Guyana chronicle e paper 2 02 2017

Oil Brief No. 104811

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

– Exxon briefs Gov’t, Opposition on preparations for oil production

Page 3

South Ruimveldt Secondary school student, Rashidi Ceres showcasing ‘Frolic Harmony’ with Faces of Guyana, designed

by Quacy Welcome, during the National Schools Mash Competition yesterday (Samuel Maughn photo)

No purging

…President regrets late notice to Kennard …says general review of boards, Pag e agencies under way 9

Small miners Village Leader to shun GGDMA steps down protest Page 2

…as probe launched into several allegations

Page 2

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Small miners to shun GGDMA protest – say they will not be bullied

By Svetlana Marshall SMALL miners, who have reportedly suffered at the hands of executive members of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), are continuing to speak out, saying that they will not join with the association to protest the new tax regime for the industry.

On Tuesday, Technical Advisor to miners operating out of Imbaimadai, Wallis Daniels, said for years small miners have been neglected by the GGMDA with their views ever so often downplayed and their rights trampled upon.

Addressing miners in the presence of Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes; Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira; and Deputy Chief Mines Officer, Kerwin Josiah; Daniels contended that GGDMA is a self-serving association controlled by a selective few.

“They don’t represent small miners,” he lamented, while contending that many of the well-established miners, some of whom sit at the helm of GGDMA, would bully and exploit small miners.

It is alleged that some “large-scale miners” would grant permission for small miners to operate on their

mining properties, but when the gold is “bore” or found, would then give them marching orders.

According to Daniels, he has been a victim to such unfair treatment and abuse in the past.

“Their security (personnel) would come with big guns to threaten you and if you don’t move, they fire shots over your head, and if you have your papers, they tie you up in court,” he said.

Daniels said the only time GGMA recognises small miners is when there is a need for support in times of industrial actions.

“GGMDA represents about 100 big miners, there are 20, 000 small miners and about 6, 000 medium scale miners. And 100 people can’t go on strike, and they are not going to go on strike and walk the streets either,” he said.

Before taking his seat, the technical advisor cautioned the miners not to believe everything they hear.

“Don’t believe everything you read in the paper, or hear on the television or on the radio, when the GGDMA speaks because the GGDMA speaks primarily for the big miners, we call them the monsters.”

Last week, Desmond Mattis, a miner who operates along the Middle Mazaruni River just below Itaki, had a similar com-

bers of the GGDMA, but instead we are now mining syndicates with a voice and a seat at the decision-making table. We have also started to receive lands to work from this coalition government and we are no longer at the mercy of the GGDMA,” he stated.

Technical Advisor to the miners of Imbaimadai, Wallis Daniels

plaint. Mattis told the Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources and a team from GGMC, that prior to him having an illegal operation there, he had sought the legal means, but after his team had started producing gold, an Executive Member of GGMA (name given), who he had paid millions of dollars to operate on the land, put them off of the concession.

Bonalita Lois Critchlow, Edward Jones and Nazim Khan of Issano had also chronicled similar experiences.

However, when contacted, GGDMA President Terrence Adams said: “If it is a fact, let them bring the evidence. Let them bring the receipts and say who they would have paid,” Adams lamented. According to him, “people would raid” other people’s lands, and when caught, would fabricate stories to defend themselves.

Addressing claims that GGDMA does not represent

GGDMA President Terrence Adams

small miners, Adams said it is just a perception.

“I am a small miner, and I am the president of the association,” he pointed out.

The relationship between GGDMA and small miners in Guyana hit rock bottom last month, when the small miners opted to join the association in attending a meeting convened by the Finance Ministry, in collaboration with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Natural Resources Ministry, to address the concerns of miners with respect to the new tax regime.

Annoyed by their presence, GGDMA subsequently issued a statement describing the small miners as itinerants. In response, Konaaruk Mining Syndicate Chairman, Garfield Wintz, lashed out at the GGDMA. Wintz contended that the association was upset because it was accustomed to having its own private meetings with government officials, where they dictate what happens in the mining industry in Guyana. He said

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes

the meeting held on January 17, by the Government officials allowed for all to be represented.

“These kinds of dialogue would have traditionally excluded small miners, so we are grateful to the ministers, especially Minister Broomes, who invited us to this meeting.”

According to Wintz, no longer will the small miners be bullied by the Executive Members of GGDMA. “We small miners are no longer itinerants who can be bullied or evicted by mem-

GOVT WILL REPRESENT ALL MINERS In an interview with Guyana Chronicle, Minister Broomes said the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government represents and respects the views of all citizens.

As Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Minister, she said “I represent all levels of miners from the bottom up and from the top coming down…it is very unfortunate to call some of the miners touts and some of the names I would not wish to repeat.”

All miners she stressed are equally important.

Minister Broomes said she has taken note of the disrespectful manner in which the GGDMA would have referenced her after the meeting, but will not allow herself to be distracted.

Village Leader steps down …as probe launched into several allegations

TOSHAO of St Cuthbert’s Mission, Lenox Shuman has stepped down from his post as village leader as the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs and the village investigate several allegations levelled against him.

Reports are that several matters, including financial accountability, administrative matters and general conduct within the village were brought against him recently. The investigation will last three calendar weeks.

Efforts to reach Shuman on Wednesday were futile; however the popular village chief noted recently on social media, that on January 29, 2017, he faced the “potential impeachment” as Chief. He said that as dictated by Law, he

Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission, Lenox Shuman

stepped aside to give way to an investigation.

He encouraged villagers to conduct themselves in a dignified manner and continue to uphold the laws; his statement spoke to unification as well as to Turn to page 3 ►

Oil Brief 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

– Exxon briefs Gov’t, Opposition on preparations for oil production

By Alva Solomon A HIGH-LEVEL team of Government officials was on Wednesday morning briefed by ExxonMobil on its production preparations, a move which marks the commencement of a series of consultations by the U.S. oil giant with stakeholders.

The technical briefing was held at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston and a similar exercise was also expected to be carried out later in the day with a team led by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Prior to the start of the closed-door exercise on Wednesday, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, noted that the briefing was another on the development of the oil and gas sector, in particular Exxon’s Liza well.

He said the briefing anticipated good news regarding production by 2020 and updates on new technologies and new techniques that will be deployed.

“It is important as Guyanese and particularly as policymakers that we know what are the resources, how it is going to be exploited and captured and developed, and very importantly at the policy-end, how are we going to use the resources to the benefit of all

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, centre, stands alongside other Government officials including Minister of State, Joseph Harmon (second left) at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel where the Government team met officials of ExxonMobil Wednesday morning. Exxon’s Country Manager Jeff Simons is at the Prime Minister’s left (Adrian Narine photo)

Guyanese,” Trotman said.

He said the forum was the beginning of a series of engagements, starting with policy-makers and which will extend to the citizens of all 10 administrative regions.

He said the “proverbial Region 11,” inclusive of Guyanese residing in cities such as New York and Toronto and those in other jurisdictions,

will also be briefed.

Following a series of oil discoveries stretching back to the Liza 1 find to May 2015, ExxonMobil is on course to create history with the anticipated production of oil and gas carded for the year 2020.

An article which appeared in the New York Times last month stated that Guyana is poised to become the next big

Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo and members of the opposition party met with ExxonMobile Country Manager Jeff Simons and his team to be briefed on the developments in the oil and gas sector

Village Leader... respect for the privacy of his family. According to reports, Shuman met with officials of the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs earlier this week.

Shuman, who is well

oil producer in the Western Hemisphere, attracting the attention and investment dollars of some of the biggest oil companies in the world.

The report referred to an announcement by ExxonMobil and Hess Guyana Exploration of the successful drilling of a deep-water exploration well that may soon confirm that the seafloor beneath Guy-

known for donning traditional indigenous garb, sits on the National Toshaos Council (NTC) as the body’s vice-chairman. He was elected to that post in August 2015, follow-

From page 2

ing a meeting of indigenous leaders at the Arthur Chung International Conference Centre, Liliendaal.

A month earlier, he was elected village leader of St Cuthbert’s Mission.

Following the 2015 general and regional elections, Shuman returned from Canada where he worked as an airline pilot. His term as village leader ends in 2018.

ana’s coastal waters contain one of the richest oil and natural gas discoveries in decades.

Experts now estimate that one of its offshore fields alone, known as Liza, could contain 1.4 billion barrels of oil mixed with natural gas, comparable to some of the larger fields drilled in South America.

The report stated that early, rough estimates by experts

of how much recoverable oil Guyana could have range to more than four billion barrels, which at today’s prices would be worth more than US$200B. In addition to the Liza field, Exxon and drilling partner, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited are also exploring the Payara field, which is part of a block of 6.6 million acres.

On January 12, Exxon announced that its drilling partner encountered more than 95 feet (29 metres) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs at Payara. It said that the area was safely drilled to 18,080 feet (5,512 meters) in 6,660 feet (2,030 metres) of water.

The Payara field discovery is about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the 2015 Liza discovery. Exxon plans to move to two other locations in the months ahead, including the Liza 4 field.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

M&CC employees caught with ganja TWO employees attached to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday, charged with the illegal

possession of narcotics.

Garfield Brutus, 40 of Annandale, East Coast Demerara and Ezra Evans, 24 of West Ruimveldt pleaded guilty to having 2 grams of

cannabis in their possession on February 1, 2017 at Robb Street.

According to the unrepresented men, they would normally smoke the cannabis

while working because “the job stinks.”

The men further explained that the odor from cleaning drains and other jobs would be overbearing,

forcing them to smoke the cannabis.

The court was told that on the day in question, police on patrol along Robb Street saw the duo acting in

a suspicious manner. They searched the duo and found the illegal substance. The Magistrate reprimanded and discharged the matter against the men.

U.S. Senate confirms Tillerson as Secretary of State [Reuters] - The U.S. Senate confirmed Rex Tillerson as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state on Wednesday, filling a key spot on the Republican’s national security team despite concerns about the former Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) chief executive officer’s ties to Russia.

The vote, mostly along party lines, was by far the closest in at least half a century. Fifty-six senators backed Tillerson, and 43

voted no. Every Republican favored Tillerson, along with four members of the Democratic caucus, Senators Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Manchin and Mark Warner as well as Angus King, an independent.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons did not vote.

Tillerson’s predecessor in the position, John Kerry, was confirmed by 94 to 3.

Condoleezza Rice, the last secretary of state nominated by a Republican, was confirmed by 85-13. Senate Democrats had tried, but

failed, to delay the vote on Tillerson because of Trump’s executive order banning immigration from seven mostly Muslim countries and temporarily halting the entry of refugees.

