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No. 104826 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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Implement CSME fully (VAT Inclusive)

––Pres Granger urges member states

–– Caricom heads discuss ways to drive growth in region’s economy

see Pages 3&4

President David Granger greets Haiti’s new President, Jovenel Moise while other Caricom heads look on Also in photo are: Prime Ministers of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves; Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda and partly hidden are: Barbados PM, Freundel Stuart and Caricom SG, Irwin LaRocque (MOTP photo)

60 duplexes for Linden Page 11

Five charged with murder of phone card vendor Page 5

Parking meter hits snag Page 8

… court orders M&CC to show cause why deal should not be quashed

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

‘We’re not delivering fast enough’ –– LaRocque urges quick action on crime, economic slowdown By Ariana Gordon

UNDERSCORING the importance of addressing pressing issues affecting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, called for urgent attention to be placed on the Region’s economic development, crime and security and international relations. LaRocque, during the opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown

on Thursday, said in order for the Region to tackle its many issues, it is imperative that there be a pooling of resources. He said there is little doubt that the search for sustained economic growth and development is foremost on the agenda of the Heads of Government while noting that CARICOM states have been “grappling with low growth, high debt and the consequent pressure on the fiscal position.” “The efforts to combat these challenges have been hampered by such matters as de-risking and the continuing damaging effects of CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held in Guyana climatic events, among other things. Pursuing the course of action to emerge from that situation is therefore of paramount importance. I contend that dealing with those and other challenges, demands more than ever, that we work collectively and pool our resources.” Ambassador LaRocque reminded delegates of the two-day meeting that the control of crime and the maintenance of security are critical to the growth of the region’s economy. He said it is imperative on the Community to provide citizens with a safe community; a challenge he admits that has been taken up by the body. “We have taken up that challenge but some of our best efforts are being hindered by delays in our system. Starkly put, we are not delivering results as fast as we should in a number of areas.”

He stressed that crime and security is not confined to each individual territory but affects the entire region and as a result, the critical regional legal instruments awaiting finalization are needed desperately to assist in combatting crime at the national levels. “The time is past due for the outstanding matters to be concluded with a degree of urgency. Winning the battle for a safe and secure society brings with it more opportunity for economic growth and development. It will also provide a boost for one of our major economic sectors, Tourism.” The Secretary-General reminded delegates that the Tourism Sector is one of the primary drivers of economic growth and attracts significant investment, creates jobs and boosts the creative industry, to provide a few

examples. As such, proposals for sustainable tourism development in the Region are welcomed and will continuously be part of the agenda of the heads of government. Information and Communications Technology Like Crime and Security, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is critical to the development and advancement of the Region. As such, Ambassador LaRocque noted that ICT remains an exciting prospect in enhancing the Bloc’s socio-economic development. He referenced the roadmap towards creating a single ICT space. “ICT is both an enabler of development and a sector in its own right. The establishment of a Single ICT Space will provide harmonised ICT policies, legislation, regulations, technical standards, with affordable networks and universal access. This would positively affect such issues as roaming rates, as well as address spectrum and broadband matters,” he stated while quickly adding that the advancement would not “happen overnight” as it requires human and financial resources as well as technical infrastructure to achieve it. The end product he assured will be of “tremendous benefit to consumers and businesses alike.” The CARICOM Secretary-General noted too recent international developments that have caused much discomfort and global uncertainty which could result in additional shifts in the international balance of power. “Some of our traditional partners are at the centre of these developments. In evaluating the circumstances, we must consider such longstanding arrangements as the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and the future of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).” Therefore, he noted that with an ever-changing and

unpredictable global environment, the Region must consolidate its foreign policy and refine its strategies to safeguard and advance its interests. CSME Citing the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, Ambassador LaRocque singled out the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). He said the Region has identified CSME as the best vehicle to promote its overall economic growth and development while noting that there has been “considerable progress” in the implementation of CSME. “This can be seen in the legal and institutional measures and mechanisms to support the free movement of goods, services, skills, and cross-border establishment of businesses. However, there is still much to be done,” said the CARICOM Secretary-General. He posited that the work of the CSME has been supported by the rulings of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which provides legal certainty to its operations; the jurisprudence of which becomes increasingly important as the Region deepens its economic and commercial relations. LaRocque noted that it is timely for the participants of the two-day Inter-Sessional Meeting to consider among other things a “comprehensive review of CSME” as was agreed to last July. He believes however, that a review of CSME must not be only about what has been done or achieved and constraining factors but about the “impact and how it has measured up to intent and expectations, and therefore how the shortcomings might be addressed.” Additionally, the Secretary-General said that See page 3

Implement CSME fully

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

––Pres Granger urges CARICOM member states

By Ariana Gordon REFLECTING on the “Spirit of Chaguaramas” President of Guyana and Chairman of CARICOM, President David Granger, on Thursday called for full implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). President Granger was at the time speaking during the

“hazard of economic emasculation” in today’s global environment, there is need to “expedite the full implementation of the CSME.” “We face threats that include dampened demand for our goods and services and distortions in our financial sectors caused by de-risking by international banks. The CSME has the potential to enhance private

equivocation and procrastination,” said the CARICOM Chairman. The Guyanese leader noted that functional cooperation is also an elemental pillar of the Community and noted that CARICOM has the capacity to meet its food needs. Food security, he noted ensures the health and nutritional benefits of the Region’s people, foreign exchange and eliminates

President David Granger (Centre), delivers his address at the opening of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana. Also in photo are Secretary-General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque (left) and Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit (right) opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana. He said economic cooperation remains a fundamental pillar of CARICOM and noted that if the Caribbean is to escape the

sector growth and competitiveness by providing access to a larger pool of resources, facilitating the movement of human capital, catalysing the establishment of regional businesses and encouraging the free movement of goods. The CSME must not be allowed to become a victim of

the ever-increasing bill for food importation. “Ensuring regional food security is a cross-sectoral task involving cooperation in agriculture, finance, health and nutrition and infrastructure, among other sectors. Belize, Guyana and Suriname – the Community’s three

mainland states – are, together, bigger than Germany or Japan,” President Granger reminded. Additionally, President Granger stressed that food security can be advanced by the “fuller utilization” of lands for large-scale investment in agriculture and agro-processing as well as by “dismantling barriers to regional trade in agricultural products.” That aside, the Guyanese head of state said CARICOM must intensify its efforts at regional energy security, while stressing that the Region has the means to do so as it is blessed with abundant sources of renewable energy. He said too that the Community has done ‘considerable, commendable work towards ensuring energy security which can ease the Community’s energy sector off of its addiction to fossil fuel and encourage the adoption of renewable sources of energy.” Meanwhile, the CARICOM Chair noted the importance of Regional security to the development of the Bloc. He said the Caribbean is a maritime corridor between two continents and is vulnerable to narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, gun-running, terrorism and penetration by international criminal cartels. Given the existing threats, transnational criminal threats demand multinational functional cooperation. “We live in uncertain times. We must continuously strengthen our security architecture in order to assure citizens and investors of greater security and stability. We must be vigilant, also, in

the face of continuing threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our member states,” said President Granger. He stressed that the ‘Spirit of Chaguaramas’ is not “the ghost or ‘jumbie’ of a dead project. It is the vital breath of life that inspires us to intensify regional integration” while noting that the four founding fathers of CARICOM Barbados’s Errol Barrow, Guyana’s Forbes Burnham, Jamaica’s Michael Manley and Trinidad and Tobago’s Eric Williams dreamed of integration and the motivation to establish a great movement. “They have entrusted the happiness of our citizens and the prosperity of our Community to our hands. We are, today, the trustees of this legacy. We must bequeath to our progeny a more prosperous region than we inherited from our progenitors,” Granger said affirmatively. The President described the founding leaders of CARICOM as men of discernment and determination, noting that they were courageous pioneers of the future. “They were not craven prisoners of the past,” he stated. Granger noted too that they were keen to protect the emergent new states from the perils of economic marginalisation when regional integration communities such as the European Economic Community, Latin American Free Trade Association, Central American Common Market and the emerging East-African Economic Community had taken root. Global trends were clear he said noting that options were limited; it was integrate

or disintegrate; combine or collapse; merge or be submerged in a sea of strife. It was based on the world trends that the four founding fathers recognised that given the small size of the region’s markers, integration would allow for larger and safer markets and for a stronger voice in negotiating with other countries and regions. They knew that regional integration was “an obligation, not an option” for governments. Granger quoted Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, one of the founding leaders of CARICOM when he spoke at the Conference of officials of the Commonwealth Caribbean Territories in Georgetown, in August 1967 where he warned that without integration, Caribbean states could become objects of neo-colonialist exploitation and become international mendicants. The CARICOM Chair noted that a ‘common, positive policy’ was conceived and CARICOM’s foundation was laid on the three pillars of economic integration, foreign policy coordination and functional cooperation with a fourth pillar on security collaboration added by the Region’s heads. “The Treaty of Chaguaramas was a response to the challenges of the post-colonial era. The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas was the response to the post-Cold War era, a time of increasing trade liberalisation and the growth of regional organisations,” said President Granger.

We’re not delivering ... From page 2 gauging the impact of integration is an integral part of the Reform Process underway in the Community while noting that reform is driving the change in the way business is done and aims to make the Secretariat, the Regional Institutions and the Member States more accountable in the conduct of their roles as Implementing Partners in the integration process. He stressed that the key to accountability is the establishment of a monitoring, evaluation and reporting system based on the principles of Results-Based Management (RBM).

“With a US$500,000 grant from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), a consulting firm has been working with us in developing a Gender Sensitive CARICOM Results-Based Management System. That System includes performance scorecards, as we seek to ensure that we use an evidence-based approach that will focus on results, and allow us to track the progress of integration,” Larocque disclosed. As a result, through indicators, achievements and roadblocks can be judged while it becomes easier to foster a results-oriented culture aimed at increasing the pace of regional integration and the impact it has on the people of CARICOM.

Heads of Government of CARICOM and delegates gathered at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana for the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM on Thursday

State of the Economy

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

––Caricom heads discuss ways to drive growth in region’s economy By Alva Solomon

CITING the need for a faster approach in the face of an unstable environment of economic turmoil, heads of state of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have made a renewed commitment towards strengthening the economic infrastructure of the community. At the same time, the regional leaders have recognised the need for placing the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) on much “sounder footing.” This is according to President David Granger, the current chairman of the regional integration body. Speaking to reporters at the Pegasus Hotel at the conclusion of the first of the two day inter-sessional summit in Georgetown on Thursday evening, President Granger noted that the main concern of the regional leaders is the state of the Caribbean economy. He said that many of the

commodities and services in the region have seen depressed prices when placed on the international market over the past two years. “We would like to ensure that the CSME is put on a sounder footing as quickly as possible so that the people of the region can have a better life,” the President said. A recent report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean said that after two consecutive years of economic contraction, Latin America and the Caribbean will experience a modest growth of 1.3% in 2017. ECLAC however called for revived public-private investment in order to resume short- and long-term growth and confront the risks and growing uncertainties posed by the international scenario. “We are at a turning point. Latin America and the Caribbean will resume growth but moderately and without clear engines driving it. Its recovery will be fragile as long as the uncertainties of the economic

Heads of Government and other leaders of delegations pose for the official summit photo at the Guyana Marriot Hotel (MOTP photo) context continue, particularly the recently observed protectionist trends. For this reason, resuming the path of regional growth requires much caution and a reversal of the investment process dynamic, which will demand a significant mobilization of financial resources,” stated Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) According to the report, the region will close out 2016 with an average contraction of 1.1%. South America will be the sub-re-

gion most affected, with a decline of -2.4%, while the Caribbean will contract by 1.7% and Central America will have positive growth of 3.6%. With regard to growth projections for 2017, improved commodities prices would benefit the terms of trade for South America, which is forecast to resume growth with an increase in GDP of 0.9%, while the Caribbean is expected to grow by 1.3%, mainly due to tourism. Central America, meanwhile, is forecast to expand by 3.7%.

