Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 25 04 2016

Long run ends No. 104532

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

Price: $80

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...man confesses to 2012 killing of mother, sons

Battling to remain buoyant

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‒ Struggling with indebtedness, Lake Mainstay Resort appeals for public support

Lake Mainstay Resort, a major tourist attraction, has for years been experiencing a decline in business (Tajeram Mohabir photo)

Body found $200M for Linden Town Council $200M on Kitty less fortunate in Berbice in debt foreshore 2

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‒ begs NICIL to pay over millions owed

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Linden Town Council $200M in debt ‒ begs NICIL to pay over millions owed

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE newly sworn councillors at the Mayor and Councillors of Linden (M&TC) have inherited close to $200 million in debt to several organisations and they are seeking various solutions to clear these earliest.

Inclusive of the $200

million is $70 million owed to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). This will negatively affect some 120 council workers if they were to be hospitalised due to illness or injury. The non-contribution could also affect their ability to receive pensions when they retire.

The council is also indebted to LUSCSI for street

light payments as well as other organisations.

It has several development plans which are both immediate and long-term, but with the financial inability to move forward, the Mayor and councillors are somewhat distraught over the situation.

However, they remain positive in serving the people and transforming Linden into a city.

Mayor Carwyn Holland recently told market vendors that the council would like to transform the market into a municipal mall, but with the current financial situation it is in, materialisation of this vision will not be easy.

“The council is cashstrapped, close to $200 million in debt… to inherit $200 million [in debts] is not an easy thing, but through God all things are possible,” he said.

He also revealed the financial situation to repre-

sentatives of the American Embassy, who recently visited Linden and expressed an interest in assisting the region in whatever way possible.

MONEY OWED BY NICIL The council also wants the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to settle its debts which would assist greatly in clearing their expenses and financing projects that should be started in the near future.

The Guyana Chronicle was told by a well-placed source within the municipality that the debt is close to $600 million. The Mayor posited that the council is rallying for that money as it is very much needed at this time.

“We are hoping and we are praying for our money owed to us by NICIL to pay off our debt, so that we can start on a fresh ground,” he told the vendors.

Former Chairman of the Interim Management Committee, Orin Gordon, had bemoaned the council’s terrible financial state.

He had told the Guyana Chronicle that the municipality was forced to function with limited resources, and depended heavily on collection of rates and taxes.

The current tax roll which has not been updated since 1976, could only suffice for 25 per cent of the council’s expenses, according to Gordon.

“Persons are paying rates and tax between $600 and $800 per year and this is because the valuation level has never changed since 1976 and this is very outdated, because of inflation and other factors,” he mentioned.

One of the major factors leading to the cash-strapped state of the council was the disbanding of the Kara Kara toll booth as a means of giving concessions to Bai Shan Lin by the previous administration.

The municipality lost in excess of $200 million from the project in which Bai Shan Lin was transporting lumber out of the town. Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, said the toll booth will

Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland

be reinstituted as the council will earn greatly from the venture.

“Over $250 million was lost which would have been earned because of the many heavily laden trucks to pass Kara Kara. They did not want you to be enriched and empowered,” he told the people of Linden.

As a result of this, the council was unable to pay increased wages to workers which caused many to leave.

The toll booth has since been reinstituted, and the council now wants NICIL to clear its debt.

Long run ends

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

...man confesses to 2012 killing of mother, sons

By Rabindra Rooplall

and I reopened a business.”

ALMOST four years after a 41-year-old businesswoman and her two young sons were murdered, a suspect has been apprehended by police over the weekend, and has confessed to committing the gruesome act.

Identified as a resident of Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara (WCD), the man was once neighbour to the now dead woman.

In 2012, Jennifer Persaud, the owner of a liquor store and bar at Lot 67, Anna Catherina, WCD, and her sons Afridi Bacchus, six, and Jadon Persaud, 18 months, were discovered dead in their home.

She was a mother of six and her eldest daughter is now 25 years old.

Post-mortem examinations revealed that the woman was stabbed about her upper chest, lower neck, and upper arms about 10 times. Her six-year-old son’s throat was slashed and his windpipe was severed, while the baby was stabbed to the left shoulder and the carotid artery was severed.

It is believed that a knife of long blade was used in the attack.

Investigators disclosed that the suspect was apprehended after his reputed wife visited the police station to make a domestic violence report against him. After making the report, she also expressed fear for her life, citing the fact that her lover had previously committed murder.

Having sparked the interest of the police during further questioning, she hinted that the detectives should interrogate him about the murder of a businesswoman and her two children that occurred in Anna Catherina.

Police acted on the information and apprehended the suspect, who, after being confronted with the allegation, eventually gave a detailed statement and tour of the home, explaining the sequence of events that led to the murder.

NOT ENOUGH Reflecting what the suspect told the police, Jetto said: “He tell the police he come to take some money from downstairs and didn’t come fuh kill she. After he take the money from the box downstairs, it was too little money, so he decided to come up upstairs to see if he could get more money.”

Jetto continued: “After he come upstairs now and he pass Jennifer room, she jump up and she holler for he. He tell the police that he run to she and start stabbing she. She little son (Afridi Bacchus) wake up and scramble he foot, and he look down at the boy and slit his throat. She then fall back and reached onto the bed where her baby son was. He continued to attack her on the bed, stabbing wildly. This caused her baby who was on the bed to be stabbed. All three died that night.”

The relative further said he had loaned Jennifer Persaud a substantial amount of

RELIEVED In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the dead woman’s first cousin, Mark Jetto, who now controls the property, related that he is finally relieved to have some closure over the entire affair.

He expressed his desire for overdue justice for his murdered cousin, with whom he had had a sisterly relation-

Dead: Jennifer Persaud

Dead: Afridi Bacchus

Dead: Jadon Persaud

cash to construct the home and business, and the money was on the bed at the time of the killing. Jetto said the suspect, after fleeing the crime scene with the cash, decided to party lavishly.

He said at first he had suspected the stepfather of the children as the one who had committed the crime. “I had to apologise to the man because it was not him.”

Jetto described the suspect as a “useless drug user”.

Expressing a sigh of relief, Jetto said he had almost given up on the case, thinking that the murder would be one of the many unsolved cases in Guyana.

“Now I will clean up the place, since the murderer will face justice before the court.”

The prime suspect in the triple homicide had been Persaud’s 23-yearold partner and the father of her youngest child. He, along with a relative of his, had been taken into custody but were both subsequently released due to insufficient evidence.

The Anna Catherina home of Jennifer Persaud which housed the liquor store and bar that she once operated

The house where the alleged killer once lived

ship. Jetto was present when the police brought the suspect to the home to explain his actions leading up to the murder. He said the suspect was once Jennifer Persaud’s neighbour, and on the fatal night of Friday, September 21, 2012, he jumped the fence, entered her property and business premises from the rear entrance through a wooden back door that was forced open.

The suspect then made his way into the business

premises, where he broke into a money container inside a room on the lower flat. He then ventured to the upper flat through an inside staircase.

“When the police bring this man upstairs and the inspector ask he is which room he killed the woman and children in, the man pointed to the room. Meh start to scream, "In here bai!" is like ah lose my senses,” Jetto explained.

NEVER TAMPERED Jetto, who has had the property under his control since his cousin’s death, had never tampered with the crime scene, leaving everything in the upper flat as they were since the murder occurred almost four years ago.

At the grisly scene, Jetto pointed to the blood-stained floor in the bedroom almost in tears. “Meh just come here one year now, nobody did anything to the place other than pigeons living inside,

Mark Jetto points to where the stale blood stains are in the bedroom where his relatives met their demise

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Linden’s Golden Age Club turns 19 Hopkinson wins CJIA staff lottery ANDEL Hopkinson, an Aviation Security Officer (ASO), was declared the winner of the Cheddi Jagan International Corporation (CJIAC) March staff lottery fund.

On April 20, 2016, he received his $51,000 from the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Andre Kellman.

The staff lottery is an initiative of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) Board of Directors. Every month, from January 2016, seven of the eight directors contribute their stipends to the fund.

They are Stephen Fraser, Chairman; Ramesh Ghir, Vice-Chairman and Directors Gillian Pollard, Nadira Jaikaran, Gerhard Ramsaroop, Stuart Hughes and Sherwood Clarke.

ASOs Shareefa Yansen and Shivanie Sooklall were January and February winners

By Vanessa Braithwaite THE elderly members of the Golden Age Club in Linden sang, danced and dined on Wednesday as the club celebrated its 19th anniversary.

Dressed in yellow, which represents freshness, happiness, positivity, and energy, the members embraced each other in recognition of the inevitability of old age.

Love and laughter permeated the atmosphere, and even as the frail and visually-impaired entered the room, they were given a hearty welcome by their fellow club members.

In Pastor Selwyn Sills’s short word of encouragement to the senior citizens, he reminded that they are still fruit bearers and cannot afford for the younger ones to count them out. He said they are very much needed by this country, as they are in possession of experience and wisdom. Seniors, he said, are patient, humble and wise.

“You still have fruit that

Club members at the anniversary celebration is needed with juice so stop ities. Members also go on condemning yourself. Stop yearly tours to various parts writing off yourself, and of the country, the latest don’t let anybody count you being last month’s Giftland out, because there is still fruit Mall tour. on the tree,” he affirmed.

The club members meet Club President Pauline at the Dorfolk Elderly Home, Melville said it was a real joy which has been in existence to see the club meet the age for the past 25 years but of 19, and even though the is currently in a deplorclub has lost several mem- able condition even as one bers to the sting of death 90-year-old member resides over the past couple months, there. the members are not desponMelville said the club is dent. begging for donations, and Melville said the mem- is trying to secure some to bers meet every Wednesday renovate the home. to engage in several activPastor Selwyn Sills said ities, such as craft work, an overseas-based Guyanese culinary and cultural activ- has expressed interest in funding the renovation, and he is hoping that this will be done soon.

The Church of the Latter-Day Saints has promised to paint the building, but there are much needed repairs to be done prior to that.

The Dorfolk home has been used to shelter elderly persons in the community who have nowhere to live.

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Andel Hopkinson (left) receives his cash incentive from Andre Kellman, the airport’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer respectively.

To be eligible for the lottery, employees must be permanent staff; earn a basic salary less than $100,000 per month and should not have any written or pending action three months prior to the draw.

Further, the winners will be allowed to benefit from the lottery only once per year, therefore, the winning names will be removed from the eligible list until the process recommences the next calendar year.

Kwakwani NDC gets 35.5% from barge crossings

By Vanessa Braithwaite RESIDENTS of the Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) are in high spirits after successfully negotiating with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for the NDC to secure 35.5 per cent of funds earned from barge crossings.

The barge transports vehicles, especially lumber trucks, over the Berbice River, thereby connecting Kwakwani to the access road leading to Linden and several other hinterland communities and logging reservations.

After closure of the stateowned bauxite company Bermine, the barge, which initially served the purpose of transporting large planks of bauxite across the river, was placed in the possession of NICIL. Persons bade for the use of the barge, but the contract was

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given to Edwards Crossing.

