Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 16 05 2017

SEE INSIDE

‘A new democracy’ Stories: Zena Henry, Ariana Gordon, Rabindra Rooplall, Svetlana Marshall, Fareeza Haniff and Alva Solomon | Photos: Adrian Narine, Samuel Maughn and Delano Williams | Layout Artist: Zaheer Baksh

No. 104914

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

…PM says coalition victory heralds new paradigm See story on Page C in the supplement

Contractors were busy on Monday repairing several of the connecting roads at ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown as part of government’s overall infrastructural development in the community (Delano Williams photo)

Porter dies after falling off truck

Page 11

Cocaine timber bust

Father joins son in lock-ups Page 3

…Stephen Vieira, Lall still on the run

‘Sworn to secrecy’

– parking meters negotiation Page team under oath 13

2

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Chile to help Guyana strengthen mining sector PRESIDENT David Granger on Monday held talks with a visiting team of geologists from Chilean technical agency Sernageomin, who are in Guyana to conduct technical geological surveys, and field work to assess the conditions within Guyana’s mining sector.

Later in the year, the project will see 12 members from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) visiting Chile to observe the mining operations there. The four member team of geologists included Project Manager, Dr. Juan Pablo Lacassie, Mr. Jaime Barrera, Ms. Laura Mateo Rio and Ms. Mariela Santana.

This visit comes as a result of previous engagements between Guyana and Chile, which began in July last year when President Granger met with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile on the side lines of the Thirty-sev-

enth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Guyana.

Discussed as part of a range of bilateral issues was how Guyana could learn from Spanish State’s sound regulatory framework for the mining sector. President Granger referred to Chile as an ideal partner in this area, given that that country is one of the most successful mining enterprises in the world.

These discussions continued in October, during President David Granger’s first official State visit to Chile.

There, Guyana received commitments of support for collaboration in the areas of trade, capacity building in telecommunications, geological mapping in the field of mining and environmental management.

With regard to mining, Chile offered to provide technical assistance for geologi-

President Granger poses with (from left) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge; Chilean Ambassador, Mr. Claudio Rachel Rojas; Project Manager of the visiting team from Sernageomin, Dr. Juan Pablo Lacassie; Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman and Geologist from Sernageomin, Ms. Miriela Santana

cal mapping, which would allow for a scientific determination of the location of mineral wealth deposits in Guyana. Further, Guyana was required by Chile to provide project proposals in the area of Geological and Metallogenic maps and Petrographic Studies.

President Granger has highlighted the need for achieving a healthy balance between the effective management of our renewable resources, while preserving our environment. The team’s presence in Guyana and the research they will conduct will, therefore, help to contribute to the overall improvement of the sustainable development of the country’s extractive industries sector.

During the meeting, President Granger said, “[We are] looking toward not only the technical means of extracting minerals, but also the regulatory framework, of course [we must consider] the protection of the environ-

ment to which both president Bachelet and I are deeply committed.”

Echoing the President’s sentiments, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge said that Guyana looks forward to the information-sharing benefit that will accrue as a result of the visit, as it will assist Guyana in dealing with certain difficulties within the extractive sectors. “We have had a long tradition in mining, both in the private and public sector, but a number of the challenges that face us now are perhaps a little unprecedented and they come at a time when we are challenged by trying to do many things at once; problems of managing petroleum, problems in trying to reactivate manganese for example, as well as putting in place the appropriate regulatory framework because that is a major challenge for us,” the Minister said. Given Chile’s expertise in mining, Minister Greenidge said that

Guyana will be looking to that country for advice in other related areas as well.

President Granger also highlighted that the engagement will serve both countries well and is likely to see future collaborations in other areas. “It is entirely in keeping with Government’s policy and with the policy of your own Government that the continent not only becomes a zone of peace but also a zone of prosperity; a zone of development, and that is one of the reasons why we are stretching across the distance to reach out to each other… We know that this engagement will not just be technical but it will lead to development and close relations in other fields,” the President said.

Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Raphael Trotman told the team that Government’s policy with regard to the extractive sector stands on four pillars: the sustainable use of the envi-

ronment, better management of land resources, geological surveys and mining safety.

“While your efforts will be focused on geological surveys and assistance we have no doubt that you will continue to guide us in the other three areas so that we lift those areas of focus,” he said.

Chilean Ambassador, Mr. Claudio Rachel Rojas said that this project is just one in many that will see the strengthening of relations between Guyana and Chile as the two countries move step by step in working to develop their futures. At the end of the meeting, the team presented President Granger with a publication on the mining sector in their country. The meeting was also attended

by Acting Commissioner of the GGMC, Mr. Newell Dennison, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Ministry of the Presidency)

3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Cocaine timber bust

Father joins son in lock-ups THE Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) late Monday afternoon secured extensions of time to further keep in custody Nazim Gafoor and Hakim Mohamed,two of the suspects in the large cocaine bust at Zeelugt, East Bank Demerara last Friday and also arrested a third man.

According to a statement by CANU,the men are being held pending further investigations. According to CANU,sometime during Monday,Commander Leslie James of’D’ Division and his ranks arrested and handed over Tazim Gafoor to ranks of CANU. All three of the men will remain in custody pending further investigations.

In its statement,CANU said both Tazim Gafoor and his son Nazim GAFOOR have retained Counsel and are not assisting in investigations. Additionally,

…Stephen Vieira still on the run …CANU gets extension to hold suspects

CAUGHT: Tazim Gafoor

Naraine Lall

Stephen Vieira

CANU said five of the individuals initially kept in custody since Friday,including the driver and the porters of the truck in question were expected to be released last evening on the expiration of the 72 hours since their initial detention. CANU said it has a digital video record-

ing device retrieved from Nazim Gafoor at Vreed-enHoop,West Bank Demerara and hopes to find material of evidential value after due analysis.

Further, the unit said there was a batch of related dress wood from the very shipper that had already

made it onto the wharf and which was retrieved

by CANU.Each board is currently being drilled by ranks in the compound and thus far no further narcotics were found in the ones examined.

Up to press time no charge had been laid in this matter even as CANU says it was yet to locate popular motor racer, Stephen Vieira and Narine Lall. “CANU is hereby asking that anyone knowing their whereabouts to make contact with the nearest police station and or CANU Head Quarters on 2260431,” the statement added.

CANU on Friday discovered some 84.986 kilograms of cocaine worth in excess of

Some of the cocaine found in the boards drilled by CANU ranks

Some of the boards being drilled

$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 at 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 cargo 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,having a landed US street value in excess of 550 million Guyana dollars,” the release said.

CANU said investigations have so far revealed that the truck was hired to pick up and transport the lumber from 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 reveal a well-planned web of participants,” the anti-narcotics agency said.

It noted that popular racing popular motorcyclist Vieira is listed on shipping documents as the representative of 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.

4

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Sources tell US media...

Trump ‘shared classified information with Russia’

PRESIDENT Donald Trump revealed highly classified information about so-called Islamic State (IS) to Russia’s foreign minister, sources have told US media.

The information came from a partner of the US, which had not given permission for it to be shared with Russia, says the Washington Post.

Mr Trump received Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office last week.

Officials denied the media report, but a senior member of Mr Trump’s Republican Party has called for an explanation.

The Trump campaign’s alleged links to Moscow have dogged his presidency, and are part of several investigations. But the president has dismissed such allegations as “fake news”.

During the election campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly criticised his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, for how she handled sensitive material.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? In a conversation with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, in the Oval Office, the president revealed details that could lead to the exposure of a source of information, officials told the Washington Post and the New York Times.

The discussion was about an IS plot, and he reportedly went “off-script”. The intelligence disclosed came from a US ally, information considered too sensitive to share with other US allies, the papers report.

Others present realised

President Trump (centre) with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov (left), and Russian Ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak during a meeting last week when the ‘slip’ was allegedly made

the mistake and scrambled to “contain the damage” by informing the CIA and the National Security Agency, says the Post.

The meeting came a day after Mr Trump fired his FBI chief, James Comey,

sparking criticism that he had done so because the FBI was investigating alleged Russian ties.

A Russian photographer was present for part of the meeting, but US media were not allowed to attend.

THE REACTION The Senate’s second-highest ranked Democrat, Dick Durbin, said Mr Trump’s actions appeared to be “dangerous” and reckless”.

A spokesman for Paul Ryan, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said: “We have no way to know what was said, but protecting our nation’s secrets is paramount.

“The speaker hopes for a full explanation of the facts from the administration.”

The Republican head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, said the story was “very, very troubling” if true.

“Obviously they’re in a downward spiral right now, and they’ve got to figure out a way to come to grips” with it, he told Bloomberg.

THE WHITE HOUSE? National Security Advisor HR McMaster told reporters that the story was “false”.

“The president and foreign minister reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation,” he said.

“At no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed, and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known.”

In a statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson belaboured the point that “the nature of specific threats were discussed, but they did not discuss sources, methods or military operations.”

The Washington Post, which first broke the story, said this did not amount to a denial of their story.

(BBC)

Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 08:30 hrs Wednesday, May 17, 2017 - 09:00 hrs Thursday, May 18, 2017 - 10:00 hrs

DATE: DATE: 26/11/2016 13/05/2017 26/11/2016 15/05/2017

17 14 19 19 05 12 18 18 20 26 02 N N 11

06 05 13 10

14 15

21 17

24 26

26/11/2016 15/05/2017

04 07

07 06

03 04

26/11/2016 15/05/2017

05 02

04 04

01 04

26/11/2016 15/05/2017 02 02

09 03

10 05

11 15 13 17 14 20

18 21

5

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Carberry vows to bring GUYOIL in line --with gov’t ‘Green State’ initiative

By Shauna Jemmott CHAIRMAN of the Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL), Lance Carberry, has said the fuel company is tapping into opportunities to support government’s ‘green state’ initiative.

He also pledged to convert, as far as possible, the archaic fossil fuel-dependent system to a photo-voltaic (PV) one, also known as solar power, in all its eight service stations countrywide.

Carberry said although GUYOIL is a fuel company, it is consciously operating on the reality that the ‘green economy’ concept can help save the world from facing the full effects of climate change, and with this in mind,

has outlined a list of plans in support of that.

“As a company, we are very conscious of the reality; that the government has been pursuing what is being described as a ‘green initiative’,” Carberry said.

“And as a company, we felt that we should be looking for the opportunity for the greening of GUYOIL. Most people, when they recognise that GUYOIL is a fuel company, they don’t think about the environment; but the reality is that the quality of fuel is very, very important in terms of its impact on the environment,” he told attendees at a GUYOIL event recently.

He said the company has already made available the Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel

(ULSD), which will significantly reduce pollution from diesel engines, and has recognised the use of alternative energy systems in order to go ‘green’. By early 2018, two of its new buildings will utilise the PV energy-provider system.

The Victoria Gas Station, as well as the GUYOIL bond which was destroyed by fire will be rebuilt at Providence, utilising completely the PV system instead of the fossil-energy systems.

Carberry said GUYOIL is hoping to have all of its locations go ‘solar’ eventually.

