Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 08 06 2017

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Chinese eye mining sector …say investment climate conducive No. 104937

THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017

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1000 jobs by year-end

– Qualfon commissions new campus at Providence

Qualfon’s President, Christine Morris and Minister of Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes cut the ribbon to Qualfon’s Campus Two building while Minister Dominic Gaskin, US Ambassador Perry Holloway, Mexico’s Ambassador to Guyana, Ivan Roberto Sierra-Medel and Qualfon executives look on

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AG says Guyana has ICT and infrastructural WPA, TIGI call for full disclosure of far way to go to exit investments – key to unlocking economic potential of Exxon contract ACP countries, says President Granger CFATF 4th Round Page 5

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Chinese eye mining sector …say investment climate conducive

By Ariana Gordon SEVERAL Chinese investors have expressed confidence in Guyana’s business atmosphere after exploring opportunities here for investment and have set their eyes on the gold and diamond industry.

The investors met with officials from several government agencies to get an understanding of how business is done here.

Among the investors are representatives of the China East International Incorporated, who met with Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes and acting Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Newell Dennison on Wednesday.

At the meeting held within the boardroom of the GGMC, Simei Liu, Chairman of the China East International Inc. said the visit to Guyana follows last September’s global meeting of Ministers of Nat-

ural Resources held in China.

It was during that meeting that the company’s representatives interacted with Minister Broomes who invited them to Guyana to assist with green mining. The Chinese have an interest in gold, diamond mining, as well as the mining of other precious minerals and lithium.

Liu speaking through translator Jeffery Jin said, Broomes made a good representation about Guyana and noted that it left investors yearning for more information.

“We wanted to come and invest here,” he said as he explained that the team of investors is currently here to get a better understanding of areas to which they can invest.

“Investors are attracted to Guyana and there will be lots of opportunities and prospects for investment here in Guyana,” Liu said.

He explained that the group is extremely pleased to observe a number of Chinese establishments and stressed

that there are lots of opportunities here for investment.

“The Guyana government has provided the platform for foreign investors,” the investor said while noting that it is their intention to return to china and sell a Guyanese investment package.

Apart from their interactions with Minister Broomes back in September, Liu said that Chinese investors have been hearing about Guyana through other investors from Canada, the United States and Australia.

“They invested here and got lots of benefits through their investments…they have confidence here,” the chairman of the China East International Inc. stated.

BIG MARKET He explained that China has a “big market” which can provide much needed assistance to Guyana, not only in the area of green mining, but also in other areas.

“Investing here would also increase opportunities for

Man stabbed, robbed of gun, cash – shot bandit, accomplices on the run POLICE are on the hunt for four male bandits, who stabbed and robbed a 47-year-old technician at an entertainment bar in Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

According to a police report, it is suspected that one of the bandits received gunshot injuries during the robbery, which occurred at about 01:00hrs. It was not-

ed that the robbery victim was stabbed to his left hand and thigh with a broken bottle and relieved of his cellular phone, cash, as well as his licensed firearm.

Investigation revealed that the victim was in the company of a friend outside of the bar imbibing when the suspects went into the bar and returned with a beer each; they then pounced on the man and demanded

cash and at the same time hit him with a bottle which broke and stabbed him with same.

The victim then whipped out his firearm and discharged several rounds at the bandits, who managed to disarm and relieve him of his weapon and valuables and escaped. The victim was treated at the West Demerara Regional Hospital for his injuries and sent away.

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes and GGMC‘s Commissioner (ag) Newell Dennison stand with representatives of the Chinese delegation on Wednesday in the GGMC’s boardroom

Guyanese people to get jobs… the choices are very good,” said Liu who stressed that both countries will continue to benefit from continued cooperation.

Guyana established diplomatic relations with China on June 27, 1972, and was the first English-speaking country in the Caribbean country to do so. “… local economy will also benefit,” stressed the Chinese investor who noted that the team currently in Guyana will explore all possible opportunities and return to China to discuss with business partners following which, they will make a second visit to Guyana.

“We selling Guyana to China in one package,” Liu added.

Meanwhile, Minister Broomes explained that the investors have made good on their promise to visit Guyana and explore opportunities which prove feasible to them.

She said thus far, the in-

vestors have an interest in the mining sector and have a group of geologists working in the hinterland regions.

COULD LEARN LOTS “The Chinese host the green mining conference… and that sets an example for us here, since we are aggressively approaching the concept of a green state. We could learn lots from the Chinese and I would expect that we can benefit from some of these practices.”

She told the media that she did not just attend the Global Ministers of Natural Resources conference in China but presented opportunities for investment to investors.

“The result of that trip is the presence of these investors… they are from several sectors including housing,” Broomes added.

But even as the minister welcomed the investors to Guyana, she informed them of three pillars set by President David Granger for those who intend to invest here namely:

respect for the rule of law, people and pay taxes.

“This meeting serves as introduction to the GGMC… I wish them success, I think the timing is perfect as everybody wants to come to Guyana,” said Broomes.

Meanwhile, acting GGMC Commissioner, Newell Dennison told the investors Guyana is known mostly for its gold and diamond and more recently, petroleum.

He said over the years, this sector has been trying to receive technical support from countries like China.

“We are very keen to advance the cause of lesser known minerals that are very important now as the world is moving to a greener outlook and Guyana in particular is moving to a green economy. So we are very open to your presence to understand and appreciate what your interests are so that we can guide you as best as we can to achieve your objectives.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Comey’s bombshell – EX-FBI director accuses Trump of pressure on Russia probe Former FBI Director James Comey accused U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday of asking him to drop an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as part of a probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In dramatic written testimony, Comey said Trump told him at a meeting in the White House in February: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.”

The testimony from Comey, who was fired by Trump last month, puts more pressure on the Republican whose presidency has been overshadowed by allegations that Moscow helped him win last year’s election. Trump fired Flynn in February in a controversy over contacts between the retired general and the Russian ambassador to the United States. The FBI

Former FBI Director, James Comey

has been investigating Flynn as it looks into allegations of links between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Comey’s statement, posted on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s website, said Trump also called him on March 30 to say he had nothing to do with Russia and asked what “we could do to lift the cloud” of the FBI’s Russia investigation. During that phone call, Comey said

he told Trump the FBI was not investigating the president personally. “He repeatedly told me: ‘We need to get that fact out,’” Comey said. Comey said he had told Trump on three occasions he was not being investigated, confirming an earlier account from the president.

Several congressional committees, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a special counsel, are looking into reports that Russia tried to tilt last November’s election in Trump’s favor, using means such as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats. Trump and the Kremlin have separately denied any collusion.

Asked if Trump had reviewed Comey’s statement, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “I’m not aware if he’s had a chance to review any of the specific details of that testimony. “I do find the timing of the release

a little bit interesting - directly after the testimony from the other hearing earlier today,” she added.

Earlier on Wednesday, top intelligence officials refused at a Senate hearing to discuss whether Trump had pressured them to intervene in the FBI probe into alleged Russian interference. Both Admiral Mike Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency, and Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee they believed their conversations with the president were confidential. Comey is to deliver his testimony in person at a much-anticipated hearing by the intelligence committee on Thursday.

LEGAL FALLOUT? Some legal experts said Comey’s written statement could be used to show that Trump engaged in obstruction of justice. “It shows the

A microphone and glass of water stand ready for FBI Director James Comey before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on “Russia’s intelligence activities’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2017.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

president was doing everything he could to shut down the Flynn investigation,” said Andrew Wright, a professor of criminal law at Savannah Law School.

Bruce Green, a professor of law at Fordham University School of Law, said, however, it would be difficult to show that Trump intended to obstruct justice. Trump could say he was merely vouching for Flynn’s character and voicing concerns about how the probe was interfering with his ability to function effectively as president, Green said. While a sitting president is unlikely to face criminal prosecution, obstruction of justice is an offense that could lead to impeachment hearings.

In impeachment proceedings, Congress must determine that a president committed a “high crime or misdemeanor.”

Comey said Trump told him at a one-on-one dinner on Jan. 27, a week after the president took office, that: “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.”

During the dinner, the president asked him if he wanted to stay on as FBI director, Comey said. The former FBI head said he became concerned that Trump was trying to create “some sort of patronage relationship.”

After a Feb. 14 meeting on counterterrorism in the Oval Office, Trump dismissed all the participants except Comey, according to the testimony. The president then initiated a conversation about Flynn. Comey quoted Trump as telling him: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

ICT and infrastructural investments – key to unlocking economic potential of ACP countries, says President Granger HISTORY was created on Wednesday when President David Granger became the first Guyanese Head of State in 42 years to meet the Committee of Ambassadors of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States.

During his meeting with the Committee of Ambassadors, the Guyanese leader urged that a new covenant be sought with the European Union (EU) so as to support economic transformation through investment in industries, infrastructure and information communications technology.

More than 70 ambassa-

dors were present to hear the President’s vision for a new agreement between the ACP and the EU. The President stressed the importance of structural transformation of the economies of the ACP. Investment in economic industries, according to the Guyanese Head of State, is the key to unlocking the economic potential of countries and moving production higher up the value chain.

“Investment in infrastructure will support the structural transformation of our economies and reduce inequality. Investment in information communica-

tions technology [ICT] will reduce the digital divide and foster improved integration into the markets of the North,” President Granger said.

He noted that the Georgetown Agreement which established the ACP in 1975 was meant to be transformative and as such, urged the body to have a clear objective when it enters into negotiations with the EU on a successor partnership to the Cotonou Agreement which has guided ACP-EU relations since 2000 and which is due to expire in 2020. The ACP and the EU are expected to

Miner died from typhoid, malaria – wife regains consciousness

Kevin Dawson and his wife Cindy Dawson in happier times

A POST mortem examination conducted on the body of 35-year-old miner, Kevin Dawson, found that he died from typhoid and malaria.

Dawson’s party decomposed body was found in his Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara home on Monday, with his wife lying on top of him. Police Public Relations Officer, Jairam Ramlakhan told the Guyana Chronicle that the cause of death was given by Dr. Nehaul Singh who performed the autopsy at 09:00hrs on Wednesday.

Ramlakhan added that the man’s wife, Cindy Dawson, 28, who was found in an unconscious state in the house by the landlady, is now in a stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital. He said the woman, who is a teacher at the Turkeyen nursery school, East Coast Demerara, has regained consciousness but appears to be in a state of shock.

She remains hospitalised and her condition is being monitored by medical personnel. It was noted too,

that the woman’s body did not have any marks of violence nor any self-inflicted wounds. On Monday, the nursery school teacher was found lying on top the partly decomposed body of her husband, days after the man reportedly died.

The gruesome discovery was made by the couple’s landlady on the lower flat of the house at Lot 7 Hugh Ghanie Park, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara.

It was reported that the man reportedly died between June 3- 5, 2017. He had recently returned from the interior where he worked and had been vomiting constantly.

Neighbours said that the school teacher’s friends became worried when she did not report to work on Friday last, and calls and messages to her cell phone went unanswered. As such, the friends decided to visit the house and contacted the landlady, who then checked on the couple and found the woman lying on top of the husband.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the couple married last year and the husband bought a new car – PVV 8047 – for his wife in November 2016. However, on Wednesday last, someone had crashed into the rear of the car Residents said Dawson was hardly home since he worked in the interior and returned only for the August and Christmas holidays.

President David Granger

begin negotiations soon on a new agreement.

Speaking on the issue of unemployment, the President called on the ACP and EU to assign high priority towards reducing unemployment through job-creation and job-promotion initiatives, including support for small and medium-scale enterprises which have demonstrated a capacity to create employment.

“Job-creation remains the best means of extricating persons out of the clutches of poverty. Jobs are necessary to curb emigration and retain skilled persons,” he said.

Meanwhile, Presi-

dent Granger made an impassioned plea for the post-Cotonou agreement to include measures which promote climate adaptation, guarantee food security and support sustainable livelihoods. These, he said, must be supported by development finance accessible by all ACP countries, including those which are deemed middle-income countries.

“ACP states need to be environmentally secure if they are to guarantee their peoples human security and sustainable livelihoods,” the President added.

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Agriculture: a solution to crime, youth unemployment THERE has been much talk in some quarters about the level of youth unemployment and their involvement in crime in Guyana and the need for more robust efforts by the government to tackle these problems.

Just over two years ago, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) estimated youth unemployment in Guyana to be around 40 per cent, but from then to now, no updated report on this matter has been made available to the public.

While there is no updated report on unemployment and any pronouncement aside from a reputable survey or study would be mere speculation, youth involvement in crime is more evident.

On any given day, a quick glance of the court

cases in the newspapers will indicate that a vast majority of offenders are young people and their crime range, from among other things, possession of narcotics, burglary and break and entry.

Of course, there are other serious cases but a large number of the cases are issues of petty crimes.

So youth unemployment and their involvement in crime are serious matters of concern and regardless of who the complainants are, their calls for these issues to be addressed must be treated with due attention.

Though the focus of attention has been placed on government to effect change, crime and youth employment are issues no government can address alone.

Ideally, they require a multi-stakeholder approach as well as the perpetrators to commit to change. Very often the reason proffered for youth unemployment and their involvement in crime has been lack of opportunities in society.

But is this really so?