Several questions were directed the then Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington, but the community had no control over the decision made.

The barge has since 2002 been operated by Edwards Crossing, and the only benefit to the community has been the free crossing of the ambulance.

With the contract coming to an end, the residents sought the intervention of Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, since the community was not benefiting from the lucrative operation of the barge.

The barge is now being controlled by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and the community, through the newly-formed NDC, has secured 35.5 percent of the funds that will be garnered. This is a great boost to the community, as crossing cost for minibus is

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$2000 while lumber trucks and commercial trucks pay $16,000 per crossing.

On average, on a daily basis, the crossing would sometimes see up to 10 trucks from Chinese lumber company Bi Shan Lin using the facility.

The official signing over was done on Friday, and on Monday the lumber trucks that were stranded on both shores of the river while the issue was being sorted out were given access to the barge.

Besides the barge, the NDC will be garnering funds from rates and taxes, market duties, and the yearly subvention of $3 million from the Government, all of which they will be rallying to increase.

The community has expressed appreciation to Minister Patterson for ensuring its benefit from this operation.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Jamaican rice deal a plus for Guyana GRDB - but GREMA differs

By Navindra Seoraj THE recent rice deal between Guyana, Mussons, and the Jamaica Rice Milling Company Limited (JRMCL) can prove to be a plus for Guyana’s rice industry, said General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Nizam Hassan.

However, the agreement over the past few days was heavily scrutinised by the Guyana Rice Exporters and Millers Association (GREMA). The association said in a statement that, “the agreement recently signed between Mussons and JRMCL and the GRDB would effectively limit importation of rice into Jamaica to these two Jamaican companies.”

GRDB’s General Manager during a telephone

interview, contested that view, noting that, “any company can export to and import from Jamaica, meaning buyers and sellers who meet the GRDB’s criteria will not be hindered in any way, nor will it limit importation into Jamaica to two Jamaican companies.”

Securing this agreement with the Jamaican companies, he said, is a boost to the rice industry, given that in the past there were many cries for rice markets.

In 2015, Jamaica imported some 48,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana, and according to the agreement between the companies and the GRDB, both companies have agreed to import 80,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana.

The companies have also consented to pur-

GRDB General Manager Nizam Hassan

chasing a tonne of rice at US$400, as compared to the average price of US$345 - $370 per tonne.

“Therefore, at this rate of sale both farmers and millers will benefit from the agreement, since there has been an increase in the price per tonne of rice. This will also decrease the cases of non-payment by millers

Gov’t ministries host health drive

IN observance of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health hosted a health drive on Saturday at the Ruimveldt Children’s Aid Centre.

The health drive is part of a list of activities for the Golden Jubilee with the aim of promoting a healthy country.

At Saturday’s health drive, youths assembled to take advantage of free blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose testing.

Persons were also able to check their Body Mass Index (BMI) and receive counselling.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle was Gillian Frank, Director of Youth in the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture ,Youth and Sport.

According to Frank, the health drive helps the youth by raising their awareness of mental health, while

supporting efforts to combat non-communicable diseases.

“Over 22 youth got tested, spoke with doctors about health problems they were experiencing and counsellors made the event a success.”

The director explained that the ministry has embarked on several regional activities in Guyana which

will coincide with the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations.

She said that on May 24th there will be an Inter-School Regional Speech Competition and on August 12th, there will be a Youth Village at the National Park, which will showcase different job opportunities in Guyana for youth development.

to farmers,” said Hassan as he expressed his enthusiasm for the project.

Meanwhile,GREMA has expressed grave dissatisfaction since they were never consulted on this agreement, and was made aware of it only after it was signed by the parties concerned.

“While we have voiced our concerns about this, the GRDB, to date, continues to negotiate with these two Jamaican companies without our involvement, although in the end it is not the GRDB that produces and sells the rice, but local rice millers and farmers.”

This statement is being seen as contradictory, as the

government was called on several times by millers to assist in acquiring markets for rice.

Hassan also highlighted the fact that prior to him signing onto the agreement, the Chairman of the GRDB Claude Housty along with other stakeholders were consulted on the move.

He also acknowledged that Section 41 of the GRDB Act makes it clear that approval for contracts for export of paddy or its byproduct has to be submitted to the board for approval, while affirming that the GRDB has never acted outside the law.

However, “this agreement in its present form and the contracts that millers

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are being required to sign with these two Jamaican companies would result in our rice industry being in a worse financial position than it had been under the old free-market system.

This will not only negatively affect millers, but also impact negatively on the livelihoods of our local rice farmers,” lamented GREMA. Regardless of the positive factors listed

by Hassan, they are still of the opinion that this agreement should be cancelled for the good of the industry, and GREMA is seeking government’s intervention to help in resolving this situation as soon as possible.

City urges caution in buying meat THE City’s Public Health and Markets departments have stepped up inspections of all butcher stalls in the municipal markets.

Public Relations Officer (ag) Debra Lewis said the Council is urging customers to exercise care and caution when purchasing meat. She said the Public Health Department has observed that some butchers are engaged in the practice of sneaking meat that has not been inspected by the meat and food inspectors into a particular municipal market.

“The council wishes to advise citizens that it is dangerous to purchase meat that has not been inspected and deemed fit for consumption. It is possible that meat that is contami-

nated may be purchased and consumed, which can result in consumers becoming ill,” Lewis said.

“When animals are slaughtered at the municipal abattoir, the carcass is thoroughly examined for bruises and infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.

If, during the inspection, the carcass is found to be diseased, it is confiscated by the Environmental Health Officer.”

She explained that the primary role of the municipal abattoir is to ensure that wholesome meat reaches the consumer. The abattoir is the authorised authority in the city for slaughtering, inspecting and pronouncing on the health of carcasses for consumption.

The Meat and Food Inspectors work assiduously to ensure that the correct sequence of operation is followed, and to facilitate efficiency while preventing any form of contamination and cross-contamination.

The council is therefore urging consumers to examine meat for the municipal stamp before purchasing. The council is doing its part, and citizens are encouraged to shop consciously, Lewis added.

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

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

Editorial

That proposed coalition retreat

MINISTER Raphael Trotman announced this week that the partners in the coalition government would soon be holding a high-profile meeting to address their differences, which spilled into the open over the last few weeks.

This must be welcome news for Government supporters, who obviously would have been taken by surprise at the public exchanges between the two factions of the coalition. Despite President Granger’s assurances that there was no major division in the Government, one could not help concluding that there was need for a frank dialogue among the partners away from the public glare.

The strength of any coalition government is its ability to reach consensus on core issues that relate to governance.

The enthusiasm displayed by Government supporters last year and beyond showed the extent to which the coming into being of the Coalition has generated optimism in the country. Many political observers and analysts have opined that the idea and reality of the coalition were pivotal to realizing the change of guard.

We must, however, be reminded that the road to the coalition was not without it challenges. The APNU had to overcome its sense of seniority and size to accommodate the demands of the smaller and newer AFC. The AFC, for its part, had to navigate its way around its own seemingly dogmatic stance of non-alignment with the two big parties. The party also had to placate its support base, which for historical reasons was not enamored of the PNC. In the end, it is to their credit that the parties were able to muster the strength and foresight to overcome the challenges and put in place what some have referred to as a Coalition of Hope.

The idea of a Unity Government had always been touted as a possible means of healing our political wounds and transforming our plurality into a common outlook and destiny. While this Government does not fit into the classic power-sharing model, it is the closest Guyana has come to that ideal.

It is not our first genuine coalition government; the last one was the PNC-UF coalition of 1964-68, which had brought together two ideologically different partners.

Perhaps the short and tumultuous experience of that government may have been partly responsible for the hesitancy over the decades.

One of the significant differences between that previous coalition and this one is the fact that the current one brings together a broader coalition. Apart from the PNC and the AFC, there is the WPA, which today does not enjoy the same kind of mass support as it did three decades ago, but

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Carol Joseph verbally abused, threatened me Dear Editor,

MY first encounter with Carol Joseph was when she joined a taxi I was in on my way to Georgetown.

It was sometime before the 2015 General Elections, and the political landscape was the subject of discussion between the other two passengers, both in their early 20s. As a political analyst, I obviously joined the discussion, and asked whether either was familiar with the economic situation that existed in Guyana prior to 1992.

During my brief history presentation to the young voters, the driver stopped to pick up another passenger.

Not knowing who she was, I continued my discussion.

It didn’t take long for Carol Joseph to let me know who she was, and she proceeded to verbally abuse me with threats to slap me on my head if I didn’t stop “lying” about the PNC. I was sitting in the front seat and she was seated directly behind me. I told her that wouldn’t be such a good idea, as I would not hesitate to get her arrested. That only intensified her threatening and vulgar behaviour for the rest of the journey. I was happy when I arrived at my destination.

My second encounter with Carol Joseph occurred on Veterans Day last year.

I was asked by the PPP/C Parliamentary Representative for Region Five to represent her at the Veterans Day Parade which was held in front of the Regional Office at Fort Wellington, WCB. Before the parade started, I was in conversation with the Vice- Chairman and other

invitees when Carol Joseph approached and distributed ‘Poppies’ to everyone in my group, but ignored me. After she walked away, someone commented that as the organiser of the event, her behaviour was very disrespectful to a Member of Parliament. I then approached and advised her that I was filling in for my colleague, the Honourable Priya Manickchand. She said I could not do so because Priya did not inform her that she would not be attending. After I protested to the Regional Chairman, I was allowed to participate in the veterans’ Memorial ceremony.

Carol Joseph was again verbally abusive to me as I instructed the PPP/C Councillors of the Woodlands/ Bel Air Local Authority Area to walk out of the kangaroo proceedings held at the local NDC office, after Minister Ronald Bulkan had selected APNU+AFC Councillors as chairman and vice-chairman in a tied NDC, where the People’s Progressive Party had won the plurality of votes in the just concluded Local Government Elections.

Again I ignored Ms Joseph, who reminds me of the characters that gave Tiger Bay and Albouystown a bad reputation a few decades ago.

Then last Thursday, at the invitation of Region Five Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal, I travelled to Fort Wellington to attend the monthly statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council as an observer.

Since the year started, the Regional Chairman has been prevented from conducting the people’s business because APNU+AFC Councillor Carol Joseph has

remains an important voice in the country’s political discourses. There is also the group of ex-soldiers whom some have argued represent an independent force in the coalition.

The breadth of the coalition may appear at first sight to be a weakness, but in the final analysis it may be a positive thing, as some factions many serve as a buffer between the larger forces.

Despite the recent exchanges, the coalition seems to be working relatively well; the parties have stayed

been influencing the other APNU+AFC Councillors to disrupt the meetings. She was subsequently suspended, but continued to show up with the aim of disrupting these proceedings. I was armed with my video camera to document any disruption that may arise.

As I approached the location, adjacent to the Fort Wellington Police Station, I observed a hostile crowd carrying placards blocking the entrance to the RDC building. To avoid navigating my vehicle through the crowd to get into the compound, I parked my vehicle on the side of the road, some distance away from the unruly protesters.

