Guyana Chronicle E-paper 12-22-2018

SATURDAY 22th December, 2018

No.105496

AFC Charandass Persaud voted with PPP on no confidence motion

‘JUDAS’

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AT CHRISTMAS Mother killed in 14 De Kinderen crash PAGE

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‘All is not lost’ –– say gov’t MPs, coalition supporters in wake of passage of no-confidence motion

By Gabriella Chapman and Tamica Garnett AS Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Charandass Persaud uttered the word “yes”, chaos erupted outside the Public Buildings.

And with good reason, as contrary to what was expected of him as a member of the government, his was a vote that was in favour of the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) against the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government.

So it was small wonder that Persaud’s response came as a total shock to the crowd of people, as they were already rejoicing in confidence that the PPP/C’s attempt to take over will be shut down.

Before the commencement of the session on Friday afternoon, right through to the end result in the evening, the APNU/AFC coalition supporters flocked the barricades around the vicinity of the building, clad in their bright green and yellow, waving posters and placards.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon reassuring supporters outside the Public Buildings Combing through the crowd, the Guyana Chronicle spoke with some of the persons to garner their perspective on the motion.

One said, “the no confidence motion should be brought against Bharrat Jagdeo because he failed to realise that in the House right now, his party only has 32 seats as opposed to the government which has 33 seats.”

Another said, “Jagdeo is a man who believes in public mischief. There’s nothing of any kind of substance in regards to what he’s into.

What I have found is his Minister Simona Broomes celebrating with the desire for power, and not crowd outside the Public Buildings before the comSee page 8 mencement of the hearing

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

GUYOIL records $1.8B net profit after tax in 2017 –– a 29.13 per cent decrease

THE Guyana Oil Company Limited (GUYOIL) recorded a net profit after taxation of $1.849B in 2017 compared to $2.609B in 2016. The sum represents a 29.13 percent decrease in net profit after tax, according to the company’s annual report (2017) which was laid in the National Assembly on Friday.

According to the report, the net profit before tax for 2017 was $3.104B compared to $4.456B in 2016 – a decrease of $1.352B or 30.34 per cent.

It was explained in the report that the reduction in profitability recorded in 2017 when compared to 2016, was a result of the performance of motor gasoline.

“The major contributing factor was the performance of motor gasoline, which accounted for 58 per cent of revenues in 2017. Gasoline sales and the associated gross profit both declined by 4.67 per cent and 21.5 per cent respectively in 2017, as compared to 2016,” the company explained in its report.

Despite a shortfall in profit, GuyOil said it continued to honour its corporate responsibilities during 2017 by contributing $6.240M to community-based organisations and institutions involved in sports, education, culture and charitable work.

It added too that “the management and staff were able to meet the strong competitive market challenges in 2017 by continuing to deliver consistent, reliable, efficient and cost-effective international quality services. The streamlining and restructuring of the company, which began in 2015, was completed and fully implemented in 2017.”

It said though it lost its market share with respect to its flagship product, motor gasoline, efforts have been made in 2018 to arrest the decline.

“The company’s drive to expand its market share for fuel and lubricants dictated an aggressive posture, with deliberate emphasis on aggressive pricing strategies and continuing staff training and development. In 2017, GuyOil introduced the environmentally friendly Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) to the Guyana market.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mark Bender, in his report noted too that during 2017, GuyOil continued its programme to consolidate and strengthen its delivery capacity. Capital expenditure for the year was $777.502M.

Conscience, not coercion

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

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–– says AFC’s Charrandas Persaud in his defence

By Svetlana Marshall

IN what can only be described as a defining moment in the history of Guyana, Alliance for Change (AFC) back-bencher Charrandas Persaud voted in favour of an Opposition-sponsored No-Confidence Motion against his government when the matter was put to a vote in the National Assembly on Friday night.

Persaud’s dissenting voice in the House left the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Members

APNU/AFC Members of Parliament present at the press conference following the vote in favour of the No Confidence motion against the government (Photos by Adrian Narine and Delano Williams)

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo assures the nation of the coalition government’s strength in unity at a press conference held following the vote in favour of the No Confidence Motion

of Parliament (MPs) dumbfounded. Though repeatedly urged by his colleagues to change his vote, he remained resolute in his position.

The attorney is now being dubbed a traitor, but according to him, he was guided by his conscience and not because he was coerced by the Parliamentary Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Minutes after voting “yes” to unseat the David Granger Administration, Persaud, on the corridors of the Public Buildings, told reporters that he was grossly disappointed in the AFC, the party to which he belongs.

“We are sitting in Parliament like ‘yesmen’ to APNU, and we are AFC,” he said.

“And we have not blended with APNU. The other parties have; we have not. The govern-

ment is APNU+AFC; we have not blended.

So why are we doing everything they want to do, like passing Prime Minister Hamilton Green’s Pension Bill?” Persaud told reporters.

Back in March 2017, the APNU+AFC Government had used their one-seat majority in the House to pass Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Bill, a move that sees him now receiving a monthly sum of $1.3M. But Persaud said he had openly objected to the passage of the Bill, only to have the AFC throw its support behind APNU. “We are not opposing anything,” he said.

“We are not saying ‘no’ to anything, and that is what my problem is. I can’t stand that. As Jessica Levy, in the House of Commons in Great Britain, said, there are times when you have to vote according to your conscience and not because of party affiliation.

This is a Government MPs maintain all is not lost conscience vote,” he said.

A CONSCIENCE VOTE Amid speculation that he was coerced or even paid by the PPP/C to vote against his government, Persaud maintained that it was a conscience vote.

“I am not a PPP member; I am not affiliated to the PPP,” he said. “This is not because of the PPP; this is because my conscience is now clear. My life may go but you know what I will die a happy person with a clear God damn conscience.”

According him, moments after voting “yes” in favour of the no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government, he received several threats on his life.

“Volda Lawrence was sitting in the cafe-

teria and said whoever crosses the floor, she will kill the person; throw them over the rail,” he alleged. However, his colleagues on the governing side of the House have all denied ever hearing such statement uttered by Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence.

But Persaud clearly is not a fan of Lawrence. According to him, he had urged Leader of the AFC, Raphael Trotman to call out Lawrence over her statements on employing supporters of the People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R), a major bloc of the APNU. “But what did Trotman do? He, as Leader of the AFC, defended Volda Lawrence!”

The MP, who would soon be handing in his resignation, also criticised the government over its decision to downsize the operations of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and by extension the sugar industry.

“You destroyed the lives of sugar workers in a village and a district that I live in, and I can’t live with that,” Persaud said. “So if I die now, people may not be happy with what I have done, but I will die a happy person and have a clear conscience.”

Persaud said that on Thursday he wrote a letter to his son, encouraging him to be a good father, and that he will be visiting his grandchildren, hopefully soon. However, in the event that something happens to him, Persaud said he has written a letter detailing the reason for his action for which he has asked his secretary to make public.

HEAVY SECURITY Amid heavy security, the MP exited through a back gate of the Public Buildings, and was whisked away in a white ve-

All heads turn as MP Charandas Persaud votes in favour of the opposition’s No Confidence Motion

hicle. Many PPP/C MPs exited the building through the said back gate as well.

The gates at the front of the Public Buildings were closed, and manned by members of the Guyana Police Force, as APNU+AFC supporters lined the road awaiting answers.

Voting on the no-confidence motion took place after more than six hours of debates, with the heavyweights, five from each side of the House, speaking to it.

The opposition members had also voted “Yes”, and when Persaud’s name was called by Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, he, too, said “yes”, putting a temporary halt on the voting process.

His name was called for a second time, and again, Persaud said “yes”, even as his colleague, Jermaine Figueira and several others were heard encouraging him to change his vote.

At that point, Speaker of the House, Dr. Barton Scotland, intervened, asking that the votes for the government benches be taken again from the top. And when it came down to Persaud, for a third time, he said “yes”.

When the numbers were tallied, 33 persons had voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion, and 32 against.

EMERGENCY MEETING Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo led all the Government MPs, with the exception of MP Persaud, into an emergency meeting following the conclusion of Friday’s sitting.

At a press conference thereafter, in Committee Room #2 of the Public Buildings, Minister Nagamootoo acknowledged that the Opposition, with the help of Persaud, has unseated the government. Noting that it was an open and transparent debate, he said that despite the outcome, it must be recorded that Parliamentary democracy had striven.

However, he said, “Government will meet to decide on the status of that member (Persaud) who has been informed that this was not an occasion on which a conscience vote would be taken, and had undertaken to fully support and be in solidarity with his side.”

The PM told reporters that Persaud had exhibited no sign of disgruntlement, and had undertaken to vote against the motion when a meeting was held earlier on Friday.

Government’s Chief Whip Amna Ally echoed similar sentiments. “At the meeting here this afternoon, we asked whether See page 8

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Trump supporters turn on him

--over failure to seal border-wall deal SUPPORTERS of US President Donald Trump have turned on him after he was yet again denied funding for a border wall.

Late on Wednesday, the US Congress approved a spending bill to keep federal agencies open until February.

The Republican president was foiled in the Senate by his own party, which refused to grant him any of the $5B (£4B) he wants for a US-Mexico wall.

Two years on, Mr Trump has been unable to deliver on the central campaign pledge that electrified his rallies.

Congress faces a Friday midnight deadline for avert-

ing a partial shutdown of the federal government.

Failing to agree a longer-term spending plan, the Senate has only been able to approve a seven-week extension of funds.

The House of Representatives is expected to act on the legislation later this week.

President Trump told Republicans on Thursday afternoon he would not approve any deal that denies him wall funding, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Mr Trump has repeatedly suggested in the past he will reject budget bills that include no money for his project, only to sign such measures once

they reach his desk.

But fears of a government shutdown over the wall have set markets on edge.

On Thursday, the Dow fell by 2%, over 400 points, to a 14-month low, according to US media.

Members of the ultra-conservative House of Representatives Freedom Caucus were up in arms over the apparent retreat.

North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows, a key Trump supporter, said: “He [Trump] campaigned on the wall.

“It was the centre of his campaign. The American people’s patience is running out.”

He called on the president to veto the bill and renegotiate.

Ohio congressman Jim Jordan noted in exasperation that it will only get more difficult next month, once Democrats take over the House.

“Let me get this straight,”

Mr Jordan tweeted. “Our chances of getting the Wall will be better in February when Nancy Pelosi is Speaker than now when we have the majority?

“Give me a break.”

Mr Trump’s champions in the media are also upset by his failure to seal the deal.

Breitbart News called it “a cave”. The Drudge Report used the headline, “Trump in Retreat”.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh said the president is going to “get less than nothing”.

Right-wing columnist Ann Coulter, author of In Trump We Trust, recently predicted he will not be re-elected.

“Without a wall, he will only be remembered as a small cartoon figure who briefly inflamed and amused the rabble,” she wrote.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham also posted a critical tweet. (BBC)

Saturday, December 22, 2018 04:30 hrs - 14:30 hrs

Putin voices support for Trump, Brexit

RUSSIA’S President Vladimir Putin has accused the UK and US political classes of “disrespecting” the public by questioning the Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election.

“They don’t want to recognise his [President Trump’s] victory. That’s disrespect of voters,” Mr Putin said.

“It’s the same in Britain: Brexit happened, but nobody wants to implement it.”

The president’s comments came at his yearend press conference in Moscow.

Russia’s leader also said British Prime Minister Theresa May has no choice but to follow through with Brexit, as failing to do so would undermine UK democracy.

“She must enact the will of the people, expressed during the referendum,” he said.

“Or otherwise it is not a referendum at all: Doing it over and over again if someone did not like it [the result]. Is it a democracy?”

Mr Putin described relations with the UK as “in deadlock”, saying it was in both countries’ interests to improve matters.

“Are we interested in restoring full relations with Britain? Yes, we are interested,” he said. “And we know that British [companies] work pretty actively here.”

The UK is one of a number of Western countries that have enacted economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, and the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in southern England.

