Gov’t vehicles soon to get internet Page 3
No. 104943
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017
Price: $80
(VAT Inclusive)
Cabinet Changes
… Henry to act as Education Minister as Roopnaraine moves to MOTP
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Canterbury sent on leave Page 3
Nine held with toy guns, mask
Page 8
560 persons get hearing aids
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First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger assists Ms. Tani Austin, of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, to place a token around the neck of recipient Darren Taitt after he was outfitted with his hearing device (MOTP photo)
WPA says place in gov’t not threatened
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Teacher charged with rape of siblings Page 17
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
WPA says place in gov’t not threatened By Alva Solomon
THE Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine has been reassigned to the Ministry of the Presidency, but posited that the party’s position in the multi-party coalition government is not threatened.
Hinds made the comments on Tuesday afternoon reacting to the news of Dr Roopnaraine’s shift from the Ministry of Education to take charge of the Public Service in the Ministry of the Presidency. Executive member of the WPA, Dr David Hinds, said that while the party is awaiting a meeting with President David Granger on the matter, the WPA plans to impress upon the Head of State,
the need for broader consultation within the coalition government. On Tuesday afternoon, a brief statement was issued by the government on Dr Roopnaraine’s reassignment to the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), with direct responsibility for the Public Service. Hours after the statement was issued, Dr Hinds told the Guyana Chronicle at the National Library that the par-
WPA Executive Member, Dr David Hinds
ty convened an emergency meeting to discuss the issue. He said that while the party is aware that Dr Roopnaraine may have “health challenges, “ the party is not aware that this may have played a role in his reassignment. “We are awaiting a meeting with the
President in which we will discuss the matter at length,” Dr Hinds noted, as he spoke highly of Dr Roopnaraine’s ability to manage a ministry. “We feel that he was well qualified for that position”, he said. Dr Hinds noted that if beyond the imminent meeting with the President the WPA is not satisfied with the meeting’s outcome, it would prefer additional consultations. According to him, he has documented regularly the need for consultation at the level of the government, noting that it is one of the “weaknesses” of the APNU+AFC administration. As regards the announcement of the Education Minister’s reassignment, he said that the WPA was “amused “at its timing, noting that it was made on June 13th, the
date on which the party’s founder Dr Walter Rodney was assassinated. “We are amused by the fact that you would announce on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr Walter Rodney, this kind of Cabinet reshuffle which in the minds of the population we can understand, they will see as some kind of demotion”, a vocal Dr Hinds noted. He said that the WPA would have preferred the entire issue to be undertaken in a consultative manner, noting that the party would have advised against the June 13th timing. He noted too, that while the announcement may not have been done in a “malicious “manner, it was done insensitively. As regards the party’s role in government, Dr Hinds said that as a part of the coalition, the WPA retains a ministry, noting that “whether that is long term, we don’t know.” He noted however, that it is unlikely that the party’s place in government would be threatened. Meanwhile, Dr Hinds noted that the party is worried at the manner in which Dr Rodney’s legacy is treated by government. He said he knows of the political differences which may have existed in the past between the late historian and the former PNC administration, however, he noted that other parties which make up the coalition has not been sensitive to Dr Rodney’s contribution to the society. “He was more than just a politician or political activist,” Dr Hinds noted , adding that the late orator was probably the most famous Guyanese scholar of the 20th century , as he singled out his contributions to the country , the Caribbean and farther afield.
Cabinet Changes
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
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… Henry to act as Education Minister as Roopnaraine moves to MOTP
MINISTER Nicolette Henry will now act as the Minister of Education after Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was reassigned to the Ministry of the Presidency, where he will be responsible for the Public Service. The decision came following an agreement between President David Granger and Dr Roopnaraine, on Monday. His appointment at the Ministry of the Presidency will take effect from June 15, 2017. Dr Roopnaraine has been in poor health for several months and has been represented by his junior Minister, Nicolette Henry at several events. Official announcement of the transfer was made by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, on Tuesday during Cabinet’s lunch break. “The President, this morning, briefed Cabinet that he had a discussion with Dr. Roopnaraine yesterday [Monday] and after that discussion, it
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry was agreed that Dr. Roopnaraine will be reassigned from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of the Presidency with specific responsibility for the Public Service,” Minster Harmon. Harmon
Gov’t vehicles soon to be equipped with Internet THE technology used to connect government buildings and schools will soon be used to provide Internet connection to Government’s service vehicles. This was disclosed by Presidential Advisor on eGovernment, Floyd Levi, after residents of No.35 village, East Berbice inquired about Internet connectivity for police vehicles and ambulances. The initiative would provide police officers and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) with critical information at a faster rate and in most cases save lives, while providing a better service. However, Levi noted that the programme can only be rolled out once there is a close in the connectivity gap on the coast. “To fix this problem, the ministry is actually in negotiations with the Chinese company that actually built this network Huawei technologies, to ensure that we have full coverage along the entire coastal region of Guyana to ensure that blank spots do not exist. So as it is right now this technology is being used,” Levi explained. Levi pointed out that the initiative is still in the crafting stage, noting that once it is completed it will be fully rolled out. This will see the eGovernance department placing towers that are comparable to the ones of service providers Digicel and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT). The presidential advisor stated that, “As soon as we finalise the arrangements with Huawei, we will be putting towers; cell phone towers similar to Digicel and GTT to cover these blank spots and with that full coverage I am certain that the Guyana police force, Guyana fire service, EMS will be able to use this technology to be better able to provide their services”. The aim is to have the programme rolled out nationally, however Levi pointed out that it will take time. (DPI/GINA)
currently holds responsibility for public service. Harmon explained that these changes are geared at ensuring that better educational and public services are provided to the Guyanese people in a smooth and efficient manner. He added too that the Head-of-State has full confidence in Dr Roopnaraine’s abilities to fulfil the new responsibilities to which he will be assigned. “He continues to have full confidence in Dr. Roopnaraine as a valued member of Cabinet, as well as a valued member of the National Assembly and it is felt that overseeing the Public Service would add to the quality of service, which is provided to the people of Guyana,” Minister Harmon said on behalf of the President. Despite his transfer, Dr Roopnaraine will continue to be a member of Cabinet and a Member of the National
Assembly. “In the meantime, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Minister Nicolette Henry, will continue to perform the functions of the office of the Minister until further notice,” Minister Harmon announced. He said too that the President also informed Cabinet that a Department will be created under the Ministry of the Presidency to oversee “innovation and reform” in the education sector. This Department will be under the portfolio of the President. Since assuming office in 2015, this is the third adjustment President Granger had made to his Cabinet. In 2016, Minister Catherine Hughes was appointed Minister of Public Telecommunications, while the Ministry of Governance and the Protection of the National Patrimony were delinked and the latter renamed the Ministry of Nat-
Minister of Education, Dr. Roopnaraine ural Resources and assigned to Minister Raphael Trotman. The functions of the Ministry of Governance were then added to the portfolio of Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, while Minister Simona Broomes was shifted
from the Ministry of Social Protection to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Minister Keith Scott was then moved to the Ministry of Social Protection from the Ministry of Communities and was tasked with responsibility for Labour. To facilitate Scott’s move from Ministry of Communities, President Granger appointed Valerie Sharpe-Patterson as the Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing. In January of this year, the President made some additional changes to his Cabinet, reassigning Minister Volda Lawrence from the Ministry of Social Protection to the Ministry of Public Health. She was replaced by Minister Amna Ally, who was moved from the Ministry of Social Cohesion and replaced by Dr. George Norton, who had moved from Public Health.
Canterbury sent on leave –– contract with ministry not likely to be renewed By Ravin Singh SOURCES at the Ministry of Education have revealed that head of the Mash Secretariat, Lennox Canterbury, was recently asked to proceed on two months leave and that he is not likely to return. Canterbury was appointed under the former administration and served as head of the Mash Secretariat and Special Events Coordinator at the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture. According to the sources, he was asked to proceed on two months leave sometime last month by a government official. The sources claimed too, that Canterbury was informed verbally by the government
Lennox Canterbury official that his contract with the ministry would not be renewed. It is not clear when his contract expires, and efforts to contact him for a comment Tuesday
evening proved futile. However, this newspaper spoke to acting Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain, who said she could not provide a comment on the issue. Efforts were then made to contact Minister of Education, with responsibility for Culture, Nicolette Henry, who said that she is not responsible for making decisions of that nature. “You have to speak with HR [Human Resource] about that. That is a HR issue,” she said, adding that Canterbury does not work at her secretariat and that him being sent on leave is “unheard of.” The minister was keen to note that since she was appointed Minister in 2015, no official at the ministry
was asked to proceed on administrative or other leave to facilitate investigations. She said that those who would have been on leave at some point in time, would have done so because it would have been accrued. Canterbury has also served as Guyana’s Festival Director for the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) over the last few years, and head of the delegation. With CARIFESTA XIII slated for August this year, it is unclear who will replace him if he is to be removed. Just last year, James Rose was replaced as Director of Culture as part of a restructuring process. Dr Rose was replaced by former Museum Administrator, Tamika Boatswain.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday,June 14, 2017
Sessions denies secret Russian meetings US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions has denied during a Congress hearing having undisclosed meetings with Russian officials at a Washington DC hotel. America’s top law official also told the Senate Intelligence Committee any suggestion he colluded with the Kremlin was “an appalling and detestable lie”. Mr Sessions also repeatedly refused to answer questions about his private conversations with the president. He vowed to defend his honour “against scurrilous and false allegations.” Mr Sessions’ remarks came after sacked FBI boss, James Comey said he believed he was fired to influence the agency’s investigation into Russian political meddling. US intelligence agencies believe that Russia interfered in the election in order to help Republican President Donald Trump get elected. The Senate committee is one of several congressional panels that, along with a special counsel, is also investigating whether any Trump
campaign officials colluded with the alleged Kremlin plot. Mr Sessions, the country’s top law enforcement official, told the Senate committee he has never received a classified briefing about Russian meddling in last year’s election. He also vehemently denied speaking to Russian officials about the election, during a campaign in which he was a close adviser to candidate Trump. “I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States,” he said on Tuesday. He is the most senior member of the Trump administration to testify before the Senate committee. Mr Sessions acknowledged he met Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak twice, but suggested he could not remember whether he met the envoy at a foreign policy speech event for then-candidate, Mr Trump at the Mayflower Hotel on April 27, 2016, as US media have re-
ported. The former Alabama senator also denied media reports that he offered his resignation when Mr Trump was reportedly angered by his recusal from the FBI Russia probe, telling the panel he “will not be deterred.” Vice-Chairman Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, pressed Mr Sessions about his role in the sacking of Mr Comey. Mr Sessions said he never spoke to the former FBI director, who reports to the US attorney-general, about his job performance before Mr Trump fired him in May. But Mr Sessions did confirm Mr Comey’s testimony that he alerted Mr Sessions that he felt uncomfortable speaking directly to Mr Trump in a one-on-one setting. Several Democratic senators expressed frustration, because Mr Sessions repeatedly refused to answer questions relating to conversations he had with the president, accusing him of impeding the Russia investigation. (BBC)
Macron: EU door still open to Britain FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron says the possibility of the UK remaining in the European Union is an option until Brexit negotiations have concluded. He was speaking at a joint news conference with UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May. But he said he acknowledged and respected that a decision to leave had been taken by the British people. He echoed the words of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who also said the UK could change its mind about Brexit. “If they want to change their decision, of course they would find open doors, but I think it’s not very likely,” Mr Schaeuble told
PMs May and Macron at the Stade de France Tuesday
Bloomberg Television. After talks with Mrs May in Paris, Mr Macron told reporters: “Of course the door remains open, always open until the Brexit negotiations come to an end. “That being said, a sovereign decision was taken by the British people, and that is to come out of the European Union, and I very much respect the decisions taken by the people, be it by the French people or the British people. “In this case, it’s not for me to say whether or not this decision should be questioned... but until the negotiations come to an end, of course there is always the possibility to re-open the door. “But let us be clear and organised, and once the negotiations have started, we should be well aware that it’ll be more difficult to move backwards.”
Formal talks are due to begin on June 19, but Mrs May’s hopes of going in with a strengthened mandate were dashed after she failed to secure a majority in last week’s general election. Downing Street insists it will not change the approach to Brexit it set out last year. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned on Tuesday that no progress had been made on the “extraordinarily complex” talks since Mrs May invoked Article 50 in March. He urged the UK to begin talks “very quickly”, telling the Financial Times: “I can’t negotiate with myself.” Under Article 50, the UK is due to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. Leaving with no deal in place could mean trade tariffs between the UK and the EU, unless interim arrangements are made. (BBC)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Guardian, Observer to go tabloid
THE Guardian and its sister Sunday title, The Observer, are to become tabloids, it has been announced. The papers will switch from a mid-size Berliner format in early 2018, 12 years after changing from broadsheets. It is part of a “transformation programme” aimed at seeing the loss-making papers break even by 2019, publisher Guardian Media Group said. The move will also see the closure of printing sites in Trafford, Manchester, and Stratford, east London. Printing will be outsourced to presses run by Trinity Mirror, the owner of the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People tabloids.
GMG said its advertising business would be restructured, and its cost base reduced. A consultation with print workers affected by the change has been launched.
