Guyana chronicle e paper 23 01 2018

Gov't to focus on IT training for hinterland residents Page 2

No. 105163

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

‘Time for real work’ …US Ambassador says real work to combat money laundering must begin now

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Land for law school inadequate – AG says Page 10

Sugar workers urged to form ‘co-ops’ Page 13

East Bank Berbice road taking shape

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Reconstruction of the East Bank Berbice road, which had been in a dilapidated state for years, is well advanced and residents, especially farmers, are eagerly awaiting its completion

Telecoms agency up and running – NFMU to be dissolved, workers to be absorbed by new body

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Woman gets four years for cocaine in ceiling Page 10

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

East Bank Berbice road taking shape COMMUTING will soon be stress-free for residents on the East Bank of Berbice (EBB), as the $1.2B road rehabilitation project advances.

The exercise which commenced in August 2017, was delayed due to the obligatory removal of utilities; however, it is now back on stream, the Department of Public Information has reported. Resident engineer, Joel Tucker told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that works are ongoing in the Everton area which has fewer encumbrances.

He explained that the workers are currently wid-

ening the area which also involves full reconstruction.

“Then we’ll add on our base course and we should be on target to do the asphalt layer or the paving, sometime early in February and this will be roughly about 1.3 kilometres of work of the 5km.”

Tucker highlighted that the work officially began on December 04, 2017, when the Ministry received its first consignment of white sand.

Thereafter, excavation works commenced in the Glasgow area. However, preparatory works such as the establishment of an office and the procurement process were already in place. The project

will see the construction of five kilometres of roadway from Overwinning to Everton, equipped with new features aimed at bolstering road safety.

“We’ll have the installation of highway lighting coming from Stanleytown in New Amsterdam right through to Everton; installation of guard rails; improvement in terms of traffic signage, and also the horizontal road signage as well,” Tucker underlined. According to the resident engineer, the project will also see four structures rehabilitated and completely reconstructed.

These are the bridges at Gay

The Overwinning area being prepared for rehabilitation works under the EBB road project

Park and Edinburg, a culvert between Edinburg and Gay Park and a culvert at the Baptiste turn.

During 2017, the road was found to be in a deplorable condition following an assessment by the ministry.

“It was so bad, that in the second quarter in 2017 the ministry deployed a maintenance team to bring relief to the residents of Berbice.

There were a series of craters and potholes and the road improvement aspect was liter-

ally nonexistent. There were hardly, if any, signs in the school zones and there was no such thing as a pedestrian crossing,” Tucker explained.

This multi-million-dollar venture is being executed by the Ministry’s Special Project Unit utilising its own equipment and employing persons from the EBB area. Contracts for the bridges and lighting were awarded to Yunas Civil and Building Construction Services and

Cummings Electrical Company Limited respectively.

The scheduled deadline for completion of the project is August 3. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure was allocated $35B in the 2018 National Budget, to support infrastructural development across the country. Of that amount, $14.3B has been allocated to the construction, rehabilitation, upgrading, and maintenance of road network.

Gov’t to focus on IT training for hinterland residents For Hinterland, Remote and Poor Communities (HRPC) having access to internet services is one thing, but knowing how to utilize this technology for the benefit of one’s self and community, is another.

To catapult Guyana into a digital society with internet-savvy citizens who can all benefit from new technologies, calls for the training of its HPRCs, says Minister of Public Telecommunication, Cathy Hughes.

From 2016 to present, the government has already established 78 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs on the coastland and 18 in hinterland areas such as Baramita, Waramadong, Paramakatoi and many more.

“As we go into and we create these ICT Hubs, this year we’re now starting to focus on the training,” said Hughes, who noted that the ministry would facilitate this through the Industry and Innovation Unit.

Fully in support of this training is Chairman of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Floyd Levi, who anticipates the bridging of the technological gap between Guyana’s coastland and its hinterland areas. “Many of our residents, because of where they’re living and their economic status, they do not have the capacity to actually

consume government services when it goes online,” Levi said.

He further remarked: “Many of our citizens have difficulty filling forms manually… so we do have to implement a special programme to actually teach…to get our citizens up to a level of IT that will allow them to use this government service.”

As such, the NDMA Chairman reports that many of the established hubs in the hinterland have been based in schools with the deliberate intent of beginning the transformation with education. “So you will see us partnering with NCERD [National Centre for Education and Resource Development] to [implement] smart classrooms and there are other initiatives that are identified under the structure,” he stated.

Within the project’s fiveyear period, the Ministry of Telecommunication plans to develop a course which teaches small business owners and entrepreneurs in the hinterland how to market their businesses on the internet.

This is in addition to Grade Six Assessment questions, CXC questions and an e-library which will all be accessible on the database for school children. “We have a close relationship with the Ministry of Education, which you know, has already created some smart

classrooms,” Hughes commented, adding: “We are networking a series of opportunities to provide training support. It’s through the Ministry of Education, it’s through NCERD, it’s through some private sector companies. ” A model country for the government, as it relates to country-wide advancements through technology, is Estonia, perhaps the only country in the world where 99 per cent of its public services are available online. Each child, at birth, receives his/her personal identification (ID) number which remains with them for a lifetime, developing a database on their health, education, tax and driver’s licence information, including police records and more; all available necessary authorities through a single ID number.

Minister Hughes says that the country, in its technological transformations, is moving along similar paths to achieving this “smart-Guyana” concept. “That is the vision. That’s where we want to end up, hopefully, in another 15 years’ time,” she projected, adding: “I know its long, but we are confident that in 5 years’ time, you will be able to see the results. In fact, in the next two years, we will be way ahead of where we are now.”

‘Time for real work’ 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

…US Ambassador says real work to combat money laundering must begin now

By Svetlana Marshall UNITED STATES Ambassador Perry Holloway has said while CARICOM countries, including Guyana, have made great progress in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, the “real work” must now begin.

“Regardless of the stage in which you find yourself on the CFATF process, 75 per cent of the CARICOM countries have been able to exit the CFATF follow-up process, which means you must now begin the real work of identifying, investigating, prosecuting and convicting those participating in money laundering and terrorism financing,” Ambassador Holloway told officials from 19 countries, currently meeting in Guyana for the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Assessors Training Forum.

Gathered at the opening ceremony were: Chairman of CFATF and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams; CFATF Executive Director, Dawn Spicer; and financial experts and assessors.

Ambassador Holloway, said in an effort to safeguard financial institutions, countries in the region must meet the stringent criteria for the Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation, as was done by Barbados, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica. Guyana will come up for the Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation in 2022.

CARICOM countries, he stressed, must understand the vulnerabilities in their financial systems and have

U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway delivering remarks during the opening ceremony of the assessors training forum at the Pegasus Hotel on Monday

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams engaging in discussions with CFATF Executive Director, Dawn Spicer on the sideline of the training forum

their agencies work together locally and internationally to ensure proper investigation and prosecution of financial crimes. “Ensure that financial institutions have implemented the proper rules regulations and technology to prevent and detect money laundering and terrorism financing,” the US Ambassador further urged, while underscoring the importance of complying with the laws and regulations governing the AML/ CFT regime.

“Demonstrate that you are properly implementing laws and regulations and continue to strengthen them as necessary in order to investigate, prosecute and deter crimes of financial

nature,” he added.

Ambassador Holloway also championed the cause for Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and similar organs, noting that they must be properly funded and equipped to effectively use financial intelligence and other relevant information to investigate potential money laundering, terrorism and proliferation crimes. It is important that the information garnered is appropriately made available to prosecutors, he noted.

Meanwhile, Williams in his address explained that the training forum is designed to help assessors develop the skills needed to conduct Mutual Evaluations and by extension the formu-

lation of a Mutual Evaluation Report. “This assessors training is an opportunity for you, the participants, to develop the necessary skills to conduct mutual evaluations, while also developing the understanding needed to produce a Mutual Evaluation Report aligned with the standards established by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – Style Regional Bodies (FSRB),” the CFATF chairman said.

“The training is designed to assist you when you are conducting an assessment of a country’s compliance with the FATF standards.

The training deals with the assessments of both technical compliance and effectiveness which will present

Participants of the first assessors training forum for 2018 seated at the Pegasus Hotel (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

an integrated analysis of the extent to which a country is compliant with the FATF standards, and how successful it is in maintaining a strong AML/CFT system as is required by the FATF recommendations,” Minister Williams explained.

Stating that Mutual Evaluation is a core function of CFATF, he noted that it entails a peer review of a country’s AML/CFT framework with the intent of assessing the existing system against the FATF recommendations. “The concept of a peer review means that each CFATF member is reviewed by other CFATF members and in that regard provides experts or assessors in the areas of legal, financial and law enforcement that will lead to the report being adopted by the CFATF plenary. This training is to ensure that you the experts understand and apply the FATF methodology correctly,” the Attorney General further explained.

He said that it is therefore necessary for assessors to develop the required techniques needed for a sound objective and concise assessment, especially since another country’s rating depends on their assessment.

COMMITTED TO FIGHT That aside, Minister Williams said CFATF-Member States remain committed to the fight. “We all must be fully committed to the fight against money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

These illicit activities not only undermine the integrity of our financial systems

but threaten the political stability and damage the reputation of countries,” he stated.

The CFATF Executive Director, like the Attorney General, underscored the importance of having assessors effectively trained.

The participants were invited from several CFATF member states, and consist of Financial, Law Enforcement and Legal experts. It is expected that at the end of the forum, 53 participants will be trained as assessors, including individuals from Canada, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Belize and Guyana.

The training forum is aimed at equipping the participants with the tools and competencies needed to undertake an assessment of the technical compliance with the revised FATF Recommendations, and for reviewing the level of effectiveness of a country’s Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

Participants will be introduced to the use of the FATF Methodology which is used to assess a country’s technical compliance with the FATF Recommendations, and for reviewing the level of effectiveness of a country’s AML/CFT system under the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluations process. During this Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluations, FATF has adopted complementary approaches for assessing technical compliance with the FATF Recommendations, and for assessing the level of effectiveness of a country’s AML/CFT regime.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

US shutdown ends --as Congress passes Bill

THE US government partial shutdown is ending after Republicans and Democrats voted for a temporary funding bill.

The Democratic leadership agreed to back the bill after accepting promises from Republicans for a debate later on the future of young illegal immigrants.

President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the bill, took a swipe at Democrats.

It is the fourth temporary measure since October, because Capitol Hill cannot agree a longer-term budget.

The spending bill passed the Senate by 81-18 and the House of Representatives by 266-150 on Monday afternoon.

The so-called continuing resolution keeps the government funded until 8 February in the hope that Congress can reach a longer-term budget agreement in the meantime.

Thousands of federal employees who had been placed on temporary, unpaid leave since Saturday breathed a sigh of relief.

“It was essentially a lunch break,” Tom Chapel, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, told Reuters news agency.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said his party had “come to an arrangement” to negotiate on their calls for an immigration deal.

Democrats want protections from deportation for so-called Dreamers, more than 700,000 young immigrants brought to the US as children.

But Republicans had insisted no agreement was

possible while federal government services were closed.

President Trump, a Republican, said in a statement: “I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses.

“We will make a longterm deal on immigration if, and only if, it is good for our country.”

Democrats voiced scepticism of Mr McConnell’s promise, and some liberal groups are infuriated by the agreement to reopen the government.

Possible Democratic 2020 presidential candidates in the Senate - Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris - all voted against Monday’s bill.

Senator Harris, of California, said it would be “foolhardy” to trust Mr McConnell’s promise to take up an immigration bill in the coming weeks.

Another California senator, Dianne Feinstein, told The Hill, a political news outlet, she was “very disappointed” in the deal because there’s no guarantee that Republicans would help Dreamers.