They said they wanted to ask Tillerson more questions about the issue after Trump signed the order on Friday, prompting protests and chaos at airports across the country and uncertainty and disruption for travelers around the world.

But Republicans hold a

Rex Tillerson

majority of 52 seats in the 100-member Senate, and so far have confirmed all

of the six Trump nominees who have come up for votes.

Senators had also expressed concerns over Tillerson’s ties to Russia after the executive spent years there working for the oil company.

Some faulted him for failing to promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon Mobil businesses for his entire term as secretary of state rather than only the one year required by law.

Tillerson, 64, retired as chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil at the end

of 2016 after a four-decade career at the company.

Republicans and other Tillerson supporters said they thought he would be a strong leader as the country’s top diplomat, citing his experience running a giant corporation operating on six continents. They also said it was important to finalize Trump’s national security team quickly, to address international crises and reassure allies wondering about the new president’s “America First” foreign policy.

Thursday, February 2, 2017 - 08:30 hrs Friday, February 3, 2017 - 09:00 hrs Saturday, February 4, 2017 - 10:30 hrs

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Embrace harmony, shun discrimination – urges President at launch of World Interfaith Harmony Week

By Shauna Jemmott THE United Nations (UN) this week commemorates ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week’ and local religious organisations have stepped up Government’s campaign geared at ‘fostering Social Cohesion in Guyana.’

Support for interfaith harmony was evident Wednesday when Guyanese from various religious and ethnic backgrounds assembled at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown, to celebrate the occasion.

Addressing the occasion, President David Granger said social cohesion is an important part of his Government and an entire ministry has been dedicated to it.

“Its importance to remove discrimination on the basis of gender, on the basis of geography… women were elevated to the dignity of Senior Counsel for the first time in 50 years [and], last year for the first time an equal number of women received the Golden Arrow

interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship.

“Guyana is a model of interfaith harmony,” Mr Granger said, adding that “Guyana is a cosmopolitan State in which the majority of people belong to one of the world’s major religions – Christianity, Islam and

Hinduism.”

Guyana’s Constitution pursues on purpose the promotion of peaceful co-existence, and Guyana is not known for religious violence or conflict, despite ethnic differences.

“Guyana is a model of interfaith harmony. The religious diversity which we enjoy has never degenerated into [violence and conflict].

This is not an accident. Policies have been purposefully

pursued to promote peaceful co-existence,” the President said, pointing out that harmony of religions is key in ensuring a cohesive state.

With the local theme of World Interfaith Harmony Week being ‘Fostering Social Cohesion in Guyana’, the president said social cohesion is vital in combating exclusion and marginalisation, creating a sense of belonging and promoting upward mobility.

President David Granger addressing the Umana Yana gathering

of Achievement to those of men. Guyana declared itself to be a Cooperative State,” President Granger said.

Interfaith harmony is promoted to encourage a culture of cooperation to combat human conflict.

“Interfaith harmony advances through dialogue; dialogue in turn promotes understanding, understanding in turn generates cooperation,

cooperation facilitates the dismantling of the barriers of domination and distrust.

And that domination and that distrust can generate human conflict,” Mr Granger noted.

World Interfaith Harmony Week came into being with the signing of a UN General Assembly Resolution on October 20, 2010, to support on a voluntary basis the spread of the message of

A section of the audience at the launch of World Interfaith Harmony Week at Umana Yana on Wednesday (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

gnnleditorial@gmail.com 6

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Editorial

Republican status and Forbes Burnham

THIS month, Guyana celebrates its 47th Anniversary as a republic. Republican status means Guyana is free to chart its path of self-determination, having severed the final yoke of colonial domination on February 23, 1970.

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, a republic is a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law, and is headed by a president. The online Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that a “Republic is a form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body.

Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people.”

The commonality in the stated definitions is that the people have a say in the management of their affairs and through their elected representatives. It is reasonable to conclude that people

will want their elected representatives to treat them as human beings, with inalienable rights, and manage their resources consistent with laws that would redound to their collective benefit.

The name Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham often evokes spirited reaction -- for and against him -- depending on who is speaking about him. This is a young nation relative to its independence and republican status. With this comes inherent challenges, enunciation of the past, and frankly, in our polarised politics, the aspiring desire to have honest and frank discussions about our history.

At the same time, it cannot be ignored where approximately 65 percent of the population is 40 years and younger, most do not know Burnham,who died in 1985, and perceptions of him are shaped by others. His politics, local and international, was complex, reflecting the era of his time and cannot be defined or constrained by a straight-jacket, and analysing him through such lens should

be striven for.

The view is held -- not without justification -- that to confine Burnham’s impact on Guyana -- wider afield -- to allegations and counter-allegations, the society is not only robbed the essence of his over-riding philosophy on nation-building and protecting Guyana’s sovereignty, but such focus would allow others to absolve themselves of responsibility to build on his positive contributions and eschew acts contrary to present times.

As a nation, it should be a matter of review what institutional support has been put in place to ensure that the representative system of government is strengthened, and where ordinary folk, outside of casting a ballot, can honestly say they have access to their representatives, and they feel their input is valued in the management and decision-making processes of the state. Though the framework was established

by Burnham, was anything done to build on it and

should he, who lived in the 20th century, be held accountable for political actions or inactions of the 21st century?

A country whose motto is “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” shouldn’t we be addressing in this 47th year, how far has the nation advanced beyond the framework to respect and celebrate diversity as in ethnic holidays, national ethos, and education curriculum? What progress, institutional and otherwise, has been made to solidify the sense of oneness? Do the people recognise this, and feel that sense of belonging to a collective, driven by common purpose, aspirations and goals?

As a people, what is the state of our identity, local, regional and international?

How do we treat with each other, others treat with us, and our role in influencing the comity of humankind on the global stage? Is Guyanese still treated with respect in the Region and the country seen as a beacon

Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

for progressive thinking and change globally? Does the principle of being our brothers and sisters’ keepers as was the hallmark of Guyana’s Foreign Policy still felt?

On sustainable development, during his leadership, Guyana had positioned itself to be self-sufficient and the breadbasket of the Caribbean and simultaneously cultivating a thriving manufacturing sector, which was under-girded by free education from nursery to university. These not only provided diverse opportunities for learning and unleashing the people’s innovation but also pathways for political, social, economic and cultural self-determination.

In assessing the above, it would not be without justification for the people and the leaders to re-elevate where we are 47 years hence and what systems have been put in place to bring us into the 21st century and build on the progressive foundation of the 20th century.

Forbes Burnham had put markers in place, built a structure/framework, guided by a philosophy that sought to realise self-determination for a people, whose history is checkered with slavery, indentureship and colonialism and though of diverse origins, our commonality in wanting to be treated with dignity and respect, prevails.

My departure from PPP has abandoned GECOM is accompanied Marxism-Leninism by a heavy heart Dear Editor,

Dear Editor, PLEASE allow me to respond to an article in the Guyana Chronicle headline: “I’m eager to get out of GECOM.” The said headline does not entirely reflect how I feel about demitting the Office of the GECOM Chairman. Although I recognise that the time has come for me to leave, the departure is accompanied by a heavy heart. Over the more than 15 years at the helm, I have established a close linkage with the staff of GECOM, many of whom

have evolved into more than colleagues; rather, they have become friends and, in some cases, “family” away from home.

To g e t h e r, w e h a v e withstood the perennial onslaughts; we have spent many a long day/ night trying to solve difficult situations, while countering intransigent and acerbic stakeholders and assuaging their tempers; we have literally traversed the highways and by-ways of this beautiful country of ours carrying the civic message about elections; and together we have eradicat-

ed (hopefully forever) the widespread turbulence associated with elections previous to the last 15 years.

I do have other things planned for the rest of my life, and I am “eager” to begin these undertakings. However, that step will never negate the wonderfully fulfilling experiences I have had with the team which I was privileged and honoured to lead.

Regards DR. STEVE SURUJBALLY Chairman of Guyana Elections Commission

MR Hydar Ally’s letter published in Stabroek News on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, captioned, “No confusion about PPP’s ideological orientation” and in the Kaieteur News of Friday, January 27, 2017, under the caption, “My party, the PPP, is guided by the principles of Marxism- Leninism,” caught my attention.

Because Hydar Ally has, for years, been the chief ideologue of his party, I was expecting an enlightened discussion on the PPP’s ideology --- how it was/is manifested in the party’s praxis when it was in office and now that it is in the opposition, its relevance on political, economic and social policies.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed, since in the letter this line of discourse did not materialise.

While admitting that there is confusion generated

by sections of the media on the party’s ideological orientation, Mr Ally, rather than clear the air on his party’s present ideological posture, chose to hide behind the utterances of the PPP’s Founder-Leader, Dr Cheddi Jagan, by invoking what Dr Jagan had said in 1992, some 25 years ago, that the PPP’s “ideology is Marxism–Leninism.”

Consummate politician that he is, Mr Ally is fully aware that the issue which is causing confusion in sections of the public and among party members and supporters is, whether the present PPP leadership is guided by the principles of Marxism- Leninism. This issue has to be clarified and cannot be wished away. If it is true that the principles of Marxism-Leninism has indeed guided the PPP, then it has to explain the contradictions, which have been so glaring after the death of

the late President Cheddi Jagan and the subsequent rise of Bharat Jagdeo --- events that led to the development of the criminal state and the unprecedented rise in corruption in every area of national life in Guyana.

If the policies of Marxism-Leninism have been adhered to by the PPP, then Mr Ally must explain how under the PPP the working-class in Guyana has been destroyed -- both in terms of its numbers and its ability -- to act as a class in defence of its interests. Mr Ally ought to know that simply hiding behind the words of his party’s founder-leader is not enough to convince those who believe that the party, after the passing of President Cheddi Jagan, has abandoned Marxism-Leninism.

Regards TACUMA OGUNSEYE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

GuySuCo prefers to be engaged in more solution-oriented discussions Dear Editor,

THE Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) would like to respond to a letter that was published in the Kaieteur News by Mr. Sookram Persaud on the 27 January, 2017 and titled ‘GuySuCo’s team gets salaries no other country would pay’ What utter rubbish!

Mr Persaud may wish to provide the rationale for his ludicrous statement. His agenda is evident and that is to mislead and poison the mind of the reader.

The Corporation wishes to inform the writer that every employee is paid within their grade / salary scales which were established several years ago.

GuySuCo also wishes to inform Mr. Sookram Persaud that we appreciate more productive engagements and would therefore find it extremely stimulating to be engaged in more strategic discussions on comprehensive solutions for resolving the challenges which it faces.

