Guyana Chronicle E-paper 10-8-2019

TUESDAY 8th OCTOBER, 2019

' No.105784

Hinterland development advancing

SEE STORY ON PAGE 03

…President Granger tells NTC conference opening

…says Indigenous Peoples enjoying better access to a range of public services

‘The night of the long knives’ …President reflects on Jagdeo’s 'grievous interference in GDF'

PAGE

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Cayenne gang leader among six wanted for Linden shooting 12 PAGE

Toshaos head berates 'disrespectful' PPP 08 PAGE

President David Granger shares a light moment with Toshao Sharmain Rambajue and her baby while other toshaos look on (Carl Croker photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

‘Work for the good of Guyana’ …Toshaos Council head urges colleagues to stay focused

By Svetlana Marshall THE thirteenth Annual National Toshaos’ Council Conference opened on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre with its Chairman, Nicholas Fredericks, challenging leaders, Toshaos and Senior Councilors to put aside their political differences and work for the good of Guyana.

Instead of causing division, he said the political leaders should work with the Indigenous Leaders to provide solutions to the many challenges facing the nation’s first people. “I call on the government, (and) the Opposition to let us unify ourselves that we shall not be torn apart, especially to you my indigenous brothers and sisters,” Fredericks said to loud applause.

Fredericks, who is also the Toshao of Shulinab, said the NTC, over the past year, continues to fulfil its mandate. “Thanks to the commitment of the executive and staff of the Secretariat, we are moving forward,” Fred-

ericks said, even as he urged Toshaos and other leaders to make the best representation possible on behalf of their constituents.

“We are here for one week for very important discussions. Use the opportunity now to focus and don’t be distracted. We have a lot to celebrate,” the NTC Chair said. He explained that while progress is being made, there are some challenges, specifically with communication across the various villages. Toshao Fredericks commended government for its ICT hubs as they have assisted greatly in improving communications.

This year’s NTC Conference is themed, “Guyana’s First Peoples united in the promotion of the Green Economy through preservation of our languages, lands and rights.”

He addressed the conference, comprising more than 200 Toshaos and Senior Councillors, in the presence of President David Granger; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Vice President and Minister of Indigenous

People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister within

Chairman of the National Toshaos’ Council, Nicholas Fredericks

the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe among other Ministers of Government. A few Opposition Members of Parliament were also present.

While challenging the Toshaos and Senior Councillors to make representation on behalf of their people, the Chairman said it is important for them to maximise on current opportunities. “Don’t be distracted,” Fredericks told the Indigenous leaders, while underscoring the importance for them to remain focused.

Fredericks, who has been Chairman since 2018, said the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) has been fulfilling its mandate as he alluded to the establishment of the NTC Secretariat. Though not an easy task to manage and maintain, Fredericks said the Council has secured the financial support of the Executive to keep the Secretariat. The extension to the Amerindian Land Titling Project and the creation of Information Communication Hubs across Indigenous Communities are projects to be celebrated, despite some current challenges.

“We expect more, one that is very important to us, that is, our rights to our land. Without our lands, the Indigenous Peoples will not be able to sustainably develop themselves. Give us our lands, give us that full ownership to our lands and we will contribute hugely to national development, but also to the protection of nature,” Fredericks said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Hinterland development advancing …President Granger tells NTC conference opening

…says Indigenous Peoples enjoying better access to a range of public services

By Svetlana Marshall PRESIDENT Granger, on Monday, underscored that his administration has been working to ensure human development takes place in the Hinterland, just as it occurs on the coastland, especially in the areas of education, health, livelihood and social protection.

“Indigenous peoples are enjoying better access to public education, public health, public information, public infrastructure, public security, public telecommunications and social security,” the Head of State told the opening of the National Toshaos Council conference held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center.

This year’s NTC Conference is themed, “Guyana’s First Peoples united in the promotion of the Green Economy through preservation of our languages, lands and rights.”

He addressed the conference, comprising more than 200 Toshaos and Senior Councillors, in the presence of Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo; Vice President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe among other Ministers of Government. A few Opposition Members of Parliament were also present.

In the Education Sector, for which Indigenous communities benefited, $170B was injected over the last four years as part of Government’s push to bridge the gap between the Hinterland and Coastland. Billions of dollars were also pumped

abuse and teenage pregnancies, remain problematic.

“The eradication of these social ills and the elimination of extreme poverty require intensified cooperation among Regional Democrat-

The Government, he iterated, will launch the Decade of Development 2020-2029 come next year. “The objectives of the ‘Decade’ will be aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

President David Granger being greeted by a Toshao upon his arrival at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on Monday for the opening of the National Toshaos’ Council Conference (Carl Croker)

into the Public Health Sector resulting in greater access to health services. “Health professionals have been deployed to the hinterland to boost health-care delivery.

Emergency health-care services have been improved with the addition of new water ambulances in riverine neighbourhoods – at Baracara, Karawab, Kwakwani, Moruca, Orealla and St. Monica,” President Granger pointed out.

Government, he said, is also working feverishly to raise the standard of living of Indigenous People. “Your Government has continued to narrow development gaps between the coastland and hinterland in the provision of these services. The Hinterland Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme has improved food security through the expansion of hinterland agriculture and agro-processing in the Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni,

Potaro-Siparuni and Rupununi Regions. Hinterland farmers have benefitted from the services provided by the programme,” he further pointed out.

The Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) and the Youth Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (YEST) programme, have been stimulating jobs and entrepreneurship within indigenous communities. “Jobs are important in providing incomes for households and in diversifying and stimulating village economies.

Hinterland development is about human beings, it is about people and we are on the right path. Hinterland development is advancing,” he explained.

But while there have been advancements in those critical sectors, President Granger said the country cannot ignore the fact that social ills such as alcoholism, child labour, drug abuse, sexual

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in discussion with Chairman of the NTC, Nicholas Fredericks (Carl Croker)

ic Councils, the National Toshaos’ Council, Indigenous Village Councils and Central Government, particularly through the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs,” President Granger told the indigenous leaders.

Nonetheless, he said his Administration has been actively working to incorporate the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national planning processes, policies and strategies. Turning to the leadership of the NTC, President Granger said it was also necessary for the Indigenous leaders to incorporate the SDGs into their 10-year Village Improvement Plans.

(SDGs),” he assured those present.

“The ‘Decade’ will promote measures aimed at closing the development gaps between the hinterland and coastland. It will aim at ensuring that indigenous peoples, inter alia, would not be left behind. It will seek to promote measures aimed at solving the social problems which handicap indigenous peoples and hamper human development,” he further added.

Minister Allicock, in his address, told the indigenous leaders that exciting times are ahead as he pointed to the Government’s Green State Development Strategy

(GSDS) and the impending Oil and Gas Sector. He said as the country enters this new era, it is necessary for indigenous people to position themselves.

“Part of the NTC’s role is to ensure that our indigenous people benefit equally from our oil and all other natural resources, by ensuring that you help to educate, first of all yourself on the oil industry, you help to educate your people, by giving them appropriate education, so that we can have a well-rounded workforce,” Minister Allicock said.

Notwithstanding the coming of oil, the Minister said it was important for villages and their districts to develop their agricultural and tourism products.

Meanwhile, Minister Garrido-Lowe urged the indigenous leaders to use the five-day conference wisely, that is, to advance their developments while providing solutions to the problems faced by their villages. “Let us use this forum wisely, let us place our ideas for the sustainable development of our communities…We have problems, let us bring solutions to our problems, and let us place them on the table for discussion,” she urged the Toshaos and Senior Councilors. Like the President, she too alluded to the many developments in the Education, Health, Business, Social Services, Infrastructure, ICT and Agriculture Sectors that benefit indigenous people directly. The conference continues today at the convention centre.

'Amity' pan presentation a huge success

By Naomi Parris THE Unit of Allied Arts within the Ministry of Education held its annual ‘Amity’ Schools’ Steel band Presentation on Sunday, October 6, 2019, at the Botanical Gardens. It was indeed a great success.

The participating schools this year were Berbice High School, The Bishop’s High School, St. Rose’s High School, President’s College, GBTI Buxton Pride Steel Orchestra, Dolphin Secondary School, Mahaicony Secondary School and The West De-

merara Secondary School.

The event also saw a new addition, with a guitar rendition from three primary schools; North Georgetown Primary School, St. Pius Primary School and South Ruimveldt Primary School.

According to the Administrator of the Unit of Allied Arts, Ms. Lorraine Barker-King, the activity was a culmination of the events of one of the best Education Months observed and celebrated by the Ministry of Education.

Ms. Barker-King added that, the Ministry is a strong advocate of arts education

Students of Berbice High School Performing at the Presentation

at all levels of schools in Guyana; hence thirty one steel bands were distributed to schools from regions one to ten and Georgetown.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson, who also attended the event, thanked the trainers who worked with the students.

He stated that music was being pushed heavily in schools by the Ministry of Education in order to develop rounded students.

Dr. Hutson added that the introduction of the guitar in schools is evidence of advancements being made in the education sector where music was concerned.

The Ministry of Education introduced the ‘Amity’ activity as an annual feature of the Education Month calendar; it is designed to create a platform for students to exhibit their skills in the art form of steelpan. It endeavours to promote a great atmosphere of friendship, love, unity, and peace among all Guyanese.

4 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

Turkey-Syria border: Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Turkish economy

(BBC) President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkey goes “off limits” after his surprise decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria.

In a series of angry tweets, Mr Trump defended

the move that could open the way for Turkey to launch an attack on Kurdish fighters across the border.

The withdrawal was heavily criticised even by Mr Trump’s Republican allies.

Kurdish forces were key US allies in defeating the

Islamic State in Syria.

The US has some 1,000 troops across Syria and about two dozen had been pulled out from the border area, according to a senior state department official.

The withdrawal was described by the main Kurdish-led group as a “stab in the back”, and critics say it could facilitate an IS resurgence and leave Kurdish forces at risk of being attacked by Turkey, which regards them

as terrorists.

But Mr Trump warned Turkey not to take advantage of his decision - which goes against the advice of senior officials in the Pentagon and state department - saying he could “destroy and obliterate” its economy.

Last year, the US raised tariffs on some Turkish products and imposed sanctions on top officials as relations between the two Nato countries worsened over a number

of issues.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his aim is to combat Kurdish fighters in the border area and set up a “safe zone” for up to two million of the more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said “the Department of Defense made clear to Turkey - as did the president

- that we do not endorse a Turkish operation in Northern Syria”.

Earlier, Mr Trump said it was time “to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal” and that “Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out”.

Indian selfie deaths: Four drown in reservoir in Tamil Nadu (BBC) A newly married woman and three of her family drowned in a reservoir after trying to take a selfie, said police in the southern

Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The dead were among a group of six who held hands and stood in waist deep water near Pambar dam before one

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of them slipped, pulling the others. The woman’s husband was able to save his sister but the others drowned. India has the highest number of recorded selfie deaths in the world.

India accounted for about half of the 259 reported fatalities between 2011 and 2017, according to a study by the US National Library of Medicine.

It was followed by Russia, the US and Pakistan. In Tamil Nadu on Sunday, the young married couple, from Bargur in Krishnagiri, were visiting relatives in Uthangarai along with the bridegroom’s sister, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The three entered the water

together with three teenage siblings when one of them, a boy aged 14, slipped and dragged his two sisters aged 18 and 19 with him, along with the newly married woman and the bridegroom’s sister. The sister was pulled to safety by her brother but the other four disappeared under the water. Police said the bodies were later recovered and that post-mortem examinations would be carried out.

It was the latest in a series of tragedies linked to selfies in India. Experts have warned that people are taking unnecessary risks to impress their family and friends on social media.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

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Guyanese woman wanted in NY for Medicaid fraud surrenders to US authorities

Guyanese, Shameza Ally who and several others are wanted in the United States for stealing over US1M from New York Medicaid surrendered to US authorities at the JFK Airport late Monday night.

Guyana Chronicle was told that Ally surrendered to law enforcement officers, who were awaiting her as she arrived at the the JFK airport from Guyana. She opted to avoid extradition from Guyana, sources told this newspaper.

