Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 02 12 2016

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No. 104753

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

Category 1 in sight

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‌ Guyana makes big leap in international aviation rankings

50-yr-old friendship ‌Guyana, Barbados laud relations

Centre pages

President David Granger (backing camera) seems to be enjoying a light moment with Prince Harry and another official at the Barbados 50th Anniversary dinner Wednesday evening in Bridgetown

Hotel manager, 11 Suspected 11 Venezuela suspended employee charged bandit nabbed in from Mercosur-Brazilian 3 with 2012 murder South Ruimveldt official Page

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GTT warns of hike in rates

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

… says budget ‘less business friendly’

By Ariana Gordon SUBSCRIBERS to Internet services from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) may find themselves paying more for their service should the Government enforce its tax-based proposals in the 2017 budget.

Speaking on Friday during a press conference hosted by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Waterloo Street, Georgetown, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd described the budget as “less business- friendly” than previous ones.

According to Nedd, some tax measures as indicated by Finance Minister Winston Jordan will allow for increased rates and noted that “businesses cannot absorb that increase which will inevitably be passed to some consumers.

“When we look at the budget from the telecommunications sector, we notice that our income tax, corporate tax rate is still 45 per cent, while we see non-commercial businesses now 27.5 per cent and we actually compete against players that pay non-commercial business rates. That means we are going to pay at least 20 per cent more corporate tax than some of our competitors,”

said Nedd.

The CEO said he, along with other members of the private sector, were stunned at Government’s proposals regarding VAT, noting that if

GTT’s CEO, Justin Nedd implemented as interpreted “we see the harmful impact to the consumer and this is what I would consider 180 degree inconsistency with the goal of bridging that digital divide… and modernising the sector.”

Nedd argued that if VAT is placed on data, whether broadband, Internet, mobile phone or for corporate customers, there would be an increase of US$6M per year for the current services.

“I would like to say US$6M that would have to be passed to the customers which would stymie de-

mand for services and create a negative cycle – how much we are able to invest in growth—we are well aware of the demands for increased Internet speeds and that negative cycle will only reduce the ability of the company to grow.”

Nedd gave the assurance that GTT is looking forward to major expansion projects in the area of increased Internet speeds through fibre-optics, “but the business case for that is now significantly changed given the increased cost to consumers.”

“This budget is still in its draft form and I am really looking forward to possible consultations with Government to get more clarity,” Nedd said, noting that GTT is still trying to pull the pieces together, especially if the changes take effect on January 1.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We want the media and customers to understand what this really means… it is beyond the basic needs of water and electricity; it will impact the Internet also.

Having said that though, we are definitely committed to Guyana as a company, and will work with the Government to bridge the digital divide,” he said.

Meanwhile, PSC Secretary Ramesh Dookhoo said the proposed imposition of

the environmental tax will prove burdensome on company’s such a Banks DIH Limited.

Jordan had proposed the imposition of an environ-

Secretary to the PSC, Ramesh Dookhoo mental levy of $10 per unit on the importers and local manufacturers of products using non-returnable metal, plastic or glass containers of any alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage.

But according to Dookhoo, this will negatively impact consumers’ disposable income. The manufacturer will be paying the cost plus maintenance of his Environment Protection Agency (EPA) licence plus the $10, while the importer will be paying $10 only.

For one manufacturer that amounts to $600M per year plus a possible total tax, at $10, of $900M, Jordan said in his presentation.

Dookhoo said in the case of Banks DIH, that company has to pay $10M to process its environmental permit, while the cost of maintaining the requirements of the EPA legislation is $600M. And he noted that the introduction of the $10 will result in the company paying $1B. “Is it fair to the manufacturer to pay the $10 and pay the maintenance of the licence and buy the equipment that is environmen-

tally-friendly and maintain those equipment?” he asked rhetorically.

On the issue of the Excise stamp system, the PSC representatives accepted that the new system will aid in the curbing of smuggling, but objected to negative utterances on alcohol consumption.

As such, Dookhoo disclosed that large alcohol producers, distributors and importers are in the process of signing a code of conduct that seeks to govern the manufacturing, distribution and sale of alcohol.

Golden Arrowhead to be flown at half mast today … in honour of Fidel Castro GUYANA has agreed to a suggestion from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat to join with CARICOM member states to honour the late President of Cuba, His Excellency Fidel Castro Ruiz, by having all national flags flown at half mast on Friday, December 2, 2016.

According to official communication from the Secretariat, this is an appropriate and meaningful gesture of support and solidarity with the Government and people of Cuba as they pay tribute to their former President. The Golden Arrowhead will be flown at half mast at all public buildings. The late President Castro was the holder of an honorary award of the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC).

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Category 1 in sight … Guyana makes big leap in international aviation rankings

By Zena Henry THE Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has received favourable results following a grueling week of auditing by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is now 64.66 percent compliant with global aviation standards.

Attaining 64.66 percent is a major jump from the 44.24 percentage score the country held since 2007. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Egbert Field, who assumed the position of Director General some four months ago, the GCAA was able to improve its ICAO ratings in several important areas of functioning.

Fields told the Guyana Chronicle that according to preliminary results by the ICAO auditors, the GCAA was able to increase Guyana’s position above the regional average to attain a more than 60 percent rating.

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) Egbert Fields Guyana’s international score as it relates to aviation legislation stood at 60.87 percent but has risen to 73.91 percent. The Authority’s organisation stood at 20 percent, but was increased to 50percent. Personnel li-

censing or qualification was at 70.73 percent, but rose to 95.06percent. Operation stood at 57.14percent, but rose to 74.36percent. Air navigation services rose to 53.65percent from a low of 10.32percent, while the aerodrome rating was at 43.57 percent, it rose to 68.57. As it relates to accident and incident investigation, this is being audited virtually. The audit of this department is expected to add more points to the new ICAO score. “We could see an increase from this area go to the late 60percent (marker),” Fields stated.

Guyana’s new ICAO score takes the country closer to attaining Category One Status which will enable it to have easier aviation access to the United States and boost its global image. For a number of years Guyana has faced challenges without the Category One Status which would allow flights originating from Guyana to fly

non-stop to the US. Though a lucrative market, passengers moving between the US and Guyana have faced high ticket prices, poor service by foreign carriers and have been duped out of their money by charter services claiming to be airlines.

Fieldssaid the improved score, “…means we are not there as yet… but we are moving in the right direction, slowly progressing to full compliance.”

He said that Guyana must also be happy about having no significant safety concerns. He pointed out that when safety concerns are found during audits, it is published and later pose problems for air traffic into the country since other ports take note of the concerns. Field noted however, that favourable international scores are within the 70 to 80 percent bracket, and while Guyana is working toward further improvement, “this shows

the commitment to comply with international standards and this is what the Authority is most happy about.” He said it was a “team effort,” that his staff had worked long hours and “beyond the call of duty to prepare for the audit. They must be congratulated for a successful audit.”

ROBUST OVERSIGHT SYSTEM The Director General is however adamant about improving the Authority’s pool of qualified, trained inspectors. He said, “Guyana must continue to build robust oversight systems and in order to do this, we need the inspectors fully prepared and qualified.”

Fields added that more focus has to be placed on implementation of policies and procedures documented in manuals and other relevant documents used in the oversight of the entire industry.

“But to utilise that we must

have qualified, trained inspectors.”

The aviation head said that the GCAA will be embarking on hiring qualified, fully trained inspectors. In 90 days the Authority will receive a draft report of the audit. They will have 45 days to respond or comment on any area of the draft.

Thirty days after any comment is given, publication of a final report will be done. Chief auditor from the ICAO, South American branch, Marcello Urena said that the “GCAA is moving in the right direction for full compliance with the ICAO.” Urena was accompanied by two other auditors; Fabio Salvstierra and Reberto Sosa. Their presence fell under the ICAO’S Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, continuous monitoring approach, a measure of the ICAO in ensuring international best practice in aviation.

Venezuela suspended from Mercosur-Brazilian official VENEZUELA will be suspended from the Mercosur regional trade bloc as early as Friday for failing to meet membership requirements, a Brazilian official said, in the latest blow to the oil-producing country during a deep political and economic crisis.

According to the official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, Mercosur understands that Venezuela failed to meet economic, human rights and immigration accords governing the group. Mercosur’s

other members are Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and regional diplomatic heavyweight Brazil.

Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that three unidentified Brazilian officials expected Venezuela to be suspended from the bloc.

“Venezuela has not adopted all the membership rules and treaties it had promised,” one of those officials said.

“Everything indicates that Venezuela will be suspended starting in December.”

An Argentine government source said later on

Thursday that the decision would not happen until a Dec. 14 meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers. Socialist-led Venezuela has said it will not leave Mercosur and has denounced what it calls a campaign by right-leaning Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to expel it from the group. Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday said via Twitter that Venezuela had called on member countries to activate a mechanism for “resolutions of conflicts,” tweeting a complaint letter sent to

Mercosur foreign ministers.

“Venezuela must be respected!” Rodriguez said on Twitter. “Officials who adhere to imperialist mandates will not win against our fatherland.”

The suspension would not carry any sanctions against Venezuela, but would sideline its government from bloc meetings and trade negotiations, the Brazilian officials said. A suspension would also further isolate Venezuela as it struggles with food shortages and social unrest as its oil-depen-

dent economy crumbles.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Tensions within Mercosur reflect the changing political landscape of a region that has turned to conservative governments after years of domination by leftist leaders buoyed by a commodities boom.

Some Brazilian officials had considered delaying the suspension to avoid hampering Vatican-led negotiations to ease the political crisis in Venezuela, but they later dropped those

plans, said another official.

Businesses in Brazil have complained that the presence of Venezuela, which joined the bloc in 2012, has delayed key trade and regulatory decisions. “It’s a political decision that shows Mercosur countries trying to be in line with the global reality,” said Roberto Ticoulat, head of the Brazilian Council of Commercial Exporters and Importers. “Brazil needs to be part of global trade, and we can’t wait any longer.”

(Reuters)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

France’s Hollande won’t seek re-election

[BBC] - In a surprise move Francois Hollande has announced he will not seek a second term as president of France.

“I’ve decided not to be a candidate to renew my mandate,” the Socialist leader said in a live televised address. The 62-year-old, faced with very low popularity ratings, has become the first sitting president in modern French history not to seek re-election.

Conservative Republicans party candidate Francois Fillon is seen as a favourite in next year’s election. Recent

opinion polls suggest farright contender Marine Le Pen from the National Front could be Mr Fillon’s closest challenger.

“In the months to come, my only duty will be to continue to lead my country,” Mr Hollande said on Thursday.

“The world, Europe, France have faced particularly serious challenges during my mandate. In these particularly challenging circumstances I wanted to maintain national cohesion,” he said.

He was referring to deadly terrorist attacks in Nice last July and Paris in November

2015, as well as the shootings at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo several months before that.

Mr Hollande added that he was aware of the risks of running and warned of the threat from the National Front. One of the first reactions came from a former economy minister, Emmanuel Macron, who said the president had made a “courageous decision”. He is himself standing for president as an independent centrist, having resigned from the government a few months ago. But Mr Hollande’s deci-

sion not to stand now opens up the Socialist party contest in January. Prime Minister Manuel Valls is likely to be favourite to win the candidacy, having said last weekend he was ready to run.

Mr Valls described Mr Hollande’s decision not to run as “the choice of a statesman”. Last weekend, more than four million French voters chose Mr Fillon, a former prime minister, to represent the Republicans in the twostage presidential election in April and May next year.

Opinion polls suggest he would win the first round in

April, ahead of Marine Le Pen. If Mr Valls were the Socialist candidate he would be placed third. Mr Fillon would then go on to win the run-off.

During his term in office, he devoted all his energy to cutting unemployment, and it had begun to fall but far later than he had hoped. Since January 2015, Mr Hollande’s presidency has been overshadowed by jihadist terror attacks in Paris and Nice and elsewhere. France has been under a state of emergency amid fears of further attack.

Mr Hollande came to power promising a period

of normality, after the turbulent centre-right presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. But he struggled to introduce reform and faced rebellion from the left wing of his Socialist party.

His judgement was called into question in October, when a book of damaging revelations was published, entitled A President Shouldn’t Say That. He suggested the justice system was full of “cowards” and labelled his left-wing opponents a “crowd of idiots”.

[BBC] - President-elect Donald Trump has warned companies of “consequences” if they leave the United States.

He was speaking in Indiana, where he took credit for saving 1,000 jobs at the air-conditioning company Carrier Corp, which planned to move to Mexico.

Mr Trump is now travelling to Ohio, from where he will begin a “USA Thank You

Tour 2016” for his supporters. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports suggest he is hoping to pick General James Mattis for defence secretary. It is unclear if the position has been formally offered to the former Marine general, or if he has accepted. Mr Trump hailed his negotiations with Carrier Corp as a model for how he would work with other US businesses thinking of moving

their jobs abroad.

“We are going to have a situation where they are going to know, number one, we’re going to treat them well and, number two, there will be consequences,” he said.

“They will be taxed very heavily at the border if they want to leave.” He also reiterated his promise to cut business taxes and regulations in the US. Carrier Corp has been promised a $7m (£5.5m)

package of tax breaks over 10 years in exchange for reportedly saving 800 union workers whose jobs would have been outsourced to Mexico and an additional 300 research and headquarters positions.

An estimated 1,300 jobs will still move south of the border. The $7m tax incentive is contingent “upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment”, according to a Carrier

statement. In addition to the tax break, Carrier and its parent company, United Technologies, have agreed to invest $16m to keep the plant updated, Mr Trump confirmed.

Mr Trump had vowed on the campaign trail to stop American jobs from moving overseas, but said he did not realise he had made the promise to Carrier workers until he watched an interview with one of the company employees on a news programme.

The employee said Mr Trump had pledged to keep jobs from moving to Mexico, which prompted the presi-

dent-elect to contact the company. Earlier on Thursday, former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders criticised the Carrier deal as a reversal on Mr Trump’s campaign promise to save all the jobs.

The Vermont Senator penned a Washington Post op-ed, saying Mr Trump had endangered jobs by signalling “to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives”. The president-elect will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the first of several stops on his victory lap.

A rally will take place at US Bank Arena at 19:00 EST (00:00 GMT), the same venue where Mr Trump drew crowds of 15,000 people at a raucous rally on the campaign trail in late October. He is expected to hold similar events in key battleground states like Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan in the coming weeks.

Trump vows ‘consequences’ for companies leaving U.S.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Colombia crash airline suspended [BBC] - Bolivia’s aviation authority has suspended the operating licence of LaMia, the charter airline whose plane crashed on Monday killing 71 people.

It was LaMia’s only operational plane, and had been part-owned by the pilot.

The aircraft carrying Brazil’s Chapecoense football team went down near Medellin, Colombia. There were only six survivors.

