Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 27 07 2016

Key- insuspect arrested Black Bush triple murder No. 104625

WEDNESDAY JULY 27, 2016

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CITY TOUR: M&CC officials interacting with Dutch engineering students at the koker in the vicinity of the Bounty Supermarket on Water Street

No supporting Clinton MV Sabanto out evidence makes 4 of commission - PPP ‘now working on’ 7 history! ‘indefinitely’ substantiating Jagdeo’s ‘Indian - after ploughing into Good Hope stelling Page

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- as Democratic presidential nominee

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Haitian migrant crisis exposes rift in Catholic Church

By Will Grant IMMIGRATION has long been a divisive issue on Hispaniola, the Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

For decades, large numbers of Haitians have migrated, many of them without papers, to the Dominican Republic, to escape the poverty and lack of employment in their homeland.

In 2013, the Dominican Republic's highest court ruled that children born there to undocumented migrants were not automatically eligible for Dominican nationality.

An 18-month period followed, in which undocumented migrants were asked to "regulate their status".

Thousands who did not meet the deadline left the Dominican Republic, with many saying they were forced out by the authorities.

As the BBC's Will Grant found out, the Catholic Church has played a key role in the migration crisis, with some priests defending the rights of the returnees while others have been criticised for promoting what activists describe as a policy of division.

'TRAPPED' Weekly Mass at Parc Cadeau is a simple affair.

The church is a small hut made of wicker and palm, the congregation spread out over a few wooden benches.

Looking around the camp, one of several along Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic, you might think that the parishioners have little to be thankful for.

It is surely one of the poorest places in Latin America.

A year ago, thousands of returning Haitians arrived at Parc Cadeau.

Some had been forcibly deported from the Dominican

Father Luc Leandre and some of his parishioners Republic; others left voluntarily to avoid confrontation with the authorities.

Today, hundreds of families remain on the dusty ranch, living in hastily erected shacks of plastic sheeting, cardboard and rope, trapped in near stateless limbo.

'SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR' Soinicier Giles is typical of many in the camp.

He spent 22 years living as a farmer in the Dominican Republic, before being deported last year.

He takes me to a ramshackle hut to meet his wife, Eleny, and six of their eight children. The other two were left behind when he was deported.

The conditions are extremely harsh, especially for the youngest. "We sleep directly on the floor, and it gets wet inside when it rains," Eleny explains.

The children were all born in the Dominican Republic itself.

They are showing signs of malnutrition, and have developed a skin condition since arriving at the camp.

"They're very hungry; we all are, because we can only afford one meal a day," she says in Creole-accented Spanish.

'GRAVE CRISIS' One of the few local figures helping the returnees is the parish priest, Father Luc Leandre.

With funds from the International Organisation for Migration, he has helped relocate some of the most desperate families to nearby communities in Haiti.

"It's a grave crisis, very, very bad," Father Leandre tells me.

Soinicier Giles, his wife and some of their eight children

Please turn to page 7

Key suspect arrested

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

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- in Black Bush triple murder

By Nafeeza Yahya POLICE have arrested one of the key suspects in the murder of three Berbice men, whose bodies were found last Friday morning aback Black Bush Polder.

The suspect was said to have been in hiding but Police managed to apprehend him Tuesday. The suspect, a rice farmer, is now in Police custody along with two of his workers.

A source close to the investigation has confirmed that the farmer has had brushes with the law and owns several plots of land in the vicinity of the area where the men were killed by a single bullet, shot executive style at point blank range.

Police sources indicated that the farmer is a licensed firearm holder, and owns a shotgun, the same type of weapon that was used in the murder. The firearm was seized for ballistic tests.

The bodies of Pawan Chandradeo, 37, called “Suresh” and “Jug Up”; his son Jaikarran Chandradeo, 16, called “Kevin”, and his brother-in-law Naresh Rooplall, 35, called “Teeka Bai” and “Mice” were discovered in the Cookrite Creek Savanah on Friday morning by farmers.

The men were on an overnight fishing trip when they were shot dead.

According to sources, seven of the ten persons who were in custody have been released on $50,000 bail each. A total of six persons are currently in custody.

Meanwhile, the government has pledged assistance to the family.

Director of Health Services Region #6, Jevaughn Stephens was on hand to check on the families as they prepare for the

funeral of the three men. Stephens expressed condolences to the family on behalf of the President of Guyana David Granger and the government.

Also present was Gobin Harbajan the Regional representative for the office of the Prime Minister, as well as Mohin

Persaud of the Nand Persaud Group of Companies. Both men made financial contributions on behalf of themselves and their offices to the family.

The funeral for the victims is set for today at 13:00 hrs, after which they will be interned at the Babu John.

Visiting scouts injured in Woolford Avenue accident ST LUCIAN boys Nick Omaie Joseph, 8, and Darnell Mathews, 9, who are visiting these shores as part of the Scouts’ 14th Caribbean Cuboree celebrations, were struck down by a motor car yesterday on Woolford Avenue following a march through the city.

Joseph’s condition is said to be critical but stable, while Mathews’s mother, Jacqueline, also sustained minor injuries during the incident.

According to the police, investigations have been launched into the incident which occurred at 12:10 hrs yesterday and involved the driver of motorcar PSS 1236.

The police said the female driver of the car, who had parked her vehicle in front of the North Georgetown Primary School on Woolford Avenue, was refused entry to the school because of her mode of dress. As a result, she became so annoyed that she drove out of the avenue in a huff, hitting down the two

children and the parent in the process.

The victims are presently warded at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), while the driver is in police custody.

According to reports, the car had been stuck in a ditch, and the woman reportedly drove out of the ditch in a reckless manner while the children were marching into the Scouts Association of Guyana compound nearby.

Hospital sources reported late yesterday afternoon that Joseph was being prepped for surgery in the main operating theatre. He was expected to be placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following the operation.

A delegation from the Ministry of the Presidency led by First Lady Sandra Granger paid the injured lads a visit yesterday afternoon at the GPHC. Scores of scouts from across the Caribbean region

marched through the capital city on Monday despite the wet weather conditions. The Scout Association of Guyana is hosting the Caribbean

Cuboree for the first time.

Close to 1000 scouts are participating in the event.

The scouts came here from 13 Caribbean countries,

namely Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,

and Trinidad and Tobago.

A Surinamese and a Polish contingent are also in attendance. The event concludes on Friday.

The St Lucia delegation of scouts marching along Avenue of the Republic on Monday morning

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Clinton makes history! ‒ as Democratic presidential nominee DEMOCRAT Hillary Clinton has become the first woman in US history to be nominated for president by any major party.

She reached the milestone in a roll call vote from all 50 states at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

Mrs Clinton’s nomination comes after Senator Bernie Sanders’ supporters disrupt-

Hillary Clinton yesterday after learning she’d been nominated

ed the first day of the convention with boos and jeers.

Party officials have worked to ease tensions amid protest on the floor.

Mrs Clinton passed the 2,382 delegates needed to claim the nomination after South Dakota announced its delegate vote count In a symbolic gesture of party unity, former Demo-

cratic rival Senator Bernie Sanders took the microphone to move to suspend the procedural rules and declare Mrs Clinton as the nominee by acclamation.

Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, approved the motion after a unanimous voice vote and members of the crowd erupted into cheers as they held up new Clinton signs.

Former President Bill Clinton is due to speak about his wife later on Tuesday, making the case for why she is qualified to take his old job.

The second night will focus on race and justice, topics that dominated last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, whose death inspired the Black Lives Matter movement, will also take the stage to speak on behalf of Mrs Clinton.

Dissention on the convention floor plagued the first day when Sanders supporters booed throughout the event.

Senator Sanders scrambled to quell the protest by sending a text message and an email to delegates urging them to remain calm.

Mr Sanders later took centre stage as the final speaker on the first night and directly told his supporters that “”Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States.”

In declaring her the nominee, Mr Sanders echoed Mrs Clinton in a role she played eight years ago after a hardfought primary.

At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Mrs Clinton called for a vote for Barack Obama by acclamation, ending the roll call vote in an effort to unite the party behind his candidacy.

(BBC)

Obama’s half-brother ‘voting for Trump’

President Obama’s half brother, Malik

US President Barack Obama’s half-brother, Malik Obama, says he will vote for Donald Trump because he “comes across as a straightforward guy”.

Malik Obama, a Muslim with Kenyan and US citizenship, also told the BBC that the Republican presidential nominee’s proposal for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US was “commonsense”.

Mr Trump’s plan, pitched as a security measure, has been widely condemned.

Malik Obama has accused the president of turning his back on his family.

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme it was “sort of disappointing, somewhat hypocritical” that no representatives of the Obama family from Kenya were attending the Democratic convention, taking place in Philadelphia.

The president, he said, had “made a big deal about his heritage, and now it’s a

complete blackout”.

Malik Obama said he was also voting for Mr Trump, in order to shift his allegiance from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

The president’s half-brother has reportedly lived in Washington since the mid-80s.

He is also an aspiring politician in Kenya, running for office in 2013, but failing in his bid to become governor of Siaya County.

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father who left when he was two years old.

The president visited Kenya for the first time last year since his election in 2009.

Mr Trump, a billionaire property developer, is hoping to succeed him in November’s election, where he will face Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Rousseff to boycott Olympics ceremony THE suspended Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, says she will not attend the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics because she does not want to take a secondary position in the Maracana stadium.

A spokesman for the interim President, Michel Temer, said Rousseff would have been placed in the stand below him and not at his side.

Her predecessor, Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva, has also refused the invitation despite being instrumental in Rio’s winning the bid to host the games.

Both have said they are being politically persecuted

by Mr Temer’s party and allies.

Ms Rousseff faces possible removal from office if she loses an impeachment trial shortly after the games, and Lula is facing corruption allegations, which he denies.

President Rousseff took possession of the Olympic Torch on its arrival in Brazil in May

Another former President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has also said he will not attend the ceremony.

Ms Rousseff has said that she believes she should be at the ceremony alongside ‘Lula’.

She told Radio France International on Monday that her government and Lula’s

had done most of the work to win the Olympics for Rio de Janeiro, and find the financing to build the infrastructure for the global sports event.

Diplomats have said the presence of both Michel Temer and Dilma Rousseff at the ceremony would have been awkward for foreign dignitaries. (BBC)

Argentina announces new gender violence plan ARGENTINA’S President Mauricio Macri has announced a national plan to fight violence against women.

Mr Macri said every 37 hours a woman was attacked in Argentina, and that education was the key to ending deeply rooted cultural patterns of violence.

The plan, due to start next year, includes creating a network of women’s refuges, and money for the electronic tagging of violent men.

Last year, 235 women were killed in gender-related incidents in Argentina.

The government’s Na-

tional Plan for the Eradication of Violence against Women is putting into force a 2009 law.

Presenting the plan, President Macri said: “We all need to commit ourselves. This is not only the job of government; it is for society too.”

Maria Fabiana Tunez, the president of the National Council of Women, a government agency, said the plan would last three years, and include introducing gender violence awareness into the school curriculum.

Staffing at a telephone helpline for women will also be increased.

The national plan comes after a series of rallies and demonstrations in several cities last year.

The initial demonstration last year followed the murder of a pregnant 14-yearold schoolgirl, Chiara Paez, who was found buried in her boyfriend’s garden three days after being reported missing in the town of Rufino, in central Santa Fe province.

In the past year, there have been protests elsewhere in Latin America against gender violence, in countries like Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil.

(BBC)

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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

The dress code debate

EVER so often, societies would have their moments of eruption on issues considered important and deserving of attention, and, where possible, have adjustments and changes made. Presently, this society is having spirited discussions and debates on its dress code.

None would deny that having the benefit of knowing the required dress code to enter some public buildings, some indeed can be considered out of character and not in keeping with the evolution that has taken place in the society over recent years.

Having said the above, what is needed, as conversations and decisions continue, is to ensure that the proverbial baby is not thrown out with the bath water. In effect, what are being called for are sober and reasoned debates to arrive at a new dress code, ever mindful that Guyana ought not to be seen as a society with no regard for sobriety and decorum.

When doing business in public, one needs to remember that the public sphere is not a private domain; and in keeping with this, the need exists to establish rules to which all are bound, and ensure space for mutual respect.

Rules are not meant to deny anyone his/her rights, but are established to regulate behaviour, to ensure and maintain decency and order based on the standards embraced by the society.

Post-Independence has seen Guyana shifting and embracing the shirt-jac as the male official dress. This decision was informed by our tropical climate and historical evolution by which the shirt and tie were seen as the trappings of the colonial masters.