Democratic congressman Luis Gutierrez slammed his own party’s senators after the vote saying: “They caved.

They blinked. That’s what they do.”

On Twitter, “Democrats CAVED” was trending on Monday evening.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused President Trump of failing to help reach a deal.

“The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines,” he said.

But many have expressed dissatisfaction with Mr Schumer’s handling of the shutdown, which began on midnight on Friday.

“It’s Schumer’s job to lead and keep his caucus together to fight for progressive values, and he didn’t do it,” said Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the activist group Indivisible.

Stephanie Taylor, of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said: “Today’s cave by Senate Democrats - led by weak-kneed, right-of-centre Democrats - is why people don’t believe the Democratic Party stands for anything.” (BBC)

Tuesday, January 23, 2018 - 9:00hrs Wednesday, January 24, 2018 - 10:00hrs

Weah sworn in as Liberia’s new president

--vows to end corruption MONROVIA (Reuters) - George Weah, the former international soccer star who won the presidency of Liberia last month, promised a crackdown on endemic corruption as he was sworn in on Monday in the country’s first peaceful change of power in seven decades.

Thousands of exuberant supporters and regional presidents and dignitaries crammed into a stadium in the capital, Monrovia, to watch as Weah, who rose from the city’s slums to become one of Africa’s greatest footballers, took the oath of office.

As a former AC Milan and Paris St Germain striker and 1995 world player of the year, “King George,” as his fans call him, was no stranger to having crowds cheer him on in packed stadiums.

But he noted the huge hurdles ahead as he succeeded Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

“It will be my task to lead this nation from division to unity. I will not let you down,” Weah told the crowd.

Weah, 51, rode to a landslide run-off victory last month on the back of heavy support from young people and the poor.

Making his speech in flowing white African robes, he promised to deliver on his key campaign promises, especially tackling the malfeasance that his predecessor is widely seen as having failed to address during her 12 years in office.

“It is my belief that the most effective way to directly impact the poor, and to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor is to make sure that public resources do not end up in the pockets of government officials,” he said.

Founded by freed American slaves, Liberia is Africa’s oldest modern republic. But it has been plagued by years of unrest and bloodshed, including two civil wars that were notorious for their

brutality and use of child soldiers.

Johnson-Sirleaf, who was constitutionally barred from running again, was credited with shoring up peace, but criticised for failing to tackle graft or do much to lift Liberians out of poverty.

In a nod to his opponents, Weah sought to turn the page on what was a bitter election battle, delayed for months by legal wrangling but which did not descend into bloodshed despite hot tempers on all sides.

“We must not allow political loyalties prevent us from collaborating in the national interest,” he said.

“Blood should never be the price tag for democracy...

This transition was achieved by the democratic will of the Liberian people.”

EXPECTATIONS HIGH But Weah will also have to manage expectations, which are sky high following his win.

“Today is a great day for me and my country. I expect job creation and development,” said Agnes Echoing, deputy director of Liberia’s lottery authority, seated in a wheelchair.

The ceremony was attended by the presidents of Gabon, Ghana, Togo, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Congo Republic, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Later on Monday, Weah’s office released a statement saying that several officials, including the ministers of education and internal affairs as well as the head of the national police force, would maintain their posts until further notice.

All other agencies and ministries will be managed by the government’s director of human resources.

The head of the military, Major General Daniel Ziahnkan, was retired and will serve as defense minister, subject to Senate confirmation.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

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ILO to investigate employers’ complaint --against Venezuela government GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Labour Organization will send a mission to Caracas next week to investigate a complaint

by Venezuela’s leading business group against the government, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder told a news conference in

Geneva on Monday.

“The complainant organization in Venezuela, the employers’ federation Fedecamaras, complains both that there is no genuine process of dialogue with the authorities, and complained also that they are subject to pressure if not intimidation from the author-

ities,” Ryder said.

“It’s relatively unusual for the employers to present a complaint, and it’s under Article 26 of the ILO constitution. This is, I would say, the heavy artillery of our supervisory system.”

The mission was mandated by the ILO’s governing body

in November and will report back in March. The governing body, comprising 28 governments, 14 employers’ representatives and 14 workers’ representatives, could decide to set up a commission of inquiry, Ryder said.

“To give you some perspective, that was the process that eventually was used in the case of Myanmar over forced labor a decade ago.

It’s been used on some of the causes celebres in the past – one thinks of Zimbabwe in the worst days, Belarus.”

An ILO commission of inquiry would be able to make recommendations of “any nature whatsoever”, with the aim of ensuring Venezuela meets its obligations under the ILO convention on the freedom of association, Ryder said.

Fedecamaras has long been at odds with President Nicolas Maduro’s government and played a major role against the government of his predecessor Hugo Chavez in 2002, when its head briefly became interim president.

The mission has the cooperation of the government and a program of meetings is being worked on, Ryder said.

Brazil holds collective breath --for court ruling on Lula’s future

PORTO ALEGRE (Reuters) - Brazilian politicians, voters and investors will find out on Wednesday whether an appeals court will allow the country’s most popular leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to run for president this year after being found guilty of accepting a bribe.

The former two-term, leftist president was convicted in July of corruption and money laundering for accepting a beachside penthouse apartment from an engineering company vying for government contracts.

If the court’s three judges uphold the conviction, which carries a sentence of nine years and six months, Lula would be ineligible to run for re-election on the Oct. 7 ballot and he could be sent to jail.

That would radically alter the political landscape of Brazil ahead of a campaign in which Lula is the early favourite, with 36 percent of voter preferences according to pollster Datafolha. That is double the percentage of his nearest rival, the far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro.

The case has polarised Brazil, with Lula’s critics calling for him to be put behind bars and his Workers Party supporters claiming the charges were trumped up to stop him from running.

The appeals court, known as the TRF-4, has confirmed 95 per cent of the convictions and sentences handed down by crusading anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, who sentenced Lula.

Brazil’s benchmark Bovespa stock index has risen more than 10 percent in the past month on the prospect of Lula being barred from the election sooner than originally expected.

That would improve

the odds of a more centrist, market-friendly candidate winning this year’s race and continuing austerity policies to reduce a budget deficit run up by Lula’s impeached successor, Dilma Rousseff.

Lula, 72, has been touring the country preparing the ground for a presidential bid.

CUT, Brazil’s largest labor union federation and an ally of the Workers Party, plans to launch his candidacy in Sao Paulo the day after the ruling, whichever way it goes.

The party’s leader, Senator Gleisi Hoffmann, went as far as to say last week that authorities would have to “kill” people to put Lula in prison, though she later qualified her comment after it created an uproar.

Lula plans to travel to Porto Alegre on Tuesday to rally his supporters, though the court denied his request to address the judges amid criticism he was turning the case into a pulpit for alleging political persecution.

Some 3,000 Lula supporters arrived in the southern city of Porto Alegre on Monday and intend to protest outside the court, which has been cordoned off by police in a four-block radius.

Lula’s opponents plan to celebrate in a park on the affluent side of Porto Alegre on Thursday if his conviction is upheld.

INFLUENTIAL POLITICIAN Despite the conviction and four other corruption probes against him, Lula remains Brazil’s most influential politician, loved by Brazilians who benefited from social programs that lifted 30 million people out of poverty during his presidency from 2003 to 2010.

“If Lula is cleared, he will be a strong contender

who would certainly reach the second-round runoff,” said Lucas de Aragão, a political scientist and partner at consultancy Arko Advice in Brasilia. “But if he is convicted again, the Workers Party will have to get real and find another candidate, because it will be very hard for Lula to get registered to run.”

For now, the party insists there is no plan B and is casting Lula as a political martyr being illegitimately blocked from the race by Brazilian elites who see him as a threat.

“Whatever the ruling is on Wednesday, President (Lula) cannot be barred by the appeals court from registering his candidacy,” his lawyer Cristiano Zanin told foreign news media.

Presidential hopefuls must register with Brazil’s electoral authority, the TSE,

by Aug. 15. Lula’s defense team will try to delay a final decision on his conviction as long as possible to place him

on the ballot.

If an adverse ruling on Wednesday is not unanimous, Lula will have more options for appeals that could delay the process for as long as seven months, legal ex-

perts say.

Even if the TSE bars Lula, there is a chance he could appeal to higher courts on constitutional and other grounds to seek an injunction suspending his ineligibility

declared by the TSE, said Henrique Neves, a former judge on the electoral court.

If Lula were to run in the elections but lose his case, his votes would be annulled, Neves said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

OUR various leaders are seldom unanimous, but the one thing they may agree upon is that there is generally a serious breakdown of discipline in society.

The breakdown manifests itself in numerous ways: Parents speak to children in the most vulgar ways, and children emulate that vulgarity. Men demonstrate unabashed disrespect for, and abuse, women in homes, offices, on roadways, in establishments, and so on; resulting in an alarming number of domestic violence cases, untold numbers of domestic and social rapes, and in suicides.

The “songs” that befoul our airwaves express every anti-woman and racist sentiment that comes to mind. People, drunk as the proverbial fish, think nothing of jumping into cars and driving. Even sober, our drivers have little or no consideration for life and limb.

Our serious lack of a sense of civic duty and our indiscipline have led to disregard for human life itself. In such an atmosphere, crime flourishes and simple decency perishes. This has inevitably filtered into the schools. Almost all of our political leaders have, at one time or another, bemoaned this fact, and all have advanced various remedies: “higher” training for our teachers; counsellors in schools; greater and more meaningful parental involvement in the education of children. This is all well-meaning and makes

scribed hours when the regular class teachers have to attend UG for “higher” training? Let’s say this happens twice per week for two hours per day. In other places, they call them supply teachers.

At the same time, we may encourage teachers to read for degrees in Psychology, which the University of Guyana recently introduced. At the launch of the programme last year, President of the Caribbean Alliance of National Psychological Associations (CANPA), Omowale Marshall stressed that the initiation of these programmes will not only be an asset, but in fact is critical.

He observed that Guyana has the greatest epidemiological demand for psychologists and if that was not enough, UNICEF Resident Representative, Sylvie Foulet said that the initiative was “very much aligned” with the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) and studies in these areas would extend beyond mental health onto sexual health and even the prevention of violence. Since this is (or ought to be) an area of national priority, government could offer partial scholarships for those who enroll in Psychology. While this capacity-building is being done, some of our “experts” could identify teachers who have a natural gift for counselling. Let us give these counsellors--new and current--a small private space where they may speak with our at-risk children.

Editorial Returning to civility good sense, but we must move beyond well-meaning words and get to effective ACTION! We, each in our very ordinary ways, know that the recreation of a civic society must begin in schools; that is hardly genius, although some of us say it with the ring of prophecy. We also say that teachers are the ones primarily in charge of bequeathing the future to our children. We knew this even before Christ was sent to us, or Socrates and Lau Tze, for instance. The question is this: HOW do we give our teachers a chance at “higher” training and education? As it now stands, teachers who want to attend our university battle for time off to attend classes to obtain their degrees. The valid argument is that they cannot be given time off because classrooms would be left without teachers.

To leave the classroom bereft of a teacher is to disenfranchise the very children those teachers are meant to teach. But then, if we do not find a way to give them time off for higher education, the children would again be the losers. It is a Catch 22 situation, and it is not as if teachers go to UG for free anyway. Tuition is expensive, and the cost has recently been doubled.

What if we have a cadre of retired teachers who can be paid a modest stipend to hold the classes during pre-

I commend the brave actions of those PPP regional chairs

Dear Editor,

I REFER to the article captioned, ‘National local gov’t conference boycotted again by PPP/C’ (SN, Jan 20). Permit me to correct a few points made in the article, as well as to comment generally.

