Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 15 05 2017

SEE INSIDE

No. 104913

MONDAY MAY 15, 2017

Cocaine worth $550M found in lumber Page 3

Price: $80

Wanted: Naraine Lall

(VAT Inclusive)

Wanted: Stephen Vieira

Wanted: Tazim Gafoor

––three including sawmill operator and popular motorcyclist wanted by police

Some of the boards being drilled and a quantity of the cocaine found by ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Friday (CANU photo)

Mother’s Caribbean’s rich Bicycle bandit Day moms talent rewarded robs, rapes medical student celebrated Page 5

Page 16

–– at ninth Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence

Page 3

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

Repairs to Kitty Market resume this week

By Telesha Ramnarine

THE vendors of Kitty Market who were displaced to facilitate repair works there are likely to return inside shortly, City Engineer Colvern Venture said on Sunday.

Venture had announced at last week’s statutory meeting that the repair work will resume this week.

In an invited comment, he said works are likely to restart by Tuesday.

According to him, focus is being placed on completing the section of the market that will see the vendors now selling on the roadsides, returning inside.

“We want to finish this section so they can now vend in a much safer manner,” he said, pointing out that about 75 per cent of the work on this part of the market has been completed.

Venture said repairs are still to be done on the plumbing and electrical aspects of the structure, together with some concrete work on the floor that they intend to raise.

Officer,Debra Lewis had said that the market could not be completed for 2016 because the municipality was cash-strapped.

“We are working as the finances come to the municipality and we are not getting a grant to do this project; it is merely the rates collected that are being used.”

Town Clerk Royston King had confidently said last year that the market would have had a November 1 opening, just in time for the Christmas season.

At that time, only 65 per cent of the works had been completed.

only at Kitty, but wherever we have municipal buildings, we intend to make space available for councillors working with their local communities,” the town clerk had said.

According to him, there will be a decentralisation of Council’s work, as the market will take into account the needs of communities between Cummings Lodge and Kitty. The upper flat of the market is being re-modelled to include a rates and taxes office, as well as a municipal clinic.

“People from Cummings Lodge to Kitty don’t have

Vendors of Kitty Market who were displaced to facilitate repair works there are likely to return inside shortly Asked if the stallholders would be required to pay an increase in rent, Venture said: “I would expect that the stall rental would be increased because we spent a lot of money on the market.

But I am not the person to pronounce on that; maybe the full Council will decide.”

The City Council had set countless deadlines for the re-opening of the market; before the end of this year’s first quarter being the last such.

The renovation of the market, which is also a historical site, was often put on hold due to financial constraints of the City Council.

Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Public Relations

MANY APPLICATIONS The M&CC has received more than 170 applications from citizens who wish to occupy new stalls in the market, the ground floor of which is costing the Council roughly $35M. The market, which has great historical significance and bears much pride for the Kitty community, is to feature a traditional health centre, an office for the payment of rates and taxes, and space for the community’s councillors.

“We are also contemplating putting some space for the councillors’ office at the market; and this is not

to come all the way to City Hall to pay their rates and taxes. We are aiming to re-introduce the system that was in place many years ago,” Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen had told the Chronicle.

The Kitty Market was established in 1882, two years after the Bourda Market had come into being. Like the Bourda Market, Kitty Market is timber-framed. The 19th century structure had suffered massive deterioration over the years prior to its renovation, causing vendors operating in its environs to lodge numerous complaints with the City Council.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

Cocaine worth $550M found in lumber –– three,including sawmill operator, popular motorcyclist wanted for questioning

RANKS of Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Friday discovered some 84.986 kilograms of cocaine worth in excess of $550M in dressed lumber boards prepared for export to the USA. According to a release, CANU ranks made the discovery after conducting a search at the parapet in front of the premises of one Akeem

Mohamed of 227 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo.

They searched a truck laden with several pallets of 1x6 dressed lumber boards. After several boards were drilled randomly, a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine was found.

“The truck, its driver and porters were escorted to CANU Headquarters where a detailed search of the car-

go was completed. The said search revealed cocaine found in random boards scattered among genuine boards in each pallet, each of the compromised boards had a dug-out cavity with vacuum sealed plastic packets containing cocaine pasted therein. Discovered was a total of 84.986 kilograms of cocaine, equalling a landed US street value in excess of 550 million Guy-

ana dollars,” the release said.

CANU said investigations have so far revealed that the truck was hired to pick up and transport the lumber from Naraine Lall’s sawmill at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo to the wharf at Georgetown.

“At this time, all porters and the truck driver are still in custody assisting in investigations that revealed a well-

planned web of participants,” the anti-narcotics agency said.

It noted that popular racing car driver Nazim Gafoor is also in custody pending investigation and popular motorcyclist Stephen Vieira is listed on shipping documents as the representative of Naraine Lall, the shipper.

“Naraine Lall based on investigations thus far is

allegedly out of the jurisdiction as revealed by checks at his home for him. Searches thus far for Stephen Vieira have proven futile, and as a result, CANU will seek wanted bulletins for the following persons: Naraine Lall, Stephen Vieira and Tazim Gafoor,to be able to complete its investigations.

No charges have yet been filed,” the release concluded

Caribbean’s rich talent rewarded –– at ninth Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence

By Alva Solomon A CALL was made on Saturday evening for the Caribbean’s rich talent and expertise across various sectors to be cherished and promoted, when the 2017 laureates of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the Region.

The laureates this year -- the ninth instalment -- are Guyanese sculptor Winslow Craig, who was awarded in the Arts and Letters category; Trinidadian musical composer, Kwame Ryan (Arts and Letters); Grenadian entrepreneur, Shadel Nyack Compton (Entrepreneurship); and Guyanese lawyer and regional educator, Dr Christopher Arif Bulkan, whose award fell into the Public and Civic Contributions category.

They were awarded at a

lavish ceremony at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown.

Chairman of the Regional Eminent Persons Panel, Sir Shridath Ramphal and Norman Sabga, son of the late Anthony N Sabga, presented the awards to the laureates.

The former patron passed away recently after a period of illness.

Speaking to an audience which included President David Granger, Ministers of Government and members of the diplomatic corps, Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, a 2010 laureate, told the gathering that he has benefitted immensely from the countless opportunities which came his way.

He said he looked for solutions to many issues, by using the guidance he has achieved from his See page 8

Awardees of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Award Ceremony for Excellence following the ceremony at the Marriot Hotel on Saturday evening. From left are Guyanese Winslow Craig, Trinidadian musician Kwame Ryan, Grenadian entrepreneur Shadel Nyack Compton and Guyanese rights activist, Dr Christopher Arif Bulkan

President David Granger (fourth from left), sits alongside Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland and Sir Shridath Ramphal at the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Award Ceremony for Excellence held at the Marriott (Delano Williams photos)

President David Granger, centre, stands alongside the awardees of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Award Ceremony for Excellence at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday night. Also in the picture are Sir Shridath Ramphal, who chairs the selection panel (third from left), and Chairman and Chief Executive of the ANSA McAL Group Norman Sabga (third from right)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Miss India Guyana delegates visit Mrs Nagamootoo

Delegates of the Miss India Guyana Pageant meeting with wife of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo on Friday at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence (Adrian Narine photo)

The delegates share a moment with Mrs. Nagamootoo after being told to be more than just beautiful. They were told to be professionals and not just strive to be beautiful (Adrian Narine photo)

Monday, May 15, 2017 - 05:00 hrs Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 08:30 hrs Wednesday, May 17, 2017 - 09:00 hrs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Mother’s Day moms celebrated PUBLIC Health Minister Volda Lawrence on Sunday morning paid a visit to the Maternity Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital where she presented hampers to mothers in the post-natal ward.

The visit, which commenced around 10:00 hrs, saw the minister first wishing the mothers a “Happy Mother’s Day,” congratulating them on their safe deliveries, and occasionally entertaining brief, cordial one-on-one exchanges with them as she walked around the ward.

Minister Lawrence was accompanied by Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allan Johnson; Chairperson Kesaundra Alves; acting Matron Keith Alonzo; Senior Departmental Supervisor, Michelle Wade;

Senior Maternal Supervisor, Denise Marks; and Junior Departmental Supervisor, Glenda Mc Alister, among others.

Also joining mothers in celebrating the day and the privilege of being blessed with healthy babies were representatives of Ansa Mc Al and Toucan Industries.

Ten of the hampers received were presented by Ansa Mc Al; five by Toucan Industries and some 20 by the Public Health Ministry.

Special recognition: Meanwhile, three mothers were specially recognised for giving birth to their babies on Mother’s Day. They are Fabianna Domingo, who gave birth to a bouncing 3Kg 300 baby, the first of two boys delivered on Mother’s Day, and Taffarel Spencer,

other patient, who at the time of the distribution of hampers was still in the labour room.

These goodwill tokens of support and appreciation are in keeping with sentiments expressed to

mothers on Mother’s Day, when it is expected that universally, we honour, show love and appreciation for hard work and sacrifice they make for their families.

Ansa Mc Al’s Tami Ramsay delivers a hamper to Tafarrel Spencer on Mother’s Day at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) (Eclipse Digital photo) who also gave birth to a bouncing 3Kg 380g boy as well, with the third being Fiona George. She gave birth to the lone girl, weighing

2Kg 900g.

There was also a gift for nurse Tatiana Bhogedat, who was presented with her baby shortly before midnight on February 13 and one for an-

Staff of Ansa Mc Al pose with Mother’s Day mom Fabianna Domingo (Eclipse Digital photo)

U.S. lawmakers ask Trump to turn over any Comey tapes

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence (at centre) with nurses of the Maternity Unit while on visit to the ward on Sunday (Eclipse Digital photo)

Minister Lawrence fondly greets the mother of a new born at the Ante Natal Ward of the GPHC yesterday (Eclipse Digital photo)

U.S. lawmakers on Sunday called on President Donald Trump to turn over any tapes of conversations with fired FBI chief James Comey, potentially setting up a showdown with the White House as Democrats considered a boycott of the vote on Comey’s replacement.