Friday, february 17, 2017- 09:00 hrs Saturday, february 18, 2017- 10:00 hrs Sunday, february 19, 2017- 11:30 hrs

CRIME AND SECURITY Meanwhile, President Granger noted that the discussions also touched on the issue of crime and security noting that the subject has always been a concern of the region. He noted that Caricom citizens reside within wide expanses of waterways and with limited resources to control the vast area without the collaboration of other countries. The President said that the issue of correspondent banking was also discussed on Thursday. He said that the subject is a matter of concern to CARICOM, noting that Antigua’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, spoke on the subject. According to the President, CARICOM will be taking a “collective approach “to the issue. He said the question of de-risking have hurt some Caribbean economies noting that the matter is “quite unfair “since there has not been a “single case” in which any

financial institution in the region has committed any acts of financial impropriety or fraud. President Granger noted that CARICOM will work to ensure that the banks in the more developed countries take “a more favourable approach” towards conducting businesses with their counterparts in the region. The President in recapping the day’s session noted that of importance during the morning meeting was the fact that CARICOM heads welcomed the new President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise. He said the body was concerned about the difficult circumstances which Haiti faced over the years including disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. President Granger said that CARICOM is also aware of the problems Haitian nationals face in other jurisdictions, noting that the body’s concerns were of a humanisation nature.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

Five charged with murder of phone card vendor

FIVE men appeared in the Whim Magistrate’s Court on Thursday charged with the murder of Phone Card vendor Danian Anthony Jagdeo who was gunned down last week in the Corentyne. Mark Dhuman, 22, businessman of Lot 190,Nigg Settlement; Abdul Azimullah,34,Cattle Farmer of 183 Hampshire Village; Abdul Zahir, 28, Cane Harvester of New Scheme, Adelphi, East Canje; Shannon Batson,24, of Toopoo Village and Satesh Budram, 19, of Lot 70C Hampshire Village, were all not required to plead to the indictable charge and were remanded to prison. They will return to Court on March 6. The Charge which was read by Magistrate Charlyn Artiga, stated that on February 8, 2017, at Adventure Village, the men allegedly murdered Danian Jagdeo during the course of a robbery. As the five accused entered the Court yard, a very emotional Mary Jagdeo, wife of Danian Jagdeo had to be restrained, consoled and supported from fainting as she moved from rage to sorrow while questioning: “Why they had to kill him...he never

Camera shy murder accused, Mark Dhuman (right) covers his face hurt anyone we cannot live didn’t deserve this...We want without him, how will the Justice!” she screamed. children live without him.” The businessman was Fighting back tears, Mrs. shot three times at point Jagdeo said she is still in dis- blank range. The 36-year-old belief and still cannot come father of four of Lot 12 G, to grips with her husband’s King Street, Williamsburg, death. “They killed him and was a Phone Card Agent who left him to die like a dog, he serviced the entire East Ber-

DR woman in court for forgery DOMINICAN Republic national, Doris Vasquez Santana, was on Thursday remanded to prison after she appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court charged with one count of forgery and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony before Magistrate Judy Latchman. The thirty-six-year-old, who told the court that she is looking for a job in Guyana, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on February 13 at Camp Road, Georgetown, she presented to an Immigration Officer one Dominican Republic Passport number SE19442556 in favour of herself with four false Guyana Immigration stamps. It is also alleged that between January 6 and February 13 at Georgetown, she conspired with person or persons to commit the crime of forgery, where four immigration stamps were in her Dominican Republic Passport number SE19442556, purporting to show they were issued by the Central Immigration Office. With the aid of an interpreter, Santana told the court that she only presented her passport to the immigration officer and did not know the stamps were false. In light

of that statement, Magistrate Latchman changed her plea to not guilty. Police Prosecutor, Shawn Gonzales objected to bail on the ground

that the defendant is not a Guyanese and if granted bail she is likely flee. Santana was remanded until February 21.

bice, Corentyne. On the day of his killing he was making a delivery to the Soman’s Grocery when one of two men followed him into the shop and opened fire. The gunman relieved the injured Jagdeo of a bag which contained an undisclosed sum of cash and a quantity of phone cards before escaping with his accomplice who was waiting on a motorcycle a short distance away. Dhuman and Budram were represented by Attorney, Mursalene Bacchus and Rohan Jagmohan respectively. Jagmohan told the court, both men were allegedly beaten while in custody and requested medical attention which was denied. He alleged that his clients were taken to the Albion Estate Road and to the Whim Police Station where they were beaten by Police. Azimullah, who was represented by Attorney Kim Kyte, in association with Attorney Tonya Clement-Warren, also registered a complaint that her client was beaten while in custody. Further, the Number three and four accused, Zahir and Batson were unrepresented, they both detailed to the court that they were severely beaten by the police. Zahir explained that in the

process he suffered a fractured left side rib. He noted that he was also denied medical intervention. On the other hand, Batson related he was picked up from his home and taken to the Rose Hall Outpost and to the Whim Police Station where he was beaten to the face and lower body. Batson mentioned to the court that he suffered a fractured rib and injuries to his face. He also alleged that police fired three gunshots in the direction of his

head which grazed the side of his forehead. As the men stood in the Prisoner’s dock, family members of Jagdeo sat in the opposite side with looks of sorrow and grief. Police Prosecutor Phillip Sheriff had no objections for the disclosure of statements to the defense. He told the court one more statement is outstanding after which the file will be ready for the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry.

Lethem man charged with murder A THIRTY-YEAR-OLD man of Tabatinga, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Judy Latchman on Thursday charged with murder. The charge against Joseph Duncan stated that on February 12, he murdered Cheddie Glasgow at Tabatinga Lethem. Attorney-at-Law Jerome Khan, who represented Duncan, told the court that his client is suffering from diminished cognitive capability (this is a brain condition that affects a person’s mental performance) and as a result he has been bullied because of his medical condition. Duncan was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to Court 1 for February 17.

Editorial

CARICOM Summit CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government are meeting in Georgetown for the yearly Inter-sessional Summit but in a different global landscape. The Heads have advised that on their agenda are issues of regional security, crime, information communication technology, tourism, energy efficiency and the Single Market Economy. That these issues are of critical importance to the safety, growth and development of member states and their peoples none can deny. Juxtaposing these deserving attention are the new political and social dynamics in the United States (U.S) and United Kingdom (UK), two countries the region shares deep relations. Last June the UK voted to exit the European Union (EU), an organisation CARICOM and the Dominican Republic share an Economic Partnership Agreement with, and where Britain was the EU’s biggest trading partner. Last November the US voted to change the country’s direction and newly-elected President, Donald Trump, in his Inauguration Address, laid out his America First Policy. Both countries whose prior leadership pursued compassionate and inclusionary policies – national and foreign – were rejected by the electorates. And the best way to confront matters of such nature is to be prepared for it, where the regional agenda is not pursued in isolation of the international dynamics that will inevitably impact. Immigration will be affected and likewise trade, which will impact the region’s growth and development. Where the U.S has intensified rounding up illegal immigrants for deportation, among this group will be Caribbean people. This will impact the support this group provides for those at home via remittances and challenges such as resettling and families being torn apart. Though President Trump’s Executive Order banning immigrants from six predominantly Muslims countries from entering the U.S has been rejected by the U.S Court, his de-

termination to pursue this policy could possibly impact the region, where we have significant populations in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Caribbean governments must plan around these realities. The region still suffers from widespread poverty, unemployment and under-employment. There remains a far way to go to maximise its productive endeavours and ensure the productivity of its people. It would be a welcomed position if the region’s security could expand beyond crime to include food, education, health, environment and alternative energy. Taking a wide-angle view can see the enlisting of strategic approaches to empower the people with requisite skills and competences to respond and compete to challenges faced in reducing crime, eradicating poverty and unemployment through increasing production of goods and services. The region continues to spend billions of US dollars yearly on food import, which poses a threat to its Food Security and country’s sovereignty. Redirecting such scare resources could cause the region to capitalise on the new direction in organic food production. In addition to enhancing the GDP, HDI, new employment and economic opportunities are created, and could minimise forced migration. Getting the elusive Single Economy going is critical to realising the spirit and intent of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The Single Economy is a necessity to recognising the Economic Partnership Agreement. Consequently, it may be necessary for the Heads to look at addressing its implementation by way of a Regional Economic Plan. This could see the maximisation of resources and talents where countries cooperate among themselves to strengthen their competitive advantage in the international market. The concept of co-operating regionally to compete internationally is not new to the region. The Founding Fathers (Forbes Burnham, Eric Williams, Errol Barrow and Norman

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

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

Editorial

Manley) mooted this idea in the formative years. Each country has unique resources and collectively applied can bring about complete products. For instance it was deliberated upon that the region would have engaged in aluminium production. Guyana and Jamaica would have produced the bauxite, and Trinidad and Tobago the energy, using a smelter to produce the final product. Where concerns are expressed and discussions centred around reducing CARICOM’s Food Import Bill, which the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) fears will create increase burden on our economies, and attendant socio-economic ills should such not be reversed, it is opportune to seriously look inward to addressing this problem. Surimane, Guyana and Belize have vast landmass, with Haiti and Jamaica large populations, relative to their country’s sizes. CSME could examine creating a special category for free movement to pursue organic farming and production. Where in 2014 the world organic food industry reached US $80 billion and is growing, preferential focus and treatment should be explored. The world has changed since the last summit and CARICOM Governments have to adapt to the changing realities, as a matter of necessity, to ensure the safety, growth and development of its people.

Patterson slams Edghill’s statements on Wartsilla’s operation in Guyana

Dear Editor,

Reference is made to a letter published in the February 16, 2017, edition of the Stabroek News, under the headline “Patterson statements on electricity were misleading” and penned by Mr. Juan Edghill, Opposition M.P. Reference is also made to an article published in Feb. 16, Kaieteur News under the headline “Opposition warns of US$4M scam with company that replaced Wartsila”, which used the erroneous comments made in the aforementioned letter by Mr. Edghill as its foundation. On behalf of the Government of Guyana, I wish to strongly denounce and deem erroneous the state-

ments made by Mr. Edghill on Wartsila’s operations in Guyana. According to Mr. Edghill, he was informed by the former Chairman of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. Board, Mr. Winston Brassington, and former CEO, Mr. Bharrat Dindyal, that the contract between the Government of Guyana and Wartsila was to the tune of approximately US$7.5M per year, or about US$20,500 per day. He further intimated that the new contract with the Power Producer and Distribution Inc. (PPDI) made less financial sense than that that of Wartsila’s. However, the figures stated by Mr. Edghill are grossly inaccurate. Below is an accurate breakdown of

the amounts paid to Wartsila from 2008 to 2016: Year Contract sum (USD) 2008 $6.2M 2009 $6.8M 2010 $6.7M 2011 $7.8M 2012 $7.8M 2013 $8.5M 2014 $9.5M 2015 $9.6M 2016 $10M Furthermore, it must be noted that, going forward, Wartsila was proposing an average cost of US$20.51 per megawatt hour. This would have equated to approximately US$13.3M per annum, based upon a consumption of 650,000 megawatts per year. Compare this figure to the proposed fee of US$16.78 megawatts

per hour from PPDI. This would equate to savings of US$2.4M, based on the same consumption rate for an enhanced service. With savings of this magnitude, it would be possible to buy a brand new 5.5MW Wartsila engine every three years. Additionally, when it came to spare parts prices, the agreement was that GPL would be charged at a discounted price. However, the records show that GPL was paying the global list prices up until the contract termination with Wartsila. PPDI will be purchasing spares for all parts at equal or better prices. It is certainly an indictment on the previous administration that they were clearly in the dark for years

on the amount of monies that was being paid out to Wartsila; Mr. Brassington served as Chairman of the Board from 2010-2015 while Mr. Dindiyal was CEO in 2015. Yet, neither of them, it would appear, was aware of what was transpiring in regards to Wartsila’s operations. The shift from Wartsila to PDDI is a needed move. Upon its entry into Guyana, Wartsila had no prior successful operations and maintenance of power plants and its management was unwilling to offer any guarantees of its services. It must be emphasised at all times that Wartsila was managed wholly and solely by Guyanese and PPDI intends to main-

tain this model, coupled with drastic financial savings. In fact, PPDI’s top management comprises of Guyanese with more than 60 years of combined experienced with Wartsila both locally and regionally. Furthermore, I must once again urge that the Opposition takes up its seat on the Board of GPL so that they can be properly informed. The other equally inaccurate matters raised by Mr. Edghill in his letter will be addressed at a later stage in a more appropriate forum. Regards David Patterson Minister of Public Infrastructure

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Parking Meters protest continues The announcement by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), that it will slash the parking meter rates by 50 per cent has been deemed unacceptable by anti-parking meters activists as they once again staged a midday protest outside of City Hall on Thursday demanding that the contract between Smart City Solutions (SCS) and the council be scrapped. Along Regent Street many businesses closed their doors so that the owners and their staff could protest in solidarity with the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) at noon on Thursday. Women’s Rights activist Karen De Souza told reporters on Thursday that the contract must be revoked as it represents the “selling out” of the city. She described the parking meter contract as one that seeks to privatise public space. “As I understand it, the contract and the by-laws forbid any parking that is not regulated by this company…that has

to be giving the city away; that is what we have to understand. They have handed the city of Georgetown over to these people who are running the parking meters.” De Souza believes that those persons who would have signed the contract and those who reviewed same without objection are also guilty. “It is not a bad deal; it is a criminal deal. We cannot allow it to go forward. This is get them out of here; get the people who signed it out of City Hall because they cannot be allowed to continue selling the city out and the people of this country,” she added. Similarly, as chants of “no parking meters” “parking meters must go” rang out consistently by the hundreds of protestors, pilot Learie Barclay said the circumstances surrounding the contractual arrangements with SCS are shady. “This contract was entered into under a shady deal; it is a shady contract… laws were breached, there was no procurement, we got the worse possible deal,” he said describ-

ing the rates imposed by the M&CC as “impossible”. “…it stinks let’s go back to the drawing board and have a proper tender for the system,” Barclay demanded. A Regent Street businessman said his business is affected by the parking meters and noted that he has seen a decline in the number of customers visiting his business. “I think that Guyanese have been short-changed in this deal; besides the fact that the contract was done in secret and is giving away all the rights of citizens of Georgetown and its environs, I also think we may not even be ready for parking meters at this time.” Another anti-parking meter protestor described the deal as “dirty” while noting that it is critical that the parking meters contract be scrapped altogether. “The people of Georgetown deserve better! We demand better. We voted for change and it is time that we experience that change. We need this contract to be scrapped; we don’t want re-

Ramotar responds to Minister Bulkan

Dear Editor,

I have noted the letter by Mr. Bulkan, Minister of Communities, in which he accused me of making baseless statement in relation the government’s payment to BK International of more than one billion dollars on a mere letter threatening litigation. Let me say that my statement was based on an article in the “Kaieteur News” of August 23, 2016. The headline read “Government pays BK US$5.7M on a simple threat” contained therein is the admission of Mr. Bulkan. Mr Bulkan never asked the “Kaieteur News” to apologise or to retract its story. Having not done so, I assumed that that report is accurate. Since Mr. Bulkan raised the matter I spoke to the editor of the Kaieteur News and he assured me that that newspaper was sticking by its story as being correct. It is, therefore, clear that it is the Minister who is uttering untruths in denying what he said. Mr. Bulkan went on to point out what was the basis for the huge payment

to BK International. That is not the issue at hand. While in government I was aware of those figures. The issue is BK International that violated the agreement several times. The PPP/C government felt that it was BK International that was liable and should pay the government instead. We were ready to fight this in the Courts. It was this APNU regime that quickly rolled over and gave BK International a huge payment. Many people are very suspicious of this, as well as many other cases, that are being settled by this regime. Mr. Bulkan took the opportunity to castigate me about Guysuco difficulties. Here again, he is displaying a huge gap in his knowledge of what is happening at Guysuco, or if he knows, he has once more chosen to be dishonest. I mentioned before that Guysuco’s problems began when the price of sugar received from the EU fell by 36% in 2010. The PPP/C government was investing in the industry to deal with the new reality. Our plan was

working as could be seen in the 2015 results. Had the PPP/C not been cheated out of office, Wales would not have been closed and Rose Hall would not be threatened with closure. The industry has huge potentials in value added products. This regime refuses to go in that direction and is closing the industry instead. This is a decision that will haunt this country in the future. Mr. Bulkan should be one of the last persons to speak or refer to anyone’s ability to manage. After all, his family business ran into bankruptcy. His pique with the PPP/C administration was because the government did not accede to their request for a bail out of some three hundred million dollars. The PPP/C government felt it could not use taxpayers’ money in that fashion. Technically, since he declared bankruptcy he should not be a Minister of any government. Donald Ramotar Former President

An overhead shot of protestors who are calling for the scrapping of the parking meters contract between the M&CC and SCS (Amanda Richards photo)

duced rates or a renegotiation.” A businessman who requested anonymity said he does not believe Guyana is ready for the implementation of parking meters. He said the country needs to develop the better infrastructure before parking meters are implemented. “People can ill afford to pay so much money…in fact people can ill afford to take

care of their families and this is an added burden on them. Many people can barely pay an instalment for their cars much less pay to park the cars,” the man stated. On Tuesday several business owners met with officials from the M&CC and SCS to discuss the parking meter project and it was at that meeting that Director of Business, Amir Oren, told

the business persons that the entity is examining several ways in which to amend the project. He said SCS does not intend to make it difficult for businesses here, he said the company can propose a 50 per cent reduction on the new rates for business owners who wish to park all day while the normal rate will apply for vehicles parked for short periods.

