according to Mayor Gifford Marshall, residents just can’t wait to see what the end product looks like. “Having successfully completed our ‘Green Park’, which is powered by PV panels and elegantly displaying the town’s first public water fountain, the Municipality of Bartica has proceeded with its next transformative project, the Golden Beach Boulevard,” Marshall told the Guyana Chronicle during an interview recently. To date, the multimillion-dollar project, which is being funded by the Ministry of Communities, is 35 per cent completed. It is expected to be finished by December 31, 2017. On completion, the boulevard, which will be partly powered by PV panels, will consist of five mini-marts, decorative lighting, benches, a play zone, and plants and flowers unique to the township, the Mayor detailed. Another phase of the project will include the construction of fountains at the entrances of the Boulevard, and a pier overlook-
ing the Mighty Essequibo River at the Fourth Avenue entrance. However, this phase is expected to be completed before the 2018 Regatta season begins. The benefits to be derived from the multi-million-dollar project are many, Marshall said, while explaining that it will positively impact the town’s tourism package and simultaneously create investment opportunities for residents of Bartica. For the Town Council, it is also viewed as a source of revenue, especially during the regatta season. “This and other projects are originated from the view of making Bartica not only Guyana’s model ‘Green’ town, but the tourism capital of Guyana,” the mayor said. “Our environment remains our greatest asset and we must collectively work to enhance same,” he added. Before the end of 2017, Marshall said, residents, and visitors also, can expect to see the transformation of the Bartica Market and Community Centre into ‘green’ spaces with modern facilities.
Another section of the project being constructed
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Fire ravages Black Bush Polder home
A FAMILY at Lot 135 `A’ Mibicuri South, Black Bush Polder, East Berbice, Corentyne, suffered severe losses totaling in excess of $20Mafter a two storyed- wooden and
concrete structure went up in flames. The fire which started at approximately 07:30hrs on Saturday,quickly engulfed the house destroying the business that was housed
on the bottom flat along with millions of dollars in stocks and farming supplies were destroyed. Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, the owner Marvin Duncan,75, he said that
SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Marvin and Gladeys Duncan stand in front of their home he and wife and his wife,Gladeys, 65, had secured their home and left to attend an eventin Port Mourant when they received a call indicating that the home was on fire. “I turn back and came to see, and when I reach the entire house was on fire. Nobody couldn’t save anything,” a clearly distressed Duncan added According to the rice farmer and businessman, he has been living at the location for the last 20 years, and together with his wife, they worked
hard to ensure a comfortable life. He had been operating the grocery shop for the same period also, he said. Duncan who noted that “the fire started at the back of the home where there were four barrels of diesel. It looks like one of them was manually opened,” explained that he had a matter in court with a neighbor which led to the magistrate placing the accused on a two-year bond to keep the peace.
The home of the Duncans that was destroyed by fire at Mibicuri Black Bush Polder
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ 10K/5K Run/Walk attracts thousands
OVER 3,000 people flooded the streets of Georgetown yesterday for the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) ‘Pinktober’ 10K/5K Run/Walk, as the company observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month. GTT collaborated with the Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF) for “Pinktober” – an initiative geared towards increasing awareness of breast cancer. Since the launch of ‘Pinktober’, GTT and the GCF have hosted a series of events during their month-long activity calling for more action on breast cancer awareness.
Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, joined the likes of United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Hollo-
way, along with scores of persons living with disabilities who braved the sweltering heat to complete the task. GTT Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd, who also participated in the ‘one of a kind’ event, thanked the people for coming and supporting his company’s collaborative effort, in their attempt to sensitise the masses about the ills of the dreadful disease that have killed millions of women around the world. Nedd promised and pledged GTT’s support for next year’s event, stating that he hoped it would surpass this year’s hosting. Banks DIH, Impressions, Star Rentals, Pulse Entertainment, and Hits and Jams were among the sponsors for yesterday’s 10K/5K Run/Walk.
Together we can make a difference! A drone photo captures the ‘Human Ribbon’ made by the masses that turned up to participate in GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ 10K/5K Run/Walk.
Getting warm! Thousands getting ready on Middle Street to participate in GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ 10K/5K Run/Walk.
Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes (first from left) participating in GTT’s ‘Pinktober’ 10K/5K Run/Walk.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 22, 2017
Repurposed items can look pretty –– craftsmen, recyclers say their products can replace imported ones
INNOVATIVE ways to reuse unwanted products/ by-product were displayed at a two-day exhibition on
Main Street which ended on Saturday. Florist and Craftswoman, Diana Trotman managed to
get the message out that “recycling can look pretty too.” Her words and work were a depiction of that message.
Trotman told the Guyana Chronicle she uses scrap cloth to make headbands, jewellery and other items. “My husband and I go around to seamstresses and tailors to gather unused cloth which we use to create things…who said recycling cannot be pretty,” said the craftswoman. She, like many others had a chance to give her homebased business a kick start because of the exhibition which was organised by the Ministry of Communities. Darren Shako, Consultant to the Ministry of Communities explained during the opening ceremony on Friday that the exhibition is another step to informing the public of all the ways waste can be used in the country’s drive to becoming a green state. According to Shako, the event serves to attract citizens’ interest and inform them of the ways they too can make a difference. It “provides a platform for persons who have been in the habit or re-using waste to showcase what they have been doing over the years.” Trotman, unlike others, started a year ago and has since been creating unique items to make people look pretty, as she said. “I like looking pretty and I like making people look pretty… so for me making unique things is fun,” she explained, adding that she even gave her business the name, Enchanted Gardens Floral Arts. Being a mother of a 19-month-old has its benefits to her because during the time she does not spend
Employees of Hidden Gems showing off some of the items that were made from unwanted items. (Adrian Narine photos) looking after her child, she takes orders and research new ways to create unique items out of scrap cloth. Trotman said interested persons can contact her through Facebook, under the name Enchanted Gardens 2016. Similarly, friends Vania Chung and Odesia Kelvin have found their own unique way to utilise unwanted glass bottles, newspapers and other items to make spectacular craft. Chung said the business, Hidden Gems, really utilises “hidden gems” that people seem to not see the value of. For instance, they used a broken window glass to make a mirror and used bottles to make decorated vases.