Guyana is one of the few countries in the Caribbean blessed with an abundance of arable land and fresh water and has even offered some of these areas to sister CARICOM states willing to invest in large-scale agriculture.

What the government needs to do, if it has not done so as yet in a wellplanned way, is make agriculture one of the pillars of the Green State Initiative with strong focus on maintaining food security, poverty reduction and creating

employment.

Through unemployment reduction and propagation of a culture of hard work, excellence and honesty, crime and the many other social issues that bedevil Guyana will be gradually reduced. But as it relates to agriculture, government has quite some work to do since farmers here are in the category of the aging population and young people generally have a negative perception of agriculture.

Here is where government has to come in and at a very early level in the school system to promote agriculture as a reputable, attractive and lucrative profession.

Agriculture should not be seen merely as work in the field, but as a profession that includes research

and development, marketing and distribution and an occupation that has the power to influence national decisions.

It should be sold as a profession with many sub-professions, ranging from soil conservationist, extension advisors and biomass engineer to soil scientist, veterinarian and food microbiologist. One gets the impression that not much has been done to change the traditional view of agriculture, which in this day and age should be promoted as a modern trade with high-tech operations and a simple solution to elevate from poverty.

If this is done, more young people would be gravitating towards a career in agriculture. The task now is to get them to understand the value

of agriculture, both as a tool for self-empowerment and enabling national food security.

But a sound strategy is needed as was pointed out

by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) resident representative Reuben Robertson at the recent launch of the Self-Sufficient Agriculture Services Project in Region Five.

“We believe that there is absolutely no reason why Guyana through good governance, effective public policies and smart partnerships cannot be the first country in the Caribbean to zero hunger and poverty,” he told the launch.

Not only would this approach eliminate hunger and poverty, but it will also reduce youth unemployment and their involvement in crime.

PPP was not the first political party in Guyana Dear Editor: I REFER to Mr. Hydar Ally’s letter which was published in Stabroek News on Monday, June 5th, 2017: under the caption, “The split in the PPP”. It is unfortunate that the letter provided no new insight into this important national political event that took place in 1953. However, notwithstanding its shortcomings there are issues Ally addressed in the letter that still require clarification. It is my humble opinion that the Guyanese people are still suffering from this event that has so negatively impacted

the nation.

Mr. Ally’s letter seems to be motivated to a large degree by (a) the desire to glorify his party, the PPP; and (b) to provide political information to the public, particularly the younger generation of Guyanese.

It is my view that Ally is within his right and should enjoy the greatest latitude in his attempts at glorification of his party. However, in the matter of the dissemination of political information, I hold strongly to the view that public education requires objectivity and clarity. It is on this score I invite Mr. Hydar Ally to be more helpful.

In his letter Ally wrote,

“ …The PPP was formed on January 1, 1950 which makes the party the oldest political party in Guyana and among the oldest in the Commonwealth Caribbean”. Given the way the historic political narrative has unfolded and the PPP’s propaganda since the 50s, the average Guyanese has the erroneous view that the PPP was the first political party in the country. While Mr. Ally did not say so explicitly and, since I have respectfully attributed to him the noble intention of educating the public and more so the younger generation on our political history, I hope he will reciprocate by responding to the following

questions I now pose to him: (1) Is he saying that the PPP is the oldest surviving party in Guyana? or (2) is he implying that the PPP was the first political party in Guyana?

My knowledge of developments on the political landscape in Guyana informs me that the PPP is not the first political party in the country, neither is it the first party to sweep the polls (landside electoral victory) nor is it the first to be neutralized/robbed of electoral victory by the British colonial power. The claim to that position belongs to the little known Popular Party (PP) which in the 1926 elections won

12 of the 14 seats up for grabs. This success was determined by the colonial powers to be unacceptable, and measures were taken to ensure that the party did not exercise political power based on its victory. The British ensured that through the courts the Popular Party lost 5 seats on the grounds of technicalities.

In keeping with the need for public political education I refer here to another issue raised in Ally’s letter. He mentioned a recommendation made by the Robertson Commission and pointed out that it called for the, “communists and hardliners” in the PPP to be removed

and the “moderate” elements be put in control of the party. In the latter part of his letter Mr. Ally stated, “… Suffice it to say that both the British and American administrations badly miscalculated in their assessment and characterization of Dr. Jagan and the PPP in terms of ideological orientation and political philosophy.” The obvious question for Mr. Hydar Ally to answer is this: Was Dr. Jagan at the time of the incident at reference a Marxist/Leninist and a Communist?

Regards TACUMA OGUNSEYE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Rohee admits top police officers were not in favour of purchase of water cannon Dear Editor: RECENTLY, the stateowned Guyana Chronicle went on a frolic of its own, characterized by mischief and scandal mongering concerning the purchase of a water cannon by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) under my stewardship.

It was not the first time sections of the media have published such politically inspired diatribe. In its worst effort at defamation, the Chronicle editorial claimed that the purchase of the water cannon amounted to waste and/or theft of money and that its procurement took place in the absence of “studies done” to justify its purchase. As the then Minister I see no need to be defensive, evasive or apologetic about the purchase of a water cannon by the (MOHA) for the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

In any event, the 2011 nor 2012 Auditor General Reports did not find any discrepancies with respect to the purchase of the vehicle. However, since the APNU+AFC coalition administration wishes to re-invent the wheel by duplicating the role of the Auditor General, this time for political purposes, i.e witch-hunting, they are free to do so but they will have to bear full responsibility for the

political repercussions of their actions. Global developments specifically in respect of modern methods for crowd control, riotous street protests/demonstrations and generally, the maintenance of public order in a modern democracy dictate that emphasis be placed on the use of non-lethal weapons and equipment by law enforcement agencies instead of lethal and/or life threatening weapons or equipment.

In modern democracies, tear gas, water cannons, tasers, truncheons or rubber bullets (as a last resort) are some of the non- lethal weapons used solely by the police, depending on the scale and degree of the threat to public order confronting them as law enforcement officers.

In the final analysis however, it is the Police, not the civilian authorities who decide which non-lethal weapon is to be used or not used to maintain public order during unruly street protests or riotous demonstrations, since such occurrences will be exclusively a police and not a civilian operation. In the case of the water cannon, its procurement in 2012/13 occurred at a time when, at the senior level of the GPF, there was intense jockeying for promotion and a push by one or two at the top to expand their command and control

of ranks within the force.

Unsuccessful attempts by a minority at senior management level to shoot down the water cannon were made to show that they were more knowledgeable on public order issues.

At the level of the MOHA, there was no indication from the then Commissioner that there was any outright opposition within the GPF for the procurement of a water cannon which fell into the category of a nonlethal vehicle and which most police forces around the world would own as part of their crowd control assets. However, it appeared at that time that some disgruntled senior ranks of the Force, because they did not get their way on the matter, began currying favour with certain elements of then political opposition. In so doing, they pushed rejection of the water cannon as a political issue. The few fifth columnists started dropping indiscreet and subtle hints claiming political intrusion and the creation of political gestapoes within the Force.

To this they added the procurement of the water cannon, endeavoring to make it a controversial matter.

Thus the muted opposition to the water cannon had its genesis within the crevices of the GPF. This was eventually picked up by the political opposition and sec-

tions of the media, making it a political football. Insofar as the identification and procurement of new and/or replenishment of assets for the Force is concerned, it is primarily the Police first, at the preparatory stage, who would determine their needs.

The next stage would be for them to sit with the Permanent Secretary of their subject Ministry to hammer out and cost those needs with a view to including them in the Force’s draft budget. It is certainly not unusual for the Commissioner of Police and his subject Minister to consult on the new, if any, features of the Force’s budget prior to the formulation of the final draft.

It is that final draft budget that would be presented to the Minister of Home Affairs so that he may acquaint himself with its many elements in preparation for the two-stage conventional parliamentary process.

Whatever the shape or cost of that final draft budget, it is the Ministry of Finance that will ultimately determine the amount of money that will be allocated to its current and capital components. The decision to procure a water cannon for the GPF at a cost of approximately $37 million passed through all those stages without any objection

as was the case with many other new assets jointly agreed upon for inclusion in the 2010 budget between the administration of the MOHA and senior management of the GPF. All things being equal, since no single individual, whether at the MOHA or Force Headquarters can arbitrarily include any item, water cannon or no water cannon, under the current or capital components of the GPF’s budget, it goes without saying that a police budget is watertight by the time it reaches the National Assembly.

Answers pertaining to the Water cannon were provided to all the questions raised by the now deceased MP Backer, while considering the 2010 estimates in the Committee of Supply under program 512Guyana Police Force. Mrs. Backer concluded her line of questioning by making the snide remark that the water cannon “will be a white elephant.” Because of the nature of public safety and security and perhaps national security and their operational aspects, to look for, or to ask for ‘studies’ justifying the procurement of assets for law enforcement agencies, in many instances, is tantamount to looking for a needle in a haystack. Insofar as the actual procurement of the water cannon is concerned,

I was advised by the then PS that it was done in accordance with long-established procurement and financial procedures.

I had no reason to doubt her.

Those procedures are followed closely by the office of the Permanent Secretary and the staff at the finance departments of the MOHA and the GPF respectively. If the political audit and police investigations can prove beyond reasonable doubt that there were blatant lapses and the fraudulent conversion of government funds, then the perpetrators who are still around ought to be arrested and hauled before the court to answer to the charges.

However, due process must prevail. The media-driven allegation will be debunked in the same way a previous allegation with respect to non- payment of funds to a certain Assistant Commissioner for electoral purposes was debunked ultimately revealing, as was done in the previous case, that no money associated with the procurement of the water cannon ever flowed into Rohee’s pocket.

Regards CLEMENT J. ROHEE Former Minister of Home Affairs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Gov’t MPs roast PPP for ‘hijacking’ ESC …say no agreement reached on request to hold sugar forum

By Vanessa Braithwaite GOVERNMENT Members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services have taken umbrage at attempts by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) members of the committee to hijack the body, and slammed the Party for making a public statement expressing their disagreement with the Speaker’s disapproval to their request to hold public forums in various regions on the future of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The request was not supported by any of the government MPs and the PPP members usurped the role of the Chairman and went ahead and made a request to the Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland. However, on Monday the PPP issued a statement, purported to be speaking on behalf of the committee, which said among other things, that the non-approval constitutes “another attack on Parliamentary democracy by the Speaker.”

“Further, we view the rejection of this request as nothing short of an abuse of power and an undue interference with, and restriction of, the democratic right of Parliamentarians to properly represent their constituents and the reciprocal constitutional rights of these constituents to receive information from and exchange views with their elected representatives,” the Parliamentary Opposition said.

ABUSE OF POWER APNU+AFC Members of the ESC have however

Junior Minister of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes

accused the PPP members of abusing power when they took it upon themselves to take advantage of the absence of most of the APNU+AFC members from the meeting which gave them a majority to forward the request without the approval of the Chairman of the ESC, Junior Minister of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma. Sharma had expressed his disapproval on the matter at the very meeting. Sharma along with MP Jennifer Wade were the only two present to represent the government’s side of the House while PPP members Bishop Juan Edghill, Komal Chand and Collin Croal where present. Absent from the government’s side were Ministers Noel Holder, Simona Broomes and Carl Greenidge.

Minister Broomes in an invited comment on Wednesday, told the Guyana Chronicle that in her view the PPP made a personal statement

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder

Member of Parliament, Jennifer Wade

and should not suggest the committee’s stand without holding consultation with all of the members.

“They are in no position to speak on behalf of me because is not to say a statement would have been issued, or you would have been told, or an email or anything of the sort, so quite frankly they can’t speak for me,” she said. The junior Natural Resources Minister suggested to the PPP members to put out their personal standpoint and not to say what the Speaker has done against the entire committee.

position and the persons who issue the statement as a committee’s position owe me an apology as a member of that committee, they should apologise, you can’t incorporate me into something I have no knowledge about. As a woman I feel disrespected.”

Could not see the light of day Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, who is also a member of the ESC, echoed similar sentiments to Broomes since he was out of the country and could not have attended the meeting.

He said that the PPP took advantage of the situation. He said that he is not in disagreement with any sub-committee holding public forums but the PPP has another agenda.

“What they are trying to do is to hold meetings and the Speaker is saying that is not what Parliamentary sub-committees are all about. Where are they going with this?”

Holder asked. He said if he was present, such a request

ISSUE AN APOLOGY Broomes said that the PPP members of the ESC owe her an apology for putting out such a statement on behalf of a committee that she is a part of.

“You must respect the decision made by the Speaker, the kind of disrespect meted out to the Speaker, I am not a part of it; that is a personal

“could not have seen the light of day” so this kind of situation would not have occurred.

He said that the members who were there should have walked out realising the numbers were uneven.

Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Jennifer Wade who was present , however said that herself and Minister Sharma were not in agreement with the request made by the PPP and were taken aback at the efforts to push ahead with the request despite limited numbers present.

“We wanted to know what the hurry was about so we said we cannot support that,” Wade revealed. She said that the PPP’s statement is nothing more than them working in their personal interest which she is not surprised of. “If we are a committee, let us work in the best interest of the people and in the committee’s interest,” Wade said.