As I approached the entrance to the compound with my video camera in one hand and my tripod in the other, the crowd zeroed in on me like a target, pushing placards in my face and trying to block my entrance to the building.

As I proceeded, APNU+AFC Councillor Carol Joseph deliberately moved to block my approach, waving her outstretched hands up and down and using derogatory comments. I tried to pass when her right hand was in the upright position, but she brought it down quickly and brushed the side of my head. I ignored this deliberate assault as I was not hurt in any way, and proceeded to the RDC Boardroom.

Shortly after, I was told that she had made a report at the nearby Fort Wellington Police Station that I had assaulted her. Of course the only part of my body that came in contact with the APNU+AFC provocateur

Carol Joseph was when her descending right hand deliberately struck me on my head. But as I said in my statement to the police, had I been so foolish to have done that, the angry mob would have torn me into pieces.

I then proceeded to video the so-called “protestors.”

They were unruly and disrespectful, even to the police.

When Chairman Ramphal arrived, the mob was determined to prevent his entry to the RDC boardroom. The ringleader, Carol Joseph, sat down in the middle of the driveway directly in the path of the Chairman’s vehicle.

Several attempts by senior police officers to have her moved were met with the singing of “We shall not be moved.”

As I took video clips of an uncharacteristically subdued Carol Joseph while she defied direct instructions from a senior police officer to clear the driveway, I wondered how a person so filled with hate could ever be entrusted to make unbiased decisions as an RDC Councillor in the best interest of the residents of Region Five.

This woman is not only an embarrassment to herself, but to the entire APNU+AFC coalition as well.

I urge Present Granger to intervene and put an end to Carol Joseph’s disgraceful, despicable behaviour, and send a strong message to APNU+AFC supporters that he would not tolerate any form of insurrection that hinders progress in Region Five or anywhere else in Guyana.

Yours sincerely, HARRY GILL, MP

together for a year. The chemistry between the major leaders does not reveal hostility. Those are always good signs for a coalition. We wish the coalition well in its upcoming retreat. We are happy that its members have heard the call for a dialogue outside of the Cabinet. As we move into the second year, we hope that lessons are learned from first-year mistakes. And most importantly, we recommend that that forum becomes a permanent feature of the coalition.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

‘I am ground in voice of reason’ -- Allicock responds to political interference claim

By Alva Solomon

MINISTER of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, has said that his relationship with the National Toshaos Council (NTC) is grounded in the “voice of reasoning” to address issues facing the indigenous community.

Allicock made this remark on Sunday in response to a statement issued by the NTC on Friday, which pointed to political interference in the body’s mandate.

According to the minister, it has to be ascertained to determine whether the statement was issued with the consent of village leaders from the 212 villages which fall under the umbrella of the body. “We have to know if the statement came from the council or an individual,” he said.

He noted that while he did not see the statement, given that he was out of town, he has no qualms regarding persons who may wish to voice their concerns.

However, he noted, “It

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock should be done while having the facts correct”.

The minister noted that as far as he is aware, the NTC is a semi-autonomous body which holds its own mandate. He said he sits on the body as an ex-officio member.

“I manage a relationship that works by using the voice of reasoning to attack the issues, rather than personality issues,” he noted.

The NTC, in a statement issued on Friday, sought to warn against

“creeping manipulation” of the body by officials of the Government.

Following its executive conference last month, the NTC said that under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration, it was noticeable that the body’s political capital was a coveted asset which contributed to the then Government wanting to control the body.

Despite raising these concerns however, the NTC said, it sought to indicate that this might be a recurring feature, even with the change in Government.

“Under the current administration, there are political forces from within this administration that think it and see it fit to interfere with the workings of the NTC,” the statement said.

However, the body did not discredit the fact that there is a progressive and forward-looking Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, who is willing to see the NTC as a more autonomous entity.

But with regard to the

issue at hand, which the body feels strongly about, it expressed that it was most notable recently when a Government official called “the core of the NTC executive” to a meeting, attempting to manipulate its work and dictate what the body should and should not do. “…during a recent meeting, the said official declared that, ‘I do not respect the decision of 20 people in a room making decisions for all indigenous peoples in [over] 200 communities’,” the NTC said.

The NTC voiced its displeasure at the development.

The NTC was established under the Amerindian Act of 2006. It consists of all toshaos of Guyana, and represents more than 212 indigenous communities which together have a population of more than 75,000.

The NTC is a body corporate, with an elected executive core. All members of the executive are elected in sub-regional elections held at the general assembly every three years.

Ras Michael Jeune was rootsman to the bone Dear Editor, RAS Michael Jeune was my friend, my mentor, my brother. In a little wooden house at Buxton-Friendship Line Top, he taught me and others how to write and read poetry, and how to write, period. He taught us drama and storytelling and short-story writing. He was, for me, Guyana’s best short-story writer of his generation. He was a dub-poet before dub poetry was popular. He had a knack for capturing the rhythm of the people in his art.

Mike introduced me to the poetry/chant of Andre Tanker and the artistry of Ken Corsbie, Marc Matthews, Johnny Agard and Henry Muttoo. It was he who explained to me that Walter Rodney was an artist too, and that Kwayana had that touch of genius.

I remember how he got us little boys and girls of the 1970s Buxton into his poem — You Black like me/ You Poor like me/And poverty is yuh Legacy. That poem

opened my eyes at a very young age to the intersection of Race and Class and the consequences for the lives of people around me. Rupert Roopnaraine would capture Mike doing that poem in his film, “The Terror and the Times.”

Mike never gave me the impression that he cared for formal politics; he was never a political activist in that sense. His political activism was in his art — his varied art. Even when he was talking to you about regular life, he was making art — the organic artist.

Mike was also a teacher in the formal system. He taught at Kwayana’s County High, turned Republic Cooperative High School, in Buxton. His students had a broader understanding of English Literature than the rest of us. He took his artistry into the classroom, and it made a difference.

Michael was steeped in political reasoning, and always reaching for philosophy. He was the first person to clarify for me the meaning

of democracy and dictatorship. It came out in an argument he had with a “lil hot hand” name John Cromwell.

He and John would remain lifelong friends.

I learned about political art from him; he was always making a political point in his work -- a cultural worker who stood on the side of the poor and oppressed.

Our recent conversations were long and varied: about capitalism, culture and art, and about Guyana. Our last one occurred a few months ago, on a Friday morning around 2 ‘o clock on Friendship Middle Walk, Buxton in front of Andrew Night Spot.

He gave me a treatise on how politicians change when they get into office. He was glad the government had changed, but he was not optimistic about Guyana.

I often think about how Guyana’s politics has destroyed optimism in our best products. Mike’s parting words to me were “Twilly, it’s your responsibility to restore Buxton and Black People to the place that made it possible

for you to chant like you doing.” I told him I am always willing to help. I knew his message was less about me and more about the condition of our people — that there was and is another way.

He promised me to write something for the young people in Buxton, fusing Emancipation and Independence for this year’s Emancipation observances in the village.

I don’t know where he was with that project at the time of his death.

I love you, Mike. Go back to your ancestors and continue your work of the mind and of poor people looking to break free. This year’s Emancipation at Buxton Line Top would not be the same without your voice, but the first libation will be for you -- Rootsman to the bone, artistic to the core.

And yes, Ras Michael Jeune earned and deserves a National Award for his contribution to Guyana.

Yours faithfully, David Hinds

7

$200M for less fortunate in Berbice

THE Marcus Bria Bisram Foundation has committed to assist the less fortunate in Region Six every year by donating the sum of $200M. According to Marcus Bisram -- founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization -- the funding will provide assistance in the area of education, donation of medical supplies, funding for surgeries overseas, and funding for funerals.

Addressing a large gathering of residents of Number 70 Village Corentyne at a fun day and cricket match held at the Number 70 Community Centre Ground, he said: “The objective of today is not just for a fun day, it’s also to expose and bring awareness of the foundation. This foundation is surely for the underprivileged and persons who cannot afford the necessities of life. We will assist persons to pay for their CXC examinations, help persons who cannot pay for surgeries that cannot be done in Guyana…if there is someone who needs help and reaches out to us, we will assist,” he said.

The occasion was organised by the said foundation with the aim to bring awareness of its work.

Bisram said one of the long-term goals of the foundation is to build a home for victims of gender-based violence and children who are victims of abuse or in need of help.

The foundation was launched last month in the

Marcus Bisram United States, but Bisram has been involved in humanitarian work in various parts of Guyana over the past seven years.

According to Bisram, the foundation was conceived after his many years of work and the need for him to have a transparent body to govern the funding of projects and to properly select and dispense funding to those in need.

The foundation, he said, is aimed at promoting equal opportunities and empowerment to under-privileged youths, senior citizens, and communities in need of assistance. The foundation is managed by a Board of Trustees that sets out rules, standards and protocols for the operation of the organization, as well as review and approve grant applications.

It also carries out its work in the United States, and the Caribbean.

Hundreds of residents from Number 70 and neighbouring communities came out to support the event, and food and drinks were provided for all present.

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

600 Mahaicony residents to get titled lands

By Clifford Stanley

SOME 600 residents of villages in Mahaicony, Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice), will soon benefit from formalisation of land rights due to an ongoing Land Tenure Regularisation Programme (LTRP) now being executed by the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/ Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA).

Chairman of the MMA/ ADA Board of Directors, Dr Kenneth Sealey, disclosed last week that freehold and state lands in these villages are currently being surveyed as the first part of a process for the issuing of titles to the occupiers. This

will enable them to optimise land use and benefit from the economic growth which is possible with formal ownership.

Sealey said that, at the moment, most of the farmers on the lands between the Mahaica and Mahaicony rivers, referred to as the Mahaica/ Mahaicony Block, don’t have documents to show ownership of their lands.

Since the new board took office, he said, members had vowed to prioritise empowerment of the farmers in the Mahaica /Mahaicony Block by assisting them to obtain formal ownership of the lands by title.

He said: “It is known that secure property rights are a

key determinant of economic development. People in these villages will be able to use their titles as collateral for investments. There will be significant pay-off from this long neglected programme for the Mahaica/ Mahaicony block.”

The payment of rates and taxes from these lands, once titles are issued, will also help to broaden the economic base of the MMA/ADA. Sealey said that with the current state of the work, residents in at least three villages: Dantzig, Perseverance and Content, can expect to get their leases for their freehold and state lands (lands to the rear of their freehold lands) by the end of this year.

General Manager of the MMA/ADA, Aubrey Charles, who also spoke with the Guyana Chronicle, said the LTRP in the Mahaica/Mahaicony block targets over 3,000 acres of agricultural lands. He explained: “We had started this LTRP sometime in the latter half of last year with, first of all, an occupational survey of both the freehold lands (privately owned lands) and the state lands. We don’t have a special interest in the freehold or transported lands, but the information that we are gathering from the occupation of the freehold lands is helping us in our recommendations as to who should get the lands at the back, and to

what depth.”

He said that MMA/ADA surveyors have completed occupational surveys in the villages of Dantzig, Content and Perseverance, all within the target block; and surveys are currently in progress at Belmont and Content.