Mr Putin also addressed his country’s strained ties with the US, saying he did not know if he would meet President Donald Trump soon or not. “ We m u s t n o r malise our bilateral relations; we are ready for this, as soon as the other side is ready too,” he said.

Wa s h i n g t o n h a s invited the Russian leader to visit in 2019, but such a visit could prove controversial because US intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow meddled in the 2016 US presidential election in favour of Mr Trump.

(BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Church leaders warn Haiti is facing an abyss PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – The Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) says the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country is on the brink of an abyss, and hopes that the new year will allow Haitians “to walk and come to a true pact of trust and thus give real content to a new spring for our people”.

In its traditional Christmas and New Year message, the CEH said that the Christmas Season is “marked by the great evils that affect our country, whose list is known to all”.

But it listed the “failure of State institutions, the escalation of violence, armed gangs at the pay of powerful sponsors, the growing economic debacle leading to intolerable impoverishment, widespread

corruption, arrogant impunity, mistrust, non-compliance respect for the sanctity of life and brazen attack on the dignity of the human person” as among the “evils” affecting the country, and to the grieving families said, “we still express our strong sympathies, and we wait for the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to be apprehended and brought to justice.

“The nation is digging the abyss of its annihilation. It is on the brink of this abyss that the Son of God comes today to join us. It holds out his hand to us, and emphatically tells us to trust in Him, trust in ourselves and trust one another. This climate of trust is the sine qua non of any desire for dialogue,” the CEH said, adding: “We are more and more

‘Vincy’ man jailed --for raping his wife

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – A 39-year-old man, who was found guilty of raping his wife four years ago, has been sentenced to 13 years in jail.

An eight-member jury had, in November, also found the man guilty of assaulting his wife between October 15 and 18, 2014, occasioning actual bodily harm.

The man’s name or identity is being withheld, and the jury had also returned a guilty verdict that on December 13, 2014, he abducted his wife and assaulted her.

However, the jury was split evenly on a second charge of rape, allegedly committed between October 15 and 18, 2014.

There was also a hung jury on a charge of aggravated burglary and damage to property, crimes the man was accused of committing on December 13, 2014.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Sejilla McDowall had asked the court for an adjournment for the Crown to decide on a course of action regarding the charges on which the jury did not reach an agreement.

During the trial, the court heard that the couple was having marital problems, and that there was no communication between them while the wife was in England for three months caring for an ill sibling.

The jury accepted the prosecution’s case that the man had raped his wife on October 13 after he forced himself into an apartment where the woman was living with their son.

The court heard that the man had wielded a pen-knife during an argument with his wife, and that during the fracas he demanded whether or not she had been faithful to him.

The court heard that the man had sex with the woman against her will.

But defence counsel, Ronald “Ronnie” Marks argued that the couple had engaged in “make-up sex”.

convinced that we must organise the rescue of our dear country. To this end, every son and daughter of this country must play an active and decisive role. This requires us to pull ourselves together, to make very demanding sacrifices, knowing that we will never do anything too much for the sake of our motherland, which we all love.”

It said elected officials, at all levels “must give up the undue and extravagant privileges that you grant to the detriment of the primary and vital needs of the people.

“You must act before it is too late. You who are invested with the judiciary, you are called to make the law and the justice prevail in a system decried and considered corrupted. We call on your impartiality, your indepen-

dence, your integrity and your courage.

“You who are engaged in political parties and who work to conquer power, we remind you that power is a service.

Therefore, you are called to silence your passions and personal ambitions so that it is the country that always wins.”

The religious group said it was also urging members of the civil society as well as citizens who “sincerely love this country” to work honestly on its development.

“Your role is to contribute to the transformation of society. Also, you are asking us to resist any blindness, pressure, intimidation and manipulation.

“Sons and daughters of Haiti, all that we have just told you, will be a dead letter and a vain word as long as

the venom of mistrust alters and distorts our relations.

We must recognize this, the mistrust engendered by fear reigns between us and hampers the advancement of our country.

“We must fight it. And this fight goes through the education of the conscience for a culture of truth, loyalty and probity,” the CEH said, adding that going into the future “there is Mary, a model of trust and compassionate respect for the other.

“She never despaired or lost confidence even at the foot of the cross. Every time we look at Mary we want to believe in the revolutionary force of tenderness and affection,” the CEH said, quoting Pope Francis.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Jean-Henry Céant

called for a truce to street demonstrations by opposition parties seeking to remove the government from office.

The opposition parties have been staging the demonstrations in support of their calls for President Jovenel Moise to step down, after accusing him of not investigating allegations of corruption in the previous government over PetroCaribe, an oil alliance of many Caribbean states with Venezuela to purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment.

Several people have died as a result of the protests, and western countries, including the United States, have authorised the departure of non-emergency government personnel and their families from the country.

TnT sees decline in Poinsettia sales --even though plant’s a Christmas favourite

IT SEEMS the state of the economy is affecting how people choose to decorate their homes and offices during the festive Yuletide season this year.

And with only a few days to go before Christmas Day, plant shop owners have reported a decline in the sale of Christmas favourite, the Poinsettia plant, whose bright red leaves usually is a must-have for decorations at this time of the year.

Shop owners breed these plants way in advance to meet the need of customers each year. It takes eight to ten weeks for the plants to blossom.

This year, so far, the plant is fetching low prices at the markets. In San Fernando, several stores have the poinsettia for sale at $45, as compared to last year’s price of $100 and up. Orchids, which have become a Christmas gift item within recent years are being

‘Foreign’ bandits rob Claxton Bay store

THREE bandits, believed to be foreigners, robbed a Claxton Bay store owner at gunpoint on Monday of an undisclosed sum of cash and food items.

Reports are that at about 14:00hrs, the gunmen entered Basics & Beyond Pharmacy and Convenience Store at Cedar Hill Road.

The men spoke Spanish among themselves during the robbery. There were no customers in the store at the time. The owner made a report to the Couva CID, and Sgt Ramdial and PC Ramoutar are leading investigations.

sold at $50 and up, as compared to $100 and up last year.

Many of the zinnias and marigolds are now sold for 50 per cent less at $20 each, at the south shops. Hansrajie Ramba, manager of Aranguez Agri-Centre, said plant sales have declined by 100%.

“It is less than a week before Christmas, and normally we would have sold thousands of plants for wholesale and retail customers already. This year, we still have over half of out Christmastime plant stock still to be sold,” she said.

Ramba said that she has reduced the price of the poinsettias, giving customers five plants for $100. “This plant is seasonal, and this is why we must sell them out before the Christmas season,” she explained.

She is hoping that people will come in over this weekend for last-minute shopping as is a ‘Trini’ norm. Southern Plant Shop in Penal was sell-

ing poinsettias for as low as $30 each.

Shop manager, Roma Maraj said business has been way slower than last year.

“I believe people buy plants and decorations way in advance for Christmas,” she said.

Maraj added that with less than a week to go before the big day, the emphasis appears to be on food and drinks rather than plant decorations.

Like Ramba, Maraj, too, is hoping that sales will pick

up this weekend, since she has many poinsettia plants waiting to be sold.

Poinsettias is a favourite decoration for Christmas, as many, especially Catholics, see its flowers and leaves as being shaped like the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Wise Men to the Baby Jesus.

The red- coloured leaves, for some, symbolise the blood of Christ, while the white leaves represent His purity.

(TrinidadNewsday)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Delivering On Housing

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HE present proposed community approach to housing development should be based on past experiences and such projects should have characteristics such as community playgrounds, business centres, health clinics, schools and proper infrastructures and basic services.

Some communities across the country are Tucber Park and the Town Council schemes in Berbice, Henrietta and Suddie Housing Schemes in Essequibo, and Tucville and South Ruimveldt in Georgetown, to name a few. Where Guyana is pursuing a Green Economy there may be other characteristics.

In 2016, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) had said that it would expend $50B to revamp the housing programme. Recently, Minister Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, who is the minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, announced that some 350 to 400 new housing units will be constructed across the country next year. In addition to building those housing units in 2019, the ministry will work with the private sector to deliver additional units across the country, she said, adding that houselots will remain available to persons who are desirous of constructing their own homes.

The government, she asserted, continues to move forward with a plan to provide adequate housing by building complete housing units. According to the minister, so far for this year, 202 complete housing units were built, while the construction of an additional 52 will be done by the end

of December.

She said that 149 of those units were constructed in Perseverance, East Bank Demerara (EBD), 76 of which were two-bedroom duplexes and 42 two-bedroom elevated units.

In addition, 17 units were built at Experiment, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 10 two-bedroom units in Onderneeming, Region Two (Essequibo Coast). Those, she said, were just the testing ground, because those have communities never received housing units.

One of the deficiencies that has to be admitted within recent times in the construction of houses, is that Guyanese are building these with little or no attention paid to our tropical environment and our low-lying coastal plain,which is below sea level. It has become a feature to see houses built for style and not for convenience. In this regard, it is not unusual to see houses here that are more appropriate for temperate environment, like North America and Europe.

Such construction places financial burden on the home owner to properly ventilate, necessitating the purchase of fans or air-condition units which increase electricity consumption and cost.

The government may find it useful to look at constructing houses appropriate to the tropical environment and with a “green” economy focus factor in ventilation and energy saving. Alternative energy supply can examine solar energy where panels are installed on the roof, giving persons the option to go fully solar or create hybrid energy (fossil and

solar). Or it may be worthwhile to explore the possibility of establishing a solar grid specifically for some communities.

Linden is well placed to experiment with alternative energy given its energy bill.

The employment of skills to build these houses allows the government to begin the streamlining of and bringing this category of labour into the formal economy, and consistent with the employment laws. Such compliance will see obligations being honoured to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act and so forth.

Waste management can entail testing the viability of moving away from septic tanks to that of building sewage plants. Doing this will bring Guyana into honouring its obligation under the Cartagena Convention in liquid sewage management. The placement of new communities is likely to see some displacement of the natural landscape.

When this is being done, it would help to ensure efforts are undertaken to comply with sustainable management of the flora and fauna, and even waterways where they exist.

Guyana is moving into new territory, though it is returning to the value of building communities. Where the green economy is being pursued as the developmental thrust, the possibilities are endless. The new terrain should be tackled, head on, with gusto, not only for the challenges that it will present, but the new frontiers and opportunities for growth and development.

Bartica has full confidence in APNU+AFC gov’t Dear Editor,

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‘CLEAN, Green and Safe Environment’ in three years is just about enough for the people of Bartica to express Full Confidence in the APNU+AFC government.

Bartica is slowly recovering from decades of political troubles. We have seen it all, from a bloody massacre to removal of the elected NDC and its replacement by a politically appointed IMC. Residents were sold house lots in the Five Miles Housing Scheme at exorbitant prices despite there being no basic infrastructure (electricity and water). In addition, millions were invested in the upgrade of the water network, an upgrade that never came to fruition. Residents continue to receive water every other day.

The Byderabo dumpsite was allowed to become an environmental crisis and heavily polluted both the Essequibo River and a nearby creek. Whenever rain fell residents in that area used an alternate road, since flies would get into their noses as they hopped through worms crawling across the road.

The timber industry which employed hundreds of workers in the many sawmills in and around the community and brought much life to Bartica, quickly dwindled and today is actually non-existent. The business community was forced to supply its own power because of the frequent power outages. Moreso, the dilapidated transport stelling only added to the woes of those doing business. Today, Bartica has seen a genuine commitment to

development by the present government. In less than a year after taking office, the APNU+AFC government made Bartica a town and gave us the mandate of leading Guyana’s “green” development. It was the beginning of a new era, which continues to see improvement and development in many areas, among them being: 1. Bartica was awarded just under 600 million Guyana dollars to improve its electricity supply.

2.The town was also awarded an additional 500 million dollars to restore the transport stelling and its supporting infrastructure.

3. Millions were spent on the Byderabo dumpsite, curbing the environmental crisis that existed. A new site has since been identified and preparations are well under way to constructing a modern waste management site.

