Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 07 04 2016

Linden TV row rages No. 104514

THURSDAY APRIL 7, 2016

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Sharma Solomon accused of disregarding PM’s directive

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President swears in Mayors, Deputies 2

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President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan with the new Mayors. [Adrian Narine photo]

Lands for Shooter Four new small-scale still on diplomats miners the run announced

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

President swears in Mayors, Deputies NEWLY ELECTED Mayors and Deputy Mayor were sworn in Wednesday before President David Granger during a simple ceremony at the Ministry of the Presidency.

In attendance were Cabinet Ministers and relatives of

the new officials.

President David Granger congratulated the Mayors and Deputy Mayors, who were elected by their Town Councils as a result of the Local Government Elections, held on March 18, 2016.

“Guyana has moved for-

President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan with the new Deputy Mayors. [Adrian Narine photo]

ward and it’s not a day for the past but a day for the future.

It’s a day we celebrate a victory of our democracy over dictatorship. We celebrate the return of the right of the people of every community to elect the persons they want to represent them and direct their affairs of their municipalities and their neighbourhood,” the Head of State declared.

Adding that Guyana was on the move, the President said these town and municipalities will have to be developed by the engines of strong economies.

“We have to work together to develop our country, we are not enemies, we are not fighting each other since you all have sworn to an oath to administer your municipal-

ities without fear or favour, you have nothing to fear from the central government, at the same time you must be fearless in the execution of your duties and you must not show favoritism of family, ethnicity or social groups,” President Granger emphasised.

The President emphasised that the new ‘capital towns’ are all administrative centres of their respective regions.

They would be expected to lead economic development in each region by encouraging infrastructure extension, investment, information and communications technology and innovation.

He expects that the new ‘capital towns’ will be better

equipped to attract investment, promote business and drive the economic development of the country’s ten regions.

The Head of State noted that the local government elections, which were held were more than mere respect for constitutionality, but a reaffirmation of Guyana’s political democracy and an opportunity for economic change. The “colonial compound mentality” where the citizens were solely dependent on Central Government to meet their needs, largely continued over the years due to the absence of local government elections, he added.

Linden TV row rages 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

Sharma Solomon accused of disregarding PM’s directive

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE controversy surrounding the management of the Linden Television Station has taken another turn despite the efforts of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to iron out the issues brewing between the trustees of the station’s board and the regional administration.

The Prime Minister, who has responsibility for public information, during a meeting held on March 14, 2016 with various stakeholders in Linden, recommended that the Trust extend its membership.

At that time, the trust had five persons: Sharma Solomon, Sandra Vantull, Morris McKinnon, Gloria Britain and the late Mr. Haslyn Parris.

Director of Public Information Imran Khan who related to the media what was said in the meeting, said that the Prime Minister recommended that the Trust be extended to include a wide cross-section of stakeholders in the region. This was echoed by Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcast Authority (GNBA) Leonard Craig, who at a recent press conference reiterated that the Trust was the official, recognised agency of the station and rather than form a new Trust, it was recommended that it be extended. “The

GNBA’s advice to the group was to expand the number of trustees so we can continue to do business with the same Trust rather than upturn the entire apple cart and start over,” he said. In addition to extending the Trust, the GNBA also recommended that it consist of the ordinary people of Linden and representatives from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), since the RDC was the entity that initiated the process.

Sharma Solomon, who is the secretary of the board, told the media last Saturday that the Trust had been extended by nine members and correspondence had been sent out to all stakeholders present at the meeting with the Prime Minister, to identify representatives who would be legally included as members of the board. “The board immediately held a meeting with all five members and agreed to facilitate and have that bone of contention dealt with and settled by having all those members at the stakeholders’ meeting to be a part of the board,” said Solomon.

These stakeholders include a wider cross-section of interests in the community, namely the RDC, Mayor & Town Council, Neighborhood Democratic Council, Labour, Business, youth, religion, and women. Out of these, the RDC and MTC had

not identified representatives.

This, he said, was hindering the station from turning the switch on.

“If the licence is placed in our hands this minute, we are prepared to turn on the station the next minute. We are waiting on the people in Region 10 who seem to have concerns which we are addressing about being included on the board, so as to expand it in numbers. Region 10 is holding back Region 10 from getting this matter right,” he said.

Solomon mentioned however that it was understandable that the MTC did not respond to the letter, since a council was only sworn in on Friday. The Linden Chamber of Commerce, the Guyana Trades Union Congress and the NDC, along with other organisations have replied to the request to identify representatives. These organisations had representatives present at the stakeholders’ meeting with the Prime Minister.

REGIONAL CHAIRMAN TO CHOOSE MEMBERS Responding to this statement was the Regional Chairman Renis Morian, Regional Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, Deputy Director of CDC Sandra Adams and newly-elected Mayor, Carwyn Holland. The team

on Monday told media operatives that the correspondence sent by the board and signed

by Sharma Solomon was a total disregard of the Prime Minister’s directive, which directed the mandate to the Regional Chairman to choose the individuals from the various stakeholders to be added to the Trust.

Regional Chairman Morian described the letter sent to his office by Sharma Solomon and which was also copied to the Prime Minister as “madness” and showed that Solomon had disregarded the directive of the Prime Minister. “This bordering madness, it also shows that Solomon disregarded the directive of the Prime Minister and I take umbrage to that; when the Prime Minister gave a directive you do contrary and I take umbrage to that,” posited the Chairman.

According to the team, Solomon had the responsibility to furnish the elected representatives of the people with the document highlighting the legal policies surrounding ownership of the Trust and instead of doing that, he sent a directive from the board. MP Figueira revealed that he received the document only last Friday and there are “shocking revelations” as it relates to the legal ownership of the Trust in the document. MP Figueira

said that it was unfair for Solomon to say that they were stalling the process when the document was sent only on Friday.

“It is unfair to say that we are stalling the way forward with regard to this TV station and we had no knowledge what the information in the document would have been, we cannot proceed without having knowledge. It is not our intention to stall any process. We are in support of us having the television station.

We must also make it known that we applaud Solomon’s effort in regard to leading the way forward in us getting this television station,” he said The MP also advised Solomon to allow the elected representatives of the people to play an integral role in piloting the way forward.

The change in administration he said, must be reflective in how matters regarding the television station are dealt with. “If this is a gift to the people of Linden, it must be owned by the people. We as elected representatives who are voices as it is now, we must have a say in the direction we want this television station to go.” The MP did not object to Solomon being a part of the Trust, but he must allow the elected representatives of the people to chart the way forward.

Deputy Director of CDC Sandra Adams echoed similar sentiments and articulated that there should not be a rush for a committee to be formed if it is not done in the right way. “As usual it is not being followed by Sharma Solomon and his crew in terms of timing. What’s the rush to have the committee formed and not in the right way again? We intend not to be focused on the rush, we are going to do it the way the Prime Minister asked for it to be done, we cannot disregard the people who are running this country,” she said. She also mentioned that Solomon should pass the baton to his successors. “We don’t want to go on fighting and fighting, we are simply asking Solomon and his team to let’s sit at the bargaining table and do it correctly,” she said. Newly elected Mayor Carwyn Holland said that he stands in solidarity with the team and since he was not sent the document prior to the request for a representative, he could not send a representative on a blind date.

Regional Chairman Morian said that the team was asked to bring clarity to the controversy by the Ministry of the Presidency, since he held discussions with Minister Joseph Harmon and President Granger on the issue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

Injured and robbed in hospital

By Shirley Thomas

THERE SEEMS to be more questions than answers surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a patient’s clothing, cash and other personal effects from the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), last Tuesday, as the patient was being taken to the main operating theatre for surgery.

Thirty-year-old Reagan Lambert of Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, was injured in a hit-and-run accident at Huntley, Mahaicony around 22:30hrs on Easter Monday night. The vehicle which hit him from behind caused him to suffer a broken right leg and ankle; injuries to his right lower back and rib cage; and his right arm and jaw.

The accident was moments later reported to the police who picked up the injured man and rushed him to

(At right) Reagan Lambert, dressed in the suit he was wearing when he arrived at the GPHC on Easter Monday night. All that was recovered from the hospitial when he came out of theatre was one side of the boots he is wearing in photograph.

the Mahaicony Hospital where he was stabilised, given emergency treatment and transferred by ambulance to the GPHC. The patient was admitted and kept in the holding area for the remainder of the night.

The following day (Tuesday), around 13:30hrs, he recalls, he was approached by a nurse dressed in white uniform, and whom he described in detail told him that he was being prepared for theatre and had to take off his clothes and all personal effects and leave them with her. At that time he was awake and fully conscious. He said the nurse assured him that the items would be safe and that she would return them to him after he was out of the theatre.

The items he said he handed over were: One red jersey; one pair of camoflague trousers; one Nike boots (light blue, trimmed with deep blue); an Acatel cell phone and a wallet containing his identification card and about $5,000in cash.

Lambert said that the following day (Wednesday), he asked one of his sisters who visited him, to go back to A&E and uplift the items. However, the family was shocked when staff at the unit told them that they had no clothing and personal effects for him. The woman said that all they handed over to her was a 4” x 6” photograph of Lambert and two other friends. It was enclosed in a plastic bag of similar size and the staff handing it over claimed that the photograph was found in the patient’s chart.

What the family deems as strange is that the photograph was in Lambert’s pants pocket when he arrived at the hospital and at no time did he take it out. A report was made at the Matron’s Office on Monday, (April 4) and it was learnt that the nurses taking custody of any patient’s personal belongings would first make a log book entry, then have the internal security check and make an entry into the their property book as well, so that the items could be See page 5

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

Press, Legal Affairs Rep. in U.S. exchange programme on combating corruption

U.S. AMBASSADOR Perry Holloway has met with two Guyanese who recently returned from the United States after participating in the embassy-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange on “Combating Corruption” from March 6 – 16, 2016.

According to a press release from the U.S. Em-

Attorney General Chambers; and Mr. Neil Marks, President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) shared their programme experiences, and discussed how they hoped to apply the insights gained from their experience to the benefit of their organisations and communities as a whole.

It was noted that during the programme, Mrs. Stuart and Mr. Marks, along with

leigh, North Carolina where they met with government officials, members of the private sector, and media houses.

“These visits provided varied insights and understanding into the vital role of public/private partnerships and media in supporting good governance and discouraging corruption.

The programme afforded participants the opportunity

Ambassador Holloway with Judy Stuart and Neil Marks bassy, the participants, Mrs. Judy Stuart, Senior Legal Adviser, Ministry of Legal Affairs and Office of the

their counterparts from the Caribbean, visited several cities, including Washington, D.C., Manchester, New Hampshire, and Ra-

to examine the dynamics of political campaign financing and government procurement. Participants also examined the mechanisms

Injured and robbed ...