It is clear that Mr. Per-

saud is part of the company of naysayers who enjoy taking pot shots at the management of the Corporation for their own narrow purposes but offer no real solutions even though the opportunity is ideal.

We wonder who is behind these letters and what is their real motivation?

are incompetent as it relates to security measures for national events. Note that I’m saying this on the basis that none of those security risks were shared with the public. The explanation given was that if the parade were to start at the Bank of Guyana or Camp and Church Streets, along Church Street then into Durban Park, it would pose a security threat to the Ministry of The Presidency. Must I remind the minister and her department that there are four Government ministries on Brickdam, namely: the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport, Ministry of Natural Resources and The Ministry of Public Health.

The Ministry of Education alone has four buildings along the route and there is also the Department of Housing from the Ministry of Communities and The Labour Department of the Ministry of Social Protection on Brickdam. I won’t be surprised if I missed a few government buildings as I have now come to realise how numerous they are.

The question however is, is it that the security concerns that apply to the Ministry of The Presidency is not applicable to those other ministries?

I’m wondering, if they are security concerns as they relate to the Ministry of the Presidency, then why not have a controlled approach as compared to the open affair that I can foresee. Now if the route were to take Church Street into Vlissingen Road into

Durban Park, the area from Regent Street to South Road could be a pathway for floats and revellers alone, which should reduce significantly whatever fear there is of having people congregating in front of the Ministry of the Presidency.

Instead, what we will have is Regent Street and Vlissingen Road being a bus and car terminal for the day, which will result in thousands of citizens traversing the path from Regent Street to Durban Park, which I think should be more of a security concern than have a controlled parade pass through.

Lastly, if there is really a serious security concern about the parade passing the Ministry of The Presidency, then shouldn’t there be an even greater concern that the final leg of the parade is at Durban Park? I mean sensibly speaking, Durban Park is a stone’s throw away from the Ministry of The Presidency and will house about 20,000 plus persons inclusive of those who will be on the outside, so if something were to happen (God Forbid) what makes the Ministry of The Presidency any less vulnerable to the security concerns? All this has me wondering if Minister Henry is fit and proper to run this department, maybe, just maybe, President Granger has missed one while considering his cabinet shift.

Regards Yours faithfully, AUDREYANNA THOMAS Senior Communications Officer Communications Unit

Engage the citizenry Dear Editor, I’M sitting here wondering if I have basic comprehension skills, or if Minister Henry is suffering from an inability to effectively inform and engage the citizens of this country? If I must say I believe it’s the latter.

On January 30, 2017, an article from News Source headlined: “Mashramani parade route to be extended -Minister Henry” The article stated that during an interview with a popular morning show on the radio, Minister Henry said her department had listened to the concerns of the people and decided to have an extended route for our annual Mashramani parade.

I am here wondering which set of citizens they were listening to and what really did they hear? I personally have not seen calls for an extension of the route, but rather I’ve seen various stakeholders complaining as to how the route will affect them. Mainly, persons are complaining about the lack of available space along the route for families to sit picnic-style as they did along Church Street for many years. Vendors have also been complaining as to the limited space that will be available for vending.

One of the main points I continue to hear from Minister Henry and her department is ‘security risk’, leaving me to wonder if Minister Henry is of the view that the security forces

Regards CLAYON F. HALLEY

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

President Granger accredits new Ambassadors

Non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt to Guyana, Alaaeldin Wagih Roushdy, introduces himself to President Granger, flanked by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge and Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell

PRESIDENT David Granger on Wednesday received Letters of Credence from two foreign ambassadors at State House. Credentials were presented by non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt to Guyana Alaaeldin Wagih Roushdy and Ambassador designate of Switzerland to Guyana, Mr. Didier Chassot.

Ambassador Roushdy thanked Guyana for its support for membership to international organisations and specialised committees. He said that although the trade and economic policies are not to expectations, the political environment enjoys

greater satisfaction.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on September 10, 1971 and friendly relations were based on shared mutual values and respect for each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, peace and security.

According to President Granger, the possibility exists for enhanced relations between the two countries in agriculture, commerce, education and health.

“I am confident that your appointment as Ambassador will serve as a catalyst for the enhancement for our programme of cooperation, I am also confident that your

appointment will further strengthened relations between our two countries particularly,” President Granger said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Switzerland to Guyana, Didier Chassot said his government has followed the development in Guyana and it is his intention to fulfill all obligations to the best of his ability.

The Switzerland envoy said his country works to develop mutual relations with other countries worldwide. In a world with global challenges, the envoy said his country is seeking to strengthen worldwide cooperation as Switzerland in-

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge and President David Granger listen keenly to Ambassador designate of Switzerland to Guyana, Mr. Didier Chassot

tends to remain a close partner of Guyana from the level of bilateral relations as well as multilateral cooperation.

“In addition to the relations with our neighbours and partners in Europe, Switzerland’s Foreign Policy centers around the alleviation of need and poverty in the world, the promotion and respect for human rights and democracy, the peaceful coexistence of peoples, as well as the conservation of natural resources. My country is committed to peace and security. Today more than ever we are facing global challenges, which we can only meet by strengthening worldwide cooperation. In

that sense I can assure you that Switzerland intends to remain a close and reliable partner of Guyana both on the level of our bilateral relations, as well as undertaking of multilateral cooperation,” the Swiss Ambassador said.

President Granger congratulated the diplomat on his appointment and noted that Guyana and Switzerland have enjoyed four decades of cordial relations since its establishment of formal diplomatic relations on May 24, 1977.

He said Guyana is willing to work with likeminded countries on both bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure an environment that is con-

ducive and prosperous for all.

“Guyana’s commitment to the establishment of a green state is fully compatible with our adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Guyana’s development agenda balances environmental sustainability with the objective of economic development and human wellbeing. Guyana, in this regard, is keen to benefit from the experience and expertise of the Government of the Swiss Confederation in its implementation of its ‘Green’ Economy Action Plan,” the President said.

North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary emerges winner – to represent Georgetown in National Schools Mashramani Competition NORTH Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary is set to represent the Georgetown

District at the National Schools Mashramani Competition when it starts next

week.

The school emerged winner yesterday during the

Georgetown leg of the Children’s Mash competition at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).

NCC rocked with screams, shrieks and shouts as students came out in their numbers to support their schools and participating colleagues.

Wednesday’s competitions saw students in the 11 – 13 and 14 – 17 age groups competing in six categories: Masquerade, Legends and Traditions, Social Commentary, Religious Beliefs, Interpretive Dance, and Hip Hop. Secondary schools from all across Georgetown took

part in the activities, which was a continuation of the Children’s Mashramani celebrations that began in Georgetown on Monday.

The competition continues today with the Costume Competition at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH); tomorrow, also at Sports Hall will be the physical display competition.

South Ruimveldt Secondary dancers performing “Frolic Harmony”

No purging 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

AMID criticisms over the administration’s handling of the retirement of Justice Cecil Kennard as chairman of the Police Service Commission, President David Granger on Wednesday insisted that there was no purging of individuals and that government has undertaken a general review of the state boards, agencies and commissions, with the aim of establishing an age of retirement for persons who sit on them.

The President was at the time responding to questions posed by media operatives in relation to Justice Kennard, after the accreditation ceremony of Switzerland’s new Ambassador to Guyana at State house. Justice Kennard was asked to step down as Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) due to his age. The President offered an apology for the short notice, but maintained that it was a decision that had to be taken. “There was no negative report. In fact, the decision was taken to review all of the boards, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority. I regret very much the short notice.

He does deserve longer notice and there was a consideration of the length of service and the age of the persons holding those offices. I have worked with him and he came before the Disciplined Forces Commission and he has a lot of bright ideas, but at this time we look forward to filling all of the Consti-

…President regrets late notice to Kennard …says general review of boards, agencies under way tutional appointments. We also have the Public Service Tribunal…We want to fill the Ombudsman, so it is a result of a general review of all the agencies, boards and commissions,” President Granger said.

The President said that Justice Kennard’s work is exemplary, but the Government is focused on creating an atmosphere in which other persons, who are younger, are able to take a lead. It is expected that in the coming days, more information would become available.

“So it is not a criticism of his service, but there will be a general order explaining our policy on age and retirement for agencies, boards and commissions, but at the same time, we hope to give other persons an opportunity to serve, so that over a period of time we build up expertise in the younger generations too. So it is not a criticism of Justice Kennard. There will be further information, but nobody is being purged.

We are simply trying to give other persons the ability to serve,” the President said.

The Guyana Chronicle had first broken the story that the services of Kennard and Chairman of the Public Utilitie Commission, Prem Persaud, respectively, were coming to an end as both are

PCA Chairman, Justice Cecil Kennard

PUC Chairman, Prem Persaud

expected to retire by the end of March. The distinguished, retired jurists have been employed by the State for years, with Kennard a retired Chancellor of the Judiciary being at the helm of the PCA since 2001. This publication understands that both men were appointed and served with open contracts which allows for their termination at any point.

The PCA was established by the Police Complaints Authority Act in 1989, under former President Hugh Desmond Hoyte’s administration to be an independent, investigative institution, which would receive complaints from members of the public

about alleged criminal offences committed by members of the Guyana Police Force.

However, the PCA has never functioned with full autonomy in accordance with the functions prescribed by the PCA Act. The body is neither independent nor investigative, as it relies on the government through the Ministry of Public Security for staff and financing and is also dependent on the Guyana Police Force for the conduct of investigations.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, has confirmed to this newspaper the retirement of Justice Persaud.

Essequibo mechanic dies in freak accident

By Ravi D Mohan

A TWENTY-FOUR-yearold mechanic, Paul Durga, also known as “Anil,” died tragically on Saturday after a spring from an excavator he was servicing flew out and struck him in the chest and abdomen.

Sister of the dead man, Nalini Mahadeo, said she received the news from another brother, Amit, who telephoned her around 02:00 hrs on Sunday.

After the incident, Durga was then taken by employees to seek medical attention but

died on his way.

According to Mahadeo, Durga was simple, humble and kind-hearted and was working hard to build his house at Charity Squatting Area, Essequibo Coast.

Durga, she said, will be deeply missed, as he used to devotedly take care of his smaller brother and sister, as well as his mother who is 61 and is confined to bed through illness.

His employer, Mark Samaroo, of Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, said he is assisting with the funeral arrangements and expenses and will pro-

vide financial assistance to the mother of the deceased,for as long as she is alive.

Samaroo also promised to help in the construction of the lower flat of Durga’s house, so that his mother could have a comfortable place to live.