The surveyors will subsequently move on to the remaining villages in the block to complete the targeted acreage.

With respect to those villages where occupational surveys have been completed, the MMA will propose allocation of these lands to the villagers.

Once there is agreement on how the lands are allocated, MMA/ADA

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MMA/ADA, Dr Kenneth Sealey

surveyors will then install boundaries or paals and the administrative staff will prepare leases for the occupiers. The latter activity is expected to be completed before the end of this year, Dr. Sealey said.

Vaccination Week launched THE Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) has launched Vaccination Week in the Americas under the theme “Go for the Gold,” with a list of activities slated for all 10 administrative regions.

Vaccination Week in the Americas, one of the largest multi-national events, is observed throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, accounting for the vaccination of over 400 million people over the last 12 years, a press statement from the Ministry of Public Health said.

All primary healthcare staff involved in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) will participate

in catch-up campaigns for their defaulters and hard-toreach populations, including remote hinterland communities, the ministry said.

Programmes include vaccination of the general adult population and ‘in school’ vaccination campaigns countrywide, schools in art, poetry and essay competitions, religious activities and walks.

The ministry said the EPI is one of the most successful of public health programmes with vaccination coverage of over 90 per cent of all antigens given to the population under five-years-old in Guyana.

Under the EPI, Government hopes to provide immunisation for all target populations in order to eliminate vaccine- preventable diseases.

The programme adminis-

ters vaccines for 17 antigens, including whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, yellow fever, diphtheria, tetanus, mumps, rubella, haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, pneumococcal, meningococcal, human papilloma virus, varicella, rota virus and pertussis.

Meanwhile, PAHO/WHO in a statement, said the commemoration which ends April 30 is an extraordinary effort by the countries and territories of the Americas to advance equity and access to vaccination.

PAHO/WHO said the week of activities will strengthen the national immunisation programmes by reaching out to populations with little access to regular health services, including rural and border areas and indigenous communities.

Body found on Kitty foreshore The lifeless body of 52-year-old Ramesh Ramdeen, called “Rabai”, of Lot 106, Shell Road, Kitty was on Sunday afternoon discovered on the foreshore outside the Celina Resort.

He is suspected to have drowned.

According to his brother Richard Ramdeen, the man’s body was discovered by persons working at Celina’s Resort. He said his brother,

who had no children, was an alcoholic who did odd jobs in the Kitty Market area and would often hang-out near the market.

He said that when he ventured to the scene, he saw his brother frothing from the mouth. He said persons in the area noticed the man’s body at the foreshore and raised an alert.

The body was taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Par-

Ramesh Ramdeen, in his younger days

lour and a post-mortem examination is expected to be performed today.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

List of representatives to ERC being finalised THE Standing Committee on Appointments is currently in the process of finalising a list of names of persons to be appointed as members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).

In accordance with article 212B (1) (a) of the Constitution, the committee has invited one representative each from several groups to attend a meeting on Wednesday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre at Liliendaal.

Representatives have been invited from religious bodies (Islam, Hinduism and Christianity), the labour movement, the private sector, and youth and cultural/ ethnic organisations (Amerindian, African and Indian bodies) to make representa-

tion on the appointment of members to the ERC. According to an advertisement in the daily newspapers, those attending the meeting will be required to “interface with representatives and sensitise them on the role of the Ethnic Relations Commission and the process for nomination”.

But despite the invitation having been extended to the aforementioned bodies, Sase Singh, in a letter to the Editor published in the Sunday, April 24, 2016 edition of the Guyana Chronicle, expressed the view that more of rural Guyana needs to be included on the ERC. In his letter, Singh said he views the various groups selected to participate in the

nomination process to be limited. He questioned the country’s ability to promote harmony and good relations when rural Guyana remains largely excluded from the nomination process to the commission.

“It seems as though people from Buxton and Albion, Victoria and Enmore have no say in national life anymore.

Less than 15 per cent of the invited organisations have their genesis in rural Guyana,” the letter writer argued.

Hindus, he argued, represent 30 per cent of the nation, and most Hindus live in rural communities. He noted that on the list of invitees, Hindus represent less than 10 per cent of the general Hindu population, and those invited

Raffik is new President of Corentyne Chamber MOHAMED Raffik, Chief Executive Officer of Raffik & Sons Construction at Williamsburg, Corentyne, has been elected new President of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) for the period 2016-2017.

Raffik was elected during the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CCCC. Imran Hamid of Imran & Son & Daughters of Rose Hall Town was elected Vice President, and Poonai Bhigroog of Poonai’s Pharmacy

and Animal Health Care at Rose Hall Town was elected Secretary.

Harry Dass Ghaness, Branch Manager of Republic Bank Rose Hall Branch, was elected Treasurer; Tajpaul Adjodhea, Branch Manager of Hand in Hand Insurance, Berbice, was elected Assistant Treasurer; Krishnanand Raghunandan, an anthropologist, was elected Assistant Secretary; and Surendra Ganesh, Chief Executive Officer of Nand Persaud Group (NPG) Packing, was elected Public Relations Officer.

Council members are: Deonarain Balram of D. Balram Shane & Son at Rose Hall Town; Anand Matadeen of Matadeen Trading, Belvedere; Bibi Azeez of Bibi’s Travels, Rose Hall Town; and Mohindra Persaud, General Manager of Nand Persaud & Co. Limited, No. 36 Village, Corentyne. A representative each from Demerara Bank Limted and the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry were also present.

The CCCC was founded on November 24, 2004.

CCCC’s newly-elected: From left are Bibi Azeez, Krishnanand Raghunandan, Surendra Ganesh, Tajpaul Adjodhea, Poonai Bhigroog, Mohamed Raffik, Imran Hamid, Harry Dass Ghaness and Deonarain Balram

are “Georgetown-based”.

Singh called on those responsible for the consultative process to “be mature and rise about our comfort zones and do the right thing if we want to progress Guyana’s human development. The status quo is nothing but counterproductive”.

Attempts to contact Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, on the concerns raised by Singh proved futile.

In the past, the ERC has been subjected to much criticism, and has in fact been disbanded since 2011, when the then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) obtained an injunction against the ERC, barring the Chairman and two commissioners from carrying out functions on behalf of the commission.

The court at the time also ordered that the Commission-

ers, John P Willems and Carvil Duncan, and Chairman of the ERC, Juan Edghill, refund to the State all monies they collected after August 2007 when the life of the Commission expired.

The ERC is a constitutional body established by the Herdmanston Accord and by the Constitutional Amendment (Number 2) Act of 2000, and its aim is to promote ethnically harmonious relations.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Charity: A pioneering development centre GUYANA has seen the establishment of three towns in less than a year, and three more areas have been earmarked for township status.

These developments have been most welcome by residents within these locales, as it gives them greater autonomy to manage their affairs.

The locales which have been accorded township status are Mabaruma in Region One; Bartica in Region Seven; and Lethem in Region Nine.

These add to the existing townships, which are Anna Regina in Region Three; Corriverton, Rose Hall Town and New Amsterdam in the East Berbice/Corentyne Coast of Region Six; and Linden in Region Ten. President Granger has, of recent, announced that three new towns will be added to the list of already existing townships, and these will be located in Regions Three,

Four and Five.

Charity is outside the regions mentioned, but res-

ident should add this community to the list of places earmarked for township sta-

Charity was earmarked for township status under the previous administration, but

A scene at Charity, Essequibo Coast idents believe that the Pres-

tus. A thriving business hub,

it never happened. Essequib-

ians now believe that the honour is long overdue.

The Charity/Pomeroon area has a rich history. The Pomeroon was first occupied by the Cariwanna tribes some 3000 years ago. They came in contact with the Spaniards in about the year 1420. About 100 years after, some Jews who were thrown out of Brazil took up residence here, and settled in the Pomeroon. Then the Dutch came in 1620, and they not only settled in the Pomeroon, but also establish settlements on the Essequibo Coast. They established the first colony in Guyana.

Skilful administrators, the Dutch began cultivating cotton and coffee, and were the first colonisers to open the region to major developments.

Large scale development of Guyana by the colonisers therefore first began in the Charity/Pomeroon area at a time when

Monday, April 25, 2016 - 05:00 hrs Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 05:00 hrs Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 08:30 hrs

what are now the East Coast Demerara, West Coast Demerara and Berbice were densely forested. In fact, the Essequibo Coast then was known as Dutch Guiana, but as time evolved, it became known as the Moroccan Coast, then the Arabian Coast, before it got its current name of Essequibo Coast.

FIRST SUGAR COMPLEX The first sugar complex was constructed there in 1664, and it was driven by slaves and horses. More than a century later, the Dutch abandoned all of its estates in Charity/Pomeroon after slavery became too costly.

The British took over Guiana in 1803; and in 1840, the Portuguese began to settle in Charity/ Pomeroon.

The Gouveias and the Surroings were in charge of the estates there, but in 1908, they sold them to the British Government for $8,500 pounds.

Soon after the purchase, the Court Hall at Macaseema, 18 miles up the Pomeroon River, was relocated to Charity; and, so, too, the police station which was located at Marlborough, also in the Pomeroon River.

Charity became a centre of development. The Portuguese settlers also played a useful part in that process.

The Roman Catholic school build by the Portuguese is still open today, but is now under Government control. Government assumed control of the school in 1961.

The Second World War (1939-1945) created many problems for Guiana, and the coffee estates at Charity were abandoned for cultivation of rubber, with their accompanying production plants. Rubber was in demand, as it was used to line/ coat the sides of steel ships to lessen the force of attraction of a floating bomb.

When the war was over, rubber was no longer in demand, and the rubber estates closed. Land settlement began to mushroom in Charity, and the area See page 11

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Personality profile T

HE stunningly beautiful and very pleasant Marcella Gonsalves of the Pomeroon community on the Essequibo Coast is a medical technologist and branch manager at the Eureka Laboratory at Charity.

On completing her secondary education at Anna Regina Multilateral School, this 22-year-old moved to the City and secured a job at the Georgetown Public Hospital. While in the employ of the country’s main referral hospital, she successfully read for a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology at the University of Guyana (UG).

This young lady spends most of her day at work testing for strands of HIV, dengue, typhoid and other antibodies from samples submitted by various health agencies.

Gonsalves told the Guyana Chronicle that when she is not working, she enjoys kayaking, singing and reading.

And with a simile, she urged that “young people take every opportunity to professionally develop themselves, as lost opportunities might never be regained”.

MARCELLA GONSALVES

Charity: A pioneering development ...

From page 10 was transformed into a housing scheme.

And even today, a trace of its past is still present.

There is a passageway in Charity called Rubber Dam, but not many persons there know of its historical name.

Charity today provides a reliable boat service, and is a transit point to the North West, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

With a population of about 6000, the locale also provides customs and immigration services. It has a bank, gas stations, market, cemetery, playgrounds, schools, religious institutions, cultural centres, entertainment

spots, the only television station on the Essequibo Coast, the tallest building on the Essequibo Coast (Alphonso’s Shopping Mall), shopping malls, hospital, health centre, pharmacies, a police outpost, paved roads, potable water, telephone and Internet services (Internet service pedestrian), and a thriving business community.

