Guyana Chronicle E-paper11-06-2019

WEDNESDAY 6th November, 2019

No.105813

GECOM to publish names of persons still to uplift ID cards

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Drivers’ attitude essential in curbing road accidents –– Road safety Council

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Partners and media and operatives signing the banner to indicate their commitment joining the campaign to bring road awareness road safety (Adrian Narine photo) Media operatives partners signing the banner Tuesday to indicate to their commitment to raising safetytoawareness

Full accreditation Car set alight of forensic lab 03 following Adventure hit-and-run 16 next year PAGE

… CSSP working to resolve electrical defects of system

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Brazilian investors showing interest in Guyana 10 PAGE

–– targeting infrastructure, agri and tourism sectors

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

GECOM to publish names of persons still to uplift ID cards

THE Guyana Elections Commission will, this weekend, publish the names of over 25,000 persons who have failed to uplift their National Identification Cards, having applied for same some 11 years ago.

The commission said the names will be published in the daily newspapers and the owners of the cards will have 10 days to show up and collect their cards. Failure to do so will result in them being struck off the Official List of Electors. Chairman of the commission, Justice (rtd) Claudette Singh, reinforced the decision when the body

met for its statutory meeting on Tuesday, long standing commissioner of the electoral body, Vincent Alexander told reporters following the meeting.

He said the names will be published in the four national newspapers: The Guyana Chronicle, Stabroek News, Kaieteur News and Guyana Times. “We did explore the possibility of in fact dating when the person was registered in the publication but it starts from 2008 and comes forward [with the most recent being] to last year,” he told reporters outside of GECOM’s High Street,

Georgetown office.

His colleague on the opposition, Sase Gunraj, however was not convinced, saying that he still has concerns about the move to publish the names and the removal of the persons who did not collect their ID cards. “Much to the disagreement of myself and colleagues, the Chairman is insisting on publishing the names of the persons who have not collected their identification cards. And what has now been made very clear is that persons who might have registered as late as last year or in the last claims and objections period before

this current one, and did not collect their id card, they also stand at risk of being removed from the list for non-collection of those id cards”, Gunraj told reporters.

Last week the Guyana Chronicle reported that GECOM had sealed a decision that the 25,000 persons who were registered in 2008, but have not yet collected their Identification (ID) cards, will be given 21 days to do same or be struck off the Official List of Electors (OLE). The decision was made at the commission’s statutory meeting, following a proposal at its October 15, 2019 meeting for such to be done. “The Chair has ruled that persons who have not uplifted their identification cards, that their names will be published in the newspapers and they will be given 21 days within which to collect it and if they fail to respond to that, then they will be prevented from voting,” Commissioner Gunraj had said then.

Commissioner Charles Corbin said that notices will also be sent directly to addresses of these persons that GECOM has on record. At a previous meeting, Commissioner Vincent Alexander had explained, “It’s like an objection. So, the issue is not the ID card, the issue is that these persons, since 2008 and beyond 2008 have not, in any

way, presented themselves to be present; to be known; to be alive; to be existing; to be resident. And, in calling them, writing to them gives us the opportunity to make a determination.”

Although he confirmed that efforts have been made in the past to contact these individuals who have still not verified their existence in the country, opposition-nominated commissioners have contested that the law does not stipulate that citizens need an ID card to vote and therefore the collection of these cards should be non-related. On the other hand, some commissioners believe that these persons might be part of a scheme by the opposition to rig the upcoming elections. “Why are they not collecting their ID cards… thousands of ID cards and the opposition is arguing for them to remain on the list,” a commissioner, who asked not be named, recently reasoned to the newspaper. Corbin had also informed the media that the names of these individuals will not be removed from the National Registrar of Registrants (NRR) stating, “It would only mean that if these persons exist they may miss this round of elections.”

GECOM chair last week had also thrown out a proposal for the names of persons, who did not participate in the house-to-house registra-

Vincent Alexander tion exercise but are on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), be highlighted on the OLE. Corbin had told reporters last week that Justice Singh read from a prepared document which in essence, made it clear that “the verification process will not be proceeded with”. At a previous meeting, commissioners had explained that the highlighting of names on the March 2, 2020 OLE was intended to avoid multiple and substitute voting in the coming elections.

Alexander had explained that there would be no deletion of names and that the names are instead being highlighted as names which can be compromised during the voting process.

“In so far as it related to the flagging of persons or the highlighting of names of persons who did not go to verify their data during this house-to-house period, the chair said that that was not necessary; that they will do no such thing,” Gunraj said. As he spoke with the media he also objected to what he described as the use of the house-to-house registration data as a PLE.

Place emphasis on development – Minister of local services sector Cummings REPRESENTATIVES from both the public and private sectors have been urged to place even greater emphasis on the development of the local services sector.

The encouragement is being made as Guyana draws closer to becoming an oil and gas-based economy, and preparations are being put in place for the anticipated influx of foreign companies.

These companies, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings will require services in various areas.

“The development of the oil and gas sector will see an

influx of foreign companies with increased demand for services offered in Guyana.

Service providers will need to respond accordingly, in order to avoid being marginalised in their own markets.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Minister Cummings delivered opening remarks at the Trade in Services Workshop hosted by the World Trade Organisation, (WTO), in collaboration with the Guyana Coalition of Service Providers.

At the event, the minister noted that the government recognised that the local services sector, once See page 3

Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Full accreditation of forensic lab next year … CSSP working to resolve electrical defects of system

By Svetlana Marshall

THE Government, through the Ministry of Public Security, is working tirelessly to address the electrical and air quality problems facing the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory in its quest to have the lab fully accredited by 2020.

The Forensic Lab, commissioned at a cost of

but it has been plagued with a number of problems including the poor electrical system. Under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP), more than US$723,000 has been injected into the lab to address its deficiencies.

In an interview on Guyana Chronicle’s online programme – Vantage Point, Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) Project

Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) Project Manager, Dr. Clement Henry $1.049B in July 2014, is intended to enhance the investigative capacity of the Guyana Police Force

Manager, Dr. Clement Henry, said the Forensic Lab’s electrical system is currently being overhauled. According

The Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory located in Turkeyen to him, a multimillion-dollar Dr. Henry explained that and produce results within Science Laboratory, Decontract was recently signed the international accredi- two hours, thus facilitating lon France had explained to complete the final phase tation will raise the level an improved investigation during the commissioning of electrical system. The re- of confidence in the lab. rate. Initially, the lab had four of the DNA equipment. He habilitative work was con- “Accreditation will allow departments – toxicology, explained that sample for the ducted in two phases. “We more people to want to do documents, trace evidence DNA procedures includes: are hoping that by the end of tests with the lab because and chemistry, along with six - swabbing of the mouth, the year, we would have all you will have a high level non-analytical departments; semen and vaginal sampling, of the electrical issues solved of certainty about the accu- security, quality systems, hair, blood and touch DNA. and the air quality system up racy of the results; and that information systems, faciliCSSP, an Inter-Amerand running,” Dr. Henry told is why we want to take the ties operations, evidence and ican Development Bank this newspaper. lab to full accreditation so administration. However, two (IDB) funded programme, The poor electrical sys- that we would reduce any new departments – Forensic aims, in part, to strengthen tem has affected the air question about the findings,” Video Evidence and the DNA the capacity of the Guyana quality within the lab, and he explained. testing – have been added.

Police Force’s crime preit is the hope of Dr. Henry It was only this year, “The laboratory is now vention and investigation that, by addressing these under the CSSP, that the a national pioneer for hu- capabilities. deficiencies, the Forensic Forensic Science Lab was man identification using The programme has Science Laboratory would equipped with critical pieces DNA testing and it enables three components: improvreceive full accreditation of equipment. Last June, the us to conduct three main ing community resilience by 2020. Through the Citi- Government commissioned things; DNA testing for in responding to crime; zen Security Strengthening a Deoxyribonucleic Acid comparison or matching strengthening the capacity Programme, Dr. Henry has (DNA)) machine along with evidence to suspect; pa- of the police force to detect employed the services of a a Scanning Electron Micros- ternity testing and thirdly and prevent crimes; and Jamaican Consultant to fast copy (SEM) machine. family mapping or testing the rehabilitation and the track the project. The GovT h e D N A m a c h i n e , where their DNA can be reintegration of inmates ernment is hoping to secure sourced from Italy, can run used to identify a suspect,” into society by the Guyana ISO certification for the lab. eight samples simultaneously Director of Guyana Forensic Prison Service (GPS).

Place emphasis on development of local ...

From page 2 strategically developed, would assist in enhancing Guyana’s trade in value-added products.

“For instance, services related to the manufacturing sector, for example, transport services, packaging and warehousing services, among others, have the

potential to positively impact agro-processing and ultimately augment our trade in goods. A strong advertising service industry would also be a great asset in showcasing Guyana’s products and services both on the domestic and international markets,” she noted.

The government is also cognisant of the challenges faced by local service providers trying to make headway into respective markets. This, she said, was discussed during the five-year review of the CARIFORUM- EU Economic Partnership Agreement conducted in 2015.

“It was noted that trade in service provision has not yielded the benefits as originally envisaged,” Minister Cummings added.

She said the process for the second five-year review is underway and is expected to be completed in 2020. “We await its pronounce-

ments on market access difficulties for service providers.”

However, in spite of challenges, Minister Cummings applauded CARIFORUM for emphasising on trade in services by encouraging the establishment of Coalition of Service Providers across the CARIFO-

RUM region.

“With the re-launch of the Guyana Coalition of Service Providers, Guyana has the opportunity to capitalise on technical needs within the services sector and provide the necessary technical assistance,” added Minister Cummings. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

Johnson to launch election bid with promise to ‘get Brexit done’ LONDON (Reuters) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will formally announce a Dec. 12 election on Wednesday, urging voters to back him and promising to “get Brexit done in the next few weeks”.

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Metropolitan Police training college in Hendon, London, Britain October 31, 2019. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS The early election was agreed by parliament last week,

ending two years of deep disagreement over Brexit that has sapped investors’ faith in the stability of the world’s fifth largest economy and damaged Britain’s international standing.

The outcome of the vote is hard to predict, with the immediate question of Britain’s exit from the European Union scrambling voters’ traditional loyalties and giving smaller rivals a chance to challenge the two biggest parties, Johnson’s Conservatives and the left-ofcentre Labour Party.

After dissolving parliament and paying a formal visit to Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday, Johnson will return to his Downing Street residence to announce the election. He will launch his party’s campaign at a rally later in the day.

“I don’t want an election.

No prime minister wants an early election, especially not in December,” he will say, according to advance extracts of his speech. “But as things stand we simply have no choice – because it is only by getting Brexit

done in the next few weeks that we can focus on all the priorities of the British people.”

Polls show Johnson’s Conservatives are well ahead of Labour, but polling analysts caution that sentiment is unusually volatile. Johnson, 55, is hoping to win a big enough majority in parliament to get the Brexit deal he agreed with Brussels last month ratified and lead Britain out of the EU at the end of December or in January. Britain had been due to leave in March, but has had

to extend that deadline three times after parliament rejected a deal negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May, and then forced Johnson himself to ask for more time.

His campaign launch will paint Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as someone who wants to stall the Brexit process by holding another referendum, holding the country back from focusing on domestic issues.

Corbyn said on Tuesday he wanted to negotiate a new Brexit deal and then let the

public decide between leaving on his terms, or not leaving at all. He has accused Johnson of negotiating a bad deal that would hurt the economy and erode workers’ rights.

Attempting to capitalise on voters’ Brexit fatigue, more than three years after Britain voted 52% to 48% in favour of leaving the bloc, Johnson will say: “It’s time to change the dismal pattern of the last three years and to get out of our rut. It’s time to end this debilitating delay.”

Brazil regulator says Vale ‘negligence’ may have cost lives BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil’s mining regulator on Tuesday blasted iron ore miner Vale SA for failing to disclose problems with a mining dam before a deadly collapse in January, saying this kept the agency from taking actions that could have saved lives.

The dam in Brumadinho collapsed and flooded a nearby company cafeteria and the surrounding countryside with mining waste, killing more than 250 people. It was Vale’s second deadly dam collapse in less than four years.

The regulator’s report on its probe into the disaster is the

latest blow to the reputation of Vale, which is under criminal investigation over accusations

that top executives ignored warning signs about the dam.

Based on the report’s findings,

ANM will now assess the iron ore miner with 24 new fines.

Officials said that the amount of each fine is capped at around 6,000 reais ($1,500) under Brazilian law.

The report detailed several problems that it said Vale should have reported. The first occurred in June 2018, seven months before the disaster, when the company installed horizontal drainage pipes and discovered sediment in the drainage water. This worrying sign should have been reported immediately, ANM officials told reporters in a briefing.

“The serious fact is that when there is sediment it must

be reported. Period. It wasn’t. If it had been communicated, the area would immediately have been submitted to daily inspections,” said ANM head Victor Bicca. “But we didn’t know what was happening.” Vale said in a statement it would analyze the report but it was unable to comment on technical decisions taken by its “geotechnical team” at the time. The miner said it is providing all information on the history of the dam’s condition to authorities, adding that various investigations were pending into the cause of the dam burst.

Several ANM directors said if Vale had properly re-

ported drainage, water pressure and other issues at the dam, it would have been classified as “emergency level 1”, bringing a higher level of scrutiny including daily inspections. They said those inspections could have uncovered further problems, ultimately leading to evacuation, which would have saved lives.

Because problems were not disclosed, the dam was not given high priority, since it was not actively receiving more mining waste, director Tasso Mendonca said.

He said the dam was “a bit forgotten.” “It’s a kind of negligence, perhaps not intentional,” he said.

Colombia to speed nearly $400 million in social investment for violence-hit region

BOGOTA (Reuters) Colombia said on Tuesday it would speed social investment of $391.6 million earmarked for southwestern Cauca province, where indigenous communities and political candidates have been recent targets for violence by crime gangs and dissident rebels. The spend-

ing will include subsidies for poor families, road construction, help for economic projects and improvements in health coverage, education and nutrition. Twelve people have been killed in two attacks by armed groups in the province over the past week, including seven members of indigenous communities. In

September, mayoral candidate Karina Garcia was killed along with five others in the town of Suarez. “The common enemy is drug trafficking and that’s why the idea is to fight drug trafficking not just with closer security but also socially,” Peace Commissioner Miguel Ceballos told journalists.

President Ivan Duque last week ordered the armed forces to send 2,500 personnel as reinforcements to the province, a hub for the production and transport of coca and marijuana, joining the 8,000 soldiers already stationed there. Some communities in Cauca, where the indigenous population

numbers 300,000, oppose the increase in the military presence within their territory and have demanded more social spending. Their communities are frequently targeted - by crime gangs, the National Liberation Army rebel group and guerrilla fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

who refused to demobilise under a 2016 peace deal - for resisting drug trafficking and illegal mining within ancestral lands. Figures from the United Nations show that some 50 killings have taken place in indigenous territory in Colombia so far this year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

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US extends Temporary Protected Status for Haitians WASHINGTON, November 5, 2019, CMC – The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 500,000 undocumented Haitians living in the US. DHS announced a US Federal Register notice extending the validity of TPS-related documentation for beneficiaries under the TPS designations not only to Haiti but also to El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan through January 4, 2021. The TPS designation to Haiti, El Salvador and Nicaragua was expected to expire on January 4, 2020. The designation to Honduras was expected to expire on January 5, 2020 and Nepal on March 24, 2020.

DHS said the notice “automatically extends the validity of Employment Authorization Documents; Forms I-797, Notice of Action; and Forms I-94, Arrival/Departure Record – collectively TPS-related documentation.” It said it was extending the TPS documentation to Haiti and the other countries in com-

pliance with the preliminary injunctions of the US District Court for the Northern District of California in the cases of Ramos, et al. v. Nielsen, et al. and the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Saget, et. al., v. Trump, et. Al. In addition, DHS said it was extending TPS to those countries in keeping with the order of the US District Court for the Northern District of California to stay proceedings in the case of Bhattarai v. Nielsen. “If the Government prevails in its challenge to the Ramos preliminary injunction, TPS for beneficiaries under Haiti’s designation may continue pursuant to the Saget preliminary injunction,” it said in a statement.

