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No. 104730
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
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US election 2016 result ...
Too close to call At 02:00hrs this morning, polls across the US, with the exception of Alaska, were declared closed. At the time, Trump was projected to win the key battleground states of Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, as well as a host of Republican strongholds. The states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, however, were declared “too close to call.” Clinton, on the other hand, was projected to win the swing state of Virginia and the Northeastern states. Up to press time, Trump was only 26 electoral votes away from securing the 270 votes needed. See more in tomorrow’s paper. Voters in Brooklyn, New York awaiting the election results early this morning
SCCR recommends:
Rice Board Bandits nabbed AG should not GM still 15 in Republic 14 sit in Cabinet on the job … House should be 3 Park hideout … despite fraud charges allowed to cut the budget Page
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Haiti launches cholera vaccination campaign HAITI’S ministry of health and international aid organisations on Tuesday launched a cholera vaccination campaign. Their aim is to vaccinate about 820,000 people within a week. The campaign comes after a rise in cholera cases following the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, which hit the country on 4 October. Cholera has killed around 10,000 people since 2010, when UN peacekeepers introduced it to Haiti. Last August, the UN acknowledged it had played a role in the outbreak, after scientific studies showed that Nepalese UN troops were the source of the disease. The troops had emptied toilet waste into the Meille River,
Children sourcing water in cholera-plagued Haiti a major water source. The vaccination campaign is believed to be one of the largest of its kind after a natural disaster. One million doses of the vaccine were shipped to Haiti ahead of the campaign.
Thousands of health workers will administer the oral vaccine to people in 16 communities in the provinces of Grande-Anse and Sud, which were worst hit by Hurricane Matthew. According to UN figures,
the number of suspected cholera cases in Haiti rose to about 3,000 in the wake of the hurricane. Experts warn that the vaccine is not a complete solution. They say that one dose is about 65% effective for a period of six months. Health workers delivering the vaccines will also provide advice on how to prevent the spread of cholera. They say hand washing, chlorinating the water, and washing food are key.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
SCCR recommends:
AG should not sit in Cabinet … House should be allowed to cut the budget
By Svetlana Marshall THE Attorney General should not be a member of Cabinet and the National Assembly must be able to amend estimates presented by the Finance Minister are two of the key recommendations made by the Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform (SCCR). The committee’s recommendations are contained in a report which was submitted to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on April 30, 2016 by Nigel Hughes who headed the committee. The SCCR was established last August to draft a work programme and make recommendations for constitutional reform, a process for which repeated calls have been made. It was comprised of Hughes; former Director of Transparency International, Attorney-at-law, Gino Persaud; Professor Harold Lutchman; former magistrate, Geeta Chandan-Edmond; and former chief economist at the Central Bank, the late Haslyn Parris. The APNU+AFC Coalition had lobbied relentlessly for constitutional reform, and had made it a major platform issue during its pre-election campaign. In its framework for constitutional reform, the Committee said consideration should be given to address the effects and consequences of the decision of the court in the matter of Attorney General, V Raphael Trotman. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC), while in Opposition, had made significant cuts and amendments to the National Budgets, which were laid in the House by the then Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh. In 2012 when the cuts were initially made by the joint parliamentary Opposition, the then Attorney
General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall had moved to the courts. A pproximately, tw o years after the then Chief Justice, Ian Chang ruled that the cuts made by the Opposition to the 2012 budget were unlawful. In his 21 page ruling, the Chief Justice said “…while the Assembly may approve or not approve the Minister’s estimates of expenditure, it has no power to amend those estimates by way of reduction (or of increase). It is the executive Minister’s estimates and it is he who must amend them to obtain the Assembly’s approval so that the Cabinet may recommend or consent to the presentation of an Appropriation Bill to the Assembly for passing for the purpose of charging those estimates to the Consolidated Fund.” As such, the Justice Chang had ruled that the National Assembly through the Committee of Supply had acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally in purporting to reduce or cut the Estimates of Expenditure of the Minister of Finance for the financial year 2012. “The court sees it fit to further declare that the power of the National Assembly is limited to giving or withholding its approval for the Minister’s estimates…,” the ruling stated. President David Granger, while seated as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, had voiced his concerns days after the ruling was made. The then Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman had said that the ruling can have far reaching implications for the commonwealth parliamentary system. He had argued that the National Assembly’s power to approve and amend budgetary estimates is a long established one. Though not issuing any justification for its recommendation, the SCCR is of the opinion that provisions should be made in the Con-
stitution to have amendments made to the estimates at the level of the National Assembly. “The National Assembly should be expressly vested with the power to amend and vary estimates presented by the Minister of Finance or other competent and authorised member of the National Assembly,” the committee recommended. PROROGUE OF PARLIAMENT Another major recommendation coming out of the framework for Constitutional Reform was another matter which had gained national, regional and even international attention – Prorogation. In offering its recommendations, the SCCR said that “the provisions regarding the president’s powers to prorogue or dissolve parliament should be considered for amendment with particular regard to restricting the exercise of this power in limited defined circumstances.” In Guyana, the word “prorogue” was made famous by one of its former President Donald Ramotar. Ramotar served as President from 2011 to 2015. While in Office, Ramotar on November 10, 2014 issued a proclamation to prorogue Parliament, in an attempt to prevent the National Assembly, which was controlled by the Opposition, from debating a no confidence motion which was brought against his Administration by then Vice-Chairman of the Alliance for Change, Moses Nagamootoo. The then President, in justifying his action, said it was done in keeping with Section 70 (1) of the Constitution. According to Section 70 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, “The President may at any time by proclamation prorogue Parliament” and “The President may at any time by proclamation dis-
solve Parliament.” More than a month after announcing that General and Regional Elections will be held on May 11, 2015, Ramotar on February 24, 2015 announced the dissolution of Parliament following its prorogation. AG SHOULD NOT SIT IN CABINET Additionally, the Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform is recommending that the Attorney General be excluded from Cabinet. In its submissions the committee said “The Attorney General should be excluded from membership of Cabinet in order to allow him to remain unbiased and impartial in his advice to the
Government of Guyana.” However, it opined that the Attorney General may attend and participate in Cabinet proceeds periodically, when invited. According to the committee, this is the current practice in England and Wales. It also pointed out that in Trinidad and Tobago, the Chief Justice is appointed by a non-executive President after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition where here in Guyana, the Chancellor and Chief Justice are appointed by the President after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition. JUDGING AFTER RETIREMENT The SCCR opined too
that a judge should be allowed to function even after his or her retirement but in limited circumstances. “It is recommended that provision should be made in the Constitution to allow a Judge who has reached the age of retirement to continue to perform the functions of a judge in limited circumstances, e.g. a judge could continue in office to deliver judgments or to do any other thing in relation to proceedings that were commenced before he or she attained the age of retirement,” the committee said. As such, it is calling for the consideration of section 136(2), 136(3), and 136 (5) of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
US elections history
The United States of America on Tuesday held its presidential elections to elect its 45th president. *To date there have been 43 persons who have served as president of the United States of America. Grover Cleveland served twice and is thus deemed both the 22nd and the 24th US president. *All 43 have been men. *42 have been white men. *18 have been Republicans. 15 have been Democrats. (There were also four who represented the Democratic-Republic party, another four from the Whig Party,
two each from the National Union and Non-Partisan and one Federalist. John Tyler once represented the Whig Party and was, on another occasion unaffiliated. Abraham Lincoln represented both the Republican and the National Union.) *7 presidents died in office. One (Richard Nixon) resigned. *4 presidents - Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John Fitzgerald Kennedy - were assassinated. (Another two - Zachary Taylor and Warren G Harding - were rumoured
to have been assassinated in office). *16 served two terms. Cleveland is the only one of those 16 who did not serve consecutive terms. He served in 1885 to 1889 and was succeeded by Benjamin Harrison then returned for a second term in 1893 to 1897. *Andrew Jackson was the first full-fledged Democrat elected in 1829. The first Republican was Lincoln (1861). *William Henry Harrison had the shortest stint as president, serving just one month (March 4 – April 4, 1841) before he died in office. Har-
rison’s vice president, John Tyler who succeeded him was the first unelected president. *Millard Filmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford all came to office without being elected following the deaths in office of various presidents and in Ford’s case the resignation of Nixon. *There are four former presidents still alive – Jimmy Carter, the two Bushes and William Jefferson ‘Bill’
Clinton. *Ford and Ronald Reagan both lived to be 93 years old though Ford lived longer (93 years and 5 months, Reagan lived 93 years and 4 months). *The president who lived the shortest life was Kennedy who was assassinated at 46 years old. James Garfield who died in office at 49 years old is the only other president not to have lived to be 50. *The Democratic Republicans had the longest stretch of presidents, from 1801 to 1829. *The longest Republican stretch started with Ulysses
Grant in 1869 and ended with Chester Arthur in 1885. *The Democrats have never had more than two consecutive presidencies, the longest being a 12 year spell shared by Roosevelt and Truman. *Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected at 43 years old. Roosevelt however was the youngest ever to be president, after taking office at 42 years when McKinley was assassinated. *Reagan was the oldest president elected at age 69. (Donald Trump is 70, Hillary Clinton is 69).
Buju’s daughter to contest local gov’t election
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The daughter of incarcerated dancehall artiste, Buju Banton is representing the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the lo-
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Buju’s daughter Jordian Myrie
cal government election set to be contested this month. Jodian Myrie, a marketing graduate of the University of Technology
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Jamaica, will represent the Hagley Park Division of the St Andrew East Central constituency, which is represented by Dr Peter Phillips of the People’s
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National Party (PNP). The election is set for November 28, with Nomination Day scheduled for this Friday, November 11. (JamaicaObserver)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Voters face machine problems, long lines in some states WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite Donald Trump’s continued skepticism that the election was on the up and up, few voters who went to the polls Tuesday encountered problems; and even then, most issues involved the usual machine breakdowns and long lines. The run-up to the vote was fraught with unsupported claims by the Republican presidential candidate of a rigged election, and fears that hackers might attack voting systems. He reiterated his claims on Election Day, after his campaign announced it was seeking an investigation in the battleground state of Nevada, over reports that some early voting locations had allowed people to join lines to vote after polls were scheduled to close. Asked on Fox News if he would accept Tuesday’s results, Trump continued to demur. “We’re going to see how things play out,” Trump said, adding: “I want to see everything honest.” Concerns of voter intimidation and fraud led to a flurry of lawsuits in the runup to Election Day, and new voter regulations in more than a dozen states also held the potential to sow confusion at polling places. ROUTINE PROBLEMS But at least in the early going, most of the problems were routine; the kinds of snags that come every four years, like the lines, machines not working properly, and issues with ballots or voter rolls. One New Jersey voter reported waiting three hours, because there were too few
voting machines at her polling place in Jersey City. In Texas, a computer used by election clerks malfunctioned at a polling place inside a high school in suburban Houston, forcing officials to briefly divert voters to another polling place more than two miles away. Fort Bend County Elections Administrator, John Oldham said the malfunctioning console was later replaced with a backup, and voting resumed. Andrea Patience, a 50-year-old pharmacy technician, was among those standing in line when the computer malfunctioned. She said she waited an hour for it to be fixed. Patience said that as many as 100 people were standing in line at the time, and about half of them left. “There were a lot of upset people,” Patience said. “I don’t know if they will come back later, or decide not to vote.” PAPER BALLOTS Election officials in Utah said voting machine problems in the southern part of the state forced poll workers early in the day to use paper ballots. A computer problem in Durham County, North Carolina -- a Democratic stronghold in a state that has been a key battleground in the presidential race — triggered long lines when election officials had to rely on a paper check-in process. There were also sporadic reports of people in North Carolina who said they were not put on the voter rolls despite registering to vote through the Division of Motor Vehicles. The question this year was whether problems would be widespread, and indicate
a pattern of fraud or voter intimidation. Trump had suggested that Philadelphia was among those places ripe for voter fraud. The city’s district attorney, Seth Williams, said
efforts to suppress voters. MINOR SKIRMISHES While there were concerns that the heated rhetoric of the campaign would lead to confrontations at the polls,
another backing Trump led a man to shove one of the women, and spurred others to join in. No arrests were made. This is the first presidential election in which a key enforcement provision of the
Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire casting their ballots yesterday (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
around mid-afternoon that his office had investigated 68 complaints about voter intimidation, broken machines or other problems, a number consistent with the past three presidential elections. He said all had proven unfounded. In the last week alone, Democrats went to court in seven states, seeking to halt what they claim were efforts by Republicans and the Trump campaign to deploy a network of poll watchers hunting for voter fraud. Republicans have disputed claims they are planning to intimidate voters, and judges largely found no evidence of
only a few minor skirmishes were reported. In southeastern Michigan, authorities said an argument outside a polling place between a woman supporting presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton and
Voting Rights Act was not in place. A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down a portion of the law that had required certain states and jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to receive
pre-approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for any election law change. This allowed a number of states, most led by Republican legislatures and governors, to enact strict voter ID laws, and reduce early voting. Legal challenges to some of those voter ID laws have led to a multitude of court rulings in recent months that blocked or struck down some provisions while upholding or reinstating others. That triggered concerns of misinformation among voters, election officials and poll workers. The Supreme Court ruling also prompted the Justice Department to send fewer trained election observers to polling places around the country than in previous years, with the reduction likely to diminish the department’s ability to detect voter intimidation and other potential problems. Meanwhile, state election officials were guarding against any attempt to breach their systems. Previously, some 33 states accepted an offer from the federal government to check their voter databases and reporting systems for vulnerabilities, after hackers attempted to access systems in two states over the summer. (TrinidadExpress)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
GPHC Board baffled over GPSU’s
Editor-In-Chief
Nigel Williams Editor
Godfrey Wray
Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com
Editorial NATIONAL planning emerges from a country’s national policy, and that policy is supported by programmes cutting across regions, and in some cases developed specifically to meet the needs of a respective region, town, community, or demographic. In the past, Guyana, as a young nation, recruited planners with an array of skills, which included disciplines across the spectrum. Such an approach was to ensure that when an idea emerges it fits into the national policy by meeting all the needs, be it culturally appropriate, economically feasible, and the benefit to be derived by the residents and group. Taking the approach of planning minimises the risk of ending up with projects that do not serve the community’s needs or meet acceptable standards of operating within the scope of a country’s limited resources. For instance, there are specific areas of concern/interest to citizens, such as the acquisition of houses, potable water and reliable electricity. Recent information from the Central Housing and Planning Authority revealed that a significant amount of house lots assigned over considerable periods remain unoccupied. Had Government taken the approach of engaging in-depth thought and analysis into the distribution before action was taken, the nation would have been aware that while many are desperate to acquire their own home, for various reasons they could not build it. Some of these may include access to financing and ability to finance a mortgage, absence of infrastructural framework and basic utilities in the designated areas, distance from work and the cost for transportation. During the period when national planning comprised personnel with an array of social and technical disciplines, the nation benefited from structured housing development schemes that realised the emergence of areas such as North and South Ruimveldt, Festival City, and several others across the country. The benefit of this is that these areas were built with the objective of fostering communities and establishing new homesteads and economic opportunities. The act of denuding the State Planning Commission and Secretariat of its planning role and skills opened the country to programmes that have not been well thought out, and delivered limited benefits to receiving communities and demographics. The agency was tasked the responsibility of examining ideas emerging from communities and the government, and advise both as to the feasibility, or absence thereof, of the project. It also performed the duty of continuous analyses of the strengths and weaknesses that emerged during implementation, which presented opportunity for minimising errors in future projects. In addition to the foregoing, there was also the coordinating of local programmes based on national policy. This coordination included the Social Partners (Government, employers organisation and trade union) along with members from communities who were allowed input in conceptualising, planning and development of programmes and projects.