Last week it was reported that Attorney General Letitia James announced the indictment and arrest of the owner of Purple Heart Transportation (“Purple Heart”), Sean Ally, 44, as well as the indictment and arrest of a driver of the company, Lissette Joza, 31, for stealing over $1 million from the New York Medicaid program for billing fake transportation services that were never provided. Ally and Joza were arrested late Friday night upon their arrival at JFK airport from Guyana. Both defendants as well as a third indicted defendant, Shamiza Ally, fled the United States some months earlier. Shamiza Ally, the third indicted defendant, had remained at large abroad.

“Medicaid fraud hits those who can least afford it the hardest,” said Attorney General James. “My office will not allow those who are driven by greed to corrupt a system that is designed to support the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable. We will continue to hold accountable health care providers who forsake their responsibility to their patients and our society, and chose to instead line their pockets.”

Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) outlined in court a scheme whereby the defendants, together using a number of different techniques, billed Medicaid for transportation services that never occurred. Medicaid reimburses transportation providers for transporting Medicaid patients to and from covered medical services. Between late September 2017 and early May 2019, Purple Heart submitted claims to and collected from Medicaid over $29 million for allegedly providing transportation ser-

vices to Medicaid patients in and around New York City. However, prosecutors found and allege that over $19 million dollars of that amount was for unmatched services -- services for which there no corresponding bill for medical treatment for the patients who purportedly received the transportation services.

During their investigation, prosecutors uncovered a number of different techniques allegedly used by the defendants to submit claims to Medicaid for fake trips.

For example, prosecutors assert that the defendants allegedly paid numerous Medicaid patients a weekly kickback to use their Medicaid identification numbers so that they could then bill for non-existent transportation services in the name of these patients. New York State law strictly prohibits all medical providers, including transportation companies, from paying or offering to pay cash kickbacks to anyone in return for the referral of medical services ultimately paid for

by Medicaid.

As a result, according to claims data analyzed by prosecutors and outlined today in court, Purple Heart billed Medicaid for fake transportation services supposedly provided to dozens of patients daily by numerous drivers, who Purple Heart claimed repeatedly drove upwards of a thousand miles a day in and around New York City’s crowded highways and city streets. Large sums of that money were

then purportedly funneled through bank accounts to the individual defendants and to defendants Heart Holdings, Inc. and SA & SB Enterprises, LLC, both of which are shell companies controlled by several of the defendants. Additionally, portions of the money were then allegedly used by several defendants to make multiple real estate purchases, while further sums were transferred out of the United States.

Sean Ally and Shamiza Ally, along with Purple Heart, were charged in an indictment unsealed in Supreme Court, Queens County with the crime of Grand Larceny in the First Degree. Each was also charged along with Lissette Joza and the two suspected shell companies, Heart Holdings, Inc. and SA & SB Enterprises, LLC, with one count of Money Laundering in the First Degree. Sean Ally, Shamiza Ally, and Purple Heart were additionally charged with a second count of Money Laundering in the First Degree. Finally, Sean Ally was charged with two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree.

The charges filed in this case are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Grand Larceny in the First Degree and Money Laundering in the First Degree are both class “B” felonies for which the maximum state prison sentence is twenty-five years. Offering a False Instrument for Filing in

the First Degree is a class “E” felony carrying maximum prison term of 4 years.

Sean Ally and Lissette Joza were arraigned this morning before the Honorable Barry Kron, Justice of the Supreme Court, Queens County. Defendants were remanded and their cases were adjourned.

In conjunction with the criminal case, the Attorney General also obtained court orders to restrain the assets of the criminal defendants Sean Ally, Lissette Joza, Shamiza Ally, Purple Heart, SA & SB Enterprises, LLC, and Heart Holdings Corp., and filed a civil asset forfeiture and New York State False Claims Act action against the criminal defendants. The asset forfeiture action and civil recovery action seeks to recover over $57 million dollars in damages from the defendants for defrauding the State Medicaid program.

The Attorney General thanks the New York State Department of Health, the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, Medical

Answering Services, and the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission for their assistance and cooperation during the investigation. Additionally, the Attorney General expresses her thanks for the assistance and cooperation provided by the New York City Police Department as well as the Departments of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the apprehension of defendants Sean Alley and Lissette Joza Friday night at JFK airport.

MFCU’s investigation was conducted by Investigators Anthony Caban, Dan McCarron, Aleksandr Lipkin, and Bikens Pierre with the assistance of Supervising Investigator Ronald Lynch and Deputy Chief Investigator Kenneth Morgan.

The audit investigation was conducted by Senior Auditor Investigator Kizzy-Ann Waldropt and Auditor-Investigator Klodjan Gjegji and Kizzy-Ann Waldropt with the assistance of NYC Regional Deputy Chief Auditor Jonathan Romano and

NYC Regional Chief Auditor Thomasina Smith. Also assisting in the investigation were Legal Assistants Chrisalys DeJesus and Kelvin Caraballo, and Data Scientist Si Lok Chao.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by NYC Deputy Regional Director Erin Kelsh along with Special Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Reiner and David Arias with assistance from NYC Regional Director Christopher M. Shaw and Chief of Criminal Investigations-Downstate Thomas O’Hanlon. The civil action was litigated by Senior Counsel Konrad Payne with the assistance of Civil Enforcement Chief Alee N. Scott and Special Assistant Attorney General Diana Elkind. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney.

The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice José Maldonado.

6 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

Government and hinterland development

THE establishment of the towns of Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma, and Mahdia in Regions Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), One (Barima-Waini), and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), respectively, after only four years of being given the privilege of serving Guyanese is one of the ‘Coalition’ administration’s most important achievements, and one of Guyana’s boldest steps towards the admirable goal of full democratic governance.

That tangible and progressive step towards decentralised government is one of the APNU+AFC government’s most significant actions aimed at equalising the standard of living countrywide through hinterland development.

Unfortunately, the more than two decades of a flawed policy of political patronage under the heavy fist of consecutive PPP administrations had dangerously divided Guyana into two zones.

President David Granger has referred to this division as “the east-west divide”.

That political, social, and

economic divide, His Excellency explained, separates the living conditions of residents of lands west of Fort Island on the Essequibo River from those of Guyanese to the east.

That ‘divide’ has hindered national development and community advancement through the inhibition of social cohesion. The ‘Coalition’ has declared its commitment to a reversal of the PPP’s ideology of division, and backed up that commitment with actions such as the creation of the Ministry of Social Cohesion.

Seventy-six per cent of Guyana’s landmass is hinterland, and as such, President Granger said, national development depends on hinterland development. The neglect of the hinterland by the PPP government has resulted in the stagnant and backward country that the ‘Coalition’ inherited. The government has repeatedly declared its intention to reverse this inequitable state of affairs, and promote countrywide progress by pursuing a sustainable hinterland development strategy. And the actions of the government give credence to that commitment.

It is evident that economic growth is heavily dependent on the sustainable use of our hinterland resources.

Mineral and forest resources account for a major part of Guyana’s export earnings. It is clear that the government is implementing policies and administrative arrangements to maximise earnings from mining activities in a sustainable manner.

Regarding surface resources, the President has said that adding value to Guyana’s forestry products will create new jobs. He has committed the government to moving in this direction of sustainable growth, which must necessarily include environmentally-sound best practices. Guyana’s signing of the Paris Agreement on the morning of January 12, 2015 is evidence of the government’s actions towards making that commitment a reality.

No less important than overall national growth is the improvement of the standard of living of the 113,000 Guyanese who inhabit Guyana’s interior. In fact, the two are inextricably linked. For too long Guyana’s hinterland

residents have endured a substandard existence.

The majority of those Guyanese are the Akawaio, Arawak, Arecuna, Carib, Makushi, Patamona, WaiWai, Wapichana and Warau Peoples, all members of Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples.

The government has declared a commitment to ensuring that all Guyanese enjoy a decent standard of living, including hinterland residents.

The President said, “Your government undertakes to empower Guyana’s First Peoples to be able to sustainably provide for themselves while ending the dependency syndrome that had characterised life in the past.”

President Granger elaborated by noting, “Technical and agricultural institutes will be established in each hinterland region, so as to endow hinterland youth with the skills needed for them to prosper. Currently, although there may be some good jobs available, they are given to persons brought from the coast because local residents lack the skills necessary to fill them. Instead, most [hinterland-based] Guyanese must take low-paying menial jobs.

The administration is putting an end to this disparity; our hinterland-based brothers and sisters must have the same opportunity to succeed in life as coastal dwellers.”

The President emphasised that he views development as human development; in other words, improvement in the standard of living of citizens across Guyana. His Excellency said, “The government recognises the need for permanent institutions, jobs, farm-to-market roads, well equipped and staffed schools, airstrips, safe communities, food security, decent infrastructure and efficient services. The establishment of the new towns is one of the first steps in the administration’s quest to equalise standards of living across Guyana’s regions.”

As the administrative centres of the various regions, it makes sense to elevate the status of the areas to towns, as the government has done in four regions to date. The administration has declared that it will now invest in improving infrastructure and service delivery to those communities and regions. Bartica, for exam-

ple, needs a better stelling and proper waste disposal; Lethem requires improved water and electricity services; Mabaruma’s market must be improved, and all-weather roads must be constructed, as is being done in Mahdia. The administration has said that it will address those and other issues which have already been identified.

The task of creating better lives for all Guyanese and equalising living standards for all citizens will not be an easy one, and the government must not be daunted by the magnitude of the undertaking. Instead, the administration must be applauded for remaining resolute to the commitment to improving lives. After all, the government is here to serve all the people, and although Guyanese certainly know that all goals cannot be achieved overnight, the government deserves to be saluted for making such bold advances, and steadfastly standing by the determination to make life better for all Guyanese.

Sugar workers petition President for pay rise Dear Editor, NEARLY 3,500 sugar workers engaged in the fields and factories of Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates on October 02, 2019, through the GAWU, submitted a petition to President David Granger calling on him and his Government to approve a pay rise to them.

Through the petition, the workers have pointed out that they have been working for the same rates-of-pay since 2015 though the cost-of-

living has risen significantly in the ensuing period. The nation’s sugar workers noted, too, that their earnings have declined owing to a number of factors such as lessened crop weeks, restriction of certain benefits, and the suspension of other longstanding conditions of work, among other things. The situation, the workers lamented, has found them and their families between a rock and a hard place.

The workers, through their petition, shared that they were of the view that the

Government of Guyana, as the owner of the industry, had a responsibility to ensure that they benefit from adequate compensation to maintain their standard of living and thus avoiding impoverishment.

On this score, the GAWU must point out that the now nearly 71-year-old United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Article 23(3) says, “Everyone who works has the right to favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of

human dignity, and supplement, if necessary, by other means of social protection”.

The declaration at Article 25(1) says, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care, and necessary social services …” Our country, as a full-fledged member of the UN, should take note of what the Declaration says, recognising that it is considered one of the main documents of the organisation.

The workers also told the President that they were an important tenet in the long-term sustainability of the sugar industry, and that he should use his office to have the GuySuCo approve an appropriate rise in pay at their upcoming negotiations with the GAWU. At this time, the workers are eagerly looking forward to hearing from the President regarding their petition. They shared that it has been a trying period for them and their families, and an improvement in pay

will really go a long way in easing the burdens and difficulties they face nowa-days. The GAWU is also hopeful that the President will consider the workers cries, knowing that they are supportive voices in the industry who have advocated that the workers be awarded an improvement in their pay.

Regards, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

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Gov’t should pursue re-establishment of a new Guyana National Cooperative Bank

Dear Editor,

THE wise King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes declared that money answereth all things. The Working People’s Alliance, through its representatives Dr. Clive Thomas and Professor David Hinds, in their ‘Buxton Proposal,’ is recommending that all Guyanese households should benefit from ‘cash transfers’ from Guyana’s forthcoming oil wealth.

Critics of the cash transfer proposal seem to be psychologically motivated rather than philosophically driven, arguing, variously, that recipients will not put their money to good uses; poor people will become dependent on handouts; people would become lazy and won’t be motivated to seek and to maintain gainful employment etc.

While these arguments seem reasonable, based on examples of welfare programmes from around the world, they cannot be justified in Guyana.

As the first and only Co-operative Republic in the entire world, this is the first real opportunity since Guyana became

a Republic on February 23 1970 that all Guyanese citizens stand a chance to receive dividends as a birthright! As legitimate members of the world’s only co-operative country, disbursing annual ‘Citizen Dividends’ (or CDs) will be a profound act of leadership, and a fulfillment of the highest ideals of the cooperative philosophy. Oil production is scheduled to begin 50 years after Guyana embraced the cooperative model of economic development. Guyanese must now benefit from a shared inheritance of the oil wealth as heirs and joint-heirs with their Government.