With tears in his eyes, he said Durga was his best worker and his loss will be a difficult void to fill.

Durga leaves to mourn his mother and nine siblings.

Burial is scheduled for today at Charity, Essequibo Coast.

The police have since launched an investigation into the incident.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that the outgoing chairman of the PUC is nearing 80 years of age and the time has come for him to retire. She denied that he was sacked and said, “No, not let go. He is retiring; he is close to 80 years old and will retire soon.

We are in transition and he will retire by March, 2017.”

Minister Hughes said Justice Persaud’s contribution over the years is valued not only by her, but by the administration. “I have spoken with him and he will always be a mentor to the organisation,” Minister Hughes added. The Public Telecommunications Minister said candidates will be explored in the coming weeks and an announcement made at the appropriate time. The PUC is a body established by the Public Utilities Commission Act No.26 of 1990, which came into effect on October 1, 1990. The legislation was subsequently amended thrice; in 1991, 1994 and 1999. The commission consists of a chairman, who serves on a full-time basis and three other commissioners, who are appointed to serve on a parttime basis. In accordance with Section 5 of the Act, a fourth commissioner can be appointed by the commission, if it is necessary.

The commissioners who

President David Granger

serve on the commission alongside Justice Persaud are Maurice Solomon, Dela Britton and Rajendra Bissessar and are mandated to establish and enforce rules and procedures for regulation of the public utilities, commensurate with internationally accepted regulatory standards and promote and regulate the efficient, long-term provision of utility services , consistent with government’s policies. Additionally, the commission is mandated to provide a fair environment conducive to business interests, investment in the public utilities sector and the interest of consumers; to investigate and seek to resolve in a timely manner, complaints filed with the commission against any public utility and to carry out its functions in a fair, transparent and independent manner.

Mash Day vendors now happy

Minister Nicolette Henry meeting with vendors on the issue of Mash Day vending

AS the countdown to Mashramani 2017 kicks into full gear, on Wednesday scores of vendors flocked to the Department of Culture’s Main Street Office to secure their vending spots.

In a release the department said as part of continued public consulta-

tions, the vendors had an opportunity to air their concerns relevant to Mashramani activities. During the consultation with Minister Nicolette Henry in the Culture Department Compound, the vendors offered suggestions and generally expressed support for the events. The meeting

quelled many of the vendors’ concerns as regards to the National event.

Those gathered following the interaction ultimately expressed support for the Mashramani plans. The registration process started on Wednesday and will conclude on February 14.

10

Nandlall, Williams to meet next week

– to settle interpretation of Constitution for GECOM nominees THE current and former Attorney Generals are yet to meet on the appointment of Chairman for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

President David Granger had said the Opposition and the Government will meet on the interpretation of Article 161 (2), which speaks to the nominees for the appointment of the Chairman.

In a statement, the Ministry of the Presidency noted that Attorney General, Basil Williams, who is currently in Trinidad, in an invited comment said the former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, wrote to him in January asking that the meeting be organised any time after January 25.

Given that he was in Jamaica at that time, Minister Williams said he has under-

taken to set a date next week for the meeting to happen.

On January 19, President Granger said that the most efficient way to ensure legal clarification on the requirements for the appointment of a Chairman of GECOM would be for legal representatives of the Opposition and the Government to meet to discuss their interpretations of Article 161 (2).

Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

Attorney General, Basil Williams

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has nominated Nandlall to meet with Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams.

“I have asked them to meet and see in what ways they can have a common interpretation of the Constitution. In the final analysis, it is a constitutional matter and I felt that the Constitu-

tion was quite clear, so if there were any opaqueness or obscurity I hope the meeting between the two attorneys would clarify that so I am anxious to move ahead. It is a constitutional office and my interpretation of the Constitution was quite clear,” President Granger said.

He said a further conversation between himself and the Opposition Leader was unnecessary since the matter is one of constitutionality and two attorneys should clarify.

“I am not saying the person has to be a judge, but if you read the whole article of that Constitution you will see that it intends that the person must possess certain qualities and we are looking for those qualities,” the Head of State noted.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Massive upgrade for Mortice Nursery, Primary schools CHIDREN at the Mortice Nursery School, at Mortice Mahaicony, will benefit from a $1.2M upgrade of their school building this year as part of the 2017 work program of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice).

The Primary school on the upper flat of the two storeyed building, which houses the Nursery school, will also be repaired and upgraded at a cost of $1M. The upgrades for the Nursery section of the school will include tiling of the floor, replacement of the windows, upgrading of the toilets, repainting of the entire building and installation of other facilities to make the environment more child friendly, a senior official of the Engineering Department of Region Five said.

He disclosed that improvements to the upper flat from which the primary school aged children will benefit will include replacements of doors and windows, upgrades of the

toilets, the washroom facilities and the electrical system and installation of an additional water tank and water pump.

“This year we in effect taking up from where we left off last year when we did major works on both flats of the school following heavy infestation of the ceilings by bats, a shortage of potable water and some other issues,” the official said.

“Last year we completed a new ceiling and we put in new lights and new electrical cables and gave the building a face lift. We fixed the toilet. They had an issue with water and we ran new lines from the main and installed a water pump. This year’s works, to be completed early this year, will really be a completion of the work started last year and the students and pupils will no doubt benefit from the new environment that takes place when the repairs and upgrades are completed.”

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Less power outages for Anna Regina …power engines, solar-powered equipment to be installed

By Alva Solomon RESIDENTS of Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast are expected to receive a boost of power next month when several power engines, as well as solar-powered equipment are installed in the Cinderella County.

At the same time, redundancy cables which will provide back-up to the power grid in the event of a failure are being installed across the country, including at Craig on the East Bank of Demerara.

This was disclosed on Monday evening when Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson spoke on a motion brought to the National Assembly by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regarding the state of the

Guyana Power and light (GPL). The motion was subsequently defeated by the government.

While admitting that more work has to be done regarding the power company’s service to consumers, Patterson said that three engines have been procured for Anna Regina and should be installed by March. In addition, he said that “we will be installing equal amounts of 5.5 megawatts of solar power to Anna Regina.”

He noted too that power engines have also been procured for the town of Bartica in Region Seven and these will be installed in the weeks ahead.

Closer to the capital, Patterson said that despite the existence of 13.8 megawatt cable at Craig on the East Bank of De-

merara, the previous government decided to place a 69 kilo-volt amps (KVA) submarine cable across the Demarara River, connecting the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston power stations.

The cable was laid during 2012.

He said that the move was described as a “chokehold” from the inception, given the volume of marine traffic which traverses the area. Subsequently, the cable was damaged and a sum of US$395,000 was spent to fix the cable.

“The problem is that there is no redundancy whatsoever,” he added, noting that nothing else could have been done at the time to minimize the situation but to carry out load-shedding exercises.

Patterson informed the National Assembly that a

redundancy cable is being placed at the new substation at Craig.

“Should the cable ever go down again, there is always a ready supply of power”, he said regarding the latter being installed as a back-up to the cable linking Vreed-en-Hoop with Kingston.

Within Georgetown, Patterson said that the 30 megawatt of power which runs from Kingston to Sophia via the Lamaha Street Embankment is transmitted via a solitary cable.

“Sir if a donkey cart knock into it there is nothing else we can do,” he said, noting that in many other jurisdictions there is

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson

a loop structured configuration which provides for any eventuality.

He said that when a feeder trips, nothing else could be done until it can be fixed in order to restore power to the grid. To cor-

rect the situation, Patterson noted that ring circuits and loops are being constructed and he noted that tenders have been prepared in that regard.

During his presentation, he said that the previous government depended heavily on the Amaila Falls hydropower project, citing it as its “silver bullet” to supply power to the national grid. He also informed the House that private entities had in the past proposed to supply power to the national grid.

One such company is Banks DIH, which he noted “sent big proposals” to the previous government of the excess power that entity possessed.

Travel time to cut 12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

…as refurbished MV Barima, Kimbia ferries set to return THE MV Barima-the passenger vessel that plies the Georgetown-North-West District route will go back into operation in another two weeks after being in dock for over a year for repairs work, authorities at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) have said.

According to the department, passengers are expected to benefit from significantly shortened travel time when the MV Barima returns to operation after more than a year of rehabilitative works.

Meanwhile, the MV Kimbia will, similarly, be out of dock soon following extensive works. Both vessels went into dock in November 2015. This information was shared with Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, by the contractor, Mr. Courtney Benn of Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd., during a recent visit to the docked ferries.

During her lengthy visit to the MV Barima, Minister Ferguson expressed concern for the maintenance of the

vessel following undocking and assurances were given by officials of the T&HD that maintenance would be a priority.

Minister Ferguson also noted that much work would have been put in from her last visit some months ago.

These works included the replacement and repair of underwater fittings, including the propellers and rudders; scraping and painting of the hull; installation of two main engines; painting of the interior and exterior of the ferry; installation of new seats for the passengers; and the upgrade of crew cabins. The ferry also benefited from improved safety, thanks to 250 new life jackets and the addition of fire extinguishers. The project cost was $150.6M. “I’m really pleased about this,” she said.

“We’ve waited long but I’m pleased with the quality of work.”

Minister Ferguson further stressed that the comfort and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Hon. Annette Ferguson, inspects the ferry’s upgraded navigational system on board of the rehabilitated MV Barima

CPG officer arrested for drunk driving

The CPG vehicle (left) that is impounded at Number 51 Police Station

A COMMUNITY policing liaison officer who is tasked with responsibility for Number 52 Village to Wellington Park and Black Bush Polder, East Berbice, Corentyne has been arrested and charged for driving under the influence.

Kumar Bridgelal, of Number 50 Village, was arrested on Monday and was subsequently placed on $20,000 station bail pending a court appearance.

The vehicle that was issued to Bridgelall for his work as liaison officer was impounded and remains at the Number 51 Police Station.

According to information, the man was seen driving in a dangerous manner along the Number 52 Public Road and the police were informed.

A breathalyser test done on him found he was above the prescribed alcohol limit.

“He was wobbling coming through with a speed almost knocking some people down,” a resident told Guyana Chronicle.

In recent months, numerous allegations were made against Bridgelall about his frequent appearance at various liquor shops on the Corentyne and not getting any work done for CPG. “Many times he park the

CPG vehicle and deh in the rum shop drinking when he done he gone and drive like nothing... hardly anything going on for the group he responsible for, but you can see him at a shop drinking most time,” a source told this publication.

According to a senior official in Black Bush Polder, it has been almost two years since the community had an active CPG group.