From page 4 traced and reconciled when needed.

On Monday afternoon another of the man’s sisters again visited the A&E, and made her concerns known to the Internal Security and a female staff in the triage area. The officers were appalled to find that there was no entry for the patient Reagan Lambert in their Property book, neither was there any in the nurses’ log book.

Out of concern, the security at the triage room took a decision to report the matter to the base office in the hospital compound. The officer in charge immediately caused a search to be mounted. And what did that search yield? One side of the patient’s Nike boots in a toilet in the Emergency room. How did the boots get there? “Your guess is as good as mine,” the patient’s disappointed sister muttered.

The woman was so distraught she could not even take the one side boot, but walked away from the scene.

Meanwhile, the patient was expected to be transferred to the Mahaicony Hospital on Tuesday, but would now have to leave without the items he had with him when he arrived.

The family is asking the administration of the A&E Unit, now that they have a detailed description of the woman who collected the items from the patient, to check their register to determine just who, suiting that description, might have been on duty around 13:30hrs on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 22.

Considering this to be an indictment on the good name of the institution, the family is suggesting that the authorities deal condignly with whoever might be found responsible for the disappearance of the patient’s items.

that enable citizens to foster good governance, ethical standards, and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels,” the release further noted. mong the highlights of the programme was a visit to the Center for Whistleblowers, and according to the release, Mrs. Stuart noted this was indeed timely as the Government of Guyana is in the process of drafting legislation for Whistleblower and Witness Protection aimed at preventing corruption, encouraging ethical leadership and transparency, and ensuring accountability and responsibility to the public.

“Mr. Marks’s participation in this programme has amplified his awareness of the critical role that the media play as “watchdogs” as part of civil society in promoting good governance and human rights.”

It was noted that Ambassador Holloway encouraged them to build on the many professional linkages they made with U.S. institutions and other IVLP participants to strengthen their work within their respective organisations and in communities throughout Guyana.

The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier

professional exchange programme. The IVLP brings together emerging leaders in their respective professions to learn how U.S. ex-

perts in their professions operate, and to share best practices with the other programme fellows who hail from across the globe.

Thursday April 7th, 2016 - 05:00 hrs Friday April 8th, 2016 - 05:00 hrs Saturday April 9th, 2016 - 05:30 hrs

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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

We are the champions “WE are the champions, We are the West Indies” These lyrics have been immortalised in song by our own Dave Martins and the Tradewinds, bearing testimony to the historically acclaimed ability of West Indian cricketers. Last Saturday the team won the World T20 final in what has been described by commentators as “stunning fashion.”

When victory was declared there were celebrations and “I told you so” even among those who never believed it could have been so. The world’s fastest person ever timed, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, took to his page to celebrate, singing and dancing to Dwayne “DJ” Bravo – “Champion.” Our own Enrico Woolford of Capitol News took to his facebook to show us his blood pressure apparatus that he would have no need for. It was pure love and excitement rallying around the West Indies, reflecting an important aspect of our lives, and that which binds us as people of the Caribbean/West Indies: cricket Cricket is part of our identity, a rallying point of togetherness and the setting aside of our differences to be under one banner. The West Indian cricket team dates back to the 1880s, with the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) joining the Imperial Cricket Council in 1926, and playing its first international match in 1928. This long and distinguished career predated the independence of Caribbean countries and established the foundation from which later integration efforts were built.

Today West Indian cricket comprises a multi-national team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.

This long and storied legacy has not been without its ups and downs. Frankly, there have been expressed concerns about the

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

WICB and regional boards –The ball is in your court

Dear Editor, TODAY, I am elated to join all the peoples of the Caribbean in extending heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our regional team captains Shimron Hetmyer at the Under-19 level, Stafanie Taylor at the women’s level and Darren Sammy at the male level, along with their supporting staff for their championship victories in each of the World T20 finals.

I was fortunate to witness at least the last three matches of each tournament and on each occasion that we won, I felt like jumping over the moon with joy. Along the way I learnt the victorious chest-roll dance of our Under 19 team and when our women won this morning, I started learning the Champions Dance. By the time Carlos Braithwaite had struck the fourth six in a row off the first four balls of the final over to give us victory and the third World Champions in a row in 2016, and the second in a day after the Women’s win, I had perfected the Champions dance. ‘What a day!’

Regrettably, Captain Sammy had to publicly complain during his acceptance interview, about the lack of support from the WICB. He specially mentioned problems in acquiring uniforms for his players and the fact that the team had received

communication from Prime Minister Mitchell, the Chairman of CARICOM on Sunday morning, but up to the time when he was speaking, nothing had been received from the WICB. Obviously, this organisation needs to do a much better job in building and maintaining confidence and much better relationships with our cricketers.

This situation reminds me of how the current West Indies Under-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer was treated by the GCB in July 2015. In a media publication about six weeks ago, it was mentioned that he had been selected by the national selectors to captain the Guyana Under-19 team in the regional Under-19 tournament, but the GCB refused to approve his appointment. This talented Under-19 cricketer had represented both Berbice and Guyana at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels, Guyana at the senior regional level and the West Indies in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup tournament with success. Only the GCB would know what criteria they used to appoint someone else. Our team was third in that tournament, although Hetmyer averaged 55.17 runs per inning from seven innings, had the most runs331- and the highest score of 135 not out. Luckily, Clive Lloyd and the West Indies selectors did not make

direction of the WICB, given its survival and success is important to reinforcing the identity of the peoples of the Region, solidifying the unity of purpose as outlined in CARICOM and attendant institutions, and ensuring a positive reputation on the world stage.

Within recent years the WICB and players have been experiencing various challenges, both in performance in the field and administratively. It is not believed that these challenges are insurmountable and cannot be overcome. And where another conflict has arisen in the unfortunate relationship that led to the T20 team feeling abandoned, it is the belief that this too can be overcome in the interest of the Region’s good.

When T20 captain Darren Sammy last Saturday felt compelled to publicly address what he considered to be unsavoury treatment of the players by the WICB, it is worthy of paying attention to. This attention should not be with the intent to “punish” and isolate those with the needed skills and talent to offer, but to kick start discussions from a position of mutual respect that would be

the same mistake.

Now that our teams have proven that we are definitely the best at the T20 level, the WICB and regional boards will need to take bold steps by investing in our players to allow them to improve our rankings at the 50-over but more especially, at the Test match level.

One would be forced to ask, ‘Where are our Cricket Academies?’, May 2015 was the last time a President’s XI game was playedagainst Australia- and we have had no West Indies ‘A’ or ‘B’ team in years. The promise to improve our lifeless pitches has not been kept.

In Guyana, the three-day first-division competition was discontinued since 2010 and the four-day Inter- County competitions discontinued in 2015, both

by Guyana Cricket Board, must be reinstated. Indeed, these formats should be played in all Caribbean territories.

Our cricketers can best develop fitness, skill and talent, gain form, confidence and readiness by playing much more of these formats under the right conditions.

Yours faithfully, MORTIMER GEORGE Former Secretary BCB, Life member BCB

guided by two fundamental principles.

These principles are: 1) what must be done by the WICB and players to forge harmonious relationships, where both groups are seen as equals and treated as such; and 2) how can both groups, cognisant of the responsibility they shoulder to themselves and the peoples of the Region, at all times strive to ensure the common good triumph.

Where Dave Cameron, WICB President, in response to Sammy’s concerns has taken the highroad and committed that he would meet the players in June to find a “common ground” where the “best” players can represent the Region in all formats, such is a welcoming signal. It would bode well for the Region and its peoples should such meeting factor in the stated principles. And if arriving at resolutions requires the involvement of a third party, then the WICB and players must be prepared to make such accommodation.

Throughout the engagements, at all times the guiding principle must remain that “We are the champions. We are going to stay West Indians.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

Vendetta against Head of the Presidential Secretariat/Minister of State!

Dear Editor, FORBES Burnham in 1985 had noted in his last interview with the Caribbean Press “In life and politics as in mathematics, you have to accept the highest common factor.”

Using that analogy, when we look at the structure of the PNCR or APNU - it is an incontrovertible fact that aside from President David Granger, Minister Joseph Harmon is the most likely individual to lead the PNCR or APNU coalition.

What is corrupt or unpardonable about 1. The appointment of Mr. Brian Tiwari as Business Development Advisor to Minister Harmon and 2. The determination by the Minister of State and Cabinet Secretary that the seizure of assets from Bai Shan Ling was uncalled for at that juncture?

The current media pronouncements on the actions of Minister Harmon as unjustified and indefensible, are absent of any evidence conveyed to the public. When one considers the position Mr. Harmon holds in the current Government, the statements made by many commentators are ridiculous, be it Chris Ram in Kaieteur News dated April 3, 2016: “Harmon’s action warrants immediate investigation… President Granger must take action which shows zero tolerance for reckless, unlawful and/or corrupt behaviour.”

Or Anand Goolsarran, who made several verbal assaults on Harmon, first on March 31, 2016 in Kaieteur News, Goolsarran “expressed his shock to learn that Harmon, a man who spoke against the appalling backdoor deals made by the PPP, would appoint businessman Brian “BK” Tiwarie as Ministerial Advisor on Business Development. Goolsarran was even more shocked that three senior AFC Cabinet members – Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, Vice-President Khemraj Ramjattan and the Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin – have no knowledge of this appointment.”

Goolsarran further unleashed his wrath against Harmon with Goolsarran’s speculative pronouncement, to wit: “It is evident that the President needs to place a curb on the tendency of the Minister of the Presidency to act unilaterally and without obtaining his prior approval.”

In Kaieteur News on April 4, 2016, Goolsarran continued his onslaught against the former lieutenant-Colonel, by stating that “This runaway train must be halted in its track before it is too late. Mr. Harmon is behaving just like the former HPS, (Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon) if not worse.”

No one seriously believes that an appointment made by Dr. Luncheon as Cabinet Secretary would be rescinded by Presidents of that era. Also, a directive from the Cabinet Secretary to desist from a particular action by a Government agency is not unusual and falls within the duties of the Cabinet Secretary/ Minister of State. The significant supervisory role of the Cabinet Secretary over the actions of ministries, Government agencies and state-controlled corporations helps to ensure proper coordination and prevent pernicious acts to the functioning of the State, the image of Guyana and relationships with donor countries, particularly countries such as the USA and China. Differences, if and when they occur, should be resolved within the apparatus of the executive branch of government.

