Guyana Chronicle E-paper 5-21-2019

TUESDAY 21st May, 2019

No.105644

Banks DIH rakes in $1.68B at half-year

…Reis ties increase in 03 revenues to growth in unit sales PAGE

City Hall launches drive to recoup $8.4B …in rates and taxes owed to City Council

Praise for cops …as Berbicians hail Black Bush operation

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…bandits had criminal past

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Pump attendant charged for murder of wife

The criminals’ cache of arms and ammunition as well as bulletproof vests and cash that were recovered following the shootout

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Ramnarine Jagmohan

Kelvin Shivgobin called Kelly

Shivchand Sewlall called One eye Papi

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

‘God gave me satisfaction’ …mother of murdered Bush Lot brothers reacts to death of killers

By Tracey Khan THE mother of the Bush Lot Farm brothers who were murdered in an armed robbery during celebrations to ring in the New Year with relatives is praising members of the Guyana Police Force for their operation that saw her sons’ killer being eliminated.

Kelvin “Kelly” Shivgobin of Belvedere, Corentyne, Berbice is one of the three bandits killed in the police

shootout in the backlands of Black Bush Polder in Berbice on Sunday and was on the run after he was fingered in the murders of Premcharran and Harricharran Samaroo.

Ivreen Samaroo is satisfied with the work of the police in not only killing son’s killer but restoring peace to Berbice following a spate of robberies to which the three men who were killed are linked.

“Them kill my son and God give me my satisfaction, God is great…the fam-

Ivreen Samaroo

ily taking on because one of my sons get underage kids going to school so it hard for them…Everyday meh cry for my two sons that look

how them big and not a sick and look how they dead.”

It has been a constant struggle for the woman following her sons’ tragic

death since they used to help to maintain her financially. The woman has not fully come to terms with the tragedy and is still afraid to live in her home. “When I watch the spot that they kill them I does want run away.

I see how them lay down, everywhere I go I remember them. I get the newspaper with them picture and when I watch I does cry.”

The woman is hoping she can receive some form of financial support to help make her life a little easier.

It was quick and decisive action by members of the Guyana Police Force SWAT team that led to the three suspected bandits being killed. A pistol, two revolvers, a rifle, three magazines, two hundred and fifty-three (253) rounds of live ammunition and seven spent shells were found at the scene in close proximity of the men. The other two suspects are known characters and were identified as Ramnarine Jagmohan and Sewchand Sewlal.

CCJ dismisses appeal by Grenadian nationals PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 20, CMC – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Monday dismissed an application four Grenadian nationals who had accused the Barbados government of violating their right to freedom of movement under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement, CARICOM. The four- Tamika Gilbert, Lynnel Gilbert, Royston Gilbert, Glennor Gilbert – had applied for special leave in the Original Jurisdiction. Their attorney Ruggles Ferguson

had said that the Gilbert family was seeking legal redress for being subjected to a strip search over a false accusation of stealing a mobile phone.

In October 2016, the family of four travelled to Barbados to renew their visa at the United States Embassy and thereafter decided to go shopping in Bridgetown, where a store owner accused Tamika Gilbert of stealing her mobile phone.

The situation escalated further after the store owner refused the family’s offer to have their bags searched and resulted in the intervention of the Royal Barbados Police

Force (RBPF). The family was said to be detained, and it is alleged that they were subjected to strip searches among other humiliating treatment, including one of the family members having to use the toilet with the door open while an officer stood guard.

Ferguson said this matter fell under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which deals with the free movement of people and goods across CARICOM. But he did indicate that unlike the Shanique Myrie case — involving the Jamaican woman who successfully sued the State of Barbados after being stripped

searched, denied entry and deported by Barbados immigration authorities — the issue before the CCJ is the infringement of the Gilbert family’s right to move freely within Barbados.

Tamika and Lynnel claimed that they were subjected to degrading treatment by the police and Tamika alleged that she was made to remove a portion of her written statement recounting the degrading treatment before the police would allow the family to leave. The applicants had therefore claimed that Barbados had violated their right to move freely within the island

and to depart Barbados without unnecessary harassment or impediment.

Barbados denied their claim and opposed the grant of leave, arguing that the applicants had not fulfilled the requirements of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) needed to commence legal action. The CCJ pointed out that the applicants were taken into police custody for the purpose of police investigations and that freedom of movement did not immunize CARICOM nationals from the operation of law enforcement agencies in the receiving State. In ad-

dition, the CCJ held that the applicants would have had to set up an arguable case of discrimination based on nationality only, prohibited

by Article 7 of the Revised Treaty, in order to be granted special leave to bring their claim against Barbados. The Trinidad-based court, established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s final court, ruled that the family failed to do this.

The CCJ, which also acts as an international tribunal interpreting the RTC, dismissed their application.

UK High Commissioner, OAS Representative call on Foreign Affairs Minister THE Organisation of American States Country Representative, Jean Ricot Dormeus last week paid a courtesy call on new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings at her office.

IN a release the ministry said the two officials discussed mutual areas of interest including the upcoming OAS General Assembly which is scheduled to be held next month in Medellin, Colombia. They also discussed ongoing collaboration between Guyana and OAS, specifically the establishment of Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs).

Guyana has been an active participant in the Organiza-

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Dr. Karen Cummings and Organization of American States Country Representative, Jean Ricot Dormeus

tion of American States since 1991. Presently, Guyana’s Ambassador to Washington D.C., His Excellency Dr. Riyad Insanally serves as

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Dr. Karen Cummings and High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Greg Quinn

Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS. Meanwhile, Dr Cummings also last week met High Commissioner of the

United Kingdom to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Greg Quinn. They TURN TO PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Banks DIH rakes in $1.68B at half-year …Reis ties increase in revenues to growth in unit sales

BANKS DIH Limited has declared an unaudited after taxation profit of $1.68B at the half way stage of its financial year 2019 - an increase of $242.7 Million or 16.9%, the company’s chairman, Clifford Reis has said.

In its half year financial report contained in today’s edition of this newspaper, Reis also said the group's third party revenue for the six-month period ended 31 March 2019 was $16.73 Billion compared to $15.83 Billion for the corresponding period in 2018, an increase of $898.4 Million or 5.7%. The unaudited Profit before Taxation for the Group for the six months ended 31 March 2019 was $2.98 Billion as compared to $2.61 Billion achieved in 2018, an increase of $377.0 Million or 14.5%.

Revenue generated by the Company was $15.11

Billion compared to $14.28 Billion in 2018, an increase of $830.0 Million or 5.81%.

The unaudited Operating Profit before Taxation for the Company was $2.45 Billion compared to $2.21 Billion in 2018, an increase of $237.6 Million or 10.8%, while the unaudited Profit after Taxation was $1.68 Billion, compared to $1.43 Billion in 2018, an increase of $242.7 Million or 16.9%.

Citizens Bank Guyana Inc., a 51 % owned subsidiary of the Company, recorded an unaudited Profit after Taxation for the period ended 31 March 2019 of $357.5 Million compared to $277.7 Million achieved in 2018 resulting in an increase of $79.8 Million or 29.0%. Reis said Citizens Bank's efforts will be directed to providing solutions to the challenges which the emerging petroleum sector and technologi-

Man gunned down execution-style on Mandela Avenue A MAN identified as Colin Hooper better known as “Gun Youth” was gunned down execution-style on Monday night at Phase One, Mandela Avenue.

Commander of ‘A’ Division Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman said the information received is that residents heard rapid gunshots and when they emerged from their houses they saw a man lying in a pool of blood in the alleyway.

He reported that the man was shot about four times to the stomach area by an unknown assailant.

It is uncertain whether the gunman was on foot or was on a bicycle or motor cycle since eyewitnesses refused to say what happened.

Reports indicated the shooter was waiting on the deceased to emerge from a house he had visited prior to the shooting.

Residents told the Guyana Chronicle that they were watching the news on television when they heard rapid gunshots and after the shots

ended they came out to see what was going on and saw the body of a man lying face up, sprawled out on the dam.

“Meh ain’t know what time it was but de news was on and we came out after the gunshots and saw the man, he was already dead, we know he by seeing he pass through, we don’t know his name because he is new to the area,” a Rastafarian resident said.

The area where the shooting happened is said to be called “Towler Dam” a squatting area just on Mandela Avenue opposite the East La Penitence Police Station.

Residents said they would see the man passing through but know little of him or where he is from.

The execution-style killing took place sometime between 7pm to 8pm and persons in the area who witnessed the murder were tightlipped.

One man said, “Is right in front of me it happened but I was not at home and I glad I wasn’t there.”

Chairman of the Banks DIH Group, Clifford Reis

cal innovations will provide.

“We are optimistic that the Bank will generate an improved performance which will result in increased shareholder value,” Reis said.

He added that the company's continued good performance in the first half year was due to the increase in

revenues which came from the growth in physical case/ unit sales. There were also better yields derived from the conversion of raw material into quality finished products and efficiencies achieved in their route to market distribution systems, Reis noted. He said during the period under

review, the Company's Capital Expenditure was focused on the completion of its potable water storage capacity and the addition of increased fermentation and storage capacity for the Winery and the installation of a new CIP System for the Bottled Water Plant. Additionally, Reis said the transition to Solar Power at the Demico Restaurants has contributed to the reduction in energy consumption costs.

“We can advise with a sense of pride that during the period under review our consumer accepted I-Cee Cream Soda, I-Cee Banana and I-Cee Big Red along with Banks Malta Supreme, Banks Sorrel Shandy and Banks Champagne Shandy were awarded Gold Medals by the Monde Selection International Quality Institute.” According to him on 9 February 2019 the company

also welcomed the UniCarriers Forklift Brand to Guyana “as we launched a local dealership, which will make available to the local market UniCarriers Products which will include Electric Rider Lift Trucks, Electric Narrow Aisle Lift Trucks, Electric Pallet Trucks, Internal Combustion Engine Lift Trucks with Cushion Tyres and Internal Combustion Engine Lift Trucks with pneumatic Tyres.”

Reis told shareholders that these products will be available at their Demerara Park Facility. He also mentioned that the directors have approved an interim dividend of $0.30 per share unit to all shareholders whose names appear on the Share Register as at 17 May 2019. The cost of this dividend payment will be $255.0 Million.

Gov’t working diligently to clear Guyana’s debt backlog- Min. Jordan Imagine taking a loan for US$10M and decades later owing US$80M. This is but one example of what the Coalition Government has had to deal with since taking office.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, cited this example, when asked about Guyana’s debt and the efforts to service the country’s creditors.

He said that the government inherited a number of loans that had been taken under previous administrations. Many of these had no or very little disbursement the minister explained.

“We had owed about US$160M to ‘Non-Parris Club’ creditors. They were Kuwait, the United Arab Emirate, Libya, Serbia and Argentina, and we were paying,” he revealed. The non-payments were as a result of an inability to conclude agreements that were consistent with the ‘Parris Club

Minutes’ which advised that borrowers should seek terms “no less favourable”, the minister explained.

Since taking office, the minister has restarted negotiations with creditors. The Kuwait debt was contracted in the 1970s and ballooned to almost US$80M, mostly due to accrued interest. In March, a debt reduction service agreement was signed with the Middle Eastern kingdom and Guyana has begun servicing that debt.

Minister Jordan explained that every time a disbursement is taken from a loan, it is added to the debt. “I may take a US$50M loan today but it doesn’t add to the debt yet, until it starts disbursing.

If I take US$2M from the loan, that is added to the debt.

It has to be repaid,” Minister Jordan said.

This is compounded by new loans being taken, the ◄ From page 02

UK High Commissioner,... both expressed a common interest in further enhancing relations between the two States. During a courtesy call from High Commissioner Quinn, Minister Cummings expressed gratitude for the level of support Guyana has received from the UK and

noted ongoing areas of collaboration, which include healthcare, security reform, and infrastructure among others.

