Guyana chronicle E-Paper 03 05 2017

More incentives Page 11

… for manufacturers of clay brick, pre-fab houses

No. 104901

WEDNESDAY MAY 3, 2017

Price: $80

PAHO to audit drug procurement process (VAT Inclusive)

… Lawrence says ‘fresh eye’ needed to boost system

UK Minister of State calls on President

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The President receives a token from British Minister of State, Rt. Hon. Baroness Anelay during their meeting at State House on Tuesday (Ministry of the Presidency)

Jagdeo submits Yarde romps new GECOM list home Page 9

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… Team Change says results tainted, threatens legal action

Inmates batter child rapist Page 19

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

UK Minister of State calls on President PRESIDENT David Granger on Tuesday was paid a courtesy call by British Minister of State of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE. The British Minister, who is visiting Guyana for the first time, is on a three-country tour of the Region and also met with the Guyanese Head of State last week in London, the Ministry of the Presidency said in a release. President Granger first met Baroness Anelay on the sidelines of the United Nations 71st General Assembly in September 2016, when they discussed the revival of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan (SSRAP).

The President had also been in discussion with former United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and British High Commissioner to Guyana Mr Greg Quinn, on the matter. Last year, a team visited the country to perform scoping works to prepare for the arrival of

President David Granger poses with British Minister of State, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE (third from right) along with Minister of State, Mr Joseph Harmon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Carl Greenidge, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr Greg Quinn and Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell. the senior advisor and in January of this year, British Senior Security Sector Reform Advisor Mr Russell Combe arrived in Guyana.

The programme had been scrapped in 2009 by the People’s Progressive Party Civic

(PPP/C) Administration after the British Government had requested oversight of the programme. Since taking up office, however, President Granger had made a priority the re-engagement with the British to ensure the imple-

mentation of the plan, stating that security sector reform is important to ensuring that Guyana’s borders are properly protected and that its police force is strengthened.

During her visit, Baroness Anelay will also meet with

the Leader of the Opposition Mr Bharrat Jagdeo and members of the private sector. The British minister had announced that she would be visiting Guyana from May 1-3 at the Caribbean Council’s House of Lords Annual

Reception on April 25. At the reception, she also said that the United Kingdom’s commitment to strong relationships in the Caribbean is demonstrated by the fact that it is the largest bilateral donor to the Region and noted that Guyana is a beneficiary of that commitment. “Our regional programme for the Caribbean, led by the Department For International Development (DFID) amounts to £400 million for the period 2015-2020 and that support includes the £300M pounds UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund announced just three years ago, which will fund infrastructure projects to support economic growth and prosperity.”

Emphasising the importance of maintaining strong bilateral relationships between the UK and Caribbean States, Baroness Anelay said that even as the country prepares to leave the European Union (EU), it remains absolutely committed to its relationship with the Caribbean.

Tuschen residents complain about flooding –– calling on authorities to render assistance

By Shauna Jemmott RESIDENTS of Block 8 Tuschen,East Bank Essequibo, are accusing their Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of neglect, as they helplessly battle rising floodwaters.

With the turbid waters steadily rising in some yards in Phase One in the area, and the danger of it creeping into many a bottom flats, some residents are calling for emergency help, given that the May-June rains are just around the corner.

At the invitation of one resident, the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday paid the area a visit, and saw first-hand why there is so much anxiety, as while some yards still seem relatively safe, the majority are at risk of being severely inundated.

It’s the story of his life, says Councillor for the district, Andrew Ewart, who told the Guyana Chronicle that he knows no peace once the rainy season approaches, since he’s beset by complaint after complaint. He said some residents even call him at home pleading for help, but his hands are tied. He said he’s raised the issue several times at NDC meetings and other forums but to no avail.

“The flooding is really because we don’t have proper infrastructure and drainage. I’ve been raising it at many forums, but none pays me any mind,” Ewart said.

He said just before the MayJune rains began last year, two

mini-excavators were sent by the NDC to address the drainage situation in the area, but for some unexplained reason, both machines were deployed to another area before the work was done.

He is of the opinion that had the work been completed, the area would not have been in the situation it is in now.

He said that as far as he knows, the NDC is responsible for the ‘Uitvlugt-Tuschen’ district, but from all indications, Block 8 is not a part of the equation.

LONG NEGLECTED “This particular scheme has been neglected, as far as I am concerned, because when you raise certain issues, it just keeps being swept under the carpet and leave there as that,” he said.

“I do newspapers around the scheme, and every resident I pass, is ‘Councillor, watch wuh going on.’”

He said he did see one of the excavators in the area lately, but the work it was doing was minor, and does not adequately address the flooding situation.

“This is the second time this machine coming in this scheme, and the residents cannot benefit from it,” Ewart said. “If they do the trenches we wouldn’t get this.”

Faith Angel, who resides in the area, is afraid of a recurrence of what has been happening at her home for a while now. She

said she has constantly sought help from the NDC but to no avail. Someone was even rude to her when she tried calling the office once last year.

At the time, she said, the female who answered the phone informed her that the NDC Chairman was busy, so she opted to leave him a message. She said when she told the person at

gel said in frustration.

WATER EVERYWHERE “I had water all in the shop; all in the house. We’ve been talking to the NDC to see if they could get the drains in this area cleared, and we’re not making any progress with them so far; they just keep promising,” she added.

This little boy at right is using a shovel to dig a narrow track to drain water from the road into a nearby gutter (Photos

by Samuel Maughn)

the other end of the line that her home was flooded and she was calling to see if there is anything the NDC could do to help, the woman promptly told her that the NDC Chairman’s home was also under water.

Angel said she is especially concerned about her children coming into contact with the putrid waters right within their home.

“Since December we getting a problem with the water level in the scheme here,” An-

The woman said she even tried contacting the Community Development Committee (CDC) within the Ministry of Communities last year, and someone there informed her that they would communicate with the NDC Chairman to rectify the situation.

“That was in December,” she said, “a little before Christmas! But to date, nothing! Right through December month the rain fall. Every time the rain fall, water come up; come in

the place. As you can see now, the water is raising again and nobody doing anything about clearing the drains.

“This water only raise this level since the rain start fall about three days ago, and is the May-June rainy season. If these people clean these drains, we gon get a relief from this water.”

She said she had lost a lot in the past because of the floods, and is pleading now with relevant authorities to save her from losing again.

“Last year July I had 11 inches of water in my house; and when the water come up it damage everything; it wet up yuh chair, everything,” the businesswoman said.

“When we spoke to the NDC, they say Housing did not hand over the scheme as yet. So we would glad fuh whosoever is in charge of the scheme to clear the drainage so that the water could flow freely.”

Another resident, one Dacia Rodney said she and a few other residents have cleaned their own drains, but that is not enough to keep the waters off. She explained, too, that apart from the health risks the floodwaters pose, dangerous animals are often spotted close to their homes.

“I am living in Tuschen for the past 15 years,” Rodney said, “and this flooding always there.

“Soon as the rain fall it’s that; and if people clean the drain as I and some other people do, I think we will get better results when the rain fall. We wouldn’t get all these flooding.

“All like in the evening, coming on to like seven o’clock,

you can’t walk the road and say that you gonna walk bold. No! Is alligators and all sort of stuff out here.

“But thank God, we would most likely always see them before it too late.”

THE STENCH Meanwhile, Olata Persaud said when the water settles for a while during flooding, there is a stench emanating and it disturbs her family.

“The water ain’t got nowhere fuh drain out, and whenever the water come up, yuh would smell it… In the trench itself, you would smell it. I can’t open the front door or the window; how the wind blow the smell going in,” Persaud explained.

She has four children, the youngest being three years old.

The woman also complained of the presence of Africanised bees at an abandoned house in a yard nearby, which would swarm her premises and drive fear in her family.

“I gat bees! At the back of the yard it gat ah empty lot, and then they gat a next yard with a old house,” Persaud said, adding: “In the night is like five and six bees I killing in the house; I just glad fuh somebody come and get it cleaned. It gat a small house, but I don’t know is who own it because I never see anybody went deh.”

The residents also complained that caimans live near the Tuschen Primary School, rendering pupils there in danger.

Efforts to contact the Chairman of the NDC proved futile.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

PAHO to audit drug-procurement process

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… Lawrence says ‘fresh eye’ needed to boost system THE Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has begun a forensic audit into its procurement system with help from the Pan American Health Organisation.

The forensic audit comes on the heels of public complaints about the procurement process, the quality of drugs, and allegations of shortage of drugs, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in the government-run sector. Professor Jaime Espin Balbino of the Andalusian School of Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health, is spearheading the forensic exercise which will target the operations of the MoPH and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Health Minister Volda Lawrence (MP), said Tuesday during a meeting with officials of those entities. “I found that it [the procurement process] was a bigger issue than I thought,” Lawrence admitted during Tuesday’s early-morning meeting.

“I didn’t think it was as bad as I found it [but] this is the beginning of the process” of regularising operations in the wider health sector, Law-

GPHC Lawrence said, explaining the rationale for the forensic audit.

PAHO/WHO is funding the cost of conducting the

those with responsibility in the sector’s procurement process “but to correct the system.” MoPH Permanent Secretary (PS) Collette Ad-

Public Health Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings meeting with members of the audit team rence said. The audit into how things are currently done and the specific changes that will be implemented will provide the roadmap for the future to remove the existing “vast deficiencies in knowledge and manpower” which currently hamstring the MoPH and the

audit. While the government health sector has internal and external audits done, Lawrence feels that “a fresh eye” is needed to give the system a boost and help plug all “existing gaps.”

She iterated that the audit is not intended to harass

ams has welcomed PAHO/ WHO supporting the auditing exercise while Dr Karen Cummings, Minister within the Public Health Ministry, wants the procurement process demystified. “There is something wrong somewhere,” Cum-

mings observed. Part of the de-mystification Cummings has called for will entail overcoming some existing hurdles identified by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud, PAHO/ WHO’s Health System and Services (HSS) Advisor, Dr Paul Edwards and Professor Balbino.

The trio identified managerial and policy shortcomings, non-implementation of plans of action crafted by the MoPH, a paucity of information from the public health sector which can impact negatively on the forensic audit efforts and shortage and hoarding of medication by patients nationwide. Dr Edwards is confident that Balbino is “the right person for the job,” having a wide range of experience in the field and having done similar work in Europe and Latin America.

Nevertheless, he admitted that Balbino is undertaking a “daunting process” and that

several consultancies will be needed to complete what Minister Lawrence wants. He cautioned GPHC authorities not to expect immediate results following the audit, its recommendations and implementation.

“It’s not going to be accomplished overnight,” Edwards said, referring to the lengthy time it has taken other countries to get positive results.

While the political will to transform and modernise the MoPH and GPHC is evident, Balbino noted that this must be complemented by the appropriate financial backing and competent human resources. “You are doing well [but] you can improve,” Balbino told the MoPH and GPHC teams.

Managers of the Guyanese public health sector must continue thinking long-term, but remember that “more data, better advice,” Balbino said.

Yarde romps home … Team Change says results tainted, threatens legal action

By Navendra Seoraj

PATRICK Yarde has been re-elected President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), according to results released by the union on Tuesday evening, but the team that challenged said the results are tainted and called it ‘robbery.’

The results revealed that Yarde attracted 1,024 votes to defeat his challenger Gregory Gaspar, who gained 842 votes. Though efforts to contact the President of the union proved futile, Yarde had expressed confidence that he would retain the position prior to announcement of the results.

On the other hand, Gaspar was speechless after seeing the results of the elections and refused to give a comment, but his supporters were boisterous and refused to accept the results. Gaspar’s supporters explained that the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Herman DeSouza, announced the results without consulting with anyone who was present at the union’s office at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

Since the completion of

Trevor Daly will be the second vice-president with 1390 votes; and Samantha Fedee will be the third vice-president with 1089 votes.

The elections received many disruptions, for instance on April 20, Justice Nareshwar Harnanan had granted a temporary injunction blocking the elections after a motion was filed by Gaspar, the main challenger to incumbent See page 4

Gregory Gaspar speaking on Tuesday the elections on April 27, 2017, persons have been camping outside of the office to ensure that there were no discrepancies. GPSU members had alleged that DeSouza did not complete the counting of the ballots and only seven of the 19 ballot boxes were counted. When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, DeSouza nonetheless said that the results are official and all the boxes were counted.

to members of the media For days, counting of the ballots was disrupted by disgruntled supporters of Gaspar who claimed that no Statements of Poll were issued them. Polling stations were set up in eight regions across the country and gave 3,663 eligible members a chance to cast their ballots.

Meanwhile, results also revealed that Dawn Gardner will take the seat as the first vice-president of the union after gaining 1148 votes;

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Yarde romps ...

President Patrick Yarde.

The injunction granted was however discharged two days before the elections were held.

Late last evening, Gaspar and his supporters expressed disgust at the results that were announced.

Gaspar stated that his supporters and team will not accept the results of the elections and are calling on other members of the union to come out and support them. “The results are not authentic, so we will not believe it until DeSouza comes out and tells us that

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

From Page 3 himself,” said the presidential candidate.

In his May Day message, Yarde, who has been at the helm of the GPSU for decades, claimed that there was a massive political movement and other involvement in the union’s still

to be declared elections.

Yarde said that the ‘massive political involvement’ was with a “clear and determined assignment to create multiple divisions in the ranks of our members and to discredit and decapitate the leadership of the union.

