Guyana Chronicle E-paper 11-03-2018

SATURDAY 3rd November, 2018

Early voting begins

No.105447

DDL opts out of tendering for Enmore estate

…as disciplined services ranks cast ballots 03,09,11,&16 countrywide in LGEs PAGES

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… says unable to find model for estate to fit into investment strategy

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…city turnout low, but process smooth

Victoria fire leaves seven homeless 17 PAGE

A policewoman casts her ballot at the Brickdam Police Station under the watchful eyes of GECOM Chairman Justice (Rtd) James Patterson (right) (Adrian Narine photo)

Town Clerk claims to be clueless on several issues at City Hall 02 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Town Clerk claims to be clueless on several issues at City Hall

GEORGETOWN Town Clerk, Royston King, said that he was “unaware” of several issues; some unresolved that have occurred at the Mayor and City Council (MCC) over the past year.

King was also directly asked about arrangements with two businesses: La Rose Electrical and SANDEEP Waste Disposal. King surprisingly claimed to be “unaware” of many particulars of the arrangements with the businesses; the same went on for many other City Hall issues that he was also questioned about.

Reconvening his appearance before the City Hall Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Friday at the Critchlow Labour College, King, while being grilled, kept his answers curt, responding “I am not aware,” to numerous questions put before him about matters at City Hall.

When he strayed, he would be reminded by his lawyer, Maxwell Edwards, to stick to giving just the basic answers.

Town Clerk Royston King “Mr. King allow counsel to move on to the next question,” Edwards directed to King as he was in the middle of a response.

By his own admission, the Town Clerk does not know if the MCC owes particular companies, the same companies that he contracted to do works for the MCC without establishing written contracts. In some cases he is unaware of works done, he is also unaware of numerous sit-

uations involving several vendors, their seized goods and demolished stalls.

The morning session began with King being questioned about several incidents involving vendors who would have had their goods seized or stalls destroyed. Despite agreeing that he was the immediate superior of the Clerk of Markets, who overlooks all the municipality’s markets, and report to him, King does not know what happened to the vendors’ situations.

King was specifically questioned on the issues involving four vendors: Carol Carter, Desree Dey, Melissa Roberts, and Carol Stephens.

Appearing before the Inquiry last month Carter, who trades mainly in clothing and footwear, told how, without just reason, over $400,000 worth of her goods were seized over two years ago by a market clerk and never returned.

She said she received a letter from the town clerk promising to look into the

matter, but that to date, she is still trying to figure out what happened to her goods.

King acknowledged he knew of the situation involving Carter but on the question of what became of her merchandise, or how the situation ended, King said he is unaware.

Carter believes what

is happening to her may be in retaliation for being the Vice- President of the Market Vendors Union, which she and other vendors formed after a prior situation.

Stephens had also claimed that her goods were seized when her stall at Regent Street was demolished.

Dey, a vendor at Bourda Market, said she sustained approximately $450,000 in damage when her stall at Robb Street, along with 21 others was demolished in September 2015.

“I am not aware,” was King’s response when he was asked about the stalls being demolished.

‘Edison Chouest’ sets up shop here –– to better service Guyana’s emerging offshore sector

By Rabindra Rooplall U.S.-based Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) on Friday evening formally set up shop here with the opening of its ‘G Boats’ office in downtown Georgetown.

The opening of an office here is another opportunity for many more Guyanese to be hired in the offshore oiland-gas industry.

The new office was opened at Lot 126 Quamina and Carmichael Streets.

At the event, Head of Guyana’s Department of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe said Guyana is making positive strides in the industry with increased investor con-

pacities being built; standards being lifted; and jobs being created.

He said that the successful development of the oil-and-gas sector is vital for transformation of the country, especially in raising the standards necessary for increased competitiveness of industries.

Noting that the change of which he speaks is not only about expecting jobs, Dr. Bynoe said it is also about providing opportunities in such areas as fabrication and engineering amongst others. “...the challenge for us as a nation is not just the creation of jobs; it is how to create good, rewarding

tunity for local businesses to gain new insights and expertise.”

According to Business Development Manager Daniel LaFont, ECO has already employed over 60 Guyanese aboard 10 vessels supporting Exxon.

As previously reported, Guyana’s first development, Liza Phase 1, will use a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to produce 120,000 barrels of oil per day,starting by early 2020.

Founded as Edison Chouest Boat Rental in Galliano, Louisiana, in 1960, ECO companies are recognised today as the most

At the commissioning yesterday of ‘G Boats’ are, from Left: ECO Health and Safety Executive Officer, Ann Baron; Business Development Manager, Daniel LaFont; Head of Guyana’s Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe; Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan; President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Deodat Indar, and another ECO official (Photo by Adrian Narine) fidence.

“The benefits from the oil-and-gas sector will benefit Guyanese directly and indirectly and through various multipliers,” he said.

Noting that while firstoil is projected to start pumping in the first quarter of 2020, Dr. Bynoe said the oil-and-gas sector is already beginning to sprout green shoots in the form of shore bases being constructed; contracts being signed; ca-

and sustainable jobs for the citizens,” he said.

Noting that it is patently clear that for skills to be developed, the oil-and-gas sector must be targeted and strategically deployed and nurtured, Dr Bynoe said: “We in the department also seek to encourage greater joint-venture partnerships, since apart from increasing local content, it also has the added advantage of providing the oppor-

diverse and dynamic marine transportation solution providers in the world.

ECO operates a growing fleet of well over 200 vessels, ranging from 87 to over 525 feet in length and serving an expanding global customer base.

Staying at the forefront of new technologies is an integral part of the Chouest business plan, as evidenced by recent advances in the areas of sub-sea support, integrated bridge systems and global communications.

The ability to design, build, own and operate diverse, high-capacity and technologically superior vessels has made ECO an unrivalled leader in the maritime industry.

Early voting begins 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

… as disciplined services ranks cast ballots countrywide in LGEs

By Svetlana Marshall DAILY duties and responsibilities may have prevented members of the disciplined forces from voting early on Friday, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson has said.

Eighty polling stations were opened on Friday across Guyana. This was to facilitate early voting by members of the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service ahead of Local Government Elections Day, November 12; however, only a few persons had voted by midday at the various stations. This was the case at the La Grange Police Station on the West Bank of Demerara and many other polling sites across the country.

In an interview with re-

Officer in Charge of the La Grange Police Station, Inspector Matthew Craig. Inspector Craig voted around 08:00hrs, and noted that it was important to exercise his constitutional right in this democratic process. porters while observing polling at the Brickdam Police

Station, the GECOM chairman anticipated that more members of the disciplined services would vote during the latter stage of the day before the close of polls at 18:00rs.

“My initial reflex action, observation, was that it was too slow; but then I remember that these are the forces that have to do duties as well as vote. So I suppose you had to be there early in the morning to do traffic duties and so on. So the first reflection of dissatisfaction and disheartenment is there no longer. I expect a surge from 4 0’clock, when some of them would be off duty,” the Justice (Ret’d) Patterson told reporters.

At the time, he had visited polling stations along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and the East Bank corridor before stopping at the Brickdam Police Station in

Georgetown. The GECOM chairman said based on his observation, the process was progressing smoothly.

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward said though there was no hiccup reported at the time, there were reports that two members of the disciplined forces had turned up at two polling stations; their names were, however, not on the list. One of the polling stations was situated at Timehri.

“For us at GECOM, the names of the officers were provided to us by the respective disciplined services, that is the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, and the Guyana Prison Service. So that list of officers that they provided to us, that is what we were able to work with; so if there was an omission of a name on a list for the disciplined services

GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward (Photo by Adrian Narine) today, that was not an error from GECOM,” Ward explained.

However, she said there is a possibility that an officer may turn up to vote; but where he or she resides may

not be a Local Authority Area (LAA). As such, his or her name would not be on a list.

Ward said she was at the time unable to confirm particulars of the two cases.

The GECOM PRO said however, that if there was indeed an omission, all hopes have not been lost.

“Officers who have not voted today, would still have an opportunity to vote in their respective Local Authority Areas come the 12th November,” she assured.

Ward said based on reports received from all the polling stations, all stations were operational at 06:00hrs and the process had progressed smoothly. Civilians are expected to vote on Monday, November 12, in the Local Government Elections.

A total of 7918 officers were expected to vote at 63 locations countrywide at 80 polling stations.

A quiet day in Region Six –– voter turnout peaks at 54%

Story and photos by Nafeeza Yahya POLLING Day in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) started on the stroke of 06:00hrs on Friday. As in other administrative regions throughout the country, members of the disciplined services took to polling stations in their districts to exercise their franchise at Local Government Elections (LGEs).

It would be the second time they would do so since the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)+ Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition government took offce back in 2015.

And despite the fact that the pace was somewhat slow, the process itself was relatively smooth throughout the day, barring

one minor hiccup whereby some policemen turned up to vote in their respective neigbourhoods and found that their names were not on the lists.

This means that they will now have to cast their votes on Monday, November 12 with the rest of the populace.

A tally of the number of registered voters at the five polling stations in the region showed that there were 595 in toto. Fifty of them were slated to vote at the Springlands Police Station; 141 at the Whim Police Station; 14 at the New Amsterdam army base; 277 at the New Amsterdam Town Hall; and the final 113 at the New Amsterdam Prison.

Among those persons were members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), including

Officers of Neighbourhood Policing Groups make their way out of the polling station after their names were not found on the list

Trainee policemen from the Felix Austin Police Training College on their way to cast their votes at the Whim polling station on the Corentyne trainees; The Guyana Fire Service (GFS); The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Guyana Prison Service (GPS).

For the two Corentyne polling stations, turnout was pegged at an average of 54%, with 70 and 34 voters, or 49% and 68% respectively for Whim and Skeldon.

Speaking with the media at around 16:30 hrs, APNU Party Chairman for Region Six, Kirk Fraser, said he was pleased with the turnout thus far; he was optimistic that by the close of voting at 18:00hrs, around 80 to 90% of the registered voters would turn up.

The PPP Regional Representative, Zamal Hussain, on the other hand, pegged overall turnout at 39% for Region Six, which to him was a great disappointment.

Said he: “People need to take LGEs very seriously, and being members of the disciplined services, I expected them to lead by example so others can follow suit on No-

vember 12.

“I believe the government should declare Elections Day a national holiday, so that everyone can turn out and vote.”

Earlier in the day, senior officers were seen encouraging their junior ranks to go out and vote as is their democratic right. What was notable at some polling stations was that even though the names of some officers were on the list, they did not feel compelled to vote; many as much as said that unlike general elections, LGEs are of no consequence.

On the other hand, those trainee officers who were voting for the very first time in their young lives could be seen brimming with excitement as they made their way to the polling stations.

As one told the Guyana Chronicle, this was his first time voting, and he was more than happy to be able to exercise that right.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

Sidewalks, cycle lanes for several public roads Several public roads along the coast will soon be outfitted with sidewalks and cycles lanes as the Ministry

of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) ramps up efforts to bolster road safety.

Speaking with the De-

partment of Public Information (DPI), Manager of Traffic, Safety & Maintenance at the MoPI, Kester Hinds, said the ministry will be lobbying for the funds to be allocated for in the 2019 budget.

He explained that public roads, which are subject to heavy traffic flows and where school children frequently traverse, will be the first to be targeted. Among these are Diamond-Providence public road on the East Bank of Demerara and Turkeyen public road, on the East Coast Demerara.

“What we find is that in most communities there are no sidewalks. For instance, on the Corentyne public road (Region Six) there is none and the residents would have to walk on the earthen shoulders, which can be slushy and muddy during the rainy season. So, we’re working towards having sidewalks constructed along this roadway and in several communities, pro-

viding we get the monies approved,” Hinds explained.

The ministry has already sent out bids for the construction of the sidewalks at an estimated cost of $88.8M. Similarly, the ministry is also planning to construct cycle lanes along many public roadways. Hinds noted, “Guyana is developing and while many individuals are driving, cycles remain relevant as many persons still ride.

So, with the cycle lanes, we will see everyone having access to safer facilities. We will be pushing for it so that we can incorporate them into our roads” The ministry has already constructed sidewalks in Woolford Avenue and expended millions of dollars annually for the placement of road safety signs and other measures across the country, to ensure that the road laws are observed and lives are preserved.

Saturday, November 3, 2018 02:30 hrs - 14:30 hrs

GNBA warns against ‘derogatory’ on-air content THE Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has drawn attention to the use of “ethnic labelling” during a recent on-air transmission, and therefore cautions all broadcasters about the consequences this can ignite.

The authority says it first noted the disturbing incident during observances to mark Amerindian Heritage Month, celebrated every year during the month of September, and finds the usage of certain terms very “derogatory”.