rejection of CoI into matron’s conduct Dear Editor,
THE GPHC Board of Directors has been in receipt of several letters from the GPSU, during the period July 2016 to October 2016, with respect to the Union’s concerns of the Commission of Inquiry involving Ms. Colleen Hicks, Director of Nursing Services. With reference to the Union’s letter dated 22nd July, 2016, the GPHC’s Board of Directors would like to state vividly that it cannot understand the Union’s disagreement and use of the term “obviously biased”, when in fact the Board was in the preliminary stages of deciding on the Commission when this letter was written. As it relates to the second letter, dated 15th September, 2016, although the Union wrote about the Board
being biased and being in disagreement with the Board setting up a Commission of Inquiry, they (the union) still submitted a nominee to sit on the Commission to represent their interest. Their nominee still continues to sit, and is currently active in the work of the Commission of Inquiry. Finally, on the 10th October, 2016, the Board of Directors once again received a letter from the Union, stating that the Guyana Public Service Union is of the view that the Commission of Inquiry is too unwieldy, and that a smaller commission would better serve the purpose. Moreover, the Union felt that persons sitting on the commission should have no relationship with the Georgetown Public Hospital, whether it was past, present or future. The Union further speculated
that it views the commission as a loaded dice, and therefore will not support this Commission of Inquiry. The GPHC Board of Directors is baffled at the Union’s position that the Commission of Inquiry is biased, since the very GPHC Board of Directors has a representative from the Union who participates in the decision making of the Board, and has never objected or rejected the decision to constitute a Commission of Inquiry. The Union representative’s only objection was the size of the committee, and it was clarified in detail that the objective of the committee is to ensure that the inquiry can benefit from a wide cross-section of professionals who can ensure that Ms. Colleen Hicks’s matter is dealt with in a just and transparent manner.
Management of the GPHC, in its effort to operate in a transparent and accountable manner, has always treated the GPSU in a cordial manner, since this is in keeping with the principles set out by the Government of Guyana to ensure that the procedures and proper industrial relations’ practices are exercised to give our employees the right to due process and natural justice. While the governing Board of Directors can only view the GPSU’s position on the Commission of Inquiry as unfortunate, we are determined to operate in an environment where our procedures are transparent in ensuring that our employees are accountable for their actions. Regards, GPHC BOARD
City Constabulary needs to boost crime fighting capacity Dear Editor,
A RECENT media briefing held by the Chief Constable of the Georgetown City Constabulary -- in which he expressed his disappointment at the behaviour displayed by personnel from a private security firm towards ranks of the City Constabulary during an operation the City Council held to seize four fiberglass swimming pools in Ixora Avenue, Bel Air Park -- was indeed quite befuddling. The first thing that confuses me is his conclusion that the conduct of the members of the private security firm would never be tolerated by the Guyana Police Force. How does he know that? I just don’t understand why the City Constabulary always tries to compare itself with the Guyana Police Force when there could hardly be a parallel drawn between the two law enforcement agencies, or, as in local terminology, they would say that it is like comparing chalk to cheese. To begin, the rank in-
volved in the altercation with the private security has a history of misconduct, delinquency, and venality to a level that is unimaginable and which would never be tolerated by the Guyana Police Force or by any of its ranks. Note that none of the members of the private security firm had brandished their weapons, or were as hostile or threatening as this Constabulary rank. His behaviour was uncalled-for and incongruous. But, then again, every vendor that operates in Georgetown can attest to this type of erratic behaviour being a pattern of this senior officer’s, which the City Constabulary and the City Council constantly condones and, in fact, at the moment, having him act in the most senior positions in the City Constabulary. In reality, quite recently, this officer had to be arrested by the very Guyana Police Force, the agency that the City Constabulary is seeking to emulate, in a drunken state in Sophia, at the home of a junior rank of the City
The agency may not have been perfect, and overtime would have required improvement, as with every institution. This is recognised and understood. That being said, there can be no denying that structures can better guide decision-making, given the reliance of evidence-based approaches/science and inclusivity that lead to making the best use of limited resources. The absence of such an institution creates disjointed approach to planning, leading to hodgepodge decision-making and the wastage of resources. Society can recount several instances where decisions were made that resulted in wastage of resources, given that the projects were not properly conceptualised and
Constabulary, after beating her mercilessly in a jealous fit of rage whilst brandishing a service pistol that he was carrying. And he was released only after an appeal was made by his superiors and an affidavit was submitted, which the junior was forced to submit. This officer is just unfit to carry a firearm, and should be allowed to carry only a baton in extreme circumstances. One wonders what he would do shortly, when he is required to hand in his uniform, badge and weapon. But, then again, he may be given the extension he is pleading for, due to the low standards of the City Constabulary. But back to the attempt being made to compare the City Constabulary with the Guyana Police Force: With a history of missing bail money and ammunition; with the alleged unlawful sexual assault by a degenerate male constable of a male minor who was in custody of the City Constabulary; with their constant demand for bribes from vendors, motorists, home owners; with the tatty uniforms they
slovenly wear with their lack of training, they could hardly be compared with the Guyana Police Force. It is sad that the City Constabulary, which has been in existence even before the Guyana Police Force, would be like castaway step-relatives of the National Police; but if they want to be respected, then they have to respect themselves first by carrying themselves with dignity, pride and professionalism. And this will have to start with their recruitment process: by hiring law enforcement officials with the academic, moral and spiritual upbringing that can raise or even surpass the standards of the Guyana Police Force. The City Constabulary needs to improve its ability to tackle crime, give the public protection, and protect vulnerable people before thinking about complaining and comparing themselves to any other agency. Regards, JERMAIN JOHNSON
executed. Hodgepodge approaches also create opportunities to front massive corruption, as against a planning institution where systems are in place to ensure thorough examination from conceptualisation to implementation. The world is becoming more complex, with competition among interests increasing as resources remain limited. In such an environment, in order to meet the diverse needs of the people and for development to take place, it requires doing so through structured and scientific approaches. As such, it may be necessary in this phase of the nation’s evolution to revisit the utility in establishing an appropriate national planning agency.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
UG eyes Camp St edifice for expansion –– says facility will be an income-earning opportunity for the University
By Svetlana Marshall THE University of Guyana (UG) is seriously contemplating occupying the glitzy five-storey building located at Camp and Lamaha streets, Georgetown. It deems the building an ideal location to set up offices as part of its expansion programme, a top official at the Turkeyen-based tertiary
Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives of the University of Guyana, Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw institution has confirmed. Owner of the building, Neal Sukhlall, has said the 40,000 square-foot building is ideal for embassies, call centres or corporate offices, among other entities. The building has an elevator, central air conditioning unit, a conference room, generator with an ATS system, and a pressure pump with a water filtration system. Stabroek News recently reported that the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) was assisting in getting the building rented, and quoted Sukhlall as saying: “We have some interest from GO-Invest, from a company that approached GO-Invest; and we have some… At this point and time, we can’t name the company, but we are in the process of making some adjustments to suit their requirements.” Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday evening, Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives of the University of Guyana, Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, said the administration is currently conducting its due diligence on the building. According to him, the building that was previously rented by the New Thriving Restaurant at Camp
and Lamaha Streets is among a number of buildings in “downtown” Georgetown that are being considered by the Administration. Dr. Yaw made it clear that at this stage no agreement has been reached. “The university is in expansion mode, and we are trying to improve what we do as a university,” he said. In the Administration’s attempt to raise the standards of the tertiary institution, it is faced with “a space issue,” according to Dr. Yaw. “I don’t even have a fixed office,” he disclosed, while alluding to the lack of space to facilitate both lecture theaters and offices. He also said that the move to acquire additional “space” outside of the Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown campus is keeping with the vision of the University, which includes expansion of several programmes and modernization of its operations to match universities across the region and the world at large. Dr. Yaw also spoke to the move by the Administration to enter into partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI). Questioned about the possible cost to rent the five-storey building, Dr. Yaw, though not providing an estimated figure, contended that the “upfront cost” would be higher that the revenues generated during the initial stage of rental, but the operational cost would be reduced once the situation normalises. He noted that the building in question has the capacity to facilitate large conferences, and would create an income-earning opportunity for the University. “We are looking to earn income from conferences,” he said, while noting that the building “has a conference area.” Vice Chancellor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith had, in October, announced that the University would be expanded to include a new location outside of the Turkeyen Campus. He said the move is an attempt to address accommodation issues facing the University in regard to its nearly 8,000 students. During a lunch meeting with reporters, Dr. Griffith disclosed that three locations were identified, but one was seriously being considered. The locations under consideration, and their capacities, were not disclosed by Dr. Griffith, but he committed
to providing full disclosure once an agreement has been arrived at. “What we are doing currently is a business plan as part of pre-discussions with the owner (of the main property of interest),” the Vice Chancellor posited, while noting that if, or when, the business deal is consummated, he would be in a better position to disclose the in-
The University of Guyana is eyeing this building for its expansion programme
UG Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith come-expenditure component of the plan. However, he made it clear that the push to have a new location for the University of Guyana would not result in abandonment of the Turkeyen Campus. PRETENSIONS Dr. Mellissa Ifill, in a Facebook post commenting on the issue, said: “Funny feeling aka intuition is a hell of a thing… It seems as though I’m right. The building at the corner of Lamaha and Camp Streets is to be rented by the University of Guyana because UG wait for it ‘needs a presence in Georgetown.’” Dr. Ifill said apparently “it is irrelevant that Turkeyen, where the main UG campus is located, is actually already in Georgetown, Greater Georgetown. “Apparently it is even more irrelevant that UG cannot afford it. It is however fitting that the proposed UG Georgetown location is said monstrosity, as it reflects the pretensions and ugly ambitions on display at UG.” Dr. Ifill said the expensive flights of fancy and non-transparent hiring and spending practices, if continued unchecked, would bankrupt the university.
“How many more 14-member teams do we need to take to New York? How many more consultants do we need to bring to tell us what we already k n o w a t a s t ro n o m i c a l
rates? How many times do we need to fete and court our 49 education ambassadors for three nights at the Marriott? How many more banquets, talks, conversations do we need to host
at the Marriott, Pegasus, Duke Lodge…I get the need for that, but wouldn’t this purpose be achieved more successfully if we first focused on expunging the rot inside the UG?”
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Georgetown flood relief
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
––how over a billion dollars were saved
THE 2016 rainy season has passed without any significant flooding incident of note. This is a marked departure from the annual ritual of several parts of Georgetown, particularly the key downtown business district, being inundated with flood waters, sometimes for days at a time. A small assortment of news headlines reminds us
electronics, electrical wiring and installations, plumbing and more. The annual inundation of water weakened and caused substantial damage to the foundations of many city properties requiring millions more to repair and strengthen. Persons were forced to build raised barriers around doorways to prevent flood waters from entering their
additional electricity and water used in the clean-up exercises among other economic considerations. Add to that the closure of schools, the banking sector disrupted, city transportation in gridlock, work at the wharves grinding to a halt, market operations hampered, virtually every aspect of life suffered.