Our tenure of renewal in office as an executive being due in 2017 action

was taken in accordance with our rules correctly and transparently to comply with this process in a most cost-effective and professional manner. While we were alerted and sensitive to certain irritants, we eventually recognised there was a massive political and other involvement in our elections process…”

Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the GPSU, Herman DeSouza, enters his office with the ballot boxes stored in front (photos by Delano Williams)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Media in Guyana not curtailed, attacked – Gov’t THE GOVERNMENT of Guyana has made it clear that journalists and media workers in Guyana are no longer subject to physical and verbal attacks by government officials, nor are they imprisoned, killed or maimed because what they print or broadcast do not meet the approval of political or other forces.

The point was made in a statement issued by the coalition government on Tuesday evening in observance of World Press Freedom

Day today, under the theme: Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

According to the government, “media houses do not suffer from governmentimposed advertising blackouts, are not targeted or shut down; state media are not used for vulgar propaganda or ethnic and political attacks; media workers are not subject to threats, bullyism, intimidation, victimization or other forms of abuses.

“Simply put, media in

Guyana are not curtailed or under attack as they used to be a few short years ago.”

The statement noted that the press in Guyana has the freedom and latitude to pursue, publish and broadcast whatever it wishes without fear of hindrance or harassment. “The enabling environment for journalists has undergone progressive change in the past two years to allow for a strengthening of the conditions under which they operate.”

The Coalition Government reiterated its commitment to protecting the constitutionally enshrined rights of the people of Guyana to freedom of expression and information, along with acting in accordance with the Declaration of Chapultepec to which our nation is a signatory.

According to the statement, World Press Freedom Day 2017 comes at a critical time when the world has witnessed and is being inundated by an explosion

of fake news and misinformation fuelled by ambitions and agendas.

“The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, therefore calls on the media, in the executing [of] their most important mandate, to observe the principles of the Chapultepec Declaration and be responsible and to eschew being lured into propagating narrow and partisan agendas which can engender hate, hostility, division and destabilization. Freedom of

the press and freedom of information do not permit hate speech, libel, slander or defamation. Indeed, a free and independent press is most important in Guyana’s efforts to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the statement noted.

While acknowledging that the press zealously embraces its freedom, the government emphasized that it must also act responsibly as it seeks to inform, educate and entertain the populace.

GPA emphasises need for training on World Press Freedom Day THE Guyana Press Association (GPA) has announced several workshops/training sessions which it has planned for the next few months, aimed at improving the capacity of local journalists to cover key issues in a professional and well-informed manner.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in observance of World Press Freedom Day, the GPA noted that over the past months, the association had held a number of training programmes with the support of many organisations, including the Canadian High

Commission, the Pan American Health Organisation, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Scotia Bank.

“Over the past year, there have been occasions when the GPA has had to upbraid and caution some of our members, re their reporting and they consented to our views. We look to continue this excellent relationship with media workers and owners,” the GPA statement note.

The theme of this year’s observance is “Critical Minds for Critical Times:

Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies.” In this regard, the GPA urged the legal fraternity as well as colleagues in the media to be cognizant of the various laws and regulations that have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and access to information.

“The GPA takes the firm view that a strong judiciary is an important pillar in the protection and promotion of free media as part of the promotion of a healthy democracy, in which ordinary people and decision-makers alike can share competing

ideas, constructive criticisms and suggestions for nationbuilding.”

According to the press body, the rule of law forms an integral part of a demo-

cratic and inclusive society as it protects fundamental Turn to page 7

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Minimising accidents and congestion EVER since independence, Guyana’s physical landscape has been changing but at a gradual and steady pace, resolute in the journey towards being a land with all modern infrastructures.

Over the years, Guyana has seen the construction of major infrastructural landmarks and in terms of sea transport infrastructure, the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Berbice Bridge stand out. The Demerara Harbour Bridge, which has outlived its lifespan but still is in operation, connects West Demerara, Essequibo, Linden and by extension the hinterland to Georgetown; the Berbice Bridge also directly links the Ancient County to the city.

Georgetown is the centre of all major commercial activities. It is the spotlight for entertainment, a well of opportunities for job seekers, and the place that provides a break from the mundane country life of farming, fishing and hunting. With of lack employment opportunities aside from farming in the countryside, many young people have been gravitating towards the city to seek employment in business, information technology, and other areas or to study.

Aside from persons gravitating towards the bustling city seeking employment or to further their studies, farmers and dealers from the countryside also regularly transport their produce to Georgetown to be sold. And then there are persons from the outskirts of the city and those in rural settings, who visit to shop and recreate. So

at any one time, traffic in the city is always busy, and at some places, very busy.

This increase in traffic has brought about some problems for city administrators. Among them is traffic congestion. However, this congestion is less compared to the one on the East Bank where there is a daily struggle for persons from the West Coast of Demerara to get to Georgetown for work or to do business.

It is most notable in the mornings when persons are heading to work and in the afternoons when they leave work for home. The congestion is due to a rapid increase in vehicles over the years; an increase which has occurred at a faster rate than the Government has been extending and upgrading the road network. Today, the majority of households on the coastland own a vehicle and with more than 10,000 vehicles entering the country every year, traffic congestion on key arteries leading to Georgetown continues to be a major bugbear. This is very much evident at Houston, Eccles, Peter’s Hall and Diamond in the mornings and afternoons every day, and it is most welcoming news that the Government will be building overhead pedestrian crossings at these busy zones. In busy traffic, the likelihood of accidents occurring is always high, and in Guyana, pedestrians comprise the majority of traffic victims.

This is borne out by statistics from the Guyana Police Force. From the period 2000 to 2015, of some 2,332

persons who perished as a result of accidents, 842 were pedestrians, 362 were pedal cyclists and 298 were motorcyclists. These constitute a loss of vital human resources and represent a setback to development and monumental social, economic and emotional strain on relatives of the victims.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, these tragedies could have been avoided had the persons behind the wheels been driving responsibly. The overhead passes, which in a way will also enhance the landscape of local roads, are vital means of getting pedestrians out of harm’s way. One hopes that these passes will also cater for the physically challenged, but the effort of moving the idea to minimise accidents involving pedestrians from conception towards making it reality is worthy of high praise. It is now time for the Government to look at building overpasses for vehicles and more immediately, move full speed ahead with the Diamond-Ogle road project, which will significantly ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara.

European Union supports Be proud of our President free and independent media Dear editor,

Dear Editor TODAY the European Union (EU) joins with Guyana and the rest of the world in celebrating World Press Freedom Day. Free, diverse and independent media are indispensable to promoting and protecting democracy worldwide. A free press and freedom of expression are among the very same foundations of democracy, contribute to stable, inclusive, and resilient societies and can help defuse tensions and contain conflicts. The EU supports the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes ensuring universal access to information and protection of freedom of expression.

Supporting independent, quality and ethical journalism is essential. By facilitat-

ing the free flow of quality and well-researched information on matters of public interest, and by acting as the “public’s watchdog,” independent media are the basis of a participatory democracy and a tool to make governments accountable for their actions.

The EU condemns the worldwide increase of threats and violations against journalists and media professionals offline and in cyberspace.

All states are expected to fulfil their global obligations to protect freedom of expression and the safety of journalists by providing a supportive legal environment and prosecuting all attacks against journalists. The EU consistently opposes – in bilateral contacts with third countries as well as in multilateral and regional fora – any legislation, regulation

or political pressure that limits freedom of expression and takes concrete steps to prevent and respond to attacks against journalists and bloggers.

The EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression online and offline, adopted in 2014, (and their continued implementation), reaffirm the EU’s determination to promote freedom of opinion and of expression as rights to be exercised by everyone everywhere, based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and universality, through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Regards Ambassador Jernej Videti?

Delegation of the European Union

THE undersigned was most joyful when I saw my President, our President, His Excellency, Brigadier David Arthur Granger meet the Queen of England. It is my view that all Guyanese, from all regions, from all races and religions should look at that moment with pride and honour.

Over the past few days, I read a post on FaceBook by a well-known Guyanese writer where he stated that the President resembled ‘a subdued little boy paying tribute to his master. His body language and posture says it all.’ This writer found such a comment to be most wicked, rude and completely ludicrous. I have said before that I, Roshan Khan at times may disagree with a Government policy or action, but it is against my nature and training to disrespect authority in any way or

at any time.

I recall last year when Former President of the United States Mr Barrack Obama visited Saudi Arabia and upon meeting King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, he respectfully bowed and shook his hands. The President’s action which should have been praised had a completely opposite reaction from a few negative personalities; it caused some in the USA to go into a mode of antagonism and for weeks they relentlessly attacked and criticised President Obama for the honour he showed the King of Arabia.

Unfortunately, some will curse me for having this view, but I have always strived to be a fair and honest commentator. To me, the President of our Cooperative Republic Brigadier David Arthur Granger is a former military officer of the highest calibre. Further, Her

Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth of which our country, Guyana, is a respected and dynamic member. Whilst observing the photograph emanating from the media, one can agree that it simply shows that he gives a military attention to the Head of the Commonwealth.

Yes, it must not be forgotten that the United Kingdom was our former colonial leader. Yes, we are no longer in submission and under their control. But should this mean that we must be disrespectful and rude to the Queen? Is this what our independence should represent?

I advise the critics of President Granger to “Look again and see.” I see no error here. No submission. I see a classy, graceful and elegant man in the presence of a mature, respected and elegant Turn to page 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

A diversified sugar industry best chance for GuySuCo’s turnaround Dear Editor, THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has noted the contents of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) column titled “PPP and GAWU’s scare tactics must be challenged,” which appeared in the (Sunday) April 30, 2017 Kaieteur News.

While the PPP is more than capable of responding on its own, our union feels it is necessary to bring clarity and offer a response to the column. At the outset, we were most disturbed by the innuendos which were lobbed at the GAWU, seemingly in an attempt, which would be futile, to disparage and bring disrepute to our union. This is a well worn-out tactic. We wish to advise the APNU and moreover all Guyanese that the GAWU as a trade union has always maintained its independence and possesses our own organisational structure.

Our union recognises that our diverse membership is supportive of the various political organisations in Guyana and has respected our members’ rights and choices.

The column points to the increase of the industry’s employment costs in the early 1990s, but fails for some reason to recall that massive devaluation of the Guyana dollar resulted in a substantial increase in the costof-living. Is it that the APNU is saying that the sugar workers’ wages should have not been adjusted to offset the decline in their purchasing power? Moreover, we cannot fail to recognise that the industry’s operations are largely labour-intensive and, therefore, the employment costs relative to overall costs being what it is should not be surprising.

The APNU author then goes on to say that “…since 2001, the sugar industry wage bill has accounted for 63% of total costs.” We find the statement surprising, since GuySuCo in its recent interaction with the Parliamentary Economic Services Committee disclosed that employment cost was 56 per cent of overall costs in 2015, of which six per cent accounted for the senior staffers. The column also said, unambiguously, that the state has provided some $500B to the industry over the last ten (10) years. But, various press reports have advised that the Government provided about $48B to the industry. The two (2) figures are vastly apart and the inflation of the sum by the author is perplexing. The sum quoted by the APNU column, we feel constrained to point out, has it been real, would be more than sufficient to allow the industry to diversify its product base and to ensure its sustainability and viability.

Reference is also made to GuySuCo’s Crop Diversification Programme which began in 1978 and came to an end in 1993. That programme, we wish to remind, was discontinued after it was deemed by the Hoyte Government as a massive failure and was taking away valuable man hours and resources needed for the core business of sugar. The shedding of that burden allowed the industry to focus on its main activity and resulted in the industry experiencing improved strides.

The column then goes on to posit that canning of fruits and vegetables offers the industry significant opportunities. The optimism spurted, however, is not grounded in reality and, therefore, to push in this direction without the many missing essential elements in place for success would be foolhardy

Be proud of...

From Page 6

lady. Our President in his tenure is displaying more diplomacy and tact over previous socialist lovers who were our leaders and whose philosophy brought misery to our country from their abuse and disrespect towards the UK, before, during and after independence. It is the view of this writer that had the hands of nationalisation and abuses not been placed on this land, Guyana would have been as Singapore and Malaysia and possibly even Hong Kong.

So I salute our President for his devotion to this

country and its people. By exemplifying such excellent diplomacy, His Excellency has paved the way for Guyana to receive more invitations and maybe even visits from Kings and Queens from all around the globe, which will boost our tourism sector, investment capacity and our industries’ production. Let Guyana prosper, let us celebrate our independence, but always remain humble and respectful.

Yours sincerely, Roshan Khan Snr.

and short-sighted and would be a wasting of resources in the circumstances. Furthermore, wouldn’t it be more prudent for us to work along with existing farmers who, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), see about thirty (30) per cent of their output wasted rather than seeking to enlarge the farming community without proper facilities and more importantly compensatory markets?

Interestingly too, we noted that the APNU pointed out that the industry can become successful producing “sugar, bagasse, ethanol and reuseable

energy.” We agree with those familiar suggestions and wonder why steps are not being taken in this direction. GAWU urges that our presentation to the Government of February 17, 2017 be examined in a critical and unbiased manner. While the APNU talks about workers being leased lands, we see that as continuing talk and the basics are not in place to encourage workers to take up farming. At Wales, we see no concerted efforts in this direction, except for a meeting with a few workers offering them lands at the extreme end of the cultivation. The cost of land development is prohibitive and

the costs of transportation would be high. Given the depression that has gripped the community of Wales since closure, farming may not hold out such a grand promise. Can one blame the workers for any show of reluctance?

