Guyana chronicle e paper 14 01 2018

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No. 105154

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2018

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Spotlight on Marriott – Gov’t looks at increasing value of hotel before deciding on way forward

US$75,000 wind turbine to be commissioned soon Page 3

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Bees, snakes nor disability can stop Vow from farming Page 4

CARICOM condemns Trump’s derogatory comment Page 2

Sandra Adams laid to rest Page 10

The massive wind turbine that has been set up at Skeldon Line Path, Berbice and is expected to be commissioned this month (Adrian Narine photo)

Progress made in economic diplomacy – but Foreign Ministry needs economists, lawyers and linguists, says Greenidge Page 2

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Progress made in economic diplomacy – but Foreign Ministry needs economists, lawyers and linguists, says Greenidge

By Svetlana Marshall GUYANA has done well in its pursuit of economic diplomacy in recent times, said Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, who has headed that ministy since the coalition government came to power in 2015. When President David Granger appointed the Heads of Missions back in 2016, he had said major emphasis should be placed on economic diplomacy as part of Government’s quest to transform the economic landscape of the country. Speaking with Guyana Chronicle on Thursday, the minister said notable progress has been made in the area of trade. “We have, I think, done reasonably well in this regard on a variety of fronts,” he

told Guyana Chronicle. Alluding to the recent State visit to Brazil, Minister Greenidge said a number of economic issues were discussed as the countries seek to improve the Partial Scope Agreement. Under the Partial Scope Agreement, Guyana is entitled to sell rice, red peppers, bottled rum, copra fruits and vegetables, calcined bauxite, PVC pipes, corrugated cardboard, and alu-zinc sheets, among other products. Brazil is entitled to sell machinery parts, building materials, agro-based products, pastas, noodles, jams, jellies, rum and spirits, and pharmaceuticals. In some instances, there is a quota system to ensure that there is no market distortion and that domestic producers are not displaced. Minister Greenidge

pointed out too that Guyana’s trade relation with Cuba has been great. Last September, US$3.5M worth of rice was shipped to Cuba as part of an agreement between Guyana’s Nand Persaud and Company Limited and the Cuban company, ALIMPORT. Guyana had not shipped rice to Cuba since 1999. This year, Nand Persaud and Company is expected to acquire a larger share of the Cuban market. And while he could account for many other similar trade arrangements with the country’s trading partners, Minister Greenidge said it is not all about trade. “It isn’t all about trade, but that is a good part of it, and in that regard, I am saying to you, a great deal has been done in terms of opening doors for us to export.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

Internally, he said the country must do more to diversify its production and increase efficiency. But that aside, the foreign affairs minister said Guyana has been active at the decision-making table, aiding in the formulation of rules on

the international stage. “It was an American senator who said that ‘If you are not at the table where rules are fashioned and where issues are being negotiated, if you are not at the table, you will be on the menu’, and in the area of economic diplomacy and the area of trade, that is very, very important,” he posited. “We have been working along with the ACP countries and along with CARICOM in the context of the arrangements with our major trading partners, and in these areas we have been major spokesmen. At the ACP Council meeting in Brussels in November, Guyana was chosen to chair the ministerial session,” Minister Greenidge explained. He had chaired that ministerial session. Minister Greenidge, however, noted that the min-

istry is in need of economists and lawyers to enhance its capacity areas such as trade. Additionally, he said there is a need for linguists. “If you are going to be exporting to markets, if you are going to be negotiating investment agreements in markets, if you are going to understand those markets, their preferences, their prejudices, their laws, you need to have skills that understand the culture, the institutions and the languages. So in addition to hard technical skills, we also need linguistic skills,” he said. Minister Greenidge said this is an area that ought to be strengthened in the future. He foresees that the country will continue to make strides in the area of economic diplomacy, among other areas.

CARICOM condemns Trump’s derogatory comment THE Caribbean Community (CARIOM) has condemned views reportedly expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump, labelling Haiti and some African countries in a derogatory manner. Sources in the White House confirmed to several U.S. media outlets that

Trump made the utterance during a meeting in which he rejected a bipartisan deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme. Haiti is a member of CARICOM which has been on the receiving end of unpleasant remarks, due to economic and political

instability aggravated by multiple factors. CARICOM said in a statement on Saturday that it was “deeply disturbed” about this use of “derogatory and repulsive language” by the U.S. President. The regional bloc said it condemns in the strongest terms, the unenlightened views reportedly expressed, and was especially saddened that such narrative emerged around the time of the anniversary of the devastat-

ing 2010 earthquake which killed 300,000 Haitians. “Of additional concern, is this pattern of denigrating Haiti and its citizens in what seems to be a concerted attempt to perpetuate a negative narrative of the country,” CARICOM said. Last year, the New York Times reported that during a meeting, Trump allegedly said Haitian immigrants “all have AIDS”. The community said that it should be recalled

that Haiti is the second democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States, and that Haitians continue to contribute significantly in many spheres to the global community and particularly to the U.S. During the 18th Century, Haiti was France’s wealthiest colony. Much of the money earned from the plantations in Haiti were used to finance the American Revolution which resulted in the U.S. gaining independence. “CARICOM therefore views this insult to the character of the countries named and their citizens as totally unacceptable,” the community said. However, Trump has since denied the accusations, tweeting: “Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is,

U.S. President Donald Trump

obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said ‘take them out.’ Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians.” The international community has not taken the issue lightly, as many African and Latin American leaders have condemned the views which many of them described as “racist”.

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Spotlight on Marriott SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

– Gov’t looks at increasing value of Marriott before deciding on way forward GOVERNMENT on Friday said efforts are being looked at to improve the value of the Guyana Marriott Hotel before making a decision on the way forward. Government’s spokesman, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, told reporters at Friday’s post-Cabinet press conference that there are a number of steps that have to be made to increase the value of the property. “We have said certain studies are being done with respect to the Marriott, whether we sell it as shares

or whether we invite certain investments,” said Harmon, who pointed to a few of the recommendations made to the administration so far. “Even before you go to a sale… that there are certain preliminary things you must do to increase the value of the asset and one of those have to do with the entertainment complex which is there and the way they deal with the entertainment complex.” Harmon said persons who analysed the assets felt that if government were to “bring it to a certain point”

where the entertainment complex is part of the entire package, “we are likely to have a better price for it.” “This is the Guyanese people’s money… [so that] the Guyanese people would be better served in that way. In the interim, the expenses, some of the obligations which Marriott has, we have met some of those obligations from State resources, but the minister of finance has made it very clear that this is going to be a very time-bound obligation and that we’d have to move to a point where we’d have

The Guyana Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown

to meet all of these obligations out of the Consolidated Fund.”

Last year, Atlantic Hotel Incorporated (AHI) said public tenders were issued

for construction of the Entertainment Complex and Casino of the hotel. AHI, which is the special-purpose company established to manage the Marriott, through its board member Larry London, had said since government is handling the hotel’s debt, moves can be made to complete the entertainment complex, which is posed to attract great finances. The US$58M hotel was constructed under the reign of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) despite warnings.

US$75,000 wind turbine to be commissioned soon By Navendra Seoraj

IN keeping with the government’s “green” agenda, popular Berbice businessman Haresh Narine “Chinee” Sugrim will commission his US$75,000 wind turbine at Skeldon Line Path, before the end of this month. “The reason why we buy it is because the government said they want a country powered by clean and “green” energy… they said they need more power and want people to supply power to the grid,” the businessman said. He noted that the turbine, which is one of the first of its kind in Guyana, was purchased two years ago as part of his plan to

provide electricity for his newly opened Classic Hotel and Theatre at Line Path. His intention is to power the hotel and sell the remaining power to the government. “I have written numerous letters to the Ministry of [Public] Infrastructure and the relevant authorities to buy the electricity, but I did not receive any response,” said the businessmen. The turbine can power areas in Skeldon, Corriverton and Crabwood Creek and is expected to be commissioned within January 18 to 24, 2018, once President David Granger accepts his invitation to attend. “A lot of people will invest in similar projects when they see how effective

Businessman, Haresh Narine “Chinee” Sugrim

and efficient this is… I believe once the government buys into this, it will be less

burden to them because it is natural air and less fuel,” he said. Sugrim had no challenges in setting up the turbine, but noted that it is situated next to a part of the seawall in need of repairs. Since the coalition government was elected to office in 2015, it has adopted a “green” agenda. Recently, the Ministry of the Presidency had secured US$1.5M (GY$ 300 million) to finance development of the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS). The financing was approved by the Steering Committee of the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund, following the submission of a detailed proposal and work plan.

Development of the GSDS is expected to be completed by June this year. Nationwide consultations and stakeholders’ feedback will guide the development of the seven major themes of the strategy: 1) Green inclusive, structural transformation; 2) Sustainable management of natural resources; 3) Energy – transition towards renewable energy; 4)Resilient infrastructure and spatial development; 5)Human development and well-being; 6)Governance and institutional foundations; and, 7) International cooperation, trade and investment. In his recent address to the Parliament, President David Granger had disclosed that budgetary

measures would include renewable energy generation and improved energy efficiency – key initiatives to his administration’s “green” agenda. “Guyana’s future is linked to renewable energy generation and increased use of energy-efficient technologies. We will graduate our economy increasingly towards greater renewable energy use across all sectors of Guyana. Government buildings will be powered eventually by renewable energy sources, and will utilise energy-efficient technologies. Incentives will be offered to the private sector to follow the government’s lead,” the president said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Bees, snakes nor disability can stop Vow from farming By Navendra Seoraj

AN average person would stumble at least four times whilst trying to navigate their way through a mudfilled farm, but 62-year-old Vow, also known as “Fruitman”, makes that strenuous task look easy, despite having just one foot. Don’t get him wrong, the Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara native said. “I was not born that way.” It all happened five years ago when a venomous Bothrops atrox snake, popularly

known here as the labaria, bit his right foot while he was preparing his crops for the season. Recounting the incident brought tears to the eyes of the elderly man, but he managed to tell the Guyana Chronicle what had happened. “After I get bite, dem boys (his farmhands) rushed me to Woodlands hospital… The doctors said how my kidneys failing, and in 24 hours I gon dead if dem ain’t cut off meh foot. “As soon as they cut off

the foot, the kidney went back up,” Vow said, adding that he left the hospital the day after his foot was removed because he was frustrated and felt like that was the end of the road for him. He still counts himself lucky, because the labaria is known to search for rodents in coffee and banana plantations, and farmers oftentimes get bitten by the snakes, which can lie camouflaged for hours, nearly undetectable, and striking with lightning speed. According to research, they are much feared because their venom is a hemotoxin that is particularly lethal

and fast-acting. The fatality rate used to be high, but nowadays, treatment is usually possible if the victim receives medical attention soon enough. Venom yield averages 124 mg, although it may be as much as 342 mg. A fatal dose for humans is a mere 62mg. ONE OF A FEW Vow is one of the few people to have ever survived such an attack, but it left him bedridden for almost three months, and feeling like that was how he would spend the rest of his days.

