Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 04 05 2016

Crime down by 19% No. 104541

WEDNESDAY MAY 4, 2016

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Vending woes Displaced Stabroek vendors clash with City Hall …Central Gov’t to look into issue Page 2

City vendors protesting outside of City Hall yesterday, demanding better treatment as the Council seeks to remove them from selling on the pavement around the Stabroek Market area (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)

Ivelaw Griffith Trump to No headless new UG VC become nominee body recovered Page

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Camp St CoI

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…Pathologist confirms inmates died from burns, smoke inhalation

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Crime down by 19%

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

- increase in road fatalities recorded

DESPITE mounting concerns regarding the crime situation in Guyana, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 19 percent decrease in serious crimes at the end of the first quarter of this year, relative to the same period last year.

This is according to a statement issued by the police force on Tuesday, which also added that there was an increase in road fatalities up to April of this year, relative to last year.

As it relates to crimes for the first quarter of this year, there was a nine percent reduction in reports of murder; nine percent decrease in gun-related robberies; eight percent decrease in armed robberies; 38 percent decrease in robberies with violence; 38 percent decrease in robberies with aggravation; 18 percent decrease in rape; and 22 percent decrease in break and enter and larceny.

And this reduction, the force reasoned, is credited to several initiatives taken by the Government and GPF to manage the crime situation. The first among these is capacity building in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that is now manifested in perpetrators of high profile crimes being arrested within two to three days of their occurrence.

Secondly, the social crime prevention programme and the force’s anti-crime patrol systems, as well as Government’s policy initiatives are developing the public trust and reducing the fear of crime in the Guyanese society, the GPF said. “Our partnership programmes with civil society organisations and our collaboration with local and foreign law enforcement agencies have also served to strengthen the capacity of the Guyana Police Force. The continuous exposure of our ranks to training both locally and internationally has served to develop the Force’s ability to deliver at the frontline level, at management level and at leadership level” the statement said.

Presently, twelve Assistant Superintendents of the Police Force are attached to the Dade County Police, Miami, for a period of three weeks. This training, the force said, is likely to expose them to a First World approach on designing tactics and delivering on frontline functions. Unfortunately however, the police force did not record the same successes in the area of Traffic Management.

At the end of April of this year, 44 road fatalities, which is nine more for than the same period last year, was recorded.

But, the force was keen to note that while there was an in-

crease in minor and damage accidents, there was a reduction in serious accidents.

Additionally, the Guyana Police Force has charged 25,118 persons with traffic offences so far this year. This includes 9,140 for speeding and 696 for driving under the influence.

And as Guyana gears up for its 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations this month, the force has planned a number of initiatives that include additional manpower deployment, particularly in tourist hotspots. As such, all Annual Vacation Leave due to ranks will be suspended for the month.

Further, it was noted that there will be increased patrols along the East Bank Demerara corridor and other major arteries; increased collaboration with the Force’s auxiliaries and other partners; increased vigilance at all the Ports of Entry; increased Immigration deployment at the Ports for the faster processing of passengers; escorts and close-protection will be provided for VIPs; efforts to maintain traffic enforcement to prevent congestion and deal with drunk driving and speeding; and "Operation Dragnet" activities that benefit from Joint Services collaboration will increase.

Displaced vendors clash with City Hall … Central Gov’t to look into issue

AS THE venue for Stabroek Market vendors appears tentative, several representatives of the disgruntled group on Tuesday afternoon met with Head of the Political Division, Ministry of the Presidency, Frederick Mc Wilfred to air their concerns regarding their relocation.

McWilfred is expected to relay their concerns to the Government.

The vendors have been protesting their relocation from the environs of the market and their troubles deepened as the venue earmarked for them remains tentative.

The vendors told this newspaper that when they turned up at the old Royal Castle site opposite the Linden bus park, the gates to the property were locked and according to them, the venue’s owner, businessman Harishnarine Sugrim was still in discussion with City Hall on the venue being opened for vending.

The situation grew tense during the morning hours when members of the City

Constabulary removed several stands, which were packed with old refrigerators, among other items from the Stabroek Market area and took them across to City Hall.

As midday approached, a crowd grew in number outside City Hall’s gates as persons demanded the return of their stalls, while others called on the Council to find another location for them to vend.

Traffic at this point was re-routed on Regent Street, Georgetown in front of the entrance to City Hall. However, the situation returned to normalcy sometime after 13:00 hrs.

Later, around 15:00 hrs, the vendors converged at the corner of Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and Regent Road where police officers were manning several barricades.

The protestors called for an audience with President David Granger, but they were told to await information from the Ministry of the Presidency by police officials at the scene.

As time dragged on,

A view of the area in front of Stabroek Market on Tuesday McWilfred walked to the barricades from the Ministry of the Presidency and informed the vendors that he would meet with five persons who represent the group. After some discussion among

themselves, the group’s representatives were allowed through the barricades and into the Ministry of the Presidency compound.

According to McWilfred, his purpose for meeting the

vendors was to ensure their views reach the attention of President Granger.

He said the President is overseas and no senior Government official was available to meet with the vendors since Cabinet was in progress.

“I came here because this is not what President Granger would expect or desire,” he said.

He told the vendors that Minister of State Joseph Harmon was also out of the juris-

diction and he was expected to return last evening. He said he will brief Harmon on the vendors concerns today.

Members of the disgruntled vendors who met with the Government official included representatives for vendors from the Demico House area and the Stabroek Market Bazaar.

Meanwhile, City Hall in a release said there were several vendors who owned

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Camp St CoI

No headless body recovered … Pathologist confirms inmates died from burns, smoke inhalation

By Svetlana Marshall N O N E o f t h e 1 7 p e rsons who were killed in the Camp Street riot on March 3 were beheaded, but succumbed as a result of burns and smoke inhalation, Chief Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh said on Tuesday.

However, in the post-mortem, he found evidence that two of the prisoners suffered blunt trauma, which usually refers to a person being hit with a solid object.

In these two cases, Dr Singh said the blunt trauma may have been as a result of a fall or intentional or unintentional acts of violence, such as cuffing or lashing. One of the prisoners was injured on the top of his head and other to the back of his head.

The Chief Pathologist, who has close to 30 years of experience, was cross-examined on Tuesday before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) appointed by President David Granger to look into the circumstances surrounding the deadly riot in which prisoners reportedly set fire to the remand block of the facility.

During the initial stages of the CoI, there were several reports of a charred headless corpse being seen in Capital

Block A after the fire was extinguished. In fact, one of the prisoners – Steve Bacchus – told the Commission that he observed a single burnt skull on a mattress, but it was severed from the prisoner’s body.

But when the question of a headless body was put to the Chief Pathologist, he responded in the negative, stating clearly that all of the bodies had their heads intact.

“If there was a headless corpse, the families would have complained… but there was nothing like a headless body,” he said, while responding to the question put to him by the Commission’s Counsel, Excellence Dazzle.

It was then that he disclosed that two of the prisoners had suffered from blunt trauma to their heads, but maintained that it had not resulted in their deaths.

POSSIBLE CAUSES “The cause of that (blunt trauma) could be several – falling, cuffing, kicking and lashing… I couldn’t say which one… but I don’t think those that had the trauma to the head died from that.”

The news that two prisoners had suffered from blunt trauma in the lead up to their

deaths, caused Joint Services Attorney Eusi Anderson to press for more answers to the point that it made the Chief Pathologist become agitated.

From all indications, Counsel Anderson, during

the Chief Pathologist, who for the record stated that he would have conducted more than 20, 000 post-mortems, maintained that all of the prisoners died as a result of burns and smoke inhalation.

ogy, in terms of the whole forensic sciences… we are limited, but we do our work to the best of our ability,” Dr Singh said in response.

He explained that due to the Department of Pathology limitation with respect to toxicology, he was unable to determine if any of the 17 prisoners were poisoned during or before the riot.

In return, the Joint Services Attorney suggested that: “Prisoners A-Q their remains were never tested for poison… so you cannot conclusively say that poisoning was a contributing factor... so that your opinion on causes of death from A-Q are incomplete if not incorrect… to the extent that you cannot include or exclude poison?”

NOT BY POISONING

Government’s Chief Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh being cross-examined by the Commission on Tuesday his cross-examination was attempting to suggest that Dr Singh, due to the lack of key equipment and technological devices, could not have conclusively state that the two prisoners in particular, had died due to burns and smoke inhalation. But

Nevertheless, in an effort to build his case, Attorney Anderson grilled Dr Singh on his limitations with respect to the execution of his job.

“We are a third world country, we are limited in many ways… in terms of x-rays, in terms of toxicol-

Dr Singh however stood by his findings. “You might have consumed poison, but the cause of death is smoke inhalation,” he reaffirmed, noting that if any of the prisoners had died before the fire as a result of poisoning “that would have been a different story”.

“There is a possibility that poisoning could have rendered you unconscious and in your unconscious

state, Dr Singh, fire could finish you off?” Attorney Anderson asked, as he put another line to questions to the Chief Pathologist, who responded in the affirmative.

Turning his attention to the blunt trauma, Attorney Anderson questioned whether the Chief Pathologist had caused x-rays to be done on all 17 prisoners. But Dr Singh, said first you would need the facility to execute such, which his department does not have.

He, however, made it clear that even in the absence of an x-ray machine, the remains were examined for fractures. According to Dr Singh, his human eyes are sufficient to determine if a body had suffered from a fractured bone or skull.

“If I want to look for a fracture I would move all of that muscle and look for it…,” he said while maintaining that he would have thoroughly examined all 17 prisoners and none had received life-threatening injuries in the lead up to the inferno. Notably, the two prisoners who had received blunt trauma to their heads were Indo-Guyanese and more than 90 per cent of their bodies were burnt during the inferno.

Displaced vendors clash ... stalls at the Stabroek Market, but were not occupying them.

According to City Hall, this has resulted in the congestion on the pavements.

“The Georgetown Municipality is not seeking to put stakeholders out of business, but rather to ensure that vending is done in an atmosphere that is conducive and legitimate, which would be of mutual benefit to stakeholders and Council,” the release noted.

The municipality called on the vendors to exercise patience as the relocation exercise takes effect.

Georgetown’s Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan told

Disgruntled vendors outside City Hall

City Council workers with the belongings of stallholders at City Hall (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)

A vendor speaks with Head of the Political Division, Ministry of the Presidency Frederick McWilfred at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive

this newspaper on Sunday that the move by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown to re-organise the Stabroek Market Bazaar is perhaps the single largest undertaking in that vicinity since the market was constructed in 1881.

According to the Georgetown Municipality, if the City is to attain the status of a top international city, change is imperative.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Trump to become nominee DONALD Trump has won the Indiana Republican presidential primary, crushing the hopes of GOP foes who waged a frantic campaign to halt his march to the party’s nomination.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s chief rival, suspended his presidential campaign hours after Trump was declared the winner, telling supporters “we left it all on the field in Indiana.”

“The voters chose another path. And so with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for

the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,” he said in remarks that neither mentioned Trump by name nor offered an endorsement for the man close to capturing the nomination. In a tweet, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus called Trump the “presumptive” Republican nominee and called for the party to unite behind him.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Indiana contest on the Democratic side of the ballot. But frontrunner Hillary Clinton still leads Sanders by a signifi-

cant number of total votes and delegates nationwide, and the results of Indiana’s primary are not expected to

til the final primary contests in June.

With his Indiana victory, Trump is now on a glide

Donald Trump is on path to become the Republican nominee change her path to the Democratic nomination. Sanders has pledged to compete un-

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path to secure the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure his party’s nomination

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before the convention in Cleveland this summer. He is expected to easily clear the decisive threshold that Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich pledged to block from his reach. In a memo earlier Tuesday, Kasich’s campaign manager said that the Ohio governor would fight on in the 2016 race.

But he lags even farther behind Cruz in the delegate count and is mathematically eliminated from capturing a majority of delegates.

Trump’s victory in Indiana was particularly stinging for Cruz, who employed a series of unorthodox campaign tactics in a last-minute effort to derail Trump’s chances in the Midwestern state. Together, pro-Cruz and anti-Trump forces spent more than $6 million on television advertising in the Hoosier State in the effort to stall Trump’s march towards the Republican nomination. Cruz and Kasich announced an alliance last month to maximize opposition to Trump in remaining primary states, a strategy which backfired badly among Republican voters skeptical of a plan that Trump branded as “collusion.”

In an unusual move, Cruz announced that former HP chief Carly Fiorina would be his running mate if he captures the GOP nod — despite being mathematically eliminated from getting a majority of Republican delegates at all.

And in a fiery press conference Tuesday, a visibly upset Cruz derided Trump as “a pathological liar,”

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a “narcissist” and a “serial philanderer” whose electoral success to date has led the country “staring at the abyss.” “Donald Trump laughs at the people of this state, laughs, bullies, attacks, insults,” he said in remarks responding to Trump’s unsubstantiated theory that Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. “I don’t believe that’s America.”

Trump took a less-than-conciliatory tone when he responded to Cruz’s charges on Twitter Tuesday evening, calling his rival “wacko.” In a statement before Cruz exited the race, Trump opposition group #NeverTrump vowed to fight on but offered few specifics on how to derail the real estate mogul’s progress. “Obviously Trump’s victory in Indiana makes the road ahead more challenging,” the group wrote.

“We will continue to seek opportunities to oppose his nomination and to draw a clear line between him and the values of the conservative cause.”