The article erroneously stated that I had said that – with regard to the absent PPP councillors – “. . . the only excuse was received from the Chair of Region Five.” In fact, I had said that the only Regional chair who communicated an excuse was Mr. Permaul Armoogan of East Berbice-Corentyne (Region # 6).

The article also said that, “No-

tably, the Region Ten chairperson was also absent. . .” This is incorrect; Regional Chairman of Upper Demerara-Berbice, Renis Morian was present, as was evident in the photograph which accompanied the text of the article.

Regarding hinterland regions, in addition to the presence of Regional chair (RC) Mr Bonaventure Fredericks and Regional Vice-chairman (RVC) Mr Headley Pio of Potaro-Siparuni (Region # 8), and RC Mr Bryan Allicock and RVC Mr Karl Singh of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region # 9), as was noted in the article, also present was RC Mr

Brentnol Ashley of Barima-Waini (Region # 1). All hinterland regions were thereby represented.

I commend the brave actions of those PPP regional chairs who chose to attend the National Regional Development Consultative Committee (NRDCC) meeting 2018. I applaud the fact that they obviously placed their duty and responsibility to represent their constituents ahead of party politics or affiliation. The APNU+AFC administration’s philosophy of inclusion requires that government officials heed the views of those who represent supporters of other political parties

including those of the PPP; this we intend to continue to do.

The administration warmly welcomes the participation of all citizens in the decision-making process in keeping with constitutional mandates and the norms of democratic governance, including that of the three chairpersons who, being elected by Opposition supporters, participated fully in the meeting by contributing constructively to discussions and deliberations. Those RCs, commendably, were totally prepared and presented reports of their activities in 2017 and plans for 2018, as did their coalition colleagues.

Notably, in their interactions they made no attempt to whitewash issues or paint a glowing picture of local realities, instead, they were frank and objective in their assessments. Such professional conduct is much appreciated as the administration continues to endeavour to work with any political party, or any representative of local democratic organs to achieve the goal of a better life for all Guyanese through empowerment of local democratic bodies.

Co-operation, collaboration, and communication, Editor, are the vehicles Turn to page 7

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

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Gov’t support for sugar is for Guyanese irrespective of ethnicity, political affiliation

Dear Editor,

I am certain that the Globe Trust collapse may still be in the memory of most Guyanese.

This was a financial house, the first Afro-Guyanese bank to be specific that had been established to hold and invest black capital.

Personally, I lauded this step, since there was no other such financial-economic capital vehicle that could be said, to have originated within the aspirations of Afro-Guyanese socio-cultural-economics. But it failed in the end because of, among other things, a departure from strict banking rules and practices.

Its biggest losers were the dozens of deposit holders, especially the large account holders, who would have lost significant sums.

I stand to be corrected, when I say that there were expectations that the then PPP/C administration, after representations made by deposit holders and Afro-Guyanese organisations, would have offered a rescue package. But it was not to be.

Instead, Globe Trust as an entity came to an end, and a re-payment plan was enacted, based on the quantum of individual accounts. At best, these were paltry sums, especially in the case of large account holders.

Not only was this a defeat for Afro-Guyanese pride, but also the perception of a government that did not care because Globe

Trust had been primarily an African-based institution. In the GuySuCo situation, an iconic industrial corporation that is central to the livelihood of thousands of Guyanese, and a seminal plank of the socio-economic history of this country, the coalition government responded with billions of dollars in efforts to avert what would have been a national catastrophe had the entity closed its doors in May, 2015. It must be reminded also that the intervention was done, regardless of the fact that the sugar workers form the core of PPP/C support. It is instructive, that whereas the PPP/C spin machine continues to present GuySuCo as an ethnic Indo-Guyanese majority employer, current stats has reported otherwise.

Thus for the likes of Bharat Jagdeo, Priya Manickchand, and within recent times, Donald Ramotar and cohorts to be accusing the government of being discriminatory in its measures against the corporation because of the industry’s ethnic composition, is utterly unfair; at best dishonest in what such lies and propaganda are intended to convey, to the point of being asinine, for the attempt at playing the now well- known and worn racist card.

For Donald Ramotar to be part of such a trove of disgusting, fraudulent opposition statements, explains

his guilt as one of the principals responsible for the tragedy that has befallen a once mighty employer. As a member of GuySuCo’s board for virtually the entire period of the PPP/C’s stay in office, he would have been part of the decision-making process which continued to pump billions of tax payers’ money into an industry that was not returning a profit. How this bottomless exercise could have continued, without due regard to the national coffers?

But what did Ramotar care about taxpayers’ hard earned money, once the selfish political ends of the then PPP/C government were being served. It is a national tragedy for such chronic, national deceivers to continue to hoodwink the sugar workers in such a disrespectful and merciless manner.

Editor, you will agree that though Globe Trust was a non-state entity and a very small financial house, that it meant a whole lot to those Afro-Guyanese who entrusted their savings to its coffers.

Where was the magnanimity shown? One can even extend the comparison with another debacle – that of CLICO. The coalition’s intervention that has brought renewed hope for those affected sugar workers has been done for Guyanese workers, irrespective of ethnicity, and political affiliation.

Regards Troy Douglas

I commend the brave ... through which regional and national development will be realised, and we are committed to those goals.

Editor, I take this opportunity to comment on the content of the Demerara Waves’ report of the meeting. According to reports from that news outlet, Mr Bharrat Jagdeo said that PPP chairs participated in the meeting due to a breakdown in communication, thereby all but declaring that he, Mr Jagdeo, had ordered them not to participate. Editor, evidently, Mr Jagdeo intends that Guyanese must remain divided or “devided” as the case may be. It is strikingly apparent that the Leader of the Opposition has no interest in seeing Guyana

develop as a united country.

Instead, he has made pellucid that he wants to obstruct progress for his own narrow political ends, even if to do so would be at the expense of those who support the PPP. Editor, in preparation for the possibility of a recurrence of 2017’s PPP boycott of the NRDCC meeting, systems were put in place so that if the opposition’s regional chairpersons or other representatives absented themselves, their regions would not be without representation, and citizens could still benefit from the NRDCC engagement through the participation of coalition councillors.

On this occasion, Essequ-

From page 6

ibo Islands-West Demerara (Region # 3), Mahaica-Berbice (Region # 5), and East Berbice-Corentyne (Region# 6) benefitted from this arrangement as councillors other than the chairperson presented reports and plans, and participated to the benefit of their regions.

In closing, again, I thank the PPP regional leaders who participated for putting the interests of their people, their regions, and their country ahead of even their own self-interest in order to work towards development and national unity.

Regards Ronald Bulkan Minister of Communities

All democratically elected governments are the stewards of the people Dear Editor, AN oft repeated PPP/C mantra, particularly on its television programme, “On matters of public interest” aired weekly and hosted by PPP/C’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira on CNS Channel 6, is about “taking the country back’’, “when we take back the country in 2020”. This means, from the current coalition government.

Editor, I am a liberal and a strong proponent of the right of freedom of expression. But, concomitantly such has to be responsible and not intended to incite. The chief proponent of this daily refrain has to be reminded that any duly elected government is just the trustee of a given mandate to govern. This mandate resides in the writ of the people; it means that government is there on the authority of the people, exercising all actions for and

on their behalf.

However, such does not in any way give that government the power of ownership of country, or of the citizens residing within, and in whose name it governs.

In simple language, no government has a transport of ownership to the geographic space over which it governs; or a birth certificate that claims ownership of the people of that state.

Editor, this is the perennial problem with regimes such as what the PPP/C had led. Their ascension to office, with an ethnic majority vote, led it to believe that it had the monopoly of Guyana and its people in its unjust hands. Not only did it horribly distort the meaning of governance, but in its wake desecrated the nation’s laws, for its own benefit and those of its friends and cronies, in total disregard of the people. Not even its supporters’ muffled, and behind the door criticisms, meant

anything to its descent into the gross venalities that became its watchword for governance.

For a drug lord who was known to have ordered the deaths of many Guyanese, claiming to have assisted the then administration to combat crime, is instructive as to the abysmally frightening, and sordid realities of such an era of PPP/C stewardship. The PPP/C must understand, that the historical events of May 2015, have given Guyanese a re-discovered understanding of the meaning of government and in whose name it governs, particularly in a society with its ethnic cleavages as ours.

All democratically elected governments are the stewards of the people. Is this so difficult for the PPP/C to accept and understand?

Regards Earl Hamilton

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Screams for help followed stab wound in kitchen THE 2015 murder trial of Meguel Barker called “Allan” or “Miguel Anthony” began on Monday in the Georgetown High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury, with several witnesses testifying.

The trial has its origin in an allegation that at about 15:00hrs on April 30, 2015 the accused sneaked into the house in which the deceased, Donessa Barker was staying and fatally knifed her and escaped via a bedroom window.

The couple, who had been married for about a year, had constant domestic spats resulting in the deceased going to stay at the home of relatives at Lot 21 Inner Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, when she was reportedly killed.

The jury was empanelled last week for the trial in which Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh testified, stating that he performed the post- mortem on the body of the deceased. He gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage due to a stab wound to the chest.

Aunt of the deceased, Javona Dolphin who is the matron at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), told the court that she last saw her niece alive on April 27, 2015 when she visited her at her office. Barker appeared to be normal that day.

Witness, Shevon Frank at whose house the deceased was staying at the time of her death, told the court after some difficulty on the stand,

The deceased Donessa Barker

that on the day in question she was in the company of her step-sister, Shaneiza Clarke while talking to Donessa Barker.

According to her, it was about 15:00hrs when the deceased said she was going to her room for her cell phone and within a few minutes they heard her scream “yall help me.” Barker, she said, came out the room covered in what appeared to be blood and headed for the front door where she collapsed.

Frank could not say if anyone was in the room with Barker since she did not see anyone, but she was told by the step-sister to watch her (Barker) while she (the step-sister) went on the road for a car to take (Barker) to the hospital.

The witness related that she was unaware of the whereabouts of Shaneiza Clarke and last saw her on

the day in question.

Next to take the stand was Police Constable Jamaine Elcock, who testified being on duty on the day in question when he received certain information. This caused him and another rank Constable Payne to go to a yard at ‘B’ Field, Sophia, where they understood the accused lived He stated that upon arrival at the said yard, he saw three men and he enquired about the suspect and one of them answered that he was not there. However, one from among the three ran and jumped a fence.

Elcock said at this point he gave chase and held onto the accused, after which he identified himself as the suspect in the alleged murder committed on his wife Donessa Barker.

The police witness said after he put the allegation to the accused then cautioned him, after which the accused said: “Is not me was my brother.” The accused was then arrested and placed in a police vehicle and taken to the Turkeyen Police Station where he was placed in custody after giving a statement.

Sergeant Komal Petamber who is attached to the Major Crimes Unit at Eve Leary, also told the court on Monday, that on April 30, 2015 he was attached to the La Grange Police Station when at about 17:10hrs he and a party of cops responded to a report of an alleged murder and went to 21 Inner Bagotville.

The sergeant upon entering the one-storey wooden

house he saw the motionless body of a female lying on her back, with what appeared to be blood on her face and body and there was a wound on her left arm.

Petamber added that he also observed blood droplets leading from the front door to the back bedroom where there was an open window. The police witness related that he questioned several persons after which he escorted the body to the WDRH. He said he also spoke to Shaneiza Clarke and got a description of the suspect and made searches but did not locate him.

Petamber said he made checks too in the bushes nearby and found nothing.

Detective Sergeant Ameer Ricnauth who testified that he photographed the crime scene on the day in question, said that at the time he was the subordinate officer-in-charge of the La Grange Station.