Time for action

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

–– PM Skerrit calls for speedy disbursement of climate funds

By Ariana Gordon PRIME Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, on Thursday called for the speedy disbursement of funds under the Green Climate Fund as many countries within CARICOM are feeling the harsh effects of climate change. In his address at the opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held in Georgetown, Guyana, Prime Minister Skerrit said the increasing intensity and frequency of climatic events have forced the Region to face the reality of climate change. The Green Climate Fund was established with a mission to advance the goal of keeping the temperature increase on the planet below 2 degrees Celsius and serves as a unique global initiative to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. Skerrit noted that there is hardly a state within the Bloc that can state unequivocally that it has been untouched by the effects of the global phenomenon and as a result, there is a great need for the implementation of the many measures contained in the Paris Agreement. “Of particular importance to us is the Green Climate Fund which has been established to assist in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. It is critical that there must be relatively quick access to this Fund by

those it is intended to assist. As laudable as it is, it will be of minimal impact, if disbursement is as sluggish as has been the experience with other institutions and agencies,” said the Dominican Prime Minister. The Prime Minister noted the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew that has destroyed the sister territory of Haiti leaving 500 dead along with 1.5M people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance including 120,000 families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged. “Further, the worst of the devastation occurred in the agricultural belt which affected the food supply of the country,” he said. Similarly, Prime Minister Skerrit noted that the Bahamas also suffered extensive loss as a result of the hurricane. “Agriculture and fishing were also badly affected in the Bahamas along with homes and infrastructure on the three islands which were hardest hit. The damage was estimated at more than $500 million (US) dollars. It is my hope that the recovery process is well underway to reconstructing the lives and livelihoods of all those affected. The Community demonstrated once again the depth of its togetherness when our people rallied to assist the affected countries.” He praised the work of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) which he said provided exceptional service in light of the disaster by providing relief and techni-

Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit cal support to the affected territories. Meanwhile, the Dominican Prime Minister reminded delegates of the two-day meeting last July. He urged the group to use its powers to work towards the speedy and effective implementation of matters agreed upon but not effected. “Today many of these matters are still pending, as they languish in our Ministerial Councils, Committees, Commissions and Working Groups. Whether this is due to them being inquorate or Member States asking for time to consult, or even officials not being adequately prepared, the effect is the same – a hindrance to progress.” Speaking of the much talked about Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), Prime Minister Skerrit said the 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting will serve to provide an update on the status of CSME and noted

that it will be of no surprise if additional evidence suggests that there is need for a greater effort by all to complete the tasks set by the Heads of Government. “Of particular concern is the inability of the Legal Affairs Committee comprising our Attorneys-General to come together to deal with critical Agreements with respect to both the CSME and Regional Security. I am also concerned that our Council for Finance and Planning has not been able to meet for a considerable period of time. We can and must do better,” he stated. Skerrit praised Prime Minister Keith Mitchel of Grenada and all ministers with responsibility for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for accepting the responsibility for considering the ICT roadmap and make recommendations to the Conference on the subject. Those recommendations will be the subject of deliberation during the two-day meeting. He also said that as Heads of Government there is a responsibility to ensure that those tasked with fulfilling mandates participate fully in the relevant discussions. “We are dealing with matters that strike at the heart of both the concerns of our Community and the strengthening of our integration movement. Indeed these matters are also of great significance to all our countries domestically.” As an example, Prime Minister Skerrit said the regional security architecture is not only of importance

Parking meter hits snag … court orders M&CC to show cause why deal should not be quashed

THE High Court yesterday ordered that citizens be exempted from paying fees for parking in the city and from being subject to the resulting penalties until the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) can show cause why their decision to implement parking meters

should not be quashed. A court action was on Thursday filed by Lawyer Kamal Ramkarran on behalf of citizen Mohendra Arjune. Chief Justice (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards, subsequently granted an Order nisi of certiorari to quash the decision of the M&CC to

implement the new parking system unless it can show cause why its decision should be maintained. The Court Order is also preventing Town Clerk Royston King from signing and operationalising contracts with Smart City Solutions (SCS) Inc., the

company that was granted the concession to implement the new parking system in the city, until the M&CC can show cause against the quashing of the decision. The matter will be called again on February 27, before Justice Brassington Reynolds.

to individual countries but to the region as a whole as there is need for institutional arrangements to combat the scourge of crime that affects all territories. “Cross border crime is a serious concern within our Community. We need the legal instruments to combat it in our countries as well as regionally. This is a time for action. We cannot afford the luxury of procrastination,” he emphasised. The Dominican leader said too that the increasing tide of nationalism globally which is supported by populist movements threatens the multi-lateral system more than ever and does not auger well for small states. Additionally, the “concentrated attacks” on regional economies whether through the withdrawal of correspondent banking services, which lists the region’s countries as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions or “denigrating our citizenship by investment programmes, confirm that we are operating in an increasingly hostile international environment.” This he said coupled with the fact that “most of us have been graduated out of receiving concessional development financing” though there has been some progress in mitigating the impact of that mechanism. He stressed the importance of working together to combat the varying challenges that face the region and called on all players to act vigorously in the interest of the region and the integration movement.

“Mr. Chairman, we must acknowledge that we stand a better chance of combatting and surviving the challenges, if we work closely together. This is why; therefore, we must take the necessary action to pursue vigorously those issues that would advance our integration movement. It is in our individual interest to act collectively. The helping hand and solidarity which we so willingly share in adversity must in the same spirit be extended to all other aspects of our integration.” He said it is important that the Bloc prepares itself to confront what he described as “this era of uncertainty in global affairs” with creativity and flexibility built solidly on integration, economic cooperation, human and social development, security cooperation and foreign policy coordination. “To do less would be to deny the people of our Community the opportunity of living in a viable, prosperous and safe society.” That aside, Prime Minister Skerrit expressed gratitude for the words of encouragement offered by regional leaders during and following the recent social unrests which occurred in Dominica. He informed the gathering of regional heads that the situation is under control and said, “I expect that a thorough investigation will be carried out into those disturbances, with a view to bringing the perpetrators of any and all unlawful behavior, to justice.”

Meanwhile, Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, on Monday announced that City Hall was planning to officially announce today (Friday) that rates for the use of the parking meters have been cut in half. This means that citizens would now be required to pay $100 plus VAT per hour. But this development did not go down well with members belonging to the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) who have since expressed that a mere reduction in the cost to park will not suffice to solve the issues that have arisen. “We’re not accepting a reduction. What we want to

see is the feasibility study, the impact study, the due diligence of SCS and the evidence of the tender process that was done to select SCS. If they can’t produce these things, then we’re asking that the contract be revoked,” Member Marcel Gaskin had told this newspaper, adding that the issue is not just about fees alone, but deals with transparency and accountability as well. The Movement continued with its protest in front of City Hall yesterday and the mayor has been invited to answer questions from the public at St. Stanislaus College tomorrow (Saturday) at 3 pm.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

CARICOM First Ladies meet with Sophia teen mothers – encourage them to continue their education

TEENAGED mothers of the Sophia community were elated as First Lady Sandra Granger, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) First Ladies and other dignitaries on Thursday visited the Sophia Health Centre which was the first to implement the Adolescent Antenatal Support Group initiative. Mrs. Granger was accompanied by Belizean First Lady, Kim Simplis-Barrow, Trinidad and Tobago First Lady, Reema Carmona, Haitian First Lady, Martine Moise, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, Director of Regional Health Services Dr. Kay Shako and Representative of Gilead Sciences Incorporated, Dr. Donna Christensen. Mrs. Granger told the young ladies in attendance that all the CARICOM First Ladies have the common interest of empowering young mothers. “We do share a common humanity, the fact that we are here, these First Ladies are interested to know what is going on here in Sophia with you, and the progress that you are making; it should tell you how import-

ant we believe you are to the development of our country and how important you are as people.”

sised to the mothers that they should not consider repeat pregnancies in this stage of their life, but rather focus on

fied to some of the benefits that are enjoyed being part of this support group. Deanna Andrews, Stacy Ann George

Seated from Left to Right: Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karen Boyle, Gilead Sciences Incorporated’s Dr. Donna Christensen, First Lady of Guyana, Mrs. Sandra Granger, First Lady of Belize, Kim Simplis -Barrow, First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago, Reema Carmona, Haitian First Lady, Martine Moise, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, and Director of Regional Health Services Dr. Kay Shako with pregnant mothers who are a part of the Adolescent Antenatal Support Group in Sophia Mrs. Granger added that the support group, in which she has vested interest, prepares teenaged mothers to be strong and empowered individuals. She also empha-

being educated. Dr. Krystle Fraser of the Sophia Health Centre explained that the Ministry of Public Heath recognised the need to establish such a sup-

City Council blanks invitation to town hall meeting on parking meter NEITHER City Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, nor any other official from the City Council would attend Saturday’s Town Hall meeting being held to discuss the parking meter controversy. In a statement City Hall said it has noticed that, the Movement Against Parking Meters has organised a meeting for Saturday, February 18, 2017, to which they have announced the attendance of Mayor Chase-Green. According to the Council when the idea of a “Town Hall” meeting was first floated, the Mayor had issued a public invitation to the group –

port group at the centre. The support group offers psychosocial and social support to teenaged mothers however,

MAPM, to a meeting at City Hall, to sit down and discuss the initiative of parking meters. However, the group did not reply. City Hall observed that the group’s members have now organised a meeting with a fixed agenda and have gone ahead to announce that the Mayor, as well as other officials would attend. “This action on the part of the MAPM is very impolite and discourteous to the Office of the Mayor and, in fact, the Council,” the statement from City Hall read. Further, the Council said it is very surprised that some of the very individuals, who continue to be extremely

abusive to the Mayor and Town Clerk, particularly on social media, believe that they can invite the Mayor to a meeting at a time and place of their choosing and convenience. “It seems obvious to the Council that this meeting is no more than a setting for propaganda and more abuse. The Mayor’s Office has been in existence for more than one hundred years. It is governed by certain protocols and norms. The group – MAPM – did not observe those protocols. As a result, neither Her Worship nor any official from the City Council would attend that meeting.

the initiative is not to support teenage pregnancy, but assist the mothers who might not be in a financial position to take care of their needs. Expectant mothers testi-

and Natania Boucher all said that the support group has motivated them to build their self – esteem, prepare for motherhood and encourage them to further their sec-

ondary and even tertiary education. The Ministry of Public Health’s Adolescent Health Department in partnership with the Ministry of Education launched the Adolescent Antenatal Support group in 2016. Such groups are linked to family clinics where mothers are placed on a contraceptive. The CARICOM First Ladies, as well as the minister, spent time with some of the mothers interacting, and listened to facilitators of the support group and their experiences working with the girls thus far. Mrs Granger pointed out that the Ministry of Public Health will roll-out more projects like these in aid of reaching more young women across the country. The Ministry of Education’s School Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS department and the School’s welfare department also work along with the Ministry of Public Health on the school re-integration programme, since most of the girls are currently school drop outs as a result of their pregnancy. (GINA)

NIRVANA Humanitarian Society donates to heart surgery patient

NIRVANA Humanitarian Society (NHS) of Kastev, Meten-Meer-Zorg East, WCD, in association with Nirvana Humanitarian Foundation (NHF) of New York, presented $80,000 to Ms. Bibi Zulaika Khan of Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, who is seeking assistance to undergo critically-needed heart surgery in Guyana. Nirvana Humanitarian Society (NHS) is wellknown for its continued benevolence to the Guyanese community since 1997.