“However, should the government prevail in its challenges to both the Ramos preliminary injunction and the Saget preliminary injunction, the Secretary’s (DHS) determination to terminate TPS for Haiti will take effect no earlier than 120 days from the issuance of the later of the two appellate mandates to the District Court,” it added.

In early March, Caribbean

American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke joined three of her congressional colleagues in introducing the Dream and Promise Act, also known as H.R. 6, in the US House of Representatives that would allow the US-raised immigrant youth known as “Dreamers” to earn lawful permanent residence and American citizenship. Clarke said the legislation – which is co-authored by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Lucille Roybal-Allard, another Democrat from California, and Nydia Velázquez, a New York Congressional Democrat – is the 116th Congress’s version of the Dream Act, a bill which has been introduced since 2001.

However, Clarke said H.R. 6 includes protections and a path to citizenship not just for Dreamers but also for TPS for Haitians, among others, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries.

“We need comprehensive immigration reform that protects Dreamers, as well as TPS and DED beneficiaries,” Clarke said. “That’s why I am proud to be a co-lead on the Dream and

Promise Act (HR 6).

“This bill will include a path to citizenship for Dreamers, as well as for people covered by Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure,” she added. “This bill builds upon the Dream Act, the American Promise Act, and the ASPIRE TPS Act, which I introduced last Congress.”

Clarke told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the Dream and Promise Act allows Dreamers and individuals with TPS and DED to “contribute fully in the country they love and know to be their home by providing a pathway to citizenship.”

She said the legislation would grant Dreamers conditional permanent resident status for 10 years, and cancel removal proceedings. if they have been continuously physically present in the US for four years preceding the date of the enactment of the bill and were 17 years old or younger on the initial date of entry into the US. Clarke also said the Act would, among other things, grant Dreamers conditional

permanent resident status if they graduated from high school, obtained a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or industry recognized credential, or were in a program assisting students in obtaining a high school diploma, GED or equivalent exam, or in an apprenticeship program.

In order to gain full lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, Clarke said Dreamers must acquire a degree from a US institution of higher education; or complete at least two years in good standing in a bachelor’s or higher degree program or in an area career and technical education program at a post-secondary level in the US. For LPR, Clarke said Dreamers must also complete at least two years of military service, and if discharged, received an honorable discharge; or employed for periods of time totaling at least three years and at least 75 per cent of the time with employment authorization.

The Caribbean American congresswoman said the bill also includes a number of provisions for Dreamers, including

repealing Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which penalizes states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students on the basis of residency.

She said the bill also allows Dreamers to access federal financial aid; ensure that individuals with conditional permanent resident status are able to access professional, commercial and business licenses; and permit eligible Dreamers, deported from the United States by the Trump Administration, to apply for relief from abroad.

Clarke said the Dream and Promise Act, which passed the US House of Representatives, will provide 2.5 million TPS beneficiaries, among others, a pathway to citizenship and the opportunity for legal residency. “We must urge our colleagues in the Senate to also pass this historic legislation,” she urged.

LIAT burden too much for just shareholder governments BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Nov. 5, CMC – Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Monday night that regional airline LIAT is doomed if the burden of ensuring its survival continued to rest only on the shoulders its shareholder governments.

Barbados is currently the largest single shareholder in the financially-strapped airline.

Antigua and Barbuda which earlier this year was seeking to purchase most of Barbados’ shares, along with Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and, to a smaller extent, Grenada are the other governments with stake in the carrier.

“If you expect the three or four shareholder governments alone to carry the burden then you will end up in trouble each time, because it means that at some point they are going to make commercial decisions, because there is not a bottomless pit to service it,” Prime Minister Mottley said when she appeared as a panellist at a CARICOM Secretariat-sponsored town hall

meeting on ‘CSME – What’s in it for me?’ at the Errol Barrow Centre for the Creative Imagination at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill.

“What we have done is to place the burden of LIAT only on the shareholders without recognizing that routes cannot be sustainable unless they are either financially profitable or economically desirable.”

Mottley therefore reiterated the need for a minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) policy for the Antigua-based carrier.

Under the MRG, regional governments would guarantee the airline a set amount of cash if the routes to their countries do not make enough of a profit.

“If it is economically desirable then we need to be able have a minimum revenue guarantee such that once the load factor of particular routes falls below whatever the agreed average is, governments who want to sustain those routes say ‘I will pay the difference between the two’, as we are currently doing with Ameri-

can Airlines and with Virgin Airways in many Caribbean countries,” the Barbadian leader said.

Earlier this year, LIAT said it was in talks with various regional governments to try to implement such a policy

that would spread the airline’s financial burden among all the destinations benefitting from its services. Mottley suggested that LIAT did not have to be doomed, however, if the right approach was taken. “I believe we can

solve the problem but it is going to require us coming together and agreeing. And, in fairness, we tried to but all of the stakeholders were not necessarily on the same page earlier this year. I trust and pray that we can find the

common ground for all of the stakeholders because while LIAT 1974 Limited may not be a viable proposition, reasonable, affordable, reliable air travel is the prerequisite for the growth of this region,” she said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Taking note of Guyana’s aesthetics

IMPRESSIONS or conclusions about a country are influenced not only by its leaders, people or politics, but also by the physical appearance presented to those who reside within and visit that country.

For instance, national landmarks and infrastructure influence important perceptions of a country, its people, and the state of its governance. Driving through a country, people have their impressions of that country shaped by looking first-hand at its monuments, statues, government buildings, architecture and road networks In Guyana’s case, some buildings have secured international pride of place, as is evident in the UNESCO World Heritage record. This is so, given the stories behind the era of the buildings and the unique architecture that have made them national and world treasures. And one can read the story of a nation’s evolution and the primacy placed on aspects of its struggles and achievements by looking at its statues. Countries that engage in war and see war as an essential part in winning and maintaining freedom, their

military will be given pride of place through statues and monuments representation.

Again, in Guyana’s case, though military war was not part of the people’s struggle, the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion leader, Cuffy, is immortalised in a monument as a hero in the fight of the oppressed for freedom. How monuments and statues and their environs are maintained in domestic and foreign environments will tell of the value the people and responsible institutions have for them and their contributions to their society’s evolution.

Outside of the foregoing, emphasis is also placed on buildings. In Britain, Number 10 Downing Street is the Prime Minister’s Office and residence. In the USA, the White House is the President’s office and residence. Here in Guyana, State House, formerly the Governor’s residence, has been occupied by some presidents, and the Office of the President is where the business of the State is managed.

These landmarks have historical significance that exemplify the state of wellness

of a country and leadership; and, properly packaged, have been tourist attractions.

While in the USA and Britain, these places are a must-see on the tourism calendar, creating a thriving memorabilia industry and helping to maintain the country’s image on the map. This are not without ensuring the architecture is preserved and the sites, in their appearance, are pleasing to the eye.

Guyana’s State House in its present architecture has earned itself a place among the UNESCO treasures. It is to the country’s image and maintenance of this pride of place to have State House retain its architecture, which includes the windows, stairways, rooms, architectural designs and landscape in their original form. Since coming to office President David Granger has ensured tremendous work was done to upgrade this landmark public building. All Guyanese know that prior to 2015 the Office of the President, now renamed Ministry of the Presidency, had become less than pleasing in appearance. The landscape was unkempt, and the various colours were inconsistent

with the importance the office represents within the country. In fairness to previous administrations, notably those of Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte, this building and its landscape -- including the annex opposite -- were maintained and attracted some degree of admiration.

And finally, our roadways cannot be ignored. In addition to roads that were poorly constructed, as evidenced in the undulation and water not being able to have natural runoff during and after rains, pedestrians using the roads do so at great risk.

Roads that have been repaired and new ones that have been constructed, have seen their shoulders left unattended. Pavements have been encumbered, and in some cases reconstructed by residents or businesses, thereby making it difficult for pedestrians to go about their business.

Being mindful of the country’s aesthetics and the image we want Guyana to project, it becomes important to pay heed to these elements in the nation’s developmental programme.

The state of panditai (Hindu Priest-craft) in Guyana Dear Editor, Historical Framework WITH the abolition of slavery in 1834 and the termination of the system of apprenticeship in 1838, many ex-slaves abandoned the sugar plantations, resulting in a grave labour shortage. In the search for a reliable labour force, labourers from India were imported under the Indentureship system.

The system of indentureship lasted from 1838 to 1917, during which 238,909 labourers were imported. The majority were drawn from the rural hinterlands of North India; a small fraction was recruited from southern India.

Of the 238,909 indentured labourers, the vast majority were Hindus and of the lower castes. A small percentage were traditional Brahmins. They provided ‘spiritual food’ for the indentured immigrants; they performed their religious rites and read from the scripture; this work was continued by their descendants. Their limited knowledge on Hinduism – its lore and practices – was passed on to them by their fathers and grandfathers who themselves were limited in their knowledge.

However, within their own limitations, they kept Hinduism going.

Towards the latter half of the last century, (from the 60s), the Brahmins found it more lucrative for their sons to venture into the more profitable professions of law, medicine, teaching, etc. One can now find them in all fields of public life. They are businessmen, farmers, bus drivers, carpenters, teachers, public servants, policemen, politicians, etc.

Fewer and fewer Brahmins are becoming priests, and of those who are priests, not many

make their livelihoods entirely from the practise of their craft.

As might be expected, traditional non-Brahmin Hindus have been filling the gap, some with distinction. They are largely self-trained and come from all backgrounds.

A few with secondary and university education have acquired a remarkable proficiency.

Though initially there were some hesitation on the part of the Hindu population to accept them, that reservation is now gone. The caste-system has undergone a transformation in the New World.

However, towards the end of the last century, (last decade), there began a steady decline in the skill and quality of Hindu priests (pandits), including the non-traditional Brahmins. The rituals, as well as future of Hinduism, now rest on a very small and rapidly dwindling body of knowledgeable priests.

Knowledge of Sanskrit – Essential All rituals and ceremonies (poojaa, havan, birth, initiation, marriage, death and after-death ceremonies, etc.), are in Sanskrit.

All texts (Vedas, Gita, Upanishads, Puranas, etc), are in Sanskrit. All prayers are also in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is therefore a most essential tool for the pandit to ply his trade. But the pandits have very little or no knowledge of Sanskrit, (not to mention other areas of Hinduism. It is like a person with no knowledge of Spanish reading from a Spanish text! He makes a mess of it. The pandits are making a ‘mess’ of Hindu lore and practices.

We should remember that the pandits’ knowledge, in most cases, was passed on to them by an earlier generation of pandits, (mostly their parents and grandparents), who themselves were limited in their knowledge.

And, whatever the shortcomings, there has never been a concerted effort to pass on the tradition by those who knew. On the other hand, there is no genuine effort presently on the part of the pandits to improve themselves.

Documentation of the System One of the reasons for the sorry state of affairs was the total absence of text books. To bring some relief to the situation, I have prepared text books on all poojaas, the Samskaaras (birth, upanayana, marriage, cremation, shraaddha, etc.), as well as text books on the Sanskrit language, and on Hinduism.

Pandits’ Training Programme Also, I have been training Pandits for the past twenty-five (25) years at my home. I also taught at the Guyana Hindu Dhaarmic Sabha Kendra for eight (8) years and Gandhi Youth Organisation for one (1) year. It is a two-year programme. Sadly, a very small percentage of the pandit population attended those classes.

There were also many drop-outs, mainly due to lack of academic backgrounds, as well as a lack of commitment to improve themselves.

Upon successful completion, students are presented with certificates. I have also designed and developed a curriculum and syllabus for the programme.

‘Pandit’ means a ‘learned person.’ Anyone who successfully completes a course of studies in the undermentioned subjects qualifies to be a pandit. A look, however, will tell you of the sorry state of affairs of Panditai in Guyana.

Subjects Knowledgeable Pandits (a) Rituals and Ceremonies (b) Sanskrit (c) The a – z of Hinduism

(d) English Language (d) Astrology (e) Research (e) Public Speaking 15% 5% 15% 30% 5% 2% 15%

The situation is getting worse. It is the same ‘story’ in the USA and CANADA. A pandit must be trained and certified A sick person seeks a reputable doctor; a person in need of legal aid wants a brilliant lawyer; a parent sends his child to a school with qualified/trained teachers; you seek an efficient mechanic for your vehicle; the businessman employs the service of an accountant to prepare his financial statements. The doctor, the lawyer, the teacher, the mechanic and the accountant are all persons proficient in his own field; each had to undergo a period of training. So it is (supposed to be) with the pandit.

We don’t take chances with our health, our education or our finance – our physical well-being. Do we? No! Then, why take chances with your spiritual well-being – the health of your spirit soul? The pandit provides service (food) for your soul. Is he taking you to heaven or hell? The pandit is supposed to be qualified in his field, (like the others), to provide such service.

He is supposed to undergo a period of See page 7

Op-Ed

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

By Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General OUR world seems to be changing faster than ever – technologically, environmentally, socially – and in so many other ways.

It is hard for any of us to keep up with the astonishing pace and scale of developments and their impact, for better or for worse, on our own lives and the ways in which they affect the future of our planet.

Yet too often it seems that those with the greatest stake in the future are least empowered to shape it: young people. This is something the Commonwealth has for more than 50 years been working hard to change; and never more so than today. Population growth means that there are now more young people in the Commonwealth than ever before, and this offers choices and challenges for all involved in planning and making policy, and for young people themselves. The combined population of the Commonwealth is now 2.4 billion, of which more than 60 per cent are aged 29 or under, and one in three between the ages of 15 and 29.

Through social media, young people are more connected, informed, engaged and globally aware than ever before. Even so, their potential to drive progress and innovation is often overlooked or remains untapped, despite pioneering Commonwealth leadership over the decades on inclusiveness and intergenera-

Young people need our support; we must seize this tremendous opportunity

tional connection. Since the 1970s, Commonwealth cooperation has supported member states with provision of education and training for youth workers, who have a central role to play in encouraging, enabling, and empowering young people. Practitioners may be of any age, and operate in many settings: youth clubs, parks, schools, prisons, hospitals, on the streets and in rural areas.

Commonwealth approaches and engagement recognise the dynamic role youth workers can play in addressing young people’s welfare and rights, and in connecting and involving them in the decision-making process at all levels. In some Commonwealth countries, youth work is a distinct profession, acknowledged in policy and legislation to deliver and certify quality of practice, including through education and training. In others, it is institutionalised less formally through custom and practice. In some countries there is little or no youth work activity --- formal or informal.

To advance the cause of young people and their direct participation in nation-building and the issues affecting them, the Commonwealth Secretariat supports the governments of member countries with technical assistance relating to policy and legislation in professionalising youth work. A pioneering Commonwealth contribution is the Commonwealth Diploma in Youth Development, which has been delivered in almost 30 Com-

The state of panditai ...

From page 6

training in the above-mentioned subjects under a competent teacher. It needs no mention of the irreparable damage that can result from an unqualified doctor or lawyer, mechanic, teacher or accountant.

How about an unqualified pandit?

The government safeguards the interest of the general public by putting systems and procedures in place, whereby only qualified persons are appointed to various positions, (health, education, legal, etc). Who protects the interest of the Hindu public from unscrupulous and unqualified pandits? The Hindu public is no wiser; they are very gullible – easily deceived, easily fooled.

Pandits are very disorganised and fragmented.

There is no oversight body. As it is, anyone learns a few ‘things,’ puts on the garment, recites ‘anything,’ and does some ‘things’ and he becomes a ‘pandit’ overnight. Pandits are answerable to no one. They are now more interested in music than Hindu lore and practices.

There is urgent need for a national Hindu organisation, with responsibility to train, examine, certify and appoint pandits. It must also have power to exercise sanction.

Hinduism is the only religion which does not have a national training programme for its priests and an education programme for its members. Hinduism is the only religion in which the vast majority of its priests are untrained and unqualified.

The question is: Does anyone care? Is anyone concerned? Is anyone listening?

Regards Pt R Balbadar [Vaidic Theology. (Diploma) Sanskrit. (Diploma)

monwealth member states.