Residents and members of the business community are of the view it would not be an act of charity, but an act of honour, to bestow township status on Charity, one of the pioneering centres of development in Guyana. (Some historical information credited to Isahak Bashir)

The Roman Catholic School built by the Portuguese behind the church still stands today

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Battling to remain buoyant –– Struggling with indebtedness, Lake Mainstay Resort appeals for public support THE idyllic Lake Mainstay Resort on the Essequibo Coast has, for years, been the perfect escape destination of choice for

both local and foreign visitors; but, for years now, this major tourist attraction has been experiencing a decline in business,

and would require more support from Government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the business community, and

members of the public to remain viable.

In the past few years, this tourists’ paradise has been battling to clear a debt of some $180 million, most of which is due to high electricity costs, while continuing to invest in upgrading the entity into a must-see, must-visit destination. With the price of fuel on a downturn on the world market, Lake Mainstay Resort is now breathing a sigh of relief; and with more support from the Government and other agencies, proprietor Wilfred Jagnarine is confident that the once booming paradise would regain a sound financial footing.

“Over the years, the resort has seen a decline in

sort is 15 per cent per annum. In a bid to promote the resort, its management has, during the past couple of years, been investing in advertising to increase business. Mr Jagnarine thanked the Government for its help in this regard, even though he believes enough is not being done to promote Guyana internationally, especially in the diaspora.

GENESIS The resort has an interesting beginning. It was birthed in the early 1980s amidst a major foreign currency shortage. In those days, the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Government under

inet meetings in scenic and serene ambience, arriving in and descending from a helicopter.

Unfortunately, President Burnham was called to the Great Beyond months before his splendid creation was commissioned. With his death, Lake Mainstay Resort was never officially opened by the PNC Government, and his successor, President Desmond Hoyte, quickly set aside the tight restriction on foreign currency possession while implementing a raft of measures which opened up and breathed new life into the economy.

ABANDONMENT

Some of the cabins at Lake Mainstay Resort

The hallway in the fantasy cabin, located in front of the lake business from the Government. This has negatively contributed to its fortunes.

We will be more than grateful if this new Government can reverse what used to obtain in the past. It would be great if more Government conferences, workshops and retreats are held at Lake Mainstay. This resort has been surviving mostly from the support of the churches, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Health Organization, NGOs, regattas, fund-raising activities and daily tours. These non-governmental agencies would usually host their conferences and workshops at Lake Mainstay,” Mr Jagnarine told the Guyana Chronicle.

On average, occupancy at the Lake Mainstay Re-

President Forbes Burnham had imposed a tight restriction on persons travelling out of Guyana with foreign currencies.

Incidentally, many senior Government functionaries, including in the Cabinet and the Judiciary, used to spend their vacation overseas. With the foreign currency restriction, their ability to vacation abroad was severely restricted, and an alternative had to be found.

President Burnham came up with the idea of creating a resort second to none and equal to any beyond these shores. Thus the resort was built, and an airstrip was constructed nearby.

The resort was also intended to be a place where the President holds his Cab-

No longer constrained by a tight foreign currency restriction, many senior Government functionaries opted to vacation abroad, and the beautiful paradise was left in a state of abandonment. The forest encroached, and termites took up residence in the luxurious buildings within its parameter. In 1992, the Government was changed and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) came to power under Dr Cheddi Jagan.

The new PPP/C Government promised to place emphasis on tourism, and bids were open to private individuals/businesspersons to restore and manage the vacation site. Mr Jagnarine, along with four others, bade and won the project in 1997;

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016 24/7, and a backup generator is available in case of blackouts. All cabins are outfitted with comfortable self-contained rooms, wardrobes, air conditioning units, washroom facilities and suites. These also have television sets and refrigerators.

Prices range from $9,300, $14,000, $20,000 and $24,900 (5 persons) per night. These prices cover only the cost of accommo-

dation. The resort can, at any time, provide accommodation for 166 persons, and persons overnighting have access to all facilities, except board games.

The resort’s spacious conference hall can accommodate a maximum of 250 persons, and is available at a rate of $10,000 per hour. Equipped with PA systems, air conditioning units, stage and other

facilities, it is ideal for conferences, workshops, weddings, birthday celebrations, and church and family reunions.

“We are here to stay, but we need the support of the Government, the business community, NGOs and the public to stay afloat. (The nation’s) help will ensure our viability,” Mr Jagnarine told the Guyana Chronicle.

A good section of the deplorable road leading to the Lake Mainstay Resort and after two years, with millions spent in renovation works and rolling back the encroaching jungle, the Lake Mainstay Resort was finally opened.

But by this time Dr Jagan had also been called to the Great Beyond.

In December 1999, the sprawling resort, which sits on 15 acres of land and boasts 54 buildings, including 41 cabins, two bars, a restaurant, stores, band stand and other entertainment facilities, was opened by the then President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Situated on the shores of Lake Mainstay, the resort is within courting distance of the Amerindian village of Whyaka. Years ago, the Arawaks inhabited the area around the lake, which it called quacabuka, meaning ‘in-between’.

The buildings on the resort are owned by Government, while the land is owned by the villagers. Mr Jagnarine has a lease of 50 years, and he said business at the resort was great initially, but things began to decline in 2001.

DISTURBANCES At that time, the elec-

tion-related disturbances in Georgetown and on the East Coast of Demerara contracted the economy. These disturbances were followed by a crime wave, and, according to Mr Jagnarine, business at the resort has since never

WILFRED JAGNARINE regained sound financial footing.

“Since then, it was a challenge to keep our doors open, and I have made a personal decision to take up residence at the resort and do all I can to make it work

and remain in business. In spite of all the renovation works that we have done, there are still works to be done, and we have been doing (those in) small strides.

“We need the help of the Government; more of its events can be hosted at the resort, and attention needs to be paid to fixing the deplorable road leading to the resort. I pleaded with the previous Government for years, and it fell on deaf ears. The abandoned airstrip should also be restored, as it will be a boost to tourism as well as provide a service to residents of the region. Miners on the coast have to travel all the way to Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to get flights into the interior. Of course, they can utilise the Kayman Sankar airstrip, which is a private airstrip at Hampton Court, but the State should provide this service to residents 24/7,” Jagnarine told this publication.

Notwithstanding competition and the struggle to stay afloat, management of the resort has been trying to improve its condition and the ambience of the facility.

The resort has electricity

Inside the Lake Mainstay Resort restaurant

The abandoned airstrip at Anna Regina

14

Fighting suicide THE Sanatan Dharm Per Upkaaric Sabha, a Hindu organisation established at Charity, Essequibo Coast since 1997, has been making concerted efforts to arrest the increased incidents of suicide in Region Two. Its president, Rameshwar Jagarnauth, told the Guyana Chronicle that the organisation, formed to unite the Hindu community on the Essequibo Coast, has been educating followers about the scourge of suicide through satsangs (lectures) and workshops in its temples.

Some 11 temples on the northern Essequibo Coast are under the Sabha, which has an estimated following of over 10,000.

“We hold regular satsangs, where we address suicide and other social issues, but more particularly suicide. So we do not look only at the spiritual side of

Hinduism, but (at) other issues as well. Our aim (is) to spread spiritual awareness among our devotees and make a positive difference in people’s lives, and to show them an alternative to an immoral and unproductive/ unconstructive life,” Jagarnauth said.

He pointed out that, based on a survey, the Sabha found that most persons who attempt to commit suicide lack spiritual direction and awakening. Most likely, he said, it would not be quite different for persons who had taken their lives.

According to him, while many of these persons identify themselves as Hindus, in actuality they are Hindus only by association, and not by practice.

Hinduism forbids the killing of animals and the eating of meat, and is strongly against persons wilfully taking their own lives. Gen-

erally, committing suicide is considered a violation of the code of ahimsa (non-violence), and is therefore equally sinful as murdering another.

According to Subramuniyaswami Sivaya, suicide only accelerates the intensity of karma, bringing a series of immediate lesser births and requiring several lives for the soul to return to the exact evolutionary point that existed at the moment of suicide, at which time the still-existing karmic entanglement must again be faced and resolved.

Hinduism accepts a person’s right to end his/her life through the non-violent practice of fasting to death, known as Prayopavesa. But Prayopavesa is strictly restricted for old age yogis who have no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in this life. Another example

is dying in a battle to save one’s honour.

Suicide is a major problem in Guyana, and the Government has begun to look for the root causes of the scourge with the hope of rooting them out.

In Guyana, 34.7 per 100,000 deaths are from suicide. It was erroneously reported in both the local and international press that the figure is 44.2 per 100,000. This is way above the global average of 11.4 per 100,000, and towers over the average rate of 6.1 per 100,000 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Aside from an absence of spiritual awareness, depression and domestic issues are among the chief causes of the scourge on the Essequibo Coast, Jagarnauth said.

Given the magnitude of the problem, a suicide hotline has been established on the Essequibo Coast, and

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

RAMESHWAR JAGARNAUTH the Sabha has offered to work along with the region, but its proposal has received no response from regional officials.

Jagarnauth said the religious body intends to go ahead and set up its own hotline, but remains open to working with all stakeholders in tackling the problem.

“We will not target Hindus alone, but persons of all races, religions and creeds.

Suicide is not only a problem

in the Hindu community, it is a national problem,” he said.

The Sabha has, since establishment, been engaged in numerous charitable activities that range from providing medical assistance to persons in need to hosting medical outreaches.

“Our role is to propagate Dharma, which is service to the people. We want a better, peaceful and a more progressive society. Aside from our satsangs, we also hold Bhagavat Gita and musical classes, celebrate our culture, and reward our pupils who perform exceptionally well in school,” the Sabha president said.

The organisation is supported by the business community, membership fees and fund-raising activities.

Collections from its mandirs go towards an Emergency Fund which is used to assist members, or anyone outside its membership, who need medical help.

Promising tourism destination WITH a pristine rustic setting, tranquil villages and hospitable people, Region Two is poised to become a major tourist destination.

All that is now required is the investment to make it happen.

Residents and persons in the business community are of the view that the abandoned airstrip at Anna Regina should be restored, and roads in the region need to be widened.

They praised the efforts of the regional administration to build more recreational parks in the region, but want those to be of a high standard, where they and visitors can go and have light drinks, coffee, chit-chat in the afternoons and picnic on the weekends.

Primarily a rice farming region, Region Two is home to six Amerindian reservations, abundant rice and coconut cultivations, aquaculture farms, the breathtaking Lake Mainstay Resort, riverine resorts, 18 attractive hotels, the magnificent Capoey Lake, huge supermarkets, and a thriving business community.

These are just a few of the attractions on which the region needs to capitalise and build, Essequibo Chamber of Commerce President Deleep Singh told the Guyana Chronicle.

“Many persons in the big cities around the world, who eat rice every day, never saw a rice field or a rice mill in their lives. They have never seen a dense and pristine rainforest,

vast species of birds, cattle rearing and coconut plantations. These can all be part of an agro-tourism package the region can provide for visitors,” he said.