Thus the shirt-jac was considered official wear, and this was worn either as a shirt or suit. Formal wear for men were shirt and tie, shirt-jac, and the traditional suit and tie.

Within recent times, it has been observed, there has been a departure from these official and formal wear in official settings to that of what is considered elegantly casual or the sports look -- which is shirt sans tie, with a jacket or blazer. This departure, while noted, needs to be examined.

As the issue morphs into a national conversation, leaders and citizens who are expected to conform to rules and adhere to certain behavioural standards need to be mindful of the impression they give to the citizenry.

The dress code is applicable to both sides: The side of those who are the users of the service, and the side of those who are delivering a service.

When the deliverer seeks to compromise the standard, the deliverer can faster contribute to a decline in behaviour that can lead to, or hasten, a breakdown in sobriety and decorum.

One has not lost sight of the fact that some are using what transpires in other societies, whose values are uniquely theirs, to impose same on this society, even though we have our own unique values emerging from our culture. For instance, in February 2009, when First Lady Michelle Obama attended in a sleeveless dress the presentation of the State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, members of Congress and society came out against her mode of dress, claiming that it was unbefitting of the occasion and the hallowedness of the walls of Congress. This sparked in the USA a national debate on female dress codes that impacted individual rights to the extent where the ‘right to bare arms’ in keeping with her well-toned body was used as justification for the choice of dress precedence; the era, weather, how public officials should dress for formal events, and the culture of the institution hosting the events.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

National football selection & domestic representation Dear Editor, DID the GFF get caught between a rock and a hard place? I am referring to the publication of an article captioned “Vurlon Mills says his dismissal was wrong” (SN: 15/07/16).

Editor, since I am no longer involved in the sport’s administration, from an honest perspective, I can only draw on my previous involvement to arrive at a basic conclusion in relation to the above-captioned. Suffice it to say that this present GFF administration may have a different outlook on the impending issue; but at the end of the day, written documentation to all and sundry within the affiliate/associate structure serves as a deterrent for any misconstrued interpretation.

Previously, all clubs were written via the respective parent bodies to duly inform them that a squad had been selected for encampment and continued training ahead of national representation.

Once that occurred, club representation ceased forthwith, and in the instance where a club had three or more players in a national squad, postponement of the forthcoming match/matches was automatically guaranteed during the time the national team would be engaged.

A typical example is the recently

concluded Stag Beer Elite League and the situation with Alpha United.

Additionally, the coaching and managerial staff would also be named.

However, my initial question, “Did the GFF get caught between a rock and a hard place?” specifically is in relation to the following: i) What were the criteria for the selection of players by the panel of coaches, the ongoing Digicel Schools’ Championship or the GFF/NAMILCO Tournament? ii) Are all the players participating in the Digicel tournament affiliated to the GFF via clubs within the respective associations? iii) Were Digicel and the respective associations/clubs informed of the selected national squad; encampment, departure and return? iv) Is this year’s Digicel Schools Championship sanctioned by the GFF with all the conditionalities as per EBFA/EDFA year-end KO tournament?

Surprisingly, Vurlon Mills, coach of the Chase’s Academy, who initially was the Asst. Under-17 National Coach, was allegedly axed with no formal notification. Mills is contending that he received no documentation pertaining to his continued role with the school team; nor was he aware that seven players from Chase’s couldn’t

have represented the school in the ongoing Digicel Schools’ Championship; nor was he aware that he had to appear before the GFF’s Disciplinary Committee.

Surely, if all that Mills is claiming is true, then the GFF can be deemed culpable for the administrative blunders. Interestingly, what would happen to the 7 players? Would they be sanctioned? Whose product are they, the GFF by virtue of Club affiliation, or Chase’s through Mills’s coaching? Is Mills a member of the Coaches Association? If not, in what capacity can he be summoned to a hearing before the Disciplinary Committee?

In my estimation, a conflict of interest situation has arisen relative to Mills’s involvement! With time constraints definitely against Digicel, albeit in this specific tournament, a postponement for Chase’s is more than likely to cause major disruptions.

At the end of the day, I do hope that good sense and sanity would prevail. Would Mills’s impending sanction by the GFF Disciplinary Committee affect his club and national representation?

Respectfully yours, LESTER SEALEY

The container fee dilemma Dear Editor,

DOES the Municipal Act enable the M&CC to erect barricades without public notification of the public and approval from the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department and the Ministries of Public Security, Public Infrastructure and Communities?

Was the Shipping Association invited to dialogue with the M&CC pertaining to the imposition of the controversial $25,000 container fee and additional charges thereafter?

Editor, if the answers are emphatically no in relation to the aforementioned -- and from all indication the answers are no -– then, like the proverbial ostrich that continues to bury its head in the sand while, in our local idiom, “leaving its backside exposed”, the kick the M&CC received is deservingly justifiable, since its action constitutes “displaying one’s level of conceitedness as a badge of honour; massaging one’s ego publicly, and being confrontational rather than consultative”.

Local business magnate Roy Beepat has penned a missive entitled “There should be public-private cooperation on national issues such as the container tax” (S.N. 20.07.16). Definitely sir, apart from being commendable, you have simplified the issue by stating that “a $25,000 fee on containers will result in far less than a 0.05% increase in import costs, a very

inconsequential cost”.

Can it be ascertained whether the M&CC’s Finance Committee was aware of this factor? Sir, from all indications it may not be so, since no public disclosure was made and no annual income projected.

Of course I would agree that there must be “public-private consultations ahead of cooperation on national issues”.

Officials from the GRA, Ministries of Finance, Public Infrastructure, Communities, the Private Sector and the Manufacturing and Shipping Associations should have all sat down to brainstorm the issue and hold meaningful discussion on the impending levy of the container tax.

At a first glance, the Shipping Association could have provided the relevant figures to indicate how many containers are brought in annually. Thereafter, the elementary math could have been done (amt. of containers x $25,000 + additional days x $5,000); with the GRA submitting its figures for taxation, Public Infrastructure for the cost per sq. mile of road rehabilitation/maintenance; and both the PSC and GMA could, in a unified voice, have indicated if a reduced cost was reasonable and whether businesses and consumers would have been adversely affected. The Finance Ministry’s contribution would have been towards stimulating economic growth.

This is a timely reminder to the

Ours is a culture known for its modesty in dress, and being mindful of our surroundings. Unlike some societies, Guyana is not known to have partially nude persons walking the streets, entering stores, and shopping. For instance, we enter religious sanctuaries modestly attired, though some societies see nothing wrong with persons attending church with flip-flops, short pants or jeans on.

M&CC Finance Committee: The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Can someone in authority say whether a comprehensive study relative to roads assessment had been done by a competent individual or firm? Is there a functioning Road Maintenance Unit in the M&CC? Surely, the previous adversities the “fabulous four” of the City Council faced with the “parking meter” scenario should have at least provided a learning lesson; but, from all indications, this isn’t so! As a consequence, it’s back to square one: confrontation instead of consultation.

Finally, at what juncture would there be a collaborative effort between the M&CC and the Public Infrastructure Ministry in redesigning the network of roads for upgrading to sustain the daily additional tonnage by traversing container trailers, haulers and low-bed trailers of heavy duty machinery? Does the M&CC have the engineering and technical capability that today’s modernization demands?

By the way, why were only John Fernandes and Muneshwer’s wharves targeted for the erection of barricades that prevented container trucks from leaving? What of GNIC, DSL and others? Would a surcharge be implemented on heavy duty fuel carriers and sand trucks?

Respectfully yours, LESTER SEALEY

Wherever the debates lead us, Guyanese ought not to lose focus. Modification to the dress code -- be it on one or both sides -- must not be influenced by emotions or don’t-give-a-darn attitudes, but by the understanding that while everyone has a right, each and every one has a corresponding responsibility to ensure the society does not lose sense of its sobriety and decorum; its identity.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

MV Sabanto out of commission ‘indefinitely’

‒ after ploughing into Good Hope stelling CHINESE-built ferry the MV Sabanto will be out of service indefinitely following an incident last evening in which it ran into the ferry stelling at Good Hope, near Supenaam on the Essequibo Coast, and sustained extensive damage.

A release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) has said the MV Sabanto sustained extensive damage from that incident, but thankfully there were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the approximately 19:00hrs mishap. However, several vehicles were dam-

aged, although most were fender-benders.

The rails of the ramp were broken in the course of the collision, while the piles used to moor the vessel were dislodged as a result of the impact.

The MPI has noted that the vessel will be out of ser-

vice until further notice, and the ‘MV Malali’ and ‘MV Makouria’ will be utilized to provide service for the Parika-to-Supenaam route and vice-versa. This service will occur as per normal, commencing at 05:00hrs.

A team from the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) has been deployed to assess the extent of the damages.

Haitian migrant crisis exposes...

"The Church is like a mother for everyone, and I have a duty to help. Not only that, the Pope told everyone they have to help the refugees wherever they are."

But Father Leandre says the attitude of some conservative priests on the other side of the border, particularly in the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, has complicated his work.

"The cardinal in Santo Domingo is personally very vocal in his support for the deportations. He supported sending all the Haitians back to their country."

"It's racism," he laments, saying the law specifically targeted black Haitians, a charge denied by lawmakers in the Dominican Republic.

'SHAMELESS' The priest Father Leandre was referring to has been the most influential voice in the Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic for almost 40 years: The controversial and outspoken Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis accepted the cardinal's resignation, which all archbishops are obliged to offer, once they reach the age of 75.

But he will remain an important figure in the Church, and in Dominican public life.

The BBC repeatedly requested an interview with Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus so he could respond to the criticisms against him, but both he and his press secretary declined.

In many ways, the Haitian migrant crisis has exposed

greater divisions within the Catholic Church in Hispaniola, over where it should position itself in the 21st Century.

Pope Francis -- both the first Jesuit pope and the first from Latin America -- designated 2016 as the "Year of Mercy"; and certainly Jesuits have been instrumental in supporting the Haitian returnees.

In a video that went viral, the cardinal was filmed in a furious diatribe about a Jesuit priest called Mario Serrano calling him "shameless" and a "leftist".

"He's not very accustomed to being publically confronted," Mario Serrano tells me from the northern border region of Dajabon, where he works with undocumented Haitians.

"I just said that his kind of

From page 2

speech was not according to the Catholic teaching, and was not for a priest or a Christian.

"I think that really made him mad."

'ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE' Supporters of the new regularisation law, such as the former Dominican ambassador to the US, Flavio Espinal,

Reports out of Good Hope are that the vessel departed Parika at 17:15hrs, more than an hour after its scheduled departure time.

Sources say that the vessel may have been delayed to accommodate persons familiar with the operations staff at Parika.

Passengers alleged last evening that the captain of the vessel and others were

drinking prior to departure from Parika, accusations which have been levelled against senior personnel in the past.

The MV Sabanto and sister ferry MV Kanawan had been dry-docked for maintenance at the E.C Vieira Shipyard several weeks ago. The latter returned to service from the shipyard a week ago.

deny that the legislation was either cruel or motivated by racism.

"Nothing's perfect; and the process here has not been perfect. Yet, this has been an extraordinary step forward in the direction of regularising close to 300,000 people who were undocumented in this country.

"That's not an easy decision to make nowadays."

At night, to avoid detection, the farmer, Soinicier Giles leaves Parc Cadeau and

slips back into the Dominican Republic, the border marked by the Pedernales River.

There, he strips the trees for firewood to make charcoal to sell to Dominican traders for a few dollars.

He knows the practice damages the fertility of the soil, but it's the only available source of income.

"This is the only way we can survive," he says, motioning at his family, stuck inside the world's forgotten migrant crisis. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The prophet of doom

By Akola Thompson THE first time I saw Bharrat Jagdeo, I was sitting in the auditorium of Berbice High School. I can’t quite recall what the occasion was, but I remember his peacock strut and the power that seemed to emanate from him as he walked around the auditorium engaging in conversation.

At the time, I was around nine years old, and all I felt was excitement and a grudging sense of respect for this

powerful man who chose to pay a visit to a group of ‘tweens’.

Fast forward 11 years, and now all I feel is disappointment that this man has become -- or in actuality always has been -- someone who refers to Afro-descended persons like me as “these people” whenever we dare rise to a position of power.

He continuously makes us out to be not only vindictive, but a danger to Indians, as he did in Queens recently.