4. Bartica now enjoys its own radio station.

5. We celebrate the opportunity to elect our own leaders in local government elections.

6. Our community is safer since we are home to the police ‘F’ Division headquarters.

7. Domestic tourism has been significantly boosted, since visitors are no longer limited to the massacre-related ‘Monument of Hope.’ Instead, tourists are now afforded the opportunity of exploring our many green spaces while enjoying government-provided free Wi-Fi. 8. Many government buildings are now “greener” with the installation of PV systems.

9. Residents of Five Miles Housing Scheme will have elec-

tricity by the first quarter of 2019.

10. For the first time in its history, the entire township of Bartica will receive daily water supply by the end of 2019.

11. The present construction of the Magistrate’s Court and soon- to-be completed passport office will most certainly make true on the promise of the “good life” for all.

12. The Bartica Hospital continues to be transformed as it fulfils its mandate of becoming a regional hospital. The installation of the CT Scan and soon-to-be commissioned water ambulance will significantly boost our healthcare delivery.

13. Significant investment continues to be made in sports and education. The Bartica Sports Centre is expected to be completed by mid-2019.

Mr Editor, we Barticians have seen improvements in and around our community. Let it be known, the people of Bartica will not be hoodwinked by selfish political ambitions.

We have noted with much disgust the campaign of “doom and gloom” and the continued attempts to drive fear into the populace through various media. Mr Editor, let it be known that we stand by His Excellency President David Arthur Granger and his government in this challenging time, and say to all Guyana that we will not be moved by any pitiful political agenda which is founded on deception and untruths.

Regards Gifford Marshall Mayor, Municipality of Bartica

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Sooba should not receive any compensation Dear Editor,

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LEASE refer to an article which appeared in the December 5 edition of your newspaper captioned, “The Commission of Inquiry recommends that compensation be paid to Ex-Town Clerk Carol Sooba for wrongful removal from position.” Mr. Editor, I clearly recall the saga of Carol Sooba and the Georgetown City Council that rocked Georgetown.

The tenure of the new local government lady was characterised by public outbursts, insults and insolence of the highest order. Looking at the television one would be taken aback with the level of debate and the moral and intellectual degeneration that persisted at the Council.

Indeed, the tenure of Sooba was like a tantalising soap opera. Citizens would be glued to their television every day in anticipation of the next episode that would keep them entertained. The media reported that

on August 15, 2015, the council moved a motion that the Town Clerk Carol Sooba proceed on administrative leave to facilitate an investigation into the waving of $80 million dollars in rates, the unlawful deduction of councillors’ stipends and utilising of the council’s monies without the permission of the finance committee. The motion moved by the council did not go down well with Sooba and she refused to leave the chambers and City Hall compound.

Citizens can recall the outburst and confrontation that took place between Sooba and City Constabulary ranks in full public view. Finally, Carol left the council and never returned because of the humiliation she experienced. However, in spite of all that happened, it was her duty to return to work after her leave was finished, but her pride did not allow her to humble herself. The fact that she did not show up is an indication that she was no longer interested in the job.

By virtue of her actions or inaction, she terminated her own services with the City Council. The CoI has

recommended that Sooba be compensated based on a letter she submitted. Did the CoI take the time to study the facts of the matter? If this recommendation is implemented, it would have serious implications for the council, the Local Government Commission (LGC) and the Ministry of Labour. It is implying on the surface that if you terminate your service the state should compensate you.

I suggest that all those persons whom by virtue of their own actions caused their employment to be terminated by local authorities across Guyana should be adequately compensated. This decision of the CoI is inconsistent with the labour laws and regulations. I am of the view that the recommendations of the CoI were written before the investigation.

This recommendation is a travesty; it lacks legal substance and should not be implemented.

Ethnic Relations Commission on which I am a commissioner.

I wish to go on record as saying that it is not so.

I have a media background as far back as 1983[4] as a non-fiction graphic illustrator, a fiction writer/ illustrator, cartoonist, letter writer and columnist and commercial advertiser, using for the first time local design artwork in ads.

The Ethnic Relations Commission that I served on as the Afro-Guyanese representative is not a convenient and casual flag that any commissioner on it would waive to his or her pleasure unsanctioned and without permission from

its collective authority. The content of the interview will resonate with hostility from supporters of the accused, this I understand. But this was presented from me as a known cultural and social activist; that constituted part of the reasons for my constituency selection on the ERC; the other and more important is the diligence through which I present my media work on any subject. I hope this suffices, especially those bent on accepted intrigues of swift propaganda.

Regards Myrtle Sobers

Clarification of a misguided official insertion Dear Editor,

I

T was brought to my attention and I read it myself that an official online service adopted the text and inserted a constitutional commission that I am serving on in a letter/interview recently done in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper, December 19, Page 2. It was used as a background reference when it should not have been used at all. This insertion was quickly misconstrued, dishonestly adopted for obvious reasons, and presumed to be an announcement from and on behalf of the

Regards Barrington Braithwaite

President should extend pardon to those incarcerated for small amounts of ganja Dear Editor,

I

T was reported in the December 19, 2018 media that President David Granger has pardoned three female prisoners as a demonstration of his Christmas spirit. This is heartening.

However I, and I am sure many other Guyanese, would also like to encourage the President to extend his Christmas spirit to releasing all prisoners who are wasting three years of their lives

in the lock-ups for possession of minute amounts of marijuana. All this while his administration can’t get their act together to jail those high-profile white-collar PPP hack criminals. He should also ensure that social services are extended to those released on marijuana charges. It’s now widely known that marijuana is now a legal commodity in Canada and parts of the US. Deliberately denying changes to the law is an act of outright discrimination against the

Rastafarian community who regard within the context of their religious activities, and affects in no small measure many African-Guyanese youths.

All the faults this administration might find in those youths can be traced to economic mismanagement back in those years the PNC would dearly live to forget, but nevertheless seems intent on repeating.

From an economic perspective, there’s no reason that these youths should be incarcerated in the first place, since

it has been scientifically proven that marijuana has significant health benefits when used appropriately, in stark contrast to cigarettes. Within this context, releasing these incarcerated persons restores some measure of justice.

Secondly, these youths and other individuals lose three years of opportunities to develop themselves socially and increase their earning capacity through experience garnered by working. There is also the lost income associated with their incarceration,

which also impacts their families’ welfare, inclusive of children, who are dependent on them as either the main, or one of the breadwinners within the home.

With respect to creating value and increasing welfare, there can be no greater measure than the immediate release and associated squashing of charges, government can adopt in respect of these incarcerated individuals, since in addition to returning income- earning capacity to affected

homes, affected families will no doubt benefit from increased social stability as husbands, fathers and sons return to their respective homes.

So in the true spirit of Christmas, not to mention improving the administration’s political image, the President is urged once again to release those youths and individuals incarcerated for minute amounts of marijuana.

Regards Craig Sylvester

8

Conscience, not ...

From page 3

there were anybody with dissenting views and he did not indicate,” she explained.

A BETRAYAL According to her, this is a clear case of betrayal.

“I think that we were totally betrayed by Mr. Charrandas’ actions tonight; we had no indication that that as the way he was going to go,” she added.

Nonetheless, the Prime Minister explained that according to Article 106 of the Constitution, upon the passage of a no-con-

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

‘All is not ...

From page 2

being a part of the money in this oil thing, it seems to be running this man mad.”

An elderly woman said, “I would like to see the government, if it is permissible, to bring forward a no-confidence motion against him (Bharrat), because he should not have been the Opposition Leader.

“By right, Mr. Ramotar should have been the Opposition Leader, and the fact that he is sitting there right now, it shows that he’s a bully. And in this country, we do not need bullies; we need to get rid of him.”

A young woman who looked like she is in her teens said, “I don’t think that the opposition will be successful with this motion, because we can see all the developments we have received and all these things.

“We have full confidence in the government. I believe that our government is fit and proper. Our president may be a bit ill right now, but we are confident that he will come back to great condition so he can lead this country.”

over three years and look at the improvements we have seen; more than what they have done in 23 years.

“I know the government is not perfect, but they are trying; and they have done enough for three years. You know how many people jobs on the line there? I can’t believe Charandass!”

“The coalition government will be reelected government of this country,” another woman said confidently. “The youths have confidence in this government. What happened just now was a total payout, and I understand that it’s all part of politics. “When a coalition government is working together,

voting the position taken by the government, which is not to support the No Confidence Motion. This is not time for a No Confidence Motion.’

“He looked like he was somewhat puzzled; perplexed. We all were shocked, due to the fact that we had a caucus before, and there was no dissenting voice.”

ELECTIONS With the motion now passed, according to the Constitution, the government has to call elections within 90 days (three months) or at such a time that two-thirds of the National Assembly agrees with.

A DRASTIC TURN The day took a drastic turn for the happy people. Returning to get their sentiments after the decision was passed, the people were in a rage and were screaming harsh words. Some were even in tears, wailing at what they saw as “a betrayal”.

APNU+AFC Coalition supporters on Friday what you have to understand is that the minority will always have some dirty game to play. That is what transpired just now, and it’s a fact that we have to accept.

“All we have to do is start working from now to ensure that our party is re-elected into power.”

Several Ministers and Members of Parliament came out to console the broken people.

They (the people) were urged to regroup and come stronger. “Focus” and “be smart and don’t resort to violence,” were some of the advice they were given.

“We beat them once and we’ll beat them again,” Minister Simona Broomes said to cheer up the daunted crowd. They then started to beat their drums and chant “we shall overcome.”

Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan says that robust security measures are in place to ensure peace is maintained fidence motion, the Government is mandated to resign, and hold elections within three months.

He made it clear that the Government shall remain in office until elections are called. “This is a matter that will engage the

A woman broke down in tears outside of Parliament building after hearing that the PPP/C won the no-confidence motion Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence embraces some of her supporters and assures them that the government will do its best in the interest of all citizens attention of the Government and our legal advisers as to what are the options available, and what is the timeline for those options.

But as I said, the Constitution says elections within 90 days,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.

The Government is calling on all Guyanese to respect to outcome of the motion, and to conduct their business as usual. The no-confidence motion was filed by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo in November.

Speaking again with the supporters, one man said in a disappointed tone, “Charandass chooses to support the AFC party because he would have had no confidence in the PPP. He came to government by virtue of the coalition. Charandass came to the Parliament and he chooses in the 2015 elections to support the coalition against the PPP. “But as a venomous snake, come into this Parliament with a no-confidence motion brought from the opposition towards this government and voted yes.”

A crying woman said, “They were there for 23 years, and all of the things they are talking about, they have done it worse.

“This government has been there for just

REELING IN SHOCK Persaud’s about-face also left many government Members of Parliament (MPs) reeling in shock.

Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) MP, Jermaine Figueira, who was sitting next to Persaud at the time, was the first to question him seconds after he voted in favour of the motion.

Figueira thought that perhaps Persaud was confused as to what he was supposed to say if he was voting against the motion.

However, seconds later, Figueira’s greatest fear was confirmed, when Persaud declared that he was making a “conscience vote”, and reaffirmed his stance with another three yeses supporting the motion.

“I was shocked! I thought he didn’t know how the government was voting; that’s why I touched him I said, ‘Charandass?’ “Obviously, I was dumbfounded! Flabbergasted, to say the least!” Figueira said, adding: “I really wanted to know if he didn’t hear how the other MPs for the government were voting, so I touched him. I said, ‘Charan, is no we saying, so why is it you’re saying yes?’

“And he said, ‘Is a conscience vote.’ And I said, ‘Is not a conscience vote. You are

In the event that the country must go to elections in the first quarter of next year, Figueira is confident that the coalition government has the support of his Upper Demerara-Berbice region, notwithstanding a low turnout at last month’s Local Government Elections (LGEs).

“We have to come to the realisation that a comparison of LGE and national elections is totally two different elections,” Figueira said, adding: “I am very much confident and persuaded that the people of Region Ten understand the importance of us retaining the government.

And I am very much confident that they will give their unwavering support to us when elections are called.”

His sentiments were echoed by Essequibo Island-West Demerara’s MP, John Adams about the hosting of early elections next year. Adams believes the APNU + AFC government’s track record will speak for itself.