On April 6, 2016 in Kaieteur News, the article captioned, “GRA Will Now Operate Without Political Interference – Chairman” (Rawle Lucas, Non-executive chairman of GRA). This kind of fairy-tale thinking is consistent with the utopian pronouncements of Ram, Goolsarran and Lucas. Ironically, Mr. Rawle Lucas who waxes eloquently

on interference is oftentimes deemed to be interfering and usurping the executive management responsibilities of Ms. Ingrid Griffith, Commissioner-General (ag) of GRA. Oh what a tangled web we weave when we utter to deceive.

Rawle Lucas, who in March of 2016 was appointed Executive Director for Economic Cooperation and Global Trade Investment within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, penned an article as a columnist in Stabroek News, where Mr. Lucas wrote in his Sunday column dated April 3, , that “Politicians and other public officials need to stop monkeying around on these issues (a most disparaging remark by a public servant) and understand that the entire country is at risk of being marginalised by the international economic community for failure to uphold its own laws.”

As offensive as those comments were to many hardworking politicians and public officials, Stabroek News apparently embraced the “monkeying around” label by referencing it in their article captioned “Much more needs to be done about corruption – Rawle Lucas,” dated April 4, 2016.

Also, in the Stabroek News Editorial on April 4, 2016, we are exposed to a barrage of insults against the Cabinet Secretary, re: “Minister of State’s farcical appointment of Mr. Brian Tiwari as a Business Advisor to the government” and “The president himself would have sought an immediate explanation from Minister Harmon on his return from China about the rationale for the appointment of Mr. Tiwari and then determine appropriate disciplining of the minister. The editorial is loaded with unfounded allegations and appalling suggestions, including: “It immediately raises the spectre that the appointment was a sinecure or providing a benefit solely to those involved.” and Minister Harmon’s actions raise serious questions about his judgement and he clearly needs to be reined in.” In my opinion, the writer of this editorial needs to focus on facts and not conjecture.

To move from the ridiculous to the absurd, we have the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) issuing a statement in Stabroek News dated April 5, 2016, that preached: “It was noted that by any standard, the conduct of Harmon and by extension, the Government, constitutes corruption.”

I conclude with a few questions for our informed commentators/columnists/editor: 1. What is the justification for rescinding Mr. Tiwari’s appointment?

2. Was Mr. Tiwari’s race a factor in rescinding his appointment? See the last paragraph of Ms. Ryhaan Shah - Guyana Times Article dated April 3, 2016.

3. Is there any one among our informed commentators or columnists aware of the Modus Operandi for appointing advisors to ministers and to the President?

4. Is Mr. Tiwari not eminently qualified to provide business development advice, based on his mega success in building BK International Inc. into Guyana’s largest privately owned company, spanning several industries?

5. What are the names of all the advisors and the remuneration made to those advisors, working across the different ministries?

6. How is Minister Harmon’s Business trip to China, a country that is one of Guyana’s largest foreign investors a new form of corruption?

7. Is the decision of the Minister of State and Cabinet Secretary to ask GRA officers and representatives of the Special Organized Crime Unit to stand down - a new form of corruption?

8. Could the seizing of Assets of Bai Shan Lin have been done in a more tactful manner, considering our substantial fractional depen-

dence on foreign investment from China and Chinese companies and also considering the role of its Managing Director, Mr. Chu Hongbo, in the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Guyana?

9. Who are the architects behind the leakage of the appointment letter of Mr. Tiwari as Advisor to the Minister of State?

10. Who are the advisors in the diaspora and exactly who are they advising?

11. Does it matter whether it was Mr. Harmon or Mr. Tiwari who initiated the process

of the advisory role?

12. Does a minister have the authority to appoint an advisor to his/her ministry?

The jumping on the bandwagon to destroy Harmon is misplaced, appears to have divisive intentions and seems to be a form of cognitive dissonance.

Lucas Anthony Seneca: “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”

NIGEL HINDS

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

Four new diplomats announced THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that approval has been received from the respective governments for the appointment of four new Guyanese diplomats.

The new appointees and their designations are: Dr. Kenrick Hunte, High Commissioner to South Africa; Dr. Riyad Insanally, Ambassador to the United States of America; Ms Sita Pilgrim, Consul-General to Barbados; and Ms. Shirley Melville, Consul-General to Boa Vista.

A former General Manager of the now defunct Guyana Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank (GAIBANK), Dr Hunte has a Ph.D in Economics and Rural Financial Markets from the Ohio State University, and specialises in money, banking and rural finance.

Currently a Professor of Economics at Howard University, Washington D.C., among courses he teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels are: Principles of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics; Monetary Analysis; Money and Banking; Statistics; Intermediate Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Theory; Financial Intermediation; Independent study and International Economics.

As Director of Graduate Studies at the said Howard University, a post he’s held since since October 2009, one of his key responsibilities is managing the Ph.D. and Masters Degree programmes.

He’s also a member of the examination committee that manages the qualifying examinations for MA and Ph.D. students, as well as a member

the University of Guyana from 1981 to 1984.

Dr. Riyad Insanally

Sita Pilgrim

Shirley Melville

of the committee responsibile for Dissertation and Thesis Defence examinations.

Since December 1996, he’s served as a consultant to the US-headquartered World Bank, in which capacity he’s analysed the financial reform of 117 regional rural banks in India; set guidelines to enhance financial sustainability; and analysed systems and procedures used for delivering micro-credit to small rural borrowers in South India.

Secretary-General on such matters as political relations with member states; trade and development; and inter-institutional cooperation.

Before joining the OAS in September 2006, Dr. Insanally, whose fortes are Modern Languages and Latin American Studies, represented Guyana’s sugar interests in Europe (2004-2006), serving concurrently as Senior Trade Adviser at the Guyana High Commission in London and

Commercial Representative of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

He was at one time Political Adviser to the first two Secretaries-General of the Association of Caribbean States (1997-2003), in Port of Spain, and served as a Senior Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guyana (1990-1997), specialising in multilateral diplomacy and regional integration issues.

He also taught Spanish at

OAS FOCAL POINT In the case of Dr Insanally, he currently serves as the focal point in Trinidad and Tobago for the Organisation of American States (OAS), a post he’s held since April 2008.

In that capacity, he was largely responsible for facilitating OAS technical support to the T&T government in the run-up to, and after, the historical 5th Summit of the Americas, which was held in the ‘Twin-Island Republic’ as Trinidad is sometimes called, in 2009.

From September 2006 to March 2008, he served as an adviser to the OAS Assistant

HEADS OF MISSION Those appointed Heads of Mission so far are: Embassies and High Commissions 1. Venezuela - Cheryl Miles 2. Suriname - Keith George 3. George Talbot - Brazil 4. Belgium - David Hales 5. London - Hamley Case 6. Canada - Clarissa Riehl 7. Cuba - Halim Majeed 8. China - Bayney Karran 9. South Africa - Dr. Kenneth Hunte CONSULATES 1. Nickerie, Suriname - Esther Griffith 2. Boa Vista, Brazil - Shirley Melville 3. Bridgetown, Barbados - Sita Pilgrim

Linden shooter still on the run CALWYN Alex Croal of 143 Blue Berry Hill Wismar, Linden, who allegedly on Saturday evening shot his wife and a family friend of hers hitting her six times and her cousin twice, is still on the run.

Apart from confiscating his car which was found at Buck Town on Sunday, Linden police officers have no other successes to report. Divisional Commander Calvin Brutus told the Guyana Chronicle that all possible efforts have been made by ranks both in Georgetown and Linden to capture Croal. All leads received as to where he may be hiding have been checked, a wanted bulletin with

his photograph has been issued, all divisions have been alerted and roadblocks have been set up across Linden to aid in the capturing of this alleged shooter, who has found himself on the other side of the law several times.

Successful Surgery The good news lies however in the victims of the shooting,with both undergoing successful surgery and recuperating well. His estranged wife, Simone Croal, who was shot six times about her body was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she underwent surgery and it was deemed successful.The Guyana Chronicle understands that she is in a stable

condition. Her family friend Sherwin Hughes also underwent a successful surgery at the Mackenzie Hospital. He was at the time along with his wife dropping Simone home when his vehicle was riddled with bullets upon their arrival at her home.

Reports reaching the Guyana Chronicle indicated that the incident stemmed from the accused assaulting his wife who was at the time rendering assistance to her cousin who operates a store in the Mackenzie market. According to an eye witness who is also close to the victim, Alex Croal came up to the shop and insisted that Simone leave with him.

Upon her refusal, he started to assault her. Alex alleged-

ly left and went to the home of his wife and was told by their 22-year-old daughter that she had not returned as yet. He waited and upon her arrival, he ran out of the home and discharged several rounds at the car.

Commander Brutus is encouraging Calwyn Alex Croal to turn himself in to the police with his lawyer; and if he doesn’t feel comfortable doing so at the Mackenzie Police Station, he can do so at Eve Leary.

He said that several statements have already been taken from eyewitnesses and the investigation has commenced. Simone and Calwyn have six children together and have been separated for over a year.

LETHEM BUSINESSWOMAN Ms Melville, who owns and manages a business at Lethem, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), has diplomas in Communications and Business Management from the University of Toronto, Canada.

She also functions as a point of contact for tourists, as well as any other person seeking information about the Rupununi and Lethem.

In 1996, she co-founded the NGO, ‘Helping Hands Women’s Group’, and currently serves as its secretary. That same year, she also co-founded the Guyana Action Party (GAP), which she represented in the National Assembly from 2001 to 2006.

She’s also adviser to regional Amerindian communities and individual community members on social and economic issues, entrepreneurship, etc.

In 2013, she opened the Rupununi’s first private craft shop, and in 2015, contributed to the drafting of a ‘National Policy for Ecotourism Development in Guyana’, Ministry of Tourism.

BANKER CUM LINGUIST From 2000 to 2004, Mrs Pilgrim served as a Human Resource and Compliance Officer for BanCaribe (Offshore) Bank, Bridgetown Barbados/ Caracas Venezuela.

She’s also served as an

Interpreter and Translator, and was responsible for staff recruitment and work distribution and security and compliance of all customers’ accounts, as well as translating bank documents from Spanish into English.

Between 1986 and 1993, she was employed by the now defunct Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), where she Chaired School Broadcast and Educational TV and Dance Forum.

She was also the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Society for the Deaf, where she was responsible for raising and distributing funds for the training of hearing- impaired students, as well as teachers for the hearing-impaired in Commonwealth Countries.

Mrs Pilgrim was also a committee member of the Caribbean and Latin American Organisation (UK) with responsibility for fostering closer ties between the organisation and African countries.

She is the founder of the Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professionals, which is dedicated to assisting a wide cross-section of professionals and patients in Guyana both financially and through skills-sharing and training.

From 1979 to 1986, she served as the simultaneous interpreter to Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba. She has a diploma in Spanish from the Jose Marti School of Language Studies, and another in Child Psychology from the University of Guyana.