“We use just about anything to make stuff…we use beads, spray paint, glass and many other things,” she said, adding that they are looking to expand their business that might go on to be lucrative once it receives the attention they expect. Both craftswomen however shared a similar sentiment, which was the possibility of those items replacing those that are imported from China and the United States of America (USA). They both explained that they are very capable of making similar items to those that are imported but a bonus is, they do theirs in an environmentally friendly manner by recycling unwanted refuse.
The crowd was attracted by the spectacular items made by owner of Enchanted Gardens Floral Arts, Diana Trotman.
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Sunday October 22 –– 05:30 hrs Monday October 23 - –– 05:00 hrs Tuesday October 24 - –– 05:00 hrs
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United's unbeaten run ends at Huddersfield,Man. City go further clear LONDON (Reuters) - Huddersfield Town stunned Manchester United 2-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, a defeat that ended the visitors unbeaten start to the Premier League season and dropped them five points behind leaders Manchester City who beat Burnley 3-0. Huddersfield’s victory in driving wind and rain was their first over United since 1952 and all the more unexpected after a run of one goal in six league games. But the top-tier newcomers fully deserved their first league win since mid-August after hitting United twice in the first half and withstanding everything the visitors - and the appalling weather - threw at them. Former City midfielder Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre scored twice in 33 minutes, with United’s afternoon made worse by an injury to Phil Jones. Jose Mourinho responded by bringing on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford for Juan Mata and Anthony Martial at halftime and Rashford scored his seventh of the season to set up a rousing finish in what was the sides’ first league meeting since 1972. Mourinho blamed defensive mistakes for the defeat. “A bad team deserved to be punished,” he said. By Manchester City’s recent free-scoring standards, their 3-0 victory over Burnley was modest, with the match
Huddersfield Town’s Tommy Smith celebrates at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters/ Ed Sykes
turning on a controversial first-half penalty when Bernardo Silva went down theatrically in the area. TV replays showed no contact from Burnley keeper Nick Pope and the Portuguese may find himself in trouble with the three-member FA review panel which looks at simulation and last Friday issued its first retrospective ban on a player for diving. he spot-kick decision infuriated Burnley’s players, but Sergio Aguero kept his cool to equal Eric Brooke’s all-time scoring record for the club with his 177th goal. Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane made the scoreline more comfortable as City registered a club-record 11th straight win. Elsewhere, Chelsea made up ground on third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who play Liverpool on Sunday, by beating Watford 4-2 in the day’s early kickoff at
Stamford Bridge. The game was closer than the scoreline suggests, with Marco Silva’s impressive side coming from behind to lead at Stamford Bridge before two goals from Michy Batshuayi and another from Cesar Azpilicueta ended the argument. Pressure will be growing on Stoke City manager Mark Hughes after a disappointing 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth which left them into the relegation zone. Hughes had hoped the return of Ryan Shawcross would strengthen his defence after last week’s 7-2 demolition by Manchester City, but Shawcross gave away a penalty, which Junior Stanislas converted and Andrew Surman also found the net. Mame Biram Diouf narrowed the gap but the goal was not enough to prevent Bournemouth recording their first away league win of the season. A Federico Fernandez own goal and a second-half strike by Shinji Okazaki gave Leicester City caretaker manager Michael Appleton a much-needed 2-1 win at Swansea City in his first game in charge, lifting the Foxes out of the relegation zone. But there was no escape for Crystal Palace, whose 1-0 defeat at Newcastle left them rooted to the bottom spot. Mikel Merino’s scored Newcastle’s 85th-minute winner.
Hamilton completes U.S. Grand Prix practice sweep AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) Formula One title favourite Lewis Hamilton was fastest in final practice at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel closing the gap after putting the previous day’s problems behind him. Hamilton, who can secure a fourth world championship today if results go his way, dominated Friday’s sessions and completed the sweep with a fastest lap of one minute 34.478 seconds at a cloudy Circuit of the Americas. The lap was another track record for the Briton, who had set the previous best of 1:34.668 was set in Friday’s second practice. Vettel, 59 points behind in the championship with four races remaining, was
right behind however. The German’s best effort was 0.092 slower, setting up the prospect of another close battle between the two for pole position. Hamilton has won four times in the past five years in Austin and another win will hand him the title if Vettel finishes lower than fifth. Vettel had complained about the ‘jelly-like’ handling of his car on Friday, when he spun off, with Ferrari changing the chassis overnight. The car passed scrutineering before the session and there will be no grid penalty. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the race winner in Malaysia and second in Japan, will pick up a 15 place drop after elements of his car’s
power unit were changed, a penalty that will also make life easier for Vettel. Valtteri Bottas was third in practice for Mercedes, who look sure to clinch the constructors’ championship on Sunday, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen fourth and Verstappen fifth. New Zealander Brendon Hartley had another strong morning, completing 26 laps with the 15th best time of 20 on track. Toro Rosso team mate Daniil Kvyat completed only six laps due to a technical problem and propped up the timesheets in last place. Qualifying was due to start later than usual to reduce the gap between the track action and a Justin Timberlake concert at the circuit.
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
USA women lifts maiden Pan Am Indoor Hockey Championship THE United States of America (USA) defeated two-time (2008 and 2010) champions Argentina 2 - 1 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last evening to win their maiden Pan American Indoor Hockey Championship. With the win, the USA qualified for the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup which will be played from Feb 7 - 11 in Berlin, Germany. It will be the first time for the Americans competing at the World Cup. The USA finished the week-long tournament at
the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with an unbeaten record, scoring a total of 35 goals and only conceding seven. After a scoreless first half, Katie Gerzabek scored a field goal in the 31st minute to give the Americans the advantage, but, the USA’s celebration was short-lived, since Argentina’s Emma Yanzi scored a field goal of her own to equalize in the 34th minute. However, Ali Campbell, the tournament’s leading goal scorer, netted her 19th goal of the Championship when she scored in the 35th min-
ute. Campbell’s goal turned out to be the game winner and the shot that would send her country to Germany in February. It was the third time the Americans featured in the Pan American Indoor Hockey finals, having loss 2 – 1 to Canada in 2005 and went down 2 – 4 against Argentina in 2008. In 2010, the Americans picked up bronze behind Uruguay and winners Argentina. In 2014, the Americans again picked up bronze, this time behind Argentina and winners Canada.