The new Commonwealth Degree and Diploma in Youth Work provide countries with a resource for developing human capital, using a consortium business model; this makes the training resources accessible at low cost for persons in low-income contexts. The Commonwealth also supports the global collectivisation of youth work professionals through the emerging Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Workers’ Associations (CAYWA), an international association of professional associations dedicated to advancing youth work across the Commonwealth. CAYWA facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas and collegial support among youth work practitioners, and is developing into a unified global influence providing support to governments and all stakeholders in the youth work profession. Expertise is offered by the Commonwealth Secretariat with the design of short courses and outcomes frameworks that support just-in-time and refresher training to augment diploma and degree qualifications.

Guidance is also offered on establishing youth worker associations that can help towards building and sustaining professional standards, thereby safeguarding the quality of services offered to young people.

In 2019 a conference in Malta bringing together youth workers from throughout the Commonwealth continued to build recognition and professional standards of youth work in member countries. Among outcomes was

the establishment of a week-long celebration of the extraordinary services of full-time practitioners and volunteers – recognised as youth workers -- who support the personal development and empowerment of young people. Youth Work Week, with the theme ‘Youth Work in Action,’ will be observed November 4 -10, 2019, in the 53 member states of the Commonwealth. Looking forward to the 2020 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda next June, Youth Work Week will bring into sharper focus the challenges young people in our member countries face, and the opportunities they are offered – including through the Commonwealth connection.

By recruiting and placing appropriately trained and properly supported youth workers, communities in Commonwealth countries can help young people channel their energies and talent in positive directions, especially during the transition from education into work. Supported by positive role models and with mentors to whom they can relate, young people can be guided towards healthy and productive lives.

When equipped to develop as well-rounded individuals and to contribute to the societies in which they live, young people can make immense contributions towards transforming our communities and our Commonwealth and – above all -- to their own future.

Continuing constitutional mission of GECOM to conduct free and fair elections Dear Editor, WITH the issue of the in excess of 25,000 national identification cards still not uplifted and the fact that these cards have not been claimed since 2008, certainly vindicates the government’s unswerving insistence that there be house-to-house registration for ensuring a sanitised list for credible elections.

Editor, this is a most unusual situation, given the strategic importance of having a national identification card for important transactions, in the absence of a passport. And even if in possession of the latter, it is known that virtually every Guyanese, once in possession of an ID card, would always prefer the choice for whatever business/personal matter, for fear of accidentally misplacing the very important travel document.

It is obvious that this is a most unusual situation to which Commissioner Vincent Alexander has referred, in his usual precise and unambiguous language that

stated, “So, the issue is not the ID card, the issue is that these persons, since 2008 and beyond 2008 have not, in any way, presented themselves to be present; to be known; to be alive; to be existing; to be resident. And in calling them, writing to them gives us the opportunity to make a determination.”

It could not be clearer than what the commissioner’s statement is intended to convey, the inherent pertinent question – just where can these thousands of citizens be since 2008 that has prevented them from uplifting their ID cards, knowing that they are entitled to same after the last registration process in which they had participated.

The Madame Chairperson, Justice ret’d Claudette Singh is within her right to demand that these 25,000 thousand Guyanese citizens present themselves or risk being removed from the official list of electors. In fact, the question is fair to be asked – why must these people continue to exist as entries in the Official List of Electors(OLEs), once it is proven

that they do not really exist, particularly if deceased?

Maybe, they are dwelling beneath the labyrinth of Freedom House, or in sections of East Berbice/Corentyne. If they are, then let the Bharrat Jagdeos, Zamal Husseins et al produce their bodies, period.

Editor, what has once again raised its ugly and dishonest head, is a challenge from the usual political quarters, primed with dishonest intentions to commit fraud, by threatening court challenges to GECOM’s intended measures should the national ID card status quo remain unchanged at the end of the 21-day stipulated period.

Of course all, even those who are seeking to again heighten social tensions, would now understand --not that they did not in the first instance -- why government has been insistent in its call for house-to-house registration. There can be no apology for this measure, since it stands as the only true procedure for the production of a credible official list of electors.

But having said that, one can appreciate the reason why it came to an early end so as to uphold the court’s dictum that elections be held at the earliest possible time.

Thus, GECOM has been tasked with other best practices in ensuring that ghosts and phantoms be removed from a credible voters’ list; and it is imperative that this be done, given the troubling observations and occurrences, which had surrounded the polls of 2006, 2011, and 2015 – all constitutional exercises taking place under a PPP/C regime.

No national electoral body that understands its mandate of being responsible for national elections, which must be conducted from a sanitised voters’ list, for transparency of, and undisputed, results, must abdicate such a responsibility.

This, without any doubt, is the continuing constitutional mission of the Madame Chairperson and GECOM. Regards Earl Hamilton

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Krishnanandat Arjune should clarify before writing

Dear Editor,

A PARTICULAR tactic, dishonest to the core, that often appears in the opinion column of especially one of the print media that is wholly politically aligned, and also adopted by most pro-PPP/C opposition letter writers, is to ascribe blame for a particular problem to both the government and the political opposition, when it should be rightly laid at the doorstep of the opposition party. This deception can also be found in its cartoons.

Especially the letter writers, who had never dared criticise their favourite party when it had been in government, but who now hypocritically decide to hurl criticisms at the government in a most convenient, but deceptive manner.

But they deceive themselves. Krishnanandat Arjun’s “The housing policies of successive governments have failed,” Stabroek News, November 03, 2019 is a perfect example of the category stated.

I do not know how old Mr Arjune is; for if he is of a mature age, he would recall the Burnham’s administration housing policy as part of the Feed, Clothes and House the nation initiative that housed thousands of Guyanese in establishing housing communities such as Tucber Housing Scheme

in the New Amsterdam locale; the Melanie Damishana housing scheme on the East Coast of Demerara, and the North Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt Park and South Ruimveldt Gardens; Festival City, Guyhoc Park and Guyhoc Gardens; and Roxanne Burnham Gardens, the Stevedore Housing Scheme and Rasville Housing Scheme in Georgetown. The Phoenix Park community on the West Bank of Demerara, must also be mentioned, as well as the Evans Phillip Park, contiguous to the Agricola community. All these housing areas, mostly, were brought into existence via the selfhelp and cooperative spirit, and resulted in tremendous relief to the working class, where the greatest demand for housing has always been, as is still the case.

There is no doubt that our housing situation may have been more acute, had it not been for the PNC government initiative in the 60s and 70s.

Enter the PPP/C and its housing programme, which methodology, for housing the nation, centred on the distribution of house lots, with allottees having to access mortgages for building. Mr Arjune should be informed that the PPP/C’s housing initiative is reported to have distributed a total of 55,000 house lots, but with only a 28 percent occupancy; meaning that more than one half of

those lots have never been occupied.

This has been less than successful when compared to the former PNC government’s programme which accommodated as many citizens as resources allowed, thus allowing for the many housing communities as can be evidenced in many parts of Guyana.

Worse yet, is the fact that there were in excess of 25,000 Guyanese from especially Regions Three, Four and Five, who had been applicants for house lots since the 90s, until when there was a change in administration in 2015. And Mr Arjune should also be reminded that it had been because of a PPP/C anti-working class policy of selling vast acreages to friends and cronies for them to build and sell to the very rich, that resulted in the denial of building opportunities for those thousands of applicants mentioned.

Arjune has levelled the accusation of persons who have been awarded house lots and ‘’because they continue to live in their parents’ or ancestral homes, they have built houses which are being rented or have resold their house lots, making a profit in excess of 100 per cent ….

In breach of their contracts.”

Editor, if it is Arjune’s intention to subtly attribute this grave breach of the CH&PA agreement with allottees, as one suspects he is seeking

to do, to have had its genesis since 2015, then he is gravely dishonest and guilty of an extreme form of misinformation. He ought to be aware that this criminality commenced in the heyday of the PPP/C regime, and explains why the present government has been seeking to re-claim unoccupied lands, among other reasons.

Now, Arjune is professing to be concerned about the young people of this country, hence his reason for ‘writing his letter for their sake.’

Very, very admirable indeed, one must opine; except that it is convenient, for one must enquire whether this representer of our youth was of the same empathy and concern during the governance of the PPP/C. Or was he one of the thousands of party supporters, who would have been afraid to publicly criticise his government because of not wanting to break ranks?

This kind of example is too common for one to think otherwise.

But let Mr Arjune be advised of the following: that

the coalition government’s approach to housing has been because of what has been a badly conceived PPP/C housing policy for housing Guyanese.

First, it has taken to build duplex and condo types that make it easier for would be home owners; and there have been tremendous demand from the public. Thus, Arjune’s claim of this government selling a house lot ‘’for in excess for $5,000,000’’ is as highly erroneous, as it is dangerous and mischievous, as I think such a figure pertains to a finished structure.

Secondly, the coalition government, cognisant of the discriminatory PPP/C’s policy of considering only young adults with children for house lots, has since amended that imbalance by mandating that any person attaining the age of 18 can apply for a house lot, whether married or unmarried; young people have become eligible for housing, with many since accessing such a facility.

Thirdly, again, one notes the attempt by Arjune to

quote the current national minimum wage, asking when’’ a young person working for $60000 or $70000 will be in a position to pay the government.’’ Did this citizen ever think of asking this question of his party’s policy-makers when the minimum wage then was one half of what it is now? Absolutely not!

Arjune, on enquiry, would be guided as to the prices for the different kinds of structures on offer. He would have also realised that the national minimum wage is set to undergo another elevation, one is certain, with the next BUDGET. And, given the imminent and oil-and-gas economy, the repayment ability of young public servants on whose behalf Arjune never spoke prior to 2015, will be much enhanced. All this, of course, taking place under the President David Granger administration.

Regards Carla Mendonca

Citizens should do critical thinking when reading social media content Dear Sir, OUR youths account for more than 50 per cent of the voting population in Guyana. Given their familiarity and use of new media, it is not surprising that social media platforms are already playing an indispensably crucial role in political campaigns for upcoming general and regional elections in Guyana; I would say even more than traditional media-- newspapers, radio and television-- with their high costs, gate-keeping roles and editorial agendas and policies.

Again, unlike traditional news sources, social media provide very little in the way of individual accountability or fact-checking mechanisms; appealability and repeatability rather than truthfulness can function as the primary forces of information diffusion. Indeed, truth is the first casualty of social media.

Nevertheless, it is true that social networking and microblogging services reach hundreds of millions, even billions, of users and have become rich mines for research and political participation and communication. Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp,

Messenger, WeChat, Instagram and Tumblr are among those used for such purposes.

But in a “post-truth world,” where astroturf seems to be the order of the day, how can anyone trust information on social media platforms. One only has to look at certain past and recent events and incidents in certain western liberal democracies to see the strained relationship between social media and veracity.

Perhaps, a good one for us to consider is Facebook; at the moment, it is the biggest social media site in the world.

Last week, Mark Zuckerberg testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee over planned crypto currency, (Libra Currency) in particular, and other related policies, in general.

That was not the first time (and I am sure would not be the last) that the co-founder of Facebook has testified before such panels. Both the process ( protocols, systems and elaboration for public awareness, communication and information) and substance ( broad outlines of approaches, and standard operational procedures to manage the peculiar tensions between continuous innovation for global cyber leadership and the protection

of data, and databases from state and non-state actors) those hearings, of course, elevated the massive importance of this media platform and accompanying tools not only to America, but to the world.

Incredibly, over 2. 7 billion people -- nearly a 1/3 of the world ‘s population-uses Facebook. This is an interesting point because this gives this single media platform beyond epic powers to influence global and national conversations on anything and everything in human society. It has the capacity to shape the views, reactions, and participation of entire nations in things global, and determine, manipulate and manage the outcomes of different life-changing events and activities, including elections, for individuals as well as whole communities.

This was amply demonstrated by the political organising power of Barrack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign to Howard Dean’s failed campaign and scream in 2004.

The latter showed an inability to translate internet excitement and promotion into real tangible political See page 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Citizens should do ...

From page 8

support, while the former knew how to make virtual the reality in terms of votes.

Again, the Mueller report was very clear on Russia’s interference in U.S. elections in 2016. Advertisements and hundreds of false Facebook accounts created by Russian specialists. It is said that contents produced by these accounts (false information and disinformation) on Facebook was shared more that 300 million times to more than 10 million users.

These are just a few examples of the seismic energy of Facebook that continue to vibrate throughout this world.

Whilst its use continues to gain increasing popularity, the utility of this platform is further enhanced by the fact that traditional media pay enormous attention to the flow of communication it supports. It has infinite potential to reach ever-increasing audiences of various geographic, cultural, social, educational, economic, political and religious backgrounds.

But with its increasing popularity we are seeing more people using this platform to discuss matters of public interest as it offers unprecedented opportunities for public participation and information awareness among the Internet-connected public.

Volumes have been written (and there are huge ongoing research projects) by different scholars about how social media platforms democratise the political process because it allows one of the main pillars of democracy- free speech. But does it?

This is a very tricky issue. The emergence and advancement of this technology are outpacing governments’ ability to put in place appropriate laws and regulations to effectively govern and manage them. This by itself disrupts democracy. In any case, free speech works only when we know who is speaking.

However, the increasing acclimation of Facebook presents a negative side; people find ways to abuse it. One such type of abuse is political astroturf-- political campaigns presented as spontaneous grassroots behaviour that are in reality carried out by a single person or organisation. This is part of our “posttruth world.” The goal of these communication strategies is to promote or suppress political information through lies, alternative truths and confusion. Those who use it create false consensus and the illusion of popularity or disapproval. They create a “merry caravan effect” and the more people play into it, the more difficult it becomes to stop.

Perhaps, this is the reason why in Guyana some political parties and individuals who appear very popular and celebrated online perform extremely poorly on the ground in local communities. Instead of real grassroots politics they are involved in astroturf. In reality they have no following or constituency.

This has far-reaching implications, not only for the parties involved, but also for citizens. One such implication is the issue of trust.

Once those organisations are found out or discovered, they then lose the trust of the public with further consequential decline of their organisation or political party and poor prospect of being successful in their efforts to secure national political leadership. But a more morally wrong outcome is that those, who are involved in this abuse prevent citizens from making the best possible choices for their families, communities and the country through deceit, lies and false information and disinformation. In the end, this stunts national development and prosperity. As I visit Facebook and other sites, it is abundantly clear that these platforms are being used, by some, for dark political purposes. And when you add to this the fact that different international and local public relations corporations are planning and executing an assortment of strategies for different political parties, the situation becomes much more worrying.

It is my view that to reduce the incidence of such abuse of social media, the competent authorities must provide strong leadership in this area. They must entertain no fear about designing and implementing appropriate systems to identify and track those accounts set up for the purpose of astroturfing.

Standard protocols with specific indicators should be introduced for the use of social media sites for political advertising and communications. And of course, there should be sanctions and rewards for compliance and non-compliance.

Above all, citizens should be encouraged to do critical thinking when reading content on social media. In this process they can ask questions, such as, what is the source of the information? How factual is it? What is the likely motive of its dissemination on the site? All this must be supported by a strong and aggressive education and awareness programme to assist all of our citizens, particularly our young people, to sort out accurate information on candidates, their leadership, visions and plans for our great nation for the next five years.

This would make the difference in how they elect the next President of the Cooperation Republic of Guyana in upcoming polls in March 2020.

Regards Royston King

9

Do more to develop Guyana’s local services … Foreign Minister urges public, private sectors Guyana Coalition of Service Providers, the country has the opportunity to capitalise on technical needs within the services sector and provide the necessary technical assistance.

The three-day workshop

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, on Tuesday, urged representatives from the public and private sectors to place greater emphasis on the development of the local services sector.

Dr. Cummings, at the time, was delivering opening remarks at a Trade in Services Workshop facilitated by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in collaboration with the Guyana Coalition of Service Providers. “The development of the oil and gas sector will see an influx of foreign companies with increased demand for services offered in Guyana. Service providers will need to respond accordingly, in order to avoid being marginalised in their own markets,” Dr. Cummings reasoned.

She added: “As a Government, we recognise that the services sector, once strategically developed, can assist in enhancing Guyana’s trade in value added products.”

The foreign affairs minister said the David Granger Administration is cognisant of the challenges faced by local service providers while trying to enter their respective markets and establish a presence, as observed during the five-year review of the Caribbean Forum-European Union (CARIFORUM- EU) Economic Partnership Agreement conducted in 2015.