As time went by, he became distraught, because he could not do what he loved best, which is planting his fruits and taking care of his acres of farmlands, which stretch from Number One to Number Two Canal, on the West Bank, and from Number One Canal to Hague backdam, on the West Coast Demerara (WCD). Seeing his friends working and enjoying the excitement of “backdam life” was too much for him to bear, so Vow said he gradually found innovative ways to farm and get around the place. Prior to losing his foot, he said he spent most of

Sunday January 13th, - 14:30 - 02:30 hrs Monday January 14th, - 14:30 - 03:30 hrs Tuesday January 15th, - 14:30 - 04:00 hrs

Some of Vow’s produce being taken to Georgetown for sale (Photos by Adrian Narine) his time in “the backdam”, where he would work from morning to night without even eating at times. “I tell myself if me nah run meh farm, nobody will run it,” Vow said. “So me went to the US, and my children who live over there help me buy an artificial leg for $8 million. “But I couldn’t manage to use it when I going in the farm on the tractor or the

ATV.” After a while, he would put aside the artificial leg and find a way to use his machines to traverse every acre of his farmlands on a daily basis. He cultivates pineapples, pears, tangerines and other luscious fruits which he sells to make a living. But as is the old saying, “Every day is not Christmas Day”, as life would again take a dramatic turn for Vow, who was finally getting back on his foot. TRAGEDY STRIKES AGAIN “One day meh went in de ‘backdam’, and ah feel this strain on my left side. And next t’ing meh know, dem boys had to rush meh to the hospital again! “When ah reach Balwant Singh Hospital, de doctors tell me how I had a minor heart attack. But ah had a blockage, suh ah had to do surgery,” the farmer said, adding that he was again bedridden for more than a month before he could get back in the field. “Fruit-man”, who has been living alone for a number of years, said he’s faced trying times, because all of his children are successful professionals in the US and he has no immediate family in Guyana to turn to when in need of help. “My son tell me come over to Florida and he will buy land for me to farm and do what I love. “But when I went up to get de artificial foot and suh, I stayed sixteen weeks over deh and realise that I can’t make it to live there; it is nothing like home,” Vow said, adding that he believes that the foreign food was one of the leading causes of his heart attack. After realising that one of his major organs was in danger, his children hired a local nurse to take care of him here, but according to the farmer, he did not let the nurse stick around too long, because he wanted to go back to the farm. As is another old saying, “When you don’t like hear, you does feel”. So Vow had another heart attack, but this time around, it was a near-death experience for him. And because See page 16

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Contributions of overseas Indians celebrated By Tajeram Mohabir

SEVERAL cultural groups and members of the private sector earlier this week joined the Indian High Commission in Georgetown to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Devas or Non-Resident Indian Day. It was the third celebration in Guyana since the event was inaugurated by the Government of India in 2003 to recognise the contributions of Indians in the diaspora to the development of the Mother Land. Celebrated on January 9 every year, the genesis of Pravasi Bharatiya Devas is linked to the first well known Pravasi, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi had on the same day returned to India from then apartheid South Africa to lead the struggle to free India from British rule, a feat he achieved through non-violence and civil disobedience, winning the admiration of many the world over. During his struggles as a freedom fighter in South Africa, he earned the title mahatma. Mahatma is a Sanskrit word and when translated to English means “great soul”. The mini event held at the Indian Cultural Centre, Bel Air, New Haven, Georgetown, was in keeping with the thrust of the Indian Government to reach out to

overseas Indians, including those in Guyana. Indians first came here in 1838, and today, with 39 per cent of Guyana’s population of 747,000 being Indians, they are the largest ethnic group in Guyana. India and Guyana have enjoyed fruitful and cordial relations ever since Guyana became an Independent nation in 1966; and this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Devas was held at the same time of the inaugural Persons of Indian (PIO) Parliamentarians Conference in India’s capital New Delhi. Some 134 elected representatives from 24 countries, including Guyana, participated in the conference. “We are happy to say that the Guyanese delegation of 23 members consisting of 20 MPs and three mayors was the largest delegation in the conference, Indian Ambassador to Guyana Venkatachalam Mahalingam told the Indian Cultural Centre gathering. The conference was addressed by both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. Prime Minister Modi reminded the delegates that the event was aimed at reconnecting the Indian diaspora with their ancestral land and spirit. PRAISE He praised the delegates for preserving Indi-

an culture and at the same time excelling in sports, the arts and cinema on the global platform and contributing to the welfare of their respective countries. The prime minister also extended a welcoming hand to the leaders of Indian origin to join hands with India and be part of the “irreversible change” that is sweeping India. External Affairs Minister Swaraj for her part congratulated the PIO parliamentarians for achieving political leadership in their respective countries. At the Indian Cultural Centre, Ambassador Mahalingam told the gathering that Indo-Guyanese, who are now third or fourth-generation here, along with their African brothers and sisters, have made great contributions to Guyana. “They converted the marshy water-logged country into a fertile land,” he said, while pointing out that the Indians managed to preserve their Indian culture in various forms through religious practices, music, costumes and food habits, even though they lost linguistic and family contacts from their ancestral land, primarily due to the enormous distance between the two nations. Indian Action Committee (IAC) Executive Member Neaz Subhan also spoke at the event. He delivered an informative presenta-

India’s Ambassador to Guyana Venkatachalam Mahalingam (left) and Indian Action Committee (IAC) Executive Member Neaz Subhan, sit among the audience at Pravasi Bharatiya Devas held at the India Cultural Centre tion titled “Continuation of Indian Cultural Moorings Guyana’s Experience” that was well received by the audience. The lively occasion which also featured dances and a video presentation of the PIO parliamentarians and mayors conference, concluded with a quiz competition

in which prizes were given out to the various winners. Last year, the High Commission participated in the Indian Indentureship Centenary Celebration by joining various organisations, including the Guyana-Indian Indentureship Abolition Association.

Recently, it has also commissioned a research on Madrasis in Guyana to get more details about their indentureship origin and cultural practices, among other aspects of their lives. These aside, the High Commission is planning to organise cooking classes to popularise authentic Indian foods.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. TOMORROW the world remembers the life and contributions of the drum-major of the American Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year we celebrate his birthday on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, which occurred on that fateful night of April 14, 1968. Dr. King was born in 1929 and lived for just 39 years, but the enormity of his contribution to African- American liberation, American society and world civilisation far outstrips the relative brevity of his life on earth. He is easily the most important public person to have emerged from the USA in the 20th century—a giant in a century of giants. Rising from relative obscurity, he reached heights that could not be envisaged when he was, in 1955, chosen to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. Here was a young 26-yr-old Baptist preacher, just out of college, being thrown into the top leadership of what turned out to be the catalyst of one of the 20th century’s great revolutionary moments. Clearly, there was something the elders in Montgomery saw in the young man from Atlanta, Georgia, that propelled them to make that prophetic decision. For the next 13 years, King justified that faith in him by dedicating his every living moment to the cause of his people who had

been in the struggle to regain their earthly freedom for almost four centuries. During that time, they had endured, survived and overcome the degradation of enslavement and would later face slavery by another name. They, the sons and daughters of Africa, were deemed to be less than human—not deserving of life and liberty. And here was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr taking on the burden of leading them on the final stretch towards freedom. He proved to be the ideal leader. Borrowing from CLR James, one could argue that he was the fusion of time, place and person and had the enormous capacity to absorb the energies and aspirations of the people who looked to him for leadership. But more than that, he managed to simultaneously speak to the conscience of those who saw Black people as less than human. This critical component was ultimately what set King apart from other Black leaders—his ability to simultaneously connect in a spiritual and political manner with the pain of Blacks, while speaking to the hearts of those who stood on the other side of righteousness. Many will remember King, the incomparable orator, capable of moving people to action. Others will remember his non-violent crusade in the face of mindless violence. Still others will remember his ability to mend together the diverse tenden-

cies within the movement into a united purpose. He was all those things and more. But today we want to remember him as the champion and defender of the least among us. Dr. King was by no means infallible— he had his human failings. But always, he managed to be selflessly loyal to the ideals of what he called the “beloved society.” He died a materially poor man—leaving no wealth for his young family. Although he was born into what could be called the “Black Middle Class,” he witnessed for the poor and the downtrodden. It was symbolic that at the time of his brutal murder he was standing in the ranks of poor sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. As he said then, “We cannot all be doctors or lawyers, but all work has dignity if it contributes to the welfare of humanity. If you sweep streets, then sweep streets as Shakespeare wrote poetry.” He was also at the time of his death organising the “Poor People’s Campaign,” seeking to draw attention to the plight of the poor in a most dramatic way. In announcing the campaign, he uttered the following words which sadly rings true today, 50 years later: “The Southern Christian Leadership Conference will lead waves of the nation’s poor and disinherited to Washington, D. C.,

next spring to demand redress of their grievances by the United States government and to secure at least jobs or income for all. We will go there, we will demand to be heard, and we will stay until America responds. If this means forcible repression of our movement, we will confront it, for we have done this before. If this means scorn or ridicule, we embrace it, for that is what America’s poor now receive. If it means jail, we accept it willingly, for the millions of poor already are imprisoned by exploitation and discrimination…Consider, for example, the spectacle of cities burning while the national government speaks of repression instead of rehabilitation. Or think of children starving in Mississippi, while prosperous farmers are rewarded for not producing food. Or Negro mothers leaving children in tenements to work in neighbourhoods where people of colour cannot live. Or the awesome bombardment, already greater than the munitions we exploded in World War II, against a small Asian land, while political brokers de-escalate and very nearly disarm a timid action against poverty. Or a nation gorged on money while millions of its citizens are denied a good education, adequate health services, decent housing, meaningful employment, and even respect, and are then told to be responsible.”

Democratic governance is not practised on basis of feelings Dear Editor, IN the consideration of candidates for appointment to the posts of chancellor and chief justice, there continues to be discussion as to the persons identified to fill these posts and the reported non-application for the job of chief justice by the person currently performing the duties. The persons that are being proposed by the President for appointment were arrived at through a process that involved applying for the job and a panel established to conduct the interviews and make recommendations. President Granger has said that he had proposed the stated process to former President Donald Ramotar during his tenure as leader of the opposition, but the latter did not accept same. As such, when he ascended to the presidency, he instituted this new process. In governance, precedents and practices hold firm wherever you are. And in this specific case, the process in filling these vacancies by advertising throughout the British Commonwealth, receiving applications, and the appointment of the interviewing panel were never part of the process. The interviewing panel constituted persons for whom I have the highest regard . Their competencies are not being questioned and their role in this process is duly recognised, but let me place it in context. When a citizen is asked by the President to play his or

her role by participating in a national activity of this nature, it is anti-national in refusing to do so. As such, what the panel has done must be seen as being nationalistic and recorded that its members had nothing to do with the establishing of the new process, but just participated and conformed to national service. The mere fact that the Guyana Constitution says that the appointments have to be done after agreement with the leader of the opposition is indicative that the President cannot arbitrarily put in place a new process without having, at least at the minimum, consensus between the two. If for some reason the leader of the opposition nominates the persons currently acting in the positions as chancellor and chief justice, he will be within his right to do so, merely because the custom and practices in the system regarding these appointments have been ignored. Democratic governance is not practised on the basis of feelings, but the application of rules, laws, precedents and time-honoured principles. Reliance on gut feelings or some idea not grounded in careful thought for retaining and strengthening the institutions of governance will pose serious challenges to bringing about good governance and ensuring the comity of citizens. The Constitution of Guyana expressly states that the President and leader of the opposition have to agree on who fill the offices of chancellor and chief justice. Departing