Colombian authorities say evidence is growing that the plane crashed because it ran out of fuel as it tried to land.

LaMia was only set up last year, and has three aircraft - two of which are being repaired. The British-made BAE 146 Avro RJ85 aircraft had no fuel when it plunged into a mountainside near Medellin, Colombian aviation chief Alfredo Bocanegra said, corroborating audio of the pilot asking to land because of a fuel shortage and electric failure. “Having been able to do an inspection of all of the remains

and parts of the plane, we can affirm clearly that the aircraft did not have fuel at

the plane did not have” it.

“The engines are the electrical source... but without

is flying at an altitude of 9,000ft (2,745m). The plane was carrying Chapecoense,

Many Chapecoense fans were in tears at their stadium in Chapeco, Brazil. the moment of impact,” Mr Bocanegra said.

Freddy Bonilla, another aviation official, said regulations stipulated that aircraft must have 30 minutes of fuel in reserve to reach an alternative airport in an emergency, but “in this case

fuel, obviously the electrical source would have been completely lost,” he added.

In a leaked tape, the pilot, Miguel Quiroga, can be heard warning of a “total electric failure” and “lack of fuel”. Just before the tape ends, he says he

who had been due to play a football cup final against Atletico Nacional in Medellin on Wednesday. The team flew from Sao Paulo to Santa Cruz on a commercial flight, then switched to the chartered aircraft.

Brazil’s O Globo report-

Castro’s ashes on journey to Santiago [BBC] - The ashes of the late leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, are being taken to Santiago. The urn with the ashes of Cuban leader Fidel Castro leave the Revolution Square in Havana starting a four-day journey across Cuba, November 30,

him for some of his social programmes, such as public health and education.

Castro’s critics, many of whom emigrated to Miami after the revolution, call him a dictator and celebrated his death. The Cuban government, led by Fidel Castro’s younger brother

huge rally was organised in Havana’s Revolution Square to commemorate Fidel Castro. Huge crowds gathered for the rally.

Some arrived as part of government-organised groups but others said they wanted to give thanks to the man who ruled the

Raul, declared nine days of mourning. On Tuesday, a

country for almost five decades from 1959. Members

Cuba

2016AFP. A small coffin containing the urn with Fidel Castro’s ashes was placed on a trailer in Havana before it embarked on a 800km-long journey (500 miles) to the south-eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

The ashes will retrace the route taken by Fidel Castro from Santiago to the capital after his victory over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, only in reverse. His supporters say he returned Cuba to the people, and praise

of communist youth groups such as the Jose Marti Pioneer Organisation attended the rally. Military cadets held up smaller versions of the nine-story tall photograph of Fidel Castro which hung from a building in Revolution Square.

ed that because of a delayed departure, a refuelling stop in Cobija - on the border between Brazil and Bolivia was abandoned because the airport did not operate at night. The pilot had the option to refuel in Bogota, but headed straight to Medellin.

“The pilot was the one who took the decision,” Gustavo Vargas, a representative of Lamia, was quoted as saying in Bolivian newspaper Pagina Siete. “He thought the fuel would last.”

Approaching Medellin, the pilot asked for permission to land because of fuel problems, without making a formal distress call. But another plane from airline VivaColombia had priority because it had already suffered a fuel leak, the co-pilot of another plane in the air at the time said.

The pilot of the crashed plane is heard asking urgently for directions to the airport before the audio recording ends. Unconfirmed media reports say that a Bolivian official at Santa Cruz airport checked the paperwork for the La-

Mia plane and pointed out to the company that the amount of fuel they had was not enough.

Officials say the plane’s “black boxes”, which record flight details, will be sent to the UK to be opened by investigators. A full investigation into the crash is expected to take months. On Wednesday night, when the match had been due to take place, tens of thousands of fans gathered at the Medellin stadium - and at Chapecoe n s e ’s h o m e g r o u n d i n Chapeco - to pay tearful tributes.

Many wore white and carried candles as a mark of respect. Chapecoense lost 19 players in the crash.

Twenty journalists were also killed. Of the survivors, Chapecoense said two players remained in a critical but stable condition, while the club’s goalkeeper had had one leg amputated and might still lose his other foot.

An injured journalist also remained in critical condition, the club said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Govt, private sector need to be proactive Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

THE development of every society is hinged on the quality of performance of its people. Where performance focuses on quality, delivery efforts will be put in place not only to attract those who meet the criteria for doing the job, but also to ensure that they are provided the requisite support to get it done. Over the years, Guyana has been shortchanged on meritocracy and by extension the development of the society and its people.

The public sector, which is a country’s single largest workforce and provider of services, and usually sets the standards for other sectors in the economy, has not escaped the sacrifice of meritocracy. Stories of persons appointed to perform technical and managerial duties without the requisite skills and/or talents required for the job are known.

These appointments, which are invariably made primarily on political affiliation or acquaintance with the person making the appointment, have been debilitating. Conversely, those who are able and qualified to perform the job have been sidelined in the actual workforce or denied opportunities to fill the position for various reasons.

The oft referred to ‘square pegs in round holes’ has cost the nation in dollar value, suppression of required skills and talents, and in the flight of human capital. There is no denying that when mediocrity becomes the acceptable form of securing and maintaining a job, elected or appointed, the society suffers. At the same time, none can truthfully deny when meritocracy is promoted as a matter of national policy and priority,that it makes it easier in accomplishing the tasks ahead of us.

Persons feel assured and are invested in an environment where they know opportunities will be afforded them based on ability. In instances too, when these are denied and felt such are un-deserving should there be institutions -- in law and establishment -- to allow them to pursue justice it incentivises meritocracy. Leaders -- elected and appointed -taking the approach of rewarding meritocracy will not only attract competent skills, but will also transmit clear signals that anything less is unacceptable, and will not be supported.

Looking around our society, skills and talents come from diverse sources, and should there be focus on meritocracy, there can be found in every group -- race, political association, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities etc., competent individuals. In this regard Guyanese, at home and abroad, can identify with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. entreaty that the “content of character” be the determining

in lifting Guyanese out of poverty

Dear Editor, THE media will be dominated by discussions on Budget 2017 for the next few weeks. I myself will refrain from making meaningful comment, but return focus to the dire need to raise income levels for the masses, so that Guyanese can afford to acquire their own homes and provide for their families without being treated as welfare cases by the state.

I first wish to draw attention to the structure of our society and the massive social injustices and abuses meted out to the Guyanese masses. Societies have tended to be divided into the working class and the ruling class, or elites. I borrow this reference, but also propose to refine the ruling class or elites into what I refer to as ‘the system’. ‘The system’ includes wealthy business owners and their privileged directors, executive managers and similarly designated figures, and the upper level of government bureaucracy, which includes the ministers, their advisors and senior managers, and the justice system. The system also includes those lawyers and their agents who collude with the justice system to pervert the course of justice.

This classification facilitates a clearer distinction of the masses of workers and other powerless individuals on the one hand, and the system, or the people who are in control, on the other. Within this context, it is easier to see that the masses are at the mercy of the system, which uses its laws and regulations to keep the masses in check, while the people within the system, notably government ministers, wealthy business owners and their acolytes, are free from the law and the course of justice.

Integral to the system’s

control mechanism are the media and other mass communication which it uses to control the minds of the masses with propaganda and platitudes for the injustices suffered by the masses. Some of the great injustices and abuses meted out by the system against the Guyanese masses have been those perpetrated in our court system.

Our Guyanese youth, many of whom have been robbed of an education along with the opportunity to acquire a regular job, who have also been robbed by their employers because of their inability to reason and count, occasionally find themselves on the other side of the law as they resort to alternative means of surviving. Caught up in the criminal justice system without the financial resources to fund a pleading of their cases, they are occasionally left to languish in jail for inordinate amounts of time.

An examination of instances of those who belong to the system who commit crimes reveals that these persons make bail, and their lawyers and the legal system collude to drag out their cases almost indefinitely, on occasion jacking the court system to tamper with evidence, which ultimately results either in the case being thrown out or some similar version of events. A fascinating example has been the recent case of a former minister and her subordinate who were recently found criminally liable for the alleged misappropriation and unaccountability, read theft, of in excess of $600 million of taxpayers’ money. The former minister’s case has been postponed on a number of occasions, but on one of those occasions, one of the lawyers for the prosecution told the judge that he could not find the page with the evidence/charges against the

factor in treating with people.

Through change of political administrations there have been allegations of persons being removed from appointed public offices based on their political association and/or race. In parlance, this suggests meritocracy is being sacrificed at the altar of mediocrity. The truth be told, some of these claims have not been without merit as seen with the gutting of professionalism in the Foreign Service post-1992, and the court awarding judgment to career diplomats. They are also those who have not used the court system, but have suffered similar fates.

The bleeding of skills and talents has been a setback to the society. Outside of appointed officials, there have been elected officials who have not met the standard of performance befitting their office and responsibilities,

defendant. This was not a case of the prosecution being stupid, but evidence of the possibility that the court system has been bought.

Similar cases have occurred in the past, and will continue to occur, as it is clear that the people in the system can steal and commit crimes and pay their lawyers and the courts to subvert the justice system.

With regard to injustices committed against the Guyanese masses by the justice system in particular, while I do not condone the use of marijuana, or cannabis, some advanced countries have recognised the plant for its medicinal purposes, and have moved to decriminalise its use completely.

What is clear is that the use or personal consumption of marijuana within the context of new knowledge cannot be construed in any way, manner or form as a criminal act. In this regard, I submit that the justice system pursue avenues to have individuals incarcerated for the possession of the plant for personal consumption be immediately released from confinement. I am personally suspicious of the benefits of marijuana for other than medicinal purposes, as I am sure are other concerned members of society , so it is recommended that the release of the aforementioned persons be also accompanied by a nationwide education campaign warning against the consumption of marijuana for other than medicinal purposes, in a manner similar to the treatment of cigarettes.

Perhaps the greatest abuses perpetrated against our Guyanese masses have however been their impoverishment and the subjection to the brutal system of injustice that has accompanied it. The dismal failures of successive governments have rendered the masses poor, and in many

instances, uneducated. This combination of factors has yielded a society where many have little scope for opportunity to live a normal life that includes a well-paying job and raising educated children who can survive in tomorrow’s world.

Our governments have acknowledged the massive impoverishment suffered through Guyana’s structural adjustment policies of the late 80s and early 90s. Even after benefitting from higher tax revenues, particularly VAT, these governments have continuously dreamed up massive capital expenditure projects, for which they also have had to borrow in many instances, to pan off to their friends and cronies in the private sector, enriching themselves through corruption while laying bare their bosom with the lie that the government doesn’t have any money, or the government can’t find any money to pay them. A quick check over the years will reveal that literally hundreds of billions (not millions) of dollars in taxpayers’ money, including foreign loans which Guyanese will have to repay, have been spent on capital projects.

The questions here are: Where are the jobs? Where are the higher incomes Where is the improved social welfare? Why do our civil servants, from our police who are entrusted to enforce justice, to other members of the public service, have to resort to soliciting bribes in order to survive? Why do many of our womenfolk have to engage in promiscuous activities to support themselves and their families?

Are Guyanese better off for the expenditure of all of these hundreds of billions of dollars?

The billions of dollars

Turn to Pg. 7

and this has hurt policy conceptualisation, execution of the task at hand and saw wastage of resources, financial and otherwise. When President Granger came to office and announced that it is not his administration’s intent to remove public servants, that was a welcoming sign and must become national policy, though it is important to base this policy on meritocracy. Honest and frank discourse will acknowledge that mediocrity is present in every society, but when this is allowed to become the norm it does grave disservice. Similarly, it has been proven that societies that recognise the wisdom of promoting and supporting meritocracy as the norm make better use of their resources, optimise and reward the performance of its people, and relatively have had better developmental indicators- human, revenue, and otherwise.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Govt, private sector need to be proactive .....

Cont. from Pg. 6

lost to corruption and cronyism could in fact have been used to engineer a stronger macroeconomic framework that would have supported government paying increased salaries to public servants to lift incomes and expenditures in the economy. Contributing to all of this has been our very own private sector, from financial and other service companies to mining, manufacturing and commercial/ retail companies. These business organisations have fed off the social chaos precipitated by our governments, and systematically engorged themselves on profit of the labour of the masses,

underpaying workers, which translates as robbing them of their fair pay, share in the benefits of their labour, and the opportunity to look after their children and prepare them for tomorrow’s world.

After the collapse of our economy in the 1980s, these businesses, taking advantage of the prevailing massive levels of unemployment that still exist even today, have consistently and unjustly underpaid their workers when they were more than capable of compensating them their just due. Notable examples of these companies include to those household names which make several hun-

dreds of millions of dollars in profits alone on an annual basis. These very same businesses who today portray themselves as paragons for a better world, have in fact helped to maintain Guyanese in a state of poverty and contributed to many instances of social decay, from ill-health, to poor education, to the resulting crime and increasing erosion of social values that we witness today, which seems to be catapulting many of our children back into the dark ages of ignorance.

These businesses, along with our successive governments, have contributed to what I call the Arrested Develop-

ment of our society.

In light of the problems identified, some obvious recommendations come to mind: 1. The Ministry of Legal Affairs should collaborate with the Guyana Police Force to establish a unit with specific responsibilities for policing the justice system to identify and disbar those lawyers engaged in bribing the courts and also address those employed by the justice system who aid and abet the corruption of the courts.

2. The workers who have been robbed by their employers need to decide how to approach recouping their lost benefits. Further,

private employers need to adopt the socially responsible position of paying workers their fair wages and ensure that their NIS benefits are properly remunerated.

The target on fair wages should start at $130,000 per month for the lowest paid worker.

3. Government needs to re-examine the effectiveness of its capital expenditure programmes, both in quantity and quality, and in terms of the benefits that are expected to accrue to society. Secondly, it is incumbent upon government to correct past failures by adopting policies that facil-

itate a proactive stance on raising the ordinary Guyanese out of the systemic poverty that resulted from the adoption of the earlier mentioned structural adjustment policies. Increases in salaries can be easily and effectively managed so as to mitigate their impact on prices. It should also be noted that this will assist in eliminating systemic corruption, which will go a long way to marketing Guyana as a destination for both foreign investment and tourism.

Dear Editor,

and wisdom. It is impressive to me that he has hit the nail on its head, and as a result, I wish to suggest to the Government of Guyana and all Non-Governmental Organisations to continue being dedicated towards self-development and the development of this nation.

I am very concerned about the growth and development of our country and our people. We are an extremely fortunate society as most of our people are

disciplined, and have ambition. Most of our people can read and write, and all of us can speak English Language.

Because of these positive traits, countries that are part of the Caribbean and other nations such as the United States of America, Canada and others, welcome our citizens to work and live in their country easily.