“He visited here a little more than a year ago and that was it,” the official said.

Residents are calling on the relevant authorities to make him ‘step up’ and do his job or be replaced.

safety of passengers must remain at the forefront and said too that she was eager for the ferry to return to operation to better service the North-West community and aid the Lady Northcote in the delivery of T&HD’s services.

Meanwhile, the contractor shared that the travel time with MV Barima is expected to be greatly reduced by as much as 50 percent following undocking. He too emphasised that, while the engines are faster and performance will be improved overall, maintenance was important. Additionally, he revealed that his company provided a number of items, outside of the contracted items, including televisions and water coolers free of cost as part of its social responsibility to the travelling public.

“This is indeed a significant change we’re seeing,” Minister Ferguson remarked, before adding, “I’m hoping that our customers will be at comfort and they will enjoy

an efficient travel time. At the end of the day, their satisfaction is all that matters.”

Minister Ferguson also visited the MV Kimbia, which is also in dock and is being repaired by the same contractor. The works for the MV Kimbia include general docking; servicing and repair of underwater fittings; painting of the hull; installation of zinc panels; and painting of its interior and exterior while its electrical and plumbing issues will also be addressed.

The ferry will also be outfitted with a new propulsion system; the engine is currently being rebuilt and was acquired from Holland.

Minister Ferguson once again stressed the importance of having the vessel undocked as soon as possible to assist in the improvement of services. Marcelene Merchant, General-Manager of T&HD, indicated that she was also satisfied with the works being executed and said that stringent policies will be put in place to ensure that staff execute the necessary maintenance works.

Attempted murder charge dropped against duo in hotel robbery BASED on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DDP), Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan dismissed the charge of attempted murder against two men who shot at a Tower Hotel security guard during an armed robbery.

This decision was made on Wednesday in favour of Jason Howard called ‘Smelly’, 21 of East La Penitence and Curtis Vasconcellos, 23, of Albouystown.

The duo was jointly charged with the attempted murder of Balmick Persaud during the course of the robbery on December 14, 2016 on Main Street, Georgetown.

However charges of fe-

lonious wounding and discharging a loaded firearm were instituted against the duo. The men were not required to plead to the two charges.

Particulars of the first charge alleged that while being armed with a gun on Main Street, Georgetown, they discharged a loaded firearm at security guard, Balmick Persaud with intent to maim, disfigure or cause him grievous bodily harm.

It is further alleged that on the said day, the men unlawfully and maliciously wounded Persaud to cause him actual bodily harm. The men were further remanded to prison and the matter is adjourned until February 16,

2017 for report and fixtures.

Meanwhile, after being on remand for the past two months, Howard and his co-accused were allowed to plead to an armed robbery charge when the Chief Magistrate applied the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) for summary hearing.

The men denied that on December 14, 2016 at Main Street, while in the company of each other, armed with a gun robbed Hotel Tower accountant, Valdeo Seegobin, of $2.9M cash, a cheque book, a haversack, hard drive and other items totaling value $2,969,700.

The matter is adjourned until February 14, 2017 for statements.

Simple Larceny charge dismissed against policewoman CITY Magistrate Brendon Glasford on Wednesday dismissed a simple larceny case against a policewoman charged with stealing a Samsung Galaxy cellphone.

The case against Woman Constable, Yonette Jupiter, 35 was dismissed due to the prosecution’s lack of evidence.

Jupiter was represented by Attorney-at-law Patrice Henry.

The charge against Jupiter detailed that on Friday, August 12, 2016, at the Commissioner of Police’s Office, Eve Leary, Georgetown, she stole one Samsung Galaxy S4 valued $129,000, one 32 gigabyte memory card and

a GTT Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card valued $3000, property of Royston McPherson.

The Magistrate ruled that there was no nexus linking Jupiter to the crime since the cellphone was recovered in a fire bucket at Eve Leary.

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Superbet joins crime-fight SUPERBET General Manager, Ashwien Surjbalisingh, said the company will partner with the Guyana Police Force and the business community to address crime which has taken a toll on businesses and the citizenry.

On Monday last, six gunmen carried out a daring robbery at a Superbet shop in Pigeon Island, East Coast Demerara. The robbers carted off an undisclosed amount of cash.

At a press briefing Wednesday at the company’s headquarters in Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown, the Guyana and Surinamese General Managers collectively agreed that businesses in international trade face a growing threat from crime.

Surinamese General Manager, Surjbalisingh, who is on a visit to Guyana, said

Guyana’s Superbet General Manager, Shrikant Kisoensingh and Surinamese General Manager, Ashwien Surjbalisingh at yesterday’s press briefing

the company was attacked on four occasions by bandits.

On one occasion, bandits visited the headquarters with an AK-47 and grabbed a bag belonging to an employee.

“Imagine they came with heavy arms to attack in front of the building’s headquar-

ters with so many security cameras, they came with the guns snatched a bag and escaped, but fortunately, it was a bag from one of our staff containing a cell phone.

“At one time, a driver with good skills managed to escape after being cornered

on the road, our main concern is our staff,” the general manager said.

He said some staff are traumatised, so too are their relatives.

“Some of them even refuse to talk, they are in such a trauma, we invest and think

about our employees and we want to protect them, we also want to protect our local and international investors from crime,” he said.

The general manager noted that every investor wants to see their investments grow.

“A good entrepreneur likes to invest, stay and check the benefits for the country, because now Superbet is a Guyanese company that is established and growing, we are getting more agents, creating more jobs for people, but when bandits attack you so much, then all stakeholders must participate in addressing these issues,” he said.

Asked if there are any suspicion the robberies could have been made possible because of inside sources within the business, Surjbalisingh said none of the investigations seem to point

in that direction.

“We want to partner with the Government, ministries, police, (and) business community to address these kinds of problems with attacks on businesses,” he said.

The company has obtained the service of a private security company to transfer and guard its cash supplies.

Shrikant Kisoensingh, a Surinamese, who is general manager of Guyana’s Superbet Headquarters, said on every occasion the company is robbed, his family wants him to pack up and return home.

“All my families are in Suriname and they keep asking me why I keep taking such risks, so we are willing to partner and receive advice from law enforcement or business community to address the crime issue and to partner with them,” he said.

City Hall to boost revenue with massive composting project THE Georgetown Mayor and City Council will be converting compost waste to fertilizer –- an investment valued at $28M that is expected to generate approximately $87M on an annual basis. However, during the first year, it is expected to generate a minimum of $10M in revenue.

The multimillion-dollar project was announced on Wednesday by the Ministry of Communities. In addition to significantly boosting the council’s revenue- generating capacity, the project, which is expected to roll out in July, will result in the reduction of wanton disposal of organic waste in the city and the expansion of the life of the sanitary landfill Haags Bosch.

Georgetown Municipality Sanitation Director, Walter Narine, who will be spearheading the project, said during the initial phase of the project, the council will target only the Stabroek and Bourda Markets.

“When we would have examined the two markets, we realised that they generate on a daily basis, 25 metric tonnes of food waste. These are perishable cash crops which were not sold and the vendors would have discarded and tossed them out,” Narine

international trade for crops to be free from pesticides.

“So, if we can utilise the compost, it will benefit the farmers greatly who have aspirations of doing business on the export market,” Narine posited.

In a report compiled by Habeeb Khan on the composition of waste, it was highlighted that 50 per cent of all waste generated in Georgetown was organic waste.

Given this reality, coupled City Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green

explained.

He noted that these are the types of waste that reach the landfill on a daily basis, so the intention is to take 25 tons of waste and convert it into a municipal compost.

Narine revealed that the compost would then be marketed as manure or fertilizer at a minimal cost to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), which is one of the primary targets, as well as to cash-crop farmers.

Guyana has been experiencing a plethora of issues in terms of entering the export market with cash crops. One of the main reasons for this is the standard requirement by

Sanitation Director, Walter Narine

with the fact that Haags Bosch has a lifespan of 15 years, Narine said that everyone stands to benefit should at least 30 per cent of that waste be diverted from the landfill.

This will also reduce operational costs, since moving organic waste to Haags Bosch

A view of the composting site

stands at a monthly high of $1.2M. Apart from the market waste, the compost will also include vegetation that grows on the road shoulders, sawdust, trimmed tree branches and weeds. As it relates to the sawdust, Narine pointed out that it creates a huge problem due to its incendiary properties.

“Because when it’s stalked [sic] up in high piles, then the heat it generates within, it can easily ignite and cause big fires at the landfill. So, we can take the sawdust, also the waste that pigs produce; this is highly fertile and it is dumped everyday, so we will use the cow, pig and horse manure and create a true collective of the organics,” the sanitation director said.

The raw material will be processed daily in a fenced area by municipal employees at the Princes Street facility.

The project, in its initial phase, should provide em-

ployment for 25 persons from nearby communities to operate and manage the compost.

“We are very excited to have this project come to fruition. We have bins already at the markets, so vendors will dispose of their waste there and then[and] we will have them transported to the site.

“So, the compost is a sixweek cycle. Seventy metric tonnes of material will generate two cycles per year [and] the global market is US$6 per pound. It will generate a significant amount of well-needed revenue for the council.

We’re the only country that throws away everything,” he added.

Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, in endorsing the project, said it falls in line with government’s green agenda and the push towards a green economy.

“We are ensuring that in keeping with the President’s vision, we are doing everything possible in promoting the prop-

er collection and disposal of garbage. Also, in keeping with the council’s own vision for a cleaner and greener city, we want to move in the direction of waste-separation and recycling,” the city Mayor stated.

She outlined that the Mayor and City Council is willing to provide support and guidance to householders and businesses which are interested in proper waste management.

“We will be willing to assist and advise them. There is already one business that has ventured into recycling of cardboards and we encourage other businesses to get on board. It would take some time to adapt to changes, but with the right direction, we will eventually get accustomed to it,” ChaseGreen said.

The groundwork for the project will commence after the council’s 2017 budget is read and with the requisite approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Lindeners urged to branch out into agro-processing LINDENERS were on Tuesday challenged by the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC) to produce more of their own food and add value to it through agro-processing as this would not only boost the town’s economy, but allow it to become the production frontier of Guyana.

The NGMC, in collaboration with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the of-

fice of the Mayor of Linden and Linden Youth Leaders, organised the fair with the aim of sensitising present and potential farmers and small-scale agro-processors on how they can shoot off in developing their businesses.

According to the General Manager of the NGMC, Mrs Idea Sealey-Adams, Linden has only two agro-processers with products shelved at the Guyana Shop in Georgetown.