The second five-year review of the agreement is expected to be completed in 2020. On this note, Minister Cummings said CARIFORUM has placed emphasis on trade in services by encouraging the establishment of Coalition of Service Providers across the CARIFORUM Region. Through the recent re-launch of the

aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of local stakeholders of trade and services rules through the WTO, and more specifically the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Participating repre-

sentatives from the public and private sectors will also have an opportunity to network and exchange information across the various sectors through targeted panels and discussions.

Participants of the Trade in Services Workshop

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Brazilian investors showing interest in Guyana

–– targeting infrastructure, agri and tourism sectors

By Navendra Seoraj THERE has been a marked increase in the number of Brazilian investors who are showing interest in Guyana.

“I have been there for three and a half years and

there has been a marked improvement with regards to interest being shown in Guyana as it regards to investing,” said Consul-General of Guyana to Brazil, Shirley Melville, in an invited comment on Saturday.

The increase was justi-

fied by the number of meetings between the consulate and investors from Brazil.

Melville said over the years, she has interacted with investors from Northern Brazil and Sao Paulo.

“Most of these investors are interested in infrastruc-

ture but there is also interest in the agriculture, renewable energy and tourism sectors,” said the consulgeneral.

Although, in some cases, investors have been flowing in on their own, the consul- general has been

doing her bit to make Guyana visible.

She said the consulate has a “great” working relationship with the government in Boa Vista and has been working within the investment, tourism, health, and agriculture sectors and on social committees.

The consulate, through the cooperation with the Brazilian government, has also been transferring skills between the two countries and making business arrangements.

The relationship between Guyana and Brazil has been growing over the years. It was recently reported that the days of having to carefully navigate through a deplorable Linden-to-Lethem trail are almost over, as government had confirmed that there will be a paved road from Guyana to Brazil.

“The final mission from the United Kingdom (UK) Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) programme was here and we have decided that there will be paved road between Guyana and Brazil,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, in a recent report.

Guyana had secured funding from the British Government through its UKCIF programme to complete the design of the road.

“We have long cherished a usable land link between Guyana and Brazil because we see business opportunities,” said Patterson.

Phase one of the project covers approximately 125 kilometres of the road (Linden to Mabura Hill) and includes a bridge across the Kurupukari River.

The journey from Lethem to Georgetown takes as many as 13 hours depending on the state of the road. It recently became impassable. Once paved, the projection is that the trip will take no more than five hours.

With an improvement in transportation and business, relations between the two countries are expected to grow.

Guyana has already seen a rapid growth in foreign interests and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) since 2015 and the FDI is expected to grow further, reaching

Consul General of Guyana to Brazil, Shirley Melville a record US$1.2 billion by the end of this year. This was according to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, in a past report.

According to a report by the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), while FDI flows to Latin America and the Caribbean contracted for the third year in a row in 2017, to US$161.6B, a decline of 3.6 per cent relative to 2016 and 20 per cent less than in 2011, Guyana’s FDI flows had recorded a positive, upward trend.

Minister Jordan, who made reference to the report, added that from a low of US$58M, in 2016, FDI flows almost quadrupled, in 2017, to US$212M. These flows have continued this trend, rising to US$826.4M by the first half of 2019, compared to US$514.8M for the similar period in 2018.

“Expectedly, FDI flows have concentrated on the extractive sector, in particular gold and bauxite mining and latterly, petroleum exploration. However, as the ECLAC report noted, FDI grew in all sectors, except in manufacturing,” said the minister.

In keeping with the policy to diversify the economic base of the country, in order to avoid heavy dependence on the oil and gas sector, the government, through an attractive mix of policies and reforms, is positioning the country to take advantage of the international interest in the recently-discovered oil reserves, in order to promote other sectors, such as agriculture and tourism.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Drivers’ attitude essential in –– Road safety curbing road accidents Council WITH more vehicles on Guyana’s roadways annually along with narrow carriageways, the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) is calling on drivers to drive with care so as to avoid accidents and deaths.

This call was made by GNRSC Coordinator, Ra-

mona Doorgen, on Tuesday, at the launch of a partnership between the Road Safety Council and several other stakeholders to curb road accidents.

The launch was held at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), Albert Street and Thomas Road, Thomaslands, George-

town.

The GNRSC, the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department, the GMR&SC, Mothers In Black, Kronoco Driving School, Clarke’s Production and other stakeholders will also observe the United Nations World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on November

National Emergency System activated as heavy rains pound Guyana’s coast FOLLOWING the torrential rainfall that continued on Tuesday, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has issued a flood warning that takes effect until Friday, November 8, 2019.

According to the Director-General of the CDC, Lt. Col. Kester Craig, the CDC has also activated the National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) to ensure that there is constant contact with all the Administrative Regions. NEMS will allow the CDC to be updated on the effects of the heavy rains on communities within the regions.

On Tuesday, the CDC assessed 23 communities for flashing flooding. This publica- Director-General of the Civil Defence tion learnt that the torrential rains have not had a devastating impact on the regions thus Commission, Lt. Col. Kester Craig far. “I think the impact has not been so signif- Service, rainfall for Wednesday and Thursicant in most communities because… all the day in the coastal plains is forecasted to pumps, as I was informed, under the Mayor be approximately 0.5 inches respectively, and City Council’s control, were pumping with Friday likely to experience one inch of water off. As soon as the tide turns, at the time rainfall. The Civil Defence Commission has when they were able to open the koker doors advised residents in high-risk communities to and sluices, they were able to drain the water take the following precautions: faster off of the land,” the Director-General - Place sandbags where needed. explained.

- Unplug all electrical items.

It was further noted that places like - Elevate all household furniture and Albouystown were not extremely affected, appliances. while in past times the community was - Relocate livestock to higher ground. known for its propensity to quickly flood - Use water purification tablets as pre after prolonged spells of rain. “It shows scribed. that the work done by the Civil Defence - Ensure children and the elderly stay Commission (CDC) in supporting that comclear of floodwaters. munity in cleaning the drains and reduction - Visit the nearest health centre if you in garbage disposal in the drains and canals, experience any skin irritation or feel sick. and the work done by the Mayor and City - If your community is flooded, kindly Council and other stakeholders that sup- call the Civil Defence Commission’s 24ported Albouystown, is fruitful,” the CDC hour National Emergency Monitoring head noted.

System (NEMS) on 623-1700, 600-7500 or According to the Hydrometeorological 226-1114.

Man to stand trial for attempting to murder debtor MORRIS Carter of D’Urban Street, Georgetown, was on Tuesday committed to stand trial at the High Court by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for attempted murder.

The 43-year-old taxi driver was not required to plead to the charge which stated that, on August 27, 2019, at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, he wounded Matthew Gilbert, with intent to commit murder.

After listening to testimonies from witnesses, Magis-

trate McLennan ruled that she had found sufficient evidence against Carter throughout the Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

According to the prosecutor, on the day in question, Gilbert was at a wash bay when Carter approached him.

Carter then asked Gilbert for the remaining $2,000 of the $7,000 finger ring he (Gilbert) had bought from Carter, but for which he (Gilbert) had paid only $7,000. At that time, Gilbert did not have the outstanding sum and there-

fore asked to clear his debt at a later date. Carter however became annoyed, pulled out a pair of scissors and stabbed Gilbert to the left region of his chest.

Gilbert was then taken to the Kitty Health Centre and was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he received further treatment.

The matter was reported to the police and Carter was arrested and later charged.

17, 2019.

Doorgen said the event is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year, to remember the many killed and injured on the world’s roads, together with their families, friends and many others who are also affected.

She said, every year, lives are lost on the roadways nationwide, and as such, road safety becomes more important for everyone journeying on the roadways.

Doorgen said it is important for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to adhere to all road safety guidelines provided by the relevant authorities, in order to reduce the number of road fatalities.

Head of the Law Enforcement Committee on the GNRSC, Special Superintendent (ret’d), Owen Trotz, said fines can be increased along with penalties for errant and lawless drivers but the attitude and culture of drivers need to change for society to

get better.

He explained that in public transportation, persons are free to complain about the attitude of drivers and even pursue the complaint until the driver is charged.

“There is a charge under the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act of the obligation to carry passengers, I know sometimes passengers might be telling drivers to slow down, or stop the music, sometimes the driver would have an attitude and he would stop the bus and be bold enough to tell the passenger to leave. Passengers have a right to report it to the nearest police station and under section 85 of the Act there is an obligation to carry passengers and drivers can be charged,” the senior officer said.

He said there is also a charge for failure to ensure the safety of passengers, noting that no one should allow a tout to tug at them to place them in the public

transportation.

The superintendent (ret’d) said traffic ranks should have daily pep talks with minibus drivers in the morning and afternoon before the busy hour to ensure they understand their duties and rights of passengers.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the leading causes of traffic mishaps in the country are speeding and driving while under the influence of alcohol. Other major causes are driving while distracted by use of a cellphone, pedestrian inattentiveness, and failure to heed traffic signs and warnings.

As the council prepares to observe National Road Safety Week in November and World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims, it is cautioning road users to demonstrate care and consideration.

Use the five Cs – Care, Caution, Consideration, Common Sense and Courtesy.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Rainy season stepping in –– Hydromet office says localised flooding expected

THE second wet/rainy season for the year is stepping in and the Hydrometeorological Service is urging persons to expect an increase in rainfall.

According to the hydromet office, the secondary rainfall season usually begins in the second half

of November and continues until the end of January to mid-February of the following year.

The rainy season is driven mainly by the southern migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and upper atmospheric features such as the subtropical jet

and troughs.

Over the past two weeks, the Hydrometeorological Service has observed that these systems are beginning to affect Guyana, affording the conditions for increased rainfall and the commencement of the rainy season, marginally ahead of the

usual commencement period.

“Given the arrival of the rainfall season, water accumulation in areas with compromised drainage is expected; this can lead to localised flooding/flood related hazards, an upsurge in mosquito breeding, moisture-related pests and water borne diseases,” said the met office.

The Hydrometeorological Service urged that careful attention be given to short-range forecasts provided by the Hydrometeorological Service’s National Weather Watch Center (NWWC) in order to plan daily activities, especially by persons involved in agricultural sector and those inhabiting flood-prone areas.

Further, there are several periods of above normal high tides forecasted in the coming months, which, when coupled with the forecasted weather conditions, can have severe localised impacts on the livelihood of the citizenry.

BE PREPARED It is, therefore, incumbent upon citizens and responsible agencies to take all necessary steps to prepare for the commencement of the rainfall season and the associated impacts on all sectors.

The Hydrometeorological Service will provide updates to its seasonal forecast and warnings as new information becomes available.

For short range forecasts and weather analyses, stakeholders are advised to follow the Daily Weather Briefs, Outlooks and Advisories produced by the National Weather Watch Centre or visit www.hydromet.gov.gy.

The Forecast Desk can be reached at 261-4489/2612216 on a 24-hour basis.

It was reported that from Tuesday to Friday this week, persons can expect partly cloudy to

cloudy skies with scattered light to moderate showers over Regions One through Five, Seven, 10 and northern Region Six. Southern parts of Regions One through five and parts of Regions Seven and 10 may observe thundershowers during the afternoon and evening hours.

Rainfall is expected to range between 25mm (approximately one inch) and 50mm (approximately two inches) over areas with thundershowers and between 10 mm and 20 mm elsewhere. Partly cloudy skies are expected over all other locations. These areas may also experience a few light showers between zero mm and 10mm rainfall.

As the rainy season begins to step in, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown has urged persons to take all necessary precautions to ensure that they secure their properties and other personal belongings.

Further, citizens were reminded that heavy rainfall may result in overtopping in low-lying areas including Albouystown, Alberttown, Riverview Ruimveldt and Lacytown, since the city can only accommodate two inches of rainfall during normal high tide.

Mayor Ubraj Narine implored City dwellers to be responsible when disposing of waste since the council is still faced with a serious problem where waste finds its way into the drainage system.

This, in fact, has helped to compromise the integrity of the drainage system and has contributed to overtopping in several communities.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Guyana welcomes investors – prime minister tells Canadian forum

“WHETHER you are Guyanese or Guyanese-Canadian, whether you are an investor or a potential investor from any other country or organisation, our country has potential.”

Prime Minister, Hon. Moses Nagamootoo, made this declaration at a recep-

tion, hosted in his honour, by the Toronto West End Group, The prime minister was at the time updating the gathering of Guyanese-Canadians, Canadians and potential investors of the strides Guyana is making in all sectors.

“Guyana has come out of

many years of travail, many years of difficulties and is the centre of attraction as the new oil hierarchy in the Caribbean,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo stated.

He highlighted the recent achievements of the STEMGuyana team at the recently held First Global Robotics

A section of attendees at the reception in honour of Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo (DPI photo)

competition in Dubai; the positive steps in education – Guyana’s recent top performance at the examinations offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC); the infrastructural developments that are ongoing; and the ICT hubs that were recently opened in the hinterland areas, among others.

Also updating the gathering on the political climate in Guyana, Prime Minister Nagamootoo noted that the government is alive and is well and continues to be the government of all the people of Guyana.

“Its legitimacy derives from the people who voted it into office,” he underscored.

The country, the prime minister articulated, “has been making strides, making progress forward and we are confident that the leadership that was provided to the country in the last 4 ½ years, had it not been for the disruption caused politically with an event that came suddenly and created a pause

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo delivering remarks at a reception in Toronto, Canada (DPI photo) in the development pace of the country, we would have been further ahead than I am reporting to you tonight.”

The prime minister also noted that the coalition’s track record in office would stand the test of time and see them re-elected for a second term to complete the transformation started during its tenure.

“In early 2020 – March 2 – there will be new elections and the good news is based on its track record in the last four- and three-quarter years. The coalition which is the APNU+AFC, is on the road to return to office for a second term,” the prime minister confidently stated.

(DPI)

Republic Bank customers report difficulties after reopening DAYS after Republic Bank Limited (Guyana) reopened its doors following a threeday shutdown of all services to facilitate an upgrade to its banking platform, some customers are complaining that some services are still not available at the popular city bank.

Customers are reporting the unavailability of the Visa Travel Card, and of the telebanking and online banking services being down; another customer reported some $80,000 missing from her account when she checked it on Monday evening, after the bank’s reopening.

On checking with the bank, she said she was told someone using her ID card withdrew the money in New Amsterdam, Berbice, and she would have to refer to that branch to clarify the situation.

“The last time we withdraw money was the evening on the 30th [October], right before the bank closed and our account was intact and the day it reopens which was [Monday] it’s short,” reported Anastasia Caesar “At Water Street, whole half day, and after back and forth conversation and begging them to see the slip, the alleged person signed to withdraw the money from the teller. They said we have to go to New Amsterdam.

They said everything change and they don’t know what’s going on up there. They said the person used my ID card.

I recently took my husband’s last name legally, so I don’t have an ID card yet.”

Following widespread notices, the bank closed its doors and all services were unavailable from Thursday, October 31 at 14:00hrs until Sunday, November 3, 2019 at 16:00hrs. In an explanatory statement, the bank said that it was done in order “to enable increased transaction efficiency, enhanced product offerings and an overall improved customer experience, while positioning the bank to better serve you.”

Last Monday when the bank reopened its doors, the various branches were flooded with customers, leading to lengthy transaction times at the various service counters.

Some staff noted having issues with accessing the “new software,” compounding the issue.

Some commented that they are considering switching banks or closing their accounts in the wake of the frustration.

“I am withdrawing most of my money and depositing into GBTI [Wednesday],” commented Julian Cadogan, who left the Republic Bank location upset, on Tuesday, after he could not access

some services.

“I understand the unavailability of services in order to facilitate an upgrade, [but] the fact that these services continue to remain unavailable after the upgrade is unacceptable. I have a VISA travel card for the sole purpose of shopping online; I was told that I cannot put money on the card and they cannot say when they will do such. They just said the service is down.”

He notes that the situation is causing a domino effect in other aspects of his life.

“I am now looking at a two-week delay. I need to place my orders by a specific time so that it can be posted to me. We are heading into the Christmas season where it is predicted to have a lot of rain; since my job is heavily dependent on the weather, the longer the card remains unavailable, the greater my losses,” he said.

Guyanese in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica are also having issues accessing their accounts at the ATMs overseas.