The businessman also pointed out that when visitors come to the region, they spend money, which stimulates business in the region, and with thriving businesses better services are provided and new

Essequibo Chamber of Commerce President Deleep Singh jobs are created.

The region, Mr Singh believes, has what it takes to be developed into a formidable agro-and eco-tourism destination, but all have to play their part -- from the regional administration offering its support, to taxi and minibus drivers and boat operators

being courteous to visitors.

Training in this regard is important so, too, is the support of the various bodies under the Ministry of Tourism.

But while the region is a peaceful place, it is also an unusually quiet place, with businesses closing their doors before 18:00 hrs. and residents retiring to bed at around 20:00 hrs. This situation obtains every day except on Monday, which is market day at Charity, and is by far the liveliest day of the week.

LITTLE ENTERTAINMENT “There is little (on offer) in terms of entertainment.

There are few places for clean entertainment, and many folks on the coast traditionally view entertainment as a long, noisy day in the rum shop. This can be changed if we have more events celebrating our various cultures as a region; our farming communities and their contributions to the region and Guyana; major historical events, and a more healthy night life.

“What we need are a few major or signature events in the region to liven up the lives of residents,” the Chamber of Commerce President said.

He also noted that, apart from the Damon Monument, there is no other major historical site in the region, and he opined that this is an area regional officials can look into

The WD’s Hotel and Mall at Charity is one of the modern hotels on the Essequibo Coast. Its facilities also include a gym, restaurant and a children’s play park. All members of its staff are courteous, and visitors get a warmly welcome and address.

“Aside from this, attention should be paid to boat tours, canoeing, regattas, fishing expeditions and aggressive marketing of the region as a tourism destination. Guyana has promising potential as a major tourist destination, and, with proper investment, Region Two can be a major tourist attraction.

“We are eager to play our part, but we need the support of all stakeholders”.

Unlike its Caricom counterparts, the tourism industry in Guyana is relatively new.

Guyana started to pay atten-

tion to the tourism sector in the early 1980s, and has since been investing efforts in building a reputable international profile. There is much work to be done, and the road ahead is promising.

The World Travel and Tourism Council, the authority on global travel and tourism, had reported that direct contribution of travel and tourism in Guyana raked in some $18.8 billion (three per cent of total Gross Domestic Product [GDP] in 2013. This sum, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimates, will increase to

$26.8 billion by 2024. The total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP three years ago was $47 billion, or 7.6 per cent of GDP. It is expected to increase to $69 billion by 2024.

The Council also projected that visitor exports will grow to $18.8 billion by 2024, and travel and tourism investment will reach $4.4 billion by that time.

The local tourism industry offers an array of services, providing direct employment for some 8,000 and indirect employment to thousands more.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

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SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Flamingo Park 08:20 hrs Beautiful Dawn 08:50 hrs Lebeoana 09:20 hrs Down Mexico Way 09:50 hrs Angie Bee 10:20 hrs Here We Are IRISH RACING TIPS Tramore 08:45 hrs Peace N’Milan 09:15 hrs Henry Howard 09:45 hrs Bye Bye O Bye 10:15 hrs Ballyfinboy 10:45 hrs Halls Bridge 11:15 hrs Theatre Princess NAAS 11:35 hrs Bean Feasa 12:10 hrs Ask Dad 12:40 hrs Mr Right 13:10 hrs Blue Bahia 13:40 HRS Fort Del Oro 15:10 hrs Lean And Keen 15:40 HRS Our Manekineko 16:10 hrs Footbridge ENGLISH RACING TIPS Chelmsford City 09:00 hrs Giovanni Bicci 09:30 hrs Malaysian Boleh 10:00 hrs War Story 10:30 hrs Italian Beauty 11:00 hrs Cryptic 11:30 hrs Pursuitofthestars 12:00 hrs Simply Clever AYR 09:20 hrs Geno 09:50 hrs Kenny The Captain 10:20 hrs Anonymous Lady 10:50 hrs Gurkha Friend 11:20 hrs Lightning Spree 11:50 hrs Pick Your Battle 12:25 hrs The Wee Barra 12:55 hrs New Abbey Angel SOUTHWELL 09:40 hrs Royal Holiday 10:10 hrs Combe Hay 10:40 hrs Very First Blade 11:10 hrs Ada Misobel 12:15 hrs Colourbearer AMERICAN RACING TIPS Parx Racing Race 1 Streethomealabama Race 2 Gretna Graeme Race 3 Grace H Race 4 Roman’s Middy Race 5 Fit for a Ball Race 6 Sweet Henrietta Race 7 Jar of Hearts Race 8 Eight Wonder Race 9 Salty’s Hero

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Brilliant Kipchoge and brave Sumgong light up London

By Ian Chadband

LONDON, (Reuters)-Eliud Kipchoge produced the second fastest run in marathon history to successfully defend his London Marathon title while his Kenyan compatriot Jemima Sumgong showed remarkable courage after a fall to win the women’s race yesterday.

There was sheer brilliance from the elegant Kipchoge, who retained his crown in a course record 2 hours 3 minutes 5 seconds and looked faintly disappointed to finish an agonizing eight seconds outside Dennis Kimetto’s landmark of 2:02:57.

From Sumgong, though, there was nothing but bravery as the 31-yearold picked herself up after banging her head on the ground when she was tripped at a water station eight kilometers from the finish.

Astonishingly, the experienced Kenyan battled back into contention and prevailed in a duel with last year’s winner, Ethiopia’s Tigist Tufa, for her first major marathon title since Rotterdam three years ago.

Kipchoge, the former teenage track phenomenon whose performance confirmed him as one of the greatest all-round talents seen in endurance running, won his sixth of seven

Great Britain’s Prince Harry poses with the winner of the men’s race Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and the women’s race Jemima SumgongAction Images via Reuters / Paul ChildsLivepic World record holder Kimetto marathons with a sublime finished ninth in 2:11:44. display.

Kipchoge admitted that In cool conditions perfect for a stellar field, he realized his shot at the Kipchoge demolished his world record was probaopponents one by one as bly gone when he slowed they could not live with between the 30km and 40 the world-record pace. He km marks. “I think I lost finally broke away from 30 seconds there but I’m fellow Kenyan, New York still happy I ran the course champion Stanley Biwott, record,” he said. in the final three kilomeSTELLAR FIELD ters.

Usually these days, any The 31-year-old powered home to beat Biwott revision to the world marby 46 seconds and shatter athon marks are expectKenyan Wilson Kipsang’s ed to happen on the record-friendly Berlin course, course record of 2:04:29. so there is an argument In third place was Ethio- that Kipchoge’s was the pian distance great Kenenisa best marathon performance Bekele, who was over three ever on the more challengand a half minutes behind ing London circuit.

Asked if the world rethe champion in 2:06:36.

cord time was now within his grasp, he smiled: “Exactly.”

Kipchoge was even more delighted that, in a race which was effectively doubling as an Olympic trial for a stellar field of Kenyan athletes, he must have confirmed his place for Rio de Janeiro, where he will start a hot favourite.

“I’ll be more than happy when I hear my name,” he said.

Sumgong hit her head after she was clipped from behind in a collision that also saw Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia and Kenya’s twotime winner Mary Keitany tumble.

Yet even though she ended up rubbing her head in pain as she got to her feet, she still chased down the leaders and eventually outduelled last year’s surprise winner Tufa by five seconds.

The great Russian-born American racer Tatyana McFadden won the women’s wheelchair marathon for a fourth successive year while Switzerland’s Marcel Hug took the equivalent men’s title for the second time in three years.

The millionth finisher in the race’s 35-year history also crossed the line on The Mall, although his or her identity will not be confirmed until the results have been studied.

Curry injured again as Warriors rout Rockets 121-94 (The Sports Xchange) THE Golden State Warriors overcame the absence of guard Stephen Curry in the second half to rout the Houston Rockets 121-94 in Game Four of their Western Conference first-round playoff series yesterday.

Klay Thompson and Draymond Green paced a three-point barrage in the third quarter that carried the Warriors to a 3-1 lead in the series.

Moments after losing All-Star Curry to a right knee sprain, Thompson and Green unleashed a hail of three-pointers that turned a nip-and-tuck affair into a

Stephen Curry 21-point lead entering the Wednesday.

Thompson finished with fourth quarter in Houston.

The Warriors can close 23 points while Green added the series in Oakland on 18 points, eight rebounds

and six assists. Thompson and Green combined to score 25 of the Warriors’ 41 third-quarter points in levying the knockout blow.

Golden State set an NBA postseason record with 21 three-pointers.

Curry, who missed the second and third games with a right ankle injury, injured his knee slipping on a wet spot as the back-and-forth first half came to a close.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player returned to the court during halftime, briefly warmed up but returned to the locker room as the third quarter commenced.

GABF Road to Mecca 3 Finals

Colts Run Retrieve Raiders Off Court 75-55

By Daniel Haynes

IN the rematch of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Road to Mecca 3 Finals between the Georgetown Bounty Colts and Linden Retrieve Raiders, the GT side ran the mining town side out the building with a score of 75-55.

This time there was no walk-off, no questioning of referees’ decision and finally a full basketball game.

This game had everything going into it, the controversy, the big names (in some of Guyana’s best), and the crowd appeal.

From the first whistle, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall came alive, this game had drawn a bigger crowd than the last one and the fans were not disappointed.

In the first quarter, the three FIBA referees set the tone with impartial officiating, a standard to be expected from certified officials of the game’s governing body.

The score was close with Colts leading the Raiders by seven points with a score of 15-8. The Raiders however, soon found their rhythm and slowed down the tempo by utilising their big men.

Captain Dwayne “Brown Sugar” Roberts showed why he was called to the senior national team. By the end of the second quarter going into the half, the Raiders led the Colts side by three points with a score of 32-29.

“We knew they had come to play and we were slightly distracted,” said Colts captain Dave Causway in recapping the game. “Heading into the third quarter we knew we had to find our rhythm and pick up our socks,” he added.

That they did and in the third quarter, the GT side outscored, outwitted and in some areas outclassed the Linden side.

Stanton Rose –Kwakwani’s 16-year-old star- as well as Shelroy Thomas, another of Kwakwani’s talents- came up big, pushing the tempo and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

On the defensive end Colts forced turnovers and Curtly “Gypsy” Elias as well as Shane Webster came up big with huge blocks on the defensive side. It was this combined team effort that saw Colts holding Retrieve Raiders to five points in the third quarter, while adding 21 of their own to lead 50 - 37 heading into the final period.

In the final quarter it was as if the floodgates came down and the Colts added 25 more points to Raiders’ 18, pushing the final game tally to 75-55. It was a resounding victory for the boys in black, who had maintained their discipline in the first game. Fittingly, Dj Bravo’s “Champion” song resounded around the Sports Hall at the buzzer.

However, the game was not without drama, with police ranks being asked by GABF President Nigel Hinds to prevent Colts supporters from hitting the side panels separating the court from the stands behind Colts’ bench in an effort to rally them.