In a press statement issued on Thursday, the authority urged broadcasters to be mindful that they live and operate in a multi-ethnic society, and that this is even more reason for them to be ever thoughtful of their content.

The GNBA said: “The screening of content with ethnic or stereotypical labels may have significant implications for social cohesion, and may evoke feelings of resentment.”

“This in turn,” the authority believes, “has the potential to evoke violence among those impressionable minds in our society. The fact that we reside in a multi-ethnic society, it is imperative that we abstain from such practices.”

The GNBA further wishes to remind broadcasters of the laws which govern persons in their field of work, specifically the Broadcasting Act of 2011, Section 19, subsection (f).

It requires broadcasters to “safeguard, enrich and strengthen the diverse ethnic, cultural, social and economic fabric of Guyanese society”, while subsection (q) requires broadcasters to “ensure compliance with the constitution and laws of Guyana and shall not incite violence, ethnic, religious or cultural hostility”.

In closing, the authority said: “GNBA takes this opportunity to caution broadcasters to avoid such practices….GNBA calls on our valued broadcasters to be sensitive to these issues and make a concerted effort to prevent its recurrence.”

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U.S. envoy in farewell visits

UNITED States Ambassador H.E. Perry Holloway on Friday paid farewell visits to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of State Joseph Harmon at their offices, Ministry of the Presidency.

Mr. Holloway and his wife Rosaura are due to leave Guyana next month after a tour of duty lasting just over three years. Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who is also performing the functions of President, expressed his satisfaction over the work of the ambassador in strengthening U.S.-Guyana relations. “Ambassador Holloway has been a good friend of the Guyanese people,” the PM noted, in presenting him with an item of Guyana craftwork.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Holloway also visited

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. The Ambassador lauded the cordial relationship and bilateral cooperation that the two countries

have shared over the past 52 years. Ambassador Holloway was accredited by President David Granger in October 2015.

Minister of State Mr. Joseph Harmon and U.S. Ambassador Mr. Perry Holloway at the Ministry of the Presidency

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and outgoing U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway during their meeting

Death row inmate appeals sentence

By Gabriella Chapman

BURT Lancaster, who was in 2012 sentenced to death by hanging for murder, appeared on Thursday in the Court of Appeal, appealing for a lesser sentence.

His counsel, Attorney Lawrence Harris, told the court that his client is but a mere accomplice in the crime committed.

His appeal was submitted under the questions of intention, interest to serve and mandatory death penalty.

Harris stated that according to Lancaster’s caution statement, he had no intention of being involved in the acts committed. He was however, in the company of the man who did, and subsequently assisted.

According to Lancaster’s story, on April 19, 2006, he left work around midday with his co-worker, Daywan Kawal called “Avinash”. They went to the Diamond Taxi stand and hired a taxi to take them to Soesdyke to have a drink with two friends.

During the course of the journey, the driver, Deonarine Sukhdeo, stopped at a gas station and while he was out of

the car, Kawal suggested that they rob the driver.

“Avinash jam me and seh ‘leh we rob this man, he does got nuff money on he’,” Lancaster’s testimony said. He said he disagreed but Kawal still went ahead. The robbery ended in the stabbing of Sukhdeo who subsequently died.

Lancaster admitted to assisting in removing the injured man from the car and placed him on the trail.

This, Harris is contending, was not Lancaster’s intention when he entered the car; to rob or murder the driver. Hence, he does not deserve such severe sentence and as such is requesting that the court impose a lesser sentence, taking into consideration, time spent in custody.

Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings told counsel that he cannot come with one line from a caution statement and expect the court to accept that one line as the sub-total of everything.

But Harris held out on the grounds that according to his client’s statement, the intention came after the act was committed and he just assisted

in removing the body out of the car.

In the State’s defence, Attorney Tashana Lake shared that they are aware of Lancaster’s side of the story; however, that was not the one the jury believed during the trial at the High Court in 2012.

Death row inmate, Burt Lancaster

The learned trial judge, she said, was quite clear with the jury in lawful guidance and all the necessary directions were given to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence. The decision of whether he was an accomplice or the mastermind in the crime had to be determined by the

jury. The prosecution’s case however, was quite contrary to his testimony. Since the prosecution’s case states that he was involved in the act from the beginning.

Based on what was said in his caution statement, Lancaster said he did not stab the driver, he did not participate in any violence and did not inflict any of the wounds that caused the death of Sukhdeo. All this was known to the jury during the trial.

Unfortunately for him, the

verdict was not in his favour, and as such, the maximum sentence was imposed given the nature of the crime. Lake stated that learned trial judge could have allowed for an acquittal, if the jury believed his story, but that was not the case.

Kawal, who like Lancaster, was indicted, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and received a seven year sentence in exchange for his testimony against Lancaster, who he said was the master-

mind of the crime.

This was shortly after the Plea Bargaining Act was passed in the National Assembly.

After listening to arguments from both sides, the chancellor announced that notice will be sent out for decision and the court was adjourned.

Also presiding over the matter were acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire and Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

Improving the lives of citizens T HE announcement by government of its U.S. $27M Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Housing Programme has once again highlighted the fact that housing remains a seminal need for large segments of our society; and that it is fully committed and prepared to fulfil its social responsibility of ensuring that this vital need is met.

This particular programme is intended to benefit persons living on or below the poverty line in Regions Three and Four and will be carried out under three phases: Affordable and Sustainable Housing; Consolidation of existing Housing Schemes; and Support and Institutional Strengthening.

Housing remains one of life’s vital needs, if not its primary necessity; for it is about the acquisition of a home for oneself and family and having a shelter over one’s head that can be called home. Being able to acquire one’s home, is undoubtedly for those who have been able to do so a feeling of pride, especially knowing that it offers protection and security from so many of life’s eventualities. As a social achievement, it adds to one’s material and social stock.

Guyana has not been unfamiliar with efforts by the state to assist citizens in their bid for home ownership. The laudatory Feed, House and Clothes the Nation programme of the Burnham administration in the 1970s, gave birth to many of the earlier known housing communities such as South Ruimveldt; North Ruimveldt, also popularly called Festival City, because of its initial use to house the Caribbean contingent at the Region’s first CARIFESTA 72 held in Georgetown; the Roxanne Burnham Gardens; TucVille; the Stevedore Housing Scheme; Meadow Brook Gardens; and the Shirley Field Ridley Housing Scheme, among others. These are all synonymous with a period of Guyana’s socio-political history when cooperative and self- help efforts were emphasised as a means of personal ownership and achievement. Tens of Thousands of Guyanese, particularly of the working-class category, were

able to become home-owners.

The period 1992 - 2015 was characterised by the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) government, managing a housing programme that was marked by the distribution of a reported 55,000 house lots at varying prices, depending on where they were located. Housing communities such as Diamond, Herstelling, Perseverance, Parfaite Harmonie and Tuschen are examples during this period. This was a response to the phenomenon of squatting, which commenced in the 1980s with the steady drift of rural folk to the urban centres.

However, if this housing initiative-- highly politicised under the auspices of the former PPP/C government-- had been intended as a response to was a housing crisis, it failed to satisfy adequately the burgeoning housing needs; this is particularly so for those persons who were unable to secure mortgages because of being unemployed. And if we are to be guided by statistics, there was a 28,000 occupancy, which made for a 50% level of the total house lots distributed during the former government’s tenure. Another revealing feature would be that during the period 2011 – 2015, that evidenced a total of 20000 lots being distributed, only 4000 were translated into actual houses built.

Above all, the PPP/C’s housing strategy failed to address adequately the problem of squatting, which primarily is about the very poor who did not altogether possess the means to have homes of their own; persons who found the cost of house lot purchase very prohibitive, as well as the almost 30000 applicants who had applied for lots for over two decades. This, and other related problems of housing are what was inherited by the President David Granger administration. The latter has responded with initiatives such as the duplex type that has attracted hundreds of buyers ever since.

Therefore, this programme that is financed from an IDB loan that had been originally intended for the Road Network Upgrade Expansion Programme, will primarily facilitate

2,000 persons from low- income households-- inclusive of single-parent households-- to access as much as $500,000 for rehabilitation of their homes. It can be taken as a continuation of the coalition government’s determination to bring relief to would-be home-owners.

Undoubtedly, the centre piece of this grand project will be the construction of 250 core homes for persons who are already the owners of low-income lots.

As the titles of the components imply, this is a well thought out and visionary plan; it is designed to assist lowincome households to access financing, which they might not have been able to otherwise get from financial institutions for works such as extensions and general repairs to their homes.

This is about being able to ensure the longevity of their homes, which will be augmented with the traditional maintenance of their immediate environment. The affordable and sustainable Housing component will supply the answer to this challenge.

For the core home beneficiaries, this will be an opportunity for persons to transition from inhospitable dwellings such as shacks, to proper and wholesome living conditions. This will impact positively on the physical and psychological frames of life; this will offer a new lease on individual lives.

Given the fact that there have been too many housing communities that came into existence without the building of any proper system of roads; and also that it has always been this government’s vision that communities must be fully sustainable through adequate infrastructure, it is no surprise that the Support and Institutional Strengthening aspects of the programme cater for the upgrading of roads; construction of concrete drains; street lighting and the construction of eight recreational facilities. This is about adding social stock to communities, thus making them sustainable; improving the lives of citizens, while investing in them an improved quality that will in time redound to their personal well-being.

GECOM should be allowed to carry out its mandate Dear Editor,

MANZOOR Nadir is trying hard to redeem himself from the political backwaters of his party, the PPP/C, to which he crawled on his knees for a ministerial portfolio.

This was shockingly opportunistic, since to achieve his patently selfish end, he mortgaged the United Force(UF), the party which had been founded by the late magnate and former Minister of Finance Peter D’Aguiar and which had in its ranks honourable gentlemen such as the revered Stephen Campbell, the first Amerindian Member of Parliament; Randolph Cheeks, a former Local Government Minister; Mohammed Kassim, also a former cabinet minister; Marcellus Feilden Singh, a former leader and parliamentarian; and the respected leader, the late Eleanor Da Silva, among others.

The above-named were all genuine UF members who were

principled in whatever cause they had to represent. These were the great UF party leaders that Nadir shamefully betrayed when he destroyed their party for a ministerial portfolio. Strange what the craving for political power does to some humans!

Now, through Freedom Radio, he is making feeble but misleading noises about his ever since adopted political outfit, the PPP/C, having to perform the function of voter education which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should be carrying out. This is another piece of cheap party propaganda, as are his other accusations against the national electoral body, not worthy of being repeated here. Editor, this is the continuation of the PPP/C’s orchestrated attacks to degrade the national electoral body, for reasons which have already been made known.

Voter education by GECOM got underway ever since; for I have seen materials being distributed in my constituency and

others that are contiguous. In fact, at a press briefing some days ago, the electoral body’s PRO announced that voter materials have been given to returning officers who have been executing their own awareness programmes in the respective communities. Thus, this is another red herring by the PPP/C. Editor, as far as is known, there is nothing which prohibits any political party contesting the Local Government Elections, from giving such guidance to their constituencies.

It is a welcomed, as well as a sensible move. But that would not detract/prevent GECOM’s mandate to discharge its function, which it is doing; or as Nadir infers that the latter is not being done. That is the deceptive understanding that Nadir is attempting to convey.

Regards Dillon Goring

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

OP-ED A secret weapon on Venezuelan oil: G u y a n a E

By David Wade and Andrew Holland

XAMINER-WASHINGTON-TODAY, our hemisphere is roiled by mass migration and the ongoing meltdown of Venezuela.

But one hidden opportunity could be a secret weapon to offset President Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuelan nightmare and create an oasis of stability.

Guyana’s commitment to sustainable energy security and the rule of law could lead to a long-awaited economic transformation and a Region less reliant on oil from an ever-more volatile Venezuela. In the next decade, Guyana will become one of the world’s largest per capita oil producers. Exxon Mobil’s successive discoveries collectively amount to the world’s largest offshore crude oil finds since 2015: almost four billion barrels of recoverable oil; Guyana could be producing up to 750,000 barrels per day by the late 2020s. These resources have the potential to replace Venezuelan crude in the regional market and replace Caracas’ regional petro-politics regime with a much more stable and steadier supplier of the hemispheric market.

Resource booms have not always benefited small, poor countries. The “Resource Curse” can result in failed governments, macroeconomic stagnation, and endemic corruption. Like many small, developing post-colonial nations, Guyana’s economic and political development has not always been smooth. But today, energy development could mark a new chapter. Chastened by the cautionary tale of next-door Venezuela, Guyana is taking steps to chart a new path. As part of its preparations for the influx of capital, Guyana is

actively engaging with resource-management experts from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Commonwealth organisation to build a sovereign wealth fund and transparency mechanism to manage new oil revenues. Guyana has also proposed an ambitious Green State Development Strategy with the objective “to reorient and diversify Guyana’s economy.” They intend to use their incoming resources to fund a clean, resilient economy. With an ambitious time frame of only seven years, they aspire to move to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.