Among other issues they discussed were the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States

minister noted. “When those start disbursing, it will add to the debt,” the Finance Minister said. With the aforementioned debts owed to the ‘Non-Parris Club’ creditors, and agreements for debt reduction, the minister explained that debt serving will increase as payments are made towards clearing what is owed. He added that even the government has not taken any new loans, the debt owed would still increase, hence, “people need try and understand and not be scared of the Opposition.”

Unlike what occurred previously, the Coalition Government is making all matters of debt and finance transparent.

The Debt Report, instituted by the Finance Ministry and laid annually in the National Assembly is one tool, Minister Jordan said. A monthly Debt Digest is now on the Finance Ministry’s website, for the (CARIFORUM) -- European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement, infrastructure development projects in Guyana being supported by the UK government, and the recent twinning of Georgetown and Aberdeen, Scotland.

Furthermore, both the High Commissioner and Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the operationaliza-

public to peruse. “You will know precisely how much is owed by Guyana,” he declared.

Guyana has had US$50M of its Kuwait debt written off and a US$12M (G$62M) debt swap means the latter amount is no longer in this country’s ‘debt stock’. The debt balance remaining is being paid via an agreement made. “It has to be paid, otherwise the whole agreement collapses…where before you weren’t paying Kuwait, now we have to pay in accordance with the new agreement,” he said.

Unless there is 100% debt write-off, the debt has to be serviced. Comparatively, Minister Jordan said that Barbados is trying to achieve 60% of its debt to GDP by 2034. Guyana’s debt is below 50% and “below the global standard for countries like us, at our stage of development.” (DPI) tion of the Guyana-UK Air Services Agreement which was initialled in December 2018. The British High Commission expressed his congratulations, as well as on behalf of UK Foreign Secretary The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, to the Foreign Minister on her recent appointment. Guyana and the UK established diplomatic relations on May 26, 1966.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

As U.S.-Iran tension simmers, rocket fired near Iraq’s U.S. Embassy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A rocket was fired into the Iraqi capital Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, on Sunday night, falling near the U.S. Embassy but causing no

casualties, the Iraqi military said.

The attack came two weeks after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad that if they failed to keep in check Iran-backed militias, which

are expanding their power in Iraq and now form part of its security apparatus, the United States would respond with force. His visit came after U.S. intelligence showed Iran-backed Shi’ite militias positioning rockets near bases housing U.S. forces, according to two Iraqi security sources.

A U.S. State Department official noted that there had so far been no claim of responsibility, and that no U.S.-inhabited facility was impacted. “But, we take this

incident very seriously,” the official said. “We will hold Iran responsible if any such attacks are conducted by its proxy militia forces or elements of such forces, and will respond to Iran accordingly.”

The Iraq military said the Katyusha rocket fell in the middle of the Green Zone, near the Monument of the Unknown Soldier. The monument lies in open ground about half a kilometer (a third of a mile) north of the sprawling, riverside U.S.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 05:00hrs.-06:30hrs.

Embassy compound. The blast was heard across central Baghdad, according to Reuters witnesses and residents.

The embassy in Baghdad and U.S. consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Erbil has already evacuated non-emergency staff, out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran.

Iran’s Iraqi allies rushed to condemn the attack and stressed that a war between Tehran and Washington would be bad for Baghdad and the whole region. Militia leader and politician Hadi al-Ameri, whose electoral block holds the second largest number of seats in Iraqi’s parliament, urged Iraqis in a statement overnight “not to be the fire that fuels this war” that would “burn everyone”.

His sentiment was echoed

by Qais al-Khazali, another prominent Iran-backed militia leader, who tweeted that a war would be neither in Washington’s nor in Tehran’s interests.

IRAN-U.S. TENSION Tensions between Washington and its Gulf Arab allies on one side and Tehran and its proxies in the region on the other, have been flaring for weeks. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran in a tweet, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.

Advertisement “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” he tweeted.

Trump has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, and his administration says it has built up the U.S. military

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presence in the region. It accuses Iran of threats to U.S. troops and interests. Tehran has described U.S. moves as “psychological warfare” and a “political game”.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility for a drone strike on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia last week.

The kingdom accused Tehran of ordering the attack.

Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Both Iran and the United States have said they do not want war.

After the blast, Iraqi police special forces found a rocket launcher in eastern Baghdad’s al-Sina district, about 7 km (4 miles) away across the Tigris River from the Green Zone, and sealed off the area, a police source told Reuters. Officers were searching for suspects and an ordnance disposal team from the Baghdad Operations Command was inspecting the launcher, the source said. The Green Zone was regularly targeted by mortars during the U.S. occupation of Iraq that ended in 2011.

Rockets have occasionally been fired into the Green Zone since then.

The latest such incident was in September, when three mortar shells landed inside the Green Zone, causing no casualties. The Katyusha multiple rocket launcher is an inexpensive type of rocket artillery that can deliver explosives to a target quicker than conventional artillery, but is less accurate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Caribbean governments focus on repositioning countries towards achieving sustainable development

MINISTERS and senior government officials from across the Caribbean have called for repositioning vulnerable, indebted Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on the path to sustainable development.

This call was made during the 19th meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 17 May 2019. Addressing the high-level meeting, the Deputy Executive Secretary for Management and Programme Analysis of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Raúl García-Buchaca, on behalf of the Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, highlighted that “our focus continues to be on building the necessary skills and institutional capacity, so that those of you who have responsibility for implementing sustainable development at home are better positioned to meeting the challenges of integrated sectoral planning and policy coherence which are essential factors to the successful implementation of Agenda 2030”.

Welcoming the Member Countries and Associate Members of ECLAC, the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Dennis Moses, noted that “Trinidad and Tobago had been the beneficiary of a range of technical cooperation activities over the current biennium. Indeed, we have found a reliable and trusted partner in the UN ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. We have also come to rely on ECLAC as a subregional think-tank, which facilitates increased contact and cooperation among us, the membership”.

The current Chair of the CDCC, Minister with Responsibility for External Affairs of Saint Lucia, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, echoed these words, and further underscored that “important take-aways from the sessions this week include the importance of institutional, operational and policy coherence for more effective integrated sustainable development planning; the value of a strong network of national focal points in this regard; the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all solution; we find the best fit for our own national circumstances, and we will have to find innovative ways to strengthen our capacity for data capture and analysis to meet the monitoring and reporting obligations of the 2030 Agenda”.

To reposition vulnerable, indebted Caribbean SIDS on the path to sustainable development, senior government representatives, economists, statisticians, non-governmental organiza-

tion officials and civil society leaders discussed the importance of building stronger synergies between the agendas of SIDS and SDG implementation.

Highlighting the efforts undertaken by ECLAC’s subregional headquarters for the Caribbean in this regard over the past twelve months, Director of ECLAC Caribbean, Diane Quarless, underscored that “the Port of Spain team remains enthusiastic and committed to providing targeted and substantive support to meet the specific needs of our constituents in the Caribbean. We have completed another year of initiatives in research, policy analysis, provision of technical assistance and building institutional capacity to advance the sustainable development process in the sub-region”.

In addition, Quarless reflected on ECLAC Caribbean’s contribution to the subregion through strengthening the capacity of governments with targeted training and support activities, including in the areas of debt sustainability, disaster assessments and policy making. Discussions also centred on the outcomes of the third meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, which was held from 22-26 April 2019 in Santiago, Chile, during which authorities focused attention on the difficulties affecting the subregion and acknowledged the shared limitations on development that still persist among Caribbean States.

The meeting also presented preparations for the High-Level Political Forum and SIDS Summit, which will take place during the 74th UN General Assembly later this year, during which the Caribbean will be raising the importance of empowering people, ensuring inclusiveness and promoting equality in building strategies to improve countries’ resilience. ECLAC’s subregional headquarters for the Caribbean serves as the secretariat of the CDCC. Regular sessions are held every two years, with a meeting of the Monitoring Committee convened during the intervening year.

In the framework of his visit to Port of Spain, ECLAC’s Deputy Executive Secretary Raúl García-Buchaca also participated in the closing plenary of the Learning Conference: Implementing the 2030 Agenda in the Caribbean Region.

The event, he stated, was organized through a very fruitful partnership among ECLAC, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) “as a practical demonstration of the United Nations’ Delivering as

One in the Caribbean and of our commitment to support you in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”.

“ECLAC is optimistic that the pace of SDG implementation in the Caribbean is steady and firmly believes that capacity building interventions, such as this Learning Conference, are essential enabling factors for Caribbean SIDS to plan for and implement the SDGs in an integrated and cohesive manner”, Raúl García-Buchaca said in his closing remarks.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Using social media for the greater good THE wonders of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) must be described as the technology of the modern age because of the revolution that it has brought to the ways in which we currently communicate with each other.

Its wide-ranging components that continue to evolve almost every day have caused the wider world and its distant lands to become a global village. Now, at the touch of a button, far-off shores are brought into the privacy of our living rooms as we communicate via our computers and our smartphones with friends and relatives, and even seek

out information on just about any subject that takes our fancy.

But it is that aspect of it called Social Media that is the wondrous centrepiece of this communication revolution. Whether via Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram,or the ever- popular Facebook, ground-breaking events, wherever they occur, are instantly transmitted, messages and greetings relayed, and friendships forged. In short, Social Media allow for the creation and sharing of information, ideas, and career interests. This is networking; the heart of this system.

Fundamentally, New Media (Social Media) has

changed the world irrevocably, influencing the way we conduct our daily affairs; hitherto, the way we live.

However, there is a very dark side to Social Media, and it is this aspect; one of them, that we wish to highlight in the current context of Guyana.

The issue at reference is the daily use of social media, particularly Facebook, to make racial slurs about a certain section of our multi-ethnic society. There is no doubt that this is a politically-motivated strategy that is all part of a broader plan of furthering ethnic division in our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society, thereby creat-

ing racial tension, with the sole objective of destabilising our society, and even the coalition government.

We deem those attacks evil and wicked, since they are meant to be personally demeaning and degrading, as they pass judgement on an ethnic group’s capacity to govern; as in manage the important aspects of daily existence, even to live, based on the colour of their skin. Those of us who are open-minded and well-read, will know that such a narrow and offensive interpretation of humankind, based on ethno-cultural interpretations of the evolution of Man, has ever since been proven

entirely false and without foundation. Yet, we still observe its disgusting pursuit by those whose only agenda is to promote and foster the idea of domination by race, all in the name of political power.

To the intellectual authors of such a disgusting and dangerous practice and their followers, for we know who they are, we say to them the following: that their ilk is neither a boon nor a credit to the current or future growth and development of this multi-ethnic society; that with such a distorted view of the world, narrow even; from time immemorial, ethnicities have continued to make their

contributions to the development of Mankind, inclusive of this beautiful land of ours in so many ways, as their forbears would have done.

Rather than use social media for such odious ends, employ it towards the better good with the exchange of ideas as to how we as Guyanese can understand each other, foster social cohesion, and in the process evolving a better land which we can bequeath to our children and grandchildren. This ought to be our legacy to the future heirs of this country – a united Guyana where everyone, irrespective of ethnicity, has a role.

Unbelievably unfortunate We pensioners can live in hope rather and racist statements Dear Editor, SOMETIMES you lose faith in this beloved country of ours. Over the course of the weekend, we all heard that the police killed three bandits somewhere near the Black Bush Polder area. I was elated, as, like many other Guyanese, I was becoming uncomfortable with what appeared to be a spike in violent crime, robberies and home invasions.

So, once I reached to work on Monday, I logged onto my Facebook page to update myself on the finer details of the shootout. To say that I was shocked and depressed by the level of racist comments regarding the incident is an understatement of sorts. Many Guyanese, and I suspect, some of those who support the PPP, appeared to have viewed the deaths of the three bandits through racial lens and prisms, despite the fact that Berbicians had been pleading with the police to do something about bandits operating in the area; despite the fact that they were heavily armed, and in spite of the fact that the situation

had become so bad that those at Eve Leary had sent in the SWAT team to help regular police in the region.