In a highly unusual move, Trump last week appeared to suggest on Twitter that he might have tapes of conversations with Comey and warned the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation against talking to the media.

Trump and a White House spokesman declined to confirm or deny whether such tapes exist.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the White House must “clear the air” about whether there are any taped conversations.

“You can’t be cute about tapes. If there are any tapes of this conversation, they need to be turned over,” Graham told NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme.

Trump sparked a political firestorm when he abruptly fired Comey last week. The FBI has been investigating alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

Democrats have accused Trump of attempting to thwart the FBI’s probe and have called for some type of independent inquiry into the matter.

Trump has said he removed Comey because he was not doing a good job and that Comey had lost the support of FBI employees.

Trump tweeted on Friday that “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!”

If there are recordings, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah told the “Fox News Sunday” programme it was “inevitable” that they would be subpoenaed and the White House would have to release them.

Lee, who was on Trump’s list of potential replacements for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, also said recording conversations in the White House is “not necessarily the best idea.”

‘SIGH OF RELIEF’ Trump’s threat about tapes has intensified calls from Democrats for an independent probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump must immediately

provide Congress with any tapes and warned that destroying existing tapes would violate the law.

Schumer also said Senate Democrats are weighing whether to refuse to vote on a new FBI director until a special prosecutor is named to investigate Trump’s potential ties to Russia.

Russia has denied the claims and the White House says there was no collusion.

“To have that special prosecutor, people would breathe a sigh of relief because then there would be a real independent person overlooking the FBI director,” Schumer told CNN’s “State of the Union” programme.

Trump, who has sought better relations with Russia, has continued to question whether it was behind the hacking of email accounts belonging to Democrats involved in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme there is no question that “the Russians were playing around in our electoral processes.”

He defended Trump’s decision to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office last week. (Reuters)

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Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Sexual abuse in Guyana THE issue of sex is still somewhat of a taboo subject in Guyana and rarely one would find parents discussing the “birds and the bees” with their children. As such, children and adolescent teenagers are left to figure out and explore on their own what sex is.

It is not surprising therefore why we have numerous cases of unreported sexual abuse; most incidents occur in the family, so the abuse is either buried deep or parents/ guardians refuse to believe the victim. Many parents do not want their child labelled as a survivor of sexual abuse and make the decision to deal with it privately, rather than involve law enforcement. When that decision is made, most often the abuser is emboldened to repeat the behaviour while he or she unfortunately remains anonymous.

In this regard, the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) has a huge challenge in reaching out to victims, given the fact that its Director, Ann Greene, had admitted that there aren’t enough officers in each region.

We’ve all heard and read the horror stories of children being raped or touched inappropriately either by their fathers, close relatives or a family friend and most of these victims are girls, but a recent report in the media quoted the CPA Director as saying that sexual molestation of young boys is on the increase. According to the report, between January

and February this year, the Ministry of Social Protection had received 17 reports of boys being sexually abused.

In 2016, the ministry received a total of 118 reported cases of boys being molested and according to the statistics, the majority of boys suffering from abuse in all of its forms, are between the ages of eight and 13. According to the January and February figures, a total of 130 boys who fell within this age range, were abused in some way or the other. The statistics further revealed that 85 of these boys were abused during the tender age of three years old. The director had indicated that these figures represent a fraction of the trauma being faced by Guyana’s children.

As such, we believe that the task of addressing sexual abuse in a holistic manner should not rest solely on the shoulders of the CPA; it requires the collaborative effort of all stakeholders, including the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the religious community. An aggressive sensitisation campaign on sexual abuse is needed if the issue is to be tackled effectively; visits to various schools, especially in the hinterland areas, are a must.

It should not be ignored that parents play an important role in this regard and evidence shows that they are often the first to identify signs that something is seriously wrong with their child, but with the evolution of technology, mo-

bile phones, social media and apps have become a major connection between children and abusers.

The role of parents in safeguarding is much harder, because of the difficulties of controlling these media, which are used by sexual abusers to coerce, manipulate, threaten, control, flatter and entice children. As such, we believe that as a society, we should help parents and guardians understand their responsibility to teach their children how to protect themselves from predators.

Parents need to recognise that the responsibility to impart this critical information belongs only to them and no one else. Other appropriate adults can reinforce, remind, and be supportive of the parental process, but the responsibility rests with the parents.

MP Gill won’t stop me

Dear Editor,

I WOULD like to inform MP Gill that his attack on me won’t stop me from representing the cause of the people as an elected regional representative. I will continue to write and highlight things that the PPP is doing to hamper development within Region Five.

In yesterday’s (May 14th, 2017) edition of Kaietuer News, Gill wrote an article in the letter column quoting Abraham Lincoln to prove a regional councillor is a fool.

I don’t know that speaking the truth makes me anyone’s fool. What I know is according to that said article, it proves who is the real fool.

Under the PPP no one could have written an article or opened their mouths and say the truth against that government. They would have been shut up or who knows what would have happened.

Remember the young man that was speaking out against the former AG, what happen to him for speaking the truth?

Under which government did it happen? So please seek more quotes that will not fall back on your head, as the way that article headline seems to fall on you.

I never attacked you personally Mr Gill, as was mentioned in that article. Read all of my letters for the past few months and read carefully, hope you will understand what was written. In my articles, I clearly highlight what the PPP people have been doing here in Region Five. I never attacked, but you seem to be doing your usual thing of attacking people personally.

I would clearly like to say to you: no one has to encourage me to write any article. I do that of my own free will.

I do not have to get approval from anyone to write articles, so stop misinforming the

public. You seem to be bitter with something, so you are now calling names of people in your articles.

Unlike some who need to get approval from their leaders before they can write an article, I don’t have to, it’s a democratic Guyana. In fact, some were brought here to write articles for the PPP and became MPs because of the false information in the articles that makes the PPP look good.

The chairman is not the head of the regional administration, the REO runs the region. The chairman is like a news carrier and the political head of the region.

All he has to do on a daily basis is sit in his office, take residents complaints and pass that information to the relevant authority (REO) to be addressed at the subject level\agency. So no employee of the region or anyone working with the government for other agencies and based

in the region has to report in any way to the chairman on a daily basis.

Read the local government laws\act. Under the PPP government, the regional chairmen were seen as the man of the day. They were above the REOs and would demand what they want.

Sorry, I think those days are over.

I don’t know if you really know the REO Mr Ovid Morrison, because you would have not lied in your article.

Any person, be it RDC councillors, RDC employees, visitors, other agencies based in the region or the guards that are in that compound cannot do any form of abuse or cuss down once in that compound.

So please stop lying and get the facts right as to what is happening at the RDC compound on a daily basis.

Mr Gill, maybe your informants are telling you lies or maybe you just want to degrade everyone that says

the truth. You can say anything you want about me, it will not upset me, but I will deal with issues that will better the lives of our people. I won’t waste my time replying to hearsay and won’t kneel to the cuss down that you are into. I won’t stoop that low; in fact, my last letter really speaks volumes when I said, you do what you like best. That is degrading and cussing down people. Please re-read it.

I am happy that my last article brought out the truth in you and hope you will continue to be truthful. You have solely admitted in your article that you do not visit villages in Region Five, but people visit your office.

Well, it now shows the public that when you say that works are being done for one set of people in Region Five is far from the truth.

You admitted that people from Bath Settlement to Ithaca visit your office. So it

clearly shows that you don’t visit those areas to see what is happening. But let me remind you that Bath to Ithaca are not the only villages in Region Five, there are lots of others. Those villages fall under four NDCs alone; what happens to the other NDCs that have tens of villages under their watch?

Mr Gill, I said before and will repeat: I will reply to your articles in the future,only if you deal with the issues I am speaking about. By writing things about me, it doesn’t bother me. Please restudy the quote of Abraham Lincoln because it seems that the cap just fits you Sir. And please remember the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down.”

Regards Abel Seetaram APNU+AFC Regional Councillor Region Five Tel: 684-3293

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Ecological study needed Dear Editor,

BEFORE Crab Island is offered up for industrial usage, it is imperative that an in-depth ecological study is done to better understand the impact on the environment. The creation of a catalogue of rare and endangered species on the island will provide clarity into whether the island should be allowed to be industrialised at all. We must remain conscious of our Green Strategy and the message it sends to potential tourists. Thus keeping the environment at the forefront of our decisions continues to be important and should not be forsaken for riches in the oil industry.

A clear outline of what

prerequisites are required to obtain permission from the government, such as a review of the by-products that will be produced as waste materials and a thorough review of the hazardous material content of the products being used should be done.

How those waste materials are to be disposed of without negatively impacting the environment is also crucial to outline, especially given the poor track record of spills we have seen thus far, due to the blatant disregard for the long-term impact on our environment by foreign companies.

This is our land and we will always have to deal with the consequences of any further environmental damage during our expansion of the economy.

The ministries must be equipped with the training and tools that will strengthen their ability to manage and control industrial investors and how they treat our homeland. It is good to see that we are gaining foreign investors’ interest, but we must overcome this excitement and remain prudent and logical in our long-term decision-making.

Remember investors come in all sorts, both good and bad. Let’s seek out only the good ones and ensure they can meet the high standards we must set to protect our country’s longevity and prosperity.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee and those concerned

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

Traffic light murder trial ...

Ragghu died from ‘perforation of the lung’

By Michel Outridge

GOVERNMENT Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, testifying on Friday in the murder trial of Travis McDougall, gave as the cause of death of the victim a perforated lung due to a gunshot.

McDougall is alleged to have shot and killed Kitty businessman Ashokkoemar Ragghu, and injured the latter’s wife, Shyrazadi, on August 18, 2014, during the furtherance of a robbery at around 13:30hrs at the traffic lights at the junction of Regent Street and Vlissengen Road, in the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens.

The case saw a voir dire (a trial within a trial) for the most part of Friday to determine the admissibility of evidence into trial. The matter is being heard in the Georgetown High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury.