During the first 25 years of the cooperative movement, from 1970 - 1995, Guyana experienced both positive and negative responses to this model of development. The Agriculture, Banking and Housing sectors experienced the most success stories. Time and space would not allow for elaboration.

Most importantly, however, during this period, Guyana established the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), which became a model for other National Insurance Schemes throughout the Caribbean region. It was

and still is Guyana’s bold and visionary social-security safety net.

During the last 25 years, from 1995 to present, the cooperatives movement suffered severe neglect, with the coup de grace occurring in 2002 when the Guyana National Cooperative Bank was closed and sold off by the People’s Progressive Party Civic government. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

In a major presentation on the Cooperative Movement in Guyana at the Commission for Social Development in New York on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Permanent Representative of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the United Nations, Ambassador Rudolph Tenpow declared, “One of the factors behind the revival of the cooperative sector in Guyana is our recognition that the spirit and practice of cooperatives are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with their emphasis on social inclusion, gender equality, the economic empowerment of social groups that might otherwise be excluded and marginalised, and

in general, the people-centered ethos of cooperatives.”

The spirit of the cooperative movement must, therefore, be rekindled and taken to another level during the ‘Decade of Development”, which will be launched in the Cooperative Republic by President David Granger next year. In fact, as President Granger insists, education will be the cornerstone of the coming Decade. His vision is to see Guyanese becoming the best educated people in the Caribbean. Cooperative education must, therefore, be an integral part of public education at all levels. The time has come for all Guyanese to fully embrace the word “Cooperative” in the official name of our country. It will literally pay dividends!

A lot has been said about the establishment by the APNU government of the Natural Resources Fund, also known as the Sovereign Wealth Fund, to be managed by the Central Bank of Guyana. Whilst this fund will set aside profits from the oil wealth for future generations, it is only fitting that the present generation of Guyanese also benefit directly from the

petroleum royalties. Of course, this will not materialise overnight. Economists predict that dividends can kick in by 2025.

In keeping with the cooperative spirit, therefore, APNU should embrace and promote the ‘cash transfer’ proposal as a ‘Citizen Dividend (CD)’ or ‘National Dividend (ND) in its 2020 Manifesto. This 20/20 Vision (Nice manifesto title by the way!) would be Solomonic in scope, and will fit right into the Decade of Development and the Green State Development Strategy Vision 2040!

In tandem with the proposed Citizens Dividends, it would be wise for APNU to also pursue the re-establishment of a New Guyana National Cooperative Bank (or any other appropriate name) that will be ultra-modern, with innovative in-bank and Online-Smart technologies. In addition to branches in all 10 Administrative Regions and Capital towns of Guyana, it is envisaged that with Online banking, Guyanese in any part of the world will be able to open accounts and conduct business through a modern GNCB. The New GNCB will be the national

financial institution which may regulate a National Dividends Scheme, and provide capital for establishment of small to medium-sized businesses based on established formula.

The formation of a Bipartisan National Wealth Commission may also become necessary to monitor and evaluate as well as develop policy. I would urge the promoters of this very worthy economic concept of ‘cash transfer’ to use the term ‘Citizen Dividends (CDs)’ or ‘National Dividends (NDs)’ instead of ‘cash transfer.’

This will be more in keeping with the cooperative model of development, and lead to economic empowerment that is sustainable. “Let us cooperate for Guyana, Let us cooperate for our land, Let us resolve to fight together, see we do it right together, Can we do it? Yes, we can!”

Regards, Stanhope Williams

We must implement an impactful poverty eradication programme Dear Editor,

AS an imperative, Guyanese must establish an impactful poverty eradication assistance programme as a social service benefit from oil & gas revenues. The national dialogue has been dominated by discussions about direct cash transfers to the citizens of Guyana from revenues generated from Guyana’s nascent, but soon-to-be-booming oil and gas sector.

The direct cash transfer proposal emanated from economist Dr. Clive Thomas. Dr. David Hinds has been a chief proponent. The APNU+AFC government has dissuaded this plan. The government said it intends to invest such oil-and-gas revenues in, among other programmes, the reintroduction of free education from nursery to university. Free education is a constitutionally guaranteed right which the PPP government unlawfully took away from Guyanese.

I endorse and laud the government’s plan to fund free education from oil-and-gas profits. Free education, by itself, however, will not alleviate poverty. A broad social protection policy framework would be essential.

The APNU+AFC coalition, if it does not subscribe to direct cash transfers, must quickly adumbrate a social service programme that directly transfers wealth accrued from oil and gas to vulnerable citizens, to propel them from poverty to prosperity. We cannot adopt or continue old designs that merely ameliorate the impact of poverty, but which do not eliminate impoverishment. Those are futile. The nation must endeavour to eliminate poverty; poverty eradication and social transformation can only be attained with bold, progressive policies that reverse factors that sustain poverty.

Move On Guyana, Inc. (MOGI) has advanced the best poverty eradication programme proposal. The MOGI programme includes the following components: (i) Establish a national income threshold for all Guyanese, age 18 to pensionable age. (ii) Enact a conditional, proportionate income subsidy from a fund similar to, or part of, the sovereign wealth fund from oil royalties and revenues to compensate every eligible citizen earning below the income threshold. The conditional cash payment will bring the participant’s income up to the threshold. (iii) Beneficiaries must be gainfully employed throughout

enrollment. (iv) Programme participation will be for a specified time period. (v) Eligibility is conditioned on continuing education and pursuit of better employment opportunities with higher income. (vi) Participants whose income increases to or above the threshold will become ineligible and migrate from the programme.

This is neither welfare nor a handout. Participants will be required to meet programme conditionalities. These beneficiaries must be employed to participate; must undergo continuous training and education; and must seek better employment after gaining better qualifications. Once new employment generates income at or above the threshold, they leave the programme.

This is a progressive policy that will motivate unemployed citizens to seek employment, as well as inspire low-income citizens to become better qualified, and to pursue better employment to earn more. This is teaching citizens “how to fish”; this is how we lift people from poverty into the middle-class. With meticulous, skilled conceptualisation and commensurable comprehensive legislative framework, this policy can be a landmark accomplishment that empowers productive citizenry and prosperity in our nation.

Guyana’s poverty level is too high for a country with such remarkable wealth generation potential from tapping unexploited natural resources. Revenues from oil and gas must, therefore, be used to engender the modernity and prosperity we Guyanese have for so long desired. Now is the time for those whom the people elected to govern our nation to rapidly build a modern Guyana. A long-term plan to modernise our infrastructure, accelerate human development, and bring about social transformation will inspire support from the people.

We must build state-of-the-art healthcare facilities countrywide, and a modern, efficient education system that produces brilliant young mines to lead the future. We must build new communities and adequate, modern housing; a world-class, pure-water supply system that reaches every household in Guyana; construct a modern, industrialised electricity grid to power every home and industry, and, ultimately, establish a social safety net that helps to lift citizens from poverty into the middle-class. This audacious agenda must be complemented by a robust, expanded private sector that

creates good, paying jobs and generates economic growth.

We must build a modern Guyana now; modern development must be the priority occupation of all.

So, too, must be the agenda for national harmony. Modern development cannot be achieved without national cohesiveness. The APNU+AFC has led our nation well. I do

not agree with all of its decisions, or with every member, but, in principle, I support President Granger and his government. Our nation now looks forward to the ‘Coalition’ adumbrating “Vision 25”; a 25-year vision of the modern Guyana it seeks to build.

Regards, Rickford Burke

Ungracious reception must be condemned Dear Editor, ONLINE news sites are abuzz with the less than gracious reception which greeted TKR Captain, Pollard, as he made his way out to the middle in the CPL Eliminator game against STKNP on Sunday and his response.

Whether the persons who engaged in the distasteful act were over-zealous fans, reminiscent of some young ladies who disrespected a flag not so long ago, these types of conduct have no place in our society, are un- Guyanese and must be condemned.

It just does not reflect who we are as a people, putting out the best of our hospitality to our guests.

Such behaviour can be a factor in our getting future games.

I am sure the authorities will issue, unreservedly, an apology to Mr. Pollard and the TKR team. In closing, the ‘Eliminator’ game was good and exciting in every way. But alas! There could have only been one winner. While best wishes go out to TKR, I am rooting in every way for GAW. Regards, Shamshun Mohamed

8 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

Toshaos berate ‘disrespectful’ Opposition CHAIRMAN of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC), Nicholas Fredericks had reason to pull several Toshaos into place on Monday, after they allowed themselves to be negatively swayed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition.

At the opening of the 13th annual NTC Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, a group of Toshaos refrained from standing in respect of President David Granger when he rose to make his address and also used the forum to pass out invitations to an event organised by the Opposition Leader.

The invitations ran counter to a cocktail invitation by the President, on Monday evening, at State House, for Toshaos participating in the Conference. It was anticipated that those leaders would have had further discussions with the President in a lighter setting. Although some planned to thwart such, the NTC Chairman was not having it and stood to the podium following the President’s address and blasted the leaders for their blatant act of disrespect.

President David Granger makes a point during a cocktail reception for Toshaos participating in the 13th annual National Toshaos’ Council Conference. (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

“We are here for a conference. When it is protocol that whenever His Excellency of any country gets up to go and make a presentation that we all stand and, observing this morning, the Opposition were right in front of us [and they] did not have that respect to stand to our President,” the Chairman said.

“He is still our President.

Nobody else was sworn in; he’s the Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and, for me, sitting down while all of us indigenous peoples are paying respect ---

President David Granger addresses Toshaos and village leaders at the beginning of the function (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

PPP Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali entertains Toshoas with GT Beers and ‘coke’.

they just showed him disrespect by sitting down. What message

is that sending to us?”

The NTC Conference,

‘Mercy’ on a mission

By Wendella Davidson THE St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital is on a mission to upgrade patient care and other services it offers to the public.

The hospital recently participated in the Guyana National Bureau of Standards National Quality Awards (NQA) 2019 for companies, and has been adjudged the winner of the Continuous Improvement Services Award.

The institution, which is located on Parade Street, Kingston, and has been a primary Private Hospital & Healthcare Services Provider in this country for some 74 years, is rated ISO-compliant, and is currently exploring the possibility of Guyana having its own nursing practitioners.

According to its Medical Director Dr. Ayesha Wilburg, such a human resource will be beneficial to the hospital’s forward-planning agenda.

Registered Nurse (RN) training is also done at the institution’ School of Nursing, and through a linkage with St. Joseph’s Mercy in the State of Connecticut in the USA, a trauma specialist visits annually to conduct training and assessment of the students and certification in Emergency Room (ER), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing care, as well as Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification.

Just recently, a nurse was trained as an instructor ACLS in Connecticut, and is currently training others nurses, all of whom are certified by the Guyana Nursing Council to practise.

To complement its medical

which runs from October 7-11, 2019, is intended to deal with issues which promote good governance in villages; strategies for reducing poverty; improvements to health and education; land-related issues; protection and conservation of the environment and more.

The body comprises of all Toshaos in Guyana and is represented by one Toshao from each of the ten administrative regions on an Executive Committee. In his candid remarks, the NTC Head noted his disappointment with the behaviour

of the group of Toshaos as he explained that the events set up have been organised for their benefit and the benefit of the people in their villages.

Regarding the counter invitation which surfaced at the opening ceremony, Fredericks told the room of leaders: “And now circulating invitational cards to a reception by the Opposition when we were verbally invited ---and documented invitation also --- to a reception with His Excellency this evening (Monday). He’s expecting us to interact with him this evening so I want to urge and I want to let you know that from this conference we are all going to the reception of His Excellency.”

On Monday evening, some of the leaders disobeyed Frederick’s order and took to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Church Street, Georgetown. They traded in dinner at State House with the President to sit at a few tables at Church Street scattered with bottles of GT Beers and Coca-Coca Cola.

--to provide best healthcare service ever atric, Dermatology, Dentistry and Sonography - the services are conducted at 46 clinics by Residents and what’s called Doctors with Privilege who number about 80.

The latter are medical practitioners who use available office space at the institution, as they do not conduct clinics daily.

Promoting breast feeding

Medical Director of St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital, Dr. Ayesha Wilburg

team, Dr. Wilburg said the hospital has a trained psychologist and nutritionist on board.