Former President Donald Ramotar and former Minister of Works, Robeson Benn touring flood-hit communities in Georgetown back in December 2013 of the grim story. 2013 headline – Georgetown begins to flood as heavy rainfall continues 2014 headline – Floods swamp Georgetown after record rains 2015 headline – Rains flood Guyana capital and threaten three more days of same The images of women and schoolchildren wading through filthy, faeces infected flood waters to get to and from their homes are etched in our minds. The St George’s Cathedral, State House, the then Office of the President, ministerial buildings, thousands of homes, restaurants, stores and shops, schools and other places of business and worship were not spared. Flood waters invaded and wrought havoc, causing, in total, estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to property, equipment, furniture, household and kitchen appliances, clothes,
homes and businesses. Those who could have afforded to do so, constructed raised walkways to allow them unhindered access to their homes and offices. ECONOMIC EFFECTS When the flood waters came business owners were forced to shut down their operations and engage their staff and additional hired help in clean-up activities. Days of business were lost, profits diminished. These had knock on effects on the local economy which were never specifically analysed, understood or defined. Cumulatively however one could say tens of millions of dollars being expended on cleaning detergents and agents, buckets, mops, sponges, labour alone is a modest estimate. This does not include the man hours and profits lost, the business disrupted, the
HEALTH IMPACT Then there were the health effects. Many persons particularly children suffered from diarrhea and similar communicable and water borne diseases caused by them being exposed to the unsanitary flood waters. Apart from these persons not being able to attend school and work during their period of illness, they required medication and treatment, causing a strain on the health sector. Medication had to be provided to them while doctors, nurses and other medical personnel had to dedicate time to patient care and recovery. There were increased visits to hospitals, clinics and medical outposts. Additional hospital beds had to be allocated to accommodate those with more serious illnesses. These too had economic impacts on the nation.
MISERY AND WRETCHEDNESS When the flood waters rose garbage, filth and reptiles surfaced. Large anacondas harboured in trenches and gutters near to residences and preyed on pets and livestock. Georgetown was a true jungle city and the laws of the jungle seemed to have obtained with regard to maintenance of our city’s gutters, drains, alleyways, canals, outfall channels and other waterways. It was an annual ritual of misery, discomfort, suffering, sickness and wretchedness. Citizens were left to fend for themselves and while billions were squandered by the previous administration, no sincere and meaningful effort was made to bring relief to the citizens’ predicament. MASSIVE CLEAN UP In 2015 a massive clean-up campaign of Georgetown and its environs was initiated by the new Coalition Government through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure along with the Mayor and City Council and members of the private sector. Mountains and piles of long fermenting garbage were removed. Canals and outfall channels were cleaned and desilted. Condemned sluices were resuscitated, broken ones were fixed. Alleyways were cleared. Gutters were cleaned. Parapets were cleared and scrubbed. GEORGETOWN RECLAIMED Many citizens expressed surprise that some areas which were cleared were actually waterways and alleyways. So long had these critical aspects of Georgetown’s drainage and irrigation system been neglected that they had been covered in overgrown bush, in some instances complete with mature trees. This caused persons to either forget or not know that they were in fact alleyways and canals.
Parts of Georgetown which had been abandoned and lost were rediscovered and reclaimed. The monument to this rediscovery must be the now gleaming Independence Arch at the top of Brickdam which had been in a state of ruin and disrepair. Durban Park and Merriman’s Mall were redeveloped and now serve as civilized centres of recreation for thousands of families who gather to relax, play, jog and exercise and simply ‘cool out’. The nation has breathed an almost audible collective sigh of relief as Georgetown began to take on this cleaner persona. No longer are drivers forced to ensure that their windows were up to avoid the stench all across the city. Georgetown, prior to 2015 had been dubbed by locals as the Garbage City, a vile variation of its once proud moniker of the Garden City. This year, within a few short months of the cleanup campaign having kicked into high gear, ‘Georgetowners’ saw the benefit of the initiative. There was no major, longstanding flooding anywhere in the city. There were a few trouble spots which remained. These were mainly concentrated in Queenstown and South Ruimveldt which seem to be plagued with chronic problems requiring long term solutions. Nevertheless the waters accumulated in
these areas were at a much lower level than previously experienced and drained off within hours. The total cumulative economic benefit may never fully be known, however what is beyond debate is that it is significant. When one considers the profits not lost; business not disrupted; monies saved from not having to engage in extensive week long clean-up of lower flats and expended on cleaning agents; remedial construction work not having to be undertaken; appliances, furniture and other household items not needing to be repaired or replaced; no outbreak of diseases; medical man hours saved; medicines not having to be dispensed; relief supplies not having to be distributed; shelters not needing to be activated; state personnel and security services officers not needing to be activated and other savings it is not implausible that when all is tallied, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and his team, along with the M&CC team would have caused businesses, citizens and the government to save perhaps well in excess of a billion dollars. And there certainly seems to be far fewer mosquitoes buzzing around in the evenings as well. Just another benefit of a cleaner city being slowly but certainly restored to its old sobriquet – the Garden City.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Occam’s razor and LGBT blood donations By Akola Thompson
DURING the HIV/AIDS epidemic, commonly known as “The gay plague” in the 1980s, a ban was, in the year 1983, put in place to bar homosexual and bisexual men from donating blood. One can say that this was a good measure at the time, given the unreliable HIV tests which were then available. Since then, our technology has drastically improved, and we now have an almost 100% success rate at identifying HIV in blood. However, while we might have become more technologically advanced, restrictions on blood donation continue to vary from country to country. Many countries still uphold lifetime blood donation bans for men who
have sex with men. Canada, the US, and the UK have all since shelved this lifetime ban in preference of a one-year ban. CHANGING POLICIES While the world seems to be changing its policies with regard to receiving blood donations from persons belonging to the LGBT community, here in Guyana, we seem to be broadening the ban. With the possible exception of trans-gender persons, no one belonging to the LBGT community can donate blood. This is besides the fact that there exists no corresponding bans on lesbian and bisexual women. Despite statistical data proving that women who have sex with women have a lower risk of HIV contrac-
tion, even moreso than heterosexual persons, a blanket policy for an entire community was still put in place. This shows how discrimination rears its head even in the most well-meaning of policies. I had to face this blatant form of discrimination just a few days ago. Given the ability of my blood type to be accepted by all other blood types, when a friend told me about the “Survivor Foundation & Storm Talent Agency” blood drive on Saturday, I decided I would go to donate. To be honest, I was kind of excited about the whole thing; there is something about knowing that your blood will possibly be used to save the life of someone that has you feeling all kinds of good. So, I endured and an-
swered all the personal questions; and we were going along fine, until I was asked about my sexuality. As soon as I related that I was bisexual, the information session came to an end. I was told that due to my sexual identity, I would not be allowed to donate blood. Asked for an explanation as to why, she said it was just a policy they had, as there is the belief that persons of the LGBT community are more promiscuous. As such, we are high-risk candidates for blood donation. LAUGHABLE The asininity of the ‘policy’ made me laugh; because, truly, its ineffectiveness is humorous. The fact that I could easily pass as heterosexual, and
could have easily donated blood had I lied, as many persons would have, and will continue to do, was not lost on me. It made me wonder whether such a rule exists to protect, or to discriminate through administrative barriers, an already seriously marginalized group. These policies completely ignore the fact that sexual preference has absolutely nothing to do with individual status. The American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and the America’s Blood Centers have all concluded that the “anti-gay screening policy is ineffective, and should be discontinued.” What should concern blood donation centres is not who one sleeps with, but the protective measures one employs. Not every homo-
sexual is HIV-positive; similarly, every heterosexual is not HIV-positive. Banning someone from donating possibly life-saving blood solely on the statistical data, or lack thereof, associated with their sexual orientation is very problematic. While persons can say this measure was born out of necessity, it was solidified in discrimination. Any blood that has been donated should always be rigorously tested before being transmitted to a patient in need. This is regardless of the donors’ sexuality, as HIV is not something intrinsic to the LGBT community, but something that runs across gender, sexuality, religion, class and ethnicity. HIV, unlike people, does not discriminate, as in who carries it.
GNSC commissions state-of-the-art stacker THE Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) on Tuesday commissioned a brand new state-of-the-art Kalmar stacker, valued more than $100M. A stacker is a large machine used in bulk material handling; in this case, it will be used to move large containers brought in by the company. Representing the single largest investment the 40-year-old company has made to date, the equipment is expected to boost GNSC’s operations, particularly in its cargo handling department. The equipment is designed to lift a maximum of 45 tonnes, with the actual weight of the unit being 70 tonnes with 350 horsepower. This means that containers can now be stacked at five heights from the
GNSC Managing Director, Andrew Astwood ground, which would significantly reduce the congestion in the terminal. Addressing a small gathering during the commissioning ceremony at the company’s La Penitence terminal, Managing Director, Andrew Astwood disclosed that the new machine will complement
the two other stackers that are currently in operation. A second stacker was bought 10 years ago by the shipping company, while the first stacker is approximately 17 years old. Astwood said the purchase of the $96M stacker, which when VAT is added is estimated to be more than $100M, is an indication that the company is growing and remains committed to the business community. COMPETITIVE EDGE He noted that the equipment was needed for GNSC to remain competitive, and as such with the purchase, it is expected that the company will be more efficient and effective in the use of its space.
It was disclosed, too, that the $100M-plus investment forms part of the company’s $272M capital investment, which was approved by the Board, in an effort to develop the company’s capacity while improving on its infrastructure. This year’s capital investment for the company marks the beginning of its five-year strategic plan. Within the next two years, GNSC is looking to have a 25 per cent increase in market share. This increase, Astwood said, is not only being linked to the purchase of the modernised equipment but a number of other smaller equipment. In closing, he called on his colleagues to put their best foot forward into the operations of the company, while emphasising the need to remain competitive.
The state-of-the-art Kalmar stacker
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
US forecasts bright, ‘greener’ future for Guyana – at swearing in of new Peace Corps volunteers
By Shauna Jemmott UNITED States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway said Monday that should all go well, Guyana has a bright future ahead of it, now that it has found oil. “The confirmed petroleum reserves guarantees Guyana the revenue to allow it to develop industries and infrastructure, and create a broad-based economy with true value-added, which means jobs and prosperity, if done right,” Holloway said. “It also means that Guyana will have the money to fund activities that will allow it to be even ‘greener’ than it already is,” he told guests at a function here at the Umana Yana to welcome a new batch of nine Peace Corps volunteers, who have been tasked with assisting Guyana in managing its environment and natural resources in various regions across the country. The volunteers -- Jonathan Witkop, Matthew Widen, Thomas Saleh, Samantha Rock, Caro-
lyn Rthenburg, Kirsten McLeod, Daniel Coffee, Dylan Karl and Lance Caldwell -- were on Monday sworn in to represent
the US government in serving the people of Guyana for the next two years. They are the first batch of volunteers to have been
trained in environmental education and natural resources management. CLOSER TIES
of charity. “The Peace Corps truly reflects the strong sense of volunteerism that marks our nation, our
Committed to service! The nine new US Peace Corps Volunteers following the taking of the oath Monday at the Umana Yana With them are, seated from left, Ambassador Perry Holloway; Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mr Sydney Allicock; Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Carl Greenidge; Mr Mark McDonald of the Department of Natural Resources; and Peace Corps Country Director, Ms Linda Arbogast (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson) Noting that the US government is working to forge closer and a more productive partnership with the government and people of Guyana for the building of a more prosperous, secure, democratic, and healthy nation, Holloway said this close tie of which he speaks can only be made possible through “diplomatic engagement, targeted development assistance, and an active two-way flow of people, ideas, and information.” He said, too, that the US Mission in Guyana, of which the Peace Corps is a part, is dedicated to working with the government “to solidify the gains in democratic governance, bolster economic growth, and promote equality and opportunity, particularly for young people, women, the diasabled, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex communities.” Holloway said he finds the operations of the US Peace Corps to be important, admirable and truly reflective of the best of the USA, through a strong sense
openness to other people and cultures, and a strong spirit of adventure. The Peace Corps forms an important part of the US Mission in Guyana,” the US diplomat said. NATURAL BEAUTY Besides hailing Guyana’s natural beauty and potential for massive development through the petroleum industry, Ambassador Holloway also spoke about its incredible waterfalls and virgin forests which envelope a unique combination of South American wildlife and Caribbean culture. “Guyana is a country for nature lovers and adventure seekers; it has an irresistible combination of fascinating and breathtaking natural beauty, including pristine rainforests, incredible waterfalls, and amazing wildlife, which is joined to a vibrant culture, a diverse and rich heritage, and some of the most hospitable and friendly people in the world,” Ambassador Holloway said. He warned, however, that despite the “intense beauty and tremendous potential”, the country