However, what we need is to create an atmosphere where our people can be comfortable, be able to see

their future selves, develop patriotism and the desire to remain here. Indeed our people, students and graduates are our most valuable assets. All of this is coupled with the fact that we have enormous natural resources to attract tourists, such as sunshine, fresh and salt water rivers, to attract ardent fishermen from around the world.

We have the possibility to provide hinterland trekking, where persons can

try climbing our very own, Mount Roraima, the Great Kaieteur Falls and many other waterfalls, located in the interior regions of this country. Millions around the world are enamoured with the largest pharmacy in the world, our amazing Amazon Jungles.

I was so moved by the points made by the minister and his insight into this reality. I can see from his heart that he is a man who truly wishes for the

greater development of Guyana, to bring prosperity to all of our people. We have to develop Guyana to such a level that our youth, graduates, students and other citizens that have left to seek better elsewhere, return to a place they can be proud to call home and contribute to its growth.

ditionally, under the renewable energy programme, in 2017, we will install the first ever solar farm, on a large scale, in Mabaruma. A sum of $264 million has been budgeted for this exciting event. When operational, the 400-kilowatt solar farm will afford an additional 17 hours of electricity to the 3,000 residents of Mabaruma.

“Furthermore, our government has also advanced the pursuit of additional solar farms with a capacity of 800 kilowatts at Lethem, 400 kilowatts at Mahdia, and 1.5 megawatts at Bartica. To complement public sector investment, the Government will be granting a one-off tax holiday of two years for corporation tax to importers of items for wind and solar energy investments, and for investors in water treatment, waste disposal, and recycling

facilities. These interventions, when finalised, will significantly improve the lives of our people, espe-

cially in the hinterland, by incentivising behavioural change, boosting investor confidence, and ensuring

energy reliability. ‘ Editor, I am happy to see my government putting our money where it

should go.

Regards Craig Sylvester

Impressed with Min. Gaskin’s speech I HAVE read with great interest the Honourable Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin’s presentation, on the fact that tourism cannot thrive in a discontented nation, which was recently published in various sections of the media.

This presentation was delivered at the Guyana Tourism Authority Awards Ceremony. I must compliment the minister for his insight

Regards Roshan Khan RK’s Security Services

Kudos to Jordan for a progressive budget Dear Editor,

PLEASE permit me a small space in your newspaper to express my congratulations to the Minister of Finance for coming up with such a progressive budget in such a timely manner.

The government has spent much time telling us that they intend to pursue a green path of development, I believe this is timely, considering the fact of climate change about which I am very concerned, being a resident of coastal Georgetown. Editor, to be honest, I am usually skeptical of promises made by politicians.

After watching the live streaming of the minister’s budget speech, and hearing the remarks about the green economy, I went to the ministry’s website and actually read the remarks. Section 4.14 of the budget says, “Ad-

Regards Anthony James-Christian

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Jordan: Prudent financial management priority

9

–– investment tops $114B; 6,000 new jobs next year

IN keeping with the mantra of good governance, Finance Minister Winston Jordan has affirmed that prudence in public financial management, in light of existing macro-economic and fiscal constraints will remain a priority.

Government this year in a bid to promote the efficient and effective delivery of services to the citizenry has trained 190 public servants, in key concepts of Monitoring and Evaluation 29 (M&E)

ers have to attempt to spend over 40 per cent of their budgets in the last quarter alone - a most worrisome reality that raises concerns about transparency, accountability, and value for money.

“In 2017, we intend to increasingly align and strengthen systems, procedures, and implementation modalities to increase the absorptive capacity of the public sector.

“Several key strategies will include the development of procurement plans for key

Finance Minister Winston Jordan presented Budget 2017 to the House on Monday and will train another 200, in 2017.

“Our signal improvement in the area of expenditure management is the early presentation of Budget 2017, with the advantage of beginning the new year with approved budgetary allocations and with the ability to implement, from January 1, rather than losing as many as four months of the fiscal year, as has been the practice for the last 40 years,” Jordan said in his third budget presentation on Monday.

The disadvantages of a budget presented during the fiscal year are numerous and demonstrated over the years – the late start-up of programmes, and the bottleneck effect in the third and fourth quarters that effectively chokes public sector processes and compromises private sector contractors’ capacities to respond.

According to the finance minister, it is alarming that Budget Agencies and manag-

ministries and training; and the utilisation of creative performance-based contracts for project staff and permanent secretaries, in order to incentivise performance and delivery,” he said.

These initiatives will build on a platform that will identify indicators for determining inputs, outputs, outcomes, and objectives as well as set benchmarks and targets against which to measure progress; specify responsibilities and accountability; and identify constraints and risks.

Jordan pointed out that despite the Government’s success at maintaining debt at sustainable levels, losing access to concessional external financing could result in substantially higher debt service costs over the medium-term.

UPPER MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY This year, the World Bank reclassified Guyana

as an upper middle-income country, which will limit the availability of grants and “softer term” loans

from traditional lenders.

To ensure that Government has continued access to financing at affordable

rates, Jordan said it must be innovative in pursuing broader sources of funding, such as blending hard or

non-concessional resources with grant resources to See page 10

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Jordan: Prudent financial ...

From page 9

increase loan concessionality, and reaching out to non-traditional lenders.

“We must also mobilise domestic resources in support of our development goals.

The Government is pursuing policies to encourage a deep and liquid domestic bond market, which will increase fiscal space and give Government more flexibility to respond to external shocks, while reducing our reliance on external borrowing.

“I am pleased to announce

that Government will, in 2017, pursue the issuance of medium-term Government bonds, specifically dedicated to the financing of the fiscal deficit,” the minister said.

Like other Caribbean economies, Guyana faces a potentially damaging correspondent banking crisis. The local banks and financial institutions of small Caribbean economies rely heavily on correspondent banking relationships with global banks to connect with the international financial net-

Credit unions will play an important role in expanding and deepening access to financial services, as they have significant potential to reach the most vulnerable income groups

work.

These relationships allow local residents to receive remittances from abroad, tourists to access cash from their home accounts, and facilitate the transfer of funds needed to support trade and investment in the region.

Recently, concerns about meeting new, stricter rules related to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) have led correspondent banks to terminate their relationships with their local partners, a practice termed “derisking.”

While this trend has affected countries around the globe, the small economies of the Caribbean have been hit especially hard.

SEVERELY AFFECTED Minister Jordan noted that while foreign-owned banks operating in Guyana have not been subject to derisking, locally-owned banks have been severely affected by, losing in the aggregate, approximately 37 per cent of correspondent relationships by the end of June, 2016.

He told the House that thus far, only one bank has been able to establish new correspondent relationships to cover

Over the course of 2016, total investments, including Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), facilitated by Go-Invest totalled $114.8B, a significant improvement over the $89.3B inflow in 2015 about 75 per cent of those that were lost.

“If this trend continues, financial transaction services may become costlier and more limited, and legitimate transactions may go underground, encouraging the use of cash and increasing other forms of informality at a time when we are attempting to deepen financial inclusion.

“The end result is likely to undermine the efforts to super-

minister disclosed.

In the quest to deepen and expand access to financial services, he said credit unions play an important role as they have significant potential to reach the most vulnerable income groups.

However, their regulation has been a supervisory blind spot and various governance issues have surfaced in recent years.

In 2016, a policy decision

This year’s investments will yield over 6,000 jobs in various sectors vise and regulate the financial sector and fight money laundering and combat the financing of terrorism,” Jordan said.

Guyana, in partnership with other Caribbean economies and international institutions such as the FSB, IMF, and World Bank, is working to address the threat posed by derisking, through both advocacy and addressing the perceived risks that lead international banks to sever correspondent banking relationships.

Guyana has enhanced compliance with the implementation of recommendations by FATF and the FSB. “It is critical that international banks work with local banks to transfer practices that reduce risk, rather than severing relationships.

“In our on-going efforts to enhance our supervisory framework, the Bank of Guyana has conducted a thorough review of its Risk-Based Supervision framework, and drafted updates and a procedural manual,” the finance

was taken to bring the supervision and regulation of credit unions under the purview of the Bank of Guyana.

In 2017, Jordan said the Bank of Guyana will work towards increasing credit unions’ familiarity with International Financial Reporting Standards and improving internal control systems in a way that is appropriate for their complex governance procedures.

The Government, he said, also maintains that a strong and resilient private sector is one of the cornerstones of a healthy and robust economy and is committed to maintaining a thriving and fair business environment so that business owners and future entrepreneurs may prosper.

To reinforce and continue to promote such an economic structure, the Ministry of Business has launched its 2015-2020 Strategic Action Plan, which focuses on improving the ease of doing business, attracting increased foreign investment, support-

ing the development and export of value-added industries, increased economic opportunities for and capabilities of vulnerable groups, and increased capacity to develop and promote sustainable business-friendly policies.

BIG IMPROVEMENT Jordan pointed out that between 2015 and 2016, Guyana has improved by 16 places on the ranking of the World Bank’s Doing Business Index.

“This has been the largest single improvement achieved in our history of being on the Index. To further improve our 39 position, the Government will examine the viability of the recently recommended reforms of the World Bank in the areas of starting a business, registering property, trading across borders, getting electricity, and obtaining construction permits, and we will develop an action plan for implementation,” he said.

Over the course of 2016, total investments, including Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), facilitated by Go-Invest totalled $114.8B, a significant improvement over the $89.3B inflow in 2015.

This year’s investments will yield over 6,000 jobs in various sectors, including 1,327 in agriculture, 1,366 in energy, 1,500 in ICT, and 1,483 in tourism and services.

In 2017, Go-Invest will target $139.8B in investment and the composition of the investment portfolio will be restructured to ensure greater diversification within the economy, with additional focus being placed on the tourism, agriculture, and light manufacturing sectors.

These ventures are estimated to create an additional 3,870 jobs, Jordan said. In addition, on-going institutional strengthening will result in a more data-driven, client-friendly, one-stop investment portal.

“To this end, our Government has allocated the sum of $213.2M for the continued strengthening of Go-Invest in the New Year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Suspected bandit caught in South Ruimveldt

PROMPT action by ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) resulted in the capture of an alleged bandit, who along with another individual attempted to enter a yard in Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown on Thursday.

According to eyewit-

nesses, at around 15:00h on Thursday, two men, one of whom was armed with a gun, tried entering someone’s yard, but were ambushed by members of the force.

This newspaper understands that there was an exchange of gunfire between the police and suspected

Hotel manager, employee charged with 2012 murder

By Clestine Juan ALMOST four years after Sadeek Juman’s lifeless body was found in the Double Day International Hotel swimming pool located at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, two persons were charged with his murder on Thursday.

The former manager of the hotel and one of his employees were jointly

required to plead to the murder of 20-year-old Juman, whom they allegedly killed between November 18 and November 19, 2012 at the hotel.

They were remanded to prison until December 16, 2016. The matter is being prosecuted by Inspector Matthews. This newspaper understands that Juman of Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara, was beaten into a state of unconsciousness, concealed in a room, and later in the night his body was dumped in the hotel’s pool. He was clad only in swimming trunks and his cellphone and other belongings were missing.

According to information reaching this newspaper, a heated argument

Former Manager of Double Day International Hotel, Bhagnarine Bhola charged with the offence when they appeared in shackles and handcuffs before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrates Court, West Coast Demerara.

Bhagnarine Bhola also known as ‘Son’,

Dead: Sadeek Juman 27 and his co-accused Lealon Johnson called ‘Tallman’, 29, were not

Co-accused Lealon Johnson had ensued at the hotel after Juman arrived there with the then girlfriend of Bhola. Reports indicate that detectives who first handled the case botched the investigation and Juman’s death was ruled as a drowning. A post-mortem showed that death was due to drowning, compounded by blunt trauma to the head.

Juman had left his parent’s Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara home on November 18, 2012 to visit his grandmother at Ruby, East Bank Essequibo. He later headed to the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen.

bandits, however no one was injured. During the incident the bandits decided to part ways on foot through nearby bushes. However, moments later the ranks were able to nab one of the alleged bandits who claimed that he was the wrong person.

Meanwhile, the hunt continues for the other individual, whom residents identified as “Dexter,” a vagrant who lives in the area.

Police guard the suspected bandit

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

NIS launches ‘Pension Readiness Programme’

By Rabindra Rooplall

THE National Insurance Scheme (NIS) will next year roll out a series of initiatives countrywide to make it easier for persons to have their queries on pensions addressed, General Manager Holly Greaves has said.

She was at the time

speaking at a public relations campaign to launch the Pension Readiness Programme in the NIS Compound, Brickdam, Georgetown on Thursday.

The programme seeks to identify insured persons who are 55 years and over and would be eligible for Old Age Benefit at age 60.

–– chairman urges use of banks to uplift benefits

The scheme revolves around the collection of contributions and payment of benefits.

“Today, the focus is pensions, which is one of the benefits received from the organisation. In order for

NIS Chairman, Dr Surendra Persaud

your claims for pension. It is therefore quintessential to remind you to keep all of your registration information updated. We have a variety of forms that are available to enable you to make any changes in regards to information such as address and name change amongst others,” she explained.

Persons can access these forms at the various NIS branches or the scheme’s website nis.org.gy.

NIS also hopes to collaborate with the Ministry of Social Protection to add another dimension to the initiative in

NIS General Manager Holly Greaves

A staged presentation being done in front of an audience to show the various scenarios faced by NIS employees when dealing with confused and frustrated contributors benefits to be paid, the Records Department must supply accurate information on contributions to the Benefits and Pensions Department, so that the claimant’s entitlement could be determined,” the general manager said.

She explained that the aim of the Pension Readiness Programme is to enable insured persons to begin from as early as 55 to verify their NIS contribution records so as to make their future claims.

“This is to ensure that all your contributions are complete and accurate. It is in our best interest to guide and assist you in making

2017 by having seminars to help prospective pensioners fully understand and embrace the issues relating to retirement lifestyle, income planning and investment planning and other related financial elements.

NIS Chairman, Dr Surendra Persaud, urged pensioners to use the banking facility to uplift their benefits. Senior citizens would usually visit NIS headquarters at Brickdam, Georgetown, to uplift their vouchers and then encash them at a post office.

“There is no cost to the pensioner by NIS or the bank to have the money placed in

the bank… the money can go into your bank account and you use your ATM card at your convenience,” Persaud said.

“Banking will make the NIS operate more efficiently and persons living in Guyana only have to produce a life certificate once a year.”

When someone fills up an application, that person is required to present three forms.

One is completed by the contributor, the other by a commercial bank and the other by the NIS. The company would then send instructions to the bank to deposit a specified amount into the account of the pensioner.