Black Caiman Research in the Rupununi THE BLACK caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is a carnivorous reptile with black, scaly skin. It can grow up to 13 - 20 feet in length and lives along slow-moving rivers and seasonally flooded savannahs of the freshwater habitats of South America. Its conservation status is listed as “Conservation dependent.”

The black caiman mainly feeds on fish, water birds, capybara and occasionally domestic animals. Black Caimans have a life expectancy of 50 - 80 years.

This research covers the movement, tracking, habitat preference and feeding patterns as they overlap with human activities and fishing patterns. This would provide much needed information that may lead to less human/caiman conflict.

This is the first ever study of the endangered black caiman movement patterns, and is being funded by the National Geographic Society for one year, with additional funding from the Farfan & Mendes Group and STIHL for an additional year. The additional year would allow for long-term caiman movement data to be gathered. Such information will be vital in understanding and conserving Guyana’s Black Caiman population.

Persons employed to do the tracking come from the community, therefore the research yields both scientific and economic benefits.

For more information see: https://www.facebook.com/Rupununi-Learners-101835906568719/ http://rupununilearners.org/black-caiman-research/

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

President to meet with UGSS ‒ to discuss welfare, other issues FOLLOWING protest action by students of the University of Guyana, President David Granger has agreed to meet next week with the President and a few members of the University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS).

The announcement was made yesterday by the Ministry of the Presidency, by way of a brief statement saying that the logistics of the proposed meeting are currently being worked out between the Ministry of the Presidency and the UGSS. According to the statement, the purpose of the engagement is to discuss the issues raised by students of the Turkeyen Campus over the past week.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that students on Monday picketed the administration of the Turkeyen Campus over a number of issues affecting them, including the university’s silence regarding the alleged

non-accounting for a sum of $148M. Led by UGSS President Joshua Griffith, the students gathered in front of the Administrative Office at about 10:00hrs and protested the issues openly.

Griffith disclosed that the UGSS has invited President Granger to meet with it as a body at Turkeyen.

He also noted that since the May 2015 change of government, a number of promises that were made to improve the conditions at UG have not been fulfilled.

Griffith said students from each faculty were demonstrating their lack of confidence in the administration of UG. The main issues of contention include the lack of grades, laboratory facilities for health science students, non-functioning air conditioning units, accreditation matters faced by medical students, and the absence of laboratory exercises for Chemistry students.

He said the Education

Faculty students are currently experiencing a host of problems relating to timetables, since many of them are unable to obtain releases from their employers to attend classes during the day.

In addition, he noted, students from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) are in dire straits, as their classrooms have been transformed into offices.

He also noted that there is the issue of the noise generated by the playing of dominoes on campus near to classrooms. He said this problem has occurred because the administration has converted recreational areas for such games into classrooms without consulting the students.

Griffith said one of the more important issues of the protest is the UG administration’s lack of accountability, in that students are not satisfied that the money derived from fees is being spent properly.

Lands for small-scale miners to be available soon THE Ministry of Natural Resources is finalising arrangements to make more lands available to smallscale miners.

According to a statement from the ministry, the decision is in keeping with a promise made by subject minister, Raphael Trotman to over 300 small-scale miners back in January during a meeting at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

At that meeting, the statement says, Minister Trotman had emphasised the important role small-scale miners play in sustaining the mining sector and economy, and expressed the government’s commitment to creating an environment that supports

their efforts.

The January 2016 panel discussion segment, chaired

by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, saw the unavailability of land and landlordism being the most prominent of miners concerns.

The statement noted that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Closed Area Committee (CAC) were tasked with facilitating the release of lands, and significant steps have been made towards making this a reality.

“The finalisation of these arrangements,” the statement notes, “will pave the way for genuine small-scale miners

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman

to begin applying for lands that are not only accessible, but also hold encouraging prospects for gold mining.”

It said, in closing, that the Ministry will be making a further announcement on the matter “within the fortnight.”

9

GAWU meets GuySuCo on workers’ benefits THE country’s sugar workers union GAWU Tuesday began talks with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) on the benefits package for workers.

According to the union, 42 of its representatives met with the Corporation at the LBI Training Building, East Coast Demerara.

The two sides discussed benefits for field foremen and field and factory workers, who make up over 95 per cent of the corporation’s 17,000 workforce.

Through its fringe claims, the union sought improvements in the provision of tools, safety equipment and allowances, among other things.

The union in a press release stated that fringe ben-

efit claims as well as the workers’ wage/salary claims pertaining to increased pay were submitted to GuySuCo since March, 2015.

The union accused GuySuCo of refusing to engage it on the two above issues in the past.

This resulted in workers picketing, irregular strike actions, especially the weekly Tuesday strike, and GAWU’s resort to the media.

“Next Wednesday April 13, 2016, the union and the corporation are likely to complete the examination of GAWU’s fringe benefit claims on which occasion the corporation, expectedly, would provide its answers,” GAWU stated.

The union, notwithstanding the corporation’s an-

nouncement that the sugar workers would not be granted any pay rise for 2015, is demanding that it be heard on its pay increase claims.

GAWU said it was looking forward to GuySuCo providing financial statements and other relevant information during the expected discussions.

The union said its call to be engaged in Collective Bargaining is supported by the Constitution of Guyana, the Trade Union Recognition Act, the Collective Labour Agreement and ILO Convention 98.

GAWU said given these provisions, it would oppose GuySuCo’s stance should it continue to “disrespect the Collective Bargaining process.”

Death by arrow RAYBURN Morris was on Wednesday remanded by magistrate Judy Latchman after he was charged for manslaughter.

Thirty- nine year old Morris of North East La Penitence was not allowed to plead to the indictable charge which read that on

April 2, 2016 he unlawfully killed John Joseph.

The matter was adjourned until tomorrow.

Police reports stated that John Joseph, 64, of Triangle Backdam, North West District, intervened in an argument between a man and his son. The man was shot with

an arrow to his chest.

The man then pulled out the arrow from his chest and subsequently stabbed Joseph to his body with it. Joseph was taken to the Baramita Health Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

Mayor’s appointment ‘illegal’‒ PPP THE appointment of Mabaruma’s first Mayor

by Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan yesterday sparked criticisms by the opposition People's Progressive Party (PPP) who deemed the appointment to be an “illegal” one.

Mabaruma was one of six local authority areas where the March 18 Local Government Elections recorded a tie between the two largest political parties contesting the elections. Last week, the elected council was faced with a deadlock after six PPP councilors nominated and voted in favour of their mayoral candidate and six APNU+AFC councilors did the same for a different councillor.

However, Minister Ron-

ald Bulkan yesterday ruled in favour of the coalition’s nominee Councillor Henry Smith, whom he appointed Mabaruma’s first Mayor.

But this did not sit well with the PPP, who sought to extract references from the Municipal and District Council’s Act Chapter 28:01 to support their contention that the minister’s appointment was illegal.

“The PPP is outraged by the illegal, unaccountable, non-transparent actions of the Minister of Communities.

This pattern of behaviour continues the practices of the David Granger Administration” the party said in a statement.

According to the PPP, subsequent to the LGE, the party, concerned about the

conflict surrounding the electoral procedures to break the deadlock on equality of votes, obtained the advice of their lawyers. That advice, the party said, called for by-elections for the top positions in the tied local authority areas, once there was an existing deadlock.

Following this, the party noted that it engaged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ascertain what its position was.

“On Friday, April 1, 2016, GCEOM’s initial response concurred with the legal advice offered to the PPP. The Chief Executive Officer of GECOM actually undertook to brief the Minister of Communities accordingly” the PPP said.

According to the Munic-

ipal and Council’s District Act, Section 13 if there is an equality of votes for the position of Mayor at the municipal level or Chairman at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) level, there must be another election for the position. At this election, the electorate would vote directly for the person of their choice to be the Chairman or in the case of a municipality, the Mayor.

Further, the Act goes on to state that if there is an equality of votes cast at the election by the voters, and no person is elected Mayor, then the Minister of Communities shall select one of the councillors receiving the greatest number of equal votes to be Mayor.

However, the PPP explained that after recognizing the “significant logistics” of by-elections, the party offered to negotiate with the

coalition.

“The terms discussed included rotation of the two top positions in the municipality and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) annually, with the plurality being used to determine the distribution of the local authority areas whose top positions would be shared between the two sides,” the party said.

On S unday April 3, 2016 the two negotiators, PPP’s Gail Teixeira and APNU+AFC’s Amna Ally met and Ally, according to the PPP, rejected the earlier terms, and insisted on no rotations.

The party added that in the context of a rejection by the PPP, Ally disclosed that the Minister of Communities would appoint the top positions in all six of those tied local authority areas.

“By Monday, April 4,

2016, the Minister of Communities in violation of the law commenced the appointments and completed them

by Tuesday, April 5, 2016, even those where they [APNU+AFC] had not gained a majority of popular votes in those local authority areas,” the PPP’s statement said.

Additionally, the opposition party noted that the elections regulatory body responded to its concerns and question regarding its position on the matter. GECOM had reportedly told the PPP that it was “studying the matter”.

Given this existing situation, the party noted that it intends to pursue this matter aggressively, including immediate litigation and protests against the Minister of Communities and his illegal decision by aggrieved stakeholders at the local authority areas.

Canadian Muslim scholar to speak here A CELEBRATED Canadian Muslim scholar is scheduled to speak at an event organised by leading Muslim organisations here.

The scholar Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur Razak is being hosted by the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex (ACIC) and the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman (GUSIA) in association with the Al Faisilliyah Fraternity (AFF).

The event is billed for this Wednesday from 18:30hrs (after Maghrib Prayers) at the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex, West Coast Demerara.

According to Public Relations Officer Reyaz Hussein, the programme will also feature special recitations of Qaseedas and a Short Zikr; the programme coincides with the Annual Al Isra Wal Meraj, which marks the time Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad (SAS) was invited and taken bodily from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to the Heavens, in the nearest proximity to God Almighty.

Shaykh Faisal, who lives in Brampton, Canada, studied in Saudi Arabia, first at Umm al-Qurra University in Makkah, then at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.

He also studied at York

Muslim Scholar Shaykh Faisal Hamid Abdur Razak

University, Toronto, Canada.

He has received numerous Ijaazas (Certificates in Traditional Islamic Sciences), and his most important Ijaazas he received from Shaykh As-Sayyid Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim al-Yacoubi alHasani and Shaykh Muhammad Ibn `Alawi al-Maaliki al-Hasani. After completing his studies, he returned to Canada where he became actively involved in Islamic Da`wah and education.