Said he: “We have committed that for our new building, we would in fact use the photovoltaic system to provide energy.

The GUYOIL gas station at Victoria on the East Coast

“We are in the process of facilitating the modernisation of the station at Victoria, and our intention is that that station will be powered totally

by PV system.

“We also intend, over time, to replace, as far as it is possible, the existing fossil-fuel- dependent system with photovoltaic systems in all of our service stations.

“By early next year, we should have at least two areas that have installed the PV systems. In addition, what we’ve been looking at is to increase the efficiency of use of energy.

“We are installing an energy management programme in GUYOIL, which would in fact seek to ensure that the use of energy is a lot more efficient.”

With energy being as expensive as it is these days, Carberry said, that is one reason GUYOIL is finding new ways of saving through the use of techniques which will ensure a more efficient management of energy.

City men charged for wounding each other TWO men were on Monday charged in relation to injuries they allegedly inflicted on each other during a fight at East La Penitence Bridge, Georgetown which left both of them hospitalised for a few days.

Colin Daly, 23 of East La Penitence and Reon Jonas,22 of Phase One Mandela Avenue, West Ruimveldt appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman on different charges.

Daly was charged for unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on to Jonas on May 8 at East La Penitence. He however denied the charge and was released on $60,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Jonas was charged for allegedly discharging a loaded firearm at Daly with intent to maim,

disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm to him. Jones denied the charge and was remanded to prison.

In Court, Police prosecution explained that on the day in question about 20:20hrs Daly was standing drinking a Guinness at East La Penitence Bridge when he was approached

by Jonas, who discharged several rounds at him. Daly quickly armed himself with a cutlass and chopped Jonas about his hand, the court heard.

Daly was shot to his arm, while Jonas was chopped to his left hand.

However, Jonas pointed out that men in the area saw the commotion and discharged several rounds in the air with their guns and one of the bullets hit Daly. The matter has been adjourned until June 12.

6

Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Silent revolution

OVER the last two years there appeared to be the unfolding of a silent revolution in the Republic of Guyana.

A revolution is usually characterised by sudden, radical and sometimes violent changes. But, in Guyana, there is the creation of a new social order that is soft or gradual which is changing the way that the state is governed.

Since May 2015, we witnessed comity in how the executive, legislature and judiciary function. This is a classic case of a break from the past where the separation of powers was undermined. Now, Guyana can say with confidence that the financial independence of the legislature and judiciary has been guaranteed.

The silent revolution is changing the nature of the media, which are open and free, and freedom of speech, association and assembly have been restored. Over this period, new local government elections were held after over two decades.

And the legal architecture has been built to allow credible procurement, lawful financial transactions with clean money and the acquisition of assets by legitimate means. The silent revolution is clearing the stream of business and justice of corrupt practices and influences. Violators, even in law enforcement agencies, have been placed on alert that there is zero tolerance for bribery, fraud and ‘shake-downs’.

The clout of the narco-underworld that had once extended

to law enforcement via ‘death squads’ and summary executions, has been trimmed though not totally eliminated. Armed bandits who once had unrestricted and unrestrained rampage, are on the run. And pirates who once harassed our fisher folk are on the radar of our security forces which regularly patrol our sea coast and riverine areas.

When this government took office it was at a point where citizens felt that the previous government had mismanaged the economy and there was growing contempt for citizens by top officials. This was a period of rampant corruption, death and phantom squads, during which a Minister of Home Affairs was fingered and said if he had to do it all over again he would. Hundreds of dead bodies were dumped around the country and the Coroner’s Act was not activated.

Georgetown, once proudly known as the Garden City became the garbage city. The City Council became pawn of an ugly politics that saw central government withholding its financial obligations for its buildings. Local Government Minister,Kellawan Lall boldly announced that he would be glad if the city suffers a health crisis. There was no regard for the structures or management of government. Regional and neighbourhood democratic councils not controlled by the PPP/C saw discrimination in budgetary allocation and move to undermine, break up the councils, or impose Interim

Management Committee. Freedom of speech, including dissent and protest, and respect for the role of independent media were assaulted.

However, the silent revolution is reflected in the orderly and law-abiding processes everywhere in Guyana, where leaders are required to observe respect for accountability and transparency in the execution of their official functions.

The silent revolution is shaping anew public buildings, open spaces and our infrastructure.

The critics have stated that there have been too few and too late, but they cannot deny that Guyana, once again, is on the move. Hats off to the Granger-Nagamootoo partnership and symbols of the image of our new Guyana.

Remembering Sister Tchaiko Kwayana Dear Editor DEATH is inevitable, but we are still shocked when it comes to those close to us or those who crossed our path.

Our friend, mother, sister and comrade, Tchaiko Kwayana was called home to the ancestors on Saturday May 6 after an almost year-long battle with cancer. She fought back against the dreaded disease in her characteristically fearless manner, but, in the end, she accepted the inevitable. With her beloved husband and children at her side she transitioned peacefully.

Her passing was understandably greeted with shock by her many colleagues, students and admirers, many of whom did not know of her illness. Those of us who knew that she was sick were also shocked, as we anticipated that she would have survived.

I have known Tchaiko Kwayana for close to five decades, first as a little boy in Buxton and later as a col-

league and friend. She is known in Guyana as the wife of Eusi Kwayana, our esteemed elder, educator, cultural activist, political leader and humanist. Sister Tchaiko was all of those and more.

Yes, she was Eusi’s partner, his other equal half, but she, on her own, was a tower of strength.

Tchaiko Kwayana was born in Georgia, USA in 1935 as Ann F. Cook. She was a graduate of Paine College, Augusta, Georgia and of Teachers College, Columbia University and a doctoral student in African Studies at the Union Institute. She taught English at the high school and college levels in three continents: Nigeria, Africa; Guyana, South America; and on both the east and west coasts of the USA. Sis Tchaiko first visited Guyana in 1968 as part of her interest in studying the African diaspora. As an internationalist and pan-Africanist, she had already lived in Africa, where she taught English in Nigeria. She was

part of a larger group of African Americans who answered the call of Africa and migrated to the continent to help the newly-independent countries regroup after the long period of colonisation. Many went to Ghana, the home of the legendary Kwame Nkrumah, but some, like Sis Tchaiko, opted for other countries on the continent.

By the time she visited Guyana, her future husband, Eusi, had cemented his place as a pioneer of the modern Black Nationalist and Pan Africanist Caribbean movement. He had co-founded the African Society for Racial Equality (ASRE) in 1961 and the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) in 1964 and was the spearhead of what became known as the “Cultural Revolution” among African Guyanese.

It was inevitable, then, that any visitor to Guyana with an interest in the African diaspora would encounter Eusi. Sis Tchaiko met him when she visited in 1968

and the rest is history. They got married in 1971 and she moved to Guyana. The couple bore four children and the marriage lasted until her death.

While in Guyana Sis Tchaiko continued her career as a teacher. She took up duty at her husband’s school in Buxton—the famous County High School, which later became the Republic Cooperative High School. While Eusi’s name remains inextricably linked to the school, Sister Tchaiko stamped her own personality there, independent of Eusi.

She taught English and was outstanding at it. But it was as a disciplinarian, one who paid close attention to standards, and as a practitioner of a holistic education that combined academics with culture that she is best remembered by her students. I remember well how my sister, Denise, who was one of her students, became a transformed person after attending County for her first term. She still to this day speaks of the impact

of Tchaiko on changing her attitude.

I also remember how Sis Tchaiko quickly blended into the Buxton community. She became a Buxtonion soon after settling there. She made friends independent of Eusi, especially with the women of Buxton backdam-side, where the family lived. I remember as a little boy seeing this new resident taking her cow to “graze” and wondering whether she had lived in our village before. She went about her business, not as the wife of a famous man, but as an ordinary resident doing ordinary things just like the other women of the village. It is the utmost respect that one could give to a village. That respect for our village stayed with Sister Tchaiko for the rest of her life.

When in 1979, the world honoured the children of the universe by designating that year International Year of the Child, Sister Tchaiko was one of the local coordinators.

She organized the young people in the village into a

youth brigade that spent the year doing cultural and social projects which enriched our village and also opened our eyes to the cause of social justice. On a personal note, it was at one of our “public meetings” that I first mounted a public platform as a speaker. When, I sought to get out of it because of nervousness, Sister Tchaiko, in her usual decisive manner, said “you are down to speak and it’s this evening.” The rest is also history.

Sister Tchaiko also found time to pursue writing. She co-authored with Eusi the book Scars of Bondage: A First Look at the Slave Colonial Experience of the Africans in Guyana. She also wrote “Black Pride? Some Contradictions” At the national level, Sister Tchaiko participated in the activities of ASCRIA and later the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). She was a founding member of the Women Against Terror (WAT), a group of women Turn to Page 7

7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Remembering ... who organized themselves to aid the struggle against the authoritarian government of the day. Like other WPA members, she suffered at the hands of the State and Para-State forces—she was harassed and physically assaulted. As the WPA observed in its tribute to her: From the time of her arrival in Guyana Sister Tchaiko became immersed in the struggles of the African community and the Guyanese nation. Her commitment to our people and country was a lifelong endeavor. From the moment she answered the call to serve to the time of her death, she remained unwavering in her support of the Guyanese struggle, for liberation, racial pride, political and racial reconciliation and the empowerment of women and children and the elderly.

In ASCRIA she played an integral role in the organization’s work to promote the “Cultural Revolution” which sought to re-awaken African self-consciousness. As a member of Ascria, Tchaiko supported the political decision for the formation of the WPA and worked to advance its cause. Sister Tchaiko’s commitment to the liberation of the Guyanese masses was exemplified by the role she played in the group, “Women Against Terror” where she was on several occasions caught up in the confrontation against the supporters of the administration. She did not escape the violence that was unleashed against the political opponents of the government in the period of the seventies and eighties and

received a sound beating on North Road in the vicinity of Bourda Market on September 17th, 1983 while participating in a protest demonstration for the recognition of democratic and human rights in Guyana (WPA Press Release May 10, 2017) In 1982, as the regime became more aggressive she left Guyana with her children. Like other WPA members, neither she nor Eusi could find work. Her children were growing up and needed to be fed. She returned to the USA and instantly became the sole breadwinner of the family. They visited Guyana regularly and Eusi visited the USA, but it was Tchaiko who shouldered the burden of the day to day affairs of the children, freeing Eusi to continue his service to Guyana and the world. She also continued her advocacy on behalf of Guyana. In Atlanta, she co-founded Helping Uplift Guyanese (HUG) a group formed to support the struggle in Guyana.

Sister Tchaiko resumed her teaching career, first in Georgia and later in San Diego, California where she spent her last years. Eusi joined her in 2002 and together they soldiered on as activists and educators while still mothering and fathering their now grown children.

Sister Tchaiko would take another step—she embarked on studies toward a PhD in African Studies. Unfortunately, she passed on before its completion.