On the Democratic side, Clinton has engaged less with her primary rival in recent weeks, instead choosing to focus on her likely clash with Trump in the fall. Asked about her chances in Indiana earlier Tuesday, Clinton told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday that her campaign “ran hard” in Indiana but quickly added “I’m really focused on moving into the general election.” (MSNBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Lula had ‘key role’ in Brazil scandal BRAZIL’S Attorney General Rodrigo Janot has asked the Supreme Court to authorise an investigation against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for alleged corruption.

Janot accused Lula of playing a key role in the huge corruption scandal at the state oil company, Petrobras.

He said the corruption could not have taken place without the participation of the former leader.

Lula, who was in office between 2003 and 2011, de-

nies the allegations.

The former President was previously accused of getting a penthouse flat in favourable conditions from a building company involved in the Petrobras scandal.

But the accusations filed now by the Brazilian Attorney General are much more serious.

Janot said Lula and other senior politicians conspired to create a scheme that siphoned off vast amounts of money from Petrobras.

He requested authorisation to investigate Lula and

29 other senior politicians, officials and businessmen.

The Speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha - a former Government ally who is now in the Opposition - and ministers from President Dilma Rousseff’s Cabinet are on Janot’s list.

Prosecutors say the corruption scheme is estimated to have cost the company more than US$2 billion (£1.45 billion).

Part of the money was used to finance the electoral

campaign of top Brazilian politicians, they allege.

The accusations are part of Operation Car Wash, which was launched two years ago by a group of prosecutors focusing initially on money laundering.

Their investigations led them to allegations of a complex corruption scheme at Petrobras.

Several politicians and Petrobras executives have been arrested and sentenced.

Some of them have agreed to testify against oth-

Venezuelans lose sleep –– as crisis deepens and clocks move forward VENEZUELANS lost half-an-hour of sleep on Sunday when their clocks moved forward to conserve energy as the country grapples with a severe electricity shortage.

When President Nicolas Maduro announced the time change, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza said the night-time use of lighting and air conditioning was a huge drain on the national

power grid.

The time change means there is a half an hour more daylight in the evening when energy consumption peaks, itv reported.

The move reverses the original time change made by late President Hugo Chavez so that children could wake up for school in daylight.

The time change was ordered by Maduro as one of a number of measures he is implementing to try

to deal with a severe economic and energy crisis, BBC News reported.

The Government has already ordered rolling blackouts and reduced the work week for public sector workers to just two days.

Caracas has also ordered shopping malls to open only half-time and generate their own electricity, and schools to close on Fridays.

Maduro blames the en-

ergy crisis on a severe drought, which he says has drained the country’s hydroelectric dams and its capacity to generate power.

His critics say the crisis is due to mismanagement of the energy sector.

Oil-rich Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis largely caused by a drop in global oil prices.

The country is staggering under the burden of widespread shortages

er suspects in exchange for more lenient sentences, taking the investigation to a new level.

Until now, 39 people were being officially investigated in Operation Car Wash.

Janot has asked for the inclusion of another 30 names on that list.

He has acted on new information from suspects who agreed to a plea bargain, Brazilian media reported.

On Monday, Janot requested authorisation to investigate prominent Opposi-

tion Leader and former presidential candidate Senator Aecio Neves.

He has been accused of receiving bribes from officials at the state electric company, Furnas.

Neves has rejected the allegations.

Rousseff, who defeated Neves by a narrow margin in 2014, was head of the Petrobras board of directors when much of the corruption took place, but she is not facing any official accusations against her.

(BBC)

of basic goods like toilet paper and staple foods.

Maduro claims that the situation has been caused by an “economic war” against his socialist Government waged by the country’s business elite and the United States.

Meanwhile, the Opposition in Congress, which took over the legislature in December, has accused Maduro and his Government of economic mismanagement and incompetence.

They have pledged to drive him out of office and are gathering the signatures needed to organise a referendum to remove him.

By Saturday they said they had collected nearly two million signatures, representing 10 times the amount required by the country’s electoral board.

Provided the board verifies the signatures, the Government’s opponents will then have to collect four million more – to total 20 per cent of voters – for the board to organise a referendum vote.

For the referendum to be successful, an equal or greater number of voters than the 7,587,579 who elected Maduro in 2013 would have to cast their vote in favour of the recall.

(Caribbean News Now)

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

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

Editorial

The complexities of crime in Guyana CRIME speaks to the breaking of laws, and crime happens in many forms. The crimes apparently prevalent in our society are those of domestic violence, blue collar and white collar crime, racial hostility, and intellectual property rights.

There have been, of recent, media reports of persons being robbed of their assets, accompanied by deaths in some cases. There have also been cases of domestic violence and cases of racial hostility that have resulted in deaths. The issue of property rights theft happens in plain sight and on a daily basis, thus the passing of modern copyright laws will play a significant role in arresting this problem.

The recent killing of a young woman allegedly at the hands of her child’s father -- aside from the gruesome and apparently deliberate manner in which it was executed, and the efforts made to conceal the act -- communicates to this nation that work has to be intensified to address this scourge.

Our society has to reach that stage -- and it requires the input of all: the family, agents of civil society, and the government -– where a new and concerted effort is cultivated to deal with domestic violence. The society must, as a matter of urgency, help our men and women to understand that manhood and womanhood are not threatened when one walks away from a relationship that has gone sour. Where child abuse, including paedophiliac behaviour, occurs, our children must feel assured that society will protect them, and not the villain, regardless of how connected that villain may be.

As these crimes are discussed in the media, social and formal, it need not be forgotten that victims, whether they have come public or not, are watching and assessing how the society is dealing with the matter. The manner in which these cases are dealt with will either contribute to halting the depravity or fostering its continuation if the abusers feel protected or empowered, or where victims hold the view that society is crucifying them for acts that should never have happened to them.

Support structures, be they education, legal aid or shelter, also have to be considered key factors

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Growing up in a small village LISTENING to the sweet melodies of the kiskadee, the crashing sound of the waves as they furiously beat upon the seawall, roaming in the newly burnt fields for the sweetest sugar canes, ‘skulking’ from school (I just hated school with all my heart and soul) to hunt for that ripe monkey apple, delighting in the singing and dancing of my kite mounting ever so high (with sharp razor blades at the tail), feeling in the stagnant muddy drains for that cricket ball – these are some of the most vivid and happy memories of my boyhood days growing up in the small and close-knitted village of Uitvlugt Ocean View on the West Cost of Demerara.

The childlike delight, spontaneity, and exuberance may no longer be there, but one of my abiding joys in life is still my passion and love for the beauty and magic in nature.

It is indeed a sad commentary on our times that many people, particularly in the metropolitan cities of the world, have but little time or they scarcely bother to admire and reflect on the exuberant splendor and beauty in nature. The hurried pace and stress of modern living has stifled our natural curiosity and sense of wonder. Many people are just

too busy and occupied to stop and smell the roses. So on a daily basis, great beauty passes unnoticed with no space in their schedule for any pause or break. Einstein was hinting at exactly this when he wrote: “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

Despite our best efforts at encroaching upon nature, causing species to vanish, polluting the environment, and upsetting the earth’s complex and intricate ecological balance, the world is still a place of immense beauty and sheer delight. This was eloquently expressed by Thomas Carlyle, who wrote: “This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle, wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more, to those who think of it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher, poet, and transcendentalist, thought deeply on nature and life and he gave a glimpse of the spiritual dimension to the magic of nature when he wrote: “I feel that nothing can befall me in life – no disgrace, no calamity, which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, my head bathe in blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, - all mean egotism vanishes, I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I

in bringing about crucial behavioural change. Contrary to the erroneous perception promulgated in a certain song, eternal love does not constitute blackin’-up anybody’s eyes or bruisin’ up their knees, killing them, or doing something similarly unsavoury. If “love doesn’t live there anymore”, let the partner be allowed to leave with his/her dignity intact. It is an abuse to hold a person against his/ her will, or to ill-treat a person, even if such is done to manage image or perception.

A few days ago, Ramada Princes Hotel was robbed.

This act was accompanied by gun violence which saw five persons being shot, including a police officer who has been hospitalised. The police later made known that a security guard was allegedly among those who had planned the crime. Apart from, in this instance, the betrayal by someone entrusted by an employer to safeguard the property, the shooting of a police officer exemplifies the danger our men and women in uniform face daily when putting their lives on the line to keep us safe.

Of concern is that too many guns are still on the streets, and the amnesty afforded gun owners, although having netted some success, may need to be revisited; or other ways may need to be explored to get weapons away from those not licensed to carry them, or using them for the wrong purpose. The killing of a Good Hope, East

see all; the current of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part and parcel of God.” Not to marvel at nature is a reflection of our spiritual decline.

The sacred texts of all the great religious traditions of the world are adorned with passages where the infinite majesty and glory of God are described with references to the marvelous works in nature and creation. They remind us to step back a little, to rise above mere rituals and ceremonies, and to behold God in the fragrant perfume of the flowers, in the ebb and flow of the tides, the enchanting music of the nightingale, the sweet smile of a child, and in all the magnificent works in nature.

God then can no longer be confined to the temple, synagogue, mandir, mosque, or gurudwara.

To see Him in a rainbow or in the setting sun is in itself meditation and prayer as good as when we sing His praises in the houses of worship. Thus Shri Krishna, Universal Teacher, sang to Arjuna, His disciple in Bhagavad Gita: ‘For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” Sincerely, CECIL RAMKIRATH

Bank Essequibo husband and wife, who allegedly were burnt alive by intruders, and the Parika businessman who was robbed and killed are other instances of moral decline. As the police continue their investigations, a breakthrough has reportedly been had, and a close associate (ex-lover) is allegedly involved.

None should treat life as though it is expendable and get away with it. Neither should any think they can rob the State and be let off the hook, receive protection, or continue to occupy certain positions.

When these acts are condoned, a clear message is sent that what obtains in the society is a free-for-all, and this will embolden others.

Addressing crime is the responsibility of all.

The Public Security Minister is responsible for crafting policies to eliminate and contain crime, and the police execute those policies consistent with the law; but fighting crime is a function of society -- be it in the instance of poverty, moral decadence, corruption; or its perception, real or contrived, that the connected and well-off can walk free.

There is no political utility in capitalising on the misfortune of others, because in an environment where one is threatened, all are threatened.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Open letter to President Granger Dear Mr. President, FOR at least the past two months, there hasn’t been a day when the crime situation in Guyana has not dominated the headlines of the more popular dailies.

One has to be real naive not to observe that violent crime is on the rise, and that there is no evident macro plan to counter this.

The noticeable absence

of any type of proactive approach seems to be a motivation for anyone with a gun to get into the business of armed robbery.

I am forced to deduce that this is all happening as a consequence of the lack of visionary leadership at the level of both the Ministry of Public Security and the Guyana Police Force.

This situation is further

Dear Editor, MR BHARRAT Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition, has attacked the Government for coming to a settlement with DDL to end a long drawn out legal battle. The settlement was motivated because it was felt that the case was going against GRA; that there would be many more years of appealing to the Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court, and that inflation at five percent per annum and litigation costs would have eaten away the tax under dispute.

Government, in summary, felt it was a bad gamble, and thought it wiser to collect a substantial sum of money which could be used on social services.

Mr Jagdeo thinks DDL

should have paid taxes of between $25B and $30B, which would have destroyed the company, such a sum being very many years the company’s annual profits.

With the destruction of that company, several thousand employees would have lost their jobs, and thousands of shareholders and their families would have lost their investments.

In addition, Guyana would have ceased to be the producers of the best rums in the world.

In his statement on the issue, Mr Jagdeo has approached the situation completely from the standpoint of tax collection by GRA; and from this narrow perspective, his position is logical. But it would have been realistic if he had taken

compounded by the tragic conditions prevailing at the Georgetown Prisons, which also falls under the ambit of the Minister of Public Security.

Minister Ramjattan is obviously out of his depth at this Ministry, and his Police Commissioner is like Alice in Wonderland.

While I understand the provisions of the Cum-

Rationalise Consumption Tax cognisance of the people who supply GRA with most of its taxes, and those people come from the business community. If the business community were to be minimised or destroyed, there would simply be no taxes to collect, since the goose that laid the golden eggs would have been killed.

The solution to this problem is the rationalistion of the Consumption and Excise taxes, bringing them into conformity with what obtains in other Caribbean countries. It would be of great national benefit if Mr. Jagdeo could employ his undoubtedly great financial talents in this direction.

Regards, MITHRA BHUSHAN

Please clarify details of the DDL/GRA settlement Dear Editor FOLLOWING the Harmon saga, we are now on the DDL/GRA episode.

The amount claimed from DDL by GRA has been reduced by about 80 per cent, and the Private Sector Commission is asking that other aggrieved companies be similarly dealt with by GRA in applying the formula to correct the distortions in the marketplace.

Members of the public are aware of the allegations by the PPP that the GRA was wrong to settle for that

amount. The formula used

by GRA seems interesting, and I am asking that our forensic auditors –- and our financial experts: Christopher Ram, Anand Goolsarran and ‘Rambo’ Gaskin -- advise and educate us on what GRA meant when, in conceding to DDL, it claimed that Government gained a profit of $231 million, since, once a debt owed exceeds one year, its value must be discounted for every year it remains uncollected; so during the 15-year period, and based on the interest rate of 10 percent, the $5.3 billion claimed

by GRA would have been worth $1.3B, inclusive of what may be due up to, and including, April 2016. I hope I got this right.