FROM BACK PAGE
Captains hail Hurricane ... hurricanes,” Johnson related. Guyana Jaguars and Caribbean All Stars square off today at Providence Stadium The game will feature several players who were part of the Hero Caribbean Premier League 2017, including Emrit, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Ronsford Beaton, Jonathon Foo and Veerasammy Permaul. The Guyana Jaguars lineup will feature all the players who recently competed in the Antigua Independence Tri-Nation T20 Series, finishing as runners-up to Jamaica. While Johnson says execution will be the key in today’s encounter, Emrit has acknowledged that to play Guyana at home is always difficult. “It always difficult to come to Guyana and play against Guyana, no matter
what team they put up on the park, so we need to come out and give a good showing of ourselves. “We have a lot of guys who have played international cricket and who have played in Leagues around the world, and it (is)always difficult to come and put this team together, but as experienced players, we are professionals and hopefully we can give a good showing of ourselves and most importantly, give the crowd a good showing,” the Trinidadian said. This initiative follows several acts of benevolence and solidarity by the region to assist those afflicted by the devastating category five hurricanes. Countries such as Barbuda and Dominica are being described as uninhabitable with almost 90 percent of homes destroyed. The Government of Guy-
ana through its President David Granger has already offered lands free to those who wish to migrate and rebuild their lives elsewhere. So, this game will further add to that initiative. Guyana Jaguars: Leon Johnson (Captain), Robin Bacchus, Sherfane Rutherford, Jonathon Foo, Gajanand Singh, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Ricardo Adams, Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Ramal Lewis. Caribbean All Stars: Rayad Emrit (Captain), Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Andre Fletcher, Nicolas Pooran, Kjorn Ottly, Kevin Cooper, Keswick Williams, Jevon Searles, Fidel Edwards, Sulieman Benn, Lennox Cush, Joshua Wade, Andre Stoll, Romaine Maniram.
English Racing Tips Kempton 09:10 hrs City Dreamer 09:40 hrs Go west Young Man 10:15 hrs Amour De Nuit 10:50 hrs Back By Midnight 11;20 hrs San Benedeto 11;50 hrs Better Days 12:20 hrs Present Man
09:30 hrs Mama Africa 10:05 hrs Hammer Gunn 10:40 hrs Very First Blade 11:10 hrs Excellent World 11:40 hrs Ayresome Angel 12:10 hrs Serenity Now
11:30 hrs Titus 12:00 hrs The Last Indian 12:30 hrs Brutal
Southwell 08:30 hrs Jay Kay 09:00 hrs Breaking Free
Irish Racing Tips Leopardstown 08:50 hrs Forever Together 09:20 hrs James Cook 09:55 hrs Baroness 10:30 hrs Landshark 11:00 hrs Cannonball
South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:30 hrs Red Chestnut Road 09:05 hrs London Call 09:40 hrs Great Rumpus 10:15 hrs Vision To Kill 10:50 hrs Flichity By Far 11:25 hrs Obvious Child
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
‘Very difficult for ECB to pick Stokes for Ashes’ - Mark Taylor CRICKET Australia (CA) director Mark Taylor has suggested that picking Ben Stokes for the Ashes will be “very difficult” for the ECB after video footage of his alleged brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol emerged. The video, obtained by the Sun, shows a man closely resembling Stokes throwing multiple punches at two men. “I think it’s going to be very difficult for the ECB to send Stokes to Australia,” Taylor told Channel Nine. “Having said that, I’m not
going to be too judgmental on Stokes because I don’t know the events of the night. “I have no doubt that there was probably a lot of hassling going on at the time. But I think the video evidence that we’ve all seen is going to make it very difficult for the English side to pick him.” A day after his arrest, Stokes was included in England’s Ashes squad, but was subsequently replaced by fast bowler Steven Finn, although he was not ruled out of the tour completely. The
ECB, in its statement, said Stokes will not be considered for national selection until an ongoing police investigation is concluded. “I’ve always thought it takes two to tango but when you’re any person you can’t deal with it that way,” Taylor said. “Particularly when you’re in the public eye, you’re in a no-win situation there. “All you can really do in that situation is get out of there. Remove yourself from the situation. I think that’s what he has to do in
the future and that’s what I would be telling him if I were his captain, coach, father, whoever.” Taylor’s comments on Stokes were firmer than those made by Australia captain Steven Smith last week, when he said he could not condone Stokes’ actions, but was careful not to get drawn into a debate over his availability. Taylor also said Stokes’ absence will have a significant impact on England’s team combination for the Ashes. “He does bring some-
Commonwealth Games silver medalist Keevin Allicock for Barbados engagement YOUTH Commonwealth Games’ boxing silver medalist, Keevin Allicock, will travel to Barbados on Friday to participate in that Island’s Independence International boxing competition and will be accompanied by his longtime coach, Sebert Blake. According to reports, Allicock, the Caribbean Development Championship and Guyana’s National flyweight champion, will fight top Barbadian flyweight, Ja-
mall Breedy over the next weekend. Guyana Boxing Association’s president, Steve Ninvalle, is reported as saying the GBA is attempting to expose Allicock and lightweight, Christopher Moore, to as many international competitions as possible, since these two youths are likely to be the future faces of Guyana’s boxing. Both Allicock and Moore represented Guyana at the Youth Commonwealth
Keevin Allicock
Games in The Bahamas earlier this year; Moore reached
the quarter-final while Allicock reached the final. Meanwhile, the GBA will be staging its annual Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate championships at the National Gymnasium from Friday. To date, 10 gyms from across Guyana has stated their interest in participating in the tournament. The defending champion gym is the Guyana Defence Force.