Guyana’s economic boom, if directed properly, could provide revenues to solve long-standing security problems and build a model for the Region. Some of the security challenges can be addressed as they have been elsewhere in the hemisphere. Guyana is a common transit country for cocaine headed from Colombia and Venezuela to the United States, Canada, and Europe. In the last decade, working with the U.S. to combat drug smuggling, the government passed legislation to address money laundering, terrorist financing, and extradition.

More can be done as oil revenues increase.

Guyana faces external threats as well. Far from being immune from regional strife, it has been a target of its difficult neighbours. Despite Guyana’s grudging participation in Caracas’ PetroCaribe, in October 2013, the Venezuelan navy detained the crew of a vessel operating with a U.S.-owned partner in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic

Zone. Once Guyana’s oil find was announced in 2015, Venezuela quickly dumped Guyana from PetroCaribe and, within weeks, both Suriname and Venezuela revived long-dormant claims to Guyana’s territory.

That’s right—Venezuela’s power is declining amid its economic and humanitarian crises, but Maduro is still trying to bully smaller neighbours, even threatening military action over border disputes. The United States has a role to play: it can support the rule of law, the sanctity of borders, and the proper application of the U.N. Law of the Sea. Should the U.S. seek to increase pressure on Venezuela, surely support for Guyana would be an appropriate measure. The Mike Pompeo State Department hinted in that direction on Guyana’s Independence Day, wishing “Peace and prosperity … across the entire ‘Land of Many Waters’” — a veiled signal of support against Venezuela’s territorial claims. As Guyana’s spending power climbs, the purchase of modern naval vessels would add some hard power symbols to the legal dispute.

Guyana has a chance to change its own future and tilt the regional energy picture towards stability and predictability. The United States, even in an era of retrenchment, needs to find the bandwidth to help them succeed, so that we all benefit. (David Wade was Secretary of State, John Kerry’s chief of staff and now writes frequently on foreign policy issues. Andrew Holland, a Republican, is CEO of the American Security Project.)

Palm Court assaulter remanded for attempted murder ABDUL Imran Khan was on Thursday remanded to prison for the attempted murder of a differently-abled man, Romario Baljeet called ‘Short Boss’.

The 32-year-old Khan, who lives at 11 Austin Street, Campbellville and who is the owner of a construction company, made an appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

It was alleged that on October 28, 2018 at Main Street, Georgetown, with intent to kill, Khan unlawfully and maliciously wounded Baljeet.

The businessman was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

Police prosecutor Simone Payne objected to bail due to the seriousness of the offence and due to the fact that the virtual compliant was hospitalised.

The accused was represented by attorney-at-law Glen Hanamon, who told the court that the facts which were presented by police prosecution do not justify an attempted murder charge.

He further stated that on Thursday morning, the victim voluntarily checked himself into the hospital so that police could get the magistrate to remand his client.

According to the prosecution, on the day in question at

around 02:00hrs, the virtual complainant went to the Palm Court night club where he and a friend spent an hour.

As they were about to leave, the accused and another male were standing at the gate in the path of the duo.

Balgeet and his friend decided to walk between the accused and the accused dealt the victim two punches to his head and face causing him to fall. The accused then armed himself with a glass bottle and drinking glass and proceeded to smash them on the right side of the victim’s face, causing him to sustain injuries. He then kicked the differently-abled man.

The victim was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Woodlands Hospital where two surgeries were done on his face. More treatment is still to be undertaken on the injured man.

Police prosecutor Simone Payne added that the medical report and statements are still outstanding.

Bail was refused by the Chief Magistrate and Khan was remanded until 19 November, 2018.

Reports are that the accused and his family have been attempting to contact the injured Baljeet and sources also indicate that a sum of $15M was offered to the injured man to settle the matter.

Abdul Imran Khan

Police identify victim in ‘South’ accident THE police have identified the man who was struck down while riding a bicycle along the Aubrey Barker Road in South Ruimveldt Park on Thursday evening.

His name has been given as Floyd Howes, of A-Z Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, and according to reports, he was riding along the roadway at around 18:45hrs when he was struck down by a motorcyclist of Buttercup Place, in the said South Rumveldt Park.

The motorcyclist and his pillion rider, as well as Howes were picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to seek medical attention.

But while the motorcyclist and pillion rider were treated and sent away, Howes died while receiving treatment.

Reports are that the motorcyclist was heading along Aubrey Barker Road, when, in the vicinity of Gaulding

Place, a white Toyota Premio motorcar which was proceeding east along the northern side of Aubrey Barker Road, swerved to avoid a pothole and collided with the motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist in turn lost control of his machine and ran into Howes.

Howes’ body is at the GPHC mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Rose Hall most sought after estate

… Nand Persaud lone local firm to bid

By Svetlana Marshall

N

AND Persaud & Co Ltd is the lone registered local company that tendered bids for the privatisation of the Enmore, Skeldon and Rose Hall Estates; however, it did so in partnership with Guygulf International Trading Development

Industrial and Financial LLC, which has ties to the Middle East.

Nand Persaud and its partner are the only companies that bid for all three of the estates. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) is the International Financial Services Provider selected to conduct the valuation of all assets under control of the Guyana

Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); this is in addition to providing other advisory and financial services. PWC disclosed on Friday that three bids were tendered for the Rose Hall Estate. Submissions were made by Guygulf International Trading Development Industrial and Financial LLC and Nand Persaud, Industrial Equipment Sales

and Service Incorporation (IESS) and Kadem Sugars Inc. In addition to Nand Persaud and its partner, D Rampersaud and Co. Ltd, submitted bids for the Skeldon Estate. Enmore Estate was bid for by Nand Persaud and its partner, as well as by Liberty Investments Inc. PricewaterhouseCoopers (Jamaica) Managing-Director Wilfred Baghaloo, on Thursday had indicated that a total of 10 bids were submitted to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) for privatisation of the state-owned estates; but the information released by the company on Friday contradicted Baghaloo’s statements.

It was subsequently explained however that while 10 envelopes with bids were opened at the close of the bidding process on Wednesday, some of the envelopes may have included duplication of bids. Based on the information released by PWC on Friday, a total of seven (7) bids were submitted for consideration.

Baghaloo also told reporters on Thursday, that U.S. a company registered in Florida with links to the Middle East, was the only international company that submitted bids.

However, based on the information disclosed by PWC, Nand Persaud & Co. is the lone Guyanese company that participated in the process – the other companies hail from the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago with ties to other countries.

Based on research done by the Guyana Chronicle, Guygulf International Trading Development Industry and Financial Holding, LLC, was registered in the State of Florida on April 25, 2018 – some six months ago. The company is reportedly linked to the Gulf International Trading Group, which is considered to be the Middle East’s most innovative trading company.

“Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, Gulf International Trading Group was founded with the foresight that tremendous growth in the Region must be facilitated by ecologically friendly building solutions to promote only the highest quality of sustainable development,” the company’s website states.

D. Rampersaud and Co. Ltd, however, is a Trinidad third-generation company established about 50 years ago. According to the com-

pany’s website, initially, it provided a wide range of automotive parts and associated engineering services. Today, it has expanded within the automotive and transport sectors of Trinidad and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Region.

Industrial Equipment Sales & Service (IESS), on the other hand, has been engaged in the supply of high-quality products and services to the oil and gas industry in western North Dakota for over 10 years.

Kadem Sugars Inc. website was “under construction.” As such, information was not readily available.

However, the Guyana Chronicle understands that its representatives who visited Guyana earlier this year to inspect the estates hail from Trinidad and Tobago and India. This newspaper was unable to verify information on Liberty Investments Inc. According to the PWC (Jamaica) managing-director, the company will commence the process of analysing the huge quantum of data contained in many of the bids.

“Our first set is to ensure the bids comply with the instructions provided in the information memorandum,” the Jamaican national posited.

The information memorandums were sold to bidders at a cost of US$1000 and gave potential bidders automatic access to three virtual data rooms that contained information and data about the Enmore, Skeldon and Rose Hall Estates. A total of 12 information memorandums were sold; however, only seven bids were submitted.

Baghaloo explained that the technical proposal, which forms part of the bid, carries 70 per cent of the score; the remaining 30 per cent focuses on the price or valuation and the economics to the country.

Criteria for the technical proposal include information on the financial capacity of the bidder; experience in the sugar industry; quality of corporate governance; quality of management; extension programmes for cane farmers; timing of attaining full capacity; quality of development plans and development plansand linkages with and support of other industries within the country.

Baghaloo said it is important for the government to secure the best possible deals.

“The primary objective of the government is to get a qualified, experienced, competent and well-structured proposal to operate the factories for the foreseeable future; and that is why the technical component is more weighted in the scoring process,” the Pricewaterhouse-

Coopers managing-director explained.

Before bidding for the three estates, the bidders were informed that the estates must remain in the “cane industry,” though not necessarily in the sugar industry.

“As you know, cane is a grass. It is a big grass and so you can use the cane for many things: cosmetics, molasses, liquid sugar, bagasse, energy, cogeneration plants, it could be used for many things. But we want it to remain in the cane industry because we want the lands to remain in some form of agriculture,” he posited.

Weighing in on the matter, SPU Privatisation Specialist Shawn Persaud explained that it is government’s intention to have the ex-sugar workers incorporated into the privatisation arrangement; as such, the requirement to remain within the cane industry was put in place.

Long before the bids were closed, a number of potential bidders had expressed a number of concerns, including regulations needed to ensure fair competition; competition with government; the functionality of the factories; and access to markets currently served by GuySuCo. “The industry has been primarily government-owned and what we are doing is privatising a part of the industry. So there are six factories: three remain with the government and three we are trying to hand to the private sector. So the private sector’s natural concern is how am I going to compete with government? How we will compete with government in terms of access to market; how will we compete with government in terms of access to cane variety?”

Baghaloo explained.

He noted too that the bidders were concerned too with the functionality of the factories. The potential buyers were concerned about whether they were being asked to buy scrap metal, versus a potential growing concern.

Notwithstanding the concerns raised and the request to extend the bidding process, Baghaloo said he is pleased with the response. He noted that within seven days, the first review of bid documents will be completed. The entire process is expected to be completed within 30 days.

Once that is completed, he said PricewaterhouseCoopers no later than 30 days will make recommendations to the Steering Committee and NICIL. NICIL will then make the necessary recommendations to Cabinet.

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

City lawmen cast ballots … turnout low, but process smooth

By Rabindra Rooplall

MEMBERS of the Joint Services in Georgetown on Friday turned out in patches to cast their ballots in this year’s Local Government Elections.

At polling stations across the country, military persons could be seen trickling in, with no lines of consequence to indicate that voting was taking place.

And while People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) General-Secretary Amna Ally said that voting had gone smoothly, she observed that it was very slow.

Speaking from the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary, which was the fourth location she had visited Friday morn-

Commissioner of Police Leslie James casting his vote at the Leonora Police Station Friday morning (Leroy Smith photo)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge and Minister of State Joseph Harmon during one of their many visits to polling stations on Friday

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Maxine Graham casting her vote at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary (Delano Williams photo)

Director of Prisons (ag) Gladwin Samuels casting his vote at the Prison Officers’ Club

ing, Ally said that she had observed that only about a fifth of military personnel turned out to vote at various locations.

“I know we have the entire day, but policemen are on duty, as are other military persons, so I am hoping that they will make use of the day and cast their vote,” she said.

Asked what she thinks the turnout will be like on November 12, Minister Ally said, “We will just have to trust God; and I hope they were sensitised enough to understand that voting at local government is very important.”

She said that over the next few days, the PNCR will try as much as it can to motivate citizens to vote.

FAIRLY SMOOTH Commissioner on the Guyana Elections Commission, Sase Gunraj, was at the Georgetown Prison Officers’ Club on Camp and Bent Streets, as Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels cast his vote.

Gunraj said he visited in excess of 20 polling stations and that as far as he knew, the process was fairly smooth.

He said that what he had observed, however, was that there were many instances where persons complained of not finding their names either on the list or at the

locations. “Most of the cases that were raised with the GECOM staff,” Gunraj said,

“I believe that systems were put in place to deal with those.

“The disciplined services list is prepared with information supplied to GECOM by respective officers of their respective forces.”