Hymwant Deepan (left) flanked by other executive members of Nirvana Humanitarian Society presenting the sum of GYD $80,000 to Ms. Bibi Zulaika Khan (right) to assist with her medical expenses for a critical heart surgery to be performed in Guyana in February/March 2017

No de-risking of late

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

… but Caricom deploying lobbyist to halt withdrawal of correspondent banking

By Svetlana Marshall THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will be contracting a lobbyist to help make its case against the withdrawal of correspondent banking services within the region even though leaders have acknowledged that there is a virtual stay on the implementation in recent times. The decision was arrived at on Thursday during CARICOM’s 28th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government at the Guyana Marriott. CARICOM has long argued that the threat by banks in developed countries to withdraw correspon-

dent banking services would exclude the Region from the global finance and trading system with grave consequences for maintenance of financial stability, economic growth, remittance flows and poverty alleviation. Correspondent banking with global banks allows smaller banks access to the international payments system, facilitating money transfers through transactions such as wire transfers, check clearing, and currency exchange. Without these banking relationships, businesses are cut off from international trade and financing, families are unable to collect remittances from relatives working abroad, and foreign

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, speaking to reporters on the withdrawal of Correspondent Banking Services in the Region, and decision to contract a lobbyist investors may be unwilling to invest, if there is a risk they will be unable to repatriate their profits. The threat to Caribbean economies from large-scale withdrawal of correspondent banks was high on the agenda of policymakers attending the 2016 High Level Caribbean Forum in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on November 2, 2016. “The withdrawal of correspondent banking relationships presents a clear and present danger to the Caribbean,” declared IMF Deputy Managing Director, Tao Zhang, in opening remarks at the forum, which was co-hosted by the IMF and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. A survey conducted by the Caribbean Association of Banks last year had showed banks in 12 countries in the region had experienced loss of correspondent banking, among them The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and countries in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. LOBBYIST On the sidelines of the high-level regional meeting, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, in his capacity as Chair of the Committee on Correspondent Bank-

ing, told reporters that the lobbyist will assist in managing the existential threat currently facing the region. He said in arriving at the decision to employ the services of the lobbyist, the Heads of Government would have first reflected on the progress made over the last year. A presentation was also made by the Governors of the Central Bank Committee. The Region, Prime Minister Brown said, has managed to gain the attention of a number of multilateral financial institutions, such as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), through its active advocacy initiative to bring awareness on the issue of de-risking. De-risking is the decision taken by financial institutions to exit relationships with and closing the accounts of clients considered “high risk.” “Our advocacy would have helped to bring the issues, the consequences, potential, intended and unintended consequences to a number of stakeholders globally. Even within the US, the Office of the Comptroller would have issued certain guidelines for Corresponding Banks to deal with the issue of de-risking and to avert the type of willy-nilly de-risking that we would have seen in the past,” Prime Minister Browne pointed out. He noted, however, that there is an apparent “stay” on the decision to further de-risk. “There is no formal agreement to that effect but in terms of the actions, since they would have given notice to certain institutions to de-risk, we have not seen or heard of any such notice for further de-risking, so it would appear as though there is a stay,” the Antiguan Prime Minister explained. According to him, if the process of de-risking domestic banks continues, the consequences can be severe. “If this process continues then we may end up with

the cartel of foreign banks literally operating within the region and you know the consequences of that…You saw the situation with Royal Bank of Canada in which they increased their fees. They have no sympathy for our people, and as far as I am concerned their motive is profit-based, and they are not concerned about the reasonableness of the fees,” he pointed out. Prime Minister Browne emphasised that if the trend continues the social and economic fabric of the region would be severely affected, explaining that if the region becomes “totally de-risked,” CARICOM nations will not be able to conduct simple financial transactions, plunging the entire region into poverty. “This is an issue we must fight,” he emphasised. However, he said there is hope that the issue will be resolved eventually. “Well, I think ultimately it will, because you see correspondent banking is a global public good, it is just like providing water, Internet services, electricity; if you do not have correspondent banking then clearly we will end in a situation which we cannot even buy basic goods such as medicine, food, etc..” It was further pointed out that many of the countries in CARICOM import food, with many of them depending heavily on the US currency. “Sixteen per cent of our receipts and payments are in US Dollars, so it is a very significant service that is required to ensure the continued development of the region, and I am pretty sure that at some point it will (be) resolved,” Prime Minister Browne said. For its part, CARICOM has been making significant strides in meeting the requirements of the international standards that have been set by the Financial Action Task Force and the Global form of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

60 duplexes for Linden

THE Ministry of Communities will be commencing the construction of approximately 60 duplex apartments in the mining town of Linden. The construction which would commence by April will see the provision of apartments going to 120 applicants who have reached the age of 21. According to Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Patterson, priority will be given to state employees, young professionals and middle income earners. The price has not yet

been set but the minister revealed that it will be around $5-7 M. The duplexes will be constructed of timber and concrete. There are three sets of duplexes to meet the needs of the various applicants. “We will be having the two flats side by side with a common wall which will be sound proof and then we will have the duplex on stilt which means that you can enclose your downstairs if you want and then the next will be top and bottom enclosed, everybody will have their own yard space so we are doing timber and we are

doing concrete in the same design,” Patterson revealed. The duplexes will be constructed in Amelia’s Ward and while the area has already been reserved, the Ministry will now be moving towards allocation since cabinet has given approval for same. An exhibition of the models of the duplexes will be held soon and the Minister said that competitive bidding will be done for contractors who have prequalified. She added that the venture will not be a profit making one for the Government but in fact, the Government will be

Suspected Sophia arsonist nabbed POLICE on Thursday afternoon apprehended a man who had allegedly set fire to a house in Sophia last month which left 10 persons homeless. The fire occurred in ‘A’ Field, Sophia on January, 7, 2017.

Victim: Yonette Roberts

The suspect, Leon Anthony Turpin, 37, called “Turpin” was caught hiding in a house in Goedverwagting Squatting area, East Coast Demerara, when police swooped down on him. The owner of the house which was burnt to the ground had expressed fear for her life after constantly receiving death threats from the suspected arsonist. Fire officials had confirmed that arson was the cause of the fire that razed the building that housed multiple apartments. Turpin is reportedly the jilted lover of the owner of the house. Yonette Robert said she has been living there for the past 15 years with her family. Roberts said too that she and Turpin had been in a relationship, but that was a

Caught: Leon Anthony Turpin long time ago. The woman said she has every reason to believe he is behind the fire, since he has been threatening, ever since they separated, to burn the house down, but she never took him seriously.

subsidising the construction of these homes. Patterson said that she along with her team were prompted to undertake this project given the demand for turnkey homes not only in Linden but countrywide which their research saw approximately 8500 individuals expressing serious interest. “We are looking at density because where you have one plot of land you can only put one house to house one family, you can use the same plot of land to put a duplex to house two families, if you have a particular area and initially

you could have only put 20 houses, you can now house 40 families instead with the duplexes. It also drives infrastructure cost down because if you put a road you can only have let’s say 10 houses on one and 10 on the other, you can now have 20 on one side and 20 on the other so it is maximum use of infrastructure cost and thirdly most persons are desirous not for house lots but for housing units, the demand to build and give them the key, people don’t want the stress of having to build,” Minister said. The construction will

occur simultaneously with the construction of roads, drainage, bridges and the provision of water and electricity. The Ministry is also collaborating with financial lending institutions to make the application process for loans easier for successful applicants. A duplex house is a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two households. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a single lot that share a common wall.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

Ifa Cush dumped by SCS

SMART City Solutions Inc has sacked Ifa Kamau Cush as a director of its board, citing statements the Guyanese native made recently on Facebook. The company, which has implemented the controversial parking meter system, said they found Cush’s

statements to be completely unacceptable and publicly condemned them as disgraceful. “Mr. Cush made these statements without any reference to, nor the authority of Smart City Solutions Inc. The Board of Directors of Smart City Solutions Inc. (SCSI) has today dismissed

Ifa Cush

Ifagbamila Kamau Cush from his position as a Director of Smart City Solutions Inc,” the company said in a statement. Last week, Cush made derogatory statements about anti-parking meter protestors on social media. On Thursday last, Cush in response to a request for a copy of the parking meters contract, said, “You’re not progressives. You are freeloaders. You lack the intestinal fortitude to control your own destiny. You all possess the mentality of slaves, indentured servants, incapable of generating wealth and building capacity.” Cush was at the forefront

of the controversial parking meters, but was subsequently placed on the back burner late last year, when a Mexican company took control of SCS. However, SCS distanced itself from the statement, saying it condemned the statement “in the strongest possible terms” and described it as an “obscene and despicable statement issued by Mr Ifa Kamau Cush.” “This statement was issued without knowledge and authority of Smart City Solutions. Mr Cush neither speaks for, nor represents Smart City Solutions,” the statement issued by SCS on Friday afternoon said. Since the implementation of parking meters at several

Crime and Security (IMPACS) to conduct due diligence on 19 applicants, who have expressed interest in becoming Citizens by Investment. The applicants, two of whom are from Yemen, are said to have dubious backgrounds. The reports of this request came hours after the Executive Director of IMPACS, Francis Forbes, told reporters that the region’s

umbrella crime and security agency has formalised the application form for applicants desirous of becoming a Citizen by Investment in the five countries that have opted to be part of the programme: Antigua, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia and Grenada. Through the programme, eligible applicants are offered full citizenship in exchange for a significant investment in a designated develop-

locations in central Georgetown, citizens and businesses have objected to its implementation, the charge and what they deem to be a shady agreement between the Georgetown City Council and SCS. But notwithstanding the protests, SCS said it recognises fully the democratic right of all persons and organisations to express their views, disagreement, as well as protests. “Smart City Solutions is entirely permitted [sic] to freedom of speech and assembly. Smart City Solutions wishes to disassociate itself completely with this disgraceful statement issued by Mr Cush,” the statement added.

IMPACS do conduct due diligence on applicants for CIP ANTIGUA has reportedly asked the CARICOM Implementing Agency for

Executive Director of IMPACS, Francis Forbes ment fund or Citizenship Programme-approved real estate. In addition to the standardised form that is now in place, Forbes noted that there is a Review Committee in operation as well. “I will say that since our participation in the process, we have managed to tighten the security that we thought was duly required. The results have been very interesting,” he told reporters on the outskirts of CARICOM’s 28TH Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government at the Guyana Marriott. IMPACS is the nerve centre of the Region’s new multilateral Crime and Security management architecture, specifically designed to administer a collective response to the Crime and Security priorities of Member States.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

Insel Air now operating charters … after GCCA suspends operations over safety concerns

By Zena Henry AFTER putting a hold on the operations of the Curacao-based airline, Insel Air following safety concerns, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has now cleared the Dutch airline to operate in Guyana with only charted planes. GCAA Head, Captain Egbert Field, told the Guyana Chronicle that the agency followed through with a letter to the Curacao government seeking an update on the status of the airline’s equipment, but no response has been received. Field had told the newspaper in an earlier report that the aviation authorities were concerned about the Curacao government having to ground 80 percent of their planes because of safety

issues. A number of other occurrences also led to the letter being sent. Field noted however that,

that is being questioned.” Field said that once the airline is using a safe charter company then the Authority

ese carrier and would have stepped in after that country also put Insel Air on hold. Surinamese authorities

“until such time (when the GCAA receives a response to their letter) we have put a hold on their equipment.” When asked about charter flights being utilised by Insel, Field said, “That is o.k., because it is their equipment

will permit that. It is understood that one of the charters currently being used by Insel Air is Fly All Ways. Fly All Ways entered the Guyanese market last year with flights to Barbados and Suriname. Fly All Ways is a Surinam-

had also warned travel agencies not to use the carrier since they were using “borrowed equipment” and more than that, they are facing heavy financial burdens. The U.S. Consulate General in Curaçao also informed U.S.

Porknocker rapes teenager in Arakaka STARING at a gun, a woman begged a man to spare her life moments before he raped her at a North West District (NWD) location. Police in “F” Division Wednesday caught the perpetrator, who eventually led them to where he stashed the gun,which he allegedly had while raping the 19 year old woman. According to reports, the teenager was raped on February, 8, 2017 and a report was subsequently made. Based on police investigations,a 24-year old Porknocker of Port Kaituma (NWD) was arrested. Police said that during questioning,the man confessed to committing the act while using a .32 pistol. Charges are expected to be instituted against the perpetrator today. In 2016, police statistics from ‘F’ division indicated that there were 23

recorded reports of statutory rape and 24 in 2015, from January to September for both years. They also had five forcible rape cases and four for 2015 for the same period. When contacted, ‘F’ Division Commander,R-

abindranauth Budhram,confirmed the rape allegation.He noted that the police have a Social Crime Prevention Programme in several areas to target early school leavers and unemployed youths who are victims.

The .32 pistol that was used during the alleged rape

citizens that it temporarily prohibited U.S. Consulate personnel from flying on Insel Air. The Consulate had adopted the policy following an internal review of safety-related considerations. It was pointed out that within six months, four Insel Air flights returned to Curaçao after take-off due to pressurization or electrical problems. It was stated that on one occasion during a flight from Curacao to Miami a precautionary landing was made due to irregularities in the cabin which caused passengers to sometimes use their oxygen masks. Another incident saw a pilot refusing to fly one of the airline’s planes from Saint Martin, claiming that the plane’s cabin was not in good condition.