Kohli hails India’s new spin duo ahead of NZ ODI series
Kuldeep Yadav
(REUTERS) - India captain Virat Kohli has praised new spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and is tempted to play them together in India’s one-day series opener against New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday. Left-arm wrist spinner Yadav and right-arm leg break bowler Chahal have established themselves as India’s first-choice attacking combination, keeping veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja out for the third consecutive limited-overs series. Yadav and Chahal combined to pick up 13 wickets
in India’s recent 4-1 ODI series victory over Australia. “We need to find our best bowling combination before we reach the World Cup (in 2019) stage,” Kohli told reporters on Saturday. ”We always had in mind to bring wrist spinners into play. We honestly did not think of playing the two together but they are so good together, it is tempting to play them in every game. “Ashwin and Jadeja have played limited-overs cricket for last six-seven years regularly. These youngsters have stepped up and it creates a strong pool for us before the
World Cup.” New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson believes his side face an uphill task to beat India in their own backyard. India hold a dominant record in bilateral ODI series at home, having lost just two out of 16 played since their defeat by Australia in 2009-10. Last year, the Kiwis forced a decider on Indian soil but the hosts recorded a convincing 190-run victory
in the final Visakhapatnam ODI to claim the series 3-2. “India’s record is very good at home. They are a very hard team to beat. We know that, at home in particular, they are the strongest team in the world,” Williamson said. “People talk a lot about adjusting to the conditions in India, and that’s is really important. We did that fairly well last time we were here and it would nice to do that better (this time).”
Sri Lanka in India 2017
NOVEMBER 16-20 1st Test, Kolkata (04:00 GMT) 24-28 2nd Test, Nagpur (04:00 GMT)
DECEMBER 2-6 3rd Test, Delhi (04:00 GMT) 10 1st ODI, Dharamsala (d/n) (08:00 GMT) 13 2nd ODI, Mohali (d/n) (08:00 GMT) 17 3rd ODI, Visakhapatnam (d/n) (08:00 GMT) 20 1st Twenty20 international, Cuttack (d/n) (13:30 GMT) 22 2nd Twenty20 international, Indore (d/n) (13:30 GMT) 24 3rd Twenty20 international, Mumbai (d/n) (13:30 GMT)
England all-rounder Ben Stokes
thing to England that Australia don’t have at the moment, that genuine all-rounder at No. 6,” Taylor said. “I remember him making a hundred in Perth four years ago. I think he showed us then what he
can do in this country and in recent times we’ve seen him take some very useful wickets. He’s one of those guys that can change a Test match with the bat or the ball and they are rare characters. “(ESPN Cricinfo)
GFA/Stag Premium League Police beat Flamingo 3-0, Camptown edge Northern Rangers 2-1 --- triple-header slated for today at GFC POLICE beat Flamingo 3-0 and Camptown edged Northern Rangers 2-1 when action in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA)/Stag Premium League continued on Friday last at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground with a double-header. The victories for both GFC and Camptown are the two teams’ second consecutive wins since the tournament got underway last weekend at the same venue. Shemar Fraser opened the scoring for Police with a 32nd minute goal and Rawle Haynes sealed the issue with a brace in the 80th and 85th minutes. In the feature game, Shane Jones and Oriel Small found the back of Northern Rangers’ net in the 8th and 19th minutes respectively, while Devon Jason pulled one back for Northern Rangers. When the tournament got underway one week ago, Police’s Fraser, Kester Dundas, Dwayne Jacobs and Travis Jones were the members of the lawmen’s team in their 4-1 win against Riddim Squad. On the same day, Richie Richards netted a brace for Camptown in
his team’s 2-1 win against Pele. Meanwhile, the $2M cash prize tournament will continue today at the same venue with a triple-header which will see Pele taking on Santos in the feature game from 20:00hrs, while the curtain raiser from 16:00hrs pits homeside GFC and Black Pearl. The second game on the day’s card features Riddim Squad and Beacon. On the opening day of the tournamernt, beacon trounced Black Pearl 4-1, while Pele lost by a 1-2 margin to Camptown and Santos brushed aside Northern Rangers 3-0. Camptown and Police are joint points’ leaders with six points each from two victories each. However, Police has a plus six-goal difference as against Camptown’s plus two-goal difference. Beacon and Santos who will both be in action today in second round fixtures, are jointly placed in second place with three points from one match each The winning team in the competition will receive $1M, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will earn $500,000, $300,000 and $200,000, respectively.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
GCC through to Carib Beer T20 final By Rajiv Bisnauth GEORGETOWN Cricket Club (GCC) will play Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) in the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) sponsored Carib Beer T20 tournament after defeating Police Sports Club by five wickets in yesterday’s semi-final at the GCC Ground, Bourda. Having restricted Police to a manageable 131-7, the task for the GCC batsmen wasn’t difficult. They eventually reached 132-5 in 17 overs. GCC will now meet DCC in the final at a date to be announced shortly. Winning the toss and deciding to field first, the hosts made the perfect start, getting rid of danger man Andrew Lyght Jnr. for one, bowled
by Ronsford Beaton (2-41), in the innings’ second over, at 10-1. More celebrations were in store soon after when Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed (124), removed fellow opener Alex Algoo (10), within the six overs of Powerplay. Ricardo Adams also failed to impress, when he was removed for five by Joshua Wade (2-31), at 493. However, despite Mark Gonsalves’ (25), inclusive of four boundaries, the GCC bowlers kept the Police batsmen under constant pressure. Left-arm spinner Anthony Adams (2-8), claimed the wickets of Gonsalves and big-hitting Sherwin McPherson (17), at 74-5. Both Beaton and Wade returned for their second spells and rallied to dismiss
Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed on the attack during his unbeaten knock yesterday. (Adrian Narine photo)
Jason Heyliger (17) and Kelvin Leitch (2) respectively, at 99-7. However, Lennox Andrews and Stephen Harris then shared an unbroken
stand of 32, with Andrews unbeaten on 20 and Harris on 13. The hosts chase got off to the perfect start, with openers Robin Bacchus and Khemraj
Jaikarran putting on 40 for the first wicket at a steady pace. The left-handed Bacchus was the more aggressive of the two, hitting five fours in his 25, but Heyliger broke the stand with the last ball of the fourth over when he had Bacchus caught and bowled. Captain Leon Johnson joined Jaikarran, but his stay at the crease was short-lived. After hitting Ricardo Adams for the innings first maximum, Johnson was caught and bowled off Harris for 10, at 54-2. Martin Pestano-Bell and Jaikarran joined forces, and added 28 runs for the third-wicket before the latter was dismissed by off-spinner Leitch for 22. But the Pestano-Bell and
Twenty-seven race programme for CMRC final leg A twenty-seven race programme was unveiled on Friday evening as the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) gets ready to host the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships(CMRC). The sturdy programme will feature two days of racing action, including the much-talked about Suzuki Radical SR-3 display on both days as well as drifting action. According to the president of the Club, Rameez Mohamed, the 27 calendar events will have to be done over two days to ensure that there is enough time to run off the local and Caribbean Championships, as well as
several new dimensions that the club is planning. “We have a jam packed programme for November. There
GMR&SC president Rameez Mohamed
are so many things that we want to show the Guyanese public that we needed to have two full days of racing,” Mohamed said. “Our committee has confirmed so far that there are going to be two professional drift cars from Trinidad to showcase their skillset for the locals,” The GMR&SC boss added. He continued, “In addition to those drifters, there will the much-talked about SR-3 Radicals from Barbados. We have four coming for a couple of exhibitions. That is in addition to the foreign competitors for the Caribbean Championship.” Mohamed noted that after looking at the programme, the volume of races was too much
for one day, hence the committee decided to do qualifying and four events on Saturday, November 11. The Saturday, he noted, will be treated as just a race day, with charges for spectators, safety precautions and rules applying. Qualifications will also be held on Saturday morning from 10:00hrs, with races beginning from 14:00hrs. Scrutineering will take place on Thursday and Friday and before qualifications on Saturday. Meanwhile, the club is organising weekend passes for those patrons desirous of viewing both days of action, as well as VIP passes.