from the principles and practices in making the appointments destroy the spirit and intent of the nation’s two premier political office-holders working to achieve consensus and agreements in arriving at regularising the nation’s judicial service. The custom and practice in filling these vacancies are that the leaders would meet, names are proposed by both sides, discussions relating to the appointments ensue, and agreement follows. Article 127(1) expressly states, “The Chancellor and Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.” In effect what this article says is that even in the process in arriving at the appointments there must be agreement. Note is taken that the Caribbean Court of Justice head has called for the vacancies to be filled and recognition that the intent of the constitution was never to have the office-holders acting for extended periods. Prolonged acting appointments are not a function of the constitution, but the inability of the politicians to put nation before partisan self-interest. This matter is not about whether Kenneth Benjamin is eligible to fill the post of chancellor or not, Yonette Cummings-Edwards that of chief justice, and Roxanne George-Wiltshire not reportedly applying for either positions; it is about a long-held principle in how the vacancies should be filled which has been torpedoed for years by the inability to work

for consensus and agreement. Changing of the process is tampering with the appointments. While it is not known whether the current acting chief justice has an interest in being appointed to the job or not, the fact that she was considered good enough to act, and the precedent established that persons never had to apply, competing with other persons outside the Guyanese jurisdiction, she should have been considered for the job. Let it be very clear: the process in arriving at these appointments require the two political leaders meeting and proposing names, and most naturally they would have consulted with the persons they intend to nominate. The deviation from this in worker/management relations is considered a departure from norms and practices and raping of existing agreements. At the worker level, agreements, existing processes, and standard practices are there to insulate them from being discriminated against or discriminated against in favour of another. Any failure in having agreement on the appointment and confirmation of a chancellor and chief justice, both the President and leader of the opposition must be held responsible. This nation deserves better from its leadership and must demand better. Yours sincerely, LINCOLN LEWIS

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Op-ed

The burden of command By Sherod Duncan

THE ship of state, in the entire history of Guyana, has never been at such a critical juncture as the current times. It was the will of the people in 2015 and perhaps the hidden hand of fate that the heavy task of the nation’s leadership, the prestige and privilege; the burden of command should fall on the soldiering shoulders of David Arthur Granger. He emerged, almost out of political obscurity, at a time when the party needed a game changer. His first order of business was to heal the rifts within; produced by his ascendancy. His national agenda focused on a unifying platform. Listening to the lessons of the 2011 Elections loss meant an embarkation into unchartered waters. The historian knew acutely the vicissitudes of politics and the fragility of coalitions in his party’s experiment in 1964, and between Forbes Burnham and Cheddie Jagan, according to Halim Majeed in ‘Forbes Burnham: National Reconciliation and National Unity, 1984-1985’. He gambled on the WPA which viewed the PNC as being complicit in the death of its leader. And then there was the AFC, a young party attracting tremendous grassroots support, which had vowed never to work with them. If the APNU+AFC

Coalition’s only task is holding position until 2020, that singular act becomes unprecedented; its architect written into our history. As the ship of state sailed in times past, the Sugar Industry was the rudder. The herculean task of navigating the nuances of the team of rivals was added the heavy task of restructuring Guyana Sugar Cooperation (GuySuCo). His was the balancing act, in his own words, to act “resolutely and responsibly to protect the livelihood of workers, to preserve the viability of rural communities and prevent the further financial depletion of the country’s treasury,” while, “committed to making the industry efficient and competitive by consolidating cultivation”. Few of us can grasp the sheer demands of high office such as the President holds. Joseph Conrad gives us but a glimpse, writing on ‘Command at Sea’; says, “A ship at sea is a different world in herself, and in consideration of the protracted and distant operations of the fleet units, the Navy must place great power, responsibility and trust in the hands of those leaders chosen for command. In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to no other man. There is one who alone is ultimately responsible for the safe navigation, engineering perfor-

mance, accurate gunfire and morale of the ship. He is the Commanding Officer. He is the ship!” The President is the ship. Simultaneously, he has had to fend off the most daring challenges to our territorial integrity, consistently by Venezuela, and by Suriname. The President, to his credit, has used every forum to put to the international community Guyana’s case, defending Guyana’s territorial sovereignty at the highest forums while at the same time carving out a new foreign policy for Guyana in the age of Trump. Venezuela poses not only a treat to our borders, but an existential treat to our economic future with part of its claim resting in our Exclusive Economic Zone, emboldened even more with the discovery of oil. During the Canadian oil and gas trade mission to Guyana last year, one of the executives from the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil

and Gas Industry Association (NOIA) remarked on what the stakes are for Guyana. He said it took Canada about 25 years between its discovery of oil and production; Guyana is hoping to do the same in under five years. Foreign Affairs magazine in February 2017 credited the Granger administration with “setting up new laws to shape the budding oil sector into a top oil producer; these include a local content law that forces oil companies to hire locals, a new oil regulatory agency, taxation legislation, and the creation of an infrastructure and savings fund, too.” Managed well, in the right hands, this sector has untold benefits for Guyanese living and those yet to be born. Consequently, oil revenues in five years will make Guyana one of, if not, the leading economy in the region. Guyana has to be ready to lead. The President is a person of faith. He attends church;

serves his God. There is an iconic photograph of him kneeling between pews praying. He leads a chorus of Ministers at Cabinet who are not always singing from the same hymn book. For the weighty decisions he has to make on other matters as well--health, education, infrastructure, in the public and private sectors, issues foreign and domestic--he can seek counsel, yet every decision of his Government must be made in his own deliberate judgment. President Granger has to have the magic of Houdini, dance like Fred Astaire, but do it like Ginger Rogers, backwards in high heels. James Brady writing in ‘Why Marines Fight’ puts it best when he said, “A rife platoon’s members must care for one another. Its leaders must cherish the men in every fire team and squad. For a rifleman, a leader’s misjudgment, ignorance or inexperience can be fatal; no second chances; no re-run-

Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan ning the exercise until you get it right. When the word ‘go’ is given, there is no turning back from the consequences. It is the monstrous burden of command.” So too for our President. The stakes are high. The burden is great. There can be no turning back.

SUGAR AND POLITRICKS

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ON January 10, President David Granger reaffirmed the commitment of the coalition government to the welfare of sugar workers and to the restructuring of the ailing industry. He announced that redundant workers would get severance pay, beginning month-end; and the job of 11,000 workers would be protected at three expanded estates around Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt. According to the President, the APNU+AFC government agreed to pay more than $4 billion ($4,000,000,000), half of which would be disbursed soon and the remainder in the second half of this year. The payment would be made to some 4,691 workers, of which number 3,773 have been served redundancy notices by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

POSITIVE OUTCOMES The government, opposition and unions have absolutely nothing to gain from a single sugar worker being laid off and their families exposed to hardships. For me, it had become an extremely emotional issue every time sugar would come up for discussion and I continue to work with my colleagues towards and be hopeful for positive outcomes, such as the payment of severance. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the unions and their political handlers, who are determined to exploit the plight of sugar workers. They had demanded no closure of any of the estates, even though that process had started

under the last government. They knew that all the earnings plus and additional forty-eight billion ($48,000,000,000) had been wasted on an industry that was bankrupt and needed overhaul. They also knew that at the rate of decline (producing sugar at an average 40 United States cents per pound and selling at only 16 cents per pound), would lead to total collapse of the entire industry and all 17,000 workers would be out of jobs.

RECKLESS POLITICS But their reckless politics could only be compared with the cloud of danger, disaster and doom that they dragged over the future oil-and-gas industry. They painted as an ominous orgy of what I see as oil-o-mania, that elicited incredulous responses at every new billion-barrel find, of wonderment, weeping and warped wisdom. Preferably, they would rather that Guyana leave the oil in the womb of our sea! The cynical choir clamoured: “Leave it right deh!” Overnight, a sleuth of conspiracy chasers concocted a theory that government wanted to hide the oil agreement and steal the signature bonus. It was a bewildering conspiracy to “:tief” by leaving fingerprints everywhere starting with five signatures on the oil agreement, which was gazetted, then sealed and filed at the Deeds Registry as a public document. The $18 million bonus was placed in a special, interest-bearing, secure account at the Bank of Guyana, not in someone’s pocket or in

any overseas accounts. But I can say no more, since where the bonus was put or should be put, is now the subject of litigation. SINISTER SUSPICION Last year, a similar response and sinister suspicion had greeted the announcement of severance pay for Wales workers. On that occasion, GAWU filed court proceedings to block payment, after demanding and organising protests for same. The workers rebelled against their own union and demanded that the injunction be discharged to allow payment to be made. When that was done, just under 100 workers received an estimated $80 million. Sensible onlookers were baffled that a union could actually frustrate payment of severance to affected workers, but it is opposition politricks to feed on the hardships of workers, and to channel their disaffection into political anger and rage against a young, incoming government that is doing all it possibly could to cushion the impact of the crisis that it had

inherited. So, no one should be surprised at the somersault of the major union at the announcement by the President of the severance package. The union/ party leaders were caught offguard by the announcement, so they changed their chant from “pay severance” to “pay severance right NOW”. TRIM ALLOCATIONS They were convinced that GuySuCo has no money to pay, much less to pay now. They knew that the government would be under pressure to trim allocations for various ministries to find the additional $2 billion to meet immediate payment in the face of a current budget deficit. From a legal standpoint, the opposition has no legs on which it could stand. Neither the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act (TESPA), nor the collective labour agreement stipulates a date by which such payments ought to be made, though the practice has been for payment to be made soonest after notice of redundancy is served. Since the coalition took office, the fate of the sugar industry has been on the front burner. It was recognised that the sugar industry has been historically a political battleground and an arena for ethnic mobil-

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

isation. The government had therefore anticipated the high expectations that severance should be paid, and has been considering various options. As an interim measure, our coalition government budgeted an additional sum of six billion, three hundred million ($6,300,000,000) for GuySuCo, of which five hundred million ($500,000,000) was for an advance on the severance bill. From day one, we tried to grapple with the sad situation in which we met the sugar industry. Within four months of taking office, the coalition established a Commission of Inquiry; then tabled in the National Assembly a State Paper outlining the broad policy for restructuring of the industry. It has since set up a Special Purpose Unit to manage the reform. I believe that investors will soon come on board at Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales and that new opportunities will be opened for sugar workers and their children. SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Our government is investing in this direction. Apart from the severance pay, $100 million was set aside for small loans. Workers leaving the industry could access this loan for small businesses. Already, some 500 former sugar workers