Noting that a midwifery programme was recently started, the medical director said it is her desire to see ‘Mercy’ converted to a university hospital, where not only nurses, but doctors as well could be trained, similar to what obtains at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. CARING HANDS PACT The institution also inked a collaboration agreement with the recently-launched Caring Hands Healthcare Inc., a private homecare service established

by Dr. Rhonda Joseph, a dental surgeon and registered nurse, and Dr. Mahendra Carpen, a cardiologist, the objective of which is to bring relief to families who find it difficult to offer aftercare service to

The Baby Feeding Corner at St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital

relatives who were hospitalised and have been discharged, Dr. Wilburg said during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Dr. Carpen has a cardiology clinic at Mercy Hospital, where he offers services in echocardiogram, stress testing, holter monitors, ambulatory, blood pressure and sleep studies.

Recently, an information centre, which operates from 08:00 to 16:00hours, was established where persons visiting the institution for medical attention will have a hospital triage done by a nurse trained for such purposes. This entails the nurse taking the vital signs, blood pressure, pulse and blood sugar levels of the patient, and after being given a brief history of the ailment, he or she would then be advised on which doctor they should see, or whether they need to proceed to the emergency room, the institution’s medical director explained.

Meanwhile, a signature service at the institution is the promotion of breast feeding and the establishment of a breast feeding and baby-friendly corner, which is relaxing, and was branded by ANSA McAl. In addition, there are now changing tables for babies in all of the

With most of the specialty on board – Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Plastic surgery, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, General Medicine, Endocrinologist, General surgery, Renal Vascular and Transplant surgery, Urology,

A changing table can be found in the washroom on every level of the hospital

washrooms on every level, Dr. Wilburg pointed out.

Otolaryngologist (ENT), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pedi-

FULLY EQUIPPED The hospital is fully equipped, and provides 24hour services to both in and out-patients. It also has a unique feature to the availability of a specialist, with the use of a monthly on-call duty schedule, and a 24-hour access to its two operating theatres.

The emergency room is designed with a triage area; an area for doctors’ interview and emergency beds, while there is easy access to the 24-hour services such as the x-ray department, ultrasound, computed tomography(CT) scans and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) department.

Additionally, all of the doctors who are practising at the hospital are certified by the Medical Council of Guyana, with a monthly Continued Medical Examination (CME) conferences being done at the hospital, whereby each attending doctor is given one CME credit which amounts to 12 CME credits required by the medical council for registration.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

‘The night of the long knives’ …President reflects on Jagdeo’s 'grievous interference in GDF'

By Svetlana Marshall PRESIDENT David Granger, in rubbishing claims of interference in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), said it was under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration that the GDF experienced the worse level of meddling which resulted in the discriminatory firing of staff and elevation of “favorites.”

It was the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali, who had contended that the Government was interfering in the operations of the security forces. Ali, in his bid to outline his plans for the ‘men and women in uniform,’ had also alleged that members of the security forces are left with no other choice than to use obsolete equipment to execute their duties while operating under poor conditions.

President Granger, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in debunking the claims, said the allegations are baseless. “I don’t interfere.

I have certain responsibilities, I am Chairman of the Defence Board and I am also Minister of Defense,” he told Guyana Chronicle during an exclusive interview.

He said the Bharrat Jagdeo-led PPP Administration was responsible for the “most grievous interference” in the operations of the Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force, emphasising that it was under that Administration that GDF Colonels were unjustly removed from office and replaced by a favoured set.

Records show that in August, 2007, Jagdeo, while as President, bypassed four senior GDF officers and promoted their juniors. The Colonels – Frank Bispham, Lawrence Paul, Lindon Ross and Gordon Benn – were seconded from the Defence Force to the Public Service.

They made room for Gary Best; Mark Phillips, Bruce Lovell and Andrew Pompey.

The officers sidelined were all senior to the quartet. Jagdeo in a move that angered some in the army, promoted Commander Gary Best to Commodore, and Pompey, Bruce Lovell and Mark Phillips to substantive colonels.

Pompey had replaced Colonel Lawrence Paul as the Deputy Chief-of-Staff; Lovell moved to Colonel, General Staff and Phillips who later became Chief-of-Staff headed force’s administration at the time of the incident.

The promotion of the of-

President David Granger

forces will not happen under his watch. “I have never paid attention to that allegation because the accusers are the greatest abusers of the Military Command Structure, and it wouldn’t happen again. We have laid down clear rules for promotion, for advancement, for removal and I stick by the

Colonel Frank Bispham was one of four officers sidestepped

ficers meant that Paul was overlooked to replace Brigadier Edward Collins as head of the military at the time of his retirement, while Colonels Ross, Bispham and Benn were superseded. At a conference in August 2007, Jagdeo had defended his decision saying he had acted in accordance with the Defence Act which gave him the authority to appoint the Chief-of-Staff. He described the elevated officers as members of a new team which he said would lead the army into the future. He said that they were bright and well respected. Critics of Jagdeo’s decision to promote the officers had said that the Head of State had showed desperation in the supersession of the officers.

Collins had expressed his displeasure at the manner in which his successor was picked, declaring that due process was not followed and rejected the traditional farewell parade in his honour.

His decision to break with the GDF tradition was seen as a snub of the force's new administration. Collins himself was denied a promotion from Brigadier General to Major General before retiring.

NO INTERFERENCE President Granger vowed that political interference in the operations of the security

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army, in 2017, donated 31 pieces of military equipment to the GDF

been granted scholarships to pursue higher education.

According to the records seen by the Guyana Chronicle, between 2017 and 2018, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army contributed $2.5B in engineering and

Colonel Lindon Ross was sidelined by the PPP

rules,” the Head of State told this newspaper.

GOVERNMENT POLICY Annually, during the Officers Conference, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as President of Guyana, puts forward the Policies of his Government, and those, according to him, are the only source of ‘policy direction.’

As Chairman of the Defence Force, and Minister of Defence, he made it clear that he has not broken any code in terms of Military Administration.

Reports also suggest that under the Jagdeo-led PPP Administration, resources and developmental opportunities were limited within the security forces but the ‘tide’ has since turned.

Official records of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) show that in a period of two years, under the Granger-led Administration, $2.5B in equipment were donated

by China, while the force’s budgetary allocation was increased by 74 per cent. In less than four years, more than 400 men and women in uniform, from the defene force, have

Colonel Lawrence Paul was overlooked for promotion

other equipment to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), thereby, boosting the force’s capacity to respond to the needs of the country.

Buses, patrol boats, bulldozers, an excavator, water tankers, fuel tankers, tipper trucks and off-road ambulances were among the equipment donated. Added to that, technical and military officers from the People’s Liberation Army conducted a series of training sessions with the GDF troops, on the use of the equipment.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES Aside from the contributions made by external forces, the government has ramped up the GDF’s financial resources. In 2013, the GDF received approximately $7.2B. The following year, the Defence Force was allocated $8.044B; however, from then to now (2019), it has seen

a 74 per cent increase.

According to the Force’s records, in 2019, it received $14.019B, of which $12.977B was allocated for recurrent projects and programmes, and $1.042B for capital expenditures.

Since 2015, there has been significant recapitalisation of the Air Corps. The Force’s hangar, offices and operation centre have undergone rehabilitation while a passengers’ lounge with modern facilities (baggage scanner) has been constructed. Notably, the GDF has acquired four fixed-wing aircraft – two Britten Norman Islanders and two Shorts Sky Vans.

Additionally, added to its fleet is a Beachcraft King Air 350 Corporate aircraft. In the pipeline are plans to acquire four rotor-wing aircraft by the end of 2020.

For the academic year, 2016/2017, 129 officers and ranks received scholarships to attend the University of Guyana, the Government Technical Institute, the Guyana School of Agriculture, the Government Industrial Training Centre and the Critchlow Labour College, among other institutions.

For the academic year 2017/2018, 86 officers and ranks were awarded scholarships, and the following academic year (2018/2019), 110; and for the period 2019/2020, another 139 – a total of 464. The Hugh Wooding Law School, Institute of Distant and Continuing Education, Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School and the Guyana School of Nursing are among the other institutions officers and ranks are being sent to. In the not so distant

future, 27 persons will undergo training at the GUYSUCO Training Centre for a period of six months.

SECURITY REFORMS President Granger said the changes that have taken place with the GDF and the Police Force have been supportive of the reforms, which are taking place. “The Defence Force, which is my direct responsibility, has had some reforms.

We are strengthening the technical corps, particularly air, engineer, maritime, and communications. They are much stronger now. We have strengthened the Command Headquarters,” the Head of State pointed out.

Forming an important part of the GDF is the Guyana People’s Militia. The Militia, legally known as the Reserved Force, is being increased. The statistical target is meant to be 50 per cent of the regular force.

This, President Granger said would allow easy mobilization of citizens, in every administrative region, in cases of emergencies, and when needed to perform security duties. “When an emergency occurs, not necessarily a military emergency such as an invasion or an insurrection, when a civil emergency occurs, like a flood or a fire, it means that members of the Defence Force could be deployed almost immediately,” the President explained. The National Cadet Corps Programme (NCCP) has also been reintroduced.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Toshaos hail bigger government subvention …say funding assisted in increased outreaches, empowerment activities

By Tamica Garnett THANKS to a $4 million increase to the National Toshao Council (NTC) through government subvention, the body was able

to carry out a number of awareness and sensitisation activities in indigenous communities all across the country.

Delivering the NTC Annual Report 2018 – 2019 as

the NTC Conference continued on Monday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, NTC Chairman Nicholas Fredericks, noted that the increase was one among the NTC list of highlights across

NTC Chairman, Nicholas Fredericks

the period. It was immediately after the current NTC executive committee was voted in last year, that the committee lobbied President David Granger for a subvention increase, and the President pledged to see the amount increased. In the 2019 budget the subvention was increased to $20 million.

Fredericks explained to the Guyana Chronicle that the extra money was put to good use in facilitating the NTC’s ability to meet with the Indigenous people they represent. “That $4 million was used to do the outreach by the executives to their constituency areas. Before the executives didn’t have any finance to go out to their constituents, to meet with the people to let them know what is happening at the NTC and also to receive feedback on what they would like the NTC to represent them on.

It really assisted the NTC to become more visual on the ground and to become more effective interacting with the residents in the areas,” Fredericks related.

The outreaches were done in March 2019, with more than 45 communities being visited across Regions 1, 2, 7, 9 and 10. Some of the issues discussed at the outreaches include land titling and demarcation, mining, unemployment, and behaviour of Toshaos.

The provision of a promised plot of land for the construction of the Council’s Secretariat also formed part of the highlights in the report.

Fredericks noted that not only was the promise delivered, but President Granger proposed a larger plot for the construction of a NTC complex. This is expected to be

done in the near future.

The other highlights at the NTC across the period was the hosting of the NTC Executive Committee Transition Workshop and a leadership training for the 14 female Toshaos, this was facilitated by the Canadian High Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.

Fredericks noted that giving the female Toshaos an opportunity to develop was truly a big step for the NTC and the development of the indigenous women. “This activity [the leadership training] got the women to come out, and meet among themselves to share experiences, come up with recommendations on how they would like to better themselves, and to link with the Women and Gender Commission and to start a work plan,” Fredericks said.

The event was held in September 2018 and involved workshops focused on women and gender, public speaking and women in leadership. “The indigenous communities are very isolated and remote and because of that a lot of information regarding rights and laws, particularly to gender – women laws and women rights, women’s programmes – are very limited in the communities, because of accessing information. So it was really helpful in bringing the women together, understanding their issues, and developing a work plan for them,” Frederick said.

Further targeting indigenous women, in May 2019 the NTC partnered with the Women and Gender Equality Commission and UNESCO on a Gender and Develop-

ment Training. This training focused on indigenous women and gender related issues, including the Sexual Offences Act, and the Law and You, while recommendations were also put forth.

In other activities carried out by the Council, from July 2018 to date the NTC executive committee held seven meetings, and executive members attended nine international missions. The missions covered areas such as youth development and strengthening the network of protected areas in the Guyana Shields, and included a trip to Brussels, Belgium for the initialing of the EU-FLEGT VPA. With support from the IDB, The NTC held an Indigenous Peoples Caucus in July 2019, which was attended by some 15 indigenous organizations in Guyana. The Caucus resulted in an Interim Steering Committee being formed.