Malik and Azam make short of Pakistan’s chase after Hasan hroics SHOAIB Malik and Babar Azam made short work of Pakistan’s chase on Friday after Hasan Ali celebrated becoming the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler by ripping through Sri Lanka. Hasan has gone from strength to strength since playing a key role in Pakistan’s stunning Champions Trophy win and he took 3-37 to set the nominal hosts in Sharjah on their way to an eighth straight 50-over win. Sri Lanka are also on a sequence of results in this format, although one much more painful, and they never looked like preventing a losing run slipping to an 11th match after being bowled out for 173. After Hasan’s hero-
ics, Babar and Malik each scored 69 not out, putting an unbeaten 119 runs on for the fourth wicket and sealing victory and putting Pakistan in sight of a series whitewash in the fifth and final contest, with Sri Lanka hoping to avoid successive blowouts in ODIs. Sri Lanka’s innings was sapped of momentum from the off, with Upul Tharanga (0) and Niroshan Dickwella (22) falling in the powerplay. Lahiru Thirimanne scored 62 but his resistance was the only real nuisance for Pakistan, who twice took two wickets in an over - Dinesh Chandimal (16) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (0) falling in the 11th, while Shadab Khan (2-29) enjoyed immediate suc-
cess, snaring Seekkuge Prasanna (5) and Thisara Perera first ball with his opening two deliveries of the match. Sri Lanka were 99-7 at that point, with only useful cameos from Akila Dananjaya (18) and Suranga Lakmal (23 not out) alongside Thirimanne helping them to something resembling a decent target. It proved wholly insufficient, however, Pakistan riding out the cheap dismissals of Imam-ul-Haq (2), Mohammad Hafeez (9) and Fakhar Zaman (17). Babar and Malik took their time to get going and the latter had a life on three when a chip to mid-on burst the hands of Thisara. Malik was back in the groove by the time he
Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik steadied the chase with fifties each.
launched Dananjaya 93 metres over midwicket and Sri Lanka’s limp performance soon extended to their bowling and fielding as Pakistan were allowed to calmly chip away at their target.
With victory in sight, Malik delighted the crowd with a sumptuous blast over extra cover for another maximum, and his third six finished the match as Pakistan sealed the win with 11 overs unused.(Omnisport)
Ali-Mohamed combination then took the score within reach of the winning target before Pestano-Bell was removed by Raun Johnson for 23. Wade then went soon after, caught at the wicket off Harris, but Ali-Mohamed, who survived two late drop chances, ensured the win with an unbeaten 30, inclusive of two fours and two sixes. The other semifinal played on Friday between Demerara Cricket Club and Everest Cricket Club, saw hosts DCC winning by four wickets. Scores: Everest 1608; DCC 161-6. Raymond Perez smashed four fours and four sixes in an unbeaten 58 to seal the win for DCC.
Trophy Stall innovates with Lighted Bails cricket for the first time ever in Berbice TODAY, the Cotton Tree Diehard Cricket Ground will be buzzing with a hive of activities as the big names in softball cricket gather for a day of explosive action. An entertaining feature of the game will be Lighted Bails to be used for the first time in Berbice cricket, compliments of Trophy Stall. Participating teams will be Albion Masters, Floodlight Masters, Mike’s Pharmacy Wellman Masters and West Coast Masters. The event is scheduled to start at 10.00 hrs with packed entertainment all day. Admission will be absolutely free and the public is being encouraged to come out and lend support. There will be trampoline and bouncy castle for the children and lots of entertainment for the entire family. Added to the list of side attractions will be free ice-cream for children, food hampers for elders, cosmetic make up kits for ladies, branded give-aways from Ansa McAL including t- shirts, caps, rags, key chains, air-horns and much more. Live commentary will also be provided; compliments of Regional commentator, Inderjeet Persaud. Sponsors so far on board include Trophy Stall, Raymond and Ashraf Mustapha Woodworking , Permaul’s Trading of Albion , A and A General Store of Rosignol, Imran Saccoor , Leah’s Online Shopping, Tage Singh, Romell Jagroop Construction Service , Sono General Store, Extra Easy Supermarket, Banks DIH, Carib Beer, Massy Stores and Rosignol Shopping Mall.