In the process, what he

is doing is continuing to encourage and foster division between us and our Indo-descended brothers and sisters -- with whom, at best, we have always had a tenuous relationship. In so doing, he is effectively diminishing all efforts made in trying to address and fix the racial tension that exists on both sides of the divide up to this day.

In a democratic society such as Guyana’s, there is no place for systematic division of the races; as what we will end up with, as we have

before, is not only nepotism and corrupt politics, but a solidifying of stereotypes which have little or no truth to them; and this will cause negative repercussions for those who have been labelled.

The frightening thing about Jagdeo is that he is smart, and why someone who is as smart as he is will still bend to the whims of racism and aim to perpetuate it is a mystery beyond my comprehension.

During my short stint as a reporter at the Kaieteur News, I often spoke to Jagdeo on varying issues, and while by then I knew the embodiment of corruption and hatred that he was, I was often torn between my dislike for his race-baiting politics and my respect for his analytical capacity; because while he is a despicable person, he’s a far sharper politician than many of those who are currently in the coalition government.

And if he were ever to run for president again, I do believe

there is a high likelihood that he would win.

In my mind, I still cannot put together the Jagdeo who plays on the fears and prejudices of constituents, the man I saw 11 years ago, and the man I spoke to last year. His duality is utterly frightening; being a racist supremacist is one thing, but being a cunning racist supremacist spells chaos for all those who do not fit his ideal and believe in his interpretation of the truth, as we have learnt and seen to our great horror during his years as president.

Jagdeo, in his speech in Queens, stated, “What we thought would never return to Guyana in just one short year has returned in full force, and even worse in some regards than the Burnham era,” thereby insinuating that the coalition government is for Blacks, and Indians cannot possibly have a good life under a Black government. By this he is urging them to have the PPP, a predominantly Indian party, back in power.

While the coalition government has made some very serious missteps along the way -- which have certainly dimmed my view of them

-- I do believe that in a short time, some small but positive changes have been made in the area of social cohesion.

Whereas Jagdeo, as always, continues to beat the proverbial drums of divisiveness and preach racism at a time when what we really need is inclusivity and tolerance.

The sad thing is: despite this not being Jagdeo’s first such statement -- as charges were laid against him last year for divisive statements he made at Babu John -- no one from the PPP and its supporters seek to speak out, condemn, or distance themselves from his rhetoric, which paints Afro-Guyanese as aggressors.

The thundering silence from the PPP and its support base just shows the blatant racism that still exists amongst enclaves of Indo-Guyanese, not just at home, but by those who have made lives elsewhere.

It shows that no matter what positive steps are taken and what changes occur, there will always be those who will try to raise their support numbers by resorting to cheap political tricks and racist rhetoric.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

New material to be added

9

- to Indigenous language revival project

SEVERAL new indigenous languages are to be added to the Indigenous Language Revival Project, in an effort to preserve Guyana’s First Peoples’ diverse languages.

The preservation of the Indigenous languages is critical to the sustenance of the culture and identity of Guyana’s First Peoples.

Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the ministry will focus on preserving the

language of the Arawaks, Warraus and Caribs as additions to the project.

“We will not only add some more languages, but we have to concentrate on the Arawak communities, because that language is not so strong; they don’t really speak it like the Patamonas speak Patamona and the Wapishiana speak Wapishiana,” the minister said, adding: “Even the Makushis speak their language every day, that doesn’t happen in a village of Arawak heritage, so we have to concentrate

Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe

more on preserving the Arawak language.”

Minister Garrido-Lowe, who is spearheading the language revival project, said that the Ministry’s 2017 budget will facilitate the additions.

According to Article 149 (g) of the Constitution: “Indigenous Peoples shall have the right to the protection, preservation and promulgation of languages, cultural heritage and way of life.”

The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs,

is committed to seeing the fulfillment of this right.

In June 2016, the government allocated $2M to boost the Warrau language preservation project in Kamwatta Hill, Region One. Toshaos from all across the country welcomed this initiative, saying that indigenous youths will now be able to learn and further preserve their language.

One other aspect to be explored for the Language revival project is re-establishing cultural preservation at the University of Guyana.

The Makushi Research unit in Region Nine also promotes the preservation of indigenous languages through the teaching of the language in schools.

The Language Preservation Project started in 2013, aiming to preserve the Arawak language and also the rich heritage of the people.

President David Granger and the Government of Guyana recommenced this project in 2015 with intentions of preserving all Indigenous languages across the country. (GINA)

10

GPL explains power outage in parts of city GUYANA Power and Light Inc.(GPL) yesterday reported that at about 20:56 hrs on Monday, a line-tripped along two Kingston feeders (F3 and F4) resulted in an interruption in the supply of electricity to customers in Kingston, Cummingsburg, Alberttown, Lacytown and Werk-en-Rust.

A thorough investigation of the feeders revealed five burnt switches that are suspected to have occurred as a result of a lightning strike.

However, the feeders were isolated and restoration efforts commenced on Monday night at about 22:16hrs in Kingston with the last area being repowered at 22:57hrs, GPL said.

Remedial works began around noon on Tuesday and were successfully completed by 13:00hrs, during which time an interruption in the supply of electricity to sections of Lacytown and Werk-en-Rust was unavoidable, GPL added.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Dutch engineering students taken on tour of city

By Alva Solomon DEPUTY Mayor Sherod Duncan yesterday led a team, including a group of visiting Dutch engineering masters degree students, around the city on a tour of the drainage and irrigation systems in various parts of the city.

As reported earlier this week, the students from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands will be working collaboratively with several agencies, including the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), on a computer (hydraulic) model for drainage in parts of Georgetown, to help predict the vulnerability of certain areas during rainfall.

Prior to moving off from City Hall, Duncan, who is performing the functions of mayor, told reporters that the visit around the city was opportune for both the visitors and the municipality, since the latter has the responsibility to maintain the capital city’s drainage systems.

“It is very useful that the Dutch are here; it will impact the city in a great way,” Duncan said. He said also that the M&CC took the liberty of inviting the team of engineers to view the administrative structure of the municipality.

The team was exposed to the drainage system on Water Street, as well as North and South Rumveldt in the South Georgetown ward. “It’s a fact-finding mission of sorts,” he said, noting that persons who know the two areas can tell their history as regards flooding.

Duncan and several councillors at the M&CC, including Oscar Clarke and Akeem Peter, accompanied the engineering students on the tour which commenced at the koker outside Bounty Supermarket on Water Street.

The team then headed to inspect the koker within the Muneshwer’s complex further north along Water Street.

The team made several other stops along Water Street, followed by inspecting the drainage system at the Kitty seawall and at Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara.

This was followed by inspections of the drainage network at North and South Rumveldt, two areas which are usually plagued by flooding.

The team will be working alongside local engineers to measure parts of the drainage system while putting a computer (hydraulic) model together from which they will be able to say which areas in Georgetown are vulnerable for flooding at any time during rainfall.

Body of unidentified male found in trench THE body of an unidentified male of Indian descent was discovered by residents of Grant Street, Paradise, East Coast Demerara on Tuesday morning in a trench.

A crowd subsequently gathered, the police were alerted and the man was fished out of the trench.

He was clad in a dark blue t-shirt, a light blue jeans and was bare-footed. One person said he was not known in the community while another claimed that the victim was known as a habitual drinker and smoker.

“He had a bottle in his crotch. I don’t know if it was poison or what but the body ain’t had no wounds,” the resident said.

Commander of C’ Division Marlon Chapman told this publication that the case was being treated as a suspected drowning as no marks were seen on the man.

However, a post mortem will be conducted to verify the actual cause of death.

The body was removed after law enforcement officers completed their investigations.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE - PPP ‘now working on’ substantiating Jagdeo’s ‘Indian under siege’ claim

By Svetlana Marshall

THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) could not, up until yesterday, provide empirical evidence to support the claim that Guyanese of Indian origin are being assaulted in Guyana.

“There is an assault on our democracy. There is an assault on people of Indian origin. There is an assault on supporters of the PPP,” Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo was quoted as saying recently at an Albion Reunion celebration in New York.

Asked yesterday whether he had evidence to substantiate those claims, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, although jumping to the defence of Jagdeo, said he had none at the moment, since it was now being compiled.

“We are now in the course of documenting instances where witch- hunting is the rule of the day, and those most likely will go to the International Human Rights Organisation,” Rohee said.

And despite the media’s stoutest efforts to get him to provide a single name that would support his party’s claim, Rohee was unyielding.

All he would say was that the PPP will release the information when the time is right.

Asked whether it was decent for the former president to make such claims abroad, the General Secretary responded in the affirmative, saying: “One thing I can say is that Mr. Jagdeo is not an indecent man. So if he is not an indecent person, then obviously his statement has to have a high degree of decency.

Decency has a strong con-

the March 2016 Local Government elections. I spoke to the issues of racial and political discrimination, the lack of an economic plan, the taxation policies, as well as the repressive laws that have been advanced and

Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo nection with honesty and the truth.”

DESPICABLE Government, in a statement on Monday, has said Jagdeo’s claim that there is an “assault on people of Indian origin” is despicable, is without any basis, and is a complete figment of his imagination. On the contrary, the statement said, the policies of the Coalition Government are designed to achieve the good life for all Guyanese; not a handpicked few, as was the case under the PPP regime, which was rejected by the Guyanese electorate on May 11, 2015 in free and fair elections.

“Speaking to a predominantly Indo-Guyanese audience, Mr Jagdeo attempted to inject among them a feeling that they are victims. The recent census has shown that the exodus of Indo-Guyanese was not abated during Mr. Jagdeo’s 12-year tenure as President.

Instructively, the single largest exodus went to the United States of America, where they live and work under the presidency of an

African American.

“Also, under Mr Jagdeo’s presidency, Guyana witnessed the incestuous relationship with drug lords that spawned the death of hundreds of young people and several episodes of massacres and assassinations, including that of a sitting government minister.

“Mr Jagdeo is in fact insulting the intelligence of Indo-Guyanese and all Guyanese who have repudiated him for the pervasive corruption under his regime.

“The Coalition Government remains committed to stabilising the Guyanese economy after years of lawlessness, nepotism, corruption, cronyism, mismanagement, misrule, and the flagrant misuse of resources,” the Government statement said.

In a direct response to the Government’s statement, Jagdeo said that his statements were no different from the ones he had made in Guyana.

“The comments I made in New York were no different to the ones I have made in Guyana – at press conferences and on the campaign trail in the lead-up to

the threats to local democracy under the APNU+AFC Coalition.

“Despite the charges made, my record on bolstering racial harmony and advancing equal development across the country re-

gardless of race speaks for itself. That is not a position I need to defend. However, I have spoken out, and will continue to speak out about the injustices against our people,” Jagdeo has said in a statement.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Bartica residents to see ‘big road repairs’ soon

By Svetlana Marshall AFTER more than five years of having to put up with deplorable roads, residents of Four Miles, Bartica could expect significant repairs in the coming months, according to Mayor Gifford Marshall.

While the Bartica Mayor and Town Council is in no position to rehabilitate the community’s main access road at the estimated cost of $48M, it has lobbied Central Government to have the main access road and internal roads repaired.

A commitment, on the part of the government, has since been made to have

monies allocated for repairs to be executed no later than this year.

“We are confident that the powers that be will make the funds available so construction can commence soon,” Marshall told Guyana Chronicle.

While acknowledging that the repairs cannot be executed during the rainy season, residents are hoping to have the project done as soon as the rainy season ends.

“Is not just one road bad, all them roads bad,” Collette Benjamin said as she cited roads in Four Miles which are riddled with huge potholes.

Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall

One of the internal roads in the Four Miles community

LENGTHY JOURNEY A number of buses in the public transportation system ply the route but due to the state of the road, the journey is usually a lengthy one.

“What choice do they have, the road damaging their buses, and it takes forever to get into Four Miles but people got to make a living,” she posited.

“We know that nothing can’t do now because of the weather but we are hoping they can be fixed soonest because is long we complaining,” she added.

According to Benjamin, in 2006 the then government had constructed a temporary road with the promise of building an asphalt road.

However, the project never materialized.

VEHICLE REPAIRS Shemella Rafeek, another resident, who also complained about not having a

road to access her Lot 255 residence, said she is forced to constantly repair her vehicle due to the appalling state of the roads.

“Dem roads brukin-up meh car and car parts expensive bad, dem need to grade it or something,” Rafeek pleaded.