A few enquired as to why the men could not have been arrested, despite the fact that they were shooting at officers, hiding in the backlands of Black Bush Polder. Not surprisingly, some of the racial or political comments came from none other than well-known politicians like former minister Priya Manickchand, and PPP activist Romel Roopnarine.

Priya said, “those who would have authorised this kind of madness, unjustified protest, disruption to the work of the Police Force are now in the seats of government.” Roopnarine asked if there would be “any burning, looting, street protests, digging up roads, ‘freedom fighters’ because three armed criminals are killed. I include one more than simply blew me out of the water. A Kapil Dave Sadhu suggested that the police blasted them to death because they were Indian.

Those are “reasons why they were killed in the first place rather than being arrested.”

Editor, these are unbelievably

unfortunate and racist statements coming apparently from people who are not enduring the trauma, the fear and the mental torture associated with crime in Berbice. They are only interested in making a point through racist and political lens. The result of these posts is that some Afro-Guyanese, whom I suspect are pro-Coalition supporters, found it necessary to reply, either by defending the police or felt it necessary to suggest that this is one of the few times when the bandits had forgotten to wear Rastafarian masks to pass themselves off as Blacks. Will this racial tit-for-tat ever cease?

With this attitude of seeing any and everything through racial lenses, I humbly submit that we are doomed as a nation if this state of mind continues. It is simply absurd that some from one section of society could view the deaths of three bandits with more than 200 rounds of ammunition could be seen in racial or political terms.

Regards, Peter Joseph

than despair

Dear Editor, I CAUSED a letter to appear in the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News on Wednesday May 15, 2019 under the caption, “This increase should have been applicable to all NIS pensioners”. It was good to see that the long-serving NIS Publicity and Public Relations Officer, Dianne Lewis-Baxter responded the very next day in the Stabroek News, indicatiing to the general public that the issue of increase of persons whose pensions are above the minimum rate is currently being discussed by the NIS Board and Management.

Thanks to the Public Relations Officer, because it is always never too late than never. Now that this vital piece of information is in the public domain, we the pensioners can

live in hope rather than despair.

So far so good.

Years ago, I also, through the daily newspapers, namely the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, commented about the ultrasound machine at the Suddie Public Hospital, which, though operable, the public could not have benefited from because the Cuban technician had returned home on holiday.

I was pleasantly surprised when I learnt that the very next day the machine was in operation, thanks to the intervention of a local technician.

Thanks to the editors of the daily papers for affording readers and writers that precious space so our voices can be heard, and our concerns can sometimes be immediately addressed.

Regards, Archie W. Cordis

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Jagdeo Government allegedly facilitated corruption, extra-judicial killings

Dear Editor,

THE character that is Bharrat Jagdeo is a very interesting and most unbelievable actor in the political theatre of Guyana’s politics.

If nothing, he knows how to attract the media’s attention. Despite his constant berating of them, they seem bewitched and obliged to show up at his every beck and call. His most recent call for the setting up of a Facebook page to, as he puts it, “fight corruption”, left me in awe for a split second. This man is... Wow! The man whose administration epitomised the term corruption, and gave new dimension to its meaning, is nothing short of astonishing.

It is the facilitation of unimaginable heights of corruption, the friendships and affiliations with notorious characters under the Jadgeo cabal PPP/C administration that has caused most recently many conversations in the streets, the media and many concerned to express their thoughts and speculations about the likely ramifications, if any, of the impending deportation of Shaheed “Roger” Khan to Guyana.

Khan, a convicted Guyanese drug-trafficker and gun-runner who allegedly forged strong ties with FARC, a Columbian guerilla militia.

Before that, he resided in the United States prior to fleeing the country in 1992 just before his sentencing for drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Khan, who, to many, was said to change the illegal trade in Guyana and took it to unknown charters due to his connections and links/friendship with key players in the Jadgeo administration. Khan was allegedly responsible for the death of Ronald Waddell. Ronald Waddell was the holder of a law degree from the University of Guyana; a businessman; a fearless outspoken political and social activist who boldly addressed the many human rights abuses and atrocities committed by Jagdeo’s PPP Administration and Party. It is a known fact that the honourable former Minister of Agriculture Mr. Satyadeow Sawh. denied Roger Khan permission to export lumber, and subsequently, the nation was informed that the honourable minister and two of his siblings and his guard were brutally killed in his own home.

Their innocent lives, coupled with the lives of hundreds of other innocent men, women and young Guyanese were taken during the period of 2002- 2006; during the period that Khan claimed that he helped the Jadgeo PPP Government to “fight crime”.

In 2006, under mounting public pressure from the main opposition party, and the business and religious communities, international pressure, particularly from the diplomatic community, an arrest warrant was issued for Khan. Khan subsequently fled to neighbouring Suriname, and from there he placed a full- page advertisement in the newspapers stating that he helped the “Government of Guyana to fight crime”. Did the then Government ever deny this claim?

Mr Editor, I put it to you that this is the most disturbing proclamation and advertisement that I have seen in any Guyanese newspaper by someone who was wanted for criminal activities. One has to possess a high degree of confidence that is supported by evidence, I presume, to make such a bold and public

statement about a government of the day. Khan was subsequently captured during a drug raid in Suriname in which several hundred kilograms of cocaine were confiscated, and he was taken to Trinidad where he was intercepted by US law enforcement officials and taken back to the United States to be tried for drug trafficking crimes and sentenced. After Khan’s sentencing, one of Khan’s family members stated, “the government of Guyana (Jagdeo’s PPP Government) should provide a pension to Khan for the “security” that he provided for them.”

Wow! Providing security for PPP officials?

Mr. Ronald Gajraj, a former PPP Home Affairs Minister under the Jadgeo cabal administration allegedly recruited the services of the ‘drug kingpin’, Khan and other drug lords, along with renegade members of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) to carry out extra-judicial killings of Guyanese w from Buxton, Agricola and other parts of Guyana.

Khan soon became untouchable, and the quasi-president of Guyana’s cocaine industry.

The thriving drug trafficker who publicly stated that he helped the PPP Administration to fight crime was backed by a paramilitary gang known as the Phantom Squad. Together they murdered, tortured, and intimidated many Guyanese youth. It is alleged that a former Minister of Health, who is one of the PPP’s arm-chair general and mouthpiece from a foreign land, was one of the conduits for Khan’s interactions with the former PPP Government, as the spy equipment used by Khan to track and trace persons’ locations was allegedly purchased on behalf of the Government of Guyana by that known minister.

Additionally, Dale Moore, Troy Dick, Sean Brown, Andrew Douglas and Mark Fraser, the infamous 2002 Camp Street jail escapees allegedly stayed in a house opposite the home of the late and former Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj.

In spite of the afore-mentioned undeniable evidence, Jagdeo the now “fighter of corruption” vehemently denied having any involvement with Roger Khan. However, his former PPP Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds made a shockingly truthful opposing statement on February 1, 2018. He said, “A counter-force emerged after Guyana’s security forces failed to nab politically-motivated criminals who had been bent on destabilising the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration.”

Mr. Samuel Hinds, do you care to explain what “counter-force” you were referring to?

Are you admitting that your PPP Government failed to keep Guyanese safe? Are you accusing Roger Khan and the ‘Phantom Squad’ who allegedly provided security and fought crimes as this “counter-force”? The Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy had described Khan’s Phantom Squad as “a murderous killing machine”. Under the PPP regime, from 20022006, hundreds of young men were killed without an arrest warrant, natural justice, a fair trial or any involvement with our judiciary. Guyana was likened unto the Wild West. Domestic terrorism and extra-judicial killings were the new normal.

The then opposition (present government) did everything in its power to expose and document all of the extra-judicial killings and human

rights abuses committed by the Jagdeo-led PPP Government. The previous opposition parties (present Government) monitored, protested verbally and represented victims of police brutality and torture free of cost. They wrote several letters of complaint to heads of international bodies such as Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. The former Chairman of the CARICOM Heads of Government, Mr Percival J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica, was also written on January 30, 2004. The United States Department of State was informed, and the Organisation of American States also.

In response to an ANPU/AFC protest and vociferous opposition to the extra-judicial killings by the police, Mr. Clement Rohee, a former PPP Home Affairs Minister, stated, “Guyanese people are more interested in food than torture.” Was his asinine statement a reflection of his nonchalant attitude to the lives lost?

During this period, there was governmentsanctioned torture, human rights abuses and suppression of press freedom. Just ask Mark Benschop. He has experienced this in its worst form.

But the righteous is never forsaken.

In conclusion. I wish to address the foolish utterances of Jagdeo’s apologists and acolytes

who claimed that the men who were murdered and tortured were criminals. Firstly, Guyana is not the Wild West, irrespective of how the PPP ruled it. Therefore, no one nor the Police, Government nor Opposition can determine that a person is a criminal. The Court of Judicature is the only institution in the land that can determine if a person is a criminal, and the only institution that can hand down sentences.

A partial list of known extra-judicial and other killings which occurred between 1993 and 2009 under the PPP Regime can be found on my Facebook page.

As one writer puts it, “How can we forget this period of absolute State--sponsored lawlessness, terrorism and extra-judicial killings that took place under the PPP? I have concluded that the PPP is a Mafia parading as a political party. Fight the corruption in your party Jadgeo. The Granger Administration is the bulwark of liberty and not a shameful link in the chain of despotism. Cleaning the different institutions of all venal and corrupt officials the PPP created is a mammoth task, but we will get there.

Regards, Jermaine Figueira Member of Parliament Region 10

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Gold dealers, others consulted on Gold Board (Amendment) Bill

…as gov’t moves to improve transparency, accountability THE Ministry of Natural Resources has commenced consultation on the Guyana Gold Board (Amendment) Bill – a bill intended to improve transparency and accountability at the Guyana Gold Board.

On Monday, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, together with Board members and officers of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), consulted with gold dealers and other stakeholders on the proposed amendment to the Guyana Gold Board Act. In a statement, the Natural Resources Ministry said Minister Trotman, while presenting on the proposed amendment, explained that it is intended to amend Guyana Gold Board Act, Cap. 66:01 and certain provisions of the Tax Act, Cap 80:01.

This, he said, is in an effort to strengthen the regulating regime of the gold trade.

“This would as a result

allow the successful execution of the provisions of the Act and therefore improve transparency, accountability and the efficiency of the GGB in carrying out its business in relation to the purchase and sale of gold,” the Ministry explained.

During the meeting, the gold dealers and other stakeholders such the mining syndicates, the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association were given an opportunity to share their perspective on the proposed legislation. “The session ended without there being any objection or concerns raised by the stakeholders about the amendments,” the ministry noted.

With the relevant stakeholders consulted with, the Minister will now present the bill to the Cabinet for approval and its eventual introduction into the National Assembly.

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and representatives from the Guyana Gold Board consulting with gold dealers and other stakeholders on the proposed Guyana Gold Board (Amendment) Act

Businesses invited to explore ‘Expocaribe’ in Cuba

Region Three Chamber of Commerce President, Halim Khan

LOCAL businesses are invited to participate in Expocaribe which will provide an opportunity to entrepreneurs of the Caribbean region to exhibit and promote their products and services with counterparts of various sectors.

This is according to Region Three Chamber of Commerce President, Halim Khan.

The event will take place at Heredia Cultural Complex of Santiago de Cuba City, from June 19 to 22, 2019. He said participants will be able to benefit from commercial opportunities and potential joint businesses to foster economic and commercial complementarity among countries.

The Chambers President said the event will

also provide attending companies the possibility to hold bilateral meetings, aimed at fostering and diversifying commercial relations and cooperation to the benefit of economic development and greater integration of Caribbean economies.

“On the margins of Expocaribe 2019, a business forum of the association of Caribbean states will be held to promote trade, investment and an exchange of ideas among entrepreneurs of the greater Caribbean,” Khan said.

He continued: “We are sure that Santiago de Cuba City, with its customary hospitality, will enable participants in EXPOCARIBE 2019 to enjoy the possibility of a fruitful exchange of ideas to generate new businesses in a professional environment of mutual understanding.”