He served as Imam / Khatib of several Masjids and Islamic Centres, including the Islamic Society of Peel, the Islamic Centre of

Brampton, and the Toronto And Region Islamic Centre (TARIC).

Shaykh Faisal served on the Government of Canada Interfaith Committee, the Province of Ontario Multifaith Council, and the City of Brampton Multifaith Committee.

He is also the President of the Islamic Forum of Canada, President of the Ahlus Sunnah Council of Canada, Vice-President of the Islamic Council of Imams of Canada, Shaykhul Islam of the Anjuman Sunnatul Jamaat Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Murshid of Al Faisaliyyah Fraternity of Guyana and a member of the al-Shura Muslim Consultative Council of Canada.

He has lectured on a wide range of Islamic topics to gatherings in many countries including Canada,the U.S.A., England, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Guyana, Barbados, Suriname and Trinidad. He is widely recognised throughout the world as a foremost Sunni scholar.

Razak has to his credit more than 100 titles recorded on Audio and DVDs and is the author of many books on Islam.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

Bulkan denies Local Authority appointments illegal MINISTER of Communities Ronald Bulkan has dismissed claims by the opposition PPP that the appointment of Mabaruma’s first Mayor was illegal, saying he was confident his decision could win any legal challenge.

Mabaruma was one of six local authority areas in which a tied result emerged following the March 18 Local Government Elections.

Bulkan’s move to also appoint the leaders in the areas other than Mabaruma was also dismissed by the PPP. Last week, the elected Mabaruma council faced a deadlock after six PPP councillors nominated and voted in favour of their mayoral candidate and six APNU+AFC councillors did the same for their Councillor, Henry Smith, to be Mayor.

Bulkan ruled in favour of the coalition and appointed Smith, who was sworn in Wednesday before President David Granger.

The PPP made reference

to the Municipal and District Council’s Act Chapter 28:01 to support their contention that the Minister’s appointment was illegal.

“The PPP is outraged by the illegal, unaccountable, non-transparent actions of the Minister of Communities,” the PPP stated.

According to the PPP, after the Local Government Elections, it sought legal advice on the way forward given the deadlock and by-elections for the top positions in the tied local authority areas were suggested.

Following this, the party noted that it engaged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ascertain what its position was.

“On Friday, April 1, 2016, GCEOM’s initial response concurred with the legal advice offered to the PPP. The Chief Executive Officer of GECOM actually undertook to brief the Minister of Communities accordingly,” the PPP said.

The Municipal and Coun-

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan

cil’s District Act, Section 13, provides for a by-election to choose Mayors or chairmen of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).

Bulkan, speaking to reporters at the Ministry of the Presidency, where the Mayors were sworn in Wednesday, suggested that nowhere in the legislation in the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01 or the Local Government Act 28:01 does it contemplate

that the Mayors will be directly elected by the voters.

“It is always the contemplation in the legislation that the Mayors will be elected by their respective councils and it is in that context that the provisions in the legislation, when read in its entirety, establishes quite clearly that the responsibility for the elections of the Mayors is that of the councilors and in cases where there are ties or the councilors are unable for whatever reason to make such an election [then] that is the prerogative and responsibility of the minister [to make the appointment],” Bulkan stated.

Bulkan therefore did not agree with the position that only in a case where there is a tie in a by-election that the prerogative rests with him to select one of the council-

lors receiving the greatest number of equal votes to be Mayor.

The PPP had claimed that while the provision exists for by-elections, it recognised the “significant logistics” that that would entail and therefore offered to negotiate a compromise position with the coalition.

“The terms discussed included rotation of the two top positions in the municipality and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) annually, with the plurality being used to determine the distribution of the local authority areas whose top positions would be shared between the two sides,” the party said.

The PPP claimed that last Sunday the two negotiators - PPP’s Gail Teixeira and APNU+AFC’s Amna Ally - met and Ally, according to the PPP, rejected the earlier terms, and insisted on no rotations.

The party added that in

the context of a rejection by the PPP, Ally disclosed that the Minister of Communities would appoint the top positions in all six of those tied local authority areas.

“By Monday April 4th, 2016, the Minister of Communities in violation of the law, commenced the appointments and completed them by Tuesday, April 5th 2016, even in those where they [APNU+AFC] had not gained a majority of popular votes in those local authority areas,” the PPP stated.

Additionally, the opposition party noted that the elections regulatory body responded to its concerns and question regarding its position on the matter. GECOM had reportedly told the PPP that it was “studying the matter.”

The PPP has maintained its position and said it will protest the decision of Bulkan, including mounting a legal challenge.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

FEAR IS THE KEY ‒ Prisoner tells CoI DDOP ruled with an iron fist

By Shauna Jemmott THE way Roy Jacobs tells it, it’s Newton’s Law in motion down at the Camp Street Jail, where “For every action, there’s an equal but opposite reaction.”

“How a officer attend to a prisoner, that is how I gon attend to you,” Jacobs said.

“If you hush [shout] at me, I gon hush at you, because nobody ain’t get partner in deh; because we are all big people,” he told Commissioner Dale Erskine.

As someone who’s been closely associated with the local penal system, having once served as Director of Prisons, Erskine had asked Jacobs whether he believes prisoners have any respect for their warders.

Jacobs, who first appeared Tuesday before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the recent riots at the Georgetown Prison, continued yesterday, and under cross-examination

by Joint Services Attorney

Selwyn Pieters, said remand prisoner Germaine Otto, who died in the fire of March 3, had very good reason not to heed Deputy Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels’s call to exit the ‘Capital A’ dormitory.

LONG-STANDING FEUD The witness said Samuels, who had a long-standing feud with Otto, had brandished and cocked a gun just before calling out to the prisoner.

Jacobs said he distinctly heard Otto tell Samuels in reply that he preferred to stay right where he was, as he was afraid for his life.

Jacobs told the commission that Samuels was consistently abusive to prisoners, both verbally and physically, and that inmates in his care responded to him in exactly the same way he approached them.

He said Samuels was also in the habit of telling prisoners that he’d killed before, and by so doing succeeded in driving fear in even some of the most

hardened of inmates.

Earlier into the hearing, Jacobs had told Commissioner Merle Mendonca, in response to a question she’d posed, “Everybody gat fuh fight fuh deh self… We’ve been treated like a hog (pig).”

What the commissioner wanted from the witness was to get a clearer understanding of what he’d meant when he said in his statement about prisoners being victims of “victimisation” and other conditions.

His reply, in essence, was that having to deal with the frustrations of living under all sorts of adverse conditions in a lock-up, only served to bring about additional complications and by extension, “corruption.”

Noting that overcrowding was a major issue, Jacobs told the commission: “One location, 30-something, 80something person got to use one toilet and yuh got to wait yuh turn… When the prison overcrowded and the officers

cannot deal with matters, you will find corruption.”

He also cited victimisation as being another issue, claiming that the one person prisoners fear the most is Samuels, and to a certain extent, “rookie” prison officers.

SEVERAL RUN-INS Jacobs alleged before the commission that he had had confrontations, more than once, with DDOP Samuels.

On one occasion, he alleged, the officer had brandished a gun in his face and told him that he was “a Mafia”.

Jacobs said the encounter stemmed from an argument he’d had with another prisoner, which escalated into a fist fight, and officers had to intervene.

He said two officers already had the matter under control when Samuels approached him, saying, “You is a bad-boy.”

Jacobs said that in the ensuing argument between

he and Samuels, the latter became distinctly menacing.

“He tek out his gun and he tell me he is a mafia,” Jacobs said.

When Commissioner Mendonca asked the prisoner what he understood the word “mafia” to mean, his reply was, “A drug lord.”

Reiterating that many of the prisoners feel threatened because the officer’s earlier reputation of having killed a prisoner before and nothing ever coming of the matter, Jacobs said it almost caused a riot back in in 2013.

He said such is the power that Samuels wields, that many times prisoners are afraid to file a complaint against him. “Samuels is a boss,” he said, meaning that the man was veritably untouchable.

“Nobody looking forward to doing anything… They call you and tek a li’l writing, and when deh done wid yuh, they does push yuh in a corner,” he added.

His several complaints to lawyers and others in similar positions, Jacobs said, were all met with the one advice:

“Avoid him!”

LET THEM BURN Under cross-examination

by Attorney at Law Dexter Todd, Jacobs said it was only after Samuels realised that the prisoners were getting out of hand that he passed the order to let them perish.

“Lef dem and leh deh bun,” he quoted Samuels as saying.

Meanwhile, the prisoner said during re-examination by Commission’s Counsel Excellence Dazzell, that during the March 3 fire, the Deputy Director of Prisons was in charge of the operations and “All the power was in his hands.”

While Dazzell said that Samuels being responsible for both officers and prisoners, by ordering an officer to desist from opening the door while the fire blazed could have been thinking of the safety of the officer, the prisoner responded, “If you looking for one person safety and you get 17 in deh, then you ain’t care about that 17.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

TIGI disappointed in perceived corruption immediate release of information on all the instruments of appointments issued by the Government and the criteria employed in such appointments.

Recognising that the absence of transparency usually spawned authoritarianism and corruption, TIGI also called on the APNU+AFC coalition to disclose the identities of the donors preand post-elections 2015 and the amount and or value of TIGI President Troy Thomas

TRANSPARENCY Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) has said that with Guyana languishing in the lower levels of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, it had expected that the coalition government that had campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption would have immediately and vigorously confronted corruption as a primary goal.

The body issued this statement after recent revelations in the local media regarding the appointment of advisors to the APNU +AFC Government and political interference in the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority

by Minister of State Mr. Joseph Harmon.

“TIGI will not sit idly as the curse of corruption continues to haunt Guyana in an anniversary year that should mark a commitment to a corruption-free future and not an embrace of past lawlessness at the highest levels of our country,” the institute’s President Troy Thomas declared.

Describing the situation as “setting a dark cloud over the operations of the current government,” TIGI explained that in justifying Minister Harmon’s issuing an Instrument of Appointment to controversial Mr. Brian Tiwari as Business Advisor to the Government constitutes corruption.

Mr. Harmon is quoted in the March 31, 2016 issue of the Kaieteur News as saying that “We have issued several instruments like these to persons both from the

Minister of State Mr. Joseph Harmon

Managing-Director of BK International, Brian Tiwari

APNU and the AFC side and you would notice that I have signed it for many persons who have helped us in the campaign and those who have the capacity to help us further.

“Support during the campaign for office is necessarily support for a political party. The Minister of State is confirming that the government has been using its position to employ and reward, out of state resources, its supporters and donors.

By the minister’s own admission, well-paying and prestigious jobs and other privileges were up for sale during the 2015 elections campaign in which the party stood on an anti-corruption and transparency platform,” the transparency body underscored.