Does it mean that if ratepayers do not pay over what is due at the end of the year, there will be a discount? And secondly, will the shareholders of DDL be entitled to a special dividend based on the four billion dollars saved

by DDL as a result of the order of GRA? Regards, JASON DYAL

mingsburg Accord, Mr. President, I urge you to consider removing both Mr. Ramjattan and the Commissioner of Police from their respective appointments, before the crime situation escalates to a catastrophe and brings your government down.

While Mr. Ramjattan may be a clever lawyer, Public Security is definitely not his forte. He is a round peg in a square hole at the Public Security Ministry. He is unable to fill the requirements of his portfolio, and should be reshuffled to a ministry for

which his qualifications make him suitable.

This is my humble advice as a concerned citizen.

Regards, GEORGE GOMES Lieutenant Colonel (retired)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Professor Ivelaw Griffith is new UG Vice-Chancellor

THE Council of the University of Guyana has announced that Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith has accepted its offer to become

Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Guyana’s premier tertiary learning institution. He is scheduled to assume office as UG

Vice-Chancellor on June 14, 2016.

A statement issued by the University of Guyana on Tuesday said Professor

Griffith was selected after an exhaustive national, regional and international search that had short listed three candidates and evaluated them based on a series of lectures, their credentials, and an interview by the Search Committee appointed by the Council.

Professor Griffith, who has the honour of being the University of Guyana’s first student to graduate with Distinction in Political Science, in 1980, has an outstanding record as a scholar, academic leader, and teacher. He is currently Executive-in-Residence at the University at Albany State University of New York, and has held a number of other leadership positions, including President of Fort Valley State University in Georgia (2013-2015), Provost and Senior Vice President at York College in New York (2007-2013), Provost at Radford University in Virginia (2006-2007), Dean of the Honours College at Florida International University (2001-2006), and Budget Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University (1998-2001). All the while he has maintained his tenure as a political science professor.

He views his appointment as “returning to the place where my academic journey began”, and as an opportunity to make a significant contribution to his homeland.

According to Professor Griffith, “Guyana’s sole national institution of higher learning is a long-neglected educational enterprise that must be transformed into a meaningful facilitator of educational and economic

development for citizens and society. It must foster dreaming and doing about changing personal and societal realities, and enable discovery in

Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith all relevant fields.”

Professor Griffith considers UG “a pillar of the nation’s economic and social development”, and looks forward to working with governmental, alumni, business, civic, and other stakeholders to enable UG to provide a platform to explore myriad opportunities and be a stimulus for innovation.

In an invited comment, Chancellor Nigel Harris said, “The University of Guyana welcomes Professor Ivelaw Griffith, whose scholarly achievements and leadership experience are well suited to the central role he must play in transforming the institution.”

Professor Griffith has gained international recognition as one of the leading scholars in the fields of Caribbean and hemispheric security, drugs and crime. He has published seven books and more than 50 academic and policy articles, and has been quoted in numerous me-

dia, including the New York Times, BBC World Service, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Jamaica Gleaner and Barbados Nation newspapers.

In addition, he has served as a consultant to the Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID, Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on security issues.

The new Vice-Chancellor has been a visiting scholar at the Perry Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies in Washington DC, the Royal Military College in Canada, and the George Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany. He was one of 45 experts commissioned by the OAS Secretary General to review hemispheric drug policies and practices, and offer anti-drug scenarios.

For his exceptional work in his field of expertise, he was awarded the 2015 William J. Perry Award, named in honour of former United States Defence Secretary Dr William J. Perry.

In addition to his Bachelor of Social Science (Political Science, with Distinction) degree from the University of Guyana, he has also secured a Diploma in Communications from UG. Moreover, he holds a Master of Arts degree from Long Island University in New York, and a Master of Philosophy and PhD degrees in Political Science from the City University of New York Graduate School. Further, he completed the programme in Educational Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Professor Griffith is married to Francille Griffith, with whom he has parented two adult children.

Linden man on bail for robbery charge

JOHN BROOMES of 130 Wisroc Housing Scheme, Linden, was on Tuesday placed on $75, 000 bail for charges of robbery under arms and break and entering respectively.

He appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Linden Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

It is alleged that on October 1, 2015, at Plantation Fairsrust, armed with a gun, he robbed Nevlyn Benjamin of one Sumsung Galaxy Smartphone worth $40, 000 and one gold ring worth $70, 000.

Between October 1 and 2, 2016, he allegedly broke and entered the home of Devon Green at Phase 1B Wisroc Housing Scheme and stole one gas bottle worth $10, 000.

The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the defendant is a repeat offender and is currently before the courts for several matters of similar nature.

The defendant when given a chance to speak, told the magistrate that he no longer gets involved in illegal activities as he was given a strict warning by him in 2014.

“Your worship the last time I went before you was in 2014 and you place me on one year bond and since then I deh home planting my lil bora and pakchoi. I don’t get in no trouble, I don’t trouble no body thing, I don’t even deh round people your Worship,” exclaimed the defendant.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Abortion and the ability to choose revisited

By Akola Thompson IN last week’s column, I wrote about the lack of abortion laws in Trinidad & Tobago in relation to similar progressive laws in Guyana, which has seen abortion being legalised since 1995; and I stated that abortions are performed at public hospitals only in cases of botched abortions.

I have since been made aware that that part of the column is wrong, and I apologize profusely for that. The correct thing would have been to write that while abortion has been legal since 1995, “only hospitals and clinics authorized by the Minister of Health under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act may perform terminations of pregnancy” in Guyana.

Currently, abortion services can be accessed in only three national healthcare institutions: Suddie Hospital (Region 2), New Amsterdam Hospital (Region 6) and Georgetown Public Hospital (Region 4.) However, the Diamond Diagnostic Centre and the Linden Hospital are preparing to implement these services.

Mistake aside, the fact still remains that lack of money, education and access constantly hinders a woman’s freedom to choose whether or not to have an abortion. This results in many injuries, sterility, and in many cases death; showing that simply making something legal without properly implementing it is not enough.

While I know there are several competent doctors in these public institutions carrying out abortions, for every one of them there are two incompetent ones who constantly place the lives entrusted to them in danger, as they have been inadequately trained. Several doctors who have not been licensed or trained to carry out abortions have, in the last few years, been named in abortion-related deaths.

One should never forget 19-year-old Karen Badal, whose life was snuffed out after a botched abortion performed at the private office of an unlicensed doctor. One should always be aware of the countless abortion-related deaths that never make it into the media.

The knowledge that they may end up being attended to by incompetent doctors, coupled with the lack of money to seek private alternatives and lack of education about contraceptive measures, may be responsible for many women continuing to go to ‘bush doctors’, ‘bottom house clinics’, or injuring themselves to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy -- still leaving us with a high rate of abortion-related deaths.

The accessibility of abortion information from several institutions also remains a problem, as such information is not readily provided on the telephone, particularly at GPHC, where one is told that one would have to come to the facility to access the information one needs.

Health Minister Dr. George Norton has, in the

past year, laid bare his intention to make abortion services available at all public health facilities, in an effort to provide access to proper medical care and diminish the high number of deaths caused by botched abortions.

While his statements are commendable, as it is great to see a man respect the rights of women in accordance with the laws set out, what will most likely ensue is an uphill battle that would warrant continuous work, as society’s very large religious community would most likely see this as an affront to the doctrines they claim to respect. However, since his statement in May of last year, not much has been heard about the progress he has made, although I will admit I could have missed any such announcements.

He had also expressed plans to get the “Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act” up and running, as legislation means nothing if all the means are not put in place, one of which would see a 12- member Termination Pregnancy Board being set up; but, again, to my knowledge, no such board has been set up as yet.

While access to safe and affordable abortion is something the country needs, bringing to justice unlicensed persons who injure or kill women seeking abortions, providing sex education in schools, and family planning are also areas in which particular interest must be paid.

Efforts must also be made to sensitize the public

on the dangers its negative attitudes would have on those women choosing to have abortions, and how those negative attitudes deter women from going to public

facilities.

While morals and codes are normally good things by which to live, these morals and codes should never infringe upon the freedom

of others, particularly if that freedom is used to keep a child out of a life of poverty and an unloving home, among several other reasons.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Calls mount for Samuels to return as Deputy Director of Prisons

By Shauna Jemmott THE ATTORNEY who represents the Joint Services at the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Georgetown Prison riots which claimed the lives of seventeen prisoners on March 3 is suggesting that Deputy Director of Prisons (DDoP), Gladwin Samuels, return to duty in the capacity of officer-in-charge of the Camp Street Prison.

Attorney-at-law Eusi Anderson made this suggestion in light of prison officers

testifying at the CoI and highlighting the untoward effects in the Georgetown Prison yard of Samuels’s absence from active duty due to suspension.

“I believe he should head the prisons,” Anderson declared.

PREMATURE In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the lawyer said he believes the decision to send Samuels on leave was premature. He said he understands that certain factors had

to be taken into consideration because Government was responding at the time to the public outcry over the deaths of 17 prisoners.

Samuels, Deputy Director of the Georgetown Prisons, was suspended from duty by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on March 4, a day after the deadly blaze started by prisoners within the Capital ‘A’ block had left more than 17 families in mourning and several witnesses, including prison officers and prisoners, traumatized. Prisoners had

Deputy Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels accused Samuels of having left their fellow inmates to burn to death in the fire during the prison riot.

Anderson said, “I un-

derstand that it would be on good footing if his continued presence at the Camp Street Prison would have impacted upon the willingness of

inmates to give testimony; because if strongman Samuels is going to be around and I fear that his presence at the prison during my testimony is going to lead to some immediate consequences, then I can understand that.”

Anderson said he believes there are still sufficient safeguards to protect prisoners from any assumed “type of arbitrary and retributive conduct”

by Samuels, as the CoI had heard from all the prison witnesses. The lawyer said, “I believe, as you heard from the point of view of the prison officers who are currently charged with responsibility for the safety Please turn to page 12

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, the Ministry of Social Protection

Four minutes well spent

FOUR minutes is not very long, but depending on how you use it, it can make a big difference.

You’ve only been reading this for less than fifteen seconds, and already I know you are intrigued to know where this piece of writing is going.

Well, this is an introduction to something new; something that could possibly change your perception, view and knowledge. And it starts here, today.

Every Wednesday, from now until the end of the year, you can read or find something in this corner that will enlighten and perhaps even educate you. Although the information will vary from week to week, the subject matter will remain the same: ‘Protecting our children and the prevention of child abuse’.

A DUTY TO CARE As adults, we have a duty to care and protect the children in our midst. That means that we must do everything in our power to prevent them being harmed in any way.

We must anticipate the ills that could possibly befall them at every turn, and never take anything for granted where their care is concerned.

For example, we must be especially particular about whom we leave our children with.

Most cases of sexual abuse are perpetrated by a family member, or a family-friend. And although perpetrators are mostly men, women sexually abuse children too. As watchful, caring adults, we must remember that ‘not every smiling face is a friend’, and a child molester (or abuser) is not likely to reveal that part of their personality to you or society.

So, don’t be blind-sided by the apparent kindness or generosity of a person; safeguard your child the best way you know how.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS: * Teach your child about appropriate and inappropriate touching, so they have a clear idea of what ‘is’ and ‘is not’ allowed. * Keep the lines of communication and trust open between you and your child. Listen to them carefully, and never accuse them of lying when they tell you something. * Use your instinct and perception about people who spend time with your child. If something seems ‘off’, or you think something is wrong, then it probably is. * Rely on your gut feeling. If you have any concerns about someone who is around your child, or who spends time with your child, remove your child if you can. If you can’t, then limit the amount of time your child is exposed to that person. * Encourage your child to talk about their day; the things that happened; the things they experienced; what people said and did. Listen carefully, so you can build a picture of what goes on in your absence. * If your child is unhappy, hesitant or nervous to stay somewhere or with someone in particular, don’t force them; make alternative arrangements.

NO NEED TO PANIC

There is no need to become paranoid, but there is always a need to be vigilant, attentive and

very, very careful about whom you leave your children with, and in what type of environment.

Most Parents want to see their child grow up to be a confident, level-headed individual who contributes to society. But this does not happen by chance; it happens when parents play an essential role in protecting, guiding and nurturing their child.

It only took four minutes to read this, and I am sure you will agree that is was four minutes well spent.

Four minutes can change the life of a child; let us take our responsibilities towards children seriously, and work together for change.

NEXT WEEK: The Growing Child and how to cope

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Calls mount for Samuels ...

From page 10 of us all, because by virtue of them being in charge of the Camp Street Prison, some of our most dangerous citizens, they are indirectly and vicariously responsible for our safety as well.”

THE SAMUELS PRESENCE Anderson said testimonies suggest that the presence of Samuels is needed at the main correctional facility, because prisoners have since become out of order whereas officers have testified that he was responsible for major drug busts.

Chief Officer at the Georgetown Prisons, Peter Barker, told the CoI last Friday: “As prisoners, walking around with two ‘jookers’ (improvised daggers) in their waist, and rolling up marijuana (and) smoking a big joint, and they walking in front of you and blowing smoke in your face, temptations (arise).”