faces considerable challenges as a developing nation; challenges such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, ethnic and racial divisions, crime and security threats, and education gaps, all of which the US is committed to helping Guyana to overcome. SPREAD THE WORD To t h e v o l u n t e e r s , w h o s e s t i n t h e re , h e warned will be challenging as well as rewarding, Holloway said: “I hope you recognise that you will all be ambassadors for our nation in your communities. I know you will represent our country with distinction, and earn the respect and goodwill of the people you meet. “And when you return to the US in two years, I trust that you will spread the word about the beauty of Guyana and its people to your friends and family, and promote the spirit of understanding that President John F. Kennedy knew such exchanges would create among Americans and our friends, whether here in Guyana or elsewhere in the world.” PEACE CORPS The Peace Corps first came to Guyana during its year of Independence in 1966, and served the country’s development interests for five years. It returned in 1995, to work in the health and education sectors. The Guyana Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Peace Corps earlier this year, on June 30, to support activities for the continuous programmes for environmental protection and sustainable use and management of Guyana’s natural resources. “Though times have changed,” Ambassador Holloway said, “the Peace Corps continues to adhere to the unchanged twin goals of its founding: Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, and helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of peoples served and a better understanding by Americans of the peoples.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Several sexual offences cases collapsed
SEVERAL sexual offences cases were either nolle prosequi (abandoned) by the Director of Public Prosecutions, or were dismissed for lack of prosecution in the last criminal session. In a recent statement, the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have said that during the June assizes of the Demerara High Court, fourteen matters were nolle prosequi by DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack. Ten of those matters were for sexual offences, one was for unlawful wounding, another was for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and two were for manslaughter. In nine of the ten sexual offences’ cases, the complainants either testified in court, or, by way of writing, indicated that they did not wish to proceed with their matters; while one complainant has since migrated and could not be located. In the four other matters, the complainants could not be located
despite police searches at their last known addresses and notices being published for them to attend court, the DPP Chambers have said. LOW CONVICTIONS Meanwhile, despite efforts being made to reduce the backlog of cases in the courts, only 29 of the 116 that were listed for the June assizes -- which ended in late September -- were disposed of; with the DPP securing only three convictions. In the Goal Delivery Report released on September 30, the DPP Chambers said that during the assizes which commenced on Tuesday 7th June, 2016, a total of 116 cases were listed to be heard, of which 29 were disposed of. Fifteen received attention in the High Court, and 14 were nolle prosequi by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Of the 15 matters presented, there were eight formal verdicts of not guilty, three not-
guilty verdicts by jury, one guilty plea, two guilty verdicts, and one hung jury. During the session, Justice Navindra Singh disposed of five cases -one each for the offences of murder, rape of a child under 16 years, carnal knowledge of a girl under 15 years and abduction, and two matters for the offence of rape. In the one matter for the offence of murder, the trial judge held up a no-case submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. In the one case for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years, the accused was acquitted after the jury returned a not-guilty verdict. In the one matter for the offence of carnal knowledge and abduction, the complainant testified that she did not wish to proceed with the matter, and Justice Singh directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
WITHDRAWAL In the two cases for the offence of rape, both complainants testified in court that they did not wish to proceed with their matters, and Justice Singh directed the jury to return formal verdicts of not guilty. During the month of June, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow completed four cases, one each for the offence of murder, carnal knowledge, buggery, and indecent assault and rape of a child under 16 years. In the one matter for the offence of murder, the accused, who was indicted on three counts of the offence, pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He becomes eligible for parole after serving 30 years. In the one case for the combined offences of buggery and indecent assault, where three accused were indicted together, the jury unanimously found the number one accused guilty of buggery and indecent
assault. He was sentenced to a total of 29 years’ imprisonment, 25 years for the offence of buggery, and four for the offence of indecent assault. The number 2 accused was, by a majority verdict, found guilty of the offence of indecent assault and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment; while the number three accused was acquitted by the jury on all three charges. In the one case for the offence of two counts of rape, the jury returned a not-guilty verdict on both counts. For her part, Justice Beharry disposed of three matters, one each for the offences of carnal knowledge of girl under 15 years, murder, and rape of a child under 16 years. In the two separate cases of carnal knowledge of a girl under 15 years and rape of a child under 16 years, both complainants failed to attend court, and, as a result, the State offered no further evidence against them. Justice Beharry thus directed that the juries return formal verdicts
of not guilty. In the lone case for the offence of murder, the accused, indicted on two counts and having had two hung juries in previous trials, was unanimously found guilty on both counts, and was sentenced to death. Justice Bovell-Drakes completed three matters: one for the offence of murder, and two for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years. In the case for the offence of murder, the jury failed to reach a verdict, and the trial judge ordered that the accused be returned to prison to await a new trial. In one of the two matters for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years, the accused was acquitted after the jury returned a majority verdict of not guilty. In the other case, the complainant failed to attend court, and this resulted in the judge directing the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty in favour of the accused.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Foreign Ministry officials undergo training to bolster international trade
Trade officials participating in the training at the Foreign Service Institute
TRADE officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are being trained to put Guyana in a better position to conduct international trade. The training which is facilitated by the Ministry is expected to help drive economic growth. The five-day training which concludes on Friday is the fourth of a series of such exercises by the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge at the opening session on Monday at the Foreign Service Institute, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, said the officers are trained to monitor and advise the government on international trade policy, and also contribute to the process of negotiating trade agreements. Minister Greenidge explained that international trade is now believed to be the most important driver of economic growth in the world; therefore the training is necessary to equip the officers with such skills to boost international trade. “You are privileged to have responsibility to deal with the interface of diplomatic community, but to participate and advise on international trade policy on which growth and development turns,” Minister Greenidge explained.
Minister Greenidge added that the skills being taught to the officers are paramount in helping Guyana to address the many challenges in international trade. The Minister lamented that currently Guyana faces some very severe challenges in this regard which can only be addressed if there are skilled persons. “One of the things that is most obvious is that the major institution on which our trade is managed today, has less skills than we had 30 or 40 years (ago),” the Minister noted. Further, Minister Greenidge emphasised that when negotiating with international partners, there are certain processes and elements the officials must understand. “The country’s economic goals, trade structure, what are priorities what are weaknesses, the commodities and services we have for sale, what has to be protected, how to enhance sales and what constitutes challenges for us in negotiations are all factors to understand in international trade.” The Minister also highlighted that the training is intended to ensure that the officials appreciate economic issues that affect the country, even as he was encouraging them to take advantage of the training and use it as a stepping stone towards improving
their country’s economic growth. Meanwhile, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ambassador, Audrey Jardine-Waddell said the training is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ capacity building programme. Jardine-Waddell pointed out that it is also part of the drive to strengthen the Ministry to carry out its mandate of promoting economic diplomacy. “We have a variety of very bright, skilled people, but we need to nurture that skill and create that enabling environment, and it is for that reason the Minister of Foreign affairs secured some key skills in the Ministry such as Ambassador Austin, and Ambassador Lucas to help us in trying to develop an institution that we can be proud of and produce the kind of results we would like to.” Today’s training was conducted by customs expert, Brandford Isaacs and focused on some key areas necessary to strengthen trade in Guyana while simultaneously responding to the immediate needs of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in this area. Similar exercises for the other officers will soon be launched. (GINA)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
DPP appeals Duncan’s acquittal
THE Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has filed an appeal against the court’s decision to acquit Mr. Carvil Duncan on a charge of simple larceny, which alleged that he stole close to $1M from the Guyana Power and Light. The case against Duncan had alleged that, on March 31, 2015, he had stolen $984,900 in Director’s fees, property of the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL). The DPP had assigned police prosecutors to the case, but their sloppy work had caused presiding magistrate Leron Daly to dismiss the case against Duncan; and this has drawn criticism from several quarters. Public Relations Officer of the Chambers of the DPP, Ms. Liz Rahaman, has confirmed to this newspaper that the appeal in the Duncan matter has been filed on Monday. However, it is unclear whether the Chambers of the DPP will now fully take charge of the case. Only last Thursday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, told the Guyana Chronicle in an interview: “If the case is appealable it should be appealed. The appeal has to be done by the prosecution, and I would suggest that it should be appealed. I think we should emphasise that the case should be appealed if it is appealable… I would say if it is appealable it should be appealed,” Williams asserted. Williams made it clear that it was not the Government’s call to initiate this appeal process, but rather the prosecution’s. ALWAYS THE DPP Although the DPP had assigned police prosecutors to the case, the agency has stated that the matter was always handled by the Chambers. The DPP Chambers have also said that police prosecutors who are assigned to the Cham-
DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack bers prosecute all matters in the magistrates’ courts. “This is the present system, and they handle all matters in magistrates’ courts,” the Chambers asserted. The agency, headed by Mrs. Shalimar-Ali-Hack, has come under intense scrutiny not only for its handling of the Duncan matter, but also for its decision to assign prosecutors to the Jennifer Westford and Margaret Cummings’ fraud matters more than one year after the case had started. THE DUNCAN CASE Magistrate Leron Daly had ruled on November 2 that a prima facie case had not been established against Duncan, and that she could not call on him to lead a defence. Magistrate Daly, in her ruling, has stated that the prosecution had to prove whether Duncan had received consent to take the money, whether the money was an absolute or special property of GPL, if he took and carried away an article, whether he took an article capable of being stolen, and whether he had a claim of right to the funds. The prosecution, however, failed to prove that no consent had been given to the defendant to take the funds, Magistrate Daly told
the court. She also ruled that the evidence of former Prime Minister Sam Hinds was hearsay. Hinds’s evidence is that while Cabinet approved pay increases for GPL board members, there was no decision on retroactive payment. The prosecution had also tendered the cabinet memorandum which, according to the magistrate, was a photocopied document. She said the prosecution had made no attempt to prove that an original existed, and that the copy was a true representation of that original. The prosecution had further tendered a bank statement which indicated that the sum of $984,900 had been debited from the GPL account, but had led no circumstantial evidence in relation to the bank statement, forcing the court to admit the document only for the fact that it existed, and not for the truth of it. As a result, the magistrate said the prosecution had failed to lead sufficient evidence to support all the evidence that had been brought before the court. JURY STILL OUT Meanwhile, President David Granger, weighing in on the magistrate’s ruling of November 2 – that Duncan’s acquittal was due to insufficient evidence, has said that insufficient evidence is not equal to innocence. Speaking on the latest ‘Public Interest’ programme, President Granger said, “There is a slight difference between insufficient evidence and innocence; therefore, insufficient evidence (is) not equal to innocence. But I will await the findings of the Commission of the Tribunal that I had set up, and be guided by that tribunal.” The President has said he would not interfere in any work of the autonomous agencies, except and unless he has the capacity to do so under the constitution.
Larceny accused released on bail A 55-YEAR-OLD labourer was released on $100,000 bail after pleading not guilty to a simple larceny charge before City Magistrate Dylon Bess on Tuesday. Carl Kattau is accused of stealing an amplifier, two speakers, a Pioneer CD deck and a music horn – total value $99,000 from the motor car PTT 8061 property of Quacy Cornett. The Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara resident denied the charge which allegedly occurred between
October 25 and November 3 at Fourth Street, Alberttown. Police Prosecutor, Christopher Morris opposed the granting of bail citing that the accused two years ago was charged for a similar offence. However, his objection was overruled by the Magistrate, who granted Kattau bail to the tune of $100,000 and adjourned the matter until November 21. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old armed robbery accused was also granted bail when he appeared before Magistrate
Bess. Kester McPoy of Independence Boulevard pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on November 1, at Georgetown, while being armed with a knife robbed Freddie Yasim of a phone valued $50,000, as well as $3,000 in cash along with $2,000 in phone cards. P ro s e c u t o r M o r r i s made no objections to bail, which was granted to the tune of $75,000 by Magistrate Bess. The matter stands adjourned until November 21.