Ricnauth said he met Sergeant Petamber at the crime scene and was given certain information, after which he entered the house and saw the motionless body of a female later identified as Donessa Barker, lying near the front door and the verandah.

Ricnauth stated that he made checks around the house but found nothing of evidential value other than a white plastic bag containing men’s clothing of a thin-boned person. He took possession of the bag with clothing and escorted the body of the dead woman to the WDRH.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Lone gunman robs Albouystown grocer, family A LONE gunman on Sunday evening attacked and robbed a La Penitence Street, Albouystown grocer and members of her family just as they were about to close for the day.

The victims have been identified as Devika Williams, 36, the proprietress; Rebecca Petamber, 28, her sister; and Nerisha Sukhu, 53, their mother.

Reports are that the victims were robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and valuables.

Williams reportedly operates the grocery shop where her mother and sister reside. Reports are that she’d just closed the front of the shop and was about to do the same at the back when

the intruder, gun in hand, pushed open the gate and entered the yard.

Pointing the weapon at her, he reportedly demanded that she kneel down behind the shop, which she did.

He then entered the building and held Williams’s sister and mother at gunpoint, escorted them outside, and told them, too, to kneel behind the shop.

Back in the house, he proceeded to ransack the place, took whatever took his fancy, and within minutes was on his way.

The traumatized women, after realising he was gone, made a report at the police station.

The matter is currently being investigated.

Timehri drugs bust carries heavy sentence CITY Magistrate Annett Singh on Monday sentenced a 43-year-old woman to three years in jail and fined her $3.8M for trafficking cocaine in 2016 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Andrea Paula Winfield of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was found guilty of attempting to take 2.548

kilograms of cocaine to Canada on December 16, 2016.

According to reports, on the day in question, the woman was nabbed after suspicions arose when she failed to give a Canadian address to a Customs Officer.

When her luggage was checked, the cocaine was found and she was arrested.

Teen robber nabbed

A 16-year-old student is in police custody after robbing a gold miner of cash and cell phones while he was standing on the Kitty Public Road, in the vicinity of the Seawall, awaiting a taxi in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Reports indicate that about 00:30hrs, the 30-year-old gold miner of L’Oratoire, Canal Number #1 Polder, West Bank Demerara, was standing on the Kitty Public Road awaiting a taxi when four suspects, one armed with a firearm, pounced and relieved him of his valuables.

Police said as the suspects were fleeing the scene, the victim valiantly pursued them and apprehended the youth who, because of an injured foot, was unable to keep up with the pace of his accomplices. The teen who resides in Kitty, Georgetown, was handed over to the police and was found in possession of one of the victim’s phones.

Ogle Airport debunks KN story on Exxon expansion OGLE Airport Incorporated (OAI) on Monday debunked statements published in the Sunday’s edition of the Kaieteur News which suggest that U.S. oil giant, ExxonMobil has identified some 10 acres of land from OAI to construct its headquarters and a hotel.

In a statement to the media, OAI said the article published under the headline: “ExxonMobil to build HQ, hotel, helipad, training centre, etc… identified 10 acres of land from Ogle Airport Inc.” is “entirely based on unsourced and speculative misinformation”.

The newspaper, quoted OAI’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kit Nascimento as confirming that the oil company is looking to obtain lands. “The airport is in discussion with ExxonMobil with regard to the possibility of leasing some land to ExxonMobil,” Nascimento was quoted as saying.

However, in its statement, OAI said, its PRO confirmed to Kaieteur News that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (ESSO), is in discussion with OAI for the lease of land for the purpose of building its head office and nothing else.

“There is no truth to the paper’s speculation and headline with respect to any other ESSO facility to be built at the Airport,” OAI’s statement said, while stressing that OAI is a solely owned and operated Guyanese company.

Similarly, it was reported in another section of the media that ExxonMobil has refuted the Kaieteur News article, stating that it has no intention of building a hotel but is looking to establish a commission here.

The company’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, told the Guyana Times

newspaper that “I can confirm that ExxonMobil Guyana is not planning to build a hotel; that is inaccurate information.”

“We currently lease two office buildings. (So) we are looking at options to commission an office to accommodate our long-term growth and commitment to Guyana over the next several decades,” Brasington was quoted as saying in the Guyana Times.

Meanwhile, OAI has said that there are a number of applications, including ESSO, for the purpose of leasing land at the airport under the provisions of the Lease Agreement

between OAI and the Government. Those applications are pending for the review of the processing of the leasing of state lands by the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission.

Additionally, OAI has refuted statements which suggest that a young pilot and entrepreneur had applied for 100 square feet of land for the building of a hangar, and that the pilot’s application was not acknowledged.

“The newspaper’s report that an application from a small aircraft operator to lease land for the purpose

of building a hangar at the Airport has not been acknowledged by the Airport, is entirely false.”

OAI said the airport has been providing for some time “a light aircraft parking apron, at the cost of the Airport, and has provided terminal offices at concessionary rates for two of the light aircraft operators.”

OAI said all major aircraft operators at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport have already leased land and have built substantial facilities for their operations at the airport.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Nothing done in secrecy – Mayor puts to rest Bel Air Park playground claims GEORGETOWN Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has declared that nothing the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) did relating to the now controversial Bel Air Park Playground was ever shrouded in secrecy.

At Monday’s statutory meeting, she reminded councillors that it was the Investment and Development Committee that had brought this matter to the Council.

The Council, she recalled, subsequently granted its approval, subject to greenlight from the Central Housing and Planning Authority, among other agencies.

Town Clerk Royston King similarly commented that the Council had agreed in principle that the Bel Air Park land be reviewed and repossessed. Since that time, the matter has attracted the

Residents believe that it is a private housing developer that has started works on the land (Photo by Adrian Narine)

attention of the court, and an order has been issued. However, King said City Hall’s lawyers are now studying the matter, and that the Council’s intentions were in keeping with the Municipal District

and Council Act. So far, King said, works have started on clearing the land and digging the drains.

Over-hanging trees are being dealt with, along with garbage pile up. One person

has even lighted a fire to burn refuse, King disclosed. “We want to fence it and keep it in good order,” he said.

Councillor Alfred Mentore stood up to say that as the constituency representa-

tive, he should have been informed about the works that the City Council is currently undertaking.

He said that in this way, he could have been in a position to “appease” all those residents who have been contacting him, thinking that the works were being done by a private developer.

Mentore reasoned that even though King may have had good intentions, the manner in which he went about it can backfire and cause the City Council harm.

The Mayor said with the feedback Mentore received from his constituency, he should have made contact with the Town Clerk to clarify matters.

She reminded that the land is owned by the M&CC, and that the land was there all along and no one was doing anything with it.

“I am not aware that anyone by the name of Taljit is

doing any work there,” the Mayor stated. Terrence Taljit is a local housing developer whom the City Council was allegedly in negotiations with to transfer the land to him despite a restriction on the transport of the property for use as a playground and for other community purposes only.

Justice Gino Persaud earlier this month handed down a decision that blocks the M&CC’s intention to sell or lease the reserved community land to a private developer.

The application was filed in 2017 by lawyer Devindra Kissoon, a resident of Bel Air Park.

Kissoon, a founding partner of London House Chambers, sued the M&CC and Central Housing and Planning for seeking to prohibit the development of a community reserve property for the purpose of housing.

National telecommunications agency in effect – NFMU to be dissolved, workers to be absorbed by the new agency MINISTER of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes has announced that she has signed a commencement order on Friday last, paving the way for the formal establishment of the National Telecommunications Agency (NATA).

According to the Telecommunications Act 2016, the agency will be responsible for the finalisation of licensing procedures in preparation for liberalisation and issuance of new licenses to telecommunication entities.

The commencement order, which took effect on the day it was signed,has cleared the way for the Ministry of Public Telecommunications (MoPT)to make the necessary administrative arrangements for the agency to function effectively when the entire Telecommunications Act is brought into force, said Minister Hughes during a press conference at her Camp Street office on Monday.

“Some of the things that the agency needs are its internal governance arrangements such as financial regulations, human resources policies and rules and

procedures for the board,” Minister Hughes said, adding that the Telecommunications Act stipulates that a Board of Directors be appointed to govern the affairs of the agency.

Telecommunications Consultant, Andre Griffith explained that the Board will discharge the functions of the agency and regulate its own procedures.

“A lot of recommendations for the agency that were prepared by us at the ministry will be brought into effect by the Board, which will be responsible for reviewing, refining and amending them,” he said.

Prior to the establishment of the agency, the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) was in charge of regulating the spectrum. But according to the Telecommunications Act, once the agency is active, the NFMU has to be dissolved.

Griffith told reporters that one of the main reasons for activating NATA so early,is to ensure that the staff from the NFMU is absorbed by the agency.

Minister Hughes was confident that most, if not

Telecommunications Consultant, Andre Griffith

all, of the staff from the unit will be retained, since there will be a heavy need for services in terms of spectrum management,frequencies and even pricing.

“I do not envision people being laid off,” the minister said, adding that the function of transitioning the staff will be carried out by the soon-tobe-appointed Board.

That announcement brought another constitutional body, the Public Utilities Commission(PUC)under scrutiny,since that entity was responsible for pricing.

The telecommunications consultant explained that

under the Telecommunications Act 2016, Sections 19, 20 and 21 outlines the separation of duties among the minister, PUC and the agency.

“There is a separation that is specified in the act…I do not think there is scope for confusion among the three regulatory entities and therefore the PUC will remain responsible for pricing,’’ he said.

He reiterated that the Act on the other hand will allow the agency to enforce the necessary provisions; and empower the minister to give policy directions to the

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes

agency.

All of those issues will be sorted out during the preparatory period, while the ministry continues its ne-

gotiation with the Guyana Telecommunications Telegraph (GTT) Company, said Griffith, noting that they hope to bring it to a close to allow for the implementation of the Liberalisation Act. Minister Hughes also referred to the negotiations, stating that the Liberalisation Act must be fully in place before the agency is required to start regulations.

Although the minister said they are not focused on getting the negotiations done in a short space of time, she did say that they hope to finish soon, but with a result that suits everyone and a deal that the government is happy with.

Min Holder clarifies statement on release of severance funds THE Ministry of Agriculture has clarified information published in the media regarding the signing for the release of funds to cover sugar workers severance.

Media reports had quoted Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder as saying last week that he signed off an order of some $1.7B for the release of funds to pay the first tranche of severance pay to workers in the sugar industry who have been laid off......”

However, in a statement on Monday, the ministry clarified that the Minister of Agriculture or any Minister of Gov-

ernment does not have the authority to sign-off payments for any other financial Government transaction. “Such is the responsibility of the finance minister as was the case of the severance package payment to GuySuCo employees. The Minister of Agriculture did make a request to the finance minister for said payment to be released, but it was the finance ministry/minister who signed off such payment. The Ministry of Agriculture wishes to make this clarification public.”

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Land for law school inadequate – AG says ATTORNEY GENERAL Basil Williams said the 15 acres of land allocated by the University of Guyana (UG) for the construction of the Joseph Haynes Law School is inadequate and he again stressed that Guyana will go ahead with plans to establish the institution despite an administrative hold up at the level of the Council of Legal Education.

Williams told reporters on Monday at the sidelines of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) assessors training session at the Pegasus Hotel that though UG would have identified the land; the identified plot is not adequate for the law school. “They have shown our valuation person an area contiguous to the forensic laboratory, but that won’t be adequate for a law school. It is right now with them and we are hoping they see the light,” he told reporters.

He assured reporters that Guyana has permission to establish the law school and is currently conducting a feasibility study in this regard.