The PPP members made a request for the Speaker’s permission to hold public forums in Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6 and after being informed of the Speaker’s disapproval, the PPP said in a statement that it was the ‘Committee’s’ intention to meet with various stakeholders between June 7 and 21, to discuss with them and hear their views on the sugar industry before preparing a report for submission to the National Assembly.

WILD CAT CAMPAIGN Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is also leader of the Government’s business in the National Assembly, described the statement by the PPP as a “wildcat campaign to stir disquiet and disaffection on all fronts.”

The Prime Minister told the Guyana Chronicle that sections of the PPP are resorting to “racist advocacy and, on social media, they elicit responses ranging from civil disobedience to partition in a contrived campaign to sow discord and division.”

He said the party has been trying to hijack the committee to foster its propaganda about the coalition government’s handling of the sugar industry.

He said that the Speaker is the image of Guyana’s independent Parliament and as Leader of Government Business in the House, he is committed to the Speaker’s decisions to protect the efficacy of the Parliamentary democracy.

Government had held extensive public consultations with key stakeholders on the future of GuySuCo in which the PPP participated. However, that party had failed to submit its proposals to the Government for a decision to be made on the future of the GuySuCo and the sugar industry, even though Government had sought to engage them and other stakeholders, with consultations since late last year.

One of the stakeholder organisations that were engaged in the process- the Guyana Agricultural and Workers’ Union (GAWU) - had submitted its proposal document which was adopted by the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).

Irfaan Ali, who led the Opposition side during the consultations, had said that the party was not prepared to make its recommendations until the Government had presented a socio-economic study and an economic feasibility study.

Referendum on LGBT rights not set in stone ATTORNEY General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, .SC., has said that the proposed referendum to repeal laws which discriminate against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) persons, is not set in stone.

The AG made this comment on Monday, during a meeting with the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) and the Guyana Trans United (GTU).

Williams .SC. told the human rights groups that the referendum is just one option being proposed and that it was not a Cabinet decision or the official position of government on the issue.

Following GEF’s submissions to the Inter-Ameri-

can Commission on Human Rights (IUACHR) regarding issues of human rights violations in Guyana, government, through Foreign Minister, Carl Greenidge touted a referendum to have laws amended to protect the LGBT community.

The proposed referendum was against reiterated by the AG in May during an event hosted by the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana and SASOD to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).

In response to these expressed positions, the GEF and the Guyana LGBT Coalition stated that “all citizens of Guyana deserve basic human rights and the rights of a minority group should not be subject to a popular vote.”

Those bodies went on to state that: “Holding this divisive referendum will deepen the marginalisation and isolation of LGBT persons as rightwing groups will undoubtedly heighten their homophobic rhetoric, as is already happening on social media.”

They suggested that instead of strengthening social cohesion and building national unity, the referendum would further divide Guyana, which still suffers from ethno-political conflicts.

“It will cause further stress and mental health burdens to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Guyanese who will be exposed and targeted with homophobic vitriol in the public sphere and on social media, in particular” GEF and the LGBT Coalition said.

With the referendum not set in stone however, Minister Williams .SC. requested of SASOD to submit a draft bill to his office to include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) under the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997.

SASOD is calling for an amendment to the Prevention of Discrimination Act (1997), to include “sexual orientation and gender identity” as grounds for discrimination.

The inclusion of “sexual orientation” into the act will protect persons who identify as lesbian, gay and bi-sexual, while “gender identity” will protect transgender persons.

Prohibited grounds for discrimination according to the law in its present form are: “race, sex, religion, colour, ethnic origin, indigenous pop-

ulation, national extraction, social origin, economic status, political opinion, disability, family responsibilities, pregnancy, marital status or age…”

Additionally, the human rights group is calling for an amendment to the Non-discrimination clause in Article 149 (2) of the Constitution. In this article, the words “sexual orientation and gender identity” are absent and according to SASOD, this allows for discrimination of persons who identify as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Meanwhile, SASOD clarified that the organisation at this time is not advocating for same-sex marriage but rather legislative protection from discrimination for LGBT persons.

Managing Director of that organisation, Joel Simpson ex-

pressed at the meeting too, that SASOD is completely against the idea of a referendum on any human rights issue and is willing to engage parliamentarians at any given time.

GTU’s Communications Officer and Assistant Secretary on SASOD’s Board of Directors, Twinkle Kissoon also engaged Minister Williams on understanding gender identity and sexual diversity and informed him of some the social and legal issues affecting transgender persons in Guyana.

Kissoon was keen to point out some of these challenges, which include: the right to work without discrimination; and the right to live comfortably, while presenting as the gender to which they identify.

Make it public 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

…WPA, TIGI call for full disclosure of Exxon contract THE Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA) – one of the parties in the coalition government - and the Transparency Institute Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) are calling for public disclosure of the contract between ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana.

The WPA’s position was expressed in a letter from the party, which was sent to President David Granger, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, and Minster of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman on Tuesday last.

The letter was signed by Executive Member of the WPA and former Member of Parliament (MP), Desmond Trotman.

Only last week Government announced that it was expected to grant a production licence to ExxonMobil for production of petroleum to move ahead in 2020; whilst placing emphasis on Guyanese employment and training, the procurement of goods and services in Guyana, infrastructural soundness and the protection of the environment. The Production Licence is required to be finalised before the developers make their Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project in June 2017.

Extraction from the Liza field is expected to commence in 2020 at an initial rate of 100,000 barrels of crude per day in the first phase with a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel providing the main infrastructural sup-

port for the project. “The Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana will receive a royalty of two percent on gross earnings and benefit from 50 percent of the profits from the sale of petroleum once production commences,” a release by the Ministry of Natural Resources had said.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and other Ministries and Agencies are actively pursuing a number of undertakings on the policy, legislative and infrastructure sides to ensure that the country is prepared for the coming oil production. As this Ministry, along with others, seek to develop our oil and gas industry in a sustainable and profitable manner, citizens are encouraged to continue to provide their feedback and recommendations on the new sector when the Ministry’s outreaches visit their communities.” It added that following consideration by the Cabinet the findings of the various reports will be released.

The WPA is one of six parties which comprise the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition group, which together with the Alliance for Change (AFC) secured victory at the May 11, 2015 polls. In the letter, the WPA said that it has noted the continued withholding of the general publication of the contract between ExxonMobil - the company currently drilling for oil here - and its partners with the Government of

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman

Guyana, and that this decision is “unwise for several reasons.”

The reasons listed were that the contracts are publicly available online for countries with “odious authoritarian reputations” and even those “wracked with severe domestic and external conflicts.”

As such, the WPA said there is no justifiable reason for this government not to publish the contract with the oil-giant which is expected to commence production by 2020. The WPA urged the government to release the contract on or around June 13, both in honour of the memory of its founder Dr Walter Rodney who was killed on this day, 37 years ago, and in the interest of transparency and accountability.

“In the spirit of Walter Rodney, we ask that the occasion of his death anni-

versary - June 13th, 2017 - is used to make the contract public, in honour of his memory… In the interest of upholding the tenets of transparency and accountability, the Executive Members of the WPA would like to urge you [Government] to adopt this position and release the contract to allow for public consumption, at or around June 13, 2017,” the letter stated.

The WPA contended that seeking public comment on the contents of the contract is a “democratic obligation” of the government, and that engaging the widest possible sharing of views can only help the executive to make wiser decisions.

In March of this year, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman had said that “full disclosure [of the contract] at this point in time, I think government is of the view that full disclosure would not be to the best of the national benefit or national interest”.

However, the WPA stated that as the government continue to request from the public their “unwavering trust,” political opponents and citizens should not be given a reason to suggest that the coalition government should not be trusted.

SPECIAL INTEREST Meanwhile, adding its voice to the call for the full disclosure of the contract, Transparency International Inc said Guyanese have a special interest in devel-

opments with regard to the discovery of substantial amounts of petroleum in Guyana. “We agree that the potential certainly exists for catapulting Guyana into a new sphere of economic growth. This not only provides an unprecedented opportunity for engaging all our human resources in guarding of our patrimony, but in fact demands that they be so engaged. This should be considered in the context of the worldwide recognition that especially in developing and transition countries, the emergence of substantial amounts of petroleum is associated with substantial increases in the level of corruption.”

According to the TIGI, for some while now, there has been a growing clamour for disclosure of the contract with ExxonMobil and its partners. “Each time this chorus strikes up, there is a refrain from the government citing reasons why it is best not to disclose. One reason advanced is that full disclosure would not be to the national benefit or the national interest. In fact, the Minister of Natural Resources was quoted as having said that “... We have no reason right now to expose all our business to the world.”

“We believe that Exxon, the major player, has a reputation to protect and would shun corrupt transactions.

While we hope this is true, corruption is not the only problem Guyana has to worry about when dealing with oil companies. One of these is the ability of a small country like Guyana to negotiate

with a titan like Exxon. Most of the cards the government is keeping to its chest are stacked in Exxon’s favour.

Exxon is a descendant of the company that invented the oil industry and a key player and superpower in this global sector. Exxon will have more information – a vital element of negotiation – than the Guyana officials will ever dream exists,” the transparency watchdog body said.

It added: “an indispensable approach to evening the odds that are stacked against Guyana in the negotiations is to publish the contract drafts and make the negotiations accountable to Parliament.

In this way, Guyanese of the diaspora whose knowledge is vast in this area will be able to make contributions to the process and thus protect our country’s interest.”

The body observed too that the other explanation being given for non-disclosure has to do with national security, “but we are not convinced. First of all, it is near impossible to undervalue the amount of the oil potential that has already been disclosed to the public, by the international press and in investment circles. It charged that government’s willingness to ignore the mountain of evidence against contract secrecy and the potential ills associated with a developing oil industry is baffling. This is especially so given its stated commitment to transparency and accountability. We call for a full release of the contract with ExxonMobil and its partners.”

Coconut vendor reportedly commits suicide A COCONUT vendor, who was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday to deal with domestic dispute matters, reportedly took his own life by hanging.

Dead is 42-year-old Rakesh Ramdhanie, of Martyrsville, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, a father of three who was allegedly evicted from his house and had a restraining order issued against him by his wife.

According to his niece, Alesie Holder, after he was evicted from his home, he

stayed at their house at Dr. Miller Street, Triumph, also on the East Coast Demerara.

She related that her uncle had domestic issues with his wife and was very depressed and frustrated. Holder added that she discovered his lifeless body in their back yard, hanging from a genip tree.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that on Tuesday night her uncle was in a very jovial mood and he even joked and chatted with them before he retired to bed.

Holder is of the view that he

took his life early Wednesday morning while everyone was asleep. She observed that he had smoked a cigarette the night before, something he never did before.

Holder explained that her uncle was a staunch Muslim and never imbibed in alcohol or used drugs. Ramdhanie sold coconut on Agriculture Road, Triumph, and it was reported that he was the victim of abuse and was beaten with a rolling pin recently and put out of his own house.

The man’s son, Ray

Rakesh told the Guyana Chronicle that his father endured a lot because his parents quarreled almost on a daily basis over Infidelity. The eldest son of Ramdhanie reported that he had to move out of his parents’ house because of the constant rows. He added that his teenage sister resides with a relative while his younger brother lives with his mother.

Rakesh said that he is not surprised at his father’s suicide because last year he tried to take his own life

Dead: Rakesh Ramdhanie

in a similar manner. This newspaper understands that

Ramdhanie had recently visited his relatives and told them that he was fed up with ‘trouble’ and wanted to end his life because he was unable to cope.

He lost his mother to cancer last year and became more distressed when he was evicted from his home. Ramdhanie is survived by his children, five siblings and relatives. A post mortem is expected to be performed soon and his funeral is scheduled for Saturday.

Tough road ahead 10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

…AG says Guyana has far way to go to exit CFATF 4th Round

Attorney General, SC, Basil Williams and other members of the Guyana delegation at the CFATF plenary in Trinidad and Tobago

ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams has acknowledged that Guyana has a “far way to go” if it is to exit the 4th Round Mutual Evaluation under the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regime.

Williams made the comments when he addressed

the opening at the recently concluded Plenary of the financial watchdog body held in Trinidad and Tobago. In a statement recently, the Financial Intelligence Unit said that Guyana’s evaluation under CFATF Third Round of Mutual Evaluation process revealed that it was rated as Partially Compliant (PC) and Non-Compliant (NC) in all sixteen of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Key and Core Recommendations which resulted in it being required to undertake various corrective measures, one of which was the appointment of Supervisory Authorities for all report-

ing entities. As such, in preparation for its Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation, Guyana must have in place a robust regulatory and supervisory framework for all the reporting sectors.

According to the FIU, the implementation process therefore requires ensuring that all reporting entities under the AML/CFT Act of 2009, comply with sections 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20 of the said Act. These provisions relate, among other things, to the conducting of customer due diligence, record keeping and maintenance, submitting suspicious and other reports to the FIU and appointment of a Compli-

ance Officer.

To this end, the FIU said it has conducted several training sessions with most of the categories of reporting entities, which provided information on their obligations under the AML/CFT Act, including training on reporting formats for submission of the required reports to the FIU. Guidelines on suspicious, terrorist property reports and Reporting Entity’s Compliance Regime were also published and made available on the aforementioned website.