And from what he had observed also, none of the stations he visited had any major hiccups; this led him to believe that the situation would remain that way until

ballots close at 18:00hrs.

Commissioner of Police Leslie James spoke with the Guyana Chronicle at the Leonora Police Station where he cast his vote; the commissioner said that as far as he knew, the day was incident-free.

“We have not gotten any reports suggesting otherwise,” Commissioner See page 10

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Berbice lass admitted to practise –– at home in the Ancient County

SURIHYA Sabsook, 25, who hails from the Ancient County of Berbice, was recently admitted to the Berbice bar upon approval of her

petition to practise, which was presented by Attorney Murseline Bacchus before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in New Am-

sterdam.

Sabsook first attended the Rose Hall Town Primary School where she obtained a pass to attend St. Rose’s High

With new Attorney Surihya Sabsook (second right) are, from left, Magistrate Alex Moore; Attorney Murseline Bacchus; Surihya’s mother, Petal Sabsook; and Justice Navindra Singh School in Georgetown.

She was, however, transferred to Berbice High, where she wrote 14 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination in 2009, gaining passes in all of them.

The following year, she wrote two more CSEC subjects, and four units at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) at the New Amsterdam Secondary School.

In 2011, she was awarded a Diploma in General Studies from the Caribbean Examinations Council for securing passes in seven units and received the runner up prize for best CAPE student as well as

the prize for most outstanding law student at New Amsterdam Secondary.

In 2012, she commenced studies at the University of Guyana, reading for a Bachelor’s of Laws Degree and graduating with credit in 2015.

Thereafter, she attended the Hugh Wooding Law School in St. Augustine, Trinidad.

During her time at both institutions, she served on the student representative bodies while advocating the needs and concerns of her fellow students.

Sabsook expressed thanks to all those who helped and supported her throughout her journey to becoming a member of the profession. She thanked

God and her mother while singling out friends and family members who played an important role in her success.

Justice Navindra Singh charged the young attorney to never stop learning. He noted that her first duty is to the court while admonishing her against the lures of social media and its impacts on one’s integrity and profession.

Sabsook is now one of 24 practising attorneys in Berbice.

The young attorney, who currently volunteers her time as a CAPE law teacher at her alma mater, Berbice High School, will be going into private practice in her hometown, Rose Hall.

City lawmen cast ...

From page 9

James said when asked what he thought about the process.

He maintained that the Guyana Police Force remains very vigilant and alert in case of any eventuality leading up to, during and after the elections.

The top cop reported that the process was an orderly one, which was conducted at police stations across the country; additionally,ranks were voting according to their availability.

Asked if all members of the police force were able to vote on Friday, James said he would hope so, as systems were put in place to facilitate that.

He, however, said that if for whatever reason some members of the force could not vote with the rest of their

Acting Chief-Of-Staff Colonel Trevor Bowman led voting for the GDF at Base Camp Ayanganna on Friday colleagues, arrangements would be put in place for them to do so on November 12, with the rest of the population.

Commissioner James said that he hopes to see a smooth

PNCR General-Secretary Amna Ally interacting with GECOM staff at the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary (Delano Williams photo)

voting process on polling day, reflecting the process on Friday.

Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said that all ranks were given requisite time to head to the polls to cast their votes in their respective districts.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, accompanied

by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, visited the Guyana Defence Force Base Camp Ayanganna; they also visited the Brickdam Police Station and the New Amsterdam Town Hall to observe early voting, as members of the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service turned out to the designated polling stations.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Ranks in Region 10 vote early in LGEs

FRIDAY morning in Linden saw a slow start as members of the Disciplined Forces were given the privilege to vote 10 days ahead of the country’s Local Government Elections.

Some 7918 ranks from the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force and Guyana Prison Service were scheduled to vote at 80 locations around Guyana.

However, when the Guyana Chronicle visited the Wismar Police Station and the Mackenzie Police Station in Linden, quietness and very few police officers were observed at the two polling places. Nevertheless, the voting process was described as “good” by Constable Wilson, who is attached to the Mackenzie Police Station.

The Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice polling stations were also located at the Mabura, Ituni and Kwakwani police stations.

In a press release, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) noted that the ballot papers used for voting by members of the disciplined forces were arranged and enveloped by the community’s municipality under the supervision of GECOM personnel; this was witnessed by agents of the contesting political parties, voluntary groups or individual candidates.

The packing of ballot boxes, that were dispatched to polling stations in each

Folios listing members of the disciplined forces who voted on November 2, 2018, will be distributed to presiding officers and party agents.

Electors listed in the folios will not be allowed to vote on polling day.

Back in September, A Partnership for National Uni-

Constable Wilson attached to the Mackenzie Police Station shows off his inked index finger after voting on Friday morning. municipality, was carried out under the supervision of GECOM personnel; this process was witnessed by agents of contesting political parties, voluntary groups or individual candidates. The transporting of all ballot boxes -- to and from ballot stations-- was done under police escort.

After the polling stations were closed on Friday, all ballot boxes were returned to GECOM on the same day; this was done under the secure custody of the chief election officer, who was accompanied by members of the Guyana Police Force.

The ballots cast by members of the disciplined forces will be sorted by local au-

thorities and constituencies, to be dispatched to the respective returning officers for intermixing on Election Day, November 12, 2018.

The press release also noted that the ballots cast by members of the disciplined forces will be distributed on polling day by the returning officers to the relevant presiding officers; these will be mixed with the other ballots cast by civilians and counted at the identified polling stations, which are yet to be announced.

In addition, the respective lists of members of the disciplined forces will be scrutinised to determine electors who voted on November 2, 2018.

Guard committed to stand trial for neighbour’s murder

A SECURITY guard was on Thursday committed

by Magistrate Leron Daly to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of his neighbour.

Shelton Bowen, 41, called “Muslim”, was remanded to prison when he made his first appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on April 27, 2018 at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He was not required to plead to the indictable offence which alleged that on April 25, 2017 at Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he murdered 44-year-old Mark Ifill called “Yankee.”

Magistrate Leron Daly, in her ruling, stated that

based on the caution statement and the witnesses who had testified in the matter, she found enough evidence for Shelton Bowen to stand trial at the High Court.

According to reports, the two men were neighbours and on the day in question, they had a heated argument over the removal of a GWI water pipe.

The argument soon turned into a physical altercation, during which Bowen reportedly dealt Ifill a blow to the head with an object.

Residents quickly intervened and parted the fight.

But he would return minutes later with a knife and stabbed “Yankee” to the left region of his chest.

Shelton Bowen The man collapsed a short distance away; a team of medical personnel from the Georgetown Public Hospital responded and pronounced Ifill dead.

ty (APNU), the Alliance For Change (AFC), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the United Republican Party (URP), successfully submitted their candidates for the eight constituencies on Nomination Day in Linden. Back in July, 2018, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan

announced that Local Government Elections (LGEs) will be held on November 12, 2018.

Bulkan expressed the hope that participation of citizens at LGEs 2018 will be greater than the 43% which obtained at the last LGEs in March 2016.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Friendship man remanded for attempted murder A SECURITY guard was on Thursday remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ court on an attempted murder charge.

Rondel Mitchell 30, of Friendship, East Bank De-

meara [E.B.D], appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman and was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

The charge alleges that on October 28, 2018, at the Meadow Bank fishery wharf, Mitchell discharged

a loaded firearm at Sherwin Anderson, Oquacy Harvey, and Romario Nurse.

Police Prosecutor Quinn Harris objected to bail due to the seriousness of the offence and the penalty it attracts.

According to the facts

presented in court by prosecutor Quinn Harris, on the day in question at around 9:30hrs, Oquacy Harvey was at the wharf when the accused took his cellphone and flashed a picture of him. He then became annoyed and asked the ac-

cused why he did that and as such a heated argument ensued between the men and the accused armed himself with a 9mm pistol and shot Harvey in his abdomen.

The victim was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he underwent surgery.

Mitchell was remanded to prison by the magistrate until November 27, 2018

Rondel Mitchell

Herstelling man remanded on murder charge A HERSTELLING resident, who was remanded to prison some months ago for killing his reputed wife, was on Thursday committed to stand trial at the High Court.

Magistrate Fabayo Azore committed Daniel Watson, 38, of Herstelling Housing Scheme, EBD, to stand trial in the High Court.

The capital offence alleged that Watson, on May 21, 2018 at Herstelling New Scheme, murdered 32-year-old Lowtie Atwaroo called “Mona” Atwaroo.

The man showed no signs of remorse as he stood in the prisoner’s dock. When he first appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, he was represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva, who told the court that his client is employed as a porter at the Massy Group of Companies.

He added that his client was assaulted by the police officers and was made to sign several documents.

According to reports, the couple lived together for a number of years at Herstelling but separated for about two months because of the man’s alleged abusive behaviour. The woman later moved in at her father’s apartment.

Atwaroo reportedly left her father’s home and went to visit her 38-year-old partner. Later, persons in the area heard her crying out for help and when they rushed to the scene, they saw the man holding her down in a trench.

At the scene, a black cap, a one side slipper, a jersey and a black bag were found next to the woman’s body with the head facing north.

An examination of the exposed parts of the body which was clad in a long blue jeans and black jersey, showed no marks of violence.

Cops burn ganja farm, camp in Essequibo

POLICE in Essequibo on Friday destroyed a farm with a quantity of cannabis at the Onderneeming Sand Pit area.

The raid was done between 11:00hrs and 15:00hrs.

Police said acting on information, a group of policemen went to Onderneeming Sand Pit Back Lands, Essequibo Coast. On arrival, they discovered about half an acre of marijuana farm cultivated with approximately 600 cannabis plants measuring from five inches to six feet in height.

The plants weighed approximately 25 kg along with a quantity of dry cannabis estimated weight 2kg. There was a makeshift camp with three hammocks, kitchen utensils, clothing, groceries and farming tools.

All were set on fire by police, no arrests were made.

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

PPP blamed for delinquent MMA/ADA farmers … Min. Holder says party MP encouraging farmers not to pay rentals

MINISTER of Agriculture Noel Holder has pointed his finger at Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dharamkumar Seeraj, for encouraging farmers to be delinquent in their payments to the Mahaica-Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority

The MMA/ADA is making all efforts to collect current as well as arrear charges,” Holder established, adding: “However, these efforts were stymied by the very author who is requesting answers to these questions. As a matter of fact, he was on national television in Berbice en-

Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder (Adrian Narine photo) (MMA/ADA).

The MMA/ADA which is the public statutory authority responsible for management and maintenance of all agricultural drainage and irrigation services in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has over the years, incurred a debt of over $972M. This is a result of farmers and some companies who have failed, over time, to honour their financial commitments to the authority.

Holder made the remarks while responding to questions posed by Seeraj on the state of roads in the Farm and Market Access Roads and across the rice cultivation in the National Assembly on Thursday.

He explained that since the increase in rentals and fees in the scheme on January 1, 2017 more than 1,342 farmers have been delinquent in the payments of their charges out of a total of 2,346 farmers.

However, Minister Holder put forward data to show that most of the arrears are due to land rental and drainage and irrigation charges which were enforced prior to when the scheme made the increases. He reminded that prior to 2017, there had not been an increase for over 12 years and the authority had then found itself in a position where the cost to maintain drainage and irrigation had outweighed the charges paid by farmers.

“Farmers were duly notified by way of the print media and demand notices were served on each farmer.

couraging farmers not to pay the increased charges. It can be inferred that this author is partly responsible for the high level of delinquent farmers.”

Answering other questions posed by Seeraj on the amount of subvention being provided by the government to MMA/ADA for capital programmes in the scheme, Holder gave the total as in excess of $361M. This is for the period of 2016-2017 while the capital programmes in question cover civil works; agricultural development and environmental monitoring.

In 2018, the MMA/ADA received $220M to construct a new sluice at D’Edward Village, West Bank Demerara and to conduct surveys and environmental monitoring. The sluice will, however, cost some $500M and it is estimated that at the end of 2018 the MMA/ADA will spend some $337M on the sluice.

The MMA/ADA through a $6M investment is working to repair the farm and market access roads and across the Rice Belt in Region Five.

The authority is also awaiting the approval of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to carry out other repair works on the all-weather road at a value of $11.9M. Minister Holder established that the 760-mile infrastructure has seen much deterioration due to heavy rainfall and the traversing of farming machinery over the years. As such, the $6M

investment has been made in crusher run, loam and white sand to repair sections of the road while the same, with laterite in the place of crusher run, will be procured for road works to the afore-

mentioned value of $11.9M. Holder stated that although willing to provide assistance, not much can be done during the rainy seasons and there is therefore only a “short window of fair weather during the autumn crop” for repair works.