Katharine Viner, Guardian editor and editor-in-chief of Guardian News & Media said: “The Berliner is a beautiful format which has served our readers brilliantly for 12 years, but we know that it is
our award-winning, quality, independent journalism that our readers value most, rather than the shape or size of the newspapers. “We are going to create a new-look tabloid Guardian and Observer that are bold, striking and beautiful.” The Berliner format was introduced by Ms Viner’s predecessor, Alan Rusbridger, who stepped down in 2015 after 20 years in charge. Although it is a popular size for titles in Europe, it had not been adopted by any national newspaper in the UK. GMG spent £50M on new presses for the September 2005 launch, which also saw a complete redesign of the papers. (BBC)
‘Lover’ charged with Guyanese woman’s murder
Bandits hog-tie, rob RC priest
--right in the church
WELL-KNOWN Roman Catholic priest Fr Clyde Harvey on Monday came face-toface with three bandits outside a church, who threatened to kill him if he did not hand over cash and other valuables. The incident took place shortly after 5am at the St Martin de Porres RC Church compound in Gonzales, near a dormitory where Fr Harvey, who is on sabbatical, had over-nighted to prepare for a seminary at Mt St Benedict. After being robbed, the priest was hogtied and gagged. For close to half an hour, the outspoken priest, who is known for his decades of working with at-risk youths, struggled to free himself while silently praying to the Almighty to get through the ordeal. The drama unfolded when Fr Harvey was leaving the quarters when he was accosted by a gunman. A stunned Fr Harvey was escorted back into the living quarters of the church by the gunman, who was joined by two accomplices, all armed. The bandits ransacked the presbytery. At one point, Fr Harvey later told police, one of the gunmen became agitated and said to him, “You is a priest, you must have money.” The gunmen threatened to kill Fr
Harvey. It was reported that when one of the bandits asked Fr Harvey if he was kidnapped, would Archbishop Joseph Harris pay a $50,000 ransom? The distressed priest answered, “No.” The priest was robbed of $1,000, a watch given to him as a gift, and a cell-phone. The bandits then used tie-straps to hog-tie Fr Harvey while they covered his mouth with duct tape. The bandits moved to the church where they forced open a door. The House of God was also ransacked, but when nothing of value was found, the three ran out of the church and escaped. Fr Harvey later told police he began to flex his bound hands in such a way that he was eventually able to free them from the straps. He then alerted nearby residents who alerted the police. The shaken priest would later tell shocked parishioners, “I now know how a pig feels when it is tied up.” Fr Harvey said nowhere is safe in this country, and that not even a Man of the Cloth is safe. He feels the bandits knew who he was when they carried out the robbery. Fr Harvey refused to be taken for medical treatment, telling police he was alright although a bit shaken up. He later went
Fr Clyde Harvey
to TSTT to deactivate the ‘sim card’ in his stolen cell-phone. On Monday, the Catholic Media Services Limited (CAMSEL) issued a press release on the robbery. It read: “Police are currently investigating a report in which Roman Catholic priest Fr Harvey was robbed at gunpoint by three men. The incident took place outside the St Martin’s RC Church, Gonzales early Monday morning. “Fr Harvey was reported to have spent the night at the church to prepare for a seminar at the Seminary of St John Vianney on the Uganda Matters at Mt St Benedict. (TrinidadNewsday)
Dead: Enid Rosaline Perina
A STREET vendor was expected to appear before a Chaguanas Magistrate on Tuesday, charged with the murder of grandmother, Enid Rosaline Perina. Pooran Ragoo, aka Bato Ragoonanan, 66, of Pierre Village, Chaguanas, was charged with murder, after advice was received from Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Joan Honore-Paul, on Monday. Perina, 61, of Boyie Trace, Madras Road, St. Helena, who had lived with the accused for four months, was chopped and stabbed to death at her home on May 27. Perina was born in Guyana, but had migrated to Trinidad several years ago. (TrinidadExpress)
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 - 08:30 hrs Thursday, June 15, 2017 -08:30 hrs Friday, June 16, 2017 - 09:30 hrs
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Editorial
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday,June 14, 2017
Put out the smoke THURSDAY will be a historic day when the Tobacco Control Bill of 2017, geared at protecting future generations from the detriments of tobacco smoke, will be read for the first time in the National Assembly. The bill was initially conceptualised during the time of former Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, but when he departed the then Ministry of Health, for some strange reason work on the legislation got lost in the proverbial smoke. Though suspicions exist, the real reason(s) for the neglect of this revolutionary, forward-looking and progressive piece of legislation remains unknown. Whatever the reason(s) simply put, by virtue of not addressing a serious problem head-on, it can be seen as adopting a casual approach to decisively tackling some very serious non-communicable diseases in Guyana. Non-communicable diseases account for a sizeable chunk of the health budget. The destruction of smoking, both to the smoker and inhalers (second-hand smoke) is relatively well known. Among others, smoking is the cause for coughs, colds, asthma, pneumonia, stroke, heart diseases and lung cancer. And according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), second-hand smoke accounts for about 600,000 deaths every year. Globally, smoking accounts for more than five million deaths annually and has been identified by the WHO as the world’s single greatest preventable cause of death.
In fact, WHO estimates put the number of deaths due to smoking and second-hand smoke at over 100 million over the course of the 20th Century. Staggeringly, this is more than the total number of deaths (estimate 97 million) in World Wars 1 and 11 combined. In Guyana, no data has been made public on how many persons die from smoking every year, but according to the WHO, tobacco kills more than half of its users. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 21 per cent of students aged 13-15 smoke or had smoked in Guyana. PAHO Country Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, speaking at the observance of Wellness Week held under the theme, “Smoking Kills: Pass the Tobacco Law for Healthy Parks and Healthy People,” two years ago made a stunning observation. He pointed out that some 50 per cent of the local population are smokers and about 30 per cent of the homes here have smokers. Some observers have also pointed out that while men in Guyana smoke much more than women, the gap in recent years appears to be narrowing. These observations cannot be dismissed out of hand when cancer, diabetes and heart diseases though not due to smoking or smoke inhalation entirely, are the leading causes of death in Guyana. In Guyana, many things that are wrong still pass as accepted norms. There are still cases of minors purchasing and selling cigarettes. This happens mostly in the countryside. There are still cases of persons smoking in
public transportation and even officials smoking in public spaces. The legislation before the House seeks to right these wrongs and institutes a meagre fine of $20,000 for persons found guilty of smoking in public. And importantly, it also seeks in a very direct way to quell the billowing of tobacco smoke in public by prohibiting advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products and delivery systems. There is nothing fashionable about smoking when it is a slow, silent killer and a destroyer of homes, families and causes an unnecessary financial burden on government which has limited resources to deal with preventable health issues. The government must be commended for taking this landmark legislation to the House. Hopefully, it receives the full support of both sides of the divide.
We need to tap into our tourism potential Isn’t the word
Dear Editor
For me Guyana is a really extraordinary country, and for various reasons neglected. The bulk of the blame I personally put on the administration that got elected by the people of Guyana to govern properly. Some tried and some got stymied by others and at the end, Guyana suffers tremendously. Every country has tried various methods to develop themselves, utilising what is available to them locally and the most successful means that are rapidly increasing is tourism. From all indications, and my humble opinion is that Guyana does not seem to be even preparing to enter that race. Looking at many other countries and the way they promote themselves, I believe that if Guyana is to do the same, we would be a far way in the tourism race. The little pickings that enter Guyana is comical, but given the amount in the past, it seems to be sufficient reason for them to lay back and celebrate. Tourism offers many forms of benefits, including employment, increased spend-
ing in communities, marketing for our produce/products, development of communities, opportunities, etc. But why more concentrations are being given there boggles my mind. There’s no worthy preparation taking place to motivate tourists to visit Guyana, except a few relatives and friends returning and being classed as tourists. There is an abundance of wildlife, sceneries too numerous to mention, adventures to experience etc. and incredibly, Guyana cannot be marketed to attract tourists. Apart from attracting visitors from other countries, there seems to be no leverage for locals to visit tourist attraction sites throughout Guyana. The cost does not change for locals and that is bad, because when you ask someone living in Guyana about certain places in Guyana, they cannot answer, because they have never visited there and chances are that they cannot afford to, even though they are interested in going. There should be some flexibility for people living here that would give them the opportunities to visit places and I’m quite sure they will assist greatly in marketing/promoting Guyana
freely, using the various social media sites. Editor, recently I visited Lake Mainstay at Essequibo, and as usual I was just in awe at the location, the design and the views going there. Going to the resort, you’ll see small villages before reaching and I don’t see anything on display that would attract tourists like art, craft and so on, especially when the villages are Amerindian villages. One of the biggest sores that are hampering that place is the road to reach there. It is in such a condition that it would deter anyone in just a few minutes from leaving the public road. As it is now, it takes you almost one hour to reach Lake Mainstay from the public road and sometimes when the road is graded, you could reach there in just 15 minutes. The main means of going is by river taxis and if you are going with your vehicle, the method being practised by Transport and Harbours is very fatiguing; chances are you will not get to go the same day and return so, time is very much of the essence if you want to go to Lake Mainstay,
although there’s the option of staying there, many prefer going home. The condition of the road was the same under the past administration and with this present one, nothing has changed. That road is a somewhat sand and loam road and it should be graded at least once a month, because apart from the resort, the road is utilised by the residents of the various villages and also by the farming community. Now that the rain is falling, at the two sides of the road it what seems to be walls and the water lodge in the middle and when vehicles traverse, huge holes are being formed which in term is great pain. That is only one location that is being stifled for resources or being able to achieve and income to maintain itself and there’s many similar that hopefully I will be able to point out the flaws later. I have intentions of continuing about the wanton harassing by members of the Guyana Police Force on the roadways, crime and the incompetence to deal with it. Regards Sahadeo Bates
Guyanese good enough?
Dear Editor AFTER reading Nigel Hinds’s interesting letter, titled: “I prefer you call me African Guyanese” in the media on Sunday 11/6/17, I wondered why the one-word descriptor “Guyanese” is not enough. I grew up hearing and believing that “Guyana was a land of six peoples ( African, Amerindian, Chinese, European, Indian, Portuguese) and after independence, we were socialised to embrace the concept of “One people, One nation, One destiny”….all Guyanese! Am I wrong in thinking that a logical extension of Mr Hinds’s postulation is that Guyana is now a land of ten (10) peoples, having
regard to the recent ‘migrations’ to our land (i.e in alphabetical order: African, Amerindian, Brazilian, Chinese, European, Haitian, Indian, Surinamese, Portuguese, Venezuelan); thus we will have in addition to African Guyanese: Indian Guyanese, Amerindian Guyanese, Brazilian Guyanese, Venezuelan Guyanese, Haitian Guyanese etc., etc. Would this not add to our already deleterious, dangerous divisiveness and detract from what should be a commitment to the cohesiveness being pursued by the Government and hopefully all Guyanese? Regards Nowrang Persaud
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Several ex-servicemen served under the PPP Dear Editor, STABROEK News, June 17,2017, published a very curious letter to the editor by Clement J Rohee under the caption, “ There is concern over the sidelining of civilians because of military appointments to public post.” The article contains a long list of retired members of the Joint Services who were employed by the current Government. However, there was no mention of those who served in the previous Government. I can vividly recall visiting Jonestown in Region One after the massacre. Despite the massive destruction at that location, where 913 persons committed suicide or were murdered, I saw a signboard standing firmly on a platform with the following bold letters, “Those Who Cannot Re-
member The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It.” These words were appropriate then, there are even more relevant today to the issue under review. Rohee gave us his spin of things – one side of the coin -- but neglected to mention the other side. Perhaps because of the constraint of space, there was an act of omission. Let there be some degree of balance and no subtle attempt to distort history. Here is a list of some distinguished members of the Joint Services who after retirement served the previous Government in diverse capacities, including working with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Many of the above-mentioned retirees easily rolled over to the government of the day and are delivering the highest quality of service to the citizens of Guyana as they did under the
previous administration. There are several more retired Joint Services officers who can be added to the list. However, I feel it is a good point to end the roster after citing 25 names. Please permit me to be pellucid for fear of being branded political. I was never a member of any political party. I have no party card. I never voted at any General or Regional Elections. I have no political ambition. I am not holding any brief for the government. However, I have an abiding interest in law enforcement, hence my regular letters to the press. I believe in justice and fairplay. I am A-po-lit-i-cal. Regards Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police, (retired)
Citizens wait, in fear of ambush of the ‘green monsters’ Dear Editor, AS we countdown to the expiration of the suspension of the Georgetown Metered Parking By-Laws, the residents of Georgetown and citizens of Guyana have not been bestowed with the courtesy of communication from the Mayor & Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) or the government through the Ministry of Communities as to what to expect. The silence although deafening, is admittedly, sadly, not at all surprising, since this seems to be the new standard level of respect which our elected officials feel we as voters are entitled to. Notwithstanding, the ‘Fantastic Four’ at M&CC, buttressed by a Council who are unable or unwilling to do otherwise, seem poised from all indications, to reinstitute the metered parking system in Georgetown,
once given the green light by Government with the enforceability of the said by-laws, the legal framework upon which metered parking rests. In the threemonth suspension, nothing meaningful has taken place. The Council held purported consultations at times when it was difficult for the general public to attend, nor was there any outreach. The Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) from all reports discharged their self-imposed duty to the citizens of Guyana. They appeared before the mandated Committee and systematically and competently refuted every talking point of the M&CC. Notably, the aforesaid events are all taking place while proceedings are still pending in the High Court with regard to legality of the by-laws and contract. But legality aside and even if deemed legal, the damage has already been done.