On Thursday, state witness Dort Bess told the court that he had witnessed the incident in which the Ragghus were robbed and the husband killed on August 18, 2014, at the Vlissengen Road traffic lights.

Bess, an employee of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), recalled that on the

–– says government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh

day in question, he was proceeding south on Vlissengen Road and had stopped at the junction to obey the traffic lights when his attention was caught by what sounded like raised voices.

Bess said he noticed a car in front of him, and after seeing someone pointing a gun at the driver, he instinctively pulled back in his car seat.

A SCUFFLE He recalled that there was a scuffle between the driver and the gunman, after which he heard an explosion. At that stage, he said, the gunman reached into the vehicle and took out something.

He also recalled hearing the woman who was seated next to the driver in the said car screaming, followed by another explosion.

Bess said that after the explosions, he saw someone with a bag in his hand run from the car to a motorcycle parked a short distance away and shout to the rider who was waiting astride it to get them out of there.

He said that after the thieving pair had left on the motorcycle, he exited his vehicle to see what assistance he could render the occupants of

what was going on inside of the car.

ON TRIAL: Travis McDougall the car in front of him.

He told the court that on reaching the vehicle and seeing the driver in an unresponsive state, he asked passersby to help him take the man to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

He said when the police arrived on the scene, he escorted them and the injured couple to the GPHC, where he would later give a statement at the police outpost.

The witness testified that he was about four to five feet away from the car in front of him and that throughout the ordeal, his focus was on

THIN-BONED MALE Bess said that while he did not see where the motorcycle came from, he distinctly remembers seeing the shooter, whom he described as a thin-boned male, run back to the bike where he joined the medium-built rider astride of it.

Also taking the stand on Thursday was police witness, Detective Sergeant Junior Blair, the officer-in-charge of the CID headquarters’ Forensic Video Analyst Unit CCTV Monitoring Room. His appearance was deemed necessary because on

Wednesday, the trial judge ordered the prosecution to make every effort to produce video evidence to the court of the murder/robbery which took place on August 18, 2014.

Blair, however, told the court that he was unable to retrieve any footage of the incident, because the CCTV system cannot facilitate the storage of information after eight months, as it lacks the capability to do so.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Nigel Hughes, Blair told the court that while images cannot be printed at the location, video footage can be extracted, using a disk. He, however, said that as far as he knew, no

request for video footage of the incident was ever made.

Two other police witnesses testified on Thursday, after which Detective Superintendent Michael Kingston took the stand, where he said the accused, Travis Mc Dougall, elected him to write the statement he made at the CID office at Brickdam Police Station in the presence of another policeman.

It was during Kingston’s testimony that defence counsel objected and a voir dire was called to facilitate the admissibility of evidence in the trial.

The trial will continue today at 09:00hrs.

Caribbean’s rich talent ...

From page 3

parents.

Allicock said the award caused him to be able to meet on many occasions with persons who possess the willingness to provide support to ideas, to create opportunities, including job opportunities.

According to the Indig-

Guyanese master sculptor Winslow Craig receives his award in the Arts and Letters category of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards Ceremony for Excellence from Chairman and Chief Executive of the ANSA McAL Group, Norman Sabga enous People’s Affairs Min- of detection,” Sir Shridath ister, the award provided him said, noting that the panel an opportunity for exposure will continue to search for here and overseas “in a way those who exemplify the that gave me the encourage- characteristics for being ment to keep working towards awarded. the identity of our indigenous He also paid tribute to the people, our Guyanese nation late Sabga. and even to join hands with This year’s ceremony was our Caribbean brothers and the first to be held outside of sisters.”

Trinidad and Tobago, the base He said the rich talents of the ANSA McAl group. in the Region should be pre- The awards were initiated in served and promoted. Like 2005 in the twin island repubmany others who spoke, Al- lic, and to date, 31 exceptional licock paid tribute to the late individuals have been recAnthony Sabga, noting that ognised by the award panel. the businessman made it posAccording to the organsible for him to achieve much iser, one of the main reasons of his accomplishments, per- for the event being hosted in sonally and professionally.

Georgetown lies in the recSir Shridath, who spoke ognition that nine Guyanese of the awards, noted that they have been the recipients of serves the entire Region. the awards.

The awards have recIn addition, it was noted ognised some of the outstand- that another reason for the ing talents in the Region. hosting lies in the regional “If in any year we fail to group having significant identify in any category, the business interests in the fault is within the system Land of Many Waters.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

First Lady joins ‘Celebration of Mothers’ tea party

FIRST Lady Sandra Granger Sunday afternoon joined with Food for The Poor (Guyana) Incorporated for its first fund-raising tea party.

The event, titled ‘Celebration of Mothers -She’s my cup of tea’, was held in the Promenade Gardens, Georgetown.

The First Lady said she was pleased that the charity invited her to be the patron of an event that recognises mothers.

“On this Mother’s Day, I would like to take the opportunity to salute all those who have nurtured and guided and inspired generations of younger ones. Here I speak not only of the biological mothers, but other wom-

en and men, who have been and continue to be positive forces in the lives of the children, who are given into their care,” Mrs Granger said.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Food for The Poor, Kent Vincent, said in its over 25-year presence in Guyana, the charity has widened its scope from the distribution of food and personal-care hampers to home-construction projects, the provision of furniture for schools and the spearheading of several sustainable livelihood projects, such as livestock and chicken-rearing projects.

The charity also operates an Angel of Hope project, which provides

for 12 children’s homes and a Meals on Wheels project, which provides daily meals for schoolchildren.

The event opened with a glowing rendition of “Footprints in the Sand,” sung by Ms Leanna Allen.

This performance was soon followed by a solo dance by Ms Atalia Bookie to international singer Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” a solo saxophone rendition of “Always on My Mind”

by Mr Roy Stewart and the recital of poem “Masterpiece” by Ms Jemima Holmes, a member of the K Slowe Talent Group, all of which set a warm tone to the programme and were greeted with loud

Bedfordshire ‘U’ looking to partner with ‘Nations’ NATIONS University has engaged the University of Bedfordshire on ways in which the two institutions can partner to offer courses locally.

According to ‘Nations,’ a team of five persons from the University of Bedfordshire, including Professors of Education,

the introduction of Masters Programmes in Education, Law, Public Health, Communications, Art & Design, Journalism, Environmental Management, and Theatre Arts.

The University of Bedfordshire is a public university with campuses in Bed-

Officials of both universities share a light moment after their discussion Communications and Theatre Arts, met with staff of theirs to discuss collaboration.

A major aspect of the discussion, the university says, was the MBA programme that ‘Nations’ hopes to introduce here shortly.

The programme at reference will include a generic MBA, and specialisations in the areas of Marketing, Human Resource Development, Health Management and Oil and Gas. Discussions were also held regarding

fordshire and Buckinghamshire, England.

According to its webpage, it has 14,400 students, including approximately 4,500 international students.

The university entered the Research Assessment Exercise in 2008, and achieved a GPA of 2.087 with 34.7% world-leading or internationally excellent. The top units of assessment were in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Social Work, Social Policy and Administration and English Language and Literature.

First Lady Mrs Sandra Granger presents 84-year-old Ms Elaine Bettencourt with the prize for being the mother with the most children at the event. Ms Bettencourt gave birth to 17 children, three of whom are deceased applause.

The event also featured a children’s fashion display, which charmed the audience and several adult fashion displays, with models from Storm Talent Agency.

Many of the patrons

also visited several booths that had been erected on the grounds, including Ms Juliana Hughes’s Jah Works, which featured handmade beaded jewellery; Ms Paulette Mohan’s Women of Faith booth,

which had painted kitchen towels and other items, and the Mahaica Women’s Group, which had organic, locally made scented candles and other items for sale. (Ministry of the Presidency)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

Understanding Children

T

HE first thing adults should understand about children is that they really do not belong to their parents, well at least not in the same way that one would own a pair of shoes, a nice car or a house.

Children are their own individual persons. Because they were brought into this world by their parents, those parents have a moral responsibility and duty towards them, but they are not solely theirs to do with whatsoever they may choose.

Children need the freedom to investigate, discover, explore and to be themselves, all this and more under the guidance and protection and with the positive inputs of parents. Parents who find the right balance in monitoring and supporting a child’s natural development while guiding and nurturing the child, do a great job.

Each child has his own mind, his own character, his good and ‘not-so- good’ ways,his own natural talents (or gifts) and his own personality. When parents understand that in each child there is a little ‘person’ who needs the correct nurturing in order to bloom, they can support their child with encouraging words, gestures of love, and by paying their child attention. When children feel security and love from their parents, they blossom and progress naturally.

In turn, parents will learn more about their child as their child learns about the world. It is worth noting that the dynamics of this relationship is subject to change as the child enters different stages of growth.

The society we live in very seldom gives parents the flexibility to allow their child enough time and space to be themselves: to grow and learn in their own unique way, while being subtly guided by their parents. Children do not

often get the opportunity to shine to their truest potential, unless they have parents who can manage to invest in their child’s ‘childhood experiences’ and put their child’s development on their list of priorities.

How a child perceives and learns about the world around him/her has a lot to do with the type of environment that parents provide for their child: And the environment stems from the mind-set of the parents. It doesn’t matter how poor a family may be or where they live, so long as they have love to share with their child and they are able to provide the basic necessities, food, clothes, hygiene, safety, shelter and love. Love and affection is an essential factor for childhood development in every environment.

Parents may have the nicest of things for their child and live in a big house in an affluent neighbourhood, but they could still fail to understand their child’s needs or give him/her the love, patience and attention that he/she needs.

This is easily done in today’s society, where everyone feels compelled to keep up with the fast- moving pace of life and where social media is a constant (and in some cases even welcomed) distraction.

To get the best out of children, you must be prepared to put in time and effort, regardless of the age of the child. Children of all ages always need guidance, love, encouragement and dependable adults in their lives.