GAWU maintains that a diversified sugar industry harnessing the full potential of the cane plant and moving to a more wide-ranging product base offers the industry the best opportunities for its turnaround. We are not aware of the reasons for not going along this course, especially in view of the overwhelming evidence

that this direction will enhance export earnings, reduce imports, assist in moving to a greener economy, and most of all, protect the livelihoods of thousands of workers and their families.

It is disappointing that the APNU has launched such a disturbing attack on our union on the eve of Labour Day, when workers are celebrating their gains and reflecting on their challenges Regards Seepaul Narine General-Secretary GAWU

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Press freedom, responsibility and creeping duplicity

JOURNALISM is not a profession for the weak.

It is selfless, noble and demanding. If the law is a jealous mistress, journalism is a mistress scorned.

Today the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day when we celebrate those who bring us the news, who interrogate those who hold power and uncover truths which may otherwise remain hidden. The pages of this newspaper and the other dailies are certain to be loaded with messages heralding press freedom in this country and news lamenting shortcomings elsewhere.

As noted in the official message from the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in observance of World Press Freedom Day, 2017, “In Guyana, no longer are journalists and media workers subject to physical and verbal attacks by government officials; journalists are not imprisoned in pursuit of their profession; journalists are not killed or maimed because what they print or broadcast do not meet the approval of political or other forces; media houses do not suffer from govern-

ment-imposed advertising blackouts, are not targeted or shut down; state media are not used for vulgar propaganda or ethnic and political attacks; media workers are not subject to threats, bullyism, intimidation, victimization or other forms of abuses.”

Press freedom in Guyana today is at an all-time high.

Never before has the press in Guyana been freer or with greater latitude to operate. No coalition government official has plummeted to the depths of branding media workers ‘vultures and carrion crows,’ nor has this government denied advertisements to any newspaper nor has it shut down any television station as, we know, had been the case under the previous administration. No journalist has been bused out or cussed down as was a regular occurrence not so long ago. Journalists in Guyana function with virtual impunity.

The environment is practically unrestricted and this imposes on the media itself the need to act with responsibility. For the most part, the gatekeepers of the media in Guyana have done so and understand their role in the

daily efforts to inform, educate and entertain. There have been some troubling signs emerging however. And these need to be red-flagged by the fraternity itself and addressed frontally in an effort to ensure that there is no internal and self-inflicted compromises in, and injuries to, the profession.

While it may not yet have reached epidemic proportions, there is a creeping mentality which, if unchecked, is likely to cause harm and disruption and can lead to the profession being accused of diminishing integrity and stature. Such a scenario ought to be avoided at all cost.

The ugly reality is that there is a small band of persons who have infiltrated the media and who are themselves rather guilty of double standards. There are persons, some of whom hold high office within media organisations and associations, and who are known to publicly mount podiums and keyboards and lament on a fictional or exaggerated basis, matters which they then attempt to categorise as ‘government interference.’

What is disturbing, is be-

hind closed doors and away from the lights, cameras and microphones these very high-profile media people are busy relentlessly lobbying government officials to actively ‘interfere’ in the state media business in their interests. This is an undeniable fact of which I have personal experience of being lobbied by some of these media personnel.

Whether it is to exert pressure and influence to provide them with employment, protect them from sanction and reprimand as a result of misconduct, improve their remuneration, identified for trips or advance their upward mobility within the organisation, the duplicity exists in several forms in the Guyanese media landscape.

This band of media folk have no apparent reservation or difficulty with government interference, once it is in their interest. They are an unfortunate discredit to the media in which they operate. Wither press freedom, regardless of what they are known to declare publicly on this tenet of our society. It is a downright dangerous duplicity which they seem most comfortable

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

practising.

Interference is interference. Interference does not come in shades or degrees.

It is either is the case or it is not. Journalists cannot be comfortable with interference which perks up their salaries, but uncomfortable with interference which may have a negative consequence for them personally. When the journalists themselves lobby government officials to interfere, it leads to confusion and the risk of compromise.

Principle 6 of the Declaration of Chapultepec is clear, “The media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favoured because of what they write or say.”

Emphasis is directed at the “nor favoured.” It would appear as though some persons in the media in Guyana are unperturbed if interference “favours” their interests, even if it means not being in the interests of their own colleagues. I am aware of incidents of government offi-

cials who have been lobbied to exert influence for journalists to be hired and fired, promoted and demoted and have favours granted and denied.

There is no value to naming and shaming, but it needs to be brought out from the dark that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or, in this case, the county of Demerara (since this is where the majority of Guyanese media are based).

Persons of weak moral conviction and integrity have crept in and are creeping up.

There are warts and slippages, which, if not addressed, will fester and become problematic and compromise Guyana’s status as a state in which the freedom of the press is at an all-time high and still on an upward trajectory.

It is for the media seniors who command respect and who remain men and women of integrity to uncover these truths and call in those who falter and take action as they best deem fit.

CH&PA opens new office in Linden MINISTER within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing Valarie Patterson, on Tuesday commissioned a new office for the Region 10 Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) office.

The minister was joined by several staff from CH&PA and regional officials including Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland, Regional Chairman Renis Morian, Deputy Director of the Community Development Council Sandra Adams and several municipal councillors.

The new building is located in Crab Wood Street, Mackenzie and is deemed an upgrade in space and accessibility compared to the old office that was crammed into a multi-purpose office centre

Minister Valarie Paterson (centre) sits at the head table with Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland, CEO of CH&PA Lelon Saul (right) and CH&PA Region 10 staff member, Oletha Williamson (left)

in Wismar Street, Mackenzie. The new office will be furnished with the same three staff members, including the Regional Housing Officer Ann Drakes. Minister Patterson in her address to the audience expressed joy that the office is finally ready for use, since she had been pushing for a new one since her elevation to a minister. She explained that the previous office was cramped and her staff could not function as effectively as they should.

This new office however will allow for a more conducive environment which will not only benefit her staff, but the residents of Region 10.

In March, 70 Lindeners were allocated low-income houselots and in a matter of weeks, the construction of 70 duplex apartments will

commence in Linden; 40 will be built in Amelia’s Ward, while 30 will be built in Wisroc. The duplexes will cost between $6-8 M. The duplexes have three designs; one design will be two flats, the other will be on stilts, giving the owner the choice of enclosing their bottom flats, while the other will be two storeys. There will be duplexes constructed of both concrete and timber and these will carry varying costs. The apartments carry a measurement of 30 × 40, while the land will be 75 × 75.

Each duplex will carry two bedrooms and the separating wall goes from the front of the yard to the back, allowing each owner to have their own yard space; they will be both fireproof and soundproof.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Jagdeo submits new GECOM list

… Justices BS Roy, Ramlal nominated OPPOSITION Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday submitted a new list of persons to be considered as the next chairperson for the Guyana Elections Commission to President David Granger, among them being retired justices, BS Roy and William Ramlal.

“Today, I submitted to President David Granger, the names of six persons for the appointment of a Chairman of GECOM, pursuant to the provisions of Article 161(2) of

Retired Judge BS Roy the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

The six names are: Justice of Appeal BS Roy (ret’d); Justice William Ramlal (ret’d); Ms Oneidge Walrond-Allicock, attorney-at-law and a former magistrate; Mr Kashir Khan, attorney-at-law; Ms Nadia Sagar, attorney-at-law and Mr Gerald Gouveia.

According to Jagdeo in a statement, having regard to the antecedents in relation to this matter, arriving at these six names was not an easy

task. “I embarked upon an elaborate and protracted public and private consultative process which lasted several weeks, during which I solicited the views of, and sought nominations from, many nationally renowned persons and various important stakeholders and representative organisations, in my efforts to ensure that I present six names to the President who satisfy the requirements contemplated by Article 161(2) of the Constitution,” the opposition leader said.

Jagdeo also mentioned that he had consulted Madam Justice Desiree Bernard, Madam Justice Claudette Singh (ret’d) SC, Mr Ralph Ramcharan SC, Timothy Jonas and Ronald Burch-Smith, but all indicated that their current commitments do not permit them to serve in the office of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, at this point in time.

“It will be observed, that in respect of the names which I submitted to the President, one(1) is a former Judge of the Court of Appeal of Guyana; one(1) is a former Judge of the High Court of Guyana; three(3) are attorneys-at-law with over ten(10) years of good standing at the Guyana Bar and one(1) is a former magistrate and therefore, qualify to be Judges of a Court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in Guyana, in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana; and one(1) is a former Captain of the Guyana Defence Force, a Pilot, and a Businessman and Entrepreneur.”

In January, President Granger had made it clear that he will choose someone who is fit to be a judge as the new chairperson of GECOM. During one of his weekly

Businessman Captain Gerry Gouveia

Attorney Kashir Khan recordings of ‘The Public Interest’, the President revealed that the Constitution is clear on the required qualifications and it is obvious that what the drafters of the document had in mind was someone who had arrived at the position of a judge. The President made the comments after he had deemed “unacceptable,” a list which the opposition leader had submitted.

Having had his first list rejected, Jagdeo then requested that the President explain what he interprets as “fit and proper” before a second list could be submitted.

The letter he (Jagdeo) received on March 16, 2017, detailed the “qualities that the candidate to be Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission should possess.”

Suspected murder weapon found in stabbing of student THE police have recovered a knife, which is suspected to be the murder weapon in the stabbing of 16-year-old Covent Garden Secondary School student, Brian Charles Yearwood.

Two persons, aged 20 and 17 are in police custody as investigations continue into the murder, which occurred on April 29, 2017. It is alleged that the 17-year-old assailant, believed to be a school dropout, stabbed Yearwood in the region of the heart during a school concert.

The injured teen was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, but it was too late as he was pronounced dead on arrival.

His mother, Beverly Yearwood, had told this newspaper that it was only last September that her son, who previously attended Central High, was transferred to

Dead: Brian Charles Yearwood the Covent Garden Secondary.

The mother of five said she is puzzled as to what could have caused the other teen to react the way he did, as her son was not

known to be a trouble-maker.

She had never received a bad report about him, she said; he was independent, hardworking and even helped around the house without having to be told, and without any fuss.

The last she saw of her son, she said, he was dancing while awaiting a minibus to take him to the fair.

“He kept saying, ‘Mommy, I have to go; I have to go,’” Brian’s mom said, adding: “He was laughing and dancing while telling me this; that was the last time I heard his voice.”

She is now calling on the police to ensure that the right person is held, and that he be made to face the full force of the law, so as to send a strong message to other youths who are inclined to be violent. He leaves to mourn two sisters, two brothers and his parents.

Attorney Nadia Sagar

Retired Judge William Ramlal

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Tyranny of the majority

By Akola Thompson WHEN I think of referendums, I think of John Adams’s theory about the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ Adams was aware of how dangerous the act of groupthink could be, particularly if they were tasked to entertain a view

or accept something about or from the minority.

Adams’s theory came to mind recently when it was revealed that the coalition government would be sending the issue of homosexuality to referendum to see whether it should be struck off the books or remain illegal.

Living in an era of democracy, it is understandable that when one thinks of referendums to make certain constitutional and legislative changes, they believe they are making the right decision. After all, the will of the people should be taken into consideration.

However, when it comes to

minority rights and issues, referendums are not the an already marginalized people and I find it absolutely asinine that the conservative majority is the one being tasked to make decisions about a minority group.

I have heard the arguments about why the issue of homosexuality should

be taken to referendum.

“It is a chance to educate the public on the issue and have reasonable debates,” some say, while others hold out on the theory of “hope.”

Even as a liberal, I believe these views to be “feel good” liberal propaganda that makes the dangerous assumption that people can be swayed by reason and their “inherent good.” The majority of people, even those who may consider themselves to be rational, are heavily swayed by feelings and do we really want feelings to play a part in who gets rights or not? If we are going down that road, then I think we should do a referendum on how much politicians get paid, because I genuinely believe that if we pay them by the amount of work and progress they do and make, we would be better off as a country.

The clarion call for anti-gay rhetoric has not started as yet, at least not to my knowledge, but just give it time and it will surely find itself at the forefront of this referendum. Lets look at another Caribbean nation that recently concluded their referendum, Grenada. I like to use the example of Grenada’s referendum because it is a perfect example of how the majority of people’s decisions when it comes to homosexuality are based on religious dogma and feelings and not on actual, solid facts.

The funny thing about the Grenadian referendum is that the decriminalization of homosexuality was not even a part of it. There was a specific section in the referendum that spoke of equal rights for men and women. What the religious front did was interpret this as some “clever” way to provide homosexuals with equal rights to the heterosexual population. The majority did not care that even if that was the case (it wasn’t); the fact that homosexuality still remained legal on the law books, even if the referendum was passed, that section would have been null. Women and children were denied their rights by the Grenadian population on the off chance that equal rights would mean it could be applied to homosexuals also. Do we still think that a referendum is the way to go

on this issue?

The government explained that it was deemed unfit for the legislature to decide upon this, hence, why it will be taken to referendum. Obviously, many within government have their own biases against homosexuality, but as elected representatives of the people, not just the majority, you have a role to ensure that all your constituents are fully protected and have equal rights bestowed upon them. Basic human rights are not a matter of majority votes, it is an established principle and if we are really serious about achieving equal rights, this is not the way to go. We need to see this as exactly what is it -- a sly move by the government to keep a marginalised group marginalized, while being able to say that they attempted to do something about it. It is obvious their commitment to support the LGBT community, particularly gays and transpersons, are not as strong as they would like us to think.