MOTIVATION A day earlier, Chief Prison Officer Roddy Denhart’s testimony before the CoI confirmed that officers depend greatly on Samuels for motivation. Moreover, the

prison needs him, as inmates have now become uncontrollable.

“Now it is full blown; the inmates are out of order…. In your presence, regardless of who (you are), they will be on their cell phones, marijuana in their mouths smoking.

They have long improvised weapons…, walking around and doing whatever they choose to do,” Denhart had said.

He added: “Recently, a prison officer was choked and robbed in the prison yard. Another one was (patted) on his chest with a long knife that an inmate had… just hailing he up; blatantly hailing the officer up with a long knife on his chest.”

Denheart had spoken extensively about Samuels being a disciplinarian. He had described him as “a very stern individual; he is a disciplinarian and doesn’t stick nonsense”, but he is one officer whom prisoners dislike.

Denhart had also explained that Samuels has a very good system in place to easily track underhand activities within the Georgetown Prison.

DRUG BUSTS “Most of the biggest drug busts in the prison were done

by Mr. Samuels, and because of that fact, he is not liked by most of the inmates,” Denheart had testified.

According to Denhart, the absence of Samuels from the

Mr. Samuels has an effect on what you call ‘the individual staff’s morale’. Mr. Samuels has been able to command, muster and inspire that in his staff; so, without him being there, we know staff morale at the individual agency level has taken a significant beating,” Anderson explained.

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

Joint Services Attorney Eusi Anderson Georgetown Prison has created a dent within the security system.

“His absence has (created) a hole in the security system to some extent; and like I said, his network is his network, I don’t know how he does it,” he had explained, adding that the decision to remove Samuels from the prison has “affected” both inmates and officers “a great lot.”

Two weeks ago, Officer-in-Charge of the Georgetown Prison, Senior Superintendent Kevin Pilgrim, told the CoI that “intimidation” is the order of the day at the Camp Street Prison, as there is a “stronger gang culture now more than ever; and as it is, that poses problems in itself.”

He had said further that the shortage of wardens exacerbates the situation.

Director of Prisons, Carl Graham, had also told the Commissioners that “the pressure is on” in the absence of Samuels from duty.

Attorney Anderson told the Guyana Chronicle that one needs to take time to assess the type of effect Samuels’s absence has clearly had on the prisons.

“For you to be operational at the level of your job, there must be some internal drive to do that. It is clear that

Anderson said that, in addition to having vital leadership qualities, Samuels has had a tremendous impact on intelligence-gathering.

“You can’t operate in the dark. This isn’t a situation whereby you are ‘Hey, leh me wake up and see if I can find an unlawful weapon in this corner or a contraband in that corner’; you have to act on actionable intelligence. I don’t want to speculate, but I would say that, to some extent, Mr. Samuels, by virtue of his experience, his personality and his knowledge of the environment, was able to maximize those strands and chains of intelligence,” the lawyer said.

He added that while, “from an operational standpoint”, Samuels’s absence is most glaring and really has a significant effect on the way in which the prison is operating right now, “if you can’t operate on the level of actionable intelligence -- you can’t operate on the level of your staff being coordinated properly and feeling inspired by their leader -- you have a serious security problem.”

The Joint Services attorney concluded that although Samuels would have had his fair hearing and an opportunity to defend himself against the allegations, “you would not be far removed from the truth if you said that his continued absence and non-replacement of a personality like his, with experience like his in terms of the immediate replacement, is having a serious effect on the operation of that prison.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

PSC urges fairness in renaming Ogle Airport THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) has added its voice to the controversy surrounding the renaming of the Ogle International Airport, stating that government has to take into consideration the “many competition issues that surround the management and regulation” of the airport.

President David Granger last year expressed his desire to rename the airport in honour of Guyana’s first Minister of Communications, Shipping and Aviation, the late Eugene Correia.

However, this suggestion by the President has been met with much resistance from some stakeholders at the airport, who believe that the President’s suggestion is unfair.

In December of last year, nine of ten operators at the airport formed the National Air Transport Association (NATA) and had strongly objected to the renaming. The group believed that the name gives the Trans Guyana Company a marketing advantage as the Correia name is linked to their operation.

Trans Guyana was the only operator not part of the association.

However, attention was once again shifted to this issue after the President, on his weekly television show “The Public Interest,” expressed that the objections to the renaming reflected small-mindedness on the part of the operators.

This prompted a response from Captain Gerry Gouveia, Managing Director of Roraima Airways - which operates out of Ogle – who stated on popular social media site, Facebook, that “consultative democracy [was] out the window”.

“Consultative Democracy out the window!!! There are 10 competitive companies at Ogle : 9 said no, one said yes because it's their NAME and family. How fair is that?” Gouveia wrote in his Facebook post.

He went on to state that President Granger was “insulting the intelligence of the majority of the Aircraft operators” and that he (Gouveia) was baffled by the Head of State’s insistence and determination to rename the airport against the wishes of the majority.

And more recently, the PSC in a statement issued yesterday, urged the Government to carefully consider the views of the majority of operators at Ogle Airport in the interest of all concerned and to complete the promised audit and review.

According to the PSC, the renaming of the airport in favour of a former public official of the same name, as that of the Chairman of the Ogle Airport Inc. “will add to the already filled vessel of complaints regarding anti-competitive behavior of the Board of Ogle Airport Inc. (one and the same, with a company operating at the Airport in direct competition with nine (9) other operators.)”

“These operators publicly and privately expressed their opposition and dissatisfaction with the re-naming of the airport. We urge the Government to consider carefully the views of the majority of operators at Ogle Airport in the interest of all concerned and to complete the promised audit and review” the statement said. (Ravin Singh)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Daughter, alleged ‘hit-man’ charged with murder of businessman FIFTY-YEAR-OLD Bibi Nazeela Habiboodean and Linden Lewis, 28, appeared before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court yesterday, charged with the murder of businessman, 76-year-old Habiboodean.

They were not required to plead to the indictable offense and were remanded to prison until June 21. The woman was represented by attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat, while Lewis was unrepresented.

It is alleged that Lewis, known as “Bullet”, was the hit-man who was hired by Bibi to kill her father on February 15, 2008. He was the owner of a gas station at Ruby, East Bank Essequibo and died at a hospital after being badly beaten in his home.

His daughter turned herself in at the Leonora police station, West Coast Demerara over a week ago, and has implicated other persons in the murder.

Lewis was recently arrested in connection with the double-murder that occurred at Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo and reportedly confessed to the brutal murder of the businessman.

In 2008, shortly after the incident, police had arrested Terry Lewton, a former employee of the late Habiboodean, and Robert Parris, a relative of the alleged hired killer, but they were released Linden Lewis called “Bullet” and Bibi Nazeela because of insufficient evidence regarding their Habiboodean, when they appeared at the Leonora implication.

Magistrate’s Court yesterday, charged with murder

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

World Bank to deepen engagement with Guyana - New Country Engagement Note highlights priorities to support inclusive and green growth

THE BOARD of Executive Directors of the World Bank Group has discussed with Government a new Country Engagement Note for Guyana for the next two years. The intent of this new note is to strengthen climate resilience, improve education quality, and lay the groundwork for private sector development.

“To boost competitiveness in the country, it is essential to tackle climate risks, generate the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow, and create the right business ecosystem,” said Sophie Sirtaine, World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean, on Tuesday.

“This marks an important step in our engagement with Guyana to help build an inclusive and green economy,” she added.

“We must ensure that we make the very best choices possible, to take advantage of our natural endowments to create a more cohesive and prosperous society on behalf of the people of Guyana,” said Finance Minister Winston Jordan. “This renewed partnership with the World Bank is a sign o f t h e G o v e r n m e n t ’s commitment to fighting poverty and climate change,” he added.

With the fall of commodity prices, severe drought affecting the region, and the end of the oil-for -rice programme, G u y a n a ’s e c o n o m i c growth has slowed from five per cent in 2013 to three per cent in 2015.

The economy is forecast

to expand by four per cent annually over the next two years, provided that global commodity prices do not drop any further.

As the Government of Guyana finalises its National Development Strategy (NDS), the World Bank Group agreed with the Government to focus on three priorities, among which is building resilience to

Finance Minister Winston Jordan natural disasters, because Guyana is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Nearly 90 per cent of Guyana’s population lives on its narrow coastal plain, which is largely below sea level.

Specifically, the projects will continue improving flood preparedness through improved hydrometeorological monitoring and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure to reduce the risk of flooding on the East Coast of Demerara.

Another priority is improving high-quality education. Guyana has

made progress in achieving universal primary education, but learning remains an issue across grade levels. Student learning achievement in secondary education shows that only 50 per cent pass mathematics and 70 per cent pass English in 11th grade. To improve education quality from early childhood to university, the Bank will help strengthen the University of Guyana through curriculum improvements, teachers’ training in mathematics, and a pilot technology-assisted learning project in mathematics.

The Bank will also provide early childhood education support to all nursery and Grade 1 classes in the hinterland regions and in targeted remote areas; and lay the ground for private sector development.

Moreover, the Bank will focus on strengthening the financial infrastructure and business regulatory environment to support the Government’s efforts at promoting private sector growth and access to finance.

The Bank will continue supporting private sector investments, particularly in the mining sector, with a focus on promoting sustainable practices, civil society participation, and the rights of Indigenous people.

In addition, the Bank will support productive investment projects through its political risk guarantees as relevant opportunities emerge.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Fit to stand trial for murder MURDER accused Ryan Bob-Semple, who allegedly sodomized and killed a nine year old boy, was yesterday committed to stand trial in High Court after a Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

Bob-Semple, a destitute 23-year-old man, is accused of murdering Shaquan Gittens between April 1 and 4, 2015 at Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The PI was conducted before Magistrate Fabayo Azore and during the trial a psychiatric evaluation was done on the accused. He was found to be in a fit mental state.

The 23-year-old was informed that based on the evidence, the Court found that a prima facie case was established against him for the offence of murder and there was sufficient evidence for him to stand a trial at the next sitting of the High Court.

The grandmother of the accused had claimed that her grandson was forced and tortured by the police into signing several documents in order to pin the charge on him.

However BobSemple denied that he had given statements to Accused Ryan police, in which he adBob-Semple mitted to the murder and allegedly led detectives to the crime scene.

According to reports, Semple saw the little boy walking during the night on Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt and took him to an uninhabited area, where he tied his hands and sodomised him.

He also reportedly choked the child until he passed out. The accused is reported as saying that he slept with the child under a tree until he awoke next morning. The man is also accused of severing the child’s penis before raping him again and dumping his body.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Agreement reached

- Linden Municipality to begin clearing outstanding NIS payments

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE MAYOR and Town Council (M&TC) of Linden and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) have reportedly reached tentative agreement regarding liquidation of the $70 million owed to the NIS, for which that body has had to take the Council to court reportedly for the second time regarding outstanding NIS contributions.

The Council has agreed to make monthly payments of $200,000 in an effort to clear the debt. The matter was concluded on April 6

Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland last, and the decision allows for a review of the Council’s financial situation after six months, to ascertain whether the payment should be increased or remain as is. An understanding between the Council and the NIS is that these staggered payments cannot be decreased.

This decision will unfortunately not have a positive impact on Council workers receiving benefits from the National Insurance Scheme, because the Council cannot afford to pay the current NIS payment, which totals $800,000 per month.

The Council has revealed that it is not in a financial position to pay the current NIS, and therefore workers will still not receive benefits, and will not be in receipt of pension after retiring.

All 124 workers of the Council, ranging from junior to senior staff, will be affected by this situation. And as the Council clears the debt, it will continue to grow.

Town Clerk Jenelle Bowen has said the Council is forced to choose the lesser of two evils -- paying wages and salaries -- as funds are insufficient to allow for both

payments.

“We have to choose the lesser of the evils. If we don’t pay wages and salaries, the next thing is the workers will get on the streets; so we try to pay wages and salaries,” she explained.

At last Wednesday’s statutory meeting, Councillor Leroy James described the situation as disgraceful, and called for Government’s intervention.

“That’s a human injustice. That’s gross indignity.

That’s unacceptable. That should never be allowed to happen…. It is immoral and wrong; we cannot do that to human beings,” the Councillor affirmed, as he sought the Mayor’s permission to engage the Government for assistance on the issue.

He is optimistic that, with such a strong case, collective efforts will gain the Government’s attention on the issue.

Also commenting on the issue was Councillor Devin Sears, who, in a mathematical analysis, said it would take the Council 29 years to pay off the debt to NIS at the rate of $200,000 per month, and that does not include paying the current NIS rate.

“Mr. Mayor, at this time we need intervention -- financial intervention. We need to start looking at direct solutions where we can generate and (garner) enough money to pay our debts to ensure our employees benefit from the little we have to offer at this Council,” he posited.

Mayor Carwyn Holland revealed that he did make representation with Central Government on behalf of the Council, and was given a positive word on the issue, as he, too, stressed that the quickest solution to the issue is financial intervention. He urged the managers of the Council, including the Town Clerk, to manage the Council effectively in order to prevent a recurrence of the financial challenges.

“I believe it should not be allowed in this Council. I believe persons are working hard, and we should respect their labour…. They deserve their benefits, gratuity etc; and I believe we should get intervention from Central Government on these issues,” the Mayor articulated.

Deputy Mayor Waneka Arindil, shedding light on the issue, said an NIS inspector

had explained that once the Council provides a payment schedule to NIS, an employee requesting a benefit can

duly receive same with permission from the NIS Head Office.