In San Diego, she not only taught high school, but

From Page 6

Deputy City Engineer responds to claims of non-cooperation Dear Editor

also at the tertiary level. She taught English as a Second Language at Southwestern College and History and English from a Black Perspective at both the Honors and the Regular levels at Mesa College. As testimony of her teaching skills, in 1994/1995, along with eighty-nine other teachers of English nationwide, after a year of rigorous requirements including twodays of written examinations, Tchaiko Kwayana made history by becoming the first African American teacher in California to become a Nationally Board Certified Teacher of English.

We remember our sister as a fighter for justice, a mother, a wife and above all a humanist who rose above narrow sectarianism and embraced our common humanity. Perhaps the words of Guyana’s national poet, Martin Carter, as always, capture the essence of my short tribute.

Dear Comrade if it must be you speak no more with me nor smile no more with me then let me take a patience and a calm for even now the greener leaf explodes sun brightens stone and all the river burns.

Now from the mourning vanguard moving on dear Comrade I salute you and I say Death will not find us thinking that we die.

Regards David Hinds

PLEASE permit me to respond to a claim carried in your daily newspaper, Tuesday may 9, 2017 titled ‘ALL PUMPS SLUICES WORKING, disciplinary actions for engineers’.

I must, firstly, respond by saying it is with great regret and disgust that I have to respond to such an erroneous claim, for the first time publicly in my entire professional career, on not cooperating with my place of employment.

It would be remiss of me to not cooperate with my Department given the magnitude of my role and responsibilities that have to be undertaken daily.

However, before I go indepth to dismiss the claims made as baseless, I will explain the role of the Deputy City Engineer within the Engineer’s Department of the Mayor and City Council and its support to the engineering core.

Deputy City Engineer is responsible to ensure all activities of the Department be executed and implemented within time and budget, including the man-

agement and supervision of the publish engineers and the more than two hundred (200) staffs.

The support engineering core is responsible for execution of assigned tasks.

Editor, the Department is staffed with five (5) engineers, including the City Engineer and other auxiliary staffs, who have the mandate and responsibility for several city projects implementation and execution, and other daily works that ensure the preservation of the city efficiency.

Some major projects recently undertaken include the rehabilitation of the Albouystown Clinic; Construction of the Barr Street bridge in Charlestown/Albouystown;Rehabilitation of Kitty Market;regular cleaning and clearing of canals, maintaining the aesthetics of our avenues and open spaces,and most critically ensuring the functionality and operation of our drainage sluices and pumps. The Department continues to face ever growing challenges with both its key sectors of resources, financial and human, but strive to maintain public confidence

in the works carried out and planned. We acknowledge the difficulties faced but are always prepared to sacrifice time whenever called upon.

Editor, these engineers primarily carry the life of the Mayor and City Council core services outputs. If these works are not properly planned, execution will be a disaster not only for the strategic master plan of the city but the end users which are the citizens of Georgetown.

Editor, if considered, any desire of these staffs not to cooperate with the Department, giving substandard reports can only be to their detriment and that of the City, noting the key role they played in several works executed and to be executed. We will have a medieval landscape, poor urban services and a city of chaos. All of us at the City Engineer’s Department work astutely to avoid these eventualities on a daily basis and at all cost.

Regards Ron N Eastman Deputy City Engineer

8

Relatives fear for ‘Gardener’s safety

– after ‘apparent’ break-in at workplace

Bisundial Vasques, called ‘Gardener’

RELATIVES of 63-yearold Bisundial Vasques, called ‘Gardener’, are worried about his safety following an apparent robbery at his workplace, and his subsequent disappearance.

Vasques, a father of three of Friendship, East Bank Demerara, was the caretaker of a farm at Silicone Green on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, and

was last seen on Monday, May 8.

His daughters, Dularie ‘Reshma’ Bisundial and Hema Mattan, told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday that when they visited the worksite, they could see that the hinges were off the door of the building, and heard how a number of items were missing, including two outboard engines and a solar panel.

They said the place also appeared ransacked, and that police have since con-

cluded that there was a robbery.

Furthermore, the women found their father’s slippers, shovel and bag at the site.

According to them, the owner of the facility, Kiran Persaud, lodged a Missing Person’s report at Timehri Police Station last Wednesday.

The family is not very pleased at the effort of the police to investigate the matter, and has formed their own search team.

The missing man’s daughters, Dularie ‘Reshma’ Bisundial and Hema Mattan

Mr. Vasques’ worksite

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

East Ruimveldt youth caught with illegal gun, ‘ammo’ AN unemployed man, who was a passenger on a public transportation, was arrested after an unlicensed pistol with 14 live rounds were found tucked in his pants waist on Monday morning.

Police, acting on intelligence, stopped the vehicle on the Ruimveldt Public Road around 05:00hrs and conducted a search on the suspect and found the 9mm Taurus pistol and ammunition, a police report noted.

The illegal weapon and ‘ammo’ that were found on the young man

The 20-year-old suspect, who hails from Mango

Lane, East Ruimveldt is being processed for court.

Gold miner charged with bribery A 39-YEAR-OLD gold miner who attempted to bribe a police officer with raw gold to drop a narcotic charge against his sister-in-law was on Monday charged with bribery.

Ernest Trotman of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the charge.

It is alleged that Trotman on May 9 at Issano Police Station, Essequibo, corruptly gave to an agent of the state,Alex Vaughn, an officer employed by the government,one ounce of raw gold as an inducement to forego a charge against Dalyne Stewart for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Trotman’s attorney,

Ernest Trotman

Latchmie Rahamat told the court that her client operated a shop in the interior location and left his sister-in-law, Stewart as the shopkeeper.

The attorney noted that following the news that a police raid was conducted at

her client’s shop,the man left his Zeelugt home and went to the Issano Police Station in Essequibo.

Rahamat further explained that Trotman was questioned in relation to the drugs found at his shop and he was placed under arrest by the police. He was searched and his gold chain along with other items taken away.

However,according to police Prosecutor, Arwyn Moore,the accused offered the raw gold to police officer,Vaughn,as an inducement for him to drop the narcotics charge.

The Magistrate released the goldminer on $150,000 bail and transferred the matter to the Bartica Magistrate’s Court for May 25.

Efforts to besmirch others reputation will continue Dear Editor EFFORTS by some to besmirch the reputation of others began from time immemorial and it will continue long into the future.

What makes such efforts despicable is when those efforts are more fictional than factual.

Nowadays this phenomenon is known as 'alternative facts' or, if you wish, fake news. A brief lesson in history will suffice. I choose Sir Walter Raleigh for obvious reasons. Sir Walter Raleigh took 'glad tidings of great joy'

back to the House of Stuart about El Dorado, he supposedly committed 'treason' by seeking an alliance with Spain and was said to have ' rejoiced at Essex's death and puffed out tobacco 'in disdain of him'.

For all these scandals, fake news and trumped up charges,Raleigh was executed by the axeman. Nowadays, execution is by the pen of the journalist who, in the employ of the state, are paid to write contrived narratives pleasing to those who strut the corridors of power.

Guyanese politics is rich and abundant with alternative facts and fake news long before becoming an independent nation. Such genre of 'news' or 'facts' is used to denigrate and belittle one political adversary or the other. Peddling of fake news and alternative facts does not depend on who is in government or who is in the opposition so long as it becomes weaponised. And so it came to pass, when Desmond Hoyte became Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, at a sitting of the National

Assembly he claimed that Minister Rohee mistakenly boarded a plane for the Commonwealth of Dominica instead of boarding a plane for the Dominican Republic.

When the Minister asked MP Hoyte there and then to explain when and where this happened,Hoyte became evasive. Anyone acquainted with travelling by air would know that such an occurrence was well nigh impossible from a logistic and security perspective. In the Guyana Chronicle Editorial of Saturday May 13, 2017,Hoyte's

fake news re-surfaced, but this time it took a 360 degree twist thus: "It could be recalled then Minister of Foreign Affairs,Clement Rohee voting in favour of the The Dominican Republic, though Guyana's vote was intended for our sister CARICOM state, the Commonwealth of Dominica."

The Guyana Chronicle may wish to answer for the benefit of its readers the following questions; (1) In which organization did the 'vote' take place? ((2)At what forum in that organization

was this 'vote' taken?( 3) What was the issue that was to be 'voted' on?( 4) Who was the Head of Mission accredited to the organization at the time when the 'vote' was taken?

The Guyana Chronicle must answer these questions lest its credibility, which is already highly questionable, is further eroded in the eyes of the Guyanese public.

Regards Clement J. Rohee Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

PAC roasts GRA over Soldier remanded for warehouse security lapses shooting of bread vendor – urges a tightening of the breaches THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday meticulously questioned the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on a number of issues relating to its operation and utilisation of warehouses in 2015.

Among issues raised was the inability of warehouse owners to fulfill their agreed obligations to the Authority.

An audit conducted in 2015 by the Auditor General’s Office discovered that two of the vehicles lodged and registered at a warehouse owned by Car Care were missing. That inspection was on April 14, 2015.

But according to a report received by the PAC, a second visit on April 26 revealed that the cars had somehow re-appeared, and that based on evidence presented, the GRA had not authorised their release in the first place. It was also found that there was no evidence that duties and taxes totaling $2.867M were paid.

It was also reported that during the auditors’ second visit to the Car Care warehouse, it was discovered that the two vehicles were positioned differently from the way they were on the first visit. Permission was also not granted by the GRA for anyone to access the warehouse and re-arrange the vehicles.

Deputy Head of Customs Excise and Trade Operations, Patrick Hyman was called upon to explain the situation. In response, Hyman said follow-up visits subsequent to the discovery of the missing cars were done at the warehouse, and a number of modifications were done to restrict unauthorised access.

Car Care has outrightly rejected any breach of the premises, but had made some adjustments to the facility.

‘IT NEVER HAPPENED!’ According to PAC’s Bishop Juan Edghill, “Haymer indicated that the warehouse owner vehemently denies this occurrence.It never happened!

“This is putting the integrity of the Audit Office under question, as against the warehouse owner. The verification to determine

who was right and wrong has to do with the authority responsible for restricting the movement of vehicles from the warehouse. That was GRA.” At this point, PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali exclaimed, “Somebody had to move it and bring it back!”

Turning to Hyman, he enquired, “Who caused the vehicle to move? Did you come up with an individual?”

But alas! These were questions that Hyman had no answers to. It was also noted that the facility has no surveilance camera, which resulted in PAC recommending that from henceforth, all warehouses must have cameras installed, and that the footage thereof must be maintained for at least 30 days.

The installation of cameras and keeping of footage for at least one month, Ali said, would, in the long run, prove beneficial to GRA. Edghill, however, felt that the matter was being taken too lightly; that an audit is “a very serious matter.”

He next asked whether a representative of the GRA was present when the audit was done, and whether it was the same officer who returned on April 26, when the cars re-appeared.

SOMETHING GRAVELY WRONG Hyman responded in the affirmative, which prompted Ali to deduce that something was gravely wrong with the picture. “Something is wrong!” he said. “And if you cannot derive by yourself that something is wrong here, then we have an even worse problem.”