“Literally, the jury is still out, and I will be advised by the findings of that tribunal. But, as you know, the matters on which Duncan was accused have not finished; just one part is, and other parts are still in the court. So as far as I am concerned, as far as I have been advised,
he will still remain suspended,” President Granger explained. The President pointed out that the recently appointed presidential tribunal on the Duncan case was set up because he had been advised that the person against whom the accusations were made
should not be sitting on four commissions: judicial, police, public service and the Guyana Defence Force. “I have not received the report of the tribunal… When I receive that report, which I will, you will hear from me,” President Granger promised.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Bandits nabbed in Republic Park hideout
ROBBERY convict Eon G o d f r e y Ly n c h w a s among two wanted men cornered and arrested by police in the Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, as they attempted to escape lawmen who discovered them hiding out in an abandoned house in Republic Park, EBD, on Tuesday afternoon. The other man arrested is a 22-year-old resident of Georgetown’s Costello Housing Scheme, who is a prime suspect in two recent robberies committed on gas stations in Georgetown and Eccles. Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan, in a statement
from the Guyana Police Force, said the 19-year-old Lynch has given his places of abode as Agricola, East Bank Demerara and Lot 16 Second Bridge, Cow Dam, Diamond, East Bank Demerara. Magistrate Judy Lutchman has sentenced him in absentia to a five-year term of imprisonment after finding him guilty of robbing Yvonne Moe of $13M at gunpoint on April 25, 2016 at Republic Park, East Bank Demerara. On the day in question, Lynch, while in the company of another, allegedly held Moe at gunpoint and robbed her of the cash, jewellery and a pistol, all
Caught! Robbery convict Eon Godfrey Lynch property of Harry Narine. Lynch has had several other brushes with the law, the Police Public Relations
Officer, Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan, has said. It is also alleged that on February 18, at Agricola, East Bank Demerara, while being in the company of another, and armed with a gun, Lynch robbed Dexter Richards of one Jialing motorcycle valued at $175,000, property of Shondell Mars. Lynch was also accused of robbing Richards, on the same day, of one gold ring worth $50,000 while brandishing a gun. According to police facts, Richards was riding his motorcycle in Agricola when it encountered some mechanical problems. As he stopped to check, Lynch, with an accomplice who was armed with
a cutlass, confronted him at gunpoint. They relieved him of the bike and gold ring, as stated in the charge, before escaping. The teen was later caught and positively identified by Richards during an identification (ID) parade. Lynch was also charged with escaping from the lawful custody of Police Constable Boyce on March 1, while he was arrested for allegations of sexual assault. He also was before the Providence Magistrate to face another robbery charge. In yesterday’s dramatic afternoon confrontation, one of the men was caught in a residential compound while the occupants of the
home were not at home. The other was cornered and arrested a block away, after they had both sprinted away in their failed attempt at escape. At about 15:00 hours yesterday, police promptly responded to a call received from a public-spirited citizen, informing them that the men were seen acting suspiciously in the unoccupied house. The due, on seeing the police, reportedly fled, but were captured in Eccles. “The Guyana Police Force wishes to acknowledge the excellent support it is receiving from members of the public in its crime-fighting strategies,” the police have said.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Rice Board GM still on the job
GENERAL Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan remains on the job despite being charged criminally for fraud. Hassan was placed before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday to answer fraud charges, along with several others. The act was allegedly committed at the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC), the entity which he once headed. Staff on Tuesday reported that Hassan went to work as per normal but left during the afternoon. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday, Hassan and Felicia DeSouza-Madramootoo, a St George’s Secondary School teacher, stood accused of conspiring with others to approve payments for Constantine Engineering and Construction Limited of Trinidad and Tobago for substandard work done on the GMC building, knowing the work done was poor. DeSouza-Madramootoo’s husband, Hanniel Madramootoo, project engineer within the Ministry of Agriculture, his brother Philip Madramootoo and his friend Nizam Ramkisson, both directors of Constantine Engineering and Construction Limited, have been jointly charged in connection with the same fraud allegation. However, the latter three defendants were not present in court, since they have since fled to Trinidad. This has caused the Chief Magistrate to issue an arrest warrant for their arrest. The Chief Magistrate released the duo on $250,000 each, and ordered that they each report to the Special Or-
ganised Crime Unit (SOCU) headquarters every Friday until the case has been determined. The matter stands adjourned until December 7, since the prosecution file is
GRDB General Manager, Nizam Hassan still incomplete. Back in May, forensic auditor Saykar Boodhoo, who investigated the operations of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), had recommended that the Government fire Madramootoo if he is still in the employ of the Agriculture Ministry. Madramootoo was allegedly involved in acts of fraud. It is alleged that Madramootoo, an engineer, colluded with a contractor to execute a multi-million-dollar fraud on GMC. Identifying the act as a case of financial impropriety conducted by the GMC, Senior Management, Boodhoo, in his 64-page report, explained that in 2011 a contract was awarded to Constantine Engineering and Construction Services of Trinidad and Tobago to construct a
new building for the GMCs Head Office and the Guyana Shop. The contract, in the sum of $23.9M, was reportedly awarded by the National Tender and Procurement Board (NPTAB); however, the auditor was unable to review the bidding documents, due to the lack of evidence. According to Boodhoo, NPTAB Head, Donald De Clou indicated that there is no evidence suggesting that NPTAB was involved in the tender process, even though the contract indicated otherwise. This particular project was managed by Madramootoo, an engineer attached to the Agriculture Ministry at the time. By February 2012, the contract sum was amended to include the additional sum of $7.6M without going out to tender. The amendment to the contract also extended the contract duration to March 16, 2016. “Based on discussion with Mr Owen Nestor, GMC’s accountant, shortly after the contract amendment, the contractor announced to GMC that he (would) be unable to complete the construction of the GMC office building. It is unclear exactly how much funds was given to Constantine Engineering. “As such, another contractor was called in to complete the electrical wiring and relevant works to the GMC Office building,” the auditor explained. The situation further deteriorated. Months after it was handed over to GMC, there were leaks throughout the building via the roof. Another contractor had to be hired to remedy that situation. “It was also discovered that old lumber and old zinc sheets with eu-
Elderly man accused of blackmailing female cop A FEMALE police officer, who is accused of defrauding an elderly man, found herself in hot water when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Tuesday charged with fraudulent conversion. Twenty-one-year-old Police Constable Kezia Hall is accused of the charge which alleged that on May 27, at Georgetown, while being solely entrusted by Theodore Chesney with the sum of $68,000 for safe keeping, she converted the same to her own use and benefit. Constable Hall denied the allegation while her lawyer, Mr. Nigel Hughes explained to the court that the charge is ‘malicious’ and is designed solely for the purpose of embarrassing the officer. According to Hughes in his application for reasonable bail, the virtual complainant is an elderly man who lives overseas. He said the elderly man was ‘enchanted’ by his client on Facebook and
befriended her. The lawyer noted that the VC in trying to woo the woman had sent her money for her own personal use. The man subsequently came to Guyana with the expectation that Hall would submit to him and became annoyed when she refused. Hughes further pointed out that when a confrontation was held between his client and Chesney at the Police Complaints Authority the elderly man reportedly told the woman “if you just take me on I’ll drop the matter.” “I had written the Director of Public Prosecutions on the bases of the charge” the lawyer informed the court since he was surprised on the grounds of which the offence stemmed from. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers made no objection to the officer being released on bail and the Chief Magistrate released the constable on self-bail and adjourned the matter until November 28 for statements.
… despite fraud charges
roband were used to construct the roof of the building. The auditor believes the GMC’s Board and senior management are
just as culpable as the contractor. He explained that the directors visited the building on numerous occasions during its con-
struction stage, but failed to highlight the “blatant poor quality of work performed by the contractor.”
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Dr.Frank Anthony loses bid to head Medical Council FORMER Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, failed in his bid to head the influential Guyana Medical Council. Dr. Anthony, who has been retained as a Member of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party, polled 69 votes in the elections, results of which have been published in the press. Based on those results, Dr. Mahendra Carpen received the most votes – 107; while Psychiatrist Dr. Bhiro Harry polled 102 votes. Other top candidates were Dr. Navindranauth Rambarran with 88 votes, and Dr. Marisa Seepersaud with 84 votes. The results have been declared by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud. The Medical Council of Guyana is a regulatory body formed to enhance and monitor the functioning Dr. Frank Anthony of the medical fraternity in Guyana. It is constituted according to the following guidelines: a chairman, who shall be elected by the Council from among the members of the Council; the Chief Medical Officer, who shall be an ex officio member of the Council; six medical practitioners, each with at least five years’ post registration experience, to be appointed by the Minister of Public Health after having been elected, in accordance with the regulations made for this purpose, from among the medical practitioners resident in Guyana; and two other persons who are not medical practitioners, to be appointed by the minister; one of whom is an attorney.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Romanex Guyana to assist small miners in mercury-free mining
SMALL scale miners are being afforded the use of machinery from Romanex Guyana to help increase their recovery rates in the Marudi Mountain mining area in Region Nine. Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and a team met with miners in Lethem on Saturday; and small miners took that opportunity to raise the complaint that alluvial mining is not yielding production in the Marudi area. One Marudi miner told the Minister: “The alluvial mining is not paying”. However, Romanex Guyana representative Marshall Mintz has said the company invested in machinery that aims to improve recovery rates. “The company has ordered mercury-free gold drill… It’s the only
way to recover gold from hard-rock mining, where you don’t use mercury,” Mintz told the miners. “We, small scale miners, having amalgam sheet mats and what not, we would like to know how we can integrate into the system that he’s speaking about,” Leslie Kaladin, a small miner from Marudi, questioned. Mintz explained that, for a minimal fee, the miners can use the machine once it is set up. “Miners will have access to it. We will run a workshop that trains them. We will teach you how to use this machinery here; it doesn’t use mercury,” Mintz told the miners. Romanex Guyana is setting up a box sampling programme, in keeping with the mediation agree-
ment which was brokered by the Ministry of Natural Resources between the Canadian company and small miners earlier this year. “We agreed in the mediation to put together a proper testing programme, and we’re doing that. The equipment is already sitting at Bush Mouth and ready to go in,” Mintz noted. Romanex Guyana will be testing different types of mills, “as well as saprolite separation process on a vibrating screen deck, because the present mining activity that uses saprolite and hard rock into one crusher is not acceptable practice for gold recovery,” Mintz explained. Increasing the recovery rates in gold mining has been a major concern for miners. The Guyana Geology and Mines Com-
mission (GGMC) has been testing alternatives to the use of mercury. Guyana signed onto the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013 in Japan. The Convention is an international pact to protect the environment and health from the adverse effect of mercury. GGMC board member and president of the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation (GWMO), Urica Primus, assured miners that, “the country is also in the process of providing economic alternatives; so while Mr Mintz’s proposal is one to consider, it’s also not something you have to rush into right away. You still have time, and the Government is still trying to find alternatives that suit every layer of mining.” (GINA)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
City miner promoting alternative to mercury
AS the use of mercury is being phased out of the gold mining process, a Queenstown, Georgetown miner is advocating for the sector-wide use of borax, a compound which is increasingly being seen as a safe alternative to the widespread use of mercury in artisanal gold mining. Mercury is used at the final amalgam stage to extract gold. The toxic health effects of both inorganic and organic mercury are well known, and have spurred the Minamata Convention. Recently, miner Neville Rutherford of Mecca Eco Tech Associates,told this publication that borax has proven in other jurisdictions that it is the replacement for mercury, especially in the small and medium scale mining field here. He said that mercury, which has several harmful effects to the environment and humans should be phased out as soon as possible. The authorities announced recently that Guyana, through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), will benefit from a US$3M grant to assist the country in reducing its mercury use in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector. The GEF Council, on Tuesday last, approved a global programmatic approach to address the use of mercury in the sector. The programme, titled “Global Opportunities for Long-term Development of ASGM Sector – GEF GOLD”, aims to reduce the use of mercury in the mining sector in participating countries, including Guyana.
While a replacement for mercury was not mentioned by the authorities, Rutherford noted that gold extraction using borax will eliminate a number of sores which currently plague the system. He said that mercury would have left a number of unseen health defects in mining areas over the years, however borax which is used by some 15,000 artisanal gold miners in a small area of Luzon, the main island in the northern portion of the Philippines, can prove to be the alternative. The mineral is inexpensive and easily available, and the miners have reportedly found that more gold is recovered through its use. According to Rutherford, borax brings in approximately 98% recovery, meaning more of the precious metal is accessed during the mining process. According to research, in contrast to the use of mercury, the “borax method” relies on the chemical’s ability to lower the melting points of gold. Since the gold is usually the heaviest of most minerals, it allows for concentrating the gold on the bottom of the receptacle used. The process requires considerably less heat than conventional refining methods, which can be obtainable even in remote locations by using charcoal in the process. After the ore is crushed into a fine powder, it is lightly panned to leave only the heaviest minerals in the pan. It is then thoroughly mixed by three times as much of borax and a few drops of water. This
mixture is then heated until the whole mixture is molten, after which molten droplets of gold collect on the bottom of the container. “This change will establish a healthy habit since borax does not harm the environment and neither is it dangerous to human life “, he said. He added that the method will also bring higher yields for the miner since at the moment there is an approximate figure of 60% unrecovered gold which is released into tailings ponds. The Global Environment Facility project is expected to help artisanal and small-scale gold miners to introduce
low and non-mercury technologies and techniques. The small and medium scale gold mining (ASGM) sector in Guyana plays an important role in the national as well as local economies. It generates approximately 50% of all of the country’s foreign exchange, and has extensive backward and forward linkages to the retail and services sectors. It is also the main source of employment and revenue-generation for hinterland communities, including indigenous communities and provides direct employment for more than 20,000 coastland residents.
Lethem municipality to clamp down on illegal night spot activities THE Mayor of Lethem, Carlton Beckles has pledged to address social issues affecting the Region Nine Township. Mayor Beckles, at an outreach hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources over the weekend, assured residents that the municipality has drafted a plan to address illegal activities. “As it relates to prostitution and other social issues, the municipality is viewing it very seriously. I would have engaged the police officers, and we would have come up and devised a plan,” Beckles said. Additionally, Mayor Beckles was critical of night spots that encouraged the illegal activities. “We are looking at school-aged children frequenting these
night spots. We will have sting operations to deal with these things, I can assure you that.” Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman was critical of miners who encouraged illegal activities in the region, noting that there were “too many complaints” of illegal activities such as trafficking in persons, particularly in the South Rupununi. “We are looking at that very seriously in the municipality of Lethem, and under my tenure, I’m not saying that we will achieve to the max, but I can assure you we will bring it to a minimum,” Beckles pledged to the residents. (GINA)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
N/A projects raking in $165M in revenues next year
THE New Amsterdam municipality on Tuesday presented its multi-million dollar budget for the year 2017, in anticipation of raking-in some $164,884,970 in revenues, an increase of an estimated $24,995,869 on this year’s performance. And while there has been no increases in rates and taxes, the Council anticipates making some $73,843,158 from property-taxes alone. Municipal Treasurer, Ms Verna Newyear, made the presentation to a handful of citizens at the Council’s Chambers. Among those in
attendance were: Mayor Kirt Wynter, along with councillors and municipal administrators; Education Officer Ms. Seleste La Rose; and former treasurer, Ms Sharon Anderson. Newyear summarised the current year as having been a successful one thus far, and that thanks to their having a new Mayor and Councillors the municipality, with the aid of a capital budget of $18,853,325, was able to repair the municipal building, install security cameras, and purchase themselves a much-needed new vehicle. Urging the citizenry to
put aside their political differences and work together to improve the lot of the township, Newyear said: “We must look at this town as our own home; noone wants to live in a town that is unkempt, with garbage everywhere; we must desist from indiscriminate dumping.” And giving a breakdown of the municipality’s expenditure for 2016, Newyear reported that the sum of $139,889,101, which had been budgetted for the year, has all been expended. However, the sum has been increased, based on the fact that there will be an increase in the sale of lands and derelict vehicles within the municipality. Further, there will be increased fees, including those for building applications,
septic tanks, and various inspections. The financial officer noted that with respect to the subject of ‘unpaid salaries’ as listed under income, the expected amount of $170,000 will be drawn from fines instituted against staff, especially those members of the constabulary who would have breached their working arrangements. The sum of $29,160,119 is expected to be collected from services rendered by the abattoir and cemetery, as well as breaches of the by-laws, while unanticipated revenue is expected to be in the vicinity of $14,622,467. According to Ms. N e w y e a r, e m p l o y m e n t cost attracts a figure of $76,575,106, and includes salaries, wages and pension, which will attract a ten per
cent increase, across-theboard, for municipal employees. Employment overheads, which includes monies for overtime, gratuities, and incentives is budgetted at $26,327,522, while operating expenses is estimated to be $18,597,188. The annual budget, which is yet to be approved by the Ministry of Communities, has anticipated, under its revenue base, income from government subvention, investment income, and rental of parks and playfields, along with grants, gifts and donations. The market revenue is expected to garner $30,472,121. Further, Newyear revealed that although $139,889,101 was approved for 2016, the actual amount at the end of September
2016 was $94,553,068, as monies expected to be garnered from the amnesty was not forthcoming, as residents failed to take the opportunity to settle outstanding taxes. Taxes paid by citizens so far have amounted to $33,153,084, instead of the anticipated $73,843,168. Meanwhile, Chairperson Ms Merlyn Henry, in an emotional plea, is calling on NA residents to pay their taxes, even as she highlighted that a prepared list of defaulters, from the various wards is being given to their respective councillors, who will have the responsibility of encouraging their constituents to honour their civil obligations in order that they may access improved services.