“We have not been refused …they (Council of Legal Education) don’t have an archive…the decision was taken quite clearly and the conclusion is, looking at material they had, permission had to have been granted.”

The Attorney General said all factors are being examined, including the criteria for the establishment of the school under the auspices of the CLE. “Nobody can stop us from building a law school; it is just that we are community-minded,” the Attorney General stated, when asked whether Guyana had been given the clearance to build a law school.

He reminded that Guyana is a founding member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and as such has

a right to establish its own law school. Moreover, Williams noted the struggles of Guyanese law students who seek admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad. There are law schools in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad “and we want to build a law school here; it is too tough for our students.”

Williams assured that efforts are being made to have the feasibility study completed soonest and noted that as soon as possible, their Jamaican counterparts (the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and the Law College of the Americas (LCA) l) will be informed about the land, and value of the land among other things.

PERMISSION GRANTED Meanwhile, the Attorney General maintained Guyana’s position that permis-

Judge, jury visit Agricola murder site AS the trial of 27-year-old former Guyana Defence Force Private, Abiola Jacobs called “Abby” for allegedly murdering her ex-boyfriend’s mother, Donna Taylor continues, Justice James BovellDrakes and the 12-member jury visited the crime scene at Lot 16-17 Agricola Public Road on Monday morning.

There they spent some time in discussion before they left.

The trial is being held before Justice BovellDrakes in the Georgetown High Court.

The case has been adjourned to Thursday when UK-based witness, Samantha Sabatt is expected to testify via Skype.

Police reported that Taylor’s body was found aback her Agricola home on Fri-

day, January 31, 2014 with her throat slit, her hands bound behind her and a cloth wrapped around her neck.

She was reportedly asleep when she was dragged from her bed and taken to the back of the yard where she was killed.

According to the police report, Samantha Sabatt, who had been a guest at her home at the time of the incident, was injured when she jumped from the window of the two-storey house in Agricola after persons had invaded the property.

Jacobs, of Lot 55 Evan Phillips Park, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, was the girlfriend of the dead woman’s son, Bertram Taylor, Jr. The young man had reportedly broken off the relationship with her because of her aggressive attitude

towards him.

It was reported that the young man had shared a very close relationship with his mother, and because of that relationship, the accused was of the view that the woman had influenced her son’s decision to sever the relationship.

Sabatt had travelled to Guyana from the United Kingdom to attend the funeral of her father. She was staying at Taylor’s residence when she decided to jump through the window after the persons who came into the house were attempting to break down the door to the bedroom in which she had secured herself.

The state’s case is being led by Mandel Moore in association with Lisa Cave while the defence attorney is Adrian Thompson.

Motorcyclist crashes into parked vehicle A DRIVER is assisting the police after a motorcyclist lost control and crashed into his parked motor car PDD 4714 on the Wallers De Light Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD) Sunday night.

The 31-year-old motor cyclist rode into the rear of

the stationary vehicle and was picked up in an unconscious condition and taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Enquiries revealed that motorcyclist, Cappel Deo, of

408 Crane Housing Scheme, WCD, was proceeding west along the southern carriageway of the road on his motor cycle CD 4517 about 19:00hrs when he allegedly lost control and collided into the back of the motor car, which was parked on the southern corner of the road.

sion was granted for Guyana to establish its own law school. He said the recent assertion that Guyana was never granted permission to establish its own law school by the Council of Legal Education (CLE) was heavily flawed. Earlier this month, Williams told reporters at a press conference that should the Chairman of the CLE, Reginald Armour, S.C. continue to interfere in the matter, it is likely that Guyana would resort to taking the issue to the CARICOM heads.

“We don’t have to submit nothing to the CLE until we are ready. Mr. Armour is not in charge of the CLE. Mr. Armour is a servant of the Council including the Council of Ministers who told him that he couldn’t publish the statement that he did, and he had to withdraw it,” Williams himself early December had announced that a Review Committee of the CLE has agreed that the Council should defer the establishment of new law schools; a move he believes is as a result of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) intention to sabotage Guyana’s efforts

to establish its own law school. He said Armour, of Trinidad and Tobago relied on a report of a Review Committee which included former Chancellor Carl Singh, to say that the CLE never gave permission to Guyana to establish its own Law School. Singh has denied ever being part of the committee. Williams had described Armour’s actions as “strange”, noting that he never afforded Guyana a hearing on the matter. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall had contended that Guyana never received permission to establish a law school.

Williams said it was at Nandlall’s behest that Armour placed the matter on the CLE’s agenda. “We are saying that no international organisation is driven by the opposition and we have an e-mail sent from him to Nandlall assuring him that he will put the item on the agenda without consulting me, the sitting Attorney General for Guyana,” Williams stated.

The CLE committee has to, in the future, engage with Guyana’s committee which

comprises the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Chief Justice, Retired Justices Duke Pollard, Claudette Singh and Rudolph James, Professor Harold Lutchman, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of UG and the Registrar. The APNU+AFC coalition government in January 2017, had announced that the project for establishment of the JOF Haynes Law School of the Americas was launched. The project comes after some two decades of lobbying for an alternative to the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas.

The JOF Haynes Law School is being established through a Public-Private Partnership between the Government of Guyana, the Law School of the Americas (LCA) and the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and will add to the existing options available to holders of a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and who intend to pursue their Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

Drunken man picks fight with stranger – then stabs him near to death AN argument which developed into a scuffle on Sunday between a drunk and a man standing on Lamaha Street ended with the latter being seriously stabbed about the body.

The incident reportedly occurred just outside the Blue Martini bar. The injured man has been identified as Stephen McLeod, 29, of Laing Street Charles-

town.

Reports are that at around 03:30hrs, McLeod was ‘liming’ by himself outside the bar when he was approached by the assailant.

Pretty soon, the two, who’d never before met, got into an argument and a scuffle ensued. Then, quick as lightning, the drunk reportedly whipped out a knife

from his waist and dealt McLeod three stabs.

The injured man, who was stabbed in the chest, arm and upper back, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by public-spirited citizens.

The police would later recover the knife from the scene, after a report was made at the station.

Cocaine in ceiling – woman, 50, gets four years, fined $14M A 50-year-old woman who was nabbed last Friday with over 11 pounds of cocaine in the ceiling of her Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara home was on Monday charged and sentenced to four years’ jail, along with a fine of $14.2M for drug trafficking.

Nickela Craig Singh appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and admitted that on January

19, 2018 at Lot 237 Norton Street, Soesdyke, she had 5.196 kilos of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the facts presented in court by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor, Kunyo Sandiford, on the day in question, ranks from CANU went to the home of Singh and conducted a search.

Singh, who was alone at

the time, admitted that she had drugs in the ceiling and further confessed that the cocaine was given to her by her brother, Junior Owen Singh. The ranks retrieved five brick-like objects suspected to be cocaine.

In court, Singh said that when CANU officers came to her home she was confused and called a lot of people’s names, but the drugs were given to her by a friend.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Surveying works kick-starts Sheriff/Mandela Avenue road project THE Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue area is being surveyed in preparation for massive expansion works to be conducted by Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

Work Services Group (WSG) Coordinator, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Geoffrey Vaughn explained that these measures will set the pace for the infrastructural works which are expected to commence before the end of the first quarter of this year.

“Sinohydro is mobilising, as we speak. Surveying works are being done and this is basically to stake out the area in terms of width and centre lines etc. So we’re doing the preliminaries before we go into the actual works,” Vaughn told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

The contract for the Sher-

iff/Mandela Avenue road project was awarded to Sinohydro Corporation Limited in November and signed in December 2017. The project will cost US$31M, which is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Vaughn indicated that the removal of utilities, before the construction begins0 is critical to ensuring that the project is completed on time.

“So, we’re hoping that we can engage the Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) and Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to have their utilities removed. We know we have contracts already with GPL and we’re trying to finalise the one with GTT. Once that is done we will have them onboard; with GTT we know we will have some chambers that will have to raise, which

may be on the corridor itself.”

According to the WSG Coordinator, one critical factor that will be taken into consideration during execution of the project and that is proper traffic management.

He disclosed that in order to ensure that there is less disruption of traffic during construction, the contractor is expected to have prepared an appropriate traffic management document which will be shared with the Ministry.

“We will have to look for all the alternatives that will come out in terms of people having to use the corridor to execute business,” Vaughn stated. The existing carriageway will be upgraded and resurfaced from the northern end of Sheriff Street through to Homestretch Avenue. From that point to the

Hugo Chavez Centre main supplier of food to benevolent homes THE Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration is now fully self-sufficient, following the successful implementation of its ‘Self-Sufficient Agricultural Economic Services Project’, which was launched in June 2017.

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally last week visited the facility at Onverwagt, Region Five, where she lauded the successful implementation of the project. The Hugo Chavez Centre which is one of the main food suppliers to State benevolence centres, produces organic vegetables, chicken, and fish.

Minister Ally explained that in less than a year, the centre was able to produce and supply chickens to centres such as the Palms, the Mahaica Children’s Home, and the Mahaica Hospital.

“I am proud of the facility’s self-sufficiency.

What I love about this programme is that we have our agencies being the beneficiaries of this project… and I am very proud and happy that this is a sevenand-a-half-month achievement since the president commissioned this facility.

It is a very proud moment for us,” Minister Ally told

The vegetables being produced at the centre

media operatives.

The project also forms part of the reintegration programme for the more than 80 residents at the facility, who are being trained in the field of agriculture and farming. Both the staff members who overlooked the project and the residents, have played a major role in the success of the centre.

Minister Ally also took the opportunity to express gratitude to the agencies that played a role in bringing the project to fruition.

These include; the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA),the National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI),Food for the Poor (Guyana) Incorpo-

rated, the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) and a number of private sector companies and individuals.

The Economic Centre has three fish ponds along with several pens filled with livestock and poultry including ducks, chicken and sheep, and a shade house where a number of crops are planted, including to matoes and peppers and other vegetables. There is also a modern plucking machine. Minister Ally was accompanied by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, Government’s Regional Member of Parliament (MP),Jennifer Wade and other officials.

Mandela Avenue-Hunter Street junction there will be four lanes of traffic.

The completed roadway will also be outfitted with

the requisite road safety amenities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes and “hopefully” adequate parking spaces. Bridges will also

be upgraded. In the vicinity of East Ruimveldt and North Ruimveldt Secondary Schools, there will be a pedestrian overpass. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

Over 100 feted by ‘Aunty May’

APPROXIMATELY one hundred and twenty orphans and vulnerable youths were on Sunday feted by Mrs. Miriam De Souza, popularly known as “Aunt May” and her family.

De Souza, as part of giving back to Guyana and to the country’s youth, annually treats children and young adults and the less privileged.

The event was held at the Meten-Meer-Zorg School and Masjid.

In expressing gratitude for the kind gesture, Goolzar Namdar, Regional Vice President of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guy-

ana (CIOG) and President of the Meten-Meer-Zorg Islamic Centre, said the CIOG places orphans with families who can protect them from societal ills. By so doing, Namdar said the children are provided with a caring and loving environment in which to thrive.

Additionally, the Regional Vice President of the CIOG said the umbrella organisation would feed, educate, house and in some instances pay for marriages when children attain the age of majority and are unable to afford same.

He said too that the organisation’s ability to help those

in need, whether orphans or other vulnerable groups, is made possible by both the Islamic and non-Islamic community.

Namdar made it clear that it is not only Muslim children who benefit, but children of all religious persuasions and ethnicities.

The orphans and vulnerable children are taught to pray in English and Arabic and are transported to and from school in vehicles provided by the CIOG. Those who attended the programme came from communities along Regions Two and Three.