Adults they can emulate and/ or adults, who can inspire them into becoming balanced, well-rounded, accomplished citizens of Guyana.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or email childcaregy@gmail. com A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Fort Island FORT Island, formerly known as Flag Island, located some 16 kilometres from the mouth of the Essequibo River, was once the capital of the colonies of Essequibo and Demerara during the 16th and 17th centuries.

During its early occupation by the Dutch, the island was known as Flag Island because of a large flag that was flown there as a guide for ships.

The mighty flag is no longer in existence today.

According to the Guyana National Trust, during the 17th century Essequibo blossomed from a trading post to a colony and planters began to migrate to the mouth of the Essequibo River.

As such, a centre of government and defence was built to oversee effective governance and to protect the Dutch interest in the Essequibo.

Fort Zeelandia, built in 1744 and the Court of Policy built eight years after, now a Dutch Heritage Museum and the only of its kind in Guyana, still stand today.

And today, the sparsely populated island about three square miles in length and a mile in width, is far from the busy trading post it was in its early colonial days.

The island is better remembered for these two important historical sites. In the

early days, the Court of Policy building served as a church, Court House and venture office.

The brick building is in good shape, due to extensive renovations 17 years ago, and is reputedly the oldest non-military structure in Guyana.

At its peak, the island was the seat of government for the colonies of Essequibo and Demerara, but as time went by, it was overgrown and a new capital was desired.

No longer the centre of government, the Court of Policy fell into disrepair and after years of neglect, the building in 2000 was restored by the Guyana National Trust.

Extensive works were

done to the roof, windows, doors and other infrastructural works to enhance visitors’ experience.

The museum is frequented by locals on weekends and foreigners mostly during the August vacation period.

BOTTLES Inside the museum, old Dutch and English bottles and jars of varying sizes and shapes can be found, as well as early maps of Guyana.

Bottles were reportedly a part of everyday life in the colony of Essequibo. In 1782, Dutch ship, ‘Pieter Elias,’ on its way to the shores of Berbice was seized by British soldiers.

Records indicate that

The Court of Policy, now a Dutch Heritage Museum

The entrance to Fort Zeelandia, one of two historical sites on Fort Island

Fort Zeelandia: The brick fort that was built to defend the interests of the Dutch West India Company against European rivals

among the loot plundered included 8,141 bottles of red and white wines; 773 bottles of gin and brandy; 76 caskets of beer; 432 jugs of oil and vinegar; 21 jugs of fruits; and 21 chests of prepared medicines.

When the bottles were discarded, they became oddments of the early Dutch and British era in Guyana, and according to one pamphlet, the old bottles in Guyana are mainly from Britain, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Also in the museum is a broken African jar believed to be over 300 years old and the tomes of Commander and

Court member Johames Backer; Laurens Backer, merely a year old; and Michael Roth, a doctor for the British West India Company, who died in the Essequibo River.

They were all members of the early Dutch colony.

At the gate of Fort Island, a glance north and Fort Zeelandia appears.

According to a document at the Court of Policy, the existence of the fort can be traced as early as 1679, when Dutch commander Albert Beekman articulated the need for one on the island.

The beautiful entrance leading to the Court of Policy

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Nowhere to play and water troubles -- Fort Island residents appeal for community ground and well WITH the absence of an entertainment spot on Fort Island, residents are calling on the Government to establish a public recreation centre there to keep them fit and meaningfully occupied.

According to residents, quite a while ago, the Court of Policy compound was used as a recreation spot, but when the building was renovated, residents were barred from playing in the compound.

Since then, they told the Guyana Chronicle that they

they have nowhere to play.

Fort Island is a small island, and in front which is high, is a residential area.

Lands behind the island are privately owned but are low.

Residents are urging the Government to purchase a parcel of the lands aback the island, empolder it, and convert it into a ground for the community.

This, they say, will be a big boost in terms of developing sporting talents on the islands which are stifled due to the absence of a sport or

tainment centres to keep the residents meaningfully occupied, they do not engage in illegal activities.

The vast majority of residents of the island are East Indians.

Crime, including domestic violence, is non-existent on Fort Island and according to residents, only now and then “some people does drink and buse up one another when dem buy their rum at Parika.”

SECONDARY SCHOOL Aside from the need

The deteriorating stelling at Fort Island

have had to deal with a lot of stored energy which they are restless to release in a cricket or football match, but

community facility.

Fort Island is a unique place. Despite the absence of recreational and enter-

for a community ground, the residents are calling on government to consider

The building that houses nursery and primary school students at Fort Island

building a secondary school and dormitory, either at Morashee, Bonasika Creek, Aliki, Lanaballi or Hogg Island.

These areas are closer to the island.

The closest secondary school they say is at Parika, and the closest secondary school with dormitory is the Anna Regina Multilateral School on the Essequibo Coast.

On completion of primary school, many pupils whose parents cannot afford to send them to secondary school at Parika or have a relative there to provide boarding, drop out of school and take up careers in fishing.

Quite a few who dropped

Fort Island Construction work started on a timber fort and was slated to be completed in September 1681, but it was never finished to serve its purpose.

In 1710, Commander Peter Van der Heyden Rusen started a petition for a brick fort to replace the unfinished one made of timber, but the petition caused some amount of conflict between the commander and the planters on the island.

As a result, the plan for the new fort was stalled. However, in August 1738, Laurens Storms van Gravesande, the Secretary to Commander Hermanus Gleskerk, inspected the wooden fort and reported that the timber structure was falling to pieces.

DUTCH INTEREST He recommended to the Directors of the Netherlands that a new fort of brick be

Laurens Storms van Gravesande Cabinets of bottles and jars during the Dutch and British eras in the Dutch Heritage Museum

built to defend the interest of the Dutch West India Company against European rivals, who prowl the eastern coast of

South America.

The fort was also intended to serve as a stronghold against internal forces such as

out were enrolled at the Kuru Kuru Training College.

But even though they are trained in masonry, carpentry, business management, agriculture and tailoring, among other areas, they struggle to find employment on the island.

DRY SEASON The residents also told the Guyana Chronicle that they were elated to read in the newspapers and hear on television that the Guyana Water Authority (GWI) will be building new wells and resuscitating old ones across the country.

In the dry season, they say it is a real struggle to get potable water. The water

they use is stored in black tanks and when that finishes, they have no choice but to resort to the river. However, they have to travel some distance, since the river water close to the island is usually in a muddy state.

The residents are urging GWI to visit the island and see if it can put an old, abandoned well back in operation or build a new one for the residents.

Apart from these issues, they also noted that the stelling is in a state of disrepair and needs rehabilitation. When it was in a better state, residents used to sell food and other items to speed boat operators and passengers who pass by.

From page 11 rebellious slaves.

Gravesande’s recommendation was accepted and he later went on to enjoy a distinguished life in public service.

Born in the City of Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, and becoming a trained military officer at 17, Gravesande was appointed commander of Essequibo in 1742, serving longer than any other who held that post in the colonies.

After serving for more than 30 years as director-general for the counties of Essequibo and Demerara, he retired. In preserved writings, he is described as a “born leader.”

The construction of Fort Zeelandia, named after the County of Zeelandia in the Netherlands from which many of the inhabitants of the island originate, can be considered one of his first achievements as commander.

The fort similar to those built in West Africa, consisted of a redoubt of 50 square feet, with walls thick enough to endure the heaviest ordnance.

It was a two-storey building. The lower flat served as a warehouse for provisions and a safe powder house, while

An African jar believed to be over 300 years old in the Dutch Heritage Museum

the upper floor housed the soldiers with a room for the non-commissioned officers.

Twenty gun ports, each holding a two or three-pounder gun were on each storey.

In 1775, Flag Island (Vlaggen Eyland in Dutch) was renamed Fort Island and on March 6, 1781, the island was captured by Capitan Day of Admiral Rodney’s British Navy Force.

But the British takeover was short-lived, as the French captured the island the following year.

The Dutch regained control of the fort two years after and by 1796, the fort went into a long period of decline, as attention shifted to the colony of Demerara.

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Resort to ‘liven up’ Fort Island

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

WITH all the complaints that small island, Fort Island, located in the Essequibo River does not have any entertainment facility, remigrant Gordon Eytle is on a mission to fill this gap, as well as cater for visitors to the island.

He is building a small resort which, when completed, will boast five small guesthouses for visitors who want to overnight on the island, a bar and a beautiful garden.

The river-view houses will each have a bed, a bathroom and toilet facilities and will be the first guesthouses on the beautiful historic island.

“Many times, people visit this beautiful island and would ask: ‘Is there a guesthouse?’ ‘Where I could stay?’ And when they are told there is no guesthouse, they leave the island disappointed. I will fix that and some of the entertainment deficiencies on the island,” Eytle told the Guyana Chronicle.

At least 100 persons, including overseas visitors, visit the

island every week to tour the Court of Policy, now a Dutch heritage museum and Fort Zeelandia, two major historical sites on the island.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the resort under construction, located close to the stelling, Eytle was painting one of the houses still under construction.

The $18 million resort is slated for completion in the next two months and will be a most welcome development on the island, since it will provide employment opportunities for young people there.

According to Eytle, his intention is to make the resort a clean hotspot on the island.

“The land will be landscaped, the drainage and irrigation will be looked at and it will be a place where visitors and families on the island can come eat, drink, chat and relax,” said the remigrant whose family owns most of the island.

A name for the resort has not yet been identified, said Eytle, who is planning a grand opening.

The bar area at the riverside resort being built on Fort Island

Unfinished houses at the riverside resort

Another house that has been completed at the resort

One of the completed houses at the resort

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Poor D&I hampering agriculture FAR from being the busy trading post it was in the days of yore, Fort Island today is a quiet and sparsely populated area with a population of 104.

Unlike some of the other islands in Guyana, Fort Island, which is about three-miles in length and a mile in width, is a single community or an island not divided into villages.

Surrounded by Mo-

years ago. Today, plantain, bananas and cassava are cultivated on a small scale in front of the island.

In 2008, during the launch of the “Grow More Food� campaign by the Ministry of Agriculture, a team from the then National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) visited the island and promised to give agriculture a boost there.