have been engaged for possible retraining in fields such as carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and small business enterprises. They will prove that they are not incapable of doing other jobs, and are not “ballerinas” fit only for the Bolshoi Theatre, as the PPP mouthpiece imputed. New opportunities are being created within and outside the sugar belt. Business Minister Dominic Gaskin disclosed in a recent interview that more than 2,448 persons received technical training in the fields of graphic design, photography, orchard establishment, leather craft, climate-smart agriculture and book-keeping. Some 301 micro-enterprises received grant funding in the amount of US$421,000. In addition, 130 loans to the tune of US$2.1 million were disbursed under the Micro and Small Enterprise Development project (MSED) New jobs are also being created, since Investment agreements were entered into for 136 projects valued $187 billion. Forty of these became operational by the end of 2017. Redundant sugar workers cannot and must not lose hope. While some of them could be absorbed into ancillary work, many others could be retrained and prepared for work as independent contractors and as peasant cane and cash-crop farmers.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Do you know the trade unions’ contribution to housing development? PERCEPTIONS are held that trade unionism entails only wages and salaries. The truth is, properly practised, trade unionism takes a holistic approach to the well-being of workers, in and out of the workplace. This entails fighting for improved working conditions and standard of living for workers -- past, present or potential- unionised or non-unionised and placing a premium on ensuring that their fundamental rights and freedoms are safeguarded and advanced. It is the belief of Labour that the attainment of such requires an environment where good governance prevails, since such sets the tone to realise and enforce progressive laws, policies and programmes. The pursuit of this helps to explain why Labour began the fight in 1926 for internal self-government, because workers must foremost safeguard the right to self-determination, i.e. political, social, cultural, civic and economic. The trade union retains vested interest in ensuring that workers enjoy not only the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, but also housing, health services, education, potable water, electricity, etc. These are important in the life of every worker, given their pivotal place in enhancing development for workers and society. In the specific case of housing, it was the trade union that led the way for creating the environment where workers can live with some level of dignity. Ownership represents achievement, permanency and influences the desire to stay and invest. There was a period when no right existed for tenants who were left at the mercy of landlords. The trade union, during the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, campaigned for tenants to have rights which saw the enactment/achievement of the Landlord Tenancy Act. In independent Guyana the trade union commenced the programme of advanc-

ing the cooperative spirit. This led to the establishment of several credit unions and the Trades Union Congress Housing Cooperative (TUCHC). The decision to establish the TUCHC was driven by the success of establishing communities in the immediate post-slave society, using the cooperative model. It was Labour’s aim to harness the resources of the working class, among whom many were still being exploited by landlords. Another factor too was that while some may have migrated from the rural areas into the city and began raising families and establishing permanency, the opportunity to do so in appropriate space was eluding them. The aforementioned realities informed the establishment of the trade union’s first major housing scheme, i.e. TucVille in south Georgetown, as our pilot project. This project was conceptualised and executed under the TUC’s leadership of Richard Ishmael as president and Joseph Pollydore as general-secretary with his able assistant, George DePeana. The design of this scheme commenced in 1967 and made provisions for a playground, school, health clinic and a modern sewage system, which, if fully activated can satisfy the requirement established under the Cartagena Convention for the processing of liquid waste. As the current administration speaks about a “Green” Economy, this waste disposal system can be used as a catalyst for modernising the approach to liquid waste management. In this specific case, the trade union was ahead of the time. In acquisition of these houses, the TUC was able to negotiate with the American Federation for Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations (ALF-CIO) for money to be acquired from the pension funds for workers in the United States to be used to fund the project. This money passed through the Royal Bank Trust Company

(RBTC) that was authorised to give loans to members of the TUCHC. In fact, every recipient for a house who had paid off the loan through RBTC would have had to go to the TUCHC for the necessary clearance for the transport to be relieved of any liability. Some of the works in TucVille were done by contractors and some by selfhelp. Official time-off for the workers was negotiated with their unions. It was during this period that the TUC and the Forbes Burnham government recognised the acute shortage of skilled artisans such as carpenters, plumbers, masons and electricians. Against this backdrop, the trade union again went to the ALF-CIO which facilitated the process for acquisition of a grant for the

establishment of the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), which is housed at the corner of Albert Street and Woolford Avenue, opposite the TUC headquarters/ Critchlow Labour College. The overwhelming success of the TucVille project saw the TUC moving for the establishment of TucBer in New Amsterdam. As the waterfront became mechanised and there was the indication that a number of persons were going to lose their jobs, the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) under the leadership of Samuel Walker, Stanton Critchlow and Eugene Fowler approached the Forbes Burnham government. An arrangement was worked out for establishment of the Stevedore Housing Scheme in south Georgetown, with a view to

saving many who were still tenants. The upsurge in the role of Labour in housing development has seen the trade unions negotiating progressive housing programmes. For instance, the Postal & Telecommunications Workers Union (PTWU) negotiated with Telecoms and Post Office for a scheme in south Georgetown. In 1976, The Guyana Mines Union and the Guyana Bauxite Supervisors Union, now the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) negotiated with GUYMIME a package for 120 employees each year to be given a grant of $6000.00 and an equivalent loan of $6000.00 for the purchase of housing. This led to the establishment of Wisroc Housing Scheme, Phases I, II, III and IV; Amelia’s

Ward self-help scheme, Ituni Housing Scheme, Kwakwani Housing Scheme, and BERMINE Housing Scheme in New Amsterdam. In 2000 Norris Witter, President of the TUC and yours truly as general-secretary, supported by Andrew Garnett, principal assistant general-secretary, conceptualised and developed a proposal for the establishment of a major housing scheme on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. A request was submitted to the Bharrat Jagdeo government for same, after a signed agreement with his administration on the 8th March 2000, with the clear understanding that the land identified would have been released to the TUC. The TUC was never given the land and when the Jagdeo government was no longer, we approached the Lands and Surveys Commission and sought to re-activate the application, only to find out that of the identified 3000 acres, 2300 were disposed of to friends and families of the PPP/C. The TUC is in the process of re-designing the project with a view to submit same to the APNU+AFC government and trusts that the organisation would be favourably considered in order that Labour can continue to play a meaningful role in housing development as a critical element in improving the quality of life for workers.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Sandra Adams laid to rest By Vanessa Braithwaite

Draped in the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party flag was the white casket of its Central Executive member Sandra Adams, who was laid to rest on Saturday in her home town Linden. Standing at the four corners of her casket throughout the service were representatives of the Region 10 PNCR women’s arm. In her death, they stood up for her as she stood up for them and selflessly and courageous-

President David Granger and wife Sandra Granger, Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Basil Williams and Social Protection Minister Amna Ally were among mourners who paid their last respects to Sandra Adams Members of the National Congress of Women led by Chairman Volda Lawrence bearing the casket of their comrade Sandra Adams

ly fought for their justice and development while alive. Bringing more emphasis on her altruistic service to her party, her government, her region and home town were the many tributes laced with tears and heartfelt words on how the town of Linden has indeed lost a colossal and monumental figure, who according to Regional Chairman Renis Morian would take several persons to fill the void of losing her. Adams was hailed as a catalyst who led the charge for development, who never backed down from opposition, who served out of pure desire for betterment of the people. The mark she has left is indeed an indelible one, as hundreds braved the boiling midday sun to pay their last respects at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. In attendance were President David Granger and wife Sandra Granger, who led a huge ministerial delegation to the mining town. The delegation included Ministers Joseph Harmon, Basil Williams, Volda Lawrence, Simona Broomes, Amna Ally, Annette Ferguson, Winston Felix, Sydney Allicock and Ronald Bulkan, among others. Members of the Central Executive Committee of the PNCR also came out in their numbers to bid farewell to their late comrade, who began her service to the party at age 17. Regional officials including Regional Chairman Renis Morian and Linden outgoing Mayor Carwyn Holland were also in attendance, along with municipal and regional councillors. Several mayors and regional officials also journeyed to Linden as well as other top government officials. They were joined by the many Lindeners, including the common man on the street who were all impacted in some way by the late Adams who was described as a people person who fought for those who had no voice. In his address, President David Granger revealed that Adams was the right woman to serve her community, party and country, and as a result of this, she was rightfully rewarded with her recent Medal of Service award.

“She was a good gift for our party, our community and country… i readily recognised her sincerity, her strength and her commitment,” the President said. Granger reminisced campaigning with Adams in communities up the Demerara and Berbice Rivers and how she continued to show interest in these riverine communities after the coalition’s victory. Granger reiterated that she was not a competitor, but a comrade as her only concern was the development of Linden. IN VALUABLE “Sandra Adams had three great loves, her family, her party and the Linden community. Her national award was well deserved…. I would be the happiest party leader in the western hemisphere, if I had one Sandra Adams in every region in Guyana,” he said. Similar sentiments were echoed by Minister Volda Lawrence, who represented the party’s women’s arm. In tears, Lawrence said, “Sandra was an indefatigable woman of action… a woman of strength and resilience who dedicated her life to interacting with the people at the grassroots, to addressing their concerns and to making a significant impact on their lives.” Lawrence said Adams was always eloquent and vocal and worked selflessly for the party until she was recently elected to the Central Executive level. “She was a committed worker and not a talker,” the minister affirmed to the applause of the audience. Both Mayor of Linden and Regional Chairman of Region 10 expressed how Adams’s death threw the region into a state of sadness as she had such a huge impact on its administration and development of the Community Development Councils many of which she had formed. Speaking on behalf of the CDC, National Director Eugene Gilbert said Adams always pushed for development of the various communities. Taking on the great task of eulogising Adams’s life was Turn to page 15 ►

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

I am Black and Beautiful ON this Martin Luther King Jr weekend, I am moved to reflect on my Blackness. I come from a tradition that is not afraid to speak about race and blackness. While I am fully aware of the risks therein, I have long decided that those would not deter me from incorporating such discourse into my overall praxis. I am firm in the belief that no son or daughter of enslaved Africans should not in this time or anytime stand in defence of the dignity of the group. To do otherwise amounts to a serious dereliction of duty. And when on this King weekend, the Black World must again grapple with institutional questioning of our humanity in the form of Mr. Donald Trump’s vile characterisation of Black countries and their peoples, I know that I cannot stop being Black. The best way to beat back anti-black racism is to be positively Black. One of our Blackest Guyanese, Dr. Walter Rodney, put it best in his seminal Groundings with my Brothers: “Colour had become important because the white man found it convenient to use racialism to exploit the black peoples of the world. As Africans, we will use the question of race to unify ourselves, and to escape from the oppression of white men and their black lackeys. So long as there are people who deny our humanity as blacks, then for so long must we proclaim our humanity as blacks.” I want to highlight my blackness today—let me be Black today. As Rodney indicated, it wasn’t Black people who invented Blackness. Blackness and Whiteness were constructed to justify Black enslavement and its attendant Black inferiority. For me, Blackness is not about their Black inferiority-- it is about our Black humanity and Black Dignity and Black Love. And because I know

that despite constitutional and formal equality, the collective consciousness of the world still questions our humanity -- I am going stay Black. I am other things—male, Guyanese, Caribbean and of some social class or the other. But the world judges me mostly by my skin-colour and the meanings they attach to it. Some detractors say that I see race in everything. I laugh at them. You see, the scars of racial bondage are still fresh on my being, so how could I ignore race. Of course, I see class and gender, ethnicity and nationality and embrace them, but those forms of identity are not substitutes for my racial identity. I know that there would never be any post-race moment. It would never come; it’s an impossibility. The privileges that individuals and countries and continents enjoy are wrapped up in race. Capitalism evolved in race—the product of forced, uncompensated Black labour. Socialism theoretically silenced race—reduced Black dehumanisation to simply social-class greed. Globalisation and Neoliberalism are grounded in the same old racial notions of human worth. People of other races and ethnicities tell me to see past race and embrace only my other identities. They do not know that they are telling me to ignore most of my history of the last 400 years. I don’t think that to be Black is to be tainted. I don’t care what they call me—Black Nationalist, Black Powerist, Black Racist. I always try to reach for the best in humanity, but I don’t have to stop being Black to be credible. I defend Indian-Guyanese or Amerindian dignity, because I feel deeply about Black dignity. I want to be very Black today. That’s how I will survive Trump’s vile. It’s not my gender or social class that he assaults—it’s my Blackness. We Black people have

our faults. We self-hate. We have at times been unkind to other groups. We have governed ourselves badly. We bleach our skins. We have done some ugly things. But we are not what Trump thinks of us. We are Black and Beautiful like all God’s children. I hope those of our young Black people who have surrendered their blackness rethink their folly. You could be modern and post-modern and still be Black and Beautiful. You could love others without unloving your Blackness. I end with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King who also said he was Black and Beautiful—little known words: “I come here tonight to plead with you. Believe in yourself and believe that you are somebody. I said to a group last night: Nobody else can do this for us. No document can do this for us. No Lincolnian emancipation proclamation can do this for us. No Johnsonian civil rights bill can do this for us. “If the Negro is to be free, he must move down into the inner resources of his own soul and sign with a pen and ink of self-assertive manhood his own emancipation proclamation. Don’t let anybody take your manhood. Be proud of our heritage… we don’t have anything to be ashamed of. “Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything Black ugly and evil. Look in your dictionaries and see the synonyms of the word Black. It’s always something degrading and low and sinister. Look at the word White, it’s always something pure, high and clean. Well I want to get the language right tonight. “I want to get the language so right that everyone here will cry out: ‘Yes, I’m Black, I’m proud of it. I’m Black and I’m beautiful!” More of Dr. Hinds ‘writ-

ings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr.