Two arrested in South Ruimveldt with gun, ammo TWO men were Thursday arrested with a quantity of cannabis and an unlicensed Taurus pistol after police apprehended them in a South Ruimveldt House.

Police in a statement noted

that the men who have been on investigators radar for a while are also being investigated for several pending criminal matters. Police also found a magazine with thirteen (13) matching rounds.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Nagamootoo leads Guyana’s delegation to Castro’s state funeral

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Chief Whip of the People’s Progressive Party, Gail Teixeira, represented Guyana at the State funeral for late leader of Cuba,Fidel Castro,earlier this week.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo and Teixeira travelled to Havana on Tuesday. Castro, the Cuban revolutionary who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Friday last. He was 90.

A towering figure of the 20th century and Cold War icon, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that struggled against colonial rule. Castro had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother, Raul, two years later.

country attained independence. It was under his leadership that Guyana-Cuba friendly and fraternal relationship had been placed on a solid and unbreakable

Prime Minister Nagamootoo and President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega on the sidelines of the funeral

Former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica and Prime Minister Nagamootoo In a statement the Government of Guyana had hailed Castro’s contributions to Guyana’s development. Dr. Castro was President of Cuba from 1976 to 2008 and previously Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976, leading Cuba for a total of almost 50 years.

“Guyana hails Dr. Castro, globally renowned as ‘El Commandanté’ or, simply, ‘Fidel’ as an outstanding friend and a genuine partner, even before our

day Guyana benefits from scholarships and training opportunities afforded to our young people in becoming doctors, engineers and other specialists. We con-

footing,” the government said.

“When an unjust embargo had been imposed against Cuba to isolate the Castro government, Guyana, in 1972, joined three other countries in our region to establish diplomatic relations with a fellow Caribbean state.

“Since that time, Castro embraced our countries as partners and responded to our critical needs, especially in the health and education sectors. To this

tinue to benefit too, from Cuban doctors and medical experts serving our people in our health care system,” the government stated.

“Fidel was an exemplar of unparalled generosity, revolutionary commitment, national dignity and unyielding patriotism.

“Though he was ailing for many years and had prepared his people for the inevitable, the passing of this colossus whose greatness is indelibly written in the history of the world across both the 20th and 21st centuries, will evoke an immeasurable pain and loss in Cuba and beyond.

Guyana mourns the death of a dear friend, a revolutionary icon and a giant of international humanitarianism.

“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana conveys to the government and people of Cuba sincere condolences and assures that at this time of collective global grief, the people of Cuba are not alone.”

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14

Ex-cop granted bail on attempted murder charge

AN Ex-police officer was on Thursday charged with discharging a loaded firearm with intent to commit murder, after he shot at a man during an argument at Wings and Things’ Bar, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

Lloyd Lyte 43, a father of seven, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge. It is alleged that on November 27, at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Lyte discharged a loaded firearm

at Martin Atwell also known as John Kirby, with intent to commit murder.

The accused was represented by Attorney Satesh Kissoon, who requested that his client be released on bail since he is the sole breadwinner for his family.

The lawyer explained that Atwell pulled a gun on his client, who then attempted to disarm Atwell in self-defense. He added that Lyte is currently employed as a security guard with a mining company.

According to reports, on the day in question

at about 02:00h, Atwell was standing outside the ‘Wings and Things’ bar, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown when a confrontation ensued between him and Lyte. The argument allegedly stemmed from Atwell’s refusal to remove some beer bottles he placed on the trunk of Lyte’s vehicle.

Lyte had reportedly left the confrontation and went into the bar but Atwell followed him and pulled out his gun and discharged a round at the man.

The ex-cop, in return

pulled out his gun and shot at Atwell, hitting him three times about his body. Atwell was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and was subsequently discharged.

Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers made no objection to bail but requested that Lyte lodge his passport and report to the Ruimveldt Police Station weekly. Magistrate McLennan released the excop on $150,000 bail and adjourned the case until January 9, for reports and fixtures.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Cop charged for accepting $2M bribe in murder probe A SERGEANT, stationed at Police ‘G’ Division was on Thursday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with corruptly obtaining money to ‘duck’ a murder charge.

Lakeram Deochan, of Charity, Essequibo Coast, who has been a member of the Guyana Police Force for some 23 years, pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is alleged that on April 26, at Charity, while being an agent of the Government of Guyana, he corruptly obtained the sum of $2M cash, from Nalini Baharally, as an inducement to forgo a criminal charge against her husband Lennox Baharally, following a boat mishap which resulted in the death of Mohamed Shameer.

Sergeant Lakeram Attorney George Deochan Thomas, during an application for bail, indicated to the court that his client denies taking any money from Nalini Baharally since he never met her. According to the lawyer, at the time of the alleged offence, his client was on annual vacation leave, thus making it impossible for him to deal with the matter. Police Prosecutor Inspector Neville Jeffers did not object to bail and did reveal the facts of the case to the court.

The Chief Magistrate released the Sergeant on $100,000 bail and transferred the matter to the Charity Magistrate’s Court for December 17.

In July, Lennox Baharally, a boat builder was charged with the murder of Mohamed Shameer, who was also his uncle. Baharally’s 19-year-old apprentice Rondel Edwards was also jointly charged with murdering Mohammed Abdool Shameer on April 25 at Jacklow, Pomeroon.

Baharally and Edwards had allegedly buried Shameer’s body in a shallow grave along the bank of the Moruca River in the Pomeroon. Shameer, a farmer, had left his home in a paddle boat at about 19:30h on April 25 to visit a friend, and was reportedly returning home when his boat was run over by a larger one captained by Baharally, who had two other persons, including Edwards, in his boat.

Brazilian nabbed for North Rupununi murder A BRAZILIAN national is in police custody assisting with the investigation into the alleged murder of his workmate, Kido Lewis, of Quataman Village, North Rupununi.

Lewis’ body which bore multiple wounds was discovered inside of a pit at Dukwari Backdam, Cuyuni River Wednesday morning.

Police in a statement said enquiries disclosed that about 16:00hrs on Tuesday the suspect and the deceased were seen leaving their mining camp but only the suspect returned later that evening.

Approximately 10:00hrs Wednesday the General Manager and a group of workers made the discovery after they followed a trail of blood some distance away from the Mining Camp.

The matter was reported and the suspect was arrested as investigations continue.

The body had marks of violence to the head, hand and chest.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Conference puts spotlight on Geographical Indications

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge has contended that Geographical Indications (GI) protection for Guyana’s products and the smooth and gradual integration of these products into the regional and global economies is imperative for national development.

He expressed the view at the opening of a two-day Geographical Indications workshop and conference on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown.

The conference brought together a wide cross-section

of local, regional and international experts on intellectual property, with a focus on Geographical Indications.

According to the foreign affairs minister, many studies show “that the price that can be obtained from a wellknown GI traditional product could easily be doubled that of a comparable product that doesn’t enjoy the same feature.”

The GI feature, he said, represents an important aspect of trade, rural development, protection of knowhow and tradition, as well as product promotion and

tourism.

“It has even become an important feature of bilateral trade agreements… and this can be an important feature for the development of our tourism industry as well as the development of high-quality food traceability system which is becoming increasingly very important,” the minister said.

Policy-makers, he said, also have a role to play in promoting Geographical Indications.

“GI status alone will not automatically give increased demand or the penetration of

A section of the gathering at the GI workshop and conference on Thursday

external market protection.

Without effective marketing, it will not increase sales and export,” the Foreign Affairs Minister emphasised.

Guyana already has passed GI legislation in 2005 and implementing regulations were subsequently passed in 2008.

These provided details for the Act, which includes procedures and requirements of products as GI. “Guyana’s legislation is largely compliant with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement and is similar in many respects to the legislation of those other CARICOM states that have such legislation,” Greenidge said.

Lead Legal Expert, Bernard O’Connor, said the workshop aims to enhance market access and promote certification for quality products in Guyana.

“Over the last week or so, three applications have been submitted to the Commercial Register for the registration of Geographical Indicators in Guyana,” he said.

O’Connor noted that Guyana’s law permits for GI protection without registra-

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, addressing the workshop on Thursday tion, although record-keeping allows the indicator to benefit from a range of advantages.

According to the legal consultant, rice is the “most obvious and the biggest” product that can benefit from GI registration.

CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Trade and Economic Integration (TEI) Joseph Cox, explained that GIs are products associated with quality, allows producers to obtain market recognition and a premium price for their goods, facilitate trade and improve the economy.

The overall objective of

the GI project is to promote sustainable development in Guyana and the Caribbean and reinforce and promote local quality products and the smooth and gradual integration of these products into the regional and global economy.

Also present at the conference were Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock, European Union Delegation First Secretary Adam Wisniewski, Demerara Distillers Limited Managing Director Komal Samaroo, and GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer Errol Hanoman, among others.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

Heads of State laud Guyana/Ba

PRESIDENT David Granger and First Lady, Ms. Sandra Granger joined Barbadians to celebrate that nation’s 50th Anniversary of Independence at three national events, which were observed with pomp and ceremony, despite inclement weather that resulted in major schedule changes. The Head of State attended the Toast to the Nation event held at the Barbados Defence Force Headquarters at St. Ann’s Fort, the unveiling of the 50th Anniversary of Independence National Monument at The Garrison Savannah and the Golden Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert at Kensington Oval, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency noted.

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who welcomed the President and First Lady to the event, described the Guyanese

great importance because Guyana in 1966, as well, on May 26 went into Independence and earlier this year itself celebrated its Golden Jubiliee. I was there for that celebration and I am very pleased to welcome President Granger and Mrs. Granger here to Barbados. The warmth and the hospitality and the generosity of Guyana can be unbounded.”

That generosity was illustrated later in the evening when President Granger delivered a gift

50th Independence Anniversary.

According to the release, the President also gifted Prime Minister Stuart a Winslow Craig-crafted, wooden sculpture called the ‘The Chief Witness to the Environment’.

Reading the artist’s description of the work, the Guyanese Head of State said, “The visual imagery is derived from a combination of Indigenous Guyanese petroglyphs, patterns and weaving designs.”

Presenting the gifts, he

that Barbadians have been coming to Guyana for over 50 years as welcomed migrants.”

Significantly also, Guyana has played a role in the Barbados celebrations with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) delighting the crowd gathered at the unveiling of the National Monument event with a spectacular fireworks display. In addition, weather permitting, GDF paratroopers, supported by the Air Corps will display their skills,

President David Granger and Sir Shridath Ramphal just before their meeting at the Hilton, Barbados Head of State as his friend and colleague and emphasised the 50-year-old friendship between the two countries.

Speaking at the Toast to the Nation event, he

said, “I am very pleased to have here… my friend and colleague, the distinguished President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. His presence here, this evening, is of

First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger poses with pop star, Ms. Robin Rihanna Fenty at the Toast to the Nation event.

President David Granger and Prime Minister Freundel Stuart sharing a light moment at the Toast to the Nation event

Prince Henry of Wales greeting President David Granger and First Lady, Ms. Sandra Granger at the Toast to the Nation event.

of a painting depicting the national bird of Guyana, the Canje Pheasant, which was created by Guyanese artist, Ms. Merlene Ellis, to the people of Barbados on the occasion of their

said, “We would like you to have these two gifts as a symbol of the 50year friendship between our two countries, which is seen today November 30 and of course the fact

at today’s Independence parade at the Garrison, Savannah, which had to be rescheduled from yesterday, because of heavy rains, which resulted in some flooding. A total

President David Granger also presented to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart a painting done by Guyanese artist Ms. Merlene Ellis for the people of Barbados on the occasion of their 50th Anniversary of Independence.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

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arbados 50-year-old friendship

President David Granger and First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger during an informal meeting with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart at Barbados Defence Force Headquarters at St. Ann’s Fort. Also present at the meeting was Sir Garfield Sobers. of 25 GDF members are participating in the Independence activities.

Also attending the 50th Anniversary of Barbados Independence events is Prince Henry of Wales, KCVO, familiarly known as Prince Harry.

The Prince, who delivered a message on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II at the Toast to the Nation event, and will be arriving in Guyana on December 2, 2016, greeted the President and the First Lady at the Toast to the Nation event. The Guyanese Head of State and Mrs. Granger were also greeted at that event by Barbadian superstar and Youth and Cultural Ambassador, Ms. Robin Rihanna Fenty and her Guyanese-born mom Ms, Monica Braithwaite.

Barbadian National Hero and West Indian cricketing great, Sir Garfield Sobers, familiarly known as Sir Garry, also met with President Granger following the Toast to

the Nation event. Prime Minister Stuart had earlier described Sir Garfield’s role in establishing Barbadian pride at the time of Independence. “While we were discussing Independence at Lancaster House in 1966, Sir Gary Sobers was on the playing fields of England making a statement on behalf of Barbados and the West Indies in the summer of that year. Needless to say, of course, the West Indies team triumphed in that 1966 series and Sir Garfield Sobers outperformed everybody else, both in the batting and bowling departments. So he made his own contribution to our confidence as a people in 1966 as we were making those tentative steps towards nationhood.” President Granger, who returned to Guyana on Thursday, used his time to meet with Guyanese Diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal for a private meeting.

President David Granger describing the elements of this Winslow Craig masterpiece, ‘The Chief Witness to the Environment’, which he gifted to the Barbados Prime Minister, Hon. Freundel Stuart.

President David Granger, accompanied by First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger handing over the gift of a wooden sculpture called the ‘The Chief Witness to the Environment’ to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Guyanese Bloggers you should follow WHEN you think of the term, ‘Guyanese Girls Rock’, the first thought that comes to mind is the organisers who first coined the term with the blog that pays homage to inspirational Guyanese women around the world.

But more and more, Guyanese women are emerging with

strong voices, making a mark on wide platforms and adding to the idea that indeed, they do rock. And while in some areas, some of the marks being made are more obvious than others, there are other areas, such as the social realm of blogging, where their influence is no less impressive.

ASHMA JOHN: THE ONLINE RUNWAY

AISHA MIKE: MAKELLOSSTYLES

http://online-runway.com/ Ashma can be seen as a pioneer in the local blogosphere, as The Online Runway has been in existence since 2013. At that time, nary a blogger was to be found in Guyana, but, using her academic background, she steered boldly ahead, soon after becoming well known for her blunt fashion reviews and thought-provoking editorials.

Blogging has, in this technical age, served as a platform which has given millions a voice, and here are some Guyanese women who are taking advantage of that voice to make a mark of their own.

It was a time when social media had not yet transformed the local community into one where opinions were boldly shared, so her posts may undoubtedly have been met with some resistance.