At high tide, the situation gets worst and added to this, the island has been eroding. The Government has stepped in, and the southern end of the island is being fortified.

But this would not ease flooding and the residents are appealing to Government to look into the poor drainage and irrigation on the island, since they would like to resume

day take to the sea to go fishing, while other family members remain at home to do the daily chores.

Due to the dreary life, some residents have left the island to take up residence at Parika and the West Coast of Demerara.

Despite their challenges, residents on the island appear to be happy people. With only two candy shops at their dis-

These residents are enjoying an afternoon of relaxation

rashee, Bonasika Creek, Aliki, Lanaballi and Hogg Island among other populated areas in the Esse-

According to residents, that was the last time they heard about crop cultivation from the NARI team

planting on a larger scale.

On Fort Island, there is a nursery and primary school, a health centre, a

One of several abandoned houses on Fort Island

In the afternoon, the fishers return after selling their catch and by 19:00 hrs, many of the residents are fast asleep.

At Fort Island, there are quite few abandoned houses and the residents who remain there say there is no place like home.

posal, residents have to travel to Parika for entertainment and to buy clothing, hardware, groceries and other goods.

One of the narrow roads on the island quibo River, almost every household on the island engage in fishing for a livelihood.

Years ago, rice used to be cultivated on the island but due to poor drainage and irrigation, residents stopped cultivation many

led by then Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud.

This publication observed that the lands aback the island are vulnerable to flooding, and as such, they are not cultivated or occupied by residents.

church and a Guyana Defence Force base.

There are no cars, vans or trucks on the island, largely because the roads are very narrow. Bicycle is the chief means of transportation.

Residents early in the

Work being done to fortify the southern end of the island against erosion

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Risky behaviour of youths worrying WHILE historic Fort Island is a crime-free and easy-going place, health officials are worried about the risky sexual behaviour of youths there.

A reliable health official who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Guyana Chronicle that two persons on the island have been tested HIV positive, and the majority of young men there are suspected to have the virus.

“From my interaction with them, the symptoms they experience as they relate it to me is troubling. It seems to be symptoms of the virus, but no checking is done here, since we do not have the HIV kits to do the testing here,” the health official said.

This publication was told that HIV awareness is non-existent or very weak on the island and the majority of young men aside from fishing, do not have any recreational facility there to keep

them meaningfully occupied.

And when the girls from Parika come on the stelling in the evening, it is naughty entertainment that puts their health at severe risk.

“The stories I hear from them is bewildering. One of the young men explain to me that he is Muslim and Muslims do things naturally. Even if this is so, I doubt this kind of behaviour is acceptable by that religion. I tried my best talking to them, but at the end of the day, boys seem to be boys,” the health official said.

According to the official, the situation is very serious and the Ministry of Public Health and the Region Three administration need to urgently carry out a robust HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, targeting particularly youths on the island.

Aside from this bother, and apart from a few cases

PERSONALITY PROFILE

No place like home GORDON Eytle, 69, is a remigrant and the oldest resident on the sleepy island of Fort Island, located some 16 kilometres from the mouth of the Essequibo River.

Eytle was born on the island, but when he was four, he moved to Georgetown to attend school there and would occasionally visit his family on the island.

On completion of his studies, he moved to England where he joined another set of his family and experienced a new culture, which gave him an enriching experience of life.

In England, Eytle related that he was trained as a maintenance engineer and served for nine years in the British army.

During his years in the army, he told the Guyana Chronicle he did stints in the Middle East, Germany, Yemen, Bahrain and Cyrus on peace-keeping missions.

Gordon Eytle

These missions, the father of two said, gave him a broader perspective of life.

After spending 52 years in England, Eytle said he had enough as the place was getting too cold for him and he made a decision to return to Guyana.

“I always had Guyana in my heart,” the remigrant said, noting that he always wanted to spend his latter days on the island where he was born and raised.

Eytle enjoys keeping in contact with his family abroad and exercising to remain fit and heathy.

of diabetes and hypertension, no other known illness takes a toll on Fort Island residents.

The health worker there told this publication that the health centre does not suffer from drugs shortage, since she has a fair idea of the health condition of residents and would order sufficient drugs to treat them yearround.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

Police fete oldest mom in Linden THE oldest mother in Linden and by extension Region 10, Agatha Charlotte Campbell, 105, fondly known as “Mama Gathie”, was over the weekend presented with a hamper of over 40 food items by Commander of ‘E’ Division, Senior Superintendent Fazil Karimbaskh.

The gesture was in recognition of Mother’s Day

Agatha Charlotte Campbell with some of the items she received on Mother’s Day

which was celebrated on Sunday.

The woman, who resides with her 80-year-old son at her Burnham Drive,Wismar home, was unable to express her appreciation to the Commander and other ranks present since her advancement in age has taken away her ability to speak.

But her jolly attitude and her many gesticulations, smile and eyes of hope were all that were needed to say ‘thank you’.

Commander Karimbaskh said he is honoured to present the hamper to the centenarian which was made possible as a result of a combined effort of all the ranks in the division.

“Although we are in law enforcement, we ought to look at the other side, the humanitarian side. However, when we received the information that she is the oldest person actually living in this region, we decided that the right thing to do was to give her a hamper to make her happy for the Mother’s Day as one of our

humanitarian gestures,because we are involved in a lot of community outreach programmes and we decided that this was a fitting case for us to give her a hamper so she could have some articles at home,” he said.

The commander used the opportunity to send Mother’s Day greetings to all mothers in the division and reminded them that the ranks are there to protect, nurture, coach and lead them in the right direction.

‘Mama Gathie’ has four children, 16 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren, 16 great-great grandchildren and 12 great- great- great grandchildren.

Her eldest child,Lincoln Cambell, who is 80 years old, said his mom is a strong woman whom he admires.

He described her as a strict individual and said that it was her discipline that led him to become the man he is today.

As a result of this, he continues to honour his mother and encourages all children to do the same.

Bicycle bandit robs, rapes medical student A 20-year-old female medical student of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was robbed and raped in the wee hours of Sunday morning by an armed bandit on a bicycle who attacked her in her home.

Reports indicate that the student left a nightclub located in Albouystown, Georgetown, with her boyfriend and they both joined a taxi and left for her North Ruimveldt home.

However, upon arrival, the taxi driver had no change for the fare and her boyfriend left with the driver in the taxi to find change for the cash.

Meanwhile, the medical student upon entering her home left the door open for her boyfriend when he returned.

Reports revealed that the robber/rapist in the area, who noticed an opportunity, hopped off his bicycle and quickly entered the home, sticking the woman up at gunpoint and relieving her of valuables.

Not satisfied, he then forced her to perform oral sex on him and upon completion, he exited the building through the same door, hopped on his bicycle and fled the scene.

The police have launched an investigation into the incident.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

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Better safety gear to improve road safety

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday May 15, 2017

AN improved traffic system and better safety gear for road users are among measures being looked at by the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) to improve safety on the roadways.

The Council and its partners are working to reduce road-related deaths here by 50 per cent under the United Nations’ Decade-of-Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

GNRSC Coordinator Ramona Doorgen told the Guyana Chronicle that the Council is in the process of signing commitments with various agencies with whom they will team-up to make improvements in managing road safety systems.

Some of the areas concerning the Council include better trained accident reconstruction investigators, the use of safe vehicles and vehicle parts, police operated traffic systems and safety gear for road users.

Doorgen said more training is needed where accident scenes could be reconstructed to give truer depictions of what could have happened, and to provide information that help to make improvements.

She is hoping to make

more headway in getting the government and Police Force to link with their Jamaican counterparts to commence training in this area.

Under the Decade-of-Action plan signed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana is committed to using safe vehicles and equipment on the road-

GNRSC Coordinator, Ramona Doorgen ways and speaks directly to the use of used tires.

Doorgen said as it relates to safety gear, GNRSC is partnering with the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to work on safety policies for items such as helmets.

She said the law speaks

to wearing helmets, but noted the need to re-evaluate for safer types.

The road safety coordinator said the Council will also look at the management of road systems by traffic ranks since she believes training must be continuous in these areas.

Speaking about the East Bank Demerara Public Road traffic system that allows a reverse lane during rush hours, Doorgen believes it is not adequately managed.

Sharing her own experience, she said traffic ranks are directing vehicles to change lanes, but drivers are ending up in the path of oncoming traffic along the journey.

In cases like these, Doorgen said more instruments such as light signals and signs are necessary and the GNRSC would be working with the police to improve the traffic reverse system.

One person has since died during this traffic adjustment.

The correct procedure in operating police escorts was also discussed.

“There are protocols for those things,” Doorgen said. She noted how police escorts sometimes catch

Man trying to bribe police arrested POLICE have arrested a 39-year-old ‘C’ Field Sophia man who tried to bribe a policeman with $500,000 on Friday to release his son.

According to the police, the man’s son, who is 19, was earlier arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The teen is one of two suspects who had escaped from police on Tuesday last, dropping their firearm in the process.

He was later arrested when his father was busted in a sting operation, trying to bribe the policeman.

On Tuesday last, at about 09:30hrs, ranks on a motorcycle, conducting patrol on Vlissengen Road, observed the suspects proceeding in front of them on a CG motorcycle without the rear registration number

The gun found on Vlissengen Road plate and summoned them to stop.

But instead of doing so, the pillion rider whipped out a firearm from his waist and tossed it in the parapet, while they sped away. The

ranks promptly retrieved the weapon, a .380 pistol with five live rounds, and went in pursuit of the men.

The weapon and ammunition have since been lodged.

drivers off guard because there are no warnings of the entourage.

Doorgen said stakeholders have to sign commitment forms stating that they are going to take up their commitment, and their role

and responsibility for road safety in the country.

All the key players must recognise their roles and responsibilities and have it implemented for the plan to work.

GNRSC partners in-

clude the Public Security, Education, Public Health, Public Infrastructure and Communities Ministries, the National Bureau of Standards and the Guyana Revenue Authority, among others.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Pakistan claim historic series win in dramatic finish DOMINICA bid farewell to two legends of the game in a most fitting manner, giving Younis Khan and Misbahul-Haq the most heart-stopping send-off possible.