Insel is said to have some 100 million euros tied up in neighbouring Venezuela, and that country is currently going through an extremely rough financial period. Checks to Insel’s local agent at Roraima Travel, Duke Lodge, proved that the airline continues its normal routes out of Guyana, but that depends on information from the airlines head office in Curacao. The agent said that Insel faced several cancellations earlier in the week and while they are booking tickets, they must first check with the head office to see if the flight would be scheduled. The agent stated that, “Insel is going through a difficult time and most of our planes have been grounded.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

New app to help students … group seeks learn CXC maths Caricom buy-in

AS THE Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders prepare to discuss, among other matters, the future of Information Communications Technology (ICT) in the region, a group of Caribbean Professionals has rolled out an application to help students learn Mathematics at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) level. Founder of AcuExam (www.cxc-exam.com), Surendra Dhanpaul said that though the app is in no

way affiliated to the Barbados-headquartered CXC, the app allows students to answer multiple choice questions in preparation for a CXC Exam and will soon offer problem-questions with answers, in keeping with the Math syllabus. The app is free to use, however, the company is accepting contributions. The yearly contributions to the app, he says, can be paid for by debit or credit cards, PayPal or by cheque. Persons can also contribute on Amazon

https://tinyurl.com/cxcamazon. The app is available on Google Play Store. For persons who are unable to download via the Play Store, they can download from www.cxc-exam.com/cxc.apk Dhanpaul hopes that the Caribbean can take the production of apps more seriously, calling it “the new cottage industry,” having the potential to earn the region significant foreign exchange. “Apps and building apps is somewhat of a new export product. Wherever it is that

you are sitting, you can have an idea for an app, you can build your apps where people in other parts of the world such as North America and Europe can purchase it or earn revenue from ads,” he said. Pointing to a University of the West Indies (UWI) study that highlights the importance of technological mobility in teaching-learning, Dhanpaul reiterated the importance of Mathematics, but figures show a declining performance in recent years. “Mathematics is a subject that every single student must take and there is a consensus within the Caribbean that students are finding it increasingly difficult to grasp concepts in Mathematics and being able to pass the exams with high rates,” he said. Regional leaders are expected to approve the Draft Road Map for Caricom’s Single ICT Space when they hold their mid-term summit in Guyana on February 16 and 17. Sources said the Road Map would pave the way for

the formulation of a Work Plan that would embrace app developers and jump-start much needed interest among political directorates across the Caribbean. “I am not sure that the applications economy is really in the minds of Heads of Government yet so that they understand the benefit and the role of those important people,” said another well-respected official in Guyana’s ICT sector. The Founder of CXC-Exam.com called on teachers and students to leverage mobile technology such as computers, smart-phones and tablets as effective mathematical teaching-learning tools. “Use your smart-phones smarter. Download educational apps such as this one. The Smart-phone is only as smart as the user and it is the future of learning, it is the future of taking exams and it is the future of a lot of things,” said Dhanpaul. He assured that the randomised Math questions and answers currently total 3,000. The

Surendra Dhanpaul Founder of AcuExam (www.cxc-exam.com) special system has the capacity to generate thousands more accurately and following the CXC’s syllabus, as well as the related profiles of knowledge, application and interpretation. The team includes a Grenada-based Standards Consultant who has reviewed the questions and ensured they are on par with CXC standards.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

Some 800 fire hydrants … but many in Georgetown inoperable FIRE hydrants will be placed within the fifteen wards of Georgetown and members of the communities will be responsible for protecting them from vandals, chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles has said. He made the comments during a news conference at GWI’s boardroom, Vlissengen Road, Bel Air Park, Georgetown on Thursday. The Guyana Fire Service and GWI will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to move forward with the initiative. Van-West Charles said the hydrants must be protected from vagrants who damage them to retrieve and sell the copper. “The people in the communities must also assist in the protection of the hydrants…We understand the importance of the fire ser-

vice having access to water to perform their role, not singularly from open trenches but hydrants,” he said. Mr Van-West Charles said that over the years there has been negligence in the maintenance of fire hydrants,particularly in Georgetown. He said GWI has completed the rehabilitation of over 400 hydrants. “As we go through the city, we are discovering more and more hydrants;there is probably an estimated 800 hydrants in the city, and we are gradually discovering where they are for the purpose of rehabilitation,” he said. The GWI boss said that throughout the country where there are fire stations,GWI will address services as adaptations are being made to provide engines with the required water supply. He said the company will have to work

with the Housing Ministry to address the need for hydrants in new communities that emerge, while ensuring water is available for fire tenders. Meanwhile, GWI Divisional Manager, Curtis Niles, said fire hydrants will be placed in front of all of GWI’s production centres and wells in the event that there are fires in the respective areas. “In central Georgetown,we have been able to rehabilitate hydrants on Church Street, Lamaha, Vlissengen Road, Hadfield Street, Water Street; we are going a little more south to have the hydrants into Turkeyen. We will also have to work with government and other agencies in equipping various areas with fire hydrants,” Nile said. Recently, the fire service has had to battle several fires without the use of any

Divisional Manager, Curtis Niles and GWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles,speaking about the rehabilitation of fire hydrants fire hydrants, turning their attention rather to sourcing water from trenches. “We have seven buildings being severely damaged this year, as against six buildings last

year (corresponding period), and nine buildings slightly damaged, against eight buildings. In other words, 39 buildings were involved in

fires this year, and 32 were involved last year (corresponding period), just a slight increase of seven buildings,” the Fire Chief pointed out.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

80 years each for Cornbread murder … trio found guilty sentenced By Clestine Juan

THREE men were Wednesday evening sentenced to 80 years imprisonment each for the 2012 murder of gold miner, Glen Xavier after a mixed 12-member jury deliberated for hours, before delivering a unanimous guilty verdict. Fizal Moore called “Hard Mouth’; Stephan Campbell, called “Burn-

ham”; and Roy Yokum called “Ray Ray” were convicted for murdering Xavier at Cornbread Minimart, D’ Urban Street, Werk-enRust. Xavier is said to have been killed in the furtherance of a robbery on May 8, 2012. He died as a result of gunshot injuries. As a result of the guilty verdict, Justice Navindra Singh imposed an 80-years sentence to the trio when their three-week-long tri-

al before him at the High Court in Georgetown came of an end. State Prosecutors Siand Dhurjon and Tuanna Hardy had called several witnesses during the trial to prove their case. Yokum was represented by George Thomas and Peter Hugh, while Campbell’s attorney was Maxwell McKay and Moore’s counsel was Trenton Lake. On Monday the prose-

Fizal Moore called “Hard Mouth’’

Stephan Campbell, called “Burnham”

Roy Yokum called “Ray Ray”

cution had closed its case, making way for the three men to lead their defence. All three accused elected to give unsworn statements. They each stood individually in the prisoner’s dock and gave their versions of the story, essentially claiming that they were innocent of the murder. The men contended that officers attached to the Major Crimes Unit of the Guyana Police Force had beaten them into signing caution statements, confessing to their involvement in Xavier’s murder when they were arrested on May 18, 2012 and taken to Police Headquarters in Eve Leary. The trio also denied knowing each other before and pointed out in court that it was only after being charged with murder and imprisoned that they got acquainted with each other. Last week, Police Detective, Rodwell Sarrabo testified that Campbell, called “Burnham”, had supplied investigators with a caution statement in which he told them that he had been on a robbery with his partners, but he never shot anyone. According to the statement, Campbell told detectives of a robbery plot. In the statement, Campbell noted that he and his friends had travelled on motorcycles to commit the act. He said during the process of the robbery, ‘Hard Mouth’ (Fizal Moore) whipped out a gun and shot the man (Xavier). “I didn’t kill da man, me and ‘Hard Mouth’ go pun the wuk…I didn’t know that ‘Hard Mouth’ woulda shoot the man.” The accused also told police that ‘Hard Mouth’ got $90,000 and a cell phone from the robbery, but didn’t give him any of the loot. Detective Sarrabo had also testified on the caution statement he had taken from Yokum. According to the Caution Statement (CS), which was admitted into evidence, the accused said that he did not kill Xavier but only “link up de wuk”. The court had heard

from the statement of Yokum saying that his friend “X” had told him of the two men he wanted to rob but he in turn informed “X” “ I don’t do crime right now.” According to the statement, Yokum contacted “Hardmouth” and informed him about “de wuk” after which “Hardmouth” and “Burnham” left to execute the robbery. Another police witness, , Detective Rodrick Melville had testified that Fizal Moore called ‘Hard Mouth,’ or ‘Winston Bostwick,’ had revealed to police investigators that there was a plot to rob gold miner Glen Xavier. According to the Caution Statement (CS), which was admitted into evidence, the accused said that he was in Albouystown when he received a telephone call from his friend “Ray Ray.” He said that “Ray Ray” told him about two men who had “a whole set of money” at a shop and he wanted help to go and rob them. He said that he met “Ray Ray” in D’Urban Street, where they joined “Burnham” and another man nicknamed “X”. Together, the accused told the police, he and his crew went down to the shop and proceeded to rob the men at the shop. But the accused said before they left the shop,” Burnham shoot up the shop wid the gun that he had to do the work.” On the day in question, Glen Xavier and Orin John were having ‘drinks’ at the popular bar when two men arrived on CG motorcycles and pointed a gun at them, while demanding that they hand over their money. Both Xavier and John were relieved of their cash and jewels then shot. The robbers then escaped on their motor cycles. Xavier, 32, of Harlem, West Coast Demerara, died from shock and hemorrhage due to gunshot injuries to the abdomen, while his friend John, 48, of St. Cuthbert’s Mission was shot to the shoulder, but survived his injuries after being hospitalised.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

Opening scenes at Caricom Summit

(Photos by MOTP and Guyana Chronicleâ€™s Adrian Narine and Delano Williams)

The opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at the Marriott Hotel on Thursday.

President David Granger in discussion with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne and Secretary General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Rowley is heading that countryâ€™s delegation at the Inter-Sessional Meeting.

A light moment before the commencement of the opening ceremony at the Marriott Hotel. From left: Prime Minister of Barbados The Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart, CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Prime Minister of Dominica, Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and President David Granger.

Chairman of CARICOM, President David Granger delivering his address at the opening of the Twenty-Eighth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge in discussion during the Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Revolutionising the fashion industry …bringing the runway to the people By Jasmaine Payne Picture this: you wake on Saturday morning and set out to your usual errands down town, only to be accosted by the astounding sight of three women, dressed head to toe in high fashion, strutting down the street as though it were any other day. In tow, is a team of artists, led by designer Mwanza Glenn, whose work is on display, along with photographer Brian Gomes, makeup artist Mark Junor and a couple of dedicated

volunteers who play an invaluable role to the project. They walk four corners, along Regent Street, past scores of stunned faces and shock-filled comments, before coming to a halt at Camp and Regent Streets. Fully prepared and camera set, they wait for the ‘Walk’ signal, and when it comes, those crucial seconds are used for photographer, model and designer to combine by capturing the perfect shot in the very centre of the street. The finished product is a risqué display of fashion, in

an unorthodox setting, with priceless public responses, but most of all, the occurrence has since awakened the curiosity of the public and has left Mwanza Glenn’s name and work on the lips of many. It is these “pop up shoots” that Mwanza believes could hold the key to revolutionising the local fashion industry, by bringing fashion from off the runways and straight to the people. “I think this could be a brand new type of marketing or at the very least, a way of making the public aware,” Mwanza said, in an

Wanza’s designs took fashion to the streets via a “pop up shoot”

interview. “This is how you get more people to appreciate your craft, because then they get to see first-hand what we do…we decided to take the fashion to the public where they don’t have to pay to see it in an enclosed environment…so they see the creativity of the designer and the confidence of the model.” What first started out as an experiment, turned into a successful venture; Mwanza said that he deliberately chose the location for the shoot to be the busiest junction in town, where hundreds of people would be present. Him and his team then dressed the models and led them on foot from his store on Regent Street to the shoot location in a deliberate attempt to advertise his brand. “They had passers-by in the buses and people walking who all wanted to know what’s happening. They were asking all these questions. People stopped, pulled their cell phones out and started asking to take pics with models,” he said. But among all of this, Mwanza said, the people were mostly curious about whose work it was and where they could find more. “You have a public that want to be involved and want to be educated. And when you have that, it is right there you have the opportunity to give them the information, to know who is behind this …of course there were persons who were surprised by the skimpiness but some were also very impressed by quality of work,” he said.

Aliya Wong in Wanza’s Designs The shoot featured three main costumes that all bore a carnival theme, which was fitting given the approaching Mashramani season. One piece, which was modelled by Miss Guyana Talented Teen, Aliya Wong, and which she also wore during the pageant, was titled “Guyana; the Gem of the World” and depicted myriad symbols that represent

the country. “I wanted to sell Guyana as a collection of gems; as a collective product and within the product you can find inspiration from our mineral wealth, flora fauna, forests, water and so on,” he said. The second costume gained inspiration from

Turn to page 19

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Makeup tips for Mashramani

It’s Mashramani and in this time when people are experimenting more with makeup, now is the time for you to tap into this new fad to help accessorise your Mash look. Whether you choose to have your makeup done professionally or use YouTube as your inspiration to apply it yourself, here are a few tips from Guyanese makeup artist Janica Sandy, on how you can get your best look and keep it fresh all day, come February 23! Use water and sweatproof makeup. Mashramani requires hours of heavy activity in the sun, and lots of

partying at night too. Using inferior makeup could could leave your face a runny mess at the end of the celebrations. You want makeup that stays on for hours and keeps you looking fresh. Products that last are not always cheap but the investment is worth it. Invest in waterproof eyeliner and mascara to avoid running, also use waterproof lip-gloss or matte lipsticks. With makeup, it’s the eyes that steal the show. To get your best look for this carnival-inspired season, bold and bright colours around the eyes are recommended for the most vibrant looks. To make your colours

pop, try using an eyeshadow base primer. And don’t be afraid to experiment with gems, stencils, lashes and all other accessories to help complete your outfit or costume. When it comes to lashes, getting them professionally done would last longer and would also endure all the manipulation and activity that your makeup will undergo at this time of excitement. But, if you do choose to do your own lashes, strips are easier to apply than individual lashes. Need some more drama to spice up your Mashramani costume? Coloured lashes are popular for dramatic makeup for the season, es-

Revolutionising the... Mashramani and showed a bit more skin, while the third piece incorporated themes from Mwanza’s niche. “It depicted a bit of my afro centric approach to fashion. It also holds Mash costume elements, but is a bit more covered with a magnificent headpiece. I wanted something that would create a high fashion impact,” he said. Seeing the real time response from live onlookers and how well it served for Mwanza’s brand, he therefore intends to continue his “pop up shoot” idea on a monthly business while taking his designs to other popular locations. “This is another way of getting the word out and getting new clientele, so we will be visiting many more highly populated areas once a month,” he said. Most of all, however, Mwanza credits the work of the entire team, which he believes is key for producing high quality art in any form. “What artists fail to realise is that these things are never done by one man. A beautiful photo in Vogue magazine is the product of an entire team: a stylist, makeup artist hair stylist, photographer, art director. So artists coming together is important,” he said. He therefore credits the work, dedication

pecially if your outfit is a simple one, then your makeup can help by accessorizing your look with the perfect amount of drams and flair. To avoid sun burn or skin discolouration, always use a face primer or foundation with SPF to help protect your skin against the sun. This would also help to prevent the tan circles you may see when you remove your gems. To keep a fresh look all day avoid caking on foundation or reapplying powder on your sweaty face. Instead use a layering technique with your powder and some fix-it spray to keep your look fresh all day long.