But it seemed that there were more questions than Hyman had answers for, as he could not state whether the official continues to work at the Authority. He also admitted not knowing the name of the officer, and was perforce tasked with providing the PAC with all relevant information.

The GRA official was also asked to state why the officer did not report his findings to him, and what disciplinary actions would be taken, but again, he could not provide an answer. It

was also disclosed during the round of questioning that the warehouse was under dual control.

Asked further whether the warehouse was written to as a result of the disappearance of the cars as should have been protocol, Hyman said doing so was unnecessary as the said officer who was present when the cars were discovered missing, returned to the warehouse the following day and found that they had been returned.

“The notice was not served because they went back the following day and saw the cars,” he said in his defense.

Hyman said Car Care was warned and advised if there were additional breaches, then their licence would be revoked, but that warning was verbally done.

He explained that the usual procedure is to serve the warehouse with a notice saying that items were found to be missing. The warehouse, in turn, has seven days to respond, failing which GRA takes action.

‘DOESN’T SMELL NICE’ This prompted Ali to interject: “This here doesn’t smell nice; have to call a spade a spade here.

“If I was the officer-in-charge, the least I would have had is a warning in writing to someone; we can’t tell the people out there that miraculously two cars re-appeared the next day.” He added that the only reason the cars were returned was because the information was leaked.

“Somebody must have informed somebody! The car can’t just re-appear the next day!” Ali said;as other PAC members demanded that a thorough investigation be done.

“This calls for a massive investigation,” one member stated, even as Hyman struggled to answer why five other warehouses were shut down, but Car Care remained operational despite similar breaches.

In light of insufficient information, the PAC Chair was forced to discontinue the session, which he said will resume in two weeks’ time.

A 20-YEAR-OLD Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Soldier was on Monday charged with the murder of Sophia bread vendor, Andre Alexander who was gunned down during a robbery at his stall recently.

Private Shaquille Grant of Section ‘B’ Greater Georgetown,appeared before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

It’s alleged that Grant on May 5 at ‘C’ Field Sophia murdered 42-year-old Alexander in the furtherance of a robbery.

Police Prosecutor, Ayesha Gibbon told the court that Alexander was a bread vendor and had a stand at ‘C’ Field Sophia.According to the facts,on May 5 at about 20:30hrs,Grant,along

Dead: Andre Alexander

with another person,rode up to Alexander’s stand on a CG motorcycle while being armed with a gun and shot the bread vendor to his chest.

The men relieved the vendor of an undisclosed sum of cash and made good their escape. Alexander was

Murder accused: Shaquille Grant

rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he died while receiving treatment.

Magistrate Ally-Seepaul remanded the unrepresented man until June 8, 2017.

‘West’ man in court for robbing Qualfon workers A 29-YEAR-OLD West La Penitence resident charged with 11 counts of robbery under arms was on Monday remanded to prison

by City Magistrate Judy Latchman.

It is alleged that Quincy Clark on May 12, at NorthEast La Penitence, while being in the company of others armed with guns stuck-up a Qualfon bus and robbed its passengers.

Eleven persons were robbed during the ordeal and

$628,100 in total were taken away from their persons.

The victims are: Jennifer Haynes, Candy Cole, Shamain David, Mark McLoud, Colincia Facey, Jamol Glasgow, Damani Victoria, Randy Jordon, Akesha Taylor, Niketa Ward and Tamika Hangover . Clark denied all of the charges as they were read to him.

Police Prosecutor, Shawn Gonzales told the court that the accused, when arrested by the police, con-

fessed to the crime in a caution statement. He also pointed out that Clark was charged in 2016 for simple larceny.

Gonzales objected to the accused being released on bail on the grounds that a gun was used in the commission of the crime, the nature, gravity and prevalence of the offence.

The Magistrate ruled in the prosecution’s favour and remanded the accused until June 12.

Court dismisses causing death charge against actor ACTOR and playwright,Godfrey Henry on Monday walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court a free man after a causing death by dangerous driving case was dismissed against him.

The ruling was made by City Magistrate,Leron Daly,after she found that crucial evidence was not presented by the prosecution during trial.

Godfrey Henry, 66, was accused of driving a car, licence number HC 419, in a manner dangerous to the public on April 28, 2016,thereby

causing the death of Fitzroy Bailey. Henry is an instructor at the National Drama School, and also works parttime as a hire car driver.

He had denied the charge during his initial court appearance and was released on $300,000 bail. Henry was represented by Attorney Savannah Barnwell in association with Nigel Hughes.

According to reports Bailey died following an accident along Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown. The accident reportedly occurred at about 21:35hrs on April 28, 2016. Investiga-

FREED: Godfrey Henry

tions revealed that the victim was reportedly crossing the road when he was struck by a speeding car.

He sustained injuries and subsequently succumbed.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

CJIA expansion project...

‘BK’ pledges no stone unturned

– to ensure supply meets int’l standard BRIAN Tiwari, Chief Execuive Officer and Managing Director of B.K. International over the weekend expressed pleasure at the signing of contracts along with Toolsie Persaud Limited to supply stone for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion project.

The CEO said: “It is with much humility that we were invited to the signing ceremony, where a contract for the supply of 50,000 aggregates for the expansion of the CJIA between BK Quarries Inc. and China Harbor Engineer Company was signed.

“We wish to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Government of Guyana, particularly Minister of Public Infrastructure

David Patterson, Minister of Business Dominick Gaskin, Minister of Communication Cathy Hughes, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson for their intervention in having these materials supplied locally.

“We are, and will remain, personally indebted to these Ministers. We are very grateful for the support and leadership that was given

by Minister Patterson and Gaskin to make this a reality; we appreciate their efforts to bring us on board as one of the local quarry suppliers for this project.

“We were also happy to support their request for a special concession on the price for these materials.

“We wish to also express our thanks to the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (Guyana) Inc for supporting the request by the Government of Guyana that these materials be procured and supplied locally.

“We wish to assure the government and the contractor that no effort will be spared in ensuring that all of the materials will be of the highest quality and meet the required specifications.

“We wish to reiterate that when we took over the quarry from Mazaruni Granite, the price of stones on the local market was $12,000 per ton; we were able to have this price reduced to the current cost of $8,000.”

Owner of BK International Incorporated, Brian Tiwari, inking the agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company for the purchase of stones for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project

Porter dies after falling off lorry – driver in custody POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Dinesh Ramcharran, 26, a porter of Tabatinga Village, Lethem, who allegedly fell off a moving lorry around 17:30hrs on Sunday at Kumu Short Cut Trail, Lethem.

According to a police report, the driver of motor lorry GTT 8398 was proceeding

north along the trail with two occupants in the vehicle’s cab, and Ramcharran perched on the roof of the cab.

The report notes that after travelling for about a mile, the driver stopped and on checking discovered that Ramcharran was not in the vehicle.

He was later found on the trail, motionless, and was rushed to the Lethem Hospi-

tal, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body is presently at the Lethem Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

The 23-year-old driver, who hails from Central Lethem, and whose blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit, is in custody assisting with the investigation.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Farm-fresh and wholesome – Independence celebrations to feature farmers’ market, other innovations ASIDE from the colour and flair set for Guyana’s 51st anniversary of Independence, fresh produce and career innovations will also be features of this year’s festivities.

During the lead up to Independence Day on May 26, 2017, the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport has planned a plethora of events that will be the highlight of this year’s celebrations.

Among those will be new events such as the career and training ‘expo’, and the Farmers Exhibition which are expected to attract a number of participants and spectators.

On May 27, 2017 at D’Urban Park, farmers will bring “fresh” produce to what is deemed as a grand exposition by Senior Livestock Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Au-

At Monday’s press conference are, from left:Director of Events, Lt. Colonel Godfrey Bess; Director of Youth, Ms Melissa Carmichael,and Senior Livestock Officer, Mr Celwin Anthony

thority (GLDA), Mr Celwin Anthony.

During a press conference at the Racquet Centre on Monday, Anthony told members of the media that they will have live animals, productive plants, ornaments, fruits and vegetables and even processed food on display and on sale at low prices.

“The event will give

farmers an opportunity to bring the buyers to a place where they will be exposed to fresh produce,” said the Livestock Officer.

Their aim will be to get young farmers in particular on board to showcase their produce, and get a place on the local and even international market.

With youths being the pri-

mary target for development, not only in the agriculture sector, Director of Youth, Melissa Carmichael pointed out that others will have a chance to be a part of a career and training ‘expo’ on May 22, 2017 at the D’Urban Park as well.

Over 5,000 youths between the ages of 14 and 35 are expected to benefit from

the exposition, which will even give them a chance to acquire scholarships and other academic, technical and vocational assistance.

According to Carmichael, 56 organisations have already signaled their intention of being a part of the ‘expo’.

“These organisations will be able to give information on career choices, employment

‘Hempsters’ renew call

By Shirley Thomas MEMBERS of the Guyana Hemp Association and its affiliates, including the newly formed ‘Hemp for Victory Guyana Campaign Committee’, have renewed their call for an engagement with President David Granger on the establishment of a viable Industrial Hemp Industry in Guyana.

The groups are of the opinion that there was a misunderstanding in the existing legislation which deemed illegal industrial hemp, which is a genus of cannabis. They are further convinced that the law was mistakenly drafted, and needs to be corrected immediately.

The organisation said in a press release last Thursday that in 1961, the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs made a specific distinction in the Control of Cannabis Act, where there was no exclusion of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L) from all cannabis legislations within member states.

Co-Chairman of the Guyana Hemp Association, Michael Kirton, in addressing the launching of the Hemp for Victory Guyana Campaign two Saturdays ago said that the legislation of Industrial Hemp production in the country will create thousands of jobs at every income level; create new industries; build our economy and eradicate poverty and importantly too, being a green initiative, will complement the government’s thrust for a ‘green’ environment and ‘green’ economy.

Kirton stressed that no other natural resource offers the potential of industrial hemp, as it is capable of producing significant quantities of paper, textiles, building materials, food medicine, paint, detergents, varnish, ink and fuel. And according to one source, more than 25,000 products can be made from hemp.

“Unlike other crops, hemp can grow in most climates and on most land throughout Guyana and the world, with moderate water

and fertilizer requirements, no pesticides and no herbicides,” Kirton said, adding that hemp is a crop that can revolutionise profitability to the country.

He also stressed that not

only is hemp being used for an astonishing number of products, but its environmental benefits are impressive.

CAMPAIGN LAUNCH Hemp for Victory Guy-

and other forms of help such as scholarships to youths,” said the Director of Youth.

Though she was unable to list some of the private-sector organisations that are on board to date, Carmichael said that a number of Ministries and educational institutions will have booths on display at the event.

Meanwhile, the celebrations do not end with those events; throughout May 2127, there will be a number of activities such as a youth parade, inter-faith ceremony, literary and fine arts exhibition from May 23-25 at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

An ‘Appreciation Ceremony’ for those born on May 26, 1966 is also slated for the NCC on May 24.

The 50th Anniversary of Independence publications will also be launched at the Appreciation Ceremony.