29
SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
Mocha storm back to draw with Grove … Herstelling beat Diamond United WHEN play in the second annual Ralph Green-sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-11 League continued yesterday at the Grove Playfield, Mocha Champs stormed back from a goal down to draw with Grove Hi Tech in the feature match. Herstelling Raiders continued their winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 win over Diamond United, while Samatta Point/Kanville was awarded a walk-over against Diamond Upsetters who showed up late for their encounter. Grove had taken the lead in the 8th minute of the
match, thanks to a well-directed shot off the boot of Jamal Cordis that sailed into the back of the nets. Mocha, featuring one female player—10-year-old Kerry Boyce, who has been a tower of strength in the side, took the fight to the Grove team as they searched for the equaliser. They were finally rewarded in the 24th minute when Boyce netted her third goal of the competition--a first time volley on a throwin close to the corner line. Grove’s goalkeeper, Ramesh Persaud was outfoxed by Boyce who pounced on the ball in a flash to hit it into the back of the nets.
Mocha Champs’ Kerry Boyce (#2) watches as her teammate takes the attack to Grove Hi Tech yesterday.
Herstelling Raiders, who had trounced Samatta Point/ Kaneville one week before, duplicated the same scoreline in beating Diamond
United. On target for the winners were Captain Solomon Austin in the 11th minute and Luckos Fohtehelles.
ICC investigates approach made on Sarfraz PAKISTAN captain Sarfraz Ahmed was the target of an allegedly corrupt approach after the third ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, multiple sources have confirmed. Sarfraz immediately reported the approach to Pakistan’s management, who then passed it on to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption unit (ACU). The ACU will now take over the investigation. “A player was approached,” PCB chairman Najam Sethi tweeted. “As per rules he immediately reported to PCB who informed ICC. Matters are jointly in hand. No further comment.” Earlier this year, in February, a few Pakistan players were the target of corrupt approaches during the second season of the Pakistan Super League
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed
(PSL), which was also held in the UAE. From that case, a number of players were punished by the PCB for failing to report the approaches and two Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif - have been found guilty and banned for more serious breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code.(ESPN Cricinfo)
Windies A crash to heavy 280-run defeat afterPushpakumara’s match figures of 12 for -98 FLORENCE HALL, Jamaica, (CMC) – West Indies A failed with the bat for the second time in as many days, after left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara claimed a 12-wicket match haul to send them crashing to a heavy 280-run loss inside three days, in the second four-day “Test” here Saturday. Asked to chase an improbable target of 425 at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, the hosts tumbled to 144 all out in their second innings to follow up their meek first innings of 137 on Friday’s second day. Only the in-form Sunil Ambris with 41 showed any resistance as Windies A failed to string together a single decent partnership to resist the resurgent Sri Lankans. The right-hander was the only batsman to pass 20, single-handedly carrying the fight before he was ninth out after facing 76 balls in just under 2-1/4 hours at the crease and hitting four fours. Pushpakumara finished with six for 46 to follow up his first innings haul of six for 52, and end with match figures of 12 for 98. As he also did in the first innings, off-spinner Shehan Jayasuriya supported with two for 48. Earlier, Sri Lanka A declared their innings on 267 for nine after resuming the day on 213 for six. Roshen Silva, unbeaten overnight on 85, added just one but Wanindu Hasaranga pummeled an
unbeaten 50 off 62 deliveries with six fours, to inflict more misery on Windies A. Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall added two wickets to his tally to finish with five for 107. Left with around an hour to survive before lunch, West Indies A lost wickets steadily and were languishing on 39 for four at the interval. Using the new ball, Pushpakumara knocked over opener John Campbell (1), captain Shamarh Brooks (7) and Vishaul Singh (9) to leave Windies A on 27 for three and Jahmar Hamilton perished for six on the stroke of lunch, as the Sri Lankans assumed full control of the encounter. After the break, Ambris and opener Montcin Hodge (14) tried to resuscitate the innings in a 27-run fifth wicket partnership but seamer Kasun Rajitha cut short the revival by having Hodge caught at the wicket on the stroke of the first hour. Cornwall (2) and Damion Jacobs (0) perished in successive deliveries to Pushpakumara to send Windies A closer to defeat at 80 for seven but Ambris again held up the Sri Lankans’ charge in a 23-run, eighth wicket stand with Sheldon Cottrell (17). When Pushpakumara disposed of Cottrell via the lbw route, Ambris managed to steer the hosts to tea on 119 for eight but his demise, lbw to the first ball after the resumption from Jayasuriya, ensured the end
SCOREBOARD
Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara returned an excellent match haul of 12 for 98
was not a protracted one. The series is tied 1-1 following Windies A’s innings victory in the opening match at the same venue a week ago. Historic Sabina Park in Kingston will host the third and final “Test”, a day/night affair, starting next Thursday.
SRI LANKA A 1st innings 294 West Indies A 1st Innings 137 SRI LANKA 2nd innings (overnight 213 for six) +S Weerakkody c Ambris b Cottrell 2 R Chandragupta b Thomas 14 *D Silva lbw b Cornwall 1 C Asalanka lbw b Cornwall 1 R Silva lbw b Cornwall 86 S Jayasuriya run out 32 D Shanaka st Hamilton b Cornwall 60 W Hasaranga not out 50 M Pushpakumara c Hodge b Joseph 10 K Rajitha c Singh b Cornwall 0 A Fernando not out 0 Extras (b5, lb1, nb5) 11 TOTAL (9 wkts decl., 67.5 overs) 267 Fall of wickets: Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-8, 3-14, 4-38, 5-86, 6-192, 7-233, 8-248, 9-253. Bowling: Cottrell 6-1-14-1, Joseph 7-2-23-1, Cornwall 25.5-2-107-5, Thomas 9-1-42-1, Jacobs 13-0-49-0, Campbell 7-0-26-0. WEST INDIES A 2nd innings (target: 425 runs) M Hodge c wkp Weerakkody b Rajitha 14 J Campbell c de Silva b Pushpakumara 1 *S Brooks c Jayasuriya b Pushpakumara 7 V Singh c wkp Weerakkody b Pushpakumara 9 +J Hamilton c Pushpakumara b de Silva 6 S Ambris lbw b Jayasuriya 41 R Cornwall c Hasaranga b Pushpakumara 2 D Jacobs lbw b Pushpakumara 0 S Cottrell lbw b Pushpakumara 17 K Joseph not out 13 O Thomas b Jayasuriya 18 Extras (b6, lb5, w2, nb3) 16 TOTAL (all out, 54 overs) 144 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-13, 3-27, 4-39, 5-66, 6-80, 7-80, 8-103, 9-119, 10-144. Bowling: Pushpakumara 21-8-46-6, Jayasuriya 180-48-2, de Silva 2-0-7-1, Rajitha 6-1-13-1, Fernando 4-2-9-0, Shanaka 3-0-10-0. Man-of-the-Match: Malinda Pushpakuma
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
Sophia Primary stun Tucville in COURTS Pee Wee football SOPHIA Primary was the top team after they crushed Tucville Primary 4-0 when the round-of 16 action in the seventh annual COURTS/ Malta School Pee-Wee football competition continued yesterday at the Banks DIH Thirst Park, ground. Sophia who are still to be beaten, had Leonard King and the prolific David Weeks at the helm of their destruction. King was in ominous form as he netted a hat-trick (8th, 15th, 35th mins), while Weeks powerfully breached the defence in the 29th. 2016 losing finalist, St Agnes Primary continue to show their class and seems to be heading to another final after they defeated Goed Fortuin 2-0. First-half goals from Darius Chester (12th) and Justin Alcindor (17th) sealed the comfortable victory.