The project has been an undoubted failure to the point that it cannot be salvaged. The embarrassing details emanating in the media as to the irresponsible and vulgar spending of the M&CC do not further their cause. With all that has taken place and been unearthed since the institution of the metered parking system in Georgetown, it would have been enough in any other civilised society for the elected officials to ‘back-peddle’ on the project. Not so in Guyana! So we the citizens of Guyana wait, in fear of ambush of the ‘green monsters,’ but not cowardly, as I have no doubt my fellow citizens will once again resist if there is a re-currence and this time put the ‘green monsters’ to rest, permanently. Regards Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM)
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Guyana wants ACP countries to become drivers of global economic development Guyana says the upcoming negotiations between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific (EU-ACP) on a new partnership agreement should allow for the developing countries to become “drivers of global economic, human and social development in the 21st century”. The ACP Secretariat in a statement quoted President David Granger as outlining the position when he addressed the ACP Committee of Ambassadors here last week. The 79-member ACP Group and the EU have a current partnership framework, known as the Cotonou Agreement, which is a legally-binding treaty that lays out parameters for trade, development cooperation, and political dialogue between the two blocs. The Agreement expires in February 2020, and talks for a follow-up accord are set to begin in 2018. Both EU and ACP sides are making preparations for this process. In the statement, Granger, who commended the Committee of Ambassadors and the ACP Secretariat for the preparation towards the post-Cotonou talks, said ‘the negotia-
tions represent an opportunity for ensuring environmental security and economic security for ACP states and of reinforcing the Group’s solidarity”. President Granger said that any future ACP-EU agreement “must usher in a new era of economic relations between the North and the South,” where ACP countries become drivers of global economic, human and social development in the 21st century. “The ACP must seek a new economic covenant aimed at supporting the transformation of its economies through investment in industries, infrastructure and information communications technology. Investment in economic industries is the key to unlocking the potential of our economies and moving production higher up the value chain. “ Granger said investment in infrastructure will support the structural transformation of our economies and reduce inequality. “Investment in information communications technology will reduce the digital divide and foster improved integration into the markets of the North. “Unemployment, particularly of young people and
women, remains a major developmental challenge across the ACP. Job-creation remains the best means of extricating persons out of the clutches of poverty. Jobs are necessary to curb emigration and retain skilled persons.” The Guyanese Head of State said ‘a new ACP-EU agreement must assign high priority towards reducing unemployment through job-creation and job-promotion initiatives, including support for small and medium-scale enterprises which have demonstrated a capacity to reduce employment”. He said post-2020 relations should support the transformation of ACP economies through investment in industries, infrastructure and information communications technology. “Moreover, environmental security need to be ensured, with measures to promote climate adaptation, guarantee food security and support sustainable livelihoods, supported by development finance accessible by all ACP countries, including middle-income countries,” the ACP statement noted. (CMC)
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday,June 14, 2017
Nine held with toy guns, mask THE police have nabbed nine men for various offences during a string of raids in Sophia, Greater Georgetown,on Tuesday afternoon. In a statement,the police said that an intelligence -led operation conducted by ranks in
Some of the items seized during the raid in Sophia
The ganja found during the Itaballi operation
‘C’ Field Sophia between 13:30-14:20hrs resulted in the arrest of nine adult males for various offences. Items found during the operation included a bullet -proof vest, a fullface mask, a wig, ,a pair of black gloves, a police beret and two toy guns. An investigation is in progress. Meanwhile, in an-
other operation about 13:00hrs also on Tuesday, ranks on duty at the Itaballi police checkpoint conducted a search on a jacket of a 39-yrold Kitty resident and found in its pockets four taped parcels of cannabis weighing in excess of one kilogram. She is being processed for court.
King and Chase-Greene must go Dear Editor, THERE are several reasons why the city council will have a great impact on the general elections come 2020, because of its blatant, poor resource management, misappropriations of municipal funds, and endorsement of nepotism that produces poor urban services. Its cries of resource limitations have forged projects with poor data analysis, interpretation and implementation that cause severe discomfort to citizens of Georgetown and the President himself. Let me begin with the Mayor,Patricia ChaseGreene. This mayor has openly said that she called for several forensic audits of the municipal council before and after the elections, but to date she has never made any effort to actually bring in the auditors, since it will embarrass she herself. It is alleged that her sons have received large contracts from a municipal council that is not only cash-strapped, but strapped to pay its workers monthly. Her sons allegedly received
contracts from purely selective bidding as against an open procurement process, whereby everyone has a chance to bid all because of being the mayor. It is alleged that one contract for merely weeding some parapets has amounted to millions of dollars. The mayor brought a parking meter contract to the country and thrust it upon the people of Georgetown without adequate transport analysis and interpretation, putting clearly in the path an embarrassment to the engineering department staff who for all lack a command of engineering, beginning with the city engineer. In fact, Mr. President, it was required by one of your ministers to ban all metered systems being erected on selective main roads to ease the financial burdens on the citizens of Georgetown. It is also alleged that the mayor demanded her personal friends be employed without again an open application process to adjudge the best and most suitable candidate. I now ask you Mr. President, is this the kind of representative you want for
your party, since the AFC has openly severed any communication and relationship with her. I hope come next year during the next local government elections, your party will distance itself from her, since there are already several members in the PNC anticipating she will gracefully step aside. The town clerk which should be a sacred seat has seen the selection for the position by your government as a disaster and a grave mistake, which is now being echoed by several members of your party. This town clerk pontificates about ethical practices but defies your minister, the subject minister for local government organs by publicly and disdainfully rejecting the call for a halt to the parking meter project and yet still remain as the town clerk of Georgetown. The Linden town clerk did little, but was fired, so why he still remains in the seat of the town clerk? In fact, his track record has proven to be insubordinative many years ago. Not only has he rejected duties given to him by his superiors in the past, he also did
that under the previous town clerk Carol Sooba, which was trumpeted by the current mayor and some sections of the old guards in council, publicly. It is alleged that he had never submitted a report for his department during those periods of Sooba’s rule, intentionally stymieing the work of the council for which this was championed again by the current mayor in the name of Sooba was unqualified. He removed several vendors across Georgetown without any adequate plan on the relocation process only to cause severe financial and social disruption to their daily lives all in the name of a green city. Several contracts also were inked by him without the adequate procurement process being adhered to, clearly swindling taxpayers’of their money. Recently in the Sunday Kaieteur News, dated June 11, 2017,the report of the town clerk renting toilets for his premises was a total embarrassment to the council. I am certain that under any other government, Royston King would have being given the marching boots without a formal letter.
So I ask the question, why is he untouchable, even though Minister Bulkan clearly indicated in a letter to the editor that he the town clerk is a “Servant of the Council” and the minister’s office? It is also being reported in the print media that some officers are about to face disciplinary action for non-cooperation with the city engineer, when that department should solely be focusing on improved urban services. Why don’t your government send in a team to investigate this claim to get to the bottom of it ? There are also allegations of the city engineer Colvern Venture granting approval to building plans without the necessary financial fees which is clearly a loss of revenue to the council that is already cash-strapped and without proper urban data integration which puts pressure on a city terrain that is also severely burdened by changing climatic conditions, but has being clearly ignored by the administrative and political arms. Why don’t the mayor call for a forensic audit on the works of the engineer’s department, specifically the
City Engineer Colvern Venture? It is alleged that he the City Engineer Colvern Venture was blasted several times for the works he undertook as a result, specifically for the working knowledge on his engineering competence by past administrations of the municipality and project financial expenditure. He was also considered as the most woeful undergraduate engineer from the University of Guyana by his colleagues, based on his academic output. So why was he even considered for the position? I now ask you Mr. President, with all the forensic audits being meted out to several government agencies, institutions and functionaries, why is the City Council being ignored. Freddie Kissoon will be correct that these political figures and functionaries will bring great rejection to the overall polls for your government come 2020, since the district of (Georgetown) has always increased your chances of victory. Regards Terrell Waveney Roberts
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
No policy to withhold teachers’pay –– PS Welch
PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Vibert Welch, has said that there is no policy to withhold teachers’ pay when they travel overseas on vacation, contradicting comments by the Regional Executive Officer of Region Five, Ovid Morrison, who had said this is a custom. Welch made the comments when he appeared before the Public Account Committee (PAC) on Monday. He was at the time being grilled, based on the Auditor General’s report for the year 2015. Welch said that teachers who are proceeding on leave during the July-August school break will not see changes in their salaries, as the ministry has no such policy. He was at the time responding to queries related to the overpayment of net salaries during the period 2010 and 2015. PAC member Juan Edghill questioned, “If somebody is going on vacation leave, what is the policy?” The PS responded, “They get their salaries… there are no pay changes.” With the intent of being clear on the matter, Edghill asked the PS if the same situation applies for those teachers who are proceeding on Whitley Council leave. Welch’s response remained unchanged. “If they are going overseas on leave, what is the policy?” asked Edghill to which Welch responded, “If they are going on overseas, obviously they would have had permission
to travel overseas, we don’t withhold salaries or anything for them.” As such, the PS made it clear that his ministry has no policy requiring an adjustment in salaries for teachers who intend to travel during the two-month break. Last week, Region Five teachers protested against the regional administration when they were informed that the region would be withholding three months’ salary from them should they proceed overseas while on vacation. However, that matter has since been settled during a meeting with Minister within the Ministry of Education Nicolette Henry and senior officers of the Ministry of Communities ,who had travelled to the region and union representatives in the boardroom of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice, on Friday. Regional Executive Officer Mr Ovid Morrison had told the Guyana Chronicle on Friday that there was a misconception and there was never an intention to withhold three months salaries from teachers, but only one month, which has been the custom over the years. “They were told that if they go on vacation leave in July and August, then only the June month salary will be held. They will have access as always to their July and August month salaries and on resumption of duties, then June month salary will be released. There was no intention to change anything
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Vibert Welch from the way it has always been. It was just that the teachers misunderstood what was verbally communicated to them and became annoyed and resorted to protest action,” he said. Morrison said too that the administration had revived the measure because of the huge sums of money overpaid to teachers who leave the country for vacation and do not return. He disclosed that these teachers leave in July and then access their salaries for June, July August and September, knowing that they had no intention of returning. He said too that as at 2015, some $85M had been overpaid to such persons and for 2016 at least $1.3M in overpayments had been discovered to date in an ongoing investigation aimed at addressing financial irregularities that have been highlighted by the Auditor General and raised by the
Public Accounts Committee. But on Monday, PAC Chair Irfaan Ali refuted the statement made by Morrison and noted that the PAC cited the overpayment at $2.9M and not $85M. Meanwhile, Welch has attributed the overpayment to head teachers not communicating to the Ministry of Education in a timely manner, those teachers who would be proceeding on maternity leave. He explained that a system has been implemented to ensure the timely communication of such information to the salaries unit of the ministry to avoid overpayment of teachers. The ministry is ex-
pected to pay 30 per cent of the teacher’s salary while the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pays the remainder. “What is the current policy to ensure that there is no overpayment to that staff while on maternity leave?” asked PAC Member Edghill. Welch noted in response that head teachers are implored to submit the records of persons going on leave well in advance so that changes could be effected. According to the Auditor General’s report, deductions totalling $2.209M have still not been recovered. As a result, the Audit Office recommended a review of the
system to ensure that the measures in place are updated to provide more effective, efficient and timely advice to the Central Accounting Unit. Since the release of the AG’s report, the ministry had published the names of the officers overpaid in the daily newspaper and the sum of $601, 067 was recovered from 17 persons for the years, 2010 to 2015. Adjustments were made on the 2016 payroll to the tune of $2.209M for officers who were on maternity leave and the sum of $30,000 was recovered and deposited into the Consolidated Fund.
Against The Grain
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Child rights and the law By Akola Thompson
S
EVERAL days ago, it was reported in the media that the Juvenile Justice bill is expected to go to the National Assembly in October. Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, stated that the ministry is waiting on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to finish a cost analysis on the bill before it can be tabled. This bill is one that has been in the works for several years. First beginning under the PPP/C administration and now under the coalition government. I know diplomacy and bureaucracy often involve a lot of red
tape, but the pace on this bill has been remarkably slow. The bill addresses several pressing matters such as increasing the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years old to 12 years old. The possibility of the age of responsibility rising to 16 is also being explored. If that is a serious position though, I am sure that it might be a hard-sell, but at no point should the age remain at 10. Criminalising 10-yearolds is a violation of international children’s rights standards and is almost illogical in its implementation and it is a shame it has remained this long. Ten-year-olds cannot work, consent to sex or even watch an
R-rated movie without adult supervision, yet they are given criminal records that follow them throughout their lives. Having children face full culpability at that stage of their lives runs counter to all the evidence which relates to the cognitive and emotional development of children as it relates to controlling their impulses. Yes, there is truth in the theory that children do know the difference between right and wrong. However, ethical understanding is not something that one just acquires. It takes time and improves with conceptual maturity, something that a 10year- old will most likely not have. Another thing that the
bill is aiming to remove is the ‘crime’ of wandering. Children found without a proper guardian, even those trying to escape dangerous home environments, are often brought before the courts under the Juvenile Offenders Act and charged with wandering. These children are then sent to detention centres. Parents have even been known to send difficult children to these centres if they are tired or unable to care for them. While it was initially designed to ensure children were being taken care of by guardians, the law is now being used to selectively punish them. Detention homes and centres should only be used as a last resort.