As a member of the Project Steering Committee that oversees development and implementation of the REDD+ readiness activities, the NTC was able to source support to establish and staff a Secretariat on Hadfield Street. NTC signed two MoU, one with the Ministry of Natural Resources and one with Conservation International.

The NTC, over the period, investigated the misconduct of village Toshaos at Kamarang-Warawatta and Bethany in Region 2, as a result elections were held and new Toshaos were elected. On the note of challenges faced by the NTC during the period, the report noted that those included poor communication with various villages and communities; dealing with the distance and remoteness of many of the villages and communities, and insufficient funds to realise some of the mandates of the NTC. Going forward, the NTC hopes to accelerate efforts regarding resource generation; to seek financial and technical support for the construction of the NTC Secretariat; to launch their website, and to continue the work of the various programmes and projects that have already started.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

21 years in jail --for murdering bed-ridden mother HIGH Court Judge Jo-Ann Barlow, on Monday, October 07, 2019, sentenced a man to serve 21 years’ imprisonment for killing his 76-year-old bed-ridden mother, three years ago, at their Good Faith, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara home.

Terrence Madray, 56, called “Throw back” and ‘Terry”, was initially charged for murder, but he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He pleaded guilty to the charge which read that, between April 18, 2016, and April 21, 2016, at Good Faith, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, he unlawfully killed Cecilia Madray, called “Susie”.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that, on April 21, 2016, the elderly woman’s bloodied body was discovered on a mattress covered with a mosquito net, and there was a gaping wound to the head.

A post-mortem examination performed on the remains of Madray, on Friday, revealed that she died from a fractured skull and brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head. Blood was oozing from the ear.

State Prosecutor Sarah Martin told the court that, on

DEAD Cecilia Madray called “Susie”

April 18, 2016, the Madray’s home was visited by a person, who was a witness in the case.

The witness had told the police that while visiting the home Terrence was cursing his mother, who was bed-ridden due to being in an accident.

Terrence then went upstairs to his mother. Loud tramping was heard, followed by a groaning sound which came from the bed-ridden woman.

On April 21, 2016, the police at Mahaicony Police Station received an anonymous call from a person regarding what had happened to Cecilia Madray.

When the police arrived at the home they met Terrence who was sitting on the steps. When questioned

about his mother's whereabouts he told the police “She okay, she sleeping.”

Nevertheless, the police went into the house. Cecilia Madray was found motionless with blood in her ears.

Terrence was arrested by the police and confessed to killing his mother.

Prosecutor Martin explained that Terrance had told the police he had bought a bottle of rum and some marijuana. He drank the rum and smoked the weed, thus becoming ‘high.’

However, while being under the influence, Terrence said, his mother told him ‘something’ and he lashed her in the head with a piece of wood.

In what was described as a senseless killing by Terrence’s attorney, Mark Conway, the counsel told the court that his client showed remorse.

Terrence in his statement had told police that, after hitting his mother, he tried to revive her; he also bathed her. He also attempted to feed the woman but she was unresponsive, which caused him to change her pampers and put her on a piece of cardboard.

The attorney stressed that his client cared for his bed-ridden mother for two

Body of Linden boy recovered in Speightland THE body of nine-yearold Imani Leech of Lower Kara Kara, Speightland, floated up on Monday morning, in the same vicinity where he fell in the Kara Kara creek, while in the company of family members on Saturday.

Commander of ‘E’ Division, Superintendent Courtland Winter, confirmed that the child’s body was found.

On Saturday midday, the lad was at the creek and slipped in. His aunt attempted to save

Imani Leech

him but was unable to do so.

She was pulled out by relatives but Leech’s body was

already pulled away by the strong current. Leech was a student of the Regma Primary School. His mother is a police officer attached to the Mackenzie Police Station.

The Kara Kara creek is a popular swimming location for residents of Linden. Speightland and Kara Kara residents also use the creek for domestic purposes. Several persons have drowned there in the past.

Guyanese among 14 nabbed A Guyanese is among 14 Caribbean migrants who the United States Coast Guard said it detained some 25 miles east of Miami, on September 28, 2019.

The group, which also comprised of six Jamaicans, six Haitians and a suspected Bahamian smuggler, was in a 21-foot cabin cruiser heading westbound towards Southeast Florida, when the US Coastguard spotted them. Upon realising this, the crew of the cabin cruiser changed course and began sail east towards the Bahamas, The detained migrants and the man accused of trying to smuggle them to the United States were turned over to Customs

and Border Patrol authorities, according to 7News in Miami..

Lieutenant Commander Mark Cobb, Chief of Enforcement of the Coast Guard Sector Miami said , “The Coast Guard continues to maintain a focused and coordinated effort with multiple agency assets to interdict any attempt to dangerously and unlawfully immigrate by sea to the United States,” said “These illegal migrant smuggling ventures are extremely dangerous, especially during the hurricane season, and places families in danger of being lost at sea,” he added.

Terrence Madray called “Throw back” and ‘Terry”

years and was sorry for what he had done.

Additionally, Conway said that his client was at-

tending church services and was also helping around the prison.

“I really love my mom”

Terrence said as he explained that he was under the influence of alcohol when he killed his mother.

Justice Barlow said “drunk or sober you have to know what you are doing.

Don’t use drinking as an excuse for what you have done!”

Terrence Madray was sentenced to 21 years behind bars and was ordered to attend an anger management and substance abuse class which are offered to inmates.

His time spent on remand while awaiting trial will be deducted by the prison authorizes.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Cayenne gang leader among six wanted for Linden shooting

TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAROLD Denzil ‘Mob’ Grant, the owner of the car that was abandoned by the two gunmen who executed Ian Williams called OJ, in Amelia’s Ward, Linden and injured his girlfriend, Melita Antigua, is among six men wanted by the Guyana Police Force for murder and attempted murder.

The others wanted are: 21-year-old Martin Fraser of Constabulary Compound, Linden; 23-year-old Renard Caesar of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden; 25-yearold Richard Caesar of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden; 32-year-old Randy Billy of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden and 31-year-old Sherwin Benjamin of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden. They are all suspected to be members of the Cayenne gang that is alleged to be responsible for the shooting and prior shootings and incidences of violence in Linden.

Commander of Region 10 Police Division, Superintendent Courtland Winter, related that search parties for the wanted men have commenced in Linden.

After the shooting, police had arrested Grant’s mother, Denise Grant, and another male in connection with the shooting. She related that her son Denzil ‘Mob’ is currently in Cayenne but she rented out his car to one “Rawl”. A few weeks ago, the woman was a victim of gunplay when an individual, alleged to be ex-policeman, Teon Allen, opened fire at her home.

On Saturday, September 28th, motor car PWW 8986 approached motor car PYY 732, which was being driven

by Williams, and opened fire, causing him to flee. Antigua, who was shot to her back and leg, related that Williams came to pick her up at a birthday party she was attending at Central Amelia’s Ward.

After entering the car, Anti-

gua had a brief conversation with her boyfriend which lasted for approximately two minutes, when she suddenly heard three gunshots.

She recognised two men dressed in dark hoodies shooting at the car. Williams, despite already being shot, drove off in the direction of North Amelia’s Ward. The gunmen joined their car and started a high-speed chase between Third to First Corners, Lovers Lane, Amelia’s Ward, then onto the Amelia’s Ward Highway. When the car became immobile, since the tires were down, Williams and Antigua attempted to escape on foot on the Amelia’s Ward Highway. The gunmen then took the opportunity to riddle him with bullets. They then abandoned their car and escaped on foot.

The shooting incident is believed to have sprung from a gang feud between Allen and the Cayenne gang and Teon Allen. Wil-

liams and Allen shared a close relationship and it is believed that the gunmen thought Allen was in the car or they targeted

his close cousin as an act of revenge. The feud has been sending shockwaves through Linden, particularly Amelia’s Ward,

where several of the incidents occurred. Antigua has been released from the hospital, following a successful surgery.

Remanded on gun,'ammo' charge KEVIN Bruce called ‘Banky’ was, on Monday October 7, 2019, remanded to prison by Magistrate Sherdel Isaac-Marcus, on gun and ammunition charges.

Bruce made his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty with explanation to the two charges when they were read to him.

Particulars of the first charge stated that, on September 26, 2019, at East La

Penitence Police Station, he had, in his possession, 10 live rounds of .32 ammunition without being the holder of a firearm licence.

The second charge stated that, on the same day and at the same place he had a .32 Taurus Pistol when he was not the holder of a firearm licence.

Police prosecutor Quinn Harris told the court that, on the day in question, around 00:10 hours, constable Benjamin and other ranks from

the East La Penitence Police Station, responded to a complaint about an unknown male being in a yard where he didn't live and went into the yard and saw Bruce exiting, from the southern side, in the dark, with a bag on his back.

When Bruce saw the police he began to run and the police gave chase, caught and arrested him.

Harris also told the court that Constable Benjamin told Bruce he wanted to conduct a search and Bruce refused

and pushed him. The police then put Bruce into the vehicle and drove to the East La Penitence Police Station.

As they exited the vehicle, the police observed Bruce’s hand going to his crotch area when he came face to face with the police. Bruce pulled out a gun and pointed it in the direction of the police; the police ordered Bruce to drop the gun but he refused. The police became fearful for his live and discharged a round in Bruce’s direction and the

gun was dropped. The weapon was picked up and Bruce was charged. “is the caretaker give me that gun to watch the house, when I wake up like after 1 in the morning and went outside I see some persons in black coming in the yard, I left freeze cause I think it was bandit, then I see it was police they search me and ask wa I doing in this yard, I said the caretaker leave me here to watch over,” the unrepresented man said.

Bruce also said that, “they put me in a car and take me to the police station; I told them I have a firearm on me, and the police take it out my crotch and the officer start punching me I didn’t run or anything and he pull out a gun and shoot me”.

Magistrate Isaac-Marcus, after listening to both the prosecutor and Bruce, remanded him to prison and adjourned the matter until October 14, 2019.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Novel ‘agri’ project gets underway --with generous donation of tools, equipment to Buxton Health Centre

MINISTER within the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Adams-Yearwood on Monday paid a visit to the Buxton Health Centre on the East Coast, to hand over gardening tools and equipment to staff there.

The purpose of the donation was to facilitate the implementation of the Guyana Re-Aligning Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health (GRAIN-H) programme.

“This is a promise kept, and as a part of our concept note, we have agreed that the Ministry of Agriculture would provide the Region Four public health departments with tools for each of the 34 Health Centres that span across the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara,” the Minister said.

Chairman of the Regional Democratic Coun-

cil (RDC) of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Ms. Genevieve Allen thanked the ministry for delivering on its promise to implement the project.

“On behalf of the Regional Democratic Council,” she said, “we are heartened with this promise that has been delivered, and we look forward to the project being fully implemented.”

Having said her piece, she then appealed to all the residents in Region Four to utilise the services that will be provided by the Ministries of Agriculture and Health to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“We are working towards a more nutritious and healthy people here in Guyana, and it’s an opportune time that this is being done in Agriculture Month,” Allen said.

A number of kitchen forks, hoes, shovels and cut-

Teenaged killer to know fate October 29

Rovindra Singh called Christopher

THREE years after the gruesome death of a 70-year-old pensioner who was chopped to death at his Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara home, his 19-year-old killer confessed to the crime.

Rovindra Singh, called Christopher, was charged with the capital offence before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court.

However, on Monday, he opted to plead guilty to manslaughter.

Singh confessed that, on July 21, 2016, he murdered Eustace Williams, called ‘Patrick’ and ‘Jacket’, at Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara.

A probation report was ordered to be prepared and presented before sentencing.

The matter was adjourned until October 29, 2019, for the hearing of the probation report and sentencing.

The Guyana Chronicle

had reported that, on the day in question, Williams was attacked by Singh, who was armed with a cutlass. He (Williams) was, at the time, in his house.

Singh, who was 16 years old at the time, ran out of the pensioner’s yard into a nearby clump of bushes. He was at the time drenched in the elderly man’s blood and had sustained a chop to his leg.

Persons in the area managed to apprehend the teen and handed him over to the police.

Williams sustained about 14 chop wounds, including five to the back of his head, three to his back and one to his foot. The elderly man was discovered lying motionless in a pool of blood in the kitchen in the lower flat of his two-storey concrete house.

lasses were donated to the Buxton Health Centre.