– for meeting with President Granger

ana Campaign was launched on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at the Double AA Happy Hearts Restaurant and Lounge on Seaforth Street, Campbellville, with Chairman Lindon Jemmott calling on Guyanese to join the hemp revolution and support the legislation for the cultivation of Industrial Hemp, and the manufacture of the wide variety of hemp products in Guyana.

According to Jemmott, the Hemp for Victory Guyana Campaign, is aimed at sensitising the nation on the tremendous personal gains, as well as the massive economic, social and environmental benefits the country stands to gain from the establishment of a viable industrial hemp industry.

“We forecast a bright future for Guyana’s hemp, which will generate thousands of jobs at all new levels; create thousands of jobs at all income levels; create new industries; build our economy and eradicate poverty,” he said.

He futher emphasised that hemp is a crop that can

revolutionise profitability to the country’s agricultural sector, including turning around the fortunes of the ailing Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in the shortest possible time by cultivating the abandoned cane fields at Wales and elsewhere countrywide and the factories to be refurbished to produce value-added hemp products and at the same time protect the environment in sustainable ways.

He urged that President David Granger and the APNU/AFC administration should swiftly remove the legislations and restrictions for the establishment of the Industrial Hemp industry in Guyana.

The Hemp for Victory Guyana Campaign activities will include media publicity countrywide, outreach programmes, meetings with stakeholders, including the government, businesses and other groups, as well as sports and cultural events and meetings with pro-hemp advocates worldwide.

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

D’Urban Park being ‘spruced up’ – for night of ‘mega, colourful and breathtaking’ performances THE Department of Culture, Youth and Sport and other stakeholders are on the move to ‘spruce up’ the D’Urban Park for the upcoming celebrations of Guyana’s 51st Independence Anniversary.

National Events Director, Lt. Colonel Godfrey Bess, during a press conference on Monday told members of the media that minor rehabilitative works are being undertaken in order to have the facility ready for the celebrations.

Though it was announced that the celebrations will not be “mega” this year, Bess said that all the pavilions will be made ready for the grand night on May 25, which will usher in Independence Day. Efforts to get all the arrangements in place, he said, have been heightened, given

that Minister within the Ministry of Education, who is in charge of Culture, Youth and Sport, Ms Nicolette Henry, is optimistic about the Park being packed to capacity.

“We must be strong despite our differences,” said Minister Henry, who called on Guyanese to come together and celebrate as one people.

D’Urban Park was selected as the appropriate venue for the event, after other suggestions, such as the Stabroek Market Square, were thrown out.

“In the planning phase,” said Minister Henry, “there are always options; and sometimes things do not always go the way we want.

“We wanted this year to be different, and we wanted to bring something more creative, but we had to go back to our

‘Sworn to secrecy’ – Councillor reveals committee members renegotiating parking meters are under oath

CHAIRMAN of the renegotiating team for the parking meter project, Mr. Malcolm Ferreira, has said that the committee is not providing any updates on the project at the moment because the matter is one that cannot be rushed.

He told the Guyana Chronicle at last week’s statutory meeting that a press statement would have been out on the latest developments by May 10, but as of yesterday, Ferreira said that he cannot make any pronouncements just like that because he is part of a committee.

Neither did he take kindly to the criticisms levelled at the committee in some quarters for their refusal to provide any information on the new developments; all he was prepared to say was that remarks given in a rush are always twisted by the media.

Meanwhile, another city councillor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said when he approached one member of the renegotiating team for an update, he was told that the members were “sworn to secrecy.”

It is not clear why the negotiating team wants to keep the matter out of the media, especially since Town Clerk,

Royston King, invited Ferreira to provide an update at the last statutory meeting, if he wished. Ferreira had at the time declined, and said he’d much rather issue a press release instead.

Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan, had communicated Cabinet’s decision for a 90-day suspension of the metered parking system, but the Town Clerk had opted to go after legal advice to challenge the minister’s order, resulting in a majority vote by city councillors to put such an order on hold.

Minister Bulkan was subsequently directed by Cabinet to immediately suspend the operation of the by-laws, which govern the project.

The City Council thereafter approved a seven-member team to negotiate a revised parking meter contract with Smart City Solutions, the company to which City Hall granted the concession to install meters in the city.

Councillor Malcolm Ferreira was elected Chairman of the team that comprises Councillors Noelle Chow-Chee, Carlyle Goring, Tricia Richards, Ivelaw Henry, Roopnarine Persaud and Heston Bostwick.

Minister Nicolette Henry at Monday’s press conference

initial plan.”

Both officials said that the government will be looking to be very conservative this year, where spending on the event is concerned, since $300M was expended on the Golden Jubilee celebrations last year.

They, however, said that “big celebrations” will be on the cards every five years.

This year’s event will feature cultural elements such as drama, dance, and indigenous performances all depicting the diversity of the country and promoting Guyana as an emerging ‘green’ state.

The traditional flagraising ceremony, followed by fireworks will also be a highlight of the night.

Bess said measures are in place to ensure that animals are not disturbed by the fireworks,

and that persons are out of harm’s way.

Activities are expected to kick off from 22:30hrs, and will include 30 minutes of “mega, colourful and breathtaking” performances.

Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division, Calvin Brutus has confirmed that security arrangements are in place, and that over 200 officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are expected to be on duty that night.

“There will be no parking on Homestretch Avenue by Vlissingen Road and east of the venue; parking will be done on the eastern part of Vlissingen Road, while VIPs will be parked west of the VIP Stand,” Brutus said.

He added that a command centre will also be nearby, complemented by several police checkpoints around the area.

Dexter Lindo murder trial...

Cops found injured bandit dead at hospital THE PROSECUTION on Monday closed its 2014 murder case against accused Lawrence Wayne after calling 20 witnesses to the stand in the Georgetown High Court. Dead is Dexter Lindo.

When the accused was asked to lead his defence, he elected to give an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s box, stating that he was relying on the statement he gave to the police.

The trial judge, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, and a 12-member jury were due to hear closing addresses from both the defence and the State today, after which the judge will sum up the case followed by the verdict.

According to the police

report, around 13:15hrs on Saturday, August 23, 2014, two men armed with handguns entered the Wayne Beverage Paradise stall at Merriman Mall, Bourda, Georgetown.

Upon seeing the men, the female employee ran and raised an alarm, and a licensed firearm holder responded.

It was further alleged that the two armed men entered a waiting motor vehicle driven by an accomplice, and were trailed by the licensed firearm holder in his vehicle. He subsequently saw the getaway car at Light and Fifth Streets, Alberttown.

The police said that the firearm holder confronted a man who had exited the car

and entered a shop in the area. The man whipped out a firearm and was shot to his abdomen by the licensed firearm holder.

The man however, managed to escape on foot, but the unlicensed .32 Beretta pistol with four rounds that he had in his possession was recovered and handed over to the police.

According to the police, the injured bandit was later found at a private hospital where he later succumbed.

On Friday last Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh testified that he performed the post mortem examination on the body of the deceased Dexter Lindo, whose body bore multiple gunshot wounds.

On trial: Lawrence Wayne

Dr. Singh gave the cause of death as hemorrhage and shock due to gunshot wounds.

Father, sons released from custody

– as investigations continue into murder of ‘wanted’ Uitvlugt man A FATHER and his three sons have been released from police custody, after being held for questioning into the death of Clinton Walks, the man found chopped to death on May 7, at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara.

According to the police, the matter is still under investigation, and the men are assisting them with it.

A post mortem examination done on Walks has revealed that the cause of death was multiple incise wounds.

The police are also reviewing surveillance footage they obtained to aid in the probe into Walks’ demise.

Walks, also known as ‘Bongo’, 36, of Bus Shed Street, Uitvlugt, was found lying in a pasture.

The police say he had been sentenced to 18 months in jail in 2015 for break-andenter and larceny, and was wanted for several similar offences, including simple larceny committed in his village.

Having had no steady job,

Walks did odd jobs around the village, and lived alone in a house on family property.

He was the youngest of seven children.

Residents in the area said he had had many brushes with the law, and may have met his end because he had broken into one property too many.

“The man was a pest,” one resident said. Meanwhile, his father, George Hunt, said he would not swear for his son, even though he lived in the same yard by himself in a

separate building. But he was “a hustler”, the elder Hunt said of his late son, adding that although he lived alone and had regular brushes with the law, he was a father of three.

Other relatives said that “Bongo” was a law onto himself, and did not have a close relationship with his family.

His sister, Julia Hall, is of the belief that her brother was attacked and killed at another location before being dumped where he was found.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

“Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t” - Jack Heath (The Lab) ONE week had passed since my fifth (yay!) chemotherapy session and some of the side effects seemed to have increased rather than dissipate by the second week as I had become accustomed to with the previous drug. I was thankful that I wasn’t throwing up or rejecting the smells around me but the Taxol (Paclitaxel) was no walk in the park either.

Just a few minutes after the drug had entered my bloodstream,my throat had begun to feel weird. I kept trying to clear what I presumed was phlegm; a week

later and the uncomfortable feeling still existed. I was ecstatic that food smells were once again pleasant and I could pig out as much as I wanted without being worried about stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting; what I did have to worry about were the hives.

The Hives: It was like the new addition in my horror series. The worse side effect of my new drug was a ‘hypersensitivity reaction’ ( fever, chills, facial flushing ,hives). I experienced the facial flushing a few times, it felt like my face was on fire

and pasty to the touch. The hives themselves were the killer. They came unexpectedly at any time and random parts of my body were affected. Limacol or anything alcohol based helped to quell the itching for a bit,but then it would return in another area.

Even my bare scalp itched. It really was driving me crazy.

I experienced swollen hands and fingers ( more intensely than before) to the point where it was uncomfortable to type on the keyboard; I resorted to sending voice messages instead of texting because

of how cumbersome it was to use my fingers. There was also the peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling of the hands and feet) that would attack suddenly;the worse episode I experienced were my hands literally cramping up and not being able to straighten my fingers completely for about two minutes. On

my worst days I suffered through severe joint pain, a type of myalgia that I could feel literally down to my bones, this intensified with bad weather- the same as arthritic conditions and on my best days, pretty much the same. I couldn’t wait to complete my last three treatments. Essentially getting over being poisoned

fortnightly to get better just to do it all over again was emotionally draining.

I didn’t know if it was the drug that made me feel down in spirit or just the repetition of this procedure, but I was reaching my mental tolerance level and the persistent hives were doing nothing to help the situation.

Memorial service for Carmen Jarvis on Friday A SPECIAL Memorial Service in honour of the late Carmen Jarvis will be held at Smith Memorial Congregational Church, 55 Brickdam on Friday.

The service will commence at 10:00 hrs. Interment at Le Repentir Cemetery will take place immediately following the service, a release from Guyenterprise said. Donations will be accepted to establish The Carmen Jarvis Memorial Award – an annual plaque and monetary award presented to a student of the Bishops’ High School, Georgetown, Guyana, who by nomination of his/her teachers, demonstrates “academic excellence and exemplary conduct”;values Mrs. Jarvis sought to instil in her students.