Work commences on Lima Sands well RESIDENTS of Lima Sands on the Essequibo Coast will soon be able to easily access potable water, now that work has begun on the construction of a well in the area. The contract for the project has been awarded to S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Constructing Services. P r o j e c t s u p e r v i s o r, Mark Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday that work on the 600-ft well, which started last Wednesday, is moving apace, with the intention of completing it within the next two months. “So far, we didn’t have any problems, but we are working as fast as possible to finish this well; we’re trying to make this as strong and as secure as possible,” Persaud said. Lima Sands residents had previously told the Guyana Chronicle that they usually had to walk for miles to get to a canal to access water to last them
Work on the well at Lima Sands the day. And these were, many of them, elderly people or young single-parent moth-
ers. They said, too, that besides being very taxing, fetching water from so far off was very costly, as
many times they’ve had to pay someone who was more able-bodied to help them do it.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Gov’t fixing roads at Mabaruma
RESIDENTS and motorists of the Mabaruma Sub-Region are breathing a sigh of relief as infrastructural works have commenced on sections of the road network in the area. Region One’s first town has been plagued with pot-holed roads in recent months. Works commenced on Saturday last during which the roads along the Kumaka Stretch, those within Mabaruma and along the Hosororo Stretch were graded and leveled. The contractor is expected to be com-
pact and later, plaster the thoroughfare with bitumen before the week ends. According to reports, the contractor met with motorists on Tuesday to discuss a scheduled period when the roads will be closed in order to facilitate works. The roadways in the region have been in a deplorable state for weeks as slothfulness by the contractor was cited as a factor in remedying the situation. In September, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson said
persons would complain of their inability to secure contracts to for works across the country, but their ability to undertake works are hampered by identified challenges such as availability of equipment since some contractors would have more than one contract and continue to bid for more. According to Patterson, a contract was signed since July for works to be undertaken on the roads at Mabaruma and a commencement order was given in August for a
Works being undertaken along the roadway in the Mabaruma sub-region
four-month contract, yet no work has been undertaken. The minister said he called the contractor’s engineer who informed that the works will be finished within a month and a half. This, he said was not realistic. “On revocation, we are moving to that,” he said, but noted that someone may be awarded a contract for a period of four months but works may not commence until late in that period.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
Bartica burglar nabbed with loot
POLICE have, on Tuesday, arrested the prime suspect in the Sunday morning burglary of the variety store of Bartica’s Deputy Mayor, Ms. Kamal Persaud, whose three-storey business operation on First Avenue, Bartica was burglarised last Sunday between 03:00h and 05:00h, and jewellery, electronic appliances and gadgets, including cellular phones and an assortment of other items valued in excess of $3.2M, were carted off. Police say diligent work by ranks has led to the arrest of the 38-year-old Berbician in Bartica early on Tuesday morning. At the time of his arrest, he had on his person some of the stolen articles, including
a cellular phone and pieces of jewellery, which were positively identified by its owner. Later, the suspect took investigators to a house where he handed over almost eightyfive per cent of the stolen items. He has since given the lawmen vital information regarding where the remaining items can be retrieved. The police have said that the alleged perpetrator gained entry into the building through an eastern window on the upper flat of the building. Investigations are ongoing, the police have said in a release, but this suspect will face the court soon. Some of the stolen articles recovered
GTUC opens triennial conference tomorrow THE Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) will be hosting its 4th Triennial Delegates Conference from 10th to 11th November, 2016 in the auditorium of the Critchlow Labour College. Proceedings take place under the Theme “Labour Policies a prerequisite for the creation of a Green Economy.” In a release, the union said the theme is pertinent, given the Government’s economic thrust and workers’ -- past, present and potential -- efforts in making it possible. “GTUC is cognizant the Green Economy, which is a macro policy, is driven by the pillars of Sustainable Development, the Environment, and Labour Policies, with the primary objective of improving citizens/workers’ quality of life using measurements consistent with the Human Development Index.” According to the GTUC, where targeting poverty is a central focus GTUC General Secretary, in the Green Economy, the Lincoln Lewis union, over the two days, will be deliberating on what measures, policies, laws and programmes ought to be put in place to reduce and eliminate poverty. “GTUC is equally conscious that the success of this economic thrust can only happen in an environment where the rights of citizens/workers are protected and all are subject to the Rule of Law. The Congress is committed to play its role in advancing the welfare of the society and the well-being of its citizens/workers.” The union has said that, as an organisation of national character and as a member of the Social Partners (Government, Employers’ organisation and Workers’ organisation), GTUC retains vested interest in carrying our civic duty and responsibility independently and in collaboration with fellow partners and wider stakeholders, domestic and foreign. “It is a responsibility taken seriously and secured in Article 38, 147 and 149C of the Guyana Constitution,” the union has said. President David Granger will deliver the feature address at the opening. During the two-day conference, delegates will address, among other things, various motions; the General Secretary’s Report (for period 2013 to 2016); and elect officer bearers for the next triennium, 2016 to 2019.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday November 9, 2016
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Barbadian publisher keen on promoting Guyana’s tourism product
A BARBADOS–based publisher is working to market Guyana’s tourism potential internationally while citing the need for a more proactive approach to promoting this country’s eco-tourism sector globally. Businessman Robert Pitcher, who operates several tourism-based websites in the Caribbean region through his company Fun”N” Sun Publishing based in Christ Church, Barbados is courting the authorities here in an attempt to feature tourism on his CaribbeanTraveller.com website. The interactive forum has been providing travel and tour information to travellers for over twenty years and Pitcher is visiting Guyana to interact with tourism entities and the authorities with the aim of improving the country’s tourism products. Speaking to sections of the media on Tuesday at the Georgetown Club, Pitcher said that three weeks ago he met with the Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Donald Sinclair and he briefed the official on the website. He said he was then pointed in the direction of Guyana Tourism Authority. He said that at the moment the publishing entity is working on the compilation of information relative to Guyana’s tourism industry and he noted that the research will focus on essential information which is relevant to the visiting tourist. “Information on the site every day”, he said of the website, noting that if a bar or hotel undergoes changes, the information is updated online. He added that the company which is staffed in Barbados ensures that all information published is current. He said that the company started in the print media by starting a driver’s manual for Barbados and several other regional jurisdictions. “We have been for a number of years showcasing the Caribbean as the greatest destination that one can want to travel to”, he said. He noted that using the
website, he promotes the islands and other countries within Caribbean. “Whether you are Dominica or you in Guyana to do fishing or looking at the different species of animals we want to promote the Caribbean. Adding that Guyana and Dominica are the main nations in the region where eco-tourism is vibrant. ”It beats me why for so many years the tourism authority in this country did not see it fit to promote eco-tourism which could help in the earning of foreign reserves”, he said. “Tourism is the number one industry in the world”, he said, adding that the potential of Guyana has been ripe for marketing for many years. “Hence we are in Guyana to promote the country as the major eco-tourism destination “, he said noting that his website will be used as a vehicle to this effect. “They need to function at so many levels that it is going take some time to make them understand that this industry has to be moving”, he said of the GTA. He opined that there is need for a tourism minister who will focus solely on tourism and a ministry to promote Guyana as a main source for eco-tourism in the world. The government has been allocating large sums geared at the development of the Tourism sector here. In February this year, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, who held responsibility for the tourism sector at the time, noted that the 2016 National Budget’s direct contribution to the Tourism Sector has increased from $214.6 million in 2015 to $312.7 million in 2016. This represents a $98.1 million or 45.7 percent increase in direct allocations to the Tourism Sector through the Tourism Ministry and the GTA. She added that a National Ecotourism Policy which recognises this important niche within which we have a strong competitive advantage was being considered.
Businessman and tourism advocate Robert Pitcher (with microphone), addresses questions as his staff look on. President and CEO of the company, Juliet Pitchers is at his right
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Increased incentives for twelfth Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival By Stephan Sookram TEAMS in this year’s annual Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival will benefit from increased motivational thrust: there is a 200 per cent hike in the winner’s purse for the male and female divisions. According to President of the Guyana Hockey Board, the 2016 staging will see both the men’s and women’s purses being upped from US$1,000 to US$3,000 in order to keep quality high and hopefully attract teams from leading hockey nations in the fu-
ture, while the runners-up will take home US$500. Speaking during the tournament’s launch -- yesterday morning at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion -- the GHB boss indicated that this is just one of the changes that the 13-year-old tournament is undergoing with the aim of doing more for the sport. A course is to be conducted from Monday, November 21, to the start of the tournament. It is being sponsored by Canadian national goalkeeper Mr. Shankar Premakanthan, and increased social media and internet presence, besides live streaming games via E-networks, are some of the new additions. “We have received firm confirmation from a total of eight overseas teams (coming) from Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and the USA this year. This, coupled with our local invited teams, makes the tournament comprise of a total of 17 teams, with time remaining for a few more uncertainties to confirm,” the GHB boss said. In addition to the local teams, Toronto Hockey from Canada, the Queens Park Hockey Club of Trinidad & Tobago, and The Ball Washers from Washington are some of the teams expected to be on
show this year. Meanwhile the tournament’s Platinum and Gold Sponsors, Demerara Distillers Limited and Ansa McAl Limited respectively, were both on hand to show their support. DDL Brand Executive Larry Wills contended, “We are once again very happy to be a part of this tournament. It’s been a pleasure working with the Guyana Hockey Board, and we have really liked the work that they have done in executing the tournaments throughout the year.” Ansa McAl Beverage Marketing Manager Robert Hiscock said: “In this instance, we are sponsoring the veterans tournament, which I’ve been told is one of the more exciting aspects, and the Carib is very well enjoyed by those who participate. To sum it up lightly, I’d like to say good luck to all those participating,” The GHB has again invited Pan American Hockey Federation Umpires Manager Ms. Susie Gomes to oversee the festival in order to ensure the highest level of officiating possible. The tournament will take place from Thursday, November 24, to Sunday, November 27, at the National Gymnasium.
SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Greyville 08:20 hrs Aramouse 08:55 hrs Waltzed Home 09:30 hrs Roy’s Roll’s Royce 10:05 hrs San Julian Bay 10:40 hrs Roy’s Emblem 11:15 hrs Ice Ridge
Revival 09:40 hrs Ballyben 10:15 hrs Rolling Thunder 10:50 hrs Baysbrown 11:20 hrs Conquer Gold 11:55 hrs Sunset Marquis
ENGLISH RACING TIPS Bangor 08:50 hrs Zanstra 09:50 hrs Sego Success 10:25 hrs Drumcliff 11:00 hrs Messire Des Obeaux 11:30 hrs Tasty Ginger 12:05 hrs Dingo Dollar EXETER 09:00 hrs Expedite 09:30 hrs Mighty Leader 10:00- hrs Boa Island 10:35 hrs Aux Ptits Soins 11:40 hrs Passmore 12:15 hrs Anchor Man AYR 09:10 hrs Red Square
IRISH RACING TIPS Dundalk 13:35 hrs Heat Of The Day 14:05 hrs Liberatio 14:35 hrs Live Twice 15:05 hrs Captain Midnight 15:35 hrs Chesnut Fire 16:05 hrs Super Focus 16:35 hrs New Direction 17:05 hrs Society Ranger AMERICAN RACING TIPS Aqueduct Race 1 Glennevan Race 2 Bellavais Race 3 Saratoga Charlie Race 4 Idiosyncratic Race 5 Arthur Avenue Race 6 Cave Johnson Race 7 Natilie Victori Race 8 Revved Up Race 9 Single Heist
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Herath joins elite group with five-wicket haul RANGANA Herath became only the third bowler to claim a five-wicket haul against all Test-playing nations to put Sri Lanka firmly on course for a series victory over Zimbabwe. Muttiah Muralitharan and Dale Steyn were the only other men to have completed the set before veteran spinner Herath took 5-89 as Zimbabwe were all out for 272 in reply to 504 on day three of the second Test at Harare Sports Club. Stand-in captain Herath was well supported by Kusal Perera (3-51) and Suranga Lakmal (2-55) on Tuesday, with Zimbabwe losing their last five wickets for only 19 runs after Brian Chari top scored with 80. The in-form Dimuth Karunaratne was unbeaten on 54 and the tourists were 102-4 when stumps were drawn, leading by 334 to leave Zimbabwe surely facing a 2-0 whitewash.