“Repairs to dams during the rainy season is well-nigh impossible, this activity can only be effectively addressed

during dry periods,” Holder had explained, adding: “The government has been and continues to provide assistance to farmers in maintenance of farm and market access roads throughout the rice-growing areas.

The assistance has been given through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority; the Water Users Association; the Regional

Democratic Councils and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.”

Apart from these, 80 miles of fair-weather roads to enable farmers to harvest their crops and include access in Cotton Tree; Bath; Bush Lot; Lovely Lass; Golden Grove; Brittania; Onverwagt; Tempie; Chester; Union; No. 40 and others.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Global Technology, I-Net support hinterland education … through donation to Global Shapers-Georgetown Hub GLOBAL Technology Inc., in association with I-Net Communications Inc., made a substantial

donation to the community of Paramakatoi through efforts by Global Shapers- Georgetown

Hub. Global Technology Inc. and I-Net Communications Inc. recently

donated one Lenovo desktop computer, one monitor, one stabilizer, one HP printer and four

Global Technology Inc. Marketing Manager Shazim Ali and a representative of Global Shapers, Leota King. flash drives to the Global Shapers- Georgetown Hub for the Village of Paramakatoi.

The handing-over ceremony took place at Global Technology, 210 Camp and New Market Streets, where representatives of both the donor and beneficiaries were present.

Global Shapers Community is a worldwide network of more than 400 city-based Hubs developed and led by promising young leaders; they aim to build their entrepreneurial drive to make a positive contribution to communities.

Throughout the past years the project has evolved to one which allows for not only the provision of stationery supplies, but also offers assistance as far as possible based on the needs of each individual community. This may entail training which is provided to both teachers and

students on how to operate the new equipment.

In 2013, Global Shapers launched a Stationery Drive to benefit students in Guyana’s hinterland communities.

Through the kind contributions of individuals and companies-- both in and out of Guyana-they were able to provide 400 students with stationery kits to begin the 2013/2014 academic year.

The students came from schools in Matthews Ridge, Kurupukari, Monkey Mountain and now Paramakatoi. Global Shapers plans to do much more to provide for hinterland communities in the near future.

Global Technology Inc. and I-Net Communications Inc. look forward in fostering the educational development of Guyana’s young minds and to educate the new and up-coming generation.

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Death row inmates looking for ‘lighter’ sentences

By Gabriella Chapman

ELMO Benedict and Dave Banwarie, who were sentenced to death in April of 2012 for the 2008 Sandhill murder, sought new counsel to again appeal their case.

The matter was heard on Thursday before Chancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings and Justices of Appeal, Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

The new counsel, Attorney Mark Conway, told the court that he wishes to aban-

don what was filed by previous counsel and be permitted to provide new grounds on the appeal for both prisoners.

Conway is appealing on the grounds that the learned trial judge failed to give proper guidance on the standard of proof, failed to direct jury on guidance of manslaughter, in the absence of provocation and failed to adequately address the jury on provocation. He is also arguing that the sentence was too severe, given the circumstances of the case.

The men were sentenced

to death by presiding Judge, James Bovell-Drakes for the March 2008 murder of Rakesh Rajaram.

Elmo Benedict and Dave Banwarie went to the camp of Rajaram in search of Romena Benedict who was the sister of Elmo and reputed wife of Banwarie.

In summary, Conway is arguing that based on the caution statements and facts of the matter, the intention of the two men was not to kill Rajaram. And as such, they should have been tried for manslaughter as opposed

Man remanded for chopping father at 42 Miles 'backdam' A 27-year-old man, who allegedly chopped his father to the head with a cutlass, was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Seon Obermuller appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the charge which alleged that on Sunday, August 12, 2018, at 42 Miles Backdam, North West District, he unlawfully wounded Keith Obermuller with intent to maim, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm.

Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, objected to bail due to the seriousness of the offence.

He further added that the defendant was

charged for attempted murder in 2016. He was also charged that year for wounding his brother.

According to facts presented by the police, on the day in question, Seon and his father were consuming alcohol together. It is alleged that Seon turned to his father and told him “two big men can’t live in one house” and picked up a cutlass and dealt his father a chop to the head.

Obermuller was remanded to prison by the magistrate until November 6, 2018.

The matter was transfer to the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

to murder.

Conway said his clients acted due to provocation as Rajaram had taken Romena by force and it appeared to be a case of adultery. The two men went to her rescue, armed with a cutlass and a hose to defend her.

Considering the evidence, Counsel said that after his clients had beaten Rajaram and realised that he was badly beaten to the point where he could not stand, they built a stretcher out of wood and fetched him out to the landing to get help.

“If their intention was to kill, they would not have carried him out from where they were. They would have left him to die,” Conway said.

He also noted that while Benedict was beating Rajaram, he said to him: “As long as you live, don’t mess around my sister.” This, he said, indicated that he was not going to kill him and that should be ground to attract a manslaughter charge.

Representing the State,

Attorney Diana Kaulesar-O’Brien stated that the learned trial judge would have given directions on intention and aspects of it.

Making reference to previous cases before the court, she

presented further arguments to defend her grounds.

After hearing both sides, court was adjourned and the Chancellor announced that notice for ruling will be sent out.

Pharmacy assistant charged with fraudulent conversion

A PHARMACY assistant was released on $75,000 bail on Friday after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a fraudulent conversion charge.

Twenty-five-year-old Jarod Humphrey appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh to answer to the charge which states that between the months of September, 2015 and November 2017, at Hadfield Street Georgetown, while being solely entrusted by Shawn Dodnaught with $1.2 million to purchase a roof, he converted the money for his own use and benefit.

The man, who is currently pursuing his studies at the Nations University, denied the charge that was read out to him in court by the magistrate.

Police Prosecutor Simone Payne had no objection to bail but asked that a substantial bail be granted.

Bail was granted in the sum of $75,000 by the magistrate and the matter was adjourned to November 23, 2018.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Easy voting in Essequibo MEMBERS of the joint services cast their ballots in this year’s Local Government Elections with great ease at the three polling stations in Region Two as early voting for LGEs kicked off on Friday.

The atmosphere was calm at the three polling stations in ‘G’ Division (Essequibo Coast- Essequibo Islands). Polls

Regina and Leguan police stations. When the Guyana Chronicle visited the Suddie Police Station, ranks were observed casting their ballots. Those traffic ranks who were on duty, voted very early before going out on patrol. Additionally, the Guyana Chronicle observed more female ranks in the division voting as compared to their male counterparts.

Commander of ‘G’ Division Khalid Pareshram shows off his inked index finger after casting his vote According to commander Pareshram, sergeants from various stations reported that the polling exercise was successful and there were no major issues at the locations. He said while it was a normal working

A policeman checks for his name on the voters’ list

Police ranks checking for their names on the list were opened promptly at 06:00hrs at the three polling stations: Suddie, Anna

At each of the stations, agents from the various political parties were present.

Commander of ‘G’ Division Kalid Pareshram, cast his vote around 09:40hrs at the Anna Regina Police Station. He said the process was “quite easy”. There were no major hiccups during the day and voting by members of the joint services was done in an organised manner.

A total of 359 officers were assigned to vote in the division with 86 being soldiers. The votes will be added to the rest of ballots on November, 12 when the Local Government Elections will be conducted.

day for officers, necessary security measures were put in place to enable voting.

Trainees attached to the Richard Faikal Police Training College, voted at the Anna Regina Police station.

Ranks head back to their locations after voting

DDL opts out of tendering for Enmore estate …says unable to find model for estate to fit current investment strategy DEMERARA Distillers Limited (DDL) on Friday announced that after much deliberation, it has decided not to submit a bid for the Enmore Sugar Estate at this time.

The company’s statement comes one day after the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) announced that the tender for the sugar estates, under a process managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), was closed on October 31, 2018.

There was an expectation that DDL would have tendered for the Enmore Estate; and in fact, DDL invested considerable time and financial resources in a due-diligence process to determine the level of invest-

DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo ment required to turn around the Enmore Estate, DDL said in a statement.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, DDL was clearly interested in the preservation

of the sugar industry in Guyana, because it is deeply rooted in who we are as a nation and as a people. Moreover, the sugar industry is seen as inextricably linked to DDL’s rums, for which the value of participating in the industry’s survival is crucial to preserving those links.”

According to DDL, its interest in Enmore is driven primarily by its need for molasses for its core business as a distillery; it noted that the shortfall in molasses experienced after the closure of three GuySuCo estates, had severely impacted DDL’s ability to meet its commitments to local and foreign customers.

“However, in its duediligence exercise, DDL was unable to find a model for the Enmore Estate that would

The Enmore Packaging Plant properly fit within its current investment and development strategy. Nevertheless, DDL remains committed to participate, should the opportunity becomes available in the future,” the statement added.

Moreover, in a comment, DDL Chairman Komal Sa-

maroo is quoted as saying that “we respect the process being conducted by the SPU and PwC; and will continue to pay keen interest in those developments and outcomes.”

Samaroo added that, “if the estate is sold, we

will quickly engage the new owners to ensure that we secure supplies of molasses for our distillery. Should the estate remain unsold, we would equally re-engage to determine if there is a model that works for our shareholders.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Victoria fire leaves seven homeless

A FAMILY of seven has been rendered homeless following a fire at their Lot 7 Victoria Sideline Dam home on Friday morning.

The fire is suspected to have been electrical in origin according to initial investigations done by the Guyana Fire Service.

Eighteen-year-old Samuel Hanover, one of the seven occupants, said he was not at home when the fire started, but he received a message just after 08:00hrs saying that the house was on fire.

By the time he got there, Hanover said, it was already too late to salvage anything.

Reports indicate that around the time the fire

was first noticed, one of his young cousins was on her computer while the other was preparing for school.

From all indications, the fire started at the connection between the Guyana Power and Light Connection and the circuit board to the house.

Hanover said that in addition to him, the home was also occupied by his two aunts, three cousins and his grandfather.

The kitchen of the home is located to the other extreme from where the fire was started, according to one fireman who spoke with the family hence concreting the suspicion that the blaze

was electrical in origin.

One woman who lives close by, said that her daughter was on the veranda when she observed the fire destroying the façade of the house, and was also moving through the roofing and she raised an alarm.

The woman said that she called the 911 emergency numbers, and the person who picked up the phone hung it up on three occasions. She said that the fourth time she called, she was informed to make contact with the fire emergency number 912.

The cause of the fire is still being properly investigated by both the police and

The second building in the yard which was saved from a fiery destruction

fire department.

When the Guyana Chronicle arrived on the scene, the firemen were conducting their mopping-up exercise. They were seen taking water from an open canal, but because of the state of the aged wooden structure coupled with the breeze and the distance the fire tenders were expected to travel, the house could not be saved.

Occupants of a house located close to the one which was destroyed, removed some of their items before the fire could have spread to that building. That building, too, is wooden and appears aged.

A fireman and his colleague mopping up after the fire

Some of the items salvaged from the house which was threatened by the blaze

Mexican Embassy celebrates Day of the Dead

THE Mexican Embassy in Guyana celebrated one of the country’s holidays, the Day of the Dead, by honouring the late renowned writers Sir Wilson Harris, Derek Walcott; Sir V. S. Naipaul; Sergio Pitol and Octavio Paz. In a release to the media, Mexican

Ambassador to Guyana Ivan Roberto Sierra-Medel, explained that the festival is a combination of Native American and Spanish Christian traditions.

He stated further that on the observance, usually lasting between the period of October 31 and November 2, is a

Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Ivan Roberto Sierra Medel and staff dressed as La Catrina (DPI photo)

Scenes of the altar prepared by the Mexican Embassy for Day of the Dead (DPI photo)

time where family and friends who have passed away are celebrated.

“It is deeply entrenched into the Mexican society because it has historical roots leading to the aesthetics and even before that time when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century in Mexico,” Ambassador Sierra-Medel said, adding: “The Catrina tradition also blended with Hispanic tradition…for Mexicans to celebrate and honour our ancestors it is as a very sacred practice because we owe them respect and it is thanks to them that we are here.”

The Ambassador noted that while the holiday originated in Mexico, it is celebrated across Latin America with colourful calaveras [skulls] and calacas [skeletons] as the trademark decorations.

He pointed out that the altar or ofrenda is not for worshipping but to welcome spirits back to the realm of the living.

“The altar is actually filled with offerings such as water to quench thirst after the long journey, traditional food and drink, skulls, candles and marigolds [Flower of The Dead] to decorate the altar among others that will transmit praise, prayers and purifies the area around the altar,” the Mexican Ambassador explained.