Adding that by any international standard, the conduct of Mr. Harmon and by extension, the Government, constitutes corruption. TIGI expressed its complete and total rejection of that state of affairs and called on the Government to begin the process of correction by the

their contributions.

“Of equal concern to TIGI is the report, unchallenged by Mr. Harmon, that he improperly and unlawfully called a halt on seizure of vehicles from the Chinese logging company, Bai Shan Lin, pursuant to an investigation by the Guyana Revenue Authority into the tax affairs of the company.

Over the past several years, Bai Shan Lin has been at the epicentre of allegations

of corruption and forensic audits have confirmed that the company has received substantial privileges and apparent immunities without honouring its obligations,” the anti-corruption body noted.

With Guyana languishing in the lower levels of the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, TIGI had expected that a coalition that campaigned on a plat-

form of anti-corruption would have immediately and vigorously confronted corruption as a primary goal. Regretfully, the action by Mr. Harmon and the inaction and silence of the coalition on corruption suggest that any expectation of early improvement in the perception of corruption in Guyana is at best premature and at worst dangerously misconceived.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

Kwakwani Chairman, others sworn in ‒ Priority will be given to roads, drainage and community clean-up

By Vanessa Braithwaite BRINGING an end to three years of an Interim Management Committee was the recent swearing in of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and 10 councillors to man the community’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

Resulting from the March 18th Local Government Elections was the APNU+AFC party securing seven seats

on the council, while the independent group Kwakwani United for Progress secured five seats. Mourna Adrian and Kelvin Daley who contested the elections under APNU+AFC were elected as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. The other councillors under APNU+AFC who were sworn in were: Danetta Jefferey, Orvil August, Leon Conway, Jennifer Mc Pherson and Carl

Liverpool. Kwakwani United for Progress councillors are: Charles Thom, Wanetta Leaock, Faye Rodriques, Malika Russel and Sharmella Thompson.

The councillors promised to work together for the betterment of the community and to focus on burning issues such as road repairs and construction, drainage and cleaning up the community.

“Right now the community

is in a state and we will be focusing on cleaning it up and dealing with the drainage as our motto is: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” posited APNU+AFC councillor Carl Liverpool.

KUFP councillor Charles Thom said that even though the results were a bit disappointing, his team will work with the APNU+AFC councillors in an effort to develop the community. “We are

here not to fight, we accept that they won and we will support them, but we will also be critical of them,” he affirmed. Thom revealed that priority would be given to constructing better roads, drainage and sanitation, creating job opportunities and providing training for school leavers.

Kwakwani had one of the highest voter turnouts in the country with 65% of residents supporting the elections. The APNU+AFC candidates claim that their two-seat majority victory is a result of 100% hard work that everyone had put into the campaign. The independent group, Kwakwani United for Progress won constituencies 1 and 3 but was granted five seats consisting of two FirstPast-the-Post and three under Proportional Representation,

as they won by a large margin in constituency 1.

Former IMC chairman of the NDC, Sachi Parvaton, is calling upon the Ministry of Communities to appoint an overseer to the NDC, since councillors have been sworn in, and the entity has been functioning without one since 2013. The absence of this important figure, she said, has stymied the efforts of the NDC as it cannot function effectively without an overseer.

She noted that the duty of the overseer is to give guidance and consent on financial matters and to deal with the administrative issues of the NDC. “They need to appoint an overseer as early as possible, because the committee will be dysfunctional without one, it is just to say we have a committee but nothing else,” she said.

Accused of killing minibus driver

Kerry Cromwell

By Sherah Alleyne TWENTY-THREE-year old Kerry Cromwell of King Edward Street, Albouystown who had recent clashes with the law, found himself up the court steps again. He was yesterday remanded by magistrate Fabayo Azore after he was accused of killing minibus driver Elvin Lorrimer.

Cromwell denied the charge which stated that on March 21, 2016 at the Linden bus park in Georgetown he murdered Lorrimer.

According to the facts presented to the court by the police prosecutor, Lor-

rimer was at the park on the day in question and the defendant was seen shooting him before escaping.

Lorrimer obtained injuries and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed during surgery.

He also related to the court that the defendant was placed on an identification parade where he was positively identified by an eyewitness.

Cromwell who was unrepresented told the court that he was arrested and he had to report to the Brickdam Police Station every day. He said he was called in and placed on an identification parade.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, April 7, 2016

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Two female lawyers to practise law in Guyana, T’dad

Justice Roxane George flanked by Attorney-at-Law Rinee Kissoon and the two new lawyers following their admission to the Bar

TWO Attorneys-at-law were admitted to the Bar before Justice Roxane George Tuesday afternoon after attorney Rinee Kissoon petitioned on their behalf.

They are Vanessa Thomas and Cheryl-Ann Steele, both of whom reside and practise in Trinidad and Tobago.

Thomas, a Guyanese, first completed her secondary education at Bishop’s High School, then went on to pursue higher education at the University of Guyana (UG) attaining a law degree after which she enrolled at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad.

She was successful and gained her Legal Education Certificate in 2003 and in October that same year she was admitted to the Bar in Trinidad.

Thomas has more than a decade of practice in the twin-island republic and specialises in employment and industrial relations law and is also a lecturer.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that she was ecstatic, particularly after 13 years of being admitted to practise in T&T and she pledged to work in Guyana as well.

Steele, a Trinidadian, has close ties to Guyana and will practise here as well.

She earned a law degree in London and in 2004 she completed her Legal Education Certificate at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

Steele practises civil, criminal and family law in T&T and she wants to assist Guyana with the resumption of the Family Court.

After the submissions, Justice Roxane George told the lawyers that she hoped to see them both practising in the courts in Guyana, where they could bring their expertise.

She wished them well.

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Timberwolves stun Warriors in OT

(THE Sports Xchange) - The Minnesota Timberwolves stalled the Golden State Warriors’ pursuit of history, Tuesday night, riding a fourth-quarter comeback and Andrew Wiggins’ nine points in overtime to a shocking 124-117 victory.

Minnesota, who trailed by 15 points in the first quarter and 17 with just 18 minutes to go, held Golden State without a field goal for the final 2:23 of regulation, then scored the first four points of the overtime session to propel itself to the unlikely win.

Centre Karl-Anthony Towns had two key hoops midway the overtime to keep the Warriors at bay, helping deny Golden State a 70th win in the season.

The Warriors (69-9) still have a chance to beat the Chicago Bulls’ all-time record win total of 72, but now they must sweep their final four games, including a home showdown today with the San Antonio Spurs (65-12).

Golden State will take a 3 1/2-game lead over the Spurs into that game. A Warriors win would clinch the top seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.

Golden State also visit San Antonio on Sunday.

Reserve guard Shabazz Muhammad had a career-high 35 points, and Wiggins added 32 for the Timberwolves, who had lost three in a row, all to Western playoff clubs and

hopefuls.

Golden State, meanwhile, lost at home for just the second time this season.

The Warriors had a 114game win streak snapped in games where they led by 15

SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD or more points.

The Warriors, who were on top 25-10 less than seven minutes into the game, enjoyed their biggest lead at 7154 in the third period.

After an early 18-2 explosion that opened the 15-point lead, the Warriors struggled against a Timberwolves team that recorded wins at Oklahoma City, Memphis and Washington last month.

Golden State led 86-78 entering the final period but saw that disappear into a 94-all tie with 6:40 to go.

The Timberwolves seemed to catch a bad break when, down by three with 1:09 to go, a possible three-point play by star centre Towns was

overturned on a replay to an offensive foul.

However, Minnesota shut down the Golden State offence and eventually forced overtime when Wiggins got to the basket for a driving hoop that tied the game at 106 with 19.8 seconds left.

The Warriors then failed to get off a shot before the horn sounded to end regulation.

Golden State scored just 11 points in overtime, missing eight of their 12 shots.

Minnesota (26-52) won the game at the free-throw line, where it outscored Golden State 28-7. Muhammad went 15-for-17 and Wiggins 8-for-9 at the line.

Towns finished with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Zach LaVine added 16 points for the Timberwolves, who opened a three-game trip by handing Golden State their first overtime loss of the season after six wins.

Klay Thompson had 28 points and Stephen Curry 21 for the Warriors, but they combined for just 8-for-25 shooting on 3-pointers.

Curry experienced an especially rough night, going 7-for-25 from the field and 4-for-14 from beyond the arc.

He did lead all players with 15 assists.

Andrew Bogut had a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double for the Warriors, and Harrison Barnes scored 20.

Australia’s women cricketers get bumper pay rise AUSTRALIA’S elite women cricketers will be able to earn in excess of A$100 000 ($75 590) a year for the first time in the 2016-17 season after Cricket Australia announced significant pay increases for top players yesterday.

The increases for the players who make up the world number one-ranked Southern Stars team are part of a strategy to make cricket “the sport of choice for women in Australia”, CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said in a statement.

“Cricket is a sport for all Australians and Cricket Australia will continue to invest heavily in the women’s game in the coming years,” he added.

“Of the more than 1.2 million people of all ages currently playing cricket in Australia almost a quarter of them are women and girls.

“That number continues to grow rapidly and we will continue to support females playing the game from backyard to baggy green.”

Top women players will now be able to earn a retainer of $65 000 a year for representing their country and $15 000 from Women’s Big Bash League teams, which, when combined with match and tour fees, would take their earnings into six figures.

Cricket Australia said its spending on elite women’s cricket would increase from A$2.36M to A$4.23M and the players could also expect improved accommodation as well as less training in the week to enable them to work or study.

The Southern Stars lost to West Indies in the World Twenty20 final last weekend but remain top of the world rankings ahead of England.

The earning potential of the women players still lags a long way behind their male counterparts, however, with all-rounder Shane Watson taking home A$4.5M in 2014 from salary and endorsements, according to Australian magazine BRW.

World Champs arrive to a heroes’ welcome BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – World champions West Indies Women and a few players from the men’s champions side arrived here Tuesday to a heroes’ welcome, as the country celebrated their clean-sweep of the titles at Twenty20 World Cup which ended Sunday in India.

The players touched down at the Grantley Adams International Airport just after 15:00hrs and were met on arrival by Sports Minister Stephen Lashley, Tourism Minister Richard Sealy along with the Barbados Cricket Association president and legendary former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner.

A large number of fans, family and well-wishers were also on hand at the airport to greet the players.

They were then feted during a brief function before starting out on a motorcade which took them along the south coast, into the city before winding back to the Accra Beach located on the south coast.

Garner, a member of the World Cup winning squad in 1979, said both teams had brought immense joy to the Caribbean with their achievements.