Commissioner on the Rights of the Child Commission, Nicole Cole, had pointed out that some 70 percent of the juveniles housed at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) in Region Two are there for wandering. Often, those who end up in these situations are often vulnerable children who are victims of circumstance. The majority of offenders grow up in homes stricken by poverty, instability and/or abuse. Instead of sending them to institutes for young offenders, we need to take other measures such as counselling. This in itself is a hard task, given the dismal lack of certified counsellors in Guyana, but the effort must be
made to rehabilitate and not imprison children. Also, because these children often come from impoverished or unstable homes, they are unable to effectively deal with the situation as they might lack the means to pay for better lawyers. So obviously, there is a class aspect to the imprisonment of children, where the poor are further systemically punished for being poor. We have a tendency in Guyana to pass much-needed bills and laws without implementing them. This is definitely a step in the right direction, but we need to stop falling short of implementation and demand better.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
WPA urges immediate release of detained Haitians …to submit petition to gov’t this week
By Alva Solomon THE Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) will this week submit a petition to the authorities regarding what it terms the “discriminatory treatment” meted out Haitian nationals by the Guyana Police Force. And while the WPA crafted the petition on Tuesday afternoon at a forum to celebrate the life of the late Dr Walter Rodney at the National Library, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott who was present at the event, informed those gathered that
the “current situation“ regarding the French –speaking nationals, will change as of today. He said that the government has recognised that Guyana, like Haiti, is a partner to the CARICOM free movement of persons. “We have recognised [that] we have made a mistake,“ he said, noting that almost with immediate effect, there will be a change in policy towards those persons who have been mistreated. Recently, Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Winston Felix said eight adults and six children were sent back to Haiti last week
Thursday after their return tickets were upgraded. He noted that that efforts were being made to return eight others, including a few children, who do not have monies to pay for their airfares,” which says something about how they came. “As soon as we can get them out, that will be done,” he said. “The rationale for having them depart is based on a police investigation and the advice given by the Police Legal Adviser,” the Minister said. Notwithstanding Minister Scott’s assurances on
WPA’s, Dr Wazir Basdeo, reads the petition as party member, Karen DeSouza makes a point
Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott (standing at left) speaks at the WPA’s forum on Tuesday evening. WPA Executive, Dr David Hinds is seated at left
Tuesday, the WPA moved ahead with crafting its petition, while moves are afoot to provide legal representation to the detained Haitians. At the WPA’s forum on Tuesday, tempers flared as the issue was brought to the fore by activist Mark Jacobs, who chronicled the moves he, along with others have been making in recent weeks to provide care and shelter, as well as to unite the affected persons. He explained that his actions have seen him visiting facilities where the Haitians are being held under police guard, noting that the persons detained do not speak English, while the detained children have been separated from their adult guardians since May 26th. Activist Vanda Radzik noted that the issue is one of humanity and discrimina-
tion, as others lamented the treatment meted out to the nationals of a sister CARICOM country. The petition noted that the police have seized the passports and mobile phones of the detained Haitians, while their monetary valuables have been seized, minus receipts. In addition, while the WPA met to celebrate Dr Rodney, it called on the government to “act with haste” to first recognise the human rights of the people of Haiti to travel freely within the Caribbean Community. The party called for the immediate release of the detained Haitians. It noted that they have not committed any criminal acts. The party said that it expects President David Granger, the chairman of CARICOM, to act in defence of the regional integration body.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday,June 14, 2017
North Rupununi residents trained in Wilderness First Aid and CPR Sixty one (61) persons are now certified with basic first aid skills after a two day training conducted by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA). The training was conducted at the Bina Hill Institute from June 10 to 11, 2017. Participants from surrounding communities including Rewa Village, Annai, Massara Village, Yupukari Village, Apoteri Village, Surama Village, Crash Water Village, Kwatamang and Wowetta Village participated in the training. According to the GTA, the two-day introduction to general medical concepts and basic life support skills targeted outdoor enthusiast on day trips or short adventures, tour guides, community
medics and Interior Lodges and Resorts representatives. The course aims to improve the treatment given to ill or injured persons staying in remote Interior Lodges or Resorts, where definitive care by a physician and/or rapid transport is not readily available. The course was conducted by instructor and Registered Nurse Marcian Gravesande and covered topics including, Patient Assessment System, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Circulatory System, Nervous System, Respiratory System, fractures, stable injuries; splints; wounds and burns, lifting, moving extrication, patient carries among other areas. Nurse Gravesande said
the course goes far beyond “first aid”. She noted that it contains substantial medical information and teaches skills required for medical emergencies in the wild, the deeper purpose is to train participants to manage acute situations. Nurse Gravesande said, “the bottom line is this, better decision-making at the incident scene miles from medical base facilities can save valuable time and human resources”. In 2017 the Guyana Tourism Authority set in their work plan to train Training and build the capacity of 1000 persons in the Tourism Industry. To date a total of 585 persons have been trained. (DPI/GINA)
North Rupununi residents being trained on how to perform CPR
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Caribbean must press ahead with adaptation to climate change-US-based groups
A GROUPING of representatives of the Caribbean American and US private sector, non-government organisations and regional governments has urged that the Caribbean region, while disappointed with America’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord, use this development to generate greater enthusiasm among Caribbean populations to move ahead with enhanced measures for adaptation to climate change. The meeting identified among the possible enhanced measures greater collaboration among stakeholders to include the business sector, intensified public education programs on environmental issues, the establishment of a US/Caribbean Sea Council and strategic use of social media as a means of fundraising so as to be able to execute relevant programs. The roundtable was put on by Americas Relief Team (ART), Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) and the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GCAA) and hosted by Serfaty Law P.A. to commemorate United Nations World Oceans Day which is celebrated each year on June 8. The discussions focused on preservation of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean which spans much of the geographic space of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including Guyana and Surinam in South America and Belize in Central America. In welcoming participants host Charles Serfaty said that the roundtable “is being held at a critical juncture” and pointed out that world ocean assets are valued at some $24 trillion (US) with an extra US 2.5 trillion annually from the goods and services derived from the oceans. He pointed out that while the value of the assets and goods and services from the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean might not have been assessed, “we are well aware of their critical importance to the economic wellbeing of the nations and people of the Caribbean.” Chairman of the event, Wesley Kirton in his remarks pointed to the possible adverse
effects climate change through sea level rise would have on CARICOM member states and the wider Caribbean noting that these would impact women and children the most. “Today’s event is intended to remind everyone of the importance of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to everyday life in the Caribbean and to generate ideas and recommendations for the sustainable management of these bodies of water as well as the need for measures that would help us best adapt to climate change,” Kirton said. President of the Washington-DC based Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) Dr. Claire Nelson pointed to the importance of the “blue economy” to the Caribbean region and the need for heightened recognition of the benefits this economy brings to life in the region. Against this backdrop Dr. Nelson recommended that efforts be made to put in place a US/Caribbean Sea Council that would include all stakeholders. She also pointed to the need for the Caribbean private sector in the region to play a more active role in developing the blue economy. Dr. Teo Babun, president and chief executive officer of Americas Relief Team (ART) referenced changing weather patterns caused by climate change which is resulting in extreme conditions including flooding, long dry spells and hurricanes in the Caribbean and Central America. He said these conditions are negatively impacting the lives of millions of people but resources have dwindled due to budget cuts, as well as the allocation of resources to Africa where much larger numbers have been affected. Dr. Babun stressed the need for new approaches to resource mobilization and endorsed the suggestion of Ms. Demzy Gueits of Serfaty Law that greater use be made of social media to raise funding for programs and projects in support of climate change adaptation. Ms. Gueits pointed out that through social media millions of individuals, businesses and organizations can be reached to solicit sup-
port for these efforts. She noted that the younger generation has concerns about the environment and would be willing to contribute to such efforts. Robert Hans, managing partner of IOS Partners told the meeting that US President Donald Trump’s recent withdrawal announcement from the Paris Accord should not daunt the spirits of activists and stakeholders but should be used as a call to action to intensify efforts to prepare to effectively address the consequences of climate change. He identified the need for closer collaboration and coordination among stakeholders as they seek to identify strategies and implement projects designed to cushion the worse effects of climate change. He said the private sector in both the US and the Caribbean should play a bigger role by supporting research to enhance the blue economy as well as public education programs on preservation of the environment that would appeal to various sections of the population, including children. The chairman of Guyana’s Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Larry London told participants that his country has been working to limit greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft serving the Guyana market. He said that new laws and regulations will form part of an aviation master plan which will be developed over the next year. London said that Guyana’s President David Granger has committed to developing a green economy notwithstanding ExxonMobil’s oil and gas discoveries. He also pointed to Guyana’s commitment to working with the regional and wider international communities through its Low Carbon Development Strategy and its Iwokrama Rainforest Project. Recommendations emanating from Thursday’s meeting are expected to form part of the discussions later this month in Washington, DC during Legislative Week which is part of the Caribbean Heritage Month observance.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Lengthy loan agreement delay ECD road-widening project –– Vaughn
A LENGTHY delay in a loan agreement has resulted in increased consultancy fees for East Coast Demerara road widening project. This is according to Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public infrastructure, Geoffrey Vaughn. In an interview with the Department of Public Information, (DPI)/ Government Information Agency (GINA), Vaughn
explained that when the contract was signed in 2013/2014 by the previous administration, it was not clearly laid out and there were various issues in having the loan inked. As such consultancy fee for the United Statesbased Sheladia Associates Consultancy firm was increased from US $1.9M to US $2.3M, a US$312,399 increase. This increase was recently announced
by Minister of State Joseph Harmon at a post Cabinet briefing. He highlighted that Cabinet green-lighted several contracts including one for consultancy services for the East Coast Demerara four-lane extension from Better Hope to Belfield Village. The United Statesbased consultancy firm will work along with TYPS Consulting Engineering and Architect located in Spain and with E and A Consultations Incorporated in Guyana.
The Permanent Secretary explained that at the consultancy firm will soon peruse the contract document to determine if there should be adjustments before works commence. He explained that, “We’ve already issued the letters to Shaledia informing them of the changes and they will be reviewing the document of the design shortly, so that they can give us any comment that they would have before any actual work starts. However, there is a sched-
uled deadline for this project, which is almost a year plus so we’re hoping by next year we will wind it down.” To date, preliminary works including the widening of the road and removal of utilities have been completed by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. The contractor China Railway First Group Limited is mobilising currently and should be stock piling materials shortly. Last November, the government and the People’s
Republic of China inked a US$45.5M concessional loan for the completion of the widening and improvement of the road between Better Hope and Belfield on the East Coast of Demerara. Guyana has contributed $2.7B towards the project. When completed the project is expected to result in reduced travel time, traffic congestion, vehicular maintenance and accidents among other benefits. (DPI/ GINA)
Region Two gets new DREO THE Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two has announced the appointment of former Deputy Headmaster Roop Kumar as the new Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO). Kumar’s appointment by the Public Service Commission (PSC) stipulates a one-year contract. The announcement was made during the last statutory meeting of the RDC held on Tuesday by Regional Executive Officer (ag) Derrick Persaud. Kumar assumed duty with effect from Monday, June 12. After the announcement, councilors, including the regional chairman questioned the transparency of the process, given that a DREO was appointed by the PSC previously Roop Kumar, Deputy and which was never hon- Regional Executive Officer (DREO) oured by the region. Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt disclosed that he will seek further clarification on the appointment with the Ministry of Communities. The retired educator taught for over 28 years and was also an assistant returning officer for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). His appointment fills a vacancy that had long existed, after the previous DREO had performed the functions of REO for over seven years. Kumar holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Guyana and also a trained Teacher’s Certificate from the Cyril Potter College of Education. The vastly experienced former teacher is expected to enhance the management capacity of the region. The employment inventory for the region caters for two DREOS. Meanwhile, the council was also told of the appointment of Latchman Singh as the new engineer to the region. He was transferred from Region Eight and has replaced Renick Marslowe, who was transferred to Region Nine. (Elroy Stephney)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Carpenter on bail for alleged Body found on Soesdyke-Linden rape of step-daughter
A CORENTYNE, Berbice man was granted $150,000 bail by Magistrate Marissa Mittzleholzer for the offence of rape, which he allegedly committed on his 13-year-old step-daughter. The 43-year-old carpenter, who will not be named in order to protect the identity of the victim, appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and was not required to plead to the charge. It is alleged that he engaged in sexual penetration of the child between August 2016 and February 2017. The man was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Chandra Sohan. Meanwhile, after hearing that the accused was granted bail, the mother of the victim broke down in tears at the court and had to be consoled by her 16-year-old son. “It is heart-rending… What will I tell my daughter now? It’s really sad and
heartbreaking, even in this court system you cannot get justice,” the woman said. This newspaper had previously reported that the teenager was allegedly raped four times by the man and the mother had accused the police and the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) of dragging their feet on the matter; and it wasn’t until this newspaper broke the story that they started to act swiftly. The mother had accused the police of deliberately stymieing the process given the fact that some ranks and the man are friends, and that they (police ranks) had assisted him in removing his belongings from the house with a vehicle from the Guyana Police Force. The teen had told her mother of the rape on February 23, 2017. According to the mother, her daughter
told her she cannot live in the house anymore and after she inquired the reason for such a decision, the teenager made the revelation. The teen pleaded with her mother not to confront the alleged rapist, since he had threatened to kill the family if she told anyone. According to the mother, her daughter said she was in the shower when the step-father attempted to force his way in, but she managed to push him away; however, he later made his way into her bedroom where he forced her to have sex. “She told me when he came in the bedroom she begged him not to do it, but he told her its ok he did it to her older sister and two of his daughters, even as she pleaded with him to stop.” The 40-year-old mother of four explained that despite her daughter’s pleas, she confronted the accused
about what her daughter had related; he initially denied it and accused the teen of lying. However, when the mother continued to press the issue, the man reportedly whipped out a cutlass and threatened to kill her and the entire family. A struggle ensued and in the aftermath the woman suffered a chop to the shoulder which was meant for her head. The woman recalled that she started to scream, after which neighbours gathered and took her to the police station in her bloodied state, where she was made to wait for over an hour before anyone took her report.
Highway
THE decomposed body of an unidentified man was discovered Tuesday night in a clump of bushes at Long Creek, Soesdyke-Linden Highway. The body, clad in black jeans, white jersey and black and brown slippers was discovered by four men entering the area to cut T-shores. The police were summoned and the body was found with both hands tied behind his back with a multi-coloured rope. Reports indicate that the man appeared to be in his mid-30s when police discovered him lying face down. The police were unable to detect marks of violence on the body because of the state of decomposition. The men related to police that they began to get a foul scent when entering the area and upon investigation, saw several crows circling the area where the gruesome discovery was made. The body was on Tuesday morning taken to the Lyken Funeral Home,where it is awaiting identification.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Berbice health sector gets big boost with FFTP donation
FOOD For The Poor (FFTP) Guyana Inc, on Monday made a donation of more than two truckloads of medical equipment and supplies to the New Amsterdam Hospital for distribution to health institutions in the 31 locations within Region Six. During the presentation in the compound of FFTP at Blue Mountain Road, North Ruimveldt, Chief Executive Officer, Kent Vincent, first acknowledged with gratitude the items sent by mega donors in the United States to FFTP to help the health sector in Guyana. He said what was being
FFTP Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kent Vincent (centre left), makes the symbolic presentation to the Region Six Director of Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens). Looking on at extreme left is, Senior Manager, ‘Gifts in Kind Department,’ Jimmeel Davis and at extreme right is Alex Foster, Focal Point Co-ordinator, Min. of Public Health (Samuel Maughn photo) rolled out was but just a part of FFTP’s promise to make ongoing distributions in Guyana. “Today we are making a very large donation of a quantity of items to the New Amsterdam Hospital, including donations of pharmaceuticals, which will include
syringes, orthopaedic supplies, examination tables, walkers, surgical instruments, dental equipment and other medical supplies as you can see,” Vincent said. He said FFTP was very pleased to make this donation to benefit the people of Region Six.