David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanaca-

ribbeanpolitics.com. Send comments to dhinds6106@ aol.com

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Constable, suspect injure heads in fight A CITY constable was injured after a Tiger Bay vendor, who is wanted for questioning in connection with assault and simple larceny tried to take away his service weapon during a scuffle on Robb Street, Georgetown, Saturday morning. The vendor, who was beaten by the constable after he was arrested, was identified as 34-yearold Marlon Fredricks. Reports indicate that the con-

stable who is stationed at City Constabulary headquarters, was on patrol when he saw the vendor who was wanted for questioning on King Street, Georgetown. Upon recognising the constable, the vendor allegedly ran and the patrol vehicle gave chase and caught the vendor on Robb Street, where a scuffle ensued. In the vicinity of Colours Boutique, the vendor tried to take away the constable’s 9mm pistol

that was in his right side pants pocket. As a result, the pistol discharged a round and minutes after police on patrol intervened and rendered assistance, subduing Fredricks. The constable and the vendor were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were treated for head injuries. An investigation is under way.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018 The city constable who was injured (in blue) and the vendor in the pickup flanked by other ranks after the confrontation on Robb Street (Mondale Smith photo)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Aracari refutes reports of police raid THE Aracari Resort has cleared the air, pointing out that contrary to media reports, police never raided its facilities and arrested Venezuelan women. “There was no police raid at the resort and there were and are no Venezuelans at the Aracari Resort,� the resort said in a statement.

Aracari comprises a hotel with additional amenities such as a swimming pool, restaurant, bar, salon spa and caters for families and visitors. The management of the resort claimed that it is not associated with the type of activities and entertainment implied by the media reports.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Rohee is responsible for this pregnancy THIS past Wednesday, a motion with respect to the July 9, 2017 jailbreak and fire was debated in the National Assembly sponsored by MP Edghill, but presented by MP Teixeira due to Edghill’s suspension. It is obvious that the motion itself was designed to score political points but failed to have the desired effect, probably because it was conceptually poor and vacuous in content. Proponents of the motion struggled to proffer differentiated and cogent arguments as speaker after speaker rose to repeat the same set of arguments almost verbatim, as if ‘dungeoned’ in an echo chamber, often straying from the motion itself. The presentations taken together can fittingly be described as a circus of incoherence, “contradictory and ambivalent.” During their presentations MPs Hamilton and Manickchand, possibly out of embarrassment, pleaded with Minister Ramjattan, who spoke later, not to refer to the failings of his immediate predecessor, hit seemingly with a bout of the Mr. Nice Guy flu, for the most part, acquiesced. The stewardship of former Minister Rohee and indeed all other ministers who served the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) over the last quarter century need to be placed in context before we talk about the most recent prison tragedies. Prior to the PPP assuming office in 1992, the average tenure of a minister at the MoHA since 1961 was 18 months, the outlier being Vibert Mingo, who served for 7 years (1973-1980). This situation no doubt would have led to some amount of programmatic instabilities. To their credit, the PPP allowed ministers to settle into their roles, a situation which should have engendered better performance. Feroze Mohamed served for five years, Ronald Gajraj six, Clement Rohee 10 and Gail Teixeira the outlier served just one year. Rohee is the longest-serving chief of the security sector, he served roughly half of the two decades the PPP had executive control of Guyana. Rohee is therefore most responsible for the shape, state and condition of the security sector inherited by Ramjattan. Rohee served on the heels of one of the worst jailbreaks and corresponding criminal mayhem, but it should not be lost on us that he also inherited a number of robust remedial policy prescriptions, the notable ones being; the British Prison Reform Document (2001), Guyana Prisons Service Strategic Development Plan (2001-2011), Justice Kennard’s CoI Report (2002) and the Disciplined Services Commission Report (2004), coupled with the Lloyd Nickram Security Sector Study (2009) done in the middle of his tenure.

Ramjattan was a mere eight months in office when the 2016 fire and deaths occurred, following which a CoI was convened and report laid by Justice Patterson, this report is essentially a regurgitation of what was contained in Justice Kennard and British Prison Reform reports. What this means is that the same issues that led to the 2002 jailbreak and the ensuing massacre of over 400 citizens were the same issues that precipitated the 2016 tragedy, a strong and telling indication that nothing has changed since 2001. The malady that inflicted the prison system was symptomatic of pervading poor governance and testament to a general breakdown of law and order, poor administration of justice, plummeting public trust and police performance compounded by a wave of executive lawlessness. The prison system was in full-term pregnancy for a tragedy, the amniotic sac bursting at its seams with corrupt prison officers, overcrowding, aged infrastructure etc. It was impossible for Ramjattan to make any meaningful reforms in just 8 months. To his credit, by the time of the 2017 escape and fire Ramjattan, had already initiated action on major recommendations of the Patterson CoI Report, he was essentially reaching back to 2006 to take action on matters left unattended by his predecessor. While Manickchand and Hamilton are exasperated by references to their comrade, they must have recognised that both the 2016 and 2017 prison incidents had everything to do with the tenure of Mr. Rohee and the stewardship of the PPP. Rohee’s ejaculation was responsible for this corrupted pregnancy. Having said that, Ramjattan must be commended for accepting responsibility for the incidents, essentially avowing that it is treacherous to espouse a fully gestated woman only to disavow her offspring, he is in my view providing good nurture for a baby he did not conceive. He announced a raft of prison reforms, law reviews, infrastructural works, consultancies, inter-agency networking, human resource realignment and regular interface with the judiciary to address sentencing guidelines and a framework for alternatives to custodial sentencing. Though his work programme is fairly acceptable, if Mr. Ramjattan does not remain administratively vigilant he runs the risk of being just as ineffective as his predecessor, I am sure he is aware that the security sector, more than any other, has the potential for rapid decline and is one which citizens express the greatest impatience. It is now his baby and the world is watching to see how he will nurture her.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Sandra Adams laid ... From page 10

her sister Marilyn Sinclair, who spoke of Sandra from a baby being someone who fought for what she believed was right and gave her siblings the time of their lives when she was disadvantaged. This attitude was then reflected in her academic and career lives and was transitioned into her political life, in which she expressed interest after getting involved in community projects at a very young age. BORN FOR POLITICS

“Sandra was a people person, born for politics. Her determination shifted the political trajectory when she returned home… she was a catalyst for change,” her sister articulated. Adams wore many hats. These included the principal political secretary and member of the Central Executive Committee of the PNCR and also chairman of the Region 10 arm. She was Deputy Director of the CDC, regional councillor, chairman of the Local Government Committee and chairman of the Board of Guardians. She was a former Member of Par-

President David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger greet relatives of Sandra Adams at the funeral service on Saturday liament who served from 1997 to 2006. Adams left to mourn her children Deron Montrose and Delroy Anthony; grandchildren Dericia and Dariana Anthony; siblings, Minister Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, Frank Mackenzie,

Hundreds of Lindeners turned out to bid farewell to Sandra Adams

Marilyn Sinclair, Robert, Berthyle, Royston and Marcia Adams; other relatives and friends and the entire Linden community who sang lustily to the words of the song, “You left us, just when we needed you most.”

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Berbice River shoot-out was drug-related THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has confirmed that the recent shoot-out in De Velde Village in the Berbice River was drug-related. Ranks on Friday destroyed a massive marijuana farm with over 25,000 cultivated cannabis plants in the same community during a drug-eradication operation. Reports are that on Wednesday night, bullets rained in the village in what residents believed to be a

horrendous robbery. However, police said on Saturday, “the alleged shooting incident was not robbery-related, but is linked to an apparent dispute of a drug-related transaction among several alleged cultivators of cannabis sativa.” Police said a “person of interest” has since been detained and is cooperating with investigators. Police also confirmed that the drug-eradication opera-

tion in the village resulted in the destruction of four acres of cultivated cannabis plants, ranging from one feet to five feet. They also discovered two camps which had in excess of 100 kilograms of dried cannabis. Police said the marijuana farm and the camps were destroyed by fire. Investigators are in the process of tracing the ownership of the lands with a view to instituting charges.

The marijuana field that was found and later destroyed

Machine operator killed by bandit THE police are investigating the murder of Ishwar Ramanah, 30, called “Jack” of 624 Macaw Drive ,Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD) who was shot in the abdomen during a robbery at his home about 00:10h on Saturday. According to a police report, the machine operator, who was shot by one of two bandits, was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was treated and transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. He underwent surgery there but later succumbed to his injuries. The police are investigating the incident.