Individual rights should never be subject to public vote and in its attempt to send such a contentious issue to referendum, the coalition government is making it apparent that they are comfortable with minority rights being further stripped away. I am not sure the government understands its role and this is exactly what happens when we have cowardly politicians too scared to make the hard decisions; they play politics with people’s lives. Public opinion on homosexuality is one that is not only misinformed, but also disturbingly unsettling. In this current climate, we are going to have a hard time convincing hetero-conservatives that homosexuals should have equal rights as them. No one is saying that you do not have a right to your beliefs, but your belief systems should never encroach upon someone else’s right.

You do not have the right to try to impose your code of morality on the sexual preferences of others, we do not need a referendum to tell us that, we need the government to stop playing around with this issue and strike the law out of the books.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

More incentives available … for manufacturers of clay brick, pre-fab houses

MINISTER of Finance Winston Jordan, has said that he is prepared to recommend to Cabinet that government give more incentives to those private sector individuals and entities willing to get involved in areas such as clay brick manufacturing and the production of pre-fabricated houses.

Jordan was at the time speaking at the launch of the Housing Solutions and Beyond Expo last Friday at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara.

The Finance Minister said that he is keen on seeing houses built for the local and overseas markets with Guyana’s wood, clay brick and other locally sourced materials. “I want to see maximum use of our bamboo and wood, including the shavings and our coconut, being used, and if memory serves me well, I believe that the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) once experimented with producing clear toilet bowl and wash hand sinks. Indeed, I seem to recall that a local private sector entity which had benefited from loans from the now defunct Guyana Agricultural Development Bank (GAIBANK) had actually developed a bathroom tub, and a range of bathroom furniture made out of PVC material,” he stated, All of this, Minister Jordan explained, add value, provide employment and reduce demand for foreign currency. “Guyana once exported clay brick and prefab houses to our sister CARICOM territories,” he reminded. “We have the knowledge, we have the skills and we have the raw materials, so let us get back into that groove,” he urged.

The minister expressed his views as he spoke at the launch of the government’s “Housing Solutions 2017 and Beyond,” programme on Friday at Perseverance on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD.) He further called for the launch of the government’s housing programme to be the start of, “A Buy Guyana Campaign,” similar to that being promoted by United States President Donald Trump to “Buy American.”

If I had Trump-like powers, I would immediately sign an executive order to enforce such a campaign, wherever

the treasury money was involved,” the minister said.

Additionally, Minister Jordan said that he was completely in sync with Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman’s call to restrict the importation of pine wood, pine doors, sheet rocks, clay brick tiles and all those other building materials that compete unfairly with locally produced building materials.

“I was in Thailand twice where I saw the use being made of bamboo, and coconut. Indeed, I slept on a bed at a top-class hotel, the frame of which was made of bamboo and in Norway, I bought a decorative chandelier that was made of wood shavings…it was a powerful example of what use can be made of wood, and we have all kinds of wood here, where that can happen,” the minister said.

The minister also reiterated that he is willing to remove the 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on forestry products, if evidence can be provided to show that the tax was hurting the lumber industry.

The minister explained that representation was made to him by the private sector that the “VAT was killing the industry.” The minister expressed the view however, that he did not believe that the industry was being killed.

“If it was killed, it was a long time ago, when we allowed pine and sheet rock to come in at undervalued prices and we allowed it to knock out our own fledgling industry, but they have said that this VAT is killing them, so I said bring the evidence and if it is, not only will we remove the VAT, but we will give further incentives so that the lumber industry can grow and be competitive in Guyana,” the minister said.

He explained that government will give further incentives to the industry, because unlike the previous administration, “we want significant resources in the building of houses to emanate from Guyana.We do have those resources, and we showed it in the 70s and 80s when houses were being built in Guyana, and most of the materials came from Guyana, unlike what happened up to May 2015 when almost all of the resources were being imported,” the minister said. Since the addition of

the tax, the Forest Products Association (FPA), among other private sector advocacy bodies whose members include some of the country’s biggest loggers, have expressed alarm over what they describe as an imposition of the VAT on local products.

The loggers have since appealed to the government to remove the VAT on the grounds that it will have a number of crippling and negative impacts, including making the products uncompetitive and leading to

a virtual shutdown of the sector, mass unemployment, particularly in Amerindian communities and of other persons living in the interior.

They had also claimed that the VAT introduction will see a reduction in production and export earnings leading to a foreign currency shortfall. Recently, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had explained that following the public outcry that the government will be reviewing a number of the taxation measures implemented this

year, towards reaching solutions that would benefit both the people and the administration. The prime minister however, had advised that a decision on these would not be forthcoming this year. Forest products that have since February 1, 2017 begun attracting VAT include, logs, shingles, staves, lumber (rough and dressed), piles, poles, posts, spars, veneer, plywood, charcoal, firewood, wattles and the manicole palm.

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Enrico Woolford on Commonwealth elections observer team to The Bahamas

NEWLY appointed chairman of the board of the National Communications Network, Enrico Woolford, is among a group of individuals selected by the Commonwealth Secretariat to observe The Bahamas elections scheduled for May 10.

Former foreign minister of Ghana, Hanna Tetteh, will lead the team of observers, the Commonwealth Secretariat said in a release. According to the release, this is the first time the Commonwealth will observe elections to The Bahamas parliament.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, announced the make-up of the observer group after receiving an invitation from the Government of The Bahamas. “I’m delighted that former foreign minister, Han-

na Tetteh, has accepted my invitation to lead the Commonwealth Observer Group.

Her experience will be a real asset in this important assignment,” said Secretary-General Scotland. “In offering their assessment on the conduct of the election and the overall credibility of the process, the Group will be contributing to enhancing democracy in The Bahamas.”

The observers will consider all aspects of the electoral process and assess whether the election has been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has committed itself.

The Group will be in The Bahamas between 4 and 13 May, 2017, inclusive. The last general election was held in May 2012. In addition to

Tetteh and Woolford, the other observers are: Elvin Bailey, Supervisor of elections St Kitts and Nevis and Lebrechtta Hesse-Bayne, Gender specialist Antigua and Barbuda.

Campaign intensifies Meanwhile, The Bahamas government on Tuesday denied a statement by former prime minister Hubert Ingraham that more than US$800,000 has been missing or stolen from the treasury as the campaign intensifies ahead of the May 10 general election. Ingraham, speaking at a rally of the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) in North Abaco on Monday night, said that that when the details on theft in the public sector come to light after the next election, people will scratch their heads. “I told

you about the cookie jar. I’m just told today, yesterday actually, that US$860,700 was stolen in the Ministry of Finance under the watchful eyes of, or not-so-watchful eyes of the prime minister and Mr Halkitis.

“Eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars just gone, gone, gone,” Ingraham said without elaborating. But in a brief statement, the Ministry of Finance said it “has no evidence of US$860,700 in missing or stolen funds” as alleged by Ingraham. “The Ministry invites Mr. Ingraham to provide any evidence of this alleged fraud to the Ministry of Finance or the Commissioner of Police so that it can be thoroughly investigated.

“The Ministry is aware of an incident of overpayment to a vendor. This incident has

been reported to the Auditor General as per general orders and steps have been taken to recover this overpayment, which does not approach US$860,700. Disciplinary action has been taken against the officer responsible for the overpayment and investigations are continuing,” it added. In his address to the FNM supporters, Ingraham said that it was important that the country votes out the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in the general election.

He said that voters should also disregard the minority opposition Democatic National Alliance (DNA), saying he was giving his full support to FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis to be the next prime minister of The Bahamas. “I want you to fire them for lying to you. They lied to you, they told you they would introduce VAT, that you had to pay it on your light bill, water bill, the hospital, your food, insurance, on everything – you must pay this because they say Ingraham left The Bahamas broke and we need to pay the debt, so we’re going to have this new tax on everything.

“Well that was a lie then, it’s a lie now. They got the tax, they collect the money, the debt is higher now than it was before, they knew they were lying when they lied to you, they been collecting the money, the debt has not decreased. For that deceit, fire them,’ Ingraham added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Perry Christie has told PLP supporters that they should disregard the “Fake National Movement,” adding that it is unprepared to govern the country.

Speaking at a PLP rally

Enrico Woolford in Grand Bahama on Monday night, Christie said that good economic news was on the horizon, as he is due back here on Tuesday for a heads of agreement signing with Carnival Cruise Line for the construction of a new cruise port in East Grand Bahama. He reminded the rally that Minnis had boycotted the “soft opening” of the multi-billion dollar Baha Mar tourism project and that the FNM leader’s statements about Baha Mar were “stupendously stupid.”

“New guests are checking in everyday … and Minnis is denying that reality,” Christie said, adding “he is the most reckless and unprepared person ever to put forward for the leadership of this nation. “There has been nobody so unprepared vying for the leadership of this nation – on top of that he is so weak – there is no doubt he is going to get rolled over.

Before you can get to him he is going to get rolled over by those special interests who are now in his party,” Christie told party supporters.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Probe into ‘ghost teachers’ to commence shortly

THE Ministry of Education will soon commence an investigation into the alleged existence of “ghost teachers” purporting to be in the system and collecting money under false pretence.

This is according to Technical Advisor to the Education Minister, Vincent Alexander.

Alexander said the Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson is currently out of the country and as soon as he returns the investigation will commence.

During the handing over of the preliminary report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the state of the education system last week, Chairman Ed Caesar pointed out a case of alleged financial impropriety in the Berbice River, where “ghost teachers” have turned up.

The inquiry also found that teachers were being transferred from non-existent schools to another, raising general concerns about administrative structures that can be taken advantage of in some outlying locations. The Guyana Chronicle has learnt however that the matter may not be as complicated or as criminal as it seems, since answers are already coming out of checks being made ahead of the investigation.

The newspaper was told that information on the “ghost teacher” case revealed that a certain degree of authority is delegated to the region’s Education District Office,

that classes were moved and are now being conducted in another location, which is not officially recorded with the ministry, and thus appears to be fictitious.

During the handing over of the report, the chairman had stressed the need to improve the conditions under which children were being taught. He explained that certain locations, particularly in hinterland areas, schools were poorly built, with poor

Technical Advisor to the Education Minister, Vincent Alexander where they move teachers around based on where they are required. Even to perform clerical duties a teacher could be asked to work in that area at the education office, even though they are on the payroll as teachers.

“So if you go to a school and ask for this person, you may be told that they do not work there.” It was noted however that the ministry’s records would show who works with the system, so even if a teacher is at the district office, but on a school’s payroll, the verifications could be made.

In the area of teachers being transferred from non-existent schools, initial information is that there is a case where a school was in such bad shape

Wednesday, May 3, 2017 ––10:30hrs Thursday, May 4, 2017 ––12:00 hrs

ventilation, cluttered spaces and other hazards.

Caesar called for the ministry to develop a particular section that is responsible for school designs, since firsthand experience saw the commission reporting the discomfort under which children are educated. Caesar said too that enough attention is not being paid to those who are challenged, since interactions with organisations for differently abled persons show that their

members still find difficulty in accessing schools, because they are not accommodating their special needs.

Added to this, Caesar warned the ministry to engage stakeholders in finding locations to construct schools.

Inquiries revealed that in the Berbice River, for example, schools were constructed with as much as, “five and eight and 10 students,” currently attending. Caesar said the CoI found buildings constructed

and schools relocated but not gazetted. He said payrolls are then paid out in the names of those schools that do not really exist. The chairman advised the government to also look into a school repair and rehabilitation committee to ensure regular maintenance and efficiency of school resources.

The chairman warned the government to be prudent in these regards to ensure efficient infrastructure in the school system.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Mayor hears…

Town Clerk allowed hair, nail technicians on streets

By Telesha Ramnarine

ABOUT seven barbers and cosmetologists who were not given places on the Merriman Mall were given permission to carry on their trade on the streets of Georgetown

by Town Clerk Royston King.

This is the claim that

one technician, who said he fixes eyebrows only, made to Mayor Patricia Chase-Green recently when she met with a number of persons who occupy spaces on the Merriman Mall.

Following concerns that the technicians were actually operating against the laws of the city by plying their trade in open spaces

Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and her Deputy, Mr Lionel Jaikarran, in discussion with barbers and cosmetologists of Merriman Mall and on the streets, Chase- Councillor Roopnarine Green called the meeting to Persaud had reported that inform them that it will not barbers and cosmetologists be tolerated anymore. of Merriman Mall were beIt was during the dis- ing permitted to return to cussion at City Hall that the streets to ply their trade the technician at reference by City Hall officers, alsought to justify his oper- though the Council would ations on America Street have decided against this. by referring to the arrange“We make a decision ment between he and six here, and then the [counother technicians and the cil] administration goes Town Clerk. out and makes another.

“I don’t know about That’s a problem we have that,” responded the mayor, to sort out; people are doadding: “The Town Clerk ing what they’re permitted cannot change the law, or to do,” Councillor Persaud else he will go home.” remarked.