The councillors are hop-

ing that with the toll booth being returned into operation and with increased funds being garnered from

the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge, the cash-strapped Council would be better able to liquidate its debts.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Charged with ‘friendly scuffle’ killing

AN AUTO DEALER who is alleged to have accidentally shot and killed his friend during a ‘friendly scuffle’ was charged for manslaughter and appeared before Sparendaam Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul.

Sean Stoll, 36, was released on $500,000 bail after he was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which alleged that on April 29, at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara he unlawfully killed Nafasie Edghill.

According to a police report, on the day in question, Edghill and three other men were in a car. They reportedly went to the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) compound to locate another man who owed one of them money.

It was reported that Edghill and Stoll began tantalizing each other and later got involved in a playful scuffle when Edghill was shot to his abdomen.

The 29-year-old gold miner of Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown was rushed to a private city hospital, where he succumbed while receiving treatment.

Stoll’s Attorney, Nigel Hughes asked for his client to be released on bail because he was not a flight risk.

The lawyer explained that his client and the now dead man had been close friends for over a decade and deemed the circumstances surrounding Edghill’s demise as very unfortunate.

According to the attorney, both men are licensed firearm holders and it was Edghill who grabbed his client and in the process was injured when his own gun went off.

Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Solomon strongly opposed bail, based on the prevalence and nature of the offence.

Sergeant Solomon further pointed out that if the accused was released on bail there was a likelihood that he might tamper with the prosecution’s witnesses.

The Magistrate ruled in the attorney’s favour and granted bail, with the condition that Stoll lodge his passport and report to the Sparendaam Police Station every Friday.

The matter has been adjourned until June 23, for reports.

Sean Stoll

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Khan resigns as director of NCN … over appointment of Cornette

IMRAN Khan, Director of Public Information, has resigned from his position as a director on the Board of the National Communications Network (NCN), citing his disagreement with the appointment of Lennox Cornette as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state broadcaster.

His resignation took effect on Tuesday.

However, Chairman of the NCN Board of Directors, Bishwa Panday, told the Guyana Chronicle that the Board had not received Khan’s resignation letter even at approximately 15:37 hrs yesterday. Panday could not say anything further on the matter at the time, since he was in a meeting with members of that board.

Khan has, however, issued a statement that indicated he has submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, whose office has responsibility for public information. Khan indicated in that statement that his resignation resulted from Cornette being appointed CEO of the NCN

because of his disagreement with that decision. He said he told Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo that Cornette was appointed CEO of the NCN although, as per the confirmation of Chairman Bishwa Panday of the NCN Board, he had admitted to committing an unlawful act in the past. Khan said he could not associate himself with Cornette’s appointment.

“I advised the Honourable Prime Minister of the reason for (my resignation), thanked him for the confidence reposed in me for having been selected to serve as an NCN Director, and expressed regret that the circumstances do not permit me to serve the full duration of the term for which I was appointed,” Khan’s statement explained.

He said he views the decision of the Board to proceed with Cornette’s appointment as “reckless and imprudent”.

Cornette reportedly admitted to the board in a pre-employment interview that he had forged the signa-

Courts to sponsor M & D Pageant 2016

COURTS Guyana Inc. has announced that, once again, it is onboard with the Supa Stylistics Mother and Daughter Pageant and will be sponsoring the 2016 middle category.

The pageant, now in its 25th year, is the longest running pageant in Guyana, and it showcases the loving relationship that mothers and daughters share.

Courts said that as a brand that promotes strong family values, it is happy to be associated with the pageant throughout its recent years and particularly in this the 25th year as the Supa Stylistics team celebrates under the theme, “Twenty-Five Flights of Love”.

This year the pageant will be held on May 7th at the National Cultural Centre and First Lady Sandra Granger will be the patron of this year’s pageant.

Courts said that as these beautiful pairs of mothers and daughters compete in the junior, middle and senior category, it hopes that the bonds that they currently share will continue to grow and spread throughout the entire family.

Courts Guyana Inc. will be hosting a press conference and handing-over ceremony, where there will be brief remarks by a representative of the Supa Stylistics team at its flagship store on Main Street today at 10:30hrs.

ture of the late Terry Holder, CEO of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), while he was employed as Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the company years ago.

In a press statement to the Guyana Chronicle last month, Cornette stated that the matter at GT&T was an

IMRAN KHAN

internal one that was dealt with internally, and there was no financial impropriety involved. He said he and the GT&T had still maintained a cordial relationship.

An earlier press release from GuyEnterprise had stated that, after conducting various interviews and reviewing applications submitted for the position, the NCN Board of Directors had concluded that Cornette had “emerged the best candidate for the CEO’s position based on his diverse

communication, financial and executive management background”.

The Board of Directors of the NCN was appointed by the Prime Minister seven months ago. Bishwa Panday was appointed Chairman, while other members of the Board included Imran Khan, Mark Archer, Dr. Paloma Mohamed, Margaret Lawrence, Kojo McPherson, Dhanwanti Sukhdeo, Carolyn Walcott and Colin Thompson.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Guyanese in Florida celebrate Golden Jubilee

MORE than 300 USbased Guyanese from around the state of Florida gathered Saturday for the 50th Golden Jubilee gala, and were invited to be part of Guyana’s renaissance, which has occasioned the cleaning up of the environment, as well as greater emphasis on education and training.

The invitation came from Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who was the guest of honour and keynote speaker at the gala, which was hosted by the Guyana Association of South Florida, in conjunction with the Guyana Sports Development Association, and Ms. Joy Agness of Joy Agness events.

According to a release, Minister Harmon said that since independence, Guyana had made strides and mistakes, but the spirit of nationhood lived on.

“Today, our Coalition is led by a man of impeccable character. His Excellency David Arthur Granger, our president, is a

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon with one of the awardees at the Jubilee celebration man of God, a man of decency, morality, integrity, a family man, married for 46 years; an outstanding example of the moral and upright leadership that is

desirable for the establishment of a decent society and a prosperous nation,” the Minister said.

The release noted that Minister Harmon pointed

out that under the leadership of President Granger, there is now renewed interest in national life amongst Guyanese at home and abroad, as evidenced by

their commitment to assisting with the development of Guyana.

“Guyana is poised for take-off, and our government is committed to a one-nation approach to development; to national unity and social cohesion, and the value we derive from keeping pristine our forest reducing inequalities, removing obstacles to education, opening opportunities to all our citizens and uniting our coastland and hinterland,” the release quoted Harmon as saying.

He further noted, “On the economic front, the discovery of massive deposits of oil and gas in the economic zone off our coastland has added significantly to the natural resource inventory of our country. This, together with our agricultural potential, and the value we derive from keeping pristine our forest, provide the basis for inviting and attracting investments for real growth and development.”

According to the release, Harmon said that the government is committed to modernising the country’s infrastructure.

In this regard, he invited Guyanese in the diaspora to participate in the historic 50th independence celebrations at home later this month and to consider contributing more directly to the nation’s immediate and long term development efforts.

I therefore wish to take this opportunity to invite you all to be part of Guyana’s immediate and long term endeavors. You in the diaspora represent a significant portion of our human resource base. You include some of our brightest, most talented and best trained people. You possess an enlightened work ethic from being in a developed country and constitute a vital reservoir of resources and talents needed at home to confront the challenges of development and social re-construction.”

New city constables sworn in THE Mayor and City Council has sworn in 17 new constables who recently completed their basic recruitment and training programme.

Town Clerk Royston King, in addressing them, said that the City Council needs able-bodied males to execute its mandate.

Meanwhile, Chief Constable Andrew Foo said that the new batch of recruits would boost the staff complement, particularly in the recently established units of Traffic Management and Special Investigation.

And the Town Clerk, in congratulating the new recruits, told them that it is not all about the money, but rather it is about working with the municipality to realise the wider vision of making Georgetown the cleanest, greenest city in the Caribbean.

He said: “You come at a very special time in the history of the municipality when the council is working assiduously to restore the pride and dignity of Georgetown.”

King said further that the new ranks have a special role to play in enforcing the city bylaws, and called on them to make a difference. “It is important that you execute your functions with dignity, respect and decorum.”

He also encouraged them to work as a team because it is only through teamwork that the wider vision of the Georgetown Municipality would be accomplished.

Some of the new constables

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Digicel awards dealers at black-tie affair

By Michel Outridge

DIGICEL Guyana, last Saturday night at a black-tie affair at the Marriott Hotel at Kingston, Georgetown, awarded their dealers for their sterling support.

In opening remarks, Digicel’s Chief Ex-

ing that it is by no means a Georgetown-based company, since it provides coverage for 98% of the rural areas in Guyana.

Kelly also noted that while he was not there to bash GT&T, the government has committed to the liberalisation, which was held back for the past 25 years. He told the

services offered by Digicel.

The black tie event also featured musical renditions, standup comedy, a jazz interlude

by Roy Stuart and a song by Amelia, titled ‘Hello’.

In the distribution department awards for Category - Repair Centre – Portabe

Awardees posing with their plaques flanked by Digicel’s CEO Kevin Kelly and other senior managers and staffers on Saturday night at Marriott Hotel ecutive Officer, Kevin Kelly, told the large gathering that for the past eight years they have held the awards ceremony, and last year it was at the Theatre Guild, but this year they have made it bigger.

He expressed thanks to everyone for attending the event in support of Digicel, add-

large gathering that the minister has looked at the legislation and once it is approved Digicel will roll out its 4G (fourth generation) network in time for the Jubilee celebrations.

He disclosed that the 4G network will be launched in all the administrative regions to further expand and improve the cutting-edge

was awarded a plaque, and the distributors Telecom Solutions and Airtime Guyana Inc. walked away with their awards respectively.

Wholesalers: Cellsmart, G&J Phone Cards, Kitty Square Mall, Marty Yassin, Cellular Plus, The Cell Guyana, Pressy’s (Selwyn Prescott) and Cellular Planet Inc. were all

awarded, and representatives of these businesses were on hand to accept their plaques.

In the sub-wholesaler category, awards were given to Lindon Joseph of C & T, Aubrey Hutson of OMEL, Dominique Blair, Naranjan Roopnarine, Jet Investments, Jason Sheppard and A&S Pharmacy.

The retailers awardees were Alicia Charles, Penelope Mitchell, Flamboyant, Daniel Rambaran, Ileana Boodhoo , Andrew’s Supermarket, Ryan Rajmangal, Stephen Bovell, Menachem Campbell, Dwayne Munroe, Rawtie Baljit, Eton Cordis, Malcolm Carryl, Lahago Supermarket, Corwin Stephens, Imam Bacchus, Jaikissoon, Julius Belgrave, Yogeeta Sharma and Leon Sankar.

In the retail department, Manager of the Year was Melissa Boodhoo, while Godfrey Chisholm and Ronald Inniss were also awarded.

Receiving awards for the most improved dealers were Speed Talk and Cell Works, while awards given for the most consistent performers were Cell Smart and Cellular Planet.

The Best Dealers Retail Store Audit 2014 were Cellular Plus and Cellular Planet, while the Best Dealer Wow Audit Performance 2014 winners were Cellular Plus - City Mall and The Cell – Muneshwer’s. The Best Dealer - Initiative and Sponsorship awardees were SpeedTalk and Cellsmart.

Meanwhile, the Best Remote Dealers were KG Cell Tech (Mabaruma), R&T Variety (Port Kaituma); Best Dealer Stores are Cellular Plus – Regency and Cellular Planet - Sheriff Street.

The Best Flagship stores were adjudged to be Cellular Plus - City Mall, The Cell –Muneshwer’s, while Dealers of the Year were Cellular Plus, Cellsmart, The Cell, Speed Talk, R&T Variety and P&P Cellular.

And in the closing remarks, Sales and Distribution Manager, Nalini Vieira thanked the awardees for their continued support over the years.

Public infrastructure in Linden threatened –– by flooding caused by heavy downpour

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE continuous May-June rains have not only resulted in inundation in several communities across Linden, but have threatened several main roadways, causing erosion under the surface.

The most noticeable of these are on the Linden Soesdyke Highway, where several sections of the road have eroded, as a result of the breaking away of the curb wall from the heavy down pours during this week.

Erosion has also taken place in West Watooka and Burnham Drive.

When Guyana Chronicle visited the highway on Sunday, there were visible dents and cracks along the road leading up to Moblissa and regional officials described the situation as very threatening as pressure from heavy-duty vehicles would soon allow the surface to cave in.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian, along with Assistant Director of Community Development Council, Sandra Adams was successful in mustering

the support of Civil Defense Commission (CDC) in having the situation remedied before a tragedy occurred.

Guyana Chronicle was told that the pressure of the heavy downpours leading from Moblissa’s access hill, descended and destroyed the curb walls of the highway, which eroded the foundation of the road, creating huge holes in some section.

Acting promptly was the CDC, which sent a team to remedy the problem so as to alleviate further degradation of the roadway.

Regional Chairman Morian said the recent rains in Region 10 have been short, but intense, causing much damage.

He described the situation as a crisis, as there were several breaches on roadways and flooding of communities.

A section of the road at Moblissa that caved in

One of the many drains overtaken by vegetation being cleared

The Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Food for the Poor have been asked to come on board to render assistance.

“We have a serious situation, we are asking for all the agencies to come on board to assist, including the Ministry of Public infrastructure,” the Chairman posited.