“It’s trash. There’s no communication with customers although they insist on having your contact, and they refuse to answer honestly when they’re in the hot seat,” commented a Guyanese student unable to access her account in Trinidad to pay for

Customers at a Republic Bank ATM on Monday (Delano Williams photo) necessary commodities. off. The girl spent hours grade has come months after Up to press time the com- waiting in a long ATM line the bank beefed up security pany had not yet responded to find out there is no money measures beginning last June, to an email requesting a com- there, I felt so embarrassed. to mitigate a “brute-force” atment on the situation, sent to So that was my experience,” tack. This attack had resulted Marketing and Communica- the young man related. in several customers seeing tions Representative for the On returning to the bank money mysteriously disapcompany, Michelle Johnson. on Tuesday, he discovered pearing from their accounts Another customer, who that he was not the only one for purchases they had never requested anonymity, noted with the issue made or authorised. that he found the need to re“When I go back to the The bank has since return to the bank on Tuesday, bank, they say alright no funded millions to a number after an account transfer that problem, the system up now of customers. he did on Monday did not go so it gon’ go through. When Republic Bank is through.

I went back there I saw the Guyana’s largest com“I needed to pay [some- same faces from [Mon- mercial bank. In Sepone] some money, at the day], and they were angry. tember, the central bank, ATM that long line was dot- Transactions that were done the Bank of Guyana, ishness; I not going through [Monday] were done in part denied Republic Bank’s that, so I went to the non- but not in full, because the plans to take over the cash section to do a simple systems were up and down, operations of Scotiabank transfer from my account to that is the real issue. When I in Guyana, noting that the young lady’s account. asked someone they said by “it would lead to systemThey said yes she would get Thursday or Friday every- ic issues” affecting the it [Monday]. I sit down at an thing should be ok,” he notes. health of the financial event and my phone ringing The Republic Bank up- system here.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Can Caribbean sugar make a sweet comeback?

THE Caribbean sugar industry is at a crossroads.

Free market pressures, operational inefficiencies and sugar producers’ inability to meet manufacturers’ demand for refined white sugar have been a major source of frustration, resulting in an over-reliance on extra-regional sugar imports. Guyana, Belize, Jamaica and Barbados are currently in the process of determining whether a combination of tariffs, structural and operational reforms and the substitution of less refined plantation white sugar for use in the manufacturing sector, might just hold the answer to the resuscitation of the flailing sector.

In 2017, during one of the more “sticky” periods in the history of sugar, the Caribbean lost its preferential market status in Europe, with the abolition of European sugar production quotas.

This appeared to be the beginning of the end for the region’s sugar industry and it was predicted that with the consequent depression

in world sugar prices, the entire export market would eventually be lost. Trinidad & Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis’ shut up shop almost immediately.

Since 2017, regionally produced sugar has had to compete with foreign imports of refined white sugar from Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, typically used in the manufacture

of food, and beverage products such as baked goods and sugary drinks. Regional manufacturers have been vehement that locally produced plantation white sugar is unsuitable for these uses.

Today, more than twothirds of the sugar consumed in the Caribbean originates from outside sources, displacing some 200,000 metric tons of regionally pro-

duced sugar. In 2018 alone, Jamaica accounted for more than 20% of the region’s 61,717,886 kilograms of total refined sugar extra-regional imports (Sugar Association of the Caribbean)—a staggering figure given that Jamaica is a sugar producing country. In 2018, total sugar imports to the region’s sugar producers were valued at $16.4 million for Jamaica,

$6.2 million for Barbados, $4.2 million for Guyana and $138,000 for Belize. (worldstopexports.com) It is no wonder that the local industry is struggling.

In an attempt to save the sector, the Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) has lobbied for the imposition of protective measures in the form of a 40% Common External Tariff (CET) but these recommendations have encountered ongoing resistance by the manufacturing sector who are highly reliant on imported sugar. The SAC has upheld that the Caribbean produces enough sugar to satisfy regional demand, which would reduce CARICOM’s balance of trade deficit by between $132.5 million and $271.7 million per annum.

According to the SAC, “a regional sugar industry supplying the needs of industrial users of sugar in the region makes sense– both to reduce import costs, support CARICOM industries, and provide long-term consistent pricing, beneficial to both buyer and seller.”

In April 2019, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) funded a study to determine whether locally produced plantation white would be suitable for regional manufacturing. The findings, which were reported at a sugar stakeholders’ meeting in Belize in October, revealed that soft drink makers Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé have been using plantation white sugar in manufacturing for some time and that this sugar could be used in manufacturing once production facilities make changes to processes, meeting requirements for colour and other impurities. This was a huge victory for the SAC. “We import two-thirds of the estimated 320,000 tonnes of the refined sugar consumed annually within CARICOM,” said Daniel Best, CDB’s Director of Special Projects. “If plantation white can be substituted for refined white sugar, regional producers can capture a larger share of the sugar market and the region can save considerable foreign exchange.” These findings have opened a market for 160,000 tonnes per annum of plantation white sugar and cut extra-regional imports of refined sugar, of about 200,000 tonnes per year.

Another hurdle that the sector will need to overcome is the high production cost of plantation white sugar, causing foreign sugar imports to

be a more cost effective option. Producers have agreed to meet to discuss issues pertaining to the supply and price of the product. Over the past two years, Guyana has closed three sugar estates and sent home approximately 4,000 workers, but in the wake of October’s sugar stakeholder meetings, it initiated plans to begin producing plantation white and Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Audley Shaw, has recognized that the sector needs a revamp and more needs to be done. It is expected that these markets will soon begin producing liquid sugar for use in beverage factories.

In Barbados, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, the Honourable Indar Weir has been working on putting over 100 acres of Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) land back into sugar production with special emphasis on drought-resistant strains of sugar cane. “I fully support the capacity building efforts that are designed to transition the sugar industry to a full value chain development (VCD) project,” said Minister Weir. “This will provide us with new revenue streams along the full value chain so that all Barbadians can own shares in a new profitable entity that will give farmers, manufacturers and retailers new hope for empowerment and enfranchisement.”

As the leading regional producer of plantation refined white sugar, with more than 99% market share, the prospects for Belizean sugar look good. The Government of Belize continues to play a major role in regional discussions to secure a CARICOM market for Caribbean sugar products.

In the Caribbean, the failure of a sector that employs over 40,000 and indirectly supports up to 400,000 persons would be tragic. In order to avoid this devastating outcome the interests of all stakeholders from sugar to manufacturing as well as the needs of the end user, both from a price and quality perspective need to be taken into account, while focusing on innovation and opportunities such as the generation of alternative energy (17% of Belize’s energy requirements are supplied by sugar mills) and the development of new products. (Forbes)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Min. Holder discusses the future of trade

--at regional ‘agri’ meet MINISTER of Agriculture, Noel Holder, recently attended the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas’ 20th Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) held in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The Agriculture Minister was invited to the conference as one of three panelists to address the conference in three main areas. These areas were “Opportunities for rural inclusion in the digital era”, “Toward a new balance between productivity and sustainability” and “Health, Safety and quality for the future of trade”.

The agenda for the conference covered issues such as rural inclusion in the digital era, striking a balance between productivity and sustainability, and the interaction among health, safety and international trade, all key elements for the hemisphere’s agriculture sector.

The agenda also reflected the economic, social, envi-

ronmental and demographic challenges facing agriculture in the Americas, given the need to guarantee global food security in the years ahead against the backdrop of a burgeoning population and pressure on natural resources.

“The challenges are daunting because the population is growing; we are faced with climate change, and we also have to deliver innovation to the countryside, ensure that young people continue to work in agricultural production, and offer sustainable, healthy options for life,” the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, noted in a message welcoming the overseas delegations.

“In the Americas, agriculture and agricultural trade operate under a variety of social, economic and technological conditions, but all the countries face the huge challenge of making production more sustainable, inclusive and competitive. The Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2019

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder

will provide a framework for addressing those differences, with a view to connecting countries, individuals, technologies and knowledge on behalf of agricultural development and rural dwellers,” observed the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero.

The meeting was aimed at providing an important opportunity to engage in dialogue and enable governments to forge partnerships with the private sector. The IABA is the highest-level governing body of IICA, the agency of the inter-Ameri-

can system specialising in agricultural and rural development. The discussions and deliberations of the ministers and secretaries of agriculture will also serve to guide and promote the modernisation of this sector in the Americas, and provide a ringing endorsement of the actions that IICA is implementing aimed at the organisation’s renewal. The IABA met every two years since 1981, and the meeting in October was the first to be held since the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, took office in January 2018.

Meanwhile, in his presentation to the conference, Minister Holder highlighted the importance of improved agricultural productivity.

“Improvements in agricultural productivity growth are required to meet the growing demand for food, feed, fuel and fibres, and must be achieved sustainably through more efficient use of natural and human resources.”

The Agriculture Minister addressed the conference on the topic of “Toward a new balance between productivity

and sustainability.” In his presentation, he highlighted several actions that could be taken to promote better use of opportunities to achieve this balance.

“Investing in Research and Development, to address the major environmental problems associated with agriculture, like soil erosion, pesticide pollution, deforestation and genetic erosion, or other processes linked to the overexploitation of natural resources, Good Agriculture Practices such as Integrated Pest Management, Breed Development Programmes – selecting best breeds for multiplication in our livestock development efforts. Increase in productivity through the breeding programme is very cost-effective and is sustainable.”

Other opportunities include Economic Incentives and Disincentives for beneficial support to the environment, revenue collection through a tax on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and groundwater abstraction charges.

The minister’s presenta-

tion also shed light on some of the challenges that could be faced in trying to achieve this sustainability. Some of these challenges include low innovation due to knowledge gaps, a weak regulatory and enforcement capacity, and most importantly, financing.

“Financial barriers exist both for public (regulators) and private (practitioners) within the agriculture sector, which must be overcome to maximize productivity and sustainability. Due to budgetary constraints, the high cost of new technologies and promotional/educational training programmes aimed at bio-economic strategies and alternative production systems for balancing sustainability and productivity of resources is often delayed.”

As Guyana and the world as a whole continue to move towards more sustainable agriculture, more and more policies and conferences and research are being conducted to find more ways to improve productivity to be able to meet the demands of a growing population.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Duo on trial for Lethem Post Office robbery/murder

THE trial for the murder of security guard John Friday, who died during the 2013 robbery committed on the Lethem Post Office, continued on Tuesday before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court.

Currently on remand for the indictment are Alvin Kissoon, formerly of Caneville, Grove, East Bank Demerara and Calvin King, formerly of

Savage Street, North-East La Penitence.

The men had denied that on January 18, 2013, at Lethem, they murdered Christopher John Friday during the course of, or in furtherance of, a robbery.

The state was represented by prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore, while the two defendants were represented by attorneys-at-law Adrian Thompson and Lyn-

don Amsterdam.

According to reports, the two accused committed the crime at the Lethem Post Office, where they torched several safes and stole the $9.8M on January 18, 2013. The men tied up Friday who was a security guard, beat him and, as a result, he died.

During the investigation, the two accused were intercepted with the money,

a number of Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) phone cards, and two pay slips.

On Tuesday, Detective Police Sergeant Winter took to the witness stand and testified that during January, 2013, he was the subordinate officer in charge of crime in the Lethem division of the police force.

He explained that on January 19, 2019, relative to an

alleged robbery committed on the Lethem Post Office and the murder of John Friday, he visited the crime scene.

While at the scene, the witness said that he assisted in the investigation and also went into the post office, which is housed in the same building as the Regional Democratic Council.

He explained that the interior of the post office was

ransacked with opened envelopes all over and an opened safe, which had contained the missing money. Friday’s body, Winter said, was face upwards and it appeared to be “fresh.” He had also observed that the grill work, which had been secured with a padlock, was pried open from the door frame.

The trial continues Wednesday, November 6, 2019.

Accused in McDoom murder appeals 66-year sentence AFTER being sentenced to 66 years’ imprisonment for murder, Mark Assing, called ‘Jessie,’ is challenging the conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal. Hearing of the appeal is expected to commence on November 20,2019.

In 2014, Assing, 48, was sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court, after he was found guilty by a 12-member jury. Assing was jailed for a minimum

Dead : Abiola Eadie

of 60 years for the murder, with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.

Assing was found guilty for murdering Abiola Eadie, called ‘Abbie,’ on

Mark Assing called ‘Jessie’ (Kaieteur News photo)

June 20, 2012 at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara, after a heated argument.

During that argument, the accused Assing had pulled out a gun and had pointed it at one Martin, son of the deceased Abiola Eadie. Eadie was reportedly standing in front of her son Martin when the accused allegedly fired the fatal shot that hit her in the mouth.

T h e w o m a n s u ccumbed to her injuries at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), 12 days after the incident.

Car set alight following Adventure ‘hit-and-run’ POLICE in ‘G’ Division are currently searching for the driver of motor car bearing registration PXX 7706, after 43-year-old Vidur Anauge was fatally struck down on the Adventure Public Road last evening.

Reports are that around 20:40 hrs on Monday night, Anauge, of Onderneeming Sandpit, was heading north along the road on a bicycle when the car, which was heading in the same direction, struck him down.

The man was taken to the Suddie Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver since fled the scene leaving the car behind. Persons

Dead: Vidur Anauge

then lit the car afire. Police along with officials from the Anna Regina Fire station visited the scene and efforts were made to extinguish the flames. The charred remains of the car were taken to the Suddie Police Station.

(Indrawattie Natram)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

GWI building human capacity for use of geo-electrical imaging technology –– will guide ground water exploration & well-drilling

SEVERAL Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Engineers assembled at the company’s Head office in Georgetown to undergo a two-day training in the use of Geo-Electrical imaging technology to guide ground water exploration & well drilling.

In a release, the GWI said the training, which will conclude today (Wednesday November 6, 2019) has seen the participation of engineers from the Operations, Hinterland Services and Design of Infrastructure departments as well as one functionary attached to the Information, Community and Technology department. Additionally, two members of the Guyana Defence Force have also been participating.

Introducing the participants to the newly-acquired technology of geo-electrical earth imaging and interpretation of subsurface lithology are the objectives of the training. The equipment acquired is the Supersting R8/ IP/SP Wi-Fi version, which will be utilised to perform resistivity logging.

Resistivity logging is a measure of the electrical resistance of a material, indicative of the material’s capacity to transmit conductive fluids. The technique aids in the characterisation and translation of the material’s water bearing properties, thus enabling the determination of the presence of ground water in the formation.

Therefore, the use of Geo-physical investigative techniques will guide the company in making scientifically-based decisions with respect to the best sites for the drilling of wells. The

logging technology was first introduced to GWI by the Brazilian Army during the successful design and completion of eight (8) water wells in Deep South Rupununi, during the 2018 prolonged dry spell in the region.

Addressing the participants of the training yesterday (Tuesday, 5th November, 2019), GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, declared that the technology brings more efficiency to GWI’s drilling experience. He explained that the company will be able to determine, from the onset, the required depth for a well, in addition to the ideal drilling location. This allows for drilling with certainty and GWI will be able to map water resources.

The Managing Director stressed the importance of water for all aspects of development, even as he noted that the use of the technology comes at an opportune time, given the imminent exploration of oil.

He told the participants of the training that there will be a need for further capacity building to ensure that they are proficient in the use of the technology and application of the knowledge gained.

The intention is to equip the specially-selected group of participants with the knowledge of the important concepts, principles and practical application of the use of the technology both in terms of the use of the software and hardware components. It is envisaged that, after the training, participants will be able to use the technology effectively to perform geo-electrical

The equipment being used to conduct resistivity logging

surveys across all regions of Guyana. The training has been conducted by Mr. Orin Browne – Manager of GWI’s Water Wells Management Unit; Mrs. Angela Franklin- GWI Hydrologist and Mr. Rafael Gravesande - Project Coordinator, Office of Climate Change.

These personnel were trained in the use of the technology earlier this year in Madrid, Spain.

GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles addressing the participants of the ongoing training

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

China embraces wider opening up

SHANGHAI (Xinhua) -- The second China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai on Tuesday, exemplifying China’s commitment to wider opening up and shared prosperity.

At the expo, 24 countries will make their first appearances in the country exhibitions, accounting for over one-third of the 64 countries that will host country exhibitions.