“All has not been lost,” Adams said.

“I’m positive that what we have done as a government so far the Guyanese people are going to judge us.

“Despite what the opposition would’ve said, people have not forgotten what the PPP administration did in their 23 years in government, so I have all confidence that the Guyanese people are going to judge us when we go to the polls.

“And I’m positive that we are going to be victorious again as we were last time around.”

Like Figueira, he, too, is left reeling from Persaud’s blow to the party.

“It was unexpected. I thought he made a mistake since everybody else was voting yes, [but] then he said yes out three times which confirmed what he was saying and as his colleagues we were saying: Charandass, what’s wrong? What’s wrong? He was bent on saying yes.

Then I said well Charandass is with the opposition and as long as he voted with the opposition we knew that it would’ve been 33 against 32 and that the motion would’ve been carried,” Adams noted.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Confidence motion was aimed at shoring up Jagdeo’s relevance – Ramjattan

By Rabindra Rooplall IN defending the APNU+AFC coalition government’s track record, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan Friday evening in the National Assembly said that the parliamentary opposition failed in its bid to put forward a case of no-confidence against the government.

“The defence of a no-confidence motion will be the vote that will turn it down, so you can go on and on and on… the discussion here is just to show the relevance of the PPP and especially of the mover of the motion (Bharrat Jagdeo),” Minister Ramjattan said.

Noting that the PPP has not selected its presidential candidate to date as promised, but the opposition leader still warms the seat, Ramjattan said “he wants to be the only dinosaur that survives” not giving the bright younger talents in the party a chance to serve.

Condemning the parliamentary opposition for polarising discussions along ethnic lines, Ramjattan said many insinuations and innuendos were used during the PPP’s presentation from almost every member that spoke. “They indicate that they want ethnic audits and all manner of things, making this government to appear as a once [sic] race government… we don’t want to bring on the dirty kind of politics that is polarising, racialising and radicalising people, NO! We want a situation where we can have disagreements, robust debates, but don’t step across the line,” Ramjattan said.

Adding that APNU+AFC was elected to government for five years, while the PPP was selected to serve as opposition for five years, Ramjattan said “that is only in the

first instance, so please do not juxtapose the fact that what happened in the Local Government Elections (LGEs) to mean we will do badly in the next regional and general elections.”

The Public Security Minister further said that in the 23 years of the PPP’s rule, LGEs were held only once, while within a few years under the current government they was held twice. “That is one aspect of things we have done that people are proud of-- local democracy; we have ensured that there is a public procurement commission now… when a number of audits were done, it showed corruption was extraordinary under the PPP and a whole set of wrongdoings were seen,” Ramjattan noted. Ramjattan described the opposition’s arguments in support of the motion, as the “most scattered and disaggregated.”

He rubbished the opposition’s claims that a government Member of Parliament will vote in favour of the motion.

“They [PPP] are venturing into the dark and are hoping someone on this side will support them,” he added. “They [PPP] love to talk but we [government] are doing… and that is what will take the country far.”

DRUG TRADE He alluded to the administration’s efforts in fighting the drug trade and importantly, human trafficking, moving from tier 3 under the PPP regime to now a tier one under the coalition government.

Adding that there were improvements in tackling piracy and crime, the public security minister reminded the parliamentary opposition of the support its administration received publicly by convicted criminals during the 2001

-2008 crime wave period.

Acknowledging that currently crime is being tackled, Minister Ramjattan said he has discussed with the police commissioner, crime-fighting strategies to be implemented by the Guyana Police Force.

According to the minister, the crime rate under the coalition is still lower than it was years ago under the previous administration. He noted that reports have increased since the 911 system has been working effectively. This government, Minister Ramjattan said, is moving apace and ensuring jobs are created for young people. Ramjattan said Guyana’s relationship with Interpol and almost all the police forces in the Caribbean has improved under the coalition government.

“We have to have a lot more toleration of each other, the rivalries will be there, but the rivalries must not be subversive or operate as subversion to the constitution,” he advised the parliamentary opposition.

“And it is important that we know what the consequences can be and we don’t go that far.”

DEFEND YOUR RECORD People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall said the no-confidence motion against the government is to ensure that they defend their record and policies while in office.

“It is not about standing here and stating how we [PPP] have performed when we were in office; we have moved the motion on behalf of the people of this country to say to you that you have underperformed in breach of your manifesto policies,” Nandlall said.

Adding that the AP-

NU+AFC manifesto is very impressive, Nandlall said that is the reason persons voted because they saw the promises proposed in the manifesto, but many of these were never realised. Most importantly, Nandlall said that constitutional reform which was a promise and commitment has not become a reality to date.

“The manifesto is 100 pages of undelivered promises,” Nandlall asserted.

The former attorney general (AG) also cited several examples where court cases where brought against

the government for violations of the constitution.

He chided the incumbent AG for his failure to make progress in constitutional reform; moreover, pointing to the failed promise of a law school in Guyana.

According to Nandlall, it is time for the government to resign, since the opportunity that they were given went to waste.

“You have been given an opportunity and you have failed, so I invite you to resign respectfully, or else we will vote you out later” Nandlall asserted.

Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

‘Ill-conceived, ill-timed, –– AG says of opposition-led motion malicious’ –– pledges gov’t continued restoration of judiciary independence

By Alva Solomon AMONG its first tasks since assuming office in 2015 was to ensure that the judiciary functions on its own, he said.

And that’s what the APNU+AFC government has been doing right up to this point in time; guaranteeing that, that arm of governance remains autonomous, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams told the National Assembly on Friday as he vehemently opposed the no-confidence motion tabled by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

“It was the APNU+AFC government which, among its first acts, restored the independence of the judiciary by passing legislation to determine their budget without any direction from the government,” Williams said, adding that this was seen as the triumph of the restoration of the rule of law here.

As he defended the record of the government, Williams said that the administration will continue to ensure that the judicial system functions on its own, unlike under the Peo-

ple’s Progressive Party (PPP) government when it was in a quagmire.

“We also had a broken judiciary,” he said, adding that at one time, the acting chancellor of the judiciary also decided to act as chief justice, and was stopped only by the intervention of a High Court judge.

And the reason this happened, he said, was all because the PPP government used legislation which

ensured that the functions of the chief justice were transferred to that of the chancellor.

“It was a broken system,” the attorney general said, which, despite being rejected by successive Leaders of the opposition, was allowed to flourish under the PPP administration by continuing to select one individual to hold the office of chancellor of the judiciary.

Opposition MP Gail Teixeira during her presentation in the National Assembly on Friday (Adrian Narine photos) What this resulted in, he said, were the two positions being “acting” positions for more than a decade, a situation which the current government inherited.

And to remedy the problem, he said, the current government invited Jagdeo to decide on the way forward for the two positions to lead the judiciary, recalling that at one point Jagdeo even refused to confirm the two nominees.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS As Williams spoke on the government’s record, he told the National Assembly that the administration has accomplished many feats in the past three years, including

cleaning up the economy of dirty money by ridding it of the “muck of narcotics trafficking”, corruption and other serious offences.

“We have prepared our economy to receive clean money from our oil and gas,” Williams said to loud applause from the government side of the House.

He also spoke of the “dark times” the country endured under the previous administration, likening it unto a “theatre of war”; a time when the Roger Khanled death squads reigned supreme as judge, jury and executioner, and hundreds of “sons and fathers” were killed.

He talked about the disappearances after persons were taken into custody, among them 40-year-old Franz Britton Wills and one Daniel Jones. The attorney general recalled that after Wills went missing in January 1999, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had asked the then PPP government to account for his safety. But instead of doing so, the PPP denounced the organisation, and Wills was never seen or heard of again.

He recalled that during this “dark period” too, many young people were dragged before the courts and faced trumped-up charges.

He said the APNU+AFC government is only three years old, and as he looked across at the opposition leader, Williams noted that Jagdeo has “many, many more fiveyear periods” in that post.

Williams made reference to the PPP’s term in office when a number of women were killed. He said under that government, women such as Donna McKinnon and Donna Herod were killed by persons unknown.

He recalled that Mckinnon was killed while protesting against the PPP government near Freedom

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams as he addressed the National Assembly on Friday afternoon House on Robb Street in 2001, while Herod died after she was shot at Buxton when the security forces fired indiscriminately close to a nursery school.

“It made Guyana a failed state,” he said.

STILL DIVISIVE During his speech, he said the opposition continues to work to divide the populace as he noted that the motion was ill-conceived, ill-timed and malicious. “It would never steal the merit of Christmas,” Williams said, as he informed the opposition of the meaning of the season.

He said the Guyanese people have seen change, even as he rejected the no-confidence motion moved by Jagdeo. The attorney-general said what the opposition on Friday said in Parliament was repetitive of what it stated during the recent budget debate.

Opposition MP Gail

Teixeira spoke on Friday of the party’s recent performance at the Local Government Elections and that result which led to it taking the no-confidence motion to the National Assembly.

She said the party wanted the motion debated before the budget which was presented on November 26, 2018, as she explained its relevance. She said the party has a mandate to fulfil and she noted that government has had many opportunities when it assumed office.

As she spoke of its mandate, Teixeira said the party has made several initiatives and brought same to the National Assembly,but those have been rejected by the government. She spoke of the government’s ability to deliver to the population and during her speech, she noted that the PPP “watches” the government ever since it assumed office in May 2015.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

‘Coalition restored pride to Guyana’ … Harmon tells House

By Lisa Hamilton

DESPITE the opposition’s attempt to undervalue the coalition’s accomplishments during Friday’s no-confidence debate, Minister of State Joseph Harmon defended, instead, that the coalition has restored pride to the country.

As many on the outskirts of the Parliament Building watched on intently, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo picked through a list he compiled of the many promises of the government which he stated were unfulfilled. Some of which he listed were the improvement of the health system; benefits for teachers, indigenous peoples and the elderly and special provisions for school children.

Addressing these and others, he said: “What I know is that they took away the $10,000 grant from the school kids...six new regional radio stations established, that’s why we must have confidence in the government? The people who have lost their jobs are going to eat the radio stations that they established there?

However, Harmon enlightened the opposition leader that while he sees the accomplishment as insignificant, it ensures that the thou-

sands of persons who reside in the regions have access to information that has been out of reach for far too long.

“Why is it that any leader in this country would want to deny our indigenous people the right to information?

Why? Unless your intention is to keep them in bondage so that all they know is the garbage that you actually used to take to them. But the point is now, our indigenous people are more informed, they are more educated and they can challenge the lies that you say to them,” Harmon stated.

Regarding the grant for school children, he reminded the House: “The member again speaks about this 10,000 grant. We have been dealing with this matter at nauseam in the National Assembly and we said it was a one-off arrangement, it was unsustainable and their Cabinet document proved that!”

Harmon also noted that while the opposition chooses to propagate that the coalition is “harming democracy” any citizen can see that it is the former administration that halted the Local Government Elections for over two decades.

SYMBOL OF NATIONHOOD Furthermore, he said that projects like the D’Ur-

Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo

science of one of these on the other side,” he anticipated.

However, in closing in his response, Harmon stated: “My disappointment Mr. Speaker is that I had so much appreciation for the leader of the opposition but until you spoke here this afternoon I think you’ve gone [downwards]…I support the fact that this motion should

Minister of State Joseph Harmon (Adrian Narine photos) ban Park project, although receiving much criticism from the opposition over the years, he said that there is no area is the country that has the capacity to hold some 50,000 persons.

“The fact that D’Urban Park is built; the fact that we are now able to accommodate at least 50,000 persons in one place, the PPP don’t like that, they want to make sure that we run this thing down,” he began.

“What we are talking about here is the national psyche. What we are talking about is what we are calling symbols of nationhood, where our people can go and assemble and watch their flag flow [unobstructed].

These are the things that we are talking about.”

Coming against the fault-finding of the PPP on the manner in which the Guyana-Venezuela controversy is being dealt with, Harmon challenged: “This same gentle man was prepared to give a corridor of the Atlantic to Venezuela.