But today, The Online Runway is one of the most popular local blogs which has been consistent in its content, quality and coverage of all things fashionable in Guyana and the Caribbean.

http://www.makellosstyles.com/ This blog is minimalist with words, but BIG on pictures. It’s really just an attractive look-book for fashion enthusiasts looking for some inspiration. On her blog, Aisha describes herself as one who has always had “a passion for art and creativity”. Decorated with versatile, trendy looks that are, perhaps, a bit foreign to our culture, Makellosstyles, which is inviting with its photography while still low on content, promises to be a blog worth following in the near future.

Continued on page 19 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Guyanese Bloggers you should follow KRYSTLE DESANTOS http://www.krystledesantos.com/ Guyanese by parentage, Krystle DeSantos’ blog is a fresh spin on fashion with do-it-yourself-inspired looks and other projects.

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t intrigued by decor, style, vintage and DIY projects. I was that little girl who made dollhouses out of cardboard boxes and outfits for the dolls out of fabric scraps,” Krystle says.

“As a teen, I designed several of my own outfits, including my prom dress, and even decorated my first wedding at the age of 16!”

It was Krystle’s niche blogging that led to her blog being featured by one of the world’s largest Internet media companies, Buzzfeed, last year in an article which paid homage to Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.

MICHELLE FORD: WITH LOVE FROM GUYANA

JEHAN PETERS: JEHAN CAN COOK

http://www.jehancancook.com To not focus on Guyanese cuisine would be almost an injustice to the world, so Guyanese- born Jehan Peters uses her blog to capitalise on this.

“I chose to blog about cuisine from Guyana and the Caribbean because I felt as though there is a lack of authentic recipes Online,” Jehan says.

“Our grandmothers and mothers cooked with a pinch of this and a handful of that; there were no real measurements. Which made it virtually impossible to recreate the dishes we grew up on.”

So if you seek recipes for the likes of pine tart, black cake or even paratha roti, this blog is where you go.

http://micelleford.gy/ Michelle focuses on art, fashion and interior décor, and features the work of artists throughout the Caribbean.

Based in Florida, the Guyana native started the blog to chronicle her journey through school, but that quickly transformed into sharing about the artistic side of things.

Today, you can find tales of sewing projects, book reviews, outfit posts and musings on work from other artists and designers she encounters.

Al Creighton weighs in ‒ on the National Drama Festival FOLLOWING the conclusion of the National Drama Festival last week, local thespians now await with bated breath the announcement of who emerged successful in their bid for the best of the best.

These winners will receive awards for their efforts at an Award Ceremony slated to be held later this month, and though the winners have not yet been announced, Chairman of the Judging Panel, Al Creighton has said that while there are some areas that need to be worked on, this year’s festival has also shown significant improvements.

“In previous years, there was a problem with the editing, where plays were not stage-worthy, but that has improved this year,” he said, suggesting that the quality of writing among local playwrights has gotten better.

Moreover, he said the Festival was able to achieve a goal that they had tried developing in previous years, which was the establishment of Community Theatre. “We went out to communities for the preliminaries and had the participants perform their plays in front of members of their community,” he said.

The National Drama Festival 2016 therefore saw community theatre performances in areas such as Leguan, Parika, Sophia, St. Cuthbert’s Mission and Kuru Kuru.

NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS Of course, as the critique judge, his job would not be complete without... You guessed it: Critique.

Al said improvements can be made in the use of set, adding that in a festival, where multiple plays are being held, constructed sets are not the most convenient, due to the time that it takes to build and dismantle. “There are new ways to use the stage; they don’t have to depend on always having to build a set, so that is something that can be worked on,” he said.

He noted, too, that there is need to improve in speech and projection, adding that too often, some of the actors could not be heard. In the area of playwriting, he said that while the

A scene from ‘Obeah Koksen’, Open Short Finalist

‘Linda and A scene from Finalist te Liz’, Debutan

writing itself has improved to make plays more stage worthy, there were many short plays that ran longer than their time, which suggested that better editing could have been done to tighten up the scripts.

Another area is the use of makeup. Al said that while modernist plays utilise makeup, plays which focus on realism tend to underuse it, and in some cases, this creates a look that is not characteristic of the roles being played.

Asked whether the National School for Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD), for which he serves as Administrator, could further help future participants to improve in these areas, he stated that the school tries to conduct workshops in Georgetown and around the country in order to do so.

“There are two ways in which we do the

Some of the judges at the National Drama Festival

workshops. One is where we go into the areas, and two is where we bring people in. the Unit of Allied Arts helps a lot with bringing persons in to attend workshops and classes,” he said.

One difficulty with going to various areas, however, is the attendance of persons there.

“Sometimes you go and you don’t find so many people. There might be three or five people who are interested. So we have to try to gather a larger number of people to attend these workshops,” he said.

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS Overall, however, Al said that the expectations he held going into this year’s festival were met, especially with regard to the variety of plays.

While several groups focused on realist plays dealing with everyday issues, there was also a significant number of experimental plays.

“Those were the plays which used modernistic kinds of techniques and abstract ideas.

We also had plays that represented indigenous stories and others which reflected issues that were unique to their communities,” he said.

For some time, there have been calls for Guyanese to pay more interest to theatre other than Comedy and NSTAD and the National Drama Company has been large supporters of this call. This year, Al was happy to note that there has also been improvement in the attendance at many of the plays, but stated that he hopes that in the coming years, this would increase.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

The culture of sensible, creative survival A HUNGRY man is not a reasonable man; nor can he ever be expected to be.

The hunger of dreams, unreachable though the talents exist, borders on dark mental extremes.

That there is a global recession and the nations around us are unable to pay workers exist on one plane of the mind; that we don’t have enough to rid ourselves of the next spasm of anxiety exists on another.

Politics have kept this country anchored in sabotage and misinformation, from our advent as an Independent nation to the comments on the 2017 Budget. This requires a more perceptive population, and a more interactive government mandate, but this column revolves around what we, specifically those of us in the Arts, must do, and what we must understand in the world in which we dwell, from our private professional worlds.

Almost every creative and artistic talent in Guyana is underused and barely recognised as a potential asset to the economy. That for fifty years we have suffered a chronic creative brain drain is self inflicted; not to say that 90 per cent of those who have migrated are successful in their new lands, but it means that those who are left at home must struggle to once more begin to recreate the proverbial wheel.

ed, we become easy prey, and altruistic funds from institutions outside of Guyana may even come and go without the knowledge of those it was intended for.

How can creative persons become recipients of grants, and benefit from monies specified for Cultural Development coming from First World nations?

We are in the Decade of People of African Descent, with some possibility that funds can be allotted for culturally depressed areas to enhance our operational capacity. But we in the Arts and Cultural industries qualified as beneficiaries are yet to advocate collectively for our cause.

Because we have never done this before, we are not seen as an inherited political tool, as are the sugar workers or rice farmers. This has got to change! This is the revolution facing the Arts community. And revolution

it will be, because it constitutes emancipation from copyright abuse slavery that would inevitably develop an equitable relationship with businesses, as local costs for the licensing of imagery and IPR features will most likely prove less expensive.

This also means that we must look at where money is currently being directed by donor institutions for training; we must have a relationship with small business concerns, as their business is also our business.

Failing to do so will not be in our best interest.

The crucial factor that will determine the Arts being emancipated from social and economic ‘Hunter Gathering’ will be our ability to stand the test of time with original style and concept.

In a world of fusions incorporated through IPRs, I can remember warning a group of craftmakers that they don’t know what they are

up against.

SUBJECT ORIENTATION Artistic talent is one thing; orientation of subject matter is quite another.

Orientation will determine whether the product produced will merit the licensing of cultural industries.

Can it withstand the territorial scrutiny, and justify itself within the concept of ‘I am what I am’.

Mastering the tools of the arts today will not be that difficult; what will be challenging will be the saneness of the muse we will attract.

In other words, that which will inspire us. Thus, orientation and the knowledge pool will be whence the inspiration will come.

The late Philip Moore found his muse in the dialogue of God-Manliness; the conscious energy that ignites life, and with its awakening strips the consciousness of

the obsession with human physiognomy, and peers into the inner-man. Then he proceeded to integrate and express that philosophy with the Guyanese experience, becoming an international artist.

Only a handfull of local artists have done that.

But the unexplored creative realms of Guyana are open, and the talents are here.

Business and special training in the Arts have not publically merited financed courses from any donor institution; or if it has, it became esoteric, by the non-artistic cliques who apply themselves as brokers on such landscapes.

The Arts are not envisaged as a potential small business area in Guyana that require attention; the rest of the Caribbean have passed us a while ago, with Jamaica at the helm. The irony is that we do not lack material; what we lack most is from ourselves, that of not taking

ourselves seriously enough to advocate our right to transcend survival and live.

The one element that will aid us is if the courts bring the copyright violation reward parallel to the US$25.000 awarded by the Barbadian courts. This will, of course, immediately attract foreign litigation, beating up local violators.

This will open some doors, but again, if the local arts community cannot ensure ‘indemnity’ on their products, they will also get demolishing licks, because any new relationship that requires professional ethics will result in contracts, to which the Indemnity of the Artistic product will be the responsibility of the artist/e.

In the bold new world of liberated cultural industries, like any field of competitive conflict, foresight driven by a strong knowledge root are the sharpest tools of survival.

EASY PREY But there is another factor. Since we are fragment-

Sean Paul’s ‘Top 10’ return WITH his Sia collaboration becoming his ninth overall Top 10 hit, it’s time to step back and appreciate Sean Paul’s amazing longevity.

Forget “One Dance”, “Panda”, “Can’t Stop The Feeling”, and “This is What You Came For”. The most interesting story in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 right now is “Cheap Thrills”, the party-hard electro-pop single from Sia that moves to No. 6 this week, and has become her biggest hit as a lead artiste to date.

It’s taken four months, but the latest single from the singer-songwriter’s overlooked ‘This Is Acting’ album has overtaken the chart peak of 2014’s ubiquitous “Chandelier”, and improbably become her fourth Top 10 to date.

Actually, “improbably” is a bit of an understatement: Sia’s

transformation from offbeat alt-popper to radio-dominating arena headliner has been stunning to witness over the past half-decade, especially since she’s rarely shown her face while conquering the world.

But really, Sia’s long-confirmed reinvigoration doesn’t make “Cheap Thrills” the most fascinating song at the top of the Hot 100. Its featured artiste, the inimitable Sean Paul, helps it earn that distinction.

And just when you think he’s out of Top 40 radio’s orbit, he crashes back into our lives and dominates another summer; without ever really allowing us to consider Sean Paul as a personality or pop presence.

How does this keep happening? Looking at his track record of success, the answer is simple: Sean Paul mutated into a utility

player after arriving in America as a power hitter a decade-anda-half ago.

With 2002’s ‘Dutty Rock’ album and 2005’s ‘The Trinity’, Paul racked up a whopping seven Top 20 hits as a lead artiste, including No. 1 smashes with “Get Busy” and “Temperature”.

Then, the solo hits stopped coming. So Sean Paul started grinding out featured appearances, and slowly but surely, he returned to Top 40. “Break It Off” with Rihanna became one of her earliest Top 10 hits; Jay Sean’s “Do You Remember”, also featuring Lil Jon, beguiled fans of “Down” in 2010.

Paul refused to disappear, and had transitioned from leading the conversation at Top 40 to interjecting a catchphrase once in a while. This approach is on display fully in “Cheap Thrills”.

Over the past year, Sean Paul has been featured on songs by Little Mix, Magic! and Sak Noel; he is probably receiving a lot more requests now that “Cheap Thrills” is blowing up. There’s a good chance that Sean Paul will still be telling us to rock with it, bounce with it and dance with it for years to come. And that’s a thrill in itself.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

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Harry and Ri-Ri hit it off! ‒ while celebrating Barbados’ 50th

PRINCE Harry was in Barbados on Wednesday to celebrate the island’s 50th anniversary of independence with a huge concert, a ceremonial monument unveiling, and fireworks!

The 32-year-old British royal, who is on an official tour of the Caribbean, was a guest of honour at the Gold-

en Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert at the Kensington Oval Cricket Ground in Bridgetown, Barbados, alongside Barbadian pop star Rihanna, and the nation’s prime minister, Fruendel Stuart.

Prince Harry sat next to Rihanna on stage after the two met for the first time

earlier in the day, and the pair seemed to have a great time chatting and laughing during the celebration.

Part of the ceremony included the official unveiling of a monument celebrating this special anniversary of independence. And, like any good monument reveal, fireworks were in order.

The monument included a sundial, and Prince Harry was given the honour of inserting the gnomon, the piece of the sundial that sticks out and casts a shadow to indicate the time. Basically, the most important part!

Harry’s tour of the Caribbean, which he’s undertaking on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, concludes on Sunday.

It has been confirmed that Harry’s girlfriend, the actress Meghan Markle, will not be joining him on any stops during the trip.

KANYE West has been released from the hospital after spending nine days at UCLA Medical Centre.

Earlier this week, a source close to the 39-yearold rapper and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, told ET that doctors were “reluctant to diagnose anything,” though Kanye was said to be “doing much better” after being hospitalised on November 21.

Through it all, the source said, Kim stayed by his side “24/7” as he recovered.

“Kim is more dedicated and devoted to Kanye more than ever,” a source said.

“She knows that there are

limitations for how much a person can do or take on; she knows that he just needs a break, and she will make sure he gets that. This is only making their marriage stronger.”

A source previously confirmed to ET that Kanye was at personal trainer Harley Pasternak’s home at the time he was hospitalised, whereby he was “strongly convinced to go to the hospital for his own well-being and safety.”

Despite reports that Kanye attempted to assault a staff member at Pasternak’s gym before his hospitalisation, another source close to Kanye told ET, “There was

no assault; no fight.”

Kanye suffered from what one source attributed to “sleep deprivation and exhaustion”, and another source called “a mental breakdown.”

“It was a combination of a lot of issues: Stress, anxiety, paranoia. He just broke,” the source told ET. “There have been signs recently of him just overwhelmed.

Kanye hasn’t been himself for a while.”

In addition to a strenuous work schedule, a source also told ET that Kanye had been deeply “unsettled” by his wife’s terrifying armed robbery in Paris.

TOMORROW

WHO says it’s too late for Carnival! 704 will prove you wrong at their ‘Carnival in December’ Party.

Come and prepare for Carnival 2017 with the best Soca mixes by DJ Energy and others.

Event starts at 21:00hrs. Admission: $1,000.

Have you been following the Mannequin Challenge? Then come out to Palm Court where Pulse Entertainment will attempt to pull off what they believe is the biggest Mannequin Challenge ever in Guyana at its ‘Body Shots’ Party.

Come and be part of the record-breaking feat while enjoying the best music by DJ Shizzle and more.

Admission $2,000; gates open at 21:00hrs.

Calling all Makeup enthusiasts! Shoe Heaven, in collaboration with Milani, will have a launch of the Milani Cosmetic line at Palm Court from 15:00hrs – 18:00hrs.