Children seated at the Meten-Meer-Zorg Primary School and Masjid as elders expressed words of encouragement Sunday

Tried to smuggle alcohol to murder accused A 34-year-old man was on Monday nabbed at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court while attempting to smuggle contraband to

a murder accused in the police outpost.

Leon Smart was arrested after he was busted by an alert police officer with

alcohol (vodka) inside a drink bottle, along with two packs of cigarette in a package, intended for murder accused, Colvin Johnson

known as ‘Gun-Butt’, who is on remand for the murder of Paul Rodney in 2016.

Smart when arrested, told the police officer that he was unaware that it was a crime to supply alcohol to a prisoner. The officer did not believe him since Smart had served time on remand and would’ve known the routine and rules.

Smart was taken to the Brickdam Police Station as the investigation into the matter continues.

An hour before the

incident, a robbery under arms charge was dismissed against Smart

by Magistrate Faith McGusty. He was charged for the armed robbery committed on a Brazilian and her driver at Bel Air Park, Georgetown last November. But the matter was dismissed against him on Monday after the alleged mastermind behind the robbery, Kelvin Emper, had confessed to the crime and was sentenced.

Leon Smart who was busted at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court with the contraband

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

13

Sugar workers urged to form ‘co-ops’ Representatives of the Ministry of Social Protection and the IUF during a discussion recently. (Ministry of Social Protection photo)

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott greets General Secretary of the IUF, Sue Longley (Ministry of Social Protection photo)

Government’s decision to revitalise Co-operatives should be viewed as an opportunity for sugar workers to pool their resources and form businesses.

This is the view of Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott.

Scott made the comments during a meeting with a delegation from the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) recently.

At that meeting, the IUF delegation led by its General Secretary, Sue Longley expressed much concern about the well-being of sugar workers who were recently made redundant as a result of the down-sizing of the sugar sector here. Government has taken a decision to consolidate production within the industry in an effort to preserve the sector which has been ailing for years. In fact, government has poured approximately $32B into the industry over the past 30 months. Scott told the visiting delegation that it is within that context that co-operatives can be seen. He stressed that while the sugar industry remains a vital economic sector for Guyana, its ailing nature could not be ignored by his administration.

The minister within the Ministry of Social Protection made it clear that sugar is deeply rooted in the country’s history, and his administration will take all requisite steps to ensure that it is preserved and the welfare of

those affected is safeguarded.

Last week some $1.931B was passed in the National Assembly to pay out severance to affected workers.

That aside, government has already been involved in assisting the sugar workers with training as well as facilitating the borrowing of loans.

The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has been conducting training in several areas such as engineering, building-masonry, carpentry, information and communication technology, forestry, home economics and health services. The Ministry of Natural Resources along with other stakeholders will provide additional training opportunities with a focus on oil and gas.

The Social Protection Ministry’s micro-credit unit located on Lamaha and East Street can also be of assistance to affected sugar workers, as the unit provides micro-financing for start-up projects.

Meanwhile, Scott told the IUF delegates that government has been pushing to maintain co-operatives as the third pillar of national economic development and noted that there is an ongoing process to develop new co-operative ventures.

This, he said, can be seen as an opportunity for sugar workers to get into entrepreneurial ventures. “I am prepared to go to any place, to develop Guyana; community by community”.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday January 23, 2018

Telecoms companies line up to enter Guyana’s market SEVERAL international telecommunication companies have expressed interest in investing here even as the country continues to work towards the full liberalisation of its telecom sector.

This was revealed by Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, on Monday during a news

conference at her ministry, where members of the media were brought up-to-speed on major Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects being undertaken by the government.

The minister said that over the course of approximately six months, she has received roughly 18-20 proposals from

companies, both international and local, eager to receive more information on the licence application process.

“We’ve not publically said, ‘send your applications in’… that’s the kind of response we’re even getting before we put everything in place to receive those applications,” Minister Hughes explained,

adding: “I would think by June of this year, we would be in a position to be addressing applications that would have been coming in from people and would have put the request for proposal out there.”

The minister said this response is as a result of the passage of the Telecommunication (Amendment) Bill

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes

in Parliament in July 2016, through which the government sought to transform the sector from a monopoly to a liberalise environment.

For Guyanese, this will not only mean an increase of the availability of internet access, but can also see them receiving cheaper options, better quality and advanced telecommunications services as more investors are attracted.

The date for liberalisation, however, though previously set for mid-2017, has been a “moving target” due to tax negotiations between the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), its parent company Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), according to the minister.

“I’m really happy to say that the negotiations to date have been conducted in an extremely cordial manner. If you recognise that GTT and ATN have had a monopoly situation that’s lasted over 20 years, then you can understand that from the perspective of both parties, they want to make sure that they’re coming to the table to get the best,” Hughes explained in regards to the delay.

When asked whether the discussions entail setting aside any taxes owed against future expenditure or taxes, the minister clarified that it was not a matter within the scope of her ministry but one that would be better addressed by the GRA and the Ministry of Finance.

Other ongoing interactions with the GRA include the pricing structure of the final report commissioned of spectrum management issues which the government says it is now in possession of and will now address. “At the end of the day, the Guyana

Revenue Authority and the Commissioner General have to make sure that they’re covering all their bases from the financial end,” Hughes stated, further establishing: “And therefore the focus is not on getting this done in the shortest space of time but [on] making sure that we come up with an end game that suits everyone.”

The press briefing was the ministry’s first for 2018 and addressed the ICT access and e-service project for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities (HPRC) which will see an additional 200 communities receiving free internet access through ICT hubs. At the gathering, there were questions raised as to how liberalisation would affect the ministry’s current reliance on GTT for its ICT projects.

Chairman of the National Data Management Authority, Floyd Levi, addressed the concerns. He clarified that that company is not the sole provider of internet services to the government-implemented ICT hubs, but it was rather a “mix” of Digicel, GTT and IMON Wireless Solutions, a private telecommunication service.

GTT is utilized mostly along the coastline; Digicel services Kwakwani, Mahdia, Bartica, Linden, Baramita, Matthew’s Ridge, Port Kaituma, Mabaruma and Santa Rosa while IMON covers ICT hubs in the interior savannah.

“We’re already using companies outside of GTT,” Levi said, further remarking: “So moving forward, I see this model continuing where we’re actually using those companies that are best placed to provide the services that we need.”

Meanwhile, the minister informed: “And that’s where the investment potential in the sector can be realized, even in our hinterland areas or remote communities. Because, imagine that any entrepreneur that wants to get into providing similar services, it’s an open opportunity for them to compete in that sector.

“That [liberalized environment] means that everybody comes to the table to get and to apply for the same terms and conditions. There are no exceptions or special outcomes or things given to any particular companies as opposed to another.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

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American Racing Tips Mahoning Valley Race 1 Baronial Boy Race 2 Beachtown Benny Race 3 Starnilla Race 4 Tiz Cold Race 5 Gavin Streetsense Race 6 Segovia Race 7 Meloveda Race 8 Port Maria Race 9 Fifth Business Race10 Often Enough South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:30 hrs Yes We Do 09:05 hrs Last Battle 09:40 hrs Well Connected 10:15 hrs Kanbaroo Jack 10:50 hrs Emerald Bay 11:25 hrs Yirzan English Racing Tips Leicester 09:00 hrs Don Des Fosses 10:05 hrs Spice Girl 11:15 hrs San Pietro 11:50 hrs Georgieshore 12:20 hrs Shroughmore Southwell 09:20 hrs Going Native 09:55 hrs French 10:30 hrs Captain Lars 11:05 hrs Tricky Dicky 11:40 hrs Seatus 12:10 hrs Canadian Royal

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Djokovic beaten by South Guyana, St Lucia to ...

Korean Chung Hyeon

SOUTH Korea’s Chung Hyeon played superbly to beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open as the sixtime champion struggled with injury.

Chung, 21, won 7-6 (74), 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) to become the first Korean player to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam.

He will face another surprise quarter-finalist after American Tennys Sandgren upset fifth seed Dominic Thiem.

Djokovic, 30, had treatment to his right elbow after the first set and was visibly in pain at times.

“Unfortunately, it’s not great,” he said afterwards.

“Kind of end of the first set it started hurting more, so I had to deal with it until the end of the match.”

The Serb, seeded 14th, missed the second half of the 2017 season with an elbow injury, and was making his return to competitive action in Melbourne.

“I was hoping I can go through (the tournament),” he added.

“But I don’t want to talk about my injury tonight because then I’m taking away Chung’s victory, the credit that he deserves.”

Djokovic made it through three rounds but could not cope with a brilliant performance from Chung, while at the same time clearly struggling physically.

Chung’s ability to turn defence into attack and prevail in epic rallies was reminiscent of Djokovic himself.

“When I’m young, I’m just trying to copy Novak because he’s my idol,” said Chung.

DJOKOVIC FIGHTS HARD IN DEFEAT Djokovic battled back

from 4-0 down in the first set, 4-1 down in the second and 3-1 in the third, but eventually succumbed to an irrepressible opponent.

Despite his struggles, the former world number one made plenty of chances, but the unseeded Chung saw off 14 of 19 break points, while Djokovic ended with 57 errors to 36 winners.

World number 58 Hyeon Chung has the potential to become one of the best players in the world, according to Novak Djokovic.

It looked as though the match might be cut short when Djokovic called for the trainer after losing the first set, and again when he screamed in pain while lunging at the baseline as he fell 4-1 behind in the second.

By midway the second, the Serb was sitting on his chair with a towel over his head, such was his frustration.

Again he fought back to level at 4-4, but again the pressure told and he netted a forehand to fall two sets down.

The third set followed a similar pattern and Chung missed a potentially decisive chance when he failed to return a second serve at 4-4 and break point.

Djokovic was now urging the crowd to carry him through, testing Chung’s nerve at 5-5, 0-30, but the Korean responded magnificently and forced a second tie-break.

Another lead disappeared as Djokovic fought back from 0-3 to level, but a miraculous hooked forehand winner put Chung 5-3 in front, and it was his turn to play to the crowd.

This time there was no Djokovic fightback, and Chung closed out the win of his life after three hours 21 minutes.

“I didn’t know how I’d win this tonight,” added Chung. “I was just honoured to play against Novak, and happy to see him back on the tour.” (BBC Sport)

Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda will stage the two semi-finals and the final.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson pointed out, “We are delighted to have Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia on board as hosts for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 later this year.

“Of course, Windies women are the reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions and I have no doubt they’ll be looking to defend their title on home soil.”

Richardson continued, “We are keen to build on the momentum from this summer’s Women’s World Cup and I’m sure the players can rely on a warm welcome from the legendary cricket fans in the West Indies and we’re all in for a great experience in the Caribbean.”

According to ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 Tournament Director Jennifer Nero, “We are excited to be hosting the very first standalone ICC Women’s World T20. This will add to the established passion for women’s cricket throughout our Region.

This is significant not just for the advancement of the sport of cricket but also for the potential for sharing with the world the many irresistible offerings of the beautiful countries of the West Indies.”

She added, “We welcome cricket fans around the world to the home of the reigning ICC Women’s WT20 Champions to celebrate with us as we host the world’s best women cricketers in this highly com-

Continued from back page

petitive tournament infused with all the truly festive and uniquely Caribbean flavours.”

“As captain of the defending champions, we are keen on defending our title and since we know we will be at home, we want to use this as an opportunity to welcome the world to the region for top-class competitive women’s cricket,” said Windies captain Stafanie Taylor.

The hosts will be joined by New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and world champions England who have all achieved qualification.

The remaining two spots will be taken from Bangladesh, Holland, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda or United Arab Emirates, all of whom will compete in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in the Netherlands July 3-14.