From Page 18

and combined vision of Brian Gomes as well as the effort of the Makeup artist, Mark Junor and the models Joy Alabi, Onesha Hutson and Aliya Wong for all helping to create a superb finished product. He added that he looks forward to many more collaborative projects. “To create that perfect look you need people, so any project that you want to be successful must be a partnership and so the collaborative effort of artists is crucial,” he said. Mwanza is now also working on expanding his brand Wanza’s Designs beyond Guyana’s shores. He noted that it is difficult for local designers to have their work marketed but he is certainly willing to put in the work. “We can’t reach our highest potential if the public doesn’t appreciate it. To appreciate they must know about it. So that is on my agenda for this year. That is the plan for the brand. I have die hard clientele but you want clientele who don’t know,” he said. And so, with his newest pop up shoot venture and his plan to take his brand to higher heights, Mwanza hopes that within five years his brand will be a well-known one in the Caribbean and beyond.

Righteous Invasion of Truth launches “Love over Violence” concert

The Gospel Fest Team, Righteous Invasion of Truth International, in collaboration with several of the sponsors at the iRide offices on Wellington Streets, yesterday officially launched their “Love Over Violence!” concert which will be held Mash night, February 23, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The concert will be headlined by international gospel artist, Papa San, backed by an impressive lineup of local singers including Marlin Music Awards nominee, Samuel Medas, Shawn English, Seon Fraser, Glenn Tucker, and Jason Beaton, among others. English and Tucker were present at yesterday’s launch to give a vocal snippet of what they will be showcasing come next week Thursday. The concert is a continuation of the “Righteous Invasion of Truth: Way Up” concert that the organisers held last year November, and feature DJ Nicholas out of Jamaica, and Positive from Trinidad. That concert focused on reaching out to the depressed and persons who were possibly contemplating suicide, with a positive message to “Say No to Suicide and Say Yes To Life”. This time around, the concert will be focusing on gender based violence, hopeful that the message to stand up against the issue will be able to touch someone in the crowd and perhaps even save a life. Chief organiser of the event is well known Pastor, Kwame Wilson of the Kaneville Full Gospel Fellowship, who spoke of how heartened organisers were at how big the last concert was and the lives it touched. “We had the first production, it was really awesome, just over 2,000 persons were there and many lives were transformed and many began to recognise the importance of living. This year we sensed God saying to go out into the community more,” Wilson said. Wilson says the church has a major role to play in helping to eradicate gender based violence, and this concert is just part of the package of plans that he hopes to collaborate with others, and put forth. He hopes to target not only those abused, but believes that targeting the abusers also needs to be a part of the solution to the problem. “We are creating an environment in which the abused and the abusers can come forth,” The youth pastor said. Represenatives from Help and Shelter and Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) are also expected to take part in the upcoming concert. Next Wednesday, there is also expected to be a music workshop and meet and greet with Papa San, himself. This event will be hosted by Music Unlimited and held at the National Music School.The concert is being backed by a host of sponsors which include iRide, Ansa McAl, Eastern Airlines.

Pastor Kwame Wilson (right) with singer Sean English (third from left) and a few of the representatives from the sponsors

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

This is the final weekend before the Mashramani activities officially culminate with the float parade on Thursday, and there sure is a lot of Mash themed activities and events to go around all weekend long! Today The Senior Calypso Finals is it tonight! Tonight at the Demerara Park (Banks DIH Parking Lot, Opposite Thirst Park) see defending champion Lester ‘De Professor’ Charles take on the 10 other finalists including Junior Calypso winner T’Shanna Cort! Competition starts off at 20:00hrs. The Garage Drive In Bar and Grill presents “Ignition” outdoor rave! Raving the right way, so let loose and RAVE. Special performances by top EDM DJs like Esan Benzy and Fire Feelinz. Tickets are $1,000, but it’s $2,000 at the Gate! Best ravers to receive prizes. 704 and Pulse Entertainment presents “Dreamers Paradise”. Enjoy an interesting mix of EDM, Dancehall and Soca music as 704 is transformed into a dreamland! There will be several DJs including Guyana’s own soca monarch champion Jumo! Team Tronixx will be kickstarting their Mashramani season with a party called “Rock and Come In” at Bunker 81 (formerly Club Latino)! Come party to all your favorite soca from old to new with music by Mix master Tony! Enjoy free Jell-O shots for the first 50 persons and surprise giveaways for ladies and the largest groups! Doors open from 20:00hrs. Tomorrow The Chutney Finals is on at Canje Community Centre Ground, Berbice! Starting from 20:00hrs!

The Steelband Competition (Minor Category) will play out at the Theatre Guild!

If there’s one thing we’ve come to love about Mash is the many Jouvert parties! Ministry of Sounds wants to go all the way with “Full Extreme Jouvert” at Palm Court featuring an impressive and extensive line up of local and regional DJs to keep the vibes pumping! No Stush Vibes Allowed! Tickets cost $2,000! Pulse Entertainment is merging Jungle Fever and J’ouvert in one! Two parties, one night at 704’s Parking Lot! Get the jungle fever from DJ Ryan, Shizzle, Country Boy, selector Carl and two special guest DJs as you get wet and colourful! Admission: $2,000 before 22:00hrs, early bird tickets are $1,500! Party starts 18:00hrs. There’s a Corona Mash Cooler Bash on at the YMCA from 16:00hrs! Enjoy Corona Specials all night! the cooler fete will be epic and will allow patrons to feel the wonders of having their own bar right at their feet while the musical stylings of Guyana’s best DJs play the best in Soca. Club Privilege and Boss Lady Fridays bring to you, the sexiest and hottest party to kick off the Mash celebrations, presenting “Wet Dreams” featuring Jamaican artiste Vanessa Bling aka Gaza Slim! It’s going down at the Tower Suits Poolside! Also on deck will by DJ Garwin, Gully Ras, DJ Energy, and DJ Akelo HotspotGY presents it’s charity event “Cabana Cocktail” at 704 Sky Lounge! Event starts at 16:00hrs, and this year proceeds will benefit their soon to be launched Maternal Health project. Tickets cost $2,000, which entitles you to one free cocktail and one free shooter! Did someone say Curry Fest? Food for the Poor presents Curry Fest at the National Gynasium Tarmac. A wide selection of curry will be available, ranging from seafood, wild meat chicken, duck and mutton served with roti, rice or puri! Music will be supplied by Legend’s Family Sound and Stitchy Vibes Machine! Event begins at 12:00hrs! Sunday The Miss Mash Pageant has returned! And it’s happening at the National Cultural Centre where six young ladies are vying for the spot to be the Miss Mashramani Queen. The Stage Five Road map makes a stop at the Seawalls tonight with the Stag Tent! The Mash Steelband Competition concludes at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

The constant guarding of the flock THE destruction of a human being, especially a young person, through posting the most degrading and, for that age, forbidden sexual indulgence on social media should merit severe punishment for the architects. This is not the normal prank, but the work of a group, or single perpetrator, in the arrogant confidence that they will be protected. Or, worse yet, their own self-esteem torn to shreds, possibly males unsure of their own gender loyalty, or females raised as Liliths, the type that the ‘Hip Hop’ culture refers to as ‘Bitch’ [not my invention]. We need a ‘Boot Camp’ for those who posted that video of that student [and others] in a compromising sexual act on Facebook. I’m no saint or hypocrite. From around 15 years old, I was like most males: Always in love, and became a father early, though completely unprepared for the consequences. But our private business was always that: Private. This will happen again, because our society is pretentious and hypocritical, in a world that is ever evolving around us. And we continue to look at who is looking before we do the right thing, or hope that if it is ignored it will go away. Let me elaborate on what I mean. During the period of the insurrection, prompted by extrajudicial killings of 2002-6, while mothers were weeping for their missing sons, some well-to-do ladies conducted a flag-waving protest of sorts, using a headscarf, to be precise. I spoke to one of its leaders; a media bosslady, encouraging her and her group to take a position

for, and against, what was obviously the truth of the matter. PEACE, NOT JUSTICE She replied that they would do no such thing; that they would just wave in protest against what was happening and not against what had caused it. This, to me, was a phenomenal society position; peace, and not justice, was the objective. I do need to emphasise by sharing two other examples. Four years ago, I bought two DVDs from a busy salesman. This is a guy I think could sell anything. The DVDs were named ‘Guyanese Girls Gone Wild’. After going through the first few minutes, I decided to talk to some people: One in law enforcement, another in education, and yet another, a female, in the media. Through my interaction with them, I would learn that we have no laws to deal with most of the destructive social impediments invading our population space; and that when they are enacted, we don’t enforce them. The media person said that it would require too many investigations, and that enough was happening with the drugs business and the PPP back then to keep her fully occupied. The ‘buddy’ in Education just didn’t know how, or what, to do about it. Another excellent example is when, in 1997, I negotiated with the UNICEF to do a comic book on AIDS. Madam Gail Texeira was Minister of Health back then, and Dr Sarah Gordon was at the now defunct GAHEF (Guyana Agency for Health Sciences Education, Environment and Food Policy). Olufemi at UNICEF was ready to run

with the project, and the relevant approvals were granted. The book was published in 1998, and an illustrated Guyanese story was supposed to be out there. More than two years later, a friend turned up at my home with four of these books, in mint condition. Apparently, he had gone to the Ministry of Education on contract business, and was left alone waiting on his rendezvous. He peeked into a room and saw these books; apparently, one pack was broken, so he picked up a few exposed books, saw the graphics, and his friend’s name on the indicia and took four copies. No one seemed to care! The books were never distributed, because somebody possibly thought that the graphics were dealing with explicit sexual content, without considering how else would one deal graphically with a sexually transmitted disease. Today, we have 7000 [recorded] Guyanese living with AIDS, possibly because of false values, which needed to be shaken into awareness. MORE TO IT Now, to the current discourse. Don’t be quick to castigate this juvenile student’s home environment; there’s much more to it than meets the eye, including illegal substances, which are like an invasive species having a field day, because our laws have not expanded to deal with new substances, and our education-information services refuse to deal with the problem aggressively. I have approached quite a few authorities on the mater, but to no avail. From marijuana, to ecstasy, to cocaine mutations, all of it is everywhere! On

Monday morning, while travelling in a car, I heard a radio host discussing youth problems with a male. Her concern struck me as being sincere. This was HJ Radio. I was later told that she was an old student of the school at reference. The irony is that not so long ago, the TV part of that group had a Jamaican artiste doing a cover tune of Peter Tosh’s ‘Legalise it’, smoking a marijuana spliff and blowing its smoke all over the advertising screen and into the pregnable minds of prime-time TV viewership, including our young. I want to go back to the recent past, August 2016, to a letter to the press by Nichole Williams; her comments were outrage at the Alkaline show.

Nichole related, “Both in the VIP section and prominently within the general section were many children at a concert at the National Park at 12:30am, with adults whom I presume were their parents and guardians.” But, what could have caused this outrage? Surely not a one-time beyond-bedtime outing to listen to a Reggae artiste? The next paragraph explained, “Then, knowing the highly x-rated, drug-related and violent content of Alkaline’s music, one then asks: Is this what we voluntarily expose our children to?” The problem is a two-decade breakdown of values, where the line betwixt logical proper, not pretentious, and the

indecent was smudged. Within this time period, a damaged generation became parents. Only laws can make distinctions and reinforce concepts about choices. The other factor is the lack of support activities in our schools. There, again, the arts beckons, as, in the absence of stimulating the imagination intellectually, the peer pressure of the negative is always inviting. Let’s see ourselves in this episode, featuring another school. We then do nothing, and brace ourselves for the next; as the philosopher explained, “The gates of hell are opened wide, and the descent smooth.” And this is only what the public knows.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

National Museum opens Mashramani Exhibition in Linden

WHILE Guyanese are getting into the spirit of Mashramani, the Guyana National Museum brought this spirit to Linden on Wednesday with several exhibits and artefacts depicting the history and various aspects of the Mashramani celebrations. The exhibition which will last for three weeks culminating on the March 3, had its opening ceremony at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre, which saw attendance by several students, regional officials and resi-

dents. Some of the exhibits include: the National Bird, costumes depicting the annual calypso competition along with the steel pan, musical instruments, masquerade and floats along with painting and sculptures. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Celebrating with Liberty, Dignity and Greater Unity.’ At the opening ceremony the students were reminded that Mashramani started in Linden and that being cognisant of this historical fact will motivate them to have an appreciation for

the national holiday which symbolises our nation’s liberalisation from colonial rule. Director of Culture (ag) Miss Tamika Boatswain told the audience that the Museum chose Linden to hold the exhibition this year since Linden is the place where Mashramani started. She said that the Museum chooses various regions to host the annual exhibitions, to allow persons who do not have the opportunity to journey to Georgetown to witness the annual float parade, to still enjoy a bit of Mash.