Debra Brown, one of the APNU+AFC councillors who resides at Four Miles, expressed the hope that the road when repaired will be covered with asphalt. “It is not just the roads, we need proper drainage,” she added.

In addition to making representation on behalf of the residents of Four Miles, the Bartica Mayor and Town Council has successfully secured the help of government to have roads in Byderabo and Central Bartica repaired.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure will be maintaining the internal roads and the Byderabo ‘back road’ for more than $50M. Additionally, the Ministry of Communities will be pumping $20M into developing the Byderabo Hill ‘Top Road.’

One of the many deplorable roads in Four Miles, Bartica

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Councillor says motions on financial issues at City Hall being blocked COUNCILLOR Bishram Kuppen feels that the administration at City Hall is deliberately preventing two of his motions dealing with financial issues from engaging the council, especially because those motions have the potential to raise serious questions in relation to financial irregularities at the municipality.

One of the motions concerns a forensic audit and the other calls for detailed financial statements on expenditure.

At the council’s statutory

meeting on Monday, Kuppen again rose to inform acting Mayor Sherod Duncan, who was presiding over the meeting, and fellow councillors that it was now the third time that Town Clerk Royston King had not allowed the motions to reach the council.

Kuppen said that on both previous occasions the Town Clerk had responded that the motions were wrongly worded and had to be properly redone.

Kuppen said he has had someone with a legal background peruse the motions;

and now that he has submitted them for the third time, he has received no response, and was therefore expecting to see them brought to the council on Monday.

At this point, acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe informed that, to her knowledge, the motions had been improperly done. “ T h e D e p u t y To w n Clerk’s response to me today indicates to me that she is essentially repeating a custom response to me,” Kuppen commented to this newspaper following the statutory

meeting.

Kuppen has said that ever since the new council was established, councillors have not received any detailed report of expenditure.

“I don’t understand how new councillors can get a grip of the situation of this council unless we have a full report of what is being spent.

We have no details on how

money is being spent, but yet the council is constantly bringing to the full council requests for additional fees, like container fees, parking meters, etc. I don’t think any right thinking citizen or any right thinking councillor should be supporting anything like this until we get a report on how money is being spent. I think they are simply

stalling; they do not want these motions to go through.

At this stage, I think they are deliberately preventing me from moving those motions,” he declared.

Kuppen has said he is not interested in arguing or fighting with anyone, but he believes he has a just request. “The city needs it,” he offered.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Mother cries for justice for murdered son - hadn’t seen him in 11 years

By Michel Outridge WILLIAM Douglas, called ‘Gary’, left his Lot 10 Section ‘B’ Sophia home for the interior 11 years ago.

The day he set out to establish a business on the Guyana-Venezuela border, he left behind his loved ones, including his mother, Waveney Douglas.

The next time she would see him, she told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday, was last Thursday when she was called to identify his remains.

As she explained, she did speak with him by telephone from time to time over the years; the last time he tried calling her was on July 16, 2016, but she’d had a problem with her cell-phone, so the call was disconnected.

The grieving woman said she tried to return the call, but was unsuccessful, and it was the last time she would hear from her loved one.

The woman stated that in her last phone call with her son, he told her he needed a cell phone since he did not have one and had asked her to purchase one for him.

She would like justice for her son, whom she describes as a dedicated individual who worked hard to set up a business.

Mrs. Douglas is asking the police to apprehend the perpetrators so she can have closure.

Relatives, including his sister Marilyn ‘Shelly’ Douglas, are clueless as to what may have led to his murder since the police have been mum on the homicide which was not reported.

However, ‘F’ Division Commander Rabindradat Budhram told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday that a team of sleuths have been dispatched to the area which is remote from the landing.

He explained that he is awaiting the team’s return since information is very sketchy at this time but he noted that the body bore a stab wound to the neck.

However, this was refuted by relatives who said that the body bore multiple stab wounds and even chop wounds to the face, tongue, neck, face, and back.

They displayed photos of the body before the post-mortem examination was conducted and visible gaping lacerations could be seen.

Waveny Douglas told this newspaper that the police had little to tell her regarding her son’s murder. She learnt of his demise when she received a telephone call from miners in the area after they had discovered the body.

They are of the opinion that he was killed in cold blood by person(s) who waited for him to get home and attacked from the rear, chopping him several times.

His shop was frequented by miners in that area and he also had a speedboat business as well. His mutilated body was transported from Iteringbang, Region 7, by the police and placed at Crematorium Gardens, Le Repentir following an autopsy on July 22, 2016.

The 55-year-old man owned and operated a shop on the Guyana side of the Guyana-Venezuela border and was last seen alive at about 5:00am on July 19, 2016 when he returned to his camp.

Miners from a neighbouring camp reported that they spotted Douglas on the morning of July 19 when he came to his camp to put on his generator and did not see any lights in the place although the generator was running.

They later made a check in the camp, and found the body in a pool of blood. He had been brutally murdered, and his body bore several chop and stab wounds and his tongue was severed. Douglas is to be buried today.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

NICIL to provide land for business owners in Linden THE National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited is currently in the initial stages of negotiations with the Ministry of Business to have corporate citizens come on board to occupy mined-out bauxite areas in Linden.

According to Chief Executive Officer of NICIL Mr. Horace James the initiative is geared towards having investors occupy the thousands of acres of land previously used by the bauxite company.

He said that those interested would have to submit their business proposals on the nature of the business and how their business ventures would be beneficial to Linden.

“They will have to submit the relevant letters and proposals for businesses they think they can establish on those lands because we have thousands of acres of land in the mining district that can be meaningfully occupied,” James pointed out.

Many Lindeners are however disappointed over the news that the lands will only be used for business purposes as junior Minister of Communities Valarie Patterson had earlier in the year posited that the Ministry would be negotiating with NICIL to have lands transferred

under their entity as there is currently an unavailability of low income land in Linden.

The Minister had also pointed out that negotiations would also be carried out with Lands and Survey and Linden Mayor and Town Council to have lands transferred.

Lands and Survey has however identified plots of land in Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc where 600 house lots can be allocated.

During a previous interview with Regional Chairman Renis Morian who bemoaned the situation of the unavailability of lands, he told this publication that businessmen and persons in “high office” were granted hundreds of acres of lands in the mining town by the previous administration. He described this as most disrespectful and arbitrary as these persons were favored over Lindeners who had applied for house lots years before.

“There are too many entities that are owners of vacant lands which can be divided up and issued to these individuals waiting for decades,” Morian argued.

He articulated that Linden was made up of more than 6,000 square kilometres of land and persons should not have trouble securing a plot

Wednesday July 27th, 2016 - 11:00 hrs Thursday July 28th, 2016 - 12:30 hrs Friday July 29th, 2016 - 13:30 hrs

for the use of a simple home, especially when there were thousands of acres unoccupied by persons in high office.

“These individuals who hail from places as far as Corentyne were easily granted land while Lindeners were faced with a long and tedious process before being even considered for a piece of land. This is discrimination,” he said.

Many Lindeners have lauded Minister Patterson for her continuous efforts in expediting the allocation process. Prior to her tenure, it was quite stagnant.

Scores of residents have received their land titles recently after waiting for some time.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

ARIES - You’re passionate about helping your friends any way you can today. You might go out of your way to nurse someone who isn’t feeling well or attempt to solve a problem for a colleague. However, you must be careful about asserting yourself so vehemently that your behaviour seems aggressive without you realising it. Nevertheless, you can play the role of the Good Samaritan as long as you are sensitive to the needs of others.

Be sure that your assistance is wanted before you choose to get involved. Poet T.S. Eliot wrote, “Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions.”

TAURUS - You could set yourself up for disappointment today by expecting your friends to come to your rescue. It may seem obvious, but your chances of receiving the support you seek are negligible unless you actually ask for help. However, you might make the mistake of assuming that others know you so well that you don’t have to say a word; they should just intuitively sense what you need. It’s a shame when the things that are on your mind and in your heart never reach your lips. Psychic connections can be real, but it’s unfair to blame anyone else if you don’t try to bridge the gulf yourself.

GEMINI - Your words have the power to heal today, but they also have the power to hurt as communicator Mercury forms a stressful aspect to vulnerable Chiron. The difference between a positive message and a negative one has less to do with the words you use than it does with your attitude. Although your thoughts are often restless, you can be as steady as a rock now when it comes to setting the agenda for the day. Others rely on you more than you realise when roads are rough and the journey uncertain.

CANCER - Your listening skills are legendary; it’s as if you can find meaning from the momentary silences between the words. The more attentive you are now, the more information you derive from what’s not being said. Thankfully, your psychic powers are especially strong today as long as you know when to be quiet and simply observe the energy of others. Remember, you don’t have to fill up all the empty spaces with noisy chatter. All you need to do is show up with an open heart; your emotional receptivity allows the universe to do the rest.

LEO - You might choose to make a big deal about how much you support someone’s great idea. However, you’re likely to be more judgmental now that the Moon and Venus are locked into an uncomfortable square. Rather than trying to undo a pattern in another person’s life, observe your reactions without doing anything drastic yet. Fortunately, you gain strength as the day progresses and you will outgrow your need to fix anyone’s problems. Instead, shift your focus back to your own life by finding the determination and energy to make your dreams come true.

VIRGO - You’re not completely upfront with your feelings today. You know that there is more going on behind your polite smile than you care to share with anyone. Paradoxically, the less you say, the more people understand you. Some thoughts don’t fit into the regular flow of conversation and forcing the subject can do more harm than good. Pick your discussion topics carefully and save the others for a rainy day. In the meantime, keeping the emotional drama to a minimum makes everyone happier now.

LIBRA - You may feel a bit confused at work today, making it difficult to set goals and put a long-term plan into action. Even if you are clear about which direction you’re heading now, you might wonder if you’ll ever achieve success when it comes to your worldly ambitions. Fortunately, as you work on resolving your own issues of self-esteem, you can positively impact others with your willingness to grow and change. Surprisingly, healing yourself turns out to be contagious if you set an example for others to follow.

SCORPIO - Sometimes your creativity flows naturally, but you may experience a mental block when trying to express yourself today. One way to get the energy moving again is to shake up your routine. Approaching your work from an entirely different angle could be the catalyst you need in order to get back in a groove of productivity. Nevertheless, your desire for consistency grows throughout the day and you might choose to return to an earlier method once you’ve recaptured your sense of spontaneity. Exploring all your options opens your eyes to possibilities you never imagined.

SAGITTARIUS - Childhood memories could seem so real today that they strangely influence the present moment. You may remember a time when you felt misunderstood or rejected by your family. Although you can’t go back and change the past, you can use these recollections to fuel your relationship dynamics now. Instead of approaching an emotional confrontation with a sense of dread, access your compassion to help others resolve their personal pain. It is said that all healing is essentially a release from fear.

The light of love conquers the darkness.

CAPRICORN - You might have suffered as a youngster because of communication struggles within your family. Even as an adult, you may still contend with issues around cultivating emotional connections with those you love. Although a current misunderstanding could stimulate a cascade of memories, you have a chance to elevate your self-esteem and let go of any old patterns that continue to hold you back. You can’t change what has already happened, so focus on the future instead of replaying your past. Author Robert Green Ingersoll said, “Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.

AQUARIUS - Although you appear quite animated in your interactions with others today, your spirited style might actually be camouflaging a painful issue. Emotional wounds from your childhood may still do a number on your sense of self-worth. Paradoxically, acknowledging your insecurities is a strength rather than a weakness. Sharing your process of self-discovery and healing can inspire others more than you realise. Poet Khalil Gibran wrote, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls.”

PISCES - Your drive to become a healer in your own right may be motivated by remembering experiences of rejection. Learning how to assimilate your personal history into your current circumstances is a continuing source of emotional growth. Taking a risk within a relationship now might seem like a daunting task, but you possess a strength of conviction that enables you to tell the story about your wound in a way that helps others.

Remember, past failures are often the openings into your best and most beautiful parts if you’re willing to explore your vulnerability.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

East Canje taxi driver stabbed in botched robbery

By Jeune Bailey VanKeric

FIFTY-THREE-year-old taxi driver Tunilall Doodnauth was driving his Nissan Bluebird motorcar, HC 4977, in New Amsterdam at about 10:00hrs on Tuesday, when an identifiable youth joined the vehicle and requested to be taken to the West Canefield in East Canje.