To date, the FIU said most of the reporting entities have made some progress

in developing their AML/ CFT regimes, in terms of appointing compliance officers, conducting customer due diligence and consistently submitting large cash, terrorist property and suspicious reports to the FIU. Meanwhile, the AG in his address to the plenary thanked the co-chairs for their complementary remarks on the efforts he made since his short assumption to the post of deputy chair of CFATF. CFATF is chaired by Attorney General of Turks and Caicos, Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles. She had replaced Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, Faris Al Rawi.

Williams in his remarks also made reference to the fact that he assumed the position of deputy chair of CFATF, in like manner as the AG of Trinidad and Tobago. His assumption to this post came very shortly after the new APNU+AFC administration took office.

Williams told the plenary, at the time when he took office Guyana’s AML/CFT regime was faced with tremendous challenges which included its failure to satisfy the FATF & CFATF requirements, based on the number of deficiencies identified in the country’s mutual evaluation report.

“Due to this situation, Guyana was faced with the negative consequences of possible de-risking and required to work assiduously to improve its AML/ CFT framework,” Williams told the body attended by

attorneys general of several Caribbean countries.

The AG explained that at the level of the Guyana Government –a high level commitment was made

by His Excellency President David Granger to support fully the efforts of the FATF and CFATF requirements to ensure that the financial system, locally and internationally is free from money laundering and terrorist financing. He further alluded to the fact that Guyana was required to pass a number of key legislation and ensure that the institutional framework was in place to implement the AML/CFT Act. “Having put those legal and administration mechanisms in place, Guyana successfully exited both the FATF and CFATF processes and consequentially exited the 3rd Round of Mutual Evaluation.” He said too, having been appointed to deputy chair and taking up the chair for the next plenary he is paying keen attention to those that precede him in those offices and looks forward to facilitating a successful plenary come November 2017-in Guyana. Williams said too that in recognition globally of the complexity of the 4th Round Mutual Evaluations, and in order to achieve the level of compliance set by the CFATF, Guyana has established a Compliance Team to ensure that the country is adequately prepared for the 4th Round and its challenges.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

FREED! ‘Grey Boy’ weeps, threatens to kill self in court

By Clestine Juan

IT was an emotional scene on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court when Regan Rodrigues, known as ‘Grey Boy’ dropped on his knees and wept bitterly after hearing that the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) wanted him to face a judge and jury for the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing.

Rodrigues continued to maintain his innocence before Magistrate Judy Latchman and Special Prosecutor, Nigel Hughes and even threatened to kill himself as he vented his frustration after being tried for the murder twice and acquitted both times.

After a tense delay of 10 minutes, Magistrate Latchman upheld the decision she made at the end of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on Monday when she discharged the case against Rodrigues for the second time.

With the news of his freedom, Rodrigues, who has been in police custody since April 14, 2017, collapsed and wept with a Bible in his hands, as his mother rushed and embraced him. He was then taken to the Brickdam Police Station to sign the documents for his release.

DPP INSTRUCTS MAGISTRATE Even though the case against Rodrigues was dismissed on Monday, the police had kept Rodrigues in custody since the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had instructed Magistrate Judy Latchman, via a letter, to commit Rodrigues to stand trial in the High Court.

The matter was recalled on Wednesday in the presence of the Special Prosecutor; the courtroom was filled to capacity with relatives and spectators as the Magistrate addressed the directive issued by the DPP, Shalimar AliHack.

Magistrate Latchman maintained that a prima facie case was not made out against Rodrigues, in relation to the murder. On Tuesday, the DPP wrote a letter to the Magistrate, instructing her to commit the matter to the High Court for trial.

“In accordance with section 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01, I hereby remit to your Worship the above-mentioned matter and

Regan Rodrigues known as ‘Grey Boy’

Dead: Courtney Crum-Ewing

Special Prosecutor, Nigel Hughes

direct you to comply with Sections 65 and 66 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 with a view of committing the accused,” the letter said.

“Is best I kill myself and let these people feel nice.”

The Magistrate took into consideration what was said

by Rodrigues while there was no response from Hughes.

The matter was adjourned for less than 10 minutes while persons sat at the edge of their seats awaiting the outcome in the courtroom. When the Magistrate emerged from the Chambers, she upheld her initial ruling, despite the objection raised by the DPP. “There is absolutely no evidence,” the Magistrate noted as she dismissed the charge again and told Rodrigues that he was free to go.

On Monday, Magistrate Latchman dismissed the case on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence against him. In her ruling, the Magistrate said that while she was satisfied that the gun, which was used to shoot Crum-Ewing, was found at the home

of the accused, the evidence offered by the prosecution did not implicate Rodrigues in the actual murder.

In relation to the 14 oral statements made by Rodrigues, which were admitted into evidence, the Magistrate said they did not implicate him in the murder and there is no evidence that Rodrigues used the gun, pulled the trigger and shot Crum-Ewing.

But in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, the special pros-

BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS After hearing the contents of the letter, Rodrigues broke down in tears and dropped to his knees while in the prisoners’ dock.

“They want see me convicted for this murder na?”

Rodrigues said to the Magistrate.

Without waiting for the Magistrate to reply, the 40-year-old attempted to walk out of the prisoners’ dock and shouted: “ I can’t take this thing no more… how much time I must be freed from this charge to prove to them that I’m innocent?”

He then turned to the relatives of Crum-Ewing and said:

ecutor said that in one of Rodrigues’s oral statements, there is sufficient evidence that he has knowledge of the murder.

According to Hughes, when Rodrigues was first arrested by the police at his home in River View, Ruimveldt, he had said to the ranks: “Officer, yuh can’t arrest me with this gun, this gun used to do nuff thing.”

As such, Hughes emphasised that based on this statement by Rodrigues, it shows that the accused had knowledge of the crime and what the gun was used to do.

Additionally, Hughes, who is a prominent attorney, told this newspaper the fact that the murder weapon was found in the home of the accused, shows that there is sufficient evidence for the matter to be committed to the High Court In September 2016, Rodrigues was freed of the murder charge by Magistrate Latchman, due to the lack of evidence. The office of the DPP decided to re-open the case for further evidence

from police witnesses and for the magistrate to rule on the oral statements made by Rodrigues.

The bullet-riddled body of Crum-Ewing was found at Third Avenue, Diamond New Scheme, EBD, on March 10, 2015. The 40-year-old was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head and twice to the stomach.

The police in a statement had stated that the political activist was accosted by four men in a car, one of whom discharged several rounds, hitting him about the body. It was reported that the killer (s) used a .32 pistol to execute Crum-Ewing.

The political activist was well known for his one-man protest outside the office of former Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall. Minutes before he was gunned down, he was reportedly heard via a bullhorn urging residents of the neighbourhood to vote against the then ruling PPP/C party.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

1000 jobs by year-end – Qualfon commissions new campus at Providence

By Zena Henry QUALFON (Guyana) is likely to hire at least 50 Guyanese every week from now until Christmas.

The overseas-based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) agency is offering more jobs and more developmental opportunities as it commissioned its second campus at Providence, East Bank Demerara on Wednesday.

Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, diplomats, and other special guests celebrated with the company’s executive and senior managers, on their continued expansion.

On the sidelines of the event, Mark VanderPloeg, Site Director for the Providence Campus told Guyana Chronicle that he is hiring 1000 persons to complete Campus One. Hiring commenced some six weeks ago and some 250 persons have been hired so far. Last week of some 300 persons interviewed, 100 were hired.

VanderPloeg said the original plan for the complex involves seven buildings to be completed by 2020, although the work is slightly behind.

By that time, at least 6000 Guyanese would be employed with the company.

Guyana is currently servic-

Qualfon’s Campus Two facility

ing seven of Qualfon’s clients involved in areas such transportation and telecommunication, among others.

Qualfon’s Vice President (VP) for Guyana’s operation, Richard Brinson told the gathering that the company’s Campus Two building adds 55,000 square feet and 992 more work stations to the establishment.

“This new facility creates an opportunity for an estimated 2200 plus jobs at double shift in at full capacity.” There is also an interfaith chapel and a health care clinic at the facility.

From their humble beginnings at Beterverwagting on the East Coast, 13 years later, Brinson said Qualfon is now a modern high-tech facility, to move from over 2000 to 3000 employees by year-end.

He said it took 10 years to build the first campus building, and two years to build the second one, and

there is hope of building the third soon.

GREAT POTENTIAL The VP said Guyana has the potential to have as much as 30,000 persons employed with the company; a dream he hopes the country shares.

Minister Hughes brought the Qualfon team congratulatory greetings on behalf of President David, who she said was out of the country.

She also expressed his blessings and gratitude for the company’s continued expression of confidence in Guyana.

Hughes said the government has long been impressed with Qualfon and its focus on Guyanese. She said their operation helps to take care of a large chunk of graduates and under graduate youths who were once unsure of finding a job and accessing the opportunity to further their studies.

The minister gave her

Ministry’s commitment to improve Internet and broadband access across Guyana, so that more services could be brought online for companies like Qualfon to expand

into other regions.

She said the government is creating the atmosphere for increased business and insisted that, “the doors for further investment in the ITC sector are set to be flung wide open”.

Minister Gaskin expressed that “Qualfon has been good to Guyana and will continue to be good for Guyana”. He too expressed gratitude that Qualfon continues to show confidence in the country. He said, Qualfon has found a home in Guyana and is operating successfully. And while that speaks well for the company, “it also speaks well of Guyana and its ability to provide an environment in which international businesses can achieve success”.

Qualfon’s president, Christine Morris, thanked the government and Guyanese people for welcoming the company and helping it to be successful.

She said Guyana is a conducive location for business given its cultural makeup, the fact that English is spoken, the country is almost immune to natural disasters are pluses for a company that has to operate everyday around the clock.

A BPO provider is contracted by large companies to conduct non-primary business activities such as managing human resource, accounting and customer service among others. They provide behind the scenes services that enable other companies to be successful.

A section of the call centre that will need new Guyanese employees

Structural transformation needed to ensure SIDs’ – President at EDD forum survival in climate change fight in Brussels CONTINUING his advocacy for the protection of Small-Island Developing States (SIDS), President David Granger issued a call to the international community, particularly the European Union (EU), to support the structural transformations, which are needed to ensure that small-island and low-lying coastal states survive the perils of global warming and climate change.

The Head of State made this call at the 11th edition of the European Development Days in Brussels, Belgium. The EU’s European Development Days is

an annual summit, which brings together over 6,000 members of the global development community each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

“Small-island developing and low-lying coastal states require significant investment and transfers of technology to implement their ‘green’ plans. Investment in development must be linked to investment to protect our environment, so as to avoid global environmental catastrophe. Invest-

President David Granger during the EU-ACP panel discussion held on Monday (photo taken from https://www.eudevdays.eu/)

ment in the environment means investment in the future; investment in the earth and investment in eternity.

There can be nothing more profitable than protecting our common patrimony,” the Guyanese Head of State

said.

The President reminded world leaders that climate change is a single threat, which endangers the entire globe. He reminded that it is small states like Guyana that are making major contributions to arrest this global problem and noted that greenhouse gas emission ratios in such states are among the lowest in the world.

Speaking on the ‘green’ development trajectory, which Guyana is pursuing, President Granger pointed out that “the ‘green’ model represents hope for mother earth.

“The ‘green’ model of development places emphasis on protecting the world’s eco-systems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, through renewable energy use and providing environmental services to the world, through avoided deforestation and conservation,” he said.

The President delivered a similar message, during a panel discussion held on Tuesday which focused on the relationship between the EU and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Group of States. (Ministry of the Presidency)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Women in ‘Hard Hats’

Yvette Thom

Staying confident, being brave in a world built for men

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Women in ‘Hard Hats’ ... Staying confident, being brave in a world built for men

LIFE in ‘The Bush’; a way of life that, when imagined by the average Guyanese, evokes the imagery of hard living; of days spent in isolation, hundreds of miles away from civilization, eating meager meals and having access to little or no modern amenities.

Paula Ceres, Junior Civil Engineer assigned to the Aurora Gold Mine in Region Seven

While ‘The Bush’ has no particular geographic location, it is a term largely used to refer to the interior regions, or otherwise, anywhere in Guyana away from the Coast that is sparsely populated and surrounded by forests, or, you guessed it, bush.

Most times, ‘Bush Life’ is considered to be suited more to men, given the roughness of the terrain, the lack of security and the types of jobs available in

those areas.

But you’d be surprised to know that, much like all other areas, women have been slowly creeping into these fields to ply their trade in both traditional and unorthodox occupations.

A shining example of how women have comfortably settled into these areas can be seen in the Guyana Goldfields Inc. operations at the Aurora Gold Mine in Region Seven. With a population of about 800 workers on site, just over 60 women, or eight per cent, make up this lot. A small dent in the number, but some of these women hold positions that significantly contribute to the company’s day-to-day operations, oftentimes requiring them to have under their instruction a large number of men.

So, how do they do it?

How do they manage living so far away from their homes and their families?

More so, how do these women stand firm in a male-dominated environment and demand the respect that their occupations require?

For PAULA CERES, it comes easy because of the field of study she has chosen. One of several University of Guyana students on attachment at that location, Paula said that studying within the Fac-

Paula Ceres in the field with two of her male colleagues at Aurora Gold Mine

ulty of Technology has always placed her in an environment where males outnumbered the females.