Recruitment agency to help Sophia Night School students write CSEC ‘Exam’ THE Ministry of Social Protection’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) is working to secure finances to help students at the Sophia Night School pay for some of their subjects.

During the first quarter of this year CRMA has collaborated with the Sophia Night School to assist persons in rewriting or writing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer, CRMA, Valerie Moore, explained that this move came along since most workplaces, including government agencies, require CSEC for employment. She noted that the tutoring at the school is free but persons would have to pay for the subjects.

“We are trying to see if we can ask the ministry to help those who are doing well at the school but really can’t afford to pay for their subjects. So the plan is at least try to pay for two or three of their subjects to ease their burden. That is going to be our next move, once we have evaluated the situation and once that is needed we will approach the

ministry in that regard,” Moore explained.

Meanwhile, CRMA has successfully trained and prepared 66 persons for job interviews through its World of Work programme, during the first quarter.

The World of Work programme was initiated to prepare persons for the world of work, following feedback from employers.

Moore related that very often some employers would indicate that many of the persons who were referred, lacked the basic interviewing skills which make them unsuccessful during the interviews.

“We send them [employers] referral slips for them to let us know who are unsuccessful and why. The feedback we get is that their attitudes towards the interview is off, their punctuality is poor etc. So we took the initiative to get all the registrants from each region, bring them here and carry out a work-readiness programme where they learn about work ethics, resumé writing, format of some interview questions and how to respond to those questions,” Moore explained.

During the first quarter, the

programme was executed in Regions Three, Four and Five and will soon be rolled out in Regions Two, Ten and Six. Moore said persons who have participated in the programme are usually successful in their interviews.

The CRMA continues to battle with securing vacancies from the Public Service Commission (PSC). The Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer highlighted that for the past couple of years, employment was shifted from the Ministry’s human resources department to contracts, then to the PSC. This, Moore says, slows down employment status as well as impacts the department’s performance since the department will not always know if all the referred persons successfully gained employment.

Despite this setback the department will continue its work programme and strive to employ as many persons as possible, Moore affirmed.

CRMA collects and furnishes information to employers who wish to recruit workers and persons who are seeking employment.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

City Hall launches drive to recoup $8.4B THE Georgetown City Council will, on Thursday, launch its rate recovery drive, which aims to garner the $8.4 B in outstanding rates owed by both residential and commercial defaulters.

While the Council used various means to encourage defaulters to pay their due, such as amnesty over the years, Town Clerk (ag) Sharon Harry-Munroe, related, that the Council made a decision to intensify these efforts through various mechanisms, which include the establishment of a rates recovery committee as well as a difficult circumstances committee.

“These are some of the ways in which we are encouraging our residents and citizens to come in, to honour their financial obligations to Council as it relates to their taxes in Georgetown,” she said.

Speaking more on the process, City Treasurer John Douglas said that the rate recovering campaign can last up to six months, and

will cover all of the wards in the 15 constituencies. The team, consisting of seven employees, will commence in Lacy Town. The aim is to garner the $8.4 B, which is the amount tallied, minus interest. Douglas related that some defaulters have not paid their rates in as much as 28 years. The Council understands that rate payers, especially those who incurred years of interest, would have difficulty repaying a lump sum figure and so systems will be implemented to ease the burden.

“Council has its payment plans, you can write to us, you can come in to us, once you are able to pay 30% down, we can take the matter to the finance committee, and we can have a plan set out for you,” he said. The Difficult Circumstance Committee will handle cases as these.

Douglas related that the drive would also allow for sensitisation on the entire process of rate payment since the system discovered that some commercial payers are actually paying a residen-

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…in rates and taxes owed to City Council

Members of the City Hall Administration speak to the media on the rate recovering drive

tial rate. He said there are four classes of rate payers; residential, residential/commercial, pure commercial and land only. According to Douglas, the system shows

that 60% of residential/commercial are defaulters while 30% are pure commercial and 10% land only.

He said if defaulters fail in any way to com-

mence payment, even by accessing the payment plan, legal action will be taken.

This means that persons’ properties can be levied.

With the challenges faced at the level of the courts,

the City Council continues to seriously consider the establishment of a municipal court to deal with these matters expeditiously, he noted.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

CH&PA expended $1.9B on infrastructural development in 2017 IN 2017, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), expended in excess of $1.9B on infrastructural development projects. This information was documented in the Executive Summary of the 2017 annual report that was tabled in the National Assembly, last Wednesday.

The spending included the completion of roll over projects, electrical infrastructure programme, consolidation of existing housing areas and the construction of various housing solutions.

At a recent community meeting held in Amelia’s Ward Linden, during a government outreach, Minister Valerie Yearwood, who was recently transferred from the Ministry of Communities, said that Government expended millions of dollars to ensure that land applicants

move into housing schemes and not just uninhabited areas. She also stressed that government met over 25,000 applications in the system and while it was impossible to allocate this entire amount in one term, significant efforts were made to ensure this number was lowered.

In Linden alone, over 400 house lots in well-developed housing schemes with roads, drains, electricity and water were allocated. Nationally, for 2016, 2,020 house lots were allocated while 1,331 were allocated in 2017.

The 2017 report further highlighted that CH&PA’s mission is to create cohesive and sustainable communities.

According to the report, for 2017, communities that benefited from new infrastructure works included Perseverance Phase Three, Non Pariel Sections B and D, Farm Phase

A housing scheme in Linden that was developed to facilitate house lot allocation

Thieves burglarising unoccupied houses in Perseverance Scheme

One of the houses that burglars removed the doors, louvers window and other valuables that were inside the building.

THIEVES have burglarised and removed sinks, toilet bowls, paint, electrical bulbs and anything of value in many of the unoccupied houses that have been constructed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) at the Perseverance Housing Development, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

On a closer investigation in the area on Monday, residents related that the suspected thieves usually escape in thick vegetation aback of the scheme. The two-bedroom houses are worth G$6.5M, and the three-bedroom ones G$9M. One resident said the burglars visit the area in the wee hours of the morning “between 2:00 and 5:00hrs” and raid unoccupied homes. “They usually return to these houses to see if these things are replaced or if anything was added, they even carry away doors, water tanks and louver windows on some houses,” one resident said.

It was noted that the private security in the area is incapable of handling the issue. “This has been happening rampantly for the past two months,” one man said. “They come on bi-

cycles or foot and nothing is being done, but if someone kills one of them, then suddenly it becomes an issue, but when people are suffering nothing is being done.”

One contractor working in the area told this publication that he lost over $500,000 in equipment and machines used complete his work. “I lost water pumps, drills, saw and electrical items that I left in a home that was under construction,” he said.

It was noted that officials from the CH&PA visited the area along with law enforcement to assess the damage, but the burglary continues. Resident also noted that there are also gangs using canter trucks to raid unoccupied houses in Farm, Herstelling and Covent Garden New Schemes, EBD. In some instances thieves would pretend to be construction workers where the houses are unoccupied before they burglarise it.

Houses that were all burglarised in the Perseverance Housing Development. (Adrian Narine photo)

Two and Zeelugt. Communities that benefited from upgraded infrastructure in housing schemes and regularized squatter settlements which include roads to asphaltic surfaces, de-silting and de-weeding of drainage network etc included Perseverance, Number 76 Village, Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster, Herstellling and Amelia’s Ward Phase Two. Recreational facilities were also upgraded in communities such as Lethem, Bartica, Perseverance and Amelia’s Ward.

The report further stated that CH&PA, through its Community Development Department, aims to improve living standards of the people of Guyana and has made strides in regularizing squatting areas that are not in zero tolerance zones.

Mason charged for alleged murder of Bartica man

A mason was, on Monday, remanded to prison for the murder of 21-year-old Antonio Dos Santos, called “Lil boy”, who was shot and killed outside of a popular nightclub in Bartica last week.

Marvin Jacobs called ‘Marvin Moses,’ 29, of First Avenue, Bartica, made his appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Jacobs was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that, on May 13, 2019, at First Avenue, Bartica, he murdered Dos Santos. He was represented by attorney-at-law Trenton Lake while the state was represented by Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield.

The Chief Magistrate transferred the case to the Bartica Magistrate’s Court for June 12, 2019. According to reports, on the day in question, Dos Santos was at the Top Notch Nightclub, First Avenue, Bartica, when he was allegedly confronted by Jacobs who was armed with a gun. Dos Santos, was shot twice to the chest while his killer fled on foot. However, Jacobs was later turned in to the police in Bartica by his mother. Dos Santos was taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was treated and later referred to seek further medical attention in Georgetown. He, however, succumbed to his injuries while at the Bartica Municipality Airstrip awaiting the medevac airplane.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Las Vegas 'declares May 26 ‘Guyana Day'

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Poisoned students out of danger- MoE THE Ministry of Education has cleared the air on the issue involving students of the Corentyne Comprehensive High School who fell ill after their classmates mixed a substance into their water bottles.

According to reports, one of the two female students was in a “critical” condition

MAYOR of the City of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, has officially proclaimed May 26 as “Guyana Day”.

A photo of the proclamation was posted by Las Vegas Latin Caribbean Festival Inc., which is a non-profit community and cultural organization in the State of Nevada.

The proclamation read: “I, Carolyn G. Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, do hereby proclaim May 26, 2019 as Guyana Day in the City of Las Vegas and ask all residents to recognise

this country’s 53rd Anniversary.”

On May 26, this year, Guyana will observe its Independence anniversary which signals 53 years of being independent of British colonial rule.

The proclamation further read: “We salute the men and women from this nation who now reside in Las Vegas and help to promote cultural understanding and make southern Nevada such a diverse and fabulous place to call home.”

Suspect in killing of businessman’s son confesses …file sent to DPP, police hunt second perpetrator DETECTIVES are on the hunt for a second suspect in the murder of 23-yearold Patrick Matthew Fraser, after another suspect, under interrogation, admitted to having knowledge of the crime.

Based on the new evidence, police, on Monday, sent the file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

Patrick Fraser called “White Boy” was gunned down at Norton Street, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on May, 9, 2019. He was reportedly shot in the foot and abdomen. Reports indicate that the men implicated in the murder are known to “White Boy.” Initially, the police had stated that, although the

Patrick Matthew Fraser

young man was shot twice, they retrieved from the scene only one .32 spent shell and one warhead along with a pair of slippers and a bloodstained Polo hat.

after consuming an unknown substance.

The ministry confirmed the allegation, noting that indeed the students were taken to hospital after the incident occurred.

The Education Ministry, in a press statement, said that the students were, however, treated, discharged and are

in no present danger.

“None of the students is in a critical condition and the ministry is actively addressing this matter,” said the ministry.

The matter is being investigated by the Guyana Police Force. The classmates who were accused of mixing the substance in the water bottles

were questioned, in the presence of their parents.

Meanwhile, the Welfare Unit of the Education Department of Region Six has provided counselling and psychosocial support to those affected by the incident.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Health Minister appointed to WHO Executive Board

MINISTER of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, has been elected to the Executive Board of World Health Organisation (WHO) – a move that will see Guyana helping to shape global health policies.

Minister Lawrence was elected on Monday at the 72nd Session of the World Health Assembly currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WHO Executive Board has oversight responsibility for implementing decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly (WHA) – an advisory body that facilitates WHO’s work. Minister Lawrence will serve in the position

for the next three years, the Ministries of Public Health and Foreign Affairs said on Monday, in two separate statements.

“The honour of serving in this esteemed position affords Guyana the opportunity to shape global and regional health policies and to bring more health-system resources to Guyana and the region of the Americas, thereby improving health care access and services to all its residents,” Guyana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and International Organisations, Geneva John R.D. Ford said in a statement.

The WHO Executive

Board comprises 34 individuals and meets twice annually – in January and May. The 145th session of the Executive Board will be convened in Geneva next week.

Minister Lawrence is currently attending her third WHA conference and has helped establish Guyana “as a strong advocate for Universal Health Care to bring improved access and quality health care to all Guyana’s citizens, especially those most vulnerable,” Ford’s said while making the announcement.