This number, she said, is

worrying as other regions such as One and Eight, with transportation and other challenges, have more products shelved in Georgetown. Being cognisant that there are a plethora of challenges faced in farming and adding value to one’s products, Adams said that the fair was brought to Linden to address those challenges and to advice farmers and small-scale producers on how they can take their products to the next

level.

She encouraged the many interested farmers and producers in the audience to start doing rather than thinking of the many hurdles to jump. “We want the two to multiply and become 32, 42, hence the enabling environment have got to be here, hence the reason we are here today to have our seminar which will serve to basically create the awareness, because you have to get

the enabling environment,” she said. Adams pointed to the need for more attractive packaging to compete with other local and foreign products. In addition to improved packaging, she revealed that many processors are not legally registered and licensed with the commercial registry, since having one’s business regularised is the first step to being an agro-processing entrepreneur.

The agro-processors were encouraged to be proactive rather than to have a laidback approach on how to expand and move forward.

“Be proactive, stop thinking about the negative, stop thinking about how I am going to get this done, utilise so many raw materials that are often wasted and let us convert them into so many value-added products….let’s get a little more serious, let’s be business-like,” she urged.

Sharing similar views was Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland, who spoke of the sociology of enterprise, as out of an idea or one dollar comes an entire business. Holland highlighted the many avenues and opportunities available in Linden to exploit, in farming and agro-processing.

He spoke of the availability of several coconut farms in Linden, sweet water fish at Rockstone, medicinal weeds, ground provisions and dry and citrus fruits. “Agro-processing is ideal for our communities, since we possess a wealth of resources that are unique to our communities here in Linden and the entire Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice region and these resources will add value to the agro-processing industry.

Linden is ideally placed to be the agro-processing hub of Turn to page 15 ►

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Cats doused with acid in West Ruimveldt area …GSPCA says it is cruelty to animals THE Guyana Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) has received reports from residents of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, of cats being doused with acid to the extent that they had to be euthanized (put down).

The non-governmental organisation views the act as cruelty to animals and is urging person(s) guilty of this to desist and take the animals to GSPCA where they will be cared for until they are adopted.

“These incidents left the cats with such severe injuries that they had to be euthanized. We have now been made aware that this was not an isolated incident and as such we would like to alert residents of the West Ruimveldt area, especially those that own pets, to be on the lookout for such incidents. Persons with information on these incidents may make a report in confidence to the GSPCA on telephone number 2264237 or to the nearest police station,” the organsation noted.

An official of GSPCA

on Wednesday told the Guyana Chronicle that since they spoke about the incident on their Facebook Page they have not received any more reports but the search is still on for the perpetrators. According to the official, cats and dogs brought into the GSPCA will not incur any charges except a donation and the animals are treated and cared for.

“Every day dogs and cats are either left at GSPCA by their owners or are picked up by our staff and concerned citizens. Sadly many of these animals are in horrible condition due to neglect and abuse and the most humane thing is to euthanize them,” the official noted.

However, when they can, staffers try to rehabilitate as many of them, despite their horrible condition and numerous ailments. Meanwhile, the GSPCA will embark on their spayed and neutered campaign, which will run from March 17-22 free of cost at its Robb Street location with just a donation.

Lindeners urged to branch...

From page 14

Guyana, since we sit in the sole region in which products derive from agriculture, forestry and fishing,” Holland explained during the feature address.

He highlighted that Linden has immense land space for farming and manufacturing, while revealing that the city of Roraima in Brazil and the town of Newark in New Jersey have expressed interest in establishing agro-processing enterprises in Linden.

He encouraged the audience to support these entities, but to support their own local farmers as well, since the agriculture industry is one that will never fail. “It is time we become market leaders and trend- setters; we possess the knowledge and expertise, yet we subjugate ourselves to trends set by the more developed nations,” Holland contended.

The fair had on exhibition several local products from Linden’s very own

John Ceasar of Chanzar’s enterprise; Dianne Plowell, of Favourable Delights, and Mr Owen Desouza of Desouza’s Virgin Coconut Oil, among others. The Guyana Marketing Corporation also had several local products ranging from bottled pepper, green seasoning, honey, wine, local seasonings, peanut butter, jam etc. There were also presentations from the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department; the Guyana National Bureau of Standards; the Small Business Bureau; the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Linden Enterprise Network and Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED). These presentations aided the local farmers and potential producers on the process needed to have one’s business regularised and how small loans can be made available to aid persons in their business start-up.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Harper reassures delegates of commitment to the development of cricket in Georgetown FORMER Guyana and West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper was returned unopposed as president of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) for another year on Tuesday night.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) pavilion on Woolford Avenue, presiding officer Ronald Williams ensured voting by the 37 delegates was held in a

transparent manner.

After the conclusion of the voting process, Harper reaffirmed his commitment towards the development of cricket at all levels in Georgetown.

“We will be looking to run-off competitions at all the different levels, which would give youngsters the opportunity to showcase their talents, and to help them to move on to greater heights,” the former West Indies vice-captain

pointed out.

He noted that the challenge of grounds’ availability will be top priority for the GCA during the year.

Tuesday’s night AGM and elections was the first since 2014, due to a court injunction against the association.

“Now that the court issues are behind us, we hope … we look forward to the development of cricket in Georgetown.

I want to give the junior

players the opportunity to develop and reach their full potential,” Harper remarked.

Meanwhile, Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) was the only city club that was not allowed voting rights after their financial contribution for the past three years was not paid to the association.

Neil Barry and Azad Ibrahim were elected first and second vice-presidents respectively. The two were

challenged by University of Guyana’s representative Lavern Fraser.

The rest of the executive reads: Deborah McNichol (secretary), Paul Castello (assistant secretary), Denis Wilson (treasurer), Imran Alli (assistant treasurer), Graham Alli (Marketing Manager), Colin Alfred (Public Relations Officer) and Shawn Massiah (Chairman of the Competitions Committee).

Life goes on for ‘disappointed’ Bolt after losing medal SPRINTING great Usain Bolt is refusing to dwell on the disappointment of losing his Beijing Olympics 4x100 metres gold medal after his Jamaican teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned stimulant.

Bolt, who completed a remarkable ‘treble treble’ of 100m, 200m and

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4x100m Olympic titles at the 2016 Rio Games, had his 2008 relay gold stripped last month after Carter’s re-tested sample indicated he had taken methylhexaneamine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered Carter, who has already said he would appeal the decision to the Court

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of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and teammates Bolt, Asafa Powell and Michael Frater to return their medals.

“Initially (I was) disappointed, of course,” Bolt told reporters at Melbourne Airport as he arrived ahead of the Nitro Athletics series. “But in life, things happen. I’m not sad ... I’m just waiting to see what’s going to happen.

“But I gave up my medal.”

Powell, who served a six-month doping ban for a positive test in 2013, was as phlegmatic as his storied compatriot.

“It’s very unfortunate and we have to look to the future,” Powell said.

“We’ve accomplished a lot and we just need to be positive about everything right now.

The first meeting is on

February 4, with the other two on February 9 and 11.

“I’m in no position to say what should and should not be (banned). It is what it is. Some things aren’t fair.”

Bolt will lead an international team of “All Stars” in the Nitro Athletics series in Melbourne against four other teams representing England, China, New Zealand and Japan.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Chahal sparks England collapse as India win T20 series

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around England’s batsmen to pick up six wickets and fire the hosts to a series-clinching 75-run victory in the third and final Twenty20 international yesterday.

Chasing 203 for victory, the touring side collapsed spectacularly to lose their last eight wickets in 19 deliveries

for the addition of eight runs as they were dismissed for 127 in the 17th over.

Leg-spinner Chahal’s figures of 6-25 was the third best in the shortest format of the game.

Earlier, Suresh Raina and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored brisk fifties to power India to 2026 after England skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss.

India lost batting mainstay Virat Kohli to a run-out early but Raina, who made 63 off 45 balls, and KL Rahul (22) gave the team a good platform with a 61-run stand for the second wicket.

Rahul was bowled for 22 by Ben Stokes but replays later showed the umpire had missed the paceman overstepping the bowling crease.

Dhoni then struck his first T20 international half-century on his way to a 36-ball 56 and, with another experienced batsman in Yuvraj Singh, flayed the English attack to take India past the 200-run mark.

Left-handed Yuvraj, who hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six

consecutive sixes in the World Twenty20 in 2007, smashed three sixes and a four in four balls off paceman Chris Jordan in his knock of 27 from 10 balls.

England looked well set to push India close and were 114-2 in 12 overs after Morgan smashed part-timer Suresh Raina for three sixes in an over costing 22 runs.

But they lost their way against leg-spinners Chahal and Amit Mishra and

after Joe Root was dismissed for 42 and Morgan for 40 the remaining batsmen all fell cheaply.

Umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, who had upset England with a couple of contentious decisions in the last game in Nagpur, withdrew from his on-field duties before the toss after complaining of illness.

India also beat England in the Test and One-Day series.

Indian team pose with the trophy after winning the T20I series against England at Bangalore yesterday. (Associated Press)

Premier League clubs net transfer profit for first time

By Alan Baldwin | LONDON, England (Reuters) - Premier League clubs have made a transfer window profit for the first time, despite near-record spending in January, thanks largely to two big-money moves to China and France playmaker Dimitri Payet’s return home.

Analysis by consultants Deloitte showed the clubs in English soccer’s top flight splashed out an estimated £215 million ($271.09 million) in the transfer window that closed on Tuesday but brought in £40 million more than they paid out.

That took the clubs’ total spending for 2016/17 to almost £1.4 billion, breaking last season’s record of a combined one billion for the summer and January windows and confirming the Premier League as Europe’s biggest spenders.

French Ligue 1 clubs spent a total of about £130 million in January, ahead of the Bundesliga on £85 million and Italy’s Serie A on £80 million.

Spanish La Liga clubs spent about £20 million, al-

though Real Madrid were banned from signing players.

Deloitte said four players accounted for much of the Premier League’s net receipts.

Chelsea sold Brazil midfielder Oscar to Shanghai SIPG for a reported 60 million euros ($64.74 million) while Watford’s Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo signed for Changchun Yatai for a reported £20 million on Tuesday.

West Ham United also made a tidy profit on selling France forward Payet to Olympique de Marseille for £25 million after signing him from the same club in 2015 for a reported £10.7 million.

Manchester United, meanwhile, sold Netherlands winger Memphis Depay to French side Olympique Lyonnais for 16 million euros.

SURVIVAL SPENDING Premier League clubs’ total spending in the January window was the second highest after January 2011’s £225 million.