Ambassador Medel urged all Guyanese to visit the embassy and view the altar dedicated in honour of the well-known authors and others, to get a general understanding of this celebration.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 3, 2018

Nurses and Midwives Bill tabled ‌aimed at bringing greater regulation to nursing profession

WHEN the Nurses and Midwives Bill 2018 is enacted into law, it can see stiff fines and penalties coming to those who make fraudulent representation or falsify documents under the practice.

On Thursday in the National Assembly, the Bill was presented for the first time by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence.

It states that to make provision for the registration and

regulation of nurses, midwives, nursing assistants and specialist nurses, a15-member Nurses and Midwives Council would be set up.

The council will have the power to appoint several com-

mittees which include an Examination and Education Committee; Disciplinary Committee; Registration Committee and a Finance Committee.

Some of its functions include advising the minister on

matters related to nursing personnel; promoting the interest of nursing personnel and establishing standards of educating and training, among others.

Among a list of its powers, it will have the ability to register, enrol, certify or license nursing personnel; revoke, cancel, suspend or place conditions on any certificate or licence issued, as well as impose fines.

As such, penalties will result for persons who practise without being registered; make fraudulent representation or falsification of registers with a stiff fine of $500,000 and imprisonment of up to 12 months.

Meanwhile, anyone who advertises falsely to be nursing personnel can face a $200,000 fine and imprisonment for six months; and professional misconduct can cause nursing personnel a fine not exceeding $100,000.

The Bill also stipulates the conditions for licences to be revoked or suspended which includes being convicted for an offence which the council believes makes one unfit to serve; non-compliance with provisions of regulations under the Act and the engagement in conduct inimical and prejudicial to the nursing profession.

Should a person refuse to give up his/her licence in this case, he or she can face a hefty $150,000 fine or even three months imprisonment.

Provisions have been made, however, for persons aggrieved

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence by the council’s decision to revoke or suspend their licence to appeal against the ruling to a judge. Regarding the renewal of licences, persons who fail to do so within three months of the December 31 expiration date each year can run the risk of paying a fine of up to $50,000.

The Bill also indicates through which means persons can also complain to the council if aggrieved by an act of professional misconduct committed by any nurse. With the council’s permission, such complaints will be dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee.

The committee will be able to make rules regulating the presentation, hearing and determination of applications received by the council. It will also have the power to summon witnesses and to call for the production of relevant documentary evidence.

Apart from these, it should be noted that funds for the council shall come from monies paid to the council in respect of fees due under the Act; and monies appropriated

by Parliament for the purpose of the council.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

UCI chief condemns Wiggins for labelling drug cheat Armstrong an ‘icon’

(REUTERS) - The president of world cycling’s governing body UCI has said it is “unacceptable” that former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins still regards disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong as one of his icons.

David Lappartient, who was elected head of UCI in September last year, was responding to the fact that fivetime Olympic gold medallist Wiggins has included Armstrong in a book about the most influential figures in his life.

The excerpt compliments Armstrong’s character and sporting exploits. Wiggins said at the Rouleur Classic in London this week that he still speaks to the American who was stripped of seven Tour de France titles in 2012 and banned for life by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after orchestrating a doping scheme.

Wiggins did say he did not condone Armstrong’s behaviour. However, his inclu-

sion as a cycling ‘icon’ did not sit well with Lappartient.

“Bradley Wiggins is Bradley Wiggins so he says some strange things sometimes,” the Frenchman told reporters in London yesterday.

Lance Armstrong

“But, when I saw that, I thought it was unbelievable - that the guy who won the

Tour de France, has been an Olympic champion, has been a world champion and he is (now) supporting Lance Armstrong who has been banned for life for cheating.

“For me this is unacceptable to have some statement like this from a former winner of the Tour de France.”

Speaking on stage at the Rouleur Classic on Thursday, Wiggins said of Armstrong: “He’s a tough character. I know him quite well. I still speak to him - sorry about that - but I can’t change it,” he said.

“This isn’t to condone anything he did. He knows he did wrong. But at some point, you’ve got to get on with your life.”

Cycling was tainted when Armstrong, who had long denied using performance-enhancing drugs, admitted to doping in January 2013. The UCI has been trying to mend the sport’s reputation ever since and Lappartient said

cycling was now “leading the bunch” in the fight against doping.

He was, however, disappointed with the lack of progress on trying to get pain-killer Tramadol on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances in 2019.

Some experts believe that Tramadol can have performance-enhancing benefits. It is on a WADA monitoring list and reports by the body have shown that its use in cycling vastly outweighs its use in other sports.

Lappartient was hopeful that the UCI could prohibit the drug for use in competition on medical reasons by early next year.

“If you need Tramadol, no problem, then you will not be able to ride or take part in a race. I don’t think it’s appropriate in other cases,” he said.

Lappartient succeeded Briton Brian Cookson as president of the UCI in Bergen last year, becoming the first

Frenchman to take charge of the global body since Achille Joinard between 1947 and 1957.

Following his election, he said that he wanted to see a women’s Tour de France within his first term of office.

However, this year the Tour organisers Amoury Sport Organisation reduced their women’s race, La Course, from a two-day event in 2017 to one day.

La Course will remain a single-day event next year and Lappartient said he was putting pressure on organisers to increase their efforts in the fight for gender equality.

“I think one day is not enough ... I met with the Tour de France to discuss most specifically about women’s cycling and I said to them, ‘I think you are the leading organisation in the world, so you have to take your part of responsibility regarding support for women’s cycling,’” he said.

Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez wrap up series for Pakistan A MASTERFUL chase from Pakistan helped them secure their 11th straight series win - and 11th consecutive win in a T20I chase.

They might have taken it to the last over - to the final two deliveries - but make no mistake, Pakistan were in charge of it almost every step of the way.

Pakistan fans have too many bitter experiences over the years, and that mental scarring meant collective sighs of relief were not heaved until Mohammad Hafeez played one of the shots of the day to lift Adam Milne over extra cover for four to seal victory.

But in truth, throughout the innings, Pakistan had paced it well enough to remain one step ahead of New Zealand, who, once again, showed enough to suggest this will be a fiercely competitive tour.

As has been the case with every other team in the world, though, they weren’t quite good enough for this Pakistan juggernaut.

New Zealand had taken the attack to Pakistan from ball one

- literally. Colin Munro, who played some marvellous shots during his 28-ball 44, smashed Imad Wasim for six off the game’s first ball and a late flurry from Corey Anderson took them to 153.

That is around the outer limit of what Pakistan have been able to muster over the past few T20Is, and they needed contributions from every one of their batsmen.

They were up to the task, and though a tight penultimate over gave New Zealand hope, Sarfraz Ahmed’s men had done too much too well to be denied.

After opting to bat, New Zealand tried to follow the template Pakistan have patented in these conditions. Colin Munro played the Fakhar Zaman role to perfection, getting New Zealand off to a flying start and hitting Imad out of the attack.

They were up to 47 for 0 in the first five overs, before the youngest player on the pitch decided enough was enough.

Shaheen Shah Afridi might have been slightly fortuitous to have as many to defend as he did in the final over a couple of days ago, but there could be no complaints today. He sucked out New Zealand’s momentum with a fabulous first over, conceding just three runs and capping it with the wicket of Glen

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Phillips, who was never really able to get him away.

That over was the start of what we might as well officially start calling The Squeeze, as Pakistan drained the life out of Kane Williamson’s men in the middle overs, as they managed just 40 runs off the next eight overs.

Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Imad and Shaheen all played starring roles in that phase, and New Zealand were reduced to biding their time and trying to keep as many wickets in hand for a big enough finish.

They won that phase of play, thanks in part to Hasan Ali being slightly off the pace at the death, but Corey Anderson still needed to play a blinder to ensure his side surged past 150.

Hasan came in for severe punishment, his three overs going for 43 runs, while Shaheen at the other end bowled an exceptional 18th over, allowing just one run to ensure Pakistan didn’t have an even bigger chase on their hands.

Pakistan followed the pattern of play New Zealand had set in the Powerplay. Perhaps a little too closely, in fact, by the end of six overs, they were 50 for 1, exactly the same score the visitors had managed in that period.

Fakhar Zaman, returning from an injury, and Babar Azam, got Pakistan off to a brisk start, scoring 11 runs from each of the first three overs.

Fakhar might have gone on to play a far more match-defining innings had Kane Williamson not taken a stunner that, even by his side’s high standards, was a jaw-dropping grab.

Fakhar had slapped the ball to mid-off, far enough to the left of the fielder for the opener to feel safe about the shot. But Williamson dived full-length to his left, sticking one hand out.

The ball stuck, and both batsmen stared in disbelief at the sensational piece of catching they had just seen.

Pakistan were a bit more fluent in the middle overs, with Babar and Asif Ali rotating the strike and finding boundaries regularly enough not to see the asking rate balloon out of control. But once Babar gave his wicket away as he lost his timing, New Zealand came back into the game.

Hafeez took time to settle in, while Asif’s ability to rotate the strike suddenly disappeared; it was either six or nothing. With four overs to go, he missed a straight, waist-high full toss from part-timer Colin Munro.

It was arguably the worst

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ball bowled of the match, but Asif swung wildly through thin air as the ball cannoned into his back pad bang in front of middle.

The asking rate had now hit 10, and this is where Hafeez took centre-stage. Two sixes in an over off Ish Sodhi - who had bowled rather well up to then, eased the pressure as Pakistan plundered 17 off the 17th over.

Malik at the other end was a picture of calm, and while he made just 10 runs, six of them came via a glorious hit in the 18th over that kept Pakistan on top of the asking rate, ensuring they needed to chase just 14 off the final two.

That became seven off a final over to be bowled by Adam Milne. Malik tried to make quick work of it when he lofted a leg-side full toss, only to see it sail into midwicket’s lap.

But Pakistan still had one experienced head out in the middle, and Hafeez, who finished unbeaten on 34 off 21, was playing too well to come away leaving the job undone.

Another series won, another challenger brushed aside. 2018 might not see a World T20 competition take place, but there is little doubt who commands top billing in this format these days.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

GCB Female Franchise League U-17 cricket

Wins for West Demerara, Essequibo, East Bank and West Berbice THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) female franchise league Under-17 T20 cricket continued with round four matches yesterday. West Demerara, Essequibo, East Bank and West Berbice emerged winners at the end of the day.

At DCC, East Coast won the toss and elected to bat.

They scored 99-3 from a reduced 15 overs, due to heavy rainfall in Georgetown during the morning hours.

Ashaniana Nandan topscored with 21, while Temika Edward chipped in with 18.

Jamaica Simon and Rebecca Renee took one wicket for 21 and 24 respectively.

West Demerara, in reply, raced to their total, scoring 100-3 in 11.4 overs with the player-of-the-match Marissa Carroll top-scoring with 26 not out while support was gained from Varuni Pitambar who scored 24 not out. Shazana Majeed was the most instrumental bowler, grabbing 2-15 while Sarah Amin took 1-17.

West Demerara won by seven wickets.

In the second encounter of the day, Georgetown won the toss and decided to bowl. East Bank made a massive 157-2 in a reduced 15 overs match. Africa Gentle smashed 89 with 16 fours and two sixes while she was supported by Shamya Daniels who scored 19 with three fours. Neha Singh was the lone wicket-taker.

In reply, Georgetown reached 68-9 from 12 overs.

Neha Singh top-scored with 15. Africa Gentle was the most destructive bowler, grabbing 3-10 while Sarah Seecharran

took 2-2. East Bank won the match by 89 runs.

At Bush Lot, Essequibo won the toss and chose to take first strike. They posted 68-2 in a reduced 10 overs match due to rain. Lisa Charles scored 14 not out, while Alicia Duggin was the lone wicket-taker.

Charles.

In the second game, West Berbice won the toss and chose to field. Lower Corentyne posted 81-5 from a reduced 15 overs.

West Berbice made a strong reply with 85-5 in 12 overs. Tia Issac scored the only double figure of 14.

Player-of-the-match Lisa Charles receives her trophy from David Black.

In reply, Lower Corentyne fell three runs short of their victory target, reaching 65-2 from their 10 overs. Ashimini Munisar top-scored with 15. Bowling for Essequibo, Lisa Petterson and Onecia Stoby took one wicket each.

Essequibo won by three runs.

Player-of-the-match was Lisa

Bowling for Lower Corentyne Britney McAllye grabbed 2-11 while she was supported

by Shanaya Fraser who took 1-14. West Berbice won the match by five wickets.

The action continues on Sunday at Bush Lot, Wales and two matches at Enterprise ground.

Djokovic, Federer to meet in Paris Masters semi-final

SECOND seed Novak Djokovic will face third seed Roger Federer in a semi-final of the Paris Masters.

Djokovic fought back from a set down to beat Croat Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours 12 minutes.