Director of Health Services, (DHS) Region Six, Jevaughn Stephens, expressed gratitude to Kent Vincent and FFTP, on behalf of his region. However, the director sought to set the record straight, stating: “I would want to assure you and the media, that it is not only New Amsterdam Hospital that will benefit from this donation, but all 27 health centres in Region Six; three district hospitals; two national hospitals and New Amsterdam being the Referral Hospital in the region. It is almost 31 locations that will benefit from these donations and it will also improve the lives of some 109,000 persons living in Region Number Six. “We are very grateful and want to keep our partnership with Food for the Poor very healthy, so that more of these donations can come our way,” Mr Stephens gratefully concluded.
Couple put on $50,000 bail –– attempted to pervert course of justice CITY Magistrate Sunil Scarce on Tuesday placed a husband and wife on $50,000 bail after they were charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. Naiel Loochan, 29, and his reputed wife, Diane Segura, 25, both denied the allegation that on February 11, 2017 at Providence,
they attempted to pervert the course of justice by harbouring David Singh from the police for breaking and entering the house of Fredrick Henry on February 10, 2017. The charge also stated that there was a confrontation with the police and Singh, during which he was shot in his right foot but did
not formally report it to the police. The pair was represented by Attorney-at- Law Rex McKay, who asked the court for reasonable bail for his clients since they are not a flight risk. Police prosecutor Adduni Innis did not object to bail and the case was adjourned until June 29.
‘Threatening language’ lands man in court A MAN was placed on $40,000 bail by city magistrate Sunil Scarce after being charged with using threatening language. The allegation stated that on June 12, 2017, in Georgetown, he used threat-
ening language to Kimberly Kendel. The court heard that the defendant and the virtual complainant had once shared a relationship; that on the day in question, while the virtual complainant was in
front of her house, the defendant, who is allegedly in the habit of threatening her, told her that he will make sure he kills her before the year is out. The matter was adjourned until June 27.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
560 persons get hearing aids
OVER 560 persons with hearing impairment on Tuesday received hearing aids as the Starkey Hearing Foundation rolled out the second phase of its Guyana hearing mission initiative for 2017. First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger, who was present at the outreach held at the National Exhibition Centre in Sophia, expressed appreciation for the services provided by the Foundation, which has expressed an interest in establishing a base in Guyana, from which they will do outreaches to other parts of the Caribbean. The First Lady also commended the Foundation’s counselling services, which is a vital part of its mission and which provides basic hearing healthcare services to the stakeholders. “I think they’ve also done a good job of explaining to people the importance of caring your hearing, so to speak, and I am very happy to work alongside with them…. The beauty of this is that there is a record of all the patients, high tech [and] barcoded, which the Ministry [of Public Health] keeps, but it also shares with Starkey so they have a complete database on all the people they have treated so if anything goes wrong with the hearing aid… once they scan that barcode
they know who is the person they are dealing with so it’s pretty comprehensive and dedicated work for Guyana,” she said. Mr. William F. Austin, the founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, his wife Ms. Tani Austin
first 154 persons, who had previously been tested for hearing impairments during the first phase of the exercise, which was held in March. The remaining 406 patients will also be tested and outfitted with custom hearing
of the Georgetown Public Hospital said that he is particularly grateful for his hearing device as he suffers from a birth defect that affects his ability to hear. “I feel better. Everything [is] good … some-
thing because I didn’t hear properly … but now talk one time and I hear better,” he said. Mr. Simon Jones of Corriverton, Berbice, said he travelled all the way to the city to be outfitted with his hearing aid. “I feel really
From L-R: Dr. Ruth Quaicoe, Head of Audiology in Guyana, Dr. Karen Boyle, Chief Medical Officer, Ms. Tani Austin of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger and Dr. Luqman Lawal, also of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, during the second phase of the hearing mission in Guyana and other members of the Starkey team partnered with representatives from the Audiology Department of the Ministry of Public Health to outfit the
devices. Several of the recipients expressed their gratitude to the government for providing the hearing aids free of cost. Mr. Darren Taitt, a porter
times when people talked … I [didn’t] hear properly, but I feel happy. At work, when my boss [talked] I would forget, I can’t remember every-
good because a lot of us are going through this same problem, don’t hear too good and it’s a great gesture that the First Lady can bring this project to
Guyana to help out those who are in need of proper hearing so that our lives can go back to normal. The hearing aid has done tremendously for my life because it has [brought] me back into reality. I can hear both sides now, right and left … so I am very happy,” he said. Mr. Sebastian Ramsuchit expressed similar sentiments. “Today I have come to collect my hearing aid and I am so grateful to the Starkey… and the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Health; they are doing a wonderful job. It’s years now that I haven’t been hearing properly and [I] get this hearing aid now I’m hearing well … With this hearing aid it help me to focus better on my job because I could hear what people want, I could answer them, I could talk,” he said. Dr. Ruth Quaicoe, Head of Audiology in Guyana, Dr. Karen Boyle, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Public Health, also attended the exercise. The Starkey team also included Dr. Luqman Lawal, Director- Global Health and Research and Mr. Skye Girardin, quality control officer. The mission also benefited from assistance provided by volunteers from the Lions clubs of Guyana. (Ministry of the Presidency)
$50,000 bail for Teacher charged with rape of siblings unlawful wounding A MAN was placed on $50,000 bail when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with unlawful wounding. When the charge was read to him by Magistrate Leron Daly, Adel France pleaded not guilty to the allegation, which stated that on June 10, 2017, he unlawfully wounded Tromaine Daniels. The facts presented to the court by the prosecution stated that the defendant and the virtual complainant had a fight, and both of them suffered injuries. However, the virtual complainant received lacerations to the head. The matter was adjourned until June 27.
A MALE teacher, attached to a private school in East Berbice, Corentyne, appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, charged with two counts of rape of a child under the age of 16. Zafiel Yusuf, 25, appeared before Magistrate Marissa Mittleholtzer and was granted $120,000 bail on each count. The court heard that on April 19, 2017, the teacher visited the home the siblings – a brother and sister- aged 12 and 13. While there, he requested that they accompany him to his house to collect groceries and on the way there, it is
alleged that the teacher stopped the car in a bushy area and demanded that the siblings perform oral sex on him. It is further alleged that when the young lady refused to commit the sex act, the teacher hit her to the head and forced her to do it. After committing the act, the two siblings begged the accused to take them home. It is further alleged that the teacher threatened to hurt the victims if they told anyone what occurred. However, the siblings told their mother what transpired and a report was made to the police. The teacher is slated to return to court on June 27, 2017.
Rape accused: Zafiel Yusuf
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday,June 14, 2017
At World Ocean Conference...
Trotman reassures UN of Guyana’s commitment to SDG 14
MINISTER of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has assured the United Nations (UN) of Guyana’s commitment to SDG 14. He also seized the opportunity to reassure the organisation of Guyana’s appreciation of the timeliness of a decision by the international community to meet and talk about taking steps to reverse the harm being done to the world’s oceans and seas. “Mr. President, Guyana is conscious of the linkages between SDG 14 and all of the other goals and targets set out in Agenda 2030. These have, therefore, all been integrated into our national development plans and strategies,” he said, adding: “As a low-lying coastal State, we are particularly concerned at the impact of rising sea levels on coastal erosion, which is exacerbated by the destruction of mangrove forests.” The occasion was the historic five-day United Nations Ocean Conference last week in New York, which sought, for the very first time, to mobilise action for the conservatioin and sustainable use of the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources. As Minister Trotman told his colleagues last Wednesday: “This conference, bringing together all relevant stakeholders to share the experiences gained at the national, regional and international levels in the implementation of Goal 14, is both timely and necessary to reverse the harm being done to our oceans and seas. “Our oceans and seas cover nearly three-quarters of the earth’s surface and play an important role in sustaining both life on the planet and the livelihoods of many of its inhabitants. Oceans and seas produce half of our oxygen, regulate global climate, and provide employment, food and other valuable resources for our populations. The health of the oceans is therefore the concern of all of us. “We note with alarm the un-
sustainable levels of overfishing and destructive fishing practices, much of it illegal, unreported and unregulated, as well as the effects of pollution on marine life, fish stocks and on the use of the oceans for recreational purposes. “We therefore welcome this focus by the international community, perhaps for the first time, on the critical role of our oceans in sustaining life on our planet.” Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs as they’re known, are a global non-binding framework to coordinate efforts, over the next 15 years, around ending poverty and hunger, combatting inequality and disease, and building a just and stable world. There are, al-
Minister Trotman makes a point to members of the Italian delegation led by Deputy Minister of the Environment, Silvia Velo, on the sidelines of the meeting
scientific information. * By 2020, to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognising that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) fisheries subsidies negotiation. * By 2030, to increase the economic benefits to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable manage-
Minister Trotman and members of the Guyana delegation
together, 17 goals, to which all 193 nations represented at the UN agreed. The idea is to keep the efforts of national and sub-national governments, development banks, foundations, civil society and other development actors all moving in the same direction. SDG 14 speaks specifically to the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Among its targets are: * By 2025, to prevent and
significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. * By 2020, to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. * Minimise and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.
Minister Trotman with Danish Minister for Equality and Nordic Affairs, Ms. Karen Ellemann, who is accompanied by the Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations, Ambassador Ib Petersen
* By 2020, to effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics. * By 2020, to conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available
ment of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. * Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular SIDS and LDCs. * Provide access for small-
scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets. * Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want. Minister Trotman reported that in an effort to comply with the foregoing targets, Guyana, with the assistance of the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is engaged in a robust programme of mangrove management “to protect our nearly 480 kilometers of Atlantic coastline from coastal erosion.” He further reported that Guyana is also in the process of developing a complement of inter-related services to better manage its coastal ecosystem, including data gathering, social mobilisation and capacity development under its recently launched Green State Development Strategy. He said too that Guyana will register as a Voluntary Commitment its plan to undertake a series of initiatives, “designed to achieve and maintain healthy waterways and the Atlantic Ocean, as our contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), targets 14.1 and 14.2.” According to a release from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Minister Trotman and his delegation were able to meet bilaterally, and, in a number of cases, hold discussion with the heads of several other participating delegations, including those of Italy, Denmark, Jamaica, Barbados, and Kenya. He’s also reported to have had a brief and informal discussion with the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations, Miguel de Sherpa Soares.
Minister Trotman addressing the conference
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
CARICOM to clamp down on returning ‘ISIS’ fighters
A CO-ORDINATED approach has been taken by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to clamp down on returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs), including their assets. In the next three weeks, CARICOM leaders will move to finalise plans for a CARICOM arrest warrant regarding FTFs and the sharing of recovered assets, as well as regional anti-terrorism legislation. The latter will be based on T&T’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation. The matters are proposed for signature at CARICOM’s upcoming July summit in Grenada. Prime Minister Keith Rowley chairs CARICOM’s security committee. CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin La Roque and National Security Minister Edmund Dillon spoke about the development Monday at a CARICOM Counter-Terrorism Strategy conference. Stakeholders all stressed the need for an urgent Caribbean anti-terrorism thrust. “The question for the region (on terrorism) isn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’,” Dillon warned. IMPACS Executive Director, Francis Forbes, said Impacs and the U.S. are tracking “several hundred” from the Caribbean and South America who have gone to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network. Forbes said 200-plus CARICOM nationals have travelled to ISIS territories — fighters and families — and 130 are being tracked as alleged FTFs. The exact means of recruitment weren’t clear, but all belonged to close personal networks. Several returning FTFs are being actively monitored by regional law enforcement agencies, he added. Monday’s conference at the Hyatt, hosted by CARICOM’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), involved CARICOM stakeholders and experts from the U.S. State Department, Interpol and Europe. Dillon said main security concerns for the region posed by terrorism include the FTF
phenomena -- persons travelling from this region to regions of conflict, and their subsequent return. Also at issue is the increasing influence of radical clerics and radicalised ISIS sympathisers in CARICOM States, the growing volume/accessibility of terrorist group propaganda Online and via peer-to-peer networks; and the potential exploitation of the banking system to fund terrorist networks. Forbes noted that calls had been made by Caribbean-born FTFs (in ISIS’ Dabiq magazine) for hometurf attacks. He said returning FTFs hold battlefield expertise, and the potential for “lone-wolf” attacks and can spread radicalisation. He also noted the “push” such influence can have on trans-national crime. LaRocque, who said no country was immune to terrorism, added CARICOM’s July summit will discuss the draft plan for the region concerning a CARICOM arrest warrant and sharing of recovered assets of FTFs. “Our region can’t afford complacency; one act of terrorism in one state will resonate and have implications across the region,” La Roque added. Dillon said, “The development of CARICOM’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a road map identifying how the region should address the issue, isn’t only timely but crucial for its survival. “In CARICOM’s (2013) Crime and Security Strategy, terrorism and attacks on critical infrastructure were identified as Tier Three risks, significant, potential risks. With the progressive nature of attacks by groups like Isis and ‘lone-wolf’ supporters overseas recently, the risk of terrorism has become far more evident in 2017.” Dillon added, “CARICOM countries must seek to criminalise and penalise acts of terrorism by nationals and non-nationals in a coordinated manner, and regional anti-terrorism legislation must be equally stringent and
consistent.” “As such, the CARICOM Model Anti-Terrorism Bill and the proposed Agreement on the Return (of FTFs) and/ or sharing of Recovered Assets are important tools which the region should seek to finalise as a matter of urgency. These are proposed to be opened for signature at CARICOM leaders’ upcoming meeting.” (TrinidadGuardian)
T&T’s Minister of National Security, Mr Edmund Dillon, delivering his address during the formal opening of the CARICOM Counter Terrorism Strategy two-day conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Monday. Looking on, from second left, are United Nations Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative T&T, Mr Richard Blewitt and CARICOM Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Illegally imported horse quarantined by GLDA
CUSTOMS officers, while clearing a loaded ship at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) wharf at Port Georgetown on Tuesday afternoon, discovered that an illegally imported horse was on board. Officials of the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA) were notified and immediate action was taken. The authority carried out preliminary investigations at the wharf about where the animal came from and found that the conditions in which the animal was being kept were unfavourable and did not guarantee the animal’s health. Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GLDA, Dr. Dwight Walrond, in an invited comment told the Department of Public Information/Government Information Agency (DPI/ GINA) that a few years ago, the Laws of Guyana declared that the importation of horses without the necessary requirements is illegal. Hence, the horse was impounded by the authority. Dr. Walrond explained that, “Over the years, in 2013 and 2014 we had some
incidents where we had a number of animals being imported from Trinidad illegally, because of that we would have basically … say it is now illegal to
The animal is now being kept at the GLDA’s quarantine station at Timehri, where veterinarians will carry out a number of tests to know whether the animal’s
animal would be given over to the police, we wouldn’t be doing an auction or the owner would not be getting this animal because it was imported illegally. The
Dr. Dwight Walrond, deputy chief executive officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) with the horse that was illegally imported bring horses from Trinidad by boat or animal leaving Trinidad without being micro-chipped or reaching the requirements of Guyana, meaning all the vaccinations and so on.”