The mayor also pointed He charged that whenout that those city consta- ever these individuals are bles who accept payment approached, they refer to from the barbers and cos- the many contacts they metologists to ply their have at City Hall. trade on streets such ReThe mayor concurred gent, America and Long- with Persaud’s observaden will be chastised. tions and referred to reports Deputy Mayor Lionel that city constables, and Jaikarran, who was also even some councillors, at the meeting, concurred are encouraging people to that those constables who return to the streets. are found guilty of the Although Councillor practice will be dealt with Carlyle Goring stood up condignly. to ask the Council to take Jaikarran said it was the technicians’ sociovery disappointing, despite economic conditions into the fact that the City Coun- consideration, Councillor cil allowed the technicians Malcolm Ferreira noted to stay at Merriman Mall that they should also take until July, they have opted the health and well-being to return to the streets. “It is of others into account. against public health rules; “They’re testing us; we it’s just not possible for giving them an inch and you to return to the streets,” they want to take a yard,” he stated.

Ferreira pointed out. He Meanwhile, some of the said he was in full support vendors were visibly upset of moving the vendors off at the new developments, of Merriman Mall perand opined that City Hall manently; and that this should do something for was a good opportunity to them. But they were con- demonstrate to them that stantly reminded by the the M&CC means what officers that it is not City it says regarding public Hall’s responsibility to find health. a place for them to work.

Another Councillor, The deputy mayor did, Bishram Kuppen, said however, tell the techni- although it is not the City cians that City Hall would Council’s responsibility be willing to help them find to provide a place for the a place in which they can technicians, the council all work and pay a rent. should provide some kind E a r l i e r t h i s w e e k , of assistance to them.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Police help scouts make sweet music –– gift organisation $2.5M worth of musical instruments

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday donated $2.5M worth of musical

instruments to the ‘E’ Division (Linden/Kwakwani) scouts, with another to be

made in the coming weeks to the scouts of ‘G’ Division (Essequibo Coast).

Assistant Commissioner Maxine Graham making the donation on behalf of the GPF to Senior Superintendent Karimbaksh, in the presence of the GPF’s Director of Music, Charmaine Stuart and some of the scouts

According to Public Relations Officer, Constable Asif Hakim, the instruments cosist of one base drum, two snare drums, two trombones, one tenor saxophone, one alto saxophone, two clarinets, two trumpets and two flutes, along with such accessories as a cleaning kit, oil, straps and sticks.

At the simple but significant handing-over ceremo-

ny, Assistant Commissioner of Police Maxine Graham, besides urging the scouts to take care of the instruments and to make full use of them, announced that training will be provided them at least twice a week by ranks of the Guyana Police Force Bandroom, so that they would be fully au fait with how to use the instruments.

Commander ‘E’ Division, Fizal Karimbaksh. thanked the force on behalf of the scouts for the donation, and said that after the youths have been fully trained, ranks from the Guyana Police Force Bandroom would not have to travel up to the division for certain events, because the scouts will get the job done.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Portuguese Arrival Day

President hails Portuguese contributions to Guyana ON the occasion of Portuguese Arrival Day, President David Granger has lauded the achievements of the descendants of immigrants of Portuguese origin and their contribution to nation-building.

In a message to mark the occasion, President Granger said: “the Cooperative Republic of Guyana celebrates ‘Portuguese Arrival Day’ on 3rd May to acknowledge the achievements of the descendants of immigrants of Portuguese origin and their contribution to nation-building.”

He noted that Portuguese indentured immigration was started in anticipation of an expected labour shortage on the sugar plantations, consequent upon the emancipation of enslaved Africans. Thirty thousand six hundred and forty five (30,645) Portuguese from the Azores, Brazil, Cape Verde and Madeira came to British Guiana during the period of state-assisted immigration between 1841 and 1882.

According to the President who is also a historian, the first 40 Portuguese arrived in Demerara on the ship ‘Louisa Baillie’

from the island of Madeira on 3rd May, 1835 after a 78-day voyage via London.

Twenty were engaged as labourers to James Albouy of Plantations La Penitence and Liliendaal and 20 to R.G. Butts of Plantation Thomas in Demerara.

“Persons of Portuguese origin have lived in Guyana for 182 years.

A large number of the descendants of the immigrants, after the expiration of the indentureship, left plantation work and pursued occupational opportunities, initially in the huckster and retail trade, in which they quickly attained a dominant share. Portuguese enterprise extended, also, to agriculture, manufacturing, merchandise imports and shipping.”

President Granger said the Portuguese

were responsible, primarily, for the establishment and extension of Roman Catholicism. “They built churches and established schools, thereby expanding their role in education. They founded many fraternities and charitable organisations and created a number of sports clubs to promote participation in sport.

“The Portuguese made an inestimable contribution and an ineradicable imprint on Guyana’s growth. They continue to contribute to nation-building. I issued an order designating 3rd May every year, as ‘Portuguese Arrival Day’.

“I extend best wishes to the Portuguese community of Guyana on the occasion of the observance of this important event in our nation’s history,” President Granger said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

New GPC, GPHC at odds over damaged tablets

By Svetlana Marshall

A LARGE batch of paracetamol 500mg tablets has been discovered with a foul odour at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), but neither the hospital nor supplier – New GPC -- is taking responsibility.

The disclosure was made one day after the Public Health Ministry disclosed that the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC), a major supplier of pharmaceuticals, drugs and medical supplies, was in the process of replacing 14 bottles of life-saving ‘soda lime’ which were discovered to be defective. On Tuesday, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Terrence Esseboom, disclosed that a large percentage of the 249,000 Paracetamol 500mg tablets, which had replaced the previous batch, now has a foul odour. The first batch, which was also supplied by the New GPC, had fungus on the tablets.

According to Esseboom, the tablets were delivered

on April 19 and 20, and by April 25, the GPHC had little choice but quarantine 186,000 of the tablets.

But this figure has since increased to 231,000, following complaints from a number of health centres and pharmacies, including the Kitty, Industry and Campbellville Health Centres, along with the Enmore Polyclinic. Questioned whether GPHC’s storage facility maybe the problem, Esseboom responded in the negative. “The pharmacist at the GPHC is maintaining that this is a manufacturing flaw and not a storage problem at the hospital,” he said.

PERFECT SAMPLES But, the New GPC Manager Ravie Ramcharitar, said the pharmaceutical corporation had tested its products not once, but twice, and the results were all negative.

“This is the second incident,” Ramcharitar posited, while explaining to this newspaper that the first batch of paracetamol was imported and supplied to GPHC by New GPC. He

GPA emphasises need... freedoms and applies universally to each individual and entity.

FACT-CHECKING In its message, the GPA also encouraged fact-checking and verification of relevant and authentic sources materials before dissemination on social media.

“If information is replicated without the necessary due diligence, this can essentially result in the peddling of information that may be detrimental and call into question the role of the press.

“GPA, therefore, calls on media houses to ensure their editors and reporters alike take advantage of the various training activities and professional development events as we seek to dismantle existing barriers and reduce or eliminate historical tensions.”

Meanwhile, the association pledged its unwavering support to any effort that will improve the level of Digital Literacy, while at the same time being vigilant against hate speech.

“In this regard, the GPA

bemoans the Government of Guyana’s increasingly rigid posture against sections of the media and their organisation, the GPA, by refusing to concretely address several concerns.”

According to the association, it has sought an audience with the prime minister on various issues but to no avail, but pointed to at least three meetings with President David Granger.

POLITICAL INTERFERENCE According to the GPA, the body continues to receive complaints of government / political interference in the work of taxpayers’-funded, State-owned media.

The GPA stated that it has received complaints from two of its members who stated that they were accosted by presidential public affairs personnel and pulled away, although President Granger had expressed a willingness to speak.

“These actions taken to-

said when the hospital filed a complaint that the tablets bore signs of fungus, they were recalled and the manufacturer was informed.

According to Ramcharitar, when the retention samples were tested by the manufacturer, they were “perfect” and came up negative for fungal growth.

Nevertheless, Ramcharitar said when the replacement was done, the hospital was supplied with paracetamol produced locally by New GPC. To the company’s surprise, another complaint was filed by the hospital, this time with claims that the tablets have a foul odour, Ramcharitar said.

He said similar tests were done on the retention samples, but again came up negative. The general manager said it is clear that the problem lies with GPHC’s storage facility, noting that similar products were sold to other hospitals and pharmacies without any complaints. “This thing is weird. Something got to be wrong with the conditions at GPHC. It was the

From Page 5 gether clearly send a damning message to the regional and international media community that Guyana and Guyanese media workers need to take decisive action to arrest what could very well be the continuation of media repression by successive political directorates under the guise of repeated public declarations in support of press freedom,” the statement noted.

The association called on the Government of Guyana to “immediately desist from carrying out certain actions that are inimical to press freedom and instead to subscribe to its promise of breaking with the past.

“The Guyana Government needs to play a significant role in helping to shape the press freedom environment, especially in an era of digital delivery of information on which people are increasingly dependent, like conventional mass media, to make a wide array of decisions that affect their lives,” the GPA concluded.

same problem with the Soda Lime, we contacted another hospital that we supply and the soda lime is quite ok, there is no problem,” Ramcharitar posited.

“The next step is to ask them to check their storage system.”

Though the New GPC has agreed to replace the 231,000 paracetamol 500mg tablets, the general manager said it will do so in parts. The first batch was scheduled to be delivered

on Tuesday. “We will only give them a part and as they use, we will supply more,” he posited.

Meanwhile, New GPC is in the process of replacing the 14 bottles of soda lime.

The replacement batch is in transit by airfreight and is expected to arrive in less than two weeks. The initial batch of soda lime, which is used for the absorption of carbon monoxide to help patients breathe while they are under anesthesia, was discovered defective after

the theatre staff at GPHC reported that the soda lime had deteriorated from granular to powdered form. The 14 bottles were part of a batch of 24 that was supplied to the hospital on February 21, 2017, on a purchase order.

In a statement, the pharmaceutical corporation had stated clearly that Soda Lime comes in granulated form, but can go bad if improperly stored or handled and will become crushed or powdered if the bottle is shaken.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Man remanded for allegedly robbing pensioner of $1,000 A CHARLOTTE Street, Georgetown resident, who was shot in the foot by a city constable after allegedly robbing a pensioner, appeared before Magistrate Annett Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, moments after he was released from the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Mark Moseley, a father of two, was charged with armed robbery and disorderly behaviour; he pleaded not guilty to both charges. It is alleged that on April 28, 2017, at Robb Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a knife, he robbed Jamal Aziez of $1,000.

It is further alleged that on the said date at City Constabulary headquarters, Regent Street, in Moseley behaved disorderly in full view of the public. During his appearance in court, Moseley was unable to walk on his own due to the gunshot wound he received and had to be assisted by two city constables.

Mark Moseley According to Prosecutor Quacey Baveghems, the defendant had faced similar charges before and in March, a charge of simple larceny against him was dismissed.

Baveghems pointed out that the accused is “known” to the Guyana Police Force and the City Constabulary, since he is accused of committing a series of robberies in the Stabroek Market area.

The prosecutor objected to bail based on the seriousness, prevalence and penalty of the offence. According to the prosecutor, Moseley is known to frequently travel

to Suriname and this makes him a flight risk.

As such, bail was refused and he was remanded to prison until May 29, 2017.

According to reports, on the day in question, the accused snatched the wallet of a pensioner in the vicinity of Robb Street and Avenue of the Republic shortly after 16:00hrs.

He had reportedly traced the pensioner from a cambio in the area before the attack. An on-duty City Police Corporal, who was in the area, heard shouts of ‘thief! thief!’ and observed the accused running. The officer reportedly called out to the suspect to surrender but the man continued running.

It was while being pursued by the constable and public-spirited citizens that the suspect was shot in the lower left foot. But before he was taken to the hospital, Moseley was first taken to the City Constabulary, but not without a fight.

Pandemonium broke out in full view of the public when Moseley attempted to disarm a corporal.

Two years jail for man who stole from step-father A MAN accused of stealing items from his step-father’s home was sentenced to two years imprisonment by Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Providence Magistrates Court on Friday last.

Phillip Munisar confessed that between April 22 and April 23, 2017, at Cow Pen Street, Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he stole 25 pounds of flour, a quantity of window curtains, a cellphone, hammock and gardening tools, totalling over $75,000, property of Monel Ferreira.

The unrepresented accused told the court that he sold the items to someone he

cannot remember. According to reports, Munisar is the step-son of the complainant and they lived together at the said address.

During the night of April 22, the accused reportedly stole the items while Ferreira was asleep. When Ferreira awoke the next day and discovered the items missing, a report was made at the police station.

When investigators arrested Munisar, he confessed and explained that he had sold the items.

Police Prosecutor Christopher Moore had told the court that the accused was charged with similar offences before.

Teen miner remanded on larceny, robbery charges A MINER, who allegedly robbed two women at Middle Street, McDoom, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was remanded to prison on Tuesday by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Glen Eastman, 19, of Samatta Point Grove, EBD, was charged with larceny and robbery and denied both allegations, which stated that on April 25, 2017, at Middle Street, McDoom, he stole a shoulder bag valued $20,000 and $5,000 in cash from Natasha Naithram. It is further alleged that on April 28, 2017 at Middle Street, McDoom,

while being in the company of another, he robbed Tashana Henry of a handbag, a pair of Jordan sneakers, an umbrella and other items totalling $51,200.

Police Prosecutor Arwyn Moore objected to bail and noted that the teen is a known character to the police. The chief magistrate transferred the matter to Magistrate Annett Singh for consideration of bail.

Magistrate Singh commenced trial in the larceny matter and remanded Eastman on the robbery charge. The matter has been adjourned to May 29, 2017.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Trans woman barred from entering Georgetown Magistrates Court

seeking clarification on what constitutes “improper purpose.”