Meanwhile, inaugural champions, Marian Academy were pushed to the limit by F.E. Pollard Primary, requiring extra time to find a winner. The Carifesta unit, who displayed great technicality, found the critical goal from Chad Henry (42). Likewise, former champions Stella Maris edged South Ruimveldt Primary in a 2-1 thriller. Nashawn Bristol placed South Ruimveldt in the ascendency when he scored in the 19th minute. Tensions were brewing with some missed chances by both sides. Stella Maris broke free when Fedel Norville had his first of two important goals in the 27th minute. With the match seeming all but certain for extra time, Norville scored again in the 32nd. The match which had many parents biting nails involved School of the Nations and Mae’s Primary
which the former won 3-2 on penalty kicks. It was a match built on a tense second half as after Mikhil Mason struck for Mae’s in the 9th and once
more in the 26th ,it was all School of the Nations. The duo of Ewart John (27th) and Timothy Braithwaite (40th) then pulled off stunning heist, rescuing their team.
The steamrolling then began when West Ruimveldt humbled Den Amstel 7-1 with Ian Daniels leading the route with a helmet-tick. Daniels scored in the 3rd
5th 16th , and 19th min. while Scyon Sampson (21st, 39th) and Jonathan Andries (31st) added the final touches. Keishan Humphrey was the lone scorer for the West Coast unit in the 24th. St Ambrose Primary were on the receiving end of a thumping when they went down 0-3 to Enterprise. Shamar Richardson (18th, 37th) and Mark Eastman (25th) were the scorers. Additionally, Parfait Harmonie Primary lost 1-2 to Redeemer, due to goals from Kevin George (27th) and Migwell Alexander (37th). Joshua Daniels goal in the 33rd minute was not enough for the West Bank Demerara outfit. With no more teams being eliminated at this stage, matches will continue next Saturday at the same venue from 10:45 hrs.
Caribbean officials to make UDFA, MSC partnership pitch to AIBA for a Boxing exceeds GFF’s expectations Academy in Guyana -Ninvalle to attend AIBA Executive Committee in Dubai November 3 – 5
From left: Aubrey Major, Marlon Pierson, Avery Trim, Wayne Forde, Terrence Mitchell, Verona Hunter and Answatt Bharrot
THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) met with the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) and the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) executive committee at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) building on October 14 to negotiate the cost of using the ground. This intervention was necessitated following the request of the MSC to have the GFF intervene on its behalf in the interest
of football development in the region. Among the key decisions reached was a negotiated reduced price per night for the rental of the ground, coupled with a reduced cost for the usage of the lights at the ground. In an invited comment, president of the GFF, Wayne Forde, stated that he was “very pleased that the management at the MSC has recommitted itself to the development of football in the UDFA.
This is yet another step of stakeholders recognising the value that can be derived from working hand-in-hand with the GFF and its members.” Present at the meeting were MSC president Avery Trim, MSC first vice-president Aubrey Major, MSC secretary Marlon Pierson, UDFA president Terrence Mitchell; UDFA Public Relations Officer Verona Hunter and UDFA treasurer.
FOLLOWING their meeting held in Georgetown last weekend, Caribbean Boxing officials will make a formal pitch to the sport’s world Governing Body the International Boxing Association (AIBA)- for a Caribbean Boxing Academy to be built in Guyana. President of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle will be formally making the proposal to AIBA at the body’s November 3 – 5 Executive Meeting in Dubai. Ninvalle is an Executive Committee Member, and was recently named on AIBA’s Executive Committee Bureau. Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Ninvalle explained that the idea to have Guyana as the regional home for the sport, is because of the country’s availability of land. “Preferably in the hinterland region, because the idea is for the fighters to be isolated so that they attention could be on boxing and boxing only” Ninvalle said
when asked about where the proposed facility could be located. According to Ninvalle, the regional officials agreed to have the facility built in Guyana and that the idea actually came from the officials representing mainly Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. The American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) through their president, Osvaldo Rafael Bisbal, according to Ninvalle, called the proposal “a much-needed” item for Caribbean boxing, and that Guyana is the best suited location for the facility. Bisbal was in Guyana for last Saturday’s meeting, where the presidents from several countries gathered to discuss pertinent issues that are affecting the sport in the region and to collectively agree to certain principles with regards to the turmoil in AIBA. Bisbal, Ninvalle said, told the presidents that the Academy is something the AMBC will fully support.