Bees, snakes nor... From page 4

the local doctors could not save him, he had to travel to the US to get a triple bypass heart surgery done. Within a few months, Vow was well rested and ready to farm again. Asked how many workmen he has with him, the farmer said only two, and they only show up to work when they are sober, so most of the time he goes to the ‘backdam’ on his own. THIRD TIME LUCKY About three months ago, luckily on a day when the workers were sober, he said they were in the farm picking pineapples and he stayed back on one of the plots to remove vines. But, a few minutes later, he realised it was not the best decision, because he was attacked by a swarm of bees. “Bhai! About 5000 bees attack meh! And ah start scream fuh dem boys… Ah battle with the bees for halfan-hour before the boys drove the tractor and picked me up,” Vow said, adding: “They carried me to the health centre in the area, and the doctor gave me some medicine and I went home.” Having one foot and two heart attacks has not stopped Vow from doing what he loves, so he said a few stings could not keep him down. Aside from overpriced products and natural disasters like flooding, the farmer said he has been healthy and free from danger for a while. “The old man trying man! Ah does drink four pints of milk a day, and eat my provision and greens,” Vow said, adding: “No man can stand up with me when it comes to work, buddy! And I will never back down, as long as I’m alive.” The man believes that working is his happiness, so he will continue to be happy as long as he is capable of working. Vow said he is well-respected by many businessmen and women around the country, contending that his produce can be found in supermarkets and fruit stands around the country.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 14, 2018

Coomackans urged to practise integrated agriculture By Rabindra Rooplall JUST last week, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had cause to caution Black Bush Polder farmers that they need to change with

in the region. Crops like soursop, lemons and moringa (better known as saijan) are always in demand, and they have a very high market value.” And while on the sub-

volved in agriculture, you must be willing to practise integrated agriculture. If you do not have a source of manure, integrated agriculture cannot take place. “Develop farming sys-

next level. COLLABORATIVE EFFORT Said he: “Groups need to have a collaborative effort when it comes to

Seated from left are: GMC’s Ida Sealey-Adams; NDIA’s Mr Fredrick Flatts; CDC Chairman and NDC Representative Dexter Harding; Agriculture Minister Noel Holder; GLDA’s Nigel Cumberbatch; and NAREI’s Dr Oudho Homenauth the times; to do things a bit differently if they want to survive in this business called agriculture. He urged that they practise what he calls “market-led farming”, which, in layman’s terms, simply means that they need to know what is in season and just capitalise on it. This week, he was at Coomacka, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), taking with him the same message, but this time around, he had the backing of Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth. Noting that NAREI has offices in every region of the country to assist farmers with crop-development initiatives, Dr Homenauth said: “We always encourage persons to look at crops that are adaptive to the soil-type in their respective regions. “Our station at Kairuni gives farmers a clear idea of the crops that can be grown

ject of marketing, he also encouraged Coomacka farmers to make good use of biopesticides to control pest-infestation, as they are more cost-effective alternatives that can be used without having to increase one’s cost of production. Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and baking soda have pesticidal applications, and as such are considered biopesticides. Also on hand during the Coomacka walkabout with the agriculture minister was Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Mr Nigel Cumberbatch, who used the opportunity to remind Coomackans of the region’s history in poultry-rearing. “Many years ago,” he began, “the poultry pens in this region had some of the best chickens in the country. This is no more. “If you want to be in-

tems where nothing is wasted; start in the schools. GLDA will donate 100 chicks to the Coomacka Primary to give you a start to poultry-rearing, providing that you build the pen. Our officers will guide you on the specifications and standards for its construction. Once that is done, I will honour GLDA’s commitment to donating the birds.” He also told them of the artificial insemination (AI) programme that the agency has ongoing in several regions of the country, and encouraged the farmers of Coomacka and neighbouring communities to make use of these and other services the GLDA is offering. Mr Accabre Sepaul, an entrepreneur and consultant from Three Friends Village, indicated that while there are many farming groups within the communities, they are oftentimes not on the same page where adopting strategies are concerned to take agriculture to the

cost of production, quality assurance, proper packaging and consistency of supply,” she said, adding: “At the end of the day, your produce must be competitive; you will be competing with products coming into the region. Small farmers need to act collectively to maintain consistency, because, once you can produce and supply, opportunities exist for your products to thrive.” Drainage and irrigation issues, particularly that of sand and water getting into the homes of several persons in the village were brought to the attention of Minister Holder. In addressing those issues, Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Fredrick Flatts, assured the residents that measures are already being put in place to resolve them. “The ministry has met

We are currently awaiting funding to implement these solutions.” D&I MATTERS Chairperson of the Siberian-Old England Farmers’ Group, Gina Fredricks, indicated that some of the villages are still faced with drainage issues, specifically stating that some canals need to be cleared. In responding to this, Flatts indicated that works are continuously being carried out in the region, and that the authority is hoping to soon add another longboom excavator to Linden, bringing the number of equipment being deployed to four. At the end of the day’s proceedings, Dr. Homenauth handed out ant bait to a number of farmers who were having issues with Acushi Ants. Farmers indicated that

Some of the farmers who attended the Coomacka meeting agriculture. “Develop a strategic plan, stating clearly what you as farmers and community representatives want to achieve; that can be the first step to getting things going in the region.” While persons were being encouraged to plant specific crops, General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Ida Sealey-Adams, urged that they ensure that their produce can survive on the market in terms of competitiveness. “Marketing involves

with representatives from other ministries to look into the issue,” Flatts said. “We are well aware of the issue, and solutions have been conjured up.

these ants were causing major damage to their farms and that the bait will assist them greatly with preserving their crops.

USING BIOPESTICIDES

Among some of the advantages of using biopesticides are: * They are inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides; * they generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad-spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects and mammals; and thirdly, * they are often effective in very small quantities and decompose quickly, resulting in lower exposures and largely averting the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides

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RACING TIPS English Racing Tips Kelso 08:40 hrs Coole Hall 09:10 hrs Aye Right 09:40 hrs Cornborough 10:15 hrs Katachenko 10:45 hrs Massini’s Lady 11:15 hrs Lough Derg Jewel 11:45 hrs Cultram Abbey Southwell 09:20 hrs Good Impression 09:55 hrs Kripke 10:25 hrs Tilly Trotter 10:55 hrs Snowy Winter 11:25 hrs Spun Gold 11:55 hrs Mr Coco Bean Irish Racing Tips Fairyhouse 09:00 hrs Minnies Secret 09:30 hrs Mitchouka 10:05 hrs Poker Party 10:35 hrs Polidam 11:05 hrs De Plotting Shed 11:35 hrs Ballela Boy 12:05 hrs Pilot Station South Africa Racing Tips Scottsville 08:25 hrs Illuminate 09:00 hrs Shine Up 09:35 hrs Too Free Too 10:10 hrs Iron Wolf 10:45 hrs Ryker 11:20 hrs Edge Of The Sun

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Defending champions W.1 go down to NZ in Under-19 World Cup opener MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand, (CMC) – Openers Keagan Simmons and Kimani Melius carved out contrasting half-centuries but reigning champions West Indies Under-19s suffered a disappointing start to their title defence when they went down to hosts New Zealand Under-19s by eight wickets here Saturday. Sent in at Bay Oval in the opening Group A clash, the Caribbean side raced to 123 without loss but a cluster of wickets in the middle overs hurt their momentum,restricting them to 233 for eight off their 50 overs. Simmons carried his bat for a top score of 92 not out while debutant Melius unfurled a stroke-filled 78 off 85 deliveries. Left-arm spinner Rachin

Ravindra (3-30) and fast bowler Matthew Fisher (361) picked up three wickets apiece while left-arm spinner Felix Murray supported with two for 37. In reply, the hosts hardly put a foot wrong as they stormed to their target in the 40th over, with the exciting Finn Allen smashing an unbeaten 115 and Jakon Bhula, 83. New Zealand took charge from the outset with Bhula and Ravindra (16) putting on 46 from 60 deliveries for the first wicket before Allen arrived to put the result beyond doubt. The right-hander plundered 15 fours and two sixes in a 100-ball knock, dominating a 163-run, second wicket stand with Bhula who faced 105 balls and counted nine boundaries.

Allen reached his half-century off 43 balls and raised three figures off 92 deliveries in the 37th over, with NZ already on the cusp of victory. West Indies had earlier made the Kiwis nearly rue their decision to field first when Simmons and Melius dominated the first half of the innings with their century stand. The left-handed Simmons produced a measured knock, facing 132 deliveries and striking seven fours and a six while Melius was far more expansive, crunching six fours and four sixes in an 85-ball outing. Melius started circumspectly, gathering a mere four runs from his first 16 deliveries before exploding with an extra cover-driven six off Fisher in the sixth over.

He reached his half-century off 66 balls and continued to free his hands until finally departing in the 28th over, top-edging a slogsweep at Ravindra to be caught by Bhula next to the square leg umpire. Bhaskar Yadram joined Simmons to add 22 for the second wicket before holing out to long on off left-arm spinner Murray in the 32nd over, sparking a slide which saw three wickets tumble for five runs in the space of 20 deliveries. Kirstan Kallicharan was lbw for two to a straight one from Fisher and captain Emmanuel Stewart followed in the next over, chopping on to Murray for one.

Stumbling on 150 for four in the 36th over, Simmons and Alick Athanaze then combined in a 49-run, fifth wicket partnership to stem the flow of wickets. W h i l e S i m m o n s a nchored, the left-handed Athanaze was free-scoring, belting two fours and a six in an attractive 33-ball 26. They were setting the innings up nicely for a strong finish when Athanaze failed to clear the long-on boundary with Ravindra and was taken just inside the ropes in the 45th over. Simmons, on 75 then, stepped up his scoring but the Windies managed only 34 runs from the last five overs.

SCORES in brief in the other ICC World Cup Under-19 matches:

Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in a Group D match at Cobham Oval, Whangarei Pakistan 188, 47.4 overs (Rohail Nazir 81, Ali Zaryab 30, Azmatullah Omarzai 3-34, Qais Ahmad 3-38, Naveen-ul-Haq 2-30) Afghanistan 194-5, 47.3 overs (Darwish Rasool 76 not out, Ikram Ali 46, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 31, Hassan Khan 2-45) Player of the match: Darwish Rasool Bangladesh beat Namibia by 87 runs in a Group C match at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln, Christchurch (20 overs per side) Bangladesh 190-4, 20 Overs (Mohammad Saif Hassan 84, Naim Sheikh Namibia 103-6, 20 Overs (Eben van Wyk 55 not out, Hasan Mahmud 2-12, Qazi Onik 2-14) Player of the match: Mohammad Saif Hassan Zimbabwe beat Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in a Group B match at Lincoln No 3, Christchurch (20 overs per side) Papua New Guinea 95 all out, 20 Overs (Igo Mahuru 26, Wesseley Madevere 3-19, Milton Shumba 2-19) Zimbabwe 98 for no loss (Wesseley Madevere 53 not out, Gregory Dollar 48 not out) Player of the match: Wesseley Madevere Today’s fixtures: Australia v India, Bay Oval, Tauranga (Group B, day-night broadcast match) Ireland v Sri Lanka, Cobham Oval, Whangarei (Group D) Kenya v South Africa, Lincoln No. 3, Christchurch (Group A)

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES U19s K Simmons not out 92 K Melius c Bhula b Ravindra 78 B Yadram c Allen b Murray 11 K Kallicharan lbw b Fisher 2 *+E Stewart b Murray 1 A Athanaze c Allen b Ravindra 26 J Royal c wkp Chu b Fisher 7 C Cooper c Watson b Ravindra 4 N Young b Fisher 1 R Alimohamed not out 1 Extras (w10) 10 TOTAL (8 wkts, 50 overs) 233 Did not bat: A Nedd Fall of wickets: 1-123 (Melius), 2-145 (Yadram), 3-149 (Kallicharan), 4-150 (Stewart), 5-199 (Athanaze), 6-216 (Royal), 7-223 (Cooper), 8-224 (Young) Bowling: Sullivan 6-0-24-0, Fisher 10-1-61-3, Watson 5-0-28-0, Murray 10-0-37-2, Bhula 9-0-38-0, Boshier 3-0-15-0, Ravindra 7-0-30-3. NEW ZEALAND U19s J Bhula c & b Athanaze 83 R Ravindra c wkp Stewart b Alimohamed 16 Finn Allen not out 115 *K Boshier not out 8 Extras (b1, lb2, w7, nb2) 12 TOTAL (2 wkts, 39.3 overs) 234 Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-209. Did not bat: K Clarke, D Phillips, T Watson, +M Chu, F Murray, C Sullivan, M Fisher. Bowling: Young 5.3-0-37-0, Alimohamed 6-1-27-1, Yadram 5-0-27-0, Royal 10-0-55-0, Nedd 9-0-63-0, Athanaze 4-0-22-1. Points: New Zealand Under-19s 2, West Indies Under-19s 0.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

Caribbean Nations Group horse race meet billed for January 28

A representative of Corona Beer (left) presents the company’s sponsorship.