However, Chancellor of the Judiciary at the time, Carl Singh, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and High Court Judge, Justice Brassington Reynolds, unanimously upheld the decision made by Justice Chang in 2013. Singh reasoned that an improper purpose would be a man dressing as a woman and using this female image to solicit the service of a taxi driver, after which he robs the driver.

NICHOLAS Kissoon, known as ‘Beyonce,’ was slated to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates Court on Tuesday to answer charges of abusive language and attempted suicide, however, she could not make it past the gate.

The transgender woman was wearing a polka dot, capsleeved dress, but was told by a police officer at the gate that she could not enter the compound after he searched her bag.

Kissoon told the Guyana Chronicle that she was scheduled to appear in Court Six and alleged that the police rank had “pushed” her out.

“When I entered the court yard, the officer asked me to search my bag. I allowed him to search my bag and then he told me that I can’t come into the court and he pushed me out of the court yard,” Kissoon related.

The charges stemmed from an incident which occurred on April 27, 2017, at the Georgetown Prison, following an altercation between Kissoon and a female prison officer. On that day, Kissoon said she visited the prison to take “support” for a family member and got into an argument with the female officer at the gate.

“She cuss me first, so I cuss her back and they took me to Brickdam Police Station,” Kissoon said, as she noted that while at the police station, she was beaten by police ranks.

“They took me to the [Brickdam Police] station to have a seat; they beat me and start discriminating my lifestyle I live… they are finding a lot of charge because they lash me to my head and bust it,” the trans woman related.

As it relates to the issue of attempted suicide, Kissoon said that it is a “trumped-up” charge and she has no knowledge as to why the police would charge her with such an offence.

“I have no knowledge about that, that’s a false allegation made against me by the police.”

CROSS-DRESSING RULE THE Court of Appeal in February 2017, upheld a 2013 ruling by former Chief Justice Ian Chang, that cross-dressing is not a crime, once not done for “improper purposes.”

In 2010, a group of transgender men had asked the Supreme Court to strike down laws that left them open to arrest following a police crackdown the year before on male cross-dressers. While Chang’s subsequent ruling allowed men to dress in women’s clothing, it did not say what constituted “improper purpose,” which led to concerns about interpretation. Subsequently, an appeal was filed by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community,

AMBIGUITY IN RULING Meanwhile, when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday for a comment on the Kissoon issue, Founder and Co-Chairperson of the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) in Guyana, Joel Simpson, alluded to the ambiguity in the court’s ruling on the issue of cross-dressing.

“Cross-dressing is not a crime unless it’s for improper purposes. The court’s security are taking upon themselves to bar transgender [persons] from entering the court’s compound.

“Up to now, although a few months has passed, there has not been a written decision why the cross-dressing matter was dismissed at the Appeal Court,” Simpson lamented.

With “improper purposes” not being clearly defined, the then chancellor had explained that it is not for the court to define what improper is, since Parliament has not done so.

The Summary Jurisdiction Act, which criminalises men and women presenting themselves in attire of the opposite sex, came into effect in 1893.

This means, too, that when cases related to cross-dressing arise in the courts, interpretation of the word “improper” will be determined by the magistrate hearing that case.

Nicholas Kissoon known as ‘Beyonce’ was prevented from entering the Georgetown Magistrates Court on Tuesday [Delano Williams photo]

May – June rains expected to be above normal THE May–June rainy season in Guyana has commenced and rainfall throughout this period is expected to be above normal, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Dr Garvin Cummings has said.

He is advising that the necessary precautionary measures be taken. According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, above-normal rainfall can result in severe flooding along the coast, affecting major economic activities, especially in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. However, Cummings indicated that even though the rainy period

will be extended to the end of July, there is not a specific time frame for above-normal precipitation.

“We don’t have specific dates per say in terms of what days might have extreme rainfall that would require continuous monitoring, which the National Weather Watch does. Based on this mandate however, what we are expecting for this rainfall season is above-normal rainfall, which means that the rainfall quantities that we are expecting are above the long-term average or the 30-year average, so we are expecting a wet season or more above-average in terms of the amount of rainfall that

we would have,” Dr Cummings said.

The necessary stakeholders, including the Ministries of Public Health and Public Infrastructure, as well as the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) have been furnished with the necessary data and information needed to effectively address flooding. The information is provided, and it is left up to the relevant authorities to make the necessary interventions.

“On Friday (April 28), we held the National Climate Outlook Forum where we shared our seasonal forecast with our major stakeholders

across the country, so I believe all stakeholders are upto-date with regard to what we are expecting for the rainfall season this year,” Dr Cummings added.

The Hydrometeorological Service of the Ministry of Agriculture is mandated to observe, archive and understand Guyana’s weather and climate patterns, and to provide meteorological and hydrological services in support of Guyana’s national needs and international obligations.

The department will continue to monitor weather patterns and disseminate information to the public as required.

Inmates batter child rapist A MAN who was recently jailed for 10 years for having sexual activity with a child (a family member), is now a patient of the infirmary at the Georgetown Prison after inmates gave him a severe thrashing, prison sources have confirmed.

The prison authorities noted that Alvin Rudder is receiving treatment and the incident is being investigated. On March 30, a 12-member jury found him guilty on the first of two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was before Justice Navindra Singh in the Georgetown High Court, who handed down the 10-year sentence after the forewoman had declared that the jury found him guilty on the first count and not guilty on the second count. For the first [Flashback] - Alvin Rud- count, the verdict was der being led away to jail in the proportion of 11 guilty and one not guilty; and the second count was also in the proportion of 10 not guilty and two guilty. When asked by the judge what he would like to say to him, Rudder, who was on the brink of tears, said, “Your Honour, I neva do it. I don’t know nothing about it.” The accused was unrepresented by an attorney, while the state was represented by Tuanna Hardy and Siand Dhurjon.

According to the indictment, Rudder on two occasions – April 9, 2012 and between July 1 and 31, 2013 in the county of Demerara, engaged in sexual activity with a child, a family member.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Roraima Airways hails sports tourism seminar

RORAIMA Airways has hailed the inaugural Sports Tourism seminar hosted by the Departments of Tourism and Sports last Saturday as “a positive step in the further development of Guyana’s nascent tourism sector.”

Speaking on Roraima’s participation in the seminar, Chief Executive Officer Captain Gerry Gouveia said: “I congratulate the Departments of Tourism and Sports and will lend support wherever possible to see the development of the Sports Tourism industry in Guyana. The impacts the development of

this industry like other Tourism niches would have on the economy, especially for the creation of jobs for our young people, would be tremendous. Roraima Airways is ready to continue its support for the development for Guyana’s Tourism industry.”

The Departments of Tourism and Sports jointly held its inaugural Sports Tourism Seminar on Saturday, April 29 at the Pegasus Hotel, with special presentations by veteran sports commentator, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira and the acting Brazil Ambassador to Guyana, Mr Ronald Vieira.

According to a release by the company, the event facilitated sports organisations, and representatives of the tourism, customs, immigration and security sectors providing inputs on the development of a plan to advance Guyana’s sports tourism agenda. This historic seminar comes at a juncture where the number of tourists visiting Guyana for sporting ventures has been on the increase for the last six years, according to statistics from the Guyana Tourism Authority.

“On behalf of Roraima Airways, I congratulate the

Managing-Director of Roraima Airways, Captain Gerry Gouveia

Departments of Tourism and Sports for hosting a successful, first-of-its-kind Sports Tourism Seminar in Guyana.

For too long, we have ignored our tourism potential and have been left behind in the Region. The tourism products in Guyana, if truly developed, can add to the diversification of our economy. With the renewed focus tourism is receiving, I am heartened at this move.” Capt Gouveia said, as he praised the seminar.

Capt Gouveia made reference to the on-going work that needs to be done for development of the other niche

tourism products that have been in the making for some time, such as Destination Wedding Tourism. In anticipation, he looks forward to the tabling and passage of the amended Marriage Licence Act legislation in the National Assembly. This legislation would enable non-nationals to process their marriage documents in a shorter time in order to get married in Guyana.

He also praised the vision and tenacity of the Director-General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, in his leadership of the Department of Tourism.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

Reconditioned MV Barima cuts time to North-West

FOLLOWING major rehabilitation, the MV Barima has significantly reduced its travel time, a move that has been deemed “historic” by the management of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD).

According to Yurlander Haynes, General Manager (ag) of T&HD, the MV Barima made its maiden trip to the North-West District on Friday, April 21, in an unprecedented 21 hours. Typically, the journey takes 30-40 hours, she said. The vessel returned to Georgetown on Wednesday, April 26.

The recommissioning of the MV Barima means that the residents of the North-West District will have a more frequent service – at least two trips each in Port Kaituma and Kumaka. Previously, the Lady Northcote was making two trips to Kumaka and just one to Port Kaituma each month. Now, this number will increase and passengers will spend less time travelling.

The MV Barima was decommissioned in early March after being docked for rehabilitation since November 2015. It included the replacement and repair of underwater fittings, including the propellers and rudders; scraping and painting of the hull; installation of two main engines; painting of the interior and exterior of the ferry; installation of new seats for the passengers; and the upgrade of crew cabins. The ferry also benefited from improved safety, thanks to 250 new life jackets and the addition of fire extinguishers.

The project cost was $150.6M.

The recently rehabilitated MV Barima

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday May 3, 2017

CPA launches project to reunite children with families

THE Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) has embarked on a project that could see several children reunited with their biological families.

Director of the CPA, Ann Greene, explained that the project is aimed at reviewing the status of children in ‘residential care facilities to determine whether they

are eligible to return home. “The children that could be returned to their biological families will be returned to them. We’re also looking to see the progress that the families have made, so that we can return the children; we’re not going to return a child to a family or a situation where we have removed them from and nothing has

changed,” Greene explained.

The project is a collaborative effort with UNICEF and a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Blossom Incorporated. Greene noted that the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

She noted that the staff at CPA already have a packed work programme, therefore, the project will primarily be executed by members of Blossom Incorporated.

“The staff case loads are so high, and I can’t put more load on the staff, so we’re doing it with an NGO that will be helping us to do all the reviews of the children in the residential care institutions. There are about 600-plus children in residential care institutions. The project has commenced

already,” Green explained. Additionally, the CPA Director stated that efforts are intensifying to register and licence day care facilities in Georgetown. She posited that the CPA is currently working with the Guyana Fire Service to conduct fire drill exercises with the small number of those day care facilities in Essequibo to get them registered and licensed.

The agency will soon commence similar work in Linden so all day care facilities in Guyana can be registered and licensed. Greene said the agency will continue to work with communities, families and teenage mothers to better protect and care children.

(GINA)

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Azhar scores century, Misbah falls for 99 to put Pakistan on top … daunting fourth day awaits West Indies BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – West Indies were facing a daunting penultimate day of the second Test against Pakistan today, after Azhar Ali struck his 13th Test hundred to put the visitors on top in the decisive contest at Kensington Oval.

Facing a deficit of 81 runs after Pakistan piled up 393 in their first innings, the Caribbean side finished yesterday’s third day on 40 for one – still requiring a further 41 runs to make the Pakistanis bat again.

They suffered a blow in the 14 overs they were left to navigate at the end when left-hander Kieran Powell was brilliantly caught off the in-side edge by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, off the enterprising seamer Mohammad Abbas in the second over of the innings.

But novice left-hander Shimron Hetmyer, searching for his first score of note after failing in each of his three Test innings to date, stroked a breezy, unbeaten 22 off 34 balls to hold off the Pakistan attack.

Showing little signs of nerves, the 20-year-old pulled Abbas to the ropes at mid-wicket for his first scoring shot and then straightdrove seamer Mohammad A m i r a n d c o v e r- d ro v e leg-spinner Shadab Khan, to account for three of his four boundaries.

He was partnered by opener Kraigg Brathwaite who was unbeaten on eight from 46 deliveries.

Earlier, Azhar scored 105 to help Pakistan consolidate their overnight position of 172 for three, as West Indies struggled in the morning session and were forced to go wicket-less.

For the second straight Test, captain Misbah-ul-Haq suffered heartbreak when he was dismissed on 99, while Yasir Shah chanced his hand with 24 from 31 deliveries to ensure the tail wagged.

Fast bowler Shannon

Gabriel topped the hosts’ bowling with four for 81 while captain and seamer Jason Holder (3-42) and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3-116) were the other wicket-takers.

Azhar and Misbah blunted the West Indies attack in the morning session, gathering just 54 runs in 26 overs to push the visitors up to 226 for three at lunch.

Resuming the day on 81, the right-handed Azhar added a mere 13 runs to be unbeaten on 94 at the break but reached triple figures in the fifth over following the resumption when he cut Bishoo to the backward point boundary.

All told, he struck nine fours in a knock that spanned 278 deliveries and a shade over 7-1/2 hours.

He had put on 98 for the fourth wicket with Misbah when he finally perished in the seventh over after lunch, nicking a Bishoo leg-break behind at 259 for four.

Misbah, who started the day on seven, was unbeaten on 40 at lunch and raised his 38th Test half-century in the fourth over after the break when he cut off-spinner Roston Chase behind square for

a single.

The 42-year-old celebrated by clearing the ropes at long on with Chase as he dominated a 57-run, fifth-wicket stand with Asad Shafiq (15), to further strengthen Pakistan.

Misbah, who was left stranded on 99 in the first innings of the Sabina Park first Test, cruised to the verge of an 11th Test hundred but then got himself in a tangle trying to leave alone one from Holder that bounced, and managed to edge to Shai Hope at second slip.