“Whilst driving along, he asked whether I was doing an airport run, and asked to be taken to the airport within the next hour. So as we got to the end of the street, he told me to stop in the vicinity of a

Hire car driver Tunilall Doodnauth

vacant house. I then glanced backwards, as he was seated in the back seat, (and) I saw a ‘Rambo’ knife in the youth’s hand. Instantaneously, the

knife was plunged into my left shoulder. Thereafter, he attempted to slash my throat, but I raised my left hand in defence and it was slashed

instead.

“He also stabbed me in my chest, before demanding that I get out of the car. I had on the seat belt. I removed it before opening the door and ran away. However, as I ran, he jumped into the driving seat and began to reverse the vehicle. I then ran back to the car. While I was about twenty feet away, he accelerated, and whilst still reversing, he hit me with the rear of the vehicle.

“I fell, and he braced me as the car drove over me, pulling me in the nearby drain. I became unconscious for a few seconds, and on re-

gaining consciousness, I crawled out of the trench. My left arm was numb; I was not feeling it.

“I lay on the parapet and started to holler. Persons came to my rescue. They washed my skin and a car took me to the New Amsterdam Hospital,” Doodnauth related from that health facility, where he is nursing multiple stab wounds about his body following the botched robbery.

Since his admission to the male surgical ward, he has received treatment for the three stab wounds and a fractured left arm.

Meanwhile, his wife Gaitree Doodnauth said her husband was not scheduled to work, but had gone out on her request to collect some crabs from one of her siblings when the incident occurred.

She recalled having being told of her husband’s plight via a phone call and hurrying to the scene, a short distance from her home, where she saw her husband in a bloodied and muddied state.

The woman was high in her praise for residents in the area who responded after hearing her husband call for help.

West Berbice man goes on trial ‒ over ex-girlfriend’s murder

Murder accused Shazam Kalil

Dead: Shazina Mahamed

WEST Berbice resident Shazam Kalil is on trial for allegedly killing his girlfriend Shazina Mahamed at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice on January 17, 2015.

He appeared before Justice Jo Ann Barlow at the Berbice Assizes where he pleaded not guilty to the capital offence before a mixed jury. He is represented by former magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop.

In her opening address, State Prosecutrix Stacy Goodings revealed that on January 17, 2015, the now deceased Shazina Mahamed was with friends at Rosignol Village when the accused attacked and stabbed her. She

was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Seven witnesses, including family members, friends of the deceased, along with the police and a forensic pathologist are expected to testify during the trial, which is expected to last five days.

Police Constable Orwin Barton, testifying, recalled acting on a report of an alleged murder. Along with Superintendent Terrace Paul, he visited the home of the accused at Shieldstown Village, West Coast Berbice on January 18, 2015 at 0400hrs.

After putting the allegation under caution, the suspect opted to remain silent.

Thereafter he was taken to the Blairmont Police Station where he was placed in custody.

The policeman said he knew the accused prior to the incident and had cause to visit him at his home on two occasions.

Questioned by Ramroop, the witness was unable to recall the names of the other three ranks who had accompanied him. He said on entering the home of the accused he shouted ‘inside’, and it was the father of the accused who responded and opened the door. The accused emerged a minute or two later.

Responding to the judge, the uniformed rank said he is not a Criminal Investigative Department rank. A report of murder should have been reported to the CID. The trial is continuing.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the now deceased Mahamed of Edinburgh Scheme, East Bank Berbice was stabbed about her body around 19:00 hours on Saturday January 17, 2015, in front of the Yang Yi Chinese Restaurant at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice.

She had gone to the restaurant in the company of a male who was inside the

restaurant purchasing a meal. During that period

it is alleged that Khalil had cornered her when an

argument arose and she was stabbed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

TVET financing strategy being developed for Guyana

By Shirley Thomas

WITH greater emphasis being placed on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) globally, Guyana, through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (CTVET), is looking to garner more financial resources to meet recurrent and capital expenditure.

To this end, a Caribbean Development Bank stakeholder consultation meeting to develop a TVET financing strategy for Guyana was held yesterday, with Consultant John Seeram as presenter, and stakeholders coming from from both the private and public sectors, as well as those representing CTVET. The meeting was held at the Regency Hotel Suites and attracted more than 25 representatives.

Outlining that TVET is top priority in many countries, Seeram said it pro-

vides nations with a competent and certified workforce possessing knowledge, technical skills and employability competencies in order to drive economic growth and development.

“The image of TVET today is about employment. The workplace today requires well-rounded, well-educated and trained individuals,” Seeram emphasized.

Commenting on the governance and management of TVET, he said the department is headed by an Assistant Chief Education Officer (Technical) working under the Ministry of Education and being responsible for the co-ordination, management and implementation of TVET in secondary and post-secondary institutions.

Other representatives are one each from the Ministries of Social Protection (Board of Industrial Training); Agriculture (Guyana School of Agriculture); Health (Open Door Centre);

Consultant Mr. John Seeram makes his presentation at the TVET stakeholder consultation at Regency Suites yesterday

Presidency (Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc.), and Forestry Training Centre Inc. The CTVET was established by an Act of Parliament on July 2, 2004, and became operational in 2006. Thereafter, it has been working assiduously to achieve the objectives

A section of the participants at yesterday’s TVET stakeholders meeting

it has been mandated to pursue, and has done so creditably.

Delivery of TVET to students is at the secondary and post-secondary levels, but a recommendation from the floor was that it should also cater for the skills and training needs of those at the primary level.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY CTVET is responsible for establishing, developing and monitoring schemes to train craftsmen, technicians and engineers needed to sustain and enhance economic growth. And coming out of surveys, the following needs, among others, were highlighted: * The need for more TVEDT training, especially in specialized areas such as mining * The need for training institutions in the mining regions: 1, 7, 8, and 9. * Need for branches of the Carnegie School of Home

Economics to be established in the Regions. * TVET trainers should be well qualified and adequately remunerated * Succession planning should be in place, and be monitored for training * There is need for adequate stills in managerial and technical, administrative and clerical, machine operators, drivers (list not exhaustive) * Mining and construction sectors are in dire need of trained labour Moreover, since those surveys in 2012 and 2013, there is now increasingly more need for adequate skills for Guyana’s developing petroleum and gas sector. “CTVET/TVET have now to address the skills needed as an urgent training priority,” Seeram submitted.

FINANCING GAP But while this is so, Seeram submitted that the overarching consideration is the need to identify and find ways of narrowing gaps existing in the financing of CTVET and TVET. Financing of these entities comes through the national budget allocation and private sector contributions and student/ trainee fees. The financing needed, he said, is to meet recurrent and well as capital expenditure.

Seeram said that various studies done over the past decade have revealed that there is inadequate funding to meet the needs of CTVET and TVET. “Inadequate allocations for recurrent and capital expenditure have resulted in creating a financing gap,” he argued.

This is exacerbated by the fact that CTVET has not received allocations for capital expenditure needed for a new secretariat building; vehicles to traverse the regions; computers and accessories for the development of information technology; books/journals, etc. for learning centres; and development of staff on the job.

The presenter said that besides the funding provided by the national budget, the private/public sector entities and other interested parties/ individuals should be making more significant contributions towards CTVET and TVET. Meanwhile, other stakeholders argued strongly that before they could definitively accept that there are gaps in financing, there should be more detailed reporting indicating how much money was initially allocated, what is the status now, and what areas of need were not satisfied.

Some of the participants felt that there should be an analysis available for perusal, until such time, they say, it would be difficult to make solid projections.

Others, observing that the private sector is already saddled with new taxes, would be reluctant to bear the increased deductions.

Still others were in favour of the call to develop a new financing strategy. They contend that expenses are increasing everywhere.

Seeram has said it is intended that such details would be presented at a meeting to be held within another two to three weeks.

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‘Still I Rise’ GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

‒ GRPA, YWCA launch ‘Reintegration of Teen Mothers in Education’ project THE phrase ‘Still I Rise’ resonates with many women because those words are from the poem written by famous poet, author and activist Maya Angelou.

The poem is about triumph over adversity; strength, courage, and fortitude. It’s also about encouraging women to not accept their vulnerability in the face of domination, and join together with one voice and say “We will overcome.”

At a simple but highly significant ceremony held at the YWCA’s Brickdam office, the two organisations, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), joined with their partners -- the Ministry of Education, Republic Bank and the Rotary Club of Georgetown -- to launch their ‘Still I Rise: Reintegration of Teen Mothers in Education’ project, which will give 50 young women an opportunity to make their lives better.

This project seeks to empower, educate and support teen mothers, vulnerable teenage adolescent girls and their families. The beneficiaries will be supported with the basic items to re-enter the school system, education sessions focusing on sexuality education, personal development, psychosocial support to beneficiaries and families, and families advocacy actions for the introduction and implementation of the reintegration strategy under the Ministry of Education.

The first phase of the project will be from July to December 2016, while the second will run from January to June 2017. Each phase will accommodate 25 girls.

As Hon. Nicolette Henry, Minister within the Ministry of Education, observed in her feature address: “Teenage pregnancy is a complex issue which has multi-contributing factors that are common knowledge to many.

“It is a symptom of a bigger societal sickness, it is not just a health issue, but a developmental issue that is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriages, power imbalance between teenage girls and their male partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems

At the launch of the project yesterday

and institutions to protect this vulnerable group.”

The minister illustrated that despite the efforts of the GRPA and its partners, teenage mothers still remain the most vulnerable group in this country. She added that teenage pregnancy witnessed here in Guyana and globally is among the most pervasive problem impacting education, the health sector, socio-economic and political empowerment of our young women.

“This cannot, and must not, be the future that we prepare for our daughters.

This cannot and must not be the future that we prepare for our young sisters. We must act now to ensure a better tomorrow for them, for their families, for their communities, and (for) the country,” Minister Henry affirmed.

Importantly, the state of affairs concerning teenage girls requires a multi-sectoral approach.

After speaking on the causes and impacts of teenage pregnancy and challenges of young mothers, Minister Henry suggested a few measures that can be taken to minimize teenage pregnancy. These include access to age appropriate, accurate and comprehensive information on sexual education; critical thinking skills; and the assurance that there is hope for a bright future for teenage mothers.

According to research, it has been found that Guyana has the second largest rate of teenage pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean, with about 3000 young women getting pregnant annually.

The Minister recognised that many of these girls are forced into early sex, some doing so voluntarily and for various reasons; and they all stand a higher risk of dying in childbirth than girls in

their twenties.

“This is a cause for concern, therefore it is incumbent on all of us to join hands to curb this scourge…I am convinced that by joining hands the project’s theme can become a reality,” Minister Henry said.

The presence of the sponsors, The Rotary Club of Georgetown and Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, was an indication of their concern, commitment, and resolve to play a meaningful role in helping to formulate strategies that would help to put an end to the assault of the future of our teenage

girls, the communities from which they come, and the entire country.

“It is high time that something be done to save our young women,” Minister Henry declared.

Elizabeth Cox of the Rotary Club of Georgetown noted that her organization was attracted to the project because it is aligned with two principles held by its parent body: maternal and child care, and literacy.

Cox emphasized that this project is special because of its potential impact and the fact that it is a model that can be replicated. She added that

the Rotary was approached at the right time, since funding was set aside for such a project.

Michelle Johnson, Marketing and Communications Manager of Republic Bank, recognised the power and purpose of the theme, ‘Still I Rise’. While alluding to the poem penned by Maya Angelou, Johnson emphasized that “the theme resonates strongly with Republic Bank’s Social Investment Initiative – “The Power to Make a Difference”, where the Bank pursues projects focused on the creation of better, more successful societies”.

She added that teenage pregnancy has been at the forefront of Republic Bank’s “Power to Make A Difference” efforts in recent years, as is seen in its relationship with the Women Across Differences organization. In this regard, the Bank embraces this opportunity to partner with the GRPA and the YWCA, and is heartened by plans for the reintegration of teens into the education system.

While commending the organizers for this initia-

tive, UNICEF Representative Marianne Flach noted that this project is an extremely important and timely intervention that would enable young women to continue to pursue their goals, follow their dreams and live up to their full potential.

“UNICEF is currently supporting programmes in partnership with the Ministry of Education to ensure that all stakeholders have access to age-appropriate, gender and culturally sensitive comprehensive life skills-based sexuality education at all levels of the education system,” she disclosed.

UNICEF is also supporting the strengthening of legislation and programmes for child protection, and conducting a study on adolescent pregnancy in Guyana.