health is up to requisite standards. Thereafter, the horse will be handed over to the Guyana Police Force which will be taking the necessary action against the importer. “Once we are through, this
police have already been informed, they’re going to be dealing with the importer of this animal. I would have spoken to that importer on numerous occasions pleading to her, she was trying to
plead to us that we should give a waiver on the import requirements, but I cannot do that.” Dr. Walrond explained Dr. Walrond highlighted some of the requirements for the importation of horses into Guyana by specifically pointing out that, “for an animal, a horse specifically, to be imported from Trinidad they must be micro-chipped, a copy of the birth certificate has to be submitted to the GLDA… Secondly with respect to disease, they must be vaccinated against EE, glanders and must be free of African Swine Sickness and other infectious diseases… they must be dewormed and treated for internal parasites.” Initial examinations carried out on the animal shows that it is approximately four years old. The horse is a castrated male and observations prove that the conditions in which the horse was kept while being transported to Guyana was substandard, revealing that the horse was not being taken care of. Dr. Walrond explained that between the decades of 1980 and 1990 there was an outbreak of Equine encephalo-
myelitis, commonly known as EE, after a set of horses were imported from Trinidad. This led to relevant authorities implementing stringent laws which would protect against future occurrences of such an outbreak. Equine encephalomyelitis, also called “sleeping sickness,” is an infectious disease that affects the brain of the horse. Three strains have been identified: Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan. The mortality of the three strains runs from moderate to high. The Eastern strain occurs more frequently and has the highest mortality rate. Dr. Walrond pointed out that first-time importers are subjected to an interview with the authority, so as to be familiarised with the necessary requirements for the importation process. “If you are a first-time importer, you would be subjected to an interview. Why? It’s not that we are discriminating, but what we found is that a lot of these importers they don’t know the requirements as it relates to GRA, they think when they pay GLDA for the import permit, that’s it.” (DPI/GINA)
GDF participates in ‘Exercise Tradewinds 2017’
THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will be represented at the start of a five-day multi-national maritime security and disaster response exercise which commenced on Tuesday in Chaguaramas and will continue until June 17.
Twenty-One ranks of the GDF departed Guyana to participate in Exercise Tradewinds 2017, which is being held in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago , respectively. E x e r c i s e TRADEWINDS is a multinational maritime inter-
diction, ground security and inter-agency exercise led by the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). It is an annual Caribbean-focused exercise which includes executive- level leadership and provides an opportunity for participating nations to
collaborate on challenges to ensure regional security. The Exercise opened on June 6 with an Official Ceremony in Barbados, where the first phase of the exercise took place. Major Eon Murray is heading the delegation. The United States mili-
The GDF participating team led by Major Eon Murray
tary-led exercise within the Caribbean region started in the mid-80s. Involved are 20 partnering nations including Bermuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts/ Nevis, Dominica, St Vincent and
the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, Surinam and Guyana. There would also be international assistance and participation by the U.S., Canada, France, Netherlands and Mexico. The US has contributed US$3M for the exercise.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Houston pedestrian overpass ...
Laying of foundation to start this weekend By Telesha Ramnarine THE preparation of the foundation for the Houston pedestrian overpass will commence this weekend, City Engineer Colvern Venture disclosed on Monday. Addressing councillors at the statutory meeting at City Hall, Venture said he was part of a team that paid on site visit to the Houston community a few days ago that included officers from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the contracting company, and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). Venture said that while there, designs of the proposed overpass were submitted to him, so they will commence the work with the driving of piles. (Piles/poles
are driven into the soil to provide foundation support for structures). Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen called on the constituency councillors to hold a meeting with residents in the community to properly inform them of the impending works, so that the city council would not be accused of not consulting with them. “I’m quite sure there may be some dislocation of some people and places… and so we can have a smooth transition,” Chase-Green said. Meanwhile, in April last, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said a contract to the tune of US$364,727 was awarded to S Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services for work on a pedestrian overpass at the Diamond, East Bank De-
merara pedestrian crossing. Harmon had also previously announced the award of US$1M contracts for the construction of overhead crossings at Peter’s Hall and at Eccles, also on the East Bank. With more than 10,000 vehicles entering the country every year, traffic congestion on key arteries leading to Georgetown continues to be a major bugbear. This congestion has been contributing heavily to delays for workers at peak travel times, in the mornings, between 07:00hrs and 09:00hrs, and in the evening from 16:00hrs to 18:30hrs. The East Bank Demerara road is among the busiest in the country, providing linkages to not only the villages along the way, but to the
An artist’s impression of a typical pedestrian overpass Demerara Harbour Bridge which leads to West Demerara, Essequibo and beyond,
but to Linden and the hinterland as well. The Cheddi Jagan In-
ternational Airport, the country’s main port, is also located at Timehri.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Town Clerk wants children, teachers insured –– after reports of abuse at city daycare
By Telesha Ramnarine THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is in the process of investigating reports of child abuse at its South Road Daycare Centre, which caters for children between the ages of nine months and five years.
The issue was deliberated upon at the statutory meeting on Monday, where Town Clerk, Royston King, issued a call for both the children and teachers of that facility to be insured individually, following reports of scratches and other marks on some of the
children. Already, King noted, there are some parents who are claiming compensation for marks found on their children. Although King’s suggestion regarding insurance did not gain much support from councillors, he said that without such
a safeguard in place, the Council remains vulnerable to the parents’ reports of abuse against their children. Councillor Monica Thomas said she could not understand the need for insurance, as the issue has more to do with proper supervision. The incidents resulting in marks and scratches should not even happen in the first place, she noted, if the teachers are doing a good job at su-
pervising and monitoring the kids. Councillor Andrea Marks suggested that instead of putting the parents and Council in expense to get insurance, the M&CC could divert such resources to strengthening the staff capacity at the daycare centre. Councillor Bishram Kuppen queried whether the issue actually had to do with abuse, or whether it was as a result of the deplorable conditions of the building itself. Insurance would be necessary, he said, if the children are being housed in de-
plorable conditions. But the Town Clerk responded that the matter had nothing to do with the actual building, but of reports of abuse. Mayor Patricia Chase-Green called for detailed information into the matter, in light of the fact that the Council could be sued if a child loses an arm or limb. Meanwhile, a source told this newspaper that in one instance, after investigations, it was found that the marks on one child’s skin originated from home
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
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Aviation training programme launched
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Course facilitator, Mr. M. Grace (fourth right) with GCCA, Roraima Airways and Air Services Ltd executives, and other beneficiaries of the aviation training programme, which commenced Monday (Photo courtesy of Roraima Airways) IN an effort to improve en- carry out certified landing gineering safety in the avi- gear overhaul.” ation sector, the Guyana The cost of the fourCivil Aviation Authority day course is being shared (GCCA) in collaboration among the GCAA, Roraima with Roraima Airways and and Air Services Limited. Air Services Limited on The programme will be faMonday launched a land- cilitated by Senior Engineer mark training programme of the Heroux Devtex Comfor personnel in the sector. pany of Great Britain, Mr. According to a press M Grace. statement from Roraima AirRoraima quoted GCCA ways, the technical training Director of Air Safety Regin AP Precision Hydraulics ulations, Captain C. Kirk(APPH) aircraft landing caldy as hailing the collabgear overhaul is the first of oration, which will see Guyits kind to be held here, and ana enhancing its capability will be hosted at its hangar for engineering safety in its at the Eugene F. Correia In- aviation industry.
Course facilitator, Mr. M. Grace taking participants through their paces ternational Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara. The training costs approximately £17,000, and according to Roraima’s Technical Supervisor, Jason Farley, will substantially reduce maintenance cost for the company. Said he: “Over the years, the company would have expended as much as US$30,000 to overhaul one aircraft landing gear, and we have an aircraft fleet of five (5), with each aircraft carrying three (3) gears. “Landing gear overhaul is required every six months. However, circumstances may require detailed inspection or overhaul in less than the required time, due to landing on unprepared airstrips in the hinterland as is common is Guyana. “So this training is worthwhile; it will enhance the technical competence of the maintenance team and it gives the Aircraft Maintenance Organisation at Roraima the requisite approval by the GCAA to
“It is the first time I’m participating in such collaboration, and it is my pleasure to be a part of it, because it will certainly enhance the capability for aviation engineering safety in Guyana,” Captain Kirkcaldy said as he declared the training open. He also hinted at more collaboration to come, as new regulations for Guyana’s domestic operations, which would involve the various entities operating at Ogle, take effect. Meanwhile, Roraima’s Director of Operations, Captain Learie Barclay, has been quoted as saying at the opening of the course, “It was the first time in my lifetime as an aviator that GCAA has actually paid a significant percentage for training. “GCAA would mandate the operators, and they would have to fund their training. So this is a landmark opportunity, to see GCAA collaborate to fund a historic training as this.”
GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
City Hall finding it ‘increasingly difficult’ –– to pay garbage contractors By Telesha Ramnarine THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is trying to finalise arrangements to begin charging a separate fee for commercial waste. This is especially so after Town Clerk Royston King said the municipality is finding it increasingly difficult to honour its financial obligations to garbage contractors. As the situation stands, the Council has been trying to keep up with current bills for garbage collection, although it has outstanding amounts for the years 2015 and 2016. King said it is extremely difficult for the Council to sustain payments to these contractors at the moment, because the municipality is being asked to do more with less resources. He referred to the fact that the Council is now doing more drainage works than it did before. Although help has been forthcoming from the Ministry of Infrastructure, it is often inadequate, King noted. He called for the commercial fee to be implemented as soon as possible, and for the container-fee issue to be sorted out. Mayor Patricia Chase-Green undertook to call the Minister of Communities today in an effort to resume talks on the container fees. She said that notwithstanding the challenges at the moment, the current payments will have to be maintained at all cost. Regarding the removal of commercial waste in the city, Chase-Green had previously said that City Hall cannot afford to keep up with the $1.8M it costs weekly to do the job. As such, the municipality, through its Solid Waste Management Department, headed by Mr. Walter Narine, had scheduled a series of meetings to talk with businesses on the way forward regarding garbage disposal. Chase-Green had said that the City Council is at the moment cash-strapped, and has reached its “boiling point”, in that it simply cannot afford the cost to remove commercial waste. She referred to the building at the corner of Regent and King Streets, which formerly housed the Acme Photo Studio, but which now houses more than 10 stores. She said that although the waste there has increased significantly, the fee being charged has remained the same. “Businesses want to use every little space in front of them, but doesn’t want to pay the Council anything,” Chase-Green said. Narine had made the point that Georgetown represents 30 per cent of the country’s population, and has another 10 per cent passing through each day. It was on that score that he appealed to businesses to keep waste receptacles on their premises, not only for their benefit, but for that of their customers. He’d also called attention to the practice among businesses to sweep dust into the drains, which results in a host of problems that have to be taken care of by City Hall. This, he noted, is notwithstanding the fact that many businesses do not remit their rates and taxes to the Council in a timely manner. The Town Clerk had noted that even if citizens pay all of their outstanding taxes, the Council will still fall short of enough money to cover everything it has to do. “We can no longer ask businesses to pay one flat tax; one property tax that has to cover garbage,” he said, adding: “Those who use more of the city’s resources must pay more; it’s only fair.” King said the implementation of a new fee is in order, because the service of waste disposal is a very expensive one that the council cannot afford at the moment. “We do not have the money to sustain what we’ve started,” he noted, while referring to all the clean-up works that the Council has done in the past.