In addition to erosion of roads, several communities, including the central business arena of the town have been under water for days.

Also, the residents and farmers of Rainbow City and Kara Kara have been affected.

Up to Saturday evening, several homes were still under water and residents are counting their losses. Market venders were seen draining water from their stall on Saturday.

Clogged drains across the town have been deemed responsible for this flooding and the municipality, in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and Bosai Minerals has been working to clear the drains in an effort to have the water drain off effectively.

Regional Chairman Morian has secured a positive word from Food for the Poor to assist with relief supplies for the

residents and is hoping that the CDC will render similar relief to farmers.

Adams told this publication that several CDCs across the town will commence cleaning of the drains and canals, as far as Old England and Rock Stone, with the hope that the flooding will be alleviated.

This is in addition to the commencement of drainage and irrigation community work, which will also focus on drain cleaning.

She said high tides are also a factor for flooding, but with the clean drains, the water will be able to run off at a faster rate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

M&CC adopting consultant’s modernisation plan

By Shauna Jemmott THE Mayor and City Council is working to implement recommendations by expert Pakistani Town Planner, Akhtar K h a n i n h i s G re a t e r Georgetown Development Plan (GGDP) to upgrade the capital city, while preserving its colonial heritage.

The plan, which was funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, was submitted to the Government of Guyana over 15 years ago, while he was a consultant employed with the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA).

It suggested ways of redesigning the city to return to the initial position of being the Caribbean’s ‘Garden City’. The plan was expected to be implemented before 2010.

STABROEK MARKET Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Sherod Duncan told the Guyana Chronicle in an interview Sunday that the move by the Mayor and City

Council (M&CC) to reorganize the Stabroek Market bazaar is perhaps the single largest undertaking in that vicinity, since the market was constructed in 1881. He said this undertaking is one way in which the M&CC embraces to an extent, the GGDP. He said this rehabilitation of the square is part of a greater plan to restore the Stabroek Market and ferry stelling behind it to modernise the area.

According to Duncan, Professor Khan believed, "The vitality of the town centre and other shopping parades is also very much dependent on the diversity of uses located there, including retailing, offices, service uses and residential.

These generate different activities at different times of day and night, which in turn can help to deter criminal activity."

The Deputy Mayor said that the Stabroek Market area, in that crowded and confusing state, created an environment for some amount of criminal activity, and many residents of Georgetown are scared of wearing jewellery or using expensive cell phones in the vicinity.

Duncan also quoted Professor Khan as saying in the report that the quality of public spaces is a major determining factor in an area having either an attractive or unattractive image.

“Within the town centers in particular, the quality of public spaces can have either a beneficial or detrimental effect on the vitality of the centre. Spaces need to be designed to support a wide variety of activities, including eating, sitting, street entertainers, etc.," the expert had stated.

Khan also pointed out that adequate funding should be set aside to sustain a high quality environment within the city, as a “well-maintained, high quality environment would

also safeguard the commercial value of adjoining properties.”

CHANGES Meanwhile, the Deputy Mayor told this newspaper that if the council and citizens are to move Georgetown forward, “tough decisions have to be made.”

“If Georgetown is to be competitive as a modern, international city,” Duncan stated, “changes have to be made, striking the right balance between the rights of our vendors, the expectations of the residents of Georgetown and the national interest.”

M&CC Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis told Guyana Chronicle Sunday that the city has launched an extensive cleaning exercise, which will affect the Stabroek Market area, as well as Regent Street, the main shopping area in Georgetown.

She said the exercise, which involves vendor participation is ongoing and will be held monthly. On Sunday hundreds turned out and cleaned from the head of Regent Street to Stabroek Market, clearing clogged drains and leaving the area looking tidier.

Lewis said the city is thankful to those who supported the collaborative venture, which also included private businessmen who provided a number of trucks for free service.

“The business community is playing a critical role in the restoration and beautification of Georgetown,” Lewis said, adding that the area must be cleared often, “because of the nature of (that part of) Georgetown being a purely commercial area (and) the generation of waste pass the residential community.” She said the council has also launched programmes to enlighten citizens on proper waste disposal practices.

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Jailed for assaulting mother

TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Kevin Christopher Balkaran was Tuesday found guilty and sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment for assaulting his mother.

Balkaran of Houston Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara is a frequent visitor to the courts for threatening to kill his mother Usha Balkaran.

City Magistrate Annette Singh convicted him for using abusive language towards his mother at Back Street, Houston Housing Scheme, Georgetown on April 12 last.

The court was told that the defendant uses drugs and would abuse his mother whenever she refuses to give him money. However on the day in question, the defendant had gone to his

threatening his mother.

He served 4 months on each occasion.

The magistrate Tuesday sentenced Balkaran to four month’s imprisonment and warned him that if he appeared before her once more he would be given the maximum penalty.

Kevin Christopher Balkaran mother’s home and had asked for food. When she refused his request, he assailed her with a series of offensive words.

Last year Balkaran was convicted on two separate charges for

Police need help identifying accident victim THE Guyana Police Force is seeking the assistance of members of the public in identifying a woman who was the victim of a fatal accident that occurred on April 04, 2016, at Regent and Cummings Street, Georgetown.

They are asking that anyone with information that may lead to her identification contact them on telephone numbers 2256411; 227-1152; 227-2272; and 227-1270; via 911 or at the nearest Police Station.

The unidentified woman

Meanwhile, before Magistrate Faith McGusty, a man was sentenced to one week imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to assaulting his reputed wife.

Dewayne Antony Magamootoo, on April 26, at Station Street Kitty, threatened to kill his wife, Lan-

ett Singh.

The court heard that Nagamootoo was under the influence of alcohol when he went home armed with a cutlass.

Magamootoo chopped the walls and telephone wire on the house and told the woman that he would killed her.

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The tearful man was remanded since last week for the offence after he had denied the charge, but he changed his plea to save the court’s time.

He was fined $10,000 for the offence, but was sentenced since he did not have the money to pay.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

5 years’ jail on lesser count

JERMAINE King was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment yesterday by Justice Navindra Singh in the High Court after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of causing grievous bodily harm on his reputed wife on November 16, 2013.

King pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, and Justice Singh accepted the guilty plea for causing grievous bodily harm, inflicted on Anchinalu Kannings.

King told Justice Singh that he was sorry for what he had done since his reputed wife was a lovely woman who had been taking care of his children.

King admitted that he acted in anger and said he regretted his actions, which resulted in Kannings receiving injuries to the body in a domestic squabble back in 2013.

He will serve three years since two years will be deducted for time served in jail.

King was unrepresented by a lawyer, while the state prosecutors were Michael Shahoud and Orinthia Schmidt.

Rape accused goes free RAPE ACCUSED Leon Jordan yesterday walked out of the High Court a free man after a 12-member jury found him not guilty of rape of a child under 16 years’ old.

He was found not guilty of the rape of a minor on October 24, 2014 and he was unrepresented by a lawyer.

The jury deliberated for more than two hours before they arrived at a unanimous verdict yesterday afternoon.

Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry was the presiding judge in the case, which was held in-camera.

The state prosecutors were Tuanna Hardy and Narissa Leander.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Double trouble!

Jeffrey in for Swift Cup and Radical series

By Stephan Sookram OVERSEAS-based Guyanese and two-time Caribbean Motor Racing Association (CMRA) Group Four champion Kristian Jeffrey will join the Radical SR-3 series as well as the Suzuki Challenge Series Swift Cup this weekend.

Jeffrey is the first Guyanese to enter the Swift series and the third to try his hand at the Radicals following Mark Vieira and F4 competitor Calvin Ming.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, an overjoyed Jeffrey commented that it’s great to be included in the Swift Cup, adding that this weekend in Barbados is going to be ‘fun’.

“I am thankful for the opportunity given

to me by those sponsors. It’s one of the series where there are equal cars and it’s going to be bumper to bumper racing. That’s what I like,” the 2014 and 2015 Caribbean Champion said.

Jeffrey will be under the banner of Team Suzuki, with his first outing expected to be on Sunday.

On the Radical front, Kristian’s father Kevin confirmed that he is going to be in one of the SR3 machines this weekend, telling Chronicle Sport, “We have secured a radical for this coming weekend (the Festival of Speed). I have already rented one for use.”

“The main reason for the rental of the Radical this weekend is to get in some seat time for the upcoming (CMRA) season which begins in

a couple weeks in Jamwest,” continued Kevin.

However, Kristian’s future participation in the series is yet to be decided.

“I tested one (Radical) last week, it’s a really exciting series as well, and again it’s racing. It’s something that I like. It depends on how I go this weekend; we are going to see if we go forward in the series.”

“It is a bit costly though so if I’m going to get into it, I’m going to need to get sponsors for it.

As you know we are also running the CMRC this year as well, so again, so we’re going to see how all that goes,” he continued.

Meanwhile, the Jeffrey/Ming radical battle is one that is sure to whet the appetite of race fans with the later recently acquiring a brand new

SR3 earlier this week.

The rekindling of the informal battle which started last year in Guyana when Jeffrey put his full race Mitsubishi Evolution 9 against Ming’s Mygale F4 will now see fairer grounds in the Radical where both drivers will call on their skills and international exposure.

The Festival of Speed is billed for the weekend of May 7-8 at the Bushy Park Raceway in Barbados.

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Greyville 08:20 hrs Dynamic Force 08:55 hrs Argo’s Jet 09:30 hrs Impala Lily 10:05 hrs Aspara 10:40 hrs Secret Warning IRISH RACING TIPS Tramore 08:45 hrs Le Vagabond 09:15 hrs Penhill 09:45 hrs Show And Go 10:15 hrs Kings Line 10:50 hrs Master Appeal 11:25 hrs Ballyfinboy 12:00 hrs Bakougan ENGLISH RACING TIPS Newton ABBOT 09:00 hrs Ozzie The Oscar 09:30 hrs Abidjan 10:00 hrs Late Night Lily 10:35 hrs Portway Flyer 11:10 hrs Unify 11:45 hrs Indian Castle 12:15 hrs Dispour CHESTER 09:10 hrs Fiery Character

09:40 hrs Somehow 10:10 hrs Le Maitre Chat 10:45 hrs Mukaynis 11:20 hrs Canny Kool 11:55 hrs Mulk 12:25 hrs Red Verdon KELSO 09:20 hrs Dr Beaujolais 09:50 hrs Always On The Run 10:25 hrs KK Lexion 11:00 hrs Cobajayisland 11:35 hrs Ash Park 12:05 hrs New Vic 12:35 hrs Tales Of The Tweed 13:05 hrs Daklondike AMERICAN RACING TIPS Churchill Downs Race 1 Hello People Race 2 Classic Empire Race 3 Eco Star Race 4 Kantune Race 5 Summer House Race 6 What’s Your Thesis Race 7 Agent Di Nozzo Race 8 Heartbreak Hill Race 9 The Truth Or Else Race10 Borseggiatore

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Leicester stand to gain up to £250M windfall (REUTERS) - LEICESTER City have the chance of making anything between £150M and £250M from their sensational Premier League triumph, according to sports marketing experts.

The city of Leicester in England’s Midlands should also expect to enjoy a huge commercial boost after its hometown team wrote the unlikeliest of sporting success stories, one that has captured headlines around the world.

Yet though the club known as the Foxes will gain this substantial windfall, they still have a long way to go to join the true big-money elite of world football.

The club that had never won the topflight crown in its history will cash in through the £90M in prize money from the Premier League, and money from competing in Europe’s Champions League next season, as well as increased TV and match day revenue.

With Leicester’s increasing attraction to sponsors as the champions of the Premier League, who possess remarkable global appeal, it could all be worth as much as £150M to the club, said the sports and entertainment intelligence firm, Repucom, yesterday.

Other experts have put the estimates much higher with some British media reports suggesting that the figure could be much nearer £250M, particularly if Leicester’s success proves to be more than a one-season wonder.

Leicester’s TV audiences have soared by over 23% globally this season and because of the excitement inspired by their run to the title, audiences in the UK have grown from 785 000 to over one million per game.

current and potential sponsors,” Repucom said.

Leicester’s first appearance in the lucrative Champions League will also make a vast difference to their coffers in the

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri leaves San Carlo restaurant. (Reuters/Darren StaplesLivepic) In Italy, the numbers watching Leicester’s games have doubled, largely thanks to the interest generated by the club being managed

by Italian coach Claudio Ranieri.

“Leicester’s media values have jumped by 30 percent globally whilst in the U.S. they have grown by over 70 percent, showing first-hand the increase in value to

region of £36M. As well as increased TV exposure, it will generate increased revenues from group stage fees, a proportion of the competition’s market pool and a participation bonus, totalling £33M, as well as £3M performance bonus.

A story which had echoes of Leicester’s triumph was Atletico Madrid’s breaking of

the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly to win La Liga in 2014.

Based on the increased match day and commercial revenues that unlikely champions Atletico gleaned, Leicester can expect to see between £10M to £15M boost in that area.

“Leicester City FC’s real commercial potential will become clearer in the season break as brands vie to associate themselves to the club,” Spencer Nolan, head of consulting at Repucom, said.

So, much will depend, in the mid- to longterm on how successful the club, owned by Thailand billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, are in developing their fan base.