Lakmal and Herath applied intense pressure when Zimbabwe resumed on 1262, with just seven runs added in as many overs before the former had Craig Ervine (64) well caught by Karunaratne at first slip. Chari dug in, but found runs hard to come by and rode his luck until his 158ball knock - which included two sixes and a further nine boundaries - came to end when Herath bowled him through the gate. S e a n Wi l l i a m s ( 5 8 ) scored more freely, dispatching Lakmal for a cover drive to the boundary and reverse sweeping Herath for four then getting a life on 29 when Kusal Perera missed a stumping off the bowling of his namesake Dilruwan. Zimbabwe were 210-5 when Herath got rid of Malcolm Waller (18) just before lunch, but a positive Williams brought up his half-century by guiding Lahiru Kumara over the slips to the third man
SCORE BOARD SRI LANKA 1st innings 504 (D. de Silva 127, A. Gunaratne 116, U. Tharanga 79)
Zimbabwe 1st innings (Overnight: 126-2) T. Mawoyo lbw b Herath 3 B. Chari b Herath 80 H. Masakadza c D. de Silva b Herath 0 C. Ervine c Karunaratne b Lakmal 64 S. Williams lbw b D. Perera 58 M. Waller c K. Silva b Herath 18 P. Moor lbw b D. Perera 33 G. Cremer c Karunaratne b D. Perera 3 D. Tiripano c Herath b Lakmal 3 C. Mumba lbw b Herath 2 C. Mpofu not out 0 Extras (b-2 lb-6) 8 Total (all out, 82.1 overs) 272 Fall of wickets: 1-17 T. Mawoyo,2-17 H. Masakadza,3-134 C. Ervine,4-173 B. Chari,5-210 M. Waller,6-253 S. Williams,7-265 G. Cremer,8-268 P. Moor,9-272 C. Mumba,10-272 D. Tiripano Bowling: S. Lakmal 21.1 - 5 - 55 – 2,R. Herath 26 - 4 - 89 – 5, L. Kumara 14 - 0 - 60 – 0, 0D. Perera 18 - 2 - 51 – 3, A. Gunaratne 2 - 0 - 5 – 0, D. de Silva 1 - 0 - 4 – 0.
Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath has now taken five-wicket hauls against all nine Test-playing nations.
boundary. Williams’ dismissal soon after sparked a Zimbabwe collapse from 253-5 to 272 all out in the space of just seven overs, with Herath matching a feat achieved by only South Africa paceman Steyn and former team-mate Muralitharan by trapping Carl Mumba leg before.
Ex-Venezuela soccer official to plead guilty in U.S. bribe case ( R E U T E R S ) - T h e f o rmer president of Vene z u e l a ’s s o c c e r f e deration is expected to plead guilty to U.S. charges stemming from a bribery investigat i o n i n v o l v i n g F I FA , the sport’s world governing body, according to court records filed yesterday. Rafael Esquivel, who was also an executive committee member with South American f o o t b a l l ’s g o v e r n i n g body CONMEBOL, is set to plead guilty on Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, becoming the latest individual to admit wrongdoing in the case.
Former Venezuelan Football Federation president Rafael Esquivel.
Mumba took 3-31 to reduce the tourists to 84-4, but there was no shifting Karunaratne despite a couple of mix-ups with suspect running between the wickets as he made a third half-century in four innings to strengthen Sri Lanka’s grip on the Test (Omnisport.com).
SRI LANKA 2nd innings D. Karunaratne not out 54 K. Silva c Waller b Mumba 6 K. Mendis c Mpofu b Mumba 0 U. Tharanga lbw b Cremer 17 D. de Silva c Chari b Mumba 9 A. Gunaratne not out 6 Extras (b-6 lb-4) 10 Total (for 4 wickets, 40 overs) 102 Fall of wickets: 1-14 K. Silva,2-16 K. Mendis,3-44 U. Tharanga,4-84 D. de Silva To bat: K. Perera, D. Perera, R. Herath, S. Lakmal, L. Kumara Bowling: C. Mpofu 9 - 2 - 17 – 0, C. Mumba 11 - 3 - 31 – 3, G. Cremer 8 - 1 - 21 – 1, D. Tiripano 6 - 3 - 4 – 0, S. Williams 5 - 0 - 16 – 0, B. Chari 1 - 0 - 3 – 0.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Curry sets new NBA record by hitting 13 3-pointers STEPHEN Curry set an NBA record with 13 3-pointers - one game after missing all his long-range attempts for the first time in two years . In doing so he helped the Golden State Warriors beat the winless New Orleans Pelicans 116-106 on Monday night. Curry finished with 46
Brothers looked far more in sync from long range at last. Kevin Durant added 22 for the Warriors. Anthony Davis had 33 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans (0-7), which along with the 76ers (0-6) are the NBA’s lone teams still without a victory. Thompson - 2 for 10 against the Lakers from
122-100 win over the Pacers, the Utah Jazz beat the winless 76ers 109-84, the Oaklahoma City Thunder beat Miami heat 97-85 and the Bulls were too good for the Magic, winning 1112-80 in Chicago. At Washington, the James Harden set aside a rough first quarter to finish with 32 points and 15
Golden State’s Stephen Curry No 30 is all smiles as he celebrates making one of his 13 3-pointers points, three days after his league-record streak of 157 games with at least one 3 was snapped when he went 0 for 10 on 3-point tries in a 117-97 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. This time, the two-time reigning NBA MVP shot 13 of 17 from beyond the arc in his seventh career game with double digit 3s. He went 16 for 26 overall. When he broke the mark with 2:23 to go, Curry raised his right arm and pounded his chest. The star guard shared the previous record of 12 with Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall.It was Curry’s first 40-point performance this season after he led the NBA with 13 such games last season. Fans chanted ‘M-V-P! M-V-P!’ Klay Thompson added 24 points as the Splash
3-point range, a combined 0 of 13 vs. Phoenix and Portland and 9 of 46 overall (19.6 per cent) this season coming in - missed his first three attempts before hitting from the baseline late in the second quarter as the sellout crowd went crazy. The Clippers had a season-high 13 3-pointers in a 114-80 win over the Pistons, their 11th consecutive victory over Detroit. Chris Paul scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and J.J. Redick added 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Andre Drummond had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Detroit, who shot 37 per cent and made just 4 of 12 3-point attempts in its worst loss of the young season. In other NBA games, the Rockets beat the Wizards 114-106, the Hornets had a
assists to lead the Rockets. Washington’s John Wall broke the franchise record for career assists before getting ejected in the final minute. This was his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 assists for Harden, who entered the day leading the NBA in assists at 12.3 per game and fourth in scoring average at 31.5 points. Kemba Walker had 24 points and 10 assists against Indiana to help Charlotte to their best start in franchise history. The Hornets (5-1) scored on their first 12 possessions and led by as many as 21 points in the first quarter. Charlotte tied a 23-year franchise record with 75 points in the first half on 56.5 per cent shooting. (Daily Mail)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Mohamed leads Parika Salem to EBE Zone title
.....Wilson shines for President’s College AZIM Mohamed’s century and a four wicket haul led Parika Salem to victory over Vergenoegen Secondary in the East Bank Essequibo Zone final in the 2016 edition of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National Secondary School Cricket League (NSSCL). P l a y i n g a t Tu s c h e n ground, Parika Salem was asked to take first strike by Vergenoegen who won the toss. Azim Mohamed’s 103 laid the platform for an imposing total of 209 for eight wickets in just 24 overs. Mohamed’s century included 12 fours and a solitary six as he was the main scorer for his team. Wazim
Mohamed had impressive figures of 5/20 bowling for the Vergenoegen boys. Vergenoegen, who won their two previous matches comfortably while chasing would have fancied their chances chasing again. However, the Parika Salem bowlers had other ideas as they quickly wrapped up the Vergenoegen batsmen for just 63 runs in 11.4 overs. Azim Mohamed return with the ball to take 4/31 to be the leading bowler for Parika Salem. In an East Coast Demerara Zone fixture, President’s College cruised to a five wicket victory over Hope Secondary at the Enterprise
ground. Hope Secondary batted first and were restricted to 148/8 in 25 overs. Cordel Martins top scored with an unbeaten 47 while Rovin Ramsarup contributed 21. Bowling for President’s College, David Wilson took 3/22. In reply, President’s College got to their target with relative ease in the 22nd over losing five wickets in the process. David Wilson capped off an impressive all round game by top scoring with 72. Refal Whittington supported well with 29. Bowling for Hope Secondary, Rovin Ramsarup had 3/33.
The highs and lows of Alastair Cook’s England
captaincy - and who might replace him?
ALASTAIR Cook has cast some doubt over his future as England Test captain, suggesting it is possible he could leave the role at the end of the upcoming series against India. Here, we take a look at the highs and lows of Cook’s time as captain, along with the contenders to replace him when the 31-year-old does choose to walk away from the role. HIGHS Ashes wins Cook has led England to two Ashes series wins on home soil, 3-0 in 2013 and 3-2 in 2015 when victory was secured with an innings win at Trent Bridge in little more than two days. Victory in India England go into their upcoming series as underdogs
but they, and Cook, will have fond memories of 2012/13. He made scores of 176, 122 and 190 in the four-Test series as England won 2-1, their first series win in India for 28 years. Double in Abu Dhabi Cook showed England it was, after all, possible to bat in the spin-friendly conditions of the United Arab Emirates as he grafted his way to 263 against Pakistan last October – his highest score as captain, and the longest ever innings by an England captain. LOWS Ashes whitewash Cook was also in charge for England’s 5-0 defeat Down Under in the winter of 2013/14. Furthermore, his average against Australia as captain is a mere 29.41 with
Ben Stokes
Parika Salem captain Azim Mohamed is seen receiving the winning trophy form Zaheed Zakier.
has leadership experience with Yorkshire and has the advantage of being one of few batsmen certain of his place.
his top score in that span, 96, coming in a 405-run defeat at Lord’s in 2015. Defeat in UAE Despite Cook’s efforts, England suffered a 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan’s adopted ‘home’ territory last winter. It may have been more competitive than 2012′s humiliation but a final-day collapse for 156 sealed the deal, though Cook resisted with 63 before being the ninth man dismissed. Criticism Cook has faced questions over the perceived negativity of his captaincy style, with Australia spinner-turned-pundit Shane Warne particularly vocal. His form was also questioned during a run of just two half-centuries in eight Tests in 2013 and 2014, until he bounced back with scores of 95 and 70 not out against India in Southampton. Potential replacements But who could replace England’s captain of four years? There are contenders, but are any of them capable captains? Joe Root he 25-year-old is Cook’s vice-captain and the clear favourite to replace him when the skipper does decide to end his captaincy. Joe Root
Joe Root
If he did get the job after the India series, Root would face a busy 2017, headlined by a Test series against South Africa and then the Ashes, while also playing in all three formats – including a Champions Trophy at home. Ben Stokes In a field that is a distant second to Root, the next best bet is Ben Stokes. Just whether England would be willing to burden his emboldened spirit with the captaincy, while also adding to his already significant workload as an all-rounder, is up for debate.
Andrew Flintoff’s Test captaincy would act as a cautionary tale against the move. Stuart Broad The right-armer has Test experience – he will play his 100th match in Rajkot – and has led England before in the Twenty20 arena. He has the advantage of being able to focus his attention on Test cricket as he has increasingly become squeezed out of international limited-overs cricket, prompting him to take up a Big Bash deal this winter. (Yahoo Sport).
Pakistan’s Amir to join English county Essex in 2017
(REUTERS) Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who spent time in jail and served a five-year ban for spot-fixing, will play for English county Essex next season, the club said yesterday. Left-arm seamer Amir, who returned to the Test arena this year following his suspension, will be available for Essex from June 19. “We are thrilled that Mohammad has decided to join us for half of the 2017 campaign,” Essex head coach Chris Silverwood told the club’s website. “He is still only young but has proved himself at international level already,
so it is a real coup to get this signing completed.” Amir, 24, was rated as one of the world’s most ex-
Mohammad Amir citing young bowlers when he burst on to the scene as an 18-year-old before
he became embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010. He was one of three Pakistan players jailed in November 2011 having admitted that he had deliberately bowled a no-ball in the fourth Test against England at Lord’s. Amir served three months in jail and was banned from all forms of the game until January 2015 when he was cleared to play domestic cricket in Pakistan. His international suspension was lifted this year and he played four Tests against England, taking 12 wickets. Amir has taken 69 wickets in 20 Tests.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
RHTY&SC/Beharry 5/5 Cricket Tournament…
RHT Bakewell ‘A’ wins Lower Corentyne Zone – Courtland, Bakewell ‘B’ advance to finals. T H E R o s e H a l l To w n Bakewell ‘A’ team led by Major James Fraser defeated their junior Bakewell ‘B’ counterparts in the Lower Corentyne Zone finals to win the Zone title in the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club/Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd Say NO/Say YES 5/5 cricket tournament. The Zone tournament was played on Sunday last at the Area ‘H’ Ground infront of a large and colourful Crowd. Rose Hall Bakewell ‘A’, Courtland and Rose Hall Town ‘B’ also advanced to the finals of the tournament which would be played from each sub-zone – West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne would advance
to the overall finals and a chance to win the championship prize of $150,000.00 and a trophy.