The November event in the Caribbean will be the first stand-alone ICC Women’s World Twenty20 after the past six events were played alongside the men’s event.

The Caribbean hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 and then staged the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010 when the league matches of the women’s tournament were played in St Kitts, while St Lucia hosted the two semi-finals. The final in Barbados was played after the men’s final and was won by Australia when they beat New Zealand by three runs.

The details of the tournament, including groups and fixtures, will be announced in due course.

Terrence Alli to ...

Continued from back page

Each attending inductee (or direct descendant of Alli) will receive a custom-designed belt signifying his or her induction into the NYSBHOF. The life and career of Terrence Alli embodies both the glory and the tragedy that often lurk not far from one another in the world of boxing.

He was an exciting, eccentric and socially-conscious fighter who became the world’s top Super Lightweight contender.

Alli finished his career with 52 wins (25 by knockout), 15 losses and two draws but will be forever be remembered as one of the best fighters Guyana has ever produced but who has never won a world title.

Alli’s first shot at a world title was in 1985 against Harry Arroyo for the IBF World Lightweight Title but, the Guyanese was knocked out by the American.

Eight years later, Alli found himself against Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC World Super Lightweight Title.

Guyanese at home and

abroad were glued to their television screens to witness the classic showdown, hoping that Alli could take down the man who at the time had defended his title against the likes of Hector Camacho, Angel Hernandez and Meldrick Taylor.

However, luck was not on Alli’s side, since he was beaten by the Mexican.

The Guyanese entered the ring seven times and lost them all; including losses to ‘Six Heads’ Lewis for the vacant Guyanese Welterweight Title and his WBC International Super Welterweight Title against Quirino Garcia (Unanimous Decision) To his credit, Alli was the USBA Lightweight Champion and NABF Super Lightweight Title-holder.

Perhaps sadder still, by all accounts he feels he has been forsaken by the country that he always proudly represented with such patriotic vigour, even when he had to go abroad to advance his career.

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Holland, Richardson added to Aussie squad for South Africa Tests

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) – Left-arm spinner Jon Holland has been recalled to Australia’s Test squad for their tour of South Africa in March, while fast bowler Jhye Richardson has been named for the first time.

With the exception of David Warner, captain Steve Smith’s entire Test squad will miss the triangular Twenty20 series against England and New Zealand next month in order to prepare for the tour, Cricket Australia said yesterday.

Holland, the second spinner behind Nathan Lyon in the squad, and Richardson, who played two

Twenty20 internationals and the first game of the ongoing one-day series against England, are the only two additions to the squad that took back the Ashes.

The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.

“Jon was the second leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield last season and has performed well in the games he has played for Victoria this season,” chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said in a statement. ”We envisage the wickets we will see in South Africa

Black Caps cruise past Pakistan in first T20 PAKISTAN’S dismal tour of New Zealand continued with a comprehensive loss to the Black Caps in their first Twenty20 international yesterday.

Crushed 5-0 in the oneday international series, Pakistan’s woes continued at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

The tourists avoided complete embarrassment after being bowled out for 105, but New Zealand closed out a seven-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Only Babar Azam (41) and Hasan Ali (23) managed to reach double-figures for Pakistan, who were in huge trouble at 38-6.

While Rumman Raees (2-24) struck twice, Colin Munro’s unbeaten 43-ball 49 saw New Zealand to vic-

tory with 25 balls to spare.

The Black Caps’ win was set up by their bowlers after they put Pakistan in to bat.

Pakistan made numerous poor starts in the ODI series and that continued into the T20s.

After Tim Southee (313) and Seth Rance (3-26) did the early damage, Mitchell Santner (2-15) got in on the act as well.

A 15-run partnership between Babar and Faheem Ashraf (7) at least slowed New Zealand, but Pakistan were all out after 19.4 overs.

Martin Guptill (2) and Glenn Phillips (3) fell early in the Black Caps’ chase, but Munro was comfortable before being joined by Tom Bruce (26) and Ross Taylor (22 not out.

Lower Corentyne, Georgetown clash in today’s 50-over play-offs

DEFENDING champions Lower Corentyne and Georgetown will clash today in the 2017 GCB/Jaguars One Day 50-over play-offs at the Albion Community Centre ground.

The game, which was originally set for last December, was rescheduled due to the inclement weather back then.

Georgetown gained third position by virtue of a better net run-rate over West Demerara. Both teams ended the preliminary rounds on an equal number of wins and points.

The winners of today’s game will play Essequibo on Thursday at a venue to be decided.

Meanwhile, as part of the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament, the Guyana Jaguars will be a part of a practice match on Friday at Providence.

The Guyana Jaguars Super50 squad is expected to be released shortly.

will not warrant the need to play two spinners.

“Therefore, should Nathan not be able to play at

“Steve has had a very big summer and will benefit from a short break both physically and mentally, before he leaves

Western Australia pacer Jhye Richardson

any stage, we wanted to have the best specialist spinner available to us and based on current red ball form Jon warrants that spot.”

Hohns said Smith could do with a break before the South Africa series.

for South Africa,” he added. ”The South African series is a very important one and we have made no secret of our desire to improve our record away from home.

“As such, we wanted to ensure the players had the best

possible preparation and that means playing the tour match prior to the first Test.”

The Test squad leaves for South Africa on February 15, with the tri-series being played from February 3-21.

Warner will lead the Twenty20 side, which includes the uncapped fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis and batsman D‘Arcy Short.

“David is a very capable leader and has captained in Steve’s absence before and done a fine job,” Hohns said.

“We wanted to ensure the T20 side had key leadership throughout this series and we know the team is in good hands with him at the helm.”

Twenty20 squad: David Warner (captain), Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, D‘Arcy Short, Billy

Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa Squad for South African tour: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc Australia tour of South Africa Warm-up match v SA Invitational XI, Sahara Park, Benoni, February 22-24 First Test Kingsmead, Durban, March 1-5.

Second Test St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, March 9-13 Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26 Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3.

Federer makes light of day shift to ease into last eight

By Martyn Herman

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Roger Federer was a strictly nocturnal beast throughout the first week of the Australian Open but proved just as effective with the sun on his back as he sauntered into the quarter-finals for the 14th time yesterday.

The defending champion did not require his dazzling best against 80th-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in his first match scheduled during the day session but still emerged a comfortable 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-2 winner.

After his earlier-than-usual finish, the 36-year-old world number two said he might even be able to make the most of a night off and

take his wife Mirka out for dinner.

“I was considering sunglasses and a towel for the beach but, no, the only

told former champion Jim Courier in a knockabout post-match chat on court.

“It’s a different rhythm playing in the day and not

Roger Federer

thing is the racquet strings are a bit tighter, but it’s not crazy hot today,” Federer

going to bed at 03:00hrs.

We might go out for dinner tonight but Mirka has left

already - she must have other plans!”

Federer ’s light mood matched the sunny conditions and he was even reduced to giggles during one point late in the second set when he mishit a forehand high into the air, then defended three consecutive Fucsovics smashes to win a bizarre rally.

“This one was the biggest joke of a point maybe I have ever played,” he said later.

“Thankfully it didn’t decide the outcome of that second set. That would have been too much of a joke, to be honest.”

Federer is yet to drop a set and did not even face a break point against the 25-year-old Fucsovics, who arrived in Melbourne without a grand slam main draw victory to his name.

Final standings in Regional Four-Day Championship

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, (CMC) – Final standings in the Regional Four-Day Championship which ended on Sunday:

TEAM

M

W

L

D

T

Pts

Guyana Jaguars

10

7

—

2

1

166.8

Barbados Pride

10

3

2

5

—

114.4

Leewards Hurricanes

10

2

4

4

—

94.8

Jamaica Scorpions

10

3

4

3

—

93.6

Windwards Volcanoes

10

2

4

3

1

85.6

T&T Red Force

10

2

5

3

—

82.4

*Abbreviations: M-matches; W-won; L-lost; D-draw; T-tied; Pts-points.

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Smith breaks record for most runs in regional season WINDWARDS Islands Volcanoes batsman Devon Smith played his way into the record books with an unbeaten 151 not out against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in a drawn WPCL Regional 4-Day fixture at Warner Park on Sunday.

The battling second innings knock saw the inform 36-year-old become the record-holder for the most runs scored in a single-season after amassing 1 095 runs in this campaign.

Smith the fourth man to reach the 1 000-run mark, joined Narsingh Deonarine (1 068), the late Runako Morton (1 010) and veteran former West Indies and Barbados player Floyd Reifer (1 002).

The Grenadian, perhaps more significantly, also broke the all-time scoring record for the first class championship, and surpassed 13 000 first-class runs.

The match itself proved of very little significance.

The Windwards, who were dismissed for 197 in the first innings after Smith went for a duck, found themselves on the back foot after the Leewards Islands posted 405-9 declared in their first turn at the crease.

The effort was led by Devon Thomas’ sparkling 172. In reply, the Windwards were in no mood to crumble twice as Smith’s effort backed up the 160 unbeaten from opener Tyrone Theophile, as the team posted 342-1 before the close of play.

Kirk Edwards was the lone wicket to fall after he was dismissed for 7 by Rahkeem Cornwall in the first five overs. The partnership between Theophile and Smith counted for 323 and was the highest of the season. It was also the sixth century of the season for Smith.

Devon Smith amassed 1095 runs this season.

SCORECARD

son and Savir Gookul also ended on four points, but did not make the cut after the tie breaker took effect.

Odit Rodrigues and Nickel Charles ended on three and a half, Rachael and Rebecca Ramlall, Runako Williams, John Wong, Joshua Williams

A SECOND-half double off the boot of Vincent Chin piloted Grove Hi Tech to a solid 4-1 win over Kuru Kururu Warriors in the first match of the GFF/Pele Alumni Frank Watson U-15 Intra Association League, East Bank Football Association (EBFA) leg, which kicked off last Saturday with a single match.

Following the march past which attracted ten of twelve possible teams, home team Grove and their arch rivals Kuru Kururu Warriors - based on the Linden Soesdyke Highway - squared off in the inaugural match of the league, the EBFA being the first association to commence the Intra Association tournament.

drew first blood in the first minute of added-on time in the first half. Matches lasted 70 minutes.

Carl Punous nudged one past Hi Tech goalkeeper Ramesh Persaud, who also stood between the uprights in the club’s Ralph Green Under-11 campaign, but had to stand down in the final two matches because he had turned 12.

Despite the fact that they were a goal down going into the final 35 minutes, the home team never lost focus and their higher level of fitness made the difference in the long run.

The Warriors found the going tough as the game motored on and it was the Hi Tech boys who turned up the heat to the

VOLCANOES 1st innings 197 HURRICANES 1st innings 405-9 decl’d VOLCANOES 2nd innings (o/n 28 for one) T. Theophile not out 160 K. Edwards lbw b Cornwall 6 D. Smith not out 152 Extras: (b-5, lb-5, nb-15) 25 TOTAL: (1 wkt, 96.1 overs) 342 Fall of wicket: 1-19.

Bowling: Louis 16-3-3-8-0, Berridge 12-1-58-0, Cornwall 255-62-1, Tonge 13-4-47-0, Holder 16-2-43-0, Powell 3-0-25-0, Warde 8-0-37-0, Carty 3.1-0-22-0.

Gopaul wins Junior Chess Qualifier JOSHUA Gopaul played unbeaten to emerge champion of the seven-round National Junior Chess Qualifier at the weekend at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal.

Young Gopaul notched up six wins and a draw to finish the competition as the only undefeated player, totalling 6.5 points. His draw came against Jaden Taylor.

Ethan Lee, whose only defeat came at the hands of Gopaul, took second spot with six points, followed by Ghansham Allijohn, Nellisha Johnson and Roshawn Washington all locked on five points each.