Contributions in Guyana may be made by sending cheques to the BHS Old Students Association, c/o The Bishops’ High School, 84 Carmichael Street, Georgetown. Please make cheque payable to “BHSOSA” and include “Carmen Jarvis Memorial Fund” in the memo area of the cheque. All donations will be gratefully acknowledged with a receipt.

Jarvis died late March in the United States.

Describing her as a stalwart who made outstanding contributions to Guyana’s Education System even be-

Carmen Jarvis

fore independence, President David Granger had said that Ms Jarvis, an iconic Guyanese, will surely be missed.

The former Secretary-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) died at the age 91. “She was our country’s representative to UNESCO and in this regard, she was able to give Guyana great prominence in the world, particularly for heritage sites,” President Granger had said.

In her years of teaching, Ms Jarvis was employed at Queen’s College before being appointed Headmistress of The Bishops’ High School, where she served for 27 years. In 1979, she was offered the post of Secretary-General of the Guyana National Commission of UNESCO, which she accepted. During her tenure there, she attended and participated in every General Conference between 1980

and 2003 and had made meaningful interventions in every commission, even in cases where she was the sole delegate from Guyana.

She was one of the longest-serving and also one of the most respected individuals to hold the post of Secretary-General and was awarded the Aristotle Medal

by UNESCO. Ms Jarvis was also responsible for Guyana being elected on the Executive Board of UNESCO twice, from 1983 to 1987 and from 1993 to 1997. She played an integral role in Guyana once being elected to the Man and the Biosphere International Council and several times to the Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).

In 1983, she was appointed the first woman Chairman of the National Library Committee. She also served on the Council of the University of Guyana for some 14 years.

In 1981, she was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement for long and outstanding service in Education and Social Work.

In 1998, Ms Jarvis was awarded a second national award, this time, the Cacique Crown of Honour for her outstanding service in Education and Social Work.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

15

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

17

18

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

19

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Central FC ...

From Page 20 match of a double-header played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago.

Central FC, who are going for a third straight title, trailed early when Trevaughn Harriett scored in the sixth minute to put the Grenades up 1-0.

Falling behind seemed to wake Central FC, who responded by scoring three unanswered goals. Jason Marcano levelled the scores in the 37th minute. Akenaton Edwards then scored in the 45th minute to put Central FC 2-1 up at the interval.

The scoreline held until the 85th minute when Nathaniel Garcia scored the game winner to see Central walk away with all three points and the early Group A lead.

Grenades, who are hoping to become the first team from their country to win the title, will be hoping to rebound when they play Haiti’s Cibao FC today, May 16.

Central FC will be going for their second win

20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Australia risks missing top players Chelsea, Spurs dominate Premier League player nominations in Ashes over pay dispute - Warner (REUTERS) - The ongoing pay dispute might leave Australia without their top players in the home Ashes (series against England later this year), vice-captain David Warner has warned.

Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) rejected Cricket Australia’s (CA) pay offer last month, dismissing the proposal as “a win for cricket administrators but a loss for cricket”.

CA has threatened the players with unemployment, saying they would not get alternative contracts if they fail to agree to the new collective bargaining agreement.

Warner said he and his colleague would not “buckle at all”.

“If it gets to the extreme they might not have a team for the Ashes,” Warner, currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), told the Age newspaper.

“I really hope they can come to an agreement ... we don’t really want to see this panning out like that where

Australia vice-captain David Warner

we don’t have a team, we don’t have cricket in the Australian summer.

“It is up to CA to deal with the ACA. It’s obviously in their hands,” said the 30-year-old.

Fast-bowling teammate Mitchell Starc had earlier predicted “an interesting men’s and women’s ashes” in a cryptic tweet, triggering speculations of a possible players’ strike if they were not paid after the existing collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30.

Warner said the players

were not really shocked by the CA stance.

“We thought something along the lines of this might happen ... it’s not come as a shock, but more the fact it has come so early,” the opener said.

“We won’t buckle at all, we are standing together and very strong, and as you can see from all the people that have spoken so far, we are all on the same wavelength.

“We want a fair share and the revenue-sharing model is what we want, so we are going to stick together until we get that.”

Warner also ruled out signing three-year contracts that would keep him and other elite Australian players out of the lucrative IPL. “It was quite laughable when I heard about it,” he said.

“It is fantastic with the security but you can’t just try and stop people from playing other tournaments ...” The IPL gives us a great window to get the T20 format in.”

(REUTERS) - Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur each have three players among the eight nominations for the Premier League Player-of-the-Season, while the coaches of both teams have also been shortlisted for the Manager-of-theYear award.

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is the favourite for the players’ prize, having already been named the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) Playerof-the-Year and the FWA (Football Writers Association) Player-of-the-Year.

Belgium international Eden Hazard and Spain full back Cesar Azpilicueta are the other Chelsea players on the list, while Tottenham are represented by striker Harry Kane, midfielder Dele Alli and defender Jan Vertonghen.Aarsenal striker Alexis Sanchez has also been included, along with

Warner’s stock continues to rise as IPL playoffs loom (REUTERS) - David Warner has enhanced his leadership qualities with some stellar captain’s displays to keep his Sunrisers Hyderabad side on course for a second successive Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph.

The Australia vice-captain struggled in the four-Test series in India preceding the IPL but has been at his attacking best in the Twenty20 tournament, where he has registered back-to-back 600plus run seasons.

The explosive opener was the league’s second-highest run-scorer during the franchise’s maiden triumph last year and Warner’s consistency helped Hyderabad finish third in the eight-team standings by the end of the regular season on Sunday.

Hyderabad will be hoping Warner continues his rich vein of form when the side face Kolkata Knight Riders, who were fourth in the

standings and are one of the IPL’s most consistent teams, in an elimination showdown tomorrow.

The victors of the contest will advance to meet the losers of today’s Qualifier 1 match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant, who finished first and second respectively, for a place in the final.

Australia captain Steve Smith has been Pune’s leading scorer and will be hoping he can lead the franchise to an IPL title in their second and last season in the tournament.

Pune and the Gujarat Lions were drafted into the IPL as short-term replacements for the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who were banned for the 2016 and 2017 seasons for their involvement in a spot-fixing scandal.

Smith’s side will, however, be without their talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes, who

has to report for national duty with England ahead of next month’s Champions Trophy.

“We have got a couple of options that we can talk about. It is going to be a big loss,” Smith told reporters on Sunday. “Stokes has been a big name. But hopefully, the other guys can step up.”

MAXWELL FLOPS The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will be playing at their home Wankhede Stadium and will be keen to avenge two regular season losses to state rivals Pune today, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final in Hyderabad.

The third Australian captain in the IPL, Kings XI Punjab’s Glenn Maxwell, did not have a great tournament, with his side finishing just outside the top four and coming under fire from former India opener Virender Sehwag.

“We always knew that when Maxwell fires, then he can win the match on his own,” Sehwag, the franchise’s director of cricket operations, said.

“But he didn’t fire in eight or nine games. That is a big disappointment, especially since he’s experienced, having played for Australia’s Test and ODI teams.

“He didn’t take the responsibility as a captain and didn’t perform for Kings XI Punjab.”

Gujarat and the Delhi Daredevils also finished outside the playoff spots, while the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore finished last among the eight teams.

Last year’s runner-up Bangalore, led by India skipper Virat Kohli and boasting the big bats of South Africa’s AB de Villiers and West Indian Chris Gayle, won just three of their 14 matches.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, Pedro, N’Golo Kante and David Luiz celebrate winning the Premier League title. (Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine Livepic)

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, who currently leads the league’s scoring charts with 24 goals.

Chelsea secured the title on Friday and lead the table by seven points from Tottenham Hotspur going into the final games of the season.

Antonio Conte, who guided Chelsea to the title in his first season in charge, faces competition from Paul

Clement, who took over with Swansea City four points adrift at the bottom in January but guided them to safety with a game to spare.

Mauricio Pochettino, whose Spurs team are guaranteed a second-place finish, Burnley’s Sean Dyche, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe and West Bromwich Albion’s Tony Pulis are the others on the Managerof-the-Year shortlist.

12:00 hrs Mountain Angel 12:35 hrs Amadeus Rox

South Africa Racing Tips Turffontein 08:35 hrs Knysna Rose 09:10 hrs Tangerine Lady 09:45 hrs Tiger Flame 10:20 hrs Burning Rock 10:55 hrs Roman Evening English Racing Tips Sedgefield 08:50 hrs Alys Rock 09:20 hrs Ravens Hill 09:50 hrs Cup Final 10:20 hrs The Doorman 10:50 hrs Maxed Out King 11:20 hrs Too Many Diamonds 11:50 hrs Way Out west Beverley 09:00 hrs Spoof 09:30 hrs Mr Strutter 10:00 hrs Point Of Woods 10:30 hrs Rousayan 11:00 hrs He’s A Toff 11:30 hrs Ronnie The Rooster

Warwick 09:10 hrs Bitter Virtue 10:40 hrs Cousin Khee 11:10 hrs Rocknrollrambo 11:40 hrs Colbert Station 12:10 hrs Rhaegar Irish Racing Tips Killarney 12:50 hrs Muzbid 13:20 hrs Angel Island 13:50 hrs Golden Dandy 14:20 hrs Magen’s Moon 14:50 hrs Ti Amo 15:20 hrs Aydoun 15:50 hrs Bay Hill American Racing Tips Philadelphia Park Race 1 Pass the Dice Race 2 Northern Rail Race 3 Adumato Race 4 The Catmancan Race 5 Kelsocait Race 6 El Mundo Race 7 Fiery Opal Race 8 Pleasant Mine Race 9 In the Beat

Central FC open Club Championships finals with emphatic win DEFENDING champions Central FC opened their campaign in the finals of the Caribbean Football Union Club Champion-

ships with an emphatic win on Sunday, drubbing Antigua and Barbuda’s Grenades FC 3-1 in the second Turn to Page 19

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

SCCS win FAPTC Pepsi renews Under-19 and Intermediate volleyball sponsorship for 14th consecutive year extravaganza title

RHTY&SC, M.S. Cricket Development Programme

THE highly successful relationship between the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S. and the international soft drinks brand Pepsi and Demerara Distillers Ltd has been renewed for the 14th consecutive year.

Last Friday, Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) under the Pepsi brand renewed its cricket sponsorship of the RHTY&SC Under-19 and Intermediate cricket teams. Pepsi has been sponsoring the teams since 2004 when the company replaced former official sponsor Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.(GT&T) Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the long-standing relationship between the club and the official sponsor. He stated that DDL and Pepsi are two of the main reasons why the RHTY&SC, M.S. is widely considered Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation with an unmatched list of activities and achievements.

The club, Foster stated has won the Guyana Cricket Clubof-the-Year Award five times since DDL and Pepsi came on board – 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016.

The team has also won Berbice championships and has

DDL Marketing Manager Larry Wills presents sponsorship to RHTY&SC Asst Organising Secretary Ravindranauth Kissoonlall.

produced Berbice and Guyana junior cricketers, while Shemaine Campbelle and Assad Fudadin have gone on to represent the West Indies.