Covering 330,000 square meters, business exhibitions at the second expo have attracted more than 3,000 companies from over 150 countries and regions.

PLATFORM FOR COMMON PROSPERITY A total of 192 U.S. enterprises will attend the event, up 18 percent from the previous year.

Their exhibition area covers around 47,500 square meters, the largest among all participating countries, according to Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of commerce.

CIIE is “a big platform for enterprises to show their most advanced products and technologies,” said Yoke Loon Lim, president of the Dow for Greater China.

Frank Rodriguez, adviser to Panama’s minister of

commerce and industry, said some 40 Panamanian companies will attend this year’s CIIE, almost doubling the number for the previous year.

“We want to keep propping up Panamanian products for entry into China’s market, such as high-quality tropical fruits,” said Rodriguez, recalling that Panamanian pineapples attracted a lot of interest in the Chinese market last year.

“CIIE has provided a big platform to help emerging economies and developing countries to participate for their own benefits, easing the global development imbalance,” said Wang Lei, professor at the Beijing International Studies University.

During the first CIIE, deals for intended one-year purchases of goods and services worth 57.83 billion U.S. dollars were reached, and more than 90 percent of the contracts were completed in the past year.

The number of new products and technologies which will debut at the second CIIE is expected to surpass last year, said Sun Chenghai, vice director of the CIIE Bureau.

NEVER-ENDING PURSUIT With the theme of “New Era, Shared Future,” the

Volunteers pose for a photo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east Chi second CIIE is a climax of C pursue high-quality opening countries to build an open w This year, China has rolle for foreign investment marke plan for the new Lingang area trade zone, and introduced a ne the business environment.

According to the latest W ease of doing business rankin 46 last year, and it is also am

Prolonged vio

Staff members walk out from the venue of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 3, 2019.

HONG KONG, Nov. 3 (X unrest troubling Hong Ko down the local economy, b global investors, said Paul of China’s Hong Kong Spec government on Sunday.

Chan expressed his conce cluding a visit to London ear he met government officials ness, finance and innovative Chan said the prolonged izing shops and public facilit Hong Kong’s economy and i commercial and financial ce

19

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

p as stage set for 2nd import expo

o at the south square of the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the main ina, Nov. 4, 2019.

China’s efforts in 2019 to improved the most on the ease of doing business after g up and work with other implementing regulatory reforms. world economy.

Hosting the CIIE demonstrates China’s commitment ed out revised negative lists to promoting shared prosperity and mutual benefits with et access, issued an overall its partners, said Malaysian International Trade and Ina of the Shanghai pilot free dustry Deputy Minister Ong Kian Ming. ew regulation on optimizing While the second CIIE is slated to take place from Nov. 5 to 10, visitors and enterprises have shown a lasting World Bank report, China’s passion for it. ng rose to 31 this year from Country exhibitions will be extended for eight more mong the 10 economies that days in response to citizens’ overwhelming enthusiasm

venue for the second China International Import Expo toward the expo, according to organizers.

A total of 115 companies from all around the globe have already signed up for the third CIIE so far. Those early birds have taken around 60,000 square meters of the exhibition area for next year’s event, said Sun. The world economy has been inspired by the strong momentum of China’s imports and its determination to open up its market and break the bottleneck of global trade, said Li Jun, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

olence hurts global investors’ confidence in Hong Kong: financial chief

Xinhua) -- The continued ong has not only dragged but also hurt confidence of l Chan, financial secretary cial Administrative Region

erns in a blog post after conrlier this week, during which as well as people from busitechnology sectors. violence, including vandalties, has taken its toll on both its reputation as a safe global enter. He cited repeated que-

ries from the people he met during the London trip, who worried about when the unrest in Hong Kong would cease.

Many have canceled visits to Hong Kong or postponed investment plans over safety concerns, he said, adding that he faced similar concerns when he visited the United States last month.

However, Chan pointed out that overseas investors were still very interested in opportunities in Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

As long as social security and order are restored, Hong Kong is still highly competitive especially as a bridge between the Chinese mainland and the international financial market, as well as a springboard leading foreign investment into the Greater Bay Area, he said.

The months-long unrest has already delivered a major blow to Hong Kong’s economy, which contracted 2.9 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, marking the first decline in almost 10 years and a technical recession.

Chan said given the significantly weak economic performance in the third quarter, Hong Kong is highly likely to see a negative growth in the full year of 2019.

He particularly noted the 3.5 percent year-on-year decline in private consumption in last quarter, which accounts for over two-thirds of Hong Kong’s GDP. If private consumption continues to register sharp falls in future quarters, it will impose greater pressure on Hong Kong’s employment, he warned.

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STEMGuyana partners with MMG

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The STEMGuyana team

VICE President of Customer Experience at GTT, Orson Ferguson, explained that the collaboration will allow MMG subscribers the option to donate monies to STEMGuyana through the MMG App for the purpose of paying STEM training courses for students, paying STEM trainers and providing sponsorship for the team to various competitions.

Ferguson said the partnership will also enable STEMGuyana to conveniently pay stipends to trainers across Guyana.

“A simple online interface allows STEMGuyana to send payments to trainers who can immediately pick up payments at any GTT agent or outlet. Today, STEMGuyana uses MMG to pay stipends in Lethem, New Amsterdam, Georgetown, Bagotsville and Linden,” he said.

Ferguson stated “this collaboration allows for anyone to give to StemGuyana for the further development of robotics training in Guyana and facilitates funding for when the team needs to represent Guyana on an International level.”

Persons interested in contributing funds to STEM Guyana can send the monies to Merchant code 06078 through the MMG platform.

For those sending their children to STEM training classes, payment for these classes can be paid through MMG to merchant code 06077.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GTT, Justin Nedd, has deemed the collaboration between MMG and STEM Guyana as timely.

“Guyana is moving to greater heights, especially with the development of technology and innovation.

A few days ago, we witnessed the STEMGuyana team bringing home the Al-

bert Einstein Gold Medal of Excellence at the first Global Robotics Competition.

This speaks volume to that development,” said Nedd.

“From day one GTT has invested in STEMGuyana and we will continue to do so as we move forward. I want to extend congratulations to the team and the organisers. You have made Guyana proud and I know you will continue to make us proud,” Nedd added.

This year GTT contributed a total of US$5000 to the STEMGuyana team for their recent trip to Dubai.

To date the company has invested some US$45,000 to STEMGuyana since 2017.

Cofounder of STEMGuyana, Karen Abrams lauded GTT for its unwavering support to the STEM Guyana Team.

“GTT has always shown the team nothing but support; they have believed in us from the start, not only by thoughts and words, but through financing, text messaging and housing support. It is clear that GTT understands the long term value of our programme and they have been supportive from day one. We are grateful for this continued support,” she said Abrams further stated how elated she was to collaborate with MMG, “this quick and easy way to receive donations, payments and pay trainers is what StemGuyana needed, it’s progressive and very convenient.”

STEMGuyana participated in the 2019 Global Robotics Tournament in Dubai and earned the coveted Albert Einstein gold medal for all round achievement excellence.

The team of eight, young participants who are budding Guyanese Technology Engineers ended the tournament in the top 25 percent in the world rankings.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Victoria, the ‘Mother of all Villages’ to celebrate 180th Anniversary

By Naomi Parris DEEMED the “mother of all villages”, Victoria, the first village in Guyana, is located on the Atlantic coast of the country, eighteen miles east of the capital city Georgetown, bordered by Cove and John to the west and Belfield to the east.

This year the Government of Guyana has collaborated with the Victoria Youth Development Organization (VYDO) to form a Victoria Village Day Committee to organize an event, which will be held on November 9, 2019. The event will include cultur-

ing for over 100 years. The hut is also considered a monument.

In a brief “gaff” with the current caretaker Hilda Barnwell, the Guyana chronicle was informed of the history and significance of the hut. It was the bank which the then recently-freed slaves took their monies to be counted – monies which they had pooled together to purchase plantation Northbrook.

In November 1839, a year and three months after being freed from slavery, approximately 83 exslaves from five nearby estates:- Hope, Douchfour, Ann’s Grove, Paradise and

it into a snackette, selling homemade produce such as channa, pholourie, pine tart, cheese roll and her famous fish cakes along with soft drinks and sunshine snacks.

Cousin Hilda however expressed displeasure with the younger generation of Victorians who are unaware of the significance of the hut and are often seen loitering and leaving garbage around the hut. She stated that, she wishes the villagers would hold much more respect for the hut seeing its significance and the important role it played in paving a future for not only them but the entire country. “It was on this very ground a move-

The Emancipation Hut

al performances from the Buxton Steel Orchestra, National Drama Company and the National Dance School, among other groups, along with an exhibition which will be held during the day.

The event will be held at the Victoria community centre and President David Granger is expected to deliver the feature address.

Aside from all that is planned for the village’s anniversary, it is important that, not only Victorians, but all Guyanese reminisce on the village’s rich culture and history.

The Emancipation Hut Lying at the entrance of the village is a small cottage-like wooden structure named the emancipation hut, which has been stand-

Enmore- made a brilliant cooperative effort in pooling their savings which amounted to $6000. They were able to make a down payment on the purchase price ($10,000) for plantation Northbrook. The plantation was taken over and renamed Victoria in honour of England’s Queen Victoria and the abolition of slavery which was deemed a ‘victory’ for the ex-slaves.

In the earlier years (60s and 70s) the hut at the village entrance was also a well-known butcher shop.

Cousin Hilda recalled being a little girl riding past the hut and seeing meat hanging on display for purchase. It has been over 20 years since she has been the caretaker of the hut turning

ment had begun with our ancestors paving the way for the village movement and development of our beloved country,” she stated.

VICTORIA’S FIRST CHURCH The then ex-slaves were very keen on religion. They showed a great desire for church and worship and would travel eleven miles, as far as plantation Le Ressouvenir to attend church services.

Victoria had its first church, built by Congregationalists, in 1845. It was named Wilberforce Congregational, after William Wilberforce, a British politician, philanthropist, and See page 22

Wilberforce Congregational Church

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Victoria, the ‘Mother of...

From page 21

an abolitionist who led the movement to abolish the slave trade.

To date there are several churches in the community namely the Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Pentecostal, Catholic, Strawnight-Breathren, Naz-

arene, Collier-Brethren, Lutheran, Apostolic, Jordon Knights and Seventh Day Adventist.

Of these differing churches, the largest with the most individuals attending is the Adventist, which has a vibrant young people’s

group, which consists of many choirs, a path-finder group which promotes many activities among the youths of Victoria.

VICTORIA’S FIRST SCHOOL The then called Roman

Victoria Primary School ‘Roman School’

Catholic school was established in the early 70’s by members of the roman catholic church and was later renamed the Victoria

Primary School. To date the village has three schools, two nursery schools, the Victoria Nursery School and the Northbrook Nurs-

ery School along with the long-standing Victoria Primary School also known as Roman school by many of the older villagers.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Tackling waste disposal … Gov’t, EPA assessing sites for regional, municipal landfills

By Tamica Garnett WITH only one engineered landfill and a number of countrywide controlled dumpsites, wholly insufficient to handle Guyana’s growing waste management issue, the Ministry of

agement system.

“The aim is either regularizing the dumpsites to landfill, or providing closure of sites that don’t fit the criteria for a landfill or even a dumpsite.

We’ve already completed Regions 1, 2, 5, 6 and part of Region 4. [This] week we’re heading to Regions 8 and 9, and after that heading with Regions 7 and Region 10. We also have the illegal sites in Region 4 that have not been checked out as yet,” explained Lloyd Stanton, Site Manager of Haags Bosch, Guyana’s only engineered landfill, which is located in the Demerara-Mahaica Region.

“Basically the idea is to achieve sustainable waste management in every region in the coun-

Lloyd Stanton, Site Manager of Haags Bosch Communities (MoC) Sanitation Unit and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are collaborating towards the creation of a number of regional and municipal landfills across the country.

The team is currently embarking on a number of assessments of existing dumpsites and proposed landfill sites in each administrative region across Guyana, to create a countrywide sustainable waste man-

MoC Sanitation Unit Senior Engineer, Satrohan Nauth

Head of the MoC Sanitation Unit, Gordon Gilkes, Haags Bosch Landfill try. Another objective is to create disposal hubs, where, instead of putting dumpsite in every village, we use a 10 miles radius, for ease of access to everybody within that 10 miles radius, with one or two in each region, all of that is going to be recommendations coming out of this team that’s doing the assessment. Coming out of this assessment one document will be prepared and we’re going to look at the regions in details and identify the locations.”

When completed the document will be used to set out a Terms of Reference (TOR) for the procurement of a consultant to carry out a fur-

ther Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), which the MoC hopes to get done next year. That document will guide the creation of the regional landfills.

Chairman of the MoC/ EPA Committee is Gor-

don Gilkes, who is also head of the MoC Sanitation Unit. He explained that, in as much as Guyana needs a solution to its solid waste issue, a lot of research has to go into it.

“The current assessment that we’re doing now is

a physical assessment of the location. The closest receptors, waterways, housing and schools and so on. The EIA now will cover all of that and more. The EIA will look at biological receptors, will look at the effects on

air pollution and remedial actions to lessen effects.

The EIA would look at more extensive system of the landfill and examine all the issues and provide mitigation See page 24

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Tackling waste ...

From page 23

efforts to mitigate potential issues,” he explained.

The MoC hopes to pattern the landfills using Haags Bosch as the model to follow.

In Guyana, waste collection is supposed to be handled by the individual local democratic organs (LDOs)– Neighbourhood democratic Councils, and municipalities – but many struggle because of a lack

of resources to collect, and put systems in place for disposal. The MoC is aiming to design systems that could eventually be handed over to the LDOs. “NDCs and municipalities, their function is mainly for the collection and disposal of waste. But because they don’t have the capacity the Ministry provides technical oversight to them and equip them with the relevant

resources,” explained Satrohan Nauth, a Senior Engineer at the MoC Sanitation Unit.

“Other than our main landfill at Haags Bosch, the ministry stepped in and we’ve upgraded a number of dumpsites to controlled dumpsites sites. These don’t have all the features of Haags Bosch but we’ve fenced them, and we cover place and compact so the waste

doesn’t just dump in a haphazard manner.”

The MoC has controlled dumpsites at Lusignan in Region Four; Byderabo in Bartica; Rose Hall; Esplanade in New Amsterdam, and Bon Success in Lethem. That leaves a number of Regions with little options, which currently see many residents burning their garbage or creating smaller unregulated dumpsites.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Aside from the regional landfills, a number of municipal sanitary landfills are also in the works.

Designs have already been done, and are expected to be presented to the MoC shortly, for sanitary landfills in Bartica, Linden, Madhia and Lethem. $178.6M BUDGETED In the 2019 budget, the Ministry of Communities set aside some $178.620 million for the Solid Waste Disposal Programme. For the municipalities, Gilkes explained that further waste composition studies were also being carried out which would guide on the size of these landfills.

“We would need to know what waste would be coming to the landfill, what type of waste and the amount. Based on that we would determine what size of landfill we would need, so we would know what acreage we would need,” he noted.

Landfilling is one of a number of options available to deal with solid waste management issues.

Stanton explained that in Guyana, it is the most affordable option. Prevention being better than cure, the ultimate aim is to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of in the first place.

“Landfilling is at the bottom of the waste hierarchy. It is the go-to method in Guyana because of the finances, usually all the other methods like recycling or reduction have high startup costs.

So even though [landfilling] costs a lot it is the cheapest method of handling waste right now available to us. But not necessarily the best. The hierarchy is to reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery and then landfill,” notes Stanton.

“The best option is to reduce, if you can’t

reduce you reuse as much as possible, if you can’t reuse you try to recycle, if you can’t recycle, if you can’t do recycling when it goes to the landfill you try recovery, if none of the above is possible then you go to landfill. Right now that’s the best option available to us, but we’re trying to go further up the hierarchy. If we can reach to the reduction stage it would be good.”

The World Bank estimates that globally annual waste generation is expected to increase by 70 percent, to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050. Guyana has seen its fair share of increases over the years.

Haags Bosch was initially designed estimating an inflow of 250 tonnes a day, it is currently accepting an average of 400 tonnes per day. With the oil and gas industry coming on stream soon this is expected to increase, however not by much. The MoC/ EPA team recently met with representatives from Exxon.