He faced 201 balls in just over 4-1/4 hours and struck nine fours and two sixes.

West Indies then honed in for the kill with Gabriel removing Sarfraz Ahmed for nine to a catch by Powell at slip and Holder trapping Shafiq lbw with the last ball before tea, to leave Pakistan on 329 for seven.

However, the Windies hopes of bringing a swift end to the innings were dashed when Shadab (16) put on 25 for the eighth wicket with Amir and another 30 for the ninth wicket with Yasir, as runs flowed at the end.

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES 1st innings 312 PAKISTAN 1st innings (o/n 172 for three) Azhar Ali c wkp. Dowrich b Bishoo 105 Ahmed Shehzad c Hope b Bishoo 70 Babar Azam c & b Gabriel 0 Younis Khan c Gabriel b Bishoo 0 Misbah-ul-Haq c Hope b Holder 99 Asad Shafiq lbw b Holder 15 Sarfraz Ahmed c Powell b Gabriel 9 Shadab Khan c Chase b Gabriel 16 Mohammad Amir c Hope b Holder 10 Yasir Shah c wkp.. Dowrich b Gabriel 24 Mohammad Abbas not out 1 Extras: (b-16, lb-16, nb-12) 44 Total: (all out, 140 overs) 393

Fall of wickets: 1-155, 2-156, 3-161, 4-259, 5-316, 6-325, 7-329, 8-354, 9-384.

Bowling: Gabriel 32-6-81-4 (nb9), Joseph 19-5-48-0, Chase 192-74-0 (nb-1), Holder 29-11-42-3 (nb-2), Bishoo 41-11-116-3.

WEST INDIES 2nd innings K. Brathwaite not out 8 K. Powell c wkp. S. Ahmed b M. Abbas 6 S. Hetmyer not out 22 Extras: (b-4) 4 Total: (1 wkt, 14 overs) 40 Fall of wickets: 1-8.

Bowling: Mohammad Amir 4-27-0, Mohammad Abbas 5-1-14-1, Yasir Shah 3-16-0, Shadab Khan 2-0-9-0.

Position: West Indies trail by 41 runs with nine second innings wickets intact.

Archer helps Taylor make winning debut for Sussex LONDON, (CMC) – Barbadian seamer Jodra Archer snatched a brace of wickets to help fire Sussex to a 59run victory over Glamorgan, and ensure West Indies pacer Jerome Taylor enjoyed a winning debut for his new English County here Tuesday.

Playing at Hove, the hosts whipped up 292 for six off their 50 overs after opting to bat first, with Stiaan van Zyl top-scoring with 96 and wicket-keeper Ben Brown getting 60.

South African Marchant

de Lange was the best bowler with three for 51.

Set a revised target of 281 from 43 overs, Glamorgan were dismissed for 221, with right-armer Archer claiming two for 30 from his eight overs.

He shared the new ball with Taylor who was expensive, picking up one from 54 from his eight.

The 22-year-old Archer, in his first full season for Sussex, got the initial breakthrough when he had opener David Lloyd lbw for five with the score on nine in the

fourth over.

He then returned to wrap up the innings, claiming the final wicket of de Lange bowled for 10 in the 40th over.

Wicketkeeper Chris Cooke top-scored with 52.

At the Oval, Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies pacer, Ravi Rampaul, tasted little sucess as his Surrey went down by one wicket to Essex.

With Surrey defending 210, right-armer Rampaul finished with one for 48 from 10 overs, failing to prevent Essex easing to victory with four balls to spare.

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Delhi stun Sunrisers despite Yuvraj fireworks DELHI Daredevils secured only their third Indian Premier League win of the season to haul themselves off the foot of the table.

Yuvraj Singh’s fireworks were in vain as Delhi Daredevils defied the odds to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

Sunrisers were favourites to secure a victory which would have moved them a step closer to the play-offs, but struggling Delhi pulled off a magnificent run chase at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground to move off the bottom of the table.

The Daredevils had only won two of their first eight matches in the tournament and looked unlikely to add a third when Yuvraj blasted 70 not out, off only 41 balls to get Sunrisers up to an imposing 185-3.

India all-rounder Yuvraj was

Yuvraj Singh

at his brutal best after he was dropped by Sanju Samson on 29, but Corey Anderson top-scored with an unbeaten 41 from only 24 balls as Delhi got home with five balls to spare.

David Warner threatened to cut loose again after making a sublime century against Kol-

kata Knight Riders on Sunday, but the Sunrisers captain lost his off stump to a superb yorker from Mohammed Shami after making a brisk 30.

Shikhar Dhawan also got a start, but failed to go on and Kane Williamson was scoring at a run a ball before Shami (236) got rid of the New Zealand skipper.

Yuvraj should have been on his way when he hooked Chris Morris to Samson at deep square leg, but the opening batsman failed to hold on to a routine catch.

The powerful Yuvraj took advantage of that life, hitting a six and 11 fours in a brilliant knock, with Kasigo Rabada going for 59 from his four overs. Moises Henriques added a quick-fire 25 after coming in at number five.

Samson set about trying to make amends with the bat,

Die Hard Sports Club retain Digicel/GFSCA 10/10 softball title THE curtain came down last Saturday night on the Digicel/ Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association-sponsored 10/10 tournament for teams in Essequibo.

The final under lights was witnessed by a large and excited crowd, who saw Die Hard Sports Club impressively claim the title for the second year in succession.

It was a colourful and eventful day of activities at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground including the annual ‘Duck Curry’ competition. The distribution of Digicel gifts and phone cards to lucky patrons also took place.

With rhythmic musical renditions in the background and in an atmosphere of jubilation, Die Hard SC, having won the toss, inserted the opposition to bat first.

The decision proved a correct one as Adventure SC struggled to score quickly.

Partnerships were sporadic during the innings as only opener Shulz Grovesnor with 39, aided by two fours and a

six, kept the scoreboard ticking for Adventure’s otherwise subdued display at the crease.

They were eventually restricted to 91-9 from their 10 overs as fast and accurate swing bowling accounted for most of the wickets. Right-armer and former national Under-19 player Vijay Surujpaul took 4-12 from 2 overs to be the leading wicket-taker in a collectively efficient performance on the field.

In response, Die Hard SC were in a spot of bother after losing their two most accomplished batsmen in Richard Latiff and Patrick Rooplall within the first four overs.

However, it proved the only success for Adventure as an unbroken 75-run partnership between Yaseer Hussain 44 (4x4, 1x6) and Vijay Surujpaul 15 achieved the victory for the defending champions.

They reached the target of 93-2 in 9 overs through responsible batting. Surujpaul’s all-round performance earned him the man-of-the-match award.

Meanwhile, in the earlier

semi-final play-offs, Adventure humbled Richmond Youths to win by 24 runs. Batting first they made 92-6 from their 10 overs and reduced Richmond Youths to 68-9 after their overs expired.

In the other semi-final, Die Hard SC amassed 161-4 from their 10 overs batting first.

Opener Richard Latiff (5x4, 3x6) stoked a brilliant 66 to post the day’s only half-century.

In reply, United Warriors were not brave enough in their run chase and reached 116-8 from their 10 overs to lose by 45 runs. Latiff had a good game by returning to claim 3-11 in 2 overs.

During the presentation, Die Hard SC received the winners’ trophy and $350 000 while Adventure collected $150 000 as the losing finalists. Richmond Youths and United Warriors pocketed $50 000 eash for reaching the semi-finals.

Following the presentation, the audience was then entertained by a live stage show as patrons and fans celebrated and enjoyed a well organised and fun-filled programme.

Bangladesh bowlers get 10-year bans for umpiring protests (REUTERS) - Two Bangladesh club cricketers who deliberately conceded runs to protest against poor umpiring in the Dhaka Second Division Cricket League have been banned from cricket for 10 years, local media reported yesterday.

Lalmatia Club’s Sujon Mahmud conceded 92 runs in four legal deliveries in his side’s match against Axiom Cricketers last month, peppering the field with 15 no-balls and 13 wides

that also raced to the boundary.

Fear Fighters Sporting Club’s Tasnim Hasan had conceded 69 runs in seven legitimate deliveries in a similar protest against the umpiring in an earlier match.

“This incident has dented the reputation of Bangladesh cricket and we have taken a stern step because this was important for us,” Bangladesh Cricket Board director Jalal Yunus was quoted as saying by local newspaper the Daily Star.

The two clubs have been barred indefinitely from competition. The captains, managers and coaches of both teams have been banned for five years.

“They willingly tarnished the image of Bangladesh cricket,” Sheikh Sohel the BCB’s disciplinary committee chief said.

“A bowler won’t be able to do such a thing without the order of their team management.

From the whole investigation we realised that it was done to hurt Bangladesh cricket.”

hitting his first ball from Mohammed Siraj for six and stand-in captain Karun Nair also flexed his muscles with a couple of sixes as Delhi made a strong start.

Siraj saw the back of Samson

and Nair was gone for 39 from 20 balls after he was dropped by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but Delhi continued to build thanks to contributions from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer gave Yuvraj a dose of his medicine by hitting him for back-to-back sixes and the dangerous Anderson was there at the end after hitting three sixes to get Delhi over the line.

32

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Cricket faces a ‘70s-style moment of reckoning

By Ian Chappell

(The ongoing pay dispute between CA and the players shows how the greed of boards and the lure of T20 leagues could spell tricky times ahead) SUDDENLY it’s shades of 1977 in Australian cricket. The players’ association has rejected the financial deal proposed by the board and there is uncertainty surrounding the next television-rights deal.

A similar formula in 1977 resulted in the advent of World Series Cricket. The players were agitating for better pay and conditions and Kerry Packer - the owner of the Nine network - was apoplectic when the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) refused his offer of substantially more money for the television rights, then held by the ABC network.

Kerry Packer didn’t take rebuttal lightly and with his curse, “the devil take the hindmost”, ringing in their ears, he commenced a torrid legal battle with the cricket administrators.

He found plenty of willing allies among the players, and worldwide more than 50 signed to play for the television magnate.

The animosity towards the administrators had been building among the Australian players since the tours of India and South Africa in 1969-70. In 1974-75, Dennis Lillee - the premier fast bowler - had just returned after a serious back injury and described his displeasure at the pay scale (A$200 per Test), in a series of newspaper articles.

The chairman of the ACB then, Tim Caldwell, pleaded with me as captain: “Tell your fast bowler to back off in his newspaper articles.” My response was simple: “Why don’t you tell him yourself, Tim, because I happen to agree with him.”

From there it gradually went downhill, to the point in

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The administrators’ current predicament is a situation of their own making. (IDI/Getty Images)

1977-78 where WSC played its first season in direct competition with the ACB’s series between Australia and India.

“I’m not suggesting it has reached that same stage in Australia again; the players are too well paid these days to seriously contemplate a strike against their major employer.

However, the greed that has been palpable in cricket for the last decade looks like it might be coming home to roost.

Worldwide, boards have been guilty of siphoning every last dollar out of their media deals. The result in some regions has been detrimental to the game, which is now only available on subscription TV in the UK. Indian viewers are entitled to complain that the cricket coverage gets in the way of them watching the ads.

The television companies pay so heavily for the rights that, understandably, they then try to capitalise on any commercial opportunity in an attempt to recoup some of their investment.

The players - in Australia at least - are so used to being well remunerated that they’re unhappy at any hint their livelihood may be curtailed. The difference now, compared to 1977? The players have lucrative T20 leagues as alternative employment if they’re unhappy with the board’s offer.

This is a situation of the administrators’ making.

They demand exorbitant prices for the media rights, so surely they must expect

the players to be just as financially vigilant. And it was the administrators who devised the IPL and other burgeoning T20 leagues, which has increased the financial options for cricketers.

The greed of the administrators - they claim it is money needed to run the game - has resulted in the players expecting regular pay increases every time a new media-rights deal is struck.

In the meantime, there is a surfeit of one-sided Test and ODI matches, where the number of really competitive teams - especially away from home - is insufficient to keep up with the increased attractiveness of T20 games.

The ability of T20 leagues to lure star overseas players and the relative shortness of the contest means they have serious advantages over the longer forms of cricket.

T20 matches capitalise on the attraction of close finishes and possible upsets.

In the shorter game, there is more likelihood that scores will remain close, and a favoured team can always lose to a less fancied side.

For all but the marquee series and tournaments, this has meant that T20 leagues are growing in television value, while the longer versions of the game are in danger of receding.

The current Australian wrangle could well be an insight into where cricket’s future is headed.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

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33

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Regal Ronaldo puts Real on verge of Champions League final

By Rik Sharma |

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -A ruthless Cristiano Ronaldo scored a dazzling hattrick to lead Real Madrid to a crushing 3-0 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final yesterday.

The Portuguese forward put his team on the verge of their third final in four years and took his tally to 103 goals in the competition as he helped Madrid vanquish their near neighbours at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It was another demoralising European defeat for Atletico at the hands of Real,

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their third goal. (Action Images via Reuters/Paul Hanna Livepic)

who had beaten Diego Simeone’s side in two of the competition’s last three finals.

The plaudits, however, belonged once again to Ronaldo, who headed

home in the 10th minute after Casemiro’s bouncing cross caught out Atletico’s defence, before the Portuguese put his team on the verge of another final appearance after the break.

Karim Benzema set him up to smash home his second on the half-volley in the 73rd minute and he finished from close range with four minutes remaining as Atletico offered little resistance.