History beckoned time and again, torturing and teasing them. It made them wait, it made them wonder, it made them despair. But, with six balls left in the game, the series, and their careers, came perhaps its most satisfying moment.

Shannon Gabriel, West Indies’ No. 11, had spent just over half an hour at the crease, and had seen out 21 balls. See out one more, and it would leave Roston Chase, who was batting on 101, to face the last over of the match, the last over of the series, and dramatically raise West Indies’ chances of saving the Test.

Gabriel had kept out those 21 balls by trusting his defence, but now, in one of the most inexplicable moments in Test cricket’s history, he swung wildly, madly at a loopy full delivery pitching well outside off stump from Yasir Shah. The ball took his inside edge and rattled into off stump, sealing one of the greatest days in

Pakistan’s cricket history.

This side - Misbah’s side - had done what Haniff Mohammad couldn’t do, what Javed Miandad couldn’t do, what Imran Khan couldn’t do. He had led his side to its first ever series victory in the Caribbean, a 101-run win sealing his - and Younis’ - careers with aplomb. Test cricket certainly has a way of rewarding its own.

Pakistan looked like they would make short work of the final session when, three overs in, Hasan Ali brought an end to Jason Holder’s obdurate resistance. It left West Indies seven down with only the tail to give Chase company.

With the pitch playing extremely slowly, what Hasan did to dismiss him might even have been an intentional ploy. He took the surface out of the equation, hurling a fierce inswinger that made a beeline for leg stump on the full. Holder made a mess of trying to keep it out, and was plumb in front.

But just as Pakistan began to envisage victory, Devendra Bishoo and Chase had designs on a grand resistance. They split the work brilliantly, with Bi-

shoo keeping out Yasir Shah and Chase negotiating the faster bowlers, and Pakistan struggled to break that pattern. Ultimately Misbah resorted to pace from both ends, and Bishoo’s discomfort against the seamers eventually cost him his wicket, as he fended a Mohammad Abbas bouncer to silly point.

Chase had been sensational all series, and it would be churlish to take any credit away from him.

But he led a charmed life in the last session and one couldn’t help wondering if he was destined to save the game. On two occasions, Hasan dropped him off his own bowling, and when Abbas had him caught in the slips on 92 in the first over after the second new ball was taken, replays showed he had just overstepped. When Chase drove Hasan down the ground for an exquisite boundary to bring up his hundred, one could sense the stadium felt it too.

Whenever a wicket fell, there was a sense that the resistance had finally ended. But Alzarri Joseph picked up from where Bishoo left off, and then Gabriel took over from Joseph. Between them, West Indies’ Nos. 9, 10 and 11 spent 99 balls at the crease,

while scoring 12 runs. Runs had simply ceased to matter by then.

The morning session had been dominated by Pakistan, who made significant inroads towards a series win, dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope to expose the hosts’ middle order in the first hour.

Brathwaite was the first to fall, playing an unseemly shot after getting caught in two minds over what to do with a short Yasir delivery. The ball stuck in the pitch, and Brathwaite spooned it to point.

But the hammer blow was yet to come, with Hetmyer’s bête noire coming back to snare him one final time. Mohammad Amir got one to tail in to Hetmyer, just as he has done all series. The youngster looked to drive on the up, missing the ball completely. He must now be sick of the sight of his off stump sent cartwheeling.

Hasan pushed West Indies further back against the wall with a dream delivery to capture his first Test wicket. Having maintained a disciplined, good length all Test, he changed it up in the most unexpected way, hurling

an inswinging yorker destined for Hope’s toes. The batsman was unable to get his bat down in time, and the lbw call was so obvious Chase told Hope not to bother with a review.

Two overs into the afternoon, Vishaul Singh - the closest thing to a walking wicket this series - succumbed to a classic Yasir trap. The legspinner pitched the ball into the rough, and the left-hander failed to judge the turn. His inside edge flicked the pad, popping up to Babar Azam at short leg for a simple catch.

Shane Dowrich fell to the same bowler, and the same fielder, although his wicket was altogether more controversial. His attempt to flick Yasir against the turn looped up to short leg off the pad - before which there may or may not have been a tickle of inside edge - and the umpire Bruce Oxenford adjudged him out.

Dowrich reviewed immediately, but lengthy replays turned up no conclusive evidence either way, and the decision was upheld. It was a piece of misfortune the West Indies could have done without, in truth.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target 304) (overnight seven for one) K Brathwaite c Hasan Ali b Yasir Shah 6 K Powell c Shan Masood b Yasir Shah 4 S Hetmyer b Mohammad Amir 25 S Hope lbw b Hasan Ali 17 R Chase not out 101 V Singh c Babar Azam b Yasir Shah 2 +S Dowrich c Babar Azam b Yasir Shah 2 *J Holder lbw b Hasan Ali 22 D Bishoo c Shan Masood b Mohammad Abbas 3 A Joseph c wkp Sarfraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 5 S Gabriel b Yasir Shah 4 Extras: (b6, w2, nb3) 11 TOTAL: (all out, 96 overs) 202 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-22, 3-47, 4-66, 5-76, 6-93, 7-151, 8-181, 9-197 (Joseph), 10-202 Bowling: Mohammad Amir 15-8-22-1 (w2), Mohammad Abbas 20-9-31-1 (nb2), Yasir Shah 37-13-92-5, Hasan Ali 207-33-3 (nb1), Azhar Ali 2-0-3-0, Asad Shafiq 2-0-15-0.

Result: Pakistan won by 101 runs.

Second Edition Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors’ boxing championships

Two K.Os, two points decision and one stoppage highlights second night

Guyana’s Shemar Hutson (right) connects to the head of Trinidad’s Juan Rodriguez. (Photo by Cullen Best-Nelson).

By Michael DaSilva BOXING fans could not have wanted it any better as the second night of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors’ Amateur tournament produced `fireworks’ when the tournament continued on Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

There were five finals in the schoolboys’ category and of that amount, local boxers won three: one by points and the other two by knock-outs;one of them via a first round stoppage.Boxers from the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago won

two fights:one by the knockout route and the other by a unanimous points’ decision.

Guyana’s Richard Howard, Leon Moore Jr. and Omar Pollard kept the Golden Arrowhead flying with victories over their Trinidad counterparts, while Nyrel Hosein and Juan Rodriguez registered wins for Trinidad and Tobago.

Fighting in the 40Kg division, Howard knocked out Trinidad’s Abdul Taylor at one minute 13 seconds of the second round. While Moore, son of Guyana’s former world contender Leon Moore Sr. secured a unanimous points’ decision win

against Trinidad’s Tyrique Hosein in their 44Kg encounter while Pollard, fighting in the 54Kg division, caused the referee to stop his contest against Trinidad’s Edwin Felix at 29 seconds of the first round.

One of Trinidad and Tobago’s two victories came by way of knock-out in the 52Kg division fight between Rodriguez and Guyana’s Shemar Hutson.

Rodriguez stopped Hutson at one minute 27 seconds of the first round, while Nyrel Hosein scored a unanimous points’ decision win against Guyana’s Patrick Harvey in their 46Kg con-

Trinidad and Tobago’s Abdul Taylor seems comfortably resting on the canvas for the full count, after receiving a series of combinations from Guyana’s Richard Howard (Photo by Cullen Best-Nelson).

test.

There was another international contest in the international Schoolboys and Juniors’ category, which saw St. Lucia’s Kimlym Martie making the referee stop his contest against Guyana’s Emmanuel Pompey at one minute 15 seconds of the first round in their 63Kg division contest.

In other results from the second night’s proceedings, there were six bouts that

involved all Guyanese combatants and in the 25Kg bout between Vickacy Graham and Moses Crawford, the former won by a unanimous points’ decision.In the 32kg division, Sean Graham caused the referee to stop his fight against Laterell Richards in the second round; Neil Garraway’s 35Kg fight against Shaquancy Wright was stopped at 50 seconds of the first round in favour of Wright and the referee was

once again forced to stop the 50Kg contest between Junior Hyman and Isiah Moore at one minute 28 seconds of the second round in favour of Moore.

Jaquwan Milo secured a split decision win against Mark Crawford in their 52Kg contest and Inshaun Khan got a walk-over win against Anthony Patterson.

The championship was slated to conclude last evening at the same venue.

28

RISING Pune Supergiant dismissed Kings XI Punjab for just 73 as they sealed an Indian Premier League playoff berth.

Kings XI Punjab slumped to their lowest-ever Indian Premier League total as they missed out on a play-off spot to the benefit of Rising Pune Supergiant, who claimed a nine-wicket win.

Supergiant’s defeat to Delhi Daredevils in the last match made their final regular-season game with Kings XI, who went into the contest trailing Pune by just two points, into

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

a de-facto play-off for the last top-four berth.

Defeat for Supergiant, whose time in the competition will come to an end after this season, would have made Sunday’s meeting their final one in the IPL. But a dismal collapse from Kings XI left Supergiant needing just 74 to win, and they promptly chased down that scant total in just 12 overs, finishing second to set up a Qualifer 1 clash with Mumbai Indians, who topped the table.

Kings XI got off to the worst possible start when they

Supergiant seal play-off berth

lost opener Martin Guptill for a first-ball duck, and they had only added 19 to the total by the time Shaun Marsh (10) holed out to Australia teammate Steve Smith.

An excellent direct hit from man-of-the-match Jaydev Unadkat ran out Eoin Morgan for just two, and the sixth over proved a nightmare one for Kings XI as Shardul Takur accounted for both Rahul Tewatia (4) and Glenn Maxwell (0).

Wriddhiman Saha (13) had been a rare constant for Kings XI but his stay came to an end when he nicked Dan Christian

(2-10) to MS Dhoni.