Come join them for an afternoon of makeup and fun. Get makeovers and tips from professional makeup artists, and get a chance to win ‘goodie’ bags while enjoying a mini fashion show.

SUNDAY

Edge Prophetic Dance Ministry presents A Night of Dance: Arise, Celebrate and Dominate at the Theatre Guild.

Enjoy an evening of inspiring dance performances while being served with a worthwhile message.

Event starts at 19:00hrs; admission $1,000.

HotSpot GY brings you its Scavenger Hunt: Christmas Edition at 704 from 13:00hrs to 16:30 hrs.

Get your search on, and win exciting prizes!

Kanye out of hospital

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday December 2, 2016

GFF’s boss sends letter of condolence to Brazil’s President PRESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF), Wayne Forde, yesterday dispatched a letter of condolence to the head of the Confedera-

ENGLISH RACING TIPS Sedgefield 08:00 hrs Dance And Romance 08:30 hrs Thumb Stone Blues 09:05 hrs On The Road 09:40 hrs The Character 10:15 hrs Halcyon Days 10:50 hrs Derintoher Yank 11:25 hrs Bellamy EXETER 08:20 hrs Samson 08:55 hrs Present Man 09:30 hrs Vice Et Vertu 10:05 hrs Chelsea Flyer 10:40 hrs Coyaba 11:15 hrs Frodon 11:50 hrs Tambour SANDOWN 08:40 hrs More Bucks 09:15 hrs Dino Velvet 09:50 hrs Vol Valien 10:25 hrs Messire Des Obeaux 11:00 hrs Gores Island 11:35 hrs Utility IRISH RACING TIPS Limerick 08:15 hrs Call The Taxie 08:45 hrs Cadeau Du Bresil 09:20 hrs Mick The Boyo 09:55 hrs Accordion Legacy 10:30 hrs Rebel Cry 11:05 hrs Coolbane West 11:40 hrs Monastery SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Fairview 08:15 hrs Cutey Me 08:55 hrs Silver Express 09:30 hrs Placido 10:05 hrs Normanz 10:40 hrs Candy Crush 11:15 hrs Seattle Burning AMERICAN RACING TIPS Aqueduct Race 1 Oathkeeper Race 2 Perina’s Pride Race 3 Even Thunder Race 4 Ecliptical Jack Race 5 Uncle Chester Race 6 Shoppingforsilver Race 7 Point Hope Race 8 Saharan Race 9 Apartfromthecrowd

cao Brasileira de Futbol (CBH), President Del Nero Marco Polo, expressing his profound sadness at the passing of almost an entire club team from Brazil due to an aircraft accident.

“The Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF), hereby expresses its grief and shock while remaining in solidarity with the CBF during this period of sadness.

On behalf of the GFF and the entire fraternity, please accept our deepest sympathies

and blessings of strength during this challenging period”, the letter to the Brazil head of football stated.

A plane en route from Bolivia crashed on its approach to Medillin, Colombia, last Monday, killing 71 persons on board including 19 members of the Chapecoense football team which was on its way to contest the Copa Sudamericana final. There were six survivors inclusive of three players.

Motion passed to install ...

From back page is conducting its affairs since the new executive was elected to office last year June.

According to the former national cyclist, the administration of the sport is being done in a haphazard manner and more needs to be done in order for the sport to blossom locally, regionally and internationally, thus taking the sport to a higher level and will see local cyclists making an impact at the regional level and farther afield.

Burrowes had been given the mandate of leading the sport until 2019, and narrowly defeated the incumbent Cheryl Thompson by one vote, 6 to 5, as 11 clubs cast one vote each.

Veteran cyclist Paul Choo-Wee-Nam was elected First VP following a three-way race among himself, Mark Conway who was eliminated after the first round of voting and Malcolm Sonoram by a similar 6-5 margin.

The AGM had its challenges as no Audited Financial Report was presented, just a normal report which was presented by William Howard the former Treasurer (ag), who called for a total audit of the federation’s accounts from 2011, citing the lack of accountability by a number of persons, whose names he did not call, for poor stewardship.

Former President Thompson in her report had also chided former executive members for their lack of commitment as many meetings did not come off for want of a quorum.

There was no smooth sailing in the cond u c t o f t h e A G M a s t h e p re v i o u s e x e c utive clearly did not prepare the relevant documents to be circulated as per constitution.

But even as that was the case, the 11 clubs present had collectively stated that they were there to change the course of the sport for the better. Constitutionally, the AGM was due since March last year.

The setting up of an IMC in local cycling administration is thought to be a first but regrettable development. New President Horace Burrowes in his acceptance speech, had thanked the clubs for showing confidence in him and promised that there would have been many changes for the better in the first year of the new executive.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Britain shocked by growing football child abuse scandal …hundreds report football child abuse to police

By Michael Holden | LONDON,(Reuters)-What began as a harrowing account of child abuse suffered by a former professional English soccer player last month has lifted the lid on what could be one of the worst paedophile scandals Britain has ever known.

Andy Woodward, 43, who played in the lower divisions of English soccer, told the

Guardian newspaper in an interview two weeks ago how his life had been ruined because he had been molested as a boy by a youth team coach.

His frank revelations of the sexual abuse he endured three decades ago prompted more than 20 other former professionals to come forward with their own distressing stories of suffering at the hands of sexual predators in the sport

The allegations of child sex abuse in English soccer from the 1970s through to the 1990s has shocked Britain and led to deep soul-searching in the game amid fears hundreds of young boys might have been involved.

In a sign of how widespread the abuse might have been, British police said yesterday that about 350 victims had come forward to report

sexual abuse within soccer clubs and indicated the number was likely to rise.

Britons are still reeling from another massive paedophile scandal involving one of their most-loved celebrities, Jimmy Savile, a cigar-chomping BBC television star who abused hundreds of youngsters over six decades.

Savile used his fame to gain access to children and then cow them into silence.

His crimes did not come to light until his death aged 84 in 2011.

“It is a sickeningly familiar tale,” an editorial in the Sunday Observer said.

Savile.

“STAGGERING” “We’ve had a staggering surge in calls to our football helpline which reveals the worrying extent of abuse that had been going on within the sport,” said Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive.

Meanwhile, English soccer’s governing body, the Football Association, has launched an internal review into what it admitted could be one the sport’s biggest crises, but cast doubt on claims that some clubs had tried to cover-up allegations.

“If the FA have made errors, we will own up to them as must the rest of football if avoidable errors have been made,” Martin Glenn, the FA

“My life has been ruined until the age of 43,” Woodward, a former Crewe player, said in his Guardian interview. “We’ve seen with the Jimmy Savile case how people have had the courage, yet I’d say within the football world it’s even harder to speak out.”

Among the former players who waived a legal right to anonymity to tell their stories are former Manchester City player David White, who won an England cap, and another ex-England striker Paul Stewart, who had a successful career at Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

“My belief is that there’s hundreds,” a tearful Stewart told BBC TV last week, saying he believed the scandal would

About 350 victims have reported child sexual abuse within UK football clubs, police chiefs have said.

“Report after report has revealed how institution after institution – the Catholic church, the BBC, the National Health Service, councils acting in loco parentis for children in care – have chosen to look the other way when signs emerged of child abuse within their walls.”

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) charity said that a helpline dedicated to the soccer abuse scandal had received 860 calls in its first week.

The chairty’s staff had made 60 referrals to police or social services in the first three days - triple the number made in the wake of a similar scheme set up for victims

Chief Executive told reporters yesterday.

“The only way that this gets dealt with is through openness and honesty and everyone exposing what has happened.”

On Tuesday, Barry Bennell, 62, who was a talent spotter at Crewe Alexandra and a coach at Manchester City, was charged with eight historical sex offences against a 14-year-old boy. They included indecent assault, inciting a boy to commit an act of gross indecency and assault with intent to commit buggery.

Victims tell similar tales of how they were targeted while they were playing for youth teams and feared speaking out would wreck their boyhood dreams.

prove to be worse than the Savile revelations. “The access to the children at sport level is very easy and it’s perfect ground for (child abusers) to prey.”

The NSPCC has not ruled out suggestions the abuse is still ongoing.

“It would be naive to assume that all of the concerns that are being disclosed and being talked about are in the past,” said Jon Brown, the NSPCC lead on tackling sexual abuse.

“There are many parallels between Savile and what we are seeing and hearing.

Savile’s victims were very effectively silenced, they were told they wouldn’t be believed.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

RHT Bakewell ‘A’ wins Food for the Poor tournament A brilliant final over bowled by veteran left-arm spinner Sunil Marimuthoo led Rose Hall Town Bakewell “A’ to another cricket championship.

Playing at the Area ‘H’ ground, the home team won by five runs after they held their nerves to successfully defend their total of 60.

Batting first against a determined Young and Restless team, the hosts rattled up 60-2 off their allotted five overs, with Delbert Hicks stroke an unbeaten 30.

In response, Young and Restless raced to 51-3 at the end of the penultimate over.

Thereafter the wily Marimuthoo conceded just five runs

The winning Rose Hall Town ‘A’ team.

in the final over.

I n t h e f i r s t ro u n d , Young and restless defeated Kendall Union by ten wickets, Rose Hall Town ‘A’ defeated Tamarind Root by ten wickets, Rose Hall Canje cruised past Port Mourant Training Centre by eight wickets, while West Berbice defeated Fyrish by nine runs.

In the semi-finals games Rose Hall town ‘A’ defeated Rose Hall Canje by 23 runs, while Young and Restless crushed West Berbice by ten wickets.

R o s e H a l l To w n B a k e w e l l ‘ A’ re c e i v e d the winner’s package of $70,000 and championship trophy, Young and Restless

took home $30,000 and a trophy and Rose Hall Canje was $20,000 richer for their third place efforts.

Meanwhile, Guysuco Training Centre easily won the male and female volleyball competition, while Rose Hall Town ‘A’ defeated Rose Hall Town ‘B’ 1-0 to win the football tournament.

Tr o p h i e s f o r a l l t h e events were donated by the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the day’s event was a huge success.

Funds raised will be used by Food for the Poor for its charity work.

Russia athletics ban to run into 2017 Noble House Seafood second division

By Mitch Phillips | MONACO

(REUTERS)-Russia’s athletics ban will run into 2017 and may include the August world championships after a Task Force monitoring the nation’s anti-doping programme refused yesterday to put any dates on a “road map” for a return.

Rune Andersen, the Norwegian heading the independent Task Force, reported to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council that there had been areas of progress but many issues still needed clarifying in the new year.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe said the Council felt “comforted” the changes had come about as a result of the decision to ban the Russians but recognised that athletics still had work to do to regain the trust of the public.

“This is a pretty important week in the history of our sport,” said Coe who will present a series of radical governance reforms to a special Congress meeting on Saturday.

“I do not want this sport to return to the grotesque stories that even over the last few days we’ve been waking up to,” he added, in reference to recent allegations of more corruption in the organisation under its previous leadership.

The Russian Federation (RUSAF) was banned in November 2015 after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) probe exposed state-sponsored doping on a massive scale.

The suspension was upheld earlier this year, ruling almost all Russian track and field athletes out of the Rio

Olympics.

On Thursday, Andersen indicated there was a chink of light for the country, one of the super-powers of athletics.

“RUSAF has made further progress since June including anti-doping education modules and securing the co-operation of the Russian criminal authorities and parliament in criminalising the supply of doping products,” he told a news conference.

“But one of the key remaining issues is how to demonstrate the IAAF and RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping) will be able to carry out testing without

Rune Andersen-head of the IAAF taskforce on Russia interference which is a key part of their reinstatement.

McLAREN REPORT “The Task Force will go to Moscow in January to assess the response to part two of the McLaren report on Dec. 9 and to monitor progress.”

Richard McLaren, co-author of the independent WADA report, is due to release the second part of his findings in London next week.

Andersen said the Task Force would report back to

Council in February when it hoped to “identify a clear road map” for Russia’s return.

However, he declined to give any further likely timeframe and it appears unlikely the nation will be in the frame for the European indoor championships in Belgrade in March.

Earlier yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin used his state of the nation address to say he thought effective measures would be in place early in the new year.

“I am sure the so-called doping scandal will allow us to create the most advanced system of righting this evil in Russia,” Putin said.

“I assume the national programme of counter-acting doping will be ready as early as the beginning of next year.”

Today, the IAAF will announce the winners of the male and female athlete of the year awards while Saturday’s Congress is to discuss and almost certainly improve Coe’s radical shakeup of the organisation.

Those changes, geared towards making the IAAF more accountable and transparent and establishing an independent integrity unit, will be debated against a backdrop of more allegations of massive corruption by Coe’s predecessor Lamine Diack and his son Papa Massata Diack.

Both men are being investigated by French prosecutors for alleged corruption and money-laundering and have been accused of accepting bribes to cover up positive doping tests and influencing the award of hosting rights for major events.

quarter-finals on this weekend

QUARTER-finals action in the Georgetown Cricket Association sponsored Noble House Seafoods second division two-day cricket competition will be played this weekend at four venues across the capital city.

Police will host Malteenoes Sports Club

(MSC), with Mikoowanyah Yisreal and Hortense Isaac overseeing the action.

A t C a m p Ay a n g a n na GDF will play GNIC, with Shannon Crawford and Totaram Ramnarine the men in charge.

In the other quarter-final game will see the battle between host Everest and

DCC. Slemroy Lambert and Deon Feassal are the on field umpires, while the final game will see Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) entertain Transport Sports Club (TSC) under the guidance of Javed Persaud and Joseph Jeffrey.

All matches are scheduled for 10:30hrs start.

28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Test woes irrelevant to Australia

ODI side - NZ coach (REUTERS)-The troubles plaguing the Australian test team will have little bearing on their one-day side’s performance in the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday, according to Black Caps coach Mike Hesson.

Steve Smith’s Test side have been pilloried by fans and their own media after they lost their latest series 2-1 at home to South Africa.

That defeat came on the back of a 5-0 one-day series loss in South Africa and a

3-0 test series defeat in Sri Lanka, leading to plenty of questions being asked about administrators, management and the players.

Hesson, however, said Australia’s one-day unit was far more settled than the test team and his side could not presume such turmoil would be evident at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

“It has been remarkably consistent barring the South African series,” Hesson told reporters in Sydney yesterday.

“They have been very good for a number of years and are currently number one in the world.

“I don’t think the unsettled nature of the test side will carry over to the oneday side.”

The timing of the one-dayers, which includes matches in Canberra on Dec. 6 and ends in Melbourne on Dec. 9, has been questioned by some Australian pundits, with it falling between test series against the Proteas and

Pakistan.

Smith also told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday it was not “ideal” but his team would just need to adapt, something Hesson agreed with.

“Both teams have been aware about that calendar for the last 18 months so I don’t think it has snuck up on anybody,” Hesson said.