Though their victory was greeted enthusiastically in Thailand, where Srivaddhanaprabha’s family runs the duty-free empire King Power, their fan base is still not in the same league as the historic elite of the English game like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Leicester themselves hope for an economic boon, with the local newspaper, Leicester Mercury, reporting that financial experts believe the overall economy in the city could benefit to the tune of £49M. The numbers of visitors to the city have grown rapidly since the discovery of the remains of King Richard III in 2012 and now tourism chiefs hope that being the home of England’s football champions will prove a draw card for Leicester too.

Atletico oust Bayern to reach Champions League final (REUTERS) - Atletico Madrid reached the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons yesterday, going through on away goals after a 2-1 defeat at Bayern Munich, in which both sides missed a penalty, with the tie finishing 2-2 on aggregate.

Atletico, who will face either city rivals Real Madrid, who beat them in the 2014 final, or Manchester City, who meet in the second semi-final today, also spoiled Bayern’s treble chances after the Spaniards won the first leg 1-0 last week.

Bayern took the lead with a Xabi Alonso goal in the 31st minute but Atletico levelled

through Antoine Griezmann’s seventh goal of the competition in the 54th. Robert Lewandowski set up a dramatic finale with his 74th minute goal but it was not enough.

Thomas Mueller missed a first-half penalty for Bayern and Atletico’s Fernando Torres had an 85th minute spot kick saved as Bayern suffered a third straight elimination by a Spanish team at this stage in their three seasons under Pep Guardiola.

“They were better, but we scored an away goal, which was important. We need to keep grounded and first of all think of the Liga before the final,” said Griezmann, whose side

are level on points with leaders Barcelona in the Spanish title race.

Guardiola, in his final Champions League home game at Bayern before his move to Manchester City for next season, started with defender Jerome Boateng, who returned from a three-month injury break on Saturday, and Franck Ribery, himself back from injury.

With a newly-discovered intensity, the Bavarians were dominant in the first half, successfully navigating through the Spaniards’ high pressing game and grabbing their first chance with a Lewandowski header in the 12th minute.

The Poland striker narrowly failed to connect inside the box while Arturo Vidal’s left-footed effort was plucked out of the air on its way to the top corner by keeper Jan Oblak.

DESERVED LEAD Oblak came to the rescue once more in the 20th, denying Lewandowski from close range, but the Spaniards looked rattled, with the tables turned and Bayern doing the pressing and having 12 shots compared to Atletico’s two by the half-hour.

Xabi Alonso finally got Bayern a deserved lead, his low free kick clipping Atletico’s Jose Maria Gimenez to beat Oblak and cancel out Atletico’s first-leg advantage.

Bayern pushed for a second goal before the break and thought they would have it when Javi Martinez was brought down by Gimenez in the box to earn a penalty three minutes later.

However, Oblak saved Mueller’s spot kick and Lewandowski’s effort from the rebound to keep the Spaniards in the game.

Atletico stunned the home crowd after the break with their first real chance of the game when Frenchman Griezmann linked up with Fernando Torres and charged through to beat Neuer with a fine finish.

With Bayern now on the backfoot and needing two more goals to advance, Atletico grew bolder and Juanfran’s shot on the hour sailed narrowly wide.

Lewandowski put Bayern back in front on the night with a close-range header to trigger a dramatic finale but, even after Neuer saved Torres’ spot kick, the Germans could not find another goal and their Champions League hopes were over.

India to tour Zimbabwe next month for limited-overs matches (REUTERS)- Zimbabwe will host India for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches in June, the country’s cricket board said yesterday.

All the matches will be played at Harare Sports Club with the ODIs scheduled to be played between June 11-15 and the Twenty20s between June 18-22.

“After finalising all the formalities

with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, we are pleased to announce the incoming tour scheduled for this June,” Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa said in a statement.

India have been regular travellers to Zimbabwe in recent seasons with three previous tours since 2010, including last year, all featuring limited-overs matches.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Thunder outlast Spurs to even series at 1-1 (THE Sports Xchange) Russell Westbrook scored 29 points and handed out

had 28 points, canned a floating jump shot off an assist from Westbrook

the Spurs to within 98-97.

On the ensuing inbounds play, San Antonio’s Danny

San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green (14, right) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. (Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports) 10 assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 9897 on Monday in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-final and tied the best-of-seven series at one win apiece.

The series switches to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday before returning to San Antonio for the fifth game on May 10.

Kevin Durant, who

with 33 seconds left to give Oklahoma City a 96-91 lead but the Spurs responded with an Aldridge 3-pointer, just his second of the season.

Westbrook then made two free throws with 18.3 seconds left to push Oklahoma City’s lead back to four points, at 98-94.

Aldridge hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 13.5 seconds left to bring

Weather has last say in start of Mayor’s Cup football tournament WITH the prevailing inclement weather conditions, football fans and participating teams will have to hope that the weather improves so that the 22nd Annual Mayor’s Cup Football tournament can kickoff tomorrow.

According to tournament coordinator Lennox Arthur, the tournament which should have started last Sunday is scheduled to get underway tomorrow with a double-header at the Victoria ground, East Coast Demerara, but if the rain continues into tomorrow he will be forced to reschedule the start once again.

The two matches tomorrow, once weather permits, will see Mahaica tackle Eagles United of Linden from 18:00hrs and BV/Triumph take on Milerock of Linden from 20:00hrs.

The tournament is scheduled to continue on Friday at the same venue with another double-header that brings together Golden Grove and Grove Hi Tech from 18:00hrs and Ann’s Grove versus Buxton Bakewell from 20:00hrs.

The winning team of the tournament will receive $700 000 while the second-, third- and fourth-place teams will earn $300 000, $200 000 and $100 000 respectively.

Green stole the ball from Durant and it was eventually passed in the corner to Patty Mills, who missed a 3-point-

er with two seconds left.

The two teams scrambled for the ball under the basket but the Spurs could not get off another shot.

Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter and Steven Adams added 12 points apiece for the Thunder and Adams pulled down 17 rebounds.

Aldridge led the Spurs with a season-high 41 points while Kawhi Leonard had 14 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Manu Ginobili hit for 11 points for San Antonio, who lost for just the second time at home all season.

The Thunder flipped the script from their ragged Game 1 start by going right at San Antonio and building a 9-2 lead four minutes into the game.

Westbrook had seven of Oklahoma City’s first nine points while the Spurs floundered from the field in the early moments, missing seven layups and another shot five feet from the basket.

Oklahoma City’s lead expanded to as many as 13 points through the remainder of the quarter.

The Spurs reserve players helped bring San Antonio to within nine points on five occasions before a Ginobili 3-pointer with 1 second to play in the period cut the Thunder advantage to 29-21.

The Thunder had 12 free-throw attempts, and made eight of them, in the first quarter while San Antonio did not go to the line.

T h re e - p o i n t e r s b y Mills and Green in the first two minutes of the second quarter pulled the Spurs to within 29-27 and all but erased all the good early work by Oklahoma City.

Leonard hit his first basket of the game at the 8:13 mark of the quarter to tie the game at 33 and gave the Spurs their first lead since the first possession of the game, at 39-37, with a jumper a minute and a half later.

The rest of the quarter was evenly played with the Thunder taking a 56-53 advantage at halftime.

Westbrook led Oklahoma City with 18 point and Durant added 13. Aldridge

paced San Antonio with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 21 minutes of play.

Oklahoma City outshot the Spurs 56.4-48.9 percent and had a 23-14 edge in rebounding. San Antonio were just 4-of-12 on uncontested shots in the first half; it was 17-of-23 on such attempts in the first half of Game 1.

Seven straight points

by Westbrook in the middle of the third quarter pushed the Thunder’s lead back to 11 points, at 7564 - the 4:48 mark of the period.

But the Spurs surged back again, ending the quarter on a 12-2 run to cut the Oklahoma City lead to 77-76.

Durant scored five of Thunder’s first seven points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter while the Spurs went almost five minutes without a point, resulting in an 85-76 Oklahoma City lead.

But Green knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to get San Antonio back to 85-82, setting the stage for a furious finish.

South Africa slip to sixth in Test rankings, Pakistan rise to third SOUTH Africa have dropped to No. 6 in the Test rankings, while Pakistan have climbed to third place, in the annual update released by theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday.

Australia have taken a six-point lead over second-placed India, while Pakistan trail India by only one point.

England and New Zealand benefited from South Africa’s drop, moving to fourth and fifth respectively. West Indies retained their eighth-place ranking but lead Bangladesh by only eight points.

South Africa and West Indies lost the most points in the update, 17 and 11 respectively.

The calculation process dropped results from 2012-13, while outcomes from 2014-15 were weighted at 50%.

Only the latest results had 100% weightage.

As a result, South Africa’s series victories over England, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2012-13 were not factored in. They lost series to India and England and drew with Bangladesh in the 2015-16 season.

West Indies had beaten New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in 2012-13 but lost to Australia and Sri Lanka in 2015-16.

The update favoured Pakistan, because their 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in August 2014 was weighted at 50%. In terms of points gained, Bangladesh made the most progress, getting ten points, followed by Australia, who gained six.

Zimbabwe, ranked No. 10, have 12 points but were not included in the rankings table released by the ICC on Tuesday because they had not completed the required eight Tests in the new rating period. The ICC said Zimbabwe

South Africa plummet, Australia remain top of ICC Test rankings will be added to the table once they play two more Tests.

Updated ICC Test rankings 1. Australia - 118 points (6 points gained) 2. India - 112 points (+2) 3. Pakistan - 111 points (+5) 4. England - 105 points (+3) 5. New Zealand - 98 points (+2) 6. South Africa - 92 points (-17) 7. Sri Lanka - 88 points (-1) 8. West Indies - 65 points (-11) 9. Bangladesh - 57 points (+10)

38

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Selector told me I looked too fat - Rampaul

DISCARDED West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul has claimed he was once told by a member of the WICB selection panel that looking too fat on television significantly hindered his chances of being selected.

The 31-year-old Trinidadian made his debut for the West Indies in 2003 against Zimbabwe and Test debut six years later.

It is commonly thought that several issues with injuries have since led to the bowler failing to hold on to his spot in the team.

Seventeen ODIs on from debut, a then 19-year-old Rampaul was sidelined for over a year with shin splits.

The bowler returned to the ODI squad in 2007 and seemed poised for a consistent spell of top class cricket after an outstanding 2011, but soon after was hit by hamstring and knee injuries.

According to the bowler who made his last appearance in November of last year, he was, however,

told injuries have not been his only setback.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have heard that (he is too fat) a lot throughout my career. I train and

RAVI RAMPAUL practise as much as I can because, as I said before, cricket is all that I have.

Every time I played for West Indies and any other team, I always give 100%.

“I was told once by a selector that it’s not how I bowl but how I look on television – (that) was the reason I was not selected,” the player recently told Cricbuzz.

Rampaul who recently became a Kolpak player with English County cricket team Surrey claims he had hoped for a return to the team last year, but was left bitterly disappointed. ”At that time (August 2015), I was very interested in playing Test cricket.

However, after West Indies aborted the tour in India in 2014, my retainer contract was taken away and I was left out of the 30-man squad for the 50-over World Cup. I was being less and less selected by the West Indies. In fact, I was not selected for that entire year.

All of that played a big part of my decision to go Kolpak with Surrey.

Cricket is my profession and I had to take the opportunities that came along.”

The bowler went on to state that he is unlikely to consider any future recalls. (Sportsmax.com)

NOTABLE DATES GUYANA’S first world champion Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis died on May 4, 2015.

Lewis a former World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion and of Lot 14 Hutsonville, New Hope, EBD, was reportedly riding a bicycle on his way to visit a friend when he collided with a car as he attempted to cross the East Bank Public Road.

The southpaw Lewis, aka `The Albouystown Cyclone’, was transported by an ambulance that was in the area and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Hospital where he subsequently died.

He was 44 years old at the time and contemplating a comeback to the sport.

Lewis was a knock-out specialist with power in both hands. The southpaw welterweight drove fear into the hearts of opponents and by his 14th fight he had totalled 13 knock-out

victories.

At that time, the only person to be

ANDREW `SIX HEAD’ LEWIS spared his knock-out wrath was South

Korean-born Han Kim, who earned a technical draw with the Guyanese `powerhouse’ after being cut on the forehead during the second round.

With support from Compton Maycock Beckles, Lewis shifted camp from Guyana to the USA in 1997 just after he won the local welterweight title by stopping Terrence Alli.

Lewis won the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title following a seventh round TKO of American James Page in February 2001. The victory sparked wild celebration in Guyana and his return home later that year caused pandemonium as schoolchildren ran out of schools to greet the local hero.

He gained a unanimous decision victory over Larry Marks in the first defence two months after winning the title in April but lost the title to Ricardo Mayorga in March 2002.

Sponsors on board Four Horsemen Promotions Golden Jubilee horserace meet HORSE racing will be a big part of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations as the Four Horsemen Promotions will be staging a `50th Independence Horse Race Clash’ on May 22 at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

To date, a number of companies have already come on board for the event and among them are: Peter Lewis and Sons Associated Construction Limited, Banks DIH Limited, Delmur Company Limited, South Land Company Limited, P&P Investments Limited, Latchman Mohabir and Attorney-at-Law N. Poonai.

According to the organisers, also of note is that the trophies for the activity have been sourced from overseas.

The feature event will be for horses classified A and Lower over 1900 metres with the winner receiving $1.5M and the Golden Jubilee Cup from a $2.8M purse that is up for grabs for the top four places.