The Serb lost the opening set and went 2-1 down in the third before immediately breaking back then moving ahead at 5-3.

Australian Open champion Federer beat Japanese 10th seed Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 in one hour 21 minutes.

The Swiss held off a break point late in the first set before immediately moving ahead in the second.

Last week, Federer sealed the Swiss Indoors title for the ninth time and is now one short from 100 tournament-wins.

Djokovic showed frustration during his victory, aiming an outburst at his

box before serving for the second set, and breaking his racquet after dropping serve in the third.

The 2018 US Open and Wimbledon champion is on a

Novak Djokovic

21-match winning streak and has beaten Cilic in their two most recent meetings.

Fifth seed Cilic defeated Djokovic in this year’s

Queen’s final but the Serb won in the last four of the Cincinnati Masters on the way to a record-breaking victory over Federer in the final.

Djokovic, who has won four Paris Masters titles, will take the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal on Monday.

Russian world number 18 Karen Khachanov beat fourth seed Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in their quarter-final, setting up a last-four tie with Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.

There were complaints from Zverev over noise coming from Khachanov’s box during the match, which finished in just over an hour.

French Open finalist Thiem came from a set down to beat defending champion Jack Sock 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 16 minutes. (BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

58th Nationals launched, stakeholders predict memorable year GTU president Mark Lyte

FROM November 25, Guyana’s top student-athletes and teachers from the 15 districts countrywide will gather to resume, and in some cases begin, thrilling sagas at the 58th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Cham-

pionships at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, the National Aquatic Centre and the National Park.

At the launch on Friday at the Ministry of Education, stakeholders stated that the main aim this year is to make the hosting of the championships the most memorable and competitive one so far.

Mark Lyte, president of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), believes “that we are in for a special treat” and pointed out that in “2018 we will be observing keen competition and I want us (stake-

holders) to work side by side to bring off the best edition of the Championships.”

This was strongly supported by Minister of Education Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer Marcel Thomas.

Meanwhile, Director of Sport Christopher Jones also stated that the National Sports Commission is excited to be involved in hosting the event.

Beverage giant Banks DIH Limited, on board the championships since its inception, has recommitted through Communications Manager Troy Peters.

He was keen to point out that “57 years is no small number and it wouldn’t be the end. We are excited to be sponsoring the championships again, as it brings

together the cream of the country’s athletes“.

Banks DIH Limited will be hydrating athletes and officials with Malta Supreme and the Monde Selection award-win-

ning Rainforest Waters.

The defending champions, Upper Demerara/Kwakwani (District 10), are also the record 16-time winners of the championships.

Back to the drawing board for Jaguars: Crandon (CMC) – Following their defeat to the Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners in the final of the Regional Super50 last Sunday, head coach of the Guyana Jaguars, Esaun Crandon, has said his team intend to work towards improving their play in that format.

The Marooners easily defeated the Jaguars by six wickets at Kensington Oval to claim their first-ever regional title.

Crandon lamented the fact that the 50-over title continued to evade Guyana, but said the team would continue to put in the necessary work.

“We have good quality players in the side, but since 2005 we have not been able to cross that final hurdle and win a championship. Having said that, we’ve put in a lot of work this off-season and a lot of emphasis was placed on

white ball cricket specifically because of our poor showing in recent times and I thought we did a lot more this year in terms of that,” he said.

Esaun Crandon

“Obviously I’m very, very disappointed that we didn’t show a little bit more (fight) in the final. It’s a work in progress and obviously we’re going to go back home and put in some work in 50-over white

ball cricket again.”

While admitting he was disappointed with the result, Crandon said it was a much improved showing by Guyana.

“We are very disappointed as a group. I thought we played some very good cricket in the preliminaries and into the knockout stages. We fought very well against Jamaica to get here to the final, but then we didn’t play our best cricket here in the final, obviously.

“The pitch was a little slow and the bounce was a little bit awkward for our batters and we lacked application, fight and common sense at the end.

We kept losing wickets at crucial times and we didn’t have any substantial partnerships to take us to a respectable total.

“I think 250 or 260 would have been a really competitive total, but I also thought the CCC played some good cricket,” Crandon said.

ECCB-sponsored Elizabeth Styles final at Buxton tomorrow PULSATING cricket action is anticipated tomorrow between defending champions Better Hope and hosts Buxton ‘Carl Hooper ’ Cricket Club in the final of the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB)-sponsored Elizabeth Styles 40 overs competition.

Better Hope, who played undefeated throughout the tournament, will be looking to once again lift the prestigious trophy while Buxton will hope to take home advantage to the maximum.

The winner will collect $375 000 and the Elizabeth Styles championship trophy while the runners-up will receive $75 000 and a trophy. Player-of-the-final will also be awarded.

The ECCB is anticipating a large crowd since, in addition to what should be competitive cricket, music and a well-stocked bar will form part of the Beyond-the-Boundary attractions. Admission is free.

All funds raised will be used to assist in the development of the Buxton ‘Carl Hooper’ Cricket Club.

The ECCB is very grateful and thanked Elizabeth Styles of USA for their involvement and development of cricket on the East Coast of Demerara.

Captain of Better Hope Cricket Club, Clive Rampersaud and captain of Buxton ‘Carl Hooper’ Sports Club, Marvin Cato, pose with the prestigious Elizabeth Styles championship trophy.

Buxton ‘Carl Hooper’ Sports Club will be represented by Devon Benjamin, Marvin Cato (captain), Anthony McFarlane, Clive Andries, Marlon Thomas, Rawley Fredericks, Rawle Merrell, Quacy Douglas, Treon Hatton, Andre McFarlane, Ryan McKay, Winston Edwards, Oslyn Ferrell and Marvin Cole.

Better Hope Cricket Club team will come from Ravi Singh, Clive Rampersaud (captain), Ray Persaud,

Daniel Kowlessar, Bharratt Samaroo, Sachin Singh, Rasheed Rohaman, Rajendra Danraj, Rajendra Singh, Azad Mohamed, Mulchand Singh, Jayadev Manna, Prakash Debidyal, Ryan Pramchan, Sylvan Kowlessar and Anand Persaud.

It is expected that play will start promptly at 11:00hrs. The officiating umpires will be Omadat Samaroo and Gavin D’Aguiar. The match referee is Charles Gibbons.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

Hope, Hetmyer make big leaps in ODI rankings (CMC) – Shai Hope is now the highest-ranked West Indian One Day International batsman, while Shimron Hetmyer has also made a huge leap in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Batting Rankings.

The duo were the two highest jumpers in the latest rankings, thanks to impressive performances in the just-concluded five-match ODI series against India, which the Windies lost 3-1.

Hope scored 250 runs in the series at an average of 62.50, which allowed him to rise 22 places to 25th on the list, while Hetmyer, who was the West Indies’ leading run-scorer in that series with 259 runs at an average of 51.80, has jumped 31 plac-

es to be now ranked 26th.

The two batsmen are enjoying their career-high rankings and are now separated by only nine points.

But, more importantly, the Windies now have two rep-

resentatives inside the top30 among batsmen.

India captain Virat Kohli who completed 10 000 ODI runs on his way to a series aggregate of 453 runs has consolidated

Shai Hope (left) and Shimron Hetmyer were the two biggest jumpers in the latest ICC Batting Rankings.

his position as the topranked batsman.

Kohli earned 15 points, lifting him to 899 points, 28 ahead of second-ranked team-mate Rohit Sharma, who collected 29 points following his series total of 389 runs. His points-tally of 871 is his highest to-date.

In the Bowling Rankings, another Indian in Jasprit Bumrah holds the top spot after achieving a career-high 841 rating points, which is the highest in ODI bowling since Shaun Pollock had 894 points back in 2008.

There is no West Indies bowler in the top 30, with off-spinner Ashley Nurse’s ranking of 33 being the highest on the list, with captain Jason Holder being ranked 36th.

Sir Viv named as CWI ambassador (CMC) – Legendary former West Indies captain Sir Vivian Richards has been named to the Cricket West Indies Ambassadors programme ahead of the ICC Women’s World T20 20.

Sir Vivian Richards

The 66-year-old Richards is a two-time ICC Cricket

World Cup winner. He is also a National Hero of Antigua & Barbuda and is a member of the ICC Hall of Fame.

Sir Viv will make appearances to promote the tournament which will be played in Antigua, Guyana and St Lucia from November 9 to 24.

While saying it was a honour to be named an ambassador, Sir Viv said he hoped the West Indies women would successfully defend their title.

“I am truly honoured to be an ambassador and play my part in supporting the women’s game. This is a huge event to have come to our shores. I am doing this on behalf of Antigua & Barbuda and Cricket West Indies and all the stakeholders involved in women’s cricket.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday November 03, 2018)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) (1) (2)

ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: Sadagoppan Ramesh (vs WI, Singapore, 1999-2000) Clive Lloyd (vs ENG, the Oval, 1973)

TODAY’S QUIZ: (1) Which Indian player has scored most runs in ODIs without a century?

(2) Which Indian has recorded most runs in ODIs without a hundred?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

I am humbled to have the semis and final played at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground as well - a symbol that we can host and deliver a major international event on the world stage,” Sir Viv said.

“I am really looking forward to this tournament. From the moment I heard it was coming to the region I wanted to be part of it. I really like the way our West Indies team is looking. We have the power of Deandra Dottin, the class of Hayley Matthews and the great batting and captaincy of Stafanie Taylor, along with some other excellent players.

I believe they can win it again for us. They are a really good, professional group of players and they look fit and focused.

Our girls are on top of their game and doing great things.”

He also called on fans from across the region to come out and support the team.

“I am hoping the fans come out in their numbers in all three venues and support this tournament.

My message is ‘this is going to be big. It is going to be great’. If you look at the way the game is going and growing, you can see

there is progress. People are keen to see how the game has developed, so now is the time to get on board and support. I will do everything I can to make this a success,” Sir Viv said.

Dottin leads Windies Women to victory over England in warmup match Deandra Dottin scores an unbeaten 43 to guide the Windies Women to victory.

(CMC) – Deandra Dottin crafted an unbeaten 43 to help the Windies Women defeat England by five wickets in an unofficial warm-up match ahead of the start of the ICC Women’s World T20 on Thursday night.

Playing before a crowd of over 5 000 fans at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, the home side bowled out the visitors for 116 in 19.5 overs, with spinners Afy Fletcher (314) and Anisa Mohammed (3-24) being the main destroyers.

The bowling effort was helped by some superb fielding and catching, which saw two stunning running catches by Chinelle Henry and a brilliant dive, pick up and throw by Dottin to effect a run-out.

Promoted to open the innings for the first time, Dottin scored 43 not out off 44 balls with a four and a six, to lead Windies Women to 117 for five off 19.1 overs.

She shared two important partnerships, firstly 34 for the fourth wicket with Britney Cooper, who played some classy strokes in 22 off 18 balls, with two boundaries and a six.

The key partnership was an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 45 with Kycia Knight, who ended on 16 not out off 18 balls.

Head coach Hendy Springer lauded Dottin for her responsible batting effort.

“It was a tremendous and responsible effort by her in her first opportunity at the top of the order. She batted all the overs and guided the team to victory. This is what we had in mind when we thought of moving her to the top. It was not a heavy score but a relevant score and the way she went about her business was very professional and very well-timed,” Springer said.

“It was very important to start this way, with such great energy and such brilliance in the field. We produced a number of chances, most of them we held onto, and it was great to see the way we went about our business. It says a lot about the way our players are being prepared and it says a lot about their receptiveness.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

GBTI GCC Tigers continue strong showing in GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships

COURTS Pee Wee Football tournament…

GBTI GCC Tigers continued to storm through the women’s first division competition of the GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships with an 8-0 trouncing of Saints on Thursday evening.

The dominance of the GBTI ladies is evident as they have not conceded any goals in their first three matches, winning each of them by a minimum of four goals. The Saints men managed their first win of the men’s first division competition by squeezing past Supernova by 2-1.

With an easy deflection goal in the second minute

by Aliyah Gordon, after a well-constructed build-up, GBTI GCC Tigers seemed well on their way to another dominant victory over Saints.

The girls in grey, however, put up a spirited show against the powerful national champions and held GCC scoreless for the next ten minutes. While GBTI ladies seemed a bit scrappy in their approach, they finally got themselves back together and it was a plethora of goals from there.

Vanessa Pires and Marzana Fiedtkou scored in the 12th and 20th minutes to amass a halftime score for GCC of 3-0. In the second half, it was all GBTI GCC again as they drove home five more unanswered goals for the easy victory.

The COURTS Pee Wee football semi-finals will be contested today.

GBTI GCC Tigers striker Gabriella Xavier attacks Kezia Chinian of Saints.