Minister Lawrence’s election to the board comes approximately one year after Guyana received the Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence

World No Tobacco Day Award conferred by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

WHO FCTC had recognized Guyana for the strong stance it took against the use of tobacco.

In August 2017, the Tobacco Control Act became law after the bill was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President David Granger. It took effect on December 11, 2017, following the issuance of a commencement order

by Minister Lawrence.

However, the initial focus has been on the Tobacco Industry.

Baby found dead in ‘clothes tub’

THE lifeless body of ninemonth-old Trevon Alberto Albert, of Lot 14 D Edwards Village, West Coast Berbice, was discovered in a tub just outside the family bathroom on Monday afternoon.

The discovery was made just after 16:00 hours by a relative. According to the baby’s mother, Christina Albert, moments before the incident, she, along with her foster mother, Surijdai Trim, known as Navita,

were playing with the child who was being prepared for a bath.

Navita Trim left the child and mother and went to the upper flat of the house. At the time Christina Albert was lying in a chair and the child was playing on the floor. When Navita returned to the lower flat, twenty minutes later, she observed Christina was sleeping in the chair, while the toddler was not seen.

Checks were made around

the yard as the door was open and in doing so she found the child’s lifeless body in a tub of water in the vicinity of the outdoor bathroom.

An alarm was raised and the police were alerted. The body was taken to Fort Wellington Hospital where his death was confirmed. A post mortem examination is scheduled for later this week. Investigations are continuing.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Guyana Fashion Showcase opens Friday at Princess Hotel

PROMISING a fashion, beauty, style, and travel mixed together for an experience like never before, the Guyana Fashion Showcase was officially launched on Monday at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.

The experience will include a fashion show “The Runway Event” on Friday, while patrons will also participate in the Guyana Carnival Parade on Sunday, donning Michele Cole-Wagner-designed costumes, and then participate in a trip to Kaieteur Falls and other interior locations on Monday, May 27, 2019.

Behind the event is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Philbert Giddings, while veteran Guyanese designer, Roger Gary is Creative Director. The orgaisation has partnered with the Ramada hotel and Caribbean Airlines to offer packages to patrons travelling from overseas.

“It’s basically a fashion and travel lifestyle event.

We’re hoping to make it an annual event, so then every year we’re going to try to go to a different place just to discover Guyana,” Gary explained. “A lot of persons are coming for the event. People who we’ve marketed it to in the US said they love it and can’t wait to come.”

Having worked together

on several overseas events over the past years, Gary and Giddings decided that it was time to bring something to Guyana. “I’ve done shows with him in New York then a little over a year ago he called me and he said: I need to do something in Guyana, something needs to happen there. And I said: It definitely had to have a fashion aspect.

So I suggest to him let’s do it like a fashion and travel lifestyle event and he said yes let’s do it,” Gary shared as he explained how the event was birthed.

Gary says the hopes are to see the event go off with a bang. “We want it to come off in a very powerful way.

When we put on this event we want it to be something that Guyana can be proud of,” he said.

Friday’s fashion show will see the participation of a stellar line up of 16 local, regional and international designers, and some 45 models, backed by top make-up artist and style team bringing some of spring 2019 best trends to a 60-foot runway.

The designers’ lineup will include local designers Randy Madray, Sidney Francois, Mwanza Glen, Quinton Pearson and Pamela Fox. Gary and Cole-Wagner, who are overseas-based, will also be displaying pieces.

Guyana Fashion Showcase, Creative Director, Roger Gary (right) and Chief Executive Officer, Philbert Giddings, met with First Lady Sandra Granger at her State House office last month during preparations for the show (Photo credit MoTP)

Each designer is being allowed a maximum of 15 pieces. Madray, who was present at Monday’s launch, says patrons can expect the Madray collection to bring its usual zest, especially with the brand celebrating its anniversary.

“It’s going to be something really out there; we’ve been working on it for quite a few months. This year

Mining lotteries to be held in Port Kaituma and Bartica THE Natural Resources Ministry will be holding mining lotteries in Port Kaituma and Bartica, in keeping with its quest to provide fair distribution of mining lands.

In a statement on Monday, the ministry noted that the lotteries would be for Medium Scale blocks. In Port Kaituma the lottery would be held on May 24, and on June 14, 2019, miners in Bartica would have an opportunity to bid for medium scale blocks in that mining district.

The Natural Resources Ministry noted that these lotteries are in keeping with a commitment made by Minister Trotman to small miners.

The first lottery exercise was held in Georgetown and had seen over 200 persons benefitting. “The advancement of these lotteries has been facilitated by the Minister of Natural Resources Hon. Raphael Trotman to allow small miners within the districts who have applied for mining lands to now have a chance to access available mining properties,” the ministry explained in the statement.

According to the ministry, Minister Trotman has instructed that the lotteries be district specific. The Ministry is encouraging all interested participants to read the advertisements placed in the local news-

papers for details. It noted that participation fee must be paid in advance to benefit from the lotteries. Registration for the lotteries will close on May 23, 2019 and June 13, 2019 for the Port Kaituma and Bartica Lotteries respectively.

However, registration will be facilitated at the lottery venue between 8:00hrs and 10:00hrs on the lottery days. “The Ministry looks forward to the positive outcomes of the upcoming exercises and encourages all upon acquisition of their mining land to utilize it in a safe, sustainable and responsible manner,” the ministry said.

is ten years since I’ve been designing so this year we’re doing a ‘Ten Years of Designing’ celebratory collection. It’s going to be really detailed, as we’re always known for, and we’re going to bring a lot of elegance to the runway,” Madray promised.

Aside from debuting the pieces, Madray says he’s happy to be a part of the show and looking forward to the opportunities that it will bring. “It’s great to be a part of the show, showcasing on the same runway as Michele and Roger and some of the other international designers that I know of but have never met. It will be a great opportunity to network and actually meet everyone in person.

Networking with fellow designers always creates opportunities for you to reach further markets,” Madray said.

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Praise for cops

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

…as Berbicians hail Black Bush operation …bandits had criminal past

By Nafeeza Yahya THE farming community of Black Bush Polder has erupted with the slaying of three notorious bandits on Sunday afternoon during a police operation in the area.

Shops, street corners, liming spots by the bridges and even the fences that separate yards are all locations where people gathered to share their joy for the police operation on Sunday that eliminated three notorious criminals who had been on a rampage tormenting citizens of Berbice.

The criminals identified as Kelvin Shivgobin called ‘Kelly’ or ‘Mad Dog’, 35, Ramnarine Jagmohan called ‘Baby’ or ‘Tiger’ 33, and Sewchan Sewlall called ‘One Eye Papi’ 52, were shot and killed as ranks of B Division swooped in on their hideout at the backlands of Johanna South.

While Shivgobin and Jagmohan were from Belvedere on the Corentyne and had long rap sheets detailing their criminal past, Sewlall was a hometown boy of Lall Street, Johanna, Black Bush Polder.

He was never brought before the courts, but his name is often mentioned in criminal activities and is known to keep a low profile. As news spread of his death many residents began to exclaim: “I knew it!” or “moon a run till day ketch am”. The 52-yearold man was a father of four

Parents of Ramnarine Shivgobin leaving the Ramoo’s Funeral Home

high-profile robberies committed in Berbice.

The home of slain bandit Shivchand Sewlall

and was known as a farmer and fisherman during the day.

However, his late night activities have eventually caught up with him and many have expressed disgust that as a ‘Yardie’ he has betrayed his people and family. “He is a yard man who see and know we struggle, yet still he bring in them men this to come here and beat and rob poor people, who does work hard every day in the fields just to get by. He deserves wah he get but I feel them should a suffer just like how them mek people suffer before them dead,” one resident of Black Bush who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

Indrawattie Dhanraj, a 44-year-old single parent do-

mestic worker who was beaten and robbed with a crowbar that was found in possession of the men some 15 hours prior to their demise, was emotional when she spoke with the Guyana Chronicle having just returned from the Police Station where she positively identified belongings that were recovered by the police. “Them tek advantage on people too long…look how them beat me and threaten me lil son… them heartless. Karma get them deh,” the woman commented. Johanna resident Chaitram Rabindranauth 45, said he is more than thankful as he saw the fear that his neighbour and brother-inlaw Herman Roopnarine was

living in. He said now the community can live in peace.

Over at Bushlot, Irene Samaroo, the mother of the Samaroo brothers whose lives were snuffed out on Old Years Night was moved to tears giving praise to God that the man who killed two of her four sons has met a similar fate. (see other story on page 2) Kelvin ‘Kelly’ ‘Mad Dog’ Shivgobin Shivgobin was reportedly the shooter in that incident that and a wanted bulletin was issued for his arrest. Prior to that night he was held for the murder of a Corentyne businessman Patrick Mohabir in 2015 but was released and is often fingered in most of the

RELATIVES EMBARRASSED Meanwhile, when the Guyana Chronicle visited the home of his parents in Alness village, relatives who gathered to console them said the entire incident is an embarrassment. “Since he come out from jail for Patrick murder he only visit he mother one time and we never see he back but always hear he name a call in wickedness we don’t know what he up to. The whole situation is an embarrassment.”

The third slain bandit Ramnarine ‘Tiger’ Jagmohan was freed on March 16th for the murder of the owner of Cool Runnings transportation services, Devendra Deodat called ‘Dave’. While on remand, Jagmohan was brutally beaten in a fight that claimed the life of his brother Neshan Jagmohan. Many were of the view that since he had a second lease on life, he would have turned a new leaf, instead he continued from where he left off. One resident of Belvedere said: “he prefer the fast money life.” His mother Pamela Jagmohan who went to identify the body at the Ramoo’s Funeral Parlour on Monday said

Johanna Black Bush Polder resident Chaitram Rabindranauth

she thought she was going to be alone after she initially heard that both her sons were killed in the incident but nevertheless she is grieving for the loss of her son and is saddened that he had to lose his life in such a manner.

Police said the incident is still under active investigations. On Monday the families of the dead men were transported by the Police to the funeral parlour where they positively identified the trio. On the other hand, the Police invited several victims of the recent robberies to the police station where several items that were stolen were positively identified.

Afro-Guyanese aim to establish village councils on ancestral lands AFRO-GUYANESE will aim to establish village councils on ancestral lands as part of efforts to foster greater local economic development in African communities, according to IDPADA-G Chairperson, Vincent Alexander.

This was made known on Sunday, at a symposium organised on the African Village Movement, by the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly Guyana (IDPADA-G). The event was held under the United Nations designat-

ed International Decade for People of African Descent (2015- 2024).

Alexander highlighted that when IDPADA-G was created as the core group of the people of African descent in Guyana, as part of the efforts of the decade, it was recognised that the loss of, and control over, ancestral lands were among the injustices that Guyanese of African descent suffer. “[IDPADA-G] decided that this injustice with the ancestral lands should be thoroughly investigated and

IDPADA-G Chairperson, Vincent Alexander addressing the symposium

the solutions found should be part of the reparative process of the decade,” Alexander said.

It is against this background that body contextualised Article 72 (3) of the Constitution, and saw that it could form part of the way forward.

Article 72 (3) of the Constitution reads: “Municipalities, Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) shall be provided for including village and community councils, where there is the need for such councils and where

people request their establishment.”

And the IDPADA-G chairperson said, “We recognise that, in part, Article 72(3) provides a mechanism for our resolutions that hasn’t been activated. And so we thought that we could embark on a process that would lead to the villages themselves making use of that article for the re-creation of village councils as a basis for further movement in the effort to gain recognition, justice and development.”

This is in direct alignment

to the International Decade, which is being fostered under the theme: “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.” According to the UN: “In proclaiming this decade, the international community is recognising that people of African descent represent a distinct group, whose human rights must be promoted and protected.”

Following Sunday’s symposium, the chairperson shared that the body would also aim to visit villages and TURN TO PAGE 15

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Barbados agrees to sell shares in LIAT to Antigua and Barbuda

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, May 20, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Barbados has agreed to sell almost all of its shares in the cash strapped regional airline, LIAT, to Antigua and Barbuda.