A corridor of the Atlantic! Let the world know it.

We are talking about defending our territorial integrity and you are talking about giving up some of it to the Venezuelans.”

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Meanwhile, on the topic of resource management, Jagdeo argued that the current government is “the most corrupt government in our entire history” spending some $1.3 trillion dollars so far with the budgets combined.

Harmon, in rebuttal, contested that history shows that during the PPP’s reign, Guyana was “deemed and described as the most corrupt in the Caribbean; a narco-state; a failed state that made us a pariah among the world community of nations.”

By the time the opposition leader was into the first 20 minutes of his speech seeking to convince the House of the coalition’s “incompetence”, his voice had begun to take strain. “This is an elitist group, the 33 there and we’re hoping that what I said will touch the con-

be defeated, it is the Grinch that stole Christmas from the Guyanese people.

The people are out there trying to enjoy themselves, trying to buy, trying to shop…I cannot support this motion in anyway and I support the people of Guyana enjoying a wonderful Christmas.”

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Jagdeo called out on fake marriage ... reminded of his offer to cede territory to Venezuela

MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon has reminded Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that he had “fooled” the Guyanese nation about his fake marriage to Varshnie Singh and also his offer to cede part of Guyana’s territory to Venezuela during Friday’s debate on the no-confidence motion against the government.

Jagdeo’s fake marriage to Ms. Singh had been a source of much public ridicule. He had never fully explained it to the nation, although Singh had gone public about alleged mistreatment by the former President, chronicling episodes of her being put out of the State House and other abuses.

Singh in January 2009 had told the media during a news conference that her nine-year marriage to Jagdeo was never registered and that it was a fake. The pair was ‘married’ according to Hindu rites in 1998 and Singh had told reporters that there were at least three attempts to register the union. She said on the first two occasions Jagdeo said he had lost the forms. By the time third attempt was made, he had assumed the presidency and had informed

Flashback: Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the late former President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. Jagdeo had admitted to offering to cede part of Guyana’s territory to Venezuela to help settle the border controversy her that he could not be subjected to court proceedings and with that in mind she took the decision not to sign any legal documents, the Stabroek News had reported.

Singh, according to the SN report, initially did not think there was a wilful attempt to stall the process but admitted harbouring doubts in retrospect. The couple split in 2007 and

Singh had told the media that she did not receive proper maintenance or care during the marriage and said the Office of the First Lady was a “myth.” She spoke of being locked out of State House on the instructions of Jagdeo.

SLIGHT CONCESSION Meanwhile, regarding the Venezuela border issue,

Jagdeo had told a news conference in the early days of the coalition’s term in office that he had proposed to cede part of Guyana’s territory to Venezuela to make peace.

Jagdeo had made the disclosure at a press conference on October 23, 2015 where he disclosed some of his concerns about the methods being employed by President David Granger to bring the issue to a defined solution.

“There were other options that involved a negotiated settlement which did not see any land concessions that the 1899 award would remain intact…you could probably on the maritime area, give Venezuela a channel out to the sea. So you make a slight concession in the maritime area but ensure that you do not concede any territory that is land-based,” said Jagdeo, a former President.

Stepping up against leader of the opposition, who moments prior referred to the current administration leaders as “clueless” and “corrupt”, Harmon pointed out that moral compasses have always and will continue guide the coalition. “Our administration ushered in a moral and

Bharrat Jagdeo’s fake wedding to Ms. Uma Varshnie Singh spiritual revival bringing the churches, mosques back the pride in Guyana… and temples around this this moral and spiritual reviv- country have worked and al is led by Brigadier David prayed to restore the pride Granger, a family man with a in Guyana,” he stated. Harreal marriage of over 48 years mon then compared these and Mr. Moses Nagamootoo, characteristics with that of a devoted family man with a Jagdeo whom he said, while real marriage of over 40 years in power, embarrassed his supporters as “a Presito his wife, Sita.

Mr. Speaker, these dent who led this nation two gentlemen support- to believe that he had legal ed by their Cabinet and marriage.”

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Shoppers flock the streets - for last-minute purchases

SCORES of shoppers comprising of mostly women were out on the streets of Georgetown to bargain hunt while some spouses and other male companions had no choice but to tag along to carry the bags.

Shoppers were not deterred with the scorching sun out in its full glory but instead took the time to complete their shopping list in getting much-needed household items including curtains, decorations among other things.

Among some shoppers was Nareefa Bacchus, who was with her mother and daughter at Footsteps branch located at Longden Street. She told the Guyana Chronicle she was making a purchase of new shoes for the little one.

She hails from Haruruni on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and made the trip to the city to get some articles for the home in time for the festive season.

At America Street, this newspaper caught up Jermaine Haynes, who had just bought his son a tricycle at one of the stores in that area.

He said he went in the store, made his purchase and was out. Although the place was a bit crowded he managed to get what he was looking for without hassle.

On Avenue of the Republic, the Chronicle met Ebony (only name given).

She was carrying shopping bags of purchases made and said she went to a few stores but got everything she was looking for.

There were shoppers in most wards of the city especially Regent, Robb, Water, Camp Streets and of course the markets as well the Vendors’ Arcade.

The Stabroek Market was a buzz of activities as vendors and shoppers were out in their numbers to bargain hunt and make good on deals.

The same could be said of Bourda Market where vendors told this newspaper that sales have picked up significantly since it is coming very close to Christmas and they foresee more spending.

The butcher shops were also crowded as folks tried to get their meats for the Pepperpot which is part of the traditional Guyanese

Shopping at Robb Street (Samuel Maughn photos)

Jermaine Haynes with his newly bought tricycle for his son Policemen on mobile patrol duties on America Street

Ebony with her shopping bags on Avenue of the Republic

Nareefa Bacchus as she makes a purchase of new shoes for her daughter at Footsteps downtown on Friday

Shoppers bargain hunting downtown

Christmas.

Meanwhile, at Akash Variety Store the employees said they have had a very taxing day on Friday and shoppers are in and out the store since they opened for business that day.

All around the city, especially in the main shopping areas there were dozens of shoppers trying to get from one store to the next to get home in good time to complete last minute household chores.

The vendors that lined Water Street and the downtown areas of the pavement told the Guyana Chronicle that sales have picked up this week unlike the weeks gone by with Christmas upon us.

Some are hoping to make a few extra dollars while others just want their goods to be sold in time for the season so they can go home to their families.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Mother killed in De Kinderen crash

A MOTHER of one was killed in the wee hours of Thursday morning after the car she was driving crashed on De Kinderen Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

Dead is Nkasi Mc Kend, 26, of 45 Stewartville West Coast Demerara (WCD).

The businesswoman’s body is currently at the Ezekiel Parlour awaiting a post-mortem.

The other two occupants of the car, Mario Desa who

Dead: Nkasi Mc Kend

is the owner and Caleb Morrison were both treated at a hospital and sent away with minor injuries. Reports indicate that the car, a BMW PRR4153 crashed about 05:00hrs into a fence and ended up in thick bushes at De Kinderen, WCD turn.

According to information received by this publication, the car was proceeding west along the southern side of the road at a fast rate of speed and the driver was in the process of negotiat-

The crashed BMW in a clump of bushes ing a right turn when she lost control of the car and it turned turtle. The car ended into up in a nearby swamp on the western side of the

road.

Villagers said that they heard loud screams and a loud crashing sound when the accident occurred

Man gets 'life' for raping girl JUSTICE Priya Sewnarine Beharry on Thursday sentenced a 50-year-old man to life in prison for raping a 13-year-old girl back in 2014.

Rapist, Mohammed Khan will be eligible for parole after serving thirty five years behind bars. After the sentence was handed down at the Berbice Assizes on Thursday afternoon, Khan told reporters, “A innocent man is being sent to jail.

I cannot do what they say I did,” referring to an erectile dysfunction.

State Prosecutor Mr. Mandel Moore had led the evidence, which stated that on September 28, 2014, the victim, then aged 13-years-old, was riding pass the convict’s home when he called out to her asking if she wants a pair of shoes. After she said no, he enquired whether she needed to buy a movie disc which Rapist was in his house. As she Mohammed Khan stood in his doorway, Khan pulled the teen by the hair into the house, where he, after closing the door, took a knife and cut off her clothing, before placing the knife to her neck and engaging in sexual penetration.

The sexual violations were committed twice. The victim knew the convict three years prior to the incident as he sold DVD’s in front of his home.

Meanwhile, after the jury returned the unanimous verdict, Khan, standing in the prisoner’s dock, said, “I am completely innocent of the crime. An innocent man is being sent to jail. The incident never happened.

I am incapable of raping anyone. I do hope someone will get it right. Due to financial difficulties I could not take a proper lawyer. The police never spoke to the witnesses.”

But, Justice Seenarine Beharry noted that during the trial the defence never put it to the witnesses that the police never spoke to them.

She also noted that the prisoner had no previous conviction. Defence Counsel was Arundranauth Gossai.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Guyana Gold Board returned to surplus in 2017 – Report

THOUGH it experienced a drop in gold declarations in 2017, the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) recorded several successes.

The board moved from a five-year deficit position to a surplus in 2017.

Last year, the GGB recorded gold declarations of 652,000 ounces – a short fall when compared to the 2016 record of 713,000 ounces.

Chairman of the Board of Directors Gabriel Lall, in his report which was tabled in the National Assembly on Friday, explained that there was a 75.1 per cent

GGB General Manager Eondrene Thompson reduction of the GGB’s longstanding overdraft at the Bank of Guyana; the overdraft went from a January 1, 2017 balance of GYD 18,929,651,009 to a closing balance of GYD 4,729,674,891 on December 31, 2017.

According to him, the then acting and now new General Manager Eondrene Thompson played a critical role in the “sterling achievement.”

Additionally, the GGB achieved a financial milestone when it moved from having an Operating Deficit of GYD 194,184,802 on January 1, 2017, to an Operating Surplus of GYD 648,370,179 on December 31, 2017.

The GGB succeeded in recording a turnaround year in 2017 despite a number of challenging circumstances. These ranged from the inherited to the existential, and tested the dedication and resolve of management, staff, and the incoming board of directors.

Still, some positives were achieved.

Lall, however, admitted that 2017 had proven to be a very challenging year.

“During the year, the GGB and its new directorate were confronted by significant matters involving money laundering, workers misconduct, overdraft overhang, gold shipments to

75.1%. As a supervisory authority, attention is given to stringent monitoring of the gold-trading sector to ensure that compliance with anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) legislation is effective; however, there are still legislative

GGB Chairman Gabriel Lall foreign partners, negative media coverage, and information security, to name a few issues of note.

“In fact, gold shipments from the GGB to the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM), its longstanding overseas refiner, were halted briefly due to conflict-free gold apprehensions,” Lall explained.

He noted that the development occurred just two weeks after the new board was inducted; but the board managed to overcome the obstacle through a combination of firm, unambiguous commitments, follow-up operational re-examinations and overhaul, and other agreed-upon curative measures.

“The priorities and emphases have been on the qualitative: standards and values, and the building of trust and confidence with all stakeholders, particularly the GGB’s core constituency in the mining sector, and the greater taxpaying base at large,” the chairman explained.

These initiatives and processes are ongoing in every area of the GGB, inclusive of laboratory operations, Accounting, Compliance, and Internal Audit. In each instance, the focus is on professionalism, increased efficiency, and principled customer interactions.

Thompson, like Lall, said while there were a number of challenges, the Guyana Gold Board recorded several “great success stories,” and its ability to have a surplus after a fiveyear period of deficit is just but one.

The general manager pointed out that GGB’s revenue earned in 2017 exceeded the amount earned in 2016 by approximately US$14 million, despite a decrease in gold purchases by 30 per cent.

Foreign sales for 2017 were 9,000 ounces higher than that for 2016.

“Prudent fiscal management evidences itself in the reduction of GGB’s deficit at the Bank of Guyana by

and regulatory uncertainties that continue to be pressing concerns --- management and the board continue to engage with government to have them resolved and expect these legislative reforms imminently,” she explained.