“The waste that they dispose at the site presently is about 1.5% of the total waste we receive at the site. They said when they start it will double. So it will only be about three percent of waste at the site,” Gilkes noted. Outside of the creation of landfills, options for the disposal of garbage include waste to energy and recycling plants.

The Sanitation Unit is currently collaborating with the University to generate interest in the creation of ideas that put forth options to deal with the issue.

“We’re also partnering with University of Guyana for sanitation research projects.

We’re giving them a grant of $3 million to promote students to do studies in sanitation, on our programme, as their final year projects,” Nauth shared.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

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Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 11:30hrs - 13:00hrs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Make insurance more affordable – LaRocque

SECRETARY-GENERAL of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, has called for the cost of insurance to be more affordable.

At the time, Ambassador LaRocque was speaking on a panel at the Insurance Colloquium: ‘Insurance in the age of climate change,’ organised by the Inter-American development Bank (IDB), the Ca-

ribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Barbados. The event was held on Tuesday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbados.

Justifying his call, the Secretary-General explained that governments in the Region lack the fiscal space to afford the insurance required to provide adequate financial resilience. This, he

further explained, is due to the increase in intensity and frequency of natural disasters linked to climate change.

Ambassador LaRocque pointed out that in the Caribbean Region, there was a 66 per cent protection gap between the economic costs of damages and insured losses as against 55 per cent in developed countries.

He stated that it was the

most vulnerable in the society who were most affected and who had the least capacity to afford the insurance which increased the responsibility of governments to provide the necessary relief. “This at a time when insurance premiums keep rising,” he added.

Speaking on the challenge of Climate Change, the Secretary-General said the real need for the region

was to address its vulnerability prior to a disaster. He pointed out that each dollar spent on resilience saves between four and seven dollars of reconstruction and rebuilding costs after a disaster. He reiterated his call for using vulnerability as the criterion in determining concessional development financing instead of GDP per capita.

CARICOM SecretaryGeneral, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 6, 2019

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

Gulfstream Park West Race 1 Flat Out Flying Race 2 Feature Creature Race 3 Infinitypowersiwin Race 4 Sky Point Race 5 All D’Hype Race 6 Zalza Race 7 Alpilles

South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:35 hrs Twice To Sydney 09:10 hrs Big King 09:50 hrs Ishnana 10:25 hrs La Bahia 11:05 hrs Accidental Tourist

English Racing Tips Nottingham 08:20 hrs Beauty Stone 08:50 hrs Parikarma 09:25 hrs Mishriff 09:55 hrs Book Review 11:00 hrs Bellevarde 11:35 hrs Ebitda 12:05 hrs Gamesters Icon

Musselburgh 08:40 hrs Ashington 09:15 hrs The Road Home 09:45 hrs El Picador 10:20 hrs Arthurs Secret 10:50 hrs Glimpse Of Gold 11:25 hrs True Ropmance 11:55 hrs Gennady

Chepstow 09:00 hrs Minnie Escape 09:35 hrs Mcfabulous 10:05 hrs Just A Thought 11:10 hrs Simply The Betts 11:45 hrs Thunderstruck 12:15 hrs Switch Hitter

Irish Racing Tips Dundalk 10:15 hrs Early Call 10:45 hrs The King Of Kells 11:20 hrs So Suave 11:50 hrs Mutadaawel 12:25 hrs Masalai 13:00 hrs Scream 13:30 hrs Clifftop 14:00 hrs Munaajaat

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Cuban TT coach already making an impact says GTTA head

By Faizool Deo CUBAN table tennis (TT) coach, Osdain Romero Garcia, started his twomonth stint on Monday in Guyana and according to the President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe, he is already making an impact. “He has great knowledge and expertise, and has already pin pointed some key elements that are required to be worked on.” The GTTA was able to secure the services of the ITTF Level One coach through diplomatic engagements between the Cuba Table Tennis Confederation Development Support Program.

The Cuban, who is the coach of Caribbean U21 singles champions, Daniela Fonseca and Livian Martinez, has also worked with Paralympic athletes.

Romero Garcia is not just

a table tennis coach; he has a degree in Sports Science and Physical Education and a diploma in High Performance training, which, according to Munroe, will assist in taking the sport to the next level.

“With the central aim of structuring Guyana’s national team training, Mr. Osdani Romero Garcia will work with the GTTA’s national teams at the mini, pre-cadet, junior and senior levels and talent identification programmes in view of improving our player’s technical and tactical development and performance.” According to the local head, plans are already in the pipeline to have the coach return in early January to continue working with the national team players at all levels in preparation for key international engagements.

TAKING THE SPORT FORWARD Munroe stated recently that

the GTTA decided to improve the structure of its programme via the international route.

“The GTTA has recognised that while significant investments have been made by the association to provide training and certification opportunities to develop coaches through the ITTF certification provision for which GTTA has over 100 hundred certified coaches in the ITTF database, this has not translated to many coaches working.”

He said that the association’s inability to get local coaches to work together for the betterment of the players, and the divisive environment created by some coaches with their agendas have hurt the sport. “This (lack of support) has negatively impacted the implementation and limited the rate of success of key programmes, more particularly our national team training

at the pre cadet, cadet, junior and senior levels and has constrained the association’s efforts in structuring our national teams’ training and our developmental efforts.”

Coach Osdani will also identify specific needs and outline individual programmes to help players in their development. The GTTA is hoping that they will be able to use the same structure moving forward.

Romero Garcia seems to have impressed the GTTA president, due to his drive, coaching skills and work ethics. “[He] is very enthusiastic about impacting the players’ development, and his energy has already started to take effect. He wants to work outside the normal hours to be impactive,” Munroe added.

Andre Jagnandan adds DDL TOPCO Juices one-day tournament to collection

UNIVERSITY of Guyana student and reigning Junior Chess Champion Andre Jagnandan, copped first place with a perfect nine points from nine matches played in the first DDL TOPCO Juices oneday blitz tournament at the National Aquatic Centre

on Saturday.

Former Junior Champion Joshua Gopaul won second place with seven points, while Aravinda Singh came in Third on six points.

Marian Academy student Luca Dotto was adjudged the Best Under-16 player and Micaiah Enoe,

also of the same school, was the Best Under -12 Player.

According to a report from the Guyana Chess Federation, the young players displayed grit while opposing each other in nine rounds of fast-paced chess which lasted for under 20 minutes per game.

Five more TOPCO junior chess tournaments are being planned by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and the body is urging all junior chess players to intensify their practice regimen for the upcoming competitions.

Kanaima Ladies win ‘We Believe Breast Cancer’ football KANAIMA Ladies emerged victorious after penalty kicks against the Fruta Conquerors Ladies, when the third annual “We Believe Breast Cancer” charity event took place on Sunday last at the GFC Ground.

The annual event, which was held under the theme, “Kick out Breast Cancer!

Keep Women in the Game,” was geared towards bringing awareness to the fight against the disease.

This year, the women teams battled on the full field, unlike the Futsal version of the previous years.

The four-team female competition started with Patsy Walker netting a hat-

trick for Kanaima Ladies in their 3-0 win against Santos Ladies.

Fruta Conquerors Ladies then got past Botafago Ladies (Linden) 2-0. In that clash, Latesha Sutherland and Shanic Thornhill found the back of the net.

In the final, Kanaima and Fruta Conquerors ended at 1-1, after June Edmund and Shamya Daniel (Fruta) had scored. The game went down to penalties and Kanaima Ladies won 5-4.

There were also several male games at the venue.

In a key battle, Paris FC, representing French Guiana, were able to get past the local Masters Over-40 team via a 7-3 score-line.

Anthony Abrams netted four goals for the winners, while Roy Cohtout, Vigil Glosgo and Yardy Jones scored the others.

The GT Masters were led by goals from Gerald Whittington, Anthony Stanton and Calvin Pitt.

Meanwhile the GFF Staff edged out Wales Masters 3-2. Orvil Daniels scored a brace for the Staff, while Delon Layne and O. Jones found the back of the net for Wales.

In the first U20 clash, Santos FC defeated GFC 3-0, via goals from Randy Roberts, Deron Niles and Ronel Peters. Later, Dwain Dungin Jacobs Combine needled the GT U20 com-

bine side 1-0. Shemar Fraser found the back of the net for the winners.

According to information from the organisers, the event would not have been possible without partners – The Guyana Cancer Foundation and Cancer Institute of Guyana.

Sponsors, which include the Outdoor Store and Pet Shop, GFF, ABSAA, Trophy Stall, West Indies Sports Complex and individuals Shirley Ferreira, Paulette Herod, Donna Knights, Samuel Bunbury of the USA and English Parris (logistics), were all instrumental in making the event a success.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

Vow And Declare triumphs in Melbourne Cup ..Frankie Dettori banned as runner-up Master Of Reality demoted

VOW And Declare won a dramatic Melbourne Cup while Frankie Dettori’s runner-up Master Of Reality was demoted to fourth after a stewards’ inquiry.

Dettori was given a nine-meeting ban after the victor, trained by Australian Danny O’Brien, won in a tight finish.

Stewards ruled Dettori, riding for Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien, impeded Il Paradiso, who was fourth past the post for Joseph’s father Aidan.

Il Paradiso was promoted to third, with British hope Prince Of Arran second.

Dettori looked to have sealed his first victory in the two-mile Flemington race ‘that stops a nation’ but Craig Williams claimed his maiden Melbourne Cup triumph on Vow And Declare before more drama in the stewards’ room.

Italian-born Dettori, 48, was banned for nine racedays in the state of Victoria, up to and including 13 November.

Prince Of Arran’s jockey Michael Walker was fined AUS10,000 (£5,400) and suspended for seven race meetings for overuse of the whip.

But there was only elation for Williams, who said

Vow And Declare (far right) triumphed amid a bunched finish It was a first Melbourne Cup win for Williams, who missed out on victory with Dunaden in 2011 due to suspension “I’m incredibly proud How the drama unfolded of his mount: “It was a to the Irish father-and-son of the horse. To do what he Dettori, who first rode privilege to ride him today trainers.

Asked where the horse’s has done two years in a row in the Flemington race 26 and great to be associated name came from, own- is a remarkable achieve- years ago when Master Of with such a great horse.”

Reality’s trainer was just six Winning trainer O’Brien er-breeder Paul Lanskey ment,” said Fellowes.

The build-up to the race months old, sensed this could was also celebrating a first said he was named after had seen animal welfare in be his chance to finally claim Melbourne Cup victory, with his father.

“Dad would come home the spotlight after recent the AUS$8m (£4.3m) race. the four-year-old gelding who was bred in Australia. from the pub and say to cruelty scandals in Australia.

The three-time Britrish “I really can’t believe mum: ‘I vow and declare Of the 24 runners, 23 champion jockey, who has it, I just feel incredibly I’ve only had a few beers.’” horses returned back safely, ridden a personal record blessed to have a horse Prince Of Arran was although Rostropovich was of 19 top-level Group One good enough to be in it. awarded second after the found to be lame and taken to winners this year, was alThe last 100 (metres) he inquiry, having finished third the University of Melbourne ways handily placed and just wouldn’t give in,” said last year for British trainer Equine Centre for further pushed his mount clear as O’Brien, who is no relation Charlie Fellowes. assessment. the race developed in the

final quarter-mile.

But just as Master Of Reality looked to have stolen the prize, Williams shot up the inside on Vow And Declare.

Meanwhile, Prince Of Arran came into contention and Il Paradiso finished with a late flourish under Wayne Lordan.

The pair were closing all the time before being checked as Dettori drifted to his left and Vow And Declare just managed to keep on for a narrow victory.

It was another Melbourne Cup to forget for Dettori, who was banned for a month and fined A$20,000 for careless riding on Max Dynamite, runner-up to Prince Of Penzance in 2015.

Joseph O’Brien, who won the 2017 Melbourne Cup with Rekindling, was disappointed Master Of Reality could not give Dettori his first win in the race, with the Italian having also finished second in 1999 on Central Park.

“I’m more gutted for Frankie than I am for myself,” the trainer told The Age newspaper.

“I’ll be back. I don’t know if Frankie is ever going to win this race.” (BBC Sport)

FA overturn Spurs striker Son’s red card for tackle on Everton’s Gomes (REUTERS) - Tottenham Hotspur have successfully appealed against a red card shown to Son Heung-min for a tackle that led to Everton midfielder Andre Gomes breaking his ankle, so the

Spurs striker can play in his side’s next three games, the FA said on Tuesday. Gomes suffered a fracture dislocation to his right ankle in the second half of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Goodison Park when he

landed off balance at speed after the tackle from Son and then collided with Spurs full back Serge Aurier.

Referee Martin Atkinson initially showed a yellow card but then produced a red card - an automatic three-

match ban - after a VAR intervention, with the Premier League stating Son had endangered Gomes’ safety with his initial challenge.

“Son Heung-min will be available for Tottenham Hotspur FC’s next

WADA to investigate athletes coached by banned Salazar: report

(REUTERS) - World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Craig Reedie has said the organization will look into athletes who trained under banned coach Alberto Salazar as part of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), according to a London Times report on Tuesday.

Salazar, who counts Britain’s Olympic and world champion Mo Farah among the top distance runners he has coached, was last month banned for four years by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for doping violations.

The USADA investigation found

no evidence of any wrongdoing by Salazar’s athletes.

Alberto Salazar, coach to Mo Farah of Britain and Galen Rupp of the U.S.A. sits inside the Bird’s Nest Stadium at the Wold Athletics Championships in Beijing “We can look back at what testing these athletes have been subjected to over the years,” Reedie told The Times.

“But it will be more interesting for us if there are samples we can retest.”

According to the report, USADA officials are in the process of sending all of their evidence to WADA’s head-

quarters and The Times understands it would be willing to work alongside the global agency.

USADA chief Travis Tygart told the newspaper in a statement: “We invited WADA to be observers and what they would have seen is that we left no stone unturned. That said, we are happily Fantasy FoAlberto compiling the evidence and sending it Salazar, coach to Mo to them.”

Farah of Britain and Galen American Salazar, who was a Rupp of the U.S.A. sits celebrated distance runner, winning inside the Bird’s Nest three consecutive New York City Stadium at the Wold marathons starting in 1980, has Athletics Championships in Beijingotball vowed to appeal his ban.

Heung-Min Son will now be available for Tottenham Hotspur. (Getty Images)

three domestic fixtures after an independent Regulatory Commission upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal,” the FA said in a statement.

Portugal international Gomes had surgery on

Monday, and Everton said afterwards he was expected to make a full recovery.

Spurs’ next domestic fixture is a Premier League home game on Saturday against Sheffield United.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

33

Port Mourant Training Centre and GTCPM win Berbice volleyball competition PORT Mourant Training Centre (PMTC) and the GuySuCo Training Centre’s Port Mourant branch (GTCPM) emerged victorious in the senior and junior divisions in Berbice Volleyball Association Revival Volleyball Tournament, which was held at the GuySuCo Apprentice Hostel on Sunday last.

Four senior and two junior teams batted in the event.

After several games, PMTC and the Rollers duked it out in a three-best-in-five senior final.

Representatives from the winning teams with their spoils.

The dominant side triumphed 25-16, 25-17 and 25-16.

PMTC’s Tyrone Farley won the MVP award. Along with the two sides, Black Bush and No. 52 Survivals also competed in the competition.

Meanwhile, in the junior battle, GTCPM, were able to defeat the No. 55 Juniors 3-1 in their best-in-five battle.

GTCPM won the first games 25-22 and 25-16, before No. 55 battled back to win the third 16-25.

In the fourth game, a

tense affair, GTCPM won by a 17-15 margin.

According to information from the association, the next competition is the Balram Shane Memorial Tournament, which is scheduled for later this month at the Albion Sports Complex.

Along with trophies, teams were also presented with equipment donated by the National Sports Commission, compliments of its director Christopher Jones.

Tickner, Ferguson trigger England collapse to give Black Caps thrilling 14-run win WELLINGTON, (Reuters) - New Zealand fast bowlers Blair Tickner and Lockie Ferguson shared four wickets to trigger an England batting collapse that helped the hosts to a thrilling 14-run win in the third Twenty20 international at Nelson on Tuesday.