“We are all aware that we have to rotate from one form or another on a weekly basis and that’s just part of being an international cricketer.”

Hesson added with the international retirements of players like former captain Brendon McCullum, Grant Elliott, Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills, his team were in transition from the one that

lost the 2015 World Cup final against Australia We are missing some key players. We lost over 1,000 international games (of experience) since the World Cup,” Hesson said.

“Replacing that experience is a real challenge, but we have got a few new guys who are unknown.

“Lockie (Ferguson) is one of those,” Hesson added of the uncapped fast bowler. “Lockie is capable of bowling at pace and... with Adam Milne missing he gives us that point of difference in our attack.

“It’s difficult because it is his first series and there will be some nerves but he’s a confident character.”

technical committee chairman, Jalal Yunus, said the cases of both players were being dealt with.

Sunny was reported once, in their (Rangpur Riders) last game [on November 28],” Yunus said.

“The next step would be for the BCB’s bowling action review committee

Overall, he has taken 175 wickets in 148 T20s and scored just over 600 runs.

Yunus said in the future the BPL would be taking a closer look at foreign players who had a history of suspect actions.

“In the next BPL, we hope to do the video analysis of suspected bowling action

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson.

Day-night Ashes Cooper reported for test under discussion suspect action in BPL (REUTERS)-Discussions over whether Australia will host England in a first daynight Ashes cricket Test next year are taking place but nothing has been decided yet, Cricket Australia (CA) said yesterday.

England head Down Under next November for the 2017-18 series and local media reported yesterday that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had agreed in principle to play one of the matches under lights.

A CA spokesman, however, said there had not been an agreement yet and the tour itinerary was still being finalised, though a day-night test was part of the discussions.

“Ongoing scheduling of day-night Tests in the Australian summer is a natural progression,” the spokesman said.

“The Ashes is a great contest and attracts huge audiences both at the ground and on television, but nothing has yet been confirmed for next summer.”

CA have hosted two daynight Tests under lights over the last two seasons, both of which have been a commercial success with large numbers attending the matches against New Zealand and South Africa.

While both games were at the Adelaide Oval, making it favourite to host a day-night Ashes test, Brisbane’s The Gabba will host its first pink ball Test later this month when Australia play Pakistan.

England are to host their first day-night Test next August at Edgbaston against

James Sutherland West Indies.

Alastair Cook, the England captain, said earlier this year he was against playing an Ashes test under lights in comments echoed

by Australian counterpart Steve Smith.

Both felt the traditional rivalry, the oldest in world cricket, generated enough interest.

However, CA chief executive James Sutherland, a major proponent of pink-ball cricket, said the success of the two Adelaide Oval games indicated the desire for at least one day-night test.

“The scheduling of daynight Tests has been driven by a desire to make test cricket more accessible, so

it is wonderful to see the format resonate with so many of our fans,” Sutherland said after the South Africa game ended on Sunday.

Smith also told local media on Thursday he felt pink ball cricket was here to stay, particularly given the way lessons learned from last year’s match against New Zealand had been applied.

The inaugural day-night Test lasted just three days with the twilight drastically affecting the movement of the pink ball, while batsmen also said they found it hard to see under lights.

The match against South Africa lasted four days and an improved ball did not move around as much in the evening session, nor get scuffed up by the pitch.

“I’ve always said we need to get the product as right as we can and the ball in as good a shape as we can and I think they’ve made some good improvements with that,” Smith told Australian Associated Press.

“This year’s game was outstanding. Slightly less grass than the year before and it was almost the perfect test wicket. There was enough in it for everyone; both bat, ball, the ball spun.

“I think it’s certainly here to stay.”

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec 1, CMC – Trinidadian all-rounder Kevon Cooper has found himself in trouble over his action again, after being reported for a suspect bowling action during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League(BPL).

The 27-year-old, who

Kevon Cooper

bowls right-arm seam, has a history of issues with his action and was also reported during the Pakistan Super League earlier this year and in the Indian Premier League two years ago.

In 2011, Cooper was also reported while playing in the Caribbean Twenty20.

Cooper joins left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny who was also reported for having a suspect action and the BPL

to analyse video footage of the delivery, which we will do soon after the end of the tournament. We have sent Cooper’s footage to the WICB.” Cooper, who has played just two first class games for Trinidad and Tobago, has mainly plied his trade on the global T20 circuit.

He has played seven of Titans’ 10 games but has had little success with bat or ball.

during the tournament itself,” he noted.

“We will also have to be aware of foreign players who have been reported previously, so that we can inform our franchises beforehand. We don’t want to have such bowlers in future tournaments.”

Cooper is one of a plethora of West Indian players currently plying their trade in the BPL.

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Record global audience tunes into Hero CPL for fourth successive year

THE Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is delighted to announce that the 2016 season was the tournament’s biggest yet, with over 134 million viewers tuning in globally to the biggest party in sport, representing a 44 percent increase from 2015.

Cumulative audience figures have risen steadily year on year since the tournament’s inception from 36 million viewers (in 2013), to 66 million (2014), 93 million (2015) and now to 134 million (2016).

Television figures from Sony SIX broadcast figures in India alone almost doubled from 44 million to 82

million, while there was also a significant rise in the United Kingdom arising from the partnership with broadcasters Dave / UK TV with audience figures growing from 548,000 (in 2015) to 2.5 million.

The partnership with One World Sports in the USA, meanwhile, saw audience figures increase from 694,000 (2015) to 743,000.

This year the Hero CPL also broke new ground by becoming the first professional cricket league to stage matches in mainland USA andmatches were viewed across more lands than ever before, with One World Sports (USA), Sony SIX

(India), Dave / UKTV (UK), Sky (New Zealand), Fox Sports (Australia), EcoNet / KweseTV (sub-Saharan Africa) and OSN (Middle East) all showcasing the CPL. Hero CPL also became the first sports league to

Guyana Jaguars regain top spot - Alleyne, Cornwall are top performers

AFTER the third round of PCL 4-DAY matches which ended on Tuesday, the Guyana Jaguars regained the top spot with 33.6 points.

Anthony Alleyne The Jaguars are closely followed by Barbados Pride with 33.4. Leeward Islands Hurricanes have emerged as a strong force and are in third place with 29.4 points after hugging the bottom of the table for many years. Still, it is a very close race, with six points separating first to fifth.

Jamaica Scorpions (28.6), Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (27), while Windward Island Volcanoes are at the bottom with 17.6 points.

Meanwhile, Anthony Alleyne and Rahkeem Cornwall are the top performers follow-

ing the first three rounds.

Alleyne, the Barbados Pride left-handed opener, has been the most prolific batsman so far with 443 runs from five innings at an average of 88.60.

He entered the first break in the season with four successive scores of 50 runs or more, including a maiden first-class hundred, 186 against Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the second round.

The 23-year-old Alleyne, a former West Indies Under-19 player, is the only batsman to aggregate more than 300 runs for the season

200-run threshold.

Cornwall, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes off-spinner, has been the most successful bowler so far, with 19 wickets at an average of 23.68 runs apiece.

The 23-year-old from Antigua and Barbuda has continued in the rich vein of form from the recent West Indies A-Team trip to Sri Lanka, where he was the visitors’ most successful bowler.

He has twice captured five wickets or more in an innings twice this season, including a best bowling performance of 6-82 against two-time defending champi-

Rahkeem Cornwall – and only six others – including former West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul – have reached the

ons Guyana Jaguars.

There are two more rounds of matches before the Christmas break.

supplement its existing broadcast deals and use the Facebook Live* platform to ensure that, for the first time ever in international cricket, 40 countries around the world, including the likes of Pakistan, South Africa and The Philippines could view the biggest party in sport live.

There were a further 5.3 million views on this platform across all 34 matches.

With significant viewership increases across each of the key markets, a delighted Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of the Hero CPL reflected: “Today is a proud day and further evidence of the rising international stature of the Hero CPL not just in the Americas, but across the UK, India, Middle East and beyond.

“The release of these global viewership figures are a tremendous boost, not just for the game of cricket in the Caribbean, but for each of the local tourism boards and our loyal sponsors who invest so much in the development and marketing of the game.

“The profile of West Indies cricket has never been higher and 2016 was a memorable year with the Men’s senior and Under-19 sides,

as well as the Women’s team, enjoying international success in the first half of the year.

“From the tournament’s inception back in 2013, we were determined to showcase the very best of what the Caribbean has to offer, both on and off the field, and we believe that the growth of the biggest party in sport in 2016 has further enhanced this reputation.

“We are immensely proud of the huge steps that the tournament has made in just four short years. Furthermore, we believe that there is even more to come in 2017 as we continue to attract the biggest names to the Caribbean and shine a spotlight on the incredible and unique culture that continues to thrive across the region.”

T&T to face Costa Rica in CONCACAF

Under-20 Championship

The CONCACAF Un der-20 Championship draw has pitted Trinidad and Tobago’s young Soca Warriors against hosts Costa Rica, El Salvador and Bermuda in Group C of the tournament, which will be held in San Jose next year.

In Group A, defending CONCACAF Under-20 Champion Mexico was joined by Antigua & Barbuda, Honduras and Canada, while the United States, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Haiti will contest Group B. The National Stadi um and Estadio Ricardo Saprissa will both be used for the tournament, to be played in a new format consisting of a group stage, a classifica-

tion phase, and the grand final.

Under the new format, designed to increase the number of meaningful, competitive matches, the top two teams from Groups A, B, and C will advance to the Classification Stage, where the Confederation’s four tickets to the World Cup at this level will be determined in round robin play among two groups of three teams each.

The top two teams of each of the two Classification Stage groups will qualify as CONCACAF representatives to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017.

For the draw, the Participating Member Asso ciations were ranked and separated into four pots,

based on their performance over the last four editions of the competition. Mexico, as current CONCACAF Under-20 Champions was seeded in position A1.

The United States, as the best-ranked CON CACAF team in the last edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, was placed in position B1 and Costa Rica as host, earned position C1.

The remaining teams, from pots 2-4, were drawn in order and placed in the group position drawn from Pots A, B and C. The positions of each group winner and runner-up from the group stage were then drawn in group pairs, randomly into the two groups (D and E) for the Classification Stage.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

AAG setting up clubs in secondary schools

By Tamica Garnett WITH the completion of the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships,the lingering question is what’s next for these sports in the schools as well as for individual athletes who have shown potential.

Towards that end, at least in the field of athletics, president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hudson, said that the Association is working along with the Guyana Teacher’s Union and Ministry of Education (MoE) to have every secondary school in the country registered with the Association.

According to Hud-

Aubrey Hutson son,when systems are put in place to foster a better relationship between the schools and the AAG,it will put the Association in a better position to look at the welfare of the students.

“We are in touch with the school system,” Hudson said, continuing that: “We

STEVE Ninvalle was re-elected president when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters in Kingston. Ninvalle was elected unopposed as were the six other members of his executive.

The three elected vicepresidents are Maurice Rajkumar, Carl Graham and Gordon Nedd. Sean Richmond retained his place as Secretary and Dexter Patterson as Treasurer. The new

Assistant Secretary/Treasurer is Stacy Correia.

The president thanked affiliates for their confidence in his leadership and declared that the development of the sport’s nursery will be the focus for the next four years.

However, he noted that the executive’s immediate task is getting a team to Barbados to participate in the Caribbean Development Tournament.

Ninvalle immediately after appointed vice- president Rajkumar to head a fund raising committee.

and then we’ll go to Berbice and so on.” Hudson related.

The AAG recently assisted the East Coast Demerara, District 4, team to train on the highway for the recently concluded Nationals.

The Asosciation is working on its relationship with the varying authorities that run the school system, Hutson noted, to improve on the overall Championships as well.

“We’re really and truly massaging our relationship with the GTU and the Ministry (of Education) and I think every year it is getting better and better. We’re changing our approach and we’re gently bringing to board the things that we

are on a drive right now to register every secondary school as members of the AAG, because we feel a need for them to be represented, and (we’ll) try to sit with the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education(in) creating the interest in track and field and ensuring that every school has a physical education teacher with at least a basic knowledge of track and field.With that even if they (the athletes) are far away from a club but they have an active school’s track and field program then we can more be in touch with them, and whenever we have meets we can ensure that they are invited.”

Hutson added that the Association is looking at outlying areas outside of Georgeotown, and the initiative has already begun to roll out on the East Coast of Demerara.

“To take the whole country in one grasp it’s going to be too difficult. We’re working primarily on the East Coast right now, and once we would have covered there, we’re going to move to the West Coast, West Bank and East Bank.

“Linden and Georgetown are, I don’t want to say taken care of, but most of the athletes in these areas are in clubs, so we’re really looking at the outlying areas immediately outside of Georgetown,

think are going to make the Championships better.”

Working along with the organisers the AAG provided the Fully Automatic Timing (FAT) system to record timings at the Championships this year, the first time that the system was in use at this event. Through this the AAG can now sanction timings clocked at the meet.

“The mere fact that we are going to authenticate their performances, we can use those performances now as a yardstick to judge when requests are made to us for athletes of a particular talent for let’s say for scholarship then we can say yes these are authentic performances.” Hutson relayed.

The GBA executive will take part today in a One Hundred mile walk from Berbice to Georgetown in order to raise funds for the Barbados trip.

Chapecoense tragedy

Ninvalle unopposed as president of GBA CONCACAF mourns

Steve Ninvalle

Ottey weighs in on Bolt’s legend status A debate has been raging as to whether or not, soon-tobe-retired sprinter, Usain Bolt has achieved the status of legend.

Iconic Jamaican sprinter, and a legend in the country, Merlene Ottey, has weighed in on the argument, and has no doubt about the big man’s status.

“For me, just to watch him run is amazing. It’s a pity he has to retire soon, but I am very thankful and very grateful to Usain, he is a legend,” said Ottey in an interview with The Gleaner during the I Am Bolt documentary premier in London.

Bolt’s rise to prominence and eventual dominance in the one and 200-metre sprints, where he won 11 World Championships gold, and nine of medals of the same calibre at the three Olympics he has been to, is no surprise to Ottey.

“When he was about 15, I saw him at the Junior World

Usain Bolt

THE Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has put out a statement expressing its sadness at the tragedy which befell 77 persons and their families on Monday.

The tragedy, as a result of a plane crash, decimated Brazillian club side Chapecoense, leaving a handful of support staff and six players as the organisation’s representatives.

Chapecoense were scheduled to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional at Medellin’s Estadio Atanasio Girardot today, But the plane, carrying 72 passengers and nine crew, crashed en route from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, coming down in Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Union. There were six survivors and 71 dead.

The events have left a pall of gloom over the world of football and CONCACAF has expressed its sadness at the occurence.