“These types of partnerships between service organizations and the private sector are becoming increasingly important if we are to consistently deliver on commitments to improve the lives of young people in communities all across Guyana,” Flach stated. (Ministry of Education)

GUYOIL supports centenary celebrations at Berbice High THE Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL) on Tuesday donated a cheque to the value of $400, 000 to the Alumni and Centenary Association of Berbice High School (BHS) for their week of activities.

The presentation took place at

Guyoil head office at 191 Camp Street, Georgetown, where managers of Guyoil handed over the cheque to Grantley Waldrond, a member of the BHS Alumni and Centenary Association.

Berbice High School will host a

week of activities to showcase the school’s transformation and development over 100 years through exhibitions and other events from July 31 to August 5, 2016. The opening of the celebrations is slated for July 31, 2016 at BHS.

BHS alum, Grantley Waldrond (second left) accepts the cheque from Guyoil Finance Controller, Rosalind Franklin.

With them are Guyoil mangers Eric Whaul (right) and Reggie Bhagwandin (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Participants in this year’s ‘Reading is Fun’ outreach yesterday with Courts Guyana and UG officials (Photo by Delano Williams)

‘Reading’s like dreaming with your eyes wide open’ - Courts official tells ‘Reading is Fun’ participants

By Vishani Ragobeer THE University of Guyana, in collaboration with Courts Guyana Inc. yesterday launched its 12th annual ‘Reading is Fun’ outreach programme at the university’s library.

The launch took place in the main reading room of the UG library, where the three-week programme would engage some 60 children between the ages of eight to 13.

Courts Guyana Country Manager, Clyde De Haas noted that the company is pleased to have been involved with this programme for a number of years.

“We want to partner in programmes like this to make a difference in the lives of people, especially children,” De Haas said, as he encouraged the enthusiasm of the children present, telling them that “reading is like dreaming with your eyes open,” as it transports you to a world of unlimited possibilities.

LIFE SKILLS He stated: “Today you are a reader; tomorrow you are a leader.” He emphasised the obvious importance of literacy and education and told the children that they will not only be exposed to literacy training, but will be taught “life skills”.

This outreach programme is one which the University of Guyana, through its main library, engages in every year during the summer vacation. The students taking part are mostly from the Sophia area and will be benefitting from a programme tailored to foster a love for reading from an early age while enhancing their language competency and extending the scope of their imagination.

Elizabeth Ramlall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Planning and Development, noted that this initiative is one which began with the previous librarian, Ms. Lancaster, who engaged in outreach programmes by providing food hampers to residents in the Sophia area. However, this programme has transformed into one which seeks to improve the literacy of children in the same community.

Librarian Debra Lowe noted that graduate teachers from the Faculty of Education and Humanities will be acting as research persons and will be engaging with the children.

The university’s Public Relations Officer, Paulette Paul along with other library staff will also assist the graduate teachers with fostering the children’s phonetic, comprehensive and linguistic skills.

This year marks the 7th year that Courts Guyana Inc. has been collaborating with the university to make this programme a reality.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Alleged arsonist in Health Ministry fire freed BUSINESSMAN Keith “General” Ferrier, accused of setting fire to the Ministry of Health building on Brickdam in 2009, had the charge against him dismissed on Tuesday after the prosecution failed to prove its case when the matter was called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The charge against Ferrier had stated that between July 16

Freed: Keith “General” Ferrier

Woman accused of trafficking teen on bail NAFEEZA Mohamed of Lot 17 Bush Lot, Essequibo Coast was arraigned for allegedly transporting a 17-year-old female to Big Hope Backdam in Region 1, and harbouring her there for sexual exploitation from April 26 to May 31.

The 28-year-old mother of three appeared unrepresented before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Tuesday to answer the charge of trafficking in persons, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Prosecutor Corporal Deniro Jones told the court that the teenager is currently in protective custody with the Ministry of Social Protection, and that Mohamed had tricked the underage female into believing that she would have been working in the interior as a shop helper, whereas the woman forced her into prostitution.

He said the police, acting on a report of assault, had gone to the shop, where they met the teenager and learnt of her situation.

The prosecutor did not object to bail being granted Mohamed, but requested that same be substantial to ensure that she attends trial.

Mohamed was initially Nafeeza Mohamed placed on $300,000 bail, but this was reduced to $230,000. The matter has been transferred before the Matthews Ridge Magistrate for August 3 calling.

and July 17, 2009, at Brickdam, he unlawfully and maliciously set fire to the building, property of the state.

After almost three months on trial, Ferrier had his lawyer, Patrice Henry, contend that the prosecution had no case or evidence against his client.

The magistrate upheld a no-case submission, agreeing that a prima facie case had not been made out against the businessman because the prosecution witnesses had no credibility.

Having fled the jurisdiction in 2009 and being on the run for almost seven years, Ferrier was, in March 2016, apprehended and charged when he returned from neighbouring

Venezuela, where he had been hiding for several years. He was, however, placed on $350,000 bail during the trial.

In 2013, Colin Jones and his co-conspirator Clayton Westford were both sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty of deliberately setting the fire that destroyed the building. Ferrier was believed to have been the mastermind behind the attack.

The building was said to be more than one hundred years old, and had been the original Queen’s College (QC) building before it was converted by Government into the Ministry of Health in the 1950s.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Miners charged with murder in backdam THE SUSPECTED perpetrators of the murder of 47-year-old Shawn Clarke, aka Short Man and Leprechaun, whose body parts were allegedly found along a trail in Mahdia, have been charged in connection with the crime.

Alleged mastermind Shane McAlmont, 37, and his accomplice Marlon Joseph, 28, both miners of 111 Mile, Mahdia, Potaro, appeared last Monday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, arraigned on separate charges.

McAlmont has been charged with allegedly committing the capital offence on Clarke between July 10 and July 22 at Salbora Road, Mahdia; and Joseph has been charged with being an accessory to the murder and for aiding Mc Almont in its commission.

Both men were unrepresented by legal counsel, and both have been remanded until October 17, when they are scheduled to appear before the Mahdia magistrate.

According to Rachelle Clarke, her husband had been a miner with over 20 years’ experience and had been stationed at an area known as North Fork in the Mazaruni community. She became worried after several days had passed without hearing from him via cellular phone, and she began enquiring about his whereabouts from some of his friends in the interior.

She was told that her husband was last seen alive with a man named “Marlon”, with whom he had left North Fork to walk to another backdam.

Police scouring an area between Mahdia and Konawaruk last week recovered bones that appeared to comprise half of a hand, two legs and shoulders which are believed to be Clarke’s body parts. Relatives appear convinced that the body parts are Clarke’s after viewing a boot and part of a trouser leg which were found with the remains.

DNA samples would, however, have to be taken from relatives in order to determine whether the body parts are Clarke’s.

Shane McAlmont

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

T&T women rebound to lift Regional T20 trophy GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago rebounded from a middle order batting collapse before clinching an exciting two wicket win over Jamaica to secure top honours in the Twenty20 phase of the Regional Women’s Championship at Providence Stadium on Mondaynight.

T&T slumped to 38 for the loss of four wickets after their bowlers restricted Jamaica to 100 for seven in their 20 overs, but skipper Merissa Aguilleira with a top score of 26 revived the innings enough for her side to scrape through to win with four balls to spare.

Aguilleira collected a four and a six in compiling her 28- ball innings while Anisa Mohammed chipped in with 21 before she

was run out.

Vanessa Watts (2-17) and Shanel Daley (2-13) grabbed two wickets each for the Jamaicans.

Jamaica plunged to 37 for the loss of five wickets after they won the toss and elected to bat however their innings were rescued by middle order batters Tameka Sanford and Chinelle Henry who scored 33 and 35 respectively.

Mohammed, who was named player of the match, picked up two wickets for 15 runs and Shenelle Lord two for 23, to help to turn the tables on Jamaica, who finished in second position.

Barbados secured third position in the tournament after a convincing nine wicket win over Windward Islands.

Close battles expected...

From back page

fident of a win in his pre-game view, “We the annual DIGICEL schools football KO have been training very hard this year. We tournament is the Government Technical know that Chase is not an easy team, but I Institute and that was 5-3 in the inaugural am confident the boys will come out suc- final in 2011. cessful”.

The mining town secondary school will Meanwhile coach of the defending cham- be spearheaded in attack by National U-17 pions, Anthony ‘Toto’ Stephens believes his Omar Brewley, Amar Jones and their top side is nearing their peak, “During the course goal scorer Brian Johnson while the deof the tournament the team has matured men- fence will be marshalled by national U-17 tally and as we get closer to the big one the Javier Smith alongside Keshon Dey. On the side is gelling better and nearing their peak. way, the Cup holders dismissed; Linden I don’t expect an easy game because any Foundation Secondary 6-0, New Silver City team that qualifies for the semis must have Secondary 2-0, Kwakwani Secondary 1-0, been performing and have some quality Mabaruma Secondary via Penalty kicks . We don’t take teams for granted. We al- after a 0-0 end and Tutorial High 6-0. ways go out and give our best to win games.

The SLL team netted a whopping 48 I am positive come Sunday, we will be con- goals and allowed in 3 in their five outings testing our 6th consecutive final in search of with Keifa Brandt and David George being our 5th crown. The players are hungry and the top marksmen. want to be part of that rich traditional history Among their victims are; Sophia Trade and achievement of the school in DIGICEL school 6-0,Charlestown Secondary by a schools football”, Stephens revealed. walk over, South Georgetown High 21-1, His opposite from Sir Leon Lessons Lodge Secondary 15-0 and D Caesar Fox (SLL), Leon Muir, the former Camptown Secondary (formerly Waramadong Secand National defender, thinks his squad will ondary) 3-2. end the unbeaten run of the champions, “It With all four coaches highly confiis going to be a challenging game, one that I dent and players eager to go out and have been looking forward to since last year. perform fans can expect two intense After we were embarrassingly elimi- and exciting matches where at the end nated from the semi-finals for playing an two teams will be celebrating while the over aged player I decided I will take full other two will be contemplating what control this year and so far we have had went wrong. The first game kicks off at a successful run. We are out to stop the 16:00hrs. winning track of Wismar/ Christianburg. There is no if or but, we are confident Sandown of the victory”, Muir stated.

12:55 hrs Castle Talbot The last and only team to South Africa Racing Tips 13:25 hrs Pike Corner Cross beat Wismar/Christianburg Greyville Secondary in the history of 08:35 hrs Hearts ‘R Pump- 14:00 hrs Monarchs Glen ing 09:10 hrs Mambo 09:45 hrs Timeous 10:20 hrs London Call 10:50 hrs Panza

English Racing Tips Goodwood 09:00 hrs The cashel Man 09:45 hrs Ulysses 10:10 hrs Awtaad 10:45 hrs The Last Icon 11:20 hrs Bithynia 11:55 hrs Rioca 12:25 hrs Rex Imperator Perth 09:10 hrs Traditional Dancer 09:45 hrs Impulsive American 10:20 hrs Dr Maloney 10:55 hrs Ballykan 11:30 hrs Misfits 12:05 hrs Wyfield Rose 12:40 hrs Westinmare

14:35 hrs Abareeq 15:10 hrs Kath’s Legacy 15:40 hrs Yangtze

Irish Racing Tips Galway 10:00 hrs Silver Concorde 10:35 hrs Comehere Hi 11:10 hrs The Nad Well 11:45 hrs A Shin Kildare 12:30 hrs Road To Riches 13:05 hrs So Sensible 13:40 hrs Tony The Gent 14:10 hrs Katiymann American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Unsinkable Race 2 Massena Race 3 Conscience Race 4 Going For Broke Race 5 Aikenetta Race 6 Blenheim Palace Race 7 Asset Inflation Race 8 Paulassilverlining Race 9 Making Havoc

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

First Test in Pallekele...

Aussie bowlers rip out Sri Lanka for 117 on first day (REUTERS)-Australia's bowlers ripped through Sri Lanka's brittle batting order to dismiss the home side for 117 on an eventful first day of the opening Test at Pallekele yesterday that also saw the visitors lose their openers for just seven runs.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets apiece, while Mitchell Starc and Steve O'Keefe picked up two each as the hosts were shot out shortly after lunch.

Debutant all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva (24) was the top scorer for Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two test series in New Zealand and England.

Australia's innings also got off to a shaky start as they lost David Warner and Joe Burns inside the first four overs before captain Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja calmed things down with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 59 runs.

Smith, the world's leading Test batsman in the ICC rankings, was on 28 while Khawaja was on 25 at the tea interval with Australia rebuilding on 66-2.

Rain then washed away the entire final session of the opening day.

Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and had no hesitation in

Rangana Herath became Starc's second victim and Australia's ninth after Smith successfully overturned the umpire's 'not out' decision for leg before on review.

Josh Hazlewood kept plugging away outside off to finish with three for 21.

opting to bat on a dry pitch in the first match of the threetest series.

Any hopes Mathews had of enjoying a strong start were shattered, however, when Australia pace duo Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc took full control with the new ball to reduce the hosts to 18-3 inside 10 overs.

Left-armer Starc, making his comeback after a long injury layoff, sent back Dimuth Karunaratne, with the opening batsman failing to get the umpire's leg before wicket verdict overturned on review.

The 25-year-old Hazlewood, bowling an impec-

cable line and length, then dismissed Kusal Mendis and Kaushal Silva and returned for another spell before lunch to lure Dinesh Chandimal into an edge behind to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill.

Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe, who was included alongside Lyon, was brought on in the ninth over by Smith and got his reward when he dismissed Mathews.

Lyon found a lot of turn from the surface and picked up his three wickets from just seven deliveries after lunch as Sri Lanka's batsman appeared keen to return to the pavilion as quickly as they departed it.

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA 1st innings D. Karunaratne lbw b Starc 5 K. Silva c Voges b Hazlewood 4 K. Mendis lbw b Hazlewood 8 D. Chandimal c Nevill b Hazlewood 15 A. Mathews c Smith b O'Keefe 15 D. de Silva c Burns b Lyon 24 K. Perera b Lyon 20 D. Perera lbw b Lyon 0 R. Herath lbw b Starc 6 L. Sandakan not out 19 N. Pradeep c Smith b O'Keefe 0 Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (all out, 34.2 overs) 117 Fall of wickets: 1-6 D. Karunaratne,2-15 K. Mendis,3-18 K. Silva,4-43 A. Mathews,5-67 D. Chandimal,6-87 D. de Silva,7-87 D. Perera,8-94 K. Perera,9-100 R. Herath,10-117 N. Pradeep Bowling: M. Starc 11 - 1 - 51 – 2, J. Ha-

zlewood 10 - 4 - 21 - 3 S. O'Keefe 10.2 - 3 - 32 – 2, N. Lyon 3 0 - 12 – 3.

AUSTRALIA 1st innings J. Burns b Herath 3 D. Warner b Pradeep 0 U. Khawaja not out 25 S. Smith not out 28 Extras (b-4 lb-6) 10 Total (for 2 wickets, 20 overs) 66 Fall of wickets: 1-3 D. Warner,2-7 J. Burns To bat: A. Voges, M. Marsh, P. Nevill, S. O'Keefe, M. Starc, J. Hazlewood, N. Lyon Bowling: N. Pradeep 5 - 3 - 3 – 1, R. Herath 6 - 2 - 15 – 1, D. Perera 4 - 1 - 19 – 0, L. Sandakan 2 - 0 - 13 – 0, A. Mathews 3 - 1 - 6 – 0.

O'Keefe finished off proceedings when he captured his second wicket of the innings with the removal of Nuwan Pradeep.

Injury-ravaged Sri Lan-

ka, ranked seventh in the world, also handed a debut to left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan against the world's top-ranked Test side.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

IOC's Bach is part of doping problem-German Olympian (REUTERS)-Germany's Olympic discus champion Robert Harting has launched a stinging attack on International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, describing him as part of the problem in the fight against doping.

The IOC on Sunday rejected calls for Russia to be banned from next month's Rio Games over its doping record, leaving international sports federations to decide whether individual athletes should be allowed to compete.

The decision drew condemnation from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which said it would "inevitably lead to ... lesser protection for clean athletes" and Harting has joined a chorus of criticism from Olympic competitors.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach

"For me he (Bach) is part of the doping system, not the anti-doping system," Harting told a news conference yesterday.

"I cannot personally see it in any other way, because I am a strong anti-doping campaigner. Many officials have

failed and they need to take a good hard look at themselves because at the end of the day they have failed in many ways."

The IOC was not immediately available to comment.

WADA and 14 national anti-doping organisations had urged the IOC to impose a blanket ban in the wake of the damning McLaren report that found evidence of state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The 31-year-old Harting, who won gold at London 2012 and three straight world titles from 2009-2013, was asked if he was ashamed of his compatriot Bach.

"Yes, you could say that," he replied. "I am ashamed of Thomas Bach.

I am personally ashamed, the whole thing is a pity."

Putin to give depleted Russian Rio Games team a personal send off today (REUTERS)-President Vladimir Putin will give a personal send-off today to a diminished Russian Olympic team who travel to the Rio Games even as global sports bodies mull over the eligibility of Russian competitors.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) threw Russia a lifeline on Sunday, ignoring calls for the national team to be banned over allegations of state-backed doping and giving international sports federations the final say on whether individual Russian athletes could compete in Brazil.

Putin, who has warned of a split in the Olympic movement and what Russian officials call creeping political interference in sport, will address the Russian team today after an earlier scheduled meeting was postponed due to the doping scandal, Russian news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying.

How many of the 387-strong Russian team originally billed will actually compete at the Rio Games remains to be seen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia's track-and-field athletes are already barred over doping offences and seven Russian swimmers, including four-times breaststroke world champion Yulia Efimova, were ruled out of the Games in August on Monday.

In a further blow to Russia's medal hopes, two modern pentathletes and five Russian canoe sprinters including the 2012 Olympic champion Alexander Dyachenko - were excluded by their sports' governing bodies

on Tuesday.

The International Judo Federation (IJF), however, told Reuters the 11 Russian competitors who qualified for the Rio Games will be allowed to compete, a move likely to please Putin who is a judo blackbelt and IJF honorary president.

The Russian judo squad will be joined by 18 Russian shooters who were cleared to compete by the International Shooting Federation and Russia's equestrian team.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

HQ maintain lead after second day of Police Championships

LABA executives, 3rd Rock Entertainment in discussions tonight

THERE were wins for Cindy Fraser, Quacy Morian, and Shion Boyer, , , on the second day of competition in the Guyana Police Force Inter-Division Championships, as Headquarters(HQ) continued to maintain the lead and A Division has a steady hold on second place.

With 187 points HQ has a healthy lead ahead of the 147 points that A Division holds after the completion of the swimming competition and six finals in the athletic competition of the Championships.

After yesterday’s six finals, C Division has third with 76 points and B Division on 29 points.

Guyana’s Quacy Morian won the international men’s “A” Class 800m in a time of 2:07.7s. The race saw

DISCUSSIONS surrounding the staging of the eagerly awaited 2nd annual 3rd Rock Entertainment ‘King of the Ring’ basketball championship will be high on the agenda this evening when the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Executives meet at 18.00hrs and this will be followed by one between the LABA and 3rd Rock entertainment at 19.00hrs at the Mackenzie Sports Club Lounge.

The LABA team will be headed by Lawrence Simon, while Colin Adams is the man behind the 3rd Rock Entertainment Promotion Group that will decide how the championships will e played after it had been put back recently due to the Caribbean Basketball U16 championships.

The stage is now set for the showdown involving top

‒ Fraser, Morian, Boyer take wins

Guyana taking a clean sweep of the wins with Trevor Scotland in second (2:10.5s) and Larry Jossiah in third (2:12.11s).

Yesterday’s finals included the women’s 3000m which was won by A Division’s Shion Boyer, clocking 13:31.0s. HQ’s Eva Henry who took away a number medals in the swimming competition, proved she can more than just swim, taking second place behind Boyer in a time of 14:49.4s.

HQ ruled in the men’s “B” Class discus where they took a clean sweep of all the podium positions with Spellen taking the win with a 36.35m best throw, and Warren Duncan taking second with 33.68m. Third place went to Sherwin Henry 928.99m).

In the international men’s

Ashwin dethrones Yasir in ICC Test rankings (REUTERS)-India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dethroned Pakistan's Yasir Shah to top the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings after his match-winning display against West Indies in the first Test.

The 29-year-old picked up figures of 7-83 in the second innings as the visitors cruised to an innings-and-92 runs victory inside four days in Antigua.

Leg spinner Yasir, who became the first Pakistani bowler in 20 years to top the Test rankings, dropped to fifth after managing just one wicket for 266 runs in the second Test defeat against England at Old Trafford on Monday.

Ashwin, who also tops the all-rounders ranking, is followed by England's James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who both moved up one place respectively.

Joe Root's magnificent 254 in the 330-run victory against Pakistan has helped him move into the second place in the Test rankings for batsmen, behind Australian Steve Smith, who retains top spot.

England's Test skipper Alastair Cook, also moved

back into the top 10 at ninth place on the back of a century and an unbeaten 76 in the second Test.

A Division’s Cindy Fraser taking a jump in the women’s long jump

“A” Class discus throw Guyana’s Julio Sinclair championed the event after clearing a distance of 38.39m.

Trinidad’s Clinton Glasgow was second (33.39m) and Guyana’s Marvin Tinnis was

third (25.03m).

Trinidad’s Jocelyn Huggins won the women’s discus throw (32.28m), and the women’s long jump went to A Division’s Cindy Fraser who covered 5.38m.

CSA to introduce racial quotas for national teams

SA president Chris Nenzani

By Nick Said

Ravichandran Ashwin

clubs Retrieve Raiders and Half Mile Bulls along with Amelia’s Ward Jets, Victory Valley Royals, Bankers Trust Falcons, Block 22 Flames and possibly Kwakwani.

The clubs will have to complete registering fifteen players for the tournament and this has to be along with a entrance fee of $5,000.

Clubs are advised that tomorrow they will be required to attend a meeting with LABA at 18.30hrs at the MSC Lounge where the association will avail them of the tournament plans.

The format of the tournament will also be done tonight especially since it will be over a seven day period from August 6, 7, 12, 14 and 20th.

The official launching of the tournament is set for Thursday next at a venue to be announced.

(REUTERS)-Cricket South Africa (CSA) will formally introduce racial quotas at national team level, the board said yesterday.

The organisation has come under fire from the South African government for a lack of transformation in its national teams, leading to a ban on bidding for

international tournaments that will be reviewed next year.

President Chris Nenzani said in a statement CSA will seek to "move with the times" and set a minimum number of black players to be selected in all their national teams.

He added that these "targets" would be calculated over a year and not apply on a match-by-match basis.

"In the past we had never set targets in our national teams but with changing circumstances we feel it is essential to move with the times," Nenzani said.

"The precise targets will depend on work to be undertaken by relevant committees to determine what is realistic and sustainable. This will be announced in due course."

The Proteas had already been seeking to introduce more black players into the national teams in all formats and have done so with some success.

The one-day international side that defeated Australia by 47 runs in the tri-series competition in the West Indies in June had eight players of colour for

the first time ever.

CSA have already introduced quotas for the country's domestic franchise competitions where teams must field at least six players of colour, including three black African players.

South Africa's sports minister Fikile Mbalula has been critical of what he says is the slow rate of transformation in the country's major sporting codes, bar football.

The country has seen greater participation among black players across most sports at junior level despite the challenge of providing adequate school facilities in poorer districts.

But Mbalula wants to see this reflected quicker at national team level and in April slammed the federations from rugby, cricket, netball and athletics for failing to meet what he says were agreed to targets on transformation.

He banned them from bidding for or hosting international events until they met their targets, with a review of this decision scheduled for this coming April.

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Mom was driving USACA lawsuit to stop force behind success CPL matches dismissed ‒ Hasely Crawford

Hasely Crawford won Olympics gold for Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.

NINETEEN-seventy-six Olympic 100-metre champion Hasely Crawford celebrated, on Saturday night, the 40th anniversary of his historic win in Montreal.

Back then, Crawford snared Trinidad and Tobago’s first-ever OIympic gold medal, winning the blue riband event in 10.06s over Jamaica’s Donald Quarrie.

Last Saturday, family, friends and well-wishers, including West Indies great Brian Lara, gathered at Joseph’s Restaurant in Maraval for the occasion staged by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

The OIympic gold medalist said his mother, Phyllis, was the driving force that pushed him to succeed.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Tuesday November 03, 2015) 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) Tallawahs-100 in 18 overs (vs Warriors, Providence, July 7) (2) Sohail Tanvir (Warriors vs Patriots, Warner Park, June 30) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many sixes were struck in the Barbados leg of Hero CPL 2016?