For 2017 six of the nine

licensed dealers exported their gold, as such, the GGB did not suffer from the usual off-loading when gold prices plummeted.

Dealers’ exports increased by 15,710 ounces or 6.40% in 2017 over 2016. Aurora Gold Mines Inc. also increased their exports in

2017 over 2016 by 7,745 ounces and Troy Resources experienced a shortfall in 2017 by 3,433 ounces compared with 2016, Thompson reported.

The GGB exported 32,472 ounces or 16.07% less in 2017 than what was exported in 2016.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Join us and build this country – says Min Broomes to opposition

By Navendra Seoraj THE parliamentary opposition was urged to join forces with the government and build Guyana instead of opposing the policies and questioning the integrity of the administration.

During Friday’s debate on the no-confidence motion which the opposition tabled in the National Assembly against the government, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, said the Guyanese people have full confidence in the government.

“I invite the opposition to join us…let us hold hands and build Guyana and make the place we want it to be,”

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes said the minister during the debate on Friday. She added that the government is working to fix and correct everything they had inherited after being elected to office in 2015.

Minister Broomes contended that people have full confidence in the current administration, because they are fighting to clean up what was left after 23 years.

The minister, who stood firmly against the motion, said the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government must not be taken for granted.

She lamented that when the APNU+AFC government was elected to office, they found problems with roads, light, water, health, education and every other sector.

“We have done a lot to fix those problems… a lot has been done in just three years… Mahdia is transformed; Port Kaituma is transformed; Matthew’s Ridge is transformed; Kitty is transformed; Bartica is transformed and the list goes on,” said Broomes, despite accusations from opposition Member of Parliament Juan Edghill, who said the government has not been putting the people first.

Edghill accused the government of putting itself first and ignoring the needs of the people; but Minister Broomes contended that the government has been improving the health, education and mining sectors.

Speaking on her sector, the minister said their vision is to create a green extractive sector which provides for all. The minister referred to the horrific See page 20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

17

Roraima treats veterans to scrumptiou

18

A JOLLY and delightful group of veterans was on Friday feted to a scrumptious lunch at the Roraima Duke Lodge for the festive season, compliments of Roraima Airways.

An affair hosted every year by Ror-

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

aima’s Captain Gerry Gouveia, retirees of the Disciplined Services were given a chance to share their stories and experiences, with some even taking the time to sing a few songs and say some prayers as well.

War veteran Benjamin Durant serenading his pals at the Roraima do on Friday

Young Gerry Gouveia Jr was not to be outdone where entertainment was concerned (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

According to Captain Gouveia, it’s a way of giving back to service members, some of whom survived World Wars I and II, and are enjoying their golden

years.

One of the 26 veterans present at the luncheon on Friday was Benjamin Durant, who turned 100 three weeks ago

us Christmas lunch GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

and was his usual spritely self.

He not only rendered a song, but also sent season’s greetings to all those whose names he could remember, and even told the Guyana Chronicle how happy he was to be amongst his peers, enjoying their company and entertaining each other with their self-made cultural programme.

Welfare Officer for Veterans Beverly Somerset told this newspaper that she has in her charge 26 veterans, some of whom are over 90 and reside in either old folks homes, including The Palms, or with relatives.

Kingsley Nelson, who has only recently recovered from heart surgery, was very pleased to be up and about, “taking mauby with ice”, and just having a jolly good time enjoying his retirement.

He said that although he has his aches and pains, he is happy he is not restricted in his movements and does what he wants when he wants.

At the end of the cultural programme, the veterans were served a delicious lunch, hot off the stove, by Roraima Duke Lodge staffers, which they washed down with generous helpings of mauby and juice.

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‘We have had a good year,’ – Chief of Staff

CHIEF of STAFF of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Patrick West told troops at Base Camp Ayanganna on Thursday that he is satisfied with the state of the force at the end of 2018 and urged them to continue to be good stewards and representatives of the uniform they wear.

“We have had a good year,” Brigadier

your efforts as ambassadors of this force and we look forward to your continued commitment. Do not become complacent or lethargic in your work,” he urged.

Cultural performances by the soldiers were also part of the activity. Brigadier West also used the observance of Soldiers Day to promote Caribbean Boxing Championships gold medallist Desmond Amsterdam to the rank of substantive corporal for his outstand-

Chief of Staff Brigadier Patrick West at Base Camp Ayanganna assisted with sharing meals at the traditional Christmas Luncheon

Gerry’s wife, Captain Debbie Gouveia, also did her bit to help give back to the veterans

West said. He said he believed that the force performed fairly well in all of its operations and in the area of training, at least 70% of ranks received training through a number of courses. Additionally, he noted that administratively, in the areas of quartering and logistics, there has been considerable progress.

“Our financial records are also in good standing as we have cleared all major liabilities and so we are going into 2019 with no known liabilities,” Brigadier West asserted to loud applause. Over 500 soldiers received incentives for outstanding performances and Brigadier West made it clear that success will always be rewarded in the GDF. “I appreciate

ing performances during the competition.

Camp Ayanganna is home to Defence Headquarters and the Office of the Chief of Staff and is traditionally the final base for Christmas lunch each year. Soldiers Day activities at Base Camp Ayanganna closed off traditional Christmas celebrations for soldiers. Despite all activities over the last two weeks, security at all bases and locations will not be compromised as troops, including officers, will maintain essential security duties throughout the holiday season.

In addition, GDF troops will be involved with the rest of the Joint Services in the conduct of patrols around the country.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

44 graduate as patient care assistants FORTY-FOUR graduates will now enter the healthcare sector as patient care assistants (PCAs), following completion of a six-month training programme.

The programme began in July 2018, through collaboration between the Ministries of Public Health and Social Protection and the PCAs were exposed to theory and clinical training which better prepared them for the work environment. According to Programme Coordinator Doneth Mingo, the PCAs were recruited from Regions Three, Four, Five and 10. There was a 100 percent pass rate recorded from this batch.

Sixteen students garnered over 90; 14 scored between 80 and 90 per cent; nine got between 70 and 80 per cent and five scored 60 to 70 per cent. Working in the nursing field for over 20 years and representative of the Ministry of Public Health, Caroline Hicks stressed: “Patient Care Assistance is no less of a job in the health care sector.”

In fact, she remarked that the concept of healthcare does not only speak to taking care of health issues of the patients, but it also speaks to efforts to ensure their holistic well-being. “PCAs are very critical and valuable healthcare workers all over the world,” Hicks stated and shared: “Over the years working as a nurse, I have nursed with a number of PCAs [and] we support each other and they ensure that they are always ready and prepared for the tasks to be undertaken.”

PCAs are responsible for measuring patients’ vital signs and feeding unconscious patients, among other things, she said and posited: “These are not miniscule things, they are not tasks to be taken lightly.” Director of Health Science Education Seraiah Validum also told the graduates, “As you think about futuristic plans, I would like to urge you to consider everyone you make contact with as your patient.”

She also added: “Being a PCA comes with patience, tolerance, compassion and generally one should have the spirit of care and benevolence.”

PCAs work in conjunction with nurses and doctors to provide redress to patients, and the director said the PCAs could very well use their training as a stepping stone towards becoming nurses and even doctors.

Join us and build ...

From page 16

Lindo Creek massacre which drove fear into the lives of miners.

“We have since moved to have a bridge there and the roads they are being put in... for miners it is a dream come through .... We have given small miners thousands of acres of land...we are moving from beyond the corruption,” posited Minister Broomes. She added that the government has made every effort to correct and fix the wrongdoings of the past administration, but they are being faced with a no-confidence motion.

“How dare you come with that to us…we will continue to push forward and I am making a very important point to say we are fixing it and we will correct it,” she contended.

Edghill however argued that there is no trust in the government and a lack of vision, but Broomes continued that there are many social ills in the country and government is stamping them out one at a time. Trafficking in persons has been one such social ill which has been dealt with over the past three years.

“Indigenous girls and children were taken away from their families…children left their homes and never returned,” said Minister Broomes.

Broomes also contested Edghill’s claim that jobs are not being provided, noting that a new bauxite company is on stream and there are other initiatives that are geared at creating jobs. The minister went on to cite development in Bartica, where there are now proper roads, lights and other services. Similar improvements have been made in Georgetown as well.

Minister Broomes also made reference to improvements in the education sector and other sectors, adding that progress will continue.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, December 22, 2018

Wanted bulletin issued for duo

– in murder of man in viral sex video A WANTED bulletin was on Friday issued by the Guyana Police Force in the aftermath of the murder of Sherwin Apple, whose body was found on the Kitty, Georgetown Seawall on September 25, 2018.

Wanted are 41-yearold Chiowa Gray of lot 155 Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown and 32-year-old Kenrick Bourne of Lot 43 Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden. Sherwin Apple, one of the two suspects involved the rape of a Dead: Sherwin Apple Linden teen which was recorded and circulated via WhatsApp, was found dead at the Kitty Seawall.

Apple, 41, a clothing vendor of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown and Silver Town Linden, was found lying face down in the mud at the Kitty Seawall near Vlissengen Road. An autopsy revealed that Apple died from asphyxWanted: iation/strangulation and Kenrick Bourne compression injury to the neck.

In the video, two men are seen engaging in sexual acts with a female teenager who later pleaded with the men to stop, but they continued. It is unclear at this time how the video was leaked, but the Childcare and Protection Agency had launched an investigation.

The incident allegedly took place in Linden, but it is unclear when it happened. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Chiowa Gray and Wanted: Chiowa Gray Kenrick Bourne is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 226-1389, 227-2128, 226-7065, 226-2603, 225-9271, 227-1611, 227-1149, 227-1270, 225-6940-9, 444-3406, 4443297, 444-3274, 444-3512, 444-3297, 911 or the nearest police station.

All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Fruta Conquerors lone Guyanese club to play at CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield GUYANA Football Federation (GFF) Elite League winners, Fruta Conquerors, will be Guyana’s lone representative at the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) 2019 Caribbean Club Shield, which

will be held from April 5 – 15 in Curacao.

The tournament, which was announced last year and is part of the expanded CONCACAF Club Competition Platform, will feature the participation of clubs from 13 different Caribbean Associations, all of whom are working with CONCACAF towards a long-term vision to professionalise the club game across the region.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the second edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, a tournament which

plays a crucial role in the continued growth of our expanded Club Competition Platform,” said CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio.

“This tournament, along with the Flow CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, embodies the best of club football in this region and provides Caribbean Associations a direct pathway to the Confederation’s top regional club championships.”

The Tucville-based club will join Hoppers FC (Antigua & Barbuda), Dakota FC (Aruba), Weymouth Wales

(Barbados), SV Real Rincon (Bonaire), Scholars International Sports Club (Cayman Islands), Santiago de Cuba (Cuba), Jong Holland (Curacao), Club Sportif Moulien (Guadeloupe), Club Franciscain (Martinique), Platinum Football Club (Saint Lucia), SV Robinhood (Suriname) and Rams Village Superstars (Saint Kitts & Nevis) for the tournament that will be played at the Ergilio Hato Stadium and Dr. Antoine Maduro Stadium, in Willemstad.

Meanwhile, CONCACAF stated that an official draw to

sort the participating teams into four groups will take place on Friday, January 11, 2019, at CONCACAF’s headquarters in Miami.

The winner of the 2019 CONCACAF Caribbean Shield, provided it fulfils the CONCACAF Regional Club Licensing criteria, will have the opportunity to face the fourth-place finisher of the 2019 Flow CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship in a playoff match to determine the fourth Caribbean representative in the 2019 Scotiabank CONCACAF League.

In the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, Club Franciscain of Martinique was crowned champion with a 2-1 victory over Suriname’s Inter Moengotapoe.

The Martinique club continued its outstanding 2018 international season by edging Trinidad and Tobago’s Central FC 2-1 in the playoff to secure a spot in its first-ever Scotiabank CONCACAF League, where they eventually fell to Nicaraguan side Walter Ferretti in penalties.