Bakewell ‘B’ made up of mostly junior players of the RHTY&SC, M.S batted first in the finals and was
Teams that took part in the Zone tournament. Blairmont, Cotton Tree and D’ Edward ‘A’ have already advanced from West Berbice. R o s e H a l l To w n
restricted to 26 for 3 off their allotted overs as off spinners Kevlon Anderson, Junior Williams and Kevin Sinclair took a wicket a
Elliot Vieira gunning for clean sweep By Stephan Sookram
DEFENDING Caribbean Motor Racing Association (CMRA) super-sport Champion Elliot Vieira is counting on a clean sweep this weekend, when the final leg rolls off at the South Dakota circuit. Speaking to Chronicle Sport, the defending champion contended that while it is a long shot to win the championship, he is determined to pick up three first place finishes. He said: “I’m motivated to win!” Speaking about the rivalry with his cousins, Matthew and Stephen, Elliot added, “Throughout the year, it has always been close competitions between myself and my cousins. This time around it’s not going to be any different,
as we expect the same level of competition. The track has degraded over the past year, so the times would be a little slower, (but) as for the bike, it’s working okay; just a little
Elliot Vieira is counting on a clean sweep this weekend. fine-tuning on the bike is needed,” he explained. Quizzed about the formation of the recent team Mohammed’s Enterprise,
the rider added, “It’s always good to compare your riding skills with professionals and semi-professionals. (It helps you) to understand where you stand, and how you can improve. “This experience will enhance my understanding of the level of professionalism and skill moving forward in my motor cycle career,” he continued, adding that he is optimistic about learning from them. While the easy-going youngster is of the view that race day will be a battle of the best bikers in the region, he is still keeping his head high.His Kawasaki ZX6-R is sponsored by Aventura Gold, Mohamed’s Enterprise and Ramchand’s Autobody.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday November 09, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)
18 times
(2)
16 times
Today’s Quiz: (1) series?
How many times batsmen were dismissed ‘caught wicketkeeper’ in the WI/PAK Test
(2)
Name the players that were been dismissed ‘stumped’ in the WI/PAK Test series?
Answers in tomorrow’s issue
piece. RHT ‘A’ raced to 26 for 1.2 overs with Junior Sinclair 11 and Troy Mathieson 10 being the
Hall Town Bakewell ‘A’ amassed 64 for 2 with Kevon Sinclair hitting 30 not out and Khemraj Mahadeo 20 not out. In response, Courtland
main scorers. Rose Hall Town ‘A’ had earlier defeated Courtland in the lone semi-finals. Batting first after losing the toss, Rose
were restricted to 43 for 2 as the Rose Hall Town bowlers led by national under 19 pacer Sylus Tyndall bowled tightly. Leroy Bristol top
scored for Courtland with 18 not out. In the first round, Courtland got pass Tamarind Root ‘A’ by 10 wickets, Toopoo ‘A’ beat Toopoo ‘B’ by 20 runs, RHT ‘B’ easily defeated Tamarind Root ‘B’ by 10 wickets while Rose Hall Town ‘A’ trashed Belvedere by 50 runs. Fyrish drew the bye in the first round as the Guysuco Training Centre team did not turn up. In the second round, Rose Hall Town Bakewell ‘B’ crushed Toopoo ‘A’ by 9 wickets while Rose Hall Town ‘A’ cruised pass Fyrish by 26 runs. Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster hailed the Lower Corentyne Zone tournamnet as a huge success and praised the nine teams for their overall discipline and high standard of play.
Harris, Haddin to join Aussies coaching staff in New Zealand (REUTERS)-Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and fast bowler Ryan Harris will join the team’s coaching staff for the tour of New Zealand in January, the country’s cricket board said yesterday. The pair will act as coaching consultants during the three-match one-day international series against New Zealand in January and February, Cricket Australia said. Harris will concentrate on bowling, with regular coach David Saker heading to India early with batting coach Graeme Hick to prepare for the Test series starting in February. Haddin, who joined Harris in retirement last year, will be employed as a fielding consultant. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to have ex-players of the calibre of Brad and Ryan on board for this tour and contin-
ue their involvement in Australian cricket,” head coach Darren Lehmann said in a media release. “Both these guys have worked hard on their coaching since leaving the game and thoroughly deserve their opportunity. “They will bring a great insight to the team and their appointment highlights some of the depth we have in Australia in the coaching pathway system.” Haddin, 38, has been involved preparing the next generation of talent in the Australia ‘A’ side, while Harris, who has aspirations of becoming the team’s next head bowling coach, was an assistant during the one-day international team’s recent 5-0 whitewash by South Africa on tour. “South Africa was a great learning experience for me and it was fantastic to be back with the team again,” said Harris.
Australia’s coaching staff have been under the microscope, with both the test and one-day teams struggling in recent month.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin Australia’s series-opening loss to South Africa in Perth on Monday was its fourth defeat in succession after the 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka. The second Test against the Proteas starts on Saturday in Hobart.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, November 9, 2016
WIPA opposes WICB levy on player contracts THE West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) has voiced its opposition to a 20 per cent No Objection Certificate (NOC) levy imposed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Citing that it was not benefitting from its investment in players, who go on to play in the professional leagues globally and do not return to play in domestic competitions, the WICB said it was at a disadvantage under the current status quo. “WICB having invested in developing a player’s talent, is not able to realise a return on its investment if the player is not available to play in local tournaments, which would allow lesser experienced players the opportunity to face more experienced and skilled opposition, thereby improving on the standard and competitiveness of the domestic tournament,” the WICB said in a statement
West Indies players celebrate after winning their match
released yesterday. “In addition, the player is unavailable to mentor and develop younger players and to otherwise contribute to the overall growth of the game and its development infrastructure. It has become a system
Guyana names strong contingent for RAN 7’s THE Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has named its final male and female squads for the 2016 Rugby America’s North (RAN) 7’s series this weekend in Trinidad and Tobago.
Rugby squad manager Robin Roberts Patrick King, Osei McKenzie, Avery Corbin, Rickford Cummings, Ryan Gonzalves, Dwayne Schroeder, Blaize Baily, Peabo Hamilton, Devin Hooper, Devin Hooper, Kevin Mc Kenzie, Ronald Mayers, Lancelot Adonis and Vallon Adams have been named. Robin Roberts is the team manager with Kenneth Grant-Steuart as head coach and Barrington Brown as the physiotherapist. On the distaff end, Lotoya Cordis, Collette Hope,
Carren Skeete, Abioce Heywood, Sabola Gray, Tiffany Pilgrim, Natasha Andrews, Cloetta Dublin, Alicia Mentore, Sasha James, Shonette Mc Farlane and Ashanti Carrington will represent Guyana. Petal Adams is their team manager with Theodore Henry as head coach and Abiola Blair as pPhysiotherapist Guyana’s senior men’s team is currently ranked 54 th in the world while the women’s team ranked 27 th in World Rugby. The ranking of the teams playing in 2016 Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship is subject to change over the weekend. The pool draw which was released recently, has 14 nations in the men’s event where the teams have been divided into two groups of four and two groups of three. Guyana’s Green Machine will be up against Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and Martinique in Group D. In the women’s category with two groups of five, Guyana’s team will be in Group B with the hosts, Mexico, Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
that disadvantages nations like the West Indies which have traditionally developed players who are particularly skilled in the shortest format of the game. In the end, it compromises the standard of the WICB’s international team and that team’s performance internationally.
The primacy of international cricket is threatened.” As such the WICB says it will now levy a charge for the granting of an NOC for West Indian cricketers seeking a release to participate in Leagues outside the jurisdiction of the West Indies.
“This will be an amount equivalent to 20 per cent of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player,” the WICB statement said. “All NOCs will be subject to West Indies international commitments and, in respect of centrally contracted players, official domestic cricket matches in the West Indies.” In a swift reply WIPA said a levy on players’ earnings is not the answer and suggested that the action of the WICB could be challenged in a court of law. “The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) takes note of the position taken by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on the condition for issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to West Indian players,” the WIPA statement said. “WIPA believes an impo-
sition of a NOC levy by the WICB is not the answer to the lack of coherent global scheduling. A centrally regulated and coordinated international cricket programme for all three formats is necessary for the improvement of global cricket. As such, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will need to spearhead the complete restructure of the international cricket calendar.” WIPA said it was totally against any new market restrictions or regulations that may limit West Indian players and the present NOC levy of the WICB promotes the restraint of trade and is open to be challenged legally. “To ensure that this matter is addressed immediately, we are proposing that the WICB meets with all stakeholders regionally (WIPA) and internationally (ICC, FICA) forthwith,” WIPA said. (Sportsmax. com)
Four teams officially withdraw as contract yet to surface By: Ras Wadada WITH less than one week before kick-off of the long awaited start of season two of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)-Stag Elite League, players and fans are uncertain of the future of the ‘Beautiful Game’, which appears to be weathering quite a storm in recent times. As it is, four teams have officially written to the GFF declaring that they will not participate in the expanded season, which now includes newcomers Victoria Kings of East Coast Demerara and Upper-Demerara’s Top XX. The disgruntled teams -- Slingerz FC, Alpha United, Pele FC and GFC -- are demanding that the GFF agrees to an arbitration to settle the ongoing dispute. At a press conference held last week, the four clubs insisted that the rules and regulations for the inaugural competition constituted the signed contract agreement
between the then Normalisation Committee and the eight Elite Clubs. The Wayne Forde-led Administration has, from inception of the impasse, maintained that while there
para. ii). To date, the infamous contract binding the GFF is yet to surface, and the Federation is claiming it does not have any such document. Last Monday was the deadline for registration
was a signed document regarding the rules and regulations of the competition, it does not constitute a contract. The administration is also saying that the Executive Committee is empowered to modify and make changes to the League according to the GFF’s Constitution (Art.36:
of teams for the Stag Elite League season two; and according to a reliable source, six teams have registered, while GFC; Pele FC; Alpha United; and Champions, Slingerz FC, have formally withdrawn from the League. The GFF, meantime, continues to prepare for the No-
vember 13th kick-off at the DCC ground in Queenstown, and has indicated that all ten teams have registered. The Federation yesterday completed the process of paying outstanding debts to clubs for the last season. The off-field distractions over the last month have left some stakeholders confused, but an insider has predicted that all issues will be put to rest soon, and it is more than likely that disciplinary action will be taken against any member of the GFF who refuses to acknowledge or accept any directive from CONCACACAF or FIFA. For the good of the game, it is hoped that the GFF can share with the aggrieved clubs the guidance it has received from CONCACAF which has led to the dismissal of the request for mediation to resolve the stalemate. This is so that we can have full participation in the ‘Beautiful Game’ of the Stag Elite League season two.
Increased incentives for twelfth Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival
Guyana Jaguars name squad for Scorpions encounter
See story on page 30
From L toR: Ansa McAl Beverage Marketing Manager Robert Hiscock, DDL Brand Executive Larry Wills, Guyana Hockey Board President Philip Fernandes, and members Tricia Fiedtkou and Devin Hooper (Adrian Narine Photo)
LEON JOHNSON LEON Johnson will lead the Guyana Jaguars charge as they seek to defend their PCL /Digicel Sportsmax Regional four-day title in first round action. The team which has Vishaul Singh as vice-captain will play its first round match at the Providence Stadium on Friday against the Jamaica Scorpions, who were due to arrive in Guyana last night.. Also named in the squad is former West Indies captain and batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, his son Tagenarine and former West Indies Under-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer. Rajendra Chandrika, Raymon Reifer, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie,,Keon Joseph and Christopher Barnwell have all been named in squad. The head coach of the unit is Esuan Crandon with Rayon Griffith playing the role of Assistant Coach/ Manager and Beverley Nelson as the Physiotherapist. Friday’s game commences at 09:30.hrs
GOA supports SA Youth Championships Team before departure
THE Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) yesterday handed over financial support to the Guyana contingent attending the South American Youth Championships, ahead of the team’s departure this morning for the November 12 – 14 event in Concordia, Argentina. A team comprising athletes Kenisha Phillips, Chantoba Bright, Daniel Williams, Tyrell Peters, team manager Mayfield Taylor-Trim, and coach Johnny Gravesande departed Guyana at 06:00hrs. GOA president K. A. Juman-Yassin wished the team well as he handed over an undisclosed sum to Trim and commented on how happy he was to see the team off, adding that he was particularly pleased that Phillips was a part of the team. Phillips is currently receiving sponsorship from the GOA towards her training and academics. “I want to compliment Mr. Hutson and his execu-
tives for sending such a team, and I want to wish them all the best. I would like to urge the athletes to do all their best. I’m happy that Ms. Phillips is going, because last year she was awarded a scholarship by the GOA to last while she’s in school, and once she is progressing in her academics and in her sporting activities, that will continue. She has so far been fulfilling both aspects, and so I’m happy that she’s going.” Yassin said. Phillips, and Peters were also present at yesterday’s conference, along with Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) president Aubrey Hutson. The two athletes spoke of their hopes of living up to the eminence of the last Guyana team to participate at the biennial event. “I feel wonderful that I was selected for this team, and I’m hoping to do my best. I think it will be a little challenging, but I am trying to remain focused and just
mentally prepare for this meet.” Phillips said. The athletes have big shoes to fill. Guyana currently holds the boys’ 400m record, which was set by Jason Yaw back in 2014; while, also in that year, Natricia Hooper finished with gold in the girls’ 400m. They were the only athletes to have attended the event. At this year’s event, Phillips will be performing in the girls’ 100m and 400m; CARIFTA Games silver medallist Chantoba Bright will be in the girls’ triple-jump and long jump; while Daniel Williams will be contending in the 100m and 200m, and Peters will compete in the boys’ high jump and 400m. Each of these four athletes had participated in the Guyana team at the CARIFTA Games earlier this year, and each was part of the athletics team that represented Guyana at the recent Inter-Guiana Games against athletes from Suriname.
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GOA President, K. A Juman-Yassin (second left), hands over the sponsorship to team manager Mayfield Taylor-Trim. They are flanked by, from left, athletes Kenisha Phillips and Tyrell Peters, and AAG President, Aubrey Hutson Hutson noted that these selected athletes represent the AAG’s efforts to increase exposure of athletes at higher-level competitions. “ These athletes that are going now are athletes that
we try to expose a lot. We’re trying to increase on their experience. It is a costly exercise, the budget is over $3 million to get these athletes out there, but this is what the AAG is trying to
do to expose our athletes to international competition, so that when they get to the right age, they wouldn’t be short of exposure and be intimidated by the level of competition,” Hutson said. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016