Paula is one of the junior civil engineers on site at “Aurora”, and among her responsibilities is supervising the construction of two new dorms currently being built. “When I came over here and I saw so many males, while it was strange for me indeed, getting accustomed to it wasn’t that hard,” she admitted.

Her interest in the field sprung from her fascination with construction, or what she describes as “transforming things into something beautiful.” It is therefore little wonder that Paula has enjoyed a successful, but busy, nine months living and working in this remote area.

But, being grossly outnumbered, she admits that one must always keep in mind the need to remain confident as they maneuver among the males.

“Be brave!” she said.

“The moment they realise that you are not confident or are afraid of them, they would take advantage of you!

“But you cannot allow that! You must also ensure that you know about the field that you are in to the best of your ability, so that when they want to come at

you, you can show them that you are here for a reason, and you know what is going on, so they cannot dominate you in any kind of way.”

And while she misses her family at times, Paula has it somewhat easy, seeing the familiar and loving faces of both her brother and boyfriend, who are also stationed there.

Working among more than 700 men on a daily basis while tucked away in the isolation of the interior is nothing strange for Camp Service Supervisor, YVETTE THOM, either, as she has spent more than 14 years working for Omai Gold Mine, Omai Bauxite, and Bosai Minerals in similar position in the pasts.

Yvette’s daily task at AGM includes overseeing the housekeeping and general management of 288 rooms, 40 offices, and 1,000 square metres of common space. She is also in charge of ensuring the wellbeing of all the contractors on site. This is quite a bit of responsibility for one woman to handle, but she is not fazed by it.

In fact, since starting at the operation, she has moved from being just a cleaner to having full responsibility for matters of hospitality at the Camp.

“I’m accustomed to working among men; for me it’s easy,” Yvette says.

“In fact, it is much easier than working with women.

We just have to understand the men and how to deal with them. Hospitality is number one, so, providing that you are nice, calm and respectful, you will get respect in return.”

Much like Paula, Yvette’s advice to women is not to think of working in such areas as a challenge, but to face it fearlessly instead, as she believes that anything is possible with the right amount of effort and confidence.

Camp Service Supervisor, Yvette Thom

“We aren’t directly equal to men, but we can do a whole lot of stuff that men can do. For example, we have women plumbers, drivers and operators up here as well, and they are doing just as good a job as the men.

“So you don’t have to be afraid that you can’t do it, because I am doing it; so I know they can do it too,” she said.

Then there is Head Chef, Romona Wiggins.

With a staff of 32 under her wing, Romona is responsible for overseeing the preparation of about 1,500 meals a day. “Life here is not that bad, but when you tell people you are working in the interior, the first thing is that they get the idea that its ‘bush’, but here is more like a little town,” she said, adding: “The living quarters are more than what you would expect.”

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Romona’s staff is male; only four are females, but she admits that she prefers it that way.

“It is better to have males up here. Earlier, we had a lot of females, but there would arise a lot of conflicts among them. I really prefer males in the kitchen up here,” she said, adding that it just requires that she stays strong, disciplined and stern in order to get the message across to the others that she is in charge.

“I say to them, ‘When it comes to my work, I need my respect; I need to get

what I deserve.’ Sometimes some of the men feel that because they are a man, or they may be older [they can rule] but I don’t have age; and I don’t have friends when it comes to my work.

You have work and you have to get it done.

“The main thing I am focused on is the standard, efficiency and the quality.

It’s not always easy, but at the end of the day, I pull through,” she said.

Tough though it may be, Romona, too, is accustomed to this type of environment, having worked with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship in the past. It is a job that required her to be far away from home for a long space of time, where, she said, males sometimes outnumbered the females.

This choice in lifestyle has led Romona to lead the single life, with no children or husband, but she admits that it is not as bad as one may think.

To women considering working in the interior, she advises that they travel into these areas with a plan, and that they stay focused on it. “Don’t come and get carried away; you are outnumbered here! There are mostly men!

“And some women come and get carried away, especially if they are not accustomed to being exposed,” she said.

And so, while life in ‘The Bush’ may seem daunting to many, these women, though, seemingly having been seasoned for such a lifestyle.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Talking sports administration --with Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Karen Pilgrim BEING a veterinarian was the only thing that Dr. Karen Pilgrim ever wanted to be for as long as she could remember. A dedicated sports administrator was never really in the picture, but somehow, that’s just where she ended up.

Though more at home in the sport of swimming, Dr Pilgrim has also served in varying capacities in other sporting disciplines, as well as on umbrella bodies such as the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), where she still holds the position of Vice-President.

For all this, she was last month rewarded at the national level for her many years of voluntary service in the field.

This past Independence celebrations saw President David Granger conferring national awards on some 69 Guyanese in recognition of their sterling contribution to this dear nation of ours. Of that list, almost fifty per cent were “exceptional” women “who have contributed immeasurably to the development of Guyana in their respective areas of service”.

And on that list was well

known sports administrator, Dr. Karen Pilgrim who has a sterling 16 years of voluntary service and involvement in sports in Guyana.

She recalls that she was just sitting at home going

of service or achievement of an exceptional nature, or have given long and dedicated service of a consistently high standard in any area of public service.”

If there’s any woman

Dr. Karen Pilgrim (centre) with Guyana’s Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Aliann Pompey (left), and distance athlete, Cleveland Forde

through her regular daily routine, when a call from the Ministry of the Presidency fairly blew her way with the news that she had been selected for a national award: The Golden Arrow of Achievement, the fourth highest award in the Order of Service of Guyana, granted to citizens who have performed “outstanding and specific act

in sport that embodies this award, many would agree that Dr Pilgrim is that woman.

Though she’d never envisioned being this involved in sports, her humble and easy- going nature, coupled with her willingness to never shy away from work just kept getting her deeper and deeper into it.

She moved from being the

secretary of her swim club, to serving as the secretary of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), to the GOA executive, to working on various other sports committees, including the Nomalisation Committee of the Guyana Football Federation.

“I never thought of running for something; I just kind of stumble into it,” Dr Karen explained.

IT ALL STARTED Looking back, she said it all started in 2001 when her son, Damien, wanted to join a swim club and get competitively involved in swimming.

She herself had dabbled a little in swimming, but had no real affinity for the sport.

She couldn’t understand her son’s attraction either, but as mothers usually do, she obliged him.

He joined the Dorado Speed Swim Club, which sometime after held its elections. As she recalled, she was not particularly interested in the upcoming election, so it would come as quite a surprise when she received a call, just as shocking as the one from the MoP, informing her that she had been elected to be the club’s secretary.

Though the opportunity to decline was there, Dr Karen could not see herself not taking it, especially since her

Dr. Karen Pilgrim (third right) with other GOA executives, and a foreign official

work life allowed her some amount of freedom.

“I got a call to say I was elected secretary, and I said, ‘Secretary of what?’ I had no thought about it whatsoever,” she recalls of her election as sports administrator.

“From there I started to represent the Club at the GASA level. Then in 2003...

At that time, GASA was on a go-slow, and most of the executives had moved on or migrated. So they had an initial election in 2003, and I was elected secretary for

FOND MEMORIES She speaks fondly of some of the young athletes and players who shared their stories and struggles with her, and in their own little way added joy to her life.

But, of course, that’s not to say that the profession has not been without its demands.

“It was more work, but I wouldn’t say it was hard; it just took more investment of time,” she said somewhat modestly.

“Going into GASA, I

about 10 years. And in 2008 I was elected in the GOA,” she said.

Juggling work life, motherhood, and sports administration was soon to become second nature.

By the time Damien had moved on from swimming to focus more on his academic pursuits, Dr Karen was already too wrapped up in sports administration to turn back; and it wasn’t just the work that kept her going, she had developed relationships with several of the young athletes she’d encountered and they had her hooked.

“I was so involved in the different things, and one of the things for me is that you meet youngsters that you would not have otherwise had any contact with,” she said, adding: “I sometimes felt I gave birth to one but I have plenty.”

really had to make an effort to learn. I spent a lot of time researching things for myself; learning the swimming rules, involving myself in competitions so I can learn the technical aspect, just to be on top of what was happening.

“In GOA, the challenges were different, but that’s because you’re thinking about all of the sports; not just one,” she added.

However, having formerly worked in an administrative position in the wildlife department gave Dr Karen an edge in the administrative field.

She’d been given the job after finishing a scholarship in veterinary science at the Tuskegee University in the USA. She worked with the Department until 1992, and has been working from home ever since.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Whoa, baby!

ON April 28, 30-year-old Susan Haynes was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital after going into labour. The next day, she would give birth to a bouncing baby boy, who weighed in at a record-breaking eleven pounds.

Recounting her story, Susan, an employee of the Police Special Constabulary, stationed at the Ministry of Finance said that she experienced some struggle in the labour room, and that to her, the entire ordeal seemed a ‘lifetime’.

But on April 29, under the watchful eyes of doctors and nurses, her ‘big baby’ was delivered by Caesarian Section (C-Section).

Susan became pregnant

--Mother recounts delivery of surprise ‘bundle of joy’

for the second time, six years after giving birth to her first child, and so the announcement came with much excitement.

But, for the remainder of her pregnancy, little did she know that she was headed for a record-breaking delivery.

She recalls that even though she was given assistance to induce labour, the baby still was not coming, which baffled even the doctors. What made the end result so surprising, too, was that during her pregnancy, she had about three ultrasound procedures, the last being taken about three weeks before she went into labour.

But, she said, it appeared that the instruments kept the phenomenon a guarded secret.

Susan Haynes and her six-year-old daughter Timeka and one-month-old son, Kymini

In the midst of all this, Susan’s blood pressure continued to soar, and she was placed under specialist care.

On the day she was taken to the theatre, she recalled that there were several doctors around her, all of whom showed extreme care and concern during the entire procedure.

Susan said that when her son was finally born, the doctors and nurses were amazed at his size. She said that the

moment she regained consciousness, they blurted out to her: “You got a big baby!”

But not even that prepared her for what was in store. It was not until about two days later that she would see him for the very first time.

“I looked at him and I said, impulsively, ‘Is where he come from?’” Susan said.

But there’s no better feeling than when a mother, for the first time, sees the baby she has been nurturing and

carrying in the womb for nine months. The joy that transcends that experience is almost unspeakable.

“Yes! I was excited and overjoyed! I immediately thanked God for a safe delivery. I prayed for God’s blessings on the doctors and nurses in whose care I was entrusted, and who I know did the best for me,” Susan said.

“I offered thanks to my mother and the remainder

of the family who were always there for me, including my little girl six-year old Timeka, who is still excited about her baby brother, even though she has been replaced as the baby in the home,” she added.

Susan said that the reality did take some time to sink in, particularly the fact that for months before her due date, she had been shopping clothing for her baby, and when he did arrive, nothing could fit him, so she had to start shopping all over again.

Today, both mother and baby are doing fine. Initially, following the delivery, Susan had to be confined to bed for a few days, while her son was placed on discharge list. So, technically, baby was discharged before mother.

Asked how soon she proposes having her third child, Susan spontaneously replied: “Nah-nah-nah! I good! I good!” This too, is not surprising.

According to medical statistics, the normal weight of a baby who reaches full term between 37 and 40 weeks is six to nine pounds, while the average weight is 7.7 pounds. When babies are born significantly larger than average, it is referred to as “fetal macrosomia”.

It is recorded that about nine per cent of babies born worldwide weigh more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

New report warns of ‘climate uncertain future’ – despite increased adaptation efforts by gov’t

By Ravin Singh THE 2016 State of the Environment Report (Guyana) has warned that a climate uncertain future looms for Guyana, particularly for the climate sensitive sectors which this country’s economy relies heavily on.

The report, which was released on Monday was developed by the government with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). One of the findings was that sea level rise and saline intrusion could affect crop and livestock production in the agriculture sector; contaminate fresh-water supplies; exert additional stress on sea defences; and cause damage to residential and government building among others.

Agriculture presently accounts for approximately 25 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In addition to adversely impacting productive sectors like agriculture, forestry and mining, the report states that variability and extremes in rainfall that causes flooding will drive public health concerns by increasing the potential for incidence of water and vector borne diseases. These diseases include malaria, dengue and leptospirosis.

Last year, the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) in its ‘Health@50

in Guyana: Progress Health Report 1966-2016’ revealed that between 2011 and 2015, Guyana recorded 168,240 cases of malaria and 1255 cases of dengue. Additionally, the report noted that temperature increases are likely to significantly impact human systems and could also impact ecosystems and biodiversity.

It pointed out too that climate change impacts in conjunction with Guyana’s unique biophysical and socio-economic circumstances make the country particularly vulnerable.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report titled ‘Climate Change and vector-borne diseases: A regional analysis’ states that by 2100, it is estimated that average global temperatures will have risen by 1.0 – 3.5°C, “increasing the likelihood of many vector-borne diseases in new areas.”

“Undoubtedly, Guyana faces a significant challenge in planning a climate resilient future” the 2016 State of the Environment Report added.