It was Christian who struck again to remove Axar Patel (22) - the only Kings XI batsman to top 20 runs - and the tail was quickly cleaned up

by Unadkat (2-12) and Adam Zampa (2-22) - the visitors bowled out with 25 deliveries to spare.

Rahul Tripathi was the only man to fall for Pune in their reply, losing his wicket after hitting 28 off 20. However, Ajinkya Rahane (34 not out) and Smith (15 not out) guided Supergiant home with ease. (Sportsmax)

RCB secures consolation victory ROYAL Challengers Bangalore claimed only their third win of the IPL in the final game of the regular season at the expense of Delhi.

Virat Kohli returned to form with a half-century as bottom placed Royal Challengers Bangalore ended an Indian Premier League campaign to forget with a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils.

Kohli has failed to inspire RCB to hit the heights in the 2017 IPL, but signed off with 58 from 45 balls to help his side to 161-6 after the India captain won the toss at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground.

The classy Kohli and

Chris Gayle (48) put on 66 for the second wicket and Delhi were unable to prevent Bangalore from securing only a third win of a dismal tournament.

Harshal Patel, Travis Head and Pawan Negi did much of the damage as the Daredevils, who were guaranteed to finish sixth regardless of the result in the final game of the regular season, could only muster 151 all out.

Gayle set the tone by taking two boundaries off the first over from Zaheer Khan and struck Mohammed Shami for a couple of sixes before Vishnu Vinod (3)

(REUTERS) Lewis Hamilton won a strategic Spanish Grand Prix thriller on Sunday to cut Sebastian Vettel’s overall lead in the Formula One championship to six points with a quarter of the season completed.

The Mercedes driver’s 55th career win was hardfought and tense, with Ferrari’s Vettel seizing the lead from Hamilton at the start and in the hunt all the way as the tire strategies played out.

Hamilton took the checkered flag 3.4 seconds clear of the German, who did all he could to beat him with a thrilling move to pass the Briton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas that will be replayed for some time to come.

“That’s how racing should be and I loved it,” said a happy Hamilton, who raced side by side with Vettel at turn one after the German’s final

pitstop.

“This is what the sport needs to be every single race...to have that close battle with him, a four times champion, is awesome,” added the triple champion.

Vettel now has 104 points to Hamilton’s 98.

The Briton, who made the move stick seven laps later and then made his tyres last to the finish, had sounded strangely breathless during the race when fretting about a strategy that turned out to be spot on.

“Lewis saved the race with an incredible drive. The strategy was great, but it was the driver who won it,” said Mercedes F1’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

The win was Hamilton’s second in Barcelona and ended a run of 10 different winners in 10 years.

“I was eight seconds

played on to a delivery from Pat Cummins.

Kohli got in on the act, effortlessly launching Corey Anderson’s first ball for six over long-on with phenomenal timing and clearing the ropes again in a 12th over from Amit Mishra which went for 19 and included another six from Gayle.

Gayle, who has endured a poor IPL by his standards, fell tamely to Shahbaz Nadeem to miss out on a half-century, but Kohli had his fourth fifty of the tournament in the 15th over after Head was run out.

Kohli flicked Zaheer over the ropes but was out from

Virat Kohli finally had something to smile for as Royal Challengers Bangalore secured a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils in the final league game of IPL 2017. (BCCI)

the following ball and Negi hit three consecutive boundaries in the last over of the innings, runs which proved

to be crucial.

Avesh Khan removed Sanju Samson in the first over of Delhi’s reply, but

Karun Nair (26) and Shreyas Iyer (32) made contributions for the home side to put them on course to chase down their target.

Harshal (3-43) got rid of Iyer and bowled Marlon Samuels first ball, but Delhi were still in with a great chance while Rishabh Pant (45 off 34) was at the crease.

They continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, though, and were 1197 with only 20 deliveries remaining when Harshal ended Pant’s entertaining knock. Negi finished off the job with 3-10 to ensure RCB ended their season on a high note. (Sportsmax)

Hamilton wins in Spain with Vettel second

Lewis Hamilton

ahead and then...I don’t know how we managed to lose that,” said Vettel, who made the most of Hamilton’s poor start.

On an afternoon that saw the two multiple world champions in a battle of their own with the rest so far behind they might as well have been in another race, Daniel Ricciardo finished 75.8 seconds behind the

winner.

Ricciardo was the only driver not lapped by the top two in a race after inheriting third, and his first podium of the year, from Bottas after the Finn’s engine expired.

On a day of Finns failing to finish, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen went out at the start after a collision with Red Bull’s 2016 winner Max Verstappen.

Bottas, who celebrated his first career victory in Russia two weeks ago, made glancing contact with his compatriot and the impact pitched Raikkonen into Verstappen on the other side, smashing the suspension on both cars.

The 19-year-old Dutch driver, with a legion of fans around the Circuit de Catalunya, shook his fist as the field disappeared in front of him and Raikkonen stopped.

Stewards investigated the incident and decided to take no further action.

Bottas retired 38 laps later, having started with an engine that had already done four races and was hurriedly shoe-horned into the car overnight on Friday after a water leak was discovered.

Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, starting seventh for McLaren after a troubled practice, was

forced into the gravel in a tussle with Williams’s Felipe Massa and dropped to 13th.

He finished 12th.

The virtual safety car was deployed when Alonso’s team mate Stoffel Vandoorne broke his car’s suspension in a collision with Massa on lap 34.

Mexican Sergio Perez finished fourth, his 15th successive points finish, for Force India with French rookie team mate Esteban Ocon fifth.

Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Renault, with compatriot Pascal Wehrlein eighth for Sauber after a five second time penalty was applied -- the Swiss team’s first points of the season -- and Carlos Sainz seventh for Toro Rosso.

Russian Daniil Kvyat was eighth for Toro Rosso and French driver Romain Grosjean took the final point for Haas

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win fifth title

Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 to win his fifth Madrid Open title and move into the world’s top four.

The Spaniard has now won three straight titles, after his Barcelona Open and Monte Carlo Masters victories, while his record on clay this year is 15-0.

Nadal edged the Austrian in the tie-break of a tense first set that lasted one hour and 18 minutes.

He broke world number seven Thiem early in

Rafael Nadal is a 14-time Grand Slam champion.

the second set to set up the win.

Nadal will be con-

firmed as the new world number four, replacing 18-time Grand Slam

champion Roger Federer, when the new rankings come out on Monday.

That will improve his seeding for the French Open, which starts on 22 May and where Nadal is a nine-time champion.

Nadal, who beat defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, has now won his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, tying the all-time record with Serbia’s Djokovic.

(BBCSport)

Halep retains Madrid title

(REUTERS) Simona Halep won the Madrid Open for the second consecutive year after staving off a fightback from Kristina Mladenovic of France, to win 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 in a thrilling marathon three-setter on Saturday.

The third seed produced her best tennis in the decider after edging the first set and being pegged back in the second by 14th seed Mladenovic, who was playing in her first final at premier mandatory level, the grade immediately below grand-slam tournaments.

Romanian Halep was playing in her third Ma-

Simona Halep

drid final in four years, having lost the 2014 showpiece to Maria Sharapova,

and her victory made her the second woman to retain the title after Serena

Williams in 2013.

Halep took an even first set but grew frustrated in the second as Mladenovic came roaring back and the Romanian was given a code violation for throwing her racket in frustration in the direction of a ball boy at 30-0 down in the 12th game.

Mladenovic got off to a strong start in the tiebreak and took the second set after winning two long rallies. But she had expended most of her energy and could not keep up with Halep, who served out the match in style by winning the game to love.

Duffy storms to victory in Japan

Flora Duffy Flora Duffy

YOKOHAMA, Japan, CMC – Bermudian world champion Flora Duffy bounced back from injury to take the women’s honours in an ITU World Triathlon Series (WTS) event here on Saturday with a stunning performance.

Duffy, 29, who had been out of action since February because of a hip problem, picked up where she left off in the WTS at the end of 2016, when she captured the world title with victory in the Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico, breaking a record in the process.

Duffy, who was recently engaged to Xterra triathlete boyfriend,Dan Hugo of South Africa, completed the 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike and 10-kilometre run in one hour, 56 minutes and 18 seconds over a course made tricky by persistent rain.

New series leader Katie Zaferes, of the United States, finished second in

1:58:09, the margin of victory the largest in the history of the WTS. Duffy played down the significance of her performance in the third stop of this year’s series, saying afterwards. “I didn’t know what I would have in the tank for today.

“I was pretty nervous coming into the race today, I felt like a WTS first-timer, but I had to keep reminding myself that I am the world champ and I need to ride with confidence. So the race worked out great to my strengths and I am super happy.”

Rain made the race day more challenging for all the women out on the course, but it was Duffy who used it to her advantage to get her first gold of the year.

Duffy re-enters the WTS rankings in 15th position.

The next WTS stop is at Leeds, England, on June 10 and 11.

Ronaldo reaches 400 goals for Real Madrid His club claim he had already reached the landmark figure, but Cristiano Ronaldo has now officially netted his 400th Real Madrid goal.

Another milestone has fallen in Cristiano Ronaldo’s inexorable march to greatness, the Portugal superstar having scored his 400th Real Madrid goal.

Ronaldo notched the landmark strike by netting his side’s second against Sevilla on Sunday, as Zinedine Zidane’s men sought to boost their hopes of a Champions League and LaLiga double.

A hat-trick during a stellar performance in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against

Atletico Madrid early this month saw the 32-year-old edge closer to the achievement.

Madrid claim Ronaldo had already registered 400 Blancos goals, the club having attributed a 2010 free-kick against Real Sociedad, deflected into the net off Pepe’s back, to the Portuguese.

The most expensive player in the world when he moved to the Santiago Bernabeu from Manchester United for approximately £80million in 2009, Ronaldo is both Madrid’s and the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer. He trails only Lionel Messi of Barcelona in LaLiga’s alltime scoring charts.