Prime Minister Browne, speaking on his private radio station, said that he had received communication from his Barbados counterpart Mia Mottley, indicating that Bridgetown was willing to sell all but 10 per cent of its shares in the Antigua-based airline that serves 15 Caribbean destinations.

“The intent is not to exclude any country from participating in LIAT. In fact, as far as practicable we would want to broaden the shareholding in LIAT,” Browne

told radio listeners. Antigua and Barbuda currently holds 34 per cent of the shares and if it succeeds in convincing Bridgetown to part with its LIAT shares, would have 71 per cent of the airline. “We got a response yesterday afternoon (Saturday) from the distinguished Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Mottley in which she indicated the willingness of Barbados to sell a significant portion of its shares.

“She indicated in the latter that they would want to retain at least 10 per cent and that is certainly desirable because we want to make sure that we pursue that model of shared benefits and shared burdens. So the idea is not to divest Barbados of all of its shares,” Browne told radio

listeners.

LIAT currently employs over 600 people and operates 491 flights weekly across 15 destinations and Browne said the idea is to have many Caribbean countries included in the ownership of LIAT. The other shareholder governments are St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica. Earlier this month, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that the shareholder governments had agreed to give further consideration to a proposal

by Prime Minister Browne regarding the future direction of the airline. Gonsalves told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Antigua and Barbuda had made an oral presentation to the share-

holders meeting and would present a written document over the next few days. Gonsalves said he hopes that the proposal from Antigua and Barbuda would be discussed by the shareholders “before the end of May is out”.

St. Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has said that Castries would not contribute any funds unless there’s a significant change to the airline’s structure. Browne said his administration had already established a negotiating team and was now awaiting word from Bridgetown for the start of the negotiations. “We are certainly ready, our team has been established and I have written back to her (Prime Minister Mottley) confirming that our team has been established,” he said.

Afro-Guyanese aim...

FROM PAGE 14

Members of the Afro-Guyanese community who presented at Sunday’s symposium

communities to share more information and to begin canvassing the views of people, with the aim of ultimately petitioning for the re-creation of village councils. The control and ownership of these lands would be one of the specific things that those village councils would be responsible for, he said.

Alexander reflected on the history of Afro-Guyanese and reminded that after the long and tumultuous period of African enslavement ended, plantations were bought over time and made into active villages that subsequently became local authorities.

However, following the establishment of these villages, Alexander said that there was intervention through central government and mechanisms of the local authorities to stymie the development of these villages.

“In so doing, one of the infected elements

was the use of land for productive purposes,” he posited. “Let it be told that there was much production taking place before emancipation in the rural villages and in the villages after emancipation. They were literally feeding themselves with enough to sell to others.”

Local historian Dr. Melissa Ifill, during her presentation, highlighted that planters would flood the lands intentionally and fostered hostility within the communities.

She also noted that lands were bought and established communally, and with funds exhausted there was little leeway to foster technological development or even allow proper maintenance of lands.

Then came the further development of the local government system during the post-independence era, which, according to Alexander, served as a further hindrance to the control and ownership

of Afro-Guyanese lands.

“We now have a state of affairs where most of our villages are embedded as part of the NDCs and by virtue of that embedment, the people of those villages have lost control of those villages and more particularly, over their lands,” he said.

There are many problems that people of African descent face that still have to be addressed, Vincent noted. He however shared that this issue of ownership and control has been identified as one of the central issues.

“IDPADA-G identified from the very inception that this is one of the major problems facing people of African descent and if we are truly to have a decade that sought to bring recognition, justice and development to people of African descent that has to be one of the central problems that has to be addressed,” he said.

Guyana Reparations Committee Chairman Dr

Eric Phillips however opined that more than just establishing village councils to right the injustices faced by the community, Afro-Guyanese must work to achieve economic autonomy.

Phillips reminded that the direction the government is moving towards is creating a green economy, and for Afro-Guyanese and their communities to develop, they would have to align themselves with that move.

Economist Jason Fraser added to Phillips’ sentiments by sharing that local economic development starts with a vision, which should translate into a plan for the way forward. And as such, he urged that the Afro-Guyanese leaders understand that the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities presented in each community must be considered and considered in the context of the political arena.

Browne brushed aside criticisms that his administration was engaged in “one-up manism” with regards to the efforts to acquire LIAT shares from Barbados, pointing out a significant number of nationals are employed by the airline. “And I know there are some who may see it as a form of one- up manship.

There was not any form of one-up manship, it was about doing the practical thing to ensure the survivability of LIAT and to protect the Antiguan economy.

“The reality is we have about 400 workers here, LIAT employees and for us to have a situation where the airline is collapsed and with the potential of moving the headquarters to another country, I mean that would

catastrophic. “So for those who may have taken my account to the people of Antigua and Barbuda as a personal attack, is a form of one-up manship or shouting across the Caribbean or bigging up my chest, there’s no such thing. It is just a practical solution to an emerging problem,” Browne told his radio listeners. Barbados hold 49 per cent of LIAT shares with Antigua and Barbuda, having 34 per cent. Grenada recently became the latest shareholder in LIAT and Gonzales has confirmed that St. Kitts-Nevis had responded positively to the call for raising US$5.4 million to help the airline deal with its current financial problems.

ACP Council meeting opens in Brussels on Tuesday BRUSSELS, May 20, CMC – A report on the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states will be presented at the 109th session of the ACP Council of Ministers meeting that begins here on Tuesday.

The ACP chief negotiator, Professor. Robert Dussey, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration of Togo, will present the report to the Council for approval and guidance on the way forward,’ the ACP Secretariat said in a statement.

The ACP-EU are negotiating a successor accord to the Cotonou Agreement that was signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city. It entered into force in 2003 and was subsequently revised in 2005 and 2010. It is regarded as the most comprehensive partnership agreement between developing countries and the EU and in 2010, ACP-EU cooperation has been adapted to new challenges such as climate change, food security, regional integration, state fragility and aid effectiveness.

The fundamental principles of the Cotonou Agreement include equality of partners, global participation, dialogue and regionalisation.

Earlier this month, the EU issued a statement regarding the “New ACP-EU Partnership after 2020,” noting that it intends to build on the lessons learned during “our 44 years of cooperation and making the most of the new context, the future agreement can bring unprecedented opportunities. “By setting up a pow-

erful political alliance, the EU and its partners will be in a position to develop solutions to the challenges faced in each region. These include growth and job creation, human development and peace, migration and security issues.”

It said, many of today’s challenges of a global dimension require a concerted, multilateral approach, in order to achieve tangible results.

“In 2015 we set up a successful coalition that ultimately led to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This shows that the ACP-EU partnership has the power to provide valuable responses to global challenges. If we join forces, we can form a majority worldwide, as the EU and ACP countries represent more than half of the UN membership. Together, we can make a difference and set a global agenda in international forums,” the EU added.

The ACP Secretariat said that the meeting here on Tuesday will be attended by officials from 79 ACP countries “to take decisions on key development issues, as well as institutional matters involving the future of the organisation.” The first ministerial meeting for 2019 will be chaired by Tjekero Tweya, Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development of Namibia.

The ACP Council meeting will be followed on May 23-24 by the 44th session of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers. “Several important topics are expected to be discussed including the ACP-EU post-Cotonou negotiations and the state of play of the Brexit process,” the ACP Secretariat said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Pump attendant charged for murder of wife

THIRTY-EIGHT-year old Ryan Sugrim was, on Monday, remanded to prison for the murder of his ex-wife following an appearance at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court.

The father of five, who appeared before Magistrate Zamilla Ally- Seepaul, was not required to plead to the

indictable charge after it was read to him. Particulars of the charge are that between May 11, 2019 and May 14, 2019, at La Union, West Coast Demerara, Sugrim murdered Zaila Sugrim.

The man was represented

by Attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin. The attorney told the court that his client did not

confess to the crime. He said that the police are not forthcoming with the investigation.

He said too that he made a report to the Police Complaints Authority to this effect.

Sugrim stood in the prisoner’s docks expressionless while the victim’s sister and other relatives wore anxious looks as the case was

called. The matter was transferred to the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court and will continue on June 25, 2019.

Reports are that the victim had separated from Sugrim eight months ago after enduring years of abuse. She mothered three children for the man who had two from a previous union.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she had been shot in the head.

A .32mm warhead was reportedly extracted from the corpse during the autopsy.

The businessman owned a.32 revolver, which he lodged at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Headquarters, Eve Leary, on Monday.

On Tuesday last, detectives dug up the woman’s decomposing remains from a shallow grave behind a

West Coast Demerara gas station where her husband is employed. Her brother, Akbar Haniff, said his sister’s body was burnt beyond recognition before she was placed in the shallow grave. She was last seen alive on May, 11, 2019 when she entered her ex-husband’s vehicle. The Matter will be heard on June 25, 2019 at the Vreed-en–Hoop Magistrate’s Court.

Calum Cameron to deliver keynote address at CDB lecture The opportunities and challenges of digitatisation will be in focus at the 20th William G. Demas Memorial Lecture on June 4 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Keynote speaker, Mr. Calum Cameron of Proud Engineers in Estonia will speak on the topic, “Transforming to a Digital Society: Principles and Challenges.”

Scheduled to take place at the Auditorium of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, during his keynote address, Mr. Cameron will share lessons from the digital transformation journey undertaken in Estonia, and elsewhere. The Lecture will be attended by more than 200 delegates to the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) 49th Annual Meeting, officials from the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and representatives from the private sector.

“Our Borrowing Member Countries are facing myriad and complex challenges. They must be prepared, therefore, to adopt innovative solutions to advance the Region’s development agenda.

The topic of the Lecture is both timely and relevant to the theme of transformation for this year’s Annual Meeting,” said Dr. Warren Smith, President, CDB. “We are pleased to add Calum Cameron to the roster of distinguished William G. Demas Memorial Lecture speakers and look forward to his presentation,” he added.

Mr. Cameron has over 20 years’ experience in building and leading digital project teams transforming financial

services enterprises. He has also been a key influencer in the development of the Estonian startup ecosystem.

As Head of Europe's premier B2B and B2G startup accelerator, he leads the marketing of Estonia as a startup incubator and sandbox for disruptive businesses, and has worked closely with many of the companies which now deliver Estonia's digital society.

His mission is to build digital societies with adaptive governments around the world, leveraging the people and solutions that built e-Estonia.

The William G. Demas Memorial Lecture is held in honour of the late Honourable William Gilbert Demas, second President of CDB. An outstanding economic scholar and public servant to the Caribbean, Mr. Demas held some of the highest offices in major regional institutions, which promote integration through economic and social development. The Lecture takes place annually as part of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of CDB, and showcases the best intellectual discourse on topics of relevance to the Caribbean Region. The 49th Annual Meeting will take place on June 5 and 6. The flagship event will highlight the scope and impact of the Bank’s investments in its 19 Borrowing Member Countries. In addition, stakeholders will take part in strategic discussions on resolving some of the Caribbean Region’s most pressing economic and social development issues.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday. May 21, 2019

Declining bee populations pose threat to global food security -FAO The global decline in bee populations poses a serious threat to a wide variety of plants critical to human well-being and livelihoods, and countries should do more to safeguard our key allies in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, FAO stressed today as it marked UN World Bee Day. Bees and other pollinators are declining in abundance in many parts of the world largely due to intensive farming practices, mono-cropping, excessive use of agricultural chemicals and higher temperatures associated with climate change, affecting not only crop yields but also nutrition. If this trend continues, nutritious crops such as fruits, nuts, and many vegetables will be substituted increasingly by staple crops like rice, corn, and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet.

"Bees are under great threat from the combined effects of climate change, intensive agriculture, pesticides use, biodiversity loss and pollution," said FAO's Director-General JosĂŠ Graziano da Silva in a video message recorded for this year's World Bee Day. "The absence of bees and other pollinators would wipe out coffee, apples, almonds, tomatoes and cocoa to name just a few of the crops that rely on pollination. Countries need to shift to more pollinator-friendly and sustainable food policies and systems."