The visitors’ best chance came during an intense first half, when Kevin Gameiro broke through after 17 minutes but was foiled

by Keylor Navas as he tried to round the Madrid goalkeeper.

Diego Godin lunged in to divert an Antoine Griezmann free kick inches over the crossbar as Atletico sought an equaliser but after that it was one-way traffic as Madrid imposed their dominance on their neighbours once more in European competition.

Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was lucky to escape punishment after crashing his forearm into the back of Lucas Hernandez’s head shortly before halftime, but Atletico’s headache after this defeat will last longer than the Frenchman’s bruise.

Simeone’s side did not offer their usual fight in the second half as Madrid killed

the game off, and perhaps the tie, with Ronaldo, playing in a centre-forward role alongside Benzema, the executioner.

His unstoppable strike from the edge of the box doubled Madrid’s lead and he completed his 42nd hat-trick in a Madrid shirt shortly before the end after good work by substitute Lucas Vazquez.

Ronaldo scored all three goals as Madrid beat Atletico by the same scoreline at the Vicente Calderon in La Liga last November and yesterday’s treble means Atletico’s final European game at that stadium next week is now likely to be a sombre affair.

Joshua-Fury fight ‘miles away’, says Hearn Cold Fusion whip Everest to (REUTERS) - A showdown between IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is “miles away” as the former champion is yet to regain his physical form and boxing licence, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.

Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko after 11 rounds on Saturday to win three of the four heavyweight titles that belonged to Fury, who relinquished all of his titles in 2015 after his licence was suspended pending investigation for doping and medical issues.

The heavyweight rivals have been talking about a match-up since last week when they exchanged barbs on Twitter and Fury challenged Joshua after his victory at Wembley, saying he “can beat AJ with one arm tied behind

start on auspicious note

IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua

my back.”

Hearn, who is planning Joshua’s schedule, said that Fury still had a lot of hurdles to clear before a fight could be arranged.

“We are desperate for that fight because AJ thinks he wins comfortably, it is a great fight and it is the biggest fight out there,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “But we can only concentrate on AJ’s

Tyson Fury

career and guiding him.”

“He (Fury) is miles away from fighting. He is in a terrible physical way at the moment. He doesn’t have a licence, he needs to go back to the (British Boxing) board, and he is under investigation for (an alleged) failed (doping) test.

“There is no one that wants to see him back more than me, but it is miles away. He is not the next fight because he won’t be ready in time.”

Joshua, who extended his unbeaten run to 19 fights, could face Klitschko in a rematch or challenge either Deontay Wilder (WBC Champion) or Joseph Parker (WBO Champion) for his next match.

The victorious Cold Fusion Under-17 pose after their victory.

THE recently formed Cold Fusion Cricket Club of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, made an auspicious start in their first-ever competitive cricket match, thrashing Everest Cricket Club in their own backyard in a feature tapeball match, played last weekend at the Camp Road, Georgetown venue.

The 20/20 Under-17 game, which replaced the original 40-over encounter due to inclement weather, saw Cold Fusion win the toss and insert their opponents.

Everest could muster only 108 all out in 13.2

overs with Hemant Dilip being the main scorer with 22 while extras tallied a healthy 40. Chitram Persaud claimed four for 13 and received excellent support from Kenny Holder (three for 17) and Vishal Prashad (three for 15).

Cold Fusion achieved the required total in 14.3 overs with Trevin Mohabir leading the way with an attractive 53 while Sanjay Charrandeen made 16. Ariel Tilku was Everest’s best bowler with three for 15.

Among those in attendance were several members of Cold Fusion senior team

while its president Bhudnarine Persaud was also at the presentation ceremony to greet his players on the resounding victory on their debut.

Meanwhile, Persaud is expressing sincere thanks to those entities and individuals who played a great part in acquiring gear for the club. Among them are New York-based former Guyana Under-19 player Shameer ‘Joey’ Sadloo, Freddie Madray.

Canada-based Guyanese Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan, Cricket Zone and Millat Sporting Goods.

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Payless Variety and Star Party Rentals give CARIFTA athletes monetary rewards T H E P a y l e s s Va r i ety Store of Wellington Street, Robbstown, and Star Party Rentals yesterday rewarded the successful Guyana Junior CARIFTA Games athletes who bagged eight medals at the Games held in the Dutch-speaking Island of Curacao over the Easter Weekend.

G u y a n a ’s d o u b l e CARIFTA Games gold medallist and former national middle distance champion Lorrie Ann Adams presented the athletes with monetary rewards for their efforts at the just-concluded Games.

In photo, Adams (fourth left) and local distance coach Leslie Black (third right) strike a pose with some of the athletes who represented Guyana at the Games. Third left is Compton Caesar.

Guyana won a record four gold medals which included the 100-metre Boys’ Under-20 gold which was won by Linden athlete Compton Caesar. Caesar also copped a bronze medal in the Under-20 Boys’ 200-metre event.

Adams made the presentation to the athletes on behalf of Payless Variety Store’s Managing Director Joseph Ramkumar and Star Party Rentals’ Chief Executive Officer and former national cricketer, Lennox Cush, at the National Communications Network, Homestretch Avenue office.

Guyanese athletes continue dominance Lawyer says Blatter did not at Suriname’s Telesur 10K Road Race speak to U.S, investigators

By Brian Homewood

Cleveland Thomas dips ahead of Winston Missigher to take the men’s 10k win.

GUYANESE athletes continued their dominance in the Suriname’s Telesur 10K Road Race, as Eulene Josiah Tanner took her third consecutive women’s title, and Cleveland Thomas successfully defended his men’s title, after a tight race against his fellow countryman Winston Missigher, yesterday in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Josiah-Tanner clocked 40 minutes 29 seconds to continue her rule, leading over Carolien Marlet, who crossed the finishing line over four minutes after Josiah-Tanner (44:48.00s).

The last podium positive went to Guyana’s Ashanti Scott after her 45 minutes 51 seconds run.

In the men’s race, Missigher was making it very hard for Thomas to take a big win. Thomas led for most of the race, but Missigher was always very close behind. Thomas quickly realised he would need to pull off a last kilometre sprint if he was to ever shake the Missigher, but even then he could not shake the Running Brave athlete.

In the end it was a dip at the finish line that gave him the win over Mis-

sigher as he clocked 34 minutes 19 seconds. Lorenzo Main was the first Surinamese to cross the finish line, and he did so in a time of 35 minutes 16 seconds.

“I feel good but i know I can do better,” Thomas expressed to Chronicle Sport yesterday. He has plans to go back for the second leg of the race later this month, in the hope of improving his times.

“I will go back and continue my training so that I can do better in the second leg on May 13,” Thomas promised.

ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has not spoken to United States prosecutors in Switzerland, his U.S.-based lawyer told Reuters yesterday.

Blatter told international news agency reporters last month that he had met lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice in Zurich last October or November.

Yet his lawyer Richard Cullen said that Blatter may have mistaken American lawyers who were conducting an internal investigation on behalf of FIFA for officials from the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors from the Department of Justice did not interview Mr Blatter in Switzerland,” Cullen said by telephone.

“He may have mistaken an interview that he gave to American lawyers who were conducting an investigation on behalf of FIFA. “Those lawyers were in fact not prosecutors from the Department of Justice.”

At the time when he made his comments to agency reporters last month, Blatter had also said: “I have had very little contact from my American lawyers because I was never a person of interest under scrutiny by the American justice.

“I have been investigated in two or three matters ... but there is no wrongdoing.”

The 81-year-old was banned for six years by FIFA’s own ethics committee at the height of a

scandal engulfing world soccer’s governing body in 2015.

The scandal saw several dozen soccer officials, including some from FIFA, indicted in the United States on corruption-related charges. Blatter was not among them.

In March, FIFA completed its own 22-month internal inquiry, conducted by U.S. lawyers Quinn Emanuel, into allegations of high-level corruption and handed its report to Swiss authorities.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Colours/Guinness Greatest in the Streets quarter-finals on tomorrow QUARTER-FINAL action in the Colours/Guinness Greatest in the Streets Linden leg will be contested tomorrow evening at the Silver City Tarmac from 19:00hrs.

In the first of the two matches, Swag Entertainment will have to do battle with Jermaine and Family Silver Bullets while in game two, Dave and Celina AllStars will take on Team 25 In their differing quarter-final paths, Swag Entertainment held on for a 2-0 penalty win against Cherokee Park after the scores were tied 1-1 at regulation time.

Cherokee opened the scoring in the fourth min-

Part of the action

ute with Nantambu Arbar while Colwyn Drakes responded in the 25th to bring the game level.

Game two was a drastically different affair, with Dave and Celina’s All-Stars making light work of Young Kings 3-0. Cordell Johnson (4th), Rawle​Gittens (12th) and Sean Brewley (21th) were all on target in the onslaught.

Game three was also determined on penalties with Jermaine and Family Silver Bullets advancing through to the next round via a 2-1 result over High Rollers.

Again, it was a case of the team that came from

behind. High Rollers’ Kendolph Lewis opened the scoring in the first minute and it took a Jermaine Samuels 29th minute strike to equalise.

Game four was an absolute rout for the winners Team 25 as they pummelled Amelia’s Ward Russians.

Four different strikers, Rudy Halley (6th), Ruel Williams (14th), Teon Stewart (24th) and Ryan Noel (26th) ensured their team moved on to the next round.

The Russians still managed a consolation goal through Oswald Benjamin (22nd).

The final will be played on Saturday.

Banks DIH teams up with MoE for 2nd National Schools Relay Festival G U YA N A’ S b e v e rage giant Banks DIH Limited has teamed up with the Ministry of Education (MoE) to stage the second annual National Schools Relay Festival which is scheduled for the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora today.

According to a release, Banks DIH was named beverage sponsor and will support the Festival under the following brands - Rainforest Waters, Misty Cran Water

and Powerade.

Administrator of the MoE Unit of Allied Arts, Desiree Wyles-Ogle, thanked Banks DIH Limited for its continued support of the Festival which started last year to coincide with Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Over 900 athletes from secondary schools a c ro s s t h e c o u n t r y will compete for top honours at the Festival which starts at 10:00hrs.

BANKS DIH Limited Brand Manager Clive Pellew makes a presentation of products to Wyles-Ogle in the presence of Lorraine Barker-King, Otis Smith and Vonne George of the Unit of Allied Arts and Errol Nelson of Banks.

Webb sentence delayed again FORMER CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has had his sentence hearing delayed yet again by a United States court.

The 52-year-old former FIFA vice-president, who was scheduled to face the court on May 11 has successfully had that sentence delayed by three months and will now face his verdict in June.

The defendant’s law-

yers had originally asked for a six-month delay, but that request was not granted. The former FIFA official, who agreed to cooperate in a plea deal, could be facing up to 20 years in prison.

Webb was originally expected to be sentenced June of last year after pleading guilty to racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud and money-laundering in relation to millions

Former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb

of dollars of bribes and kickbacks in relation to regional tournaments, tickets and marketing rights.

Lawyers for Webb, once thought to be a prospective FIFA president, however, successfully argued for a six-month delay and that pushed the date to November 18 of last year. In November, without reasons revealed, his attorney’s once again successfully

argued for another six months’ delay.

Webb remains under house arrest at his home in Georgia, in the United States, but had also seen conditions of the sentence relaxed allowing him to travel beyond the 20-mile restriction initially imposed.

As part of a plea deal, he agreed to forfeit more than $6.7 million.

(Sportsmax)

Colours/Guinness Greatest in the Streets quarter-finals See page 35 on tomorrow

Azhar scores century, Misbah falls for 99 to put Pakistan on top See Page 30

… daunting fourth day awaits West Indies

Azhar Ali salutes after reaching his 13th Test century on the third day of the Bridgetown Test.

Jason Holder bounced out Misbah –Ul-Haq for 99 and then went on to remove Assad Shafiq as Pakistan slipped to 329 for 7 at the stroke of tea.

ABSAA receives funding from Canadian Institution

THE Alex Bunbury Sports and Academics Academy (ABSAA) is pleased to announce the full funding approval from a financial institution in Canada for the development of a US$215M project for Guyana’s first International soccer stadium and sporting complex.

The project is moving from the planning stage towards a projected construction start in September 2017.

The tireless efforts of project leader, Alex Bunbury, has seen a rapid move from conceptualisation and planning, the securing of a lease for the hundred-acre facility to financial arrangements with a financial institution in Canada.

The ABSAA has engaged Bassoo Global (Guyana) as lead consultant for the completion of the construction of the mega-sporting complex.

“We’ve been busy in consultations on the project. Our team of contractors and engineers are ready to work with Baker Barrios Architects from

Florida and we’re eager to get this project started,” said Christopher Bassoo, Director of Bassoo Global.

Bunbury, who returned home after some 40 years has always dreamed of giving back to his native Guyana, the country whose flag he always waves proudly wherever he is.

“The Government of Guyana has been very supportive of the project as it will not only create large scale employment for Guyanese but has as its main objective to showcase the talents of our young people.

“We are extremely excited about this venture and we see it as a great opportunity to give back to the people of Guyana.

We expect to break ground within 5 months once all paper work has been completed,” said Bunbury.

Bassoo Global is an umbrella organisation with global alliances and a team of international and local expert consultants. The entity handles strategic consulting, real estate and large-scale construction projects.

International stadium and complex to be built in Ituni, Guyana.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017