Liverpool plays perfect football for league lead

(BBC) - LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp praised his side’s “perfect football” as Mohamed Salah inspired a victory at Wolves that took them four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

City can cut their lead back to a point when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

In heavy rain, the Reds went ahead on 18 minutes when Fabinho played a one-two with Sadio Mane and crossed for Salah, who

volley past Rui Patricio.

“I saw some really good things,” said Klopp.

“The first goal was brilliant, it was cool, and the second goal - yes, well done.

“I’m completely happy with the result and

Mohamed Salah was the top Premier League goalscorer with 32 goals in 2017-18, and his strike against Wolves took him top of this season’s standings with 11

The Reds have 48 points from 18 matches - a tally Klopp described as “outstanding” - and the only unbeaten league record in English professional football.

Defending champions

flicked the ball into the net with the outside of his foot.

The Egyptian set up Liverpool’s second with a wonderful lofted pass over the home defence, allowing Virgil van Dijk to side-foot a six-yard

it is big for us. It was brilliant - both goals. It was perfect football, especially on a night when it was difficult to play proper football.”

The victory ensures Klopp’s side will be top

on Christmas Day - and eight of the past nine teams to have done that have gone on to win the title.

The one side that did not was Liverpool in 2013-14 - they finished second, two points behind Manchester City.

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren said earlier this week that his side could go through an entire league season with-

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out losing, replicating the achievement of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ in 2003-04.

Their win at Wolves takes them to 18 matches, with 15 wins and three draws. They are one of only three teams - along with Juventus and Paris St-Germain - in the top divisions in England, France, Italy, Spain and Germany to have not lost a league match this season.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

West Indies' last chance to salvage Bangladesh tour

(ESPNCricinfo) - HAVING wrapped up the Test and ODI series, Bangladesh will aim to secure the T20I series as well when they face West Indies in the third T20I. After West Indies won the first T20I, Bangladesh hit back in the second to force this series into a decider. The third T20I will be West Indies' last chance to salvage something from this tour.

Bangladesh had a near-perfect batting performance in the second T20I, with Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das getting off to quick starts before Soumya Sarkar took on the bowling. After a short burst of wickets, Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan kept Bangladesh afloat in the last seven

overs, putting on an unbroken 91-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Bangladesh's bowlers also had a decent outing, particularly Shakib, who said that he was surprised with his five-wicket haul in dewy conditions. Mustafizur Rahman and Abu Hider, who had leaked runs, will have to find ways to keep West Indies quiet in the decider. Mehidy Hasan's offspin will also be central to Bangladesh's bowling in the middle overs.

Shai Hope has been West Indies' most consistent limited-overs batsman on this tour, but he hasn't got enough support from Darren Bravo and Evin Lewis. After impressing in the Test

series, Shimron Hetmyer hasn't made a substantial score in the limited-overs series. Rovman Powell, though, returned to form with a fifty in Dhaka and will be key for West Indies in the death overs.

Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell will have to find ways to keep Bangladesh's scoring rate down, while Fabian Allen, West Indies' most economical bowler in the second game, will be looking to exploit the conditions if the visitors bowl first.

FORM GUIDE Bangladesh WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first) West Indies LWLLL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mahmudullah's counter-attacking 43 not out, after Bangladesh had lost three quick wickets in the second game, tilted the balance in the hosts' favour. He is the side's designated finisher, and he needs more support from the other middle-order batsmen.

In the second game, Rovman Powell struck his first fifty on West Indies' tour of the subcontinent this winter. He was particularly severe on Abu Hider en route to his 50 off 34 balls on Thursday. The tourists will want an encore from Powell in the decider.

TEAM NEWS Bangladesh are unlikely to tinker with their combination al-

though there are questions over Hider's place.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Ariful Haque, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Abu Hider, 11 Mustafizur Rahman Sherfane Rutherford's big-hitting gives West Indies an interesting option, but they could stick to the same XI on Saturday.

West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Oshane Thom-

as, 11 Sheldon Cottrell PITCH AND CONDITIONS Dew could be a big factor again, so the side winning the toss will look to bowl first.

Bangladesh had managed to get over the line in the previous game, but it wasn't easy. The weather remains cool in Dhaka.

STATS AND TRIVIA The 24 runs Mustafizur Rahman leaked in his first over in the second T20I is the most he has conceded in a single over in international cricket.

Shai Hope has hit 596 runs in 11 innings across formats on this tour, while Hetmyer has scored 318 runs in ten.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

‘That was my leadership failure’

- Smith on Ball Tampering Smith and Warner won’t be available until the end

Steven Smith wears a contemplative look CPL T20/ Getty Images

(ESPNCricinfo) - FOR the first time since his career was turned upside down, Steven Smith has spoken about the moments inside the Newlands dressing room when he ignored the blatant attempts at ball-tampering that were going on in front of him.

Giving his first press conference in Australia since his tearful return to the country at the end of March, Smith revealed how he walked past team-mates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft as the plan to use sandpaper on the ball was discussed.

Asked what he said in that fateful moment, Smith answered: “’I don’t want to know about it’ and walked away - that was my chance where I could have stopped something from happening.

“For me in the room I walked past something and had the opportunity to stop it and I didn’t do it. That was my leadership failure.

Something happened out on the field and I had the opportunity to stop it at that point rather than say I don’t want to know anything about it, that was my failure and I’ve taken responsibility for that.”

He was, however, adamant that it was the first time he had experienced ball-tampering in the Australian dressing room and also insisted his relationship with Warner, who has previously been accused of ‘throwing Smith under a bus’ by not taking more responsibility for his role, remains “fine”.

“As far as I’m aware that was the first time it had happened,” Smith said. “I can’t judge what other teams around the world do. In any game you play you want the

ball to move, but obviously you want to do it in a legal way.”

Smith has returned to the public spotlight in recent days with a Vodafone advertisement, which is being aired at prime time during the BBL, followed by his appearance in front of cameras at the SCG, which he admitted was meant to have happened before the commercial went on air.

In the advert, which is in support of mental health for which Smith will be making a financial contribution to the Gotcha 4 Life charity, he speaks about the “dark days” he has experienced since the events of Newlands, thoughts he echoed on Friday.

“I’m going okay now.

Initially after South Africa I was going through a bit, in a pretty dark space and had some tough days but they are few and far between now. Still have my moments, ups and downs, but I’m going okay and heading in the right direction.

“I’ve had tough days, but I’ve been really fortunate to have a close group of people around me who have helped me. There have been some dark days where I haven’t wanted to get out of the bed.

A close group of people let me know it’s okay. I made a mistake, quite a big mistake, now I’m trying to move and improve as a person.”

Smith was stripped of the captaincy and handed a one-year ban as was Warner, while Bancroft was given a nine-month sanction. Bancroft’s ban finishes on December 29 and he is expected to return for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL straightaway, but

of March. Both have been playing grade cricket this

season while training with New South Wales, with

Smith also heavily involved with the Sydney Sixers.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Bottas needs to earn Mercedes seat

Toto wolff says that Valtteri Bottas must earn his seat next season

(REUTERS) - VALTTERI Bottas has what it takes to succeed with Formula One champions Mercedes but he will also have to show next season that he deserves to be there, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

The Finn failed to win a grand prix this year and ended up fifth overall while British team mate Lewis Hamilton took 11 wins and became only the third driver to win five world championships.

“Every racing driver in a Formula One car has to look over his shoulder. It is a very brutal sport where only the best ones survive and they are very well aware,” Wolff told Reuters.

“They have made the selection of the top 20 racing drivers in the world and every single year they have to justify that they deserve the place. It is not only valid for Valtteri but all the others as well.”

Mercedes have 22-yearold Frenchman Esteban Ocon as their reserve driver for 2019 after he lost his race seat at Force India, now renamed Racing Point, to Canadian Lance Stroll.

Wolff said last month that Ocon would be doing simulator work and some testing to be ready to return to racing in 2020. Whether that is with Mercedes, or another team using the same engines, remains to be seen.

Bottas said at the end

of the season that he just wanted to go home, recharge and come back strong again next year.

Wolff expected the 29-yearold to do that.

“Valtteri is a fierce warrior and he wouldn’t be where he is today if he was not an outstanding racing driver. I think he absolutely embraces the challenge of being team mate and competitor to Lewis Hamilton,” said the Austrian.

“I think where things have gone wrong with Valtteri in 2018 was that he was very unlucky. He could have, should have — but that doesn’t count — won three races.”

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku was a big blow, with Bottas robbed of victory by a puncture three laps from the end. Had he won there, instead of Hamilton, he would have led the championship.

Once he was no longer in contention for the title he then had to help Hamilton win, never an easy situation for a team mate.

“I think within any racing driver there’s a certain mental setback that happens. And it happened to Valtteri and he will work on it over the winter and will start the season fresh,” said Wolff.

“All points go back to zero and he has the same opportunity like he has in the last year to win the driver’s title. He certainly has the talent and the intelligence.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday, December 22, 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: 9 players 6 players

(1)

(2)

TODAY’S QUIZ: How many players have now led the WI in T20 Int’ls against Bangladesh to date?

How many players have now captained Bangladesh in Int’ls against the WI to date?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

33

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

UEFA hands down fines for three clubs (REUTERS) - THREE clubs have been sanctioned

by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, with two facing a one season-ban from continental competition unless they make overdue payments.

FK Vardar of Macedonia and Bulgarian side Levski Sofia will not be able to compete

in the next Europa League or Champions League competition for which they qualify in the next two seasons unless they prove in the coming months that they have paid their “overdue payables”.

UEFA’s FFP regulations state clubs that have qualified for its competitions “have to prove they do not have overdue payables to-

Guardiola backs Solskjaer’s tenure (REUTERS) - MANCHESTER United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s familiarity with the club could be a big advantage as he embarks on a rescue mission, according to rival Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

United appointed former striker Solskjaer as interim boss for the rest of the campaign after they sacked Jose Mourinho on Tuesday with the team sixth in the standings, following their worst start to a season in 28 years.

ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.

“Knowing the people and knowing how everything works there is important. The fact that you were there in the past is something positive.”

Spaniard Guardiola, who played for Barcelona for 11 years before winning 14 trophies including two Champions League titles as manager, said United would not have turned to Molde manager Solskjaer if he did not fully deserve the opportunity.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola (left) believes that Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hit the ground running

Former Barcelona boss Guardiola reflected on his meteoric rise from a player at the Catalan club to overseeing a trophy-filled four years as manager from 2008 and backed Solskjaer to hit the ground running at United.

“The fact that I was there (at Barcelona) since I was 13 was an advantage for sure,” Guardiola told a news conference

“When a young manager like Solskjaer has this chance it is because the club decides he can do it. What happened in my case was similar... we were both young, had the opportunity and tried to do our best.

“Of course it’s different jobs, you cannot compare being a football player to being a manager. I wish him all the best.”

wards other clubs, their players and social or tax authorities throughout the season.”

European soccer’s governing body said in a statement on Friday that both clubs have also been hit with a 100,000 euros ($114,050) fine under FFP rules which were introduced in 2011 to stop teams from spending

more than the revenue they generate.

Vardar have until the end of January to pay their bills, while Levski Sofia must do so before March.

Portuguese side Sporting were fined 50,000 euros for making overdue payments after the deadlines set

by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Young Warriors Cricket Club congratulates Shimron Hetmyer THE Young Warriors Cricket Club of Cumberland Village, East Canje, Berbice is extending congratulations to the young and talented batsman Shimron Hetmyer on his selection for Royal Challengers Bangalore for 2019 Indian Premier League.

The IPL is the largest and most lucrative T20 tournament globally and Hetmyer has pocketed US$588,000.

He is the first Berbician that will play IPL cricket.

A release from the club stated that Hetmyer is destined for greatness since he first went to the club at the tender age of six.

“He was a class above the other kids that normally plays cricket at the ground, and the club nurtured his talent and made him into one of the most destructive batsman in world cricket today.”

The release further stated that the 21-year-old, who comes for a simple family and grew up in a sugar-cane- based area, was an aggressive batsman from the onset.