In his message, Graziano da Silva urged every single person to make pollinator-friendly choices. "Even growing flowers at home to feed bees contributes to this effort," he added. The World Bee Day ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome saw the participation of Slovenia's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec, President of the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association BoĹĄtjan No?, and Vice President of Apimondia Peter Kozmus. Slovenia, together with FAO, was instrumental in establishing the international day through a UN General Assembly resolution in 2017, with support from Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations.

Small creatures, huge

benefits Bees are among the hardest working creatures on the planet providing the important ecosystem service of ensuring pollination and thus reproduction of many cultivated and wild plants, which is crucial for food production, human livelihoods and biodiversity. Bees and other pollinators such as birds and bats, affect 35 percent of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines.

About two-thirds of the crop plants that feed the world rely on pollination by insects or other animals to produce healthy fruits and seeds for human consumption. Pollination benefits human nutrition - enabling not only the production of an abundance of fruits, nuts and seeds, but also more variety and better quality.

FAO carries out various activities to encourage pollinator-friendly practices in agricultural management, including the Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture and the International Pollinators Initiative. FAO's recent State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture report also stresses that many species, associated with biodiversity, including bees, are under severe threat, and calls on governments and the international community to do more to address the core drivers of biodiversity loss. Another study entitled Assessment of Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production issued by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), with input from FAO experts, highlights a number of ways to effectively safeguard pollinator populations to ensure food security and preserve biodiversity. This year marks the second observance of World Bee Day and today's event in Rome, aiming at raising awareness of the role of bees and pollinators in food and agriculture, was organised by FAO in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and Apimondia.

This event took place in parallel with an observance at the UN headquarters in New York.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Records tumble at GAPLF’s Masters/Intermediate Championships SEVERAL national records were reset on Sunday at the St Stanislaus College Auditorium when the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) hosted the Masters/ Intermediate Championships.

Ending off the day with big wins in the Intermediate category was female lifter Shelly Ann Gomes, alongside her male counterparts Jermy Indarjit (Equipped) and Tremel King (Raw).

In the Masters category, renowned female lifter Nadina Taharally took the Overall female title while Frank Tucker (Equipped) and Noel Cum-

mings (Raw) took the male Overall titles.

Gomes garnered a 275.0kg total through her 97.5kg, 50.0kg and 127.5kg squat, bench press and deadlift attempts. She only had one competitor - who managed only two of the three sets of lifts - and eased to the Overall title with ease.

In the Masters 1 Category, 72 kg weight class athlete and female favourite, Nadina Taharally, brought up her 361.0kg with her 135.5kg squat, 70.5kg bench press and 155.0kg deadlift.

Through her lifts, she reset the bench press and squat records for her category but

missed out narrowly on the deadlift record too.

The young Indarjit took much of the limelight in the men’s in the 66kg weight class, rewriting the Men’s Sub-Junior Equipped squat, deadlift and bench press records.

Indarjit managed a 192.5kg squat, 100.0kg bench press and 217.5kg deadlift. His finesse, 510.0kg total and overall strength steered him to wins in the sub-Junior and Open categories of his weight class and to the title of Best Equipped Lifter Male, in the Open class.

Noel Cummings, better known as Uncle Noel, was another who showed fine form.

The septuagenarian won in the 66kg weight class and emerged as the Overall Best Lifter in the Masters 4 Category, managing a 142.5kg squat, 95.0kg bench press and a 182.5kg deadlift (420.0kg. total).

93kg Classic lifter Tremel King took down a 235.0kg squat then brought up a 282.5kg deadlift, and topped that off with his 157.5kg bench press.

With his 675.0kg total, it came as no surprise when he was adjudged the Best Male Overall Lifter in the Open category, easing past Wazim Mohamed and Askhay Goukaran in their weight class.

105 kg Frank Tucker was

also adjudged the Best Lifter Male Masters 3 Equipped category with his 215.0kg squat, 92.5kg bench press and 195.0kg deadlift, which totalled to 502.5kg.

Other winners in the Men’s Raw category included: Askhay Goukaran (93kg), sub-junior; Davendra Sookdeo (74kg); Shammah Timothy Noel (83kg); Jeremy Smith (120kg); Arjun Roopnarine (83kg) and John Edwards (120kg), Masters 2.

Goukaran also reset the squat and deadlift records in his category with his 152.5kg squat and 205.0kg deadlift, and Roopnarine reset the bench press record to a final total of

120.0kg.

In the Equipped category, other winners included: Parvattan Neel (74kg) and Edwin Spencer (93kg), Masters 2.

Spencer broke the squat, bench press and deadlift records and then rewrote those again in subsequent lifts. His best lifts were his 185.0kg squat, 100.0kg bench press and 200.0kg deadlift, totalling 485.0kg.

Though not a competitor, the 84kg weight class Lisa Oudit also lifted on Sunday. She managed to meet the qualifying mark for the upcoming IPF/NAPF Championships in Paraguay also, rewriting the women’s Open Raw squat and deadlift records.

Four teams left standing in Banks/ECB 15/15 Softball League AFTER three weeks of competition, four teams edged closer to the coveted Banks/ ECB 15/15 softball title when the quarterfinals were played on Sunday at the Affiance Number 1 ground.

A large gathering witnessed the match while being entertained by pulsating lyrics from Hyperz Sounds, as Reliance Hustlers, Bacchus Bulls, RG XI and Queenstown ‘B’ emerged winners. It was Reliance Hustlers who booked the first spot with a hard-fought victory against Queenstown Ariel who posted a below-par 147-7 in their 15 overs.

An aggressive 43 (5x6) from Brian Mangar was the only bright spot as former national T20 all-rounder Ramesh Narine bowled miserly to claim 3-28 in his 3 overs.

In their turn at the crease,

Reliance Hustlers were in a hurry with a flurry of boundaries.

They faltered, however, with the loss of three quick wickets.

The loss of the dangerous Ramesh Narine for 15 via runout further compounded the Hustlers’ chase, as Queenstown Ariel responded with urgency and purpose in the field.

However, a face-saving unbeaten half-century by Mark Austin tilted the balance as he blasted six sixes in his exhilarating innings of 62 to propel the Hustlers to 149-7 in 13 overs.

It was then Bacchus Bulls’ turn under lights to inflict some injuries to Ravens for a comfortable 57-run victory.

They were led by former national Under-19 batsman Latchman Rohit who hammered an unbeaten 74 (5x6, 4x4) as the Bulls raced to 143-6 in a re-

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Answers in tomorrow’s issue

duced 10 overs per innings.

In reply, Ravens could reach only 86-7 when their overs expired with Marvin Pearson striking an unbeaten 36 with 4x6. RG XI were also in vintage mood with a 4-wicket win against Die Hard XI who rattled up 188-9 from their 15 overs off the strength of a robust 86 (10x6, 4x4) from Patrick Rooplall.

Not daunted by the challenge, RG XI were superbly led by Rushell Gomes, one of two compulsory females whose sublime 55 (4x4, 3x6) delighted the crowd. With fluent contributions in the middle, RG XI reached the target of 189-8 in the 14th over for an exciting win. In the final play-off late in the evening, Queenstown sapped off the dew to reach 136-7 from 10 overs with former national Under-19 opener Herell Green 45 (6x6) leading the way. They then restricted Adventure to 117-9 in their allotted overs to win by 19 runs.

The semi-finals and final will now be played on Sunday at the same venue under lights.

Cash incentives, trophies and other memorabilia will be presented by officials from beverage giant Banks DIH in collaboration with the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB). The officiating umpires will be Wazeer Dhanraj and Deva Dass. Admission to the ground is free.

Banks DIH will also be having a promotion and patrons will have an opportunity to win prizes.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Matthew Briggs back in the reckoning for selection … Guyana to play Bermuda, Haiti in lead-up to Gold Cup

FOUR years after he made his debut for Guyana in a 2-0 win over Grenada, Matthew Briggs will be in contention for selection after being named in Golden Jaguars’ 40-man provisional squad for this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. Briggs, 28, was kept out of the National side due to eligibility issues, but now, the former Fulham FC, Watford and Colchester defender seems set to play a major role in Guyana’s Gold Cup campaign.

Former Ajax youth player Terell Ondaan (winger), along with David Stephens (defender), Jordan Dover (defender), Liam Gordon (defender) and goalkeeper Quillan Roberts are the new faces called by coach Michael Johnson. There was no room for long-serving Finland-based defender Walter Moore. However, forward Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson was given the nod.

“We look forward to working with the squad over the coming days and weeks as we aim to build on the success of our qualification campaign,” Johnson said.

Speaking on the team’s selection, the former Jamaican International pointed out that the “process was

Liam Gordon

not easy and I understand there will be disappointment amongst some players. However, I’m encouraging players, fans and the media to get behind the squad as we aim to do the people of Guyana proud.

“Wherever you are in the world, we the staff & players are asking you to get behind the team and enjoy this historical moment. Your country needs you!”

Meanwhile, the team will commence preparations on June 1 with an international camp that will include two international friendly matches. The camp begins on June 1 in Bermuda where they will come up against fellow Gold Cup debutants Bermuda in an international friendly on June 6.

Golden Jaguars will then

travel to Costa Rica to continue their camp over the period June 9-13 and while there they will play another international friendly, this time against Caribbean powerhouse Haiti on the June 11.

From Costa Rica the team will travel to their base in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, for their opening game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 on June 18 against defending champions USA. The Golden Jaguars were drawn in Group D of the 16team tournament, with the USA, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Following their opening game against USA on June 18, the side will travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on Panama on June 22 at the First Energy Stadium, then play their final group game against Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rivals, Trinidad and Tobago, on June 26 at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas.

The squad: Matthew Briggs, Terell Ondaan, Jordan Dover, Liam Gordon, Quillan Roberts, Sam Cox, Neil Danns, Gregory Richardson, Emery Welshman, Keanu Marsh-Brown, Ronayne Marsh-Brown, Sese Nervell, Curtez Kellman, Callum Harriott,

Injury rules Dottin out of Ireland, England tours (CMC) – INJURY has ruled aggressive all-rounder Deandra Dottin out of upcoming tours of Ireland and England starting later this month, dealing a stern blow to West Indies Women’s ICC Women’s Championship campaign.

The 27-year-old, the world’s leading Twenty20 all-rounder, and who also sits second in the T20 batting rankings, sustained a shoulder injury and is now set to also undergo surgery.

Dottin will be replaced by experienced batter Britney Cooper, who last featured for West Indies in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last November.

West Indies Women have been involved in a preparation camp here for the last two weeks but Cricket West Indies

(CWI) did not say whether Dottin sustained the injury then.

“Obviously it’s very unfortunate with Deandra having to do surgery. She is certainly a key player for us and we wish her a speedy recovery to come back and win matches for the West Indies,” said interim chairman of selectors, Robert Haynes. “Britney has previous experience at the international level and we believe she will make a positive contribution.”

Dottin is a vastly experienced member of the squad, having played 117 One-Day Internationals and 110 T20 Internationals.

She was the leading player in the series against Pakistan earlier this year, gathering 158 runs and taking three wickets in the T20 series in Karachi, while

scoring 129 runs and grabbing eight wickets in the ODI series in Dubai. Her presence will be missed on the upcoming ODI tour against powerhouse England, where six ICC Women’s Championship points will be up for grabs.

The Windies currently languish in seventh on 11 points in the eight-team rankings used to determine automatic qualification for the 2021 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, and are in desperate need of points.

The top four sides, plus the hosts, earn direct berths while the remaining sides must enter a 10-team qualifying tournament.

West Indies face Ireland in three T20Is from May 2629 in Dublin before taking on England in three T20Is and three ODIs from June 6 to 25.