“As was the case last year, it is clubs in the bottom half of the table who have driven expenditure this January, in-

vesting in their squads in an attempt to secure survival,” said Deloitte partner Dan Jones.

“This is no surprise given clubs’ reliance on the revenues generated from the Premier League’s broadcast deals.”

The bottom six teams accounted for half of the total spent while none of the top six saw a need to dip into their pockets beyond Arsenal handing over £40 000 for left-back Cohen Bramall from non-league Hednesford Town.

Crystal Palace, in the drop zone under ex-England manager Sam Allardyce, had a late flurry on Tuesday with Mamadou Sakho arriving on loan from Liverpool and Serbia midfielder Luka Milivojevic joining from Olympiakos Piraeus for an undisclosed fee.

Bottom-side Hull City signed three players on deadline day, including Italian defender Andrea Ranocchia and Poland winger Kamil Grosicki.

English Championship (second-tier) clubs spent a total of £80 million, up more than 125 percent on last year and a January record for the division.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Du Plessis, Miller smash tons as S. Africa thump Sri Lanka

(REUTERS) - Faf du Plessis and David Miller struck centuries as South Africa cruised to an emphatic 121-run victory over wilting Sri Lanka in the second one-day Interna-

the home side teetering at 108 for four.

Miller struck six sixes and was particularly severe on the Sri Lankan seamers as he blasted a second unbeaten ODI

century in three innings and a fourth ton of his career.

Sri Lanka made a spirited start to their chase, but when they lost openers Niroshan Dickwella (25) and Upul Tha-

David Miller reaches his fourth ODI hundred in Durban.

tional in Durban yesterday.

Sent in to bat by the touring side, South Africa posted 307 for six in their 50 overs before restricting Sri Lanka to 186 all out from 37.5 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the fivematch series.

It was an eighth ODI victory in a row for South Africa and an 11th win in succession at home as they showed form in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in England in June.

Their innings was built around tons for du Plessis (105 from 120 balls) and the more explosive Miller (117 not out from 98 balls) as the pair put on 117 for the fifth wicket having come together with

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA innings H. Amla lbw b Lakmal 15 Q. de Kock c Lakmal b D. de Silva 17 F. du Plessis c K. Mendis b N. Kulasekara 105 A. de Villiers c Chandimal b Sandakan 3 J. Duminy c D. de Silva b Pathirana 11 D. Miller not out 117 C. Morris c K. Mendis b Lakmal 26 W. Parnell not out 2 Extras: (lb-5, w-6) 11 Total: (for 6 wickets, 50 overs) 307 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-65, 3-71, 4-108, 5-225, 6-285.

Bowling: N. Kulasekara 10-0-761 (w-1), S. Lakmal 7-0-54-2 (w-3), D. de Silva 8-0-42-1, C. de Silva 4-0-23-0, L. Sandakan 10-0-51-1 (w-1), S. Pathirana 4-0-19-1, A. Gunaratne 7-0-37-0.

SRI LANKA innings N. Dickwella c du Plessis b Parnell 25 U. Tharanga c de Villiers b Parnell 26 K. Mendis c du Plessis b Phehlukwayo 20 D. Chandimal c de Kock b Morris 36 D. de Silva stp. de Kock b Tahir 1 A. Gunaratne run-out (Duminy) 18 C. de Silva c sub. b Duminy 14 S. Pathirana c Parnell b Duminy 26 N. Kulasekara c du Plessis b Rabada 12 S. Lakmal not out 2 L. Sandakan lbw b Tahir 0 Extras: (lb-1, w-5) 6 Total: (all out, 37.5 overs) 186 Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-52, 3-74, 4-75, 5-119, 6-132, 7-152, 8-181, 9-184.

Bowling: K. Rabada 8-0-47-1 (w3), W. Parnell 6-0-34-2, C. Morris 6-0-27-1, I. Tahir 8.5-1-26-2 (w-1), A. Phehlukwayo 4-0-21-1 (w-1), J. Duminy 5-0-30-2.

Kent Spitfires seal four-wicket win over Volcanoes AN UNBEATEN 84-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Adam Ball and wicketkeeper Adam Rouse sealed a four-wicket win for Kent Spitfires on Tuesday night, after Calum Haggett (4-59) and Imran Qayyum (3-42) had restricted Windward Islands Volcanoes to 241 for 9.

Having been put in to bat, Windward Islands Volcanoes were struggling at 91 for 5, with Haggett and Qayyum having taken four of the five wickets at this stage.

Sunil Ambris’ 69-ball 50 - his third fifty-plus score in four matches - pushed the score to 241 with help from the lower order, particularly Windwards captain Liam Sebastien (32), seamer Kyle Mayers (37 not out) and Darren Sammy (23).

Kent captain Sam Northeast’s 49 and his 60-run

partnership for the second wicket with opener Sean Dickson (36) stabilised Kent quickly after the fall of Daniel Bell-Drummond.

Vo l c a n o e s s t a g e d a fightback in the middle overs, claiming three wickets for 18 runs at one

stage but Ball and Rouse squashed the opposition’s chances with a rapid partnership that came off 74 balls. Ball was unbeaten on 40 off 46, while Rouse scored 36 off 37 as Kent reached the target with 23 balls to spare.

SCOREBOARD

WINDWARD ISLANDS VOLCANOES INNINGS T. Theophile c Thomas b Qayyum 17 J. Charles c & b Haggett 17 D. Smith c wkp. Rouse b Haggett 0 A. Fletcher c Blake b Gidman 33 S. Ambris c Ball b Qayyum 50 K. Hodge c wkp. Rouse b Qayyum 7 L. Sebastien c Qayyum b Stevens 32 D. Sammy c Ball b Haggett 23 K. Mayers not out 37 S. Shillingford c Bell-Drummond b Haggett 6 D. Johnson not out 6 Extras: (b-4, lb-1, w-7, nb-1) 13 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 241 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-28, 3-64, 4-75, 5-91, 6-159, 7-180, 8-194, 9-230.

Bowling: Thomas 10-1-48-0 (w-4), Haggett 10-2-59-4 (nb-1), Stevens 10-0-52-1 (w-3), Gidman 10-1-35-

1, Qayyum 10-1-42-3.

KENT SPITFIRES INNINGS D. Bell-Drummond lbw b Johnson 7 S. Dickson b Mayers 36 S. Northeast lbw b Shillingford 49 D. Stevens c D Sammy b Hodge 21 W. Gidman b Hodge 19 A. Blake b Shillingford 8 A. Ball not out 40 A. Rouse not out 36 Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-13, pen. 5) 26 Total: (6 wkts, 46.1 overs) 242 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-74, 3-113, 4-140, 5-151, 6-158.

Bowling: Hodge 10-0-41-2 (w-1), Johnson 6.1-0-33-1 (w-1), Mayers 9-1-51-2 (w-2), Sammy 3-0-18-0 (w-1), Sebastien 8-049-0 (w-3), Shillingford 10-0-36-2 (w-5).

Points: Kent 4, Volcanoes 0.

ranga (26) to brilliant catches by du Plessis and AB de Villiers respectively, both off the bowling of left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell, it became a procession of wickets. du Plessis leapt at cover

to grab the ball one-handed well above his head while de Villiers sprinted towards the boundary and dived to grab the ball out of the warm Durban sky as it threatened to fall to safety.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir (2-26 in 8.5 overs) was again the pick of the home bowlers.

The third one-dayer will be played at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Egypt win shootout to reach Africa Cup of Nations final

EGYPT reached the Africa Cup of Nations final after beating Burkina Faso 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Veteran goalkeeper Essam El Hadary proved Egypt’s hero, saving Bertrand Traore’s spot-kick to secure victory.

In normal time Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Egypt when he curled a superb shot into the top left corner.

Burkina Faso became the first side to score against Egypt this tournament when Aristide Bance chested down Charles Kabore’s cross and

Goalkeeper Essam El Hadary saves two penalties. volleyed in. normal play, took an immediThe Burkinabe, who were ate advantage in the shootout. the more adventurous and Goalkeeper Herve Koffi, ambitious side throughout only 20 years old, magnifi-

cently pushed Abdallah El Said’s spot-kick on to the post.

But he later tasted despair when he stepped up to take his side’s fourth penalty and was unable to beat El Hadary - who at 24 years his senior is the oldest Nations Cup player in history.

El Hadary’s experience he now has a chance to win his fifth African title - proved vital as he then saved Bertrand Traore’s effort to send Burkina Faso home.

It was a dramatic end to a game that was cagey, thanks to Egypt’s predominately defensive approach which had

served them well and meant they had not leaked a goal going into the match.

Two moments of excellent football provided the breakthroughs for the teams - Salah’s curling opener was sublime as was the chest control and volley from Bance that restored parity.

Otherwise the football was not quite of the highest standard, with Koffi largely a bystander.

While El Hadary was called on more often, he was relatively comfortable in keeping out shots from Prejuce Nakoulma and Ba-

nou Diawara.

Egypt’s victory continues their remarkable success rate in Nations Cup semi-finals. They have now won their last six.

In clinching victory in Libreville they equal Ghana’s record of appearing in eight finals.

And if on Sunday they beat the winner of today’s semi-final between Cameroon and Ghana, Egypt will extend their own record as the most successful Nations Cup side with an eighth title.

(BBC Sport)

MUMBAI, India (CMC) – Bermudian left-hander Delray Rawlins topscored with 46 for England’s Under-19s but they crumbled to a heavy 129-run defeat against their Indian counterparts in the second one-dayer at the Brabourne Stadium here yesterday.

Batting at number six, Rawlins struck five fours and two sixes in his 35-ball knock, using the sweep and reverse sweep to good effect, but England were bundled out for 158 in the 34th over in pursuit of a massive 288 for victory.

Slow left-arm bowler Anukul Roy finished with three for 34.

Harvik Desai, with 75 from 62 balls, and opener Himanshu Rana, who made 58 from 66 balls

after scoring a century in the first ODI, laid the foundation for India’s 287 for eight off 50 overs England captain Matthew Fisher was again his side’s best bowler, claiming four for 44 from his 10 overs, while left-arm slow bowler Rawlins, who is on

the books of English county side Sussex, also gave up 44 runs in his 10 overs but failed to take a wicket.

The five-match series is now tied at 1-1 after Rawlins’ unbeaten 107 and two wickets helped England win the opener by 23 runs.

Guyana’s cricket has not Rawlins top-scores but suffered despite the off-field England crash to defeat predicaments, says Sanasie SECRETARY of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Anand Sanasie says that cricket has not suffered despite the numerous court actions, which are yet to be resolved.