“The fans played a major part of our win” said Colts’ guard Dellon LaRose, while the rest of the victorious side echoed his sentiments. We couldn’t do it without them was the unanimous decision.

The Colts are now the national basketball champions, following up on the U-23 team’s recent win in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association sponsored tournament.

“We played hard and got what we deserved,” said Michael Singh Colts’ manager, “I am proud to be associated with this team.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Ulloa double sends Leicester closer to title

(REUTERS)-Leicester City were in touching distance of a fairytale first Premier League title after Leonardo Ulloa’s double helped them outclass Swansea City 4-0 at a delirious King Power Stadium yesterday.

The Foxes’ dream of completing their surreal journey from 5,000-1 no-hopers to English champions felt more tantalisingly real after 10 minutes when Ashley Williams’s careless clearance gifted Riyad Mahrez his 17th goal of the season.

Ulloa, filling in for Leicester’s suspended top scorer Jamie Vardy, then took centre stage. He headed home the second and tapped in a third on the hour as the Foxes cruised while their fans merrily sang: “Are you watching, Tottenham?”

The Spurs faithful who were watching could only sigh as substitute Marc Albrighton smashed in a fourth in the dying minutes to confirm Leicester’s eight-point lead over the second-placed

Leonardo Ulloa scores the third goal for Leicester CityAction Images via Reuters / Jason CairnduffLivepic Claudio Ranieri said.

Londoners. though there was a suspicion On such a nerve-racking of handball from the Algerian, Should Tottenham lose their game in hand at home afternoon for his side, playing he finished brilliantly, shaping to West Bromwich Albion for the first time in 45 matches to curl a left-footer into the on Monday, the Foxes, who without talisman Vardy in far corner but instead beating need five points from their their starting lineup, an early Lukasz Fabianski at his near last three games to take the settler was required yet few post. title, could even be crowned imagined Swansea captain champions next Sunday with Williams would be the one to DAZZLING SEASON victory at Manchester United. provide it.

It signalled a return to Under no pressure on his best from Mahrez after a “I told them we have a dream and now we have the edge of his own box, he recent slight drop from the to fight to make a dream picked out a surprised Mahrez peaks of his dazzling season reality,” Leicester manager with a lazy clearance and, which makes him the favou-

rite to lift the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award later yesterday.

Ulloa, Leicester’s then record 8 million-pound ($11.5 million) signing when he joined in 2014, had not started a game since January but with Vardy serving at least a one-match ban following his sending-off against West Ham United, the Argentine was in the mood to remind everyone again of his threat.

When Danny Drinkwater delivered a fine free kick from wide on the left, Ulloa beat the unfortunate Williams to head into the corner and, after a persistent run and cross by Jeffrey Schlupp on the hour, he slid in the third from close range.

Ulloa received a rapturous ovation after he came off with a back injury but the King Power, by now in full party mode, could celebrate one final goal after Albrighton followed up fine work from substitute Demarai Gray to

UMESH Yadav held his nerve in the final over to fire Indian Premier League leaders Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their fourth win of the tournament.

The number nine launched a huge six over long-on to secure a two-wicket win with three balls to spare yesterday, leaving Rising Pune Supergiants with just one victory from five.

Chasing 161, Kolkata stuttered before Suryakumar Yadav’s 60 put them back into contention, but

they lost their momentum in the middle overs as Pune began to restrict the runs.

The loss of regular wickets brought Pune into contention for a surprise win, but Umesh Yadav (7 not out) showed no signs of nerves as Kolkata maintained their impressive start.

Having won the toss, Gautam Gambhir’s decision to put the hosts in saw an early return as Faf du Plessis (4) was dismissed in the fourth over.

Ajinkya Rahane proved a more stubborn

man to remove, though, as he held Pune’s innings together with 67 off 52 balls, the opener hitting four boundaries and three sixes.

But while Pune’s middle-order all got in, scoring runs proved tough as they recorded 15 boundaries – with Rahane claiming seven of them – in their 160-5.

Kolkata’s reply saw Robin Uthappa removed first ball by Albie Morkel (2-36), but Suryakumar Yadav and Yusuf Pathan (36) dragged them back on

hammer in from close range five minutes from time.

As the pressure has increased on them, Leicester have just kept delivering, whether it be through unsung squad players like Schlupp and Ulloa or stars like Mahrez, who, according to Ranieri, was the Foxes’ “light”.

“Yes, I felt it a little bit,” conceded Mahrez, when asked if he felt pressure to deliver in Vardy’s absence. “But in this team, we don’t just need one player. It’s about the team spirit.”

It is a spirit -- and organisation -- which has now seen them remain unbeaten in their last 14 home matches and keep 12 clean sheets in their last 17 league games.

“We needed this win because it’s closer now,” said Mahrez before flying off with his team mates by helicopter to the PFA Awards celebrations in London.

“Eight points clear, three to play, we have everything in our hands.”

KKR survive Pune scare to remain top

Player of the match Suryakumar Yadav plays a stylish inside-out loft in his innings of 60.

track with a fourth-wicket stand of 51.

Andre Russell looked set to become their matchwinner with a quickfire 17 but he was one of three late wickets that put Kolkata’s triumph in doubt.

When Piyush Chawl a ( 8 ) was cau gh t b y Steve Smith off Thisara Perera (2-28) in the final over the momentum seemed to swing back to the hosts, but Umesh Yadav quickly ended the contest with a huge maximum one ball later.

(Omni Sport)

Gujarat Lions win despite Kohli ton THE Gujarat Lions won their fourth match of the IPL 2016 season, after beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in Rajkot yesterday.

The new franchise, after winning their first three, have now won four of their five matches, while the RCB’s inconsistencies continue, with two wins and three defeats to their name.

Virat Kohli, arguably the best batsman in the world in this format, and across the other formats for that matter, scored a century – a feat that had eluded him in this format until now, which was made all the more special considering it was his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday today.

It was to no avail, how-

ever, as a blistering start from the Lions paved the way for a comfortable chase.

RCB, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, were slow going at first, with the score on 76-2 after 10 overs and 115-2 after 15, but another 104 runs were piled on in the final 10 overs, thanks to Kohli and Lokesh Rahul.

AB de Villiers scored 20 as he put on a 51-run stand with Kohli, but the tempo increased when Rahul strode out, as he scored 51 from 35, while Kohli smashed 14 runs off the final three balls to get him to the milestone.

Needing 181 for victory, the Lions, who decided to leave Dale Steyn out of this one, got off to a scorcher,

scoring 72 in the power play overs, including 25 off the sixth. That was mainly thanks to Brendon McCullum, who raced to 42 off 24 balls.

The man to get McCullum was Tabraiz Shamsi, and the Titans chinaman bowler was easily the best bowler on the night, with figures of 1-21 from his four overs, which included 11 dot balls.

The rest of the bowlers

failed to step up, despite RCB’s victories this season having come from defending their totals.

West Indian Dwayne Smith scored 32 from 21, before Dinesh Karthik turned a potentially tricky finish to the match into an easy one with a half-century off 39 balls. Dwayne Bravo hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Dave Cameron’s Motivation

By Tony Becca

ONE day before the semi-final of the World Twenty20 in India recently, before the West Indies dazzled the world by clipping India and England with three deliveries and two deliveries to spare, respectively, to win the championship in style, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron opened up and explained his philosophy, the reason why he is, or was, probably public enemy number one in the West Indies.

Sitting in a Mumbai hotel, he said, apparently quite meekly: “I just want us to get better. I am tired of losing.”

And then, as arrogantly as ever, he said: “My role is to run the business and your role is to play cricket.”

The “your” he was referring to was the players - and he was correct.

Cameron, not knowing that his team would have won the match the following day, or the final showdown a few days later, but hoping against hope that they would, was engaged in a long interview at the time and he tried to explain his unpopularity around the West Indies and the reason why he behaves the way he does, especially when it comes to his treatment of the West Indies players.

“We have had strikes or potential strikes for the last 14 years. And we have gone and met the players and given in. And we are ranked eight or nine. I am not sure going and meeting them would have solved it.

GOOD FAITH “As a matter fact, for the first time my board said to me, ‘President, you are not authorised to do anything to this agreement because you

paid the guys money for the last year and a half when you had the opportunity to change the agreement.

You have demonstrated good faith. You have worked with WIPA (West Indies Players’ Association) to get the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) done. For the last how many years, every time we are trying to move the process forward so that we can create a professional set-up, we get held to ransom.

We are just tired as an organisation’.

“Wes Hall had strikes against him. Sir Julian Hunte had a couple of issues. It started under Pat Rousseau. It happened to Teddy Griffith.

“Everybody went and gave them what they wanted.

Did our system get any better? It got worse. We moved from number one in the world in 1995 to eight and nine in Tests and ODIs.” I am not a fan of Cameron for many reasons, including his treatment of the players, his treatment of Caribbean journalists especially one like Tony Cozier, his attitude overall, his use of the little money in West Indies cricket and, last but not least, the part he played in the takeover of the International Cricket Council (ICC) by India, England and Australia.

REGIONAL CRICKET However, I commend him for three things. For looking towards hiring West Indians such as coach Phil Simmons to assist in the development of West Indies cricket, for professionalising regional cricket, and for getting West Indies first-class cricket to be played on a return basis.

A week or so ago, however, when I read his interview in Mumbai and

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday April 25, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Deccan Chargers (2) Royal Challengers Bangalore Today’s Quiz: (1) Who were the losing semi-finalists of the 2009 IPL? (2) Who top-scored in the 2009 IPL final?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Sir Wes Hall

Sir Julian Hunte

read what he had to say about the reasons for his attitude towards the players, I was touched. I was moved. Cameron, whatever we thought of him, was, indeed, a West Indian.

He wanted the West Indies to win, he wanted the players to play well and, like every West Indian, he wanted the players to play for the West Indies and to win for the West Indies.

He wanted them, however, to be reasonable, to realise that the West Indies is a poor place and cannot afford to pay them what they probably deserve, or what some other countries pay their players.

He wants them to understand that they are West Indians and he wants them to understand that while it is hard for them to do, they should be West Indians and give a little to other West Indians to help in their development.

He probably remembered how they benefited as youngsters coming up in the region from those who went before and probably argued that they should give back a little.

He also wants them to make as much as they can

make by allowing them to go and play in the many T20 leagues around the world, by giving them the required “no objection certificates” and whatever they want in order to play.

In other words, he would like the players to cooperate with the board, particularly in the interest of West Indies cricket.

In other words, although money is important, he would like the West Indies players to respect West Indies cricket, to play whatever cricket they want to play, but only when the West Indies are not in action.

All he wanted was that the players be a little bit less selfish.

PROBLEM CONTINUED The players, however, right or wrong, and from way back when, quarrelled with the board over money, from George Headley and Alfred Valentine and even in those times when the board had no money, or very little money.

The problem continued with the coming of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, it continued when West Indies became champions of

Pat Rousseau the world, and it got worse under presidents Peter Short and Rousseau.