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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, October 22, 2017
Hope stands alone as Zimbabwe skittle Windies for 219 on first day BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, CMC – The enterprising Shai Hope was left stranded agonisingly short of a third Test hundred as West Indies lost seven wickets in a dismal final session to be bowled out cheaply, giving minnows Zimbabwe the advantage on the opening day of the first Test here Saturday. The right-handed Hope stroked a composed unbeaten 90 while opener Kieran Powell chipped in with 56 but the Caribbean side found it difficult to cope with Zimbabwe’s spinners on a turning track at Queens Sports Club and were humbled for 219 in their first innings. Leg-spinner Graeme Cremer snatched four for 64 to reach 50 wickets in Tests while left-arm spinner Sean Williams prised out three for 20, as the Windies capitulated from a healthy position of 175 for three about half-hour after tea, to lose their seven wickets for a mere 44 runs in quick time. In reply, Zimbabwe safely navigated the five overs available to reach 19 without loss, 200 runs behind heading into Sunday’s second day. Solomon Mire was unbeaten on 17 while Hamilton Masakadza was yet to score. Opting to bat first, West Indies suffered an early setback when vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite lasted 22 balls for his three before getting a thin edge behind off seamer Kyle Jarvis with
14 runs on the board. And they were in further trouble in the third over following the hour mark when Kyle Hope was adjudged caught at the wicket on review for 16, giving debutant
before the hour mark of the session with a streaky four past the keeper off pacer Chris Mpofu. But he lasted just 14 more balls before edging a sweep at Cremer onto his pad and
Shai Hope carves the ball towards cover in his unbeaten 80. (WICB photo)
all-rounder Mire his first wicket in Tests at 35 for two However, Powell and Shai Hope then came together in a key 75-run, third wicket stand which guided the visitors to 65 without further loss at lunch. Unbeaten on 25 at the break, left-hander Powell moved into the 30s in the third over followng the resumption with a top-edged pull for four off Jarvis before entering the 40s with a sweetly-timed cover drive for four off a full toss from the same bowler, a few overs later. He raised his half-century – his first in 13 innings since his return to international cricket earlier this year – just
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES 1st innings K Brathwaite c wkp Chakabva b Jarvis 3 K Powell c Ervine b Cremer 56 K Hope c wkp Chakabva b Mire 16 S Hope not out 90 R Chase c Ervine b Sikandar Raza 31 J Blackwood st Chakabva b Cremer 1 +S Dowrich c Masakadza b Williams 11 *J Holder lbw b Williams 8 D Bishoo c Ervine b Williams 0 K Roach lbw b Cremer 0 S Gabriel c Ervine b Cremer 0 Extras (b3) 3 TOTAL (all out, 82.5 overs) 219 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-35, 3-110, 4-174, 5-179, 6-202, 7-212, 8-218, 9-219, 10-219. Bowling: Jarvis 14-2-40-1, Mpofu 14-4-28-0, Mire 7-0-22-1, Cremer 23.5-3-64-4, Sikander Raza 111-42-1, Williams 13-4-20-3. ZIMBABWE 1st innings H Masakadza not out 0 S Mire not out 17 Extras (lb2) 2 TOTAL (without loss, 5 overs) 19 To bat: B Taylor, C Ervine, S Williams, Sikandar Raza, M Waller, +R Chakabva, *G Cremer, C Mpofu, K Jarvis. Bowling: Gabriel 2-1-2-0, Holder 1-0-9-0, Bishoo 1-1-0-0, Chase 1-0-6-0. Position: Zimbabwe trail by 200 runs with all 10 wickets in tact.
into the hands of Craig Ervine at short leg, to depart in the second over after the drinks break after facing 133 deliveries and striking six fours. Hope, on 19 at lunch, then took charge, anchoring a second successive half-century stand by adding 64 for the fourth wicket with Roston Chase who made 31. All told, Hope faced 201 deliveries and counted seven fours and a six – a clean blow over mid-wicket off Sikander Raza. He was forced to ride his luck, however, suriving a chance to Masakadza at slip off Cremer on 41 and then being acquitted on 51 by DRS after being given out
caught at slip off Sikander Raza, in the final over before tea. Together, he and chase steered the Windies to tea at 154 for three but things fell apart in the first hour, with the wickets of Chase and Jermaine Blackwood (1) in quick succession. Chase, unbeaten on 20 at the break, gave Ervine his second of four catches close in when he failed to keep down one from off-spinner Sikandar Raza. He faced 64 balls and counted three fours. Three overs later, Cremer dragged Blackwood from his crease and had him stumped, leaving the Windies on 179 for five. Hope and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich (11) attempted a repair job in a 23-run, sixth wicket stand which took their side past the 200run mark. But Dowrich edged Williams to Masakadza at slip at the start of the final hour leading to a swift decline which saw the last five wickets tumble for 17 runs. Hope, on 56 at tea, continued to carry the innings as he marched towards three figures but lacked support. Captain Jason Holder was adjudged lbw to Williams for eight at 212 for seven and tail-enders Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel all failed to score, lasting a total of nine balls, as Cremer and Williams clinically mopped up the tail.
Hope stands alone as Zimbabwe skittle Windies for 219 on first day
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Trinidad and Tobago win Pan American Indoor Hockey final TRINIDAD and Tobago beat Argentina to take gold in the men’s final of the just concluded Pan American Hockey Indoor Cup final at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last night. The Guyana Men’s team missed out on a bronze medal finish when they went down to Canada 5-2. In this Samuel Maughn photo, the Trinidadians celebrate with their medals and trophy.
USA women lifted maiden Pan Am Indoor Hockey Championship
President of the Pan American Hockey Federation, Alberto Budeisky presenting the Women’s Indoor Hockey Championship trophy to first-time Champion USA after their 2-1 win over Argentina at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (Samuel Maughn photo)
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Qualifies for Indoor Hockey World Cup Captains hail Hurricane Relief T20 initiative
Guyana Jaguars and Caribbean All Stars square off today at Providence Stadium By Rajiv Bisnauth AS relief efforts continue for the victims of recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, a T20 cricket match between home side Guyana Jaguars and a Caribbean All Stars team is billed
for today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the first ball set to bowl off at 17:00hrs. Dubbed ‘Cricket Cares’, the game is organised by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), in partnership with Ansa McAl’s Carib Beer
and Keem’s Foundation, a charitable organisation. Meanwhile, during a press conference yesterday at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, captains Leon Johnson and Rayad Emrit have hailed the initiative, with Johnson indicating that cricket is a
unifying force in the Caribbean. “It’s great to see us coming together to raise funds for the countries that were affected by the Turn to page 26
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Leon Johnson (left) and Rayad Emrit will lead their respective teams in today’s Cricket Hurricane Relief T20 game at Providence. SUNDAY, OCTOBER, 22, 2017