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4 years jail for taxi driver busted with cocaine, guns A TAXI driver, who was caught with over 20 pounds of cocaine along with illegal guns and ammunition at his Lot 6 ‘J’ Duncan Street, Campbellville, Georgetown home, confessed to the charges on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Almost two weeks ago, Trevor Rodriguez, 32, was charged with having 11.363 kilograms of cocaine in his possession; he was also charged with having a 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm and a 1.357 magnum revolver along with matching ammunition for each of the firearm. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges at his first court appearance before Magistrate Annette Singh. Rodriguez, also Trevor Rodriguez faced four other charges; two each for making use of threatening language and threatening behaviour towards his wife, however these charges were dismissed after the wife refused to offer evidence against him. He re-appeared before Magistrate Singh on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the offence of trafficking narcotics and 24 months each for the six counts of firearm related charges. The sentences will run concurrently. The police arrested the taxi driver and his wife, Amanda Rodriguez after three illegal firearms, matching rounds and 11.kg of cocaine were found at their home during a raid on May 26, 2017. According to reports, Rodriguez is in the habit of threatening to kill his wife and on the day in question, he threatened to kill her with a gun at their Duncan Street home. The woman called a co-worker, who came to her assistance and also took away the gun from the husband. Police were notified and conducted a search at the home where they found the cocaine and gun hidden in a 20-pound and 100-pound gas cylinder, respectively. Both cylinders had false bottoms.
Bailed for ‘sexual penetration’ of a minor A LIAISON Officer attached to the Ministry of Public Health, charged with sexually assaulting a minor, was on Tuesday released on $250,000 bail by City Magistrate Leron Daly. The charge against Esan Abrams, 37, of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown read that between June 12, 2015 and June 22, 2015 at the National Park, Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration with a 14-yearold boy. During his first arraignment before Magistrate Daly, the accused was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was Esan Abrams remanded to prison. But when the matter was recalled on Tuesday, Abrams’ attorney, Nigel Hughes, made an application for his client’s pre-trial liberty. As such, the magistrate released Abrams on bail, on condition that he reports to the Brickdam Police Station every Friday. The matter has been adjourned until July 11 for the commencement of Paper Committal.
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Second Race ... Continued from back page
release those names yet but there are some rivalries that are going to be renewed,” Mohamed said. The GMR&SC boss added, “We are also looking at the return of one of our oldest events, the handicap race. That has been missing from the calendar for a while and we are trying to bring It back.” He continued, “What we can assure those fans, both those who are ardent race supporters and those who are newcomers, is that they won’t be disappointed by what we have to show.” In the coming few days he noted, the club will be embarking on several awareness campaigns and promotions in an attempt to garner even more spectators and if possible, participants. The July 2 event is sponsored by Ansa McAl, Prem’s Electrical, B.M. Soat, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Ready Mix, Special Auto, Japarts, Ticket Master, Palm Court, KGM, MAC batteries, S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction, L Mahabir and Sons Cambio and Choke Gas Station.
South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:55 hrs Adorned By Beauty 09:35 hrs Prince Ponti 10:10 hrs Way Of Light 10:45 hrs Budapest 11:20 hrs Macduff 11:55 hrs Air Salute English Racing Tips Haydock 09:00 hrs Ottonian 09:30 hrs Dance Diva 10:00 hrs Original Choice 10:30 hrs Addeybb 11:00 hrs Vaulted 11:30 hrs First Voyage 12:00 hrs Joshua Reynolds Yarmouth 09:10 hrs One Minute 09:40 hrs Zubaidah 10:10 hrs Daira Prince 10:40 hrs Diamondsaretrumps 11:10 hrs Hackney Road 11:40 hrs Ross Raith Rover 12:10 hrs Rustique Worcester 09:20 hrs Cry Fury 09:50 hrs Beneficial Joe 10:20 hrs Madam Anna 10:50 hrs Sam Noir 11:20 hrs Three Star General 11:50 hrs Saffron Wells 12:20 hrs Princesse Fleur 12:50 hrs Bhakti American Racing Tips Belmont Race 1 White Flag Race 2 Smash Williams Race 3 Chiltern Street Race 4 Nut Nut Race 5 Speak Up Sailor Race 6 Nouvelle Vague Race 7 Correjon Race 8 Grand Sky
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Iran join Brazil in qualifying Warriors ride Durant for 2018 World Cup to beat Cavaliers and clinch NBA title
Iran are managed by former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz
IRAN became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup as they beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in Tehran. Goals from Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi ensured Iran, coached by Carlos Queiroz, will appear at successive World Cups for the first time. Victory meant they opened an eight-point advantage over their opponents, who are third in the table. Five-time winners Brazil were the first team to join hosts Russia at next year’s tournament. The top two teams in each of Asia’s two qualifying groups progress to the World Cup, while the teams in third place go into a series of playoffs.(BBC Sport)
Sangakkara scores 100th century of career
SRI Lankan Kumar Sangakkara scored the 100th century of his career in Surrey’s One-Day Cup quarter-final. The 39-year-old made 121 against Yorkshire at Headingley, his 39th limited-overs hundred to go with 61 in first-class cricket. Sangakkara, who quit Tests in 2015, says he will retire from first-class cricket after this season. The former Sri Lanka captain has scored 45 650 career runs in all forms of cricket. He brought up his hundred with a single to third man off Matt Fisher to help Surrey
Kumar Sangakkara now has 39 centuries in one-day cricket to go with his 61 centuries in first-class cricket. (Source: Twitter)
post 313-7. He has enjoyed a stellar season for Surrey in County Championship Division One, averaging 90.60 in six matches. Sangakkara last month fell 16 runs short of becoming only the fourth player to make six consecutive first-class centuries. He is fifth on the all-time list of leading Test run-scorers with 12 400 in 134 Tests, and only India legend Sachin Tendulkar has made more than Sangakkara’s 14 234 runs in 404 one-day internationals. (BBC Sport)
AB de Villiers to lead South Africa in T20 series against England (REUTERS) - AB de Villiers will captain South Africa in this month’s three-match Twenty20 international series against England with regular skipper Faf du Plessis rested ahead of the Test series. de Villiers, who was criticised for his captaincy as he led the one-day international side to a first-round exit in the ongoing Champions Trophy, has ruled himself out of the Test matches. Seamer Dwaine Pretorius, who is also a powerful hitter with the bat, was included in the Twenty20 squad for the first time, though he has played 10 ODIs since making his de-
but last year. “We are ready to give fur-
Mosehle, Jon-Jon Smuts and Dane Paterson, who all made
South Africa captain AB de Villiers.
ther opportunities to Andile Phehlukwayo, Mangaliso
their debuts in the recent series against Sri Lanka,”
Cricket South Africa National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi said. “This is an exciting opportunity for the newcomers to play alongside worldclass and experienced players like AB, Farhaan, David Miller, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell.” Squad: Farhaan Behardien, AB de Villiers (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Im ran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Mangaliso Mosehle, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.
By Rory Carroll OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - The Golden State Warriors secured their second NBA championship in three seasons with a 129-120 Game Five win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, capping a near-perfect run through the playoffs. The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 Finals only to lose to them last year after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 16-1 in the playoffs, their only loss coming in Game Four of the best-of-seven championship. The win provided redemption for the Warriors, who brought Kevin Durant over from the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason to bolster their already high-powered offence. Durant, who lost in his only previous Finals appearance in 2012, led the way for the Warriors with 39 points and was relieved after feeling pressure to deliver prior to the game. “I couldn’t sleep for two days,” Durant, who was named the Finals MVP, said during an on-court interview. “I was anxious, I was jittery. “I just wanted to lay it all out there. I put in work. I just had to trust in it. We were really good tonight.”` Cavaliers forward LeBron James had a game-high 41 points and guard Kyrie Irving hit tough shots all night but defensive breakdowns by Cleveland led to easy baskets late in the game for the Warriors, igniting a deafening crowd. James said he had no reason to feel sorry for himself. “I left everything on the floor every game, all five games,” he said. “I have
no reason to put my head down.” Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said the experience of losing last year’s Finals served them well this season. “We learned from everything we’ve been through,” Curry said during the trophy celebration. “To be back here and bring gold Larry (O’Brien trophy) back home, I’m just excited to be a part of this group and accomplish something special. I’m ready to do it again.” An unprecedented third straight Finals clash between the Warriors and Cavaliers was hyped as the ultimate championship rubber match and expected to be the antidote for a postseason that had little in the way of drama. But that idea fizzled fast when the Warriors opened with a pair of lopsided wins at home, fought back late to steal the next game in Cleveland and then, after dropping their first game of the postseason, closed out the series at home. In the end, the Cavaliers simply did not have enough top-class talent to topple the Warriors, even with fourtime league MVP James doing all he could to keep his team in it. For James, already a three-time champion, the loss puts him in rare company as only the fourth player to come up short in five NBA Finals. Cleveland’s inability to give the Warriors much of a fight has already sparked talk that James, who left the team in 2010 for Miami before returning four years later, could consider another move during 2018 free agency.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Bangladesh run to last four is reward for years of toil
By Simon Evans
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Bangladesh are one win away from their first final in a major tournament but whatever the outcome of their Champions Trophy semi-final against India tomorrow, it is clear the country’s long struggle in the game is now bearing fruit. Bangladesh qualified for this year’s eight-nation Champions Trophy, having missed out on the last two editions, thanks to their improving fortunes in the one-day game combined with the decline of West Indies cricket. Although still viewed until recently by many as “minnows”, it should not be surprising that Bangladesh, who reached the last four, thanks to an impressive win over New Zealand, are now among the elite teams in the shorter forms of the game. The country has plenty of talent to choose from with a population of 160 million which is lower only than India and Pakistan among Test-playing nations.
Cricket is the national sport and has deep roots with the Dhaka Premier League having begun in 1974 - three years after the country’s bloody war of independence from Pakistan - but it has been a long grind to get to their current level. “I think everyone has contributed to what we are today.
gladesh entered their first international tournament, the ICC Trophy in England, a tournament designed for the non-Test-playing nations in which they lost to Canada and Denmark. Steady progress enabled Bangladesh to win the ICC Trophy in 1997 and two years later they played in
Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan embrace during their record stand, against New Zealand at Cardiff last Friday.
The whole nation will be with us as they were in our desperate times and good times,” Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said after the victory over New Zealand. By 1979, still dealing with many issues of postwar reconstruction, Ban-
the full World Cup where they pulled off a famous victory over Pakistan. In 2000, the country entered cricket’s elite, becoming a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and hosting their first Test match, against India in Dhaka.
The step-up in competition was tough. From 1999 to 2004 the side lost 71 of 72 completed matches; but by the mid-2000s Bangladesh were starting to show signs of promise. In the three-nation NatWest Series in 2005, they beat Australia at Cardiff and two years later enjoyed wins over India and South Africa in the 2007 World Cup. Bangladesh have now claimed victories in one-day cricket against all the top nations, although their Test record is poorer with just nine wins in 100 Tests. Two years ago in the World Cup, they beat and finished above England in their group to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to tomorrow’s opponents India. It is a big ask for the Tigers to overcome the sub-continent’s dominant nation and reach their first final, but the 224-run partnership between Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan in the five-wicket win over the Kiwis showed they have the players capable of producing an upset.
Paris crowd pays tribute to Manchester, London victims
(REUTERS)-Fans at the Stade de France paid tribute to the victims of the recent militant attacks in Manchester and London before a soccer friendly between France and England on Tuesday. The Oasis song “Don’t Look Back in Anger” rang out as the teams emerged from the tunnel, with fans
holding up red and white placards to form the England flag. The song, which was sung spontaneously in Manchester at a tribute to the victims of the attack in the northern English city last month, was performed by the musicians and choir of the French Army. The national anthems
were reversed. “La Marseillaise” was played before “God Save the Queen”, with the words of both displayed on giant screens to help fans sing along. The players from both teams then formed a circle at the centre of the pitch and a minute’s silence was observed before the game started.
The two attacks in as many weeks in Manchester and London killed 30 people. England fans sang along with the French anthem before a friendly at Wembley in November, 2015, just four days after a series of attacks by Islamist militants in and around the French capital.
Cristiano Ronaldo denies accusations of tax fraud in Spain By Emma Pinedo and Angus Berwick MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo denied yesterday ever hiding any income from the taxman or committing any tax fraud in Spain, after prosecutors filed a lawsuit accusing him of defrauding tax authorities of 14.7 million euros ($16.5 million). The prosecutor’s office said the Real Madrid forward had knowingly used a business structure created in 2010 to allegedly hide his image rights income in Spain between 2011 and 2014. This involved a “voluntary” failure to comply with his tax obligations in Spain, the statement from the office’s economic crimes section said. The four counts of tax fraud were based on a report from Spain’s tax agency, it said in a statement.