Anthony Jeffery, Dellon Lanferman, Marcel Barrington, Kelsey Benjamin, Pernell Shultz, Warren Creavalle, Elliot Bonds, Terrence Vancooten, King

Solomon Austin, Kevin Layne, Sherwin Skeete, Stephen Duke-McKenna, Sheldon Holder, David Stephens, William Europe, Trayon Bobb, Dan-

iel Wilson, Akel Clarke, Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Clive Nobrega, Quincy Adams, Brandon Beresford, Delroy Fraser, Reiss Greenidge and Alex Murray.

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Pestano named RHTY&SC 2019 Cricketer-of-the-Year

By Colin Bynoe Jr

SENIOR Guyana Jaguars right-arm quickie Clinton Pestano was on Sunday named the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC MS) 2019 Cricketer-of-the-Year.

The organisation on Sunday hosted its 29th Awards ceremony at St Francis Community Developer Centre, Portuguese Quarters, Berbice.

Pestano has so far enjoyed a successful start to his first class and List A career for the Guyana Jaguars, making his debut for Guyana in the 2016-17 Regional Four-Day competition.

The right-arm fast bowler inked his name into the record books against Trinidad & Tobago when he took a hat-trick - a feat which leaves him as the only Guyanese to do so in a first

class match.

Since then he has taken 23 wickets at an average of 30.26.

In addition, his List A stats reads 10 matches, 16 wickets with an impressive average of 18.06. Secretary of the RHTY&SC MS, Hilbert Foster, in his report spoke at length about the many accomplishments that his organisation has made.

Foster reviewed 2018 as the most successful year of the organisation. “We have completed a record number of activities under the sub-headings of charity, sports education, religion, youth development, community development, anti-drugs anti-crime, among others.”

Notable individual who graced the award ceremony included Dennis Deoroop Vice-Chairman of Region Six,

Special guests and awardees share a pictorial moment at the 2019 RHTY&SC MS awards ceremony.

Town Clerk and Mayor of Rose Hall Town, General Manager (ag) Guyana Chronicle, Donna Todd and several representatives of major sponsors of the RHTY&SC MS. Bringing the feature address to the awardees was Senior

Manager of Food for the Poor Guyana, Jimeel Davis, who focussed his presentation on youths and role model.

Davis shared, “A role model is a person who is looked at by others as an example to be copied, being a role model is a serious responsibility, it must be taken and not given.” He went on to say that we can all be role models in different ways and shared characteristics that can aid in being a role model.

Davis further lauded the RHTY&SC MS for the exemplary work they have done over the years. Millions worth in prizes, trophies, plaques and medals were shared out to the exceptional cricketers of the RHTY7SC MS. A number of cricket bats were distributed to junior cricketers of the club, while the 2019 Cricketer-of-theYear Clinton Pestano carried home an eye-catching amount of tokens.

BELOW IS THE FULL LIST OF AWARDEES: RHT Under-13 Batsman Nyron Hicks RHT Under-13 Bowler Nathan kistama

RHT Under-13 Cricketerof-the-Year - Nyron Hicks RHT Under-15 Batsman Christopher Deoroop RHT Under-15 Bowler Matthew Pottaya RHT Under-15 Cricketerof-the-Year - Matthew Pottaya RHT Under-17 Batsman Mahendra Gopilall RHT Under-17 Bowler Jonathan Rampersaud RHT Under-17 Cricketerof-the-Year - Jonathan Rampersaud RHT Under-19 Batsman Kevin Sinclair RHT Under-19 Bowler Kevin Sinclair RHT Cricketer-of-the-Year - Kevin Sinclair RHT Under-21 Batsman Kevlon Anderson RHT Under-21 Bowler Keith Simpson RHT Cricketer-of-the-Year - Kevin Sinclair RHT second Division Batsman - Kevin Sinclair RHT second Division Bowler - Junior Sinclair RHT Second division - Junior Sinclair RHT First Division Batsman - Kevlon Anderson

RHT First Division Bowler - Shawn Pereira RHT First Division - Kevin Sinclair Most Disciplined Player Male - Chanderpaul Govindan Most Disciplined Player Female - Mariam Somaroo RHT Most Promising Player Female - Shenetta Grimmond RHT Most Promising Player Male - Kevin Sueraj RHT Most Committed Player Male - Mohendra Gopilall RHT Most Committed Player Female - Uma Mattadin RHT Worker-of-the-Year Simon Naidu Metro Female Batter - Shemaine Campbelle Metro female Bowler - Erva Giddings Metro Female Cricketer-ofthe-Year - Erva Giddings RHT Most Improved Female - Abigail Kishun RHT Most Improved Male - Nicholas Lawson/Shivnarine Ramnsrine RHT Fielder-of-the-Year Junior Sinclair RHT Fielder-of-the-Year Female - Shabiki Gajnabi RHT Cricketer-of-theYear - Clinton Pestano

UDFA GFF/KFC U-20 Independence Football

Panthers, Milerock, Winners Connection and Botofago into semis AMELIA’S Ward Panthers, Milerock and Haynes & Lewis Winners Connection on Saturday scored wins to join Botofago in the final four of the UDFA GFF/KFC U-20 Independence Cup. In the first quarter-final at the Wisburg Secondary School ground, Jaren Watson ‘headed’ Panthers into the semis with two fantastic goals.

The first was off a Stephen Plowell sent cross which was powerfully deflected into the net

in the 34th minute.

The second was almost a carbon copy, but this time Kevin Charles delivered the ball right into the path of a lunging Watson who made no mistake to score his brace in the 69th minute.

The second game of the day ended with victory for Milerock, who turned back the challenge of Capital FC through goals from Raheem Angus in the 21st minute and Lennox Richards in the 75th.

Haynes & Lewis Winners

Connection were the last team to advance via a 3-0 margin with goals from Javeer Smith (35th and 45th) and Donovan Allsopp (77th). Botofago had defeated Eagles United 1-0 to secure the other semifinal slot.

The venue for the the semifinal encounters is still being negotiated and the matchups will see Winners Connection take on Amelia’s Ward Panthers while Milerock and Botofago will do battle in the other.

27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Panthers edge Trinidad Northern to win STAG Beer Guyana Carnival 7s PANTHERS Rugby Club came out winners 12-7 over Trinidad Northern Rugby Club after 14 minutes of intense battle, to win this year’s STAG Beer Guyana Carnival 7s tournament on Sunday evening at the National Park.

The scores were level, 7-7, at halftime and based on the relentless defending by the two sides, the game seemed set to go into extra time.

However, Osie McKenzie made a blistering run down the middle to score what would be the winning try of the game.

Jamal Angus had scored the first try which was converted by Godfrey Broomes.

The visitors quickly responded with a breakaway of their own with Davel Scott mak-

ing the try which was brilliantly converted by Sebastian Navarro. Northern had trounced Panthers 22-7 during the preliminary stages and knocked out defending champions Pepsi Hornets via a 14-0 rout.

Panthers drew 12-12 with Yamaha Caribs in the first match and got convincing victories over Hornets (14-12) and Police (29-7).

Panthers captain Rondell McArthur said they were overjoyed with the victory, especially after bouncing back from a tough defeat to Northern.

Journalist Rawle Toney, chief organiser of the event, expressed great delight at the high level of play. He strongly believes the one-day event gave the national selection panel an

Yamaha Caribs’ Richard Staglon is tackled by Trinidad Northern’s Ronald Myers during the STAG Beer Guyana Carnival 7s. (Samuel Maughn photos) overview of possible options for the Olympic Qualifiers for Cay-

man Islands in July.

Toney also brought broader

smiles to players by stating the first-place prize will move to

US$5000 next year, making it the most lucrative tournament in the Caribbean.

“Let me say this now; Guyana Carnival Rugby Sevens will be $1M (US$5000). I am putting that out there because we have the support of our sponsors. This year’s tournament, as it is, recognised as the second largest prize money for rugby in the Caribbean and next year we will supersede that of any tournament in the Caribbean,” he fervently stated.

Apart from Ansa McAL Trading Limited through the STAG Beer brand, Guyana Lottery Company’s Let’s Bet Sports and Ramps Logistics were the other partners. (Information extracted from the Newsroom).

Saint Pius Sports Complex play E-Networks supports third unbeaten to NSC circle tennis title annual Independence 5K road race

Guyana Committee of Service’s Avril Black (left) receives the sponsorship from E-Networks’ Vanita Persaud.

Saint Pius Sports Complex Circle Tennis Club collects the winning trophy from Director of Sport Christopher Jones.

THE SAINT Pius Sports Complex Circle Tennis Club played unbeaten to capture the National Sports Commission, Al Sport and Tour Promotions, Guyana Circle Tennis Association’s 53rd Independence Circle Tennis title.

In the four-team competition, played at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, Region Three Flying Stars United placed second, Banks Circle Tennis Club finished third and Region Six Visionary Youth Club, fourth.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, said he was very impressed with the turnout to witness Guyana’s native game. After praising the officials and organisers, Jones pledged that the NSC will continue to support the sport and indicated that players can expect a bigger event in the

future.

Against the Region Six team, the eventual champions batted first and scored 142-2. Shane Allicock hit 42 and Seyon Thomas 21. In reply, Visionary Youth Club were restricted to 128-3 in their 50 balls. Donald Gibson led the attack with 52 (8x6).

Saint Pius batted first against Banks CTC. The eventual winners, led by 79 unbeaten runs (10x6) from Orin Parris, 31 from Keith Brandt, 29 from Phillip Fraser and 27 from Abiola Shepherd, raced to 212-2 off their allotted deliveries. Banks CTC replied with 132-4. M. McLennon led the attack with 38, while Marlon Griffith added 19.

Against the Flying Stars United, Saint Pius raced to 204 with Orin Paris

hitting 12 sixes before he was run-out for 99. Allicock supported with 40 and Mario Haywood 28. The Region Three side replied with 138-6. David Durant struck an even 50 (5x6s).

Along with the team trophies, 13-year-old Kareena Nalim from Flying Stars United was adjudged Player-of-the-Tournament, while the Spirit-of-the-Tournament trophy went to Visionary Youth Club.

Meanwhile the Sports Officer with responsibility for Circle Tennis in the NSC, Allister Munroe, thanked Guyana Circle Tennis Association, the Management and Staff of the National Cultural Centre, and all the teams who competed for making “our first event for 2019 a wonderful one”.

THE Guyana Committee of Service (GCOS) will be hosting its third annual Independence 5K road race on Monday, May 27, beginning and finishing at the National Park.

Over $500 000 in cash and prizes will be up for grabs with categories from Under-10 to Masters.

In a bid to increase the competitiveness of the event, the GCOS has invited seasoned Kenyan athlete, Godffrey Mbihia to participate in the event. Mbihia, who has experience of competing in Europe and North America, will be raring to go, after winning the C To C 5k race in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago last weekend.

According to committee member of the GCOS, Leslie Black AA,, Mbihia will also be holding training sessions with local middleand long-distance athletes in a bid to help them improve their current

level.

Yesterday, Cable and Internet provider E-Networks was the latest corporate body to support the event.

Avril Black, wife of Leslie, was on hand to receive the sponsorship cheque from E-Networks’ Vanita Persaud at the Camp Street office.

The event that has been sanctioned by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), will begin in the National Park, proceed east along Thomas Lands turn south into Vlissengen Road before turning left into Carifesta Avenue, Left into Camp Street, left into Thomas Lands back then into the National Park for the finish the children monuments.

In addition to E-Networks, Ministry of the Presidency, Office of the Prime Minister, Guyana Committee of Service, Guybisco and Ken Phillips (Antartic Maintenance) are other sponsors of the event,

Panthers edge Trinidad Northern to win STAG Beer Guyana Carnival 7s

See Page 27

Tournament organiser Rawle Toney presents the winning cheque to Panthers captain Rondell McArthur

Matthew Briggs back in the reckoning for selection See Page 25

Jordan Dover

‌ Guyana to play Bermuda, Haiti in lead-up to Gold Cup

Matthew Briggs

Records tumble at GAPLF’s Masters/ Intermediate Championships See Page 24

Shelly Ann Gomes during a deadlift attempt

Young Jermy Indarjit rewriting the sub-junior 66Kg bench press record

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TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019