“CONCACAF is deeply

saddened by the tragedy of the Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, which occurred Monday, in Colombia,” read a statement from the organisation.

“The football family has lost a talented team, which had a promising future. Their outstanding path in reaching the Copa Sudamericana final for the first-ever time, will remain in the history of our game as an inspiration for younger generations across the world,” the statement continued.

“CONCACAF stands in solidarity with CONMEBOL, the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol, and the Chapecoense family. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the South American football community at this difficult time,” the statement ended.

In the meantime, the tribute to Brazil’s Chapecoense football team is in full swing in Medellin, Colombia.

Prior to the tribute’s start, fans of the local Atletico Nacional team dressed in white and shouted slogans

in support of the Brazilian squad, which was on a plane that crashed outside the city. The Brazilians were supposed to have played Atletico Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana tournament Wednesday night.

A military band’s memorial tune as the stadium lights dimmed has brought tears to the faces of Atletico Nacional’s normally stern-faced players and everyone else in the nearly full 40,000-seat stadium.

Black Hawk helicopters that helped in the rescue operation that managed to pull six survivors from the wreckage performed a fly-over. Several first responders who were at the crash scene attended.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra fought to hold back tears as he thanked fans for their show of solidarity. He told them: “It’s a light of hope when all of us are trying to understand what’s impossible to understand.”(Sportsmax. com)

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday December 02, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Championships, I thought to myself that this is a star.

People tend to forget about his earlier years and they probably recognised him in 2008, but Usain was already born, he was a champion from before that,” said Ottey.

Ottey hasn’t done too badly on the world stage either, winning three silver and six bronze at the Olympic Games, added to 14 World Championships medals, the most of any female athlete in history.

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Jason Holder & Shai Hope (2) 5 dismissals (5 catches) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which team won the recent Tri-Nations ODI series involving the WI, ZIM and Sri Lanka?

(2) Who was declared Man of the Match at the end of the Tri-Nations ODI final?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, December 2, 2016

Elite League’s ‘East Coast derby’ should be a thriller

By Ras Wadada A thrilling encounter is anticipated for the opening game today when bitter rivals, Buxton United and Victoria Kings collide at the Tucville Community ground.

The youthful United unit suffered a 4-0 loss in their last game against the GDF, who also made light work of the Kings 7-1 in the season’s opener, but this evening they face a new look Victoria side that held Conquerors to a score-less tie in their last outing.

These two sides have

a long history of football rivalry that always bring out the best in them whenever they meet and with crucial points on line it is the general feeling among fans that this game will be a thriller.

After their opening game humiliation the Kings have called on their most experienced players to boost their challenge and immediately a vital point was earned.

Defender Shawn Samuels at age 43 is the oldest player in the League and in tandem with 38 year-old Sherlock Dowden is the oldest combination playing in central

Calvin De Souza

defense in the Elite League.

Forty-eight-old Winston Pompey has also returned to the side and impressed in the midfield

UDFA/GT Beer $1m first prize tournament launched PRESIDENT of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Sharma Solomon on Wednesday called on the clubs participating in this year’s GT Beer Cup championship to show their loyalty to the people they represent from their community as they brace to battle for the fourth edition of the annual competition which is sponsored by Banks DIH. The tournament will be played from Monday, December 5th through to January 1st, when the final will take place at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. The opening day’s fixture pits the reigning champions Winners Connection against Blueberry Hill at 18.00hrs and at 20.00hrs Silver Shattas play Kwakwani strikers.

Speaking at the launch of the tournament outside the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) building on Republic Avenue, Solomon said that the beverage giants Banks DIH must be commended also as it was “a quarter of a century of support by Banks DIH to football in Linden.

“At the end of the year, it is an important feature not only for the unwavering support to the game, but

to provide for socialising which has been built; and the football has provided such a feature.”

The UDFA boss added that, “With Banks DIH commitment to football, you the clubs show your loyalty to the people who pay to see you play from your community. Your club represents your community and must make a strong effort to bring home that $1M prize to your respective community.”

Ten clubs will be battling to unseat the tournament’s only champion, t h re e - t i m e c h a m p i o n s Winners Connection. The challenges will come from Amelia’s Ward Panthers, Blueberry Hill United, Silver Shattas, Kwakwani Strikers, Net Rockers, Eagles United, Milerock and Botafago.

Looking back at its performance, Solomon noted that the UDFA was the only association to have played two Under 17 tournaments, held a summer camp and trained over 15 coaches with its own resources as he called on all and sundry to come out and support the year-end tournament.

Banks DIH GT Beer Manager Geoff Clement,

in the presence of Banks DIH Outdoor Events Manager Mortimer Stewart and Banks DIH Linden Branch Manager Ms. Shondell Easton, told the clubs represented: “We are always with the UDFA collaborating football with the GT Beer brand. We appreciate the support given to our GT Beer Cup tournament and this sign shows that we will be on board with you as planned.”

Communications Manager of Banks DIH Troy Peters added that “It is not by accident we are here. We are committed to the development of football in this community”, as he reflected that when the GT Beer was launched four years ago, it was here in Linden that the product took off and the rest of the country followed suit with tremendous support.

Peters said that with this in mind, they were committed to the continuation of this GT Beer football tournament in Linden in partnership with the UDFA..

Clement also handed over the winners’ GT Beer Trophy to the UDFA President at the end of the official launch.

T&T futsal, Pro League player charged with armed robbery NOEL Williams, a Trinidad and Tobago futsal player has been charged with armed robbery.

The national futsal player is alleged to have robbed a chinese businessman, Wei Hui Zhu at his home in Claxton Bay on November 11 of this year.

The allegations suggest that Williams, who also plays for San JUan Jabloteh, came away from the incident with TT$406,000 and two iPhones and an FX Revolution air rifle.

The iPhones are said to value $13,000, while the air rifle attracts a pricetag of approximately $20,000.

Williams, also a policeman, is believed to be one of six officers involved in the robbery. It also seems robbery follows around the talented utility players, who at the time of the incident, was suspended from the police services because of allegations that he had stolen $80,000 in goods from a business place in

Tobago in 2015.

The winger is also one of 22 players who have sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association for compensation after it was alleged the team received a US$10 per day per diem and no match fees for a futsal game against Honduras in Costa Rica.

Also charged with Williams is Special Reserve Policeman Sean Joseph.

It is alleged that Joseph confessed to the police.

Devor Dennis which young Akeem Holder and Captain Calvin De Souza will be part of as well.

The Buxtonians’ challenge will be rely on the availability of key players nursing injuries. Central defender Rondell Assanah and Jeremiah Thorne have been out since the opening game and in the last match f o r w a r d D i l l o n Wr i g h t had to leave the field after sustaining an injury to his shin. Coach Herbert ‘Dan’ McPherson who hails from the village of Victoria is hopeful that they will be fit to join their Captain, Devor Dennis and the starting lineup for today.

Kick-off time is 18:00hrs.

The feature game should also provide excitement as home side Conquerors, the only team not to concede a goal so far, seek maximum points after dropping two in the last outing. Their opponents, Monedderlust come into the game brimful of confidence after beating Linden’s Top XX 2-1 last Sunday which sets the stage for a grand show down.

The speedy Vincent Cottoye will need more support in attack if the Berbicians hope to prevail against a youthful Conquerors outfit determined to return to winning.

Corwin D’Anjou finds MMA Success

By Daniel Haynes

IN his first match in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Corwin D’Anjou walked away with not only a win but with the respect of the MMA community in Trinidad and Tobago at the Caribbean Ultimate Face Fight (CUFF) Hometown Throwdown.

For the 23-year- old judoka, the transition to MMA happened three years ago at the age of 20, after practicing Kana Jujitsu from the age of 12-20. According to D’Anjou, the reason for the transition was as a result of being able to test what he had been practicing for years. It was this reason that led him to the Rising Sun Judo Club and sensei Bruce Fraser.

“It’s something that I was interested in due to the fact that a lot of time you would find persons in the other arts not getting to test what they learn so I thought that his would be a perfect opportunity to see if all the hours in the gym were applicable in a realistic setting,” he stated in an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport.

For D’Anjou, his opportunity to test his knowledge and ability came on the November 26 when he fought karateka Josiah Joseph from Elite Phantom in a lightweight matchup. According to D’Anjou,he was sitting at home when Coach Fraser called him to inform him of the fight.

“He (Fraser) called me and said we organised a fight for you, you think you could make it;and I was like hell yeah and we started preparing for it and I went through a three-month training camp

to get ready,” said D’Anjou.

After the training camp it was time to head to Trinidad.However, before the day of departure, two of his teammates who were supposed to make the trip were unable to do so. Additionally, Coach Fraser was also unable to make it because his wife recently gave birth. However, D’Anjou was determined to make the trip.

“I knew I had extended family in Trinidad and I thought that if I went and did well and put forth a good

due to Josiah breaking the rules and kneeing him to his head three times.

“Kneeing was against the rules and before the fight the promoter Ian Adam stressed on no knees to the head and I guess he (Josiah) got frustrated and kneed me twice after being warned by the referee for one kneeing before and he was disqualified.”

D’Anjou dominated the fight up to that point,registering 6 takedowns in the match as well as trading blows with the Trinidadian.

Corwin D’Anjou kneeling before his trophy after the fight showing it would open opportunity for the entire team to travel.”

Create opportunity it did since D’Anjou won the 10 minute 2 round fight despite only having one person in his corner.

“I was lucky enough to have Kerry Grant who has his own MMA club in Southern Warriors in my corner and I also was psyching myself.”

According to D’Anjou he executed his game plan and enjoyed the fight with his only frustrations coming when the fight ended early

He is thankful for the sponsors who played a part in his travel to Trinidad.

“If it wasn’t for Ricks and Sari, Fitness Express, Track Max and the Maison family I would not have been there.”

The youngster also expressed appreciation to Electra Grahame and Ena Joseph who were responsible for him on the Trinidad front and who provided lodging for him.

“I’m thankful for the experience and if I could do it over I definitely will,” D’Anjou added.

GFF’s boss sends letter of condolence to Brazil’s President See story on page 25

Motion passed to install IMC to run the affairs of the GCF

EXECUTIVES of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) as well as representatives of various clubs affiliated to the Federation have successfully moved and passed a motion to install an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the affairs of the Federation for the remainder of the current term.

According to a source very close to the federation and who was present at the extraordinary meeting which was called and held on Wednesday at the Guyana Olympic Association’s headquarters, High Street, Georgetown, the executives and club representatives that were present passed a motion to install an IMC, since most of the elected executives that were installed last year to serve a four- year term have been under-per-

Things have not going right with the GCF since the current executive was elected to office in June last year. forming, hence the need for an IMC to run the affairs of the Federation until the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held.

The source said executives and club representatives

agreed that the incumbent president Horrace Burrowes, since his election to office, has not done anything for the development of the sport locally and as such, a decision was made to move a no-con-

Guyana U-15 footballers to tour French Guiana THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has accepted an invitation from the French Guiana football Association (FGFA) to participate in an International Invitational Under-15 tournament between December 17 and 22nd.

To this end the GFF has called up 26 players to go into camp from the 4 th to 15th from which the final 16 to tour the French colony will be selected. The team is expected to depart Guyana on the 16 th and return on Christmas Eve. According to a press release issued by the Federation, yesterday, trials to arrive at the 26 players were held on the 20th and 27th of November at Camp Ayanganna and the Ministry of Education grounds respectively under the watchful eyes of Technical Director, Ian Greenwood.

GFF Technical Director Anthony Greenwood From a list of 74 players submitted by the various member associations, a squad of 40 was retained for the second trials after which 26 were chosen to continue preparations.

The release also stated that the GFF is using the tournament as early exposure

and preparations for next year’s CONCACAF U-15 competition.

Other French colonies in the Region, Martinique and Guadeloupe are also expected to be represented as well as Suriname and one of France’s Premier club, Olympique Marseille.

The 26 players selected to go into camp are: Richard Roberts, Oswin Fredericks, Usher, Jones, Leston Smith, Joshua Braithwaite, Tyrel Khan, Wayne Da Silva, Cyrus Nicholson, Shannon Samnauth, Okifi Patoir, Marcus Wilson, Nicholas Andrews, Derron Niles, Orville Daniels, Maliki Granum, Daniel Lowe, Omari Glasgow, Ken, Salvador, Jermaine Padmore, Jermaine, Garrett, Rickford Emmanuel, Miguel, Stoll, Kevin Reddy, Lindon Morris, Troni Semple and Jerimiah Douglas.

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

fidence vote against him.

Burrowes, who resides in the United States, had said even though he is resident in North America, he can still manage the affairs of the Federation from there.

However, it has been noted by those persons who were present at Wednesday’s extraordinary meeting that Burrowes and most of his executives have not been doing anything to develop the sport.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Burrowes’ club, Team United as well as Team Coco were not represented, but their absence did not affect the outcome of the no-confidence vote.

According to one executive who prefers not to be named, things have not been going right with the federation since the current executive was elected to office in June last year.

The official noted that Burrowes, a United States businessman, since being elected to office, has only been in Guyana “maybe once or twice since his election to office and this is totally unacceptable.”

According to the executive, some members of the executive are totally fed-up at the way the Federation See page 25

Bravo controversy typical of current Windies culture, says Sir Viv ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Legendary captain, Sir Vivian Richards, believes the recent sending home of Darren Bravo from the Tri-Nations Series is another indicator of the lack of progress in West Indies cricket.

Speaking to the Observer newspaper here, the former master batsman said whenever there were positive strides made, there were always being undermined by controversy and this was a culture which needed to change.

“I think it’s about time that we just leave these things alone at this stage. I guess there are a lot of issues going on there,” Sir Viv said.

“All that I can say on the whole matter is that rather than moving on, we just keep moving back every time. Every time there is some grounds gained, we move yards back after that.”

Bravo was sent home ahead of the tournament in Zimbabwe after the West In-

Legendary former West Indies captain, Sir Vivian Richards. dies Cricket Board cancelled his match/tour contract over a controversial tweet.

Responding to WICB president Dave Cameron’s criticism of his form which led to him earning only a Grade C retainer contract, Bravo tweeted: “You have been failing 4 d

last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51.” @davec51 is Cameron’s twitter handle.

The board subsequently informed Bravo that he had contravened the terms of his match/tour contract and that he would be withdrawn from the tour.

He was also given a deadline to remove the offending tweet but failed to do so.

Sir Viv, who never lost a series as captain, said it was possible Bravo’s incident could be stemming from his older brother Dwayne’s wrangles with the board.

“I just believe that maybe, young Darren Bravo himself could be in that persecuting sort of a lane because of maybe, other stuff that was done with his brother (Dwayne) so it’s a long story,” he surmised.

West Indies failed to make the final of the Tri-Nations Series which was won

by Sri La FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016