OVER $5M in cash and trophies will be up for grabs when the Caribbean Nations Group stages its inaugural horse race meet on January 28, at the Rising Sun Turf Club. The Group, which was established in late 2017 by a number of sports enthusiasts, made the announcement on Thursday last. The one-day event is intended for locally bred horses with seven categories of horses on show. Co-founder of the group, Steven Cheefoon, anticipates a fun-filled day, adding that after the races have been completed, an after-race party is in store for the patrons. “In addition to that, we are having a day filled for the kids also; we are hav-

ing a kids corner where we [will be] having trampoline, bouncy house, the play pen and everything to go along with the kids because we want a family-filled day. We also have the bleachers, when the grandstands are filled, we have the bleachers and parking will be behind the grandstand, so we don’t want anybody’s views to be obstructed when they are on the ground,” Cheefoon said. The feature race is the Corona classic, which will see the winner walking away with $1M in cash and a trophy. The races will be run under the rules and regulations of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority. Registration closes on January 23.

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India hit back with two run outs to halt SA progress PRETORIA (Reuters) India surged back into contention against South Africa after two run outs late on Saturday, including the key wicket of Hashim Amla, saw the hosts slip to 269 for six at the close on the opening day of the second Test. South Africa had seemed set for a big first innings total when they reached 246 for three but some brilliant fielding and poor decision making combined to rattle their middle order and leave the honours even after the first day. Home captain Faf du Plessis is not out on 24 and will resume his innings on Sunday with Keshav Maharaj (10) on a slow wicket that is expected to quicken over the next few days. Amla looked in total control of his innings and struck 14 fours in his 82 before being called through for a risky single by Du Plessis. The bowler, Hardik Pan-

Black Caps crush Pakistan to win ODI series NEW Zealand sealed a oneday international series win after embarrassing Pakistan in Dunedin on Saturday. Set 258 for victory at University Oval in the third ODI, Pakistan were in danger of making the lowest score in history before being bowled out for a dismal 74. Trent Boult (5-17) ripped through the tourists, who were 32-8 at one stage and in danger of breaking the mark of 35 for the lowest ODI score, set by Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in 2004. However, their number 11 Rumman Raees made a teamhigh 16 as Pakistan avoided that, but not a 3-0 deficit in the five-match series. It was a dreadful showing by Pakistan after giving themselves hope of victory, only for yet another top-order collapse to take away their chances. They had been reduced to 54-5 and 39-3 in the first two games of the series, but it

Trent Boult took a five-for as New Zealand crushed Pakistan in their third oneday international.

got worse as Boult produced a scintillating opening spell. Azhar Ali (0) edged the left-armer to Ross Taylor at first slip before Fakhar Zaman (2) played on. Incredibly, Pakistan were 2-3 when Boult got another delivery to move away, draw-

ing an edge from Mohammad Hafeez (0). Colin Munro (2-10) and Lockie Ferguson (2-28) also did some damage for the Black Caps before Boult bowled Mohammad Amir (14) and Raees (16) to grab his fourth ODI five-for. Earlier, Kane Williamson had elected to bat and New Zealand struggled to 257 all out. The captain made 73 and combined with Taylor (52) for an important 74-run partnership for the third wicket. The hosts were unable to build on a promising position as their search for quick runs failed, the Black Caps losing 48-7 to finish their innings. Raees (3-51) and Hasan Ali (3-59) did most of the damage for Pakistan, but their good work was quickly undone by awful batting and Boult’s fine spell. Babar Azam (8), Shoaib Malik (3) and Shadab Khan (0) went in quick succession to leave Pakistan at 16-6.

Aiden Markram compiled an eye-catching 94.

dya, reacted quickly though and his speed to the ball, swivel and quick release to the bowlers’ end found Amla two feet short. Quinton de Kock was then out for a first ball duck, caught at slip by India captain Virat Kohli off the bowling of hard-working spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3-90), who sent down an impressive 31 overs on

the opening day. The hosts’ misery was compounded when Vernon Philander was also out without scoring, charging down the wicket for a run as Du Plessis screamed at him from the non-striker’s end to stop. Both players ended up on the same side of the wicket. The poor half-hour undid the excellent work of opener Aiden Markram earlier as he compiled an eye-catching 94 before being caught by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel off Ashwin, denied a third test century in seven innings. Dean Elgar (31) was Ashwin’s other victim, while impressive seamer Ishant Sharma (1-32) induced an edge from the dangerous AB de Villiers (20) onto his own wicket. The wicket has also shown some variable bounce already and is expected to break up on days four and five. South Africa have select-

ed uncapped seamer Lungi Ngidi as a replacement for the injured Dale Steyn, the only change to their side from the 72-run first Test victory in Cape Town. India made three changes as opener Lokesh Rahul, Patel and Sharma replaced Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar respectively.

SCOREBOARD SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings D. Elgar c Vijay b Ashwin 31 A. Markram c †Patel b Ashwin 94 H. Amla run out (Pandya) 82 AB de Villiers b I Sharma 20 F du Plessis (c) not out 24 Q de Kock † c Kohli b Ashwin 0 V. Philander run out (†Patel/Pandya) 0 K. Maharaj not out 10 Extras: (lb 7, nb 1) 8 Total: (90 overs 269-6 To bat: L. Ngidi, K. Rabada, M. Morkel Fall of wickets: 1-85, 2-148, 3-199, 4-246, 5-250, 6-251 Bowling: J. Bumrah 18-4-57-0, M. Shami 11-2-46-0, I. Sharma 16-3-32-1, H. Pandya 14-4-37-0, R.Ashwin 31-8-90-3

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Red Force follow-on despite Ramdin, Jangoo half-centuries

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, (CMC) – Test discard Denesh Ramdin continued to press his case for a recall to the regional side, stroking his third half-century of the season here Saturday to move to the brink of 700 runs. The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force skipper struck 75 but it was not enough to prevent his side from being forced to follow on, as they were dismissed for 172 in their first innings on the penultimate day of their ninth round contest in the Regional Four-Day Championship against Windward

Islands Volcanoes. Behind by 194 runs, the visitors ended the day on 93 for two in their second innings, still requiring a further 101 runs to avoid an innings defeat. They were being carried by left-handed opener Amir Jangoo who was unbeaten on 58. Resuming the day at the National Stadium on 51 for four in reply to Volcanoes’ 366, Red Force were immediately in trouble when they lost Tion Webster without adding to his overnight three, bowled by seamer Kyle Mayers in the

third over of the morning. Not for the first time this season, however, the right-handed Ramdin rescued the visitors. The 32-year-old faced 182 balls and struck seven fours but more importantly, anchored two key partnerships to push Red Force past 150. He put on 51 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo who made 23 from 75 balls, before adding a further 46 for the seventh wicket with Imran Khan who also got 23. The resistance ended with

Red Force captain Denesh Ramdin … on the verge of 700 runs for the season.

Imran Khan’s departure as Red Force lost their last four wickets for 18 runs, with Ramdin ninth out with his fourth century of the campaign in sight. Ramdin, a former Windies Test captain, now has 695 runs for the season – the second highest aggregate for the 2017/18 campaign. Off-spinner Shane Shillingford finished with three for 36 while left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson (2-32) and seamer Sherman Lewis (239) claimed two wickets apiece.

Hurricanes look to enlist Bravo for Super 50

WHILE Darren Bravo will not play for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the Cricket West Indies Regional Super50 tournament, he may yet feature when the competition kicks off at the end of this month. The Leeward Islands Hurricanes have taken the opportunity of a mix-up between the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s (TTCB) selection panel and Bravo regarding his availability, which ultimately saw the left hander left out of the twin-island republic’s squad for the

tournament, to reach out. According to an article, in the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, a high-ranking Leeward Islands official has said leaving Bravo out of the squad is cruel because it will mean he cannot play for the Windies in upcoming World Cup qualifiers this year. The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket selectors can’t be serious in excluding this man. I don’t care what people are saying in terms of a communication breakdown, this is your best batsman and you treat with him carefully,” the

Darren Bravo

official is quoted as saying. “Knowing now that he is available for selection, they should make every effort to get him on board. Do they understand that by not hav-

ing this man involved in the Super50 means that he cannot play for the West Indies in ODI cricket this year?” the official questioned? “We will definitely look to have this man in the Leewards set up if the Trinidad board fails to correct this. We need this man playing the regional tournament. “If he comes to the Leewards he will assist our cricket in a big way because he would be able to work with the young batsmen in the team. He will be a major plus for us, so we are

looking at the situation from afar and waiting to see what the Trinidad board is going to do.” Should Bravo make the switch to the Hurricanes he will join fellow T&T cricketer Kevon Cooper, who the Leewards have already confirmed. TTCB president, Azim Bassarath, has promised to probe the circumstances that led to Bravo’s exclusion, but has not suggested that a change in the position of the selectors was on the cards.

Special Auto, Mohamed’s Enterprise among sponsors for Endurance meet ….Ansa McAL, B.M. Soat also on Board

SPECIAL Auto and Mohamed’s Enterprise are among the first sponsors of the upcoming season opening Endurance race meet of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC).. According to a club release, Ansa McAl and B.M Soat are also onboard for the January 28th event at the

South Dakota Circuit. Vice-president of the club, Hansraj Singh, contended that this is a good sign for the sport, that companies have the confidence to continually sponsor events. He noted that there is still time for others to come on board, while urging competitors to organize themselves for a packed day of racing,

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday January 14, 2018) 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 Thursday’s quiz: (1) 2 (Anaru Kitchen & Seth Rance (2) 3 (Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope & Ryiad Emrit) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which West Indian has played most ODIs to date? (2) Who has led the WI in most ODIs to date? Answers in tomorrow’s issue

come two weeks’ time. Five classes will be in action on the day which will feature both bikes and cars competing in separate races. In the first class, cars up to 1500cc will be considered eligible, with the second class being from 1501-1600cc. The third class will see cars in the 1601-2000cc class, with the unlimited class featuring cars

over 2000cc. On release of the calendar yesterday, president of the club, Rameez Mohamed, commented, “We know that the guys (racers) were asking for early indication of events, so we tried as much as possible to get that out so persons can prepare.” He continued, “We also saw the need to get the bikes involved as well, because they are an important stakeholder in racing and the

support for them during the last outing was outstanding.” “What we also have this year is the Endurance calendar being done on a championship basis rather than by meet, so persons can rebound from a bad weekend to still fight for a championship.” The Endurance championship will be followed by a local drag race meet on February 11th, with the club’s Annual General Meeting set for the 16th.

Samuels, McKoy shine at HBCU ‘Battle at the Track’

HIGHLIGHTED by four National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship qualifying performances, the Monroe College women’s track and field team kicked off the 2018 indoor season on the right foot with a fifth-place finish against National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opponents at the Historically Black College

and Universities (HBCU) Battle held at the New Balance Track & Field Centre at The Armory. After an impressive cross country season, Guyana’s Claudrice McKoy quickly made her mark on the track, taking first place overall in the mile with an NJCAA National Championship qualifying time of five minutes, 23.52 seconds (5:23.52). Another Guyanese, Avon

Samuels also earned a qualifying time in the 500-meter with one of the most remarkable performances of the day. She took first place in the race with not only a qualifying time, but a new school and meet record time of 1:15.51. In the 200 metres, Guyana’s Onassha Rogers narrowly missed an NJCAA qualifying time, finishing fourth overall at 25.66.