The GRAIN-H programme was launched just last month in commemoration of Agriculture Month this year. The primary objective of the programme is to ensure that Guyana has access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to promote an active and healthy lifestyle among Guyanese.

At the handing over on Monday are, from left: MoA Permanent Secretary, Delma Nedd; Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Adams-Yearwood; Regional Executive Officer (REO) Pauline Lucas; and Regional Chairman, Genevieve Allen

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

President hosts reception for Toshaos

President David Granger, Monday evening, hosted a cocktail reception for members of the National Toshaos' Council who are gathered in Georgetown for the 13th annual National Toshaos' Council Conference being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

President David Granger (centre) with Chairman of the National Toshaos' Council, Mr. Nicholas Fredericks (fourth right) and executive members of the Toshaos' Council

President David Granger shares a light moment with Toshao Sharmain Rambajue and her baby

Some of the toshaos at the reception

President David Granger strikes a pose with some of the toshaos

One of the Toshaos embraced President David Granger during the reception

President David Granger speaks to Toshaos and village leaders Monday evening

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Training youth to build youth -Youth Challenge Guyana aims to empower the younger generation

YOUTH Challenge Guyana has been training young people to take on leadership roles in their communities and to inspire other youth to empower themselves.

This is according to Executive Director of Youth Challenge Guyana, Dmitri Nicholson, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle. One of the group’s recent efforts was a four-day training programme geared at teaching young people necessary life skills and training them to become facilitators in their communities and help to improve the lives of other young people,

through mentorship.

“The training focused on decision-making, goal setting, personal and self-awareness training and the teaching of facilitation skills,” said Nicholson.

He said persons were exposed to those types of training and were even given the opportunity to practise their skills during the sessions which were conducted at the Catholic Life Centre. “All participants have developed their skills through the practice sessions and they have shown that they understand the materials,” said Nicholson, adding that some of the young people have worked

Some of the young people who participated in the four-day training programme

‘Lions’ commit to ‘clearer vision’ quest --taking vision screening programme to children countrywide IN commemoration of Vision Month, October 2019, the Lions Services for Children, in collaboration with the East Demerara Lions Club, and ReVision Optical, held a ‘vision screening’ exercise on Monday at the Graham’s Hall Primary School on the lower East Coast.

The servicemen and women provided vision screening, free of cost, to over 100 pupils at the school.

Chairperson of the Lions Services for Children, District 60A, Ambika Singh, told the Guyana Chronicle that the objective of the programme is to identify the challenges pupils face regarding their vision, and to provide them with an opportunity to correct said challenges.

Singh explained that pupils from Grades One to Six, along with teachers of the Graham’s Hall Primary benefitted from the exercise, and that the Lions Club and ReVision Optical will be doing follow-ups with those pupils who would have presented with an issue after the screening.

Christina Bissoon, the optometrist who did the vision screening during the exercise, explained that there are many pupils in classrooms who are unable to

The ‘vision screening’ team at Graham’s Hall Primary on Monday. Standing from left are: Lions Services for Children’s Ambika Singh; District Governor Anwar Hollingsworth; and Global Service Team Coordinator, Wavney Setal

Optometrist, Christina Bissoon screening the eyes of a Grade Six pupil

see well, and it affects their ability to read, write, study and perform at examinations.

Vision screening, she said, aids in reducing eye strain, discomfort and headaches, so as to help children have a clearer vision and be comfortable, thereby en-

with other youth before, so they just strengthened their skills, while others were first-time learners.

Youth Challenge Guyana believes that empowering young people to conduct activities with other young people, is one way of strengthening and empowering youth in communities.

One of the participants, Sithendisi Cameron, said she started volunteering with Youth Challenge because she wanted to improve her skills in social work. “I want to help in the area of social work, where I can be a mentor to help other young people who are facing dif-

abling them to perform better in school.

The Lions Services for Children and ReVision Optical are expected to take the vision screening programme to several other primary schools across Guyana.

ficulties and battling with social issues,” said Cameron.

She has been volunteering with different organisations and already has experience in her field, but the training she received equipped her with the abilities to do more for young people.

Another participant, Selena Husbands, said she chose to be a volunteer because she wanted to help individuals make better decisions.

The volunteer said the training she received from Youth Challenge helped her to take a step forward and be more outspoken.

Mabaruma transformation taking shape as Kumaka bridge nears completion

Kumaka bridge, Region 1, under construction

KUMAKA is a vibrant commercial hub within the North West District that has a spectacular waterfront known to come alive at dawn. It will soon have a key structural component completed in November.

This comes as the reconstruction of the Kumaka bridge swiftly moves along.

Measuring 60 feet in length, the Kumaka bridge will link the Kumaka Wharf and the Mabaruma administrative area, thereby promoting movement of goods and services The bridge’s deck was recently built, which will be the platform that commuters will use to traverse the bridge. It stands firm, with 85 per cent of the works completed. Minor works on the revetment, leading to the bridge and the approaches on

both sides of the bridge, are currently being done.

In addition to those works, engineer within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Mazule Hutson, said the main structural components of the bridge have been completed. “The outstanding works involve the construction of guard rails of the bridge, an approach slab that will transition commuters from the road onto the bridge, and traffic paintings and signs,” Hutson related.

This major development is not occurring in isolation.

Under the same project, the rehabilitation of Compound Road in Mabaruma is underway. Once completed, these works will showcase 160 feet of concrete rigid pavement, a surface tested and known to be durable for hinterland

communities.

In August, a Hinterland engineer within the Public Infrastructure Ministry reflected on the early stages of Mabaruma’s transformation during 2018. At the time 3,500 feet of ridged pavements along Compound Road was a foreign concept for the community.

“We continue to construct rigid pavement designs because we found that it is working a lot better than the asphalt and the double bituminous surface treatment (DBST) roads.

The roads in Mabaruma… have been neglected for a long time, so this is a complete makeover with a structure that will be around for another 25 to 30 years,” Walcott revealed.

(DPI)

16

Confessed murderer to know fate October 23

THREE years after Candacy Pitt, called “Cindy,” was hacked to death while she was at work as a security guard at Bygeval Secondary School, her husband, on Monday, October 07, 2019, confessed to the gruesome crime.

Athlone Pitt also known as ‘Buddy’, 46, formerly of Chelsea Park, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara was charged for the capital offence.

However, he opted to plead guilty to manslaughter before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court.

Pitt admitted that, on June 1, 2016, at Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, he unlawfully killed his wife, Candacy Pitt, called “Cindy,” The matter was adjourned until October 23, 2019 for hearing of the probation report and sentencing.

The Guyana Chronicle had earlier reported that the couple shared 13 years of marriage which ended in bloodshed on June 1, 2016.

At the time Candacy Pitt, 31, was on duty at the school located behind her residence.

According to a police report, she worked as a security guard at the school and was attacked about 21:45 hours by her husband at her workplace where she was dealt multiple chops about her body.

However, the police noted that he first attacked and chopped her cousin, security guard Brenda Thomas, 51, of Chelsea Park, who had de-

nied him entry into the compound to see his wife. Mrs. Pitt and her cousin Thomas were both on duty at the time of the attack.

They were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where Mrs. Pitt was pronounced dead on arrival, while Brenda Thomas was admitted.

During the time of the incident, when this newspaper spoke with the dead woman’s

Candacy Pitt and her husband in happier times

Athlone Pitt also known as ‘Buddy’

mother, Evonne Andrews, the latter said her daughter had begun working almost two months before (the incident) at the school as a security guard. She explained that her daughter who lived in a neighbouring building would spend most of the time with the family.

“Her husband was a lazy drunkard who hardly worked.

He was a driver. I can’t remember the last time when he worked; he would normally be drinking all over the place and would threaten her whenever she is over here,” Mrs. Andrews, a mother of three, said.

However, the couple never sought counseling, Mrs. Andrews said, but her daughter would attend church and hope for the best.

Man killed as drunk drivers race on WCD road AN intoxicated 25-year-old died after the car PVV 4886 he was travelling in crashed into a fence at De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Dead is Leroy Cummings of Tuschen Village, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

Reports indicate that four persons were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The driver was identified as 23 year-old Totaram Munishwar, the other passengers include Raymond Dimgo and Lennox Cummings all of Tuschen village, EBE. Enquires disclosed that motorcar PVV 4886 was racing west along the southern side of the De Kinderen road when the driver approached a turn which runs north to

Dead: Leroy Cummings

south and was about to overtake motorcar PMM 4818 on the same turn.

However, while overtaking, another vehicle with bright lights was in his opposite direction, thus the driver swerved resulting in the car

careening into the concrete fence.

The occupants were taken out and rushed to Leonora Cottage Hospital where Leroy Cummings who was at the time unconscious was referred to West Demerara Regional Hospital. Cummings later succumbed to his injuries. His body was taken to Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting autopsy.

Reports indicate that both drivers who were racing along the roadway were at a bar consuming alcohol.

When contacted, police confirmed that both drivers are in police custody and they were tested and found to be above the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

The tearful mother said she is seeking justice from the police and the courts, since such an act was barbaric, considering that the family was kind and decent towards him.

The dead woman’s sister, Isabelle Andrews, said every night for several weeks she had seen Mr. Pitt walking with a cutlass in his hand going at the school compound, threatening his wife and terrorising her outside the school compound.

“He had said he would have killed my father and mother and the entire family.

He treated her very bad and this is the result – he even assaulted her at a wedding one night because she danced with a relative,” she said.

According to relatives, “Cindy” was always jovial and smiling and never showed anyone a bad face, although she was in an abusive relationship.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Mother of four shot in bed while breastfeeding A MOTHER of four was shot in her back in the wee hours of the morning on Monday in her Front Road, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown home.

At the time of the incident, her children and husband, Kevin Carter, were all at her side.

The 24-year-old woman, Alecia Henry, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she was admitted into surgery to remove the bullet. None of her four children were injured during the shooting, even though she was reportedly breastfeeding the youngest.

It is alleged that the gunman pushed his hand through a louvre window into the family’s bedroom, which is partially shielded from the road by a zinc fence, and just pulled the trigger, sending a hail of bullets into the bedroom. When the police visited the scene, there were two holes on the wall and a bloody sheet.

According to Henry’s mother-in-law, she received a phone call in the wee hours of the morning saying that her daughter-in-law had been shot. The woman said that as soon as she got the message, she immediately went to the hospital, where she learnt that Alecia was already in

Injured: Alecia Henry

surgery.

Residents in the area said that men on motorcycles had ridden by at the same time the gunshots rang out.

One man said that Henry had lived in the community most of her life, and as such they were all baffled as to the motive of such an act.

“Something is very wrong; these things should not be allowed to get out of control, because if people feel unsafe, they will find wrong ways to protect themselves,” another said when asked his opinion.

Another resident said that Henry’s reputed husband had related that he’d jumped out of his sleep after hearing the explosive sounds, only to discover the mother of his children writhing in pain.

Former security guard accused of murder to know fate on October 23 A FORMER security guard on Monday, October 07, 2019, confessed to killing his colleague during an argument three years ago, due to the man ‘troubling his daughter.’

Kevin Stephens, a former resident of La Penitence, Georgetown, was initially charged for murder, but he opted to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Stephens pleaded guilty to the charge which read that, on September 17, 2016, at Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara, he unlawfully killed Hubert Verwayne.

His attorney, George Thomas, requested that a probation report on his client be prepared and presented before sentencing.

The matter was adjourned until October 23, 2019 for hearing of the probation report and sentencing.

The accused reportedly told detectives that “they keep f*^#* around my daughter.”

Initial enquiries revealed that Verwayne was in the company of several other employ-

Kevin Stephens

DEAD: Hubert Verwayne

ees when the suspect, armed with a shotgun, approached in a rage, accusing the deceased and others of making ill remarks about his daughter. He then opened fire, killing Verwayne.

When arrested by police, Stephens claimed that he was being tantalised by his colleagues at the worksite, causing him to lose control.

A postmortem examination revealed that Verwayne died from a gunshot injury to the chest.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, October 8, 2019

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American Racing Tips Finger Lakes

Lennox Blackmoore Intermediate Championships

GDF boxers continue dominance ..-FYF’s Crawford and Halley crowned best boxers

Race 1 Shared Success Race 2 She Read My Texts Race 3 Zismokin Race 4 Beat Yesterday Race 5 Stone Heart Race 6 Breeze Burner Race 7 Showmanship Race 8 Tomboy Tuff

Canadian Racing Tips

By Faizool Deo THE Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) reign as top gym at the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate Championships continued with a dominant performance over the weekend at the National Gymnasium.