But as the financial crisis bit deeper, that exemption was lifted, paving the way for the cases. The prosecutor’s office alleges that Ronaldo had defrauded the tax authorities of 1.4 million euros in 2011, 1.7 million euros in 2012, 3.2 million euros in 2013 and 8.5 million euros in 2014. IMAGE RIGHTS The prosecutor said that after Ronaldo signed a contract to join Real Madrid in December 2008 he ceded his image rights to a company called Tollin Associates Ltd, domiciled in the British Virgin Islands and in which he was the only stakeholder. Tollin Associates then ceded his image rights to a company in Ireland called Multisports & Image Management Ltd which was responsible for managing them. Tollin Associates it-
Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Real Madrid during the Champions League final
Ronaldo denied the accusations through his representatives late yesterday. “There is no tax evasion scheme ... There has never been any hiding or any intention to hide anything,” Gestifute, the agency representing the player, said in a statement. Gestifute said it would publish documents to show the Portuguese player had not created such a structure and had instead used firms he had owned since his time at Manchester United that both British and Spanish of which tax authorities had been aware. The agency also said the case could relate to different interpretations between the British and Spanish tax systems over where to declare some revenues but would in any case not constitute fraud. Ronaldo, who led Real Madrid to their 12th European Cup earlier this month, is the latest in a long line of soccer players in Spain - among them Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Neymar - to be caught up in cases over tax or transfers. Between 2005 and 2010, foreign players in Spain were protected under the so-called ‘Beckham law’ allowing them to curb their taxes.
self had no business activity, the statement said. “Ceding image rights to (Tollin Associates) was completely unnecessary and its only purpose was to create a screen to conceal the totality of his image rights income from the Spanish tax authorities,” the statement said. The prosecutor’s office filed the lawsuit against Ronaldo yesterday to a court in the Madrid district of Pozuelo de Alarcon. Ronaldo finished the soccer season scoring two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final to become the tournament’s top scorer with a total of 12 goals. In May, Spain’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Messi and stood by a Catalan regional court’s 21-month prison sentence for defrauding authorities of 4.1 million euros on image rights. He is unlikely to go to prison as under Spanish law sentences less than two years can be served under probation. Spain’s High Court last month cleared Neymar of fraud but he still faces a corruption trial in Spain in connection with the value of his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona. He has denied wrongdoing.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
NRC squash courts renovation to be completed this week THE renovations being carried out at the squash courts at the National Racquet Centre (NRC) are expected to be completed by this weekend, even as Guyana Squash Association (GSA) vice-president David Fernandes shared his delight about preparations, ahead of Guyana’s hosting of the Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) from July 2 to 8. Over 100 players from across 6 countries will travel to Guyana next month to participate in the regional tournament. The hosting will mark a return of the annual tournament to Guyana’s shores after it was last held here in 2011. “Preparations have been coming along good. It’s always good when we can host an event like this in Guyana,” Fernandes commented. In preparation of hosting this major event the two major squash facilities in Guyana are both being upgraded so that Guyana can put on a good show. The overhaul of the NRC courts was funded under an agreement between the National Sports Commission, and the GSA, with the construction being under the strict supervision of the GSA. Works included adding an entire new section to the building so as to accommodate the installation of a seating area, with plastic seats being installed. The floors of both
Bibi thanks late JFF boss for a long, successful career
IT is not often that a professional footballer can look at the impact of a football administrator as one of the reasons for his success; so far removed are the two from direct interaction. Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner, formerly of Bolton Wanderers and Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, is one of the few who can, and he says the late Captain Horace Burrell, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president until the time of his passing last week, impacted his career in no uncertain terms. “It’s always sad to see someone pass away, especially someone you are close to and can reach out to any time,” said Gardner. “I think he (Burrell) played a very significant role
Gregory Messam, provided him with a start in the latter part of the team’s qualification campaign. The opportunities continued to come for the now 38-year-old Gardner, who has begun to give back to Jamaica’s football through coaching. “Recently, I was appointed national coach of the (Jamaica) Under-20 team, and he was part of that decision, and I want to thank him for that opportunity,” said Gardner. According to the soft-spoken Reggae-Boyturned-coach, Captain Burrell’s influence on his life will not end with his death. “It’s a stepping stone to where I want to go in the future, and I think that opporRicardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner - coach of Jamaica’s national Under-20 team
The floors of the squash courts before (top) and after the renovations
courts were also replaced after being in dire need of work. The renovations began sometime back in late March, and once these renovations are completed it will pave the way for renovation works to begin on the courts at the Georgetown Club, Guyana’s other major squash facility. ”The facility is being paint-
ed, but we’re waiting on the racquet centre to be finished first, before we could do the courts of the Georgetown Club, because we can’t have all the courts down at once,” explained Fernandes. “We have to just improve the lighting, look at some of the walls that need to be repaired and a bit of floor work,” Fer-
The seating section which has been added to the squash courts at the National Racquet Centre
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (WEDNESDAY MAY 24, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & the City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) MI & KKR (2) Karn Sharma (MI) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who were the finalists of IPL 2017? (2) How many runs Chris Gayle made in IPL 2017? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE
nandes said. Fernandes is also cheerful of the preparations from the players. Guyana will be hunting after their 13th consecutive team title. Guyana are also the defending champions of the Boys’ Team title. The country has a squad currently in training. “(Our players) they train every day except Sunday. We have in excess of 30 kids in the squad,” Fernandes relayed. As host, the country has the advantage of entering as many players as possible in the
individual categories and not having to name a team until after the completion of the individual component of the tournament. Directing Guyana through every win is team coach Carl Ince, who says one of the key components in Guyana’s continued success is not underestimating their main adversary – Barbados. “I would say our chances are 50/50, because Barbados are always right on our heels. We took the title from Barbados 12 years ago and ever since they have always been on us,” Ince pointed out. Ince says this year, as the squad trains, the focus is mostly on those players in the younger categories, particularly the Under-13. “That’s where we have to pay the most attention,” Ince noted. Being the last year for Taylor Fernandes much is expected, also of the older players. 17-year-old Ben Mekdeci will enter his first year in the Boys’ Under-19 category. Ince believes he is nonetheless well prepared for this new move up a category. Mekdeci is currently studying overseas, so he has been training away from the rest of the squad. However, according to Ince, from all reports things are looking good for the lad. “We’re not able to see what he’s doing but we’re told he’s doing well, and I happen to know the coach he has in America, and he’s very good,” Ince said.
in my life as a professional footballer,” said Gardner. “He was the one in charge of the JFF when I first played for Jamaica,” he added, pointing out that the exposure from being a Reggae Boy at the World Cup catapulted his career. Gardner had been turning out for local Premier League outfit Harbour View, and had only just finished playing as a schoolboy for Wolmer’s Boys School, when he was called to the national programme. Bibi would then play three eye-catching games for the Reggae Boyz at the World Cup in 1998 after an injury to original left back,
tunity and that experience did a lot for me,” he said. According to Gardner, decisions like making him a national coach were not easy to make, and that bravery made Captain a special man. “He was always positive, and what I can learn from Captain is that he was very brave, and he was always making choices and difficult decisions that will always help our football fraternity here in Jamaica,” said Gardner. “I just want to thank him for the great job he has done while he was here with us in the flesh, and we can only cherish it every day,” he added. (Sportsmax)
Foreign Ministry to host tapeball competition on Sunday
OVER $100 000 in cash, along with other prizes, will be up for grabs when the Foreign Sports Promotion hosts its Father’s Day knock-out tapeball cricket competition this Sunday at the National Cultural Centre tarmac from 09:00hrs. The first-place team will walk away with $75 000 cash and a trophy, compliments of the Minister of Social Protection. The players will also receive medals. The second-place team will collect $40 000 and a trophy as well. A bottle of Johnnie Walker and a bottle of Grey Goose will respectively go to the bowler with the most wickets and the batsman with the most runs. The competition is open to any team, with a registration fee of $10 000 per team. However, no national players will be allowed to take part in the competition. Closing date for registration will be this Friday, June 16. Interested persons can contact James Lewis on 6281656, 666-5857 or Brian of R&T Taxi Service.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Windies face crucial series-decider against Afghans GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) – Embattled West Indies face minnows Afghanistan in a crucial series-decider here tonight, needing a victory to avoid not only a devastating series defeat but also the embarrassment associated with losing to the ICC Associate side. What was supposed to be an easy assignment for the Windies to placate their absence from the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy in England, has gone horribly wrong, leaving the threematch series level at 1-1 with everything to play for in the final One-Day International at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground starting at 14:30hrs. The Caribbean side’s performances have not lived up to expectations, especially against an inexperi-
enced Afghanistan, who are a non-playing Test nation and who have spent most of their time scuffling with
ning 63-run defeat. Asked to chase a modest 213, they stumbled to 149 all out, undermined by the magic
Kesrick Williams has replaced Shannon Gabriel for the final ODI.
the likes of fellow minnows Zimbabwe and Ireland. Perhaps the statement of the series came in the opening ODI last Friday when Windies shockingly collapsed to a stun-
of 18-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan who took seven for 18 – the fourth best figures in one-day history. Windies hit back strongly through their bowling
in the second ODI to win by four wickets last Sunday. They shot the Afghans out for 135 with aggressive, short-pitched bowling but then laboured to reach their target, getting home in the 40th over, as Khan once again caused consternation with three for 26. Bowling coach Roddy Estwick yesterday urged his side to employ the same approach, pointing out that Afghanistan were susceptible to the short ball. “Go at them hard again, stick to your game plan, hit your line hard, make sure you get your field placing right,” Estwick said. “You’ve got to run in and bowl hard and stay aggressive all the way through because as you can see they are not very comfortable with the short ball
but you’ve got to earn that right to bowl short as well.” Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has been forced out of the contest after picking up a side strain in the second game, and has been replaced by Twenty20 specialist Kesrick Williams who was the leading bowler in the recent T20 series with eight wickets. However, it is the batting which West Indies will need to focus on heavily as not a single batsman has passed 50 in the series. Shai Hope, at number three, has been their most reliable player, top-scoring in both games with 35 and 48 not out. Jason Mohammad, so prolific against England and Pakistan earlier this year, has failed to fire with scores of two and seven while Test star Roston Chase, drafted
in to the one-day unit, has struggled with scores of zero and nine. In contrast, Afghanistan have managed two half-centuries - one from opener Javed Ahmadi in the opening game and the other from Gulbadin Naib in the second. There was more bad news for the Windies yesterday with the latest ODI rankings showing the Caribbean side had dropped two points to 77 as a result of their loss in the first ODI, seeing them slip further behind in the race to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup in England. And even with a win today, the Jason Holder-led side will earn just a single ratings point, meaning they would have ended the series worse off than when they started.
GCB/Hand-in-Hand Under-19 tourney
Demerara bowled out for 190; Anderson rescues Select Under-17 with century
THE final round of the Guyana Cricket Board/ Hand-in-Hand Under-19 Inter-county three-day tournament got off to a relatively prompt start yesterday, despite the current weather conditions. This competitive round saw the commencement of battles between defending champions Demerara and Berbice at Everest, and the National Select Under-17 and Essequibo at the Police Sports Club ground. At the Everest Cricket
Club ground, Demerara won the toss and elected to bat first, but only managed 190 runs off 90.3 overs. Ramnarine Chatura hit a solid 53 off 98 balls, with three fours and three sixes. West Indies youth selectees Bhaskar Yadram and Joshua Persaud made 39 and 17 respectively, while Riche Looknauth contributed 21 and Raymond Perez 17. Bowling for Berbice, left-arm spinner Keith Simpson grabbed 5 for 78 from 31 overs and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair took 5
for 32 from 38.3 overs. Berbice in reply reached 19 for 1 at the close from 13 overs, Kevin Sinclair and Adrian Sukwah unbeaten on 12 and 1 respectively. Veramootoo was dismissed by Bhaskar Yadram for 3. Over at the Police Sports Club ground at Eve Leary, the National Select Under-17 team attempted to capitalise on their option to bat first, but Essequibo had other plans as they sent back three of the Select Under-17 top-order wickets and held them at 45
Digicel Schools Football championship moves to Regions 3, 5 and 6
Part of the opening day action in this year’s Digicel Schools Football tournament. (Adrian Narine photo)
ACTION in the seventh edition of the Digicel Schools Football tournament now moves to Regions Three, Five and Six today, as teams set their sights on the $1M first place prize. In Region Five, Mahaicony Secondary will do battle with Belladrum Secondary at the Belladrum ground in West Berbice from 15:30hrs. Over at Burnham Park in New Amsterdam, Berbice High School will collide with Berbice Educational Institute at 15:30hrs.
Vreed-en-Hoop and Patentia will square off at L’Aventure ground from 15:30hrs. The tournament, which features 150 schools, representing the 10 administrative regions of Guyana, kicked off on Monday at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, where Essequibo Islands Secondary inflicted a 6-1 drubbing over Parika/ Salem Secondary. Meanwhile, the tournament will continue tomorrow with West Demerara Secondary versus L’Aventure Secondary at the
L’Aventure ground, Novar Secondary versus Berbice School of Excellence at the Belladrum ground and Canje Secondary will take on New Amsterdam Secondary at Burnham Park. All matches start at 15:30hrs. One million dollars will go the winning school for a project of their choice, while second through fourth will pocket $700 000, $400 000 and $350 000 respectively. However, the winners of each zone win $100 000 towards a school project. (Rawle Toney)
Kelon Anderson celebrates his century at the Police Sports Club ground.
for 3 after 33 overs at lunch. The Select Under-17, despite a slight recovery were soon 68 for 5 before Kevlon Anderson, batting at number five, and Pradesh Ballkishun batting at number seven gave Select Under-17s a sixth-wicket partnership of 77. Ballkishun was soon caught at long off by Quentin Sampson off Mahendra Persaud for 24. Kevlon Anderson continued to lead the Select Under-17 batting lineup, bringing up his century off 287 balls, with 13 boundaries. Ander-
son finished the day’s play on an unbeaten 101 that rallied the National Select Under-17 to 167 for 6 from 107 overs. Essequibo’s bowlers have so far combined to produce a good team effort, with Mahendra Persaud taking two wickets, while receiving valuable support from Joshua Jones, Sheldon Charles, Lesley Allen and Joel Fortune, all with wicket apiece. The matches continue today, with play on the second day at both the Everest and Police grounds starting at 10:00hrs.
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Warriors ride Durant to beat Cavaliers and clinch NBA title See Page 32
Golden State Warriors players and coaches celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Second Race of Champions set for July 2 at South Dakota By Stephan Sookram
Street and Sport Tuner class will have three races in round two of the National Race of Champions. (Rohindra Mahase photo) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208
MOTOR racers of both cars and bikes are gearing for the second instalment of the National Race of Champions, billed for July 2 at the South Dakota Circuit Timehri, The event, under the auspices of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) will feature 22 events on race day with qualifying expected to take place on Saturday. According to the president of the GMR&SC, Rameez Mohamed, several of the country’s big names are expected on race day, having missed the first leg of the event in March. “We’ve already got confirmation of at least three big-name racers who will return for the second instalment of the Race of Champions. We don’t want to
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