The report also explained that Guyana’s vulnerability has been confirmed by third party qualitative and quantitative indices. Two of these include the Global Adaptation Index (GAIN) which ranked Guyana 114 out of 177 countries and the Climate Vulnerability Monitor (CVM) which classified Guyana as “acutely vulnerable”.

It was highlighted too that Guyana’s vulnerability is also influenced by its capacity to adapt to climate change impacts or to respond to its consequences. Adaptive capacity, the report stated, is influenced by several criteria, namely; informational, human, institutional, financial and policy/ regulatory environment. According to the report, financial capacity was considered one of the most important determinants of adaptive capacity and a deciding factor in the deployment and scale of adaptation actions. Putting this into context, the report revealed that Guyana’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) indicated that US$1.6B, in the period to 2025, will be required to build resilience.

However, it was pointed out that as a lower-middle income country, unilaterally mobilising adaptation financing at such a scale will be a difficult, if not impossible for Guyana. As a result, the INDC indicated that this country would require external support for implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions.

More specifically, to assist in reducing these impacts, the report noted that draining capacity must be increased while simultaneously ensuring that water storage capacities also increase. Last year, a team from the Netherlands

Courtesy call

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is performing the duties of the President, on Wednesday received a courtesy call by New Zealand’s Non- Resident High Commissioner to Guyana, Mrs Jan Henderson, who is visiting Guyana.

The High Commissioner highlighted that she will be visiting an agricultural project in Karasabai and the Iwokrama Research Centre.

mapped the drainage system in flood-prone Georgetown and made recommendations in its report for the system to be upgraded to alleviate flooding. Other recommendations made in the UNDP-funded report were: for shoreline management interventions to be scaled-up to prevent salt water intrusion; and necessary measures to ensure human and agricultural systems, in particular, can cope with increasing temperatures.

The report highlighted too, that in response, Guyana has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development and by extension addressing the issues associated

with climate change.

Meanwhile, the Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) also determined that Guyana has made progress in building its institutional capacity and Government agencies like the Office of Climate Change (OCC), the Project Management Office (PMO) and the REDD Secretariat which have official mandates related to climate change. The government has also embarked on a Green Economy (GE) initiative which builds on the experiences and lessons from the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The green economy aims

to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive path to a low emission, low deforestation, and climate resilient development plan. The government has indicated that the Green Economy Plan rests on six pillars: the protection of this country’s biodiversity and wildlife; the provision of educational, environmental services and ecotourism; the generation of sustainable energy; the mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change; management of Guyana’s coastal zone, rivers, wetlands and protected areas; and the management of waste and sanitation services.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Youth ambassadors showcase region’s cultural heritage

By Vishani Ragobeer THE rich cultural heritage of the region was on full display when CARICOM Youth Ambassadors presented ‘cultural night’ on June 6, at Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday.

The presentations from the ambassadors included folk songs and dances, poems, visual presentations as well as contemporary songs and dances.

The cultural presentations aside from being entertaining, provided insight into the history of individual Caribbean states and underscored similarities between them.

It was highlighted that Caribbean states share sim-

Minister Nicolette Henry delivering brief remarks to the Caribbean Youth Ambassadors at the Umana Yana (Delano Williams Photo)

ilar history and culture and this is transmitted through the use of drums, songs and

dance.

The youth ambassadors were drawn from 13 CARICOM states and the associate states. The countries represented are Guyana, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Montserrat, Suriname, Anguilla and the Cayman Islands.

They are in Guyana to participate in a four-day Orientation and Capacity Building seminar being held at the CARICOM Secretariat at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Minister within the Ministry of Education with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Nicolette

Despite the absence of a Trinidadian Youth Ambassador this year, the present ambassadors danced along to a Trinidadian song ‘Dollar Whine’

Henry said it is first time Guyana has hosted the youth ambassadors.

While giving brief remarks, she implored the young people to garner as much knowledge as they can while here but nonetheless ensure that they would enjoy networking with each other, and of course, enjoy Guyana.

“I trust that the four days of workshop will be very useful as you develop into leaders,” the minister said.

Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael Haynes who also addressed the ambassadors before the start of their cultural exchange, affirmed that the importance of youth to a nation cannot be overemphasised.

“Each of you have been called to serve and as you fulfil this noble task, keep in mind that you are prepar-

ing the path that many will follow,” Haynes stressed, pointing out that they must be role models to those in their countries and the wider region.

The four-day seminar which commenced on Monday and concludes today features interactive sessions, including panel discussions involving key CARICOM Secretariat staff and representatives of international development partners.

This seminar was tailored to equip the youth ambassadors from each member state with the knowledge to effectively execute their mandate as a youth leader in CARICOM. Additionally, the youths will be able to build their capacities for advocacy and action in various international and regional mandates,

plans and programmes in a wide range of youth related issues, such as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan, (CYDAP) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

A draft action plan for the period 2017-2019 which clearly identifies mechanisms through which CYAs will mobilise other youth, advance different regional mandates and greater understanding among themselves for increased advocacy, will also be developed.

The seminar is supported by the CARICOM Secretariat, the Government of Guyana, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

The Caribbean Youth Ambassadors pose for a group photo with Minister Nicolette Henry (seated at centre); Programme Manager (Culture and Community Development) at CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Hilary Brown (seated at right); Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael Haynes (seated at far left); and other stakeholders

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

FIU hands over money laundering risk assessment report GOVERNMENT will continue its effort to ensure that Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) strategy is strengthened.

This is part of its continued effort to protect the country’s financial system and sector from money launderers, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan said.

The Finance Minister emphasised Guyana’s efforts as he received the country’s first, “The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing National Risk Assessment Report and Risk Based Action Plan” from the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU,) Matthew Langevine. The minister received the documents Wednesday in the boardroom of the Ministry on Main Street. “We have come to realise the impact of (Money Laundering/ Terrorist Financing) ML/ TF risks on the economic growth of the country as well

as our role in the global fight against ML/TF. The threat of terrorist financing, too, is becoming an ever increasing real and present danger for countries in the Caribbean.

The experience of our sister CARICOM (Caribbean Community) country, Trinidad and Tobago, should be cause for us to redouble our efforts to protect our country from the grasp, reach and clutches of terrorists and their deadly activities,” the Minister said.

Jordan described the documents’ completion as an important achievement as it marks the start of Guyana’s preparation for the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluations. He stressed that it is also symbolic of the government’s commitment to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) standards. “Having conducted the National Risk

Assessment (NRA) exercise, Guyana can now more easily identify, assess, and understand its (ML/TF) risks and prioritise actions according to the levels of risk,” he explained.

Guyana is scheduled to be evaluated under the Fourth Round in 2022. The completion of a NRA Report supported by a risk-based Action Plan is only one of FATF’s forty (40) recommendations which countries will be assessed on, during the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation process. Minister Jordan noted that is indeed a long road ahead, but notwithstanding, it is his government’s intention to “establish a team to review the NRA Report and Action Plan, and to develop and manage a National Strategy to combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.” He noted that this is in keeping with FATF Recommendation 2, which requires countries to have national AML/CFT

LIAT pilots on strike – Guyana bound flights cancelled AT LEAST one Guyana bound flight on regional airline LIAT was cancelled on Wednesday after pilots of the regional airline refused to fly one of the company’s aircraft.

The airline has been undertaking its flights using the ATR 72 and ATR 42 model aircraft in recent years. According to a report in the Barbados Nation, the pilots who operate the ATR 72 aircraft, downed tools on Wednesday morning after objecting to moves by the company. The pilots noted that the airline has reneged on an agreement regarding payment specific to flying this craft. There are five of these planes in the

LIAT fleet.

In a release published on its website, LIAT said that it regrets to advise passengers that industrial action has been taken [Wednesday] by the members of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA). In the ongoing negotiations for higher wages, which includes the operation of the ATR aircraft, the pilots have taken action to refuse to fly the ATR 72 aircraft until an agreement is reached.

According to the airline, as a consequence of the pilots’ action, there were a number of delays and cancellations.

“We strongly advise our

passengers to contact LIAT’s Call Centre for rebooking or advice on travel and for reservations, 1-888-844-LIAT (5428) Toll Free from most destinations within the Caribbean Region.”

Aviation sources told the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday that one LIAT flight arrived at the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle on Wednesday while a flight scheduled for arrival later in the evening was cancelled. If the action continues, additional flights into Guyana are expected to be affected, a source at Ogle noted.

LIAT has been plagued by industrial action over the years, mainly over financial issues between the airline and its pilots.

policies that are informed by the risks identified.

He said too that education and awareness must be priorities for the country, and that stakeholders must be encouraged to do all they can to participate in the implementation of the country’s AML/ CFT regime. In presenting the documents to the Minister, FIU Director, Langevine emphasised three important things. The first of which, he stated, is to “ensure that the documents never become dust.” He pointed out that, “This is a living document that requires a lot of work.

There is much that needs to be done for our AMLCFT Regime to get where it needs to be to have a successful mutual evaluation in 2022.

We need all hands, all agencies and entities on board to implement the recommendations within the Action

Plan. A great deal of work is required relating to updating legislation. Stakeholders also need to effectively execute their roles. These include reporting entities, supervisors and other regulators.”

Langevine also pointed out that the recommendation two (2) of the FATF 40 recommendations requires that the NRA process be reviewed regularly. He said that best practice is for this to be done every three to four years. He also advised that an authority or body be identified to coordinate the country’s AMLCFT policies. “This ensures there is a documented national strategy that emphasises cooperation and coordination of efforts between the policy makers, FIU, the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and other competent authorities, to combat ML, TF and prolif-

eration of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD,)” Langevine said.

“Getting this right will also not be cheap, but it is an investment that we cannot afford not to make.

The alternative will be much costlier to our nation and its citizens,” he warned. The NRA Report and Risk Based Action Plan are the result of fourteen (14) months of arduous work by 74 persons from 21 Government Agencies and 17 Private Sector entities. The documents are based on extensive data accumulation and analysis.

The NRA identifies the vulnerable and high-risk sectors of the country’s economy, as it relates to ML and TF. The detailed action plan addresses how to mitigate these identified risks. (GINA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

GFF hires consultant; moving ahead with ‘Mexico gate’ investigation

By Rawle Toney PRESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde says his federation is moving ahead with its investigation into the 2014

World Cup qualifier return game between Guyana and Mexico, despite former president Franklin Wilson calling it “a waste of resources”.

The Golden Jaguars had lost 3-1 to Mexico at the Azteca and local fans were anxious about their mouth-watering return game at the Guyana National Stadium during their historic run at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, but the GFF sold the hosting rights for the game, which was then hosted at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on October 12, 2012.

It has been one of the biggest kept secrets in Guyana’s football since, and at the last GFF Ordinary Congress, the affiliated members passed a motion which was unanimously supported, for the Executive Committee to thoroughly investigate how much money was made from the ‘shift’ and whether or not an agreement was made to pay the players a percentage of what was received from the deal.

Wilson, the president of the GFF at the time, stated that while he welcomes and respects the right of the members of the federation to have information surrounding the Guyana vs Mexico match played in Houston, Texas, USA, he is adamant that all relevant information, pertaining to that match, is in the possession of the GFF. But yesterday, Forde pointed out, “While I respect the former president’s views, I’m obligated to respect the members’ decision which was made at the highest decision-making forum in the country. It was a unanimous decision for us to move ahead and investigate the matter. So we have to peruse the mandate which is to investigate the matter as thorough as possible.”

“We have a consultant here, working on that and we will meet the 14-day process. Right now we are putting together the dossier for any investigator,” Forde added.

According to Wilson, it

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was not the desire of the-then GFF to just move the game but a number of factors resulted in such a decision being made, including meagre local funding, no funding from thethen Government, lack of resources to host the game along with the fact that Guyana had already lost out on the opportunity to advance further in the competition, as well as the necessity for the federation to supplement its income to meet expenses and indebtedness already incurred.

Wilson noted that the contracts that were entered into with Sponsports, the letter from FIFA granting permission for the game to proceed as well as one from the US Soccer Federation giving approval for the game to be played in their jurisdiction were sent to His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony.

“The GFF is also in possession of information on the sums actually received in cash.

In addition, this information as well as documentation regarding the expenditure on the Men’s Senior National Football team during the period January to November 2012 was shared with the media at a press conference held at the GFF in December 2012,” Wilson reasoned.

Asked about if the documents are indeed in the possession of the GFF, Forde stated, “I’m not sure I want to comment on what Mr. Wilson means by ‘all’. I’m sure he will be able to elaborate on that if he’s asked by you guys (the media).”

Wilson is of the view that “there is no need to expend much-needed dollars to unearth what transpired when the facts that can lead to closure on this issue are already accessible and in the possession of the GFF. Closure of this would be a plus for all and sundry and Guyana as a whole.”

Forde only stopped short at saying that the GFF intends to thoroughly investigate the matter.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Djokovic knocked out of French Open as Nadal goes through DEFENDING champion Novak Djokovic is out of the French Open following a straight-sets defeat by Dominic Thiem.

The Serbian second seed was second best throughout to powerful-hitting Thiem, losing 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-0 in Paris.

It is the Austrian sixth

seed’s first victory over Djokovic and he will now play Rafael Nadal in the last four.

Nadal reached the semis

after fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta withdrew from their match with an abdominal injury while trailing 6-2, 2-0.