He excelled at all levels he played the game and even above his age group. He was handed the senior team captaincy early in his career which surely helped him to

captain the West Indies Under-19 to their first-ever win in Youth World Cup. The club wishes Hetmyer huge success but cautioned him to be humble, keep his feet grounded, be discipline and remember the persons that touched his life during his journey to success. He is urged to remember his parents, his community, his cricket club (players and administrators) and mostly The Almighty.

The YWCC takes this opportunity to congratulate young Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford on their pick too, and wish them well.

Rose Hall Town, Young Warriors clash in today’s final A STAR-studded Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets team will clash with a determined Young Warriors Cricket Club in the 2018 edition of the BCB/ RHTY&SC Busta Champion of Champions final, set for the today at the Cumberland ground.

the older brother of West Indies Test player Shimron Hetmyer. He will receive support in the batting lineup from national Under-19 player Alex Algoo, Vishal Mohabir, Trevlon Stanislaus, Ishwar Singh, Ricardo Ramdihal, Linden Austin, and Mortimer Fraser. In-form

batting line-up which includes Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Jason Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud, Vidal Crandon and Eon Hooper.

Their bowling will be led by pacers Pestano and former national Under-19 p l a y e r S y l u s Ty n d a l l .

Shimron Hetmyer

Inaugural KFC Goodwill cup winner to be crowned tonight THE winner of the inaugural KFC Goodwill cup will be determined tonight when the final two matches in the tournament takes place at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue.

The three-day tournament featured Guyana’s Annai, Christiansburg/Wismar Secondary School,Annandale Secondary and Trinidad’s Shiva Hindu Boys College in head to head matches.

Shiva’s boys, who are the 2016 T&T school league champions, are more likely to lift the cup after winning both

their matches competed, while Annai Secondary have a slim chance of pulling off an upset if they can beat Annandale by two or more goals and hope Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) beat the lads from the twin-island republic.

Reigning champions of the Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers 12team school league, Annandale Secondary have had a horrible start by losing in extra-time to CWSS while suffering a 2-1 defeat at the boot of Shiva’s Hindu College.

Meanwhile, Annai lost the opening match of the tournament 3-0 to Shiva’s Hindu College, while outplaying CWSS during their 3-0 win over the Lindeners last Tuesday.

This evening’s play will kickoff at 16:30hrs with an exhibition match between Queen’s College and Marian Academy before South Rupununi’s Annai matches its skill with Annandale at 18:00hrs. The feature game between CWSS and Shiva’s Hindu College is slated for 20:00hrs.

Trophy Stall Port Mourant/Ucca Under 19 -50 Overs…

No. 72 Cut & Load undefeated after round three

Alex Algoo

It will be the first BCB final to be played at the Cumberland Ground, East Canje, since former BCB President Anil Beharry spearheaded the rebirth of the once-dormant Young Warriors Cricket Club. It is the second final for Young Warriors The Club will start as underdogs to the dominant Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets team and will aim to capitalise on home advantage.

Young Warriors’ will be inspired by Seon Hetmyer,

Clinton Pestano

pacers Devendra Ramoutar and Suresh Dhanai will lead the bowling attack with support from Hetmyer, a medium pacer, and spinners Stanislaus, Singh, Austin, and Ricardo Ramdihal.

RHT Gizmos & Gadgets have dominated the 2018 First Division and would be looking for their fifth successive title under the leadership of former Guyana Under-19 Captain Shawn Pereira.

National player Clinton Pestano will lead a strong

They will be supported by off-spinners Hooper, Junior and Kevin Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud, left-arm spinner Keith Simpson and in-form leg-spinner Pereira.

The winning team will take home $100,000 and the Busta Trophy while the runner-up will pocket $50,000 and a trophy.

BCB President Hilbert Foster and representatives of the Guyana Beverage Company will lead the presentation ceremony after the match.

THE Trophy Stall Port Mourant, Berbice-sponsored Upper Corentyne Cricket Association Under 19-50 overs round robin tournament continued last Saturday with round 3 of the competition.

No.73 Young Warriors, No. 72 Cut & Load and Radha Krishna Foundation Academy secured wins.

At No. 48 ground: No. 73 Young Warriors defeated No. 48 Challengers by 128 runs.

No. 73 Young Warriors batted first and scored 343 for 8 off their allotted 50 overs.

Sarwan Chaitnarine 66, Niradj Singh 56, Haresh Ramlochan 51, Trevon Sukhu 40 and Vettorie Latchman 40 were the main runs scorers for No. 73.

Bowling for No. 48 Challengers S. Sookran took 4 for 48 and T. Dayaram 3 for 49. In reply No. 48 Challengers were bowled out for 215 runs off 26 overs. K. Hooper 65 and B. Downer 51 were the top scorers. Bowling for No. 73 Young Warriors, Sarwan Chaitnarine

return with the ball and took 6 for 38, Afseer Hussain 2 for 28 and Vettorie Latchman 2 for 26 gave vital support with the ball.

At No. 66 ground: Radha Krishna Foundation Academy defeated No. 66 C.C by 47 runs. Radha Krishna Foundation Academy batted first and were bowled out for 151 off 33 overs. M. Headley 65, Krishna Thomas 23 and I. Singh 15 were the top scorers. Bowling for No. 66 C.C N. Satram took 2 for 37, N. Tahal 2 for 32 and Andrew Singh 2 for 10. In reply No. 66 C.C were bowled out for 107 in 27 overs. Eric Sampat 27 and Karan Persaud 22 showed some fight with the bat. Bowling for Radha Krishna Foundation Academy O. Indall took 5 for 29 and M. Headley 2 for 30.

At No. 72 ground. No. 72 Cut and Load defeated Scottsburg United by 19 runs. No. 72 Cut and Load batted first and were bowled out for 157 in 21.1 overs. A. February 72, Z.

Shaw 18 and M. Chaitnarine 17.

Bowling for Scottsburg United G. Budram took 4 for 53, A. Naha 2 for 23 and S. Norah 2 for 34. In reply Scottsburg United were bowled out for 138 in 34.2 overs R. Gorden 50, B. Nandalall 19 and C. Budram 16. Bowling for No. 72 Cut and Load M. Chaitnarine took 4 for 16 and Y. Budhoo 3 for 13.

After three rounds of competition No. 72 Cut and Load are leading with 6 points, followed by Scottsburg United and No. 73 Young Warriors both on 4 points, Radha Krishna Foundation Academy on 2 points and No. 48 Challengers on zero. Two points were allotted for a win.

This tournament is organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association and is sponsored by Mr. Ramesh Sunich, Managing Director of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market, Georgetown and with its new Location at Market Road, Port Mourant , Corentyne, Berbice opening soon.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday, December 22, 2018

Braithwaite fined for slow over rate

EBFA/Ralph Green Under-11 League

West indies T20 Captain Carlos Braithwaite

CMC – CAPTAIN Carlos Brathwaite was fined a hefty 40 per cent of his match fee after West Indies and hosts Bangladesh were slapped with fines by the International Cricket Council, for slow over-rates during the second Twenty20 International on Thursday.

The Caribbean side were adjudged to be two overs short of their target while Bangladesh were found to be one over short. The fines were imposed by ICC match referee, Jeff Crowe.

Under ICC regulations, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their team is short, while the captain is fined double. As a result, the Windies players were hit with 20 per cent fines and Brathwaite, 40 per cent.

Brathwaite’s opposite, Shakib-al-Hasan, was also fined 20 per cent, with the Bangladesh squad fined half that amount.

Brathwaite could also face suspension if the Windies commit another over-rate breach within the next 12 months.

Bangladesh won the match by 36 runs to level the series and set up a series decider here on Saturday.

Rocky Memorial Games to become annual event for Zeeburg Sports Club THE Zeeburg Sports Club will make the Rocky Memorial Games an annual event out of respect for its former skipper, Amreith Rai, who perished by accident last year.

Rai, who died at the age of 37, was a former Demerara U19 cricketer and a very good softball player.

Current coach/player of the side Yutesh Dhanpaul told the Guyana Chronicle that Rai (aka Rocky) was extremely instrumental to the development of the club and that he was an inspiration to the younger cricketers.

During the first year of memorial games on Sunday last at the Zeeburg ground, the Zeeburg Pitbull and McGill Cricket Club emerged victorious in two separate clashes.

In a 15-over battle, some of the club’s older players challenged its pres-

The Zeeburg cricket team and some of the family members of the late Amreith Rai.

ent cricketers.

The Zeeburg Seniors won the toss and batted first. The Seniors were led by Radesh Persaud who scored 41 and Jitendra Kishore who added 29. Doing damage for the Pitbull was club captain Malcom Hubbard who grabbed 4-19 with his offspin bowling. The Pitbull in

reply, raced to 118-3 from 11 overs with Hubbard scoring 36 runs. Richie Looknauth added 34 and Ushardeva Balgobin chipped in with 27.

Ganesh Narine took 2-15 for the Seniors.

In the second clash, a T20 game, McGill defeated Zeeburg in a thriller.

Zeeburg won the toss

and batted. Again they were led by Hubbard and Looknauth who scored 27 and 24 respectively to propelled them to 118-9 off their allotted overs.

Daniel Basdeo grabbed 2-27 and G. Pooran 2-15.

McGill in reply reached 119-9 after a solid last wicket stand of 25. Basdeo

Exciting final day anticipated today AN exciting climax to the Third Edition of the East Bank Football Association / Ralph Green sponsored Under-11 League is anticipated tomorrow, when the final three matches are contested at the Diamond Community Centre Ground.

With Grove Hi Tech assured of the second place having completed their quota of 11 matches and ending on 29 points, Timehri Panthers with a game to go against Friendship All Stars can win the league is they take full points.

brings together Diamond United and Samatta Point/ Kaneville. Yesterday’s lone match contested saw Timehri inching closer to the title when they got past Diamond Upsetters 4-0 on account of goals from Shaquelle Caleb in the 3rd minute, Captain and the league’s leading goal scorer Omar Sam (22) in the 5th minute, Josiah Williams (25th) and Keron Williams in the 26th minute.

Samatta Point/Kaneville pocketed three points with a walk over from Herstelling Raiders with Agricola Red

Action in the Timehri Panthers (green) and Diamond Upsetters match yesterday at the Diamond Community Centre Ground.

They are currently on 27 points following their 4-0 triumph against Diamond Upsetters yesterday at the same venue. The battle for the 3rd and 4th places will be decided in the final match of the league when Swan FC takes on Agricola Red Triangle which won the league for the first two years.

Both teams are on 25 points and separated by goal difference, Agricola +30 to Swan’s +28 which mean a win for either side will see them ending 3rd and the loser, 4th.

Today’s opening game

Triangle also winning via the same route on account of the absence of Friendship All Stars. Kuru Kururu Warriors and Mocha Champs failed to show up for their match.

Kick off time is 09:00hrs with the presentation of prizes following the final match.

The top four teams would be rewarded with replicas (1st & 2nd) and medals (3rd & 4th).

The Most Valuable Player, Best Goalkeeper, Highest Goal Scorer, Most Promising Player and Most Disciplined Player will each collect a Trophy and Backpack while the Best Coach would also be rewarded.

finished with 22, while A. Ragunauth added an unbeaten 15.

Bowling for Zeeburg, Narine finished with 3-11 from four overs and Yutesh Dhanpaul 2-7 from four overs.

For his all-round effort, Basdeo was named Man of the Match.

According to Dhanpaul, the club would like to thank Omar Narine, Max Mayer Auto Paint (Robin Manniram), the Chinkoo family, Anil Sookdeo and family, Rockerz Taxi, Leonora Sports Club (Jit, Papo and Rajin) and everyone else who contributed to the memorial games.

Inaugural KFC Goodwill cup winner to be crowned tonight Page

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The winners of the inaugural KFC Goodwill cup will be determined this evening.

West Indies' last chance to salvage Bangladesh tour

Fruta Conquerors lone Guyanese club to play at CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield

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Windies look to level series today

Fruta Conquerors Football Club will be Guyana’s lone representative at the 2019 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2018