The other events listed are the 1400m race for D3 Maiden and E and Lower horses for the $750 000 prize money.

There will also be a 1200m race for horses classified F and Lower with the winner carting off $320 000 and a

trophy.

Three-year-old West Indies-bred horses along with local G3 and Lower horses will compete for a $350 000 first prize purse over 1200m.

The H3 Maiden and I and Lower animals will compete over 1000m for a first prize worth $250 000.

A first prize worth $200 000 will be up for grabs in a 1200m race for Guyana-bred three-year-old horses.

The final race for the day will be a 1200m race for horses classified K and L and Lower horses with a first prize of $170 000 at stake.

Jamal Goodluck is new and youngest GLTA president JAMAL Goodluck was elected president of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) when the association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Georgetown Club recently.

According to a release from the GLTA, Goodluck, who sought election for the post along with Robert Bostwick, became the youngest president of the association at 25 years of age.

The outgoing president Grace McCalman in presenting her report, reflected on her term as president of the association and said her most prized accomplishment was achieving the unprecedented pledge by the Government of Guyana to give the green light on the construction of eight tennis courts at the National Racquet Centre through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This feat the release stated was previously unattainable for decades.

The release went on to quote McCalman as saying after the pledge would have materialised, the GLTA will have the foundation to develop tennis in Guyana.

The former president expressed immense gratitude to the various stakeholders who have contributed towards the association. She explained that there have been improvements in club activities and as a result increased interest has been shown by members in general.

Meanwhile, Goodluck thanked the clubs for having confidence in electing a young president and sees it as a hallmark in the development of the sport. “The GLTA is setting a precedent in moulding the young leaders to take the sport to the next level,” he said.

His vision is to create a larger footprint of tennis in the landscape of sports through expansion of programmes within the various regions and schools.

At the top of the agenda are the development of a home for tennis and the revision of the strategic plan.

Goodluck reassured his commitment to take the baton from McCalman and emulate the hard work that has been done in these areas.

The president, in recognising the low level of capacity and waning interest of persons in building organisations, called upon the new executive members to be honest about their limitations and to do their best.

He congratulated the new team and expressed confidence in the young executive. The team is made up of: 1st Vice-president Nigel Niles, 2nd Vice-president Ramesh Seebarran, secretary Asif Subhan, treasurer Leroy Chapman, Asst secretary/treasurer Oswin Coggins and committee members Grace McCalman, Robert Bostwick, Nicholas Young, and Cristy Campbell.

The Public Relations Officer is Shaquille Bourne.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday May 04, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & the City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) &AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) Manish Pandey (KKR) (2) Karanveer Singh IKings XI Punjab)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who scored most runs in IPL 2014?

(2) Who took most wickets in IPL 2014?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

39

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, May 4, 2016

NSC Sports Awards ceremony set for tonight WEST Indies spinner Veerasammy Permaul will be trying for back-to-back Sportsman-of-the-Year titles when the National Sport Commission (NSC) hosts its annual award ceremony this evening.

The Guyana spinner will come up against four other contenders, including Caribbean motor racing champion Kristian Jeffrey, bodybuilder and three-time Mr Guyana winner Kerwin Clarke, Olympian Winston George and bodybuilder Devon Davis.

In the Sportswoman-ofthe-Year category Alisha Fortune has West Indies cricketer and World Cup champion Tremayne Smartt, and Caribbean table tennis champion Chelsea Edghill to contend with.

At the junior male category, West Indies U-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer is vying against world-ranked badminton player and Caribbean bronze medallist Narayan Ramdhani, Terrence Williams, and Caribbean squash champion Shomari Wiltshire.

With six nominees the Junior Sportwoman-of-the-Year is one of the more populated categories.

Last year’s runner-up in the squash player Akeila Wiltshire will try to go for the win this year as her performances from last year are measured against those from Edghill,

The Guyana Sport Shooting Federation, Guyana Badminton Association, Guyana Table Tennis Association, and Guyana Football Federation are

NSC head, Director of Sport Christopher Jones, explained a lot has gone into making this year’s edition of the National Sports Award a remarkable one, having

TREMAYNE SMARTT

VEERSAMMY PERMAUL

ALISHA FORTUNE

badminton’s Priyanna Ramdhani, swimming’s Aleeka Persaud, and Mandy Mangal from cricket.

Last year ’s winner of both Sportswoman and Junior Sportswoman-of-the-Year, Cassie George, will not be back to defend her title.

up for the Most Improved Sports Association/Federation award.

Winners will be selected from 16 categories, selecting the best of the best in sports last year, based on their performances in their various sporting disciplines.

invigorated the event with several changes ranging from the selection process for tonight’s nominees to new trophy designs.

Unlike previous years, tonight’s nominees for the different categories enter the arena unaware of

Daredevils crush Lions by eight wickets IN ANOTHER clinical display, Delhi Daredevils bowlers restricted table-toppers Gujarat Lions to 149, setting up a convincing eight-wicket win in Rajkot’s last game of the season.

In the chase, Rishabh Pant and Quinton de Kock blazed a 115-run partnership off 81 balls - the side’s joint-fourth highest opening stand - to help Daredevils breeze to the second spot on the points table. Despite successive losses, Lions retained their place at the top. It was the 24th win by a chasing side in 31 games this season.

After opting to bowl, Daredevils bowlers set up an advantage in the first four overs. It looked like Shahbaz Nadeem had trapped Brendon McCullum in front in the first over, but umpire Chris Gaffaney indicated that the batsman had got an inside edge.

After facing three of the first 16 balls, McCullum charged at a Zaheer Khan slower ball. Like most of Zaheer’s off-cutters this season, it beat McCullum’s wild swing and clipped the off stump.

Two balls later, Dwayne Smith chipped a long-hop from Nadeem to long-on. In the same over, Aaron Finch, who replaced an injured Dwayne Bravo, got a leading

edge off his attempted sweep to short fine leg.

Lions’ three overseas batsmen were dismissed and already the middle or-

uppercut for six, Suresh Raina struggled to find his timing.

Dinesh Karthik, though, accrued his runs through wellplaced sweeps and flicks in

Playe-of-the-match Rishabh Pant plays the sweep shot during his innings of 69 in Rajkot. der was limited to playing for singles and twos into Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium’s large pockets. The score at the end of six overs read 35 for 3, Lions’ lowest Powerplay returns of the season.

Apart from a well-timed

the vast outfield. Just when it looked like Lions had consolidated after the early jolt, Raina was stumped, misjudging a googly from Amit Mishra.

Thereafter, Ravindra Jadeja and Karthik resorted to the same modus ope-

randi as the previous few overs. The pair, however, set up a solid platform for the end overs. Lions found at least one boundary in every over after the 13th, except the penultimate one.

The last five overs yielded 50 with hard-run twos contributing to the Lions score.

Yet, the extent of the damage in the first four overs was so severe that Lions could only muster a sub-par 149. de Kock and Pant, promoted to the opening slot, effectively finished the game by plundering nine boundaries in a 61-run Powerplay.

Pant was particularly dominant with scythed cuts off the seamers’ wide offerings. When the ball was straight, Pant used his strong bottom hand to whip fours through the arc at midwicket.

After matching Pant in the Powerplay, de Kock laid anchor and milked the bowling for singles. Pant, though, did not slow down. He used his feet to smear and swipe towards the long-on region as he struck his first limited-overs fifty, off 25 balls.

Both Pant and de Kock were dismissed after acrossthe-line heaves, but Sanju Samson and JP Duminy, who returned after regaining fitness, took Daredevils home with 16 balls remaining. (ESPN Cricinfo)

whether or not they have prevailed against their fellow competitors in their category.

The winners of the categories are so far, known only to an independent source and will be delivered in sealed envelopes, under security of a Guyana Defence Force Major. All of these new measures are designed to preserve the integrity of the selection process, according to Jones.

The nominations, from the 42 sports associations across Guyana, were deliberated upon by a panel of seven judges, none of whom was aware of the fellow panellists, or even which nomination any of the other judges voted for.

The selection of the panellists themselves, Jones shared, was another challenge all of its own, as the NSC sought to select fair and unbiased judges. Jones underlined that neither he nor the NSC had any part in selecting the winner from the nominations, further trying to erase fears of any bias in the selection process.

“Selection of the panellists wasn’t an easy task, but we ensured we selected people with integrity. We iden-

tified seven panellists from across the three counties.

The panellists are unknown to each other; they had to email their choices to an independent source. Outside of that the NSC and the Director of Sport had no role in the selection process. ” Jones explained.

However, lack of nominations has left some of the winners already revealed in some categories. In the Male and Female Athlete with Disability the only nominations are Calvin Thomas and Deandre David, respectively, making them automatic winners.

Another special feature of the grand night will be NSC signature trophies, Jones says.

“The trophies were imported from the U.S., and these trophies are now a signature for these awards and for the Sports Commission meaning only the Sports Commission can order them.”

Jones said.

The evening’s feature address is set to be delivered by the country’s Acting President, Moses Nagamootoo when the gala event gets going from 19:00hrs at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

Bikes to be scanned for ‘mechanical doping’ at Tour de France and Olympics BIKES will be tested at the Tour de France and Olympics to try to find hidden motors and stop ‘mechanical doping’, cycling’s governing body says.

The UCI says up to 12 000 bikes will be tested this year using a new scanning system introduced in January.

Belgium’s Femke van den Driessche was banned for six years last month in the first proven case of mechanical doping.

“If you use this method of cheating, we will catch you,” UCI president Brian Cookson said.

The UCI believes that its new system of magnetic resonance scanning, which detects motors, magnets and batteries, is more effective than using heat-seeking cameras.

UCI technical manager Mark Barfield says riders who switch bikes mid-race could be targeted.

Demonstrating its testing technology yesterday, the UCI says the one hidden motor found - in van den Driessche’s bike at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Belgium in January - was at the first event where magnetic resonance scans were used. van den Driessche, the former European Under-23 champion, has denied suggestions she deliberately cheated, saying the bike was not hers.

UCI regulations, which were recently strengthened, state a rider is given a minimum suspension of six months and a fine of up to 200 000 Swiss francs (£141 000) for an offence of “technological fraud”, while coaches, mechanics and other officials could also be sanctioned. (BBC Sport)

NSC Sports Awards see story ceremony on page 39 set for tonight

Olympic flame lands in Brazil for three-month relay to Games

By Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff lit the Olympic torch in Brazil’s capital yesterday and pledged that political turmoil engulfing her nation would not harm the first Games to be held in South America.

The Olympic flame was flown into Brasilia yesterday to start a three-month relay through more than 300 towns and cities that will end with the opening of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracaná stadium on August 5.

A s m i l i n g R o u s s e ff waved to crowds as she lit a green cauldron with the Olympic flame on the ramp of Brasilia’s modernistic Planalto presidential palace.

The president, who is facing impeachment proceedings, will likely be removed from office before the opening ceremony in Rio. “Even though we are living through a truly critical

keep some athletes and tourists away from Rio. The Olympic flame, burning inside four golden lamps, arrived in Brasilia aboard a LATAM Airlines jetliner that was escorted inside Brazil’s airspace by two Brazilian Air Force F-5 fighters.

The torch left the Presidential palace carried by Fabiana Claudino, who led Brazil’s female volleyball team to a gold medal in the 2012 Games.

Hundreds of cheering Brazilian lined the streets at the start of the relay and an Air Force aerobatics team swooped over central Brasilia.

Some 12 000 torchbearers will carry the flame across Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff lit the Olympic torch in Brasilia yesterday. South America’s largest counThe torch will pass through 329 cities on its way to Rio Janeiro where the Games try. In Brasilia, they will inbegin on August 5. clude a refugee from the Syrian security measures to properiod in our history and the sion since the 1930s and a civil war, 12-year-old Hanan history of our democracy, tect athletes, tourists and massive corruption scandal Daqqah, who arrived in Brazil Brazil will know how to offer visiting heads of state were that shook the political estab- with her family in 2015.

To r c h b e a r e r G e r a r d athletes and visitors the best ready. lishment and fuelled demands Moss, a Swiss-Brazilian aviBrazil has scrambled to welcome at the Olympics,” for Rousseff’s removal. Braator and environmentalist, prepare for its second global zil is also fighting an outshe said. said the Games could help to sports event in two years in Rousseff said the sports break of the mosquito-borne calm political tempers. facilities in Rio and the the midst of the worst reces- Zika virus that threatens to “What Brazil most needs

Double trouble!

now is unity, the very symbol of the Olympics,” he said before his turn in the relay. “This is an opportunity to reduce tensions between our political parties and get on with the rebuilding our economy.”

While torchbearers carried the flame around Brasilia yesterday, a senate committee debated whether to put Rousseff on trial on charges of breaking budget laws, filed by the lower house of Congress two weeks ago.

Rousseff is likely to be suspended next week when the Senate votes on opening the impeachment trial.

Vice-President Michel Temer would replace her during a trial of up to 180 days, and guide the country to elections in 2018 if she is removed from office.

Officials in her government admit her ouster is imminent. Rousseff said she hoped the Games would bring goodwill to her troubled country. “We will infect our country with the Olympic spirit,” she said.

KRISTIAN JEFFREY

see story on page 35

Jeffrey in for Swift Cup and Radical series Radical action at the Bushy Park Raceway earlier this year (BPMSI photos)

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2016