Fourth seed Nadal is

aiming to win a record 10th title at Roland Garros having become just the fifth man to reach 10 semi-finals at a single Grand Slam in the Open era.

Both matches were delayed from Tuesday because of rain.

In 2016, Djokovic won the French Open title to become the first man since 1969 to hold all four Grand

three terrible backhands gave his opponent the tie-break.

Djokovic’s mental and physical vulnerability was then ruthlessly exposed as Thiem took the second before emphatically sealing the third to love to take the match.

It was the first time Djokovic has lost a set to love at a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2005.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic looks dejected after losing his quarter-final match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)

Slam titles at the same time.

Since then, the 30-yearold has lost in the third round at Wimbledon, suffered defeat in the US Open final, and lost in round two at the Australian Open. He has now failed to progress past the last eight in Paris for the first time since 2010.

“The last couple of tournaments I have had some great tournaments and it was unfortunate to finish Roland Garros in this way,” said Djokovic.

“This is a whole new situation for me, not winning a big tournament for eight or nine months - this hasn’t happened for a while.

“All the top players have gone through that and I have to learn lessons and figure how to get through.

It is a big challenge and I’m up for it.”

He was unable to cope with the power of 23-year-old Thiem, who hit 38 winners - 20 from his dominant forehand - in total to Djokovic’s 18.

The match was a total reversal of the last time the two met, when Thiem managed to win just a single game three weeks ago in Rome.

Thiem demonstrated his appetite for the fight in a brutally physical first set lasting 73 minutes, which Djokovic led 4-2 but a double-fault handed a break back before

“The third set, obviously, nothing was going my way and everything his way.

It was a pretty bad set,” added Djokovic. “I think it was decided in the first set, I tried but I lost a crucial break at the start of the second set.

“He deserved to win; he was definitely the better player on the court.”

Tournament favourite Nadal, 31, has won the French Open title on each of the nine previous occasions he has advanced past the quarter-finals.

He has now recorded 100 best-of-five-sets victories on clay from just 102 matches, with his only defeats coming at Roland Garros, to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 and Djokovic in the 2015 quarter-finals.

Nadal has also dropped just 22 games through five matches in Paris, bettering his previous low of 25 en route to the last four in 2008.

He broke Carreno Busta four times to take the first set, at the end of which the world number 21 needed a lengthy break to have treatment and bandaging applied to his stomach.

Carreno Busta lasted just two games of the second set before retiring to extend Nadal’s French Open record to an incredible 77 wins and just two losses.

(BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Pakistan back in Champions Trophy GCB/Hand-in-Hand Under-19 second round Inter-county race as rain helps their cause matches rescheduled

(REUTERS) - Pakistan edged South Africa by 19 runs on the Duckworth/ Lewis method at Edgbaston yesterday to restore their Champions Trophy hopes as rain continued to wreak havoc with the tournament.

Hasan Ali led a disciplined bowling display that helped Pakistan to restrict South Africa to 219 for eight wickets in their 50 overs and they were 119 for three in reply after 27 overs when rain stopped play.

The match was abandoned two hours later, as the rain persisted, to hand Pakistan their first points of the tournament and leave them with a chance to go through to the semi-finals if they beat Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Monday in their last group game.

Pakistan had lost to India in their opening match on Sunday, suffering a crushing 124-run defeat as they chased a rain-revised target.

South Africa, who were

the top-ranked one-day team going into the tournament, now face a tough fight with India at the Oval on Sunday if they are to advance.

South Africa, Pakistan and Group B leaders India, who take on Sri Lanka in

eight overs while Junaid Khan and Imad Wasim also contributed with two wickets each.

David Miller toiled to keep South Africa’s batting from not imploding further as Pakistan took regular wickets to shackle an impressive bat-

Hasan Ali

their second match today, are all tied on two points.

The top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.

Hasan Ali took two wickets in successive balls on his way to figures of 3-24 off

ting line-up.

Miller finished not out on 75 off 104 balls after a dogged innings that included a 48run partnership with Kagiso Rabada for the eighth wicket.

South Africa suffered two ‘golden ducks’ with captain

AB de Villiers dismissed with his first delivery for the first time in his ODI career, slashing the ball to Mohammad Hafeez at backward point, and Wayne Parnell also going first ball when he was cleanbowled by Hasan Ali. Morne Morkel came on as first change to remove both of Pakistan’s openers in his second over and reduce Pakistan to 41-2 in their reply. Debutant Fakhar Zaman went for 31 and was followed two balls later by Azhar Ali for nine.

Morkel had Hafeez caught in the deep for a third wicket but by then Pakistan had accelerated the run rate and gone ahead of South Africa on the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Inclement weather has produced two ‘no-result’ matches and interrupted others with a 20 percent probability of rain for today’s India v Sri Lanka showdown in London, according to forecasters.

GBTI Open Tennis

Leacock/Lopes make it into men’s doubles quarterfinals IT WAS youth over experience as Daniel Lopes and Leyland Leacock took down Andre Lopes and Sandeep Chand in a round of 16 match in the Men’s doubles of the GBTI Open tennis tournament, which concluded its second day of play at the courts of the GBTI Sports Club, in Bel Air. Daniel’s big serving raddled the opponents, as the teams traded games until the set was up 5-all. Lopes and Chand had a hard time holding their own serve, handing the set 7-5 to Daniel and Leacock.

Lopes and Chand adjusted their defence and game strategy, but still saw the second set go 6-2 in Lopes and Leacock’s favour. A finalist from last year’s tournament, when he partnered with Nicholas Fenty, Leacock is trying to see if he can battle his way to another final.

Last year’s Men’s doubles champion, Anthony Downes, who had partnered Harry Panday for the win, this year teamed up with Jason Andrews and the pair moved on after they received a walkover from Jamal Goodluck and Darren King.

In another Men’s double match, the junior pair of Vadeanand Resaul and Adesh

Khayyam showed the character of future champions, as they fought with intensity for every point, against Albert Razick and his son Daniel Razick.

However Resaul and

Khwan Rondney next in the round 16, with both men hoping to make their first GBTI Men’s Open quarterfinal.

Meanwhile, on the distaff side, Kalyca Fraser and

Nathalie Ramdyhan, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

In other matches of the day: Boys’ round of 32 Ridhwaan Kasim fell against Brazilian Alexandre

Sandeep Chand and Andre Lopes (left) lose to Daniel Lopes and Leyland Leacock in Day 2 of the GBTI Open.

Khayyam still went under 4-6, 1-6, as the tactical strength of their opponents overpowered them.

In the Men’s Open, Andrews ousted Kester Abrams 6-3, 6-3. Abrams had several moments to tip the momentum in the match, creating good angles and guiding several passing winners, but he just kept racking up errors.

Andrews will face

Sarah Klautky got past their semi-final matches to set up their place in the Girls’ final, while in the Ladies’ doubles they will go from being adversaries to partners, as they disposed of Kury Cobham and Grace McCalman 6-4, 6-2.

In the Girls’ semifinals Fraser overpowered Alana Chung’s strong backhands to win 6-3, 6-2, while Klautky got the better of

DeAlmedia 6-2, 6-0.

Ravin Ramprasad achieved a 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 win against Tai Downes.

Khalid Gobin outplayed Adesh Khayyam 7-5, 6-1..

Akil Brown upset Wayne Baker 6-4, 1-6, 11-9.

Shimron Lewis gained a walkover against Daniel Kellman.

Nigel Lowe was too much for Ariel Khan, defeating him 6-1, 6-0.

THE Guyana Cricket Board and Hand-in-Hand Under-19 Inter-county three-day tournament, which was set to enter its second round of matches, today, has been rescheduled to commence tomorrow, June 9, 2017.

This is due to persistent rainfall over the last two days, which has created extreme doubts of the possibility of play from today.

The first round of matches saw Berbice and Demerara emerge winners, with Demerara trouncing Essequibo by an innings and 106 runs and Berbice overcoming the National Select Under-17 in an evenly contested match.

The venues and assigned matches remain the same, with the Guyana Select Under-17 taking on Demerara at Everest Cricket Club ground and Essequibo facing Berbice at Police Sports Club ground.

Both matches will start at 10:00hrs.

Albert Rose Memorial 50-mile cycle road race set for Sunday in Linden

FOR the second consecutive year, the Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycle Club, in collaboration with the Rose family of Linden, will stage a 50-mile cycle road race in memory of former top local cyclist Albert Rose.

The event, which is open to cyclists countrywide, will see the top wheelsmen in the senior, junior, veteran and female categories receive cash and trophies.

The juveniles, however, will receive trophies only.

Females, juveniles and veterans over 50 years of age will contest a one-lap race while the seniors, juniors and veterans under 45 years of age will battle over three laps.

The event will pedal off from outside the GTT office, David Rose Street in Linden and proceed to Moblissa Hill on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway before finishing at Bamia Hill.

Albert Rose died of a heart attack two years ago.

WBC honours Guyanese boxers for participation in 2nd amateur boxing series T H E Wo r l d B o x i n g Council (WBC) has honoured the local boxers who participated in the Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC) second edition of their WBC’s amateur boxing series which was staged recently at the Giftland Mall, East Coast Demerara.

At a simple ceremony held at the Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers Office, High Street, Georgetown last Tuesday, GBBC president Peter Abdool presented Akea Lamazon, Duel Augustine, Rewinna David and Kelon Isaacs

with emblazoned caps and jerseys as well as medals, compliments of the WBC. The GBBC president said the gift is a token of appreciation and he urged the pugilists to stay in the gym, in preparation for the third edition of the event which will be staged next month.

Abdool said that this tournament will take place even in the absence of professionals. The cost will be somewhat reduced and organisers will still be able to achieve their objective.

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

CONCACAF, Jamaica gov’t hail late Burrell’s legacy KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Continental governing body, CONCACAF, has led an outpouring of tributes for Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell, who passed away in the United States on Tuesday.

Jamaican Burrell, a seminal figure in regional football, served as a senior vice-president on the CONCACAF executive and also sat on the disciplinary committee of football’s world governing body, FIFA. “Captain Burrell’s commitment and vision for the sport contributed to creating a strong legacy for the game within the region,” a statement from the Miami-headquartered organisation said.

“With his passion and spirit, he was a tireless supporter of his country’s football development.”

CONCACAF governs football in North, Central American and the Caribbean.

Cricket West Indies also hailed Captain Burrell’s contribution to sports development across the region, noting he

had left a strong legacy.

“Jamaica’s football made an indelible mark on the world in 1998 – Captain Burrell and his team led that journey,” CWI president Dave Cameron said in a statement.

“We acknowledge his tremendous efforts to develop and grow the sport, not just in Jamaica, but in the Caribbean region. He stayed close to cricket and always had tips to share. His contribution will always be remembered.”

The Jamaica government also paid tribute to Burrell, with Prime Minister Andrew Holness describing the national sporting icon, businessman and philanthropist, as a loss to many communities throughout the island.

“Captain Burrell dedicated his life to serving Jamaica.

He had a dream that Jamaica could compete with the best of the best in the football field,” Holness said.

“He was dedicated in ensuring Jamaica realised that dream of being in the World Cup finals with the Reggae Boyz in 1998.”

At the time of his death Captain Burrell remained active in his companies as chief executive officer and founder of both Captain’s Bakery and Captain’s Aviation Service.

The prime minister said Captain Burrell was one of

Captain Burrell received Jamaica’s fourth highest national honour, the Commander of the Order of Distinction (CD) in 1998. He also received the highest award, Order of Merit, from the world football governing body, FIFA. Former Prime Minister

Captain Horace Burrell passed away in the United States on Monday.

Jamaica’s finest who was dedicated to Jamaicans.

“The nation has lost not only a father of our international football reputation but also a man who invested significantly in community development through Captain’s Bakery by sponsoring many leagues throughout the island.”

Portia Simpson Miller said Burrell’s place was cemented in the region’s sporting history as he was the leading force in taking the Reggae Boyz to the 1998 World Cup in France.

“Captain Burrell with his flamboyance and bravado achieved this feat because he believed in himself and in the power and skill of the Jamai-

ca people,” Simpson-Miller said in a statement.

“He was never afraid to knock on doors and think outside of the box as he tried to make the young Reggae Boyz a success.

“Captain Burrell also used his position in CONCACAF to advance Jamaica’s football and ensure that we were treated fairly.

“He exhibited admirable corporate social responsibility and was always giving whether through his bakery or helping young football talents.

“Jamaica, Football and the sporting fraternity have lost a giant and I have lost a friend…

Walk good, my dear Captain!

May your soul rest in peace and light perpetual shine upon you,” Simpson Miller added.

Another former Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, described Burrell as a “big figure” who would not be easy to replace.

“We have suffered a monumental loss. He was a big figure and it’s not going to be easy to replace him but I am sure he would want us to continue on the journey and he

would want to reap the eternal rest which he deserves and I personally can attest to the epic quality of his contribution to the development of Jamaica,” said Patterson.

“It’s the loss of one who has stood at the very forefront in the cause of advancing the excellence of Jamaica in sports. When he became the president he had a very clear mission and that was to take us to the World Cup Finals in France.