Supernova, comprising a national Under-19 selection, were first on the score sheet against Saints when prolific goalscorer Warren Williams converted a penalty corner in the 3rd minute. Saints drew even just before the half through the diminutive Hilton Chester and then go one up to seal the win by a Nickel Ashby field goal in the 25th minute.

GCC continued a dominant evening of ladies hockey when GBTI GCC Spice edged the Woodpecker Hikers 1-0 in the women’s sec-

ond division competition while Bingo GCC Spartans blanked Saints by 2-0.

Old Fort Mustangs continued their unbeaten run in the veterans division by burying Antonio’s Hikers, 7-4 while GCC Pitbulls got their first victory in the men’s second division with a 4-2 win over the Hikers Cadets.

Pepsi Hikers and Old Fort Lamborghini lead the men’s first division table with 6 points each with Bounty GCC and Saints in a tie for third spot on 3 points.

GBTI GCC Ladies have 9 points to top the women’s first division table so far with Woodpecker Hikers on 6 while Old Fort 2.1.2 and Bingo GCC Spartans share third place with 3 points each.

In the two-pool men’s second division competition, Old Fort Top Form lead Pool A with 6 points while Old Fort Rogue top pool B with 4. GBTI GCC Spice head the second division table with 9 points followed by Bingo GCC Spartans 7, Saints 3 and Woodpecker Hikers 1.

Jamaican super-stock invasion carded for Ignite THE best motorcycles in the business of Jamaican racing have been confirmed for participation in the Guyana Motor Racing’s Ignite race meet, set for November 10 and 11.

Six super-stock motorcycles have been confirmed from the Reggae Isle ahead of the mega race event, billed for the South Dakota Circuit.

The Jamaican charge will be led by Robert McDonald, and includes McShane Heslop, Kyle Reynolds, Mario Woon, Gregory Cross and Norman Chung.

After some shipping issues, the team finally loaded last week before shipping out to Guyana.

The cars will be represented by Group four competitor Peter Rae. Rae, who celebrates 50 years of racing this year, told Chronicle Sport that he is ready and raring to put on a good show.

Final spots up for grabs today

“It was not a good year here (Jamaica) and then Trinidad but I’m definitely coming to Guyana to get the Zoom Zoom back to flying ways.

“We did some tuning after our local event, the car is back in action and we are going to turn a lot of heads,” the Jamaican said.

The Ignite race meet of the GMR&SC will form the basis for the final leg of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championships 2018.

Competitors are expected from Trinidad, Barbados, USA, Canada and Europe to compete in Groups 1-4 as well as super-stock motor-

Peter Rae earlier this year in Trinidad (Mikey Spice photo)

cycles.

Apart from those competitors, there are events for local cars like the Choke Starlet Cup, Miracle Optical Street Tuner class and the Sport Tuner event. There is also a scheduled race for 125cc lightweight motorbikes as well as a class for amateur riders called the Street Cross.

Tickets for the packed 27race programme are on sale at the cost of $2 500; children $1 000, at B.M. Soat Auto Sales, Croal Street office.

Next Saturday (10th) there will be the time trials beginning at 10:00hrs in all the classes followed by official races from 13:20hrs in the Street Cross Motorcycle, 125cc Motorcycle, Street Tuner, Choke Starlet Cup and Sports Tuner which will be 10 laps each.

The feature race will see 20 gruelling laps in the first anticipated clash in the SR3 Radicals Cup.

THE finalists for the COURTS Pee Wee football tournament will be determined today when the semi-finals kick off at the Ministry of Education ground.

In the first of the matches, Tucville will oppose St Pius from 15:30hrs while semi-final two pits West Ruimveldt against Mocha from 16:30hrs.

Prior to the semi-final matchups, there are several seeding games beginning at

noon, when Colaaco meet Soesdyke and Timehri face Plaisance in the 13-16 playoff.

Marian Academy and Mae’s clash from 13:30hrs on pitch one with South Ruimveldt tackling Enterprise on pitch two in the 12-9 playoff games.

St Agnes and Golden Grove are up from 14:30hrs, vying for the 8-5 spots with St Ambrose and North Georgetown also looking for seeding.

Bolt, Central Coast Mariners part ways

Usain Bolt and the Central Coast Mariners have parted ways.

(CMC) – Usain Bolt’s dream of becoming a professional footballer has been put on hold after the eight-time Olympic gold medallist and Australian A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners parted ways.

The decision was made after Bolt’s representatives were unable to find a suitable commercial partner to supplement a prospective contract, the Mariners said in a statement Thursday.

According to reports, the 32-year-old was seeking an annual salary of $3 million, but the offer on the table was apparently set at $150 000 per year.

And while the Australian Football Association was prepared to help the Mariners fund a deal, the total proposal ultimately fell short.

In a short statement, the Olympic record holder in the 100 and 200 metres events thanked the Mariners for the opportunity.

“I would like to thank the Central Coast Mariners owners, management, staff, players, and fans for making me feel so welcome during my time there,” Bolt said. “I wish the club success for the season ahead.”

The latest development was not a surprise, however, as Mariners’ coach Mike Mulvey had hinted earlier this month that Bolt would have had a difficult task breaking into the side.

“You have a look at our front line today and you wonder whether he could get into any of those positions, wouldn’t you?” Mulvey asked at the time. “I do appreciate how important this story is for the rest of the world.”

During his negotiations with the club, Bolt turned down a two-year offer from Maltese outfit Valletta FC.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday November 3, 2018

Ireland, Bangladesh optimistic ahead of ICC T20 World Cup

By Michelangelo Jacobus AT a press conference yesterday at the Marriott Hotel, the respective captains of Bangladesh and Ireland women’s team, Salma Khatun and Laura Delany, both expressed optimism as regards to their team’s chances at the fast-approaching ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The two teams will head into action tomorrow when they clash in the first official warm-up match here in Guyana at Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Ireland’s Delany noted that while the “conditions are very different from back home, we’re quite happy; we had a couple of good sessions and we’re looking forward to acclimatising as soon as we can ahead of our first warm-up match against Bangladesh.”

She also revealed that the team has different targets and strategies that they set for different teams.

Meanwhile, she also pointed out that the experience against New Zealand and Bangladesh in recent months will be valuable. Some of the key players for Ireland will be 17-year-old Gaby Lewis who bats at number three, 22-yearold all-rounder Kim Garth and 35-year-old Isobel Joyce who is one of the most experienced player in the current side.

26-year-old Delany, who was appointed captain just last month also posited that since the last World T20, Ireland have learnt a lot.

“The game has evolved and we are trying to challenge ourselves and we have targets set for each game, I’m pretty confident that with all the hard work we put in over the last 18 months we will be able to meet our targets.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Khatun also underscored the importance of preparation, noting that she’s happy with the composition of the team. We have a variety of players, they

have worked very hard for the last year and a half, I’m very hopeful that we’ll do well at the world cup.”

One of Bangladesh’s main goals, according to Khatun, will be to reach the ‘Super 4’ stage.

“We’re hopeful about reaching the Super 4, it’s a challenge for us playing at this level; we’re hopeful nevertheless.”

Ireland were the first team

Bangladeshi captain Salma Khatun

to arrive in Guyana on Monday night, while Bangladesh touched down on Thursday evening. The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup which is being hosted by three Caribbean countries inclusive of Guyana will bowl off on November 9 and end on November 24.

The ten teams who will

Captain of Ireland, Laura Delany (Adrian Narine photos)

be competing are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland and Bangladesh.

Eight of the ten teams qualified automatically, with Bangladesh and Ireland finishing first and second respectively at the Qualifier tournament in July of this year in the Netherlands. They won their respective semi-final matches in the qualifier, to advance to the Women’s World Twenty20 tournament.

FIXTURES ICC WWT20, 2018 WarmUp Matches (Guyana) Sunday, November 4 Bangladesh vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 6 – South Africa vs Australia at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 6 – Bangladesh vs Pakistan at 20:00hrs Wednesday, November 7 – England vs India at 16:00hrs

Wednesday, November 7 – Windies vs New Zealand at 20:00hrs ICC WWT20, 2018 Match Schedule (Guyana) Friday, November 9 – New Zealand vs India at 11:00hrs Friday, November 9 – Australia vs Pakistan at 16:00hrs Friday, November 9 – Windies vs Bangladesh at 20:00hrs Sunday, November 11 – India vs Pakistan at 11:00hrs Sunday, November 11 – Australia vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 13 – Pakistan vs Ireland at 16:00hrs Tuesday, November 13 – Australia vs New Zealand at 20:00hrs Thursday, November 15 – India vs Ireland at 11:00hrs Thursday, November 15 – New Zealand vs Pakistan at 16:00hrs Saturday, November 17 – India vs Australia at 11:00hrs Saturday, November 17 – New Zealand vs Ireland at 16:00hrs.

Guatemala ‘trample’ Guyana 4-0 Enthralling two days expected at CONCACF U-20 Championship at Guyana Open golf tournament

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Guatemala’s Carlos Alvarado easily gets by Guyana’s Ryan Dowding during his side’s 4-0 win at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

IT WAS certainly not the type of start coach Wayne Dover wanted, but in their opening game of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, yesterday, Guyana went down 4-0 to Guatemala.

The scoreline doesn’t truly reflect how much the Guyanese men were over-

whelmed by a sturdy Guatemalan side who led 1-0 at halftime at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA. Prior to Guatemala’s Rudy Barrientos goal in the 45th minute, Guyana custodian Johnathan Vaughn pulled off some crucial saves following several relentless attacks by the Central Amer-

icans.

At one point, Guatemala enjoyed 90% of the ball possession, while Guyana failed to make a proper run on goal.

Dover started with Vaughn in goal, along with Cecil Jackman, Lionel Holder, Kwai Marsh-Brown, Bevan Baker, Ryan Dowding, Jalen Case, Ryan Hackett, Kelsey Benjamin, Job Caesar and Thair Britton, but the Guyanese lads seemed comfortable staying back and defending, while the Guatemalans were having a field-day.

So poor were the Guyanese, that Britton’s shot in the 20th minute from approximately 35 yards from goal was the only attempt for the men from South America.

Guyana will be hoping for a better showing against Cayman Islands on November 6, as they face Curacao on November 8 before closing off their group stage against El Salvador on November 10.

ALL systems are in place for two enthralling days of golf at the Guyana Open Golf tournament, which tees off today at the Lusignan Golf Club on the East Coast of Demerara.

It is expected that more than 100 golfers will tee off this morning - fewer players than the organisers anticipated.

The men’s draw will be intriguing with a show of force which includes eight-time champion Avinash Persaud, but according to Lusignan Golf Club president Aleem Hussain, it will definitely be a big challenge for both defending champions.

Guyana’s Christine Sukhram will be defending the ladies’ crown and according to officials of the LGC at least 12 female players will be battling for top honours this year including Joaan Deo. “This is the largest tournament ... in the past we had around 75 competitors, but this year, 102 golfers will take the field, including players from ten foreign countries,” Hussain said in an invited comment yesterday.

The Medal Play tournament will be played over 36 holes with action starting at 05:10hrs each day. Players will

Christine Sukhram

compete in three flights - the A flight (0-9 handicap), B flight (10-18 handicap) and C flight (19-28 handicap).

In an invited comment, Sukhram revealed that defending her Guyana’s Open title will certainly take profound concentration, determination and the will to win.

Speaking with this publication yesterday, Sukhram said she is prepared to defend her title at all costs.

Meanwhile, Trophy Stall

continues its strong support towards the LGC. The business entity yesterday handed over a number of trophies for the twoday tournament.

The presentation was made by Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall to Joaan Deo. According to Ms Sunich, the donation is part of the business entity’s way of giving back to sports locally. Golf has become a visible sport which we expect to grow tremendously in the years to come.

See Page 31

Ireland, Bangladesh optimistic ahead of ICC T20 World Cup

Bangladesh Women’s Cricket team arrived in Guyana on Thursday. They were given a warm welcome at the Guyana Pegasus International Hotel.

Guatemala ‘trample’ Guyana 4-0 at CONCACF U-20 Championship

Enthralling two days expected at Guyana Open golf tournament

See Page 31

See Page 31

The Lusignan Golf Club on the East Coast of Demerara looks in tip-top shape, as a few golfers put in some final touches for this weekend’s tournament. (Adrian Narine photo)

Guyana’s Kelsey Benjamin (left) and Jalen Case battle Guatemala captain Rudy Barrientos for ball possession during their CONCACAF U-20 Championship fixture yesterday, in Florida, USA. (Photos compliments: CONCACAF)

Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall hands over one of the trophies to Joaan Deo. Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2018