The administration of the game locally has been locked in a series of court battles over the years, and not even Cricket West Indies formerly the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) or successive Guyanese governments have mustered the courage to settle the impasse, which would ultimately see the image of the game return to some normalcy.

“As I said almost four years ago cricket has not suffered as a result of all of this. We, the executives,

have suffered and we have had our names brandished all over the place,” Sanasie said, after the GCB annual general meeting last Sunday.

He added “On the field of play Guyana’s cricket has been going places. It has been doing well, so we have been insulating the players, the coaches, and everything that is going on in cricket … the cricket competitions have been going on, and so what is transpiring in the boardroom or at the courts we have been dealing with.

“The GCB in the region had some issues, but we are represented in all forms of West Indies cricket, and locally we still continue to have our competitions played … in fact there is

more cricket being played now than four/five years ago,” Sanaise concluded.

The cricket impasse all started after they were allegations of illegal elections back in 2011.

(Rajiv Bisnauth)

Guyana Cricket Board secretary Anand Sanasie

Late own goal denies Newcastle Championship top spot (REUTERS)-A last-minute own goal by Newcastle’s Ciaran Clark cost his side the chance to go back to the top of the Championship as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Queens Park Rangers yesterday.

They remain behind Brighton & Hove Albion and in the second automatic promotion spot after twice being

pegged back by mid-table Rangers.

Jonjo Shelvey put Newcastle ahead within 40 seconds of the kickoff, but Conor Washington equalised just before halftime.

Matt Ritchie’s 54th-minute header looked to have secured the three points that would have taken his side back above

Brighton -- who play Huddersfield on Thursday -but Clark’s headed own goal in the 90th minute earned the Londoners a share of the points.

Leeds United moved to within a point of thirdplace Reading thanks to an 88th-minute winner by Pontus Jansson that earned them a 2-1 victory over rele-

gation-threatened Blackburn Rovers.

Stuart Dallas gave Leeds the lead but Blackburn, 23rd in the 24team division, equalised through Elliott Bennett before Jansson’s late header.

Fulham climbed to ninth after a 2-0 victory at Burton Albion.

Bermudan Delray Rawlins top-scores with 46 after hitting a century in the first match.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday February 02, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 10 teams (2) Barbados & Antigua Today’s Quiz: (1) Which are the other two teams in Group A of the current CWI

Nagicor Super 50 Tournament?

Leewards Hurricanes, Windwards Volcanoes, T & T Red Force (2) Which are the other teams in Group B?

Guyana Jaguars, Barbados Pride, Jamaica Scorpions ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

Jacobs undermines ICC Americas to hand Scorpions win CAVE HILL, Barbados, (CMC) – Jamaica Scorpions hauled themselves back into contention for a semi-final spot in the Regional Super50 after whipping winless ICC Americas by 67 runs, in a rain-hit contest here yesterday.

In a game reduced to 46 overs per side because of rain, Scorpions overcame a shaky start to rally to 251 for five at 3Ws Oval with Johnson Campbell (66), Andre McCarthy (63) and Rovman Powell (52) all hitting half-centuries.

Left-arm spinner Saad bin Zafar was the best bowler with two for 35.

Set a revised target of 254, Bermudian opener Kamau Leverock struck a breezy top score of 75 but ICC Americas slumped from 130 for three in the 27th over, to 187 all out off 44.3 overs.

Alex Amsterdam (20) was the only other batsman to show any resistance as the development side lost their last seven wickets for 57 runs in quick time.

The main architect of their demise was leg-spinner Damion Jacobs who snatched five for 24 – his second five-wicket haul in 50-overs cricket.

Entering the contest with

ANDRE Russell is one of the most successful - and sought after - T20 players in cricket. Over the last year and a half, he has played T20 cricket for seven teams and won five titles.

Here are the sides that will have to do without him over the next 12 months because of his ban for violating WADA’s whereabouts rule.

players in the tournament to score more than 200 runs at a strike rate of more than 170.

two defeats in three outings, Scorpions wobbled up front as they slipped to 53 for three in the 15th over.

Chadwick Walton fell for 14 to a catch at the wicket off bin Zafar at 29 for one and in the next over without a run added, other opener Steven Taylor perished for seven to off-spinner Nitish Kumar.

When bin Zafar had Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood stumped for nine, Scorpions found themselves in danger of collapse.

However, McCarthy and Devon Thomas, who made 28, started the revival by posting 69 for the fourth wicket before Campbell

and the enterprising Powell added 101 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand.

McCarthy hit five hours in a steady 86-ball knock while Thomas notched a four and a six off 47 deliveries.

Both fell in the space of 24 balls paving the way for Campbell and Powell to re-energise the innings in a partnership which required just 61 deliveries.

Left-hander Campbell faced just 64 balls and struck five fours and three sixes while Powell hit one four and four sixes in an up tempo 38-ball innings.

ICC Americas then

Leg-spinner Damion snatched five for 24. prospered principally because of three partnerships which revolved around lefthander Leverock who faced 83 balls and counted seven fours and two sixes.

He put on 35 off 38 balls for the first wicket with Fahad Babar (5), 48 for the third wicket with

Srimantha Wijeyeratne (19) and a further 33 for the fourth wicket with Amsterdam.

Leverock’s demise, caught at the wicket off Jacobs in the 28th over, signalled the end of all resistance for ICC Americas.

The teams that will miss Dre Russ

ISLAMABAD UNITED Andre Russell was part of the Islamabad United team that won the first season of the Pakistan Super League in 2016. He was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 16 in ten games and he had an economy of eight per over.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS Russell has been part of the KKR team since 2014 but became a key part of their first-choice XI over the last two years. In 2015, Russell scored 326 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 193 for KKR and was their highest wicket-taker with 14 and had an economy of eight per over. In 2016, Russell made 188 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 165, and was once again their highest wicket-taker - 15 wickets.

JAMAICA TALLAWAHS Russell has played for Jamaica Tallawahs for four years and won two Caribbean Premier League titles with them - in 2013 and 2016.

His best season was in 2016, when he made 286 runs at a strike rate of 172 and took 11 wickets at an average of 19. Russell was one of two

SYDNEY THUNDER Russell has played two seasons of the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder. In 2015-16, he was an integral part of their title triumph - with 185 runs at a strike rate of 187 and 16 wickets - second most in the tournament - at an average of 19. His 2016-17 Big Bash was crippled by leg injuries though, and Russell dropped out of the tournament after five games.

DHAKA DYNAMITES Russell has played three seasons for three different teams in the Bangladesh Premier League, and in 2016 he was part of the Dhaka Dynamites squad that won the tournament. He made 46 off 25 balls and had figures of 4-0-16-3 in the first Qualifier, which Dynamites won to seal their place in the final.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE In 2016, Russell played three matches for Nottinghamshire in their run to the semi-final of the T20 Blast. He took 2 for 28 and scored 41 off 25 balls against Worcestershire, 2 for 34 and 15 off 8 balls against Derbyshire, and 3 for 20 and 39 off 18 balls in the semi-final against Northamptonshire.

WEST INDIES Russell has only played T20 internationals for West Indies since November 2015; he is ineligible for

Andre Russell was an important part of the Kolkata Knight Riders' XI in 2015 and 2016.

ODIs because he did not play the domestic 50-over competition, which is one of the WICB’s criteria for selection. In 43 T20Is for West Indies, Russell has a batting average of 14.37 and strike rate of 130, and has taken 21 wickets at 37 apiece with an economy of over nine. Though his international career stats are not as impressive as his domestic numbers, Russell played a crucial innings in the 2016 World T20 semi-final against India in Mumbai, where he made 43 off 20 balls in a successful chase of 193.

We s t I n d i e s w e n t on to win their second World T20 title by beating England in the final.

(ESPN Cricinfo)

Russia loses London Games 4x400m women’s relay medals over doping (REUTERS) - Russia was stripped of its women’s 4 x 400m relay silver medal from the London 2012 Olympics after Antonina Krivoshapka tested positive for drugs in the re-testing of her sample, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday.

Krivoshapka, who was part of the silver medal-winning women’s relay team, was disqualified after a positive test for the

anabolic steroid turinabol, the IOC said. Her relay teammates will also be stripped of their medals.

The IOC is re-testing hundreds of samples from the London and Beijing Olympics in an effort to detect any cheats using newer methods or looking for drugs that were at the time undetectable.

More than 100 athletes have so far tested positive

in these re-tests, with Russia having the most cases per nation.

Russia’s Olympic team was partially banned from last year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics over a statebacked doping scandal.

Turkish boxer Adem Kilicci and Russian discus thrower Vera Ganeeva were also disqualified from London for testing positive for the same substance.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, February 2, 2017

The teams that will miss Dre Russ See Page

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Harper reassures commitment to the development of cricket in Georgetown

Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Executive, following the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election of office-bearers, Tuesday evening.

GFF completes 82 transfers during January window AT the end of the official mid-season transfer period, 82 transfers have been facilitated by the Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF).

This period ended at midnight on January 31, 2017 and included four in-

ternational transfers, three of which are from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Among the international transfers are Pernell Shultz and Kareem Knights being loaned to the Fruta Conquerors Football Club from

Pernell schultz

Caledonia AIA (Trinidad), Domini Garnett also being loaned from Caledonia AIA (Trinidad) to Grove Hi-Tech Football Club and Vurlon Mills loaned from Slingerz Football Club to San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad).

Fruta Conquerors FC has acquired the most transfers - 14 players.

Meanwhile, Western Tigers FC has gained 9 players, Victoria Kings FC 8 players, Topp XX picked up 7 players while the Guyana Defence Force FC (GDF) and Eagles United FC have enlisted 6 players each Meanwhile Northern Rangers FC and Den Amstel FC have gained 5 players each, Ann’s Grove United FC 4 players, Buxton United FC, Uitvlugt Warriors FC and Grove Hi-Tech FC - 3 players each and Riddim Squad FC and Botofago FC

2 players each Netrockers FC, Guyana Police Force FC (GPF), Order and Discipline FC, Milerock FC, and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad) have also enlisted one player each.

In accordance with Article 13 Section 1; members are “not to publish any confidential correspondence exchanged with the GFF unless GFF has given its expressed written consent to do so”.

G F F ’s C o m p e t i t i o n s Director, Ian Alves, said the transfer period started off slowly but was hectic during the last week of the transfer window.

The GFF’s pre-season transfer period began on January 1, 2017. The next transfer period is scheduled to commence on June 1, 2017.

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Life goes on for ‘disappointed’ Bolt after losing medal e 19

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017