(2) How many players represented the Warriors in the Providence leg of Hero CPL 2016?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

“I could remember every night she would wash that one blue shirt and that khaki pants. And then in the morning time she would iron it and that blue shirt will start to turn white,” he recalled of his humble beginnings. “I said I must do something for this lady. My father died at an early age.”

The desire to see his mother live a better life, he said, pushed him towards the pinnacle of world sprinting.

“Things were really rough and I said someday I must do something so she could really attain a better life. That is one of the reasons why I won the gold medal,” he said.

He also hailed his coaches and support team that helped him achieve his goal.

Several personalities paid tribute to Crawford on the night, including Lara, who said the great excitement for him was when Crawford returned to the twin-island republic a hero.

“That (winning gold) was an amazing experience for me, but what was even more amazing and more of a personal touch for me is when my parents and my 10 siblings jumped into my father’s car and we headed to airport.

We got upstairs and we got a pretty good position and I held on as a seven-year-old to the railing, my two legs hanging over and Hasely arrived.”

Guests at the 40th anniversary celebrations included former Miss Universe Janelle Penny Commissiong, legendary masman Peter Minshall, former national cyclist Ian Atherly, as well as Chief Justice Ivor Archie and former chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board Ken Gordon.

Others who paid tribute to the iconic Olympian included NAAA president Ephraim Serrette, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon and Basil Ince, manager of the TT 1976 Olympic team.

The USA Cricket Association's attempt to block six Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games from taking place on July 28-31 in Lauderhill, Florida by pursuing an emergency injunction was denied on Monday afternoon by Judge Michael L Gates in Florida's 17th Circuit Court in Broward County.

Judge Gates struck down the arguments made by former USACA executive secretary Kenwyn Williams on behalf of USACA, that the games were not properly sanctioned, with Gates writing that USACA's claims were "insufficient to justify ex-parte relief".

"Ex parte orders are antithetical to precious due process rights," Judge Gates wrote, citing previous legal precedent. "There must be a 'strong and clear' showing before a temporary injunction without notice may issue."

Williams had filed a lawsuit against Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan, Broward County Parks & Recreation, and Central Broward Regional Park manager Duncan Finch last week - with USACA and USACA vice-president Owen Grey listed as

co-plaintiffs - seeking an emergency injunction to prevent the games from happening.

Williams claimed that in bypassing USACA and going to the ICC for sanctioning, the CPL had not gone through the proper sanctioning process in order for the games to be staged. However, Williams did not file suit against the CPL nor the ICC, the two parties who applied for and approved sanctioning respectively.

Mayor Kaplan's lawyers filed a motion for dismissal on July 20, arguing that Williams should not be allowed to file a suit as a pro se litigant because he is not licensed to practice law in Florida. In addition to his ruling that the suit did not meet the merits to justify ex-parte relief, Judge Gates also sided with Kaplan's lawyers in ruling that Williams did not have standing to represent USACA in a legal capacity.

"Petitioner Kenwyn S Williams purports to bring the instant action on behalf of USA Cricket Association," Gates wrote in his summary.

"Mr Williams is not permitted to do so. Mr Williams is not a member of the Florida Bar, nor has he provided

any documentation that he is authorized to practice law in the State of Florida. Under Florida law, a corporation may not represent itself through non-lawyer employees, officers or shareholders.

"Thus, if petitioner USA Cricket Association wishes to proceed in the instant action, it must retain counsel."

Marshall Beil, a lawyer representing USACA from the firm McGuire Woods LLP, had sent a cease and desist notice to Williams in June when he first threatened to take legal action to stop the CPL games. Based on the stance taken by Beil on behalf of USACA, it is unlikely USACA will continue pursuing the case. Mayor Kaplan was satisfied with the ruling handed down by Judge Gates.

"The Judge's ruling did not surprise me, and we were extremely confident that we would prevail in this situation," Kaplan told ESPNcricinfo in a written statement. "The action had no merit, and the ICC, who has sole authority to sanction the event, did so in writing some time ago. I look forward to seeing everyone at the games."(ESPN Cricinfo)

Russell stressed by doping woes WEST Indies all-round star Andre Russell has admitted that the uncertainty surrounding his future and the possibility of facing anti-doping sanctions has weighed heavily on his mind in recent weeks.

The Jamaican faces the possibility of a two-year suspension from the sport of cricket after the doping association in his country (JADCO) claims he has missed three consecutive drug tests.

The infringement is considered to be the equivalent of a failed drug test. The case is currently before a special anti-doping panel.

"It's not easy, honestly, it's tough," Russell told Espn

Andre Russell

cricinfo.

"When I cross the rope, I definitely block it off my

head but then when you go back to your room and you know you have to face reality and know that something is going on like that, it's kind of stressing and depressing.

But I have an amazing bunch of guys around me. So they keep me occupied, they keep me laughing. I just think that is a very good thing to do while going through something like that,” he added.

The announcement that Russell had committed a violation came in March, ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup, but with a disciplinary panel not yet convened he was free to take part in the tournament.

(Sportsmax.com)

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016

CMRC 2016 Round two

Matthew Vieira cleans house ‒ Mechanical woes continue for Jeffrey MATTHEW Vieira cleaned up in Trinidad and Tobago when the second round of the Caribbean Motor Racing Association’s (CMRA) Championships rolled into the Frankie Boodram International Raceway.

Vieira was unrelenting in his romp to a perfect day which included sweeping the field of 19 riders inclusive of Barbadians, Jamaicans and Trinidadians as well his countrymen. On all three occasions, the younger Vieira demoted his older cousin Stephen to second. Steven was made to fight for those positions but in the end, it was Matthew who came out on top.

Matthew completed the perfect day by snagging the champion biker award for the round as well as setting

the fastest CMRC Lap time at the Circuit, a staggering 41.356.

Elliot Vieira on the other hand saw his championship run cease in dismal form as a crash on qualifying day left his bike damaged and unable to compete on race day.

Both Kevin Persaud and Heeranand Boodram finished creditably to close off the day for the bikers.

Elsewhere, in the group four all-wheel drive division Kristian Jeffrey suffered even more mechanical troubles as he is yet to register a point in his defence of the 2016 championship.

He fell out of the first race of the day with an engine trouble and returned in the second only to be ruled out for the remainder of the day. In his absence, Doug

Gore ruled the roost with three wins from three races.

On the two wheel drive end, Mohan Rangasammy and Danny Persaud garnered important points for the country but could not handle Barbadian Mark Maloney who also stacked up three wins for his country, the Champion driver award as well as the two wheel drive lap record which stands at 39.104.

On the Group three end of things, Persaud joined forces for Afraz Allie to with only Persaud seeing the podium in the first race.

Hometown hero Paul Vieira swooped up two of the three wins while Barbadian Steve King picked up one . Both men shared the champion driver trophy with 50 points each but it was

Matthew Vieira leads the pack in one of the CMRC Superstock races at the Frankie Boodram International Raceway in Trinidad. (Stephan Sookram photo)

David Lyons who bagged the fastest lap, a 41.48 time.

Lyons, in the last race of the day however ploughed through the crowd during the final corner of the track, seriously injuring four spectators.

Group two saw Shan Seejattan battling valiantly for his country but he was no match for the local’s Mark ‘doc’ Williams who picked up first on all three occasions, leaving Seejattan to three second positions and

the host’s Luke Bhola to third in all three races.

The fastest lap of that group however belong to another Marc of Trinidad, Marc Gill with a 44.535.

The team returned home yesterday.

YBG Regionals & NSBF German’s Restaurant to resume September 17 supports women baseball

Renovated Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

By Daniel Haynes THE curtains have closed on the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 Championships and next on the agenda for local basketball is the continuation of the 2016 Youth Basketball Guyana Regional Tournament and NSBF Championships.

These two school tournaments tipped off on April 23, and continued until June 12 in three conference zonesGeorgetown, East Coast and Berbice with four age divisions: U14, U16, U19 and Girls.

However the games were stopped and postponed due to work being done at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in time for the CBC U16.

“We are very pleased

with the level of competition and increase in participation, which we have seen so far this year. The female tournament has grown from only three teams last year, to 13 this year; and in both the U-14 and 16 male divisions, participation has doubled,” YBG said in a statement.

“The YBG tournaments, no doubt continues to lay the foundation for the future of the game of basketball in Guyana.

This was clearly evident with the vital role YBG played in the selection and preparation processes of the national teams for the CBC U16 Championships, and ultimately the success of the Guyana teams during the tournament,” the statement continued.

Guyana’s male team placed second, moving them

on to the Centro Basketball Championships next year, creating history. Meanwhile the women placed seventh but were had a great deal of exposure.

The statement noted the excitement of playing on the renovated facilities at the sports hall as well as gymnasium which houses out of town players. There was also belief that the renovations would raise the tournament experience for student athletes and reflect well with sponsors Digicel Guyana, Edward B. Beharry & Company Ltd and Banks DIH. The new dates for the NSBF Regionals (All Zones) are September 17-29; Regional Finals, Sept. 30 and the NSBF and National Championships, October 1-9.

All Smiles! Proprietor of German’s Restaurant Clinton Urling handing over donation to Nia Gonsalves, Captain of the Kanimas Women Baseball team with Guyana’s head for Baseball, Robin Singh looking on.

Proprietor of the German’s Restaurant, Clinton Urling last Saturday presented a donation to the Kanimas Women Baseball Team which will be travelling to Canada early next month.

In making the donation Urling reminded that ‘sport is a pathway to so many things including

education, life’s lessons and empowerment. I look forward to seeing the ladies represent the Golden Arrowhead with pride and poise’.

Team Captain Nia Gonsalves collected the donation on behalf of the team and thanked Urling for the timely contribution and his continuous sup-

port for sport in Guyana.

Gonsalves also pledged to make a pathway for future female Baseball teams to follow.

The Guyana Kanimas will compete in the Canadian Women’s Invitational which will be carried live on E-Networks between August 4th and 8th. (Ras Wadada)

Matthew Vieira cleans house 35

P.

T&T women rebound to lift Regional T20 trophy

Story on page 30

The T&T women cricketers celebrate with their trophy after capturing the Regional T20 title on Monday night.

(Adrian Narine photo)

›››

Close battles expected in DIGICEL Schools football semis today

By Ras Wadada

THE cream of the country’s Under 18 footballers will be on show this evening at the Leonora Stadium when the semi-finals of this year’s DIGICEL nationwide schools football KO Tournament is staged.

The annual competition has been dominated by the Wismar/Christianburg Secondary over the last four years and tonight they put their title on line against, first timer to the last four, Sir Leon Lessons (SLL) in the feature match.

The first semi-final will bring together Chase Academy and Bush Lot Secondary who could be considered the underdogs of the final four.

The star-studded Chase Academy unit had to work overtime in their quarter-final to get past Annai Secondary 2-1 on a sandy pitch in Lethem last Sunday while Bush Lot disposed of Soesdyke Secondary 3-1 last Monday at the Leonora Stadium.

The Vurlon Mills coached team on their way have so far accumulated a record 53 goals while conceding just two, and with seven members of the National U-17 in their line up must be considered the favorite for this contest . The West Coast Berbice team will need another hat trick performance from their top forward Titus Webster and midfield creativity from Captain Kevin Felix and Jermaine Perreira against what must be their stiffest opposition.

In a pre-game comment Mills declared, ”Although we might be the favorite to beat Bush Lot the game still has to be played on the day, so we are turning up to play as we have been doing all season.

We will be going after them from the very first whistle, giving them very little room to play, while we will penetrate the flanks. Our burning desire and ambition is to win the Cup and that is what keeps us winning. We are two games away from the title”.

Titus Webster

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

On their way to today’s semi-final the Chase Academy defeated; Tucville Secondary 10-0, GITC 25-0, Sir Morgan 3-1, Bishops High 13-0 and Annai Secondary 2-1. It is the third year in the competition for the City school who lost last year’s final.

National U-17 Captain, Jeremy Garrett will spearhead the unit that also includes U-17 Nationals, Sese Norville, Cecil Jackman, Nicholas McArthur, Rondell Peters, Daniel Floy as well as the talented Roshan Ritch and Kelsie Benjamin.

For Bush Lot it is also their 2nd semi-final appearance after their first,when they stretched the Cup holders into a Penalty shoot-out before surrendering two years ago.

This year they have beaten; Novar Secondary on Penalty kicks after a 1-1 stalemate, Mahaicony Secondary 4-3, Mahdia Secondary via Penalties after a goal-less draw and Soesdyke Secondary 3-1.

Coach John Gordon was equally conTurn to page 30 ► WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016