Taylor, Sasha Shariff and Dwayne Bess, with four points apiece, rounded out the top eight, who will contest the National Junior championship later this year.

The other point standings are as follows: Akili Theophil, Waveney John-

Grove Hi Tech rebound to beat Kuru Kururu Warriors in opener

all ended with three points apiece.

Andrew Ally had two and half points, while Chelsea Juma, Gareth Da Silva, Zackery Persaud and Alexander Ally ended on two points each.

A new champion will be crowned since the cur-

rent champion, Saeed Ali, is ineligible to compete due to age factor.

Ali, though, can compete now in the senior category, and the qualifier for that segment will start this weekend at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal.

Grove Hi Tech goalscorers from right: Devon Padmore, Zewdi Francois and Vincent Chin

Teams have been on pause for almost one year but were finally given the opportunity to showcase their skills with the aim of coming out as the inaugural champions, but more importantly players would be aiming to be good enough to be called to the Academy Training Centre team, a precursor to national selection.

Watched by the president of GFF, Wayne Forde, along with EBFA president and Secretary Franklin Wilson and Wayne Francois, the Under-15 players played with passion from the first whistle with former EBFA female junior player of Diamond United, Diane Angoy, the referee in charge.

The fast-paced match saw both teams enjoy a fair amount of ball possession but it was the Warriors who

extent that they fired in four unanswered goals to take full points.

Zewdi Francois was the first on the score sheet for the home team with the neutralising goal in the 53rd minute that broke the back of the highway boys. Seven minutes later, the go-ahead goal came off the boot of Vincent Chin, his first of two, in the 60th minute.

Captain Devon Padmore doubled the advantage in the 63rd minute to put the game way beyond the reach of the Warriors who could not find an answer to the relentless offensive raids by the home team.

The icing was put on the cake with three minutes to full time, Chin achieving his double in the 67th minute of an entertaining match which saw a number of talented players on show.

CRCRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday January 23, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Bangladesh (2) New Zealand

President of the Guyana Chess Federation, James Bond, vice-president – tournament, Irshad Mohamad, and committee member Anthony Drayton pose with the top eight qualifiers and Joshua Williams, the youngest player at age eight.

Today’s Quiz: (1) Who are the defending ICC Under 19 World Cup Champions?

(2) Which team did they defeat in the final?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 23, 2018

ECB elections were not ‘free and fair’, says Holder … Bacchus elected for a third term

By Rajiv Bisnauth PRESIDENT of the North Essequibo Cricket Committee (NECC) Prince Holder says last Sunday Essequibo Cricket Board’s (ECB) elections were not free and fair because of several irregularities.

While Holder, who was later named as one of two trustees on the board, did not outline the irregularities during the electoral process, he maintained that the elections were well planned to favour Fizul Bacchus, who was returned unopposed as president.

“It was all planned out, and in my opinion the elections were not free and fair,” Holder told Chronicle Sport

Prince Holder

yesterday.

Holder was expected to be the sole challenger to Bacchus when voting members of the board cast their ballots, but he failed to receive any nomination.

Fizul Bacchus will serve another two years as head of the ECB.

Last Saturday Holder had said that challenging Bac-

chus is just a formality, since there will be no surprises, nothing at stake, even less a competition, and as formal as it may be, the ECB elections will simply be a formality for continuity.

Further, Holder stated that he will tender his resignation sometime today as the Board’s trustee.

Observers at Sunday’s elections are also maintaining that the electoral process was not held in accordance with the provisions of the Cricket Administration Law. This Law was assented to by then-President Donald Ramotar in August 2014 after the ‘Cricket Bill’ was enacted in Parliament on June 20 of that year.

The Bill clearly states that the Cricket Ombudsman Dr Winston McGowan is responsible for calling the elections of the three county boards.

On the other hand, Bacchus in an invited comment sai that the elections were transparent, and were conducted within the constitutional framework of the board.

The win means that Bacchus will serve another two years as head of the ECB. Leguan’s Viren Chintamani was elected unopposed to serve under Bacchus as vice-president, with Aotto Christiani and Nazeer Mohamed named secretary and assistant secretary respectively.

The position of treasurer was filled by Andy Ramna-

rine, who will have Alvin Johnson, a former ECB president and vice-president of the GCB, as his assistant.

The other positions, all being elected unopposed, were won by Tamika Johnson (Public Relations Committee) and Reshud McLennan who was named the new Marketing Manager.

Ramnarine Ragoobar was appointed Chairman of the Competitions Committee.

Zabir Zakeer is the board’s other trustee.

Bacchus and his entire executive promised to work hard for the development of Essequibo cricket, which at the moment is enjoying some good results, especially in the GCB’s franchise league tournaments.

Fraser shines at AAG Second Developmental Meet

By Tamica Garnett LINDEN’S Compton Caesar opened his season with a second place, behind Police’s Kevin Abbensetts in the men’s 80m heats, last Sunday, ending overall in third place after Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Davin Fraser took the win in the final by time race,

at the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Second Developmental Meet at the National Track and Field Centre.

Fraser went on to take a hat-trick of wins after he also championed the men’s 150m and 300m.

In the men’s 80m Fraser clocked the winning time of 8.51 seconds, in the first heat

of the day. It trumped the 8.55 seconds that Abbensetts clocked in the second heat where he outclassed Caesar, who touched the line at 8.61 seconds.

Fraser again proved to be speedier against Abbensetts in the 150m dash. After Abbensetts won the first heat with a time of 15.76 seconds, Fraser followed in heat two with a 15.42 seconds

Panday planning for Endurance glory

run to relegate Abbensetts to second place yet again. Hopetown Flames’ Titus Webster finished second behind Fraser with a time of 15.83 seconds, which put him in third place.

Fraser took 34.50 seconds to win the men’s 300m, where GDF’s Dequan Vancooten was second, clocking 35.17 seconds.

In the middle distance 600m, Police’s Quacy Morian pulled off an upset over Running Brave’s Cleveland Thomas with only milliseconds to spare. Morian clocked 1:24.00s, crossing the line just ahead of Thomas who was in at 1:24.72s.

However, Morian’s endurance was not enough for the longer 1200m, which went to his club mate Anfernee Headecker, with a time of 3:08.76s.

Morian found himself all the way down in third, after the next two spots went to GDF’s Marlon Nicholson (3:12.42s), and Police’s Salim

Leslain Baird

Yussuf (3:24.89s).

Over in the Boys’ 17-19 600m, GPF’s Samuel Lynch

Team ER Racing’s AE91 Toyota Corolla. (GTRidez photo)

By Stephan Sookram THE time is swiftly drawing near to this weekend’s season-opening Endurance race meet of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC).

One team, in particular, are anxious to strike gold in the 1600cc class by ousting their competitors.

Team ER racing drivers, comprising Davin Panday and Azaad Hassan, are making their intentions known ahead of the event set for this

Sunday at the South Dakota Circuit. .

Chronicle Sport caught up with Panday, who said his 4AGE powered AE91 Toyota Corolla is almost ready to go.

“The car had brakes failure and temperature issues at the last event in December, but we’ve done some changes and these seem to be working.

Just some testing and tuning during this week and we’ll be ready for race day,” he added.

When asked about the stiff competition within the 1600cc group, Panday had this to say,

“The group is probably the toughest of all the groups, with cars like the Ramchand’s Levin and Motor Trends AE91 topping the list, but we’re confident in what we have; the guys worked hard on the car and we’ll give it our all.”

Panday also expressed thanks to his loyal sponsors P&P Insurance Brokers, John Lewis Styles, Shoe Source, Harry Rambaran Auto Sales, A&R Jiwanram Printery and Emran & Raymon General Automotive Services.

GPF Davin Fraser

Kevin Abbensetts

prevailed over RB’s Brian Romain, clocking 1:22.27s.

Linden’s Daniel Melville managed third with a time of 1:30.92s.

Murphy Nash won the Boys’ 14-16 600m in 1:27.07s.

Out on the field, national men’s javelin record holder Leslain Baird was in fine form as he flung out a 73.30m toss, and GDF’s Tortque Boyce made it to 2m over the bar in the Boys’ 17-19 high jump.

On the distaff side, junior athlete Kenisha Phillips made a 2:00.16s run in the Girls’ 17-19 600m.

Kezra Murray went headto-head against RB’s Maria Urquhart in the women’s open 1000m and came up short, as Urquhart trotted in with a time of 3:05.18s. Murray clocked 3:08.41s.

GPF’s Odessa France ruled the Girls’ 13-and-under sprints winning the 80m (10.65s), 150m (19.56s), and 300m (43.57s).

ECB elections were not ‘free See and fair’, says Holder Pa2g3e

Guyana, St Lucia to host Women’s Twenty20 World Cup prelims

... Antigua and Barbuda to stage semi-finals and final The Guyana National Stadium will host preliminary matches during the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018. (Adrian Narine photo)

ANTIGUA and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia were yesterday confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the venues for the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup , which will be staged November 9-24, 2018.

Hosts Windies will defend the title they won with an eight-wicket victory over Australia in Kolkata in 2016.

Stafanie Taylor, who was named captain of the ICC Women’s T20I Team-of-the-Year 2017, won the Player-of-theSeries award in India and is expected to once again lead the Windies in front of a passionate home crowd.

The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies (CWI) through a bidding process and have been ratified by the ICC. The preliminary round matches will be held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, and Darren Sammy Stadium in Saint Lucia, while Sir Vivian Richards

Turn to page 20

Terrence Alli to be inducted into New FIFA confirms VAR will be used at 2018 World Cup York State Boxing Hall of Fame

VAR has been used in EFL and FA Cup ties in England. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

FLASHBACK: Guyana’s Terrence Alli (right) exchanges punches with legend Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC World Super Lightweight Title.

(Photo credit: Holly Stein/Allsport) ONE of Guyana’s most fa- the man many felt had placed Howard Beach, New York. mous boxers, Terrence Alli, Guyana on the world stage long “This day is for all these was over the weekend named before Andrew ‘Six Heads’ inductees who worked so hard as an inductee of the New Lewis won the country’s first for our enjoyment,” NYSBHOF York State Boxing Hall of World Title in 2001. president Bob Duffy said, “and Fame.

The seventh annual New for what they did for New York Alli, 58, made his debut York State Boxing Hall of State boxing.” in 1979 against Winston Go- Fame (NYSBHOF) induction odridge, winning on points, dinner will be held on April Turn to page 20 and it was the perfect start for 29, at Russo’s On the Bay in

VIDEO replays will be used at the World Cup for the first time and talks are underway with potential sponsors to appear when the technology is used, a FIFA executive said yesterday.

Soccer’s rule-making panel met to assess recent trials ahead of video assistant referees (VAR) being officially approved by FIFA for use in Russia in June and July.

“Definitely VAR will happen,” FIFA chief commercial officer Philippe Le Floc’h told The Associated Press. “It’s great to have technology in

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football because this is also a fairness thing.”

Referees were assisted for the first time by high-tech aids at a World Cup in 2014 when goal-line technology was used.

That system sees a message instantly flash on referees’ watches saying only whether the ball crossed the line.

Video replays could lead to delays in games in Russia as different angles are reviewed, presenting an opportunity for FIFA to brand up the segment on the global broadcast feed.

“We are talking to various

technological companies who are very interested with what we are doing on the technology side of things,” Floc’h said on board the World Cup trophy tour plane during a stop at London Stansted Airport.

The final decision on allowing replays to become part of the rules of the game falls to the International Football Association Board on March 2 when its annual meeting is held at FIFA. Replays are used when there is a “clear and obvious error” involving goals, penalty awards, red cards, and mistaken identity.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018