The Army’s boxers, the largest number of competitors in the tournament, reached eight of the nine finals on Sunday night. In six of those bouts, they battled amongst themselves.

The Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) gym also ended

the night with accolades. Not only did they cop the second place trophy, but as in the July Novices Championships, the gym also won the best boxers award.

Again, it was Shemar Halley in the Elite Division, while in the Junior category, Mark Crawford impressed the judges.

Five gyms competed in the three-day event, which started on Friday night at the renowned venue.

FINALS In the Youth Lightweight final, Crawford made quick work of Pocket Rocket Boxing

Gym’s Jeffery Joseph, while GDF’s Quincy Abrams got the better of gym mate Azeemul Lewis in the Flyweight Division.

Rose Hall Town Jammers’ boxer, Andrey Bess, was crowned champion in the Bantamweight division after he got past GDF’s Lincoln Murray, while Halley, not without some effort, triumphed over Jerimiah Jackman in the Lightweight Division.

In the lone exhibition clash of the evening, the Jackman sisters battled. Initially Pocket Rocket’s Pauline Aaron was carded

to fight Abiola Jackman, but she did not show up, so Abiola’s younger sister, Alesha, took up the challenge.

Although Alesha is known for her pugnacious hitting and is generally regarded as the better boxer, Abiola held her own and countered well.

The last four fights of the night were all GDF battles, but that did not take away from their explosive natures.

Cranston McAllister was a man possessed in the opening round of the welterweight final as he punched his opponents head guard off in the opening minute.

Soon he had Neil Warden on the canvas, but only momentarily, which resulted in an eight count, as Warren went on to slip twice in the opening round, which had the small crowd riveted. By the third round, both boxers had tired and although Warden came back strong, the first round damage was too much, which resulted in a McAllister victory.

Jermain Jones showed his quality and an unstopped jab followed by a one-two hit combination in his middleweight battle against Lyndon Bennett, while Daren France, who

delivered some solid combinations against Osbert Robinson in the heavyweight final, got the decision.

In the final clash, a super heavyweight bout between Kevin Hunte and A. Sheppard, it was a battle of strength from the taller and stronger Hunte against his quicker opponent. In the end, strength won as Hunte slowed down Sheppard with solid body shots and then delivered a crushing blow, which his opponent failed to recover from at the end of the second round.

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Peters stuns field to claim javelin gold for Grenada ANDERSON Peters became only the second athlete in history to claim a gold medal for Grenada at the IAAF World Championships in Doha after claiming gold in the men’s Javelin on Sunday.

Peters joined 400m specialist Kirani James in the country’s history books after throwing the implement 86.89, in the end finishing comfortably in the top spot.

Magnus Kirt of Estonia, who get injured while competing, did enough to finish second with the mark of 86.21.

Germany’s Johannes Vetter, one of the favourites heading into the event, never seemed to find his best form and in the end settled for silver in 85.37.

Peters set the stage with a big 86.69 to open the competition, a mark which proved to be the second-best of the

competition. The winning throw from the Grenadian was recorded with his fourth attempt.

The gold medal was the second gold medal for the country and third World Championship medal overall.

James, who was responsible for winning the country’s first gold medal in the men’s 400m metres at the 2011 Daegu World Championships, was also responsible

for winning bronze in the same event at the Beijing World Championships.

“This is a great moment for me,” Peters said. “Now I am looking forward to Tokyo 2020.” Trinidadian Keshorn Walcott, the other Caribbean athlete in the event, finished 11th with a best of 77.47.

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Government to host ‘CPL Finals Watch Party’ at Durban Park ON Saturday, all roads will lead to Durban Park where the Government of Guyana will host an “exciting” watch party for the finals of the Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) tournament.

According to a release, the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport will be hosting the watch party for all Guyanese who wish to come together and continue the comradery that dominated the Guyana National Stadium during the home games of the HERO

Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019.

At 17:00hrs on Saturday, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who have won all their games so far in the 2019 CPL tournament – 11 to be exact – will take on the winner of Thursday’s Qualifier 2 match-up between the Barbados Tridents and the Trinbago Knight Riders.

“The Government has always been assiduous in pushing its Social Cohesion agenda. Sports, particularly cricket, usually fuel an

environment of unity and pride. We want to capitalize on this CPL season and give our people a safe space to come together and support our Warriors,” Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton said.

The Minister, who also holds responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, has assured that all measures, including that of security, will be put in place to ensure that the game is enjoyed with optimum pomp and the usual exhilaration displayed by Guyanese.

“Hopefully, in the near future, Guyana will be able to host the CPL finals, but for now, we still want to create an environment where our people can physically come together with their fellow Guyanese who will be just as ecstatic and fervent about every wicket and every boundary the Warriors make this Saturday,” Dr. Norton posited.

“Just walk with your patriotism and the enthusiasm of a true Guyana Amazon Warrior!” the government requested.

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24 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

Barca players handed 92 million in bonuses last season BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona paid out 92 million euros (82.1 million pounds) in collective bonuses to its players for winning the Spanish league and Super Cup titles last season, the club’s annual report showed.

The bonus was two million euros less than the amount that was paid out in 2018. The figure was three million euros more than what

Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona celebrate winning La Liga with the trophy REUTERS/Albert Ge

the players received when the club won the treble in 2015.

The report revealed that the club spent a total of 541 million euros on staff costs across all its sports teams, with 311.9 million spent on first team coaches and players.

While Barca won La Liga at a canter and lifted the Super Cup last season, they lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia and were beaten by

Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.

Barca paid players 89 million euros for the 2014-15 campaign, when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

They handed out 94 million euros for the 2017-2018 season, when they won the Copa del Rey and La Liga title

Townsend ‘surprised’ by scrum penalty for Japan bonus JAPAN benefited from “an incredible call” to earn a bonus point in their World Cup victory over Samoa, says Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

The host nation crashed over for a stoppage-time try in a 38-19 win after Samoa were punished for a squint scrum feed on their own five-metre line.

Japan meet the Scots in the hosts’ final pool match on Sunday.

“I’ve never seen a crooked feed [penalised], certainly at the World Cup

or in the Six Nations,” said Townsend.

“I think it’s an incredible call to be honest. It’s something that has not been refereed and there’s been an agreement that there is more latitude for scrum-halves putting the ball in because you are the team that’s won the scrum.

“To see it in a World Cup really surprised me. To see it as we went into injury time for a game-changing decision was an even bigger surprise.”

Scotland must secure a

Kotaro Matsushima crossed for Japan’s crucial fourth try in the 84th minute

bonus-point victory over Russia on Wednesday to

close the gap on Japan to four points going into Sun-

day’s meeting in Yokohama.

Townsend’s side would then need to prevail against the hosts to reach the quarter-finals but could miss out with a win if Japan picked up a losing bonus point.

Townsend has made 14 changes to his starting line-up for the match with Russia, keeping key players fresh for the weekend.

Star men such as Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg are left out completely, with Blair Kinghorn, Pete Horne, Ben Toolis and George

Turner making their first appearances in the tournament.

“We have had a long rest into this game,” said Townsend. “Obviously, we don’t have too much of a rest into our final game.

“A three-day gap between games is the shortest you can get. What we can do with the players on Thursday depends on what happens in Wednesday’s game.(BBC Sport)

Kevin O’Brien hits 124 as Ashwin equals Muralitharan’s record to being fastest to 350 Test wickets Ireland beat Hong Kong

Kevin O’Brien became the first player to score a T20I century for Ireland.

KEVIN O’Brien became the first player to hit a Twenty20 century for Ireland as they beat Hong Kong by 66 runs.

All-rounder O’Brien managed 124 from 62 balls, which included 12 fours and seven sixes, at the five-team T20 tournament in Oman.

His record knock helped Ireland post 208-5 from 20 overs as they bounced back from Sunday’s defeat by the hosts.

O’Brien’s contribution left Ireland in a strong position and Hong Kong were unable to recover, finishing on 142-9.

The win was a much-needed morale-booster for Graham Ford’s men after their weekend humbling

by Oman.

Boyd Rankin, Stuart Thompson and Garth Delany all finished with two wickets each as Ireland finished with their third-highest ever total in T20I. Dubliner O’Brien, 35, has now scored a century in all three formats.

It was an impressive show of resilience by Ireland, who have endured an up-and-down series in Oman.(BBC Sport)

RAVICHANDRAN Ashwin is back in the top ten for Test bowlers in the ICC rankings after his match haul of eight wickets in his first international match in 2019, the first Test against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma, who marked his Test opening debut with twin hundreds, vaulted 36 places to a career-high 17th while his captain Virat Kohli had his points drop below 900. Steven Smith continues to lead the Test batting rankings with 937 points, opening up a 38-point lead over Kohli.

During the Test, Ashwin also became the joint-fastest to 350 Test wickets along with Muttiah Muralitharan. The triumphant return has helped him move from 14th place to tenth among bowlers. Rohit also enjoyed a productive Test, setting several records as a Test opener. Notably, he hit 13 sixes, the most by a batsman in a Test match. Mayank

Muttiah Muralitharan (left) and Ravichandran Ashwin

Agarwal, Rohit’s opening partner who converted his maiden Test hundred into a double-century, jumped from 63rd place to 25th.

Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, dropped three places to tenth.

Among the South Africans, Quinton de Kock, who made 111 in the first innings in Visakhapatnam, broke into the top ten, claiming seventh

place ahead of openers Tom Latham, Dimuth Karunaratne and Rahane. Opener Dean Elgar also gained five places and made it to 14th, having struck 160 in a big partnership with de Kock in the first innings.

Mohammed Shami, who enhanced his reputation as a second-innings specialist, moved up two places to 16th,

achieving a career-high 710 points on the table led by Australia’s Pat Cummins.

Ashwin broke into the top five among allrounders too, while Ravindra Jadeja has gone past Shakib Al Hasan to the second spot.

West Indies’ Jason Holder tops the rankings with 472 points.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

25

Cheruiyot unstoppable TIMOTHY Cheruiyot led from gun to tape in Doha on Sunday night to add a world 1500m gold to the silver he collected two years ago, finishing fully two seconds clear of an eye-wateringly good field to clock 3:29.26, half a second off his 2019 worldleading mark.

Silver went to Algeria’s London 2012 champion Taoufik Makhloufi in 3:31.38 and bronze to European indoor champion Marcin Lewandowski in a Polish record of 3:31.46.

For Norway’s 19-yearold European 1500 and 5000m champion, who had finished fifth in the longer race on day four, finished a frustrated and perplexed fourth in 3:31.70.

Second 2019 world title for Cheptegei

Joshua Cheptegei after taking the 10,000m title at the IAAF World Championships DOHA 2019 (Getty Images)

Like Cheruiyot, Joshua Cheptegei followed up London 2017 silver with Doha 2019 gold at the end of a

towering 10,000m contest.

The 23-year-old Ugandan, who won the Commonwealth Games title last year

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday October 08, 2019) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL- Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)

Sheldon Cottrell-50 wickets (33 matches)

(2)

69 times

Today’s Quiz: (1) 2019?

Which team won the Eliminator game in CPL

(2)

Which team won Qualifier 1?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

and became IAAF World Cross Country Championships earlier this year in Aarhus, crossed the line in a personal best of 26:48.36.

It was the second best time in World Championship history, just shy of the 26:46.31 set by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia in Berlin 10 years ago.

Silver went to Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in a personal best of 26:49.34, with Kenya’s world U20 champion Rhonex Kipruto being rewarded for his longtime leading of the race with bronze in 26:50.32, with Mohammed Ahmed running a Canadian record of 26:59.35 in sixth place.

Cheptegei, IAAF Diamond League 5000m champion this season, had also put in the work for his gold, alternating the lead with Kipruto. Kejelcha, who broke the world indoor mile record earlier this year, bided his time before making his big move in the last lap, running shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheptegui before dropping back halfway down the finishing straight.

26 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

Silverwood replaces Bayliss as England head coach LONDON (Reuters) - Chris Silverwood was named England head coach on Monday in place of Trevor Bayliss as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) opted against another overseas candidate to take the team forward.