“We are eternally grateful for the joy and happiness you’ve brought to us and like everything else there has been a lot of hard work and sacrifice put into your success,” Garner said during the ceremony.

“I don’t think people really understand the hard work you put in to get to where you are and the hard work you put in to get to the end.”

Last Sunday, West Indies Women chased down the highest-ever total in a T20 World Cup final to upset three-time defending champions Australia by eight wickets, and claim their first-ever title.

In the second final, West Indies became the first team to win a T20 World Cup twice when they defeated England by four wickets in a dramatic last over.

Lashley hailed the achievement of both teams, noting it was apparent that team spirit had played a key role in their success.

“This evening I had the pleasure of greeting all of the members of both the women’s teams and of course the men’s team who came back to Barbados and I was really touched by, not only the excitement, but the team spirit they still carried with them on their shoulders,” Lashley said.

“I believe that team spirit was instrumental in achieving success in the just concluded World series.

I believe I speak on behalf of the entire Caribbean family when I say we salute you. We were there at the crease, on the pitch, on the boundary, everywhere literally, as you so carefully crafted that victory.”

Women captain Stafanie Taylor said she was overwhelmed by the reception for the team.

“The welcome was good, it was quite surprising. When they told us we had to stay back in the plane, we were wondering what was going on and then coming out to see everybody there it was an overwhelming feeling,” Taylor said.

“We hope that we continue doing great things so we can get these feelings again. I’ve never had a motorcade before, it’s the first experience so I’m looking forward to it.”

The full women’s team returned while of the men’s side, only Barbadians Sulieman Benn and Ashley Nurse, along with Grenadian Andre Fletcher and Trinidadian Samuel Badree, touched down here.

Several other players flew to their respective home territories from London while the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder and Lendl Simmons all remained in India for Saturday’s start of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

Former Prime Minster Owen Arthur calls for ‘Cease and Settle’ FORMER Prime Minister Owen Arthur has called for a “moratorium on controversy” in West Indies cricket, while stating that he was not only bowled over by recent comments made by the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Dave Cameron and the region’s T20 skipper Darren Sammy, but also by the persistent demands by some of his former prime ministerial colleagues for the disbandment of the WICB. “People are not focusing on cricket per se and that is what the focus needs to be. They have to find a way to work together now in good faith,” said Arthur, while hailing Sunday’s World T20 cricket victory by both the Windies men’s and women’s teams as a “wonderful achievement” and a positive indication that “West Indies cricket is not dead”.

However, he said “like all Caribbean people, I was soaring on the realms of pride, (before) the moment was sullied when both the team leadership and the West Indies Cricket Board foisted upon the international community’s attention and imagination the extent of the conflicts among themselves, and I think that was tarnished a bit by that conflict”.

The bitter divisions in Caribbean cricket were laid bare Sunday as the WICB publicly reprimanded its St Lucian-born captain Sammy just hours after his team’s stunning victory in the World T20 final over England.

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Vaal 08:30 hrs Miss Wales 09:05 hrs Julie Doolittle 09:40 hrs Chartwell 10:15 hrs Gunfighter 10:55 hrs Dukes Dime 11:25 hrs Oculus ENGLISH RACING TIPS Aintree 08:40 hrs L’Ami Serge 09:15 hrs Apple’s Jade 09:50 hrs Djakadam 10:25 hrs Annie Power 11:05 hrs On The Fringe 11:40 hrs Dandridge 12:15 hrs La Bague Au Roi SOUTHWELL 08:50 hrs Mailshot 09:25 hrs White Shaheen 10:00 hrs Little Choosey 10:35 hrs Dark Diamond 11:15 hrs Asafoetida 11:50 hrs Abi Scarlet 12:25 hrs Very First Blade TAUNTON 09:05 hrs Little James

It should have been a day of complete joy for the West Indies, with the women’s team winning their Twenty20 final against Australia on the same Eden Gardens ground where the men later downed England by four wickets in a last-over thriller.

But in a post-match interview, Sammy gave vent to months - possibly years - of frustration with the WICB, alluding not only to problems with sourcing gear

cricket supporter and a strong proponent of regionalism, also suggested that Sammy should have allowed the region to savour its moment of triumph last Sunday, and candidly state his objections to the board at a later date.

“It is not to say that the players may not have a cause, (but) if the West Indies Cricket Board didn’t live up to the responsibility of providing supplies, then that is a serious issue, but

Former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur

WICB president Dave Cameron

for their T20 bid, but the fact that words of support had come from several quarters – including CARICOM leaders – but not their own board.

To m a k e m a t t e r s worse, Cameron immediately shot back at what he deemed inappropriate comments made by the West Indies’ men’s 09:40 hrs Emerging Talent captain.

10:15 hrs MinellacelebraIn a show of disgust tion over the skipper ’s re10:55 hrs Helium marks, the WICB presi11:30 hrs Eardisland dent also tweeted: “When 12:05 hrs Benedictus is the last time a critic paid 12:40 hrs Captain Buck’s one of your bills? Always 13:10 hrs Royal Plaza remember that when you start to give them your IRISH RACING TIPS energy.”

Limerick However, Arthur be09:00 hrs Piccadilly Jim lieves both sides are at 09:35 hrs Orangey Red fault.

10:10 hrs Three Majors “I thought that Cam10:45 hrs a Likely Story eron’s response, even if 11:20 hrs No Way Jack provoked, was also inap11:55 hrs Deor propriate,” he told Barba12:20 hrs Malinka dos TODAY. “He (Cameron) has to understand that in leadership sometimes AMERICAN that you suffer in silence RACING TIPS Aqueduct and then try to work out Race 1 Adrestia the matter behind the Race 2 Fire Alarm scenes,” he suggested, Race 3 Beautyinthepulpit ahead of a visit to JaRace 4 Kitai maica tomorrow, during Race 5 Drama King which he is hoping to Race 6 Rapid Rogue meet with the WICB Race 7 All Star Red head.

Race 8 Eloquent Tribute Arthur, who is an avid

I didn’t need to know all of that when the players and the whole region were at the point of rejoicing.

“You have your report on the tour.

Give that report with candour and if it has to come out, let it come out. But I thought it would have been better had he complimented the extraordinary exploits of young (Carlos) Brathwaite because a lot of Caribbean people had given up when we had to score those runs in the last over.”

Ahead of a planned address to the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) tonight, Arthur called for greater focus on the creation of a development programme, below the level of the WICB, to make West Indies cricket viable.

In this regard, he said, there was scope for “common ground” between the WICB and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments.

However, the former Prime Minister, who has been invited to chair a group for the creation of a trust fund for the development of the regional game, warned that such a programme could not be had in an environment where West Indies cricket continued to be affected, more than any other country’s cricket, by divisiveness, including between the WICB and regional prime ministers.

Asked whether he agreed with the recent recommendation made by the CARICOM Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee that the WICB should be disbanded, Arthur responded: “The leaders have to let cricketing decisions be made by those responsible for cricketing decisions.”

However, within the context of the

game’s development, he said there needed to be some level of support by governments.

“There is that sense in which there still needs to be a relationship between the West Indies Cricket Board and governments because you can’t have a nursery for West Indies cricket unless you have development programmes at the level of the countries.”

Using Barbados as an example,

West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy he said it was not by chance that the island was currently providing most of the West Indian cricketers for both the Test and One Day teams, given that it has a development programme in place, for which he said there was access to sustained funding provided by his former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration.

However, he made it clear that “Prime Ministers should not be involved in saying who should be selected or whatever else and I am not sure that there is a legal basis from which the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee can tell the West Indies Cricket Board that it needs to be disbanded. It is a recommendation, but I don’t know it can go beyond that,” he told Barbados TODAY. “They can call for it to change, but there is no way that they can legally require it to be done,” he emphasised, pointing out that the WICB was its own legal entity and could not be disbanded by the “fiat of regional prime ministers, it really can’t”.

“The decision on whether Cameron stays or goes was not theirs to make,” he said.

“The board was constituted by way of elections. We in the Caribbean are accustomed to regime changes by way of elections. I am familiar with it. I don’t know there is need now for us to superimpose a process that is not known on this situation.

“If Cameron is a disaster, he will be changed, but he shall not be changed by the fiat of Prime Ministers,” Arthur stressed.

(First Published In The Barbados TODAY)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

Bounty Colts ready for re-match of final

By Daniel Haynes THE final game of the Road to Mecca III that ended prematurely on March 19, due to a series of controversial calls by the

MICHAEL SINGH

referees, will be replayed.

At the time of the stoppage, nine minutes remained in the fourth quarter and the score stood at 54-51 in favour of Colts.

At a meeting last Saturday all parties agreed that the final would be replayed at a date to be announced.

Raiders will be reprimanded and the officiating referees for the final will be drawn from the international pool.

The cause of the premature end was a disagreement over a technical foul being called on a Raiders player. This resulted in two more technical fouls being awarded to Raiders players after a confrontation with the referees.

Finally, after more con-

frontations the Raiders team walked off the playing area and out of the playing venue.

President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Nigel Hinds sought to remedy the situation and after reviewing the game video decided to overrule the referee’s decision and restart the game.

Hinds also acted as match commissioner and managed to have the Raiders players return to the court to continue the game.

The interjection of Hinds did not sit well with the manager and Colts players who then walked out to protest the continuation.

This was after waiting 40 minutes without receiving any word on what was happening. As a result of

DELLON LaROSE this, the match outcome was left hanging above the rim.

Looking ahead to the rematch, team members of Colts voiced their opinions on what went down and what

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2016

Amazon Warriors will be a competitive force, says Harper

By Rajiv Bisnauth DESPITE the absence of some big superstars in T20 cricket, head coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Roger Harper, believes the Warriors make-up will be a competitive force during the 2016 edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League.

The 52-year-old Harper, who replaced fellow Guyanese and Australia-based Carl Hooper, told Guyana Chronicle Sport yesterday, that the selected players are capable of taking the Warriors to their first title.

Harper, a former West Indies all-rounder and former coach of the West Indies and Kenya senior teams, was at the helm of the Guyana Amazon Warriors franchise in 2013 and 2014, when the South American-based franchise reached the final on both occasions. However, they lost to Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents respectively.

In 2015, the Guyana Amazon Warriors reached the semifinals phase, but

… Hetmyer selected as U-19 player

ROGER HARPER Harper, who was reinstated to the position of head coach after being relieved of the post last year, is backing his group of players to deliver.

“Yes definitely we lost a few senior players who have formed the core of the team in the past, but we managed to put together a good squad of quality players … players who are capable to play competitive cricket,” Harper disclosed.

Prior, to the CPL player

draft which took place on February 11 in Barbados, a top official within the Warriors management had told this publication that the Guyana Amazon Warriors will most likely give preference to the region-based players.