South Africa Racing Tips Flamingo Park 08:30 hrs Easy to Please 09:00 hrs Desert Sunset 09:30 hrs Russian Dream 10:00 hrs Dodgy Itie 10:35 hrs Scarlet Rivera

Cristiano Ronaldo

The former Sporting Lisbon player has won LaLiga once, the Champions League twice and the Copa del Rey twice at Madrid, while he finally tasted international success with Portugal at Euro 2016.

(Sportsmax)

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Kempton 09:00 hrs OK Corral 09:30 hrs Pleasure Dome 10:05 hrs Clondaw Banker 10:35 hrs Toviere 11:10 hrs Seven Kingdoms 11:40 hrs Caprice D’Anglais Brighton 09:10 hrs Lambrini Legacy 09:40 hrs Broughtons Fancy 10:15 hrs One Big Surprise 10:50 hrs Morning Suit 11:50 hrs Av A Word 12:25 hrs Sandfrankskipgo Irish Racing Tips Killarney 12:10 hrs Carrigmoorna Matt

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30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

‘Green Machine’ shifts focus to Trinidad ... Staglon praised Barbados’ growth in Rugby

By Rawle Toney FOLLOWING their 34 – 26 win against Barbados on Saturday, Richard Staglon, vice-captain of the ‘Green Machine’, believes that while the game was tough, his side will now shift their attention to facing arch rivals Trinidad and Tobago on June 10 at the National Park.

Guyana made a successful start to their Rugby Americas North (RAN) South Zone 15’s title with another impressive win against Barbados, but Staglon told Chronicle Sport that it was not as easy as the score-line would suggest.

Staglon was the star of the day, scoring three tries, while Vallon Adams had two tries and Ahmad Isaacs scored a try on his debut.

Rickford Cummings scored two conversions.

The last time the two sides faced each other, Guy-

ana hammered Barbados 48 – 17, but, this time around, Staglon explained that the ‘Bajan’ ruggers were well prepared, as well as Guyana entering the game a little bombastic.

However, the player many consider as the back bone of Guyana’s rugby, believes that the result is good for the sport and it shows growth on the part of Barbados.

At half time, Staglon said the score was 10 – 10, with Barbados making the game difficult for their visiting counterparts, while some bad handling of the ball didn’t help Guyana’s cause.

“The guys thought the game would’ve been easy, but Barbados really surprised us, but that’s good for the sport. I was happy with the way they (Barbados) came together and really brought the game to us” Staglon said, but also explained that Guyana showed their superiority

and regained control of the game.

Staglon praised debutant Isaacs, whom he said had a solid run and certainly cemented his place in Guyana’s Rugby programme, as the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) look to expand their pool of players in preparation of a busy international season.

“We went up 34 points, then they scored a couple points when we made a couple changes and we took our foot off the pedal. I think we’re in good shape right now…that game puts us in a good place to face Trinidad” Staglon said.

Guyana is acknowledged by many as the most feared Rugby team in the Caribbean, more so in the game’s shortest version – sevens.

However, in the 15’s format, they have made some historical strides, with their victory 30 – 27 against the USA (South) in 2014 to win

their maiden NACRA (now known as RAN) 15’s title in Atlanta being their biggest achievement yet.

In both 7’s and 15’s, Trinidad remains Guyana’s toughest opposition and while Guyana did defeat them 23 – 18 last year to win their RAN South Zone 15’s title, Staglon was adamant that this time around, he’s expecting an even closer game.

“I think coming up against Trinidad, which will be a tough game, it will boil down to the conditions on the day” said Staglon.

‘We would like to play wide against Trinidad and play a lot of open Rugby, but then it depends on the conditions on the day of the game. We would like to play wide, play to our strengths (speed) and get them running” said Staglon who plays his rugby in Trinidad and Tobago along with a number of his teammates on the ‘Green Machine’.

Richard Staglon

Harding, Wiltshire among Woodpecker Squash winners Blairmont CC fundraiser THE curtains came down on the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) second junior tournament for 2017, the Woodpecker Products Ltd Junior National Squash Championships, which were held at the Georgetown Club Inc courts.

Ten champions were crowned, with Shomari Wiltshire and Taylor Fernandes being the top players on show.

Shomari Wiltshire defeated Daniel Islam in three tough games to win both the Under- 17 and Under19 titles: 11/6, 11/8, 11/7,

while Taylor Fernandes outplayed Rebecca Low in the final Under-19 match, winning comfortably in straight games: 11/4, 11/5, 11/6.

Other winners in the tournament included: Beau Fernandes who took the Girls Under-11 title ahead of Christiana Fernandes and Isabella Ramjohn, while on the male end of things, Mohyryan Baksh beat Louis Da Silva, Nathan Rahaman and Shiloh Asregado in that order.

At the Girls Under-13 level, Kirsten Gomes triumphed over Paige Fernandes and Haley Car-

penter, while Michael Alphonso was victorious over Demetrius De Abreu and Ethan Jonas respectively, in the Boys’ division.

Makeda Harding was able to overcome the challenges of Abosaide Cadogan and Kirsten Gomes respectivel, to take the Girl’s Under-15 title, while Shomari Wiltshire held off the challenges of Samuel Ince – Carvalhal and Gianni Carpenter in the Boys’ division.

Harding also picked up the Girls Under-17 title ahead of Cadogan and Gomes, while in the men’s division, Wiltshire showed

his class to outwit Daniel Islam and Alex Cheeks.

The Girls Under-19 class belonged to Taylor Fernandes who got the better of Makeda Harding and Rebecca Low. Additionally, Kirsten Gomes took the most improved girl’s trophy, while her male counterpart was Michael Alphonso.

Harding and Wiltshire took the female and male awards respectively for the most outstanding players of their genders.

Prizes were presented to all winners by Robert Fernandes who represented the sponsors.

rescheduled for May 21

THE much anticipated Blairmont Cricket Club organized inaugural Umpires Cup fundraiser has been rescheduled for May 21, due to the inclement weather.

The one-day event was slated for yesterday at the Blairmont Community Development Centre ground.

However, information coming out from the organising committee last evening indicated that there will be no changes to the original programme.

The day’s event will feature 10/10 cricket, involving D’Edward Super Kings, Blairmont Blazers, Shieldstown Rangers, Young and the Restless, Blairmont Titans and No 48 Challengers.

There will be a dominoes competition, checkers and volleyball.

Other attractions will include BBQ sales, tassa drumming, ice cream giveaways, live commentary and a cartoon character walk-around.

The Guyana Cricket Umpires Council (GCUC) will be seeking to send six members,including president Dhieranidranauth Somwaru and former international umpire Eddie Nicholls,to an umpire’s convention in Jamaica from July 1 to 8.

Participants of the convention will come from Canada, USA, and the Caribbean cricketing territories. The cost per person is estimated to be US$1 680.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday May 15, 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: 6 ‘ducks’ 2012 & 2013 (76 games each) Today’s Quiz: Which two West Indians’ only century were double hundreds?

Who has the best bowling figures in an IPL final to date?

Winners of the recently concluded Woodpecker Products Squash tournament

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, May 15, 2017

STAG Elite League: a success despite challenges – Forde ... ten teams to contest season three

By Rawle Toney PRESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde, has deemed the second installation of the STAG Elite League a success, despite the many challenges faced by his Federation.

GFF president Wayne Forde

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were crowned champions of the GFF’s National League and will pocket the $6M first place prize, while Fruta Conquerors took the second spot in the six-team league when the curtains came down last evening at the Camp Ayanganna Ground.

There were much controversy surrounding the staging of the league, as last year winners Slingerz FC, along with second place finishers Alpha United, Pele FC and the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), all challenged the expansion of the league from eight to ten teams.

The clubs objected to the manner in which the GFF added Victoria Kings and Linden’s Topp XX, calling the move ‘unconstitutional’, and had sought several avenues to deliberate over their participation after officially pulling out in protest.

Forced by the move of the clubs refusing to participate and following consultation with both CONCACAF and world-governing body FIFA, the GFF kicked-off their league on November 20 with the GDF, Fruta Conquerors, Victoria Kings, Topp XX, Buxton United and Monedderlust.

“I think the league showed that we will not have this game be held at ransom” Forde told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Forde described the league as a positive for Guyana’s football, given the fact that it showed in the end, “football was the winner.”

“The league came with many challenges” Forde explained, while adding “I could attest to our (GFF) attempt to have the issue resolved with the four clubs, as well as my personal effort with the owners/presidents of the clubs to come to a peaceful resolution, but everything failed. In the end, it was a win-win situation for everyone.”

Forde also praised the level of play of the GDF team, noting that their win should not be seen as them dominating in the absence of both Alpha United and Slingerz FC and to an extent Pele FC, but rather their complete transformation.

“The GDF was clearly a cut above the other clubs and that has much to do with the way they approached the game and that was good for the game” Forde highlighted.

The GFF president showered title sponsors Ansa McAl with praises for sticking with the Federation during their dilemma, calling them (Ansa McAl) “true supporter of the game locally.”

“They stuck with us, invested more despite everything that happened and showed their support beyond what was required of them. Truly, they were the backbone of this league, along with our other sponsors who came on board and supported us wholeheartedly” Forde said.

Meanwhile, the GFF top brass mentioned “we will head back to the drawing board and make a few fundamental changes which will see ten teams playing in season three. Our(goal) is to have a full professional league in Guyana; it will take some time, but it will happen eventually.”

31

‘Green Machine’ shifts focus to Trinidad See page 31

Pakistan claim historic series win in dramatic finish See page 27

Pakistan celebrate after capturing their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean.

STAG Elite League: a success despite challenge – Forde

See page 31

Victoria Kings’ Tichard Joseph (left) makes a move against a Buxton United defender yesterday at the GDF ground. (Adrian Narine photo)

Roston Chase’s unbeaten 239-ball 101 was his third Test hundred © AFP.

Second Edition Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors’ boxing championships…

Two K.Os, two points decision and one stoppage highlights second night See page 27

Guyana’s Leon Moore Jr. connects to the jaw of Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyrique Hosein during their 44Kg contest at the National Gymnasium on Saturday evening (Cullen Best-Nelson photo).

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MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017