British media reported last week that former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten had emerged as the leading contender, but Silverwood, the team’s former bowling coach, was preferred.

Australian Bayliss departed last month after England’s drawn home Ashes series against Australia having led the team for four years. They struggled for consistency in tests under his guidance, slipping to fourth

Edgbaston, Birmingham, Britain - July 31, 2019 England’s Jofra Archer (right) talks to bowling coach Chris Silverwood during nets Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/Files

in the world rankings, but enjoyed sustained success in one-day cricket, rising to the top of the rankings and

winning their first 50-over World Cup title this year on home soil.

The 44-year-old Silver-

wood played six Tests and seven one-day internationals for England as a fast bowler during his playing career, the majority of which was spent with his native county Yorkshire.

He moved into coaching and in 2017 led Essex to their first County Championship title for 25 years before becoming England pace bowling coach.

“Chris was the standout candidate,” England director of cricket Ashley Giles said in a statement www.ecb. co.uk/news/1373353.

“He is what we need to take our international teams forward. He’s somebody we know well, but it is his intimate understanding of our structures and systems and his close relationships

with test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years,” Giles added.

“He has performed exceptionally well during his role as an assistant coach and has the ultimate respect of the players’ that have worked with him.”

Silverwood’s first assignment will be England’s tour of New Zealand on which they play five Twenty20 internationals starting on Nov. 1 and two tests, before they travel to South Africa.

“I’m excited to get started and build teams that the whole game can be proud of,” Silverwood said.

“There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through, and enormous po-

tential for growth. The hard work starts now, and I’m confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa.”

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said Silverwood was a safe pair of hands, but that the job represented a big step up for him.

“There is a massive difference between being a friendly bowling coach and being the main man, picking and choosing your time to get hard and tough with the players, especially in the test arena. That will be a challenge,” Hussain told Sky Sports.

“At the moment he is popular but if he wants to do a good job he might have to upset a few people.”

Rotary club of Demerara off-road rally a success --president LAST weekend’s Demerara Rotary Club Off-road rally in the Linden, Soesdyke and Marudi areas was deemed a success according to its president, Hansraj Singh.

Singh, who spoke to the media at the conclusion of the event said, “We had a lot of participants turn out to the event.

We felt that we had more than we were realistically aiming for, but we were able to pull off an issue free event.” “Many of the drivers and riders commended us after, asking us when it is we plan to do the next event and it is something we may consider soon.”

The event took place over four routes with individual route champions

also being crowned.

Pure Racing# 40 took the overall bike class with overall Vehicle winner being Happiest men alive.

For the Bikes Route one, It was Keith Fernandes finishing ahead of the two Pure Racing teams 40 and 41 while Route two featured Pure Racing winning ahead of Glen Pasley and S. Gooding. Pure racing #40 took the third stage ahead of Pure Racing #41 with Fernandes finishing third while the final route finished with Pure Racing number 40 ahead of the 41 team and S. Gooding.

The overall Vehicle results are as follows

ROUTE 1: 1) Putagee Mafia #13 2) BAL Terrain Warrior # 3) Palladium Swamp Machine #20 ROUTE 2: 1) Overland Adventurers 2) Sonic Hunters 3) Always On Target ROUTE 3: 1) Overland Adventurers 2) Always On Target 3) Happiest Men Alive ROUTE 4: 1) Japarts 2) Jungle juice 3) Serenity: The real Offroaders

The Pure racing team dominated the bike class.

U.S. women’s team fights back against governing body’s pay claims NEW YORK (Reuters) U.S. women’s national soccer team players pushed back in a court filing on Monday against claims by the U.S. Soccer Federation that some members earn more than their male counterparts, as they argued for class action status in the latest chapter of their closely-watched legal fight.

All 28 member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination in March in a lawsuit that included complaints about wages and working conditions.

Mediation between the two parties broke down in August, weeks after U.S. Soccer’s President Carlos Cordeiro said in an open letter that the organisation has paid more to the women’s team than the men’s in recent years.

A week ago, the organ-

isation said it opposed the women’s players bid for class action status in their suit.

“Over the class period, the (Women’s National Team) has played far more games than the (Men’s National Team) and amassed a far higher win percentage, including earning two World Cup championships,” the suit’s plaintiffs said in Monday’s court filing. “This is the only reason why the four (Women’s National Team) class representatives were able to earn more total compensation than members of the (Men’s National Team).”

Those four players - Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn - would have earned far more under the men’s team’s pay rate policy, the plaintiffs argued in the filing.

A spokesman for U.S. Soccer said members of the

men’s national team have the chance to earn larger bonuses, but they do not receive guaranteed money in their “payfor-play contract structure.”

“Our men and women’s national teams have different pay structures, not because of gender, but because each team chose to negotiate a different compensation package with U.S. Soccer,” the spokesman said.

The U.S. women’s team successfully defended its World Cup title in July in France, defeating the Netherlands in the final. The team has four women’s World Cup titles, more than any other nation.

Players from the U.S. men’s squad threw their support behind their female counterparts in July and accused U.S. Soccer of not paying a fair share of generated revenue to national team players.

Lyon, France - Carli Lloyd of the U.S. and team mates celebrate winning the women’s world cup with the trophy REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

The dispute has attracted international attention, with numerous ce-

lebrities, athletes and politicians backing the women’s players amid re-

newed conversation over pay equity in the United States.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

27

Britton ‘digs deep’ on way to TrinBago Men’s Singles Open TT title FORMER Caribbean U-21 Men’s Singles winner, Shemar Britton, battled back from 1-2 down to win the Trinbago Men’s Singles Open Table Tennis title over the weekend at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, Trinidad.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport after the game, the Guyanese said that he was elated with the win.

“It was great, to be honest, a very challenging tournament; so I’m just happy I was able to come out on top.”

Winning the male prize at the prestigious event was no easy task for the Trinidad-based Guyanese student, since some 100 participants battled for the title.

He defeated all opponents in the first round to advance to the round of 64, while he advanced to the round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Wayne Oudit. He then made light work of Sean Michael with another 3-0 victory, before he got past Abraham Francis by a 3-1 margin in the round of 16.

In his quarterfinals match-up, he defeated former Caribbean Junior Silver Medallist, Luc O’ Young, by a 3-0 score-line to advance to the semifinals, where he defeated the experienced and dominant Caribbean player, Curtis Humprey, by a 3-1 margin to advance to the finals against Arun Roopnarine.

MORE AGGRESSIVE Victory against the tactical Roopnarine was no easy task. The highly-ranked Trinidadian player was up

2-1 early, but Britton had to think outside of the box to counter him for an eventual 3-2 (4-11 11-6 10-12 11-7 11-8) victory.

“I just started trusting my game more and being more aggressive, especially on the service receive. I’ve played Arun countless times in regional battles all over the Caribbean, so he knows my game quite well. I had to stop being predictable and take some shots I won’t normally take.”

Britton now has his

Shemar Britton was outstanding over the weekend.

sights set on the upcoming WASA Table Tennis Club Invitational Team Table Tennis Championships.

Pollard thanks Guyanese boo-boys

TRINBAGO Knight Riders skipper Kieron Pollard believes the Guyanese in the crowd who booed him vociferously yesterday are worried about facing TKR in a knockout game.

Pollard’s entrance to the wicket was greeted with loud jeers by the majority of Guyanese, keen to see TKR out the tournament to possibly pave an easier route to the title.

At the National Stadium, Providence, Pollard had other ideas and blasted 26 from nine balls, including three sixes and a four, to secure a six-wicket victory against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, with eight balls to spare.

After the match, Pollard said the jeers only served to fuel him at the crease.

Trinbago Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard during a previous 2019 Hero CPL match. PHOTO COURTESSY CPL T20.

“In life, if you’re not good, no one speaks about you. As a team, the way they reacted to us you can see they wanted to see the back of us. As I said previously, the guys in the dressing room, the mettle that we

have, yes, we didn’t win the last two weeks-and-half but I knew it was going to be there and I thank them for spurring me on.”

He also admonished the boo-boys for showing a lack of regional patriotism.

“It’s amazing to know that I’m right from Trinidad and Tobago and you walk into the cricket ground, as much as you’re supporting a team, and booing a West Indies player as well; so that goes to show the kind of characters we have going around the Caribbean.”

As much as he criticised some members of the pro-Guyanese fans, Pollard admitted to taking a page out of the Guyanese play book, by utilising four spinners against the Patriots.

On Friday, Guyana Amazon Warriors bowled 11 straight overs of spin to strangle TKR’s batting.

“We learned something.

Spin would have been the option. And winning the toss where the wickets looked a bit tacky, our spinners bowled magnificently well.

Going to Trinidad might be different but we’re gonna come up with the best combination to win. That’s all we’ve been trying to do.

We’ve been trying things.

It’s better to try and fail than fail to try. We got a lot of licks for it but we continue to take it because our backs are broad and we crack on.”

On the victory against Patriots, Pollard lauded his bowlers for setting up the match nicely for them.

“We limit them to 125 very good. The bowlers and the fielding effort, we asked for that all-hands-on-deck approach, that sort of intensity and desperation. I can’t fault the guys at the halfway stage, 125, you turn up at any ground and limit the opposition (to that), you’ll take that ten out of ten. At the halfway we thought we were right into it but it got a little too close for comfort.”

Pollard lauded the consistency of the then CPL top scorer, Lendl Simmons, who stroked his fifth half-century of the tournament - 51 off 47 balls - to anchor the TKR chase.

Simmons, who went undrafted and was called as a temporary replacement for Colin Munro, now has 429

runs from 11 matches at an average of 42.90.

“Simmons, his consistency, he has been great for us at the top of the order.

I’m hoping this can be the turnaround. We have a couple days (rest), we go back in front of our home crowd and that will spur us on even more. There is always room for improvement.

A couple blemishes in the field, that is something we need to speak about. Every run and every boundary saved is crucial for us, so that is something we will have a conversation about.”(T&T Newsday).

Harry wins B flight at Republic Bank Suriname Invitational Golf GUYANA’S 12-member team claimed five podium finishes, including a first place in the B flight over the weekend in the Republic Bank Suriname Invitational, which was held at the Golfclub, Paramaribo, in that country’s capital city.

Rakesh Harry led the Guyanese with a win in the B flight, while reigning Guyana Open champion, Avinash Persaud, finished second in the A flight.

Former Guyana Open female champion, Shanel-

la London (nee Webster), finished tied for second in the female category, while Lakram Ramsundar placed third in the B flight and Troy Codogan ended third in the C flight.

The flights are gauged according to the golfers’ level of proficiency in the sport. ‘A’ flight is played by the lowest handicap golfers and as the letters advance, so does the handicaps.

Harry was the best golfer by far in his flight after he finished with a top score of

83 (Stableford system). Second place went to Giovanni Linger with 79 points while Guyanese Ramsundar (74) and Philbert London (72) ended in the third and fourth positions respectively.

George Bulkan finished sixth in the same flight with 69 points.

Persaud, who had an excellent second day, finished two points behind the eventual A flight winner, Asif Baboe. The Guyanese ended with scores of 34 and 37, for a total of 71. Former Guyana

Open winner and younger brother of Avinash, Avinda Kishore, finished seventh on 66 points, while the Lusignan Golf Club’s president, Aleem Hussain, placed ninth with 65 points.

In C flight, Cadogan finished third with a score of 61.

Meanwhile, Shanella London again claimed second place after a three-way tie for 71 in the female category, while defending female champion, Joaan Deo, ended sixth on 61 points.

Rakesh Harry collects his first place trophy.

28 GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday October 8, 2019

GDF boxers continue

Best Boxers from FYF Gym: Shemar Halley (left) in the Elite Division and Mark Crawford in the Junior Division.

dominance

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GDF retained their best gym title. (Faizool Deo photos)

Peters 23 stuns field to claim javelin gold for Grenada PAGE

Anderson Peters, world javelin throw champion at the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019.(Getty Images)

Government to host ‘CPL Finals Watch Party’ at 23 Durban Park PAGE

Guyana Chronicle’s Adrian Narine captured the home crowd at the Guyana National Stadium in full celebration mode after the Amazon Warriors defeated the Barbados Tridents to reach the Finals of the CPL 2019.

Pollard thanks Guyanese boo-boys Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limited, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 226-3243-9 (General); Editorial: 227-5204, 227-5216. Fax:227-5208

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2019