Making brief remarks was Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, who expressed appreciation to the Museum for bringing the celebrations to Linden. “Great things started in Linden and we must commend those Lindeners who started these activities which are now recognised nationally,” Holland said. He added that Mashramani is not a time to ‘whine up’ and encouraged the youths to find the true meaning of the national holiday. Similar sentiments were echoed by Regional Chairman, Renis Morian,

who expressed appreciation for the decentralization of the exhibition so that the Linden youths can use the artefacts as a road map to find the true meaning of Mashramani. The pioneers of Mashramani can be credited to the Jaycees; a social group in Linden which organised and held the first Mashramani Carnival in 1966 on Arvida Road, Mackenzie in celebration of Guyana gaining its independence. Over the years, the celebration bloomed and today Mashramani is celebrated nationally.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday February 17, 2017

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

FIFA to encourage co-hosting for 2026 World Cup DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) - The 2026 soccer World Cup could be split up between to four countries, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said yesterday, announcing the organisation would encourage applications to co-host the tournament. “We will encourage co-hosting for the World Cup because we need FIFA to show we are reasonable and we have to think about sustainability long-term,” Infantino said. “(We could) ... maybe bring together two, three, four countries who can jointly present a project with three, four, five stadiums each. We will certainly encourage it. Ideally the countries will be close to each other.” His remarks could open the way to a joint bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico, which have already said they intend to hold discussions over the possibility. At the end of last year Victor Montagliani, president of the CONCACAF federation that the three countries belong to, said he expected formal discussions to start once “all the rules and regulations” related to the bid were announced. Concern has been raised

FIFA president Gianni Infantino gestures during a media roundtable in Doha, Qatar yesterday. (REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon) about the financial burden placed on a single tournament host, and the bad publicity generated by stadiums built and then abandoned after use. The only time FIFA has pre-

viously sanctioned co-hosting was in 2002 when Japan and South Korea staged a tournament that was widely heralded as a success. The idea has taken off at the

European Championship, with Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosting in 2000, Austria and Switzerland in 2008 and Poland and Ukraine in 2012. The next tournament in 2020 has been designated as Pan-European and is due to be staged in 13 cities in 13 counties. Swedish FA chair Karl-Erik Nilsson quickly backed co-hosting for the World Cup too. “It’s a good idea, and Europe has of course previously worked in this way on the European Championships,” he said. “We are used to it and it works well, it makes it possible for more countries to arrange (tournaments), and in that way it is positive.” But there is likely to be opposition from fans’ groups, given the higher cost involved in following a team through different countries. Joint hosting could also raise security concerns. Brazil’s Maracana, which staged the last World Cup final in 2014, has become unusable in recent months, sitting with rusting gates and with a badly damaged playing area following a dispute over repair costs and redevelopment.

Afghanistan sneak D/L victory in rain-affected ODI AFGHANISTAN took a 1-0 lead in their one-day international series with Zimbabwe as a wet outfield at Harare Sports Club earned them a 12-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method. The tourists made 215 all out after winning the toss yesterday and reduced Zimbabwe to 99-4 when rain brought a halt to play in the 28th over. Following a delay, the players returned to the field with the target reduced to 207 from 46 overs, but Afghanistan’s fielders were seemingly unhappy with an area just

outside the square. The players departed once more while ground staff attempted to address the problem, but play was abandoned shortly after 17:00hrs local time with Afghanistan ahead on D/L rules, giving them the early advantage in the five-match series. Earlier in the piece, Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai had top-scored with 50 from 57 deliveries - his side’s total given a late boost by Rashid Khan striking three fours and two sixes in his 18-ball 32. Craig Ervine was 38 not

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai had top-scored with 50 from 57 deliveries

out for the hosts before the rain came, leaving Zimbabwe frustrated and hoping the outfield will improve

with the remainder of the series – which resumes on Sunday – to be held at the same venue.

Arab Emirates Racing Tips Jebel Ali 08:00 hrs Forjatt 08:30 hrs Dehbashi 09:00 hrs Intense Effort

10:40 hrs Colin’s Sister 11:15 hrs Rathlin Rose 11:45 hrs Percy Street 12:15 hrs Pete The Feat 12:45 hrs WICKED Willy

South Africa Racing Tips South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 12:30 hrs Peggy’s Dream 12:50 hrs Hands At Work 13:10 hrs Roy’s Pony 13:30 hrs Ichkeria 13:50 hrs Hyaku 14:10 hrs Rockefeller 14:30 hrs Path Of Glory 14:50 hrs Captain Of Rock Irish Racing Tips Dundalk 13:30 hrs Zippy 14:00 hrs Memorial Rose 14:30 hrs Purple Party 15:00 hrs Ligeti 15:30 hrs Sweetasever 16:00 hrs Patrick 16:30 hrs Pure Action 17:00 hrs Specific Gravity

Fakenham 09:30 hrs Lake Chapala 10:00 hrs Omessa Has 10:30 hrs Ckalco Des Loges 11:00 hrs Raktiman 11:35 hrs Petite Power 12:05 hrs Warden Hill 12:35 hrs Molly Childers

English Racing Tips Sandown 09:40 hrs Chieftain’s Choice 10:10 hrs Pougne Bobbi

Newcastle 10:20 hrs Excel Again 11:25 hrs Petite Jack 11:55 hrs Clondaw Banker 12:25 hrs Mariee 12:55 hrs Pickett’s Charge 13:25 hrs Dark Side Dream American Racing Tips Aqueduct Race 1 Citizen by Day Race 2 Hold On Momma Race 3 Storm the Shore Race 4 Bellelarama Race 5 James Lane Race 6 Da Wildcat Girl Race 7 Toga Challenger Race 8 Chief Lion

FIFA director on two-day visit FIFA Director of Member Associations & Development for Africa and the Caribbean, Véron Mosengo-Omba, arrived in Guyana yesterday as part of a two-day visit to support the work of the Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF) and to encourage the Government of Guyana (GoG) to help with the development of football. Mosengo-Omba, GFF president Wayne Forde and GFF first vice-president (Ret.) Bruce Lovell met with Minister responsible for Culture, Youth and Sport Nicolette Henry to update her on the GFF’s plans to invest in football infrastructure and youth development, including the FIFA Forward Project and the possibility of a nationwide schools’ initiative for football. “It was a very productive meeting and the minister was very attentive,” Mosengo-Omba said. “There was a lot of goodwill to work together for the youths of this country. It’s important

for us to strengthen the relationships between governments, our member associations and FIFA. Minister Henry said she was keen on the three organisations joining forces to strengthen football in the region. “Lots of the initiatives discussed here are very feasible things that we can get done,” Henry said. “It looks very promising for us and we see the opportunity to collaborate – government, FIFA and the GFF – particularly the opportunity to do the schools initiative through this stakeholder engagement.” “I’m also really excited about the football stadium at Providence, and the government would like to give as much support as it can for that initiative.” The meeting, which was held at the minister’s office on Main Street, saw Mosengo-Omba present a signed Adidas football to the minister and, in return, she presented a ‘Guyana At 50’ magazine.

Man City fined for anti-doping rule breach (REUTERS)-Manchester City have been fined 35,000 pounds and warned about their future conduct after admitting a breach of anti-doping rules, the Football Association said in a statement on Thursday. City were charged with failing to ensure their anti-doping “club whereabouts” information was accurate. No further details were given. Regulation 14 of the FA anti-doping regulations re-

quires all clubs to provide, on request, training dates, start and finish times, where training is taking place and players’ overnight addresses. “It shall also be a breach of this Regulation 14 by the club if the information contained in such reports is either initially inaccurate or has not been updated by the club as necessary to ensure it remains accurate,” the rules stipulate.

Continued from back page

SCOREBOARD PRIDE innings K. Brathwaite c Otto b Hosein 54 K. Stoute b Cornwall 21 S. Hope c Louis b Joseph 125 J. Carter c Powell b Cornwall 0 R. Chase c Hughes b Campbell 31 A. Nurse c wkp. Hamilton b Campbell 0 J. Holder not out 42 C. Brathwaite c Hosein b Peters 27 S. Dowrich not out 1 Extras: (lb-3, w-10) 13 Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 314 Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-119, 3-121, 4-204, 5-204 6-272, 7-305. Bowling: Hosein 10-0-37-1, Joseph 10-0-71-1 (w-5), Cornwall 10-0-53-2, Campbell 10-0-70-2 (w-2), Louis 4-0-29-0 (w-1), Hughes 2-0-15-0, Peters 4-036-1 (w-2). HURRICANES innings M. Hodge stp. Hope b Nurse 63

K. Powell c wkp. Hope b Holder 3 J. Otto c Holder b Roach 1 J. Hamilton c wkp. Hope b C Brathwaite 11 C .Hughes c Hope b C Brathwaite 2 R. Cornwall c Stoute b Benn 30 O. Peters stp. Hope b Nurse 3 A. Hosein c Chase b Nurse 28 J. Louis not out 41 J. Campbell c wkp. Hope b Roach 10 A. Joseph c wkp. Hope b C Brathwaite 5 Extras: (lb-2, w-4, nb-1) 7 Total: (all out, 47.3 overs) 204 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-25, 3-39, 4-43, 5-93, 6-99, 7-139, 8-151, 9-177. Bowling: Roach 10-1-36-2 (w-2), Holder 7-0-28-1 (w-2), Benn 100-28-1, C Brathwaite 7.3-0-56-3 (nb-1), Nurse 10-0-37-3, Chase 3-0-17-0.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

East Bank trounce West Demerara by 10 wickets … East Coast Demerara also win

AN UNBROKEN opening stand of 170 by Mavendra Dindyal and Chad Shivitran, engineered East Bank to an easy ten-wicket win over West Demerara in round two of the Demerara Inter-Association Under-15 50-over cricket tournament yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club ground. The pair wiped off the 69-7 made by West Demerara, with 17 overs to

spare. Dindyal finished on 78 off 112 balls, with eight fours, while Shivitram scored 68 off 103 balls. Earlier Andre Seepersaud stroked an even half-century for West Demerara. He received support from Vishaul Persaud, who made 33. Extras contributed 61 to the total. Cameron DeFrietas had 3-33, to be the best bowler for East Bank. At the Ogle Communi-

ty Centre ground, where Georgetown faced East Coast Demerara, the hosts whipped the City team by 99 runs. Batting first, ECD made 171-8, with Edmond Persaud hitting an unbeaten 57. Shoab Shaw made 40. Hemant Dalip (4-30) and Zechariah Mootoo (2-15) were the most successful bowlers for Georgetown. In reply, the City bats-

Mavendra Dindyal (left) and Chad Shivitram put on 170 unbroken for East Bank.

men failed to offer any resistance, and were eventually bowled out for 72 in 27.3 overs. Brandon Jaikarran (11), was the only batsman to reach double figures. Davanad Khemraj (2-10) had the best figures for the winners, while the other bowlers all contributed with a wicket apiece. The final round is set for today.

Pollard falls; Joseph excels in Carter launches CAS appeal Bounty Handicap Squash tournament EMBATTLED Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter has officially filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) after retrospectively being found guilty of committing a doping offence at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After receiving a ruling in January of this year, which showed that the sprinter’s retested samples returned traces of the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine, Carter was given 21 days to file an appeal. On Wednesday Carter’s lawyer, who had confirmed that the sprinter was strong-

Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter

ly considering the possibility of an appeal, confirmed that the documents had now been filed to the CAS. Carter, along with the rest of the Jamaica 4x100m

relay team which consisted of Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, was stripped of his Olympic gold medal following the findings of the retest. The sixth-fastest 100m runner of all-time with a clocking of 9.78 seconds, Carter ran the opening leg of the Olympic 4x100m final in Beijing as Jamaica stormed to victory in a then world record 37.10 seconds. The athlete recently returned to action after being given clearance by the IAAF to compete, while the process of his appeal was pending.

GCB Female Inter-County cricket

Berbice women whip Essequibo by 278 runs Part of the action in the Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament THE Guyana Squash Association (GSA), in collaboration with its corporate sponsor Digicel, launched its 2017 season with its customary Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament at the Georgetown Club Inc. courts. Play commenced on the opening night with several exciting matches. In the Open category Nyron Joseph (-22) had a straight-sets victory against Jonathan Antczak (+7) 15-13, 15-

1 3 . H o w e v e r, f o r m e r national champion and top-ranked player Regan Pollard (-14) was the first main casualty of the event when he was upset by Stephen Persaud 15-1, 15-11. Ta y l o r F e r n a n d e s (+4) cruised to victory against Gabriella Xavier (+12) 15-9, 15-12 while Alex Cheeks (+3) defeated Sarah Lewi s ( + 1 0 ) 1 5 - 11 , 1 5 - 7 . Ve t e r a n p l a y e r D e n i s Dias (+10) used all his experience to overcome Ryan Rahaman (+7) in

three games 8-15, 15-11, 15-5. In Category A Gianni Carpenter (-6) disposed of Rayden Persaud (+13) 16-14, 16-14 while Mikhail Persaud (+10) had to overcome a valiant effort by Joshua Verway (+13) before winning 15-7, 15-12. Paige Fernandes (+8) defeated Grant Fernandes (+13) 15-14, 1513. Matches continue in both categories this evening starting at 18:00hrs.

IN what could be described as one of the worst performances in inter-county cricket history, Essequibo senior female team were shot down for an embarrassing 15 runs, courtesy of Berbice, who strolled to an emphatic 278-run victory in round one of the GCB Female Inter-County one-day cricket tournament played at the Everest Cricket Club ground, yesterday. Chasing an impossible target of 294, the Essequibo ladies were

bowled out in just 6.1 overs in an encounter which was relatively one-sided. Eva Giddings (5-9) and Tremayne Smartt ( 3 - 6 ) w e re t h e c h i e f destroyers with the ball for Berbice. For Essequibo, Charlene Fredericks was unable to bat due to an injury s h e s u f f e re d d u r i n g fielding. After opting to bowl first, Essequibo spent the entire first innings in the field, allowing the Berbicians to pile up 293-4. Player-of-the-match

Melanie Henry stroked an even 50. She was backed up by excellent knocks from Shabika Gajnabi (48) and Sheneta Grimmond (47). Estel Lewis (1-36) and Althea Newark (137) were the successful bowlers for Essequibo. The tournament continues tomorrow, with Demerara facing Essequibo at the same venue. The final round is billed for Sunday between Demerara and Berbiec at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Colors/Guinness Greatest of the Streets West Dem …

Action packed night carded for Pouderoyen

By Stephan Sookram

A PACKED night of action is anticipated this evening for the street football fans of Pouderoyen when the Colors/Guinness Greatest of the Streets West Demerara leg concludes. In a tense opening affair, the balanced and well-rounded unit ESPN will go headto-head with the hard-hitting Hustlers for the first spot in the final. The second encounter will see the brute force of the Showstoppers come face to face with the Money Team in an all-out battle royal for the second spot. In addition to those games, there will be three exhibition games. In the first GPL will take on their utility counter-

Fierce action in the Colors/Guinness Greatest of the Streets West Demerara leg at Pouderoyen

parts GWI, followed by Broad Street versus Harmony Ballers

and Admiral United against the Promoters.