The Pepsi Under-19 team, since 2004, produced players of the calibre Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Shemaine Campbelle, Askay Homraj, Clinton Pestano, Dominic Rikhi, Lloydel Lewis, Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Brandon Prashad, Naresh Mahadeo, Keith Simpson, Sylus Tyndall, Par-

manand Narine, Shailendra Shameer, Brandon Corlette, Marian Samaroo, Sheneta Grimmond, Plaffina Millington and Deborah Vanderstoop among others, who have either played for Berbice or Guyana. The team for Berbice also won the lone Intermediate tournament for Berbice team when they won the Neal and Massy title in 2010.

Foster further disclosed that under the name of the sponsorship, the Pepsi teams have undertaken hundreds of

personal development projects under the sub-headings of sports, culture, charity, pro-education, awards/honour, religion, youth development, job creation, social community development among others.

Kevin Sinclair would be in charge of the Under-19 team with Kevlon Anderson as his deputy, while Major James Fraser and Delbert Hicks would be in charge of the Intermediate team.

Among the players of the Pepsi teams would be Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Shemaine Campbelle, Sylus Tyndall, Keith Simpson, Brandon Corlette, Mark Papannah, Troy Mathieson, Brandon Prashad, Erva Giddings and Chanderpaul Govindan.

Marketing Manager of DDL, Larry Wills, hailed the relationship between the two organisations as successful and noted that the teams have represented the Pepsi’s brand with pride and success on and off the cricket field.

DDL, he disclosed, invests heavily in sports, culture, education and youth development as part of its corporate duties and is proud to be associated with the RHTY&SC, M.S. The Sponsorship for 2017 is worth $240 000.

IN a game played in fading light, Skeldon Community Centre Slammers (SCCS) bounced back from one game down against Port Mourant Community Centre 1 (PMCC 1) to win the Felix Austin Police Training College (FAPTC) volleyball extravaganza title 2-1, at the college’s Adventure location in Corentyne, Berbice over the weekend.

According to reports, SCCS lost the first set 21-25 but regrouped and won the other two sets 25-23, 15-12.

The other teams that participated were Black Bush Polder and the FAPTC ..

On the same day, two

female teams contested their category and Port Mourant came from one set down to defeat Falcons 2-1 with scores of 16-25, 25-16, 15-8.

Three junior teams were also on show and GUYSUCO Port Mourant 1 streamrooled Jets to win 15-5, 15-8.

The other participating team was GUYSUCO Training Centre PM 2.

At the end of the day’s activity, trophies and other incentives were awarded to the winners and outstanding individuals.

Among the outstanding individuals were Roy Moore (MVP Male Seniors), Candacy Mentore (MVP Females) and Hellon Singh (Best Setter, Junior Male).

Double departure hands Pakistan a testing transition

By Sudipto Ganguly (REUTERS) - As Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq head off into the sunset after long and illustrious careers, Pakistan (board) begins a tricky period of transition looking for a new wave of players ready to fill a huge void left by the retired batting greats.

In a fitting finale, Younis, Pakistan’s most prolific Test run-scorer, and Misbah, the country’s most successful captain, bowed out together in a blaze of glory on Sunday with the team celebrating a first-ever series triumph in the Caribbean.

The thrilling 101-run victory in Dominica sealed a 2-1 win over West Indies and was Pakistan’s 26th under the 42-year-old Misbah, who also led the side to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) world Test rankings last year.

Since his 2001 Test debut in New Zealand, Misbah accumulated 5 222

runs in 75 matches at an average higher than 46.

Admired for his unflappable temperament in a dressing room replete with mercurial talent, Misbah was handed the Test captaincy after a 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England led to the expulsion of his predecessor Salman Butt.

ICC chief executive David Richardson was among those to pay a glowing tribute to the consistent righthander.

“Misbah has been the bedrock of many a Pakistan innings, time and time again extricating his team from difficult situations with a terrific temperament,” the former South Africa wicketkeeper said.

“He knew how to graft for his runs but could also be inventive and score at a brisk pace, as was evident during his impressive 56-ball century against Australia in 2014 in Abu Dhabi, which equalled Viv Richards’ world

run Test club.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq (L) and Younis Khan run between wickets during the first day of their first Test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Galle, August 6, 2014. (REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte) record.

“He was a leader who took charge at a difficult time. He was a true sportsman and role model.”

If Misbah represented the

voice of reason in both the dressing room and out on the field, Younis let his bat do the talking, and is currently the only Pakistani who has joined the coveted 10 000-

GREAT SERVANTS The former captain, who led Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in 2009, tallied 10 099 runs in 118 Tests, embellishing his legacy with 34 hundreds at an average of more than 52.

Together they were the pillars of Pakistan’s batting lineup for over a decade and it could take many years for the country to find anyone capable of matching their feats.

Pakistan’s situation mirrors the dilemma South Asian rivals Sri Lanka faced when batting mainstays Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene ended their international careers two years ago.

“I was really sad when Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene left the Sri Lankan team together. Look at their team now, they are in such disarray,” former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir told the Express Tribune.

“Likewise, both of these

batsmen leaving together could cause problems for Pakistan’s Test team. However, they have been great servants to the country.”

Pakistan have coped with their absence in the shorter formats since 2015 but the challenge of white-ball cricket is completely different to the patience and technique required in the red-ball arena.

“The onus is now on the likes of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed to step up and fill the void,” Misbah told Cricket Australia’s website in an interview last month.

“When two Pakistan greats Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf left the scene, Younis and I tried to fill that gap. Azhar and Asad have developed in the meantime and now they are at a stage to replace us.

“We need Azhar and Asad to take ownership of the Test side. Every team goes though transition periods and Pakistan is no different.”

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Holder hails `outstanding’ Gabriel despite batting error

ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – Captain Jason Holder has sprung to the defence of Shannon Gabriel, whose late rush of blood resulted in a series defeat to Pakistan on the final day of the decisive third Test here Sunday.

With West Indies battling to save the match late in the evening, number 11 Gabriel survived just over half hour at the crease in a last-wicket stand with century-maker Roston Chase, to frustrate the Pakistanis.

But with just one ball left to negotiate in the penultimate over of the day, Gabriel suffered a rush of blood, missed a swipe at leg-spinner Yasir Shah and was bowled for four, to hand the hosts a 101-run loss and a 2-1 defeat in the three-Test series.

“We’ve just got to give him encouragement. Up until then, he was doing an outstanding job; he’s done an outstanding job for us in this entire series,” Holder told reporters.

“He’s bowled his heart out.

He’s gotten a match-winning haul for us in Barbados (second Test), he bowled his heart out in Jamaica (first Test), he bowled his heart out here in Dominica.”

“A lot of people don’t know where Shannon came from. Shannon started cricket quite late and see the progress he’s made. I’ve been able to be with him in the HPC (High Performance Centre) and coming into international cricket, Shannon has made tremendous strides.

“So I am still very, very proud of him and that’s something that I will let him know in the dressing room. We make mistakes and hopefully he can

Pakistan cricketers ask for a review against Shannon Gabriel.

learn from it and move forward.”

Prior to Gabriel’s indiscretion, Man-of-the-Match Roston Chase seemed poised to yet again pull off a remarkable draw for West Indies with a superb unbeaten 101.

He arrived at the crease inside the first hour of the day and proceeded to defy Pakistan in a knock lasting 239 balls and a shade over six hours. He counted 12 fours and a six.

The knock was his second century of the match and third in the series, and earned him Manof-the-Match honours.

Holder said neither Gabriel’s mistake nor the defeat should be allowed to overshadow Chase’s magnificent effort.

“I have full confidence in Shannon. Shannon has a pretty

good defence. I guess at that stage a lot of things come in your mind and at the end of the day it got the better of him, I guess,” the all-rounder noted.

“Credit must go to Roston Chase though, I thought the way he played was outstanding, not only in this Test match but in the Test series. He’s led from the front, showed character, showed a lot of guts, showed class – something I have not seen in West Indies cricket for a little while.”

The victory for Pakistan saw them clinch their maiden series win in the Caribbean since the two teams first met 59 years ago.

For West Indies it was their second series loss to Pakistan in seven months and their sixth straight series defeat overall. They have now lost 13 of their last 20 Tests.

Holder said in spite of the

latest defeat, however, the side had continued to show signs of improvement.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow obviously coming so close and at the end just faltering but I’m still proud at the way the guys played the series,” he said.

“The guys showed a lot of promise and a lot of fight, we got hundreds, we got five-wicket hauls, we got Man-of-the-Match performances as well; so there are still a lot of positives to take away from this series. I just urge the guys to keep going in this same direction.

“One thing that sticks out for me is the fight. We’ve shown tremendous fight throughout this series. I guess in the first Test match we were probably out-played but definitely in Barbados and here in Dominica we showed a lot of fight.”

San Juan Jabloteh blank Racing 2-0 A STRIKE from the prolific Nathan Lew-

is and an own goal propelled San Juan

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

COMPLIMENTS OF: THE TROPHY STALL Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE 176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)Len Baichan & Gordon Greenidge (2)Chennai Super Kings (2010/2011); KKR

(2012/2014); MI (2013/2015) Today’s Quiz:

(1)Who are the players with triple-hundreds at

the Kensington Oval, Barbados?

(2)Who is the first player to crack a century in IPL

2017?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Jabloteh to a 2-0 over Racing FC in the opening match in the final round of the Caribbean Football Union’s Caribbean Club Championships in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

The ‘home side’ improved to four straight wins in this year’s competition after they stopped the Haitian unit to top Group B after the first round of matches.

Lewis, who scored

a team-high four goals in the first round of the c o m p e t i t i o n, p u t S a n Juan up 1-0 in the 50th minute. Racing’s problems were compounded when Joseph Mitchelson scored in his own net to put his side in a 2-0 hole from which they could not emerge.

Come today, Racing FC will take on J a m a i c a’ s P o r t m o r e FC. The Jamaicans will take on the group leaders on Thursday, May 18.

Federer to skip French Open and focus on Wimbledon (REUTERS)-Roger Federer has pulled out of this month’s French Open as he feels he needs to avoid playing on clay this season in order to prolong his career, the 18-times grand slam champion said on Monday.

The Swiss, who defied logic to win the Australian Open in January after being out of tennis for six months, will skip the May 28-June 11 claycourt major for the second year running after missing last year’s edition through injury.

“I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it’s best to skip the claycourt season this year and prepare for the grass and hardcourt seasons,” world number five Federer, who won his sole Roland Garros title in

2009, said on his Facebook page.

“The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognise that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward.

“Thus, my team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season.”

Federer, 35, has already won the three biggest titles of the year to date as he followed his triumph in Australia with wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

After that stunning run, Federer, who missed the second half of last year recovering from knee surgery, said that he would likely skip the European claycourt season except for the French Open.