SCOREBOARD

VOLCANOES 1st Innings 366 Red Force 1st Innings (overnight 51 for four) A Jangoo c Cato b Johnson 24 J Solozano c Cato b Johnson 0 E Nicholson lbw b Lewis 2 Y Cariah lbw b Shillingford 7 *D Ramdin c Edwards b Theophile 75 T Webster b Mayers 3 +S Katwaroo c Edwards b Edward 23 Imran Khan c Cato b Lewis 23 K Pierre c Theophile b Shillingford 2 D St Clair not out 2 B Charles c Hodge b Shillingford 1 Extras (b6, lb4) 10 TOTAL (all out, 85.1 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-13, 3-39, 4-43, 5-57, 6-108, 7-154, 8-165, 9-169, 10-172. Bowling: Johnson 11-1-32-2, Lewis 18-5-39-2, Mayers 13-116-1, Shillingford 23.1-6-36-3, Edward 11-3-34-1, Theophile 9-1-15-1. RED FORCE 2nd Innings (following on) A Jangoo not out 58 J Solozano lbw b Mayers 16 E Nicholson c Theophile b Edward 6 Y Cariah not out 11 Extras (lb2) 2 TOTAL (2 wkts, 44 overs) 93 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-31. Bowling: Johnson 7-2-17-0, Mayers 8-7-3-1, Shillingford 164-31-0, Lewis 4-1-8-0, Edward 4-0-16-1, Theophile 5-0-16-0. Position: Red Force require a further 101 runs to make Volcanoes bat again.

Hurricanes close at 159 for six chasing 262 for victory KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC) – Leeward Islands Hurricanes, set 262 for victory by Jamaica Scorpions, were 159 for six at the close on the penultimate day of their ninth round match in the Regional Four-Day Championship at Sabina Park here Saturday. Scores: SCORPIONS 197 (Jermaine Blackwood 81, John Campbell 28, Assad Fudadin 24; Sheno Berridge 4-46, Chaim Holder 3-50, Jeremiah Louis 3-62) and 235 (Jermaine Blackwood 70, John Campbell 55, Fabian Allen 24; Sheno Berridge 5-59, Chaim Holder 2-57) HURRICANES 171 (Keacy Carty 78, Jahmar Hamilton 40 Damion Jacobs 7-74, Nikita Miller 2-32) and 159 for six (Devon Thomas 52, Montcin Hodge 45, Akeem Saunders 22; John Campbell 3-12, Damion Jacobs 2-68)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 14, 2018

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Shepherd, Chanderpaul help Jaguars tighten grip on Barbados Pride BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – Tagenarine Chanderpaul hit a half-century to put the grind on a listless Barbados Pride attack to tighten the grip of newly-crowned champions Guyana Jaguars on their Regional 4-Day Championship match on Saturday here. The left-handed opener was unbeaten on 66, as Jaguars reached 154 for four in their second innings, when bad light stopped play 20 minutes past the scheduled close on the third day of their ninth-round match at Kensington Oval, for an overall lead of 252. Chanderpaul, whose 197ball innings in just under five hours includes a mere five boundaries, shared solid stands of 44 with fellow left-handed opener Chanderpaul Hemraj for the first wicket and 73 with Vishaul Singh for the third wicket. West Indies Under-19 World Cup winner Chemar Holder has been the most successful Pride bowler with 3-56 from 18 overs. This followed West Indies fast bowler Kemar

Champion of champions softball bowls off today THE 2018 softball season is set to bowl off today at the Everest Cricket Club ground in the capital city. The four-team invitational round robin competition is organised by the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. (GSCL Inc), and will see Regal Masters, HS Masters, Tropical Springs and Ariel Masters competing against each other from 10:00hrs. The competition will be 15-overs per si d e , as t eam s get themselves in shape for the GSCL Inc. annual Republic Cup nationwide tournament next month.

Roach hitting the top score of 51, as the Pride surrendered a first innings lead of 98, when they were bowled out for 199 in their first innings. He shared a rearguard of 52 for the eighth wicket with Jomel Warrican that offered Pride hope of reach the 200-run mark and earning a batting point, but they fell agonisingly short. Romario Shepherd was the pick of the Jaguars bowlers, grabbing 5-40 from 14 overs, and Keemo Paul snapped up 2-41 from 15.5 overs. Chanderpaul and Hemraj carried the Jaguars to lunch on 41 for no wicket with little fuss before Holder made the breakthrough for the Pride in the third over after the interval, when he had the latter caught at deep mid-wicket for 21. Jaguars captain Leon Johnson spent 40 minutes at the crease before he was caught at point off Holder for six to leave the Jaguars 64 for two. Singh came to the crease and with Chanderpaul continued to wear down the Pride bowlers for the next

Romario Shepherd grabbed 5-40 from 14 over.

two hours either side of tea with defiant batting, also enduring a couple of stoppages for light showers. They carried Pride to 105 for two at tea and continued merrily after the break to bat the Jaguars into an impreg-

nable position. Pride captain Shamarh Brooks employed the slow bowling duo of left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and Roston Chase after the break for more than an hour and it yielded moderate success only. Warrican had Singh stumped for 43, when the left-hander charged down the pitch and was deceived with the flight of delivery. Next over, Holder got veteran and former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine’s dad, to edge a loose drive and caught behind for a seven-ball duck to leave Jaguars 138 for four. Bramble joined the younger Chanderpaul and they batted for close to an hour through to the close, but not without incident. The Jaguars wicketkeeper/batsman appeared to have been dropped by Dowrich behind the stumps first ball off Holder and then had to seek medical attention when he struck on the helmet by West Indies fast bowler Miguel Cummins. Earlier, Pride, starting

Tagenarine Chanderpaul is unbeaten on 66.

the day on 147 for seven, were bowled out in just over an hour, after play began half-hour earlier than regularly scheduled due to weather interruptions on the previous two days. Roach, who pulled up lame bowling on the previous day, batted for 99 minutes, faced 59 balls and struck nine fours. Before he reached his landmark, Warrican was caught at gully for 22 to become Shepherd’s fifth wicket, and soon after he reached his 50, Roach was caught behind off left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul cut-

Ming opens New Zealand series with seventh place finish By Stephan Sookram CALVIN MING opened the latest journey in his motor-racing career with a seventh place finish at the Ruapuna raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand. Competing in that country’s Castrol Toyota Racing series, the Guyanese started from the back of the pack in race-one before moving his way up to seventh as he gets ready to compete in the second race last evening. Ming gave Chronicle Sport a quick comment, saying, “We [the team] are looking forward to the positives at the moment where we have managed to bring down the times over the weekend.” “I’m looking forward to the next race as I am continually learning. All in all, I count this as a learning

curve and I am very grateful to my team, Victory Motor

fifth overall in the American Cooper Tyres USF2000 se-

Calvin Ming in the Victory Motor Racing number 44 car. (Photo compliments of Castrol Toyota Racing series)

Racing for offering me this opportunity” The first race was won by Richard Verschoor, ahead of Ferrari Driver Academy’s Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong, respectively. Ming recently finished

ries, notching up four podium appearances. He also won the FIA NACAM Formula 4 Championship 2016/2017, with seven wins during that year and ten podium finishes. Ming will use the same Tatus single seater as every

other driver in the series. It is powered by a 1.8 litre Toyota engine, producing about 145 kWs, running on an 85 per cent ethanol bio-fuel. All the cars will use the same Michelin tyres, gearboxes, suspensions and brakes to provide a level playing field, with driving skills being the deciding factor. The five-round, 15 race Castrol Toyota Racing Series, which concludes with the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild from February 9-11, has three races each weekend –on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings and afternoons. The 2015 champion is current Williams Mercedes F1 driver, Lance Stroll, while the 2016 champion, Lando Norris, is currently the test driver for the Honda McLaren f1 team

ting at a wide ball. Keemo Paul brought the innings to a close, when he bowled Holder for five. Jaguars entered the match with an unassailable 135 points, but have so far gained two batting points, three bowling points and 1.8 pace bowling points. Pride have gained three bowling points, no batting points and 2.6 pace bowling points to add to their season total of 85.8.

SCOREBOARD JAGUARS 1st Innings 297 Pride 1st Innings (overnight 147 for seven) K Brathwaite run out 13 S Moseley c Hemraj b Shepherd 24 *S Brooks c Hemraj b Shepherd 25 J Carter c wkpr Bramble b Paul 21 R Chase c wkpr Bramble b Shepherd 1 +S Dowrich c T Chanderpaul b Shepherd 0 J Greaves c T Chanderpaul b Rutherford

16

K Roach c wkpr Bramble b Permaul

51

J Warrican c Hemraj b Shepherd 22 C Holder b Paul

5

M Cummins not out

2

Extras (b3, lb6, w4, nb6)

19

TOTAL (all out, 58.5 overs)

199

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-46, 3-83, 4-91, 5-91, 6-115, 7-119, 8-171, 9-197 Bowling: Paul 15.5-2-41-2; Reifer 11-4-35-0 (nb2); Rutherford 131-55-1 (nb4); Shepherd 14-4-40-5 (w4); Permaul 5-1-19-1.

JAGUARS 2nd Innings T Chanderpaul not out

66

C Hemraj c (sub) Walsh b Holder 21 *L Johnson c Greaves b Holder

6

V Singh st Dowrich b Warrican 43 S Chanderpaul c wkpr Dowrich b Holder 0 +A Bramble not out

9

Extras (b1, lb2, w1, nb5) TOTAL (4 wkts, 67 overs)

9 154

Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-64, 3-137, 4-138 Bowling: Cummins 15-3-43-0 (nb2); Holder 18-2-56-3 (nb3); Greaves 7-1-14-0 (w1); Chase 139-18-0; Carter 5-2-6-0; Warrican 9-3-14-1 Position: Jaguars lead by 252 with six second innings wickets standing

Hurricanes look to enlist Darren Bravo for Super 50

Page 30

Downes, Campbell return as GLTA ‘Player of the Year’ awardees

Anthony Downes (L) and Cristy Campbell

Joshua Kalekyezi (L) and Afruica Gentle

Samuels, McKoy shine at HBCU ‘Battle at the Track’

LOCAL tennis aces Cristy Campbell and Anthony Downes were announced as the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association’s (GLTA) senior female and male player of the year, 2017, at Friday’s awards ceremony, held at the National Resource Centre in Georgetown. Both players had won the prestigious awards last year, and were hands-down favourites, following their outstanding showing at several competitions in 2017. Joshua Kalekyezi was named the top junior player, while Afruica Gentle took home the award for the top junior female player. The players, with the exception of Downes who is presently in Brazil on a training stint, will all be in action in February, when the GLTA hosts the Rebel Open.

Two feet short…

Page 30

From left: Onassha Rogers, Avon Samuels and Claudrice McKoy

A brilliant piece of fielding from Hardik Pandya, though, found Hashim Amla well short. The hosts then lost two more wickets: Vernon Philander also (run out) and Quinton de Kock, both for 0. (AFP photo). See story on page 29.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY, 14, 2018