Short went to London to sort out Brian Lara’s problem when Lara moved out of the team’s hotel; and Rousseau went to London when the team flew from a series against Pakistan to Johannesburg and then to London to sort out the dispute over money.

The West Indies were big, the players were big and it appeared that every problem the board had with the players ended with the players rolling up their sleeves and ready for a fight.

On many of those occasions, the board had dialogue with representatives of the players before they left the West Indies, but it was as if the players were saying to the board, “You can’t do without us; pay us, or else.”

And the board always paid up, more or less.

Cameron is right. Every time there was a tour in recent years, the players threatened or went on strike for one thing or the other. No one, except the senior players, ever knew if a tour was really on.

Teddy Griffith That had to stop, or rather, have to stop. West Indies cricket is big. It means a lot to the people. The board, the players’ association and the players must get together in the interest of West Indies cricket and the people.

Cameron’s attitude to solve the problem is not the recommended style, but there are some who believe that there comes a time when you should, or must fight fire with fire if you hope to survive.

On top of it all, the players’ way doing of business can only be successful if they win all the time. When they win, as they did in India, they can flex their muscles, or cock a hoop at the board, as they did in India.

Well said, Cameron.

Your role, as president of the board, and as you said, is definitely to run West Indies cricket and the players’ role, as players, is definitely to play cricket to the best of their ability.

If you both do that, definitely to the best of your abilities, West Indies will shortly be on top, or they will be very close to the top.

(First Published In The Jamaica Gleaner.)

Notable Dates

Andre `Stone’ Purlette kept up a more than healthy Knock Out average throughout his career. The cruiserweight/heavyweight Guyanese ended a 16-year career having stopped 81 percent of his opponents.

Ed Mosley was included in the 81 percent as he was stopped by the Guyanese on April 25, 1997 in Miami, Florida.

Mosely, an orthodox fighter, could only stand up for three rounds as Purlette

Andre Purlette

won by Technical Knock Out. The victory earned the undefeated local power-puncher his 17 stoppage in 18 fights.

The only person then to have escaped his wrath was compatriot Vidal Rawlins, who was disqualified during a bout in October 1993.

Purlette moved to the United States in 1996 and quickly established himself as a house of power. He would win 23 fights (21 by

KO) in his adoptive homeland before securing his first defeat. By the time Purlette’s career ended in 2009 he had won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) North American Boxing Organization (NABO) heavyweight title and recorded 40 victories from 44 fights.

Thirty five of his victories came through the Knock Out route. The `Stone’ resides in Florida and is a registered fitness trainer.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 25, 2016

Fruta Conquerors humble GDF, Slingerz edge GFC 2-1

FRUTA Conquerors Football Club humbled the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) by a 5-2 margin, while Slingerz edged bottom- of- the-table Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 2-1, when play in the Guyana Football Association’s Stag Elite Beer League continued on Friday at the Tucville ground on Friday last.

Desmond Edwards, Eon Alleyne, Delon Williams, Hubert Pedro and Jahael Greaves were on target for the home team (Fruta Conquerors ) in the 7 th, 18 th, 28th, 31st and 38th minutes respectively, while Clifford Garraway and Jerome Richardson responded for the soldiers in the 60th and 90 +2 minutes respectively.

The win for the North Ruimveldt-based team takes them to 25 points in the standing, earning them second place behind points leaders Slingerz with 30 points from their 10 matches to date.

In the feature game on Friday last, Slingerz’s Gideon Payne and Murilo Barbosa scored one goal each in the 28th and 80th minutes respectively, while Kelsey Benjamin responded with a 90 +2 minute goal.

GFC is yet to win a game after 10 starts and sits at the bottom of the points table

Part of the action of the GFF’s Stag Elite Beer tournament between Fruta Conquerors (orange top) and GDF at the Tucville ground on Friday evening. Fruta Conquerors won the game 5-2 with one point from a draw.

They have lost nine of their 10 matches and scored seven goals while conceding 29 for a goal difference of minus 22.

After winning all 10 of their games and scoring 26 goals in the process, Slingerz have a goal difference of plus 21, having conceded a mere five goals.

The GDF is currently placed fourth in the points table with 14 points from their 10 matches. They have won four, lost four and drew two with 16 goals to their name and 19 against for a goal difference

of minus three.

The soldiers were down to face Pele yesterday at the Camp Ayanganna ground in an 11th round fixture, while GFC was down to meet Buxton United at the same venue in the opening game.

Third in the points standing are Alpha United, who, after 10 matches, have 20 points from six wins, two losses and two draws. To date they have scored 26 goals and conceded nine for a plus 17 goal difference.

Pele has 13 points from their 10 matches. They have won four, lost five and

drew one. They have scored 10 goals and conceded 13 for a minus three goal difference.

Monedderlust of Berbice has six points from 10 matches. They won one, lost six and drew three and have so far scored seven goals and conceded 23 for a minus 16 goal difference.

Buxton United are seventh in the standing with five points from their 10 matches. They have won one, lost seven and drew two. They have scored six goals and conceded 15 for a minus nine goal difference.

Thirty-six boxers conclude training camp

THIRTY- six young boxers yesterday concluded the last two-day training camp organised by the Guyana Amateur Boxing

Association (GABA).

The camp was conducted by Head Coach Sebert Blake and was held to prepare local Schoolboys

and Juniors for this week’s International competition at the Cliff Anderson Sports Halll . The locals, includ-

ing three females are seen here going through paces at the National Gymnasium ON Mandela Avenue.

Alpha United still the most dominant-coach Dover ALTHOUGH Alpha United’s position as the number one football club in Guyana is being questioned on a daily basis by some football pundits, head coach Wayne` Wiggy’ Dover is unperturbed by the queries. `The Hammer’ as Alpha is known, has found the going rough in recent times, especially when playing against West Alpha United coach Demerara club Slingerz.

Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover “The records are there to show that we are the most tion, Alpha United is settling dominant club in the coun- in nicely. The door is still try. We have proven that. At wide open as once we are present, Alpha United has no in the top four, then we are point to prove but will con- into the semi- finals,” Dover tinue to play the best brand declared.

Alpha United is currently of football we are capable of,” Dover told Chronicle third on the Stag Elite League Finale points table with 20 Sport yesterday.

“I think that sometimes we points. They trail leader Slingget mixed up with a team that erz on 30 points and Fruta Conhas temporarily found form or querors on 25. `The Hammer one that has temporarily lost is set to battle nemesis Slingerz it. Alpha United has, in recent tomorrow at the GDF ground.

The two local football times, shown levels of inconsistency. However, I think that we gladiators have played each are now settling in again as per- other four times in the Stag formance in our last two games competition with Slingerz winning three of the encounhas shown.” `The Hammer’ trounced ters with the other ending in GFC 5-0 and roughed up a draw. “At present, Slingerz Monedderlust 3-1 in their are the best playing side in last two games. “My opinion the competition. Until Alpha is that even though it’s the United is still number one latter stages of this competi- until we are dethroned.”

Resurgent Nadal reclaims Barcelona crown

(REUTERS)- Rafael Nadal maintained his ominous claycourt form by seizing back the Barcelona Open title from Kei Nishikori with a 6-4 7-5 victory yesterday, matching Guillermo Vilas’s record title haul on the surface.

A week after reclaiming the Monte Carlo crown, the 29-year-old Spaniard returned to another of his favourite hunting grounds to end Nishikori’s twoyear hold on the trophy and take his tally in the Catalan capital to nine.

Playing with the kind of authority that once made him almost unplayable on European clay, Nadal looked poised for a comfortable victory until Nishikori broke back in the second set to make Nadal dig deep.

He would not be denied,

Rafael Nadal though, sealing victory after two hours when Nishikori slapped a forehand into the net.

Nadal, who will target a 10th French Open title next month, had not won back-toback titles since 2013.

He and former Argentine great Vilas have both won 49 claycourt titles and Nadal will be confident of edging ahead when he moves on to Madrid and Rome before Roland Garros.

Windies Women deserve more money, respect GABF Road to Mecca 3 Finals

Colts Run Retrieve Raiders Off Court 75-55 see story on page 20

Part of the action in the final between Bounty Colts and and Linden Retrieve Raiders on Saturday night. (sannsportsphoto)

DEANDRA DOTTIN

WEST Indies batting star Deandra Dottin has slammed the wage disparity between female cricketers and their male counterparts.

Fresh off World Cup winning success for both the men and women’s teams Dottin used the example of the startling difference between the unit’s earnings as an example.

The Windies men’s team made US$1.6 million after beating England, while their women counterparts won a mere US$100 000.

“We women need to be treated way better than we are being treated – money-wise and respect. Regional male cricketers make more money than West Indies women in cricket,” Dottin said.

“In order for cricket to be better, you need to treat everybody as one. You can’t treat the men at a high level and the women at a much lower level. You [women] only have the fame and the name.”

Dottin is one of 11 women’s team players on retainer contracts for the West Indies, with 15 men’s players on central retainer contracts.

The West Indies Women retainer contracts range from US$1,500 and $3,000 per month. In contrast, the men’s contracts are worth anywhere from US$100,000 up to nearly $150,000.(Sportsmax.com)

Khalil, Khan sweep GSA Lucozade Handicap tournament ASHLEY Khalil and Kamir Khan are the open and A-class winners respectively in the recently concluded Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Digicel and Ansa Mc Al Lucozade Handicap Squash Tournament.

The tournament, which concluded late Saturday evening at the Georgetown Club Inc courts, saw the most exhilarating night of action in the tournament with several close encounters.

Khalil became the new Open champion with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Adam Alves, while Kamir Khan is the new category ‘A’ champion after his defeat of Mohyryan Baksh.

In the Open final, Khalil (-3) started 11 points behind Alves +8 with the latter dominating the first game 15/9thanks to some

The various winners pose with their trophies exquisite shots In the second game, Khalil came out more focused, moving Alves around the court and making fewer mistakes before quickly erasing the 11-point difference, catching Alves at 10 and

winning second game 15/10.

At one all it was anyone’s final to win with Alves getting to 11 points in the last game before Khalil cleared the deficit.

Alves led 13/6, then 14/10 match ball, but Khalil

would not give up, held her nerve and won the next five points to secure victory 15/14 and win her first handicap title.

In the category, ‘A’ final 10-year-old Khan was up against nine-year-old Baksh

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with both players having a +10 handicap which meant that they could start at 0 Khan quickly raced out to a 7/2 lead and eventually won the first game 15/8, while the roles reversed in game two as Baksh led from the start and

moved out to 9/4.

At 10 all, it seemed as if Khan would have a straight-set victory, but Baksh won the next three points before Khan would win two and eventually close out the second game 15/12.

Khan seemed inspired in the third game and was quickly out to a 12/3 lead and then was at 14/8 match ball, but Baksh would not go down easily and got the 12 before Khan closed out the game and match 15/12.

In the Open category,in the third-place playoff between the De Groot brothers, younger brother Raphael -12 beat Peter Michael -10 by two games to one.

In the Category ‘A’ third-place match, James Mekdeci +8 beat Mashal Allicock +12 in straight games. James won 15/12, 15/14.

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016