In the quarterfinal action, ESPN advanced via

the penalty route 2-0 over Agricola while Hustlers had a 3-2 penalty result over their Goal-Getters counterparts as Deon Charter’s 14th minute shot was cancelled out by Goal-Getters Rolex Smith (28th). Games three and four were also decided on penalties as Showstoppers prevailed 2-1 over Brothers United while the Money Team won 2-1 against Tajoe’s Admiral United In the earlier group stages, West Side Ballers gained a walkover from De Kinderen while Patentia gained the same result against Golden Warriors. Semi-Finalists ESPN won against GoalGetters 2-1 through suddendeath penalties. Meanwhile, Harmony

Ballers were beaten 3-2 on penalties by Young Ballers after a one-goal stalemate. Simeon Peters’ opening goal for Young Ballers was cancelled in the 11th minute when Kevin Richards found the back of the net. Game five ended in favour of eventual semi-finalists Money Team as they registered a 1-0 win over Good Intent through Amoniki Buntin while Hustlers squeezed past Agricola Champion Boys 3-2 on sudden-death penalty kicks. Brothers United through Leon Yaw also produced a 1-0 win over Tajoe’s Admiral United while Dexroy Adams (8th) and Hubert Pedro (12th) helped Showstoppers overcome Jettty.

Cricket Review Panel report must Samuels cleared to resume be addressed with greater urgency bowling for West Indies … says Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves By Rajiv Bisnauth GREATER urgency is needed to address the recommendations of the Cricket Review Panel, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves told reporters yesterday. Speaking with the media briefly at the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the 28th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Conference, being held at the Marriott Hotel, Dr Gonsalves said the two-day meeting of Heads of Government of CARICOM will see the matter discussed further. “These are matters that have been litigated in India, and certain conclusions have been arrived at and we have to address this with greater urgency, and I am hoping that sometime during this meeting we can get some further discussion on this, because we talk about it a lot,” he said. The CARICOM panel was appointed by the Prime Ministerial Committee on the Governance of West Indies Cricket in the wake of the crisis that engulfed the board after the BCCI suspended bilateral ties and slapped $41.97M as damages following West Indies’ decision to pull out midway

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves their India tour in 2014. The major recommendation arising from the report was the “immediate dissolution of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the appointment of an Interim Board whose structure and composition will be radically different from the now proven, obsolete governance framework.” The panel also recommended the appointment of a change management expert to run the affairs of cricket in the Region until the new governance structure could be implemented. The Cricket Review Panel, which was chaired by UWI Cave Hill Campus principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau, also recommended the resignation of the entire Board membership, contend-

ing that the “the standards of corporate, collective accountability” demanded such. In November 2015, the Panel termed the board’s governance structure “antiquated,” “obsolete” and “anachronistic” and as such Prime Minister Gonsalves said, “It is a work in progress; we have to really push for the continued restructuring of West Indies cricket to enhance its democratisation and to make sure that it is sufficiently reflective of the public. This is a public good; that is cricket, which is being run by a private entity.” The Prime Minister said too that CARICOM has received legal opinions on the matter but there is need for continued deliberations. “We have legal opinions and those legal opinions have to be properly filtered. There are two legal opinions, which have come to CARICOM as to how we can move forward,” he added. The Cricket Review Panel was appointed by CARICOM’s Prime Ministerial Committee on Cricket and tasked with the responsibility of assessing the governance structure in West Indies cricket and making recommendations, which could ultimately determine the future of the Board and the sport in the region.

MARLON Samuels has been granted permission to resume bowling in international cricket following re-assessment of his action. T h e We s t I n d i e s all-rounder was banned for 12 months by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in December 2015 after his action came under scrutiny in a Test match with Sri Lanka in October that year. Samuels’ action was deemed illegal after an assessment, which took place in Brisbane, revealed his elbow extension was over 15 degrees when bowling. It marked the second time Samuels had been banned in a two-year period and resulted in his 12-month bowling suspension, but after undergoing analysis in Loughborough he is once again free to join the Windies’ attack. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that following remedial work and reassessment, the bowling action of West Indies Marlon Samuels has been found to be legal, and the player can now resume bowling in international cricket,” an ICC statement read. “On January 29, Samuels underwent a reassessment of his bowling action at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough

where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his off-spin deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions. “The umpires are still at liberty to report Samuels if they believe he is displaying a suspect action and not

reproducing the legal action from the reassessment. To assist the umpires, they will be provided with images and video footage of the bowler’s remodelled legal bowling action. “If Samuels is reported again, he will be required to undertake further analysis of his bowling action at an ICC-accredited testing centre.”

Marlon Samuels CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday February 17, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Alzarri Joseph-6/31 (Leewards) (2) Raymond Reifer-16 wickets Today’s Quiz: (1) How many centuries were scored in the round-robin round of CWI/Nagicor Super 50, 2017? (2) Who scored Guyana’s lone century in CWI/Nagicor Super 50, 2017? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, February 17, 2017

Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket … 210 schools programme launched to benefit

By Rajiv Bisnauth

THE Scotiabank Kiddy cricket programme is a unique developmental tool, which has evolved over the past 17 years and has been proved to significantly enhance the latent athletic and academic skills of primary school pupils. Scotia’s Kiddy Cricket first bowled off in the year 1999 as a joint effort between the financial institution and now Cricket West Indies (CWI) formerly West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), to help foster skills and passion for the game among West Indian children. The showpiece has grown among a number of Caribbean countries, and yesterday it continued here when the 2017 edition of the programme was officially launched at the Guyana C r i c k e t B o a r d ’s ( G C B ) head office, located on Regent Street, Bourda, Georgetown. The programme was relaunched in Guyana in 2014 after a two-year hiatus due to unforeseen circumstances, and this year some 210 primary schools countrywide will benefit from the programme. In giving an overview

(Seated from right) Colin Stuart, Hazel Pyle-Lewis, Gervy Harry, Drubahadur, Jennifer Cipriani, Nicholas Fraser, Lorna Mohammad and Taaliba Speede. Standing are some students and teachers of St Pius and Redeemer primary schools. (Samuel Maughn photo)

of the programme, GCB’s Territorial Development Officer Colin Stuart, said the programme is set to include a number of new developmental aspects. Apart from teaching the students the rudiments of the game, ‘Cricket is your game, learn it’ is one of the major features of the programme. According to Stuart, the multifaceted approach to cricket development will see officials of the game going into different schools to deliver practical lectures with the main objective being to influence youngsters to get

Gayle advises players in dispute with WICB to ‘suck it up’

WEST Indies batting star Chris Gayle has advised regional players who find themselves involved in disputes with Cricket West Indies (CWI) to simply try and get on with playing the game. Disputes between CWI and West Indies players have become commonplace within the regional cricket landscape for several years, with many players finding themselves suspended after disputes with the board. Having been on the receiving side of a suspension in 2012 after a dispute with CWI following a radio interview, Gayle admitted that he did have a solution for the issue. The latest player to find himself involved in a dispute with the board was Trinidad and Tobago’s Darren Bravo, who remains suspended indefinitely after criticising CWI president Dave Cameron. “I honestly have no idea how these relations can ever be improved. The situation has been like this for years. My comments on this issue will be similar to what others have been saying for years, so I will simply be voicing over their views.

Darren Bravo

Just talking about this won’t really solve anything; it’s all about concrete actions to see if they can get this thing right,” Gayle said in a recent interview. “If they are not serious about solving issues with players, then it’s best for Cricket West Indies to forget about it and let the players get on with their careers without expecting any good outcome. “As for the players, they need to suck it up and just do the best in the field as talking about the situation and bad relations will not get them anywhere.” (Sportsmax.com)

involved in the game while at the same time putting them in positions to gather a comprehensive understanding of the sport. Stuart, the former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler, also said that there will be an international display as part of the Kiddy programme. The display will see a number of youths being given the opportunity to engage each other during the lunch break of the One-Day International (ODI) between West Indies and Pakistan at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Apart from the cricket tournament, Stuart confirmed the board’s intention to hold four summer camps, two in Demerara, and one each in Essequibo and Berbice. Meanwhile, Marketing Manager of Scotiabank, Jennifer Cipriani, said her organisation remains committed to the growth and development of cricket locally as well as regionally. She said the Kiddy Cricket Programme represents the bank’s commitment to the sport of cricket. “Scotiabank continues

to be proud of its almost 18-year association with Kiddy Cricket, one of our longest-running sponsorships in the Caribbean. “As we embark on the 2017 Kiddy Cricket programme, it is my wish that the hundreds of Kiddy cricketers involved in this programme develop not only their cricketing skills but also their life-skills, giving us emotionally intelligent youths and adults who are equipped to make good choices,” Cipriani pointed out. Speaking also at the launching was Assistant

Chief Education Officer (Primary), Lorna Mohammad, who viewed the initiative as an important one, adding that the programme will assist students to choose a career path at an early age. Gervy Harry, Admin Officer/Manager of the National Sports Commission, said the programme is there to bring out the potential hence those participating should take full advantage of it. He stated that the administration is prepared to support not only the Kiddy Cricket programme, but sports in general. Further, president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Drubahadur, while praising the support and sponsorship of Scotiabank, called on the students and teachers to play the game in good spirit. Yesterday’s launch was also attended by Nicholas Fraser of the Education Ministry’s Allied Arts Unit, Taaliba Speede of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Hazel Pyle-Lewis, representative of Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), along with students and teachers of St Pius and Redeemer primary schools.

Teams pocket group stage rewards for Limacol 2017 … organisers laud crowd support

THE sixteen teams in this year’s Petra-organised Limacol Round-Robin Knockout football tournament received their respective group stage prizes on Wednesday evening at the Spice Garden Restaurant. Winners Connection, Western Tigers, Den Amstel and Mahaica Determinators all received $100 000 dollars for topping their respective A through D groups when the round-robin stage ended last Sunday. Along with the group toppers, the second-placed teams namely Milerock (Group A), Eagles (Group B), Santos (Group C) and Police (Group D) each got $50 000 and a spot in the quarterfinals this Sunday. Grove Hi-Tech, Uitvlugt, Ann’s Grove and Camptown each walked away with $30 000 while Northern Rangers, New Amsterdam United, Pouderoyen and Riddim Squad

each collected $20 000. Speaking during the presentation ceremony, Petra co-Director Troy Mendonca stated, “I would like to assure all the sponsors who’re on board that the support you’ve given is money well spent and we in the Petra Organisation are optimistic

that the tournament is here to stay. To the teams, the director adumbrated, “We are generally satisfied with the support from the clubs and fans, notwithstanding that the tournament in the initial stage was being run concurrently with another tournament. but the clubs and their representatives On Sunday, the four

quarter-final games will be played at two venues simultaneously. At the MSC ground, Milerock host Western Tigers, while Winners Connection take on compatriots Eagles United. At Victoria ground, Police square off against Den Amstel, while Mahaica Determinators entertain Santos.

Representatives of the participating teams in this year’s Limacol Round-Robin/ Knockout Football Tournament pose with their cheques on Wednesday. Petra co-Director Troy Mendonca is third left in photo.

Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket programme launched

n tory o See sge 31 pa

FIFA director on two-day visit See story on page 28

FIFA Director Véron Mosengo-Omba exchanges tokens with Hon. Minister Nicolette Henry (centre) in the presence of GFF president Wayne Forde (r) and first vice-president Ret. Brigadier Bruce Lovell (l).

Record-breaking Hope brings Pride Super50 final berth … batsman hits century and bags five catches with the gloves A CENTURY of 125 from Shai Hope led the Barbados Pride to a dominant victory over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in their WICB Regional Super50 semi-final at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua last night. The Pride batted the Hurricanes out of the game, posting an impressive 314-7, before routing their opponents for 204. Barbados Pride will now go on to play the Jamaica Scorpions in the Regional Super50 final tomorrow. Choosing to bat, the Pride got off to a solid start with opener and skipper Kraigg Brathwaite scoring 54 in a partnership with Kevin Stoute, 21, worth 42. Hope’s innings was next, and he started slowly before accelerating to score his 125 from 108 deliveries. The number three batsman struck eight fours and five big sixes to bring up his total. There were a couple of wickets in the middle overs with Jonathan Carter, 0, and Ashley Nurse, 0, not contributing. However, lovely cameos from Roston Chase, 31, Jason Holder, an unbeaten 42 from 26 deliveries, and Carlos Brathwaite

Barbados Pride batsman Shai Hope hits a six during his innings of 125 in the 2nd semi-final Super50 match between Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Coolidge Cricket Ground last night. (Photo by WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography)

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27 from 11, helped push the total to something that is more achievable than not. Young West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph struggled, ending with figures of 1-71, while Jason Campbell was also expensive, going for 70, though he did bag two wickets in the effort. Rahkeem Cornwall was, not for the first time, the Hurricanes’ best bowler with figures of 2-53 from his 10 overs. Akeal Hosein was miserly, bagging 1-37 from 10. However, the absence of pacer Gavin Tonge was telling, as the Hurricanes used three bowlers to complete his complement of 10 overs. Those three bowlers, Jermiah Louis, 4 overs, none for 29, Chesney Hughes, two overs, none for 15, and Odelmo Peters, 4 overs, one for 36, combined to give up 80 runs in their 10 overs. In reply, the Hurricanes were always going to have to depend on the consistently good batting of their skipper, Kieran Powell, but a rising delivery from his counterpart Holder sent him packing for just three runs.

The middle order of the Hurricanes had always been a little shaky, and today was no different, as Jermaine Otto 1, Jahmar Hamilton 11, and Chesney Hughes 2, all went cheaply. The early wickets meant there was no chance of chasing down the big total, and Montcin Hodge’s patient 63 was in vain. Apart from Hodge, only Cornwall, 30, and Hosein, 28, offered any real fight until Louis smashed a few towards the end of the innings to end unbeaten on 41. In bowling out the Hurricanes, an interesting statistic emerged, as Hope became the first regional cricketer to score a century and then be involved in seven dismissals. The wicketkeeper bagged five catches and had two stumpings in the innings where Carlos Brathwaite had 3-56, Ashley Nurse 3-37 and Kemar Roach 2-36. Holder ended with figures of 1-28, the same as Sulieman Benn. See scoreboard on page 28 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017