England, chasing 181 for victory, were cruising at 139-2 in the 15th over but lost five wickets in a flurry to end their 20 overs

Sam Billings was run out after being sent back by James Vince

on 166-7.

The victory gave the Black Caps a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The

teams now head to Napier for the penultimate match on Friday, which England must win to keep their

hopes of winning the series alive.

Ferguson and Tickner finished with identical figures of 2-25 while all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was Man of the Match for his knock of 55 from 35 balls, which helped the team post 180-7 after they opted to bat first.

De Grandhomme hit five fours and three sixes to build New Zealand’s innings after opener Martin

Guptill’s fast start of 33 off 17 deliveries.

England opener Dawid Malan gave a fitting reply for the touring side with a 34-ball 55 with James Vince keeping the team firmly on course in the chase with 49.

England captain Eoin Morgan smashed Mitchell Santner for two sixes in successive deliveries before holing out in the deep against the left-arm spinner, which started the

collapse as England lost five wickets for 10 runs.

“I think that’s one that got away from us,” said Morgan. “We were in control for the whole chase until we were three or four down, probably the lack of experience in the chase cost us.

“But the guys need to play more games, need to get into situations like that.”

Camp Nou turns on toothless Barca after draw with Slavia BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona were booed off the pitch by their supporters as their patchy form continued with a 0-0 draw at home to Slavia Prague in their Champions League Group F game on Tuesday.

Ernesto Valverde’s side had fallen to a 3-1 defeat at Levante in La Liga on the weekend and could not give the rousing response they craved, failing to break down a diligent and bold Slavia side.

With Luis Suarez injured, Barca lacked a cutting edge and visiting goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar produced an admirable display to shut out the Catalans, thwarting Lionel Messi and Sergi Roberto from close range in the second half.

Messi also struck the top of the post in the first period following a thrilling

SK Slavia Prague’s Nicolae Stanciu in action with Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele REUTERS/Albert Gea

solo charge from his own

ro Vidal for a tap-in late in

ruled out for offside against

half and then teed up Artu-

the game but the effort was

the Argentine.

“Playing like this it’s difficult to see us winning the Champions League,” said Barca defender Gerard Pique.

“We had chances to score but the ball wouldn’t go in.

Results aren’t going our way in these last two games, and when you go two games without winning at Barca the fans expect more because expectations are so high.”

Barca lead the group on eight points after four games, while Slavia are bottom with two.

The Czechs, who were unfortunate to lose 2-1 at home to Barcelona two weeks ago, made a bright start and nearly took an early lead with a heavily-deflected shot which was repelled by the Catalans’ goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

They did manage to find the net at the end of the first half but the goal was disallowed for a clear offside.

The visitors had bright spells in the second half although they did not manage to test Ter Stegen further, and angry boos and whistles rang out around the Camp Nou at fulltime.

“It’s a difficult moment for us but the fans have the right to express how they feel and it’s up to us to deal with it,” said Barca defender Clement Lenglet.

“We knew Slavia were a dangerous opponent who had quality and we were not taken by surprise by them.

We suffered at various stages of the game.

“We don’t have any time to sit around and get worried, we have to keep working and play every three days. We’re going to turn this around.”

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

Hurricanes, Marooners confident ahead of Super 50 opener BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes and title-holders Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners have both exuded confidence ahead of today’s opening clash of the Regional Super50.

The two teams will meet at Warner Park in the day/ night Group A fixture which will raise the curtain on the 50-overs domestic campaign which runs until December 1.

Marooners stunned their rivals last year when they produced a clinical brand of cricket to clinch the title for the first time and captain Kyle Corbin believes his side can repeat, despite an influx of new players.

“I think we have a pretty good chance to go all the way in this tournament,” said

Caption: Leeward Islands Hurricanes captain Jahmar Hamilton.

Corbin, Player-of-the-Match in last season’s final against Guyana Jaguars.

“The dynamics of this team I think they compliment each other pretty well. It’s pretty balanced, it’s a side that’s very young, it’s very exciting so I think we should do pretty well in this tourna-

ment.”

He added: “We’re defending champions but it’s almost a new team. We have a few players going on to their territory so it’s basically a few fresh faces. We know it’s easy to win but harder to defend.

Everybody will be looking at CCC this year and looking at the type of cricket we’re playing. I think once the new players coming into the team follow the same way we played last year, the same type of cricket, the same type of attitude on and off the field, we should do pretty well.”

Corbin said it was important Marooners played as a team if they were to make it out of the group which also comprised Barbados Pride, Jamaica Scorpions and

Canada.

“What worked well for us last year was that everybody had a role to play at some point during the tournament,” he pointed out.

“There was no one standout performer – each game saw someone else put their hand up. Once we play for each other, we should do pretty well.”

Hurricanes skipper, Jahmar Hamilton, said a winning start would be crucial to his side’s campaign, as they looked to break their poor run in the competition.

They have not won a regional 50-overs title in nearly a decade but pointed to consistency and simplicity as keys to turning around their fortunes.

“Our chances are very high. We have a few experi-

enced players that have been around for a while so it’s just to gel together and put our best foot forward,” he said.

“It’s just about starting well, get that momentum going into the tournament and that will just carry us right through to the semi-finals.”

Playing at home, Hurricanes will benefit from familiar conditions. However, Hamilton does not expect the burden of expectations from home fans to be a burden to carry.

“We know we’re home, we know the conditions here so it’s just for us to go out and play our normal game of cricket, just enjoy it and have fun,” he said.

“There’s no pressure, we just want to go out and keep it simple, do the basics and once we’re consistent with

that, we’ll definitely be rewarded for that.”

SQUADS: HURRICANES – Jahmar Hamilton (captain), Rahkeem Cornwall, Kieran Powell, Devon Thomas, Montcin Hodge, Keacy Carty, Yannick Leonard, Kezron Archibald, Sheeno Berridge, Jeremiah Louis, Akeem Saunders, Terrance Warde, Amir Jangoo, Jason Campbell.

MAROONERS – Kyle Corbin (captain), Carlos Brathwaite, Romaine Morris, Akeem Jordan, Jonathan Drakes, Ojay Shields, Kavesh Kantasingh, Larry Joseph, Abhijai Mansingh, Sadique Du Shawn, Luciano Henry, Odain Orlando McCatty, Jarlarnie Niquan, Nigel Seales, Paul Palmer, Akshaya Persaud.

Guyana’s tennis team finishes third at ‘Cup of the Guyanas’ GUYANA’s junior tennis players finished third in the ‘Cup of the Guyanas’ tennis tournament, which was recently held in French Guiana.

The Guyanese finished on 81 points, behind champions French Guiana (125 points) and Martinique (121). Suriname finished last on 69 points in the four-team battle.

According to one of two coaches who travelled with the team, Leyland Leacock, the Guyanese held their own.

“The team did great. We

Team Guyana finished third on 81 points.

lost 10 matches on tie breaks and some other closes matches, but all the players did well….”

The squad of 11 players and two coaches, was joined

by Soaya Ribal in French Guiana. The 12 players went on to earn 16 wins, with trump card Afruica Gentle leading the charge.

Gentle won all six of her matches in the U18 division.

She and Kalyca Fraser, who won five of her six matches, helped Guyana dominate

that age division at the competition.

Meanwhile, Saskia Persaud and Sekia Jones won two of their six games, while Vadeanand Resaul also claimed a win.

Gentle told Chronicle Sport that she enjoyed her last year at the event.

“For me it was an exciting few days of tennis with a lot of competitive matches.”

The dominant teenage player stated that she was prepared for her opponents. “I’m very

thankful, and I must give credit to my coach Rebecca Mitchell and the travelling coaches, Leyland Leacock and Andre Lopes, for helping me to prepare for the games and for being victorious.”

Along with the players mentioned above, Gerald Scotland, Gabriella Alphonso, Ricky Romascindo, Devine Jeremiah Kalekyezi, Viraj Sharma and Joshua Kalekyezi also competed.

The side was coached by Leacock and Andre Lopes.

Smith fires Australia to victory over Pakistan in Canberra CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday November 06, 2019) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Rohan Kanhai (vs ENG, Leeds, 1973) (2) Nawroz Mangal (vs Scotland, Benoni, 2009) Today’s Quiz: (1) When and where did the WI win an ODI match for the first time?

(2) When and where did Afghanistan win an ODI game for the first time?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Steve Smith struck a sparkling half-century to fire Australia to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their T20 match in Canberra on Tuesday.

The former captain’s unbeaten 80 from 51 balls gave Australia a 1-0 lead in their three-match series after the opener was washed out in Sydney on Sunday.

Pakistan managed to do what Sri Lanka couldn’t in the previous series — removed David Warner — but they had no answers for the peerless Smith, who put on a clinic of clean hitting as Australia mopped up Pakistan’s modest total of 150 for six with nine balls to spare.

“It was nice to be there at the end to get the boys home,” Smith said.

“It was probably a 170ish wicket, I reckon, so they (Australia) bowled beautifully.

“It was just about timing in the end.”

With both sides unchanged from Sydney, Pakistan elected to bat after winning the toss but their hopes of a statement innings were dashed by regular top order wickets.

Babar Azam was left to piece together the innings with Iftikhar Ahmed before the opener-captain was removed for 50 by a piece of fielding magic from Warner, who threw down the stumps

from long-range.

Iftikhar slogged his way to an unbeaten 62 to give Pakistan a total to defend.

It soon seemed insufficient, however, as Australia skipper Aaron Finch and Warner stormed out of the blocks, smashing 30 runs in three overs before Warner was bowled for 20 by Mohammad Amir.

It was Warner’s first dismissal in five T20Is, having been two not out in the rained-out Sydney game and unbeaten with scores of 57, 60 and 100 in the 3-0 series sweep of Sri Lanka.

“We are disappointed but Steve Smith took the match away,” Babar said through a translator.

Steve Smith ‘s unbeaten 80 from 51 balls gave the Aussies a 1-0 lead in the T20 series.

“It’s very difficult when we lose early wickets and we have to gain the momentum again.”

Australia will seek to seal the series with victory in Perth on Friday.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

35

Georgetown crowned GCB U17 Female champions - victors also bag top individual awards GEORGETOWN captured the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Franchise Under-17 T20 title, as a few of their players snatched up the most individual awards following the weather-affected final round.

Torrential rain on Monday turned the Everest Ground into a swimming pool, forcing the highly-anticipated Georgetown and Lower Corentyne clash to be abandoned.

Both sides, with 3 wins and 12 points each from their respective group games; had the outcome determined by virtue of Net Run Rate

(NRR).

As a result of their 3.62 NRR, Georgetown Hitters were crowned champions after easily edging Lower Corentyne by a narrow deficit 0.6, as they latter controlled the 3.0 NRR. The brief ceremony which followed upstairs at the Everest Pavilion, saw all the teams and players being praised for either collective or individual performances throughout the competition.

Among those top-performers with the ball; Jamie Campbelle of Lower Corentyne captured 5 wickets for 6 runs while the duo of Arehan-

The victorious Georgetown U17 Girls team Tournament MVP Georgetown’s Naomi Barkoye, accepts her award from Coach Clive Grimmond.

na Persaud and Hemwantie Mohabir from the champs camp Georgetown, had hauls of 3-8 and 3-9, respectively.

West Berbice’s Alicia Fordyce 3 for 25 and Kesh-

ma Boodenlall from West Demerara with 3-13 were the other successful bowling figures. In the batting department there was Georgetown’s Naomi Barkoye, with a top

score of 58, while Julianna Grimmond out of Lower Corentyne struck 42 in her innings, with Ashmini Munisar from Lower Corentyne the last top batter with an innings of 41 runs.

Barkoye was also ad-

judged Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her overall tally of 76 runs and 5 wickets. West Berbice, in their encounter with Upper Corentyne, was able to attain the highest team total of 138 runs in the league.

Eagles Football Club remains flawless EAGLES Football Club of Stewartville continued to put away their opposing counterparts as rivalry in the GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 Intra Association League, West Demerara Football Association leg continued on the weekend.

Led by the joint leading goal scorers in this second round of the two-round league, Eagles sailed to a comfortable 6-1 triumph over Hurry-ATE FC at the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground, bettering their first round result which was 3-1.

Telbert Baptiste, now with

Eagles FC strike force! (L-R) Troy Skeete, Francis Persaud, Telbert Baptiste and Kareem Harris.

five goals, blasted a hat-trick in Saturday’s win; he was on target in the 25th, 36th and 55th minute. Troy Skeete, whose tally in this round is also five goals to date, scored in the 45th minute.

The other goals were scored

by Kareem Harris (20th) and Francis Persaud (42nd).

Hurry-ATE, which had taken the lead in the 12th minute when Joshua Jack found the back of the nets, couldn’t find the target again for the remainder of the match.

Uitvlugt Warriors were gifted their first win of the round, thanks to the noshow of Wales United.

The lone match on Sunday at the Goed Fortuin Ground produced a stalemate between Pouderoyen and Den Amstel which battled to a 2-2 draw.

The result brought Den Amstel’s first point of the round. Pouderoyen had jumped into the lead in the 7th minute when Ezekiel Guppy scored but Jamal Robinson netted the first of his double for Den Amstel in the 26th minute to level things up.

Robinson found the back of the nets once again in the 52nd minute to hand Den Amstel the lead but that advantage was cancelled

out in the 75th minute when Jarrel Phoenix converted for Pouderoyen to ensure an equal share of the spoils.

The Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground will host a triple header on Saturday from 10:00hrs when the home team, Uitvlugt Warriors, match skills with Pouderoyen, followed two hours later by a clash between Eagles and Wales United. The final match brings together Den Amstel and Hurry-ATE from 14:00hrs.

South Africa’s 2019 win is bigger than 1995 - Francois Pienaar South Africa’s Rugby World Cup triumph in 2019 eclipses the side’s success in 1995, according to former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar.

Pienaar was presented with the William Webb Ellis Cup by president Nelson Mandela in an iconic moment in the nation’s post-apartheid history.

“This is bigger,” said Pienaar. “It is a transformed team with 58 million people watching in South Africa, all races wearing green, which wouldn’t have happened in my time.”

In the apartheid era, during which black South Africans were barred from opportunities and public facilities by a political system

but just the support from the nation for this and team and captain,” added Pienaar.

“In South Africa we are tender. We have had bad leadership and our country

beautiful story for life and for a country.

“As a country, to be world champion, you all need to work together.” Kolisi praise well deserved - Habana

Kolisi (right) is South Africa’s first black Test captain

of racial segregation, rugby was seen by many as the sport of the country’s minority white community.

The Springboks’ opportunities were limited by an international boycott of the country, with their opponents often supported by the black majority population in the

few fixtures they did play.

However, their victory over England on Saturday, led by captain Siya Kolisi who grew up in poverty in a Port Elizabeth township, was greeted by scenes of jubilation across South African society. “We had an incredible moment with Mr Mandela

Nelson Mandela (left) was elected as president in 1994, the year before South Africa’s maiden Rugby World Cup victory

needs to rebuild. “They play together and it makes them a successful team and that is a

Former Springboks wing Bryan Habana, who helped South Africa achieve World

Cup glory in 2007, paid tribute to Kolisi.

“I told people the whole week of Siya growing up,” he said. “He had some support, but he didn’t have great role models. He was sometimes worried about where his next meal was coming from.

“He just wanted to get through some nights knowing that he could go to school and get a jam sandwich that would see him through the day. “Knowing Siya a little bit more personally than the average person and being part of his journey, it has been absolutely fantastic. He deserves everything that comes his way.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday November 6, 2019

Cuban TT coach already making an impact says GTTA head President of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe (second from left) along with several executive members during the recent official introduction of Cuban coach, Osdain Romero Garcia (middle).

Andre Jagnandan adds DDL TOPCO Juices one-day tournament to collection

PAGE

31

Kanaima Ladies win ‘We Believe Breast Cancer’ football P A G E

31

PAGE

31 Kanaimas Ladies captain, Ellisa Boscome, collects the first place trophy from Cancer Institute of Guyana representative, Monette Harry.

TOPCO first place Andre Jagnandan (L) and GCF president Frankie Farley

Fruta Ladies captain, Odessa Rameo, collects the second place trophy from cancer survivor Christine Jardim of the Outdoor Store and Pet Shop.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019