To this end, the Warriors management went for eleven region-based players during the player draft namely: Barbados’ Dwayne Smith, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jason Mohammed, Rayad Emrit and Steven Katwaroo, Antigua’s Orlando Peters, Guyana’s Assad Fudadin, Christopher Barnwell, Steven Jacobs, Veerasammy Permaul, Paul Wintz and Anthony Bramble.

The squad also includes New Zealand’s Martin Guptill, who was bought as the marquee player, Australia’s Chris Lynn, Sohail Tanvir of Pakistan, Australian Adam Zampa and Muhammad Ahsan Ali Khan (ICC Americas).

Winning West Indies

SHIMRON HETMYER Youth World Cup captain Shimron Hetmyer was selected as the Under-19 player.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors will play 10 games in the preliminary phase of the League, with four matches in Guyana, two in Florida and one each in Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and St Lucia.

The Hero CPL 2016 will be held from June 29 to August 7.

will play out.

Guard Curtly English was the first to comment: “I feel that we reacted in the proper manner. Raiders behaved inappropriately no matter the circumstances.”

He continued: “I think we should follow up on the rematch and win.” Team members Clebert Thornhill, Kurt Elias and Rey Williams also echoed similar sentiments. Guard Dellon LaRose, however, was of a different opinion, stating, “Colts shouldn’t replay the game, we are the winners by

right of the rules.”

Team manager Michael Singh opined: “We are replaying this game with the future of basketball in mind.

The incident left Guyana’s basketball at a bad point and a setback for the game.

From a developmental perspective we will play the game. This shows a lot about our character and the standard of excellence we bring to the game,” he concluded.

This game gives Guyanese a chance to answer the debate of who would have truly won that night had those calls not been made.

NOTABLE DATES ADRIAN Dodson (Carew) lost his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) super middleweight title on April 7, 2001. The Guyanese southpaw was stopped

by Argentine Ramon Arturo Britez in a fight staged at the Conference Centre in Wembley, London.

Although leading by all the judges, Dodson got into trouble in the fifth round which resulted in referee Terry O’Connor stopping the contest at one minute 35 seconds of the round, to hand Britez a victory by technical knockout.

Dodson had only won the title the month before.

He had knocked out Paul Jones in the third round to be crowned champion. The loss to Britez forced Dodson to take a two-year hiatus from the sport. He returned in September 2003 for what would be his final professional bout and lost to Armenian Varujan Davtyan.

Dodson is one of a handful of Guyanese boxers who never competed as a professional on home soil. Dennis Andries, Steve Frank and `Vicious’ Vivian Harris are also members of that small group. He was undefeated in 18 fights when he met World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super welterweight (junior middleweight) champion Ronald `Winky’ Wright.

The fight was held in December 1997 and the Guyanese retired at the end of the fifth round. He later challenged for the Commonwealth title in October 1999 but was disqualified in the 12th round for biting Alain Bonnamie. Dodson’s 10-year career produced 25 victories and six defeats.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday April 07, 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) South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe & Bangladesh (2) 2009

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who was ‘Player of the Match’ in the WI/IND semi-final of the recent ICC T20 Men’s World Cup? (2) Who was ‘Player of the Match’ in the WI/NZ semi-final of the recent ICC T20 Women’s World Cup?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 7, 2016

WICB needs to take responsibility for the fall of WI cricket - Sarwan

By Stephan Sookram

FORMER West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has taken a swipe at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over its alleged misconduct and mistreatment of players for the recently concluded World T20 tournament.

The 35-year-old Guyanese, a former skipper of the Maroon side, stood by current T20 skipper Darren Sammy, whose comments suggested that there are more than words to mince between the board and the players.

During the ICC World Cup T20 winners’ post-match presentation, Sammy, who has now won the tournament twice, lashed out at the WICB over what he deems as ‘disrespect’.

And Sarwan, who succeeded Brian Lara in 2007 as captain of the ODI Team, congratulated both the men and women for their performances but made his support of Sammy in this case crystal clear, saying “I think (Darren) Sammy was spot on in his interview.”

“Over the years, the West Indies board, especially the directors and administrators, whatever you want to call them, tended to do a

Ramnaresh Sarwan at yesterday’s press briefing

lot of stuff and get away with it and during the period that I’ve played, we’ve struck a lot trying to highlight those areas that they have erred, and nothing seems to be changing,” continued the player.

He continued his onslaught on the board, saying that overtime they have been utilising the ‘big stick’ approach in dealing with matters and not having proper communication with all stakeholders, including the players.

Sarwan, who is preparing for a return to the Caribbean Premier League this year, with Trinidad Franchise Trinbago Knight Riders contended, “WICB needs to take responsibility for the fall for WI cricket.”

“I don’t think it’s a situation that we are lacking of talent; It’s just that we don’t have the right people managing our cricket; And how long we don’t get that, I don’t think that we will be able to rise again,” said ‘Ronnie’.

“We cannot have so many talented players in the Caribbean and not be in the top four teams in the world, (for Test and ODI),” said Sarwan, who still averages over 40 in both formats.

Known for his precise and confident footwork, the batsman kept in-step on his blitzing of the WICB, especially as it relates to the local administrators, saying “We (Guyana) have a situation where we have not had a proper election (GCB) for four or five years and yet the West Indies Cricket Board is supporting whoever is in charge.”

“If all parties are calling for elections, I don’t see why there shouldn’t be an election (GCB)?” questioned Sarwan.

The Guyanese further showed his support for the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) intervention in West Indies Cricket, saying that for too long, players have been stifled by the Board.

“I like the initiative that CARICOM is taking to try and resolve the problem. I think once CARICOM gets involved and they put their foot down then I think that they will find some sort of solution.”

Sarwan has been very critical of the board with their history dating back to 2011 when he won $161 000 in damages from the WICB following statements about his fitness.

HACC Under-19s thump Blairmont ‘A’ JUST over a month since resuscitation, the Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club (HACC) Under-19 team have already made an impact in the recently launched New York Business Group one-day two-innings tournament for teams in Berbice.

Playing against a more seasoned Blairmont ‘A’ side recently, HACC made light work of their opponents, thumping them by a massive 128 runs to gain their first outright victory.

The game was highlighted by a helmet-trick from HACC’s Adim Shewtahal and leg-spinner Lenardo Seetayah, who were almost unplayable in Blairmont’s second innings.

Batting first, HACC Under-19s reached a formidable 208 all out with A. Khalid leading the way with an unbeaten 56 while D. Bishun, D. Samuels and R.

Somwaru supported with 48, 37 and 27 respectively.

Blairmont could muster only 86 all out in their first knock, conceding a lead of 122 with Z. Inshan (38) and K. Gangoo (20) being the principal scorers. Seetayah grabbed four for 19, Somwaru two for 20 and Shewtahal one for 13.

Hunting quick runs in their second innings, HACC declared at 55 for nine, setting Blairmont 178 for a possible comefrom-behind win. Blairmont were however routed for a paltry 43 with Shewtahal being the chief destroyer with five for 10 while Somwaru claimed two for 18 and Setayah one for 13.

It will be recalled that the HACC Under-19 team’s resuscitation was spurred by the success of their more illustrious senior side based in Toronto, Canada who have

The chief destroyers: Adim Shewtahal and Lenardo Seetayah been riding a crest of wave with six consecutive wins in the Scarborough Cricket Association Premiere League.

HACC president Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan, who was recently in Guyana, was instrumental in getting the club back on track after it was established some 20 years ago

in his hometown, Cotton Tree, West Bank Berbice.

The competition is being sponsored by a group of overseas Guyanese businessmen of New York, USA and jointly organised by Albion Community Centre and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).

Windies board the ‘most unprofessional in the world’, says Bravo ( R E U T E R S ) - Wo r l d Twenty20 winner Dwayne Bravo has accused the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) of being “the most unprofessional board in the world”.

Three days after the team’s Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy criticised the WICB following his side’s thrilling four-wicket win over England in Kolkata, all-rounder Bravo was even more scathing as he also accused the board’s president Dave Cameron, of being an

DWAYNE BRAVO

“immature”, “small-minded” and “arrogant” person.

“A lot of people come down on the players. They questioned our commitment, they questioned whether we were really committed to West Indies cricket or is it just the money,” Bravo, who along with his team mates has been involved in a long-running pay dispute with the WICB, told Trinidad & Tobago television network CNC3.

“A lot of people don’t

understand the things we go through as players dealing with our board. It is the most unprofessional board in the world to me. Sammy spoke from his heart. There is nothing wrong with Sammy’s speech and I support Darren Sammy 100 percent.

“The entire team support him and it’s a matter of us as players feeling hurt and the time has come where we can’t take it anymore and someone needs to put a stop to it because the cricket is being run by peo-

ple who do not have West Indies cricket’s interest at heart.”

The 32-year-old added the players’ kit was not ready when they arrived in India for the World Twenty20.

“We get to India, our names were not even printed on the uniforms,” said Bravo, who was stripped of the West Indies captaincy two years ago after leading a players’ strike that resulted in them returning early from a tour of India.

“Our manager had to

leave our camp to get names and numbers printed while in India. We played this entire tournament without caps.

“Our cricket has gone to the lowest. Yes, we won the World Cup, the women won the World Cup. Also the Under-19s won the World Cup. But that doesn’t mean to say our cricket is in good hands. It is not. We definitely need help and the board needs to answer for some of the things that have been going on.”

WICB needs to take responsibility for the fall of WI cricket

- Sarwan

See story on page 27

World Champs arrive to a heroes’ welcome See story on page 24

Members of the West Indies women’s team beaming with pride on their return to Barbados on Tuesday night.

Griffith urges Smartt and Campbelle to build on their experience

(From left) Tremayne Smartt, Rayon Griffith, Shemaine Campbelle and Melinda Bishundyal-Chaitram Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

CHAIRMAN of the senior selection panel of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Rayon Griffith, has urged the two Guyanese players Tremayne Smartt and Shemaine Campbelle, who were part of the West Indies Women’s ICC World T20 champions to build on their historic experience at the just concluded tournament.

The Caribbean Women won the prestigious tournament when they beat Australia last Sunday in India.

Griffith, along with GCB Assistant Administrator, Melinda Bishundyal-Chaitram, welcomed the two ladies home yesterday at the Ogle

International Airport. He stated that the GCB is proud of both players, adding that their names are a part of history as the first Women’s West Indies team to achieve this glorious title. He said this exposure could surely assist them to enhance their cricket.

Griffith said that the GCB plans to honour the Women players in recognition of their efforts.

The Board hopes that this accomplishment by the regional women would motivate young girls to pursue a career in sport which is becoming more accommodating for females.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016