“He shared that idea with me as he travelled one afternoon from Jamaica House to Montego Bay for the opening of Jarrett Park as a major centre for sports in western Jamaica and he said to me ‘Prime Minister, I have one clear ambition – I want the Jamaica football team to be present in France’ and I said to him what can I do to assist in that process and he said I want a coach from Brazil,” Patterson added.

Captain Burrell served as JFF president between 1994 and 2003 and then again from 2007 until his passing.

Taylor hits half-century but Windies Gilchrist expects Australia pay row to end soon Women lose warm-up match

LOUGHBOROUGH, England (CMC) – West Indies Women captain Stafanie Taylor showed early glimpses of form but the Caribbean side lost a warm-up match to a strong England Women XI here yesterday, as they continued to gear up for the ICC Women’s World Cup later this month.

The right-hander, who struggled somewhat in this year’s Regional Super50 Championship, struck an attractive 60 as the tourists were dismissed for a disappointing 150 off 49.3 overs at Loughborough University.

Veteran Deandra Dottin chipped in with 25 and open-

er Hayley Matthews, 22, but they were three of only four to reach double figures.

Matthews put on 39 for the first wicket with the

Women captain Stafanie Taylor

uncapped Felicia Walters (12) before she was bowled

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday June 08, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Joe Root (ENG) (2) Liam Plunkett (ENG): 4/59 (10 overs) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which was the first game in ICC Champions Trophy 2017 to end in a ‘No Result’?

(2) How many points the Australians garnered after their first two games of the competition?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

by seamer Anya Shrubsole, leading to a slide where four wickets fell for 15 runs to leave the Windies Women on 54 for four in the 22nd over.

However, Taylor and Dottin then combined to revive the innings in a 54-run stand. Taylor faced 86 balls and counted five fours and a six while Dottin struck two fours and a six in 50-ball knock.

Once Dottin perished in the 39th over, however, the innings declined again as the last five wickets tumbled for 25 runs.

Seamer Natalie Sciver finished with four for 39 while off-spinner Danielle Hazell picked up three for 21.

In reply, England easily overhauled their target but batted the full 50 overs, to finish on 281 for seven.

Dottin claimed two for 14 with her medium pace while leg-spinner Afy Fletcher finished two for 32.

The game was part of the Caribbean side’s ongoing preparation camp before the ICC Women’s World Cup bowls off from June 24 to July 23.

(REUTERS) - Former Australia Test player Adam Gilchrist can relate to the ongoing pay dispute between the board and the cricketers and is optimistic of a timely resolution of the row which has cast a shadow of doubt over this year’s Ashes series.

Australia faces a possible player strike or lockout if the protracted negotiation over a new pay deal for the country’s international and state cricketers cannot be resolved by the June 30 deadline, when current contracts expire.

Gilchrist’s career was in the nascent stage when the current revenue-sharing model came into effect in 1997 and the former stumper-batsman could see the similarities.

“The players are sticking together with that unity, and that was certainly the case back then and I was a young player having my very first contract with Cricket Australia dangled in front of me, and here were my senior peers saying: ‘Don’t sign it, don’t break, don’t crumble’,” he told Fox Sports.

“And we didn’t, and 20 years later conditions are fantastic for players now. There’s no doubt about that. So that end result has been terrific.

There’ll be an end; there

will be an end to it.

“We’re nearly at June 30, so that’s approaching quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been meeting in the last few days, the players’ association and the board. I think both sides are

The players’ union has criticised CA for acting like a “heavy monopoly” and demanded the negotiation continues.

“So while the players feel CA has gone about this all wrong, they are

Former Australia Test player Adam Gilchrist

going to have to compromise,” added Gilchrist.

Vice-captain David Warner has revealed the threat of Australian cricketers skipping the Ashes series, starting in November, against England was a reality.

“If we are unemployed we have no contracts, we can’t play,” he told reporters in England, where the side are playing the Champions Trophy.

At the heart of the dispute is the arrangement whereby the players share a fixed percentage of up to 26 percent of CA revenue, a model the board said was “starving” the grassroots of the game of funding.

still prepared to offer good faith and solutions,” Alistair Nicholson, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, wrote in column for the Herald Sun. “What needs to happen is that CA move somewhere towards the middle, because the players are already there. Ready and waiting for common sense to prevail.”

Gilchrist said he had spoken to both parties and believed the CA had made a fair offer to the players.

“I think Cricket Australia is offering a very, very fair deal for players. No one is going to go without and everyone is growing and increasing.”

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, June 8, 2017

Sparta Boss on brink of elimination … Futsal kings in must-win game tonight THE reputed ‘kings of futsal’ in Guyana are trotting on the line of elimination from the inaugural Xtreme Clean & Maintenance/GT Beer ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament, following their 4-2 loss to Tucville on Tuesday evening at the National Gymnasium.

The defeat means that the star-studded team will now have to win tonight’s clash against Sophia in order to stand a chance of advancing to the tournament’s quarter-final stage.

Buoyed by an exceptional team performance, Tucville, with goals from Jahaal Greaves (7th), Raphael Edwards (9th), Delon Williams (13th) and Jermaine Junior (20th) showed why, despite not having ‘big names’, are still considered one of the top teams in the tournament.

Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’

Richardson had given Sparta Boss an early lead with his goal in the opening minute of the game, but ‘Sparta’ was kept at bay with some excellent defending and goalkeeping, and were only able so score in the closing minutes of the encounter through Eusi ‘Boney Man’ Phillips.

Meanwhile, the eagerly anticipated battle between the experienced Bent Street and Future Stars lived up to all expectations as they traded goals in an electrifying first half which ended 2-2.

Ralph Parris (3rd) and Jamal Cozier (7th) were Future Stars goalscorers while Daniel Wilson netted a double for Bent Street; scoring in the 2nd and 5th minute.

Melvorn Ross (13th) and Devon Dooker (20th) scored for Albouystown in their 2-0 victory over Tiger Bay, while Back Circle bounced back from a lacklustre opening game to inflict a crushing

5-0 win over North Ruimveldt.

Broad Street Bullies scraped past Plaisance 4-3 in another entertaining slugfest. Sophia showed little mercy in their 4-0 drubbing of Agricola Champion Boys to boost their chance of a quarter-final spot.

The winning team will receive $500 000 and the championship trophy, while second-, third- and fourthplace finishers take home $200 000, $100 000 and $50 000 respectively. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) will receive $50 000.

The final round of the round-robin phase concludes this evening at the same venue with Future Stars versus Plaisance; Agricola battling Tucville; Albouystown challenging North Ruimveldt; Bent Street colliding with Broad Street and Back Circle facing Tiger Bay.

Part of the action on Tuesday evening in the Xtreme Clean & Maintenance/GT Beer ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament

Guyana’s Olympian Aubrey Gordon wins gold RHTY&SC/DMLAS Cricket Development at USA Masters Road National Criterium Programme bowls off to rousing start

Coach Delbert Hicks poses with some of his young cricketers.

Guyana’s Olympian Aubrey Gordon stands at the top of the podium after winning the gold medal at the 2017 USA Masters Road National Criterium on Sunday.

AUBREY Gordon has been described as Guyana’s most disciplined and dedicated athlete and he lived up to that reputation last Sunday, when, at age 64 years, he rode away with a gold medal in the 2017 USA Cycling Masters Road National Criterium in Augusta Georgia.

Gordon was a 1972 Guyana Olympian at the Munich Games as well as a 1975 Pan American Games representative.

After the 1972 Munich Olympics, the then Chefde-Mission of that contingent, former president of the Guyana Olympics Association and former High Court Judge, the late Aubrey Bishop, had remarked at a GOA ceremony held to honour Guyana’s Olympians that Gordon had been up to then, Guyana’s most dedicated and disciplined athlete.

Last Sunday, Gordon, a former national champion,

now representing Liberty Cycling Inc., returned a time of 40:17.00 to win the Masters Criterium ahead of Kent Bostwick of Globalbike and Glenn Schneider of LCT Bill Bone Bike Law respectively.

A total of 50 cyclists participated in the event but only 39 completed the course.

Gordon had won the event which was open to cyclists between the ages of 60 and 64 years in 2012 and placed third in 2014.

THE Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society (DMLAS)-sponsored Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club MS Cricket Development Programme bowled off last Thursday at the Area ‘H’ ground to a rousing start.

Senior Club coach Delbert Hicks with assistance from the Club vice-president Mark Papannah successfully supervised over 60 youths in a three-hour session of physical exercise, fielding and pitch practice.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the launching of the RHTY&SC/DMLAS Cricket Development Programme as a major step in making sure that the Club retains its status as one of Guyana’s leading cricket clubs.

The RHTY&SC MS has won the Guyana Cricket Clubof-the-Year Award five times – 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016 and the team also won three

national championships among fifty-three major titles since its formation in 1990 by threetime Commonwealth Youth Service Awardee, the St Francis Community Developers.

The DMLAS programme runs until the end of 2017 and Foster expressed confidence that it would be renewed for 2018 as the RHTY&SC MS intends to develop a fruitful relationship with the insurance giant.

Under the programme, DMLAS is standing the cost of a monthly stipend to the coach and providing balls and equipment for the coaching seasons.

The long-serving Secretary/CEO stated that the main objectives of the programme are to make sure that every youth in the Club fulfils his/ her potential in cricket, to get them to understand their status as sports ambassadors and role models, to instil the virtue of

personal discipline, to promote the importance of physical discipline, to promote the importance of physical fitness and to educate them on topics of importance to them.

The programme includes three days of pitch practice along with fitness workouts, practice matches on selected weekends and classroom lectures to be conducted by senior club executives.

Topics to be covered are Drug Abuse, Personal Hygiene, Importance of Education, History of Cricket, Laws of Cricket, Structure of West Indies Cricket, Suicide, Depression, among others.

The RHTY&SC/DMLAS Programme would only involve members of the club while the Annual Cricket Academy, which is to be held from July 11 to 21, would be open to youths across Berbice.

CONCACAF, Jamaica gov’t hail late Burrell’s legacy See Page 26

GFF and other stakeholders, flanked by players and staff of the National U-15 team yesterday

National U-15 team honoured by NSC, Scotiabank, Ansa McAl, NAMILCO and COURTS

By Rawle Toney THE triumphant National U-15 team were yesterday honoured by COURTS Guyana Inc., the National Sports Commission (NSC), Ansa McAl, the National Milling Company (NAMILCO) and Scotiabank, for their outstanding performance at the just concluded SOUALIGA Cup in St Martin.

Guyana finished undefeated, scoring eight goals in the six games played, while being able to keep a clean sheet throughout the ten-team tournament.

The Bryan Joseph-coached side played

to a scoreless draw in their matches against Barbados and Guadeloupe, but would beat Martinique 1-0 in their third game, and then crush the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in their quarter-final match.

Guyana clinched their spot in the final with a 1-0 win over Dominica, with Technical Director Ian Greenwood showering the team with praise for their level of play, but stated that the journey has only now began.

Greenwood explained that the tournament in St Martin served as preparation for the CONCACAF U-15 tournament which will

be played from August 13-19 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and based on what he saw from the Junior Jaguars, certainly, they will be top contenders in the USA. Meanwhile, Scotiabank, who teamed up with the GFF to fund their Academy Training Centres (ATC), were extremely pleased with the team’s results in St Martin, with the Banks Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Jennifer Cipriani, calling it a worthwhile investment.

Cipriani added that as a sponsor, she is overwhelmed to see results coming out of their funding of the ATCs

WBC honours Guyanese boxers for participation in 2nd amateur boxing series See Page 25

In this Delano Williams photograph, Orlan `Pocket Rocket’ Rogers (left) and Rewinna David (right) display the caps, jerseys and medals in the presence of GBBC president Peter Abdool (centre).

and as such, pledged Scotiabank’s commitment for future partnership at the youth level.

Cipriani also presented prizes to seven goalscorers (Orville Daniels, Ronaldo Rodrigues, Tyrel Khan, Ken Salvador, Omari Glasgow, Troni Semple and Jermaine Garrett).

COURTS Guyana Inc. Marketing Manager Pernell Cummings, said his company is big on youth development in football, and spoke of their continued sponsorship of the COURTS PeeWee football tournament.

Cummings said he’s happy that Guyana excelled on the

regional stage and wished the team continued success as they head on to the CONCACAF tournament.

COURTS handed out two tablets to team captain Joshua Braithwaite for outstanding leadership, as well as Wayne Da Silva who was adjudged Player-of-the-Tournament.

Sean Abel, Ansa McAl’s non-alcoholic brand manager, pointed out that his executives have continuously demonstrated their unwavering support for football in Guyana through their many sponsorship of the various leagues at the association level and even the country’s National League.

Abel also presented vouchers on behalf of his company to the squad.

Meanwhile, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, said that Guyana should be proud of the team, as it truly represents the ten administrative regions of Guyana.

Jones noted that Government of Guyana was pleased with the team’s performance and will work closely with the GFF to ensure that the team is properly prepared for the CONCACAF tournament in August.

The Director of Sport also presented the team and staff with the NSC’s Medal of Achievement.

GFF hires consultant; moving ahead with ‘Mexico gate’ investigation

GFF president Wayne Forde

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See Page 23

Former GFF president Franklin Wilson THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017