Yadram to lead Demerara in Hand-in-Hand Under-19 tournaments THE Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) has named a strong 18-man squad to represent the county in the 2017 GCB/Hand-in-Hand Under-19 Inter-county three-day and one-day 50 Overs tournaments.

The squad includes West Indies Under-19 selectees Bhaskar Yadram and Joshua Persaud. Yadram will captain the side, and he is expected to receive valuable support from the experienced Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, who has been given the duties of vice-captain.

The full team reads: Bhaskar Yadram (captain), Ronaldo Ali Mohamed (vice-captain ), Joshua Persaud, Raymond Perez, Navendra Persaud, Ramnarine Chature, Richie Looknauth, Keshram Seybodan, Stephon Wilson, Sagar Hatha-

Bhaskar Yadram

ramani, Dwayne Dick, Gavin Boodwah, Kishna Singh, Dambuka Nqgando, Tameshwar Motieram, Mark Jeffers, Kennard Moonsammy, Mark Ramsammy, Himanauth Dindyal.

The manager is Omar Hussain, coach is Reon King and the assistant coach is Dhanpaul.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Claudrice McKoy - The rose that grew from the concrete

By Rawle Toney

“DID you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared,” Tupac Shakur – The Rose that grew from the concrete.

Guyana’s rising star athlete Claudrice McKoy’s life could very well be summed up in the deceased famous rapper’s (Tupac Shakur) poem.

On April 16, McKoy clocked ten minutes 39.03 seconds (10:39.03) to win gold in the Girls 3 000 metres Open at this year’s CARIFTA Games in Curacao, finishing ahead of Jamaicans Britnie Dixon (10:44.63) and Kayan Green (10:45.76).

She celebrated with the Golden Arrowhead draped around her shoulder, and a smile as wide as the Demerara River and attributed her win to her mother’s hard work and sacrifice.

McKoy then went on to win bronze in the 1500m, and added to Guyana’s historic tally at the games (four gold, one silver and three bronze).

However, as they say, not all that glitters is gold. McKoy, a student of Chase’s Academic Foun-

despite a number of challenges, she’s still overly excited about representing Guyana and showcasing her God-gifted ability on the track.

Claudrice McKoy (right) and her mother Carla Adams (Samuel Maughn photo)

dation, is currently writing nine subjects at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, but while the 16-year-old has been one of Guyana’s top junior athletes, especially over the last two years, her success comes with an equal, or at times, more challenges.

The athlete lives with her mom, Carla Adams, a single parent of five and a security guard by profession, on a piece of land with other squatters in Tucville, Georgetown.

Adams would do extra work to make ends meet for her children, but with tears, the woman

told Chronicle Sport yesterday that seeing her daughter struggle to cope with studying without electricity for her exams is painful, among other things.

“I’ve made several attempts at GPL and nothing. The last time I went, with a letter from City Council, they told me to plant a pole in front of my yard.

I did that, but when they came, mischievous neighbours told them a fancy story and they left,” a saddened Adams explained.

“It’s hard. I would have to use my phone light to study” McKoy said, pointing out that

NO HELP! McKoy made her second appearance at the CARIFTA Games this year after finishing fifth in both the 3 000m and 1500m last year, facing the same athletes from across the Caribbean.

However, her success came through hard work and determination, fuelled by the confidence of her coach Julian Edmonds that she’s destined for greatness, and most importantly, her mother in her corner.

“The only help I get is from my mother with whatever little she could afford,” the well-spoken diminutive athlete told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.

She added, “I have no sponsorship but I see myself doing great things for myself and country. I already went to the CARIFTA Games, I did excellent there and there’s room for improvement but as I mentioned, there’s no one helping really, just my mother.”

“There’s no support system right now. Training is in the afternoons and then I have to study at nights and the only problem is the electricity right now in our area. I

We showed a lot of guts - Roston Chase

WEST Indies all-rounder Roston Chase called his fighting century on the final day of the series against Pakistan the “toughest” of his career, after he ran out of partners with only one more over to see out a draw in Roseau.

He was left unbeaten on 101, his third Test century, when Yasir Shah bowled Shannon Gabriel with the last ball of the penultimate over of the Test.

“I wouldn’t say it’s up there with the other two but a century is a century,” Chase said after the match. “We ended up losing the match but this one was the hardest for me. The others were more fluent and the conditions were a lot easier but this one was really tough for me.

The pitch was a slower one, you couldn’t play a lot of shots; the outfield was very slow and the bowlers really put the ball in good areas.

This one was the toughest out of my few so far.

“I thought it was a fighting effort. It’s sad to see that it didn’t mean much in the end because we lost the match but I thought the guys showed a

lot of guts and effort not only today but in the whole match.

(We) even put ourselves in the chance of, maybe not winning but, at least drawing the series.”

Chase recalled how Yasir had dismissed him in three out of six innings in the UAE last year, when he had averaged 22.50 in the three Tests.

In this series, Chase was out to Yasir twice in six innings but the batsman said he had found a way to counter the leg-spinner.

“I didn’t really do that well in Dubai, so after that series I came home and worked on some of the things that I thought brought my shortfall in Dubai,” Chase said. “Especially Yasir; Shah got the better of me a lot and this was mainly because he was tying me down and then I was just falling to a bad shot because of the pressure.

“When I went back home, something I really tried to work on was my sweep shot because that would put him off a little and change up the field and give me a little bit more scoring options.

“I thought that really was the key, seeing that he was there all series, so once I got through

Roston Chase celebrates his second century of the series on the 5th and final day at Windsor Park, Dominica. (Photo by WICB Media/Randy) Brooks.

him it was a little easier for me to play the other bowlers.”

Chase’s hundred was not chanceless though. He was dropped twice by the debutant Hasan Ali, and then Mohammad Abbas had him caught in the slips on 92, but replays showed the bowler had overstepped. He was

cheered on by the crowd in Roseau.

“It’s always good to hear people calling your name,” Chase said. “So many guys are asking me if I’m actually from Dominica. I was always a big fan of the drums, so I love the drums and I love the Dominican fans.”

With 403 runs in six innings, Chase finished the series on top of the run-scorers’ list, averaging 100.75 with two centuries and two half-centuries. No other batsman made more than 300.

“Even though I’m always a confident guy, it does (add) a lot to see that I average 100 in the series against a quality attack,” he said.

“I’m not going to let it get to my head and I’m going to go back home and the next Test series is England, so hopefully I should be there.

“I’ll go and look at some footage of the English guys and see what weaknesses they have, what I’ll be looking to exploit and see if that can work. Work hard on those weaknesses so that I can put up some good performances in that series as well.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

Claudrice McKoy shows off her gold and silver medal won at this year’s CARIFTA Games. (Delano Williams photo)

mean, mommy tried many times to have it done legally at GPL, but nothing has been done as yet.

It’s very difficult because I have to train and study to balance my academics with my athletics and there isn’t any time available,” McKoy said.

SCHOLARSHIP At the National Sports Awards last month, Director of Sport Christopher Jones announced that the athletes who represented Guyana at the CARIFTA will all be given full scholarships to the University of Guyana, but McKoy, though welcoming the news, believes that there must be an avenue for her to excel in athletics.

“It’s great yes, but again,

the academic part is there yes, but what about my athletics?

There’s no room at the University of Guyana for that, for someone like me,” McKoy reasoned.

She continued, “Since the CARIFTA Games, there has been a lot of offers because people saw my ability but at the moment, I’m trying to focus on getting good grades, you know, be balanced in both academics and athletics.”

McKoy will be among other local athletes who are set to represent Guyana at the June 3-5 South American Youth Championships, to be hosted at the Leonora Track and Field Facility.

Inter-Ministry tapeball cricket competition set for Sunday FOREIGN Affairs Ministry Sports coordinator James Lewis and the committee will be hosting an Inter-Ministry/Workplace Super 6 Knockout tapeball cricket competition this Sunday, May 21, at the tarmac of the National Cultural Centre from 09:00hrs.

The event is a part of the pre-independence programme with team registration for the event clos-

ing tomorrow, May 17, at 16:00hrs. Teams can enter by making contact with Mr.Lewis on 628-1656, 666-5857. The committee stressed that no late entry will be accepted.

At stake will be the Prime Minister’s Trophy and cash prizes. Meanwhile next Friday, May 26 will see a knockout dominoes competition, where cash prizes will again be up for grabs.

Claudrice McKoy The rose that grew from the concrete P.23 Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing C/ships

Guyana claim Juniors team title; Wright is Best Boxer

… Five stoppages highlight final night

Guyana’s 57kg boxer Shaquille Wright connects with an overhand left to the head of Trinidad and Tobago’s Nickel Joseph during their final at the National Gymnasium on Sunday evening.

By Michael DaSilva THE heavy downpour of rain the City folk experienced outdoors on Sunday was no different from the punches that rained inside the National Gymnasium that night when the curtain came down on the second edition of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors boxing tournament.

The three-night championships concluded with seven international fights, five of which were stopped inside the three-round distance while the two others saw one ending with a split decision and the other by a unanimous points-decision victory.

At the end of it all, Guyana won two of the three Junior finals that were staged while Trinidad and Tobago won the other.

In the four Youth finals hosts Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Lucia won one each.

Guyana’s Shaquille Wright was adjudged Best Boxer.

Winning for Guyana in the Junior championships were Wright and Brian Harris who both won their contests via second-round stoppages.

In Wright’s 57kg fight against Trinidad and Tobago’s Blessing Waldropt, the referee stopped the contest at one minute 15 seconds of round two, while in the Harris fight the referee stopped his 75kg contest against Barbados’ Dario Cheeseman at one minute 15 seconds of the second round.

Guyana’s other international victory on the night’s card saw Ryan Albert register a two-minute 40-second stoppage of his Youth 60kg fight against St Lucia’s Kareem Boyce.

It was the first of the seven international contests.

In the other Youth contests, Jamaica’s Rushwan McKinney caused the referee to stop his 81kg bout against Barbados’ Donte Powlett at one minute 30 seconds of the second round and Trinidad and Tobago’s Nickel Joseph forced the referee to stop his 75kg bout against Jerone Ferrari of St Lucia at two minutes 40 seconds of the third round.

The other Junior final on the night’s card saw Nathan Ferrari of St Lucia win by a unanimous points decision over Jamaica’s Daniel Hylton.

There were two all-Guyanese Schoolboys bouts that opened the card and results from those are as follows; Shaquancy Wright scored a unanimous points-decision win against Martin Mugabe in a 35kg contest and Jaquwan Milo secured a split decision win against Kome Keiler in a 52kg contest.

There was also an exhibition bout between Caribbean 52kg gold medallist Keevin Allicock and Junio Henry which was well received.

Guyana’s Shaquille Wright receives his Best Boxer award at the conclusion of the second edition of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors boxing championships at the National Gymnasium on Sunday evening. (Cullen Bess-Nelson photos)

Barbados’ Dario Cheeseman (left) parries a left jab from Guyana’s Brian Harris during their 75kg final of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors boxing championships which concluded last Sunday at the National Gymnasium.

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

TUESDAY, MAY, 16 , 2017